In baseball a catcher is often thought of as a coach on the field, a player whose intangibles sometimes outweigh the production that fills up the stat sheets.

Logansport’s Grant McCloskey was a standout in both aspects of intangibility and productivity his senior season as the Berries’ backstop. His three years of starting experience benefited on the intangibles side while production-wise he led Logansport in batting average (.412), hits (40), home runs (5), RBIs (21) and slugging percentage (.621) and was second in runs scored (23). Behind the plate he threw out five of the 11 (45 percent) attempted base stealers.

In a year in which several area players garnered votes among area coaches for Loganland Player of the Year, it was McCloskey’s value he brought to the ballpark on an everyday basis that earned him the honor.

“We wouldn’t have been nearly as successful as we were this year without him,” veteran Logansport coach Jim Turner said. “He was a team captain and he was virtually always behind the plate for us. He’s a good team leader and he got a lot of clutch hits for us.”

Turner added McCloskey is a five-tool player with good ability in the areas of hitting, hitting for power, catching, throwing and running.

Not only did McCloskey have a solid ratio of throwing out attempted base stealers, most opposing teams chose not to even bother trying.

“Once teams saw his arm strength,” Turner said, “they didn’t challenge his arm that often.”

Turner added that among the intangibles McCloskey brought were leadership, intelligence, durability, hustle — he always backed up bases when he was supposed to — and the having the will to block the plate. His technique of blocking the plate sometimes stretched the rules of the game according to the Logan coach.

“That was border-line legal, or not legal, but all good catchers do that,” Turner said. “He’s like a brick wall there.”

McCloskey is a repeat first-team catcher on the All-Loganland team, but a big difference from this year to last was the consistency in which he was able to perform with the bat this season.

“This year I tried to stay relaxed and not let everything get to my head to where it affected my season,” McCloskey said. “I just tried to relax. Coach (Rich) Wild helped me do that. Last year I’d take a million cuts in the batting cage after every game trying to find my swing.”

One particular swing of McCloskey’s was especially memorable to Turner this season. Trailing 1-0 in game one of a doubleheader at Anderson, which was ranked seventh in Class 4A at the time, McCloskey sent an 0-2 offering from Anderson’s ace over the fence in center field that flew what Turner estimated to be about 430 feet. The blast gave the Berries a 2-1 lead and they went on to win the game by that score en route to sweeping the twinbill.

Unfortunately for the Berries, they were unable to play with the consistency that was displayed by their starting catcher throughout the entire season. Logan finished with a 17-12 record and was knocked out in the first round of the Class 4A Lafayette Jefferson Sectional by eventual regional champion McCutcheon 5-1.

Still, as McCloskey points out, the Berries “were in every single game we played all year.”

The venerable program fielded yet another team that could compete with among the best in the state, but the Berries just fell short when it came to their annual goal of winning a state championship.

McCloskey said he and his teammates “would like to have that last inning back” against McCutcheon in which the Mavericks broke open a 1-1 tie with a four-run seventh to lift them to the sectional final. But in a one-and-done situation such as the IHSAA Tournament in a sport as fickle as baseball, the Berries didn’t get the ball to bounce their way in their one and only sectional game, especially in the deciding inning.

Though the Berries fell well short of bringing home the school’s fifth baseball state title, McCloskey said the 2008 season “was a lot of fun.”

“All the guys meshed well. We had a great group of seniors.”

As for now, McCloskey is playing for the American Legion Post 418-60 baseball team this summer and is looking forward to playing baseball next spring at Wabash College.

Elliot Rowe, P, Caston, Sr.

Rowe went 8-3 with a 2.30 ERA and two saves for the 18-10 Comets. Perhaps most impressively, he fanned a mind-boggling 125 batters in 76 innings pitched, averaging about 1.7 strikeouts per inning. The right-handed fireballer walked just 40. He pitched a no-hitter against arch rival Pioneer.

This is Rowe’s first selection as a All-Loganland first-teamer and was also selected to the North All-Star team, becoming the first-ever player from Caston to be selected to the North-South All-Star Series. The Comets’ ace also was named a Class A All-State first-team pitcher.

“He’s really developed since he came here as a sophomore. He came here as a raw talent,” Caston coach Blake Mollenkopf said of Rowe, who attended Jimtown High School his freshman year before his family moved to the Caston School District. “He has good arm and he throws the ball across the plate with good velocity. One thing he’s really developed is his slider. That has become his out pitch. ... He has continued to develop and learn how to pitch and be effective on the mound.”

At the plate, Rowe batted .329 with one home run, 10 doubles, 14 RBIs and 22 runs scored.

Rowe plans to play baseball at Bethel College.

Luke Zinsmaster, P, Logansport, Sr.

Zinsmaster went 8-2 with a 3.04 ERA and compiled an impressive strikeout-to-walk ratio of 81 strikeouts compared to 15 walks in 83 innings of work. The Logan ace pitched a no-hitter against North Central Conference rival Marion.

His performance led him to his second straight first-team All-Loganland selection and a spot on the Indiana North All-Star team. He is the first athlete from Logansport High School to be selected to Indiana All-Star teams in both baseball and football. He’s the first All-Star in baseball from Logansport since Joe Ness, who’s now in the Cleveland Indians organization, was selected in 2002 and he’s the 21st Logansport baseball player to be selected to the Indiana All-Star Series.

“I don’t know where we would have been without him,” Turner said of the right-handed fireballer. “We would not have won as many games without him. He was dominant in several outings. We were able to hang in there with McCutcheon because he was able to keep us close.”

At the plate, Zinsmaster hit .288 with two home runs, 16 RBIs and 18 runs scored.

Zinsmaster, like Logan teammate McCloskey, plans to play baseball at Wabash College. Zinsmaster also plans to play football at Wabash.

Cody Conn, 1B, Pioneer, Sr.

Conn batted a team-high .367 and also led the team in hits (29), home runs (5), RBIs (23) and walks (18) and was second in runs scored (23) and doubles (5) for the 11-16 Panthers.

“Coming into the year we had had so many injuries the last couple years, and we had some this year, and Cody was determined that he was going to take a leadership role and step up and that we were going to be competitive,” Pioneer coach Dick Farrer said. “As a defensive first baseman, he took pressure off of our infielders. They knew that he would come up with it even if their throws were in the dirt or a bit off. That takes pressure off the fielders when they know he didn’t miss the ball at first.

“And he drove in some key runs for us. He had a solid, solid year for us. The tougher the games, the more he brought his game up. We played some good competition and he deserves the recognition he is getting. ... He’s a solid all-around high school baseball player.”

Conn was also one of Pioneer’s top pitchers. He went 4-5 with a 3.62 ERA. In 48 innings pitched, he struck out 53 and walked 41.

Jeff Marschand, 2B, Lewis Cass, Sr.

Marschand hit .356 with one home run, 20 RBIs and 18 runs scored for the 14-11, sectional champion Kings. His 31 hits tied him for best on the team with fellow All-Loganland first-teamer Rory Mannering. He also played shortstop for Cass.

“He has good speed and is an excellent hitter,” Cass coach Greg Marschand said of his nephew. “There’s not a lot of players who have more savvy than he has. He runs well and anticipates the bases real well. He’s real strong defensively.

“I think he was kind of the glue that held our team together. He’d hold team nights where he’d get everyone together. He made everyone feel welcome, even the younger guys on the team. You don’t find that a whole lot. He’s very unselfish, very much a team player.”

Jeff Marschand plans to play baseball at Marian College.

Mike Myers, SS, Delphi, Sr.

Myers batted .433 with a team-high nine home runs, 40 RBIs and .817 slugging percentage for the 22-9 sectional champion Oracles. He also tied for the team-high in doubles with 13 and was second in runs scored with 36.

“Michael is a true athlete,” Delphi coach Pat Lowrey said. “He did a real nice job at shortstop for us. We just moved him there this year because we needed to move somebody there and he’s a great athlete. He had a lot of mechanical stuff to work on this year, but there was no question he was going to hit. The question make was defense. But I tell you what, he came a long way and worked a lot with his footwork and ended up fielding at a (.933) clip.”

Andrew Cebulla, 3B, Delphi, Sr.

Cebulla hit .379 with four home runs and 31 RBIs. He tied for the team lead in doubles (13) and was third in runs scored (34) and slugging percentage (.667).

Cebulla was also Delphi’s No. 2 pitcher behind ace Kyle Bender, a Wabash College recruit. Cebulla went 6-3 with a 2.74 ERA. In 46 innings pitched, he had 61 strikeouts and 19 walks.

“Andrew really focused on baseball his senior year,” Lowrey said. “He didn’t play a fall sport and didn’t play basketball because he was determined to compete for the No. 1 spot in our rotation and improve offensively and defensively. He gained four to five miles per hour on his fastball and improved immensely with his hitting. Last year he hit .2-something and this year he hit near .400. It was good to see all the hard work pay off. ... His best days are ahead.”

Cebulla plans to play baseball at Danville Area Community College in Danville, Ill.

Matt Turnpaugh, OF, Caston, Sr.

Turnpaugh hit .409 with a team-high 10 home runs and 45 RBIs. He also had 29 runs scored and an .806 slugging percentage. He was named a 2008 Midwest Conference Co-Player of the Year along with Frontier senior Dustin Sterrett.

“He was a four-year starter, including the last three years I was here,” Mollenkopf said of Turnpaugh, who was an All-Loganland first-teamer his sophomore season. “Overall he’s had one of the better careers we’ve had at Caston or we’ll see at Caston. He leads us in a lot of categories and has won a lot of accolades. He’s developed as a person and a player and is a good young man and a good ballplayer.”

Turnpaugh was the Comets’ No. 2 pitcher behind ace Rowe. Turnpaugh went 5-4 with a 5.59 ERA. In 51 innings pitched, he fanned 53 and walked 23.

Turnpaugh plans to play baseball at Ancilla College.

Kory Banes, OF, Delphi, Sr.

Banes led the Oracles in batting average (.531) and had a team-best 51 hits and 38 runs scored. He also had three home runs, 37 RBIs, 12 doubles and a .792 slugging percentage. He was named a Class 2A All-State first-team outfielder.

“I think all of the awards he’s now getting at the end of season speak volumes for all hard work he put in and the leadership he provided,” Lowrey said. “He was a catalyst for our team in center field. He missed two games when he chipped a couple bones in his middle finger, and in those games we were a totally different team. ... He had a real nice year for us.”

Rory Mannering, OF, Lewis Cass, Sr.

Mannering hit .384 with a team-high three home runs, six doubles, 22 RBIs and 12 stolen bases. He had 19 runs scored, which was third best on the team.

Greg Marschand said that Mannering and Jeff Marschand brought leadership to the teams they played on.

“They have tremendous sports savvy,” he said. “They run the show. They know the game in and out. You never have to ask them to hustle. They’re full go all the way. They pick everybody up and everybody follows suit. With Rory, nobody works harder than he works. Jeff’s a lot like that. They led on the field in practice, in games. They let their actions speak for them. They did a tremendous job being leaders.”

Greg Marschand added that Mannering’s numerous accomplishments in high school sports over the last few years were achieved competing with an injured shoulder.

“He was going to be our starting catcher before he had injury problems in his shoulder. I thought he’d be a star pitcher the past two or three years. ... He was also a tremendous shortstop,” he said. “We put him in center field to give his shoulder more of a rest.

“He did a fabulous job of overcoming a lot of adversity with the shoulder problem’s he’s had. ... His plans are after this upcoming football season he’ll have the shoulder operated on and repaired.”

Mannering plans to play both baseball and football at Hanover College.

Evan Bonnell, DH, Winamac, So.

Bonnell, the lone underclassman on the All-Loganland first team, led the 4-21 Warriors in batting average (.435), on-base percentage (.613), slugging percentage (.645) and doubles (8). He also tied for first in home runs (1) and RBIs (13) and was third in runs scored (13).

“He was my best hitter,” Winamac coach John Hendryx said. “He’s just going to get better every year. His jump from his freshman year to his sophomore year was phenomenal. I expect big things from him in the future.”

Hendryx added that Bonnell was his No. 2 or No. 3 pitcher.

“He held Boone Grove scoreless for three innings (in a Class 2A Culver Sectional game), which is saying a lot because Boone Grove had a great hitting team. His breaking ball was working real well,” Hendryx said. “He’s just a good all-around baseball player.”

Beau Wicker can be contacted at (574) 732-5113 or via e-mail at beau.wicker@pharostribune.com