Sunday, May 09, 1999
CINCINNATI HIGH SCHOOL COLUMN
Amelia's Vannatter turned into a big hit with scouts
BY DAVE SCHUTTE
The Cincinnati Enquirer
The payoff for dedication and hard work may be much greater than Amelia senior Ben Vannatter ever dreamed.
A virtual unknown eight weeks ago, Vannatter is now the center of attention as college recruiters and professional baseball scouts flock to games for a closer look.
This sudden interest is the direct result of Vannatter's emergence as one of Cincinnati's premier power hitters.
“Last year, Ben was just an average player,” Amelia coach Jeff Sears said. “He batted about .300 and had five or six home runs.”
Things have changed because of Vannatter's desire to improve.
“Ben used a wooden bat in the batting cages every day during the winter,” Sears said. “He also worked in the weight room and is now muscular and very solid.”
This extra effort is showing up in the statistics. Vannatter is the 1999 Cincinnati home run champion with 12. He's the RBI leader with 48 and is batting .550.
“It was troubling to me to strike out 20 times last season at Amelia,” Vannatter said. “I played for Post 72 during the summer and started hitting the ball. In the fall, I got into lifting and hitting in the cages.”
A 6-foot-1, 210-pound catcher, Vannatter has a cannon for an arm, throwing out 20 of 21 runners attempting to steal.
“I used wooden bats during the winter because they're thinner and helped me to make better contact,” Vannatter said. “It also helped improve my hand speed.”
When Vannatter hits the ball, it explodes off the aluminum bat used in high school and college. A 400-foot blast was observed by a college recruiter last week while scouting an opposing team's player.
“After the game, the scout asked me who hit that ball,” Sears said. “He told me that if Ben keeps hitting like that, everyone would quickly get to know him.”
Vannatter probably will sign with a college team.
“All Little Leaguers' dream is to play professional baseball,” Vannatter said. “I want to go to a school where I can play immediately, although my option are open if something else comes up.”
ST. BERNARD BASEBALL: Before Bruce Bagley took over the baseball program at St.Bernard in 1996, the Titans were not a team to be feared.
Today, St.Bernard owns Cincinnati's longest winning streak (15) and emerged with its first Miami Valley Conference championship.
“I looked at the trophy case, and there's no baseball trophies,” Bagley said. “If the school has won a baseball title, it's been awhile.”
Before taking over at St. Bernard, Bagley coached 18 years at Greenhills where the Pioneers won 327 games and lost 156. He has a 74-21 record at St.Bernard since 1996 and is 401-177 over all.
Bagley left Greenhills in 1991-92 before the merger with Forest Park (1992-93) into Winton Woods.
Hired as a teacher and boys' soccer coach at Princeton, Bagley also intended to apply for the baseball coaching position if and when it opened.
After four years of waiting, the Princeton job didn't open, so Bagley accepted the position at St.Bernard.
Bagley credits the players for the turnaround.
“I've always had good success with teams, but I've been lucky to have good players,” Bagley said. “At this level, you don't need nine superstars. You need kids who understand their roles.”
Brooks Robinson Hazelbaker, a transfer from Roger Bacon, and freshman Josh Shodoan have given the Titans unexpected pitching depth.
“When New Richmond scored three runs with two outs in the seventh to beat us 4-3 in the first game, I didn't think we would have a good season,” Bagley said.
“But we haven't lost since April 7, which doesn't happen in baseball. We won 12 in a row at Greenhills, and I thought that was good, but 15 is something that doesn't happen very often.”
St.Bernard was seeded No.3 and got a first-round bye in the Division III sectional tournament. The Titans meet Wyoming on Tuesday in a second-round game.
CLASSIFIEDS: Mount Notre Dame has the following coaching openings: varsity tennis, reserve tennis, assist varsity field hockey and reserve field hockey, Call Mark Schenkel at 821-3044 ext. 107, or send resume to 711 East Columbia, 45215.
• Aiken is accepting applications for a boys varsity basketball coach. Fax resumes and cover letters to Joanne Rook at 853-2508.
• Turpin has the following coaching openings: varsity boys basketball, varsity girls tennis, assistant football, freshman boys soccer and junior varsity cheerleading.
Call Tony Hemmelgarn at 232-7770, fax to 232-9047 or send resumes to 2650 Bartels Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45244.
• St.Bernard has an opening for a varsity girls volleyball coach. Call Jim Arnold at 482-7102.
• Hughes is looking for girls and boys basketball games for the 1999-2000 season. Call Mark Brackman at 559-3125.
ATHLETES HONORED: Andy Albers and Ryan Weitzel will receive the Archie Griffin Sportsmanship Award at a 7:30p.m. ceremony Thursday at the school.
Presented by the Ohio High School Athletic Association, the annual award goes to students who exemplify outstanding sportsmanship and involvement in community service.
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