Using tactic developed by Yankees coach, state champion Lutheran wreaks havoc on basepaths
INDIANAPOLIS – The Lutheran baseball team's unique and aggressive style of baserunning utilizing a technique developed by Fort Wayne native Matt Talarico.
Talarico is the baserunning coordinator for the New York Yankees. He began his coaching career at Division III Heidelberg before making stops at Toledo, Dayton and Wright State. In 2018, Talarico helped the Raiders rank seventh nationally in stolen bases using jump leads.
Lutheran doesn't use signs to initiate stolen bases. Using jump leads, the Saints rely on timing and anticipation to swipe bags. The Saints time the pitcher's leg lift, springing into their lead as the pitcher's windup begins. If the runner times it right, the runner goes every time. If the runner doesn't time it right, they're still in an athletic position, breaking down and turning a jump lead into a secondary lead.
'I just went for it.' Lutheran pulls off hidden ball trick in Class A final
Lutheran runs its way to first title: 'I wanted to prove how good we were'
"The leaders at Baseball Academics Midwest learned (jump leads) from (Talarico)," Lutheran coach Josh Meaney said of the AAU baseball program he's an assistant coach for. "The Yankees run the same program. It's all about timing. It's about pitcher timing and pitcher tendencies when you get your bound.
"If you land on time, you go. If you're not, you get in your secondary and wait for another pitch."
The tactic can be risky, but when timed right it's almost indefensible. Senior Owen Lecher used a jump lead to swipe second and third uncontested in the first inning. Senior Austin Brandenburg used the technique to steal home in fifth inning. The Saints stole four bases in their 14-1 win over Kouts in Friday's Class A state championship and forced multiple errors with their aggressive baserunning.
Leadoff hitter Nate Hughes led Lutheran with 15 steals this season. He's one of four players with at least 10 steals. Twelve players have at least one steal.
The jump leads put pressure on the defense, and it also causes indecision in the pitcher. Seeing a runner take off could force the pitcher's delivery to speed up, throwing off the windup mechanics and making it harder to throw a strike.
"It's exhausting for them, that why I want to do that," Meaney said. "We want to create that pressure. (Kouts pitcher Billy Miller) couldn't command the strikeout pitches. When you're worried about runners running, one through nine, you've got a tendency to leave one over the plate and that's what we hit."
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