Lutheran pulls off hidden ball trick in Class A baseball title game: 'I just went for it'
INDIANAPOLIS – It's something you're more likely to see on a Little League field or in a baseball movie, a play known as a hidden ball trick.
Pulling off the play requires cunning and collaboration, plus a mental lapse by the baserunner, but the Lutheran Saints have made it a regular part of their game, so much so, they pulled one off in Friday's 14-1 Class A state championship win against Kouts.
The Saints led 3-0 in the fourth inning, but the Mustangs appeared poised to cut into their lead. Reid Estill drew a leadoff walk and moved to second on an error by second baseman Landyn Parker. In an effort to uplift his teammate, shortstop Masen Parker decided to try the hidden ball trick.
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After making the error, Parker held onto the ball for a couple seconds. Once pitcher Ryan Redding didn't get the ball right away, he knew to linger around the mound, giving his fielders time to set up. Parker slyly handed the ball to Masen Phelps at shortstop and Phelps waited for the runner to take his lead. As soon as Estill stepped off the base, Phelps tagged him out for the first out of the inning.
"It's always (Landyn) who does it. He had the error, he's coming back (toward me) and I say, 'give me the ball' and I just went for it," Phelps said.
"Us playing together our whole lives made that a factor," added Parker. "We've been playing together since we were 13. We just know right there. I made an error, it's on me, I'm going to give it to him and he's going to make up for it."
The play takes some deception, and the umpire has to be in position to see the tag. The Saints have executed it in games where the umpire doesn't see the tag, negating their trickeration. Second base umpire Brent Hunt worked a Lutheran regular season game against North Central where the Saints used the hidden ball trick to get the final out of the game. In an advantageous twist of fate, Hunt knew to be in position to see the tag against Kouts.
"We do not practice that at all," Lutheran coach Josh Meaney said. "We started it last year. In the last two years we've probably pulled it out 10, 12 times. The pitchers know, they know what to do. They know not to be on the mound, they just kind of hang out.
"Masen was standing right behind. (Estill) had no idea and Masen made the tag."
Kouts scored one run in the fourth, but the hidden play trick eliminated a more costly inning. Phelps flexed his baseball IQ again in the seventh inning. With Redding nearing his pitch limit. Phelps intentionally dropped a line drive with a runner on first base, allowing him to turn a 6-4 double play to end the game.
"They're taught to be smart baseball players," Meaney said. "Masen and Ryan have been friends for years, they're inseparable. For him to get his buddy out of that situation with that play is absolutely incredible."
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