By George Bremer
The Herald Bulletin
ANDERSON, Ind. —
Chandler Sidwell will dine with some of the best baseball players in the state tonight in Richmond.
But first, he had to convince Indiana’s coaches he was the best player on his own team.
Rules don’t allow more than one player from any school to participate in the Indiana High School Baseball Coaches’ Association North-South All-Star Game. So, for the right to spend this weekend at McBride Stadium, Sidwell had to beat out Highland teammates Michael Bilyeu, Brad Kindred and THB Player of the Year Chase Freeman.
“It’s a real honor,” Sidwell said. “I felt like we had a few guys on our team who could go, and it could go either way. I’m pretty pumped.”
Scots coach Matt Bair said the recognition is well-deserved. Sidwell was named First Team All-State last year as a junior, and he followed up with an outstanding senior season.
The Highland catcher hit .410 with five homers and 24 RBIs. He also showcased his speed by stealing 18 bases and tying for the team lead with 10 doubles.
But none of those numbers represent his strongest tool, according to Bair.
“In my opinion, he’s one of if not the best catcher in the state defensively,” he said. “He has a tremendous work ethic, and the friends he hangs around with all have great work ethics. They all feed off each other.”
Along with fellow seniors Bilyeu, Kindred, Freeman and Tyler Branford, Sidwell was the engine that drove the Scots to a No. 7 ranking in the final Class 4A coaches’ poll this spring.
The five players formed a close bond and are still playing together this summer with Anderson Hockett.
Kindred and Sidwell will take that one step further, heading together to Coker College in Hartsville, S.C., this fall. Former Anderson University catcher Kyle Rayl is an assistant coach with the Cobras, and both players are very familiar with his style.
Bair was an assistant at AU when Rayl was the starting catcher for the Ravens’ NCAA Division III World Series team in 2003. Rayl later served as a Highland assistant for a brief period before joining Dave Schmotzer’s staff at Coker.
“He taught me a lot when he coached at Highland for a brief second,” Sidwell said. “He’s the first-ever coach I’ve had for catching.”
Bair believes Sidwell’s all-around game will blossom under Rayl’s guidance. He also believes the school and player are a great fit.
“There are some things he’ll have to work on and adapt to at the next level,” Bair said. “But Coker College is getting a real good baseball player.”
Bair was part of the panel that selected this year’s North and South All-Star teams. He said two other Highland players made the final cut, but only one could go.
Sidwell is ecstatic he’s getting the opportunity. He’s already competed alongside many of these players, and some of his Scots teammates, at the recent Mr. Baseball Classic.
He said he relishes any chance he gets to compete at that level.
“It’s a blast,” he said. “Just seeming the athleticism and talent everybody has, it’s a lot of fun.”
The festivities start with a banquet tonight at 7 in Richmond. The teams will play a doubleheader Friday beginning at 5 p.m., and there will be a single game Saturday at noon.
Several players who have competed in the all-star classic throughout the years eventually have heard their names called in the Major League Baseball draft.
Sidwell ultimately hopes to join them.
“I keep thinking about it more and more,” he said. “I’ve seen a lot of my friends get drafted or move on to bigger colleges. They keep climbing the ladder, and it just makes me want to do it that much more.”
