Buckeye state represented on Hoosier baseball squad

Head baseball coach Bob Morgan knows Ohio well. \nA native of Findlay, Ohio, Morgan attended Ohio University and has coached at Wooster College and Kent State. \n"I have a lot of contacts from Ohio," Morgan said. \nMorgan said he has used these contacts to build a major part of this years' team, and a good part of every team he has coached here at Indiana for the past 18 seasons. \n"We try to get some good kids from Indiana," Morgan said. "Each year, we try to get three or four kids from Ohio. It has a bigger population and a bigger talent pool." \nIncoming freshmen Ryan Parker and Austin Rhoads, both from Ohio, join an IU team that already consists of seven returning Ohio residents, including seniors Mark Minor, Eric Blakeley, Matt Rice, and Zach Otte, junior Nick Evans and sophomores Josh Romero and Ryan Donley. \n"Catcher Josh Romero went to my high school. He caught me when I was a junior and he was a senior," Rhoads said.\nA pitcher from Lakota West High School in West Chester, Ohio, Rhoads went 12-0 with a 1.01 ERA his senior year. That year he earned All-City, All-Region, All-Ohio and Cincinnati Player of the Year honors. \n"I definitely want to improve my skills, and possibly get to the next level," Rhoads said.\nParker, a Columbus, Ohio, native, also has an impressive resume. During his senior year at Hilliard Davidson High School, Parker had a .511 batting average with 7 home runs and 28 RBIs. He also finished ninth in his graduating class of 311, and academics plays a big role in why he chose to play at IU. \n"The main reason was a balance between academics and athletics," Parker said. "It doesn't get better than that."\nMorgan said this year should be a season to remember, thanks in no small part to our neighboring state to the east. \n"We should have some exciting players to watch this year," Morgan said.