IHSBCA PRESS RELEASE: HALL OF FAME CLASS of 2015

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The Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association has announced its 2015 Hall of Fame class. The induction ceremony will be held on January 23, 2014 as a part of the annual IHSBCA state clinic at the Sheraton at Keystone of the Crossing (Indianapolis, IN). The Hall of Fame Banquet begins at 7:00 PM and also features Coach of the Year presentations and Victory Club recipients. This year’s class is comprised of 5 high school coaches, both active and retired.

 

AL RABE (Jeffersonville/Scottsburg High School)    Active Coach

 

Al has been involved as a head coach at the high school level for 31 years. He started his coaching career at Castle High School 1980 for 6 seasons and then went to Boonville High School. After three years at Boonville he was then asked to coach at Jeffersonville where spent 19 seasons at the helm. In 2012 this graduate of the Univ. of Evansville took over the Scottsburg baseball program. During those 31 years of coaching high school baseball he has won 509 games and is still going strong.

 

Coach Rabe has won 12 Sectionals, 5 Regional and two Semi-State championships plus numerous conference crowns. Three times he has been voted as District Coach of the Year. He has been Vice-President of the IHSBCA for three years and was the IHSBCA President in 2009-2010. He also served as an IHSBCA District Rep for 10 years. Al was a North/South All-Star coach in 2002.

 

BOB SHINKAN (Munster High School)                  Active Coach

 

Coach Shinkan has been working in the baseball coach’s box for 29 years. He played and coached under Mike Niksic (Hall of Famer) where he and coach Niksic are the only two head baseball coaches at Munster High School history. Bob has a record of 583-291-1 in his tenure at Munster. Bob’s wins have taken his Mustangs to nine Sectional titles, four Regional’s, 1 Semi -state, and a State Championship in 2002. Bob has also won 9 Conference titles.

 

Bob was the 2002 Class 4A COTY and can count 15 other local and conference COTY awards. He was a North All-Star coach in 2001 and has been very involved in work on various IHSBCA committees. Nine of his players have been selected as North All-Stars, 10 of his players have earned All-State honors while 21 have been named to the All-Academic teams. Four of his players have played professionally.

 

PHIL WEBSTER (Decatur Central HS)              Active Coach

 

Coach Webster started his coaching career at North Salem High School in 1967 and won 45 games and a sectional championship in three years. Phil moved on to a 27-year run at Decatur Central High School and amassed a record of 558 wins and 254 losses. Accomplishments include: 7 Marion County Championships, 11 Conference Championships, and 11 Sectional Championships, 2 Regional Championships, and a Semi- State and 4A State Championship in 2008.

In 2012 Coach Webster became the pitching coach at Franklin College and his pitching staff was able to set the lowest ERA in the history of the school. In 2013 Phil Webster became the varsity baseball at North Putnam High School. His record was 20-5 and that included both a conference and Putnam County championship. Over his career Coach Webster has won 603 games while losing 273. He is currently an assistant coach at Mooresville High School.

Phil graduated from Wilkinsburg High School in Pittsburgh, Pa. and then graduate from Milligan College where pitched varsity baseball for 4 years. He later received a Masters Degree from Purdue University.

During his coaching career Coach Webster won numerous Coach of the Year awards including the 2008 IHSBCA State Coach of the Year in which he also coached the IHSBCA South All – Star Team. He coached 10 South All-Star players, 3 first team All-State players, and had 3 sign professionally.

 

CHIP O’NEIL (South Bend St. Joseph/South Bend Clay HS) Retired Coach

 

Coach O’Neil spent 33 years as a head coach with 11 of those seasons were South Bend St. Joseph and 22 of those years at South Bend Clay. During that time he had a record of 545 wins, 352 losses, and 6 ties. He won 7 sectional championships, 2 regional titles, 1 Northern Indiana Conference crown, and was named conference coach of the year.

Chip is a graduate of LaPorte High School where he was captain and MVP of the 1971 state championship team. He went on to continue his baseball career at Ball State University. He has been a district rep for the IHSBCA; served on numerous committees; was as an All – Star Coach in 2008; coached 9 North All-Stars during his tenure; and held the role of IHSBCA President.

 

JIM REID (Gibson Southern HS)                      Retired Coach

 

Jim is a graduate of Cape Girardeau Missouri Central High School where he was a three-year starter and won a state championship in high school. He played collegiately at Murray State University where he was a letter winner and twice selected to the All Conference team.  He then played two years of professional ball in the St. Louis Cardinals organization.

 

Coach Reid spent one year at Ft Branch High School and then 33 years at Gibson Southern High School. His combined record was 530 wins and 390 losses and that included: 6 sectional titles; 1 regional crown; 1 semi state championship; 7 PAC and 2 Big Eight conference titles.  He was Regional Coach of the Year in 1989 and 1994 and was Hoosier Diamond Coach of the Year in 2001.

 

He had six 20 plus win seasons, coached seven All State players and seven All Star players.  Four of his players went on to play professionally.  One of the players was selected as a first team All American and another was the recipient of the L. V. Phillips Mental Attitude award.  Jim served as an All Star coach in 1994; a regional rep. from 1977-80; and on the Poll and Academic All State committees.  In addition, he also assisted with the Princeton legion team for five years.