Centerville -- There are currently 14 former Indian Hills baseball players competing at four-year schools. As we head into the heart of the college season, here's a look at where the Indian Hills alums are playing and how their seasons are progressing.
Yuli Arias - Senior
Point Park University
Arias took last season off but has not missed a beat for Point Park. He is currently hitting .305 for the Pioneers, who have an overall record of 18-11. Arias has played in 28 of 29 games.
Levi Grassley - Senior
Winston Salem State University
Grassley handled the catching duties while at IHCC, but has made the move to third base at WSSU and he has not disappointed with his bat. Through 31 games, the Rams are 20-11. Grassley is hitting .286 with 12 RBIs and has played in all 31 games this spring. The Missouri native was a post-season award winner a year ago for WSSU.
Tyler Hermann - Junior
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Hermann manned the hot corner for the Falcons the previous two years and is doing the same for UMW this spring. The Wisconsin native is hitting right at .300 through 14 games for the Panthers and has not committed an error at third base.
Matt Lashlee - Junior
Sam Ross - Junior
Jordan Berry - Junior
Mitch Osnowitz - Senior
Lindsey Wilson College
The trio of Lashlee, Ross and Berry joined former Falcon Mitch Osnowitz at LWC this year after Osnowitz helped lead them to a 40-plus win season a year ago. All four former Falcons have made an impact on this year's club. Lashlee and Ross lead the pitching staff in appearances with 13 apiece and have notched three wins and three saves between them.
Berry and Osnowitz have terrorized pitching staffs hitting in the middle of the Blue Raider order. Osnowitz is batting at a .372 clip with 10 doubles and six home runs, while Berry is driving in runs at a ridiculous rate. He currently has 41 RBIs in 33 games, good enough to rank him fourth nationally in the NAIA. The Blue Raiders currently sit in second place in the Mid-South Conference, just two games out of first place.
Kyle Maldonado - Redshirt Junior
Nick Perez - Junior
William Penn University
Maldonado and Perez transferred to Penn a year apart and the two Falcon alums are now teammates for a Statesmen team that received votes in the most recent NAIA poll.
Maldonado missed last season due to an arm injury, but has rebounded to post a 0.53 ERA with a 2-0 record for Penn. In 17 innings pitched, Maldonado has struck out 19 and hitters are batting just .105 against him. He was recently named the Pitcher of the Week in the Midwest Collegiate Conference.
Perez has appeared in 15 games for Penn racking up seven hits, including a double, and has three RBIs. The slick-fielding third baseman has yet to make an error at the hot corner this spring.
AJ McElderry - Junior
Indiana State University
McElderry pitched his lone season of junior college baseball at IHCC before departing for Terre Haute, where he pitched out of the bullpen a year ago. McElderry is back in the same role for a hot ISU team who currently is 16-5 on the season. McElderry has made 10 relief appearances and posted six strikeouts so far for the Sycamores.
Taylor Ostrich - Junior
Old Dominion University
Ostrich continues to hit as he did in his days at Indian Hills, helping lead ODU to a 14-10 start to their season. The lefthanded hitter is currently ranked fourth in batting average for ODU with five doubles and a home run. The Carroll, Iowa product has seen time in the outfield as well as at first base this spring.
Jordan Piche - Senior
Kansas University
Piche returned to KU following a stellar junior campaign in which he earned Big 12 Newcomer of the Year honors while filling the cloer's role for the Jayhawks. KU is currently 17-8 on the season and Piche is 3-1 with three saves in 12 appearances.
Jake Stalzer - Junior
Elon University
Stalzer has fit in nicely for the Phoenix earning Conference Pitcher of the Week honors in each of the first two weeks of the season. The lefthander from Albia currently is 3-2 with a 2.25 ERA. Elon is 14-10 on the year and 3-3 in conference play.
Zach Sims - Junior
Grand View University
Sims has appeared in five games and has scored two runs this spring for the Vikings who are off to a 7-7 start. Like many midwestern teams, weather has hindered the Vikings' squad from getting many games in.
We'll check up on all of these former Falcons again after their respective seasons are finished.