Lake County Corn Dogs pitcher Ryan Troxel feels like he’s time-traveling when he’s on the mound.
Troxel, a 2019 Valparaiso alum who graduated from Indiana Tech earlier this year, channels his younger self every time he’s in uniform.
“It’s the one day of the week when I get to be a kid again and pitch,” he said. “I work 9 to 5, I drop my dog off at day care and then I show up to the field. It doesn’t take too much to get me amped up. I just love the game so much.”
With his college career behind him, Troxel is cherishing each opportunity he gets on the baseball field, including his all-star summer with the Corn Dogs (33-13).
Troxel has been an ace on the staff, throwing a team-high 43 ? innings with a 2.91 ERA that ranks second on the team among pitchers who have thrown at least 20 innings.
Corn Dogs manager Justin Huisman intended to use Troxel as his Game 1 starter against the Indiana Panthers to kick off the Northern League playoffs on Saturday, but all action was pushed to Monday due to rain. The top-seeded Corn Dogs won the title last season.
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“He’s been our guy,” Huisman said. “He got us there last year and did well for us, so it’d be a shame to not give him that opportunity again.”
Indeed, Troxel was dominant last summer, recording a 0.91 ERA in 39 ? innings. His first start this summer made it difficult to match that statistically.
“I pitched in our conference championship game (at Indiana Tech), and then I had a three-week layoff,” he said. “It was a crazy couple of weeks. I graduated, then I moved back home and then I had job orientation. So I didn’t throw very much. And that game was one of those where anything that could go wrong went wrong.”
Since that May 25 game, when Troxel allowed six earned runs against the Northwest Indiana Oilmen, he has 1.86 ERA over 38 ? innings. He hasn’t allowed an earned run since June 30.
But Troxel refused to take sole credit for that success. He raved about the Corn Dogs’ trio of catchers — Ethan Nielsen, Matt Santana and Ranko Stevanovic — and the rest of the defense.
“I’ve only pitched in 10 games this summer. … It takes a village,” he said. “A lot of the outs I get aren’t strikeouts, so my defense has done an amazing job.”
Troxel said such success isn’t the only reason this summer has been enjoyable for him. Because he has been playing so close to Valparaiso, his family can watch him in person.
“They haven’t been able to watch me very much (in college), except over a livestream,” he said. “So being able to pitch close to them means everything to me. Even my grandparents are coming to the games now.”
Troxel has also appreciated this summer more because he knows his playing career could be winding down. Since graduating from Indiana Tech, he has started a full-time position as a small-business portfolio manager at Centier Bank in Valparaiso.
“I wanted to make sure I played for at least one more summer,” he said.
Even if this ends up being his final season as a player, Troxel has no intention of leaving baseball behind. He has gotten into coaching like his grandfather Jerry Troxel, who was inducted into the Lake County Baseball Hall of Fame after spending 40 years as a teacher and coach in Gary. Ryan Troxel has been giving lessons at Triple Crown in Valparaiso and coaching the pitching staff for the American Legion Post 94 team in Valparaiso.
Troxel said he believes he has plenty of pitches remaining in his right arm, however.
“Coaching is going to be my path going forward, but I still think I can play for a couple more years,” he said.
Dave Melton is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.