Is this you? As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.
Claim your profile
Articles by Brad Baughman
Boys golf coach shares notes ahead of season; Baughman hopeful for small team
By BRAD BAUGHMAN For The Democrat EDITOR’S NOTE: In addition to writing about sports for the Brown County Democrat, Brad Baughman is the varsity boys golf coach. He wrote this reflection about the team so far this season. We are a month into the 2023 golf season, and things are unfolding as they normally do for our Brown County High School boys golf team. First, the weather has been predictably unpredictable.
‘Our future is bright’: Girls tennis coach confident in team ahead of 2023 season
By BRAD BAUGHMAN For The Democrat Thom Miller is in his 21st season as the head coach of the girls tennis team at Brown County High School, and he has probably never had a team get off to such a hot start as his 2023 team. The Eagles, currently 9-3 overall and 3-0 in the Western Indiana Conference, won their first six matches of the season. Two of those wins were against teams that have traditionally been tough on the Eagles, the Columbus East Olympians and the Bloomington South Panthers.
END OF THE ROAD: Eagles finish season with sectional loss
By Brad Baughman | For The Democrat The Brown County High School Eagles faced an unfamiliar foe, the South Vermillion High School Wildcats, last Wednesday in IHSAA 3A Sectional No. 26 play at Northview High School. The Wildcats, the only sectional team the Eagles had not played during the regular season, created havoc with their stingy man-to-man defense and rode a huge free throw disparity to an 88-44 win over the Eagles.
‘He was proud’: Late supporter, volunteer to be honored as fields dedicated, renamed
By BRAD BAUGHMAN | For The Democrat No one knows for sure how many sultry summer evenings Seymore Parrish spent supervising the baseball and softball games playing out on fields one through four at Deer Run Park. No one would know how many times he donned his umpire’s gear, brushed off a dusty home plate and bellowed, “Batter Up” to get a game started on those same fields. Nobody knows exactly, but the number would be staggering.
‘Simply ecstatic’: Coach reflects on boys varsity golf team performance this season
By BRAD BAUGHMAN | For The Democrat EDITOR’S NOTE: In addition to writing about sports for the Brown County Democrat, Brad Baughman is the varsity boys golf coach. He wrote this reflection about the team so far this season. Before this season began, I figured we would be better than we were last season in terms of the scores we would post. Considering that last year our scores were uncommonly high and we were only able to claim a couple of wins, that prediction was not too difficult to justify.
‘Vital victory’: Young softball team with 'competitive spirit' wins first game of season
By BRAD BAUGHMAN | For The Democrat Last month, the Brown County High School softball team won their first game of the season against Indian Creek High School at home in Eagle Park. On April 20, the Eagles softball team defeated the Indian Creek Braves 8-5. Savannah Oden, the Eagles’ junior catcher, crushed a three-run walk off homer to give her team its first win of the season. For Oden, it was one of three home runs she has hit this season and one of seven dingers in her high school career.
Bringing spirit back: High school students create group to encourage pride in school
By BRAD BAUGHMAN | For The Democrat Sometimes one great idea spawns another and that is exactly what recently happened within the Brown County High School athletic department. Last summer, the high school launched an athletic development program where high school student athletes were invited to attend two-hour morning sessions Monday through Thursday. The program was designed to improve individual strength, agility and conditioning for athletes — regardless of their sport affiliation.
‘We are going to have a great season’: Eagles tennis team prepares for matches
Brown County High School senior Mattie Satter, left, and sophomore Anna Stogsdill work on ground strokes during girls varsity tennis practice on March 25. The cold and dreary day did not stop the tennis team from practicing. By BRAD BAUGHMAN | For The Democrat Brown County High School varsity girls tennis Coach Thom Miller has a few days left before he will need to set his lineup for the first match of the season.
‘Progressing in the right direction’: Eagles coach sees hope despite sectional loss
By BRAD BAUGHMAN | For The Democrat Fueled by the hot start of senior forward Josh Miller, the Brown County Eagles made a strong first quarter statement in their sectional game against Owen Valley High School last week. Unfortunately for the Brown County fans, Miller and his teammates were simply unable to sustain that performance. The Eagles soon plummeted, losing to the Patriots 66-28 during the Indiana High School Athletic Association sectional game March 2 at Edgewood High School.
‘They never quit fighting’: Girls reflect on basketball season
By BRAD BAUGHMAN | For The Democrat When the Brown County Eagles lost the girls sectional basketball game earlier this month 51-36, Head Coach Emily Lewellen was disappointed, but not discouraged. The Northview Knights defeated the Eagles in the Indiana High School Athletic Association girls sectional basketball game played on Feb. 7. “I feel we saw some of the potential that we know is there and hope to bring out in our team next season,” Lewellen said about her team’s performance in that game.
GIRLS BASKETBALL: Team working hard after tough start to season
By BRAD BAUGHMAN | For The Democrat Nine games in and about halfway through the season, Brown County High School girls varsity basketball coach Emily Lewellen has learned a great deal about her team. But what stands out to her is that her girls can survive a demanding early season schedule against high-quality opponents. Throw out Greencastle, one of the Eagles’ two wins, and the combined current record of their first eight opponents is 57 wins and 20 losses.
BOYS BASKETBALL: Eagles’ record stands at 2-2, new coach optimistic about team’s future
By BRAD BAUGHMAN | For The Democrat When Jacob Guernsey was 10 years old, he received his first coaching clipboard. He knew then that he wanted to be a basketball coach and he began that pursuit just a few years after that clipboard ignited his passion. The Henryville, Indiana native began his coaching career in his hometown, where he coached sixth-grade basketball while he was a student at the University of Louisville.
CROSS-COUNTRY: Middle school, high school cross-country teams making strides
By BRAD BAUGHMAN | For The Democrat One team sport in Brown County that has much to celebrate at both the middle and high school levels this fall is cross-country. Performances by some middle school and high school runners have been more than just exceptional, they have been record setting.
VOLLEYBALL: Eagles improving, gearing up for sectionals
By BRAD BAUGHMAN | For The Democrat With just a handful of regular season matches remaining, the Brown County High School volleyball team will be battling to keep its overall win-loss record above the .500 mark. Victories in upcoming matches over conference opponents West Vigo and South Putnam would also enable the Eagles to finish the regular season with a 5-5 record in the Western Indiana Conference. Currently posting a 9-8 record, the Eagles have had a bit of an up and down season.
GIRLS SOCCER: Team sees progress despite injuries, COVID-19 setbacks
By BRAD BAUGHMAN | For The Democrat Though the record and scores may not support it, Brown County High School varsity girls soccer Coach Alissa Newlin believes her team has made positive strides this season. “My goal this year has been progress, and from where we were at the beginning of the year to now, we have made very large leaps in the right direction,” Newlin said. In a season that presented plenty of typical challenges, the Eagles also dealt with injuries and COVID-19.
CROSS-COUNTRY: Top cross-country runners discuss season so far
By BRAD BAUGHMAN | For The Democrat Coach Rob Abraham and the Brown County High School cross country program have two highly successful runners: Chase Austin who has led his team to a strong start this season and Hadley Gradolf who has no team to lead. Gradolf, a junior and two-time state qualifier, is enjoying an impressive early season run, but because the Eagles have only three runners on the girls team, in a sport that requires five runners to score, the squad is unable to compete as a team.
BOYS TENNIS: Eagles’ boys tennis ‘up to the challenge’
Eli Sichting plays during the Eagles’ home match against Northview Aug. 21. Kevin Roush | Submitted By BRAD BAUGHMAN | For The Democrat Coach Kevin Roush has just started his 17th season at the helm of the Brown County High School boys tennis program. While the veteran coach knows that no two seasons are ever alike, he believes the start to this season may be one of the strangest and toughest he has ever experienced.
BOYS SOCCER: Inexperienced, but growing boys soccer team ‘developing character’
Aiden Fox bats the ball away from a Southwestern defender during the Eagles’ first home match of the season Aug. 25. Sara Clifford | The Democrat By BRAD BAUGHMAN | For The Democrat Brown County High School varsity boys soccer Coach Craig Norris knew that the loss of seven seniors to graduation would be cause for concern heading into this season.
GIRLS GOLF: Already good and getting better
By BRAD BAUGHMAN, for The Democrat With three of their top five golfers returning from last season, and the addition of a promising freshman in the lineup, the Brown County High School girls golf team has enjoyed a strong start to the season. Seniors Annika Evenson, Ainslie Winton and Abby Padgett, and freshman newcomer Lilly VanNess, have anchored the Eagles’ top four spots and have propelled the team to an early-season 4-1 record.
‘I felt like I could fly’: Ricky Stanley on BCHS pole vaulting career
Brown County’s Ricky Stanley competes in the pole vault during the Boys Track and Field State Finals at Ben Davis High School in Indianapolis, Friday, June 4. Mike Wolanin | The Republic By BRAD BAUGHMAN, for The Democrat When Ricky Stanley was a freshman at Brown County High School, he thought about running track. He wasn’t really sold on the idea until he was drawn to an event very few young athletes pursue: The pole vault.
BASEBALL: Fun, learning and winning, in that order
By BRAD BAUGHMAN, for The Democrat Randy Minniear, Brown County High School varsity baseball coach, carefully studied his roster, then looked up and said, “It’s been four or five years since a lot of them have played the game.” Minniear took over the program last year, but like all other spring sports coaches, never had the chance to really ever establish any sort of rhythm at all before the 2020 season was canceled. The lost season definitely took its toll.
GIRLS TENNIS: ‘Come watch the Eagles soar’
By BRAD BAUGHMAN, for The Democrat Coach Thom Miller is excited about the 2021 girls tennis season at Brown County High School, and understandably so. “I have the most roster depth that I’ve ever had,” said Miller, in his 20th year at the helm of the program. His “Lady Eagles return with a full roster of strong prospects and enthusiastic learners.” The fact that only one of Miller’s 19 rostered players, senior Julia Williams, returns with any varsity experience, does not trouble Miller.
BOYS TRACK: ‘Heading in the right direction’
By BRAD BAUGHMAN, for The Democrat Brown County High School boys track Coach Kirk Wrightsman remembers March 13, 2020, all too well. That was the last day that he was able to conduct a practice with his squad before the spring sports season crashed to a halt due to COVID. So, like all current spring sports coaches, Wrightsman is not just dealing with the normal laundry list of early season responsibilities; he is also trying to make sense of and recover from a season that never was.
GIRLS TRACK: Team looking small, but mighty
By BRAD BAUGHMAN, for The Democrat Jay Myers, girls varsity track and field coach at Brown County High School, welcomed a small but talented group of athletes to the 2021 season. And, after missing last season because of COVID, he senses a bit more eagerness in his runners. “I think the loss of last season will make everyone appreciate this season a little bit more. So far there has been a real sense of excitement for the season to finally get back out and compete,” Myers said.
BOYS BASKETBALL: Boys’ season ends at sectional
By BRAD BAUGHMAN, for The Democrat The Brown County Eagles had a solid game plan for their first-round sectional contest with the Edgewood Mustangs, and they implemented it successfully. Unfortunately for the Eagles, the Mustangs had their own plans and raced out to a 21-6 first quarter advantage that the Eagles simply could not overcome in their 67-41 loss on March 2.
BOYS BASKETBALL: Team struggles from lack of practice time
By BRAD BAUGHMAN, for The Democrat It was a tough week and even tougher weekend for the Brown County High School boys basketball team. With only a Monday practice to work with due to weather-related school cancellations, the Eagles were simply outmatched in their two home contests, losing to Northview on Friday night, 86-47, and Sullivan on Saturday afternoon, 95-35. Northview came into the game with a solid 11-6 record that included wins over 4A schools Terre Haute North and Terre Haute South.
GIRLS BASKETBALL: Eagles runners-up in sectional
By BRAD BAUGHMAN, for The Democrat After carving out wins over West Vigo and South Vermillion in the opening rounds of the IHSAA Girls Basketball 3A Sectional 26, the Brown County Eagles found themselves in the championship game facing the defending champions.
BOYS BASKETBALL: ‘A month behind a lot of other teams’
By BRAD BAUGHMAN, for The Democrat It took a while — a really long while — but the Brown County High School boys basketball team finally played a home game. After a series of cancellations and reschedulings that saw the Eagles play seven road games intermixed with pauses in the program, the Eagles welcomed the North Putnam Cougars to the Larry C. Banks Memorial Gymnasium on Jan. 23. The Cougars must have felt right at home, pouncing on the Eagles early and never letting up to claim a 74-37 victory.
GIRLS BASKETBALL: ‘We never quit’
By BRAD BAUGHMAN, for The Democrat A revised schedule had the Brown County High School girls varsity basketball team playing three games in four days following a 10-day quarantine. The Eagles faltered in two tough road contests, dropping games to Indian Creek and Linton-Stockton, the sixth-ranked team in the state by the IBCA, before grabbing a convincing Saturday night home win over North Putnam, 71-47.
GIRLS BASKETBALL: Eagles soaring through challenging season
By BRAD BAUGHMAN, for The Democrat When the Bloomington South girls basketball team had to back out of its scheduled game with Brown County due to COVID concerns within its program, the Eagles found a replacement in the Hauser Jets. A 63-33 thrashing by the Eagles, that saw them lead from start to finish, might have had the Jets rethinking their decision to make the mid-week trip to Nashville. “I am incredibly proud of our performance against Hauser,” said Brown County Head Coach Emily Lewellen.
GIRLS BASKETBALL: Back on the court, girls pull off two wins
By BRAD BAUGHMAN, for The Democrat More than four weeks ago, the Brown County High School girls basketball team opened its season with a loss at Silver Creek High School. Last week, the Eagles finally had the opportunity to take the court again, and they made the most of it by securing home wins against Eastern Greene and Owen Valley. Eastern Greene visited Nashville after having not played for three weeks, but the Thunderbirds had managed to get four games in before their layoff.
GIRLS BASKETBALL: Team rebuilding with new coach, players
By BRAD BAUGHMAN, for The Democrat Fans of Brown County High School girls basketball have a lot to look forward to this season, mostly in the form of new faces. One of those new faces, first year head coach Emily Lewellen, is excited about the opportunities that await her young, relatively inexperienced team.
CROSS-COUNTRY: ‘Ultra-competitive’ teammates Austin, Fleetwood
By BRAD BAUGHMAN, for The Democrat “Two peas in a pod.” That is how Mandy Austin described her son, Chase, and Abby Fleetwood, good friends and teammates on the Brown County High School cross-country team. It is a fitting and accurate description of the two sophomores, since their stories and their personalities, for the most part, are quite similar, especially when it comes to running.
BOYS SOCCER: Hitting their stride
By BRAD BAUGHMAN, for The Democrat After 80 minutes of a physical, hard-fought, scoreless soccer game at Eagle Park on Sept. 24, the Edgewood Mustangs and the Brown County Eagles were certain of three things: 1) both teams were exhausted after giving their all 2) both goalies had played brilliantly, and 3) penalty kicks would decide the outcome.
GIRLS GOLF: ‘Productive’ season ends at sectional
By BRAD BAUGHMAN, for The Democrat The Brown County High School girls golf team shot a solid 408 on Sept. 21 in the IHSAA sectional at Cascades Golf Course in Bloomington. While it was the Eagles’ best 18-hole score of the season, the team had to settle for seventh place in the highly competitive 10-team field and saw its season come to an end. Columbus North, the seventh-ranked team in the state and a new addition to the sectional field, won with a season-low score of 299.
VOLLEYBALL: Young team earning experience, points
By BRAD BAUGHMAN, for The Democrat This season’s Brown County High School varsity volleyball team may be light on experience, but it is heavy on depth and balance. With only three seniors on the roster and eight of the 14 rostered players in the sophomore class, the Eagles recently completed a busy week of competition, relying heavily on their depth.
CROSS-COUNTRY: Boys, girls showing early-season success
Emelia Koester starts off the first half of the 2019 BCXC Challenge before handing off to Abigail Fleetwood in this 2019 file photo. Brown County Democrat file photo By BRAD BAUGHMAN, for The Democrat Coach Rob Abraham and his Brown County High School cross-country runners have three events behind them already, and both the girls and boys teams have enjoyed some early-season success. Abraham, in his 26th year leading the Eagles, has only six girls running this season.
BOYS TENNIS: ‘Determined to play as hard as we can’
By BRAD BAUGHMAN, for The Democrat Brown County High School boys tennis Coach Kevin Roush had to have been smiling when he greeted his squad for their first official practice on Aug. 5.
GIRLS GOLF: Back into the swing of things
By BRAD BAUGHMAN, for The Democrat The Brown County High School girls golf team returns four of its top seven players from last season, and six other golfers on the roster will be joining them, vying for spots in the lineup. Lost to graduation were Allison Stogsdill, All-Conference and regional qualifier; Taylor Poling, All-Conference; and Aubrey Hollander. There are no seniors on this year’s roster.
Spring sports ‘looking for that green light’
By BRAD BAUGHMAN, for The Democrat Brown County High School spring sports coaches and athletes are accustomed to dealing with adversity, usually in the form of weather. Delays, postponements, reschedulings and cancellations due to rain, cold, sleet and snow play havoc with the spring schedule. The prospect of losing more than half a season or having the entire season canceled is what athletes and coaches are facing now, and it has absolutely nothing to do with Indiana weather.
BOYS BASKETBALL: Season ends at sectional
Caleb Yager tries to arc a shot over a Brownstown defender during the sectional game at Edgewood March 6. Brownstown won this game 56-41 and ended up winning the sectional championship as well. Kevin Roush | Submitted By BRAD BAUGHMAN, for The Democrat A third-quarter scoring drought spelled doom for the Brown County High School Eagle Friday night, as they fell to the Brownstown Central Braves 56-41 in their sectional opener at Edgewood High School.
BOYS BASKETBALL: On the wings of a win
By BRAD BAUGHMAN, for The Democrat In their regular season finale, the Brown County Eagles fended off a fourth quarter Edinburgh Lancer comeback attempt and emerged with a 54-49 home victory at home on Feb. 27. In a game eerily reminiscent of last week’s 43-41 loss to White River Valley, the Eagles took a commanding first quarter lead and continued to prevail heading into the final quarter.
BOYS BASKETBALL: Wolverines claw back for win over Eagles
By BRAD BAUGHMAN, for The Democrat The Brown County Eagles let one slip away Saturday, as the visiting White River Valley Wolverines clawed their way back in the decisive fourth quarter to snatch a 43-41 victory. The Eagles led at the end of every quarter except the one that really mattered. Behind five three-pointers in the first quarter, two each from Aaron McCann and Travis Ely and one from Caleb Yager, Brown County led 18-12.
BOYS BASKETBALL: Team wins buzzer-beater on Senior Night
By BRAD BAUGHMAN, for The Democrat Every basketball-playing kid growing up in Indiana dreams of making the game-winning shot for his team. For Carter Kelly, Brown County High School junior guard, that dream came true Saturday night, as the Eagles nipped the visiting Mitchell Bluejackets 57-55 on Kelly’s layup as time expired. Brown County was up 55-52 when Mitchell’s Luke La Fevor tied the game with a three-pointer with 22 seconds remaining.
GIRLS BASKETBALL: Season over, but seniors ‘set the bar high’
By BRAD BAUGHMAN, for The Democrat For most of the season, the Brown County High School girls basketball team was the hunted. When the Eagles drew the 22-3 Brownstown Central Braves in the opening round of the IHSAA 3A Sectional No. 26, they became the hunters. After spotting the Braves’ eight quick points to start the game, the Eagles settled in, and battled the state’s fifth-ranked team in 3A before eventually falling 59-52.
GIRLS BASKETBALL: ‘So thankful for being a Brown County athlete’
By BRAD BAUGHMAN, for The Democrat For the first time this season, the five seniors on the Brown County High School girls basketball team were in the starting lineup. Fittingly, the five came off the floor together to a well deserved standing ovation with just over a minute remaining in the Eagles’ regular season finale, a 66-33 victory over the Monrovia Bulldogs.
BOYS BASKETBALL: ‘Together as a team’
By BRAD BAUGHMAN, for The Democrat Like most coaches, John Berning doesn’t think much of moral victories. But he had to be grinning a little and feeling better about his boys varsity team after they lost to a very talented Bloomfield Cardinal squad, 67-54 Saturday at the Larry C. Banks Memorial Gymnasium. The Eagles finally awakened from a season-long offensive slumber, and their 54 points marked their best scoring output to date.
GIRLS BASKETBALL: ‘There’s no place like home’ for a championship win
By BRAD BAUGHMAN, for The Democrat There’s no place like home. Dorothy and Toto knew it, and the Brown County High School girls basketball team knows it, too. After dropping three consecutive games on the road, the Eagles returned home to a packed, raucous, fan-friendly Larry C. Banks Memorial Gymnasium and routed the South Putnam Eagles 65-30 in the Western Indiana Conference championship game Jan. 24. It was the school’s second-ever WIC girls basketball championship and the first since 2005.
BOYS BASKETBALL: Eagles fall to Spartans
By BRAD BAUGHMAN, for The Democrat The Southwestern Shelby Spartans came to Nashville searching for their 10th win of the season Friday against the Brown County Eagles. The Eagles made the Spartans’ mission difficult for a half, but the fell flat in the second half and lost the non-conference contest 49-35. Brown County got a bucket by Ricky Stanley early in the quarter and another with time running out by Caleb Yager.
BOYS BASKETBALL: ‘Keep building’
By BRAD BAUGHMAN, for The Democrat The Brown County High School boys basketball team hosted two quality opponents over the weekend, losing to the Edgewood Mustangs on Friday 53-44 and then dropping the Saturday contest with Indian Creek 59-36. After falling behind the Mustangs 15-8 at the first-quarter break, the Eagles scored 16 second-quarter points and found themselves only down 28-24 at the half.
Show More
loading
Actions
Is this you?
As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.Get in touch with Brad
Contact Brad, search articles and posts on X, monitor coverage, and track replies from one place.
Learn more about Muck Rack