2005 Varsity
The Beginning - 2004 / 2005 Varsity
In the summer of 2004, Mark Judy’s oldest homeschooled son Greg needed Varsity to play baseball. He did a search online and there really wasn’t anything available except for travel ball, which played year round and on Sundays. So he started thinking about starting a homeschool baseball team. Another family from his church had boys who were homeschooled and played baseball and he asked them if they would be interested in playing and they said yes. That year, he was also helping his brother in law form a homeschool football team and they had a call out meeting where he met a man who had just moved from PA. The man was looking for homeschool baseball for his son and Mark told him he would try to start one and the man told Mark if he did start one, then he would help. The man’s name was Joe Burfield. So, Mark started calling public schools and private schools to get some games, most weren’t interested but he did get about 18 games scheduled, all without a team and jerseys. Mark’s family was involved with homeschool basketball and he would ask players from other homeschool basketball teams if they would have any interest in playing as well as asking their coaches if they knew of any players who might be interested as well. A man named Larry Moran called Mark and said his son Joel, who played basketball for the Indy Wildcats, was interested in playing and Mark signed him up. Then, he got a call from Susan Wible, who had a son who was interested in playing as they were moving to Indy from Michigan. Susan asked if her son, Evan, could try out for the team and Mark told her, how about we skip the tryout and just sign him up. Slowly but surely throughout that winter people contacted Mark and we had about 15 players, including Mark’s sons, Greg and Mike, and the two boys from his church, Josh and Micah Sowders and three other boys from his church who had never previously played. That first year the Indianapolis Kings consisted of more homeschool basketball players than baseball players, including players from the Golden Eagles, Warriors, Sons, and Wildcats. Since we got started so late and had to wait for basketball season to end, our first practice came about a month before our first game.
Our first game was against Lake Park Christian School in Fort Wayne, a small IHSAA class A private Christian school who had a baseball program for a while, unlike us who had one for a month. We didn’t quite know what to expect but we had a team and new jerseys and were trusting in God that we could play well and represent homeschooling. It was brutally cold that day and we were scheduled to play a double header. Our very first game ever as a club we lost in extra innings. However, the sun came out and warmed things up a bit and the next game we beat them by the ten run rule. That double header was a great birth to the first homeschool baseball team in Indiana. The Kings were 10-4 and coached by Joe Burfield.
In the summer of 2004, Mark Judy’s oldest homeschooled son Greg needed Varsity to play baseball. He did a search online and there really wasn’t anything available except for travel ball, which played year round and on Sundays. So he started thinking about starting a homeschool baseball team. Another family from his church had boys who were homeschooled and played baseball and he asked them if they would be interested in playing and they said yes. That year, he was also helping his brother in law form a homeschool football team and they had a call out meeting where he met a man who had just moved from PA. The man was looking for homeschool baseball for his son and Mark told him he would try to start one and the man told Mark if he did start one, then he would help. The man’s name was Joe Burfield. So, Mark started calling public schools and private schools to get some games, most weren’t interested but he did get about 18 games scheduled, all without a team and jerseys. Mark’s family was involved with homeschool basketball and he would ask players from other homeschool basketball teams if they would have any interest in playing as well as asking their coaches if they knew of any players who might be interested as well. A man named Larry Moran called Mark and said his son Joel, who played basketball for the Indy Wildcats, was interested in playing and Mark signed him up. Then, he got a call from Susan Wible, who had a son who was interested in playing as they were moving to Indy from Michigan. Susan asked if her son, Evan, could try out for the team and Mark told her, how about we skip the tryout and just sign him up. Slowly but surely throughout that winter people contacted Mark and we had about 15 players, including Mark’s sons, Greg and Mike, and the two boys from his church, Josh and Micah Sowders and three other boys from his church who had never previously played. That first year the Indianapolis Kings consisted of more homeschool basketball players than baseball players, including players from the Golden Eagles, Warriors, Sons, and Wildcats. Since we got started so late and had to wait for basketball season to end, our first practice came about a month before our first game.
Our first game was against Lake Park Christian School in Fort Wayne, a small IHSAA class A private Christian school who had a baseball program for a while, unlike us who had one for a month. We didn’t quite know what to expect but we had a team and new jerseys and were trusting in God that we could play well and represent homeschooling. It was brutally cold that day and we were scheduled to play a double header. Our very first game ever as a club we lost in extra innings. However, the sun came out and warmed things up a bit and the next game we beat them by the ten run rule. That double header was a great birth to the first homeschool baseball team in Indiana. The Kings were 10-4 and coached by Joe Burfield.
2006 Varsity
2006 Varsity
The next year we picked up some new players, including future Kings star, Curtis Matteson. We also were blessed to form a partnership with Stan Lovins, a former pro that owned his own indoor facility and let us practice there for free. Stan Lovins was a friend of Larry Moran and a vital asset to the Kings. The team had a lot more rain outs than the previous year and were only able to get in 16 games. The skill of our competition increased and we had a few more losses than the previous year. However, our last game of the year was a 10-4 win against class A powerhouse Covenant Christian, who had ten run ruled us the previous year. Curtis Matteson pitched the whole game in a dominating performance to give us our greatest win to date. The Kings were 9-7 and coached by Larry Moran.
The next year we picked up some new players, including future Kings star, Curtis Matteson. We also were blessed to form a partnership with Stan Lovins, a former pro that owned his own indoor facility and let us practice there for free. Stan Lovins was a friend of Larry Moran and a vital asset to the Kings. The team had a lot more rain outs than the previous year and were only able to get in 16 games. The skill of our competition increased and we had a few more losses than the previous year. However, our last game of the year was a 10-4 win against class A powerhouse Covenant Christian, who had ten run ruled us the previous year. Curtis Matteson pitched the whole game in a dominating performance to give us our greatest win to date. The Kings were 9-7 and coached by Larry Moran.
2007 Varsity
2007 Varsity - Midwest Homeschool World Series Champions
Faith Christian School Tournament Champions
With our previous success, the 2007 Kings team picked up a lot more games against a lot better teams. The 2007 Kings had a strong senior lineup with players who had been there since the beginning and were excited to go out with a bang. Among these original Kings seniors were Evan Wible, Joel Wesselling, Mark Mitchell, and Josh Sowders. That year, Heritage Christian invited us to play in their mid-season tournament. The tournament included the host Heritage Christian, us, Guerin Catholic, and Southeastern High School. We were pitted against the number one seed, Heritage Christian in the first game. Heritage had obviously planned on us being an easy win for them to advance to the championship. In the first inning it seemed like that may be the case with Heritage scoring three runs. However, the resilient and experienced 2007 Kings fought back and tied the game at 3 with a double from Mike Judy. In the end, we lost a well contested game 5-3 as Heritage closed us out with their ace. In the consolation game we defeated a future regular on our schedule, Guerin Catholic by the ten run rule. But, that wasn’t the end of the excitement for that historic season. The end of the season saw us playing in the newly formed Midwest Homeschool World Series in Fortville, IN where we played our home games. The tourney consisted of teams from Wisconsin, Ohio, and Indiana with the introduction of a new homeschool baseball team from Fort Wayne. The Kings advanced to the championship game against Landmark Christian from Cincinnati, a very good team that consisted of homeschool and public school players. One of our seniors and a member of the original Kings, Evan Wible, hit a double off the centerfield fence to give us the first ever Midwest Homeschool World Series Championship. The Kings were 18-3 and coached by Larry Moran.
Faith Christian School Tournament Champions
With our previous success, the 2007 Kings team picked up a lot more games against a lot better teams. The 2007 Kings had a strong senior lineup with players who had been there since the beginning and were excited to go out with a bang. Among these original Kings seniors were Evan Wible, Joel Wesselling, Mark Mitchell, and Josh Sowders. That year, Heritage Christian invited us to play in their mid-season tournament. The tournament included the host Heritage Christian, us, Guerin Catholic, and Southeastern High School. We were pitted against the number one seed, Heritage Christian in the first game. Heritage had obviously planned on us being an easy win for them to advance to the championship. In the first inning it seemed like that may be the case with Heritage scoring three runs. However, the resilient and experienced 2007 Kings fought back and tied the game at 3 with a double from Mike Judy. In the end, we lost a well contested game 5-3 as Heritage closed us out with their ace. In the consolation game we defeated a future regular on our schedule, Guerin Catholic by the ten run rule. But, that wasn’t the end of the excitement for that historic season. The end of the season saw us playing in the newly formed Midwest Homeschool World Series in Fortville, IN where we played our home games. The tourney consisted of teams from Wisconsin, Ohio, and Indiana with the introduction of a new homeschool baseball team from Fort Wayne. The Kings advanced to the championship game against Landmark Christian from Cincinnati, a very good team that consisted of homeschool and public school players. One of our seniors and a member of the original Kings, Evan Wible, hit a double off the centerfield fence to give us the first ever Midwest Homeschool World Series Championship. The Kings were 18-3 and coached by Larry Moran.
Varsity 2008
2008 Varsity - Faith Christian School Tournament Champions
The 2008 Kings season marked the senior season for three of the original Kings from that very first year, 3rd baseman Mike Judy, slugger Micah Sowders, and catcher Dan Fowl. By this time, the Kings had made a name for themselves in the Indianapolis area among private and public school teams and this benefitted our schedule. We put together our toughest schedule to date, playing teams like Park Tudor, Brebeuf Jesuit, Lutheran, Beech Grove, and much more. This Kings team was experienced but also full of fresh, young talent in many sophomores. Under the leadership of the seniors and on the rocket arm of Curtis Matteson, the Kings won the Faith Christian School Tournament for the second year in a row. Following that victory, the Kings moved on to the Midwest Homeschool World Series in Fort Wayne, which we had won in its inaugural year the previous year. The Kings won their first two games, beating Summit from Michigan by ten and New Jersey on a walk-off hit from senior Andy Davis. The next game however we lost to a very good Cincinnati Landmark team and then again to the eventual champion, St. Louis Patriots. Two seniors, Mike Judy and Andy Davis, earned all-Midwest first team honors and Curtis Matteson received a scholarship to pitch at Indiana Wesleyan University. The Kings were 16-11 and coached by Larry Moran.
The 2008 Kings season marked the senior season for three of the original Kings from that very first year, 3rd baseman Mike Judy, slugger Micah Sowders, and catcher Dan Fowl. By this time, the Kings had made a name for themselves in the Indianapolis area among private and public school teams and this benefitted our schedule. We put together our toughest schedule to date, playing teams like Park Tudor, Brebeuf Jesuit, Lutheran, Beech Grove, and much more. This Kings team was experienced but also full of fresh, young talent in many sophomores. Under the leadership of the seniors and on the rocket arm of Curtis Matteson, the Kings won the Faith Christian School Tournament for the second year in a row. Following that victory, the Kings moved on to the Midwest Homeschool World Series in Fort Wayne, which we had won in its inaugural year the previous year. The Kings won their first two games, beating Summit from Michigan by ten and New Jersey on a walk-off hit from senior Andy Davis. The next game however we lost to a very good Cincinnati Landmark team and then again to the eventual champion, St. Louis Patriots. Two seniors, Mike Judy and Andy Davis, earned all-Midwest first team honors and Curtis Matteson received a scholarship to pitch at Indiana Wesleyan University. The Kings were 16-11 and coached by Larry Moran.
2009 Kings Jr. High
2009 Varsity - Faith Christian School Tournament Champions
In 2009, the Kings played their most difficult schedule to date, facing 2A State Champion Heritage Christian, 3A #2 Park Tudor, and 4A #8 Brebeuf Jesuit . The Kings lost 6-3 to Brebeuf, despite a complete game by Kent Judy (RHP, Jr). Leading at Park Tudor in the 7th inning, the Kings lost on a 2 run walk-off home run on a 2-2 count. The Kings lost at undefeated Milan, despite five perfect innings and 11 strikeouts by Judy.
The Kings won the Christian School Tournament for the 3rd year in a row and went to the Midwest Homeschool World Series in Ft. Wayne, losing in the championship to the Wisconsin Saints. The team was led by Joel Moran (LHP/1B, Sr), Alex Dowbnia (SS, Jr), Kent Judy (RHP/CF, Jr), and Josh Smallwood (RF, Jr). Moran, having played as an 8th grader, was the last original King from the inaugural 2005 season. The Kings were 15-2 and coached by Larry Moran.
In 2009, the Kings played their most difficult schedule to date, facing 2A State Champion Heritage Christian, 3A #2 Park Tudor, and 4A #8 Brebeuf Jesuit . The Kings lost 6-3 to Brebeuf, despite a complete game by Kent Judy (RHP, Jr). Leading at Park Tudor in the 7th inning, the Kings lost on a 2 run walk-off home run on a 2-2 count. The Kings lost at undefeated Milan, despite five perfect innings and 11 strikeouts by Judy.
The Kings won the Christian School Tournament for the 3rd year in a row and went to the Midwest Homeschool World Series in Ft. Wayne, losing in the championship to the Wisconsin Saints. The team was led by Joel Moran (LHP/1B, Sr), Alex Dowbnia (SS, Jr), Kent Judy (RHP/CF, Jr), and Josh Smallwood (RF, Jr). Moran, having played as an 8th grader, was the last original King from the inaugural 2005 season. The Kings were 15-2 and coached by Larry Moran.