WHITELAND — At 8 years old, Johnny Reece has a fastball that can sting the hand of an adult catcher.
His teammate and best buddy, Walker Miller, is a slugger stepping up to the plate; his coach describes him as one of the strongest hitters on their travel team, the Indiana Astros.
Both youngsters are hardworking players who have been recognized by the organization for their athletic and academic excellence alike, said Astros head coach Seth Coffman. This summer, they’ll have a chance to prove their abilities to the rest of the state.
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As the Indiana Astros wrap up their final games of the summer, Johnny and Walker will conclude their season with a tournament against Indiana’s best. The boys were individually selected to play for a USSSA All-State team, which will compete in an All-Star style tournament at Indiana Sports Park July 20 to 22, giving the boys a chance to face off against the best players in their league.
When not at practice for their Whiteland-based travel ball team, the dynamic duo will spend their summer days in Johnny’s backyard practicing their pitching and hitting, said Johnny’s father, Brent Reece.
They’ve cut into the lawn the shape of a baseball diamond, complete with baselines and foul ball poles. The two will spend hours on their makeshift field, taking turns smacking balls over the fence into the cornfield behind their New Palestine home, Reece said.
Their healthy obsession with the sport has paid off, Coffman said. Now their numbers speak for themselves.
Walker is currently batting a .724 with a slugging percentage of 1.082. He boasts 43 RBIs on the season as of Friday. His size and strength have made him a real asset to the Astros’ starting lineup; if little leagues used designated hitter rules, Walker would top the list, Reece said.
Johnny — nicknamed “the Ninja” by his coach and teammates — is Coffman’s go-to pitcher’s helper and is one of the Astros’ leading infield players, he said.
Defensively, Johnny has 50 putouts and a double play this season.
“If there’s a line drive anywhere near him, he’ll get after it,” Walker said, boasting about his friend.
Both kids are tough as nails, too, Reece added. On different occasions, he’s seen them both get smacked in the head by a baseball and pop right back up. Taking a foul ball to the face would put most 8-year-olds out of the game, but not Walker or Johnny, he said.
Walker and Johnny travel across the state competing with the Astros, especially across Southern Indiana, Reece said. Both players were individually nominated by the coaches of their opponents’ teams at different points in the season, he said.
“We’re just super proud of them, they deserve it,” Reece said. “They really put in the time to be good players, but they’re even better teammates.”
When the two aren’t practicing, training in the backyard or staying up too late playing Fortnite, they’re dreaming about where their baseball careers might take them. With promising athletic potential and straight A’s, the boys are swinging for the fences when it comes to the future.
Following their graduation from high school in 10 years, Walker and Johnny said they hope to continue playing in college. Johnny likes Oklahoma State or Northwestern. But Walker said he would like to play baseball for Purdue, so he can pursue his backup career plan as an astronaut in the event that he doesn’t play Major League Baseball.
After university, the boys are both hoping to get drafted by the Chicago Cubs. Their current Astros jerseys reflect their ambition; Johnny wears #44 and Walker #17, for Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant.
“I want to be a major league baseball player,” Johnny said. “That’s all I want to be.”
Coming into this season, Coffman said he sat down with his coaching staff and put together a goal to dedicate their season to developing their team on and of the field.
“We’re developing these kids both in baseball and in areas where they can turn into good young men and help their communities,” Coffman said. “So far, with kids like Walker and Johnny, I’d say we’ve evidently done very well on that front.”
Johnny and Walker will play together in the USSSA All-State Games at Indiana Sports Park, July 20 to 22.
