'That's a pro in the making.' Fishers baseball star Jack Brown's poise sets him apart.

FISHERS — An improbable run to the 2021 Class 4A baseball state championship is over, now all Jack Brown and the Fishers baseball team can do is watch as Jasper forms the ceremonial dogpile on the Victory Field infield.

Fishers fans and supporters stick around after the game to show their appreciation to a Tigers team that entered the postseason just six games over .500 after playing to a .500 record in the Hoosier Crossroads Conference. Runner-up medals around their necks, the bittersweet feeling of a season falling one game short of the ultimate prize propelled Fishers into the 2022 season.

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More success followed during Brown's sophomore year, an HCC championship and a 20-win season. But the campaign ended with a sectional final loss to Zionsville. The following season saw Fishers suffer another postseason defeat, this time at the hands of Noblesville in the opening round. Brown pitched in all three postseason losses and was the losing pitcher of record in the last two.

One of the best players in the state (ranked No. 2 in Indiana and 94th overall by Prepbaseballreport), Brown takes the losses to heart. Often stoic and always composed, the postseason losses replay in his mind as he sets about finding ways to improve. His quest to lead Fishers back to the state championship has fueled him to perfect his craft on the mound and give the Tigers the best shot to win it all in his final year.

"I think it's just a very special maturity that he has," Fishers coach Matthew Cherry said of Brown's work ethic and determination. "Obviously those losses aren't on one person. But he was the guy on the mound during them, so it's just him taking ownership and accountability for his play in those games.

"It's driven him in the offseason to work and get better. It's been a huge motivation for him to get us back to making a state run and do the things that we think we're capable of."

Staying poised under pressure

Brown arrived at Fishers as a freshman with the physique of an upperclassman and instantly became one of the team's top performers — as a two-way player — in the toughest conference in the state. In his first varsity season, Brown batted .318 with two home runs and 28 RBIs. He went 7-2 on the mound with 70 strikeouts and 1.43 ERA. His numbers have remained consistent through his prep career. Five games into his senior season, Brown has a career .377 batting average, six home runs, 20 doubles, six triples and just 46 strikeouts in 371 plate appearances. On the mound, Brown has a 19-5 career record with a 1.77 ERA and 201 strikeouts over 154⅓ innings.

The Louisville commit is an elite talent in the outfield and on the bump, but his superpower is his ability to remain poised in all situations. Growing up in a military household where his father, Todd, has 30-plus years of service, instilled a foundation of discipline in Jack's life, but the younger Brown has always had an even-keeled nature about him.

Brown said one of the best pieces of advice he received is that onlookers should never be able to tell through his body language if he's having a great game or struggling. On the mound, that poise has served him well as the staff ace, tasked with putting his team in position to win every time he takes the mound.

"I think that's honestly the most dangerous thing about a player, and it shows the maturity that he has for his age," Westfield coach Ryan Bunnell said. "That's something that we as coaches in high school really have to kind of drive home, how important staying even-keeled is. You're never too high. You're never too low. Because there's so much failure in this game and the people that are able to do that, generally put themselves in a really good position to be successful.

"With his talent level and then you match that with his ability to stay present and not be affected by what's going on in the game and makes him really, really dangerous."

'A pro in the making'

Pitching has always come naturally to Brown. He started pitching at age 8, and credits former Butler and Ball State pitching coach Jason Taulman with helping him build a strong mechanical foundation as a young player. As he got older, Brown started developing a routine — throwing, hitting, weightlifting — everything was done on a schedule. With the help of his teammates, Brown found what worked for him, things like how to take care of your arm between starts and how to properly warm up before games. Brown could've easily relied on natural ability to dominate, but his desire to master his pitching technique drove him to dive deep into the art of throwing a baseball.

Brown spent the offseason training at PRP Baseball in Noblesville. Under the guidance of Director of Player Development Anthony Gomez, Brown set out to sharpen up the shape of his pitches. Brown's arsenal consists of five pitches: a sinker, four-seam fastball, curveball and two variations of sliders. His primary pitch is the sinker that sits in the low to mid-90 mph range. Brown's slider will touch high 80s and his curveball is in the high 70s, low 80s. He'll mix in the four-seam fastball, a straight offering that plays off his breaking pitches, giving him five pitches all at varying speeds heading in different directions.

Gomez has trained several of the area's top pitchers like fellow IndyStar Super Team member Cam Sullivan of Mt. Vernon, and former Brebeuf Jesuit ace Andrew Dutkanych, now at Vanderbilt. Gomez was familiar with Brown but had not worked with him until last fall. Gomez knew Brown's stuff would pop, but his workman-like approach left him equally impressed.

"We had a phone call back in October-ish, and from there he kind of talked to me about his development, what he's prioritizing this offseason and what he's looking to do," Gomez said. "I think he really has a great understanding of what he needs and what he does well.

"For a high schooler to approach it like that and have those types of conversations, to be able to self-reflect and make game plans for himself and everything else — that's a pro in the making."

Brown said he'll have the opportunity to play both ways at Louisville, but this summer he's taken his pitching preparation to another level.

When Brown dives into the finer points of pitching, the normally reserved hurler starts to perk up a bit. Brown has a passion for baseball, and it oozes out of him when he talks about pitching. He's got it down to a science, so hitters across Indiana will be in for a long season in the batter's box.

"When you get to a certain threshold, it's really (about) nitpicky things and fine tuning," Brown said. "I can feel a slight change in my mechanics, it feels like it throws off everything else — command, velocity — everything gets thrown off.

"It's just finding out what makes you tick, what feels good to you. ... Just trying to figure out through process of elimination why things didn't work. I had to figure out what I needed to change and obviously, the failure made me a better pitcher."

Mastery of secondary pitches is often what separates the good pitchers from the great. With Brown refining his repertoire, Fishers will once again be a contender to return to Indiana high school baseball's biggest stage. Brown remembers walking off Victory Field as a freshman, but everything since has helped set up what should be a memorable senior season.

"I know this is my last year, one more go around," Brown said. "I'm just looking forward to doing what I have in the past. This is the best coaching staff in the state, I'd say. Our team's a close-knit group of guys. I think we're going to be really good this year, I think we're gonna have a chance to end the season on a win for sure."

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Fishers baseball two-way star Jack Brown is 'a pro in the making'