Senior Drew Culbertson is back at his natural shortstop position this season.
Sam Findley | For the Daily Journal
Baseball players, perhaps more than any other athletes, are creatures of habit. In a sport where even the best players experience hot and cold stretches, a consistent daily routine is considered critical. Find something that works, then come back to the park every single day and do the same thing.
For the bulk of his high school career, Drew Culbertson hadn’t really been able to do that.
Whether battling his way through injuries as a sophomore in 2021 or being shifted to third base from his more familiar shortstop position last spring, finding that daily rhythm was difficult.
“The last couple of years have been rough for him,” Center Grove coach Keith Hatfield said. “We always had faith in him, but I wouldn’t say that he had a smooth sophomore or junior year. That doesn’t mean he didn’t have good years, but I don’t think he would tell you that he played to his potential those two years.”
Now healthy and back at short, Culbertson has settled into a comfort zone — and the results have followed. Heading into today’s game against Greenwood, he’s batting .609 with 14 runs scored and eight more driven in, seven doubles, a triple and a home run; he’s reached base in two-thirds of his plate appearances and boasts an on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS) of 1.797.
He’s a big reason why the Trojans are sitting at 8-0 and ranked first in the state.
After two years of disruptions to his flow, Culbertson has gotten his groove back.
“It’s much easier to find a rhythm day to day, doing the same thing,” he said. “Not having to worry about taking care of a certain body part, like my back or my legs or whatever. Just allowing me to come in here focused, with an intense, ready to go attitude every single day.”
A big part of that has been a return to shortstop, where he’d been accustomed to playing since he first picked up the sport. Culbertson manned the position two years ago when teammate Tyler Cerny missed most of the season due to illness; when Cerny (now playing at Indiana University) returned last year, Culbertson was asked to play third base.
He did so willingly, according to Hatfield, but it was an adjustment. Now, that number six is back next to his name on the lineup card every day, and Culbertson is in a happier place as a result.
“At third base, it’s a lot of lateral movement, left and right,” Culbertson explained. “At short, you get to work downhill a lot, which I love to do. I love to attack the ball, go get it. I find that more fun … it’s nice being back there.”
Also helping Culbertson’s cause is the fact that he’s buffered by a ton of talent in the Center Grove batting order. With Division I recruits hitting ahead of him and behind him in Nick Coy (Cincinnati) and Garrison Barile (Miami of Ohio), Culbertson knows he’s going to get pitched to more often than not.
“I’ve got good guys in front of me and behind me, throughout the entire lineup,” he said. “It makes me know that they’re going to have to come at me and get me out. They’re going to have to beat me in some way. If they don’t want to pitch to me, that’s fine; the next guy will get them.”
Culbertson’s future as a collegiate baseball player is also secure; he’s been verbally committed to the University of Missouri for more than a year and a half. He’s looking forward to that next chapter of his baseball journey, but he’s not ready to turn the page on this one just yet.
Center Grove’s 2022 season ended prematurely with a sectional semifinal loss to Mooresville. The team has enjoyed plenty of regular-season success during Culbertson’s career, but it hasn’t yet had the type of deep postseason run that many have hoped for or even expected.
That desire to script a different ending this time around has been pushing everything the Trojans do.
“It really just adds fuel to the fire, gets us more wanting to focus on the little details,” Culbertson said. “Every single thing. We sweep the locker room almost every day. Just the little things; keeping things clean. Taking care of business on and off the field is what matters.”
So far, not many players in Indiana have been handling their business better than Culbertson has.
“This year, he’s turned into the leader, both vocally and by example, that we wanted him to be from the get-go,” Hatfield said. “He’s been awesome for us; putting in a ton of work in the offseason, him and his teammates. … It’s been really fun to watch so far.”
