'We ball out.' Indianapolis Kings a faith-based homeschool baseball power

Sophomore shortstop Tavian Trotter is sprawled out, body fully extended behind the second base bag.

This is far from ideal fielding position for most baseball players, but Trotter isn't most players. The 6-foot-1, 203-pound right hander has the body control to contort himself into position and get enough on the throw from his back to nab a Lafayette Central Catholic runner at second base.

“I like to showcase my defense," Trotter said. "My little brother is always hitting me ground balls in the front yard. I’m big on that. I love to take fungos. But the biggest thing defensively is just being smart with the baseball, reading the field, being a leader, trusting your defense, and then also my second baseman (Tucker Whybrew) makes everything easy.”

Trotter's athletic ability allows him to attempt plays many other shortstops would not be willing to. Earlier in the game he sailed a throw to first on a deflected ball deep in the hole, showcasing his tools and confidence. His smooth actions, range and strong arm would be right at home at any Class 4A school in Indiana, but the Wabash native is not a traditional high school student.

Trotter plays for the Indianapolis Kings, a homeschool baseball program created in 2005 by Mark Judy. Judy, the former pastor at Hancock Reformed Baptist Church in Greenfield, was looking for a place for his son Greg, the oldest of five homeschooled boys, to continue his baseball career. Greg aged out of the Greenfield Youth Baseball Association, and the expensive fees and the need to play most games on weekends, specifically on Sundays, prevented Greg from playing travel baseball.

So, Mark came up with an idea.

Homeschool basketball teams are common throughout Indiana, but gathering enough players to field a baseball team of homeschoolers didn't seem plausible. Starting with a group of Greg's homeschool basketball teammates, Mark created the Indianapolis Kings as a way for homeschooled students to play baseball during the school year.

"My dad always had all kinds of great ideas, and he worked really hard to make his ideas come to pass, but I didn't really think it was going to happen, because I wasn't sure who would want to play a team of homeschool boys," Greg said.

"I just wasn't sure who we'd even play, but we were able to assemble a team of a lot of guys that played home school basketball and also played baseball. We had a family that had just moved from Michigan, and they were looking for a team to play for, and so we were kind of just a ragtag group of guys. The first season was my junior year, and I think we won 11 games that year."

The elder Judy was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's Disease (ALS) in 2011. He passed away in December of 2017, but the legacy he built through the Kings, and faith-based organization focused on a love for baseball and Jesus Christ has continued on. The ragtag bunch now has varsity, junior varsity and middle school teams with players coming from as far as Evansville to play with the Kings.

"It means a lot. I didn't really think about it at the time, but looking back, it's quite a legacy," Greg said of his father. "Not only has he helped me and my brothers and my friends play baseball, but he's helped hundreds of homeschooled boys."

Former IU pitcher Jeff Jenkins took over as the Kings' head coach in 2024. He helped lead the Kings to a 15-6 record with wins against Brebeuf Jesuit, Warren Central and Bishop Chatard. Friday, the Kings clinched a Midwest Homeschool World Series championship with a 10-0 win over Summit (Mich.) at Grand Park. 

With standout players like Trotter, junior outfielder Luke Hightower and senior left-handed pitcher Austin Kelly, the Kings offer quality competition to any school that chooses to schedule them.

Jenkins said scheduling is very challenging for the Kings. The Kings are not affiliated with the IHSAA, but they are able to play schools associated with the IHSAA. Jenkins added that there can be something of a stigma around playing a homeschool team. Teams are unsure of the level of competition they'll get or think the optics of losing to a homeschool team will be bad, but all Jenkins wants is a chance for his players to showcase their skills and compete.

Exposure to college programs is another reason prospective players may hesitate to play for the Kings. Through social media and a schedule featuring other competitive IHSAA schools, it's possible to be seen. Assistant coach Micah Stewart played four seasons with the Kings and went on to play four seasons at Division II Cedarville University in Ohio.

"There's still a lot of team high schools that had never heard of us," Jenkins said. "They're not quite sure what we are. We've got a lot of really good baseball players and a great team. We're trying to grow our team and become more familiar around the state to show teams that we can play. It's okay to play us."

Faith, fun and baseball

Kevin and Misty Trotter adopted Tavian through an agency in Indianapolis when he was seven months old. The Trotter's started as foster parents of Tavian's oldest brother 20 years ago and grew their family to six children (three adopted, three biological). They relocated to Tampa, Fla., where Tavian began playing T-ball around age 5. Tavian's early introduction to baseball was not one of a future standout player.

"He was doing T-ball, and he hit the ball off the tee, and then he ran to third base," Kevin said. "So, they directed him around (to first base). 
And we even said, 'Well, I guess baseball's not his sport.'"

Despite the baserunning mishap, Tavian stuck with baseball. By the time he graduated from hitting off a tee to hitting off a pitching machine, his natural ability started to shine through.

"That's when it started becoming clear, like, wait a minute – he may have something here," Kevin said. "As time went on, he just loved baseball more and more. Occasionally, he'd be like, 'Hey, can I play football?' And then he's like, 'You know what? If I get hurt playing football, I can't play baseball. I don't want to do it.' He just developed a love for baseball, and he lives and breathes it now."

Tavian attended public school in Florida but began homeschooling when his family returned to Indiana. Tavian played Little League and travel ball, but since he was homeschooled his options once he reached high school were limited. In order to play for his local high school, Northfield in Wabash, he would have to take three classes at the school to be eligible.

Seeking options to play outside of the traditional high school path, Tavian attended an open gym with the Kings as an eighth grader and quickly fell in love with the team. 

"Our family's all Christian. My dad's a pastor, so this was definitely the best fit, just because I've been on a lot of teams where we haven't been grounded in Jesus, we haven't been grounded in the faith," Tavian said. "With this team, not only are we ballers, we ball out, we play, we have fun, and we win. Also, our attitudes and just how we play the game reflects Jesus Christ."

Playing at the varsity level as a freshman was an adjustment for Trotter. He batted just .212 with 22 strikeouts in 25 games. He struggled with pitch recognition and plate discipline. After the season, he worked with his hitting coach to develop a two-strike approach while still driving the ball with authority.

Through 18 games Trotter is batting .423 with nine walks, three strikeouts, six doubles, four home runs and 24 stolen bases. Trotter is the 90th-ranked prospect in Indiana's 2028 class per prepbaseballreport.

Kelly leads the Kings with a .523 average. Freshman Ryker Brenneman is the Kings' top slugger slashing .478/.593/.848 with nine doubles, two home runs and one triple. Hightower plays outfield for the Kings, but his 6-foot-4, 230-pound frame profiles well at third or first base. He's batting .414, with three doubles and two triples.

The ability to be on a team centered in a shared faith is a driving factor for many members of the team. A shared belief in God is what motives Trotter to travel two hours both ways to practice. It's why Will Siegfried hasn't missed a game despite traveling six hours round trip from Evansville, arriving at home around nine or 10 o'clock some nights.

In a baseball climate that stresses winning above all and a pay-to-play structure that's borderline exploitative, leading to more toxicity, playing for something bigger than themselves bonds the Kings together.

"I really enjoy this team because of (the shared faith)," Siegfried said. "It means the world to me because God is always first. So, I'm so glad that I found this team and they also put God first."

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indianapolis Kings: Homeschool team bonded through faith and baseball