Al Lopez, Hall of Fame pitcher and catcher once said, Do what you love to do and give it your very best. Whether it’s business or baseball, or the theater, or any field. If you don’t love what you’re doing and you can’t give it your best, get out of it. Life is too short. You’ll be an old man before you know it.
Frank Pluskota, senior infielder, clearly loves what he’s doing. He has never had any interest or growing up. He was never been the biggest, the fastest or the strongest, but what he possesses can’t be measured.
University in the KIAC Championship. The Grenadiers finished the season with 32 wins, the most wins
since 2011 when they won the KIAC regular season and tournament championship. loved any sport like he loves baseball. He was often overlooked as a child and as a high school player
Pluskota, has been playing organized baseball since he was five years old.
“My parents have pictures of me with a bat and ball when I was like 3 years old,” Pluskota said.
Crider and Pluskota were both standout players at lake central high school in Saint John, IN.
Brian Crider, his best friend, was extremely important to his arrival on the IU Southeast campus.
The senior catcher was being recruited by IU Southeast and convinced the coaching staff to give him a tryout, and the rest is history.
Pluskota predominantly played third base in high school, and in his career at IU southeast he has played multiple positions, and has showed consistent improvement on the field. He has played infield, second base and third base.
“My first college at bat I was so nervous that I could barely even swing the bat, and now I’m confident to just go out there and play the game I love,” Pluskota said.
In 50 games, Pluskota leads the team in almost every statistical category, homeruns with 2, a batting average of.407 with 68 hits and 42 RBI.
Pluskota was named KIAC player of the week on April 14th. He finished the week hitting .700 (21-for-30). Pluskota, ranks 2nd in hitting in the KIAC with a .430 batting average. He ranks 19th nationally.
He currently ranks third in division 1 with 22 doubles. 10th in doubles per game, 26th in hits per game and 39th in batting average.
Pluskota, said that in his four years as a IU southeast baseball players, one of the biggest transitions from high school to college, was working to physically prepare his body for college baseball.
As a freshman he finished the season with 44 hits and 28 RBI. He had a batting average of .291 and a slugging percentage of (.444).
As a sophomore there was a dramatic increase in his hits per game, going from 44 hits to 67.
He also went from 28 RBI to 44. His batting average increased from .444 to .474 and his batting average increased from .291 to .349.
As a junior he suffered a slight decline in hits, going from 67 to 54. His batting average went from .349 to .338. His slugging percentage increased from .474 to .519.
“I never felt like I was the star or even the best player on any organized team I’ve played on,” Pluskota said.
“Frank has always been a great leader for the IU southeast baseball team,” said Stephen Utz, IU Southeast sports information director.” “This season, he has helped to teach many new players how to conduct themselves, both on and off the field. He has always put the team above himself.”
Stephen Utz, said that he had a remarkable senior season and will go down as one of the best players in IU southeast baseball history.
Pluskota, is a criminal justice major and has plans on becoming a police officer in the future.
“There’s no one in my family that’s a police officer,”Pluskota said. “I’ve been interested in becoming a Policeman for about 3 year now.”
When he’s not playing baseball or doing classwork, he enjoys watching movies or spending time with his friends and family.
Pluskota, said that the most influential person in his baseball development is his father. He said, that no matter the situation his dad has always been there for him.
Pluskota is a team leader and acts as a mentor to many of the younger players on the team. He discussed the importance of staying humble, and realizing that there’s always someone out there who’s better than you. So, you have to outwork them and have fun at the same time.
Pluskota, said that he hopes his legacy will be that he was a hard worker and a good teammate.
The IU Southeast baseball team had 23 games postponed or cancelled due to bad weather, but they didn’t let that derail them.
Pluskota and the IU Southeast men’s baseball team finished the season with a flourish. They started the month with a record of 19-17 on April 1. They finished the month going 13-7 down the stretch and finished the season with a 32-23 record.
The IU Southeast men’s baseball team finished the season with a 3-1 loss to Point Park University in the KIAC Championship. The Grenadiers finished the season with 32 wins, the most wins since 2011 when they won the KIAC regular season and tournament championship.
