‘His passing has left a big hole.’ BJ Sigler remembered in Indiana baseball community

Ballpark lights illuminated the night sky across Indiana baseball stadiums on Thursday. Fields were lit up to honor BJ Sigler, the Jennings County High School baseball coach who died at the age of 50 on Sept. 10.

Social media was flooded with tributes for the late coach.

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Sigler was an advocate for youth baseball, whose influence was felt in every corner of the state and well past its lines.

“His passing has left a big hole in our community,” said Jennings County assistant coach Bill Lane. “He was a competitor; I think that’s the first thing anyone would you about him. But he was also generous with his time, resources and knowledge for the game.

“As a coach he believed in his players and pushed them to be their best. He had a tremendous impact on our team, our school, our program and he’s going to be dearly missed.”

Sigler, a 1994 graduate of Providence High School, played baseball at Indiana University-Southeast before he served in the United States Air Force. He launched the Panther Baseball Club, a travel ball organization based out of North Vernon, to help kids play baseball. Sigler covered costs out of pocket. It was a deed meant to create opportunities for the next generation of players.

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He then served as the Kentucky State Director and Southern Indiana Director of USSSA Baseball.

“He wanted to give opportunities to kids here in Jennings County the chance to play baseball and not have to pay,” said Jennings County principal Dustin Roller. “He started putting on tournaments just so that he can cover the player fees for the team … It morphed into what we always knew as a small community and grew into a multi-state level.”

Sigler was a board member and coach for the Indiana Bulls. He was a family man, a dad who shared the love for the game with his two sons, Cole and Brycen. He coached both of them during his tenure with the Bulls and had a front row seat to their baseball journeys.

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“There wasn’t a prouder dad on the planet than he was in both Cole and Brycen,” Roller said. “I know he would tell me right now if he was sitting next to me (that) he was most proud of about the kids they were and the character they had but on top of that, to watch them play baseball and have the passion and love for it that he did, made his day.”

Sigler was hired as head baseball coach for Jennings County in July 2021 and held that position up until his death. He spent five seasons at the helm. He was well known in the baseball stratosphere. He had rapport across the state, with a running joke that he’d run for mayor in any town he was in. He was the life of the room. A gem in the baseball community that always brought a smile to people’s faces.

Thursday’s tribute was fit for a man who dedicated his life to youth baseball. Who bonded with his sons, players and fellow coaches through the sport.

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“When you could have a guy that’s sitting at the corner of the dugout that everybody just laughs about and smiles and jokes with, he was always that person,” said Indiana Bulls President Josh Loggins. “He was that guy that provided comic relief but was able to be very serious when needed to be … One of his biggest strengths was his ability to connect with people and have meaningful conversations that aren’t just at the surface and that’s what I appreciate about BJ.”

Marc Ray is a high school sports reporter at the IndyStar. He can be reached at marc.ray@indystar.com , and on X, formerly Twitter, at @themarcszn.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: ‘His passing has left a big hole.’ BJ Sigler remembered in Indiana baseball community

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