Burcham Selected as New Head Baseball Coach at Batesville HS

Burcham is a former college baseball player and current Batesville Middle School teacher.

Tyler Burcham. Photo provided.

(Batesville, Ind.) - Former collegiate baseball player and current Batesville Middle School (BMS) teacher Tyler Burcham has been tapped as head coach of the Batesville High School (BHS) varsity baseball team, announced BHS athletic director Bryan Helvie. Burcham, who teaches eighth grade physical education (PE) and health at BMS, has successfully juggled assistant coaching positions for multiple sports, including baseball, since joining the Batesville Community School Corporation (BCSC) in 2018.

"I am excited to have Coach Burcham as our new head baseball coach and we have a great deal of confidence that the baseball program will continue to grow under his direction," Helvie commented. "His enthusiasm and passion for the game are a great fit for our program. Our student-athletes are going to benefit from his experience and knowledge of the game.”

Burcham’s athletic history includes high school varsity letters in soccer, football, basketball, and baseball during his time playing for Greensburg Community High School, from which he graduated in 2013. Burcham played baseball collegiately at Parkland College in Champaign, IL while earning his associate’s degree. He completed his education and baseball playing career at Lee University, a Division II school in Cleveland, Tennessee. Graduating in December 2017 with a bachelor’s degree and K-12 licensure in Health and Physical Education, Burcham was hired as a full-time substitute teacher at BHS in January of 2018, joining the baseball staff at that time as the varsity pitching coach.

“The BHS varsity baseball team was able to win a sectional championship that year and at the end of the season, I was offered the eighth grade health & PE job at BMS for the 2018-2019 school year,” Burcham explained. “During my first full year of teaching, I also took over as the eighth grade boys basketball coach at BMS. In the summer of 2019, I added in a position as the junior varsity (JV) boys’ soccer coach at BHS while continuing to coach basketball and baseball. I will continue to serve as the JV soccer coach but have stepped down as the basketball coach after four years to focus on baseball.

“I come from an athletic family, so the combination of teaching full-time and coaching multiple sports seems like a natural fit for me,” Burcham continued. “I am the youngest of three boys and my dad, Doug, is the former varsity baseball head coach at South Ripley and Greensburg. Growing up, sports was a big part of our lives and I’m excited to include my dad in the BHS program as varsity assistant coach this coming year, where we can enjoy the experience together.”

The BHS varsity baseball team finished 13-1 in conference play during the 2022 season, with a 20-6 record overall. A top 10 team in division 3A with back-to-back 20-win seasons, the Bulldogs have led the conference three straight years. Nine seniors graduated this year, but Burcham has high expectations for the 2023 season, with five starters returning and talented JV and C-team players to fill those spots.

“I can’t thank former coach Justin Tucker enough for what he’s meant to me and this program,” Burcham added. “It’s a unique opportunity to take over a program that I’ve already been a part of for the last five years, and I’m ready to continue to push this program in the right direction.

“Batesville has accepted me with open arms, and I can’t think of a better situation than I am currently in here,” Burcham concluded. “This is a baseball town that really rallies around this program, and we are fortunate enough to see guys that have graduated from here still chasing those dreams in professional baseball, such as Bryan Hoeing and Zach Britton. Batesville is a special place where kids can actually see a future for themselves in this sport. I’m honored to be a part of it.”