There is always something memorable when father and son stand together on the same playing field. The dad doesn’t have to be called LeBron James, Bernhard Huber does too. This year the Gauting Indians even managed to have the father meet two sons on the baseball field. The 51-year-old veteran, who can also be seen as the father of the entire club, was substituted a few times so that he had permission to play in the playoffs in case of personnel emergencies. Ultimately that wasn’t necessary. Also because Elias and Lukas Huber, 18 and 16 years old, became top performers. On the day of the ascension, however, Jakob was in the USA for a year of high school. He watched in the live stream as the Gauting Indians were promoted back to the first Bundesliga after 14 years. And in many ways this is a cross-generational story that also says a lot about the current state of German baseball.
Bernhard Huber always stayed here. The others who are now in charge of the team founded in 1992 have gained their successes elsewhere, and the current team won’t always stay together either, baseball players are simply too US-oriented for that. One of the most important returnees, although not the only one, is coach and sports director Christopher Howard, 35. He grew up in Gauting, became German champion as a player with the Regensburg Legionnaires and was also a national coach. In 2011, the Indians voluntarily withdrew from the Bundesliga team because there was a lack of young talent and they had become too dependent on US import players. In 2014, those in charge complained that the young players weren’t keeping up, and suddenly the club from Würmtal was only in the fourth division.
In 2022, Howard took over the team at the request of the board. Now the returnees have managed to build a team that is powerful in every sense of the word, with an age range from the mid-30s down to 15 years old. The rise is coming “sooner than expected, but just in time,” says Howard. Especially with players like the outstanding pitcher Philipp Kleehaupt, he should have considered “not recommending that he play somewhere else,” because this is exactly when first league experience is needed. In the promotion relegation against Hünstetten Storm, Kleehaupt threw twelve strikeouts in six rounds, leaving a dozen frustrated batsmen behind. Gauting won game one away 5:3, game two at home confidently 8:0. A year earlier, the Indians had failed against Hünstetten.
The reason for the success is clear: “Hubsi”, Bernhard Huber, “taught his sons and Philipp Kleehaupt valuable things when they were maybe six years old,” says Howard. The generation that was successful from 2004 to 2011 is passing on its knowledge to its children. Two things are surprising: Firstly, the Indians are counteracting a development that many clubs are reporting. The popularity of all children’s and youth teams is enormous because enthusiastic players always bring friends with them who are also enthusiastic about it. The trainers would hardly hear “I don’t have time today” before the practice sessions.
“We are not in a situation in German baseball where good clubs are blocked because of a lack of floodlights.”
Secondly, the responsible association has actually wanted to professionalize the structures for years. A single-track first league was already planned for 2025. But this won’t come before 2028, explains league secretary Markus Jeissle when asked. All first division clubs should also have floodlights – Gauting doesn’t have that, and it won’t come for financial reasons. Howard explains that according to the statutes it is enough to be able to specify an alternative location. “We are not in a situation in German baseball where good clubs are blocked because of a lack of floodlights,” he says.
Howard describes his former club, the Regensburg Legionnaires, as a “company” that aims to make a profit through its boarding school. In comparison, the Indians are a medium-sized family business with no shortage of skilled workers, and it sounds as if the baseball scene is currently celebrating their concept, especially since Gauting already has many junior national players. So you don’t need your own gym and weight room to raise your level? “Of course we would like all of that, no question about it. But that the boys try harder, that they want to go the extra mile, that’s more important.” Christopher Howard is not only confident that the Indians can be a first division team for a long time because of the wave of enthusiasm.
