A display at the Dubois County Bombers’ historic League Stadium celebrating the history of the Rockford Peaches of the old All-American Girls Professional Baseball League
This summer, former Corbin Redhound and current Lincoln Memorial University Railsplitter Bradric Helton is continuing to hone his skills on the baseball diamond as a member of the Dubois County Bombers in Huntingburg, Ind. This development actually creates a unique connection between him and the late Mary Weddle-Hines, one of Corbin’s most famous citizens, who passed away nearly four years ago.
You see, the Bombers play in the historic League Stadium, which was originally built in 1894. In 1991, the stadium was renovated and used for the filming of A League of Their Own, the now-classic sports movie starring Tom Hanks and Geena Davis that told a fictionalized story based on the real-life Rockford Peaches team competing in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL). The stadium still celebrates this history to this day.
In case you weren’t already aware, Weddle-Hines herself was a competitor in the AAGPBL back in the mid-fifties. An Ohio native, she played for the Fort Wayne Daisies in what ended up being the league’s final year of operation in 1954.
Weddle-Hines would later make her home in Corbin, where she spent many years contributing to the school’s softball program prior to her passing in October of 2021. The Lady Hounds decided to name their field in her honor the following season.
From Redhound to Railsplitter
Helton signed with LMU after a successful career at Corbin that included helping the Redhounds to three 50th District championships (2021, 2023, 2024) and two 13th Region championship titles (2022 and 2024).
This past season, Helton and the Railsplitters finished the season at 24-23, missing out on a chance to compete in the South Atlantic Conference (SAC) championship tournament. It was a disappointing way to end their campaign, but it is only serving to fuel the fire this offseason.
“I don’t like not making it to the postseason,” said Helton, who saw action in 13 games as a pitcher from LMU this past spring. “I’m not used to that, so I want to fix it.”
Helton said that he expects his role on the team to expand next year, and he’s looking forward to hopefully contributing to more wins as a sophomore.
Bradric Helton signing a baseball for a young fan at a recent Dubois County Bomber game
From Railsplitter to Bomber
When asked about how he ended up in Dubois County this summer, Helton explained that his coaches at LMU advised pitchers to find somewhere to continue throwing and competing during the offseason. The coaching staff decided that the Bombers would provide a good opportunity for him to accomplish that, so they helped with getting him a spot on the roster.
Helton described the team as having a minor league type of feel, saying, “They want to create a fun environment for the fans.” He said that he has enjoyed his time with the team so far, adding that the town of Huntingburg is similar to Corbin in many ways and commenting that it has been a “cool” experience getting to play in historic League Stadium.
“I think that I’m doing well,” Helton said when asked about how things have been going this summer. “I am improving what I need to improve on. I think that what I’m doing here is going to allow me to gain some more confidence. It should be extremely beneficial.”
Helton will continue traveling with the Bombers for the next several weeks before returning to Harrogate, Tenn. later the summer to begin making preparations for the fall semester at LMU.
Find out more
We’ve covered a lot of ground in this feature, but there are several websites where you can go to get more information.
- For more on Mary Weddle-Hines and the history of the AAGPBL, go to www.aagpbl.com.
- For more on Bradric Helton and the LMU Railsplitters baseball team, go to www.lmurailsplitters.com.
- For more on the Dubois County Bombers, go to www.dcbombers.com.
- For information on the Prospect League, the wood-bat collegiate summer baseball league that the Bombers compete in, go to www.prospectleague.prestosports.com.
