2015 - Week-6, Magnificent-7 

High School Baseball Teams in

Northwest Indiana

A USA-365.com Special Report by Mark Smith

5-14-2015

Hobart's Brickies built a nine-game winning streak in early May. Hobart is the defending Class 4A Sectional 2 champion. (Photo by Mark Smith)

MERRILLVILLE (5-10-2015) This Northwest Indiana baseball season continues to be an unpredictable jumble of contradictory results. Last week state-rated LaPorte lost at Merrillville (6-15) in a key DAC game. Also Griffith, carrying a six-game losing streak, stomped on 3A No. 2 Hanover Central 13-0. The No.1 team in this poll, Andrean; they lost 14-4 to St. Laurence. Admittedly the Vikings (13-4) are a Chicagoland area power.

Baseball seems like like golf to me. You can shoot even par one morning and 20 over par the same afternoon day on the same course. It's probably the reason youth league baseball tournaments are double-elimination and conferences play a double round robin.

If a football team wins 10 games and then loses one, you can safely judge them by the 10 they won. If a baseball team wins 10 in a row and then loses one, they could simply be a .500 team on the launching pad of a 10-game losing streak.

And while it's not realistic to have a double-elimination state finals (you only have the stadium in Indianapolis for a limited period of time) I'd like to see double-elimination regional and semistate competition. We've all talked about this before. The present format allows one pitcher to dominate at every level and a champion should have to display pitching depth.

Double-elimination also takes away that off-day odd outcome which shouldn't decide state tournament titles. One game, one day. One result. That's fair for football and basketball. But baseball, where the home team (on the scoreboard) has a distinct advantage is a different animal.

A passing note on LaPorte and radio station WCOE (96.7) FM, which has broadcast Slicer baseball since, at least, the 1980s. While Lake County teams home areas can't always hear the station, the fact that WCOE ("The Eagle") carries all LaPorte game means that all Duneland Athletic Conference (DAC) teams will have at least two games on local radio every season.

In an era when radio stations don't cover baseball, struggle to keep sponsors and can't bother with late afternoon remote broadcasts, WCOE does games live from three counties regularly. The station also carries Slicer football and basketball, but lots of stations do that. Those are largely weekend events and the fan (and listener) base is larger. I do not know of any non-school radio station in this part of the state that carries every one of its schools' varsity high school baseball games.

And WCOE might have quit. LaPorte had 43 twenty-win baseball seasons in a row until 2012 (12-19), 2013 (10-20) and 2014 (17-12). WCOE's sponsors could have started bailing out these last three years and the station could have walled over the afternoon time with their traditional country music format. But they didn't and they haven't. Please support, acknowledge and accommodate WCOE when you can. Thank the announcers and the sponsors for staying with a tradition that I always count on being there.

Longtime Chesterton coach Jack Campbell is out for the season with hip replacement surgery. His final game was a 6-0 win over DAC leading LaPorte on April 30.

I don't wonder if he'll be back next season. Campbell coaches girls basketball and boys baseball and he's done both for as long as I can remember. He's the face of athletics at Chesterton.

Once again: Please check out night baseball at Griffith starting at 7 p.m. on May 19 vs. Lowell and May 21 vs. Washington Township. The Panthers again have made a commitment to play night games late in the season and folk who like to watch the boys play (but can't get to school by 4:30 in the afternoon) should go to Griffith and check out the prime time start.

Let the record show that Merrillville is also at home at night ( 7 p.m.) against Wheeler on May 15 and Bishop Noll on May 18. More Northwest Indiana (NWI) teams that can should play night games in late May. In theory, that (and to host sectional and regional play) is what you got lights for. The state tournament draw is not until May 19.


1. (3A) Andrean (16-4)
31-4 (2014), 27-3-1 (2013), 28-5 (2012), 28-5 (2011), 28-6 (2010)

MERRILLVILLE: The 59ers swept Highland 4-2 and 5-2 to stay on top of the Northwest Crossroads Conference until this week's showdowns with Munster. Jacob O'Donnell pitched three scoreless
innings to save the 5-2 win at Highland. Justin Ruthrauff (3-0, 1.82 ERA) pitched a complete game home victory over the Trojans. Senior Nick Podkul had three RBIs. The 59ers' out of state Illinois losses are (Chicago) St. Laurence, (New Lenox) Providence and (Chicago Heights) Marian Catholic. Griffith is still the only Indiana team to beat the 59ers this season. It's not a conference game and it's not a playoff preview, but there will be extra interest when the 3A No. 4 59ers host 4A No. 10 Crown Point (12-6) Friday at 4:30 p.m. This does not seem like a dominant Andrean team, but they won the state title with four losses last season and the 59ers do host sectional play.

2. (4A) Hobart (16-3)
26-6 (2014), 20-11 (2013), 22-8 (2012)

HOBART: Since an April 18 loss 6-5 to Terre Haute South, I have the Brickies with nine consecutive wins capped off by a 6-0 win over Greater South Shore Conference (GSSC) champ Hanover Central (17-3). Jake Mummey pitched a complete game shutout, allowing three hits and no walks. Alex Batistatos (25 of 58, .431), who is 5-2 with a 1.51 ERA and Braden Nicksic (4-1, 1.43 ERA) may be lined up for the big games to come. Hobart cant put too much weight on the May 18-19 NCC games with Andrean because they won't see or care about Andrean after that. The Brickies are looking at a 4A Sectional 2 field they would appear to be able to handle. Hobart at Lake Central on May 22 is a good final week barometer and all arrows are pointing up here.


3. (4A) Lake Central (17-3)
23-10 (2014), 3-9 (2013), 32-1 (2012), 26-5 (2011), 20-6 (2010)

ST. JOHN: After a 5-4 loss at to LaPorte on April 28, LC won eight in a row including a 7-5 win over Crown Point. Right-hander Matt Litwicki struck out nine in an 8-0 win over Chesterton. Litwicki also struck out seven and allowed six hits in a 3-2 complete game win over Valparaiso. Outfielder Zach Turnbough unofficially recorded his 12th triple of the season, tying the state record. The losses here are to Valpo, LaPorte, Crown Point and (Lansing, Ill.) Illiana Christian. That end of the season game with Hobart (16-3) is a highlight, but a trip to LaPorte (17-4) on May 19 will be a big day in the 14-game Duneland Athletic Conference (DAC) pennant race. LC starts eyeing that showdown with Munster at the 4A Munster Sectional.


4. (4A) Crown Point (12-6)
20-11 (2014), 25-6 (2013), 27-5 (2012), 21-12 (2011), 27-5 (2010), 30-3 (2009)

CROWN POINT: The Bulldogs lost a 5-0 lead in a 7-5 loss to Lake Central, but they headed into the last two weeks with a one-game lead in the Duneland Athletic Conference. Like Andrean, the Bulldogs have sought out Illinois company, losing to Lincoln-Way North (8-5), (Chicago) Mount Carmel (12-4) and top-ranked (Chicago) St. Rita (26-2). The Bulldogs are 8-2 against Duneland Athletic Conference (DAC) foes. At this writing, the Bulldogs have five DAC games left to play including a road game at Chesterton on May 19. It's looking like CP will win the DAC if they win at home over LaPorte (17-4) this Thursday, May 14 but the real trick will be to find three starting pitchers who can all win on sectional week. CP is 6-3 in one and two run games, so the sectional draw is crucial for them. It's hard to see them winning three DAC rematches in five days, even with the sectional in Crown Point. Two late season highlights are a Friday, May 22 matchup with 4A No 4 Columbus North and a Saturday, May 23 matchup with 4A No. 10 McCutcheon, both at the McCutcheon Invitational.


5. (4A) Munster (13-6)

29-4 (2014), 20-9 (2013), 15-14 (2012)

MUNSTER: The Mustangs are heading towards a Northwest Crossroads Conference (NCC) two day showdown with Andrean (16-4) scheduled for May 10-11, in a position to grab the league title. Munster had a no-contest 19-0 and 13-0 sweep over Kankakee Valley last week, confidence builders at the very least. Grant Rademacher struck out 12 in the 13-0 game. Earlier they swept Griffith 10-0 and 5-0. Add sweeps over Hobart and Lowell and the Mustangs would have to lose twice to Andrean to lose the NCC title. Right-hander Conner Manous is the pitcher NWI teams least wants to see in the post-season.
 

6. (3A) Hanover Central (17-3)
22-6 (2014), 23-6 (2013), 19-11 (2012), 22-6 (2011)

CEDAR LAKE: Hanover hit on hard time with a 9-0 loss at Griffith and a 6-0 loss at Hobart. The Cats face high flying Morton on May 14, but they probably won't see the Governors top right-hander Cody Earl (6-1), even though they might like to. The rest of the Hanover schedule is not strong until a season finale at home against Duneland Conference leader Crown Point (12-6). Catcher Jesse Wilkening (29 of 59, .492) has seven home runs and 29 RBIs. Senior left-hander Riley Welch (3-1, 3.00 ERA) had a 20-game average of .453 (29 of 64) with 29 runs scored. Sophomore Dylan Knutsen (19 of 47, .404) and junior Logan Evanhouse (24 of 71, .338) have played regular roles. Senior right-hander Danny Balich (4-1, 1.81 ERA) has 22 hits in 61 at bats (.361) with 21 runs scored and he'll probably get the call on the mound for the eventual showdown with Andrean (16-4) in 3A Sectional 18. Hanover isn't as good as they were when they were ranked No. 1 and 16-0 and they aren't as bad as they were losing 6-0 and 9-0 back-to-back. Remember, this is the ultimate one-game season school. The 'one game' is the inevitable sectional matchup with Andrean. The season is a success if HC defeats the 59ers. It's been that way since Hanover moved up to Class 3A.


7. (4A) LaPorte (17-4)
17-13 (2014), 7-17 (2013), 12-19 (2012), 20-10-1 (2011), 27-4 (2010)

LaPORTE: DAC leader LaPorte hit a May skid just like Hanover Central did. The Slicers lost 6-2 to LaPorte, 6-0 to Chesterton and 2-1 to Merrillville to fall out of first place in the Duneland Athletic Conference (DAC). LaPorte is down one game to Crown Point in league play, but they can jump back to the top if they win May 19 at home against Lake Central (17-4) and May 21 at Crown Point (12-6). Left-hander Jake Teets (7-1) will almost certainly get the ball against one or the other. The Slicers had eight games left after topping Michigan City on May 8 and seemed certain to again reach the 20-win mark for the season. That's big for them. The Slicers had a 43-year streak of 20-win seasons until 2012, when they fell to 12-19. Until Indiana high school schedule limits are expanded, that streak seems untouchable. But LaPorte's standard for a 'good' season will be 20 wins for a long time to come.

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Revised: May 19, 2015.