American Legion Baseball:

Looking Ahead to 2006

A USA-365.com Special Report by Mark Smith

8-4-2005

Amateur baseball doesn't end until August so that's the time to look ahead to the next year. Some teams that project to be mediocre at the end of June look a lot better at the end of August. The summer months allow players to play and develop with less pressure and more good weather. When you play for two teams in the same day and it's 98 degrees, you either quit or you prove you want to play very badly.

When you guess about next season, what you don't know is, which players will change schools in the fall and develop physically over the winter. But with those blind spots, it's still interesting to take a look ahead.

LOWELL

LOWELL (8-4-2005) The immediate future of Lowell baseball is pretty bright even after both the high school and American Legion Post 101 had losing seasons and the Senior Little League team lost in the state finals at Portage.

Lowell's varsity graduates core players Mike Smith, Clayton Miller, Mike Malino and Mike Beier. But for once, there are plenty of prospects in line to fill the spots.

The top returning player for 2006 is Kyle Metz, a good-hitting infielder who can be a team leader. Outfielders Zak Voss and David Erpelding are good complimentary players. Senior Ryan King, thrown into a pitching role with no varsity experience last year, should be much better in 2006. He took some hard knocks from powerful LAC teams, but that should pay off in his final year.

Almost all of the incoming 16-year-old team has potential. Nate Korth is a gifted athlete with power and speed and, even though he has yet to make his varsity debut, it would be a big surprise if he does not develop into an all-conference player. Metz and Korth could bat 2-3 in the order and be the double-play combination. If Griffith's Ryan Bridges moves to third base (which has been suggested) Korth could be the top shortstop in the LAC in two years. He has that much natural ability.

Josh Kuiper is a fine catching prospect for the next two seasons. He throws well and while he'll have to step up to varsity pitching, here's another potential team leader.

The key to this team will be tall pitcher Jon Cap, who took a lot of defeats as a varsity sophomore but pitched almost 50 innings.

Cap is almost 6-foot-3 and his velocity will increase as he gets stronger. Cap pitched a complete-game four-hitter in a 3-0 loss to Hobart on May 4 in a game that highlighted what he can do. He went six innings at least six times and then took his regular pitching turn in the Little League all-star playoffs.

Jon will be matched up against all the top pitchers at the high school level next year and he's got to get ready for that. But you need a shut down starter. A guy who can beat good teams. Cap can be that pitcher.

Three players could lift this team beyond the .500 level next season. Second baseman Jon Stoner needs to fill the leadoff role, taking walks and reaching base. Patience at the plate is not a strength of this group of players but you can overcome that if the bats at the top of the order work deep into the count. Stoner will be the key to that.

Another player who could be pivotal is Zak Hoffman. With no varsity varsity experience, Hoffman probably isn't ready to tear up the LAC immediately. But he improved dramatically at the plate in his time in Senior Little League. A right-handed batter with power and a natural '4' hitter, if Hoffman continues to get better at the rate he did since 2004, he could be causing serious problems 20 games into next season.

Matt Kay is crucial to the mix in center field, replacing graduated Mike Beier. If he can make all the routine plays, Lowell could have the defense of a winning team.

There are a half dozen other prospects like pitchers John Ploski, Jon Harker and Nick Bolda who could break through, but the Devils should be above .500 next spring. Then, if Smith, Erpelding, Miller and KV's Troy Jackson return to play Legion ball in 2005 (I believe Mike Malino will be ineligible) and the 2005 Senior Little League squad all puts on Post 101 uniforms, Lowell could challenge CP and Valparaiso for a summer sectional title.

Lowell's biggest problem from an American Legion standpoint is that you need five good starting pitchers to win double-elimination tournaments. In high school, you only need two good starters to win the sectional championship. For 19-and-under competition, Lowell does not have five good starting pitchers that I know of.

The biggest positive for Lowell baseball in 2005 is none of the above. It's the connection that Lowell varsity coach Tom Stoner has tied between the Little League, the high school and the American Legion. Boys know they have the chance to play in 40-50 games every year and at least two state tournaments. There's a natural progression from Little League to high school to American Legion.

Stoner was the assistant coach in 16-year-old Little League this summer. He asked Roger Hughes to coach American Legion Post 101 and all those boys wear Lowell uniforms for Stoner in the spring. They all know what the next step is.

Lowell may not be ready to win the LAC next year but they have the town's baseball programs working together instead of against each other. That will eventually pay off.

CROWN POINT

CROWN POINT (8-4-2005) Whereas Lowell might peak next summer, Crown Point is probably pointing to next spring. Coach Steve Strayer brings back all but four of the 2005 regional championship team including Division I (Purdue University recruit) left-hander Matt Jansen (9-2, 1.57, 96 Ks, in 76 innings), top defensive shortstop Matt Ernest, second team all-area second baseman Nick Ullman (.394 at CPHS in 2005) and speedy center fielder Jon Sertich.

And then there's the 'B' team.

Crown Point's American Legion 'B' team (25-10), the 17-and-under group, won 11 consecutive playoff games and took regional, state and midwest regional titles. Only half of those players attend Crown Point high school but it's a good half. Chris Saroff batted an outrageous .500 (61-122, 38 runs scored) and was 10-2 (74 Ks, in 67 innings) on the mound for the 'B' team, which played several 19-and-under squads. Saroff was the regular third baseman for CHS last year but he clearly found something last summer when he became a dominant player.

Ullman was a star leadoff man for CPHS in 2005 but I'd bat him third behind Saroff and Ernest. Saroff batted leadoff all summer and Ullman has more power. All three have above average speed and that trio will win games by themselves next spring.

CP has too many infielders but it won't be a problem. Junior third baseman Tommy Parks batted .314 (22 of 70) for the 'B' team and he started during the 11-game winning streak. He won't start every game next year for CPHS, which returns the entire infield of Jansen (1^st), Ullman (2^nd), Ernest (SS) and Saroff (3B). But Jansen, Saroff and Ernest are also starting pitchers so Parks will play third when Saroff and Ernest pitch and if he gets a first baseman's glove for Christmas, he might start at first when Jansen pitches.

Sertich had 'plus' speed in center field and he could be flanked by two prodigal sons, senior Tommy Wise and junior Matt Schweitzer, who did not play on the CPHS varsity in 2005 by their own choice for different reasons. Wise was 3-2 as a pitcher and .380 (30 of 79) as a hitter for the 'B' team. He could easily play left field and pitch for CPHS in 2006. He shut out LaPorte as a varsity sophomore in 2004. Schweitzer is an outfielder and a catcher who batted .444 (20 of 45) for the 'B' team. Summer batting numbers are a little misleading because June and July conditions favor the hitter as opposed to the pitcher. But the addition of Schweitzer and Wise would make CPHS a pre-season Top 10 team state wide.

CP pitching depth and defense are a strength, but Andrean and Brownsburg won prep state titles in 2005 because they had the best offense. In a single-elimination playoff format, it is irrelevant whether you have five starting pitchers. You're never going to use more than three. You have to be able to knock out the other team's No. 1 pitcher. 2006 CP doesn't have extra base power unless the key players get stronger physically. But no NW Indiana team has as much talent returning as Crown Point high school does.

American Legion Post 20 is a different story because it's doubtful that Jansen, Sertich and Ernest will play Legion ball. They did not play summer baseball in 2005. Jansen, who will have graduated CPHS, may join Post 20 but Ernest, who should develop into a basketball star this winter and Sertich, a two-way starter for CPHS in football, probably will not play summer baseball.

Post 20 won't have everybody from CP but they will return pure No. 3 hitter Matt Dobin (39-116, .336, 15 doubles, only 9 strikeouts) from Kankakee Valley, who was also 4-0 as a pitcher for the 'B' team. Post 20's Hebron players may all be back including Andrew Higgins (5-2, 2 saves) who was a key pitcher for the summer state champs and Andy Stalbaum (34-96, .354) a hard hitting infielder-catcher. Hebron's Ryan Langbehn (17-78, .218) didn't hit much, but he carried a gold glove in the outfield. Post 20 was successful the last two or three years, in part because Jake Pierce roamed center field and made all the plays. Langbehn's a key for Post 20 in 2006 in the giant pro-sized wide-open spaces of Teagle Field, Post 20's home base.

Crown Point baseball will be at a peak in 2006 but there are a lot of questions about who is going to play and who isn't.

HANOVER CENTRAL

CEDAR LAKE (8-4-2005) There's a lot of questions here. Cedar Lake Post 261 made an American Legion debut this year and won only one game but they knew there would be few summer wins.

Hanover Central has the shot to win with twins Jon and Jake Kint returning with Todd Sheehy, second baseman/shortstop Mark Myszkowski and Brent DeMateo.

A big key here is right-hander Joe Angone, and lefty Jake Kint, both of whom need to be winning pitchers. DeMateo will take over behind the plate for graduated all-conference Division I hitter Larry Pempek, who has graduated.

Myszkowski, who has batted .300 two years in a row at Hanover, might be the key Wildcat for 2006. He may leadoff so he must lead the attack, catch everything in the field and throw strikes as a No. 3 or No. 4 starter. He can be a team leader in the annual battle against Boone Grove.

Todd Sheehy is a veteran offensive player who struggled defensively over the summer in the infield and outfield. He's too good a hitter not to play at the high school level, but I'm not sure he can excel at short.

Hanover's weakness was in the outfield. They used Angone and DeMateo out there but that's not the best option. Hanover does have young outfield prospects and they need several boys to work on their outfield defense, especially since it would appear that HC will play home games in pro-sized Teagle Field again in 2006 while their school grounds are being renovated. HC will have a winning high school season if they can find three good outfielders.

What Post 261 will do in 2006 depends on how many boys they can recruit from Lake Central. Lowell, Valparaiso and Crown Point will be strong and Cedar Lake does not have a lot of 18 and 19 year old players. There is a chance that Post 261 will field only a 'B' team, in 2006 with just 17-and-under players.

There reportedly is a rule that you must have an 'A' team (19 and under) to have a 'B' team (17-and-under) but I would doubt that would be enforced when the option is to have no Cedar Lake team at all.

With the demise of the north Lake County posts like East Chicago and Gary, American Legion baseball needs a team in Cedar Lake and it's in everybody's best interest if they field at least one squad. Hanover also needs a summer team and that's what Post 261 is supposed to be.

The other big issue is coaches. As the 2005 baseball season ended, neither Cedar Lake team had a coach. Interim coach Ron Szayni, in his second term as HC's head baseball coach, was hoping that the school would find someone to replace him. But that isn't likely. Post 261 coach Al Myszkowski, HC's JV coach, has made it clear he doesn't want the job. With no home field, I don't know how many people are going to break down athletic director Dave Seils' door trying to get the HC varsity baseball job.

In the end, I think Ron Szayni is going to end up being asked to take the job in 2006. Al Myszkowski had some personnel problems on Post 261, but he had a lot of hope for younger players and he sounded like he would return.

Baseball in Cedar Lake is in some turmoil right now with no stability in coaching and no home field. They're not in position to win championships at this point.

But once the new field is in place and the coaching situations get cleared up, growth in the Cedar Lake-St. John area should make both the high school and 261 a baseball power. It's off in the distance, but you can see it coming.