Crown Point Bulldogs
Baseball Varsity Preview 2011

A USA-365.com Special Report by Mark Smith

3-27-2011

2011 CROWN POINT Baseball
27-5 (2010), 30-3 (2009), 29-6-2 (2008), 29-3 (2007)
All games - 4:30 unless otherwise indicated

March 29 (Tu) Warsaw (cold-postponed)
April 1 (F) at (Chicago) St, Rita
April 2 (S) at Elkhart Memorial - 12 noon
April 4 (M) Highland
April 5 (Tu) Lowell
April 7 (Th) at Munster
April 8 (F) at Griffith
April 12 (Tu) at VALPARAISO
April 14 (Th) PORTAGE
April 16 (S) (South Bend) Clay - 10 a.m.
April 16 (S) Mishawaka - 3 p.m.
April 18 (M) at LaPORTE
April 20 (W) at CHESTERTON
April 22 (F) at MICHIGAN CITY - 4 p.m.
April 26 (Tu) LAKE CENTRAL
April 28 (Th) at MERRILLVILLE
April 30 (S) at (Indianapolis) Cathedral - 2 p.m.
May 2 (M) VALPARAISO
May 4 (W) at PORTAGE
May 6 (F) LaPORTE

PLYMOUTH INVITATIONAL
(with Carroll, Penn, CP and Plymouth) at Bill Nixon Field
May 7 (S) semifinals - 12 noon
May 7 (S) finals - p.m.

May 10 (Tu) CHESTERTON
May 12 (Th) at MICHIGAN CITY
May 13 (F) Boone Grove - 7 p.m.
May 17 (Tu) at LAKE CENTRAL
May 19 (Th) MERRILLVILLE

BENTON CENTRAL Invitataional
in Oxford, In (with Heritage Christian, Western and Benton Central)
May 21 (S) semifinals - 9 a.m.
May 21 (S) finals - p.m.

May 23 (M) at Kankakee Valley

Class 4A SECTIONAL 2
May 24 (Tu) quarterfinals - p.m.
May 26 (Th) semifinals - p.m.
May 28 (S) championship game -a.m.

June 4 (S) regional
June 11 (S) semistate
May 18 (S) 4A state finals at Victory Field - Indianapolis

CROWN POINT (3-26-2011) Crown Point baseball is 115-17-2, a record that is almost unbelievable. The Bulldogs are almost 100 games over the .500 mark in the last four years playing 14 of those games each year in the big school Duneland Athletic Conference.

While it's almost impossible to predict short season baseball (or the single-elimination playoffs that follow), it does not appear that the Bulldogs will win nine of every 10 games this year.

Two factors are at work. Crown Point will have a strong team, but there's more inexperinece on the field for CP this year than there is in the Chicago White Sox bullpen. And Bulldogs coach Steve Strayer is continuing his quest to make CP's schedule stronger so they won't win as much of the time during the regular season.

The Bulldogs return seniors Mike Manion (7-2, 1.77 ERA) and Brian Holloway (6-0, 3.07 ERA) on the mound. They will be joined by unproven pitchers Jake Lindeman, Steve Lowell and a long lost newcomer.

"We've got a kid coming out for us who has played for us before," says Strayer. "Nick Narcy. He's been looking good. Steve Lowe was on the JV last year. He's doing a lot better now. We may bring Ronnie Pleasac up to pitch for us."

Given good defense, that staff should do well. Where CP has to rebuild is the front end of the batting order where their 2-3-4 hitters, all-area three-year veterans Scott Donley (Virginia Tech), Josh Negele (Indiana State) and Jeff Limbaugh (Parkland Junior College) have moved on to college baseball this spring .

The Bulldogs return power hitting senior Jose Andrade (.472 BA, 3 HR, 10 2B) at catcher and first base. Two-year vet Jake Lindeman (.376) is back in the infield with junior football placekicker Brett Bayer (.423 ). Getting playing time at the start will be CJ Becerra (.304) and Joe Hopman (.355) in an offense that may feature less home runs and RBIs and more singles and stolen bases.

"We've moved Bayer to second base," said Strayer. "Manion will play some third. Alex Doppler will play third. Jake Negele (Josh's younger brother) will probably be the first baseman. We have four outfielders who are pretty good. Joe Orosz, Becerra, Hopman and (Kevin) Brunski. We'll give it a shot."

"Our number three ranking won't last very long," said Strayer, who wasn't always overjoyed at CP"s fast starts in recent years. "We're going to lose some games this year. We won't be 15-0."

Crown Point was 10-0 last season and they've won at least their first 10 games for four consecutive seasons.

"It makes them (his players) think that they have it figured out," said Strayer, "and if they think that, maybe; there's no hunger. I think we did have some of that last year. That won't happen this season."

What you notice on the CP varsity roster is the lack of any freshmen or sophomores. Players like Jake Lindeman and Mike Kozlowski began the season on the varsity as freshmen, but the CP coaches don't have one player like that this time around and they have chosen to keep the sophomore group together early.

"We want the sophomores to be seasoned and confident," Strayer says. "We have pretty talented sophomores, but we hope to keep them with the JV. If we can do that, we're going to be very happy because that means our upperclassmen will be coming through for us. I think they like the idea of all of the sophomores staying together. That it's 'their' team and they can do big things when they get here."

"They've got some growing up to do. We hope we won't need to call on them this year."

DOG NOTES: Tuesday's season opener against Warsaw was almost certain to be postponed due to 35-degree temperatures. The road debut at Chicago's St. Rita high school Friday also was in question due to the cold spring weather. The Bulldogs ride the big yellow bus to Elkhart Memorial Saturday for a 12 noon game.

The highlight of this season may be CP's trip to Indianapolis on April 30 to play 4A No. 1 Indianapolis Cathedral, the state's largest Catholic school and a two-time state champ.

Cathedral was 31-2 last year, losing 1-0 to Carroll (26-6) in the 4A state title game. CP would have met Cathedral in the 2007 state championship game had they not lost to Penn in the South Bend Semistate. The two schools have never met in baseball.

"Nick Narcy is a senior who has really matured," said Strayer. "I think he'll give us pretty good innings. He flunked off the team his freshman year. He has not played for us since then. He was a very emotional kid. Before, if you said something to him, he really didn't get it. He couldn't grasp it. We're rooting for him. He's a good kid. But he used to be very emotional and in baseball, you just can't do that."

Jake Linmdemann, who could not play the field last summer because of an arm injury, is back and reportedly ready for the 30-game schedule.

"Jake is doing well," reported coach Strayer. "Our coaches got with him and with some video tape, we found out that he was throwing all with his upper body. We corrected that and he's fine. His velocity is up and a he's ready to go."

"I think football helped him. He got a break from baseball. He was playing year-round. Plus, football toughened him up. We're happy he played."

Football quarterback Joe Hopman may now be a major player on the baseball field as well. CP hopes so because they need his bat.

"Joe (Hopman) is still working on his swing," said Strayer. "He can't lose confidence. I'm telling all the boys that we're going to see some awesome pitching in the conference this year and we might not have some of the batting averages we've had there in the last few years."

2010
4A No. 1 CROWN POINT (27-5)
Coach Steve Strayer (8th year)
30-3 in 2009, 29-6-2 (2008), 29-3 (2007), 22-9 (2006)
4-30 (W) 3-1 at (Orland Park) Sandburg (21-10)
4-1 (W) 15-0 at (5 inn.) Adams (8-16)
4-5 (W) 12-0 at (5 inn.) Highland (20-11)
4-6 (W) 15-4 (5 inn.) at Lowell (12-13-1)
4-9 (W) 11-6 Griffith (10-20)
4-10 (W) 5-2 Munster (21-8)
4-13 (W) 12-0 (6 inn.) at Portage (18-11)
4-15 (W) 8-4 VALPARAISO (19-9)
4-17 (W) 11-6 at (South Bend) Clay (12-9)
4-17 (W) 14-8 at Mishawaka (10-12)
4-19 (L) 4-5 CHESTERTON (4-18)
4-21 (W) 5-4 LaPORTE (27-3)
4-22 (W) 6-2 (Elkhart) Memorial (12-9)
4-24 (W) 3-1 (8 inn.) vs MICHIGAN CITY (7-17) in Gary
4-27 (W) 6-1 MERRILLVILLE (10-14)
4-29 (L) 12-13 at LAKE CENTRAL (20-6)
4-30 (W) 14-4 (5 inn.) Illiana Christian (24-11)
5-3 (W) 12-2 (5 inn.) PORTAGE (18-11).
5-5 (W) 14-0 (5 inn.) at VALPARAISO (19-9)

Plymouth Invitational
5-8 (W) 6-5 Penn (18-5) semifinal
5-8 (W) 14-4 (5 inn.) Carroll (22-6) title

5-10 (W) 4-0 at CHESTERTON (4-19)
5-11 (L) 0-10 (5 in.) at LaPORTE (27-3)
5-14 (W) 12-0 (5 inn.) Boone Grove (18-12)
5-17 (W) 10-0 (5 inn.) MICHIGAN CITY (7-17)
5-18 (W) 14-0 at (5 inn.) MERRILLVILLE (8-12)
5-20 (L) 1-4 (6 inn.) LAKE CENTRAL (20-6)

Benton Central Invitational
5-22 (W) 3-1 Western (19-5)
5-22 (W) 11-9 Benton Central (18-9) title
5-24 (W) 10-2 Kankakee Valley (16-13)

4A CROWN POINT Sectional
5-27 (W) 3-1 Valparaiso (19-9)
6-1 (L) 5-9 LaPorte (27-3)

Crown Point Bulldogs Baseball Varsity Preview 2011

Crown Point Bulldogs
Baseball Varsity Preview 2011