1.) 4A CROWN POINT (22-9)
21-12 in 2005, 17-11 in 2004, 22-10 in 2003

CROWN POINT  -   It was not the season they hoped for after the 10-game winning streak of Crown Point late in the year.  The wins over rival Valparaiso and DAC champ Merrillville at the sectional, plus victories over powers Elkhart Memorial (23-7) and LaPorte (25-6) leaves CP in the top spot at season's end.

Despite injuries that slowed second baseman Nick Ullman and took out pitcher Tommy Wise and third baseman Tommy Parks, the Bulldogs won the 4A Valparaiso Sectional championship, defeating a Valpo team that beat them twice during the season and a Merrillville (23-8) team that was rated third in the state at one point.

Crown Point lost a close one at Munster (22-11) in the regional, but Munster was underrated at season's end and did reach the semistate title game.  The Bulldogs did not lose by the 10-run rule all year.  They were 4-3 against the power trio of LaPorte, Lake Central and Merrillville and, while they did not beat Griffith (23-8), Munster or Andrean, CP did play them on the road which adds to the strength of schedule.

In a year when there is no clear-cut No. 1, the Bulldogs faced the toughest road and finished with more plusses than minuses.

 

2.) 3A Griffith (23-8)
19-15 in 2005, 19-14 in 2004, 17-12 in 2003

GRIFFITH  -   A lot of teams didn't get out of the sectional, but Griffith may have been the biggest surprise.  The Panthers should have played Norwell in the Semistate, but Clark stole the Panthers' seat on the bus.

Griffith may have had a relatively quiet season, but they did beat Crown Point (22-9), Andrean (25-8) and Lake Central (19-10).  The Panthers lost to Clark (26-6), but they swept state finalist Bishop Noll (22-11) and turned back DAC champ Merrillville (23-8).  I'm sure Griffith is very disappointed in this season, but they beat all the top teams they played, they just didn't beat teams at the right time.

You cant judge a team on one game and the 6-2 loss to Clark might have just been bad timing.  The Panthers are second to CP only because they didn't win the sectional and played a slightly weaker schedule that didn't include the likes of Elkhart Memorial and LaPorte.

 

3.) 4A LaPORTE (25-6)
30-5 in 2005, 25-7 in 2004, 22-10 in 2003, 20-9 in 2002, 28-2 in 2001

LaPORTE  -    LaPorte roared down the stretch, winning nine in a row, but they ended on an embarrassing note, taking a backyard, tree switch whipping 15-4 by Penn, the first time LaPorte has ever been beaten by the 10-run rule in the 40 years of the Indiana state playoffs.

Again, though, you can't use one game as a barometer in baseball, so LaPorte did very well.  The Slicers actually split with Penn and Crown Point and they swept Clay and Lake Central 13-0 and 11-3.  LaPorte was 30-5 in 2005 and this 25-6 was a good follow-up, even though they lost the DAC title going 0-2 against Merrillville.  The Slicers crushed Clark 14-2, but they also lost to Noblesville 9-0 and CP 16-5.  LaPorte plays in a soft sectional that they should have won.  To be 10-runned twice and 0-2 against the Pirates knocks them out of the No. 1 spot.

 

4.)  3A ANDREAN   (25-8 ) 
33-2 in 2005, 26-8 in 2004, 27-7 in 2003

MERRILLVILLE  -  This year was surprising for Andrean because they didn't appear to have the experience to win three out of every four games.  The sectional title win 10-0 over Kankakee Valley was not a shock, and the 2-0 loss at Clark in the regional was not a huge surprise.

Playing two freshmen much of the time, Andrean beat Crown Point (22-9), split with Griffith (23-8) and they actually also split two games with Clark (25-6).  The Niners lost to Merrillville, Penn and Kankakee Valley plus the three losses to Bishop Noll (22-11).  How come Andrean is fourth with three losses to a 2A school?  Obviously, Noll is not a normal 2A school.  The Niners swept Munster (22-11) and beat 3,300-kid Illinois power Lincoln Way East.

I think this was a hugely talented team, but also a largely inexperienced one.  They overachieved during the regular season and a 2-0 loss at Clark was certainly not a game where they were heavily favored.  The Niners Sectional title wasn't a huge hurdle and to be 10-runned in the LAC final was a downer.  Still, 25 wins against their schedule puts Andrean fourth and the word is the future is very bright for the 59ers.

 

5.) 4A MERRILLVILLE (23-8)
12-15  in 2005, 16-11 in 2004, 7-20  in 2003

MERRILLVILLE  -  The Pirates did all they could with what they had in winning the Duneland Athletic Conference (DAC) 14-game league season.  The Pirates beat the Porter County Conference (PCC) champion Boone Grove (26-4), the DAC defending champion LaPorte (26-5) twice and the Lake Athletic Conference champ Bishop Noll (22-11).

The 17-2 start was the best of any team in Northwest Indiana.  The Pirates held the opposition to just 98 runs in 31 games (3.1), but the Pirates only scored 155 runs (5.0) themselves, exhibiting a severe lack of attack in many games.  Again, the Pirates play too many LAC Blue teams like Morton, Gavit and Hammond.  Merrillville has gotten too large a school and the 'Blue' schools have gotten too small.  Those wins are too easy.  The Pirates lost to CP (22-9) twice, West Lafayette (23-4) and Griffith (23-8), but that DAC title is an 8-team 4A league.

Losing to Crown Point at the sectional is not a knock, but splitting the final 12 games and the low run totals say that this was not the team they appeared to be early on. Still, this rating is higher than I had the Pirates rated in the pre-season.

 

6.) 4A LAKE CENTRAL (19-10)
28-3 in 2005, 24-7 in 2004, 23-6-1 in 2003

ST. JOHN  -  LC is certainly wondering how they lost 10 games.  No shame in losing 6-4 to Munster, but the 1-0 loss to Chesterton and the 7-6 loss to Valparaiso are probably head-shakers for them.  And for LC to lose 13-0 and 11-3 to LaPorte is just not an accurate portrayal of those two teams.

Oddly, when LC was bombed by Fort Wayne Snider (25-6) in May, coach Todd Iwema called them the best hitting team he had seen.  Snider went on to win the state title.  This team had four starting pitchers, a top catchers and no easy outs in the batting order.  If they played 100 games, I think Lake Central would win 65 or 70 of them.  But of course prep players don't get that much time. 

LC actually split with Munster (22-11) Merrillville (23-8) and CP (22-9) and they did beat 2A state finalist Bishop Noll (19-11).  But the two losses to LaPorte and a fairly mediocre overall record is why, despite the obvious talent, they are at this level in the poll.  Watch Hammond Post 168 over the summer because that's largely Lake Central's varsity.  They have something to prove.

 

7.) 2A Bishop Noll (22-12)
2005 (12-19), 2004 (21-11), 2003 (16-10)

HAMMOND  -  As predicted here all season, Bishop Noll was battle tested and rolled through five Class 2A sectional games to reach the state finals for the second time in three years.  Don't confuse beating 2A teams being the best in NW Indiana, but recognize that the Warriors again correctly used a tough season to gear up for the playoffs.

Noll's big claim to fame is three wins over Andrean (25-8) and the 10-run victory over Boone Grove (26-4).  Noll isn't really airtight defensively.  They were 0-2 against Munster (23-11) and 5-7 overall at one point.  The Warriors were 6-6 against 4A schools and no other 2A team plays 12 4A squads.  But for purposes of this poll, they lost to Lake Central, Michigan City, Highland, and Illiana Christian, although all of those games were early in the year and can now be excused somewhat.

Noll is the anti-Cark.  While Clark could handle a much tougher schedule, Noll tries to handle a schedule that is tougher than they are.  Noll did lose 8-1 to two-time champ North Posey in the state finals, but North Posey probably had a better team.  The Warriors graduated 12 seniors including all three starting pitchers so this might have been coach Dave Griffin's final season.  After two state finals runs, this would be a good time to go out.

 

8.) 4A Munster (23-11)
19-14 in 2005, 23-6 in 2004, 20-10  in 2003

MUNSTER  -  Munster got good at the right time sweeping Lake Central (19-10), Crown Point (22-9) and Penn (26-5) in the playoffs.  The wild horses were 11-8 at one time, but were 12-3 down the stretch, including the neutral site victory over Penn.  Munster lost to Terre Haute South and TF South (Lansing, Illinois) but those were early April games.

They did get jacked up 13-0 by Ft. Wayne Snider at the semistate after allowing eight runs against Penn, so their pitching might not have been as good as it looked against NW Indiana teams.  Munster also played North Newton and Lake Station, schools they could beat with their junior varsity.  Plus Munster did get 10-runned three times, including one by Boone Grove, a team they are ranked ahead of here.
 
But it is easy to forget that Munster blasted Clark 10-3 in March and the final three big wins negates some weak foes and questionable losses.  The Mustangs are clearly a second tier top-10 (in NW Indiana) team, but they overachieved in the playoffs, which is to their credit.

 

9.) 2A Boone Grove (26-4)
24-7 in 2005, 17-12 in 2004, 21-7 in 2003

PORTER TOWNSHIP  -  Boone Grove got smoked out 12-1 by Bishop Noll, but that's not so bad because Noll is the LAC champ and a state finalist.  Other teams may have played them cheap, but let the record show Boone was 5-1 against 4A schools, 8-1 against the Lake Athletic Conference and they were the Porter County Conference tournament champs.  The Wolves' only losses were to PCC regular season champ Washington Township, arch-rival Hebron, DAC champ Merrillville and state finalist and LAC champion Bishop Noll.

Boone beat Whiting (18-9), Munster (23-11), North Judson (20-10) and 1A regional champ South Central, but the Wolves did play 10 games against 1A schools.  The nonconference schedule was powerful, but the PCC has six 1A schools and the Wolves have to play them.  Boone also did not win the sectional championship and they lost the title game by 10 runs.

Had they played two more weeks, the Wolves could have stoked the fire of their top-heavy winning record.  They are one of only two region teams (LaPorte) to reach 20 games over .500.  But the victory over Munster was against a lot of Munster JV players, they didn't beat Merrillville or Bishop Noll and the Valpo game was rained out.  The ninth spot in this poll is fair.

 

10.) 3A Clark (25-6)
22-7 in 2005, 24-5 in 2004, 21-8 in 2003, 20-5 in 2002

HAMMOND  -  Clark makes their debut in the top-10 for two reasons.  1) Chesterton and Valparaiso, teams that played vastly superior schedules, were not successful in the playoffs, while Clark reached the semistate semifinals.  2) Facing Griffith, Andrean and Norwell jacked up Clark's strength of schedule significantly.  Clark was far over their heads against Norwell, a superior team that was ranked No. 1 earlier this year.  But they didn't get blown out and that's encouraging.  Now the bad news.  Griffith and Andrean return the core of their teams and will come back with a vengeance next season.

The 'dirty little secret' about Clark baseball is that many teams don't want to play on the lovable 'Pioneer Ponderosa,' the substandard cow pasture the Pioneers are forced to play home games on in the gleam of the setting sun over Wolf Lake.  Is there a reason Clark does not play ALL home games at Riverside Park like East Chicago plays home games at Block Stadium (another field that has seen better days)?

Wins over Andrean (25-8) and Griffith (23-8) give Clark credibility as does losses to LaPorte (25-6) and Norwell (29-1).  They can't wash off the weak 14-game LAC Blue schedule, but this is a year to be proud of.

 

On the outside looking in ...

 

11.) 4A Chesterton (15-13)
12-12 in 2005, 19-9 in 2004, 8-20 in 2003

CHESTERTON  -   Chesterton just didn't play well against Merrillville in the sectional, losing 6-2 and falling out of the playoffs.  But they had a lot of ability and posted some very strong wins over Griffith (23-8), Munster (23-11), and LC (19-9).  First baseman Zack Novak is the centerpiece of the future for the Trojans who will never go 30-0 because of the schedule they play.  The Trojans play Harrison, Noblesville, Jefferson, Carmel and Batesville, a wide-ranging schedule that 4A teams should play.  Teams should be judged in context with the schedule they play, not simply wins and losses.  I thought this was a good year for the Trojans.

 

12.) 4A Valparaiso (15-13)
8-21 in 2005, 16-13 in 2004, 25-5 in 2003, 27-5 in 2002

VALPARAISO  -  Valparaiso may have overworked lefty Chooch Sizemore, who was ineffective against Crown Point in a 10-0 playoff loss.  they didn't have much other pitching.  Valpo has wins LaPorte (25-6), Merrillville (23-8) and two wins over Crown Point (22-9) but they lost 13 and were 10-runned in the opening playoff game.  The Vikings, who lost the last three games of the season, have been surprisingly short (considering their quality youth leagues) of quality hurlers the last two years.  But they played St. Joseph's, Elkhart Memorial, Marquette, New Prairie, Kokomo and Lafayette Catholic and that's why they deserve mention in this poll.