21st Indiana State Softball Playoffs

2005 Class 3A Finals Preview

(6-7-2005)

A USA-365.com Special Report By Mark Smith

State 3A Semifinals - 6-10-2005

at Pike high school - Indianapolis

Bellmont (19-3) vs. No. 1 Pendleton Heights (29-1)
No. 4 Gibson Southern (27-3-1) vs. No. 2 ANDREAN (32-2)

Gibson Southern (27-3-1) vs. Andrean (32-2)

INDIANAPOLIS (6-10-2005) Southern Indiana softball has a reputation of not being tough, but Gibson Southern, from far southwestern Indiana's Gibson County, may not be a member of that club.

Andrean has had a wonderful season but so has Gibson right-hander Carrie Wilderman (20-3, 0.62 ERA) who is the main reason the Titans, who bat only .269 as a team, are here.

Wilderman has 16 shut outs including what had to be an impressive 1-0 win over Heritage Hills, reversing an earlier loss. The Titans have no regular player batting over .305 and that's a red flag going against undefeated Andrean right-hander Lori Knopf (21-0). The Titans have only 36 extra base hits all year.

Right fielder Jamie Lindauer (28-92, .304) has to get the party started for Gibson, and Amanda Maurer (27-88, .306, 24 RBIs) and junior third baseman Kristin King (20-73, .275) must knock home the runs Gibson needs.

Andrean is full of fire after consecutive 6-0 shutouts over highly-regarded Culver Academy (29-3) and West Lafayette (27-6) last week.

Andrean has 69 extra-base hits and a true power hitter in catcher Samantha Markowski (26-78, .372, 5 Hrs, 21 RBIs). Trisha Hruskocy (27-75, .347, 3 Triples, 4 HRs) and Bekki Rosenow (23-70, .400) spark a speedy offense that forces mistakes.

The 59ers strength is their schedule. They have played teams from three different states. The intimidating numbers are everywhere. Andrean pitching has allowed 10 runs all year. Not 10 earned runs but 10 TOTAL runs. No one has scored more than two runs against Andrean all season. That's like the Cubs' Corey Patterson making consistent contact for two months. Unbelievable.

Junior Katie Ivancich (11-2, 0.33 ERA) has had to take a step back as Knopf continues to shut everybody out. Ivancich is a fine pitcher and has walked just eight all season but what kind of voodoo logic would convince you to NOT pitch an undefeated 20-game winner in the state finals?

Knopf (21-0, 0.05) has allowed 45 hits and 23 walks in 140 innings. She has not allowed more than ONE run in any game. And she doesn't do it with tricks. Knopf throws hard and batters have to get ready. It is possible that Gibson Southern has not see a power pitcher like this.

Andrean appears to be the superior team here, but with that said, this is Gibson Southern's third state finals in five years, They didn't just stumble in off the highway. Andrean has only three seniors but Southern has only two.

This is the draw Andrean wanted. There's something about Bellmont (19-3) that is deceptive. The Braves only played 19 regular season games but they hammered some people and then took out Northridge (26-2) at the regional.

Nobody wanted to draw Pendleton Heights, a team that is equal to Andrean.

But the 59ers have to be careful what they wish for. Here's where NW Indiana can work against Andrean. They will hear and read how great they are all week. They will hear how they are favored and how Gibson Southern is a lot like Heritage Hills, the football team the Andrean boys defeated. We forget how long the state of Indiana is. Gibson Southern is 250 miles away from Lake County and to folks in Gibson County, it might as well be Mars.

I believe that Memphis, Tennessee is closer to Gibson County than Andrean is.

But we are all connected. I advise all prep athletes to not brag about their team to writers no matter how much they prompt you. Out of town coaches and far away players read your comments and it gives foes a little juice they might not already have. Andrean needs to be low key until they take the field Saturday night against Pendleton Heights.

Pendleton Heights (29-1) vs. ANDREAN (32-2)

Ben Davis high school – State title game – 4:30 p.m.

INDIANAPOLIS (6-11-2005) It should come to this. The matchup of two teams who have been ranked No. 1 at one time or another this year.

You want to meet a superpower in the finals and both sides in a Pendleton-Andrean match can say they are doing that. Bellmont shouldn't beat Pendleton Heights. The schedules are not comparable. Bellmont did beat highly-regarded Northridge but Northridge was not ready for the big time yet.

This is a season where several freshman have made spectacular debuts state wide. The Arabians have a flame throwing rookie in 5-foot-4 right-handed freshman Whitney Owens (14-0, 0.15 ERA) who has smoked opponents like so many Christmas hams. Owens sounds like one of those girls who have been pitching since birth. She has 172 strikeouts in 91 innings, a stunning total. And Pendleton doesn't play the Indianapolis school for the blind. They have beaten West Lafayette (27-6), Brownsburg (28-3), defending 3A champ New Palestine twice and superpowers Scecina and Hamilton Southeastern.

The Arabians also have a sophomore left-handed middle-of the-order hitter in Chelsea Held (40-97, .412, 5 triples, 22 RBIs) and a big threat in junior Stephanie Turner (43-94, .457, 7 doubles). The table-setter is Ashlee Clendenan (37-92, .402), a sophomore left-handed hitter who has scored 30 runs. What you notice is eight left-handed hitters on the roster and just one senior, catcher Crystal Carr (22-76, .289).

Oddly, Pendleton has another freshman in Maja Warren (10-1, 0.59 ERA) but the 59ers are unlikely to see her. Pendleton has four freshman who batted over 40 times this season and the two pitchers, who combined for 24 wins, are NOT among the four. This will be a dominant team for at least three more years. Andrean better beat them now.

I think they can. The 59ers are not intimidated and they won't be shaken by a freshman-dominated squad. Pendleton bats .389 as a team but a lot of that may be infield hits or slaps. The Arabians have 22 triples which indicates a ton of speed. But Knopf can eliminate that strength by overpowering the lefties. Nobody has eight natural left handed hitters. Some of them must be manufactured slappers. Andrean will scout them Friday night and find out who the faux lefties are. Those kids can be overpowered.

Pendleton has played an elite schedule so they have seen teams as good as Andrean. Despite what you might read or hear, the heaviest concentration of tough teams is in the Indianapolis area. No one in the state (except for a few in NW Indiana) debates that. Pendleton, a fairly affluent northeast suburb of Indianapolis, plays all the heavy-hitters in Indy. They don't duck anyone.

But these games are usually decided by errors and I'd rather have Andrean's experience in the field. Pendleton Heights is going to dominate 3A softball in the second half of the decade. All you have to do is look at their roster.

But the Arabians are facing a pitcher and catcher who can keep the game in their hands. Pendleton is not ready to take over yet. Andrean has paid the cost to be the boss.

They passed the test to be the best.

I like the 59ers to win their second state title by beating Pendleton Heights 4-2 late Saturday afternoon..