Class 3A & 4A Regional High School

Softball Tournament Preview

6-2-2006

A USA-365.com Special Report by Mark Smith

REGIONAL PREVIEW - Class 4A

1. Merrillville Regional
6-2 (S) Chesterton (27-1) vs. South Bend Riley (13-14). 10 am CDT
6-2 (S)Lake Central (24-7) vs. Penn (28-4). 11:30 am CDT
6-2 (S) Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner. 6 pm CDT

2. Harrison (West Lafayette) Regional
6-2 (S) Anderson (18-9) vs. Huntington North (23-0). 11 am EST
6-2 (S) Kokomo (19-6) vs. Carroll (Fort Wayne) (15-12). 1 pm EST
6-2 (S) Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner. 7 pm EST

3. Center Grove Regional
6-2 (S) Indianapolis Cathedral (18-10) vs. Carmel (21-7). 11 am EST
6-2 (S) Avon (23-5) vs. Center Grove (25-5). 1 pm EST
6-2 (S) Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner. 7 pm EST

4. Castle Regional
6-2 (S) Evansville Harrison (20-11) vs. Martinsville (22-5). 11 am CDT
6-2 (S) Floyd Central (19-9) vs. Bloomington North (14-10). 1 pm CDT
6-2 (S) Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner. 7 pm CDT

MERRILLVILLE (6-2-2006) The Merrillville regional is typical because there are three strong teams and one team that came in through the back door. I'm not sure who's going to win the Merrillville regional, but I'm sure who won't win and that's Riley. Don't get me wrong. Everybody who is in the regional won two or three games, but since regionals are not seeded, you can luck out. Riley must've been walking on sunshine because that team has been spanked more often than a bad child. The Wildcats ended the regular season with a record of 11-14. They should not be in the post-season and it would be a shame if they won.

Riley drew the short straw and that means they must face 4A No. 1 Chesterton (27-1) and undefeated right-hander Dawn McClellan (17-0, 0. 09 ERA). Any team can lose with three or four key errors but that's going to be hard because McClellan averages 12 strikeouts a game.

Because McClellan strikes out so many batters, no one really knows know how good Chesterton is defensively. But they average nine runs a game and that's enough to indicate that they can take a trip down I-65. I don't know where Riley's going, but they're going to have to get out of Merrillville by noon Saturday.

The second semifinal matches teams that deserve to be here in four-time state champ Lake Central (24-7) and Northern Indiana Conference champion Penn (28-4). The Kingsmen are led by right-hander Rachel Zirille (16-1), who pitched three complete game victories in the Penn Sectional. Zirille, a junior, struck out 11 in a 3-1 win over Mishawaka (15-11). She fanned six in a 2-1 win over Elkhart Central (14-13). This is not an explosive offensive team but they are battle tested and they do have an early season 7-5 victory over Lake Central.

The best way a 7-5 softball game can be described is as a 'fluke'. All you know for sure is that Saturday's final score won't be anything close to 7-5. This will be Penn's first game against a high-quality team.

Lake Central was lucky to survive the LC sectional rallying to beat Lowell 5-4, rallying and playing two days later to beat Munster 2-1 in 19 innings and rallying to beat Highland 3-2. You do not come from behind often in the state tournament and it says something about the schedule they play, that LC has done this.

With that said, if they fall more than a run behind Saturday, the season will be over because they will face two elite pitchers. There are coaches who have played Chesterton who say that Penn's Zirille is the best pitcher they have seen.

Outside the area, defending state champ Martinsville is the clear-cut favorite down south after dominating three foes at the Mooresville Sectional by a combined score of 26-2. Arch-rivals Carmel and Center Grove could go head-to-head at the Center Grove Regional but Avon (23-5) could get in the way. Avon's Jennifer Chasteen (16-5, 0.38) had 211 strikeouts during the regular season. Here's another sectional with three potential winners but Martinsville has a player the other girls should be afraid of in Jessica Breeden (56-107, .523), who has a state-leading 11 home runs. Lynn Zloty (11-2, 0.83 ERA) and Abby Calloway (10-3, 0.76 ERA) have been strong on the mound. And when you won the state title last year, you feel good about the playoffs.

In West Lafayette, somebody 's going to have to beat undefeated Katie Hackney (20-0, 0.43 ERA) of Huntington North, who has 256 strikeouts and 32 walks in 129 innings. I don't think the competition here can hang with smoke like that. Kokomo barely got by McCutcheon in the sectional final. Huntington, which has allowed just 16 runs all season, has already defeated Kokomo and Carroll and they have swept a double-header from Anderson. You can luck your way through the schedule in Class 1A but you cannot be undefeated in Class 4A without having a top pitcher. Advance Huntington through to the state finals with Martinsville and Center Grove, although the latter is a coin flip.

At Merrillville, Lake Central right-hander Angie Funston (16-3) had a great run through the sectional, collecting three wins in one run games. Chesterton's McClellan is the hardest thrower in NW Indiana and she gave up seven hits in three complete game victories. The unknown is the situation with Chesterton star Amber Paz, whose mother suffered a heart attack last week. It will be difficult for the Chesterton shortstop to play this weekend and if I was in her situation, I would not. LC has been as weak on offense as the Detroit Pistons recently and the Trojans are not experienced in the playoffs.

Because this might have been a down year in the Duneland Conference (a tough thing to say when the No. 1 team state wide is in the league) I like Penn to defeat Lake Central and Chesterton in one run games and advance to the state finals.

REGIONAL PREVIEW - Class 3A

5. Twin Lakes Regional
6-2 (S) Kankakee Valley (13-17) vs. New Prairie (28-3). 11 am (EST)
6-2 (S) Griffith (12-18) vs. West Lafayette (29-3). 1 pm
6-2 (S) Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner. 7 pm

6. Bellmont Regional
6-2 (S) Blackford (19-9-1) vs. Bellmont (21-3). 11 am (EST)
6-2 (S) Northridge (26-5) vs. Norwell (13-13). 1 pm
6-2 (S) Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner. 7 pm

7. Whiteland Regional
6-2 (S) Western Boone (18-8) vs. Roncalli (22-8). 11 am (EST)
6-2 (S) New Palestine (25-1) vs. South Dearborn (16-8). 1 pm
6-2 (S) Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner. 7 pm

8. Jasper Regional
6-2 (S) Jasper (22-5) vs. Madison (12-13). 11 am CDT
6-2 (S) Edgewood (22-4) vs. Boonville (28-2). 1 pm CDT
6-2 (S) Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner. 7 pm CDT

MONTICELLO (6-2-2006) Class 3A blew up somewhat when the heavy state tournament favorite and undefeated No. 1 Pendleton Heights imploded. Undefeated Pendleton pitcher Whitney Owens (15-0) was suspended from her team and then decided to quit in protest, leaving Pendleton unarmed for their showdown with No. 2 New Palestine 11-3. New Palestine (25-1) becomes the favorite at the Whiteland Regional behind freshman pitcher Sara Evans (18-1, 0.27 ERA). But NP is not as big a favorite at Pendleton Heights, which defeated 10 ranked teams, would have been. Always watch the Indianapolis private schools and that includes Roncalli (22-8).

In the deep south Booneville has paid the cost to be the boss with a tough schedule. Jasper and Edgewood can challenge but Madison just stumbled in off the road. No sub-.500 team should ever be allowed in any state tournament. It's not fair to the teams with the top records. Jasper gets a pass to the finals, but Boonville should be the state finalist from the south.

At Bellmont, the host Braves (21-3) have been strong all year, but they'll have to stave off the invasion of Northridge, with top pitchers pitchers Ashley Hamilton (15-2, 0.51) and Morgan Hackman (11-3, 1.80 ERA). All of Northridge's losses are to 4A schools, Penn, Mishawaka, Concord, and Elkhart Memorial (twice). Blackford's schedule is a little suspect and Norwell is another one of those teams that got in free.

The Twin Lakes Regional is noteworthy for the teams that didn't get there. Andrean (28-4) and Culver Academy (25-2) were both upset at the sectional level by Kankakee Valley and St. Joseph's. Upsets are nice, but only if you don't have to keep playing. St. Joseph's lost the next day to New Prairie (28-4) while KV is still celebrating.

KV and New Prairie are both in the regional for the first time, but the Cougars did a lot more to get here than KV did. New Prairie went 13-1 to share the Northern States Conference (NSC) with 2A regional finalist Jimtown. They have a key injury with catcher Erika Wulcynski breaking her arm four weeks ago. They play in a conference that has a few 2A schools, so New Prairie could be vulnerable if pitcher Jessica Dobson can have another good day. Dobson (7-13) shut out powerful Andrean for 10 innings to win the Andrean sectional.

Griffith might want the IHSAA to do this draw over again, because they'd have taken anybody else but No. 3 West Lafayette and veteran right-hander Brittany Stanley (18-3, 0.21 ERA) who has struck out 243 batters in 156 innings, allowing five earned runs all year. WL, a 2004 state finalist, has losses to 2A regional qualifier Lewis Cass, 4A Regional qualifier Carmel and LAC power Munster.

This is a four time sectional champion and Griffith has to have some good defensive innings early or they'll get beat 10-0 here. West Lafayette is a big, slow hard-hitting team like Munster, led by 5-11 basketball star Olivia Ghiselli (53-110, .482). The Red Devils have a short ride to Twin Lakes and they are very familiar with their surroundings here. Hot weather might wear out the the 5-10 Stanley, but a cool breeze is expected to sweep over the northern part of the state this weekend. If there is an upset winner here, it is Griffith because of their schedule. KV has won the game they wanted to win. Plus you get the feeling they were luckier than that gray-haired guy who won 'America idol'.

New Prairie plays a lower caliber schedule. That is really a glorified 2A school and they were better last year. How these four teams got here is harder to understand than Ozzie Guillen. But this regional should be no contest. West Lafayette deserves to go to the finals with the schedule the have played and the success they have had. They have the most experienced and dominant pitcher.

Unless Gov. (My Man) Mitch Daniels extends daylight savings time two hours so West Lafayette shows up late, they will win easily here.

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