2012 - Week-1, Top-10

High School Baseball Teams in

Northwest Indiana

A USA-365.com Special Report by Mark Smith

4-01-2012

ST. JOHN (04-01-2012) This figures to be a top year in local baseball with a lot of high quality pitching prospects at Andrean (Zac Ryan), Chesterton (Jake Post), Lake Central (Jimmy McNamara) and Highland (Jordan Minch). A couple of local teams like Whiting (1A to 2A) and Hanover Central (2A to 3A) move up in class, but that severe step up for both won't take effect until the state tournament.

I don't know if it's that Whiting and Hanover are getting a lot bigger. It's more that more charter schools, which almost always begin as 1A schools, are becoming IHSAA members. The Porter County Conference looks strong with Boone Grove returning all eight starters from last year, Kouts with sophomore Max Everaert (6-3, 2.61) and Andrew Birky (8-4, 3.38), Hebron with Cody Hayes (6-3, 2.22, 82 Ks in 57 innings) Damon Wallace (5-3, 64 Ks in 44 innings) and Hanover with big hitters Zac Maciejewski (.440, 36 runs scored) and Nick Bollenbacher (.413, 4 HRs, 24 RBis).

It's a rare year where LaPorte does not start out in the Top-10 and the Slicers streak of 43 consecutive 20-win seasons appears to face a serious challenge. We're looking to have a very warm spring, which should help the quality of play, even if it doesn't mean less postponements.

We're still using the IHSAA's hurry-up format we used last year. That means the entire season is compressed into eight weeks so the state championship game can be played on June 16 (wasting the final two weeks of June) and so the post-season can start painfully early on Thursday, May 24.

The very short season and the mid-week start to the state tourney shows what little stature high school baseball has in Indiana. There is no real reason the baseball season cannot go until the end of June as it did when the state tournament began in the late 1960s.

This is going to be a good year. Lots of starting pitchers and state-rated teams. One suggestion: I'd like a few more night games in May. The idea of team like LaPorte and Michigan City traveling through two counties for a 4:30 game is not realistic. What's wrong with a 6 p.m. start if the weather is good?

ST. JOHN: Left-hander Jimmy McNamara pitched a shutout in the Indians's 1-0 season opening win over Bishop Noll. McNamara (7-0, 71 Ks in 51 innings) and junior right-hander Taylor Lehnert (4-2, 44 Ks in 33 innings) lead the pitching. Remember, you only need two starting pitchers in the state tournament under the present format. Senior Chase Fieldhouse (.451, 10 HRs, 38 RBIs) leads what should be a potent offense. LC starts the season ranked No.1 in Class 4A, but the last two state champions (Cathedral and Carroll) are rated 2nd and 3rd.

MERRILLVILLE: The Niners go for their third 3A state title in four years with Zac Ryan (8-2, 1.87 ERA) leading the pitching staff. The No. 2 pitcher (probably Bryan DeSomer) won't have much experience in varsity pitching, but he will have a lot of support. Ryan (.400, 6 HRs, 48 RBIs), first baseman Zach Goldasich (.386, 3 HRs, 26 RBIs), shortstop Mike Brosseau (.398, 39 runs scored) and catcher Nick Tobye (.397, 5 HRs, 20 RBIs) are proven starters. Andrean is 119-15 over the last four years and they start the season rated No. 2.

PORTAGE: Major League baseball teams need lots of pitching, but short season teams can ride lean on offense and defense instead of pitching depth. That favors Portage, which returns seniors Gabe Acevedo (.423, 5 HRs, 45 RBIs) and Dave Jercha (.354, 4 Hrs, 22 RBIs) in the middle of the lineup. Senior Kris Springman (5-2, 2.43 ERA) and Jercha (3-0, 2.80 ERA) will try to match the top pitchers at Chesterton and LC so the senior-dominated starting lineup can win the games at the plate and in the field. Springman pitched a five-inning shutout and went 4-for-4 in a season opening 13-0 win over Elkhart Memorial last week.

CHESTERTON: Chesterton has that 1-2 pitching punch in all-stater Jake Post (6-3, 84 Ks in 58 innings) and junior Bobby Humphrey (4-2, 1.04 ERA). Nobody in the Duneland Athletic Conference (DAC) is going to overmatch them on the mound. The Trojans lost the sectional semifinal 3-0 in extra innings to Crown Point last year and that highlights their problem. Short season baseball almost requires a big time offense and the Trojans do not appear to have that. But CP reached the semistate with little offense last year. It can be done.

5. (4A) Crown Point (1-0)
21-12 (2011), 27-5 (2010), 30-3 (2009), 29-6-2 (2008), 29-3 (2007)

CROWN POINT: Crown Point allowed only five runs in five games as they defeated LaPorte, Chesterton, Portage, Penn and Elkhart Central to win sectional and regional titles. They can't count on that again as ace lefty Ronnie Plesac (5-1, 47Ks in 38 innings) won't pitch this year after arm surgery. The infield defense of Zach Plesac (.382 19 RBIs), Brett Bayer, Jake Lindeman (.347, 20 RBIs) returns with Ronnie Plesac and football quarterback Jake Jatis adding big bats at first base. Jatis homered in the Bulldogs' 16-5 season-opening win at Warsaw. CP will be a much better offensive team, but this time the pitching is the question with Lindeman (2-2. 1.99 ERA) and Zach Plesac (1-3, 2.83) leading the way. The Bulldogs are a much more experienced team this year, but they'll need to find a couple more pitchers.

HOBART: Two teams appeared to be on the rise as 2011 ended. Hobart returns three veteran seniors in Jake Erlich (.330, 4 HRs, 19 RBIs), third baseman Chris Moore (.353, 20 RBIs) and Phil Madvek (.266, 18 RBIs). Sophomore Brandon Murray (5-1, 4.78 ERA) opened the season with a one-hit 1-0 shutout over Merrillville on March 27 and he appears to be the 'equalizer' when Hobart sees the aces from neighbors Chesterton and Portage. Erlich struck out nine (and walked 6) in five innings of a 12-4 win over Boone Grove last Thursday. The Brickies have already topped Washington Township 9-1. The Northwest Crossroads Conference looks strong so Hobart won't be winning the league title, but they won't be overrun at sectional time.

GRIFFITH: Here's the other team that gained a lot of ground last season. Senior second baseman Jesse Smith drove in two runs in a 5-3 win over Morton and the Panthers started the year with a 10-0 win over Calumet. The big change here is that Griffith had been locked in the same sectional with perennial power Andrean for many years. The emergence of Bowman Academy and other charter schools has realigned Class 3A and Griffith is now in a sectional with Clark, Gavit, Hammond, Lew Wallace and Roosevelt. That means Griffith is a victory over Clark away from the regional. Shortstop Garrett Litke (.348) is one of six returning starters.

HAMMOND: Noll lost 1-0 to Lake Central in the season opener, but that's not a bad thing. Josh Galgan was good, allowing one run in five innings against 4A No. 1 LC. Senior Kody Alayon (.485, 3 HRs, 15 stolen bases) is the key to the Warriors attack and catcher Cody Moskovsky (.378) may be the team's key player. Everybody is anxious to see highly-regarded 2011 prospect Larry Crisler (.383) play as a sophomore. The numbers suggest this is a base-stealing team and that usually works at the high school level because it's tough for young pitchers to hold runners on base.

HIGHLAND: Here's a very difficult team to rank because Highland is going to be a very different team, depending on who is pitching. Highland topped Gavit 13-3 behind right hander Nick Christensen after an opening 3-2 loss to Morton. Here it is in a nutshell: In the Morton game, Highland's Jordan Minch struck out 15 in six innings and left with a 1-0 lead. Morton scored two in the seventh to win 2-1. That's going to be Highland's problem. The No. 2 pitcher. Minch is rated as the state's best left-handed pitcher. So, twice a week, Highland's going to be the favorite. Senior shortstop Tyler Fraley (.524, 12 games) could be a leader on offense. The Trojans are going to have to scrape together two or three runs for the days when Minch pitches and five or six on the days when he doesn't.

10. (3A) Kankakee Valley (0-0)
19-10 (2011), 15-16 (2010), 18-12 (2009), 11-16-1 (2008)

DeMOTTE: KV has catcher Jake Wright (.389, 22 RBIs) and third baseman Zach DeFries (.386, 27 RBIs) anchoring the lineup and reportedly, they have lots of left handed pitching which, in high school, are always tough for batters to handle because the boys don't see much left-handed pitching because, well, most people are right handed. Reportedly, the Kougars don't have much power, which could be a problem because the KV ballpark is small and if the KV boys don't hit homers, the visitors will.

(3A) Hanover Central (1-0)
21-5 (2011), 13-10-1 (2010), 6-20 (2009), 21-9 (2008)

CEDAR LAKE: Can't put Hanover in the Top-10 right now, but you can't dismiss them, especially after right-hander Danny Stum pitched a shutout 10-0 win over short-handed neighbor Lowell on May 27. The Cats need new pitching, but they return a solid core of position players like catcher Zac Maciejewski (.440, 36 runs scored), 1st baseman Tyler Trepton (.390, 22 RBIs), and shortstop Nick Bollenbacher (.413, 4 HRs, 24 RBIs). Trepton (4-2, 2.69 ERA) and Stum lead the staff, but HC will need some good rookies in the very tough Porter County Conference when Hebron, Kouts, South Central and Boone Grove all appear set to have winning seasons.