Northwest Indiana Top-10 Week-5, 2007 High School 'Renegade' Poll 4-26-2007
	A USA-365.com Special Report by Mark Smith

With the weather-nuking of the 2007 season, the subject again comes of why softball is played in the spring.  Basically the 2007 season will be played in a six-week window from about April 10 to the last week of May, when you consider the multiple postponements.  A workable concept would be to move girls soccer to the spring and start it March 1 since soccer can be played in 40-45 degree weather.  A softball season that began in the first week of August (as golf does) could continue to the first week of October.  The 3-week state tournament would be over before Major League baseball even begins the World Series.  And there would be virtually no weather interruptions since the season would begin in the dead of summer.  Night games would be played in 70 degree cool breezes and girls might actually draw fans to games other than the next of kin.

Summer AAU softball would be affected but not that much.  A new IHSAA rule says you can't be involved in an IHSAA sport once school starts was going to limit summer national play anyway.  Top players who were in national tournaments could be excused the first two weeks of a fall softball season since the first few games are largely non conference and AAU girls would join the team in peak form anyway.  Switching seasons with softball and soccer is something that coaches and ADs in northern Indiana would have to sell because it is not a pressing issue downstate where temperatures are 10-15 degrees warmer on average.  But not only would the level of softball play increase dramatically, but ADs would see far fewer postponements and field conflicts which would make life easier for the old guy (or gal) in the athletic office.  As more games were postponed Wednesday, everyone is asked to announce rescheduled games, not just run out and play them.  You never know when some old guy might want to show up and watch.

It has been a changing of the guard for, at least, one season in the Lafayette area.  McCutcheon (10-2), Harrison (7-2) and Benton Central (10-1) have had good first halves to the 2007 season.  But what on earth has happened to Jefferson (1-9) and West Lafayette (2-8)?  Frankfort is 1-8.  Defending 2A state champ Lewis Cass in the Logansport area is 3-3 after six games.  But before anybody up in NW Indiana gets too big-headed, they need to call Hamilton Southeastern (10-0) and ask for a game against left-hander Morgan Melloh (9-0, 0.00 ERA) who, in her fourth year on the varsity, has not allowed an earned run and has 108 strikeouts in 46 innings.

The NW Indiana representative in the state finals is going to have to be prepared to find a way to simulate this girl, who had 293 strikeouts as a freshman in 2003 and was 14-3 with a 0.18 ERA and 231 strikeouts in 117 innings last season.

1.  (4A) Chesterton (13-1)
30-2 (2006),  27-3-1 (2005),  20-7 (2004), 22-5 (2003), 21-4 (2002)

CHESTERTON -  The Trojans took their first loss of the season, 5-4 to Elkhart Memorial in the Chesterton Invitational and there's a story here.  The Trojans pitched their No. 2 and No. 3 pitchers after senior all-stater Dawn McClellan (11-0) tossed a no-hitter against South Bend Washington in the first game of the tournament.  It may sound odd, but give coach Lou Ann Hopson credit for not pitching McClellan in both games, something she certainly could have done.  First of all, being undefeated has no value.  Chesterton went largely unnoticed last season as many in NW Indiana media focused on undefeated Whiting.  Also, the Trojans must prepare for 2008 when McClellan will have graduated.  They must put younger players on the mound without the thought that McClellan, who is 33-1 in her career, is waiting in the bullpen to save the day.

Washington seriously challenged Chesterton with 6-foot-2 senior Katie Boocher, the center of Washington's state title basketball team.  Alexis Paz had the game-winning singe in the bottom of the seventh of a 1-0 victory.  McClellan struck out a career-high 17 on April 18 in a 5-3 win over rival Portage.  And junior Alexis Paz allowed three hits and no walks in an 8-1 win over Michigan City on April 20.  McClellan allowed just two hits in Tuesday's 1-0 win at LaPorte (8-6).  The Trojans go to war with undefeated Mishawaka (11-0) Friday afternoon at 5 p.m.  As they will explain to the Cavemen by the end of the day, you're better off not being undefeated.

2.  (4A) Lake Central (13-2)
25-8 (2006), 32-1 (2005), 29-3 (2004), 32-3-1 (2003), 28-1 (2002), 30-4 (2001)

St. JOHN - I am not convinced that Munster is better than Lake Central because Munster beat them 2-1.  LC bounced back to roll up a four game winning streak, beating LaPorte 2-1 in 11 innings as Rachel Weaver (8-0) pitched a complete-game.  Weaver allowed three hits and no walks in a shutout of Harrison Saturday (4-21-2007).  The Indians may have better pitching than Munster with Weaver and sophomore Jessica Dobson (5-2).  Dobson's record is probably a game short because she was pulled out after two innings of a 17-2 win over Lafayette Jefferson (1-11).  Lauren Mendez pitched the final three innings and was given the gift victory.  LC has outscored the opposition 81-18 through 15 games and there is no way they will hit a slump with the pitchers they have.  Rachel Weaver is very good and very experienced.  Lake Central always plays a lot of road games and they head to Indianapolis to play Carmel and Brownsburg this weekend.

3.  (4A) Munster (14-1)
22-7 (2006), 25-3-1 (2005), 25-3-1 (2004), 22-7 (2003), 15-12 (2002), 23-10 (2001)

MUNSTER - This team made the biggest move among a group of successful teams.  Normally there isn't a way to improve in 10 days but nobody knows how good Munster's pitching is.  They are using some first year varsity rookies and no one is hitting them.  I may have underestimated them, especially one of them.  When you go through Homewood-Flossmoor, Lowell, Lake Central, Carmel and McCutcheon, outscoring five solid programs in the midst of good years by a score of 12-3.  Freshman Grace Ispas allowed three hits and three walks in a seven inning, 2-0 shutout of Carmel and she came back to give up six hits and no walks in a 1-0 win over McCutcheon in the Carmel tourney title game.  If you've read this poll for years, you know that teams don't jump three spots in one week.  But when you play top 4A schools and out-of-state competition like H-F (13-2), and you win and shut them down or out, it isn't just good fortune.  The Lady Ponies made an ugly four errors in a 5-1 win over South Bend Riley, but that's nit-picking right now.  It's questionable to have them ahead of Andrean, since the 59ers did beat Munster.  But Munster and senior Hallie Gibbs (.483) appears to be a better offensive team than Andrean.  Munster zapped 2A Bishop Noll 7-0 Tuesday, but the all-4A schedule since the first week of the season is benefiting them.  It's no time to get happy.  The Mustangs still have the Twin Lakes Invitational, the Mustang Invitational, Chesterton (13-1) and Portage (9-5) left to play.

4.  (4A) LOWELL (10-3)
23-7 (2006), 21-10 (2005), 20-9 (2004), 13-16 (2003), 14-15 (2002),  21-9 (2001)

LOWELL -  The Red Devils drop in the poll, not because of anything they didn't do, but largely because Munster is better than it, at first, appeared.  Lowell beat rival and neighbor Hanover Central 6-1 and topped Griffith 12-5.  Michelle Johnson broke a batting slump with three hits against the Panthers.  The Devils' loss last week was 3-2 to Munster, but there could be as many as three rematches.  The Devils ran down KV 10-0 in five innings Tuesday.  I don't put a whole lot of stock into the losses to Chesterton (13-1) and Portage (9-5) in the first week, but sectional rival Munster appears to block Lowell at every turn in the LAC, at the Twin Lakes Invitational and in the sectional.  The Devils are working a couple of freshman and first year starters into the lineup.  Juniors Alyssa Reed (5-1) and Kaitlyn Bolanowski (5-2) have been strong in most games, but a lot of Lowell's early schedule has not been challenging.  That may not change when they head for Royal Central, Indiana this weekend to take on 1A Pioneer and struggling West Lafayette.  The Devils travel to Andrean (10-1) Tuesday (5-1-2007).  All the good teams have pitching, it's a matter of how many runs you can score against the big teams.

5.  (4A) Portage (9-5)
2006 (18-12), 2005 (20-9), 2004 (27-4-3), 2003 (19-9)

PORTAGE -  If you've read this poll before, this is old news.  But, if I had one pitcher to win one game it would be Portage's Meghan Gutierrez, who pitched a seven inning perfect game, striking out 14 against Valparaiso in a 3-0 win on April 20.  Gutierrez then allowed five hits in a complete game win over Illinois giant Lincoln-East at East.  Gutierrez (8-3) has pitched three complete game shutouts.  Portage's lack of attack showed up again Tuesday, losing 2-0 to Lake Central after Monday's 10-0 win over Kankakee Valley.  The Indians have already been shut out four times, twice by LC.  Portage travels to Michigan for the Lakeshore Tournament this weekend and Boone Grove (9-2) and Munster (13-1) remain on the non-conference schedule.  But it will come down to beating Chesterton (13-1) and they know that.  Why are they fifth if I'm so high on them?  Not counting the Michigan City game, Portage has scored 33 runs in 13 games.  That dog not only won't hunt, the poor little guy won't even leave the house.

6.  (3A) ANDREAN (10-1)
26-4 (2006), 32-3 (2005), 29-5 (2004), 27-2 (2003), 30-3 (2002), 26-7 (2001)

MERRILLVILLE - The Niners had a slow week where they played just two games, winning 3-1 over Kankakee Valley and 10-2 over Hobart.  Alyssa Mosely (3-1) struck out 11 against KV and Nicole Derezinski (7-0) stayed undefeated in the runaway win over the Brickies.  Andrean's resume is very strong.  They have allowed just 10 runs in 12 games.  The 59ers are the only team to defeat Munster (13-1) and they are one of only two teams to defeat Mishawaka Marian (10-2).  The Niners need the rest they got last week because they figure to play five or six times in this weekend's Highland Invitational.  At the Highland Invite, you get paid by the hour.  90-minute time limits.  Pool play plus three rounds of playoffs?  Don't make any other plans this weekend.  Andrean will see Penn Friday night at 8:00 p.m. and they could face Marian again late in the tournament.  But it takes six wins in two days to win the title and the endurance factor is what will be the real test here.  Bad teams worry about conditioning in a tournament like this.  Good teams see it as a chance to roll up some wins.

7.  (3A) Griffith  (8-7)
12-19 (2006), 19-15 (2005), 16-15 (2004), 18-14 (2003)

GRIFFITH - This team got back to the .500 mark with two wins over the weekend, dominating the Blackford tournament with a 4-1 win over Garrett and an 8-1 win over the host Blackford Bears.  Molly Orzechowicz had three hits against Blackford.  Kaylyn Ruiz had four hits for the day.  You have to go on the road and win because that's what the regional is about.  The Panthers' losses are to Chesterton (13-1), Hobart (8-7), LOWELL (10-3), Andrean (10-1) and Munster (13-1), among others.  The newspapers are saying they were 9-7 before the rain moved in this week, but I cant find the 16th game.  Those Blackford tourney teams were not frightening foes that the Panthers beat, but they are the teams Griffith needs to stop to be above .500.  There's a confidence thing there and the hope is, Griffith is gaining some.  The three pitchers Griffith has will serve them well at the Highland Invitational this weekend and lefty Katie Rone is a good 'change-up' from RHPs Brittany Bridges and Lisa Worley.  The Panthers are well-suited to play in a tournament like this and I expect them to do well this weekend at Highland.

8.  (2A) HANOVER CENTRAL (6-5)
16-14 (2006), 26-5-3 (2005), 25-7 (2004), 25-6 (2003)

HC moved sophomore shortstop Kara Gilbert back to the leadoff position and maybe that will help the offense, which has been shut out twice.  The Lady Cats do not have a set batting order yet, but there is clearly more speed and power than there was last season.  New starting catcher Danielle Sampognaro is a the key to the team handling the freshman pitchers and throwing out bunters and stealers.  Senior Molly Fairhurst has taken over at first for injured started Victoria Wigsmoen and she made a game-saving play in the final inning of the LaVille Invitational.  So far, so good and the record should begin to show that this week as the Lady Cats are in the midst of a two week break from playing 4A schools.  The Lady Cats also have at least three winnable games (LaCrosse, Morton and Morgan Township) that have been postponed.  This is the most athletic HC team I have seen in 10 years.  But since the opening 22-1 win over River Forest, HC has scored a pitiful 23 runs in 10 games. The Lady Cats can win a half dozen in a row here if they can put the ball in play on the ground a little better.

9.  (4A) CROWN POINT (9-6)
2006 (13-14)  2005  (12-14), 2004 (8-19)  2003 (16-16), 2002 (11-16)

CROWN POINT  -  The Bulldogs struggle offensively at times and they look non-athletic at times.  But CP is improving. They ripped off three wins last week beating Merrillville 3-2, LaPorte 9-3 and Elkhart Central 7-3.  Kelsey Rather (5-2) pitched the complete game victory over the arch-rival Pirates.  Sophomore shortstop Jessica Martinez had three hits against LaPorte.  Kara Gulvas and Aimee Favia had three hits against Elkhart Central.  The Lady Bulldogs smoked out Michigan City 7-1 Tuesday afternoon to run the winning streak to four.  If I told you they'd beaten somebody really good in this streak, I'd be lying worse than the Pentagon does.  But you have to win the games you're supposed to win.  And you have to hit against mediocre (sorry LaPorte) teams.  The Bulldogs are doing that and it shows improvement.  But the heat comes back this weekend.  CP travels to Portage (9-6) Thursday and they get to stand in front of the undefeated victory train of 1A No. 5 Morgan Township (7-0) in a 10:00 a.m. Saturday double-header.  CP softball has reached this success point several times in the last few years where a weekend sweep would make them stand out.  Each time they have fallen back in line.  With all due respect to the Cherokees, Crown Point cannot win a 4A sectional title if they can't beat Morgan Township.  It's just that simple.  CP hosts Morgan twice Saturday (4-28-2007) at 10:00 a.m.

10.  (1A) Whiting (12-1)
33-0 (2006), 11-16 (2005), 28-6 (2004), 21-10 (2003)

WHITING -  Whiting swept the Pioneer Invitational, including a 2-0 win over Pioneer.  Soph RHP Mel Dumezich, who has pitched every game this season, struck out 47 including 16 against Pioneer.  She has nine shutouts and 188 strikeouts in 88 innings.  Other than Wheeler, Calumet (10-5) and Morgan Township (7-0), Whiting has not faced a team with a winning record.  The Pioneer tournament is the only tournament the Oilers will play during the regular season.  Catcher Adi Cruz is making contact at the plate and the fears that she would not be able to catch Dumezich were unfounded.  Cruz hit a key home run against Pioneer in Saturday's 2-0 win over Pioneer.  I appreciate Whiting's record (45-1 in the last two years), but they don't have any wins in the last two seasons which would justify me putting them ahead of the nine teams that precede them in this poll.  This team is a disappointment because in 2005 they played Andrean, Munster, Lowell, Griffith, Highland and Bishop Noll.  Now, they play none of those schools.  Class 1A teams like Whiting with an overpowering pitcher get some very easy wins because of the lack of hitting talent at 1A and 2A schools.  You really need to see Class 1A softball before you say that "it doesn't matter who you beat."  Bishop Noll is 4-12 and Whiting would be under .500 had they played Noll's schedule.  It's not true.  It does.  There's still time for Whiting to schedule some larger schools and I wish they would.  Whiting hosts Wheeler (9-2) Thursday and they travel to Hanover Central (6-5) in late May for what should be a good pre-tournament test.  Whiting's 1-0 loss to Morgan Township is much more understandable now that Morgan is still undefeated.  The goal for Whiting is for Mel Dumezich to strike out two of every three hitters so Whiting's defense does not have to play.  Play with numbers a second.  If Dumezich has pitched every inning of the year (and she has) and she has 189 strikeouts in 88 innings (264 batters), then only 75 batters have put the ball in play.  When you think about that, it's not hard to see why they are 45-1 in the last two years.

On the outside looking in...

(4A) Hobart (8-6)
2006 (12-15), 2005 (19-12), 2004 (15-10), 2003 (19-11)

HOBART -  Hobart took some heavy hits in April after a 6-1 start.  The Brickies lost 10-0 to Chesterton, 10-2 to Andrean, and 8-2 to Lowell.  I commend the strength of schedule, but you have to represent a little better than that when you do play the big teams.  The Brickies broke a 4-game losing streak with a 13-3 romp over River Forest, but then they lost at home 4-2 to Griffith Monday.  Junior right-hander Brittany Spears has 85 strikeouts in 54 innings, but Hobart stopped hitting and seemed to lose a little confidence.  It's no big deal to drop them out of the top-10 because they weren't there at the start of the year and the early play has been surprising.  It's a battle for .500 right now, but Brickies have to right the ship and there's time in another month.

(2A) BOONE GROVE (9-2)
2006 (14-16), 2005 (10-18), 2004 (7-21), 2003 (7-18), 2002 (11-14)

PORTER TOWNSHIP  - Morgan is undefeated but they have only played seven games and they have not played a good offensive team (and I'm including Whiting) yet.  Wheeler has a top freshman pitcher but that's tough to make work above Class 1A.  Senior Lauren Denhert (4-2) combined with freshman Taylor Johnson to turn back 4A Warsaw (7-2) Saturday as Boone beat Warsaw and Plymouth on a 'Route 30 road trip'.  This team isn't great defensively, but they have good offense and good pitching.  I like the traveling they're doing and the only losses are 4-3 to Morgan (a game Boone led 3-0 after four innings) and 7-6 at South Bend Adams.  Boone needs to play tougher teams and some are ahead on the schedule.  The Wolves have allowed a few too many runs.  They beat Plymouth 4-3 and Warsaw 5-2.  Boone did make seven errors in the loss to Adams and three more against Morgan. They have beaten 4As Valparaiso and Michigan City, but so has everybody else.  Denhert was injured last Saturday against Warsaw and that may derail them this season.  Denhert is said to be returning by mid-May, but pitchers rarely recover fully from mid-season injuries in softball.  Looks like Boone will be seeing a lot of Hanover Central in the next six weeks and those should be interesting games, because both teams have a lot of quality ninth graders in what has been a year of outstanding freshmen across NW Indiana.  The Wolves had a match up with Lowell rained out Thursday.

(2A) Wheeler (9-2)
2006 (14-16), 2005 (10-18), 2004 (7-21), 2003 (7-18), 2002 (11-14)

UNION TOWNSHIP  - Wheeler plays the marshmallow soft LAC Blue schedule, so it's very hard to figure how good they are.  Ace pitcher Lanay Parks has six shutouts and I'm sure that Wheeler wants to spring Parks on Boone at the sectional, which is why they did not pitch her in a recent 13-0 loss to Boone.  Parks is the kind of pitcher who can carry a team a long way because she covers for bad defense by striking everybody out.  Wheeler unfortunately (maybe unintentionally) is following the path Whiting took to the state title last season which avoids all competitive teams in order to build up a resume of wins.  The Bearcats swept a double-header over Hammond 10-0 and 14-0 Wednesday (4-23-2007) and they have 10-0 or 11-0 wins over Morton, Clark, Lake Station, Gavit and River Forest, none of which have winning records.  Wheeler beat Hanover 2-0, but Hanover is not a good hitting team.  Hopefully the Wheeler girls understand that they have not faced one quality 'team' yet (and I am including Whiting and Boone) this season.  Boone beat Wheeler 13-0 and Whiting beat Wheeler 6-0 and in the 2A playoffs Wheeler will face teams that have a half dozen good players and not just one strong pitcher.  There's a big red flag here that suggests Wheeler's record is misleading.

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