Northwest Indiana Top-10

Week-7, 2007 High School 'Renegade' Poll

5-11-2007

A USA-365.com Special Report by Mark Smith

CHESTERTON (5-11-2007) All the top teams in the poll lost in the last 10 days. Some of them twice. So, who rates as the No. 1 team? You're on your own. Here's where it helps not to be a newspaper or radio poll. Other polls have a vested interest in 'spreading it around', giving some teams a token nod at the top. Or putting a team in at ninth or 10th to 'give them a little bit of credit.'

That's not what it's about here. The only idea here is to set down the 10 best. The logical assumption is that if all of the top four teams lose, unless some team lost a player, then you leave the top four the way it is. Most polls swear religiously by wins and losses, but you really can't do that since all the teams eventually lose to somebody. The basic premise is flawed. The logic is, that if you lose three games in a row after winning 15 or 16, then you suddenly become less talented, less strong, and of less character. I don't know anyone who believes that. You need to suggest a concrete reason or some lack of confidence to drop a team. That's if your poll is serious.

Unfortunately, what the last few days indicates is, that NW Indiana may not be destined to excel in the upcoming state tournament. McCutcheon beat Hanover Central, Lowell and Andrean at the Twin Lakes Invitational. McCutcheon looked like the best team and with two strong pitchers in Tori Collins (9-2) and Kelsi Reed (10-0), they should be. Unbeaten Mishawaka (18-0) is still out there in 4A as well.

Perennial powers Lake Central and Chesterton lost close games, although no one feels they are less strong. Munster actually has the best resume, but they got the worst playoff draw and they have a freshman pitcher. No matter what coaches and players say, they DO NOT want to face a state rated opponent in the first round, especially when you start a freshman.
Coaches who don't get a good draw talk about how it doesn't matter but that's all talk.

Remember, coaches and players are never required to tell anyone the truth about anything. It's part of being athletes to not reveal your true feelings.

How would you like your first Indiana state tournament game as a freshman to be against someone like Lake Central? Teams like Andrean, Hanover and Wheeler also start freshmen pitchers. That's not something you want to do in the state tournament. If you win the coach will say he knew they'd win all along and how could you possibly ever doubt him or her. But right now, they're worried.

The strength of the Duneland Athletic Conference is on the rise. Crown Point and LaPorte, who have been second division teams this decade, stepped up and beat perennial front runners Chesterton and Lake Central. As I've said before, there are a lot of Lake Athletic Conference cheerleaders and graduates in the Lake County media and the top teams in both leagues are equal. But there's a big difference in the 'second division' of the LAC and the DAC and that's becoming obvious again.

This week's biggest game potentially features Munster's Invitational which brings in powerful Mishawaka (18-0), hopefully (I'm not sure if they'll meet) for a match with the LAC-leading Lady Ponies. Harrison (14-6) from West Lafayette is also there. The annual Porter County Conference (PCC) tournament should eventually produce a match up of old, experienced Morgan Township (13-3) with young and rising Hanover Central (13-7) in the final game of the eight-team playoff at LaCrosse Saturday.

1. (4A) Chesterton (17-3)
30-2 (2006), 27-3-1 (2005), 20-7 (2004), 22-5 (2003), 21-4 (2002)

CHESTERTON - The Trojans have lost three times in the last 10 days, 6-3 to Lake Central (17-4), 3-2 in eight innings to Portage (16-8) and 3-2 in eight innings to Crown Point (14-8). Don't be swayed. None of those losses indicates they aren't very good. The Indians led all three games and should have won them all. They broke the streak with a 27-2 rout of out-manned Michigan City Thursday. RHP Dawn McClellan (11-3) took all three losses with complete games, but she was very strong against CP and Portage. The Chesterton offense got hits but could not score. That's probably a temporary problem, although the Trojans usually bat nine right-handed hitters, which does let a good pitcher set a pattern. Chesterton still has a twice-postponed game with Mishawaka (18-0) left, but I do not know the date. With no injuries that have been made public, this is still the most experienced squad with the most dominant pitcher. This team didn't suddenly become the Chicago Bulls overnight.

2. (4A) Lake Central (19-4)
25-8 (2006), 32-1 (2005), 29-3 (2004), 32-3-1 (2003), 28-1 (2002), 30-4 (2001)

St. JOHN - Lake Central gets the same benefit of the doubt after a 2-0 road loss at LaPorte, probably LC's first ever loss to the Slicers. That was only a 'huge' upset if you haven't been watching. LaPorte has been good for two years. LC will finish first in the DAC if they win their remaining league games, but the league title is only important to your ego. LC junior Rachel Weaver (9-2) has come to the front as LC's starting pitcher and she figures to be the choice when the Indians open the state playoffs in two weeks against Munster. Especially since sophomore Jessica Dobson (9-2) pitched against Munster in May. The Indians aren't the offensive force they've been in past years. You don't see the 10-0 wins, although that may be a testament to the overall strength of the DAC. Thursday's win over Merrillville (3-19) was 6-0. LC has four losses but they've lost to Chesterton (17-3), LaPorte (16-8), Munster (20-4) and Carmel (16-8). This is, as usual, a sectional and regional contender. LC vs. Munster in the sectional semifinals is the best advertisement for seeding since the Golden State Warriors (seeded eighth) got to play Utah (seeded fifth) in the second round.

3. (4A) Portage (17-6)
2006 (18-12), 2005 (20-9), 2004 (27-4-3), 2003 (19-9)

PORTAGE - Portage is obviously charging with wins over LaPorte, Chesterton and Valparaiso in DAC play. The 3-2 win over arch-rival Chesterton is the Indians' biggest win of the year and, I believe their first win over Chesterton in three years. The offense is still weaker than the Chicago Bulls, but they've been scratching out enough runs to win. Senior Meghan Gutierrez (14-4) is pitching every game down the stretch the way she has for four years and the Indians got the best sectional draw. These are good times. Portage got a quarterfinal bye, a semifinal against a Valparaiso team they've dominated twice and a team that's on, what is now, a six-game winning streak. Portage stopped LaPorte 2-0 last week on a one-hitter by Gutierrez and a home run from junior Olivia Leggett. This isn't a shock. Everybody in NW Indiana softball knows they could lose to Portage. If there is going to be a sectional upset winner, here is it. This team is the Detroit Pistons. They aren't the best team around. But they can whip you like whipped cream and you both know it.

4. (4A) Munster (20-4)
22-7 (2006), 25-3-1 (2005), 25-3-1 (2004), 22-7 (2003), 15-12 (2002), 23-10 (2001)

MUNSTER - The Mustangs are in a tough stretch. They were 3-1 at last week's Twin Lakes Invitational and they host their own four team tourney this weekend. Munster's Holly Ispas (10-1) was the loser in a 5-4 extra inning defeat at Twin Lakes, but you almost throw that out. That tourney uses the 'international tiebreaker' which starts every inning with a runner at second base. That's almost a tie game. Munster also lost 2-1 to Lowell Thursday and then hopefully, they'll see Mishawaka Saturday. The Mustangs are such a big strong team that it's hard to imagine them getting shut out. Munster has to play very good defense because their pitchers do not roll up strikeouts. The Mustangs were strong defensively at Twin Lakes. Box scores are very subjective. Some scorers won't credit more than one error on the same play, but according to what I have seen, Munster has not made more than two errors in any game this season. That is an amazing achievement considering the fact the neither Ispas (10-1) or Elanor Kennedy (9-2) has struck out as many as 10 batters in a game this season. True, teams with big time strikeout pitchers usually go further than teams that rely on catching the ball. But many top teams pretend to have good defense because their pitcher averages 10 strikeouts per seven innings. The Lady Ponies are actually making the plays. They didn't want to draw LC though. This team is the Cleveland Cavaliers. They've never won it but folks know they can.

5. (3A) ANDREAN (20-3-1)
26-4 (2006), 32-3 (2005), 29-5 (2004), 27-2 (2003), 30-3 (2002), 26-7 (2001)

MERRILLVILLE - The Niners won three of four at the Twin lakes invitational, losing to eventual champion McCutcheon (23-3) by a 7-2 score. Andrean came into Twin Lakes after a 2-1 win over Munster and they followed it up with a 2-1 win over Griffith and a 1-0 win over Kankakee Valley Thursday. The 59ers are a young team and they play like it at times, like the four errors in one inning against McCutcheon. But the pitching, in the person of junior Nicole Derezinski (10-1) and freshman Alyssa Mosely (10-2), has been better than I expected. If they can get confident defensively (and that's something that can happen on short notice) this is still a potential sectional and regional champ. The Niners draw is irrelevant. They have to beat Kankakee Valley (6-17) to get to the regional and they'll have to beat Griffith when they get there. Andrean is the San Antonio Spurs. They know what they have to do. They've done it before. They haven't dominated the regular season. But they can do it again.

6. (4A) LOWELL (21-6)
23-7 (2006), 21-10 (2005), 20-9 (2004), 13-16 (2003), 14-15 (2002), 21-9 (2001)

LOWELL - The Red Devils were 4-1 at the Twin Lakes Invitational, but they've had hard times since then and they drop a bit in this poll. The Devils lost 6-1 to Hobart and 1-0 to Wheeler, good teams but teams the Devils should beat. Kaitlyn Bolanowski pitched well against Wheeler, but the Devils struck out 12 times against Bearcat big winner Lanay Parks (15-1). Lowell may have an arm injury to hard-throwing pitcher Alyssa Reed. She returned Thursday for a 2-1 win over Munster (20-4) but it's not certain how often she'll be able to pitch, which is crucial in the post-season as Lowell must play three times at the sectional level. A large part of Lowell's success was the balancing act between Reed and Bolanowski, so obviously there is some doubt here.

The Devils also played eight games in a seven-day span and they may be tired. Lowell won't win many games 1-0. Like Munster, they aren't that kind of team. The Devils lost the Twin Lakes title game 2-0, and they were strong all weekend. But shortstop Kelly Johnson and catcher Katherine Allert reportedly missed Thursday's game against Munster with injuries. Along with Reed, there's three key injuries here. And this isn't a top-5 team without them, even though they defeated Munster. The good news is that Munster drew Lake Central in the sectional tournament in two weeks so Lowell will not have to defeat both of those Class 4A Top-5 teams to win the title. Lowell clearly would be more comfortable playing Munster a fourth time than they would be playing Lake Central. Both Lowell pitchers are very familiar with Munster. The Devils have a night game at Griffith Tuesday and a day game with Lake Central Wednesday in the home finale. But this is the Chicago Cubs here. If they were ever healthy, they'd rule the world.

7. (2A) HANOVER CENTRAL (13-7)
16-14 (2006), 26-5-3 (2005), 25-7 (2004), 25-6 (2003)

CEDAR LAKE - Hanover had a light schedule this week after turning back Bishop Noll 3-0 Monday (5-7-2007). They figured to reach the finals in the Porter County Conference (PCC) tournament. HC's losses at Twin Lakes were 2-1 to 2A No. 2 Eastern and 4-1 to 4A No. 2 McCutcheon. Right-hander Jessica Toth (7-4) pitched the shutout against Noll Monday but there's still a lot of games left to go if not a lot of time. HC should see Morgan Township (13-3) twice in the final 10 days and they also have Crown Point (15-9) and Whiting (17-3) to play. This is a largely freshman and sophomore team that needs to play games and, except for last week when they played seven times, the Lady Cats haven't gotten on the field all that much. HC will probably not get first baseman Victoria Wigsmoen back this season, but senior Molly Fairhurst can do the job there. You suspect there is a really good offensive team here that rarely shows up. Of the seven teams that have beaten Hanover, Munster, Lowell, McCutcheon and Beecher, Ill have all won 20 games. Chesterton, Wheeler and Eastern have won 15 or more. This is the White Sox. They won a couple of years ago and eventually they'll start to hit.

8. (2A) Wheeler (18-2)
2006 (14-16), 2005 (10-18), 2004 (7-21), 2003 (7-18), 2002 (11-14)

UNION TOWNSHIP - Permission to speak frankly, captain? This is not a complicated game. If you have a big, tall strikeout pitcher, it almost doesn't matter what else you do or don't have. Softball players and coaches and fans don't like to admit that, because it takes away strategy and emotion and character and work ethic. But if you have a big tall fireballer, you will beat teams with all those other wonderful qualities. The evidence is piling up. Wheeler has one of those pitchers in freshman Lanay Parks (13-1) who averages over 10 strikeouts a game. It's a situation much like Whiting last year, only Parks is doing it at a higher level. Parks has shutouts and, while most have been weak LAC Blue teams Clark, Morton and Lake Station, you have to be impressed with the shutouts of Hanover Central and Lowell. Wheeler lost the season opener 6-0 to Whiting, a game where Parks struck out 13 in a losing cause. The other loss was 13-0 to Boone Grove, a game Parks did not pitch. You have to put so much weight on one player but, that's the game. Veteran catcher Ashley Marino has the game in her hands and she's a key bat. Wheeler did return six starters from the 2006 team that went 16-10 when Parks was in eighth grade. Let's tell some more truth. Hanover dominated the all-2A LaVille Invitational last month. Nobody wants to say it out loud but if Hanover can't beat Wheeler in a rematch, the Bearcats are headed for the state finals. Kinda like the Indianapolis Colts. You see that player there. The one with the ball? Makes a lot of difference.

9. (4A) CROWN POINT (15-9)
2006 (13-14) 2005 (12-14), 2004 (8-19) 2003 (16-16), 2002 (11-16)

CROWN POINT - The Bulldogs' rise in the DAC stopped with a 5-4 loss to LaPorte Thursday (5-10-2007). But CP had won seven in a row including the 3-2, 13-inning victory over Chesterton (18-4). I would say that one loss doesn't stop a surge, but the Bulldogs had a 4-0 lead before LaPorte rallied. CP closes with Hanover Central (14-7) in what should be an interesting finale. CP is getting stronger defensively with shortstop Jessica Martinez, center fielder Anna Stephens and catcher Amy Fairchild. Martinez got the run scoring single in the 13th inning that beat the Trojans. Some of CP's wins are over very small schools and they have two wins over Morton so the schedule has held them back a little. Crown Point is a better team athletically than Wheeler, but they don't have the one big girl in the center of the diamond who, at times, makes the other seven girls behind her irrelevant.

10. (3A) Griffith (14-12)
12-19 (2006), 19-15 (2005), 16-15 (2004), 18-14 (2003)

GRIFFITH - Griffith has been up and down. They lost 2-1 to Andrean and 7-4 to Whiting in the last 10 days. Brittany Bridges struck out eight against Andrean, allowing only three hits. Bridges pitched a 2-0 shutout against Noll Thursday (5-10-2007). The playoff pairings say that if Andrean and Griffith win sectional titles, they will meet at the Twin Lakes 3A Regional. It's very hard to rank them because of the losses. A 7-4 loss to a .500 team late in the season is not exactly a ticket downstate. I believe they have a little more experienced pitching than Crown Point, but while they have better players in the field than the Bearcats, they lack the one girl who can simply strike out the side like Wheeler has. Griffith had a couple of night games in the final week including Lowell (21-6) on Tuesday night (5-08-2007). Crown Point and Griffith are both like the New Jersey Nets. At every position they have a good 'Kidd' but the odds are against them in the post-season.

On the outside looking in...

(1A) Whiting (17-3)
33-0 (2006), 11-16 (2005), 28-6 (2004), 21-10 (2003)

WHITING - Whiting is in the same position they were in last year. They won four straight in the last 10 days including a 4-1 win at Morton (10-15) Thursday. Sophomore Mel Dumezich (17-3), who has pitched every game, has 290 strikeouts and as long as she's healthy, they're the favorite in the sectional and regional. Dumezich struck out 13 in a 3-0 win over Gavit and she fanned 23 in a 1-0, 10-inning win over Hebron. Predictions of 24-4 and 25-3, which is what was said here, have come true for the Oilers girls, almost down to the last game. Whiting has a season-ending game with Hanover Central Friday (5-18-2007) which will be a good test for them against strong pitching. Whiting will benefit by not being undefeated. They aren't the 'story' they were last year and that's got to help some players who will play in the state tournament for the first time next week. The Oilers drew Morgan Township to open the playoffs and Morgan defeated Whiting 1-0 in April. That's not a great draw. You don't want to face someone who knows they can beat you. Portage is looking for an extra game. I would love it to be Whiting. Whiting is the Florida Marlins. Everybody knows they weren't the best team, but they do have that championship in the trophy case.

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