Northwest Indiana Top-10

Preseason 2010 High School 'Renegade' Poll

3-25-2010

A USA-365.com Special Report by Mark Smith

CROWN POINT (3-25-2010) This is going to be one of the best girls softball seasons ever in Northwest Indiana. Are 78 teams all going to the state finals? No, the amount of state finalists is probably too simple-minded a barometer to define the quality of the season. Northwest Indiana simply has a lot of good teams. At one time this season (and I will point it out for you), there will be at least four NW Indiana squads in the Class 2A state poll. Hanover Central, Boone Grove, Wheeler and Hebron are certain to spend time in the state ranking and Bishop Noll may join them.

Lowell, Crown Point and Lake Central start the season in the Top-15 in Class 4A. Andrean is a state contender in 3A and Griffith will challenge them at the sectional. We can all go back to rooting for Whiting to go to the state finals again instead of making excuses for why they won't play anybody.

And very quietly, a little lady who pitched a perfect game in the state championship game (Hanover-grad Amanda Wendlinger) will try to do something that is even more impossible: Turn North Newton into a sectional and regional championship contender.

But other areas of the state have good teams. Athletic quality and playing skill isn't a result of what part of the state in which you go to school. The true real reason this is the greatest season for NW Indiana softball is that high school softball grows up this year. The distance between the pitcher and catcher, formerly 40 feet, moves to the college distance, 43 feet. The exact effect this change, which should have been made 20 years ago, will have on the high school game is unknown. But the overriding reality is: Teen girls will now play the game at REAL distances. The distance colleges and pros play at. They will play softball in high school for the first time. I suspect (and hope) there will be a small but noticeable upturn in offense, something that is hugely welcome in a sport dominated by 1-0 and 2-1 scores. Softball becomes more of a team sport and not a game of catch between the pitcher and catcher.

For years, people who know I watch a lot of softball games privately tell me they can't watch the game because the batter has no chance. All good pitchers strike out 10 batters a game and nobody hits the ball. This can change now. Softball is occasionally ignored in NW Indiana because the city teams do not play it or do not play it well, largely because they don't have that one girl who dominates everyone else. That can now change, too. I hope more athletic girls will now try to play one of the best high school sports.

With that said, when you look for the top teams you look for returning starting pitchers and you don't have to look very far.

Most of the top-10 teams return TWO starting pitchers. That's almost unheard of.

This should be a very good year and after a somewhat dismal girls basketball season, I'm anxious to get this sport going again.

It will be a down year in the Duneland Athletic Conference, but a better than average season in both the Porter County Conference and the Greater South Shore Conference.

1. CROWN POINT (24-5)
18-11 (2008), 16-14 (2007), 13-14 (2006), 12-14 (2005)

CROWN POINT: It's time for Crown Point to advance beyond the sectional round. They tied longtime dominator Lake Central for the Duneland Athletic Conference title last year but they are the favorite this time. The Bulldogs have two pitchers who got the decision in every game in 2009. Taylor Perry (12-1. 0.55 ERA) and Jackie Beilfuss (12-4, 1.21 ERA) will continue to alternate throwing to senior catcher Katrina Klingberg (.390, 2 HRs, 30 RBIs), who knows them well. The rest of the lineup is junior-dominated, including outfielder Tori Connelly (35-88, .398, 18 stolen bases), who could become even more of a threat. CP benefitted greatly from a beefed-up schedule that included Wheeler (27-3), Penn (27-4), Andrean (28-8) and the Twin Lakes Invitational. The Bulldogs will be good in 2011, but there's no hiding that this is a peak season. CP hosts No. 8 Penn Tuesday at 5:00 p.m.

2. LOWELL (23-11)
20-10 (2008), 30-7 (2007), 23-7 (2006), 21-10 (2005), 20-9 (2004)

LOWELL: The Red Devils lost 11 games and went to the state finals last season. I don't know if they can get back to the finals, but Lowell won't lose 11 games this season. This team created an incredible statistical oddity. Lowell allowed 43 runs in 34 games. Not 43 earned runs. 43 runs total. With left-hander Lauren Wells (14-7, 0.70 ERA) and right-hander Jacki Fletcher (9-4, 1.12 ERA) both returning with catcher Nina Iaokimidis (.330, 17 RBIs), the Devils should be much stronger during the regular season. Lowell's losses last year came because they didn't hit well and there's no real reason for that. With the top three lefty batters Fletcher (.347), Jessica Schiessle (.259) and Wells (.376, 20 RBIs) at the top of the order, Lowell is a pain to play. Don't forget that shortstop Megan Bolanowski hit nine homers in 30 games as a sophomore in 2008. Area coaches haven't. Schiessle broke her hand during the basketball season and she may not be ready to go the first day. But Lowell brings back the entire starting lineup except Katherine Allert (who is at IU). There are girls on this team who have played in two state finals and that creates some confidence. That's Lowell's edge over Crown Point, which hasn't been out of the sectional in this century. But Lowell must create more runs. You are what your record says you are and Lowell was 18-10 during the regular season. The Devils have got to find out why they batted .275 as a team last year. They should be better than that.

3. BOONE GROVE (24-8)
22-6 (2008), 16-11 (2007), 14-16 (2006), 9-19 (2005)

PORTER TOWNSHIP: Boone Grove returns all their pitching, including senior right-handers Taylor Johnson (11-3, 0.67 ERA) and Roxanne Miniuk (12-3, 0.61 ERA). Boone defeated Crown Point (24-5), Wheeler (27-3) and Lowell (23-11), but they were 0-2 against Hanover (24-5). Boone has to replace four-year starter Katie Runyan in centerfield, but one of my philosophies of softball is that, unlike baseball, it's easier to replace an outfielder than an infielder. If a lot of balls are hit to the outfield against you, your team is going to lose anyway. First baseman Caitlin Wilcox (.359, 5 HRs, 21 RBIs) hit nine homers in 2008 and Johnson's sister Lauren Johnson batted .410 with 12 stolen bases. Boone's schedule is not as tough (they don't play in the Twin Lakes Invitational and they don't play Andrean as Hanover or Lowell do), but they've won two sectional in a row so there's no incentive to change things. Like CP and HC and Lowell and Wheeler and Andrean, the key players here are seniors. A lot of good softball players have to get out of town after this season and it will add to the drama.

4. Wheeler (27-3)
2008 (20-7), 2007 (25-4), 2006 (14-16), 2005 (10-18)

UNION TOWNSHIP: Wheeler was 'old school' in 2009 when big right-hander Lanay Parks (20-2, 0.55 ERA) carried the Bearcats to the state finals. Prior to the state finals, Parks lost only 1-0 to Crown Point (24-5) and defeated everyone else she faced. Unless the new distances affect her (she is a power pitcher), she doesn't have to change. Her opponents do. Wheeler returns shortstop Marcy Medina (.357, 25 RBIs), who is already signed to play at Division II Saginaw Valley State, catcher Mackenzie Ness (.345, 2 HRs, 19 RBIs) and Kylie Plank (.413, 24 runs scored) in a very weak league, the Greater South Shore Conference. Wheeler does not have Andrean or Crown Point on the 2010 schedule, but that does not mean they won't play them. CP wasn't on the 2009 schedule either, but they ended up playing in the final 10 days of the year. The 2A Sectional is brutal with Hanover and Bishop Noll, but the Bearcats are well-armed. The only concern is that Boone, Hanover and Hebron have two pitchers and, as far as I know, there's no one behind Parks.

5. ANDREAN (28-8)
18-10 (2008), 29-3 (2007), 26-4 (2006), 32-3 (2005), 29-5 (2004)

MERRILLVILLE: I thought Andrean was going to win the state title in 2009, but New Palestine just crushed them 10-0 in the final game. The Niners still have a dominating team with senior pitcher Alyssa Mosely (20-7, 0.31 ERA, 219 strikeouts in 179 innings), junior catcher Kelly Ryan (.375, 5 HRs, 27 RBIs) and record-breaking shortstop Audrey Bickel (.460, 13 HRs, 51 RBIs). Third baseman Morgan Moseley (.350, 2 HRs, 25 RBIs) should get to pitch a little more this year and combined with Alyssa's offense (.376, 34 runs scored), the Niners will challenge Lowell for the Northwest Crossroads Conference title. Andrean plays a schedule that cannot be questioned. The 59ers have dropped out of the early April Dowagiac Invitational in Michigan, but they still play in the LaPorte Invitational, The Crown Point Invitational, the 16-team Twin Lakes Invitational and the season-ending Bishop's Cup Invitational in Mishawaka. I believe the game with Hebron is a first-time match up and I wouldn't be surprised if Wheeler is added later here. Class 3A in softball is almost as tough as 4A, but the 59ers are surely thinking about getting back to the state title game for another shot at the school's third state championship. They know one thing better than anybody else. Class 3A is an easy bracket. Until you get to the state finals and then it's probably the toughest.

6. HANOVER CENTRAL (22-5)
20-10 (2008), 20-10 (2007), 16-4 (2006), 26-5-3 (2005), 25-7 (2004)

CEDAR LAKE: Hanover's season ended quickly with a 1-0 no-hit loss to state finalist Wheeler and that was frustrating because you could make an argument that the 2009 regular season was the best in program history. The losses were to Lowell (23-11), Andrean (28-8), Crown Point (24-5), Wheeler (27-3) and South Bend St. Joseph's (18-13). Hanover took the Porter County Conference and the 16-game Twin Lakes Invitational. They could not get past Wheeler in the sectional, but here's a team with three starting pitchers, senior right-handers Jessica Toth (12-3, 1.37 ERA), Kelsey Jankowski (9-2) and seldom-used lefty Kasey Stenger. Junior Tiffany Gibson (.422, 18 RBIs) moves to center field while Jankowski (.447, 8 HRs, 28 RBIs in 2008) moves from first base to left field to get Stenger in the lineup every day. Four-year starting infielders Lindsay Thompson and Kara Gilbert have graduated, but lead-off girl Morgan Austgen moves to second base and Danielle Nowak steps in at shortstop. If there is any team that will benefit from the longer pitching distance, it is Hanover. If the Lady Cats can get a little confidence at the plate, they have an abundance of pitching. But bad softball teams lose because they have no pitching and no defense. Good softball teams lose because they can't hit. Hanover Central's season is a two-month effort to get the offense going in time to get back on that sectional field against Wheeler.

7. (2A) Bishop Noll (20-8)
2008 (19-10), 2007 (9-19), 2006 (16-16)

HAMMOND: The Warriors should have eliminated Wheeler in the post-season last year and then they might have beaten Hanover, Jimtown and Boone Grove and gone to the state 2A finals. Noll had a top season with 5-foot-10 right-hander Vanessa Hartzell (13-8, 0.54 ERA, 216 strikeouts in 155 innings) who helped the Warriors to a 20-win season as a freshman. She's back and so is junior Rose Mullaney (.333, 14 stolen bases) plus other sophomores who have played with Hartzel up through youth leagues. Noll plays a good non-conference schedule including that Bishop's Cup tournament in May. But the Warriors know where the gold is. Noll lost three one-run games to state finalist Wheeler last season, two in extra innings. The way you become a real player is by 'targeting' the team that always defeats you. Noll's target is Wheeler and they almost certainly get three chances. The last of which will be at the Bishop Noll Sectional.

8. (4A) Munster (17-14)
2009 (17-14) 2008 (27-7) 2007 (24-7) 2006 (22-7), 2005 (25-3-1), 2004 (25-3-1)

MUNSTER: Munster returns outfielder Angelique Zadrozny (.314, 6 HRs, 20 RBIs) plus pitcher Shannon Shreibak, who had a good debut season in 2009, striking out 110. The Mustangs play a very creative schedule including the state's top two tournaments: the Carmel Invitational and the Twin Lakes Invitational, plus Illinois powers Illiana Christian and Homewood-Flossmoor. Munster also hosts Kimberly, Wisconsin in a game I cannot explain. Munster lost the Munster Invitational to the weather last year and they apparently have discontinued it. There are some questions here, but with Shriebak and Holly Ispas, pitching is not one of them.

9. (3A) Griffith (18-13)
2008 (2007 (16-14), 2006 (12-19), 2005 (19-15), 2004 (16-15)

GRIFFITH: Andrean rejected Griffith in the opening game of the sectional and went on to the state finals. Griffith had a good year. They were 2-0 against state finalist Lowell and sophomore pitcher Alex Latronica (10-5, 2.00 ERA) had 154 strikeouts in 129 innings. She's not overpowering but she was effective in extended playing time. The Panthers graduated six seniors, but it's still all about the pitcher and catcher and senior Kaylnn Ruiz returns behind the plate. Griffith's problem is the same as Hanover's. They have a sectional foe who has defeated them in recent history. The Panthers must target them and overcome them.

10. Chesterton (14-15)
2008 (17-10), 2007 (20-6), 2006 (30-2), 2005 (27-3-1), 2004 (20-7)

CHESTERTON: This team struggled with inexperience and the especially bad spring weather in 2009. But I believe they'll be much better, eventually higher than 10th in this poll. Pitcher Taylor Harlow returns as does most of the starting lineup. You can argue that that bunch was 14-15, but the girls are surely better and this year, the Duneland Athletic Conference is worse. The Trojans will eventually compete with CP for the league title.

On the outside looking in...

4A. LAKE CENTRAL (25-6)
25-7 (2008), 21-6 (2007), 25-8 (2006) 32-1 (2005), 29-3 (2004)

ST. JOHN: Lake Central is going to have some trouble this year. LC graduated all-stater Jessica Dobson and her sister Ashley, who was expected to take over for her, moved with her family back to DeMotte. It is unlikely that LC does not have a good pitcher. Look at the records of past seasons. But they have a new coach and a new half a starting lineup. You can't rate them that highly yet. They have to prove something.

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