Northwest Indiana Top-10

Week-3, 2006 High School Rankings

4-19-2006

A USA-365.com Special Report By Mark Smith

MERRILLVILLE (4-18-2006) - Nearly through a month of the softball season, the pleasant thing is the emergence of new pitching that some of the smaller schools can build good teams around in the years to come. Calumet, Whiting and Kankakee Valley can stay in the game with anyone now because their pitcher doesn't get bombed into the parking lot on the first inning.

KV freshman Jessica Dobson struck out a school-record 17 in a 3-0 win over Wheeler this month and she smoked 14 in a 1-0 win over Hebron. KV is not a strong team, but they did win five of their first nine including a 7-2 win over Highland. Andrean beat KV 3-0 Monday (4-17-2006) and that's a moral victory for KV. The reason is freshman pitcher Jessica Dobson (3-4). Whiting's Mel Dumezich won a 1-0 game against Marquette Saturday (4-15-2006), striking out 16 and hitting a home run to win it.

Whiting (9-0) does not play a difficult schedule so their undefeated record is suspect. But anybody who bats leadoff, hits a home run and strikes out 16 is an impact player and you only need one in softball. Dumezich has hit a leadoff home run twice this season in the first inning and has four homers overall. The best thing Dumezich (8-0, 0.37 ERA) has done is to allow senior Lee Ann Martinez to go back to catching after a year as pitcher. With a top pitching-catching duo, Whiting doesn't need much else in Class 1A.

Calumet's Amanda Cole (10-3) has lifted Calumet to the happy side of the street, pitching every game and keeping her side in almost every game. The Warriors had some painful 20-loss seasons as recently as two years ago. But Cole (10-13 in 2005) at least gives them a chance to win and encourages other girls to play.

One of the truths of softball is that, if you have a hard throwing right-handed pitcher and a good catcher, you can put Jessica Simpson in left field because the ball's never going to be hit out there. You have to have a very good team to win without a top pitcher, but you do not have to have a very good team to win if you have a very good pitcher and catcher.

Funny thing about new pitching though, some teams get more even if they don't need more. Andrean whipped out freshman Kate Rone (3-0) who won two games in Saturday's Chieftain Invitational in Dowagiac, Michigan and blanked KV 3-0 Monday. Rone struck out 15 in a perfect game against Boone Grove on the JV level earlier this year. Reportedly, this girl can fire like Dick Cheney and unlike the vice president, she'll still be around in 2009. Andrean already has senior Katie Ivancich (8-1), who has complete game victories over Munster and Lowell already.

Also, Lake Central's Rachel Weaver pitched a perfect game, 10-strikeout 9-0 victory over Turkey Run Saturday in the McCutcheon Classic in Lafayette. LC already has top right-handers Angie Funston and Katie Golden.

There have also been some interesting new hitters like Katherine Allert at Lowell, Kara Gilbert at Hanover Central, and Tara Buchanan (12 of 22, 11 RBIs) at LaPorte. But it's all about the pitchers and there appear to be more quality ones coming than there are seniors going.

Illinois' top-ranked team, Beecher (17-0) hosts Hanover Central (6-5) Thursday at 4:30 p.m. while West Lafayette (10-0) visits Lowell (8-3) on April 29. Munster heads for a matchup with 4A No. 3 Carmel in the Carmel Invitational Saturday.

Downstate McCutcheon (4-9) lost three games in one day for the second time this season. Remember, their top returning pitcher transferred to 1A No. 2 Clinton Prairie in January. 4A No. 3 Hamilton Southeastern beat Lafayette Jefferson 3-0 Tuesday night as left-handed pitcher Morgan Melloh struck out 16. It will take a couple more weeks before the state polls mean anything. Most of the rankings are still based on what the teams did last year. Unfortunately, unlike for other Indiana team sports, there is no statewide web site with details or even scores for softball. Many at the bottom of the state don't even know if the season has started in the north. And most of the players, fans and media in the north wouldn't know South Dearborn from South America.

1.) ANDREAN (11-1)

32-3 in 2005, 29-5 in 2004, 27-2 in 2003, 30-3 in 2002, 26-7 in 2001

MERRILLVILLE - The 59ers were dominant at the Chieftain Invitational in Dowagiac, Michigan beating Kalamazoo Christian 7-0, Jenison 12-0 and host Dowagiac 6-2. The 59ers rolled up 35 hits in three games and looked like a top-rated team. Freshman Kate Rone struck out eight and waked none in the 6-2 win over Dowagiac (6-1), which was undefeated before the game. Rone also defeated Jenison, and ended the day with no walks in 13 innings. Assuming Ivancich is not injured or unavailable for some reason, coach Frank Podkul is wise to start preparing for next season when his senior pitcher will be living the college life.

What sets the 59ers (at least until that weak 3-0 game Monday) apart is the production on offense that few other teams have. The 59ers may jump up into the top spot in the state 3A poll, as well, this week or next. The only loss is to 2A No. 1 Frankton. Here comes a streak of games (Hobart, Noll, Highland) where both sides know who should win, but Andrean's got to get it done if the league title is a priority. Meanwhile the 59ers take a week Off the 'World Tour'. Andrean is idle this weekend before tournament trips to Valparaiso, Monticello and Mishawaka.

2.) Munster (8-1)

25-3-1 in 2005, 25-3-1 in 2004, 22-7 in 2003, 15-12 in 2002, 23-10 in 2001

MUNSTER - Munster lost 2-0 to Andrean in 10 innings but they'll get two more shots at the 59ers on May 4 at Andrean and probably, on May 6 at the Twin Lakes Invitational in Monticello. The Mustangs were strong in a 4-0 put down of Lowell Monday, displaying clearly there still is a 'Big-4' in regional softball (LC, Andrean, Munster and Chesterton) and then a gap to everybody else. Jackie Yerga (6-1) allowed only one ball hit out of the infield against Lowell, a strong hitting squad. Mary Ann Spolnik shut out Kankakee Valley 4-0 Thursday as KV self-destructed with six errors. Jackie Yerga had an RBI double. Big week for the Lady Ponies. After the win over Lowell (8-3) Monday, they head for Carmel Saturday (4-22-6) to play McCutcheon, 4A No. 4 Carmel and Cathedral. Here's a chance for Munster to defeat some good teams and prove that 4A No. 1 ranking isn't largely based on last season. LC (8-5) is the best team Munster has defeated so far and LC was two players short. But Munster has two senor pitchers and a dominant No. 3 hitter in Hallie Gibbs. The jury is still out on No.1 in the state, but there are 'haves' and 'have nots,' and Munster is again clearly in the upper echelon.

3.) Lake Central (9-5)

32-1 in 2005, 29-3 in 2004, 32-3-1 in 2003, 28-1 in 2002, 30-4 in 2001

St. JOHN - Lake Central's five losses -- to Chesterton (8-1), Munster (7-1), Penn (6-3), Franklin Central (6-3) and Castle, all on the road, are not enough to label them a team without talent or character. The LC girls have been two players short all season but that's down to one now that Allison Aguilera has returned from a broken wrist. Hard-throwing Rachel Weaver no-hit Turkey Run Saturday at the McCutcheon Invitational. Remember, McCutcheon had nine losses when they reached the state finals in 2005. Hanover Central lost seven when they won the state tile in 2004. LC posted a tight 1-0 win over rival Portage Monday as top pitcher Angie Funston edged out Portage star Meaghan Gutierrez. The Indians then stopped Highland 2-0 Tuesday with Rachel Weaver allowing one hit and four walks in seven innings.

Undefeated teams usually haven't been tested. LC gets very few scheduling breaks, by design. Let's tell some truth. LC was a little bit lucky to go 32-0 last year. Anybody would be. You don't get the breaks every year. But LC has not lost at home and they have not lost to anything other than a quality team. And maybe it's just me, but I sensed a little anger in LC's 10-0 win over Crown Point and 25-0 over Michigan City last week. On paper, LC is still the top DAC team, so when Lake Central gets Aguilera and Ashley Michalski back on the field and in full form, they will probably rise to first place in their league. Of course, that's the same thing the Cubs say about Mark Prior and Kerry Wood, isn't it?

4.) Chesterton (10-1)

27-3-1 in 2005, 20-7 in 2004, 22-5 in 2003, 21-4 in 2002

CHESTERTON - Chesterton continues to roll up wins, including a 9-2 verdict over Crown Point and a 4-0 nine-inning win over Hobart. Megan Hawkins' two-run double started a four-run ninth inning rally that beat Hobart Saturday. Dawn McClellan struck out 11 against Crown Point. Monday was another walk in the sunshine as the Trojans had a stomping-good time beating LaPorte 10-0. Another shutout for McClellan who appears to have taken over as the No. 1 pitcher. Once again, you go back to the 3-2 loss to Lowell in late March and they should have won that game, too. This team is all the way up to No. 2 in the state rankings and I'm not sure about that. Again, state rankings, especially in softball where one end of the state is totally ignorant of the other, are about as real as six episodes of 'Pepper Dennis'. This is an inexperienced team that has done all it can do to this point. Bring on rival Portage, Munster and LC again. Despite the record (and they should be 11-0), this team hasn't proven much yet.

5.) LOWELL (8-3)

21-10 in 2005, 20-9 in 2004, 13-16 in 2003, 14-15 in 2002, 21-9 in 2001

LOWELL - Lowell is officially in a batting slump after a 4-0 loss to Class 4A No. 1 Munster Monday. Lowell had lost 7-1 to Andrean and 2-0 to Bishop Noll last week in games where the offense was quiet. The Devils beat Crown Point 2-1 in 10 innings Saturday in another defensive struggle. Kelly Johnson was 3-for-4 and freshman Katherine Allert (3-for-5) drove in the winning run. But what's up with these games? A 2-0 loss to Bishop Noll, a 2-1 win over Boone... Lowell's got to produce more runs than they have. Pitchers Kaitlyn Bolanowski (5-1) and Ryssa Nord (3-2) are not great, but they are above average and doing all they can. Lowell has had base runners. The Devil girls need to get 'em around and get 'em in, something that was supposed to be a strength. Anyone who wants to see the Devils battle Griffith needs to grab a jacket and get over to Broad Street for a rare 7:00 p.m. Thursday night (4-20-6) game. But both sides need to invest in bats with lights on them because right now, those are two weak hitting ball clubs.

6.) Portage (6-4)

20-9 in 2005, 27-4-3 in 2004, 19-9 in 2003

PORTAGE - Portage still has that pitcher and Meagan Gutierrez has teamed with catcher Sammy Griffith for three strong wins last week, 4-0 over Valparaiso, 2-1 over Merrillville and 4-0 over Harrison (5-2). . Gutierrez had a four-game span with 44 strikeouts. Portage has lost at Lowell (8-3), at 4A No. 2 Martinsville and against 2A No. 3 Scecina. The Portage defense kicked three more errors against Merrillville and its still a concern. Unofficially the Indian girls have 22 errors in 10 games and that's a frightening number. The Indians scored just 25 runs in 10 games and that's almost as scary. It's a miracle they're 6-4 with those numbers, but the competition has been tough. Portage again came up light in the sticks against Lake Central Monday, losing 1-0. If it matters (and since all these teams are 4A, it doesn't) LC and Portage are one game behind Chesterton in the DAC race.

7.) Bishop Noll (5-8)

17-12 in 2005, 17-14 in 2004, 18-13 in 2003

HAMMOND - I think Noll has been shut out five times and has posted three shutouts themselves. The 5-0 win over Griffith this week is another vivid example of what they can do. Allison Rokosz had three hits against Griffith and the truth is, Noll is probably better than Griffith despite the record. But again, so does five shutout losses... here's another team that can't hit. They lost 2-0 to Highland (4-7) last week. How many times has Ramona Delgado pitched when Noll was shut out? DelGado is 0-5 and her side has been shut out three times. How come they cant get her some runs? The Warriors lost to South Bend Clay and Logansport over the weekend, but that's better for them than beating Clark 11-0 like they did Tuesday.

8.) LaPorte (5-3)

13-16 in 2005, 3-21 in 2004

LaPORTE - The Slicers have found the going a little bit tougher in recent days after a strong start. Chesterton whipped them like a dusty rug 10-0 Monday after a 15-8 win over Valpo. Add in the 1-0 loss to Merrillville (3-10) last week and the confidence level may be slipping. LaPorte made five errors in the win over Valpo and rang up three more bobbles in the loss to Chesterton Monday. The question now is did the Slicers, who should be pleased with a plus .500 record, understand that even good teams get beat if they play strong schedules and the real challenge is to bounce back after a loss.

9.) Griffith (7-4)

19-15 in 2005, 16-15 in 2004, 18-14 in 2003

GRIFFITH - A double-header sweep over sub-.500 South Bend Riley makes Griffith's record look good, but an 8-0 loss to Andrean was a stinger and a 5-0 loss to Noll Monday put a little more smoke on the fire. Lisa Worley (3-3) and Brittany Bridges (4-1) have held up their end, but the Panther girls really need to invest in a seminar on the proper use of those long shiny pieces of metal down there on the dugout floor. It may not matter. For the big black cats, the season is all a preview for a schedule they should be equipped to handle, as offensively challenged as they are right now.

10.) Whiting (9-0)

11-16 in 2005, 28-6 in 2004, 21-10 in 2003

WHITING - I know. I know. The schedule is weaker than Alpha Bits with out sugar (whose idea was that?). How can you rank a team that has beaten Lake Station (3-6), Morton (4-8), Clark (3-6), Michigan City (3-9) and Gavit (4-8) and other semi-tough squads like Calumet, Hammond and Morgan Township? Well, you can rank them because of one Melanie Dumezich, a freshman who has four home runs, nine pitching victories and an average of 10 strikeouts per game. How good is she? No one knows because of the schedule they play. Whiting needs to call Lowell or Andrean, Munster or Lake Central and get a real test in May before the playoffs, but they probably won't. Playing this schedule got them to the state finals in 2003 and 2004 and there's something to be said for never stepping up and taking a 10-0 whipping from a big school power. Those aren't the teams you'll see in the state tournament. It could be that playing a weaker schedule and winning 95% of the time is better prep for the SMALL SCHOOL state tournament than playing a tough schedule like Bishop Noll does and struggling to reach the .500 mark. You can't argue with where Whiting ended up in 2003 and 2004.

But you can't rank them very highly. It isn't impossible that Whiting, which outscored the first nine foes 57-6, wins every single game all season. They do not play any of the other nine teams in this poll. And other than 1A powers South Central and Pioneer, there's no one here who should beat them. And they did beat Calumet (12-3) decisively. So no, Calumet shouldn't be rated ahead of them.

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