Northwest Indiana Top-10 Week-4, 2006 High School Rankings 4-28-2006
	A USA-365.com Special Report by Mark Smith

Lowell is ranked fifth and they haven't played that well.  And there's no way 8th-ranked South Bend Adams is better than No. 10 Penn or No. 11 Lake Central (14-5).  No one I have found truly believes that Lake Central is not one of the state's top-10 teams.  And it is confusing how Munster dropped in the poll after winning three out of four in the elite Carmel Invitational.  Munster beat undefeated West Lafayette (15-0) and dropped two spots in the state polls.  That makes no sense.

Carmel won four out of five (they beat Munster 4-3 and Penn 5-1) to win the Carmel Invitational, which has probably equaled the Twin Lakes tournament as the top in-season tournament.  Munster, West Lafayette, Andrean and Lowell all head for the Twin Lakes Invitational on May 5-6 but the off-year for McCutcheon (5-10) has lessened the strength of both fields.  Lewis Cass, Pioneer and other Top-10s help make Twin Lakes a strong 16-team field although that is an SAT weekend for many teens and some key players may not be there.  One team that will not be in Monticello that was not at Carmel will be undefeated Culver Academy with Division I pitcher Jackie Lawrence (13-0, 150 strikeouts, 7 walks in 76 innings) and state home run champion Alexia Clay. Clay (23-31, .742, 6 HRs, 23 RBIs) , a senior catcher, hit her sixth homer in 12 games.  No one in NW Indiana has anything like them as a pitcher catcher combo.  Culver has allowed just six runs all season.  Saturday (4-23-6) in Culver's double-header sweep of Maconaquah.

Class 3A No. 6 West Lafayette and Class 1A No. 9 Pioneer (who will travel and play anybody) come up to play Lowell Saturday before Lowell (May 2) and Munster (May 4) get rematches with Andrean next week.  The 59ers play in the four team Valparaiso Invitational Saturday.  The Highland Invitational this weekend is a chance for locals like Highland and Griffith to challenge schools like Penn (13-2) and Mishawaka Marian.  Whiting (14-0) is conspicuous here by their absence at a decent tournament less than 10 miles from their front door.

It's time to start looking around the state and, if the goal is to actually win the state title, the brackets to be in are 1A and arguably 4A.  Anyone in 2A needs to understand that top-ranked Scecina (13-0) has junior pitcher Emily Wethington who has not allowed a run (earned or unearned) all season.  Scecina has outscored the opposition 119-5.  One of the wins is over Portage (10-5) a game where Wethington struck out 18 and another is a 5-1 win over 4A No. 7 Martinsville.  Anyone in 3A needs to know about top-ranked Pendleton Heights (15-0) which is led by is led by all-stater center fielder Chelsea Held (32 of 52, .615, 27 RBIs, 8 triples) and sophomore pitcher Whitney Owens (8-0, 0.47, 94Ks in 59 innings).

Why is Pendleton No. 1?  Because they have defeated 1A No. 1 North Davies, 3A No. 2 New Palestine, 3A No. 4 Boonville, 4A No. 6 Carmel and 4A No. 9 Avon.  They play a state finals' schedule.  The Arabians face 4A No. 1 Hamilton Southeastern this week (4-28-6), 4A No. 4 Center Grove the next night (4-29-6)  and 2A No. 3 Frankton next Tuesday (5-2-6).  Pendleton also challenges 2A No. 1 Scecina (13-0) on May 16.  Pendleton Heights does not attempt to duck and slide through the regular season.

But as always, when considering state polls, understand the geography of the situation.  Softball coaches 200 miles away at the bottom of the state have probably never been to Lafayette, much less Munster or Chesterton.  It's like the presidential primary.  Voters have absolutely no idea who or what they are voting for.  The weekly polls make about as much sense as Paula Abdul does on America Idol.

1.  (3A) ANDREAN  (13-1)

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

MERRILLVILLE  -  The 59ers' only loss is to Class 1A No. 3 Frankton, so this is a pretty solid 13-1 record, including wins over 4A No. 3 Munster and 4A No. 6 Lowell.  Andrean pitching has nine shutouts and no one has scored more than three runs against the 59ers all season.  Katie Ivancich (10-1) has dominated almost everyone she has faced and until someone beats her, it is hard to rate any other team No. 1.

No knocking the wide-ranging and difficult schedules of Munster, Chesterton and Lake Central, but nobody in NW Indiana does with their schedule what Andrean does as far as travel, tough foes and multiple games in one day scenarios.  The 59ers, who have a very fine home softball complex, play just seven home games, the seven they are required to play in LAC double round robin competition.  Sometimes they are devalued locally because of that.

Andrean will play 20-24 games on the road and that is by design.  I believe they may have a date they can reschedule due to an early rainout against St. Joseph's.  Okay Whiting, make the phone call.  The Niners ride the big yellow bus to Valparaiso for the Valpo Invitational this weekend where they will see Elkhart Memorial (11-4).

MID-TERM GRADE (A) The 59ers have another state finals team if they don't get the 'big head' and get carried away with how great they think they are.  Andrean has traveled enough to know that 3A is a very loaded bracket state wide.  The 59ers know they will have to defeat Jackie Lawrence, Alexia Clay and Culver.  No one has done that yet and superpower Pendleton Heights plus deep south heavy hitters Gibson Southern and Evansville Memorial may await in Indianapolis.

2.  (4A) Munster  (12-2)

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

MUNSTER  -  Munster is the top 4A team in this poll after winning three of four games in the elite Carmel Invitational. The most impressive victory was a 3-0 win over West Lafayette (16-2), a top-10 3A team.  In the state poll, the Mustangs dropped from 1st to 3rd, but that's a mistake.  They should have been rewarded for their performance last weekend.  The Mustangs were asked to prove themselves against good teams and they did.  Senior Mary Ann Spolnik (4-1) was the winner against West Lafayette and all-stater Brittany Stanley and she was the loser against Carmel.  But three Munster errors may have had something to do with the loss.  Munster's lack of speed hurts them defensively.

Munster was a victim of the 'out-of-sight, out of mind' logic of pollsters.  Their winning 3 of 4 at the eltie Carmel Invitational was more significant than Chesterton sweeping the Chesterton Invitatational.  But Chesterton was at home.  Nobody in NW Indiana SAW Munster do what they did.  The Lady Ponies get more credit locally for beating arch-rival Highland than they do for beating West Lafayette.  Senior Jackie Yerga (8-1) shut out McCutcheon and Cathedral.  The Mustangs have allowed only 14 runs all year and they have a strikeout pitcher in Yerga, so they may not spend much time worrying about defensive speed.  Munster gets a rematch with Andrean on Thursday, May 4 and they should  welcome that right now.

MID-TERM GRADE (A) The losses are to Carmel and Andrean.  Munster needed to beat LC to prove they can do that.  Mission accomplished.  Nobody this side of Culver has a No. 3 hitter with top shelf power like Hallie Gibbs.  This team is 50-50 to get out of the sectional, which means they're 50-50 to reach the state finals.

3.  (4A) Lake Central  (14-5)

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 (16-1), Munster (15-2), Penn (13-2), Franklin Central (10-3) and Castle, all on the road, should be forgotten by now as the Indians have rolled up eight wins in a row.  Angie Funston (9-2) pitched back-to-back shutouts against Jefferson and Valparaiso.  Lake Central was 6-0 last week.  Rachel Weaver followed up a no-hitter against Turkey Run on April 15 with a one-hitter against Highland on April 18.  LC gave up 20 runs in the first seven games, but just seven in the next 12 games.  LC was 11-1 in those games.  The reality is, at the start of the year it was LC, Munster and Andrean and then everybody else.  In truth, it probably still is.

MID-TERM GRADE  (B) Five losses on the road to winning teams is not a bad first half.  LC has three top pitchers and have survived some injuries.  LC has the experience in the state tourney that no one else but Andrean has. Like Munster, they are 50-50 to get out of the sectional (which is not that good) and therefore 50-50 to reach the finals (which is very good).

4.  (4A) Chesterton  (17-1)

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

CHESTERTON  -  Chesterton swept three good teams in the Chesterton Invitational before topping Griffith 4-1 on Monday (4-25). When you look for a reason for the Trojans' success you look at the box scores and while they may not always be accurate, the Trojans have just seven errors listed after 17 games. That's an improvement even over last year's 27-3-1 team.  It also should be noted that the opening 3-2 loss to Lowell was a narrow defeat for pitcher Emma Lawson.  Since then, Dawn McClellan (10-0), who has struck out almost 1.5 batters an inning, has gone undefeated.  The Trojans outscored South Bend Washington, Elkhart Memorial and Lafayette Catholic by a combined score of 21-0 in 21 innings of play Saturday (4-23-2006).  They swamped Merrillville 10-0 Wednesday (4-26-2006) and get a rematch with Lake Central this week.  Chesterton beat LC 3-0 in early April, but they're going to have to beat them again to win the Duneland Conference and it will be tougher this time.

MID-TERM GRADE (A+) They get the top grade in NW Indiana.  No one will say truthfully they expected this.  The Trojans replaced a lot of their 2005 starters and they've won 17 in a row.  They should actually be 18-0 and the loss is 3-2 to 4A No. 5 Lowell.  Chesterton has had the best first half in all of NW Indiana because they have beaten quality teams and this 're-load' is a great compliment to their program.  Odds are 4-1 against them reaching the state finals.  But when you consider who they must beat, that's a pretty good chance.

5.  (4A) LOWELL (12-3)

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

LOWELL  -  Lowell has a good record but those who have seen them know they have not lived up to their very surprising ranking in the Class 4A poll.  What's up with the No. 5 ranking state wide?  This team is rated 5th the same way the Chicago Bulls are in the NBA playoffs.  Temporarily.  All I can guess is that Chesterton's 17-game wining streak after Lowell beat them is lifting the Devils in the poll.  Lowell is using freshman pitcher Alyssa Reed (2-0) as their No. 2 pitcher after Kaitlyn Bolanowski suffered minor injuries in a car accident.  Warmer weather would help the offense here.  No. 3 hitter Kelly Johnson and No. 4 hitter, freshman Katherine Allert, stroked back-to-back extra base hits in wins 7-1 over Hanover Central and 3-2 over Griffith last week.  Lowell stopped Kankakee Valley 7-4 on four RBIs Tuesday (4-25-2006) by Courtney Austgen.  But 7-4 is not a 7-4 victory in softball, as it is a sign of a team that is not playing well.

The Devils welcome in 1A No.10 Pioneer Saturday morning at 9 a.m.  and  3A No. 6 West Lafayette (16-2) Saturday afternoon at approximately 1 p.m.  Lowell will see two-time 20-game winner Brittany Stanley (9-2), who pitched a one-hit shutout and struck out 12 in an 8-0 rout of Lafayette Jefferson Monday night.  How come 1A Pioneer can play Lowell but Whiting can't?

MID-TERM GRADE (C) Lowell is very fortunate to be 12-3.  The Devils have lost two pitchers to injury since the start of the preseason.   This team has not hit or played as well defensively as they did last year.  Off the first 15 games, Lowell has no chance to reach the state finals, but going on the talent I know they have, I give them a 10% shot.

6.  (4A) Portage  (10-5)

2005 (20-9), 2004 (27-4-3), 2003 (19-9)

PORTAGE  -   Portage all-state pitcher Meagan Gutierrez is giving her team a chance to win, but the Indians suffer  because of offensive trouble.  After 15 games, Gutierrez had pitched seven shutouts, six against Class 4A schools and the other against Lincoln-Way East high school of New Lenox, the defending big school state champ of Illinois.  Other than a 9-2 loss at Lowell, Portage could have won every game so far.  But in five losses, Portage has been shut out four times, including 1-0 losses to both Chesterton (17-1) and Lake Central (14-5).

The Indians nipped Kankakee Valley 1-0 Monday as Gutierrez allowed two hits and no walks. Portage stopped Crown Point 1-0 Wednesday as Gutierrez tossed a four-hit shutout.  The Portage record is amazing considering the Indians have scored just 34 runs (2.2 per game) in 15 games. They have had very few offensive highlights all season, but they only need to scratch out one or two runs a game to have a chance.  Considering the lack of run support and the level of competition, Gutierrez is having an all-state season.  Lowell is not superior to Portage in pitching, but Lowell did beat them 9-2 and also beat Chesterton a team that beat Portage.  The problem is, it's hard to improve your offense late in the season against good competition.  Batting improvement is something you do over the summer.

MID-TERM GRADE (C) Portage has the best pitcher in NW Indiana.  Meagan Gutierrez pitches a shutout every other day and still they struggle.  The defense has been a little shaky and the offense has just been bad.  It seems like  Gutierrez, who has a streak of nine games where she has allowed one run or less, would have to pitch five consecutive shutouts to take this team to the finals.  But there's a 5% chance she could do just that.

7.  (4A) LaPorte  (9-4)

2005  (13-16), 2004 (3-21)

LaPORTE  -  The Slicers got a 1-0 win at Crown Point last week after a 10-0 loss to 4A No. 1 Chesterton.  The Slicers are hard to read though.  They made seven errors in an 8-3 loss to Lake Central  (14-5), but the Slicers do have that 5-3 win over 3A No. 8 New Prairie (13-2) and an early wins 6-1 over Bishop Noll and 10-0 over Hobart (7-7).  The Slicers are the comeback story of the year, apparently headed for a winning record in the Duneland Conference after years of being a doormat.

A mark of 15-15 for a  DAC team is better than 28-0 in the LAC Blue.  The NW Indiana prep sports media, based in Lake County, publicly contend that playing small schools with weak programs is superior to playing the 14 Class 4A  schools LaPorte faces in the DAC.  The 'Times' newspaper doesn't even include LaPorte in their rankings, even though they include the other seven DAC schools.  That's their choice.  The Slicers have to gain a little confidence defensively though, or the second half of the season will not go well.  LaPorte made six more errors Wednesday (4-26-2006) in a 5-2 win over sectional rival South Bend Riley.  Bre Smith is not a strikeout pitcher and the Slicers have to be more fundamentally sound than most winning softball teams.  But it's better to lose to LC, Portage and Chesterton than to beat Clark, Gavit and Lake Station.

MID-TERM GRADE (B)  I don't know if LaPorte has ever had a winning season in softball and they have a fighting chance here, although the second half of the season will be significantly tougher than the first.  Bre Smith has been a solid pitcher but she has to hold up for another month.  Again, considering the path they must walk, this team has no chance realistically to reach the state finals but they are 50-50 to win the sectional.

8.  (2A) Bishop Noll (8-9)

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

HAMMOND  -  Noll has been shut out six times after a 2-0 loss to 4A No. 3 Munster Tuesday (4-25-2006) and that's why they're not higher here, despite a 2-0 win over Lowell.  Losing to Munster is not a bad loss, but there's got to be a little more Warrior offense here eventually to back pitchers Kristen Chico and Ramona DelGado.  Merrillville beat Bishop Noll 3-2 Monday afternoon as the Warriors got just four hits in eight innings.  The Warriors got nine hits Wednesday in a 4-0 win over North Newton, but North Newton isn't very good.  But if you do not consider strength of schedule here, you will be taken about as seriously as Tony Snow will be in defending George Bush.  Other than the North Newton game and a double-header split with sectional rival Hanover Central, Noll's other 14 dates have been against 3A or 4A schools.  Noll has played nine Class 4A schools and they are 2-7 in those games.  The goal for Noll is to not be discouraged by the losses.  Had they played all 2A schools, they'd probably have a top-heavy winning record and would be heralded as a surprise team.  But they are doing the right thing for the state tournament.  When they drop down to 2A competition exclusively in the state tournament, only Hanover Central (7-7) appears to have a real chance to deny this team a sectional title.  Noll will end the season with a near .500 record, but it will not be a good barometer of where they have been or where they are going.

MID-TERM GRADE (C) This team sometimes swings the bats like they are rolled-up copies of the Sporting News.  I think they'll hit 2A pitching in the post-season although but I wouldn't bet the rent on it.  But look at Class 2A.  This team is a win over a .500 Hanover Central team and a win over Bremen away from the state finals.  Noll has a 50-50 chance to reach the 2006 state finals which is very, very high.

9.  (3A) Griffith  (8-8)

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

GRIFFITH  -  The Panthers lost 3-2 to Lowell in a game they could have won, but they also lost 4-1 to Chesterton (4-25-2006) in a game they should not have won.  Griffith played two games over the weekend in the Blackford Invitational and, although scores got lost in the wind, they apparently went 1-1 losing to then-undefeated Bellmont (9-1).  The Panthers most pressing problem remains run-scoring.  Not counting the Blackford games, Griffith had scored 36 runs in 14 games and 11 of those came in an 11-0 win over Morton.  That obviously leaves 25 runs for the other 13 games which obviously is nowhere near enough.  Griffith has played a tougher schedule than Hobart and everybody here has played a tougher schedule than Whiting.  Pitchers Lisa Worley and Brittany Bridges keep the Panthers close, but they'll have to score more than two runs a game and the Panthers swing the bats like the Chicago Cubs without Derrek Lee.

MID-TERM GRADE (C)  The pitching has been pleasing but the offense has been sub-par.  Still, it's a pitchers game.  Griffith is the sectional favorite and, even with the presence of Andrean (13-1) and Tippecanoe County powerhouse West Lafayette (16-2), I give Griffith a 20% chance to reach the finals.

10.  (1A) Whiting (14-0)

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

WHITING  -  The Oilers were tested for the first time this season and scored three wins in one day -- beating West Central 3-1, Caston 10-2 and 1A No. 10 Pioneer 6-3.  Give them credit for successfully stepping away from their comfort zone of easy foes.  The Oilers showed flaws with six errors on the day, but right-handed pitcher Mel Dumezich (13-0) continued to blow away small school batters. Freshman pitcher Mel Dumezich (27-48, .563, 6 HRs, 21 RBIs) was 6-of-10 on the day Saturday (4-23-2006) while pitching three, seven inning complete games.  Dumezich (13-0, 130 strikeouts, 21 walks in 85 innings) struck out 23 and walked three in 21 innings.  Liz Curosh (13-36, .361) was also 6-for-10.

Whiting should go undefeated.  They just passed the only marginal test last weekend.  In a close game, Whiting will have to make some plays and six errors last weekend in three games (Whiting has 22 errors in 14 games, far too many for a team whose pitcher averages 10 strikeouts a game) where their pitcher struck out 23 would suggest they will have problems.  The Oilers will not see any of the nine teams ranked ahead of them here.  At this writing, Whiting had 14 games to play and only two (Wheeler and South Central)  are against teams which presently have winning records.  No matter what they say out loud, the Oilers know that, with the new double round robin Lake Athletic Conference (LAC) format, Whiting gets a 14-game pass.

Two years ago when Whiting went to the state finals, the Oilers played Munster, Andrean, Griffith, Bishop Noll  and Hobart. They actually beat Andrean 1-0 on April 12, 2004.  Whiting plays none of those teams this year.  Intentionally or not, the 2006 schedule avoids every quality team in Lake and Porter County.  But it's going to work for Whiting because NW Indiana's 'hometown' media, as is their tradition, will cheer lead for the Oilers and declare them world champs for eating 28 cupcakes.  Here's your choice.  Would you rather go 28-0, win your league and choke in the regional because you haven't played anybody or go 18-10, lose a couple of games 10-0 and reach the state finals.  You can't have both.  Deal or no deal????

MID-TERM GRADE (A)  Obviously. They've won every game.  Met every challenge, no matter how minor.  Class 1A is not strong in northern Indiana.  When you look at their regular season schedule, I think that Whiting must go undefeated to have any credibility at all.   Dumezich is new and, as a hitter, she's been walked just seven times.  That will change.  With their inexperience at pitcher and a shaky defense, senior catcher Lee Ann Martinez (15-44, .356) is the key to this team, calming the defense and batting behind Dumezich.  There is great drama here because Whiting will enter the state tournament without ever having been seriously tested.  Odds against the Oilers are only 3-1 to reach the 1A state finals and those are odds you would kill for at Balmoral.

  2006 Twin Lakes Invitational
May 5-6 at Twin Lakes high school - Monticello - NOTE: all times EST

May 5 (F) Twin Lakes vs. Maconaquah  - 5 p.m.
May 5 (F) McCutcheon vs. Western   - 5 p.m.
May 5 (F) (Lafayette) Jefferson vs. 1A No. 10 Pioneer  -  5 p.m.
May 5 (F) 4A No. 5 LOWELL vs. 1A No. 3 Frontier  - 5:45 p.m.
May 5 (F) MERRILLVILLE vs. 3A No. 3 ANDREAN - 6:30 p.m.
May 5 (F) Benton Central vs. BOONE GROVE - 6:30 p.m.
May 5 (F) 2A No. 4 (Howard County) Eastern vs. HANOVER CENTRAL - 6:30 p.m.
May 5 (F) 4A No. 3 MUNSTER vs. 3A No. 2 Lewis Cass  -  8 p.m.

May 6 (S) Twin Lakes vs. 4A No. 5 LOWELL - 9 a.m.
May 6 (S) 4A No. 3 MUNSTER vs. Benton Central - 9 a.m.
May 6 (S) (Lafayette) Jefferson vs. 3A No. 3 ANDREAN - 9 a.m.
May 6 (S) McCutcheon vs. HANOVER CENTRAL - 9 a.m.
May 6 (S) Maconaquah vs. 1A No. 3 Pioneer - 10:30 a.m.
May 6 (S) 2A No. 2 Lewis Cass vs. BOONE GROVE - 10:30 a.m.
May 6 (S) MERRILLVILLE vs. 1A No. 10 Pioneer - 10:30 a.m.
May 6 (S) 2A No. 4 (Howard Co.) Eastern vs. Western - 10:30 a.m.
May 6 (S) Twin Lakes vs. 1A No. 3 Frontier - 12 noon
May 6 (S) Benton Central vs. 2A No. 2 Lewis Cass - 12 noon
May 6 (S) 3A No. 3 ANDREAN vs. 1A No. 10 Pioneer - 12 noon
May 6 (S) McCutcheon vs. 2A No. 4 (Howard Co.) Eastern- 12 noon
May 6 (S) Maconaquah vs. 4A No. 5 LOWELL - 1:30 p.m.
May 6 (S) 4A No. 3 MUNSTER vs. BOONE GROVE - 1:30 p.m.
May 6 (S) (Lafayette) Jefferson vs. MERRILLVILLE - 1:30 p.m.
May 6 (S)  Western vs. HANOVER CENTRAL - 1:30 p.m.

POOL (1) ONE:  LOWELL, Twin Lakes, Maconaquah and Frontier 
POOL (2) TWO: Benton Central, BOONE GROVE, Lewis Cass and MUNSTER
POOL (3) THREE: Jefferson, Pioneer, MERRILLVILLE and ANDREAN
POOL (4) FOUR: Easten, Western, McCutcheon and HANOVER CENTRAL

May 6 (S) POOL (1) winner vs. POOL (2) winner - 3:30 p.m.
May 6 (S) POOL (3) winner vs. POOL (4) winner - 3:30 p.m.
May 6 (S) Twin Lakes Invitational Championship game - 6 p.m.

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