Northwest Indiana Top-10 Week-5, 2006 High School Rankings 5-5-2006
	A USA-365.com Special Report by Mark Smith

For example, Lowell (14-5) will open with 1A No. 3 Frontier and that matches Lowell swingers like Kelly Johnson (17-44, .386, 3 HRs) and Katherine Alert (13-34, .384, 3 HRs) against the small town Falcons (11-2) and 5-foot-9 brick house freshman Kelsey Mullin (4-0, 0.29 ERA), who has struck out a batter an inning so far this season.  Hanover Central (9-8) has done a commendable job after severe graduation and injury losses.  But commendable may not be enough when Class 2A No. 4 Eastern gets hold of them in Friday's 6:30 p.m. first round game. 

The feature game Friday night matches Lake County power Munster (17-2) against 2A No. 2 Lewis Cass (10-2), which features big right-hander Ollmay Wilson who struck out 13 last week in a 7-4 win over 2A Taylor.  With McCutcehon (7-13) and Jefferson (7-12) having losing seasons, Munster and Andrean go into this tournament as favorites.

Elsewhere, it got no publicity in these parts, but Culver Academy and right-hander Jackie Lawrence took their first loss of the season, but not without a fight.  Facing Mishawaka in a double header, Lawrence pitched a three-hit shutout to win game one 1-0.  In game two, Lawrence, who pitches every inning of every game, battled into extra innings.  Finally, Ashley Ware's 14th-inning single broke a 2-2 tie to give the Cavemen the win.  Lawrence, in defeat, struck out a school-record 27 batters in the 14 innings.  Culver (15-1) has allowed just nine runs all season and there is no doubt that Andrean (16-2) is eyeing them for a showdown at the 3A Twin Lakes Regional in June.  But neither Andrean or Culver is a state title favorite.

That would have to be 3A No. 1 Pendleton Heights (19-0), which rolls on against a gangster schedule.  Pendleton beat 4A No. 2 Hamilton Southeastern 2-0 last week and also stopped 2A No. 3 Frankton 1-0.  The Arabians have beaten eight Top-10 teams already and 2A No. 1 Scecina is still on the schedule.  They don't outgun you.  Pendleton pitching has allowed a reported 47 base hits all season.

One of the state's cutest stories is little Lakewood Park Christian Academy (15-1) in Auburn, Indiana which has, I believe, a grand total of 98 boys and girls.  Two of the girls are sisters Megan and Logan Carnahan.  Logan, a 5-foot-6 freshman second baseman, was batting .510 (26-51, .510) with five triples, four home runs and 11 stolen bases, which are simply incredible numbers.  Megan Carnahan (17-48, .438) is a 5-foot-7 junior pitcher who is 11-0 with a somewhat high 2.05 ERA, but she has four shutouts and 71 strikeouts in 58 innings.  Holly Weaver (38-56, .679, 16 stolen bases, .719 on-base percentage) is batting almost .700.  Lakewood has scored 207 runs in 16 games.  The numbers are almost too good to be true and that is probably the case.  A peak at the schedule shows they have not faced one top-10 team.  We'll just have to wait and see.

Thanks to reader Bill Funston who wrote to say that, among other things, right-hander Sarah Funston, a long lost country cousin of Lake Central star Angie Funston is alive and well down at the bottom of the state.  Sarah was 24-4 in 2005 for Heritage Hills and reportedly throws the ball 63 MPH.

I would ask anyone reading this site to write in and tell us about softball in their area.  Indiana is an odd state in that it is five hours and almost 300 miles from top to bottom.  The closest most of us get to the Kentucky state line is to listen to Nicole Jamrose play country music on the USA Network.

I'd love to hear about teams in places like Spencer and Vandenburgh Counties because that's the state finals competition.  I'd also like to ask all coaches reading this to report their statistics to the IHSAA's web site (statsandgo.com).  Many of the numbers you read here are from that web site.  But less than half of the state's teams turn in stats.  Please send them something a couple of times a week so we all can better follow the game.

1.  (3A) ANDREAN  (16-1)

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

MERRILLVILLE  -  Andrean finally had a bad week, making four errors in a 3-2 loss to Class 4A No. 8 Lowell and then losing 1-0 to 4A No. 2 Munster.  The Niners had defeated Lowell 7-1 in April, but they could not hold a 2-0 lead this time.  They'd also beaten Munster 2-0 in April.  That puts Munster at the top of the Lake Athletic Conference (LAC) for what that's worth.  The 59ers and Munster could meet again Saturday in the championship game of the 16-team Twin Lakes Invitational.

Pitcher Katie Ivancich (.400) also had 20 hits in her first 50 at-bats while Kara Kristoff (18-51, .353) and Stephanie Rister (19-49, .388)  are fueling an offense that has not been held to less than two runs all year against a wide-ranging schedule.  The Niners shelled Marquette and Valparaiso to win the Valpo Invitational last weekend.  The loss to Lowell was a game the Niners should have won and I can't realistically drop them from this spot.

It's not a good sign to lose to two teams you defeated in the previous month, but the week isn't over.  With nine seniors, the 59ers are at a peak.  Andrean is 104-13 in the last four years, No. 1 in NW Indiana.  There's no talk about "we'll be good next year."  The future is now for Andrean.

2.  (4A) Munster  (15-2)

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

MUNSTER  -  Munster went 3-1 in the 16-team Carmel Invitational and now they head for the 16-team Twin Lakes Invitational.  This is that "state finals' schedule" we talked about.  It's a schedule which will get a bad team stomped like so many grapes.  But it's a schedule that will prepare a good team for that big June weekend in Indianapolis.

The Mustangs beat Andrean 1-0- Thursday in a rematch of an earlier 2-0 loss, but there is word that top pitcher Jackie Yerga may be injured.

Munster won a disturbing 10-7 victory over Griffith last week.  That needs to be the last we see of that type of game in Pony-town.  Good softball teams do not win or lose games 10-7.  But Munster gets a big test immediately against Class 2A No. 2 Lewis Cass Friday in the late game on opening night at the Twin Lakes Invitational.  If they win it, they could see old friends from Lowell in the semifinals and Andrean in the title game.  I'm not sure which of the Mustangs have to take ACT tests this weekend.  There could be some new ponies saddling up Saturday morning.

The Mustangs have not played a lot of games the last two weeks, but they get back to heavy duty action this weekend and, shorthanded or not, it's all good.  I just don't believe 4A No. 1 Chesterton is better than Munster.  I don't think Chesterton believes they're better than Munster.  We may see when they meet in two weeks.

3.  (4A) Chesterton  (20-1)

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

CHESTERTON  -  Chesterton beat Michigan City 10-0 on May 2 to run the school-record win streak to 19 games since the 3-2 loss to Lowell.  But it was the rally to beat Lake Central 3-2 that probably won the DAC title.  Chesterton took advantage of some weak outfield defense by LC to score three runs late and beat LC star Angie Funston.  Trojan pitching has nine shutouts.  Obviously, this team has done well, but they have to do more.  Portage (16-7) and Munster (17-2) are still to come.  

Chesterton made it 20 in a row Wednesday night, beating Crown Point on a no-hitter by Dawn McClellan.  McClellan (13-0, 0.27 ERA) struck out 15 and she has been overwhelming at times.  Unknown last year, McClellan must be discussed as a top pitcher in light of the level of competition she's faced.

This team epitomizes the beauty of sports.  They were 27-3 last year and set school records for success.  Now, it's possible that they can eclipse those records with 50% new people.  But somehow there is still a feeling that they must prove themselves in the post-season and they probably may yet have to prove themselves to themselves.

4.  (4A) Lake Central  (17-7)

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

St. JOHN  -   Quietly, Lake Central slipped back into the state's top-10 this week, moving ahead of some teams that had no business being ahead of them.  LC could not hold a 2-0 fifth inning lead against No. 1 Chesterton, but they roared back to stop No. 6 Carmel 2-1 and beat down Brownsburg 16-3.  Angie Funston (11-3) pitched the win over Carmel and was 4-for-6 on the day.  Funston pitched a 3-hit shutout over Michigan City Wednesday night.  Lake Central's game with Crown Point (9-10) was rained out twice and is in limbo.

The Indians were 3-4 and have now won 13 of 16, with losses being by one run.  Portage beat LC 1-0 Thursday as Olivia Legget pitched a shutout.  The Indians don't have much they can prove in the regular season, but they need to win every regular season game the rest of the way.  Nobody who understands what LC has feels they are out of contention for the sectional title.  But they are not scoring runs against good pitching the way the presence of some very experienced players would suggest they could.  Published quotes indicate a sense of urgency here and that's good because the days are dwindling down to a precious few.

5.  (4A) LOWELL (14-5)

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

LOWELL  -  Lowell came up with a win they needed, 3-2 over Andrean, rallying from a 2-0 deficit.  Senior Ryssa Nord (6-3) allowed the hot-hitting 59ers just six hits.  And it may have inspired them.  Thursday's 8-0 win over Bishop Noll might have been Lowell's best game of the year.  Sophomore right-hander Alyssa Reed pitched a seven-inning, no-hitter and the Devils smoked out 11 hits.  Lowell lost 6-1 to West Lafayette last Saturday (4-29-6) but that game doesn't count, because half the girls left before the game to go to the prom.

The Devils got right-hander Kaitlyn Bolanowski back off the disabled list.  So other than some chronic pains that some seniors are playing with, they are at full strength.  Lowell needs a good showing this weekend at the Twin Lakes Invitational because there are only two weeks left in the season.  Lets tell some hard cold truth.  The most talented and experienced team overall in the LAC is Munster.  Despite the record, the most talented and experienced team in the DAC is Lake Central.  The Red Devils may have to beat Munster (15-2) and LC (16-6) on back-to-back days to win the sectional.

It's a very good sign when a high school softball team defeats the same teams in May that beat them in April.  Lowell did that twice this week.  And some lineup juggling (including putting star SS Kelly Johnson second in the batting order) may jump start the offense.  But I cannot lie.  They still are not playing at a level that will take out Munster and Lake Central on consecutive days.  Not that regular season records matter, but I thought Lowell would be one or two games better than 14-5 heading to the Twin Lakes Invitational and I believe they thought so, too.  The Devils' older players may be subconsciously coasting through the regular season and planning to turn it on in the playoffs.  Those playoffs start in two weeks.

6.  (4A) Portage  (15-8)

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

PORTAGE  -   Portage got a no-hit game from soph right-hander Olivia Leggett in a 3-0 win over Merrillville Wednesday (5-3-2006) and a 4-3 win over Valpo Monday (5-1-2006).  On Tuesday, Portage lost a 2-1 eight inning game to Penn (21-2) and undefeated Rachel Zirille (11-0).  Thursday, Portage nipped LC 1-0.

Last weekend, the Indians went to Lakeshore, Michigan over the weekend and beat South Bend St. Joe's 9-2, but lost 3-2 to host Lakeshore and 5-4 to Michigan power and the Indians' namesake Portage (Michigan) Northern.
But that's the good news.

Star right-hander Meghan Gutierrez, who had seven shutouts in Portage's first 15 games, did not pitch any of the four games this week and is clearly being rested for some reason.  Leggett is a very promising sophomore righthander and it could be that she may be simply getting an opportunity now that Portage has no chance to win the DAC.  I hope that's it.  Portage can win during the regular season with her, but Leggett does not have any state tournament experience.

This team is so limited offensively, I don't think Portage has the offense to survive without Gutierrez.  But the secret mission for Portage is to score more than one run a game against a top foe and, right now, that still seems to be "Mission Impossible."

7.  (4A) LaPorte  (11-6)

2005  (13-16), 2004 (3-21)

LaPORTE  -  The Slicers lost to New Prairie (15-3) in the finals of the LaPorte Invitational, but rallied to beat Merrillville 3-0 and Valparaiso 6-3 this week.  Tara Buchanan was 5-of-6 in the two weekend games, an 11-0 win over Taylor and the 4-3 loss to New Prairie.  LaPorte was errorless in three of their past five games, a good sign for a defensively troubled team.  Junior right-hander Bre Smith (7-4, 2.80 ERA) allowed eight hits, but turned back Valpo (7-15).  Buchanan is well over the .500 mark (33-58, .569) at the plate and half of her games are against the DAC.

LaPorte has Chesterton and Lake Central still to play so they'll take some whippings.  But look at the playoff brackets. The Slicers are a very quiet sectional favorite if they can keep the glue in their leaky "D."  Of course, that's a little like saying that dogs wouldn't bark so much if they weren't dogs.

8.  (2A) Bishop Noll (10-11)

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

HAMMOND  -  Noll has been shut out seven times after an 8-0 loss to Lowell Thursday (5-4-2006).  But the Warriors aren't going to finish over the .500 mark with their schedule and they know that.  The key is to keep right-hander Kristen Chico (6-7. 1.14 ERA) healthy and in a good frame of mind.  Sometimes players lose and lose confidence.  But Noll needs to know that they have played larger schools all season and they still have quality.

But a team that has been shut out seven times in 21 games also has an offensive confidence problem and they must start hitting when the time is right.  Allison Rokosz (19-53, .358) can make a solid impact as a left-handed hitting leadoff girl, but nobody else is over .300.   The Warriors are one of the weakest hitting teams in NW Indiana but it could be because they play that 3A and 4A slate.  Of course, it could also be because they just can't hit.  I don't know.

Noll opens against Mishawaka Marian in the President's Cup tournament on May 20.  But they may look at a third meeting with catholic rival Andrean.  The Niners have defeated Noll 10-3 and 8-0 and Munster has beaten Noll 2-0 and 12-0.  Both schools are far better teams than what Noll will see in the 2A playoffs.  Bishop Noll's state of mind is the key.  Are they shell-shocked from the whippings they have taken?

9.  (3A) Griffith  (10-13)

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

GRIFFITH  -  The Panthers took some high scoring losses 7-6 to Harrison and 10-7 to Munster, but the best spin on this is that Griffith needed to score if they are to have success in the post-season.  For the Panthers to get 11 hits off the offense is getting better.  But it would be good for confidence if they could win some.

The Panthers split four games in the Highland Invitational and they will get 30 games in for the season.  With little rain this spring, teams are not getting any unexpected breaks in the schedule.  Some teams may be getting a little tired and Griffith could be one of them.

The Panthers are in the same boat as Bishop Noll except that the playoffs Griffith hopes to shine in are the 3A playoffs and the regional matchups will be somewhat tougher.  Munster has beaten Griffith 3-1 and 10-7 and Chesterton (20-1) has defeated Griffith 3-1 and Andrean has beaten them 8-0.  But those are top NW Indiana teams and Griffith is still trying to get there.  If they hit like they have this week, Griffith is still a sectional favorite but when you are 10-12, nobody cares how well you think you hit.

10.  (1A) Whiting (18-0)

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

WHITING  -  The Oilers coasted by North Newton 11-0 Wednesday (5-3-2006) as freshman right-hander Melanie Dumezich (16-0) struck out eight in five innings.  The Oilers beat Lake Station 4-0 in a game where they did not get one base hit.  Dumezich struck out 12 and Lake Station made six errors.  Whiting beat Hammond 3-1 Thursday night and they stopped South Central 6-4 Monday (5-1-2006).  South Central, one of the few winning teams Whiting has played this season, got nine hits off Dumezich (17-0, 0.44 ERA, 177 Ks, 23 walks), who has allowed just 48 hits in 111 innings all season.

The final 10 games?  Wheeler (13-5), Gavit (8-9), Washington Township, Morton, Clark, River Forest (4-13), LaCrosse, Hanover (10-9), Westville and LaCrosse.  Wheeler could beat them.  Hanover has an outside chance.  But unless somebody for the Oilers makes a quick late call to Andrean or Portage or Crown Point, Whiting should finish the regular season undefeated... and untested.

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 (8-14) vs. Western   - 5 p.m.
May 5 (F) (Lafayette) Jefferson (6-11) vs. 1A No. 10 Pioneer (10-11) -  5 p.m.
May 5 (F) 4A No. 5 LOWELL (14-5) vs. 1A No. 3 Frontier (12-2) - 5:45 p.m.
May 5 (F) MERRILLVILLE (4-15) vs. 3A No. 3 ANDREAN (16-3) - 6:30 p.m.
May 5 (F) Benton Central (10-6) vs. BOONE GROVE (10-8) - 6:30 p.m.
May 5 (F) 2A No. 4 (Howard County) Eastern (9-3) vs. HANOVER CENTRAL (10-9) - 6:30 p.m.
May 5 (F) 4A No. 3 MUNSTER (17-2) vs. 3A No. 2 Lewis Cass (12-2) -  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.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN:  When you look at the polls here, three of the four finalists should be Munster, Lowell, and Andrean.
The contested pool is Eastern, Western, Hanover Central and McCutcheon.  Eastern is a consistent power in 1A, but Western is not a known quantity.  The 12 noon Eastern-McCutcheon game could be for the semifinal bid.  McCutcheon has freshman pitching and they have taken some hits early, but they still have Alicia Garza, a .400 to .500 hitter, batting third.  The Mavericks have played the toughest schedule and they are the pick to get through here.

If it's Andrean vs. McCutcheon, the offense of the 59ers will be too much for them.  Andrean has three sub-.500 teams in their pool and they may be able to play backups in the 12 noon game against Pioneer if things go right.  The whole tournament changes if Lewis Cass beats Munster late Friday.  But if that does not happen, Munster will reach the semifinals.

If Jackie Yerga can go, Munster has too much power for Lowell, which is coming in with a boost after a sweep of Andrean and Bishop Noll this week.  There could be an upset here, especially if Munster can't or voluntarily does not pitch Yerga, in anticipation of a Sectional rematch in two weeks.

Either way, the favorite is Andrean.  The 59ers have a top pitcher in right-hander Katie Ivancich and a strong No. 2 in freshman Kate Rone (4-0).  The 59ers have played in three multiple game Saturday tournaments already this year, winning two of them.  They have the depth in pitching and the speed to create runs.  Cass hasn't played a great schedule and, if you pitch around Garza and Gibbs, McCutcheon and Munster can be had.

Andrean goes 5-0 here and takes a second consecutive Twin Lakes championship.

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