Top-5 for 2013: The Top-5

High School Baseball Teams in Northwest Indiana

A USA-365.com Special Report by Mark Smith

7-04-2012

CROWN POINT (07-04-2012) When a high school baseball team goes 32-1 and wins the state title, it takes all the suspense away from the final baseball ranking of the season. But when a team (say, Lake Central, for example) loses two Division I pitchers and their top hitter to graduation, it's just as obvious that champ wont be No. 1 the next season.

So who will?

My prediction record is spotty. I thought Obamacare would be knocked down by the Supreme Court and I thought San Antonio was going to win the NBA title. I had Brazil in Euro Cup soccer until somebody showed me a map.

But I have a good idea of who will win in high school baseball in the spring of 2013.

1. (4A) Crown Point (27-5)
21-12 (2011), 27-5 (2010), 30-3 (2009), 29-6-2 (2008), 29-3 (2007)

CROWN POINT: Crown Point won 27 games in a season where they were not at full strength. In 2010, lefty Ron Plesac was 5-1 with a 0.75 ERA (47 strikeouts in 38 innings). In 2011, his twin brother right-hander Zach Plesac was 8-2 with a 1.08 ERA (92 strikeouts in 59 innings), but Ron could not pitch all season after arm surgery. If the two of them are healthy (a big 'if') next spring, CP has a 1-2 punch that surpasses every other team. Add David Kepshire (6-0, 3.10 ERA) and that's a Big-3.

Offensively, catcher Bobby Morgan (.431, 2 HRs, 20 RBIs) and third baseman Alex Nickla (.267, 21 RBIs, 10 of 12 steals) return. Zach Plesac (.298, 4 Hrs, 33 RBIs) is a middle infielder and Ronnie Plesac (11 of 44, .250) is a first baseman. Add football QB Jake Jatis (9-30, .300) who missed almost the entire season with an arm injury and first baseman Johnny Lynk (13-29, .448) who missed 15 games after a collision with Morgan. Line up a half dozen out field candidates and there's more players here than CP has had in recent history. If everybody is healthy.

HOBART: Hobart started four sophomores and won a school-record 22 games. Junior right-hander Brandon Murray (6-4, 3.03 ERA, 105 strikeouts in 63 innings) can lead the pitching staff for two more years and big catcher Nick Bokun (33-89 .371, 2 HRs, 26 RBIs) also has two more seasons. Tyrus Joseforsky (42-101, .416) also has two more seasons. Football standout Anthony Brugos (20-61, .328) is back for a senior season. Hobart only graduated four players and pitcher CJ Kosmoa, who allowed just 29 hits in 42 innings, was not one of them. There are some tall boys on this team who will develop more power. The core group here, the Class of 2014, has always been good.

MERRILLVILLE: When you start looking for the top teams for 2013, you look for the top returning pitcher and that's Zach Ryan (9-1, 1.49 ERA). The 59er right-hander struck out 70 in 56 innings and he also batted .427 with 36 runs scored. I think that right-hander Matt DeSomer, the Niners football quarterback, will have a chance to be very good as well. There are some positions to fill for the 59ers for the spring of 2013, but the pitching they have will be hard to overlook. Andrean always has such confidence and expectations they can win and the loss to Griffith 5-4 in the regional semifinals will be a motivator.

GRIFFITH: Griffith was overlooked here as they put themselves into position to upset second-ranked Andrean in the 2012 Class 3A Regional. And with just two senior regulars graduating, it's not over. Pitchers Jesse Smith (4-4, 2.96 ERA), Austin Brown (4-4, 2.63 ERA and Anthony Carter (5-2, 2.09 ERA) return as does speedy center fielder and leadoff man Brett Brinkley (.320, 26 stolen bases). They don't have a lot of power, but singles and speed is the way the high school game is headed. A lot of this ranking comes from that regional win. Griffith's 6-5 upset of Andrean was just the seventh time the Panthers had defeated the 59ers in history and third first time this particular team had defeated Andrean. Realistically, in 3A, a win over Andrean is all that stands between a good Griffith team and the 2013 semistate finals and now, they know it can happen.

CEDAR LAKE: Hanover was eliminated in the opening post season game in 2012 after losing the final post-season game (the state championship game) in 2010. 2013 could go either way as the Wildcats return 80% of the varsity including ace right-hander and shortstop Danny Stum (43-93, .462, 34 runs scored) the MVP of the Porter County Conference. Stum (4-4. 3.09 ERA) and catcher Zac Maciejewski (38-97, .392, 42 runs scored, 16 stolen bases) anchor the team. But the Class of 2015 freshmen Jesse Wilkening (50-106, .472), Riley Welch (26-63, .416) and Danny Balich (27-75, .360) will return as regular position players. Balich (3-1, 22 Ks, 4 walks in 18 innings), Welch (1-1, 4.82 ERA) and Wilkeneing (1-1, 3.62) are all pitchers as is 6-foot-2 basketball player Evan Garthus (2-0, 2.38 ERA). Some of the batting numbers are a little inflated here against PCC pitching staffs, but some aren't. Hanover faced five Northwest Crossroads Conference teams and four Duneland Athletic Conference teams in 2012.