Northwest Indiana 2004 Top-10

High School Baseball Poll: Week 7

5-12-2004

A USA-365.com Special Report By Mark Smith

LaPorte took two losses but both were to winning teams and they were shorthanded. Lake Central and LaPorte will have to decide the DAC head-to-head on May 20. Munster and Andrean are heading for a third meeting in the LAC conference tournament. The PCC tournament looks wild with any of five possible winners. It's important now for teams to play every game they possibly can. There will be some rainouts in the next 10 days and coaches and ADs must be quick to reschedule so the boys can squeeze in all the baseball they can in the too-short IHSAA season. A note out east: Penn has won 15 of their last 16 games while 3A Tippecanoe Valley (13-5) has won nine of their last 10. These are the dog days of the season. Seniors want to graduate. Kids want to go on vacation. And the state tourney draw still has not come out.

1. Andrean (16-4)

MERRILLVILLE - The 59ers rolled by Griffith 11-1 and Kankakee Valley 6-2 to close in on 20 wins. Junior right-hander Brad King (4-0) gives Andrean a lot of pitching depth along with Mike Ryan (4-2), Tommy Finn (4-0) and Steve Augsburger (4-1). the Niners have scored 10 or more nine times. Finn was batting .482 (27 of 56) after 18 games. Steve Walsh was up to .469 (23 of 49) and that was before he posted a 3-for-4 Friday (May 7) in the win over Griffith. Nick Stockwell was up to .465 and that was before he posted 2-for-4 Monday in the 6-2 win over KV. More pitching than either LaPorte or Munster and more hitters than LC.

2. LaPORTE (14-4)

LaPORTE - The Slicers smoked Valparaiso Tuesday to get back on track after losses 1-0 at Crown Point and 14-8 at South Bend Clay (13-3). Crown Point (13-6) nipped the Slicers 1-0 in 48-degree weather Friday and Clay laid a season high 13 on the Slicers in a quick turnaround game Saturday. The bottom line: Junior pitching star Andy Weeks pitched three shutout innings against Crown Point and he did not pitch at all against Clay. LaPorte had a couple of starting players suspended and that may have contributed to the Saturday loss. The continued struggles at No.2 pitcher and the team problems drop the Slicers one notch in the poll, at least until May 20th when LC gets to LaPorte.

3. Lake Central (14-5)

ST. JOHN - LC posted two much-needed wins, 11-0 over Portage and 5-4 over Merrillville last week. Right-hander Brett Summers (6-1) survived a four run Pirate sixth to win anyway. Mike Couwenhoven was up to .453 (24 of 53) and that was before a 2-for-4 against Portage on May 5. Josh Kauffman was at .441 (26 of 59) and that was before going 2-for-4 against Portage as well. The 1-2 punch of Summers (6-1) and Babinski (6-1) is still what will get them through the sectional, all things being equal.

4. Munster (16-3)

MUNSTER - The Mustangs, who have outscored 19 foes 159-76, seem to be coasting, which is their blessing and their problem. The schedule just isn't tough enough. You can't hide the fact that 4A Munster has played just six 4A schools. Left-hander Brain Bokowy, who will attend Butler, needs to line up another hot streak. It will come down to the ace left-hander to keep his side in the game against Lake Central, when the big playoff match comes.

5. Crown Point (13-6)

CROWN POINT - Sophomore Tommy Wise (2-0, 1.47 ERA) did a fine job shutting out LaPorte 1-0 last Friday (May 7) in CP's first ever night game. CP has the most depth of any pitching staff this side of Andrean. Mike Schultz (4-2, 1.75 ERA) pitched his sixth complete game in a 5-4 win over Valparaiso (May 5). Left-hander Matt Jansen (2-3, 3.91) has struck out 38 in 29 games. The offense is still very inconsistent, but the defending sectional champions now appear capable of repeating. Catcher Nick Bodinet has thrown out 50% of the base runners against him. Here's a team that has allowed only 65 runs (3.6) in 18 games. CP had outscored the opposition 151-65 in 18 games and their record is only 13-6.The Bulldogs won four in a row last week and beat Chesterton Tuesday but they were still not playing the way they can.

6. Chesterton (12-5)

CHESTERTON - Casey Martin was hitting .565 (26 of 46) after 15 games, and that was before he smoked out Valparaiso 11-1. But the Trojans had lost 3 out of 4 after the loss at Crown Point Tuesday. Other than Tom Albano (6-1), they can't get anybody out. The Trojans have allowed 40 runs in 5 games. Considering the caliber of competition they are playing against, that's going to be tough to stop.

7. Merrillville (10-8)

MERRILLVILLE - Merrillville lost 5-4 to Lake Central Friday, but they keep scoring runs. The 10-8 win over Chesterton (May 3) came despite four errors. Merrillville still has not won or lost more than two in a row all season. Junior Darryl Evans has 17 extra base hits: 8 doubles, four triples and five HRs. Plus, he's collected 10 stolen bases. Who has more numbers? The defense just has to tighten up. There's not much time left.

8. Bishop Noll (9-10)

HAMMOND - Several teams have better records, but EVERYBODY KNOWS that Bishop Noll is one of the top teams. They got stomped 7-0 against Griffith Monday (May 9) but junior RHP Ryan Bobos (4-1) struck out 15. Noll also lost 11-0 to Penn Saturday but most 2A teams don't play Penn. Most LAC teams don't play Penn, a state superpower. After a 2-6 start, Noll has gone 7-4. Remember that Bishop Noll is now 2A. The Warriors may become the first .500 region team to advance to the state finals.

9. Griffith (12-10)

GRIFFITH - The wild ride for Griffith continued when Matt Kuna (4-3) pitched a three-hit shutout Monday to beat Noll 7-0. The Panthers had come off losses to Andrean 11-1 and Highland 3-2. Injured pitcher Todd Polgar made his return against Highland and took the loss. In 22 games, Griffith has scored 162 runs (7.3) and allowed 135 (6.1). That's a lot of boys stepping on home plate (from both dugouts). Jim Swienconek, after 22 games, had 10 doubles, a triple and six HRs, tying Andrean's Nick Stockwell, Morgan Township's Trey Eaton and Morton's Jeremy Chance for the region lead. Always keep in mind that Griffith is using two freshmen in significant varsity roles. One down note... you can't strike out 15 times, even if you do win 7-0.

10. Hobart (15-7)

HOBART - The Brickies scored 10 in the first inning to beat on Highland 15-7 Monday. This seems to be the season for barnstorming teams that roll in with a lot of hitters and try to outscore you. Here's another one. Hobart beat Gary Roosevelt 12-1 and East Chicago 9-1 in EC Saturday and then bombed the Trojans. Hobart's schedule has been weak at times, but it's better than what Clark and Morton have played. The Brickies have faced Bishop Noll, Munster, KV and Andrean. The core of multi sports stars including Josh Fuller (28 of 62, .452), Marc Drobac (29 of 62, .468), Matt Glover, Andrew Martin and Kyle Gonzales will give them a chance in every game. They have outscored 22 foes 172 (7.8) to 123 (5.5). The Brickies are short of pitching, but more runs are more fun.

WHAT'S WRONG WITH..............?

Valparaiso (8-10)

VALPARAISO - Okay, I hear what you're saying. Of course Valparaiso plays a tougher schedule than Hobart. And to split, winning 7-6 and losing 6-5 with Class 1A No. 7 Lafayette Catholic (14-5) is a positive. But Valparaiso isn't stopping anybody. Valpo is 2-3 in the last five games and they've been outscored 34-25 in those games. Here's another big time offensive team, but what's happened to pitching in this region? Outside of Crown Point and Andrean, nobody has a pitching staff.

Judgment Day is coming for ...............

Clark (19-2)

HAMMOND - Believe me, the boys who play for Clark know these wins are coming way too easy. Don't talk to me about how good they are until you've looked at the game-by-game results. Other than Hanover Central (11-7) and Morton (14-5), Clark has not defeated a team with a winning record. And yes, that does matter. And no, you DO make your own schedule. In baseball, you can play anybody who will agree. Everybody likes coach Ridgley so everybody WANTS this team to be good. A 9-6 loss to Lake Station (6-15) raises big questions about the schedule they have played. It's not about who you beat, it's about who you play. And the Pioneers will travel to play at Class 4A No. 11 LaPorte (14-4) on March 25 and they host Crown Point (13-6) on March 27. Two wins that week and they have earned top 10 status.

ON THE RISE...............

Boone Grove (10-9)

PORTER TOWNSHIP - After a start of 4-8 and a discouraging 9-3 pounding at Hanover Central, the Wolves have roared to life and are on the sunny side of .500 again. Wins over Knox 11-6, Hebron 5-3, LaCrosse 10-1, Washington Township 5-1, Westville 17-1 and Bremen 8-7 took Boone from the outhouse to the penthouse. A 4-1 loss to Kouts Monday set the Wolves back a tad but they're a lot happier than they were two weeks ago. Left-hander Elliott Schultz (3-3) struck out eight in the 10-1 win over LaCrosse and the Wolves need him in the big games. Schultz allowed just four base hits in the loss to Kouts. Redemption can be obtained for Boone at next week's PCC tournament.

BASE NOTES: Carmel smoked out Jefferson 5-0 Saturday. The Bronchos (10-8) head for Crown Point Friday night in a 7 p.m. night game. Penn spanked Carroll 10-7 and Bishop Noll 11-0 to win the Plymouth Invitational last Saturday. Penn was 5-0 last week and pitcher Brian Forray struck out 17 against Marian. Hebron posted a 12-0 win over Hanover Central (10-7) Monday, breaking HC's eight-game winning streak. Hebron senior Sean Brummett hit two home runs.

PCC Baseball Tournament - quarterfinals (May 22) at Boone
BOONE GROVE vs. South Central   -    9 a.m.
HANOVER CENTRAL (8-6) vs. Kouts (10-2-1)    -   11 a.m.

LaCrosse (3-9) vs. Washington Township (8-4) 1 p.m.
Morgan Township vs. Hebron - 3 p.m.

PCC Baseball Tournament - semifinals (May 24)
BOONE or SC vs. HC or Kouts (at Boone) 4:30 p.m.
LaCrosse or WT vs. Morgan or Hebron (at Washington Township) 4:30 p.m.

PCC Baseball Tournament - championship (May 26)
Championship game - 4:30 p.m.

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