29th Indiana State Softball Tournament Preview

A USA-365.com Special Report By Mark Smith

IHSAA 2003 Softball Tournament
2003 State Finals Pairings
Friday, June 13, Saturday, June 14

Admission: $7 per session; $10 for season ticket.

Class 2A
June 13 at North Central (Indianapolis)
6:30 p.m. – Norwell (19-10) vs. Gibson Southern (27-4)
8:30 p.m. (approximate) – New Palestine (24-8) vs. Hanover Central (25-6)
June 14 at Carmel
4 p.m. -- Championship game: Friday night winners.

INDIANAPOLIS - This bracket has been thrown into turmoil by the multiple car accident that took the life of Hanover senior Todd Szayni late Sunday night. Everybody on this team, knew someone who was in that accident. Star pitcher Amanda Wendlinger's sister Beth, a former HC all-stater, was injured. At Hanover Central, everybody knows everybody. Nine Hanover seniors were in that four-car crash in Crete, Ill (just across the state line from Cedar Lake) including some of the school's most popular and outgoing teenagers.

Hanover is a more closely knit school than most in northwest Indiana because it is a town school (not multiple communities) and is very small. Some of the junior and seniors knew Lindsey Parks, who was killed with her mother in a car accident in Cedar Lake in November of 2000. The school is still haunted by the high speed drunk driving accident that killed four HC students and two teachers on Route 41 in 1991. Relatives of those victims still live in Cedar Lake. This community is extremely sensitive where a tragedy of this type is concerned and they won't get over this for years to come.

The fact that one senior is still is serious condition is of great concern to many at Hanover. The situation is not over. The HC team will probably head into Friday night's game with very little practice. Hanover will also be inundated with media attention this week. Not as much as basketball or football gets, but the likes of which they have never seen. This will not be an enjoyable week in any way and everyone will be glad when it's over.

Speaking only in a softball sense, the significant injury among those who survived the crash was senior third baseman Cathy Homolka, who batted .310 this year and has started every playoff game. Homolka was released from the hospital early Monday but her injuries are not known. I would doubt she would play unless she insists upon it. That might put freshman Stephanie Skarwecki (6 of 16, .375) at third base. Third base is a more crucial position than shortstop in softball because of the frequency of bunts.

HC faces New Palestine, a team from Hancock County, just southeast of Indianapolis. The Dragons are led by sophomore left-handed pitcher Katie Armour (20-6), a superstar in the making. Armour, who is listed as being just 5-5, was 20-6 this year with 321 strikeouts in 180 innings. She has fanned 321 of the 681 batters she has faced. One thing to note is that she has allowed 35 runs and has just seven shutouts. Just 16 earned runs allowed but 35 runs total. ERA in softball is a phony stat because most scorekeepers don't truly know what an earned run is. Total runs allowed is a more reliable number. Armour has also allowed 61 walks, a very high total for a softball pitcher in 180 innings. Hanover's Amanda Wendlinger (24-5), in comparison, has walked 14 batters in 169 innings.

On offense, Armour, a left-handed hitter, is battng .546 and it's not with bunts. Katie has 53 hits in 97 at-bats including 15 doubles and four triples. You have to pitch around her. Shortstop Megan Jackson (.457) is a junior with 10 doubles. But the attack is inconsistent. New Palestine has been held to one run or less seven times. The Dragons had four seniors but only one of them, right-fielder Jami Reed (.245) has more than 50 at-bats. New Palestine's big win in the playoffs was a 5-1 victory over No. 1 Mount Vernon in the Mount Vernon Sectional. The Dragons lost the final game of the season, 2-1 to Delta.

Hanover has won 19 of their last 20 games and the only loss there is a 3-0 defeat to state champion Lake Central (31-2-1). Amanda Wendlinger has pitched 17 shutouts, including eight in her last 11 starts.

While just 16, she is more experienced than most players, although New Palestine's Armour is probably her equal. Wendlinger bats .371 with 33 base hits. Shortstop Bess Copak (.489) has 44 hits in 90 at-bats while sophomore cleanup hitter Kelly LaPota (.427) has 34 RBIs. The X-factor is second baseman Jacklyn Kienzle (.176) who was 3-for-5 in the regional championship game. Her play has improved dramatically in recent games. The Double-XX factor is freshman pinch-hitter Heather Rebeneck (8 of 19, .421) who got run-scoring pinch hits in both games of the Twin Lakes regional.

Before the car accident Sunday night, I thought Hanover would win this game. The only ranked teams NP has seen are 3A No. 5 Pendleton Heights and 2A No. 7 Mount Vernon, a team they split two games with. New Palestine lost 2-1 to Pendleton and 3-1 to unranked Center Grove, a state finalist.

Hanover has beaten 2A No.1 Andrean and was not blown out by state 3A champ Lake Central. Folks forget they have also played 3A No. 4 Chesterton and Beecher, IL, a top 10 small school across the state line.

Hanover's offense is questionable but the defense has improved in recent weeks. New Palestine has scored 30 runs in five playoff games and they are close to home.

I'm not going to pretend that this is a predictable game. These teams have never played and have no common opponents. Both teams have few seniors and, frankly, too many freshman and sophomores in key roles.

I would be very surprised if Hanover can win two games and take the school's first state title but it would not surprise me if they were to win this first game.

Class 3A
June 13 at Carmel (Cherry Tree Complex)
6:30 p.m. – Indianapolis Cathedral (23-10) vs. Center Grove (26-6)
8:30 p.m. (approximate) – Lake Central (31-2-1) vs. Pendleton Heights (28-4)

June 14 at Carmel (Cherry Tree Complex)
7 p.m. -- Championship game: Friday night winners.

HANOVER CENTRAL (25-6)
Head coach Larry McMillen (11th year)
2002: 24-5 2001: 28-3 2000: 16-9-1 1999: 23-2

4-3:    11-0 (6) at River Forest (7-14)
4-10    1-2 Chesterton (22-5-1)
4-12: 8-3 Bishop Noll (19-12)
4-12: 2-7 Bishop Noll (19-12)
4-15: 10-0 at North Newton (13-13)
4-16: 11-0 MORGAN TOWNSHIP (6-10)
4-18: 11-0 Clark (1-21)
4-19: 20-1 at HEBRON (12-10)
4-21 (Rain) at WHEELER (14-9)
4-23: 1-2 at Lowell (13-15)
4-24: 1-4 Beecher, Ill (26-5)
4-26: 9-0 LaCROSSE (6-14)
4-28: 5-0 Whiting (14-10)
4-30: (Rain) Morton
5-1:   10-4 at South Newton (9-13)
5-2: 11-0 at KOUTS (8-11)
5-3: 2-4 Crown Point (16-15)
5-5: 11-1 at Renssealer (3-20)
5-8: (6 innings) 11-0 at BOONE GROVE (8-21)

Twin Lakes Invitational (in Monticello)
5-9: 5-0 North White (11-9)
5-10 (Rain) Jefferson (25-9)
5-10 (Rain) Pioneer (25-6)

5-13: 14-0 (5 innings) at WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP (9-9)
5-15: 5-1 Morton (15-11)

Porter County Conference (PCC) championship (at LaCrosse)
5-16: 2-0 Wheeler (14-9) quarterfinals
5-17: 8-0 Boone Grove (8-21) semifinals
5-17: 7-0 LaCrosse (6-14) PCC championship

5-19: 0-3 Lake Central (31-2-1)
5-20: 2-0 at Wheeler (14-9)
5-22: 15-0 Gavit (10-14)

ANDREAN (2A) Sectional
5-26: 6-0 Wheeler (14-9) quarterfinals
5-27: 11-0 North Newton (13-13) semifinals
5-29: 1-0 (8 innings) at Andrean (26-2-1) championship

Twin Lakes (2A) Regional
6-7: 6-2 Griffith (19-14)
6-7: 3-2 (13 innings) West Lafayette (23-8)

2A State semifinal at (Indianapolis) North central (8:30 p.m.)
6-13 (Fri.) vs. New Palestine (24-8) 8:30 p.m.

2A State Championship at Cherry Tree Elementary School - Carmel
6-14 (Sat.) vs. Gibson Southern (27-4) 4 p.m.