TERRE HAUTE, IN (7-4-2006)  It was a  tough debut season for Andrean grad Samantha Markowski (2005) who started only 10 games and was just 7-of-36 (.194) for Division I Indiana State (25-26).  Markowski played in only 19 games and, while she didn't hit well, she made no errors.  Sycamore senior Stephanie Spychaj (32-104, .308) started 35 games at catcher and it sounds like Markowski's real chance to play regularly won't begin until 2007.  Lake Central's Yvette Tovar (2004)  is already a regular, batting .236 (21-89) and stated 39 games for ISU.  The No. 1 pitcher for ISU is Center Grove's Darcy Wood (21-15, 1.56 ERA, 264 strikeouts in 242 innings).  Wood was the pitcher who struck out 21 Lake Central batters in the 2004 state championship game, but lost 4-1 in 12 innings.

It was a good start for Lake Central grad Katie Mitchell (2005) at Division I Purdue (30-30).  Mitchell, the 2004 player of the year for LC's state championship team, batted an acceptable .261 (30-115, .261) with three homers and 19 RBIs in 47 games.  Defensively, she might not be happy with 10 errors, but it was a good freshman season in Division 1.

LC grad Brooke Baker (2003) continued to hover around the .500 mark.  Baker was 13-15 with a high 3.09 ERA in her junior year at Purdue, pitching 21 complete games but allowing a painful 211 base hits in 183 innings.  Baker, who did not lose 10 games in four years at Lake Central, gave up 53 extra base hits.

Andrean alum Tommy Finn (2005) had two seasons as a freshman at Northwestern.  The Wildcats and their freshman shortstop Tommy Finn did nothing right in the first month. Northwestern was 5-19 at one point and Finn was hitting less than his weight.  But the Wildcats (26-33) went 21-11 in Big-10 play and finished the season as one of the league's up-and-coming teams.  Finn, a starting shortstop since day one, rallied his game to bat .240 (46-192, .240) in 59 games with 18 RBIs and five stolen bases.  Finn made 19 errors, but he had a dozen of them after 20 games.  Almost every Division I freshman starts slowly.  I still believe that Tommy Finn has a professional baseball future if that's what he wants to do.

It is very gratifying to see Hammond’s Michael Coles (2001) playing regulary for the Gary South Shore Railcats, although I’m sure he’d rather be in the Cubs or White Sox minor league system.  Coles, a natural center fielder who played four years at Purdue, had 26 hits in 75 at-bats (.341) in 25 games for the Cats (17-21).  Coles batted an outrageous .610 at Hammond high in 2001.  The Railcats management does not necessarily agree with this, but logic says the Cats need local players to succeed on the team.  The Gary pro baseball team has had other players who lived in the region.  But Coles leads off and has top flight speed.  He’s got a chance to be the Railcats' first true local star.

Valparaiso's Jeff Samardzija (2003) was 0-1 with a 3.60 ERA in just five innings in his first two starts For Class A Boise, Idaho.  It would not appear as if Samardzija, the star receiver from Notre Dame, is going to get very many innings this summer, because Notre Dame's fall practice begins in about a month.

Merrillville’s David Neville (2003) made what seems to be the surprising move of giving up his final year of eligibility to turn pro in track.  Neville was third at the NCAA outdoor championship in the 400 with a personal best of :44.94 seconds.  Neville was the 2002 state champ in the 400 and his :46.99 is still the state record in that event.  I don't know what benefits there are for you in pro track but Neville signed a contact with the HSInternational sports management group in Irvine, California.  Apparently the big pro money is in shoe contracts.  Neville will run against the world’s best in international meets in an attempt to reach the 2008 Olympics.  He would be Merrillville high’s second Olympian in this decade.  Softball’s Leslie Malerich (1998) pitched for the Italian Olympic team in 2004.

Crown Point's Jimmy Wilson (2005) was 1-1 with a 2.57 ERA in 12 appearances for Millikin University in Decatur, Ill.  Wilson, who is coaching for CP Post 20's American Legion team this summer, had one save in 11 relief appearances.  Wilson played for CPHS's regional championship team in 2005.

Munster's Lori Andjelich (2005) was 16-12 in 185 innings in a fine debut season at Division II Grand Valley State University in western Michigan.  Andjelich struck out 196 and walked 59.  She probably wasn't happy with allowing 12 home runs and 31 extra base hits.  But foes batted just .193 against her and this was a freshman facing college hitters for the first time.

Obviously Lowell's Ryan Basham (2004)  has a pro future.  The first team all-Big Ten honoree at Michigan State, Basham, who was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays, led the Spartans in almost every offensive category in 2006 and finished the regular season ranked among the top five in the Big Ten in batting average (.363), slugging percentage (.562), total bases (113), sacrifice flies (5), RBI (53) and home runs (8).  His 53 RBIs this season placed him eighth all-time in MSU single-season history.  Basham also ranks fifth all-time in career doubles with 39.  Basham collected Third-Team All-Big Ten honors in 2005, and was named to the Big Ten All-Tournament Team his freshman year.  The Toronto Blue Jays official web site says that Basham has signed and will be playing pro ball this summer, but there reportedly is some hold up involving his physical examination.

There must be some walk-on-water outfielders at the University of Illinois (29-29) because Andrean all-stater Nick Stockwell (2004) simply didn't get to play much in 2006, batting just seven times.  Stockwell, who was red-shirted in 2005, was an all-stater in football and baseball at Andrean.  It's hard to believe he can't play for a .500 Big-10 team, but it's hard to play when you don't get in the game.

Senior Hanover Central alum Beth Wendlinger (2002) was named the 2005-06 UIndy Female Athlete of the year late last month.  Wendlinger helped the Greyhounds to a program-record 31-19 campaign and a berth in the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) tournament for the second straight season.  Wendlinger completed a dominant senior season at the University of Indianapolis, amassing a career-high 22 pitching wins this season against just eight losses while carrying a miniscule 1.15 ERA.  The senior struck out 202 batters and had nine complete game shutouts to her credit.  Opponents batted just .166 off her this season.  She won the GLVC’s “Pitcher of the Week” award four straight weeks and won the “Player of the Week” once as well.  She was the GLVC Pitcher of the Year and was named All-Conference for the fourth time (2003, 05, 06- First Team, 2004 Second Team).  For her career, Wendlinger allowed just 80 earned runs in 558.2 innings (1.00 ERA).  She collected 456 strikeouts and amassed a 51-33 record in her career.  At the plate, she was a .262 hitter with 38 RBI, including a .290 clip this past season.

Andrean's Lindsay Mishevich (2002) also leaves after a strong 2006.  Mishevich, UIndy's third baseman in 2005 moved to the outfield in 2006 and batted .293 (46-157, .293) in 50 games, making just six errors in the field.  Mishevich had a 15-game hitting streak late in the season.

Beth Wendlinger's sister Amanda Wendlinger (2005) had a good rookie season at UIndy despite a 9-11 record.  Amanda struck out 100 batters and walked 32 in 143 innings and opposing batters hit just .233 against her, although she did give up an uncomfortable 32 extra base hits.