2005 - Week-4, Top-10

High School Baseball Teams in

Northwest Indiana: 4-28-2005

A USA-365.com Special Report By Mark Smith

(4-28-2005) Bad weather idled most teams last Friday and Saturday (April 22-23) so there will be a lot of makeup games this week. The weather is allowing a full schedule this week and teams will get to their No. 2 and No. 3 pitchers. That may change how some squads look.

In a game in the Indianapolis area, 6-6 right-hander Lance Lynn (4-0) of 4A No. 1 Brownsburg (14-0) struck out 20 in a 4-3 win over 4A No. 3 Hamilton Southeastern (9-1). On the same day, Hanover Central's Larry Pempek struck out 15 in a 4-2 win at Boone Grove.

Congratulations to Valparaiso (1-10), who finally got on the board with an 11-0 win over Michigan City. I still contend that Valpo will get back to .500 before the season ends.

The finals game at the Gary Steelyard will be held this week and, while rain hit the prep showcase hard this year, the boys, by all reports, still enjoyed playing there. I'd like to see four teams get together on Saturdays in the future there and play little single-elimination tournaments (9 a.m. and 12 noon semifinals with 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. title games.), instead of just single games. More fans would attend if a title was on the line. Here's our week-4, top-10 poll:

1. LaPORTE (14-2)

25-7 (2004), 22-10-1 (2003), 20-9 (2002) 28-2 (2001)

LaPORTE - LaPorte crushed Lake Central 14-5 in the first meeting of the two Duneland Athletic Conference superpowers in LaPorte, a day after bombing Valparaiso 13-0. But the Slicers' 10-game win streak ended in a 3-2, 11-inning loss at Crown Point.

The Slicers have scored 10 or more runs 11 times in 16 games but you should probably wait until the second meeting next month before trying to judge whether LaPorte is superior to LC or inferior to CP. Obviously, the Slicers have virtually clinched their 39th consecutive 20-win seasons and 47th consecutive winning season.

LaPorte chose not to break rotation, pitching all-stater Andy Weeks against winless Valparaiso and No. 2 starter Matt Antos against undefeated Lake Central. It worked out, clearly as LaPorte won both games. LaPorte also got 10 strong innings out of Weeks against CP. Other than Brownsburg, LaPorte looks stronger than any other team I can find. They should have beaten CP but left 12 men on base.

I still wonder whether LaPorte has a quality No. 2 pitcher and I think they do, too.

2. Andrean (13-1)

27-8 (2004), 26-8 (2003), 27-7 (2002), 25-5 (2001)

MERRILLVILLE - Andrean rallied to beat Hobart 14-8 and shut down Kankakee Valley 6-0. The 59ers got surprising pitching from left-hander Nick Murphy (4-0), a small right-hander who blanked the hard-hitting Kougars on two hits. KV (11-2) had averaged over 10 runs per game.

The interesting thing about this game is that neither side used their best pitcher, anticipating an almost certain meeting in the KV Sectional in June. Andrean got home runs from Steve Augsburger and Greg Yersich against Hobart and an RBI triple from Joe Mack against KV.

Andean's postponed game with neighbor Crown Point (7-2) will be made up Saturday night, May 7 at 7 p.m.

Right now, Andrean's in as good a position as anybody, but they should note that KV did not use left-hander Gentry Brown against them.

3. Lake Central (11-1)

24-7 (2004), 23-6-1 (2003), 21-9 (2002) 21-10 (2001)

ST. JOHN - Lake Central outscored their first nine opponents 96-21, but that all ended Monday in a 14-5 loss at LaPorte.

In the Indians' defense, to drive an hour and play at LaPorte after school is not a cheery assignment. RHP Brett Summers (5-1) hit a home run, but he was bombed as the powerful Slicers smoked out 16 base hits. It's not good to get stomped, but it is of value to get a test against the power teams.

You could see this coming as LC barely beat CP 3-2 and Portage 4-2 last week. As always, don't put much stock in one game. Let LaPorte drive to St. John in May and then see what happens. LaPorte is clearly one of the top 10 teams in the state in any class, but so is LC.

If the Indians needed motivation for May, they got 14 runs of motivation this week.

4. Kankakee Valley (11-2)

19-14 (2004), 14-17 (2003), 21-10 (2002), 17-11 (2001)

DeMOTTE - KV lost 4-2 to Munster and 6-0 to Andean, but they were due for a couple of defeats. The Kougars made four errors against the 59ers and that's been a problematic trend for them.

Sometimes when you dominate games, like KV did in early April, you get sloppy in the field. There's time for the Kougars to get tight in the field.

What may have gone unnoticed Tuesday (4-26-2005) is that pitcher Shane Byers, who broke his left hand early this month, came back to pitch four innings in Monday's 5-3 win over Bishop Noll, allowing just two runs. If Byers is OK to pitch, this was a good week for the Kougars, who now have their entire pitching rotation back in order.

Matt Dobin was 21 of his first 34 (.618) and nobody wins anything in April. 11-2 is a fine record.

5. Crown Point (8-2)

17-11 (2004), 23-10 (2003), 13-12 (2002), 15-12-1 (2001)

CROWN POINT - Crown Point got the best of Merrillville 9-3 Tuesday (4-26-2005) behind RHP Adam Quinn (2-1), who pitched 6 1/3 innings and cracked out three base hits. Another errorless game for the Bulldogs, whose biggest improvement has been infield defense. The defense let down (4 errors), but the pitching didn't in an 11-inning 3-2 win over LaPorte Thursday (4-28-2005).

Nobody's bragging here because CP traditionally starts fast and then hits the wall in May. CP rescheduled last week's rain out against Portage for 4:30 Friday in the 6,700-seat US Steelyard pro ballpark in Gary.

Rainouts have created a rare weekend neighborhood 'home stand' where CP hosts Lake Central (11-1) Friday night, May 6 at 7 p.m. and the Bulldogs also host Andrean (13-1) Saturday night, May 7 at 7 p.m.

6. Griffith (10-3)

19-14 (2004), 17-12 (2003), 17-15 (2002), 27-7 (2001)

GRIFFITH - Griffith came off the 'rain break' well, stopping Lowell 5-0 and Bishop Noll 2-1. Complete game pitching by Matt Kuna (2-0) and Mark Hill (3-1) was the key, although Griffith is having trouble scoring runs. The middle of the order has not hit as they were expected to. But it's early. What this group will be has not yet been determined.

The Panthers needed two well pitched games because they had four games scheduled for this week. The Panthers get another look at Hobart (7-8) and Kankakee Valley (11-2) this week. Pitching is going to separate teams in the LAC because everybody has a lot of offensive weapons.

With KV and Andrean in another 3A sectional, its Clark and Gavit that the Panthers will focus on.

7. Chesterton (6-6)

19-9 (2004), 8-20 (2003), 9-18 (2002), 16-15 (2001)

CHESTERTON - The Trojans got nipped 5-4 by Portage Tuesday after a wild 15-14 victory over Merrillville. Chesterton's 6-6 is better than Gavit's 13-4 and Clark's 10-3 because of the schedule (Harrison, Jefferson, LC, CP, Huntington North, LaPorte) Chesterton has played. Ranking is based on wins and losses. Quality (as is expressed here) is based on opponents. No one outside Lake County really thinks the LAC, player for player, team for team, is as good as the DAC, no matter what they say. In sports, sadly, you are not required to tell the truth.

Home runs by Zack Novak and Casey Martin sparked the Trojans comeback from 7-5 or 9-6 deficits against Merrillville. The Trojans lost to Portage due to four errors after rallying this time from a 4-0 deficit. The Trojans are short on pitching but they will settle into some good play in May.

8.) 4A Munster (9-5)

2004 (23-6), 2003 (20-10), 2002 (25-9) 2001 (26-8)

MUNSTER - Munster is standing up while others are stepping back. The 4-2 win over Kankakee Valley impressive because the wild horses got 10 strikeouts in seven innings from Paul Malayter (4-0). Munster smoked out Lowell 14-6 Tuesday (4-26-5) with a 13-hit attack. The game with South Bend Clay (9-2) will be replayed Thursday in the Gary Steelyard.

Munster always hits the ball. I know its not that simple but they are consistent in that respect. Mike Hawryszkow had 18 hits in his first 35 at-bats (.514) and Mike Nowak was 19 of his first 37 (.514).

I may have to re-evaluate that earlier comment that Munster wont win 20. It'll take some doing once the Mustangs get to playing consistently and need pitching depth. But give them an 11-3 second half and there it is. 20 wins for the 5^th year in a row.

9. Bishop Noll (3-8)

21-11 (2004), 16-10 (2003), 20-10 (2002), 14-15 (2001)

HAMMOND - Noll lost 5-3 to KV and 2-1 to Griffith but these are Top-10 teams. The news for Noll was that injured pitcher Ryan Bobos returned to the lineup and went 3-for-4. He may not be quite ready to pitch yet, but with Bobos, who was 10-1 last season, Noll is better than Clark, Gavit and Merrillville.

Matt Chilbicki (2-1) allowed just three hits and four walks and he still lost.

For the record, Bishop Noll was also 3-8 on April 24, 2004 after a 4-3 loss to Kankakee Valley. The Warriors won 18 of their last 21 games and won the 2004 Class 2A state championship.

The Warriors were far better than 3-8 then and they're far better than 3-8 now. I think everybody knows what's about to happen with Bishop Noll. With Bobos (pulled leg muscle) back in action, watch this team get back to .500 very quickly.

10. Clark (9-3)

24-5 (2004), 21-8 (2003), 20-5 (2002), 16-9-1 (2001)

HAMMOND - Clark bounced back from a 13-10 loss to Lake Station with a 22-6 win over Whiting in five innings. Obviously, that's not a quality win, though.

Clark needs heavy duty competition. It does no good to barbecue 1A schools when you need a real meal. There is an opening here. Some teams may have lost games with the rain outs last week. Clark may be able to do some ad-lib scheduling and get Lake Central or Penn or some of the elite Lafayette schools on the schedule.

They need that kind of experience to beat Griffith in June. Players notwithstanding, the difference between Clark and Griffith in recent years has been the schedules of those two teams.

Twins Al Carpen (18 of 35, . 514) and Mike Carpen (19-33, .576) are rolling up the runs and Clark has established, by any objective analysis, that they are the best team in the LAC Blue Division. Even Lake Station would agree with that.

The Pioneers do have Crown Point (7-2) on the schedule late in the year and they may also have a game with LaPorte (14-1) scheduled. Good. Until then, their overall prowess is suspect due to the schedule.

the OUTSIDERS...

1.) Valparaiso (1-10)

16-13 (2004), 25-5 (2003), 27-5 (2002), 26-4 (2001)

VALPARAISO - Valpo got on the board with a 12-0 win over Michigan City. Clint Krysa pitched his first victory after a 7-3 season in 2004. The Vikings have only two seniors so they were expected to start slowly -- just not this slow. Michigan City is truly the only easy win in the entire DAC, but 4A Top-10s LaPorte and Lake Central are not in the same sectional as Valpo.

Just keep watching. The Vikings will be back near the .500 mark by the end of the season and it would not be a surprise if they played for the sectional championship in June.

2.) Gavit (13-2)

2004 (16-13), 2003 (9-14), 2002 (15-12), 2001 (11-17)

HAMMOND - Gavit coasted by Lake Station 20-4 in a game so lopsided that it probably hurts both teams. Jake Galik (5-0) gave up four early runs but then coasted behind a 15-hit attack.

I'm not certain of the rest of Gavit's schedule, but I would hope they would also get on the phone and challenge somebody from Lafayette or maybe LaPorte and Chesterton. It's not about who you beat. It's about who you play.

The breakup of the Lake Athletic Conference can't come too soon. Gavit and Clark are unfortunately locked into playing some teams that will beat them maybe 1 out of 20 times. It must be crushing to the competitive soul to score 16 runs in one inning as Gavit did this week against Lake Station. That's just not a game and you know you're being 'dumbed down' athletically for the real heavy-hitters to come.

Even if Gavit was 15-0, they have far too many competitive mismatches to be in the top-10 in anyone's poll.

On deck...

(West Lafayette) Harrison (6-4)

18-11 (2004), 20-9 (2003), 18-11 (2002),

20-9 (2001), 27-5 (2000)

WEST LAFAYETTE - Harrison is one of the five powerhouse teams in a 15-mile radius in Tippecanoe County, the Lafayette area.

The Raiders, the 1995 state champions, have had non-stop winning seasons since the 1980s, but have been forced to battle McCutcheon and Jefferson at the sectional every year.

The Raiders are 103-45 in the first five years of this decade and are looking to head to the state finals for the first time since 2000.

The optimism is based on one player, right-handed pitcher Josh Lindblom, a gifted pitcher. When high school boys throw the ball 85 miles and hour, they get college scholarships and pro scouts encourage them to play hard at the university and consider a future in professional baseball.

Josh Lindblom has been clocked at 95 miles and hour and pro scouts aren't encouraging him to go to school at all. Lindblom (3-0, 0.70), who is committed to Tennessee, will be a certain first or second round draft choice in pro baseball's June draft. He is the No.1 prospect in Indiana. Baseball America rated him the No. 94 prospect in the nation and the right-hander has struck out 31 batters in 20 innings to prove it.

Junior Brett Courtney (2-1, 3.67 ERA) helps give the Raiders a 1-2 pitching punch that is formidable. Harrison returns five position players and the Raiders have already beaten 1A No.2 Lafayette Catholic and lost 5-4 to 3A No. 6 West Lafayette. Outfielder Walt Higbee batted .378 last year with four homers and 10 stolen bases. Harrison does not have the power they've had in the past so their pitching depth might show up as a regular season weakness.

But in the playoffs you'll have to beat Lindblom and no one has so far.

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