2005 - Week-6, Top-10

High School Baseball Teams in

Northwest Indiana: 5-11-2005

A USA-365.com Special Report By Mark Smith

(Our apologies to readers on the late posting of polls this week. - Editor)

(5-11-2005) The good teams are trying to turn up the heat down the stretch and in NW Indiana, LaPorte (19-2), Andrean (18-2) and Lake Central (17-2) have separated themselves from everyone else. The Andean-LaPorte, Andrean-Lake Central games are the ones we're lacking (they don't play) but those three would be ready if the playoffs began tomorrow. Down the stretch, no one is putting the pedal to the metal more than Crown Point, which has Lafayette Jefferson (11-7), 4A No. 3 LaPorte (19-2), 3A No. 10 Clark (15-3), South Bend Clay (12-5), 4A No. 9 Elkhart Memorial (16-4) and 4A Terre Haute North (13-4) all yet to play.

Only teams that aren't sure they can advance out of their own back yard in the post-season make a big fuss about the championship of their league. The Lake Athletic Conference tournament is next week and the PCC tourney is in two weeks. But all those teams need to be playing tougher foes than they find in their division. Valparaiso lost twice Saturday to Class 1A No. 1 and defending state champion Lafayette Catholic. But I don't see anybody else playing Lafayette Catholic. And no one up here wants any part of 4A No. 1 Brownsburg (21-0) while they're rated in the top-10 in the nation. Their phone number is in the book but nobody's begging to play them. The Bulldogs are still welcoming in boys off that run of four consecutive 12-and-under Little League age group state titles (1999-2002) and everybody else knows they'd get beat like they stole something.

But I'd like to see LC and CP, two very adventurous teams, give Brownsburg a call and schedule a double-header. Like Ric Flair says, To be the man, you've got to beat the man. Here's our week-5, top-10 teams:

1. LaPORTE (19-2)

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

LaPORTE - LaPorte smoked out Chesterton 12-2 Tuesday to return to the doorstep of the greatest record in Indiana high school sports. In a sport where (due to archaic IHSAA rules) you can only play, at most, 30 regular season games, the Slicers need only to beat Valparaiso Thursday (5-12-5) to record 20 wins for the 39^th year in a row.

Forget the Slicers' state-record eight state titles for a moment, the last time LaPorte won less than 20 games was 1966 when they went 17-6. Included in the almost four decades of success are 14 30-win seasons and the eight state crowns. No one in team sports has any record that is anywhere near that level in the state of Indiana.

Junior No. 2 pitcher Matt Antos (6-2) is on a winning streak. He allowed five hits in six innings of Saturday's 10-2 win over sectional rival Clay (12-5). Left-hander Andy Weeks (9-0) leads a pitching staff that has allowed 57 runs in 21 games.

LaPorte scored 230 runs in their first 21 games (10.9 per game) and is batting almost .400 as a team against a schedule that is stronger than dirt. The Slicers have beaten Penn, Lake Central, Clay, and Huntington North.

The rematch with Lake Central (20-1) should decide the DAC title when the two superpowers go head-to-head in St. John next week but the DAC probably isn't an issue to LaPorte. The Slicers, with 14 wins in their last 15 games, must reach the state finals or this season is a major disappointment. The bar is set that high.

LaPorte has the best offense, the best pitcher and the best infield defense in NW Indiana and everybody knows it. But they know that no one truly has a great season unless it ends at the state finals.

2. Andrean (20-2)

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

MERRILLVILLE - Andrean rebounded from a 9-8 loss to Griffith by playing some big city beat downs on Crown Point 10-2 and Kankakee Valley 15-1, embarrassing two top-10 teams. Senior catcher Greg Yersich lifted a three run homer as the 59ers reached the 20-win plateau Monday (5-9-2005) at KV's expense. Andrean has won 20 games 15 times in the last 16 seasons. Not LaPorte, but not bad.

SS Tommy Finn missed the Griffith loss with illness but he looked fine defensively against CP stealing at least three base hits. The pitching is still a question. To be honest, a couple of the 59er hurlers are winning because the 59ers are averaging eight runs a game. And the seven errors against Griffith was scary to another team that has 'State Finals or Bust' on their license plates.

But you can get lucky and win that way. Munster won the state title four years ago with one pitcher (Elliott Gibbs), occasionally strong defense and a big time offense. In the class sports era, you only need six wins. And Andrean knows that one of their sectional games will be against Gary Roosevelt or Lew Wallace, two teams that couldn't beat the Andrean JV.

The 59ers are the best bet from NW Indiana for a state crown. Better than LaPorte and Lake Central? Definitely.

Because LaPorte or LC eventually has to beat Brownsburg.

3. Lake Central (20-1)

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

ST. JOHN - Lake Central had a great weekend with a 6-3 win at rival Crown Point and then a sweep of Harrison (10-8) 11-1 and 10-6 over the weekend. Was that Brett Summers in center field Saturday leading off and going 3-for-3?

LC knows they did not see RHP Josh Lindbloom (6-0) of Harrison, the state's top pro prospect. The Indians are without good hitting (but injured) shortstop Troy Russell, but it hasn't stopped them.

The Indians won a run-fest 16-12 in the wind and sun against Portage Monday. LC was embarrassed 12-5 the first time they played LaPorte and the rematch is next Tuesday (5-17-2005). LC could get lucky and reach the state finals without beating LaPorte in May but that's the best team they'll see and they might lack a tad of confidence.

RHP Brett Summers (6-1) came through in a big game at Crown point in front of a fairly big crowd. Summers will certainly face LaPorte's undefeated Andy Weeks in the DAC title game next Tuesday. Hopefully, the Munster and Highland-loving Lake County radio stations, which inexplicably ignored the first LC-LaPorte game, will bother to make the long trip to St. John to carry the biggest game of the season.

4. Kankakee Valley (15-6)

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

DeMOTTE - The gap between the top three teams and everybody else in NW Indiana suddenly seems very wide. The Kougars took a 15-1 whipping by Andrean Monday and that's becoming too common. Munster laid down on the Kougars 12-8 last week and a Saturday double-header had an uncomfortable amount of runs scored and an 8-5 loss to North Newton.

KV has lost twice each to Munster and Andrean. The former means little. The latter may mean everything. The Kougars have seemed overmatched by Andrean, although Monday's game was just 2-0 in the sixth inning, and they must get past the 59ers in the Kankakee Valley sectional.

Was that soph No. 3 hitter Matt Dobin (.450, 7 Hrs) getting the win in relief in Saturday's 9-8 win over North Newton? That's going deep into the bullpen.

Okay, I admit that the Kougar pitching staff has been spanked more often than Lindsay Lohan on spring break and seven errors in a double-header (plus four more against Andrean) is a one-way ticket to Loserville. But the Kougars can rebound in the LAC tournament where they need to play (and be competitive against) Andrean.

Why are they ahead of CP, which has better pitching? In the major leagues, pitching eventually beats hitting. In short season baseball, hot bats beat good pitching. The swing is the thing. Remember, KV is home in sectional play and they get a quarterfinal bye in an offensive ballpark. They only need one well-pitched game.

5. Crown Point (12-5)

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

CROWN POINT - Matt Jansen and Jimmy Wilson combined to shut out Michigan City 10-0 Tuesday as the Bulldogs tried to right the ship after back-to-back home losses to Lake Central 6-3 and Andrean 10-2.

The Bulldogs looked outclassed by Andrean and I don't believe there is that much difference between the two teams. CP lacks experience in big games and that showed in front of noisy home crowds where CP hitters couldn't get arrested at the plate.

The schedule will get CP ready for the playoffs. Coach Steve Strayer has toughened CP's schedule to the max. 4A top-10 teams LaPorte, Elkhart Memorial and Terre Haute North are still on the schedule after this week. Clark (16-3), South Bend Clay (12-5) and Lafayette Jefferson (10-7) will also make trips to Crown Point. Note the CP total of games played so far. They have a whole lot of living to do. But the Bulldogs can't choke in big games like they did last weekend and a young CP team will have plenty of red meat to chew on in the final two weeks.

Your record in April is about as real as Republican family values. CP has no major injuries, no lack of competition and, from this point on, no excuses.

6. Griffith (15-6)

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

GRIFFITH - Griffith had a defensive breakdown (4 errors) in a 6-4 loss to Bishop Noll Monday. Those games are worrisome, but overall, the Panthers are looking up after a 9-8 win over Andrean and a 6-5 triumph over Highland.

Jim Swienconek is getting out of line. He was 4-for-5 against Munster on May 2 and 3-for-5 with two HRs on May 5 against Andrean.

The Panthers' Matt Nelleman (4-0) beat Highland despite five Panther errors. He may get more significant assignments. Obviously, pitching and defense have issues here, but right-handers Mark Hill (3-2), Matt Kuna (4-1) and Nelleman have to stay the course, ignore what's going on around them and keep their eyes on the sectional prize. Griffith is better than Clark and Gavit and they play a tougher schedule. Ryan Bridges' 4-for-4 against Andrean was a good sign.

The Panthers don't need to worry about whether they can beat Andrean (20-2) or West Lafayette (16-2) until the time comes. I truly believe that infield defense can improve in a couple of weeks time while pitching and hitting can only hope to hit a hot streak. If the mistakes are in the infield, I believe there's still time to correct that.

But then I believe that Jeremy Burnitz is going to hit more home runs than Sammy Sosa.

7. Munster (14-10)

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

MUNSTER - Munster has severe mood swings which translated means they have no pitching. Let's review. In May, the Mustangs have outscored Griffith 10-4 in 11 innings and out-stroked Kankakee Valley 12-8. They have also lost to Andrean 13-7 and Lowell 6-3.

Munster is certainly a lot of fun to watch because the game's never over. The wild horses had 14 hits against KV and 10 more against Andrean. But 17 errors in a five game span is a defensive problem similar to the one Griffith and KV appear to have. I believe that Munster will get to play a region-high 30 regular season games if they can get to the semifinals of the LAC tournament. That's all you can do schedule-wise.

Outfield defense and pitching are largely raw talent. You either can chase it and chuck it or you can't. Infield defense can be corrected with increased emphasis on it late in the year.

Hey, a 50-1 shot won the Derby. These Mustangs have a better chance than that in the upcoming 4A Sectional.

8. Chesterton (7-10)

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

CHESTERTON - Okay so this team isn't beating the top squads. But it's hard to find anybody after the top seven who is. The Trojans took their whipping at LaPorte 12-2 Tuesday. That's no shame. The four-game losing streak came against LC, LaPorte, CP and up-and-coming Valparaiso. The Trojans have lost to CP and LaPorte twice each. Wins over Andrean (20-2) and Harrison (10-8) have quality, but the Trojans need to get back to .500 before the season ends.

Chesterton's losses are 'good losses' but they are a bit too plentiful.

9. Bishop Noll (7-14)

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

HAMMOND - Noll's Danny Faulkner benefited from a nine-hit attack in a 6-4 upset of Griffith Monday (5-9-2005). Noll got good pitching in a 1-0 loss to Lowell last week. When you're getting ready for the state tournament, a 1-0 loss is much better than a 9-8 loss.

Noll needs to play four games in the LAC tournament next week. It doesn't matter if they win or lose. They just need to play four times and play well.

Understand the schedule here. Noll has played Munster twice, LC, Andrean twice, Griffith and KV.

Gavit (16-6) has a much better record but they play an inferior schedule. That's why Noll smoked out Gavit 13-1 when the teams met last week behind a four-hitter from Jimmy Flores. No real poll can have Gavit ahead of Bishop Noll.

Don't make me say this again. 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.

It can happen again and everybody knows it. In fact, because of the schedule they play (eight 4A teams and 10 3As) Noll is still almost a prohibitive favorite to win the sectional and regional title in Class 2A.

10. Clark (16-3)

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

HAMMOND - Clark rolled over Calumet 11-0 Monday to win the LAC Blue Division title. It's hard to believe that's the first baseball league championship for the Pioneers since the 1940s.

So I'll take a one-week moratorium on talking about how weak their schedule is.

Clark travels to Crown Point (12-5) on May 26 and I believe/hope they play LaPorte (19-2) so the end of their season will be tougher than the start. The Pioneers reached the state Top-10 this week but, again, 75% of the voters haven't seen them play and probably think Clark is an oil company or a candy bar.

PORTER COUNTY CONFERENCE (PCC)

Quarterfinals - Saturday, May 21, 2005

Hebron (9-8) vs. Kouts (8-15) – 9 a.m.

South Central (12-7) vs. HANOVER CENTRAL (9-6) – 11 a.m.

Washington Township (7-8) vs. Morgan Township (6-8) – 1 p.m.

LaCrosse (8-7) vs. BOONE GROVE (15-5) – 3 p.m.

Semifinals - Monday, May 23

Top Bracket at South Central - 4:30 p.m.

Bottom Bracket at Boone Grove - 4:30 p.m.

Championship - Wednesday, May 25 at South Central - 4:30 p.m.

NOTE: Hebron routs of East Chicago 15-2 and Gary Roosevelt 8-0 in the East Chicago Classic Saturday signaled that the Hawks may be ready to win the PCC playoffs but Boone Grove's sweep of the South Central Classic may have indicated the same thing about them.

Hanover piled up more hits than Calumet in an 18-8 win Tuesday (5-9-2005) so you can't forget about them. Again, quarterfinal day of the PCC baseball tournament is one of the wildest days in local sports.

If you want to go see these teams go head-to-head, the starting times for the May 21 PCC quarterfinals are totally unrealistic. There is no way that 7-inning tournament games will be over in 100 minutes which is what will be required to give the next game's players 20 minutes of warm-up time before the scheduled start of the next game.

Last year, brief rain delays and extra inning games had the quarterfinal day running FOUR hours behind. Bottom line. If you are playing or watching the LaCrosse-Boone game, don't get too jacked up. You may be playing Monday.

the OUTSIDERS...

1.) Valparaiso (5-15)

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

VALPARAISO - Valpo got swept by 1A No. 1 Lafayette Catholic Saturday after losing 10-0 to 4A No. 2 Lake Central. But they wont see those teams in the sectional. The Vikings got home runs from catcher Nate Windsor and pitcher Clint Krysa in an 8-5 win over Chesterton Thursday. Since an 0-10 start, they are 5-5. Valpo got 13 hits in a 7-4 loss to Merrillville Tuesday. They're still on the rise.

In the six team Chesterton sectional (Chesterton, Hobart, Valpo, Portage, Crown Point and Merrillville), Crown Point (12-5) has the best record. Valpo has already defeated Crown Point. Keep watching this team.

2.) Hanover Central (9-6)

2004 (18-12), 2003 (17-11-1), 2002 (9-18-1), 2001 (11-14)

CEDAR LAKE - The Wildcats were rained out of a game with Hebron Monday but they out-hit Calumet 18-8 in the sun and the wind Tuesday. The top four hitters (Mark Myszkowski, Todd Sheehy, Larry Pempek and Brent DeMateo) are solid and all but Pempek are juniors.

Truthfully this is a good hitting team 1-thorough-9.

Pitching is a question with Pempek, soph Joe Angone and lefty curve baller Zack Wajvoda but this is another offensive team that is going to have to out hit and out field the opposition. The defense is inconsistent, especially in the outfield and there's not much you can do about that in a couple of weeks.

New coach Ron Szanyi (replacing Greg Ford, who had to resign for undisclosed reasons), is actually old coach Ron Szanyi who Ford replaced at the start of this year. Every single player may not love him but they all know him and are comfortable with him. Hanover's prospects for this season do not change with Szanyi taking over.

They still have a 50-50 shot to win the PCC title and about a 25% chance to beat Bishop Noll in 2A sectional play.

3.) BOONE GROVE (15-5)

2004 (17-12), 2003 (21-7), 2002 (28-5)

PORTER TOWNSHIP – Boone Grove wiped out the insurgency of South Central 6-4, car-bombed Bremen 12-1, put the multi-national force on Kouts 8-5 and spread freedom all over Morton 9-4 (this week's theme is Iraq war adjectives) to win four times in four days.

Since a 4-2 loss to Hanover on April 22, Boone has won nine games in a row and they appear ready for the PCC playoffs in two weeks. Boone plays a much tougher schedule than Hanover Central including 4As Lowell, Merrillville, Highland, Michigan City and 3A top10s Griffith and Kankakee Valley.

Senior Danny Borys and soph Joe Johnson each had three hits in the Wolves win over Morton. Borys (4-1) allowed just four hits in the surprising rout of Bremen (10-6), a potential regional foe.

Lefty Shawn Bishop (6-1) picked up his sixth win in relief on Monday

If they keep playing like this the PCC tournament might not be as close and as it once appeared. Boone does play a much tougher schedule than any other PCC team. But I still have some trouble seeing them line up and beat Bishop Noll.

On the horizon...

4A Elkhart Memorial (17-4)

27-3 (2004), 20-10 (2003), 10-17 (2002)

ELKHART - RHP Sean Stone (4-2) struck out 13 in a 10-1 win over Wawasee Saturday. The Crimson Chargers (don't ask) rallied from an 8-01 deficit to beat Plymouth 9-8 last Wednesday (5-4-5) as relief pitcher Jake Schofield (5-1) tossed five shutout innings.

That's a typical Elkhart Memorial game. they whip out the big guns on you. Senior outfielder Nick Corpe (.449, 3 Hrs, 36 RBIs in 2004) has busted loose this year for nine home runs in Memorial's first 19 games. He hit the game -winning homer in the eighth inning to beat Plymouth. Memorial smoked out Warsaw 17-7 with a 19-hit attack on May 2. You get the picture. They don't play for one run a lot.

Memorial was the undefeated (14-0) champion of the Northern Lakes Conference (NLC) in 2004 and they are 8-1 this season. The Chargers returned all four pitchers from last year and while Mike Koons (7-0 in 2004) who has played but has pitched very little, they have been capable, if not outstanding.

Memorial, which started six seniors and three juniors in a 10-6 win at Goshen (10-9) Monday, is locked in for a third consecutive 20-win season for third year turnaround coach Scott Rost.

Memorial has already beaten Valparaiso and Portage and they host Crown Point (12-5) on May 27. The fact that they would play three teams in the relatively faraway Class 4A Duneland Conference indicates they feel this is a top team and they want to max out the competition level.

Memorial was shut out 3-0 and struck out 13 times by rival Penn and Division I prospect Breandan Stines (5-2) on April 30 but unless you've got a top pitcher, you might not want what they bring to the table. This team has waited a long time for the upcoming state tournament. Memorial was 27-2 and No. 1 in the state when they lost to arch-rival Penn at the Sectional last year.

The Chargers must know that the odds of them walking through Penn, LaPorte, Lake Central and Brownsburg to win it all are less than 50-50. But Memorial (4^th in the state in track in 2004, ranked 14^th this year) is a high caliber athletic school) so here's another team is probably highly motivated for June. There's no way they will consider this a successful season unless they defeat Penn at the sectional next month.

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