2005 - Week-8, Top-10

High School Baseball Teams in

Northwest Indiana: 5-25-2005

A USA-365.com Special Report By Mark Smith

(5-25-2005) LaPorte lost to Goshen? And made seven errors? Lake Central lost 12-0 to Fort Wayne Snider? What's up with that??

I hate to say it, but Northwest Indiana prep sports is often like six people sitting around in a room telling each other how great they are. It's all true as long as you never leave the house.

Boone Grove (21-5) carried a 15-game win streak into Wednesday's PCC championship game against Hebron, but whether they can beat Noll or not is yet to be determined.

Gavit (22-7) hasn't played enough top teams and, while they got a great draw in the Hammond 3A Sectional, they still have to eventually beat two good teams in a row, something they haven't yet done.

The soon-to-be-broken up Lake Athletic Conference (LAC) means that there will be only two more God-forsaken 16-team LAC baseball tournaments. The LAC playoffs has all the dragged-out drama of the two-hour season finale of 'One Tree Hill.'

Coaches are distorting their pitching in the late season to fit the tortured state tournament format. After sectional week, which will end with title games on Friday and Saturday June 3-4, winners must play a one-game regional championship the night of June 7. That nonsense schedule has forced coaches to pitch their No. 1 and No. 2 starters on three days rest to get them ready for the first two weeks of the playoffs when you could play six times, if you're lucky.

Coaches must force this to change. It can only hurt boys' arms. There is a thought that No. 1 pitchers should pitch in the state title game, but that's just cosmetic. What difference will it make if that worn-out No. 1 guy has pitched four times in 12 days to get to the final?

Finally, as the 39^th state tourney begins, one fact remains that may or may not matter. The only team that has played in Loeb Stadium, the home of the 2005 state finals, this season, is Chesterton. Here's our week-7, top-10 teams:

1.) 4A LaPORTE (24-4)

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

LaPORTE - LaPorte is still inconsistent. They split a double-header with Goshen (15-10) Saturday, winning 10-3 and losing 9-8 in eight innings. The Slicers made seven errors in the second game and that's the second time in two weeks their highly-touted defense has fallen apart faster than the case against Michael Jackson.

LaPorte did beat Crown Point 5-3 last Friday (5-20-2005) to finish at 12-2 in the DAC and they knocked out Clark 20-3 in a mismatch Tuesday afternoon (5-24-2005) that was 16-1 after two innings.

But when Andy Weeks (9-2, 5 saves) is not pitching, this team is vulnerable against top competition. Again, two of the three losses are outside NW Indiana which may indicate that the state tournament road will be very difficult. They won't get to play Clark in the post-season. Remember, the regional is a Tuesday night game and the semistate champ must win six in a row in 12 days. Junior Matt Antos (9-2) is crucial because Weeks can only pitch so many times.

2.) 3A Andrean (26-2)

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

MERRILLVILLE - Andrean coasted to routs of Munster and Clark to win the 16-team single-elimination Lake Athletic Conference (LAC) tournament. The 59ers won't ever say this, but they have to feel they're always better than everybody in the LAC and they should reach the state finals every year.

Let's be honest, most of the LAC has all the power of Sammy Sosa after drug testing.

As the playoffs looms, I sure wish Andrean had played Brownsburg, LaPorte or New Palestine because those would be valuable games.

But they have dominated the teams they have faced, losing only to a vastly underrated Chesterton team 9-2 and the high-powered offense of Griffith 9-8.

The 59ers dominated cross-town rival Merrillville 9-1 Tuesday (5-24-2005) and they have a night road match with Clay (17-8) this week to get ready for the Kankakee Valley Sectional where they'll meet KV in the second round. I am suspect of this team's starting pitching despite the records of folks like Nick Murphy (8-0). When you average 10 runs a game, it's easy to pitch.

But, with Anthony Cera coming out of the bullpen, a third consecutive trip to the state finals is at least a 50-50 proposition.

3.) 4A Lake Central (25-2)

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

ST. JOHN - Teams do not report out of town games when the 'region' team gets slaughtered and so it's hard to find details of LC's 12-0 loss to Fort Wayne Snider in the Warsaw Invitational. LC did spank Warsaw 8-2 Saturday, but the 12-0 loss (if that score is accurate) is LC's worst in many years.

I wouldn't put too much stock into a Saturday road game where LC may have used second line pitching and backup players. But it was Saturday for Snider, too. There is a reality here and no air of invincibility should remain.

Brandon Peters (8-0, 0.50 ERA), Brett Summers (7-1, 1.10 ERA) and Steve Apostol (6-0, 0.94) have been highly successful but a .351 team batting average has a lot to do with their success. Ben Stepanian (16-43, .372, 5 HRs, 20 RBIs) has been a power man and Summers (24-65, .354, 4 HRs, 18 RBIs) has 10 stolen bases. LC beat Griffith 4-3 Tuesday but they made four errors. I don't like the average of over two errors per game. That has nothing to do with the strength of competition.

LC opens the playoffs against Lowell (10-18-1), a team they have dominated for years. But they must beware of the host team in the Munster Sectional.

4.) 4A Crown Point (15-10)

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

CROWN POINT - The Bulldogs lost to Clay 4-3, LaPorte 5-3, Evansville North 6-0 and Lawrence Central 6-2 before beating Lowell 10-0 behind Matt Jansen (6-3). Senior Dave Dickerson hit a home run and Nick Ullman a triple, with Chris Sarhoff collecting three hits. A very heavy schedule has made the won-loss record less sunny.

But you're better off playing top-10 teams ten times as CP does than you are whipping up on locals. The hits just keep on coming as CP hosts Clark (24-3) Thursday and travels to Elkhart Memorial (22-5) Friday night.

CP has added a 3 p.m. home game Saturday with South Central (13-9). They are playing everyone they can find to get ready for the state tournament.

The Bulldogs take the long road through the Chesterton Class 4A sectional and they'll play Hobart at 11 a.m. Monday, May 30.

They have the pitching to win the sectional and survive the crazy regional-semistate format.

But CP scored only 10 runs in their five game losing streak. This team has less punching power than Andrew Golota.

5.) 3A Griffith (18-9)

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

GRIFFITH - Griffith lost 3-1 in five innings to Clark in a rain-shortened game and the Panthers then fell 4-0 to a Munster team (17-12) that has lost quite a bit. That was the first loss for the season for junior right-hander Matt Nelleman (5-1).

The Panthers lost 4-3 to Lake Central Tuesday (5-24-2005), but Matt Kuna (4-3) held LC to eight hits.

Let's be honest. CP, Griffith and Munster all have about the same record. CP plays a little tougher schedule. It comes down to who you like and I sure like the middle of the batting order of Griffith against the pitching staffs of Clark (22-4) and Gavit (22-7) in next week's sectional. We overrate wins and losses. The Phoenix Suns had a good record, too.

Clark and Griffith will go head-to-head next week and the truth will be told.

6.) 4A Munster (17-12)

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

MUNSTER - Munster got embarrassed 11-3 by Chesterton Tuesday and they were shanghaied 12-1 by Andrean last Friday. But Munster did beat Griffith 4-0 and got shutout pitching from Tim Lukoshis. Anybody who is getting outs and not walking people for the Mustangs immediately goes to the head of the class.

Munster was 3-1 in the LAC tourney but that only goes so far.

Clearly, this team needed a bye at the 4A Munster sectional and they got it. Munster is not loaded with hurlers and they sometimes play less defense than Steve Nash. But the Mustangs should be waiting for LC in the sectional title game and they are a hot-hitting night away from a surprise.

I'll say it again, if there is a major first round upset, it's Munster over LC on Munster's home field.

7.) 4A Chesterton (12-11)

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

CHESTERTON - Take away the top three and Chesterton cold beat anybody on any given day.

Chesterton got a home run from Casey Martin in a 9-1 win over Mishawaka and another homer from Martin in an 11-0 win over Michigan City, a shutout by John Lambert (5-3).

Kevin Scott (4-1) pitched a complete-game four hitter against Mishawaka.

Chesterton has played Lake Central (25-2) twice, LaPorte (24-4) twice, Andrean (26-2), Mishawaka (17-10), Harrison, Jefferson and Huntington North.

With the draw they got and the schedule they have played, the Trojans should be favored over CP in the Chesterton Sectional.

8.) 3A Kankakee Valley (19-8)

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

DeMOTTE - The smack is back as KV roasted up Morton 14-7 behind Scott Nannenga (7-0) in the 7^th place game of the LAC tournament.

Zach Prairie (30-60, .500) had two triples in a 13-6 rout of outmanned West Central (18-7-1).

Soph No. 3 hitter Matt Dobin (34-68, .500, 6 Hrs) has not been in the box scores except as a relief pitcher. Lefty Todd Hepworth struck out 10 against WC Monday.

As it has not mattered all year, nothing KV has done all year is really significant. It all comes down to a semifinal playoff game against Andrean (26-2) next week on KV's home field in DeMotte.

But I'm not sure what's going on with their pitching staff.

9.) 3A Clark (23-5)

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

HAMMOND - The Pioneers finally played somebody and it didn't go well. Clark got turned back 5-1 by Andrean, but the fact that they got to play the 59ers is good. The only way to beat a superior team is to keep playing them. Trent Howard (9-1) took his first loss.

I know how this sounds, but Clark getting annihilated, as they did, 20-3 by LaPorte Wednesday, actually is good for them. Embarrassing as it may be, it's better to lose 20-3 to LaPorte than to beat Whiting 20-3.

These end of the season games make the Pioneers better than Gavit.

Clark has another quality game Thursday against Crown Point (15-10). The Pioneer numbers continue to dazzle with Mike Carpen (37-72, .514) and Drew Polak (38-79, .481) having big fun at the plate. Clark had six players batting over .400 last week including Eddie Johnson (28-62, .452), Eric Fruth (26-59, .441), Al Carpen (32-75, .427) and David Hornyak (31-74, .419). Nobody else has that resume. But, to be honest, many players could have those numbers against most of Clark's schedule.

Clark figures to see Adam Quinn and Crown Point Thursday and that's all good. The Pioneers have played a real schedule the past two weeks..

10.) 2A Bishop Noll (9-17)

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

HAMMOND - Noll stomped on Lake Station 15-5 last Saturday but that's pretty much irrelevant.

There are mixed reports on Ryan Bobos, the star Noll pitcher who had two doubles in the Warriors' win over Lake Station, a sectional rival. The word is that Bobos, who is playing everyday at first base, still may not be able to pitch although he has tried more than once.

I'm going to keep saying this.

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

With Bobos back and the schedule of eight 4A teams and 10 3As, Noll is still a favorite to win the Lake Station Sectional. But they did not get a good draw. The Warriors must play Hanover Central (13-9) and Boone Grove (21-5) just to get to the title game. Three games in five days and six games in 13 days will stress them, if they are short on pitching.

But the same strength of schedule that will hamper Gavit and Clark severely, will serve to boost Noll. If Bobos cannot pitch, there is a chance for Boone Grove to pull an upset in the Lake Station sectional semifinals. Boone has played a good schedule but they don't have the firepower that Noll does. Try and find anyone who would bet on Boone (21-5) over Bishop Noll (9-17).

On the horizon...

4A Clay (17-8)

Enrollment: 1,250 - South Bend , Indiana

SOUTH BEND - Clay's 3-2 loss to Elkhart Memorial (22-5) Saturday in the championship game of the Colonial Classic ended a three-game winning streak.

Clay jumped off to an 8-0 record in April, but then lost 7-of-13. Left-handed pitcher Mike Sobol (7-3) in the main man on the mound. He lost 3-2 to Memorial despite allowing just four hits.

What opens your eyes is the losses; to Penn (twice), Plymouth Memorial, LaPorte, Marian, Mishawaka and South Bend Washington. Other than Washington and (this year) Plymouth, those are all good baseball schools.

Anybody can lose to anybody in baseball, but good programs should only lose to other good programs.

Catcher Chris Corpe is the key No. 3 hitter while coach Chip O'Neill's son Mike is a speedy shortstop and singles hitter. Sobol struck out 11 against Marian on May 13 and hit two home runs May 11 against Penn.

Right-hander Tyler Symczak (4-4) looked good in a 4-3 win at Crown Point on May 18 and has picked up three victories in the last 10 days. But the offense, overall was inconsistent in May.

Now, the good news, at least for them. The Colonials got a quarterfinal bye in the upcoming state tournament and they'll get a rematch with city rival Washington (11-11-1) in the semifinals. A win there puts Clay in the finals at Covaleski Stadium in South Bend, probably against superpower LaPorte (24-4).

The Colonials played three games at Covaleski just last week. Clay lost 10-2 at LaPorte on May 8 and I don't think they can reach the state finals. But a rematch in the sectional title game under the lights in downtown South Bend is all they can ask for.

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