Top-10 High School Baseball Teams in

Northwest Indiana - Week 3: 4/15/2003

A USA-365.com Special Report By Mark Smith

1. Valparaiso (4-0)

Valpo appears to have lost nothing from last season after a double-header sweep of Lafayette Jefferson last Saturday. No one in this region has the caliber of athlete that Valpo puts on the field. Mike Gildein and Jeff Samardzija could both be pro draft picks. Valpo plays LaPorte next week. Gildein had four hits in a 6-5 win over Jefferson. Nick Windsor pitched in both wins over the Bronchos.

2. ANDREAN (3-0)

Andrean overpowered Bishop Noll 12-5 to go 3-0 but they haven't been challenged yet. The 59ers' 37-game Lake Athletic Conferenc (LAC) winning streak has become a distraction and it needs to end. To dominate a largely mediocre conference is not a goal you want to shoot for. the 59ers could be 9-0 when they meet Griffith in the RailCats stadium on April 25.

3. LAKE CENTRAL (4-3)

LC won two of three games on a weekend road trip to North Posey and Mount Vernon, two decent teams. The Indians beat Clark ace Joe Anderson with an eighth inning run in a 7-6 game Monday. More tough teams on the schedule this week as LC meets traditional Illinois power Thornwood in the Railcats Stadium Friday (April 18) in Gary and they travel to Penn (3-0) Saturday.

4. CROWN POINT (2-0)

Crown Point wasn't tested in opening wins 8-0 over Morton and 19-1 over Highland but early reports on their pitching prowess do not seem to be exaggerated. The CP offense looked good against weak pitching but a showdown with LaPorte (4-1) comes up Thursday (April 17) and the Dogs face Griffith in the RailCats Stadium Saturday at high noon. The Bulldogs still need better infield defense.

5. LaPorte (4-1)

A very young team but four wins in four days last week means the talent is there, as usual. Sophomore left-hander Jeff Dernass struck out nine in five innings Saturday at South Central. The Slicers scored 38 runs in the first five games. Freshman second baseman Nick Overmeyer had three hits in a 3-2 win over South Bend Washington after three hits in a 13-4 win over New Prairie.

6. Highland (4-1)

Here's one of those situations where you have to throw out the result of any one game to evaluate a team. The 19-1 loss to Crown Point still doesn't make sense. When Joel Schmaal pitches, Highland is a top-10 team.

7. Lowell (5-2)

Lowell has hit much better than expected. The schedule hasn't been that tough but 69 runs in seven games can't be ignored. Justin Bales is off to a big start at the plate but the left-handed pitcher is having major control problems. The Devils don't play Andrean until May 12 so they should be able to stay in the LAC conference race.

8. Clark (3-1)

Clark isn't playing enough. Again, the poor condition of their field keeps them out of action and the Pioneers' six errors against LC can be attributed to the limited outdoor time. Russ Gould struck out 16 against Hanover Central Tuesday so the Pioneers didn't need defense. The 21 runs in three games is encouraging for a mediocre offensive team but this team is rated even with Andrean in the state poll and even they would not claim that.

9. Merrillville (3-1)

The Pirates are a lot like Highland. When right-hander Jason Plys (2-0) pitches, they are a top-10 team. The problems arise when Plys can't pitch. This team is very young in playing time but Ryan Donahue had seven hits in the Pirates' first four games.

10. Portage (2-2)

Portage has good enough pitching with Frank Knez and Jon Rush. The defense (14 errors in four games) just has to straighten up. The Indians gave away a 7-6 loss to Munster last week but this is another-up-and-coming Duneland team.

Others to watch

Griffith (1-5)

I cannot believe that Griffith has lost five of their first six but they began the season like this in 2002 as well. With the exception of Andrean, Griffith is as good as anybody in the LAC. They just haven't proven it yet.

Munster (3-1)

Munster has a lot of pitching and defense problems. They have a big-hitting offense with 42 runs in four games but the Mustangs are gong to have to win a lot of 9-8 games. Center fielder Matt Gornal may miss time with an injury and that will hurt them but this is a team that only won 19 regular season games last year. The state poll has them at No.1 and that's a joke.

Hobart (3-3)

The Brickies have started slowly and the DAC will not be kind to them. The three wins have been over Hebron and Lake Station. That's not good. Still, potentially, this squad can finish in the top half of the eight-team league.

BALL NOTES: Powerhouse Penn buried Michigan City 14-1 Saturday. Top-ranked McCutcheon (4-1) took their first loss 9-2 Saturday against Terre Haute North. Note that McCutcheon, a Lafayette area school, is playing a school at the bottom of the state. The truth is, schools in Lake County (other than LC and Andrean) don't travel to challenge the biggest schools.

Whiting is 4-0 but two of the wins are over winless Westville and another was 13-9 over winless Lake Station (0-5).

RAILCATS PREP BASEBALL INVITATIONAL

All games: $3 at Southshore RailCats Stadium - 5th Ave. Gary

APRIL 18 (F) Thornwood vs. LAKE CENTRAL - 5 p.m.
APRIL 19 (S) Griffith vs. CROWN POINT - 12 noon
APRIL 19 (S) Wirt vs. Lew Wallace - 3 p.m.
APRIL 22 (Tu.) Gary West Side vs. Horace Mann - 5 p.m.
APRIL 25 (F) Griffith vs. ANDREAN    -   5 p.m.
APRIL 26 (S) Portage vs. Gavit -    12 noon
APRIL 26 (S) Kankakee Valley vs. Hobart   - 3 p.m.
APRIL 28 (M) Gary Roosevelt vs. Valparaiso - 5 p.m.
APRIL 30 (W) Kankakee Valley vs. Bishop Noll -   5 p.m.