2008 - Final, Top-10

High School Baseball Teams in

Northwest Indiana

A USA-365.com Special Report by Mark Smith

6-24-2008

MERRILLVILLE (6-24-2008) - The state finals went on without Northwest Indiana teams for the second year in a row and that was a mild surprise as Andrean certainly figured to make the final game. But when you think about how difficult it is for most baseball teams to win six games in a row to reach the state finals (most only need four wins in softball), it isn't surprising that no schools from a relatively small area reach the title game. Baseball is just more competitive state-wide than softball right now. More teams play the game and more teams are good at it.

It was an excellent year for South Lake County as Lake Central (22-9-2), Hanover (20-9), Andrean (30-2) and Crown Point (29-6-2) all had a lot fun. Drop HC for a second and figure out how come LC, CP and Andrean can all excel inside a 10-mile (it may be less) square mile area? Crown Point and the Lakes of the Four Seasons area (Boone Grove) have become more wealthy in the last 20 years, but if affluent areas produced the top baseball teams, Munster and Valparaiso would win all the time. No high school team sport has anywhere near the quality consistently than Northwest Indiana baseball does, and with the rise of Hanover Central and sectional and regional champ Whiting (20-12), this strength figures to continue in 2009. Griffith, Highland and Munster all had winning seasons and you can overlook schools like Marquette (24-6) and Wheeler (20-12).

We need major events, though, and I'm here to help.

* How about the 'Big-4'? A four-team Friday-Saturday tournament matching up sectional champions Crown Point, Boone Grove, Lake Central and Andrean. CP and LC already meet twice in DAC play so they would never be matched up in the semifinals. But Andrean does not now meet Boone or LC and LC does not play Boone Grove. It's a natural and it would become a major event.

*I'd also like to see the "Illinois-Indiana challenge" featuring (Lansing, Ill.) Illiana Christian, TF South and TF North facing Clark, Griffith and Andrean, perhaps playing at Riverside Park. Clark already faces TF North and Andrean already meets TF South. Illiana has made it known they want to play Indiana schools and they were 30-4 last season. There's very little travel involved between these six schools and it could be done in one day. It would be a highlight to see Indiana baseball face Illinois.

*I'd also like to see (and this is not my idea) the high school games in April at Railcats Stadium in Gary be paired off at the Northwest Crossroads Conference (Griffith, Andrean, Munster, Lowell, KV, Hobart and Highland), matched up against seven of the DAC schools (LaPorte, CP, LC, Chesterton, Michigan City. Valparaiso, Merrillville and Portage). Throw Morton into the NWCC mix to even it out and you would have an eight-game final score of league-vs.-league, which would stir up annual talk.

Those three events would liven up the prep regular season which has few high points right now. I know the weather would mess with these tournaments, but the lack of distance between everybody here would make it easy to reschedule these things once or twice.

Baseball simply is not a single-elimination sport. When you look back on it, 2008 will be recalled as a season when a lot of teams won a lot of games.

1. (3A) ANDREAN (30-2)
25-10 (2007), 25-8 (2006), 33-2 (2005), 26-8 (2004), 27-7 (2003)

MERRILLVILLE: The Niners lost 7-5 to state finalist Mishawaka Marian (21-11) in a very disappointing defeat at Bill Nixon Field. I don't know if it's the water, but the Niners have been eliminated six times in the last 10 years at Bill Nixon Field. Many wondered why coach Dave Pishkur did not start Adam Norton (6-1, 0.99 ERA) in the Plymouth 3A Semistate semifinal. But senior Tony Hoolehan (9-1, 0.79 ERA) and junior Mike Pokers (6-0) were undefeated and Norton was only adequate in the sectional championship game against Griffith. At the semistate you have to plan to win twice and Marian did score four times off Hoolehan to take what turned out to be an insurmountable lead. Also, Norton is the starting shortstop and you might want him there, too.

You can't be unhappy with a 30-2 season that included league, sectional and regional titles. The 2008 59er team ERA of 0.98 will not be duplicated in our lifetime. That's a softball ERA and softball is designed so most everybody can't hit. Baseball is a hitter's game. With a half dozen starters returning, including pitchers Norton, Pokers and Thomas Polus (3-0), the 59ers seem well-suited to point to the state finals in 2009. I'd like to see Andrean play Lake Central and Boone Grove if that could be done. The 59ers could also face LaPorte at the US Steelyard, in what would be a major event. Andrean lost to Penn and Mishawaka Marian. They were undefeated against Northwest Indiana. It's an easy choice to rank them number one.

2. (4A) CROWN POINT (29-6-2)
29-3 (2007), 22-9 (2006), 21-12 (2005), 17-11 (2004), 23-10-1 (2003)

CROWN POINT: Crown Point rebounded from a mid-season slump and came within three innings of the school's first ever state finals, losing 8-4 to Homestead in the 4A Lafayette Semistate final game at Loeb Stadium in Lafayette. CP's three top pitchers: Mike Hernandez, Blake Mascarello and Mike Kozlowski all had a chance to shut down the Spartans, but Homestead, which defeated four Top-10 teams in the post-season, would not be stopped.

CP had another very good year. The 29 wins equaled the school-record that CP set in 2007. Junior Mike Kozlowski (49-107, .458, 14 HRs, 54 RBIs) set a school home run record and Blake Mascarello (10-0, 2.21 ERA) may have posted the best undefeated season, topping Chris Saroff (9-0) in 2007. The Bulldogs' defense was not great in the second half of the regular season and that will probably be the off-season focus. But, even though catcher Nick Hladek (.393, 8 HRs, 39 RBIs 17 steals) can't be replaced at his level, the Bulldogs have players waiting to fill all holes. Sophs Jeff Limbaugh (.421, 3 HRs, 22 RBIs), Scott Donley (.345, 6 HRs, 39 RBIs) and Josh Negele (.307, 3 HRs, 22 RBIs, 4-1, 2.12 ERA, 57 Ks in 40 innings) promise that the future for CP baseball will resemble the last two years. CP plays everybody already. If they can sign up Andrean for an annual game, the schedule is complete as is. CP is No. 2, not because they lost 2-1 to Andrean in May, but because the 59ers had a better team. CP's 2008 legacy is that, with a team that wasn't as good as they had in 2007, the Bulldogs actually went one step beyond.

3. (4A) LaPorte (21-9)
22-9 (2007), 25-6 (2006), 30-5 (2005), 25-7 (2004), 22-10 (2003)

LaPORTE: The Slicers got bombed 12-5 by Crown Point, losing in the playoff opener for just the third time in the 42 years of the state tourney. Nobody wants LaPorte and Crown Point to meet in a sectional quarterfinal, but that's the format for at least one more year. The Slicers could have reached the Lafayette Semistate had they defeated CP, but that's like saying that your dog could meow if he was a cat. It didn't happen. But LaPorte did win 20 for the 42nd year in a row and they made just 25 errors in 30 games. With a half-share (with CP) of the DAC title, it was another very good year.

The Slicers graduate senior pitchers Ian Nielsen (8-2, 2.88 ERA) and Neal Hackett (7-2, 3.24 ERA) so they have big question marks for 2009. Nielsen (.410, 12 HRs, 37 RBIs) is a two-time Duneland Conference MVP who will be impossible to replace. The Slicers return most position players for next season, though. Sophs Evan Jurkevic (.429, 12 RBIs), Jake McMahan (.312, 15 RBIs) and Dustin DeMuth (.385, 15 stolen bases) have two more years and center fielder Kyle Rosenbaum and catcher Tyler Overmeyer return for their final seasons.

Clay Manering (3-0) and Scott Upp (4-3) did get some starts on the varsity and they need to be ready for a lot more in 2009. Andrean faced LaPorte in the 1990s and I'd like to see that series resumed. I think that Griffith and LaPorte may meet regularly beginning in 2009. But LaPorte already faces Penn, McCutcheon, Clark and 14 games in the DAC. They already have a strong schedule. Were they better than Boone Grove in 2008? Not by much. But, yes.

4. (2A) BOONE GROVE (27-4-1)
25-6-1 (2007), 26-4 (2006), 24-7 (2005), 17-12 (2004), 21-7 (2003)

PORTER TOWNSHIP: I'm uneasy placing Boone ahead of Lake Central, but this was an unusually good Boone team. To be honest, I'm not sure they were as good as state champion Bishop Luers (30-3), the team that stopped Boone one game short of the state finals. I don't think Luers winning 7-1 was an upset. But 101-22-2 in the last four years? That's out of control.

A half dozen starters graduate off the PCC champions, but Boone may not slack off in 2009 with soph left-handed pitcher Wayland Roach (11-0, 1.58 ERA) coming back along with center fielder Nick Dimarco (.444, 47 RBIs, 21 stolen bases), outfielder Ben Vasquez and first baseman Sam Kidd. Boone lost four games all year, to 4As Portage, Merrillville and Crown Point and to No. 2 state champ Luers. Numerically, the Wolves cannot do better than they have the past three years. You don't go undefeated in baseball.

If we're talking public schools, there is no better Class 2A program and since they already play eight 4A teams, there's not much more you can ask there. I'd like to see Boone play Andrean and Lake Central, but I think they're willing. Boone probably won't win 25-30 games against in 2009, but they are a prohibitive favorite to win their sectional unless a lot of boys change schools.

5. (4A) LAKE CENTRAL (22-9-2)
16-12 (2007), 19-10 (2006), 28-3 (2005), 24-7 (2004), 23-6-1 (2003)

ST. JOHN: I thought Lake Central did as well as they could this year with what they had. The Indians did not have the No. 1 pitcher to take down Crown Point, but the highlight of the local season was the five meetings between CP and LC. The Indians were 1-2-2 against CP and 0-2 against LaPorte, so LC was 21-5 against everybody else. Absolutely no one hit like Lake Central, which batted .366 as a team. Junior Ryan Boss (.410) led NW Indiana with 16 home runs and 52 RBIs. Second baseman Anthony Olund (.468) had 51 base hits and 25 walks. Junior Frank Pluskota hit six homers in 39 at bats. Kyle Kaluza (42-104, .404) scored 40 runs and Eric Summers (40-97, .412) was one of four .400 hitting juniors that return in 2009.

LC's problem was pitching, but Summers (6-2, 4.25 ERA), Neil Koricanic (3-1, 35Ks, in 33 innings) and Max Majchrzak (5-3, 4.09 ERA) all return with submarine relief pitcher Roger Sammon (1-1, 3.63, 6 saves). There's a lot of room for improvement in a staff that had a 5.22 ERA, but there's also a lot of capacity for improvement.

LC should play Andrean. I don't know why those two can't get together, but I am not optimistic they will. LC could also play Boone Grove and that's more likely. This team has more coming back than anyone else and it is very likely in 2009 they will meet Crown Point in the 4A regional championship game for the third consecutive season. The top five Northwest Indiana teams in 2008 were fairly cut and dried and there is a clear gap to the rest.

6. (4A) Chesterton (18-10)
20-6 (2007), 15-13 (2006), 14-13 (2005), 18-9 (2004)

CHESTERTON: Chesterton has no complaints. They lost 15-5 to Crown Point (29-6-2) in the sectional championship game. The Trojans were 0-3 against CP and 18-7 against everyone else. Let's go back to the start of the season when Chesterton was trying to replace 12 seniors from 2007. I would not have given them any chance to go 18-10. The Trojans defeated Harrison, Noblesville, Bishop Noll, LaPorte, Munster and Lake Central, all winning teams as coach Jack Campbell passed the 600-win mark. Chesterton was in the first division of the Duneland Athletic Conference (DAC) and they did very well with an inexperienced team.

Transfer and power hitter Frank Raudry returns in 2009 and Kevin Gates (7-2) is also back, but they need a lot more than that in the eight-team DAC and the eight-team 4A Sectional 2, a graveyard to baseball teams. I do not believe that any team has ever reached the 4A baseball finals (remember LaPorte just joined and LC isn't there) out of the DAC-flavored 4A Sectional 2. The schedule Chesterton plays is excellent. They should get a lot of credit for traveling to Lafayette annually for three games at the Joe Heath Classic.

Let me be honest. Chesterton needs a change in the sectional format of the state tourney. The odds of them defeating LaPorte and Crown Point multiple times to win the DAC and Sectional 2, are less than the odds of Rosie O'Donnell making a TV comeback as Captain Kangaroo.

7. (3A) Griffith (17-13)
23-10 (2007), 23-8 (2006), 19-15 (2005), 19-14 (2004), 17-12 (2003)

GRIFFITH: Griffith came within three outs of the upset of the year when they lost 4-3 in eight innings against 3A No. 1 Andrean (30-2). I think facing Crown Point (29-6-2) and LaPorte (21-9) on the road in the final week prepared them well for the playoffs and it almost paid major dividends. The Panthers graduated seven seniors a year after they graduated 12 players. I have to admit I'm not sure what comes next. Ryan Galiher (2-2) and Kyle Lidster (2-1) will be asked for a lot of innings in 2009. Jake Evanich may be a top-of-the order hitter. Beyond that, some new boys will be on the field for the Northwest Indiana Challenge next April.

The Panthers are always competitive. They've had winning records 10 years in a row despite league play that pits them against powers Munster and Andrean twice. I like the addition of LaPorte to the schedule. Griffith needs final week foes that will equate Andrean, their new sectional rival. Doing some subtraction... Griffith was 0-3 against Andrean, 0-2 against Crown Point and 17-8 against everyone else. The Panthers might want to schedule Plymouth since that's the semi state site, but other than that, their schedule is pretty strong. Maybe a Griffith-Lake Central game could be slated, but I seem to be suggesting that everybody play Lake Central.

8. (3A) Clark (18-10)
20-10 (2007), 25-6 (2006), 22-7 (2005), 24-5 (2004), 21-8 (2003)

HAMMOND: Okay, so they got smoked 10-0 by Andrean (30-2) in the 3A regional championship game. That's not a black mark. The Pioneers went exactly as far as they should have gone. Clark beat LaPorte 2-0, but they lost to Chicago powerhouse Mt. Carmel 8-0. The Pioneers lost a couple of 8-7 games to Munster and Hobart or the record would have been better and they were shut out four times. Right-hander Trent Howard (8-1, 1.06 ERA) struck out 121 in 59 innings, but he's headed to Central Michigan. This may be the end of a significant run of success for Clark. They're not going to disband the program and there are quality boys like Micah Rooke and Matt Hornyak coming back, but there clearly needs to be some new blood here. I think Clark makes an effort at tough scheduling with LaPorte and Mt. Carmel. The Pioneers also play Highland, Hobart, Munster and Andrean in non-conference games. Like most other teams, they clearly feel playing bigger schools helps you in the post-season. They have been the best team in Hammond in this decade. Were they clearly better than Munster this season? When Howard was pitching, they were.

9. (2A) Wheeler (20-12)
17-12 (2007), 17-11 (2006), 10-21-1 (2005), 12-17 (2004)

UNION TOWNSHIP: Wheeler didn't play the schedule Hanover did, but the Bearcats swept the three-game Hammond sectional to jump up into the final rankings. Pitcher Tyler Nader (9-2, 2.19 ERA) and outfielder Corbin Lee (.432, 20 stolen bases) posted big numbers in their senior seasons. Hanover defeated Wheeler early in the year, but the Bearcats won 8-4 in the post-season. The 20 wins represents a return to glory story for Wheeler, which was a power in the 1990s. The Bearcats could play big neighbor Valparaiso and some small 4As like Munster and Chesterton. But next year might not be the time as the Bearcats had half their varsity graduate in June of 2008. If they win the sectional again in 2009 it will be with the help of several boys who will be new to the varsity.

10. (2A) HANOVER CENTRAL (20-9)
14-13 (2007), 13-15 (2006), 15-11 (2005), 18-10 (2004), 17-11 (2003), 9-19-1 (2002)

CEDAR LAKE: There was some confusion at the end of the year about how many wins they had, 19 or 20. But that's a small point. The Wildcats had never won 19 in the four decades since the school opened. The schedule took a huge upgrade this season. HC's losses were to Crown Point, Lake Central, Highland, Andrean, Griffith, Wheeler, Beecher (Ill.) and Boone Grove (twice), all of whom had winning seasons. Jordan Rizo and Jesse Hernandez return to lead the pitching staff with freshman Andy Wellwerts (5-0), who was undefeated in limited duty. HC has to become a better offensive team with the schedule they will now be playing. And the reality is, after 2011, HC is probably going to be a 3A school. Hanover has to continue to add tougher teams to the schedule. Maybe LaPorte and Munster, if they can get them. It's all about beating Wheeler and Boone Grove.

(4A) Munster (15-10-1)
22-7 (2007), 23-11 (2006), 19-14 (2005), 23-6 (2004), 20-10 (2003)

MUNSTER: Since I've been doing this poll, this is the first time Munster didn't finish in the Top-10. But Munster just didn't have the pitching this year. They lost 16-12 to Highland, 24-7 to Bellmont and 16-10 to LC. They gave up a lot of runs. The wild horses had a half dozen senior veterans, but it didn't matter because the pitching staff never came together. Munster never had what you'd call a significant win. Munster's problem is vivid. LC beat them 7-1 and 16-10. LC is Munster's true arch-rival (the Highland thing is a holdover from years gone by) and is their sectional rival. LC also returns full or part-time regulars at every position in 2009. Munster's work is cut out for them. But the Munster baseball system is very deep and it won't take them long to rebuild.