Northwest Indiana Top-10

Week-6, 2008 High School 'Renegade' Poll

5-08-2008

A USA-365.com Special Report by Mark Smith

ST. JOHN (5-08-2008) - As we find out who faces who in sectional play this week, we get some focus who will be going head-to-head down the line. The strong 4A schools in Northwest Indiana have been put on notice that not only is Mishawaka (18-3) a regional contender, but so is South Bend Adams (12-6), which put the cap on (Niles, Michigan) Brandywine 5-0 and 20-3 last Thursday in one of those weeknight double-headers they play up in Michigan.

Like I said last week, I don't know much about Jessica Hull (5-1), but she pitched a three-hit shutout in the opener and had three extra base hits in the night cap. Angela Gills (7-4) pitched a 4-hit shutout over Adams last week. With the sectional realignment, only Adams, Penn (16-4) or Mishawaka (but no more than one) can confront the champs of Sectional One and Two at the 4A Regional, which (I'm not sure everyone has grasped) will be held at Elkhart Memorial.

Obviously, one team can't be overlooked. Elkhart Memorial (14-4), the (at this point) undefeated champion of the Northern Lakes Conference, hosts the sectional AND the regional.

In 2A, the eyes of Wheeler, Boone and Hanover Central are on Jimtown (13-3), a team that doesn't play any game in Lake or Porter County, but one that will probably confront two of them at the regional. But Bremen (12-2) beat Jimtown 2-1 last week.

Boone and Hanover are not in the same sectional anymore, so both could win titles, although Wheeler (16-4) has defeated Hanover (15-5) the last three times the two schools have met. In addition, Bishop Noll, which will see HC and Wheeler at the Lake Station Sectional, improved to 16-6 after a 2-0 win over Highland last week. Winamac (16-5) hosts Boone and Hebron at the sectional, but Winamac's schedule is nowhere close to Bishop Noll, which plays a half dozen 4A schools, not to mention 3As Andrean and Griffith.

In 3A, I don't even think Griffith (14-7) would tell you that Andrean (12-6) isn't the favorite at the new 3A sectional at Kankakee Valley. But at the regional, Mishawaka Marian (18-2) will almost certainly be the favorite along with either Benton Central (14-4) or Twin Lakes (17-6). BC's performance at the Twin Lakes Invitational must be put in the same category as Lowell and Hanover Central. All three teams had players missing due to SAT test requirements. Here's a suggestion that Twin Lakes high school offer the SAT exams at the high school on the weekend of the Twin Lakes Invitational. Is that possible?

In 1A, Whiting (20-0) gets 15 strikeouts a game from Mel Dumezich (18-0), who also has 12 home runs from the leadoff spot and they play in the state's easiest sectional, a 4-team sectional with Marquette (6-12), Washington Township (3-12) and Westville. If Dumezich is healthy and there's been no indication she hasn't been all year, 1A No. 1 Whiting will move on to the regional.

The problem there is Lakewood Park Christian (15-6), the team that eliminated Whiting in 2007. Whiting has to be concerned that Lakewood Park can put the ball in play against Dumezich, because Whiting defenders don't get many balls hit to them and there's no way of knowing how they'll respond. But there are only 17 other teams slotted in Whiting's regional (Lake Central is in a 27-team regional) and other than Lakewood Park, there isn't anyone else who should even be able to score off Dumezich.

The IHSAA is slower with the state pairings than Gary is with election returns. No one has even explained to me why the state pairings cannot come out at mid season. The pairings for the early-May Porter County Conference (PCC) tournament come out in mid-April. But it's 10 days before the end of the season and we finally get the matchups on Thursday, May 7, adding some excitement to a season that has been dulled by bad weather, the lack of a dominant team at the big school level and troubled tournaments.

Other than Whiting, which really has JV caliber competition at the sectional, no one in NW Indiana can be too confident heading into the post-season.

1. (4A) LAKE CENTRAL (15-6)
2007 (21-6), 2006 (25-8), 2005 (32-1), 2004 (29-3), 2003 (32-3-1)

ST. JOHN: Lake Central crushed LaPorte 12-1 Tuesday as Jessica Dobson (9-1) allowed just six hits to clinch the schools' fourth DAC title in five years. Sara Shields and Jen Kosinski had three hits each. No one has played the competition LC has this year. Of the top 11 teams in Class 4A (LC is No.10) in the latest state poll, Lake Central has played six of them. No one else is anywhere close to that on strength of schedule, which is the only thing that matters in athletics. LC also beat Munster 15-2 and has stopped Chesterton (17-6) twice 8-1 and 6-1. There is a disturbing trend in athletics where teams play minor league competition all year and want major league credit when they win in the post-season. The NCAA college basketball tournament and its so-called mid-majors is probably the best example. This is not LC's best team, but this might be the best schedule they've ever played.

2. (4A) Munster (19-5)
2007 (24-7), 2006 (22-7), 2005 (25-3-1), 2004 (25-3-1), 2003 (22-7), 2002 (15-12)

MUNSTER: Munster was the big winner at the Twin Lakes Invitational with wins 9-2 over Benton Central, 7-0 over Lewis Cass (forfeit), 3-0 over 4A No. 2 McCutcheon, 7-4 over Lowell and 10-0 over out-manned Twin Lakes. Kelly Mashura hit a two-run homer in the title game. The Lady Ponies are the Hillary Clintons of Northwest Indiana softball because it sure looked like they were 'out of the race' after a 15-3 season-opening loss to Lake Central. But Munster has rallied to rise towards 20 wins despite playing in the two toughest tournaments (Carmel and Twin Lakes) in this part of the state. Junior Eleanor Kennedy (14-0) is the only double-figure undefeated big school pitcher in this part of the state. I'm not sure Hillary (Munster) can still beat Barrack (Lake Central), but maybe the VP slot is available. Only one team can come out of 4A Sectional One (Lowell, Munster and LC). I'm not sure the Lady Ponies are better than Lowell, even though Munster has won 2-out-of-3 from Lowell. But they move up here on schedule and better health. Considering how they started, Munster has had the best regular season of anyone in Northwest Indiana.

3. (4A) LOWELL (14-8)
30-7 (2007), 23-7 (2006), 21-10 (2005), 20-9 (2004)

LOWELL: Lowell was impressive at the Twin Lake Invitational, playing without six regulars on the final day. Lowell passed severe judgement on Western 8-0, 1-0 on Frontier and 4-1 on Harrison before losing 7-4 to eventual tourney champ Munster. The Red Devils showed a lot of depth in Monticello and they have to come out of last weekend with a lift. I'm reminding you again that when you look at Lowell, three of their losses came on days they used sophomore pitchers, instead of senior regulars Kaitlyn Bolanowski and Alyssa Reed, both of whom set school record for wins in 2007. Soph Jacki Fletcher (4-1) has done well and will do well in 2009, but right now, the top Lowell lineup has Reed or Bolanowski pitching but, neither has yet had nearly as much success this season. Lowell's Katherine Allert has arm problems and has not been catching, but it's likely she'll be able to continue to be a designated-hitter. Megan Bolanowski has a Lowell school record six home runs in 21 games. The Devils finish with a tough 10 days including Wheeler May 10 and Lake Central on May 14 and there's still time for them to rebound. The good news is they're still the third best team in NW Indiana. The bad news? Two teams in their sectional are 1st and 2nd.

4. (2A) HANOVER CENTRAL (14-5)
20-10 (2007), 16-14 (2006), 26-5-3 (2005), 25-7 (2004)

CEDAR LAKE: Hanover's losses have been to Munster (20-5), Beecher, Illinois (21-5); Boone Grove (14-2), Andrean (12-6) and Eastern (16-4) and there's no bad losses there. But HC doesn't just hope to win 20 games. They want to reach the state finals. And since an early season 12-2 win at Chesterton, the Lady Cats have not looked like state finals' material. The defense was shaky in the 3-2 loss to Boone and the 5-3 loss to Andrean. Hanover needs the final two weeks. They should welcome rematches with PCC rivals Hebron and Boone and that May 16 season-ending match up with 1A No. 2 Whiting (18-0). Also, HC is looking at a total of 24 games and they need to reschedule single games with Crown Point and Andrean. First up is Hebron in Cedar Lake in the PCC quarterfinals Friday night at 4:30 p.m. This is Hanover's best team in this decade. I have a feeling the girls are waiting to turn it on when the big games come. The big games are here.

5. (4A) Chesterton (16-6)
2007 (20-6), 2006 (30-2), 2005 (27-3-1), 2004 (20-7), 2003 (22-5)

CHESTERTON: The Trojans' 10-game win streak and their bid to win the DAC title was stopped 6-1 by Lake Central last Thursday (5-1-2008) in the rematch of the Trojans' 6-0 loss to Lake Central in early April. One day earlier, the Trojans beat Portage 3-1 as Alexis Paz struck out nine to sweep the season series from the Indians. A 10-0 walk over Merrillville Monday (May 6) almost guarantees another 20-win season. Chesterton and Portage appear very close, but they are not the undisputed favorites in the eight-team sectional. I wouldn't want to choose between Chesterton and Portage but I guess I just did.

6. (4A) Portage (15-6)
2007 (23-7), 2006 (18-12), 2005 (20-9), 2004 (27-4-3), 2003 (19-9)

PORTAGE: The Indians lost 7-3 to Penn and 3-1 to Chesterton but rebounded with a 9-0 victory over Michigan City as Olivia Leggett improved to 10-5, with help from Kristen Helmick. The Indians are 9-3 in the DAC and, even though four of those wins are against out manned MC and Merrillville, it's been a good year. One difference between Portage and Chesterton is the 5-1 and 3-1 wins by Chesterton over Portage. I like the Indians defensively. I can find just one game (against Lakeshore) where they've committed more than three errors this year. In softball, where much offensive philosophy is designed simply to force you into errors, considering that Portage does not have a big strikeout pitcher, that low error total is very good. Portage has a non-conference game with Lowell (14-8) left and that'll be a good game to test that defense.

7. (3A) ANDREAN (12-6)
29-3 (2007), 26-4 (2006), 32-3 (2005), 29-5 (2004), 27-2 (2003)

MERRILLVILLE: Things are looking up here as the 59ers got to play three times at the Twin Lakes Invitational, defeating Hanover Central 5-3 and Jefferson 11-1 while losing to 2A No. 2 Eastern 5-1. The Niners' senior righthander Nicole Derezinski pitched a complete game against Hanover and Alyssa Mosely pitched a complete game Monday (May 5) in a 12-3 win over Highland. Andrean had no games scheduled between May 5 and May 17 when they play in the Bishop's Cup Tourney against 3A No. 1 Mishawaka Marian. But since they've lost three entire tournaments and a potential nine games to the weather, the 59ers will surely be making some calls and lining up unscheduled games in this time period. Two obvious games are Whiting (20-0) and Lake Central (18-6), but LC has not lost any games to the weather and Whiting probably won't play Andrean because they'd get beat. Crown Point is an obvious nearby foe and Culver Girls Academy (10-4) or (Chicago Heights, Illinois) Marian Catholic (17-5) is a possibility.

8. (3A) Griffith (14-6)
2007 (16-14), 2006 (12-19), 2005 (19-15), 2004 (16-15), 2003 (18-14)

GRIFFITH: The Panthers stopped Lowell 7-5 in a Monday Night game to give the Panthers a sweep of Lowell for the season. Brittany Bridges (9-5) gave up 12 hits, but she held on to win the game. Bridges is pitching every game for the Panthers now, which is the way most teams eventually go into playoff competition, although it leaves a team vulnerable in an extra inning playoff game. Two of the Panthers' losses are 1-0 so their record is better than it seems. This is a team that was 16-15 last year against virtually the same schedule. Nobody's had as good a year as Munster, but Griffith should be very pleased here with 10 games to go.

9. (4A) CROWN POINT (11-9)
2007 (16-14), 2006 (13-14), 2005 (12-14), 2004 (8-19), 2003 (16-16)

CROWN POINT: This team is more confusing than Lake County, Indiana election procedures. How can you get roasted by Griffith 7-0 and LaPorte 9-2 and then go smack down 4A No. 4 Hamilton Southeastern 11-4? Now, I know the HSE did not use their top pitcher against Crown Point, which in some way explains the runs they scored. But the Bulldogs then won over Zionsville, Michigan City and Valparaiso, reversing an earlier loss to the Vikings. Jackie Beilfuss (5-6) and Taylor Perry (5-3) have alternated wins in the last four games. But this is the same team that lost 3-0 to Portage, 2-0 to Chesterton and 5-3 to Valpo. CP was 7-9 in April but 4-0 in the first seven days of May. CP has had two four-game winning streaks and
they have a make-up game with Andrean that's been rained out twice, a home game with 2A No. 3 Hanover Central (14-5) and a home game May 12 with Porter County Conference regular season champ Boone Grove (14-3). You need a three-game winning streak in the playoffs. CP has had a four-game winning streak and a five-game losing streak in the same season. What does that mean? It means the I don't know what they're going to do.

10. (4A) LaPorte (12-9)
2007 (17-11), 2006 (16-11-1), 2005 (13-16), 2004 (3-21)

LaPORTE: LaPorte rolled over small neighbor South Central 18-0 on Saturday morning, but lost 4-3 to big neighbor Michigan City on the same day. It was only the fourth time LaPorte had lost to Michigan City in 33 games since the consolidation of Rogers and Elston in 1995. This is the first time in any season that Michigan City has defeated LaPorte in baseball and softball. Here's another team that is hard to figure. Obviously with Tara Buchanan back on the roster, this is a better team than they were at the start of the year. But LaPorte began the season 6-1 and since then, they are 6-8. LaPorte has defeated Crown Point 9-2 and lost to the same team 7-2. I can't explain that. Maybe they're waiting for the late reports coming in from Lake County before they decide which way to go.

On the outside looking in...

(1A) Whiting (20-0)
2007 (26-4), 2006 (33-0), 2005 (11-16), 2004 (28-6), 2003 (21-10)

WHITING: Whiting junior Mel Dumezich (18-0) has allowed just two runs all season and it's hard to lose that way. The Oiler girls have swept Wheeler (14-5) in their only true tests of the season. Whiting has done a nice job recently of getting right-hander Sarah Jansky into games, so the Oilers have a backup pitcher going into playoff competition. Say what you will about their marshmallow schedule (and I have), but the Oilers have allowed just three runs all season. Whiting pitching has posted 10 consecutive shutouts and 18 this season. The combination of a very hard throwing pitcher and a very weak schedule has created a series of mismatches. But unless it's Whiting in Dumezich's senior year, no one is ever going to post 10 consecutive shutouts again because the game is improving overall and more teams are getting competitive. You can't seriously rank Whiting because they have not played anyone in any of the two major conferences or anyone in the Top-10. I can't give them credit for repeated slaughters of schools that, in truth, play the game at a level that is junior varsity caliber. But the only team that stands between Whiting and an undefeated regular season is the May 16 home game (5:00 p.m.) against Hanover Central (14-5). If Andrean doesn't get to play Lake Central, 1A No. 1 Whiting and 2A No. 3 Hanover might be the premier regular season game.

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