State Finals

June 17, 2011

Ft. Wayne Carroll (31-2) vs. Cathedral (28-2) ? Saturday 7 PM

Carroll and Cathedral will meet up in the state finals for the second time in as many years. Carroll had a 1-0 nine inning victory last year to claim the state title. The matchup between these two teams should not come as a surprise because they have been two of the most consistent teams in the state this year.

Carroll sent Gavin Downs (11-1) to the mound in semi-state and that will likely be the pitcher they throw out there to bring home their second straight state title. Downs held Crown Point?s offense to just four hits in the semi-state victory. Jeremy Shelmadine and Jon Timmerman also could be used on the mound. The semi-state victory showed the depth Carroll has in its baseball program as the 4-9 hitters were the ones that provided most of the offensive damage. Carroll?s offense is lead by a strong senior class of Timmerman, Shelmadine and Zach Vanlandingham (recent Goshen commit). Grant Wilson, Austin Keathley, Peyton Lengacher, Steve Remesnik, and Elliot Ford will also need to be big contributors for an offensive attack that had nine players hit over .300 during the year.

Cathedral will throw out one of the top arms in the state, Dillon Peters (10-1). LHP Peters is a Texas commit and got drafted in the 20^th round by the Cleveland Indians in the MLB draft last week. Peters got the win in semi-state in a 1-0 pitching duel with UK commit AJ Reed. If Peters runs into any trouble, Junior Notre Dame commit Nick McCarty will be ready to go. Cathedral puts out a powerful lineup that can see contribution from many players. Peters, McCarty, Senior Phil Mosey, Junior Matt Dauby, and Junior Ryan Levenhagen are the main players in an offense that can cause problems for any pitcher. Austin Boos, Mike Kseniak, and Brandon Flood will also be an important part of Cathedral?s offense attack.

Mishawaka Marian (26-7) vs. Crawfordsville (28-6) ? Saturday 4 PM

Marian is chasing its first state title and will likely rely on the pitching of Taylor Krugh (8-3). Krugh pitched Marian past New Haven in semi-state allowing just six hits and striking out 12. Junior Andrew Price leads Marian?s offense. The Junior has had an impressive year hitting .533 with 40 RBIs. Senior Chase Parker (.382, 42 RBIs) will be the other main offensive contributor, he came through with a couple big hits during Marian?s semi-state victory. Krugh, Corey Samuels, Bobby Norell, and Vince Ravotto will also need to produce some offense if Marian hopes to take their first state title.

Crawfordsville is looking for their second title in the last four years (2008 title over Marian). Cory Rice who is 13-2 on the year with a 2.33 ERA will likely get the nod on the mound for Crawfordsville. Crawfordsville is lead by a strong offensive attack. The top four hitters have had an impressive year at the plate. Caleb Rasmussen (.455, 52 R), Jordan Jackson (.455, 51 RBIs), Joel Hobson (.524, 48 RBIs), and Chris Minks (.462, 55 RBIs) start off an offense that can put up big numbers in a hurry. Jordan Kiger, Mitchel Reeves, and Alex Ehrlich also provided offense for a powerful Crawfordsville attack.

Hanover Central (22-5) vs. South Spencer (23-6) ? Saturday 1 PM

Hanover Central will toss out Senior ace Andy Wellwerts to see if they can win their first state title. Wellwerts has been impressive this year going 9-0 with a 1.09 ERA and 120 strikeouts. Hanover Central will look for offense from Junior Nick Bollenbacher (.413), sophomore Dan Stum (.431), and sophomore Zac Maciejewski (.440). Junior Tyler Trepton (.390), who had the big hit in their semi-state win, will also be a main contributor to the offensive attack. HC should also expect offense for Seniors Nic Sampoganaro and Mike Balich.

South Spencer is looking for their second state title in the last five years. South Spencer will likely send Senior Jordan Meece (9-0, 2.63 ERA) to the mound. South Spencer?s offense has exploded during their state playoff run. They send a lineup with six players hitting over .398, lead by Senior Nathan Hall at .533. Senior Justin Wead (.468), Senior Zeke Harmon (.421), Senior Aaron Seiler (.419), Senior Jared Lauer (.398), and Freshmen Nathan Kuester (.414) lead an offense that has shown they can put up runs in bunches.

Lafayette Central Catholic (25-9) vs. North Central (Farmersburg) (25-5) ? Friday 7:30 PM

Lafayette Central Catholic is looking for their third straight state title. Senior Brett Haan (7-4, 2.39 ERA) will likely get the nod on the mound, but Junior Austin Munn could also be used if needed. Haan and Munn are also part of a balanced offensive attack, that can get production from anywhere in their lineup. Senior Ryan DeBoy came through with a big two run homerun in semi-state LCC will need offense from him. Andrew Hubertz, Nick Stone, and Jake Churchill will also need to produce for LCC to win their third straight title.

North Central is looking for their first state title and will send Junior Connor Strain to the mound. Strain picked up the victory for North Central in semi-state and is 9-2 on the year with a 1.52 ERA. Strain is also a threat at the plate hitting .454 with 31 RBIs. Craig Bell leads a powerful North Central offense. Bell had two homeruns and six RBIs in the semi-state win, on the year he has hit .575 with 13 homeruns and 43 RBIs. NC will look for offensive contributions from Cole Johnson (.451, 32 RBIs), Nate Lyday (.383), Zach Lyday (.358), and Collin Harding (.349).