By Blake Hibler
Director of Scouting, PBR Indiana 

The Evansville regional is probably the toughest to predict what will happen. All four teams are playing well. Franklin enters on the heels of winning Conference, County and sectional titles. They are paced by strong pitching. The pitcher that will likely get the ball in game one is senior and Cincinnati commit Jeremy McKinney. The right handed pitcher has piled up strikeouts, 122 to be exact in 69 innings. 

Jeffersonville will respond with one of the best big game pitchers in the state in Trent Astle.  The left handed senior, committed to Xavier, seems to throw a shutout every time out in big games. He shutout Floyd Central twice, one of the best offensive teams in the state, in his two biggest outings this spring. He led Jeffersonville to a sectional title last year. 

Neither team has been an exceptional offensive team all year so I expect the first game of this regional to be quick paced and filled with strike outs and zeros on the scoreboard. Whichever team makes a mistake defensively will probably be the team that loses. 

The second game of the regional features Bloomington North and Evansville North. Bloomington North enters the regional as the second hottest team in the state. Evansville North’s confidence is sky high as well after knocking off Castle for the first time in three attempts. 

Evansville North will more than likely throw Ryan Dills. Dills is a RHP committed ot Olney Central. The righty is extremely athletic and works in the mid to upper 80s. Dills also sets the tone for the offense, hitting leadoff. Evansville North’s keys offensively will be Lucas Scarlett, Devin Williams, and Ryan Dills. If those three can get things going they are tough to beat.  Evansville North enters with a 19-9 record. 

Bloomington North will likely counter with Dylan Stutsman. Stutsman is not over powering, but throws a lot of strikes.. Bloomington North is a 1-9 lineup that swings it well up and down. It is an athletic lineup with three college commits including Adam Cornwell (UIndy), Colby Stratten (Indiana), and Baron Ryan (Franklin). Also, look for junior standout catcher Bryce Aldridge to factor into the offensive production. 

I anticipate a Bloomington North vs. Jeffersonville regional final. At that point your guess is as good as mine. Will we have a repeat of the magic last year, when New Pal won the regional on a walk off homerun?