IHSAA baseball regionals this Saturday

June 3, 2011

By Rich Torres of VYPE MAGAZINE - Central Indiana


A total of 10 Central Indiana baseball teams were crowned sectional champions this week. Among them, two are ranked - Class 4A No. 2 Cathedral and Class 2A No. 5 Park Tudor.

This Saturday, the "Sectional 10" will compete at regional with hopes of becoming one of the final four.

In Class 4A, four Central Indiana teams will clash at the Avon Regional. In the first game, No. 2 Cathedral (25-2) will play Brownsburg (19-8) at 10 a.m. In the second game, Westfield (12-15) will face Whiteland (19-8) at noon with the championship set for 7 p.m.

Cathedral, the Class 4A state runner-up a year ago, won its eighth straight game to capture the program's 18th sectional title and seventh consecutive. Led by ace pitcher Dillon Peters, a Texas recruit, the Irish are seeking their 11th regional crown and seventh in 10 years. They have advanced to the state finals three times in the past six years.

Bulldogs Answer the Call
 
Brownsburg is coming off a 15-5 upset win against No. 6 Avon in the sectional championship. The Bulldogs won their 12th sectional overall and first since 2004-05 (the same year they won the Class 4A title under coach Pat O'Neil). Prior to the postseason, Brownsburg swept No. 8 Zionsville and strung together an eight-game winning streak.

At the plate, they have nine players hitting .300 or better. Junior Jeremy Jones carries a .400 average in 26 games. Isaac Sampen, a junior, (.377)  leads the lineup in homeruns with 13. He also has 29 RBIs. Bobby Carr (.341) has 31 RBIs and is second with seven four-baggers.

Sampen brings a 6-1 record to the mound in addition to a 1.09 ERA and 57 strikeouts in 38 2/3 innings pitched. Senior Matt Bowman is 4-1 this season.

Warriors Repeat; Shamrocks Beat Tigers
 
Whiteland avenged its 5-3 regular-season loss to Franklin Community in the Perry Meridian Class 4A Sectional championship game. The Warriors beat Franklin 8-1 to win back-to-back sectional titles and their ninth overall. The program last won regional in 2005-06.

The Warriors have four players hitting .300 or better with senior Ashton Perritt crushing the ball at an incredible .646 clip. Perritt has six homeruns and 31 RBIs this season. Senior Colby Dickey (.352) leads the lineup with seven homeruns and 32 RBIs.

Westfield defeated Fishers 3-1 to win its fifth sectional overall and third in four years. The Shamrocks are in search of their third regional title and first since 2008-09 when they were state runner-ups in Class 4A.

Marauders Erase Drought; Braves Four-Peat
 
In Class 3A, host Mount Vernon (Fortville) (18-9) plays No. 5 Crawfordsville (25-6) at 11 a.m. and Brebeuf Jesuit (18-8) faces Greensburg (26-3) at 3 p.m. The winners play for the regional title at 8 p.m.

Mount Vernon knocked off No. 2 New Palestine 6-3 in the Shelbyville Sectional championship game to win its first title since 1994-95. They haven't won regional in 40 years.

Brebeuf Jesuit made it four in a row when they defeated Marion County champion Roncalli 7-2 for the sectional title. The championship marked the program's 10th overall and sixth in eight years. The Braves are looking for their third regional and second in three years.

Panthers Cruise; Warriors Go Deep
 
In Class 2A, No. 5 Park Tudor (25-5) hosts North Decatur (10-10) at 11 a.m. No. 4 Wapahani (25-3), which deflated Elwood 20-5 in 5 innings to win the Lapel Sectional, will play Centerville (17-5) at 1 p.m. The winners will meet at 7 p.m.

Park Tudor opened the postseason by eliminating the defending Class 2A state champs, Heritage Christian, 6-4. In the championship game, the Panthers beat Indian Creek 16-0 in 5 innings.

Park Tudor's potent lineup consists of four players hitting .400 or better and senior Kyle Hardacker hitting a team-best .522 with 51 RBIs and eight homeruns. Senior Nolan Smith (.441) has eight homeruns and 43 RBIs.

Junior Madison Foster and senior Max Zhang anchor the pitching staff. Foster is 7-1 this year with a 1.36 ERA and 62 strikeouts in 56 2/3 innings pitched. Zhang is 8-1 with a 1.34 ERA and 67 strikeouts in 52 1/3 innings.

Class 2A Covenant Christian (19-6) travels to Linton-Stockton and will play Providence (17-8) at 1 p.m. The winner will face either South Spencer (22-5) or Linton-Stockton (14-15) at 8 p.m. for the title.

Covenant Christian defeated Speedway 10-1 to win its second sectional in four years. Junior Hazen Hamather, senior Spencer Moore and senior Alex McIntyre pace the lineup in average and RBI. Hamather and Moore both blasted two-run homeruns in the sectional championship game.

Lancers Make It Three; Bethesda Wins in Six
 
In Class A, Edinburgh (15-6-1) will play Bethesda Christian (13-8) at 1 p.m. in the Shakamak Regional. The winner will face either No. 2 North Central (Farmersburg) (22-5) or Rising Sun (18-6) at 8 p.m.

Edinburgh won its third consecutive sectional by defeating Morristown.

Bethesda Christian captured its second sectional in four years with an 11-0 6-inning victory against Indianapolis Lutheran.
 
 
See the complete IHSAA regional brackets here!

Date: Saturday, June 4, 2011.
Times: 11 am, 1 pm, 8 pm where possible. Contact host school for specific start times.
Admission: $5 per session or $8 both sessions.
Home Team: The second-named team in each pairing is the designated home team.