Phone: 317-846-6601
Fax: 317-575-4244 Website:
www.ihsaa.org
Blake Ress, Commissioner
____________________________________________________________________________________________
June
17, 2006
BLACKHAWK CHRISTIAN REPEATS AS CLASS A STATE CHAMPION
The Fort
Wayne Blackhawk Christian Braves (25-2) proved their dominance in Class A
baseball as the first repeat winner in their class and the second repeat
champions in IHSAA baseball history with an eight-inning 7-4 win over the
Shakamak Lakers (24-8) at Victory Field on Saturday. Blackhawk joins Jasper (1996-97, 1998 Class
3A) as the only repeat champion in IHSAA baseball history.
The Lakers
were first to light up the scoreboard with three runs in the bottom of the
third inning thanks to a pair of singles from junior first baseman Ridge Inman
and junior catcher Steven McNabb. The
Braves came back swinging and scored two runs in the fourth and fifth
innings.
Blackhawk
Christian took the lead in the fifth inning when freshman catcher Stryker
Salyer doubled to left and drove in junior third baseman David Ehmke. Shakamak would not answer back to the Braves’
four runs until the seventh inning.
A late
rally from the Lakers in the bottom of the seventh inning culminated with
sophomore Justin Cox scoring on an error with two outs to send the contest into
the fifth extra-inning state championship game in IHSAA history.
The Braves
were able to take the lead and then some with a three-run eighth inning which
secured their state championship repeat.
Blackhawk
Christian junior starting right-handed pitcher Jon Ringenberg shut down the
Lakers in the bottom of the eighth and improved to 9-0 with a complete-game
performance, allowing nine hits and three earned runs, while striking out
seven. Ringenberg tied the Class A record for strikeouts, matching the output of Triton’s
Jacob Burnett against Adams Central in 2001.
Blackhawk’s
Ringenberg and Ehmke tied the IHSAA Class A championship game record also by
Burnett with four hits apiece.
Ringenberg tied the record with three runs scored, while Ehmke tied
Ringenberg’s record from 2005 with three RBI.
Salyer and second-baseman Jordan Ash also tallied two hits each.
Blackhawk
tied the Class A record of 15 hits by Lafayette
Central Catholic also against Shakamak in 2004.
Blackhawk and Shakamak combined for 24 hits, eclipsing the previous
Class A mark of 23 by Lafayette Central Catholic and Shakamak
two years ago.
Blackhawk
established a Class A record with 37 at-bats,
bettering the standard of 34 by Triton and Lafayette Central Catholic. Blackhawk and Shakamak combined for a record
72 at-bats to beat the previous best of 65 by Lafayette Central Catholic and
Shakamak.
Inman was
given the loss and fell to 7-2 on the season.
Coach Chip Sweet’s Lakers were led by junior catcher Steven McNabb and
sophomore third-baseman Justin Cox with two hits each.
Blackhawk Christian’s Andrew Nelson wins L.V.
Phillips Mental Attitude Award
Fort Wayne
Blackhawk Christian senior shortstop Andrew Nelson is the 2006 recipient of the
L.V. Phillips Mental Attitude Award for IHSAA Class A.
Nelson is a
four-sport athlete, earning a total of 11 varsity letters in basketball, cross
country, and soccer in addition to baseball.
He was a key player on Blackhawk’s 2005 state championship baseball
team. Nelson sports a .306 career
batting average with 70 runs scored, 65 RBI, and a .444 slugging percentage.
Nelson was
the valedictorian of his senior class with a 4.24 cumulative grade point
average. He helped in the starting and
development of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes chapter at Blackhawk.
“Andrew
evidences high standards and convictions in his personal character,” said
Blackhawk Principal Thomas Hopewell. He
is a person of honesty and integrity and those qualities draw high respect from
his peers and his teachers. Commitment
and dedication describe well Andrew’s work ethic whether in the classroom or on
the ball diamond.”
Nelson has
been a team leader in the United Way, and he has been active in the Day of
Caring program and as a Student Rotarian representative. He is a graduate of Youth Leadership in Fort
Wayne. He is active in the community as
a team leader for the annual raft trip for troubled youth in Fort Wayne and
with various church youth group service projects.
Nelson
becomes the second baseball player from Blackhawk to win the award, joining
Kyle Wright (2002).
Indiana
Farm Bureau Insurance, the corporate partner of the IHSAA, presented a $1,000
scholarship to Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian High School in the name of Andrew
Nelson.
Andrew’s
father, Chuck, was the 1966-67 recipient of the Arthur L. Trester Mental
Attitude Award for boys basketball, representing
Nelson, the
son of Chuck and Jeanne Nelson, will major in business and economics at Wheaton
College (Ill.) this fall.
VSN MEANS ACTION PHOTOGRAPHY
Visit our
friends at Visual Sports Network, the
IHSAA’s official photographer for all state championship events and one of the
leading action photographers in the
CHAMPIONSHIP MERCHANDISE STILL AVAILABLE
For
t-shirts and other merchandise commemorating this year’s tournament or for any
of our events, visit our friends at Morris, Inc.
STATE FINALS PROGRAMS AVAILABLE
Couldn’t be
there for the state finals? You can still purchase a copy of the official
souvenir program while supplies last! Programs are $3.00 if you purchase in
person at the IHSAA Office (