Indiana High School Athletic Association

9150 North Meridian Street, Box 40650, Indianapolis, Indiana 46240-0650

Phone: 317-846-6601    Fax: 317-575-4244    Website: www.ihsaa.org

Blake Ress, Commissioner

_____________________________________________________________________________

MEDIA INFORMATION                                                                            June 15, 2005

Contact: Jason Wille, Sports Information Director                                                                    

E-Mail: jwille@ihsaa.org

 

 

BASEBALL STATE FINALS IN LAFAYETTE THIS WEEKEND

For the first time since 1975, the 39th Annual IHSAA Baseball State Finals return to Lafayette’s Loeb Stadium this weekend with four state championship games. In fact, it’s the first time since that year, the finals have been held outside of the Indianapolis area.

 

Two of the eight teams are former state champions – Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian and Evansville Memorial –, two more who finished as a runner-up last year – Andrean and Brownsburg – , while two others – Hauser and Northwestern – have reached the baseball finals for the first time in school history. The finals will also include a pair of players who were selected in the First-Year Player Draft for Major League Baseball on June 7-8.

 

The first game of the weekend, the Class A state championship game, will pit Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian against Hauser on Friday evening at 7:30 p.m. Blackhawk Christian returns to the finals for the first time since its championship season of 2002 when it won the Class A tournament. The Braves knocked off top-ranked and defending state champion Lafayette Central Catholic, 9-7, in last Saturday’s semi-state title game at Kokomo. After falling in last year’s semi-state championship game, Hauser broke through this year and rides a 12-game winning streak as it heads into its first baseball state finals. In fact, it’s the first appearance by a Jets team in an IHSAA state finals event involving a team sport (football, basketball, soccer, volleyball, softball and baseball).

 

The remaining three games will be played on Saturday starting with the 2A contest at 10:30 a.m. featuring Northwestern and North Posey. Northwestern will return to Lafayette for a second straight weekend and will make its debut in the baseball finals after shutting out Manchester, 9-0, at Loeb Stadium in Saturday’s semi-state title contest. It’s also the first time a Tigers team has made it to a state championship game since the school’s football team finished as the 1992 3A runner-up in football. North Posey will make its second appearance in the baseball finals overall and for the first time in five seasons. During its 2000 trip in 2A the state finals consisted of Friday semifinal games, in which the Vikings fell victim, followed by a Saturday championship game. During the 2005 tournament run, the Vikings knocked off top-ranked South Knox, 9-1, while hosting the regional championship game.

 

The 3A game, which will begin no earlier than 2 p.m., calls for Evansville Memorial and top-ranked Andrean, two schools from opposite ends of the state and each with a coaching veteran at the helm. Evansville Memorial, in the state finals for the 11th time (tied for 2nd in state) and looking for its fourth state championship, is skippered by 36th year leader Quentin Merkel. Along the way, Merkel has guided Tiger teams to an 809-249 (.764) record. Andrean’s Dave Pishkur is in his 26th year in charge of the 59ers program and owns a 608-210 won-loss record (.818) and has led the team to three consecutive trips to the finals. One player to keep an eye on is Andrean’s Greg Yersich. The 6-0 catcher, who bats .410 with 8 homeruns and 47 RBI, was selected earlier this month in the seventh round by the Minnesota Twins.

 

Saturday’s finale in 4A has Evansville North facing top-ranked and unbeaten Brownsburg. That game will begin no sooner than 5:30 p.m. It’s only the second trip to the finals for North, which finished as the 2002 runner-up. Brownsburg, meanwhile, hopes to avoid the runner-up tag for the third consecutive year. The Bulldogs haven’t lost since last year’s state title game, a 3-1 setback to Lawrence Central, and are expected to pitch ace Lance Lynn, who was picked in the sixth round by Seattle last week. With a 15-0 record, a 0.68 ERA and 168 strikeouts to his credit, he’ll decide whether to sign with the Mariners or play college ball at the University of Mississippi. Interestingly, the Bulldogs are only the third team since 1978 to enter the state finals unbeaten. In 1978, Evansville Memorial went 30-0 defeating Blackford 7-1 in the championship game and didn’t lose again until the 1979 final, a 6-5 loss in 10 innings to Logansport, which snapped a 59-game unbeaten streak. Memorial’s Don Mattingly was a senior that season and captured the L.V. Phillips Mental Attitude Award following the game.

 

For team rosters, current stats and season results for each team, visit the PDF file Meet The Teams.

 

 

 

39TH ANNUAL IHSAA BASEBALL STATE FINALS

When: June 17-18, 2005

Admission: $9.00

Where: Loeb Stadium (Intersection of Main Street and Wallace Avenue, Lafayette) | Map

Home Team: The second-named team in each game is the designated home team.

 

Friday, June 17

Class A

Hauser (21-8) vs. Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian (20-9). 7:30 p.m.

 

Saturday, June 18

Class 2A

North Posey (26-8) vs. Northwestern (19-12). 10:30 a.m.

Class 3A

Evansville Memorial (21-12) vs. Andrean (32-2). 2 p.m.

Class 4A

Evansville North (24-6) vs. Brownsburg (34-0). 5:30 p.m.

 

 

PROBABLE STARERS AND BATTING ORDER

 

Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian

 

No.

Name

Position

1

21

Brandon Young

CF

2

10

Jon Ringenberg

SS

3

14

Logan Nussbaum

P

4

25

Jake Harmon

C

5

27

Alex Johanningsmeier

RF

6

20

Andrew Nelson

3B

7

2

Preston Holb

1B

8

5

Joseph Doust

DH

9

11

Jordan Ash

2B

10

8

Jordan Friesen

LF

 

Hauser

 

No.

Name

Position

1

3

Jared Turner

SS

2

9

Kyle Lawson

2B

3

1

Aryn Ross

P

4

8

Nick Long

3B

5

13

Jake Miller

C

6

14

Kevin Raisor

CF

7

12

Donavan Schrougham

LF

8

2

Gabe Miller

1B

9

4

Jordan Perkins

DH

10

16

Nate Bryant

RF

 

Northwestern

 

No.

Name

Position

1

3

Daniel Deno

C

2

12

Dustin Cronkhite

P

3

25

Brandon Beachy

3B

4

21

Matt Daily

1B

5

17

Alex Smith

RF

6

5

Sean Hostetler

SS

7

14

Kyle Beachy

LF

8

8

Stevie Tetrick

2B

9

1

Andrew Dewhurst

DH

10

7

Michael Wilson

CF

 

North Posey

 

No.

Name

Position

1

3

Jake Voegel

CF

2

8

Andrew Emge

2B

3

13

Jared Baehl

P

4

9

Andy  Spahn

SS

5

7

J.C. Poe

LF

6

5

Robert Johnson

RF

7

18

Bryce Williams

DH

8

10

Justin Esche

1B

9

20

Ryan Neumann

3B

10

4

Adam Nix

C

 

Andrean

 

No.

Name

Position

1

25

Chris Skinner

CF

2

5

Joe Mack

1B/3B

3

3

Tommy Finn

SS

4

19

Greg Yersich

C

5

20

Steve Augsburger

P/1B/DH

6

8

Anthony Cera

3B/2B

7

4

Brad King

P/2B

8

2

Robb Barbauld

LF

9

1

Juaquin Rodriguez

RF

 

22

Nick Murphy

P

 

16

Kellen Mackin

P

 

Evansville Memorial

 

No.

Name

Position

1

19

Isaac Lewis

RF

2

28

Sean Woolen

LF

3

21

Mark Obenchain

1B

4

4

Zach Gibbs

CF

5

31

Patrick Stone

DH

6

18

Nick Kerner

3B

7

17

Jock Barron

C

8

2

Ben Griggs

SS

9

15

Logan Bitter

2B

10

24

Sam Schen

P

 

Brownsburg

 

No.

Name

Position

1

5/1

Alex Hendrickson/ Drew Storen

DH/1B

2

12

Gary King

RF

3

11

T. J. Baumet

SS

4

22

Lance Lynn

RHP

5

8

Nick Shipley

3B

6

2

Kyle Hammontree

LF

7

21

Sean Veza

CF

8

14

Cory Dragstrem

2B

9

15

Austin Nickol

C

 

Evansville North

 

No.

Name

Position

1

4

Adam Akin

LF

2

2

Josh Huebner

2B

3

1

Andy Smith

SS

4

13

Drew Grimm

1B

5

6

David Klass

CF

6

7

Daniel Calhoun

DH

7

15

Keith Mercer

RF

8

10

Tyler Owen

3B

9

3

Matt Agler

C

10

19

Adam Champion

P

 

 

 

MEDIA INFORMATION

 

Media Hosts – Sports Information Director Jason Wille, Communications Director Joe Gentry and other members of the IHSAA staff will be at the site to assist in your coverage.

 

Media Credentials: The 2004-05 IHSAA State Finals Media Credential (a black laminated pass) will allow for admission to Loeb Stadium. Those outlets needing credentials should fax a request immediately with names of the individuals to Sports Information Director Jason Wille at 317-575-4244. Approved requests will be available for pickup at media will-call located at the first base gate on the stadium’s northwest side. Those wishing to broadcast at any site should immediately contact Mark Higdon of Associated Sports Productions at 317-633-1462 to make arrangements.

 

Press Box: The Loeb Stadium press box will have seating for 25-30 individuals total. Overflow seating also will be available just outside the press box. Electrical power and some phone lines will be available but, due to the amount of seating, we ask your cooperation in using the room below the press box at ground level for post-game writing and filing of stories/photographs. Power and phone lines will also be available for your use there.

 

Media Parking: The 2004-05 IHSAA State Finals Media Credential will allow you to park in the Oakland School parking lot on a first-come, first-served basis. The school is located across the street from the stadium beyond centerfield at the corner of Main and Kossuth streets. For those of you planning to pick up credentials at will-call, you’ll want to pick up your passes at the gate first and then make your way over to the Oakland School