MEDIA
INFORMATION
June 11, 2008
Contact: Jason Wille, Sports Information Director
E–Mail: jwille@ihsaa.org
SEVEN TEAMS NEW TO BASEBALL STATE FINALS THIS WEEKEND
The field of eight
schools for the 42nd Annual IHSAA Baseball State Finals includes
seven first-time participants and one that has a chance to do what no other
school has done before.
The Class A state
championship game is scheduled for Friday at 7:30 pm ET, while the 2A, 3A and
4A games will be contested at 1 pm ET, 4 pm ET and 8 pm ET, respectively, on
Saturday. All four games will be played at Victory Field in Indianapolis, home
of the Indianapolis Indians, the Triple-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The only school that
has found its way to Victory Field before is Shakamak (25-8). The Lakers will
be making their fifth appearance overall in the state finals, their third consecutive
and are seeking the school’s first state championship in any team sport.
Ranked No. 4 in the last regular season poll from the Indiana High School
Baseball Coaches Association, Shakamak will face No. 6 Cowan (24-5) in the
Class A title game, another school looking for its first state championship.
Cowan has won nine
straight contests to advance to the state finals for the first time and have
outscored their tournament opponents, 78-14, including three five inning
contests. The Blackhawks boast junior Kirby Campbell who owns a .516 batting
average and has scored 53 runs, both of which rank him among the state’s
leaders. Sophomore Cody Campbell has knocked in 45 RBI this season, also among
the state’s best.
In Class 2A, No. 2
Fort Wayne Bishop Luers (29-3) is making its first trip to the state finals and
will face No. 9 Elwood (27-4) in the first game on Saturday. With a victory,
Bishop Luers would become the first school in state history to win a state
title in football, boys basketball and baseball in the same school year. The
Knights beat Heritage Christian, 21-6, for the 2A football championship on
November 23 and the boys basketball team topped Winchester, 69-67, for the 2A
crown on March 22. The Knights look to seniors Tyler Watts and Kevin Kiermaier
for offense with their batting averages of .585 and .510, respectively.
Kiermaier is also effective on the mound with 89 strikeouts to his credit.
Elwood has won 16
straight games to earn its shot at the school’s first state championship.
During that stretch, the Panthers have mauled their opponents with seven
victories of the five inning variety, including three of their last four. They
also managed to knock off top-ranked Austin in the semi-state, 9-6, in 10
innings.
In Saturday’s
second game, No. 5 Crawfordsville (31-4) takes on Mishawaka Marian (21-10) for
the 3A crown. Crawfordsville is riding a 16-game winning streak and will be
gunning for its first state championship in a boys sport since 1956 when the
boys golf team won it all. Senior Cameron Hobson who spends time at first base
and on the pitcher’s mound, ranks among the state’s best with a
.567 average and 37 RBI. He also has 113 strikeouts and a .051 ERA when on the
mound. Another senior, Andrew Swart, who also plays the same positions, has an
11-0 pitching record and 124 K’s.
Marian, also making
its initial trip to state, has pulled out three consecutive close games. Among
them are two extra inning contests and an upset of top-ranked Andrean in the
semi-state. The Knights earned their first sectional and regional crowns in 10
years this season.
The 4A championship
features a couple of surprise teams in Homestead (26-5) and Decatur Central
(28-7), both unranked. Homestead has reeled off 12 straight wins, including
four over top 10 teams. The Spartans beat No. 9 Huntington North and No. 4 Jay
County in the sectional and then took out No. 1 Penn and No. 5 Crown Point to
secure their first trip to Indianapolis.
Decatur Central won
their first regional since 1991 and rode that momentum to two close semi-state
victories for their first appearance in the state finals. Decatur will be
looking to capture the school’s first state championship Saturday night.
In the Evansville semi-state championship game, the Hawks allowed three runs in
the top of the seventh inning and trailed Evansville Harrison, 6-4 before
rallying for three of their own with two outs in the bottom of the seventh for
a 7-6 victory.
State Finals
Dates: Friday, June 13 and Saturday, June 14.
Site: Victory Field, 501 W. Maryland Street, Indianapolis.
Victory
Field | Seating
Chart | Driving
Directions & Map | Parking
| Indy Hotels & Dining
Admission:
$9.
Home Team: The winner of the south semi-state
is the designated home team in each game.
Television:
The Indiana Cable Network will telecast Saturday’s three games (2A, 3A,
4A) live to affiliates
around the state. Jerry Baker and Greg Rakestraw will provide the play-by-play
and color commentary, respectively, for each game.
Webcast:
IHSAASports.org will webcast all four games in live video and audio. Mark
Jaynes and Bob Lovell will call the action for each game.
Class A
Cowan (24-5)
vs. Shakamak (25-8). Fri, 7:30 pm ET
Class 2A
Fort Wayne
Bishop Luers (29-3) vs. Elwood (27-4). Sat,
1 pm ET
Class 3A
Mishawaka
Marian (21-10) vs. Crawfordsville (31-4). Saturday,
4 pm ET
Class 4A
Homestead
(26-5) vs. Decatur Central (28-7). Saturday,
8 pm ET
Media Information
Media Hosts
– Sports Information Director Jason Wille, Communications Director Chris
Kaufman and assistant Toni Polizzi will be on site to assist in your coverage.
Media Credentials: The 2007-08 IHSAA State
Finals Media Credential will allow for admission to Victory Field. Those
outlets needing credentials should immediately fax a request on company letterhead
with names of the individuals to Sports Information Director
Media Will-Call: Approved requests will be
available for pickup at media will-call located inside the glass doors to the
right of the ticket windows on the stadium’s west side. Please have
identification available to claim your credentials. Will-call will open on
Friday at 5:30 pm ET and on Saturday at 11 am ET.
Media Parking: There is no designated
parking for media but plenty of options are available within short walking
distance of Victory Field. The
State Garage, across the street from Victory Field on the northeast corner of
Maryland and West streets as well as the Indiana State Museum, Eiteljorg
Museum, White River State Park, and the Circle Centre Mall garages are
available for a fee.
Services: Starting lineups and game programs will be circulated
to members of the media in the press box. Computer-generated official box
scores will be available following each of the four state championship games
and also posted to the IHSAA website. The Indianapolis Indians provide
complimentary wireless internet access within the press box. A password which
is posted in the press area is needed for access.
Photography: Photographers may
take up positions in the outfield portion of each dugout for field level shots.
At no time during the game should photographers be shooting from the playing
field itself.
Interviews: Interviews with
coaches and players may be conducted on the field following the conclusion of
the awards ceremonies. In order to allow the grounds crew to do its work, we
ask your cooperation in conducting interviews outside the foul lines.
Probable Starting Lineups
Cowan
|
|
No. |
Name |
Pos. |
|
1. |
8 |
Jacob O’Conner |
C |
|
2. |
3 |
Charlie Lacey |
LF |
|
3. |
9 |
Kirby Campbell |
CF |
|
4. |
10 |
Justin O’Conner |
P |
|
5. |
7 |
Cody Campbell |
SS |
|
6. |
2 |
Jordan Sherfy |
RF |
|
7. |
12 |
Tyler Henderson |
1B |
|
8. |
11 |
Skyler Toomey |
DH |
|
9. |
15 |
Grant Newlin |
2B |
|
10 |
22 |
Robby Craig (defense only) |
3B |
Shakamak
|
|
No. |
Name |
Pos. |
|
1. |
8 |
John Smith |
6 |
|
2. |
12 |
Timothy Betts |
9 |
|
3. |
15 |
Billy Newton |
4 |
|
4. |
14 |
Ben Grissom |
7 |
|
5. |
7 |
Derrick Bennett |
5 |
|
6. |
23 |
Justin Cox |
3 |
|
7. |
18 |
Jaret May |
DH |
|
|
21 |
Drew Gambill |
8 |
|
8. |
30 |
T.J. Hill |
1 |
|
9. |
10 |
Josh Horton |
2 |
Fort Wayne Bishop Luers
|
|
No. |
Name |
Pos. |
|
1. |
10 |
Kevin Kiermaier |
P |
|
2. |
15 |
Isaac Baker |
C |
|
3. |
22 |
Tyler Watts |
CF |
|
4. |
44 |
Aaron Franke |
1B |
|
5. |
25 |
Tyler Bunn |
3B |
|
6. |
8 |
Dan Peppler |
LF |
|
7. |
12 |
Cameron Baker |
DH |
|
8. |
2 |
Dan Wyss |
SS |
|
9. |
17 |
Tyquan Hammock |
RF |
|
10 |
7 |
Spencer Millard |
2B |
Elwood
|
|
No. |
Name |
Pos. |
|
1. |
9 |
Jacob Dunnichay |
CF |
|
2. |
3 |
Kevin Worsley |
2B |
|
3. |
2 |
Darren Jones |
SS |
|
4. |
21 |
Troy Worsley |
C |
|
5. |
12 |
Nate Wills |
P |
|
6. |
18 |
Jacob Hartman |
LF |
|
7. |
20 |
Zach Taylor |
3B |
|
8. |
7 |
Nathaniel Jones |
DH |
|
9. |
5 |
Aaron Klein |
RF |
|
10 |
33 |
Cody Summers |
1B |
Mishawaka Marian
|
|
No. |
Name |
Pos. |
|
1. |
2 |
Coley Parker |
3B |
|
2. |
1 |
Aaron Rodgers |
LF |
|
3. |
5 |
Dylan Brammer |
SS |
|
4. |
3 |
Dan Ranschaert |
1B |
|
5. |
12 |
Nassir Charmat |
RF |
|
6. |
7 |
|
2B |
|
7. |
22 |
Drew Smith |
DH |
|
8. |
13 |
Stephen Barany |
C |
|
9. |
4 |
Shawn Geraghty |
CF |
|
10 |
17 |
Jordan Niespodziany |
P |
Crawfordsville
|
|
No. |
Name |
Pos. |
|
1. |
5 |
Cameron Hobson |
P |
|
2. |
8 |
Brett Linn |
CF |
|
3. |
4 |
Brett McKinney |
2B |
|
4. |
27 |
Mitchell Ray |
C |
|
5. |
10 |
Cody Dowell |
3B |
|
6. |
16/34 2 |
JD Rice/Scott Hunt Quinten Anderson |
DH SS |
|
7. |
23 |
Andrew Swart |
1B |
|
8. |
11 |
Blake Harris |
LF |
|
9. |
20 |
Justin Wright |
RF |
Homestead
|
|
No. |
Name |
Pos. |
|
1. |
8 |
Bob Glover |
CF |
|
2. |
12 |
Ryan Trieglaff |
2B |
|
3. |
9 |
Ryan Wright |
SS |
|
4. |
11 |
Logan Bultemeier |
1B |
|
5. |
18 |
Patrick Veerkamp |
RF |
|
6. |
17 |
Doug Schroeder |
C |
|
7. |
16 |
Chuck Weaver |
3B |
|
8. |
22 |
Chris Jorgensen |
DH |
|
9. |
4 |
Derek Kinzer |
LF |
|
10 |
20 |
Travis Carsten |
P |
Decatur Central