Baseball: Class 4A Sectional 8 preview

By CRAIG ADKINS

For The Reporter

For 383 high school baseball teams, the quest for four state championships begins tonight and concludes on June 20 and 21 at Victory Field in Indianapolis. A total of 379 games will be played in a 25-day span.

Hamilton County’s nine schools will be featured in five different sectionals, with the majority (five) clumped together in arguably one of the toughest sectionals in the state, Class 4A Sectional 8.

The Westfield Shamrocks were the lone sectional champion in 2024, advancing all the way to the semi-state before bowing out to eventual state champion Lake Central.

Hamilton Southeastern Royals (12-17) vs. No. 4 Fishers Tigers (23-5), tonight at 5:30 p.m.

Hamilton Southeastern got the monkey off its back in the final two regular season games last weekend, sweeping Franklin Central for their first two Hoosier Crossroads Conference wins. The Royals started off the season going 3-1 on a spring break trip in Tennessee.

HSE grabbed wins over Carmel (3-2) in mid-April, won at 2A No. 1 Lapel (8-6), dominated Lawrence Central (11-1), swept a doubleheader from Bloomington North (2-1, 11-2) and won at Lawrence North for their longest win streak of season at three.

The Royals went 1-8 against Sectional 8, including 0-2 against first-round opponent Fishers.

Fourth-ranked Fishers is riding high into sectional play after an outright HCC title, going 12-2 against the toughest conference in the state.

The Tigers began 7-0, taking their first loss on a neutral field at Taylor University against Homestead (5-3) in 8 innings. Soon after, they dropped a 6-2 contest at home to No. 2 Center Grove.

The Tigers were 8-1 versus Sectional 8, winning both against HSE (5-1, 6-1).

No. 9 Zionsville Eagles (18-8) vs. No. 14 Noblesville Millers (16-10), tonight following HSE/Fishers

Zionsville has won 5 of 6 heading into sectional play. The Eagles swept the HCC series with Noblesville to end the regular season, winding up 2nd in the league at 11-3.

The Eagles have quality wins over Cathedral, Plainfield, Lincolnway East (IL), Avon (3), Westfield (2) and Noblesville (2).

Zionsville posted a 6-3 mark against Sectional 8.

Noblesville had its 11-game winning streak snapped over the weekend, falling in two one-run games (4-3, 5-4) to first-round opponent Zionsville in an HCC series, landing them in 3rd place in the league.

The Millers hit a rut mid-season and were 5-8. They then won 11 consecutive, including HCC two-game sweeps over Franklin Central, Westfield, HSE and Brownsburg. They also have key wins over Hardin Valley (TN), Eagleville (TN), Avon, Fort Wayne Carroll, Greenfield-Central and Tri-West.

Noblesville was 4-5 against Sectional 8 opponents.

No. 11 Westfield Shamrocks (19-9) vs. No. 12 Carmel Greyhounds (18-8), second semifinal on May 30, follows HSE-Fishers/Zionsville-Noblesville winner

Westfield got itself off to a 10-1 start, highlighted by a 4-1 trip to Tennessee during spring break. They also got wins over Cathedral, Brownsburg (2) and first-round opponent Carmel.

The ‘Rocks also got quality wins over Pendleton Heights, Harrison, Columbus North, Fort Wayne Carroll. They also swept their HCC series against Franklin Central, HSE, Avon and Brownsburg.

The Shamrocks were 3-6 in playing Sectional 8 foes.

Carmel got through April with an 8-6 mark. The ‘Hounds have put together a 10-2 month of May that has them 18-8 and primed to defend their home turf at Hartman Field.

After a May 1 loss at No. 2 Center Grove, the Greyhounds won four straight against Avon, Zionsville, Fishers and McCutcheon. They also pickled into their slate a trip to third-ranked Crown Point on May 10, losing 10-1 to the Bulldogs. Playing a split DH that day, Carmel won 4-0 against Homewood-Flossmoor (IL).

Winners of 6 out of 7 heading into the sectional, the Greyhounds beat defending state runner-up Mooresville, Mt. Vernon, Batesville, along with Harrison and Lawrence North (both in Greyhound Invitational) on May 24.

Carmel is 3-2 against the Sectional 8 field.