By RICHIE HALL
Two Hamilton County baseball teams will head into uncharted territory on Saturday: The IHSAA semi-state round.
Fishers is traveling north to Plymouth High School, where the Tigers will take on Chesterton in the Class 4A north semi-state. That game is the second of two games at Plymouth; the first one will be the 2A contest between Boone Grove and Lafayette Central Catholic. The first game is scheduled to start at 1 p.m., with the second game to follow, at approximately 3:30 p.m.
University doesn’t have as far a drive, simply a short trip to Plainfield for the Trailblazers to face Tecumseh in the Class 1A south semi-state. That game is also set for a 1 p.m. first pitch. Winners of all the semi-state games will get a trip to the state finals, which are scheduled for June 15 and 16 at Victory Field in Indianapolis.
Fishers won its first-ever regional Saturday at Lafayette’s Loeb Stadium. The Tigers held off Hoosier Crossroads Conference rival Zionsville 6-5 in the semi-finals, then stunned Fort Wayne Carroll with seven runs in the ninth inning to beat the Chargers 12-5 in the championship.
After such a long day on Saturday, Fishers had the day off on Monday. Tigers coach Matt Cherry said his team is “always loose,” which he said is the team’s personality, “and I believe what allows them to stay locked in under the pressure of some of these past few games.”
On Tuesday, the Tigers went in for a light workout – “just to get the blood flowing again,” said Cherry – then headed into the weight room. The coach said the team
“They came in today still as loose as they have been all season, but they are fully aware of their accomplishments and what it means for Fishers High School and our community,” said Cherry. “We joked today about having a serious practice in June for the first time ever. They are locked in, but also staying loose and embracing the opportunity.”
Chesterton cruised through its own sectional, taking care of Merrillville 17-0, Hobart 11-0 and Valparaiso 7-0. The Trojans also had to sweat through a tense regional at La Porte, edging Lake Central 4-3 in a nine-inning semi-final, then beating Mishawaka 4-1 in the championship.
Because of the obvious distance, the Tigers and Chesterton have not played each other this season, nor do they have any common opponents.
“We have been working on learning as much as we can about Chesterton,” said Cherry. “We have compiled a fairly complete scouting report that has been verified from different sources. They have a couple of good arms on the mound. They like to play small ball offensively with a couple of hitters who hit for power. It will be a competitive matchup. Anyone that has made it this far in the tournament will be a tough opponent.”
The Trojans have a lineup of consistent hitters, including seven that have a .300 average in at least 50 at-bats. Chris VanEekeren is hitting .385, while Austin Peterson comes in with a .380 average. Peterson has the most hits on the Chesterton team with 27.
Tommy Benson hits at a .333 clip and leads the Trojans in runs batted in (29), runs scored (25), home runs (nine) and doubles (seven). Logan Lawson has the most triples with six.
Peterson is also one of the star pitchers for Chesterton. He holds a 6-1 record and a 0.58 earned-run average, also leading the team in strikeouts with 69. Chris Torres is unbeaten at 6-0 with a 1.79 ERA and 50 strikeouts.
The Trojans are 18-7 for the season, while Fishers is 27-7. While Saturday marked the Tigers’ first-ever regional title, Chesterton has won three prior to this year, in 1985, 1988 and 1994.
Fishers’ leading hitters are seniors Craig Yoho, with a .422 average, and Matt Wolff, who bats .400. Junior Kiel Brenczewski is next in line with a .378 average, and leads the teams in hits (45), RBIs (37), Brenczewski and senior Grant Richardson both have two triples.
Junior JJ Woolwine has the most runs scored with 33, while Yoho and senior Alex Jamieson lead the doubles category with 13. Three Tigers each have hit five home runs: Yoho, Brenczewski and Jamieson.
Senior Luke Albright holds a 7-2 pitching record, with a 3.12 ERA and 83 strikeouts. Richardson is 5-0, with a 3.00 ERA and 72 strikeouts. Cherry said the Tigers are hoping to get through the game with just one pitcher, but since semi-state is only one game, “all hands will be on deck and all will be prepared to throw if needed,” said the coach.
TECUMSEH NEXT FOR ‘BLAZERS
University won the school’s first baseball regional championship with a 9-4 semi-final win over Indianapolis Lutheran, then a 3-0 victory against Hauser in the title game at Morristown.
Next up for the Trailblazers is Tecumseh, a true powerhouse in 1A. The Braves won the Cannelton sectional by beating Springs Valley 15-7 and Northeast Dubois 5-4, then took the Jasper regional (moved from Loogootee) over Borden 1-0 and Barr-Reeve 7-0.
That regional victory was the ninth for Tecumseh, all of its titles having come in 1A since 2001. The Braves reached the state finals in 2010, falling to Lafayette Central Catholic 4-2.
Tecumseh’s best hitter is far and away senior Aaron Beard, who averages .546 for the season. Beard leads the Braves in almost every statistical category: Runs scored (46), hits (53), doubles (16) and home runs (nine). Junior Woody Brucken has the most RBIs with 29, while junior Steven Molinet has three triples.
Sophomore Chase Howell has hit a grand slam for Tecumseh during the season. He is also the Braves’ leading pitcher, holding a 6-1 record with a 4.31 ERA and 27 strikeouts. Molinet has struck out 58 to lead in that category, while junior Spencer Buse has 46.
Tecumseh is 20-9 for the season, while University is 27-6. The ‘Blazers have three hitters above the .400 mark: Freshman Tyler Galyean at .483, senior Garrett Hill at .473 and junior Dawson Estep at .421.
Hill leads the way for University in hits (52), RBIs (43), doubles (11) and home runs (10). Estep has the most runs scored with 48 and the most triples with four.
On the mound, senior Cade Carlson is 7-2 with a 2.33 ERA and 91 strikeouts. Junior Brock Moore is unbeaten at 7-0, with a 2.81 ERA and 66 strikeouts.
Grant Richardson is one of two star pitchers for the Fishers baseball team, which plays Chesterton Saturday in the Class 4A north semi-state. Richardson is 5-0 for the season with a 3.00 earned-run average and 72 strikeouts. (Kent Graham/File photo)
University’s Dawson Estep has scored 48 runs and hit four triples. (Richie Hall/File photo)