By RICHIE HALL
The University baseball team is one day away from the biggest game in the program’s history.
The Trailblazers will take on Daleville for the IHSAA Class 1A state championship; the game is scheduled for 11 a.m. Saturday at Victory Field. It’s the first appearance ever for University in the baseball state finals, but the ‘Blazers are doing their best to stay cool for this big occasion.
“We have tried to keep everything very, very relaxed,” said UHS coach Chris Estep. “A normal work week, in terms of getting prepared for whatever contest. We started turning up the intensity a little bit on Wednesday.”
Estep said his team had “a really, really good workout” on Thursday and was looking for another good workout Friday morning. With the game starting early in the morning, the Trailblazer players have been getting out of bed early this week as well.
“They’ve been sticking around doing some extra work,” said Estep. “It’s been great. It’s been a good week.”
And the early start time isn’t bothering the ‘Blazers one bit.
“The venue’s pretty awesome,” said Estep. “The time’s great. I think that day it’s supposed to be 96 degrees, so playing early is probably better than playing later. We’re excited about the process of getting ready for this.”
University will play a Daleville team that has enjoyed recent success. The Broncos won the 1A state championship two years ago, in 2016.
This year’s Daleville team is 21-9 going into state and has cruised through the post-season with little resistance. The Broncos won the Anderson Prep sectional over Cowan 12-0, Liberty Christian 10-2 and Southern Wells 16-0, the Fort Wayne Carroll regional over Rossville 6-3 and Union City 11-1, and the Kokomo semi-state 8-2.
Daleville has two players hitting over .400: Sophomore pitcher Evan Etchison is batting .407, and right behind him is junior Josh Price with a .406 average. Price leads the Broncos in hits with 41, and runs scored with 43.
Senior Ryan Hale tops the Daleville list in three categories: Runs batted in (34), doubles (10) and home runs (five). Hale and Price each have one triple, as does sophomore Jimmy Bowen. The pitcher Etchison holds a 10-2 record, with a 2.03 earned-run average and 68 strikeouts.
Meanwhile, University hosted its own sectional at RoundTripper Academy. The Trailblazers sailed past Bethesda Christian 7-0 and Indiana Deaf 11-0 to claim its first sectional title since 2013. After that, University triumphed at the Morristown regional over Indianapolis Lutheran 9-4 and Hauser 3-0, then won a dramatic game at the Plainfield semi-state, scoring four runs in the seventh inning to beat Tecumseh 7-4.
The ‘Blazers have several big hitters. Freshman Tyler Galyean is batting at a .483 clip, while senior Garrett Hill hits .473, leading UHS in hits (53), runs scored (45), RBIs (43), doubles (11) and home runs (10). Junior Dawson Estep bats .414 and has the most triples with four.
Senior Cade Carlson has been solid on the mound, with a 7-2 record, 2.47 ERA and 95 strikeouts. Not far behind is junior Brock Moore, who is 7-0 for the year. Moore’s ERA is 2.81 and he has tossed 66 strikeouts.
Estep is also quick to credit his assistant coaches for their help this season as well.
“Without Reid Andrews, we would not be in this position that we’re in today,” said Estep, referring to one of his many assistants. “The assistant coaches have done a fantastic job.”
University won its first sectional in five years on May 28, and the Trailblazers have followed that up with a trip to the Class 1A state championship game. University plays Daleville at 11 a.m. Saturday at Victory Field. (Richie Hall/File photo)