By RICHIE HALL
A popular quote has been used in the Fishers baseball team over the past couple years.
It comes from a man who, in October of 2016, helped a certain Major League Baseball team end one of sports’ most (in)famous streaks. The quote: “Don’t ever let the pressure exceed the pleasure.”
The author of that quote, Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon, saw both emotions first-hand as his team finally kicked the “Curse of the Billy Goat” out to pasture and won the World Series. Every high school team playing in this weekend’s IHSAA state baseball finals is going through that now, starting with the Tigers, who take on defending state champion Cathedral in tonight’s Class 4A championship game at Victory Field. The first pitch is scheduled for 7:37 p.m.
“We were hoping we would be playing Friday night,” said Fishers coach Matt Cherry. “The crowds for 4A Games have been huge in the past few years, and we are hoping we reach the attendance record again like they did in 2014 when they broke the attendance record and again in 2016 when they set the current record of 6,799.”
“We don’t mind the one less day of rest,” said Cherry. “We are used to playing four games a week and three games in a row in our conference, so the sooner we can play the better.”
Every emotion associated with the state finals will be a new one for Fishers, as this is the first time the Tigers are playing at this level. Cherry and his assistants met with the players on Tuesday before practice to “mentally prepare them for this opportunity and the huge crowd” – the 4A games have traditionally garnered several thousand fans at Victory Field.
At the same time, the Tigers are going to keep doing what they do – “stay loose, embrace the moment,” said Cherry. Whenever Fishers does that, it tends to win.
The Tigers will be taking on a Cathedral team that is steeped in tradition. The Irish have appeared in the state championship game seven times, winning a 3A title in 2001 and 4A titles in 2007 and 2017. Cathedral was the 4A runner-up in 2006, 2010, 2012 and 2013.
All but last year’s state finals appearances came under then-coach Rich Andriole, who is now the coach at Guerin Catholic. In 2017, Ed Freije became Cathedral’s coach, and promptly took the Irish to an undefeated season at 29-0.
This season, the Irish come in to state with a 23-8-1 record. Cathedral’s April 9 game with West Vigo ended with the score 2-2, thus the tie. In the post-season, the Irish won the Warren Central sectional with victories over the host Warriors 5-4 and New Palestine 5-3.
Cathedral triumphed in the Decatur Central regional by beating Roncalli 6-3 and Terre Haute South 5-0. The Irish needed an extra inning to take the Plainfield semi-state, but did so over Castle 5-1 in eight innings.
Cherry lists simple reasons as to why Cathedral is such a good team: “Jared Poland, tradition, understanding of how to win.” Who is Jared Poland? The Irish’s senior pitcher, who is 5-3 for the season.
Poland has been very efficient on the mound, with a 1.16 earned-run average. He has 69 strikeouts for the year out of 201 batters faced, putting his strikeout rate at 34 percent. Cathedral has a solid bullpen as well: Junior Derek Haslett is 7-0 with 50 strikeouts, junior Peyton Schofield also has struck out 69 this season, and junior Mitch Bertrand has seven saves.
Poland also leads the way in hitting, with a team-high .386 average. The senior also is first in home runs (eight), triples (11), runs batted in (28), hits (39), and is tied for first in runs scored (27). Senior Mack Murphy also has scored 27 runs. Junior Cole Vassilo leads the doubles list with 11.
“Success breeds success and their players, fans, community have won, are winners, and know how to win,” said Cherry. “They have made the absolute most of opponent’s mistakes. We have to focus on us and compete against the game of baseball….take care of the baseball, limit our mistakes…play our game.”
Fishers will come in to the championship game with a 28-7 record, including a championship in the Hoosier Crossroads Conference. The Tigers won the tough Noblesville sectional over North Central 4-2 and the host Millers 5-3.
That put Fishers into the Lafayette Jefferson regional, where it edged Zionsville 6-5, then broke away from Fort Wayne Carroll in extra innings, scoring seven runs in the ninth to win 12-5. The Tigers held off Chesterton 5-3 to win the Plymouth semi-state.
Senior Craig Yoho is Fishers’ leading hitter, with a .413 average. Yoho is on top of the Tigers’ runs scored list with 48 and is tied for first in doubles with 13. Junior Kiel Brenczewski, who averages .375, leads the hit parade with 45. Senior Matt Wolff is batting at a .398 clip.
Senior Alex Jamieson leads Fishers in RBIs (40) and home runs (six) and joins Yoho on top of the doubles list with 13. Senior Grant Richardson and junior JJ Woolwine both have the most triples with two each.
Senior Luke Albright is one of several talented pitchers for the Tigers. He comes into state with an 8-2 record, a 2.98 ERA and 88 strikeouts. Richardson, at 5-0, holds a 2.86 ERA and has struck out 75. Wolff has six saves and has stepped up big time for Fishers as a closer during the Tigers’ tournament run.
Fishers’ Craig Yoho (center) is the Tigers’ leading hitter, averaging .413 this season and scoring 48 runs. Fishers will take on Cathedral tonight at Victory Field for the Class 4A state championship. (Kent Graham/File photo)