Plymouth, John Glenn favored as sectionals start
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pilot photo/ron haramia
Senior Pat Crone is hitting .380 for the top-ranked Falcons. |
5-31
By Ron Haramia & Ken Peterson
Pilot Sports
PLYMOUTH � Closing the final week of the season on a high note has the Plymouth baseball team entering next week�s Plymouth sectional with plenty of momentum to make a potential postseason run.
But as always in baseball, nothing is guaranteed.
Action begins Monday in the Class 3A Plymouth sectional at Bill Nixon Field at 5 p.m. with Whitko taking on Kankakee Valley. The 7:30 p.m. game pits the host Pilgrims against Culver Academy.
Monday�s winners will meet at 5 p.m., while Tippecanoe Valley takes on Knox in the bye game at 7:30 p.m. Winners return Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. for the sectional title and the right to advance to next week�s Plymouth regional.
Coach Tony Plothow�s Pilgrims have been on roll this past week since coming form behind to defeat Class 2A No. 1 John Glenn last Friday.
The Pilgrims, the defending regional champions, look to win the championship in a field that know they�re the team to beat.
Coach Tommy Mascari�s Eagles, who lost 17-2 to Plymouth earlier this season, are led by Chris Schumerth, who has 31 hits. Phil Bailey has 24 hits and Nolan Fingerhut 22.
The Eagles have a team E.R.A. of 2.52 and its pitching staff has three shutouts.
Knox, who handed John Glenn one of its three losses this season, relies on ace pitcher Richie Simpson to lead the way.
Jimtown sectional
The Class 2A Jimtown Sectional will have a familiarity to it.
Five of the six baseball teams are from the Northern State Conference, with almost half of their season�s games against the sectional field.
But this is the second season.
Throw in the fact that four of the six teams have winning records and the two that do not meet in the opening game, and you have the makings of a very interesting tournament beginning Monday at Jimtown High School.
�We are undefeated against the field, but that doesn�t mean anything,� said Glenn coach John Nadolny, whose Falcon team is currently ranked No. 1 in the state. �There should be some tight ballgames. The team that has great pitching, timely hitting and good defense will win it.�
Those three things have keyed the Falcons all year, as they stand at 25-3 overall, including a 13-1 mark in the NSC. Glenn is only four runs from having a perfect record, with their lone conference loss a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Knox (which plays in the 3A Plymouth Sectional) to go with two non-conference losses (5-4 to Mishawaka, 6-4 to Plymouth).
Leading the way on the mound is senior sensation Andy Groves. The All-State righthander bound for Purdue has stats that look like typographical errors. He currently is 12-1 with four saves and gives up less than one earned run per seven innings (ERA 0.96). He has struck out 151 and only walked 16. To boot, Groves leads the team in home runs (3) and RBIs (35), while batting .345.
But Groves is not alone. Jim Beasley (9-2, 1.39, 70 Ks, 13 BBs), along with southpaws Chris Horvath (2-0, 1.20) and Ronnie Clemons (2-0, 1.99) give the Falcons a formidable pitching lineup.
Other leading hitters include Preston Krause (.404, 23 RBIs), Korey Pulluaim (.402), Pat Crone (.380, 21), Horvath (.373, 24) and Clemons (.294, 21).
Bremen gets the first shot at dethroning the defending sectional champ Falcons in the 7:30 p.m. game of the first round Monday night.
�At some point, any team is going to have to face John Glenn to win the tournament,� said Lions head coach Norm Sellers, whose team finished in second place in the NSC (16-9 overall, 9-5 conference). �They are a very good team that not only has outstanding pitching, but also many tough outs up and down their lineup. But we have faced Groves twice this year and know what to expect. Hopefully, we will use this experience to our advantage. We have been presented with a big challenge.�
Senior Jordan Leeper has been one of Bremen�s top pitchers (7-2, 2.02) along with junior Alex McIntyre. Top hitters to watch are Cody Henry (.398), Greg Neeley (.395), Louie Gomez (.385) and Trent Miles (.305).
The 5 p.m. opener has LaVille (11-13) taking on the host Jimmies (10-17). The Lancers have had some close losses and are a dangerous team. Steve Swathwood (6-3, ERA 2.62), Dennis Bettcher (.363, 24 runs, .478 on base percentage), Stephen Underwood (ERA 3.93), Chris Swihart (.394, .545 slugging percentage) and Ryan Watts (.325, 15 RBIs) are some of the key players LV will rely on as they try to knock off the Jimmies � always a tough task at Jimtown.
Triton and North Judson received the bye and play the second semifinal on Thursday at 7:30 p.m.
�I�m pleased with the bye,� said Triton head coach Ted Doty. �It is no secret that Glenn is the team to beat, but the other teams are very comparable and more than capable of winning the tournament. This should be one of the most exciting and entertaining tourneys in the area.�
The Trojans (19-9) finished in third place in the NSC, just one game behind Bremen. Triton should be considered the darkhorse in this field as they have strong pitching to go with adequate hitting.
The leaders on the hill have been Todd Blackford (6-2, 2.46, 90 Ks) and lefty Adam Wanemacher (5-4, 2.93, 67 Ks). Blackford (.309, 3 HRs, 24 RBIs) and Wanemacher (.375, 12 doubles, 33 runs) are also two of the team�s leading hitters along with Bryan Watkins (.534, 3 HRs, 31 RBIs).
The Bluejays are the mystery team. They have quietly won 16 games (with 12 losses) and have wins against NSC teams Knox and Culver. Other area teams they have played were Culver Academy (winning 17-6) and Glenn (losing 17-6).
The finals are slated for a noon start on Saturday, June 7. The winner stays put for the Jimtown Regional the following Saturday at 11 a.m.
CLASS 3-A
PLYMOUTH SECTIONAL
At Bill Nixon Field
Monday, June 2
5: Whitko vs. Kankakee Valley; 7:30: Plymouth vs. Culver Academy
Thursday, June 5
5: Monday's winners; 7:30: Knox vs. Tippecanoe Valley
Saturday, June 7
7:30: Championship
CLASS 2-A
JIMTOWN SECTIONAL
At Jimtown HS, Elkhart
Monday, June 2
5: Jimtown vs. LaVille; 7:30 Glenn vs. Bremen
Thursday, June 5
5: Monday's winners; 7:30: Triton vs. North Judson
Saturday, June 7
Noon: Championship
At Wabash
Monday, June 2
4:30: North Miami vs. Northfield; 7: Manchester vs. Winamac
Thursday, June 5
4:30: Monday's winners; 7: Wabash vs. Rochester
Saturday, June 7
7: Championship
CLASS 1-A
At LaCrosse
Monday, June 2
4:30: Kouts vs. LaCrosse
Tuesday, June 3
4:30: Oregon-Davis vs. Hebron
Saturday, June 7
10 a.m.: Monday and Tuesday's winners; Noon: Morgan Twp. vs. West Central; 4: Championship
At Culver
Monday, June 2
4:30: Argos vs. Caston
Tuesday, June 3
4:30: Pioneer vs. Culver
Thursday, June 5
4:30: Southwood vs. Monday's winner
Saturday, June 7
10 a.m.: Championship
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