“Our goal is to make sure that each day they’re progressing whether it’s mechanical or mindset,” says Jaksich, a former collegiate pitcher who is now helping others. “It’s not just looking at the end goal, it’s looking to the daily goal. What are you focusing on that day to get better?
“The guys that come in consistently get the best results.”
Jaksich, who graduated from Andrean High School in Merrillville, Ind., in 2016 and Ball State University in Muncie, Ind., in 2021, was hired nearly three years ago as a performance coach and is now Assistant Director of Pitching.
Munster (Ind.) High School graduate Anthony Gomez, who is a bullpen coach for the Buffalo Bisons, Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays, is PRP’s Director of Pitching. Carmel (Ind.) High School alum Greg Vogt, who is rehab pitching coach for the Blue Jays organization, is PRP’s Founder/Director.
Jaksich, 26, and the staff work with 8-year-olds and big leaguers, including Cleveland Guardians left-hander Timmy Herrin and Miami Marlins right-hander Bryan Hoeing. There were upwards of 20 professional pitchers at PRP this winter. The place operates seven days a week November until early March with in-person and remote clients.
During the peak times, many weeks culminate with bullpens and pitchers going live against batters.
“Friday Compete Day is fun,” says Jaksich. “Those are always a good time.”
It’s slower now, but it will pick back up again at the end of May as college and high school seasons wind down.
“We’re attacking the little things with those older guys,” says Jaksich. “They might have one thing that needs to click from everything to get better.”
Jaksich notes that high schoolers and younger are still in the development stage.
“We do a couple of things at a time and make sure we’re really in-depth with what we’re working on,” says Jaksich. “We make sure they’re staying consistent with their work.
“Attention to detail is big. That is the biggest separator. Pro guys come in and get all their work done. High schoolers forget. We have to keep reminding them.”
Among those on the PRP staff working with pitchers besides Jaksich, Gomez and Vogt are Joey Romence, Nick Slone, Seth Story and Max McKee.
To ensure quality time with athletes, no more than about 25 come in during a block of time and they are helped by five or six coaches. Jacob Douglass leads the PRP hitting department.
“We have to balance it out to make sure we are very attentive on the floor when we’re coaching,” says Jaksich. “We try to find the factors that are going to benefit them. It’s not going to be the same thing for each guy. There’s no one way to do it. If there was, it would be a lot easier.
“As coaches, we have to keep gaining knowledge.”
Communication is key.
“The more an athlete can communicate with us about certain things they’re doing it’s more beneficial for them,” says Jaksich. “That proves that they’re learning and trying to get the best out of everything instead of them looking for answers from us. We want to get answers from them.”
“We talk with each person each day. We create that relationship where they can trust us for their development.”
Jaksich was born on the south side of Chicago and lived there until the eighth grade then moved to northwest Indiana.
He was with several travel ball teams including the Indiana Playmakers. He also played for the Northwest Indiana Oilmen of the Midwest Collegiate League (now Northern League).
“Joe’s an awesome guy,” says Jaksich. “I stay in-touch with him.”
A member of the program in 2014, left-hander Jaksich started on the mound for Andrean in the 2015 championship game and pitched into the fifth inning before moving to first base.
From Andrean, Jaksich went to Saint Joseph’s College in Rensselaer, Ind. As a freshman in 2017, he started in 11 games and won three. That turned out to be the NCAA Division II Pumas’ final season as the school shut down and long-time head coach Rick O’Dette headed to Florida to guide the program at Saint Leo University.
Jaksich transferred to Ball State and hurled for the Rich Maloney-coached Cardinals 2018-21. At BSU, he made 65 mound appearances (51 in relief) with nine victories and one save and also earned General Studies degree with a Psychology minor.
“The minute I stopped caring about the result is when I started getting better,” says Jaksich. “That’s the way to go about this game. You’re going to fail. I stopped caring about being perfect out there.
“I wish I had more training like this when I played,” says Jaksich. “The private sector training has really taken off.”
Tornincasa, who grew up in Chesterton, Ind., had just wrapped his playing career, having helped Andrean High School in Merrillville, Ind., to IHSAA Class 3A state championships his junior and senior years (2009 and 2010). He went 2-for-4 with a run scored as a lead-off hitter/center fielder in the 2010 title game.
“I wanted to stay involved in the game,” says Tornincasa, 32. “I kept growing and one thing led to another.”
Tornincasa gave players guidance with the Hammond (Ind.) Chiefs travel organization then headed to Purdue University Northwest in Hammond as a student (he holds a History degree from the school). He would later be a PNW assistant coach 2015-20 and help with the summer collegiate Carroll (Iowa) Merchants.
He was also a teacher at Scott Middle School in Hammond, Ind., and Valparaiso (Ind.) Alternative School.
After the pandemic, Tornincasa joined the Andrean staff and coached the 59ers in 2021 and 2022. The 59ers won the program’s eighth state crown — all under Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Famer Dave Pishkur — in 2022.
At this point, Tornicasa decided he would be a full-time coach.
“I also want to give a shoutout to Torny (uncle Tom Tornincasa, who coached in pro ball including stints with the Fort Wayne Wizards and Fort Wayne TinCaps) for helping me with everything and getting me to where I’m at. Also, Mauer (Aaron Maurer who Vinny knows from Andrean) and K.J. (K.J. Zelelnika whom he coached with) for always having my back through the tough times.”
Illinois Springfield finished second in the Great Lakes Valley Conference in 2023, batting .313 as a team with 70 home runs and a .414 on-base percentage.
Tornincasa managed Rockford to a 45-27 mark in the summer of 2023.
He was planning to head back to Springfield, but with Copeland changing jobs and Southern Indiana’s Archuleta asking about his interest in joining the NCAA D-I Screaming Eagles that’s the choice he made and was hired as an assistant/hitting coach/recruiting coordinator for the Evansville-based program.
“Being on-time you’re in hitting position and that’s half the battle,” says Tornincasa. “Everybody has a certain level of natural ability and talent.
“They’re only going to be able to take that and reach their natural ability by getting them in good positions and reinforcing fundamentals.”
As a hitter himself, being on-time meant tracking the baseball as early as possible and having good hand position and pitch selection.
“Where I see guys struggle the most is movement prior to getting in that hitting position,” says Tornincasa. “So you clean it up and simplify a couple of things without taking away from the individual’s full capabilities.
“I want to see what guys can do and help them maximize that potential.”
Tornincasa says swing path is one of the biggest debates in hitting now.
“The swing path doesn’t matter if you’re on-time,” says Tornincasa. “It always comes back to the fundamentals — be short to the baseball and be explosive with the lower half. If you do that, your swing naturally stays tight and through the zone.”
Hitters can see live pitching and deliveries from a machine to work on their cut. But dry swings with no ball are also beneficial.
“I like dry swings because it gives guys a feel for their movements without having to focus at something coming at them,” says Tornincasa. “It reinforces betting in good hitting position, firing the lower half and making sure they’re not opening up too soon.
“Guys typically get good feedback from dry swings.”
All that being said, Tornincasa notes that it’s his duty to help his team score runs.
“You’re not a swing coach, you’ve got to understand how to run an offense,” says Tornincasa. “That’s where I struggled a little (in the fall). (Archuleta) gave me the direction I needed. I feel pretty confident that I’m going to be able to do a good job what (the head coach) wants and that’s the goal of any good assistant, right?”
Something Tornincasa appreciates about Copeland and Archuleta — men he did not know prior to being hired by them — is that they both embrace practice.
“If you can make practice harder than the game the game should slow down and become easier for guys,” says Tornincasa. “If you can make practice more challenging they’re going to have more success in the game.”
Tornincasa says Southern Indiana tends to recruit players from a 250-mile radius of Evansville with attention to players closer to the Pocket City.
“The more you get to see them the more you’re reinforced with the decision to invest in them,” says Tornincasa. “You’ve got to find out the character of that kid. His values and character has to align with your head coach and program.”
Character does not often show up on video, especially it’s produced by the player. Flaws won’t be included.
“(Seeing players in-person) gives you a chance to see them fail and go against the right competition,” says Tornincasa. “In a video you don’t know if (the opposing pitcher) is throwing 92 mph or 72.
“You can learn a lot just by watching four at-bats. You can see how he is with teammates, how he is before the game and how he is with his parents after the game. Those things do matter.”
Southern Indiana is slated to open the 2024 baseball season Feb. 16 in Mobile, Ala., against the University of South Alabama.
Vinny Tornincasa. (University of Southern Indiana Photo)
A 4-2 win in the 3A final Friday, June 16 at Victory Field in Indianapolis sent Silver Creek home with the big trophy.
Silver Creek (26-7) got past a team coached by Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Famer Dave Pishkur, who is 1,099-299 in 43 seasons.
“He’s a phenomenal coach and that’s such a great program,” said Decker. “I’m always going to have that my last game was against Dave Pishkur.”
Decker took the Dragons to a 3A state runner-up finished in 2018.
Pishkur-coached Andrean (28-7-1) was attempting to win back-to-back 3A state titles and the ninth in program history. The 59ers were 3A runners-up in 2004.
Designed home team Silver Creek tallied single runs in the first, second, third and sixth innings.
The 59ers put up one each in the first and sixth.
The Dragons left the bases loaded in the fifth and Andrean stranded three in the sixth.
“That was momentum,” said Decker. “The sixth inning was the game. Us getting out of the sixth inning without them tying it was big.
“Adding the extra run was huge, too. It was just a great baseball game, I’m happy we were on the winning end.”
For the game, Silver Creek left eight runners and the 59ers five.
Sophomore Spencer Durham, junior Tyler Bach and senior Greyson Durick one run apiece for the Dragons.
Scoring runs were Durham (2), junior Nate Davidson (1) and junior Brady Weitzel (1).
On a night when Silver Creek collected eight hits, Durham and Durick produced two each. Durick tripled and Weitzel doubled.
Junior Tyler Peller went 3-of-3 with two doubles and plated both runs for Andrean.
Scoring runs were junior Moises Vazquez and sophomore Blake Klouder. Vazquez also rapped a double.
The Dragons turned three double plays — sophomore pitcher Preston Burton to second baseman Durham to first baseman Bach in the first inning, senior shortstop Jace Burton to Durham to Bach in the fourth and Durham to Jace Burton and Bach in the fifth.
Winning pitcher Preston Burton struck out four, walked two and gave up seven hits in going seven innings. The sophomore right-hander finished with 105 pitches (62 strikeouts).
“Double plays are big and it makes it a lot easier on yourself,” said Preston Burton. “It gets you out of a lot of tough situations.”
Sophomore right-hander Ivan Matalski pitched the first two innings for Andrean and took the loss. He gave up three hits and two runs (one earned) while giving up three hits.
Senior right-hander Garrett Benko pitched four frame and yielded five hits and two runs while whiting four and walking two.
“They deserved to win,” said Pishkur. “We did not deserve to win. They turned three double plays on us. They got two-out base hits. (Durick) made a nice diving play in left field.
“We didn’t execute a bunt in one situation where we could’ve scored a run.”
Antonio Barnes — one of Andrean’s dozen seniors — was selected as the 3A Mental Attitude Award winner.
Silver Creek — 2023 IHSAA Class 3A state champions. (Steve Krah Photo)
Jeff VanderWoude (4th Year; Illiana Christian Vikings): “We lost a couple from last year but we brought a lot back (including probable Friday starting pitcher Kevin Corcoran Jr. plus Cody DeJong, Aaron Gouwens, Gavin Meyer, Isaac VanderWoude and Joe Vis). The kids we’ve brought up from JV have stepped up and done a great job. We’ve got a couple of freshmen that have done really well … We have the same set-up as last year (playing the first game on Friday). I didn’t have to change the itinerary … I like this team a lot. It competes really well … We’re starting to see the process of a program. You leave a legacy and something that is hopefully carried on generation to generation. That was our vision when we took over this program. It’s good to see it starting to work.”
Chris Stevenson (3rd Year; Covenant Christian Warriors): “We play an extremely tough schedule (No. 2 in 2A strength by MaxPreps). That schedule (which includes tough Circle City and city tournament opponents) really prepares these guys well … We thought last year we had the talent to make a run to state … Even when we were 7-14 we thought we had a team (led by probable Friday starting pitcher Ethan Kimmerle plus Brad Nardi and Nolan Jones) good enough to make a run to State … At the end of the season, we figured some things out. Our hard work is paying off.”
Dave Pishkur (43rd Year; Andrean 59ers): “We do everything OK. There’s nothing we do poorly and there’s nothing we do great. Sometimes we hit. Sometimes we play really good defense. Sometimes we pitch really well. It’s a team that can do a little bit of everything pretty good. There’s no really week parts to our game … The only full-time returning starter (from the 2022 championship game) is Mason (Barth since Noah Chase only played on defense and Moises Vazquez was brought up during the postseason) … (Probable Friday starting pitcher Garrett Benko) throws strikes. He’s probably had two questionable outings. Everything else has been pretty good. He’s a three-pitch pitcher — fastball, slider, change-up … We don’t have that overpowering guy. If we get seven strikeouts that’s only 14 we have to get with our defense.”
Joe Decker (21st Year; Silver Creek Dragons): “It’s a good mix of young guys and old guys coming together at the right time. We lost four really good seniors and we thought it might take awhile for this team (featuring Dane DeWees, Spencer Durham and Jace Burton at the top of the lineup and probably Friday starting pitcher Preston Burton) to figure out its identity … The biggest thing is (the players on this team) are very competitive … This will be my last game. Before the season I told (the team) I’m hanging it up after this year. My daughter (Reese) is going to be a senior next year. She plays softball and I’ve never really got to watch her play. My son (Dominic) is playing softball and I want to be able to go and watch him. A lot of factors added up. It’s worked out really well that we’ve gone as far as we have. I’ve been lucky to enjoy the ride on my last go-round.”
Tim Bordenet (26th Year; Lafayette Central Catholic Knights): “We have a lot of experience. That’s been a big plus for us. We have eight guys who started last year in the state championship game (Owen Munn, Evan Dinehart, Ryan Schummer, Ben Mazur, Kayden Minnich, T.J. Bell, Tyler Fox and Brinn Robbins). We have six seniors and a lot of them have started now for three years. We have senior Ben Mazur on the mound who pitched last year (in the State Finals). He’s had another outstanding year and been lights-out in the postseason … We’re happy for the opportunity to go down there and hopefully defend our title.”
Trevor McConnell (4th Year; Barr-Reeve Vikings): “We talk to our kids all the time about respecting the opponent and preparing for the opponent but not being scared or fearful. We respect (Lafayette Central Catholic). They’re going to be a tough challenge. We also believe in ourselves. I told the kids they won 28 games in a row (led by probable starting pitcher Seth Wagler plus Levi Lester, Ethan Graber, Braydon Knepp, Colton Stoll and Jacob Pauw). It that’s not proof enough you’re a good baseball team and you can go up there and compete, I don’t whatever will be.” Source: WHIT-TV.
Greg Dikos (36th Year; Penn Kingsmen): “We’re constantly trying to put pressure (on the opponent) … Center Grove has been No. 1 throughout the season for a reason. They’ve got some boys … I’m sure (Center Grove) preaches state championships like we preach state championships … We play a very tough non-conference schedule. We take our lumps. It costs us in the rankings, but who cares? … We try to put the best team out there — the best hitting team and the best defensive team (which includes six starters from the 2022 state championship game in probable Saturday starting pitcher Adam Lehmann plus Cooper Hums, Cam Dombrowski, Evan Tuesley, Zach Pelletier and Colton Hudnall; Dawson French earned a save and a win at semistate). Through trial and error we think we’ve got it down now.”
Keith Hatfield (10th Year; Center Grove Trojans): “It’s been a lot of fun. This group has been is going to be sorely missed when this is all over. We have 13 seniors (including probable starters Drew Culbertson, Garrison Barile, Evan Zapp, Grant Sawa, Bradley Gilliam and probable Saturday starting pitcher Jacob Murphy). We have a lot of pitcher-onlys (in the Class of 2023) … It’s something different everyday. Our pitching has been better than I thought it would be. We didn’t have a whole lot of innings coming back (outside of Ben Murphy, Caden Cornett and Jacob Murphy). There are other days are defense is unbelievable. There are other days when we put 14 runs on the board.”
Cost is $15 per day. All four state championship games will air on Bally Sports Indiana and be streamed on IHSAAtv.org via pay-per-view for $15 per game or $20 for all four games.
IHSAA STATE FINALS Friday, June 16 Class 2A Illiana Christian (24-9) vs. Covenant Christian (16-15), 5:30 p.m. ET (4:30 CT)
Class 3A Andrean (28-6-1) vs. Silver Creek (25-7), 8 p.m. ET (7 CT)
Saturday, June 17 Class 1A Lafayette Central Catholic (24-11) vs. Barr-Reeve (29-3), 4:30 p.m. ET (3:30 CT)
Class 4A Penn (26-8) vs. Center Grove (29-3), 8 p.m. ET (7 CT)
Covenant Christian: Cascade Sectional — University 2-0, Cascade 5-1; Loogootee Regional — Cloverdale 13-1; Mooresville Semistate — Brownstown Central 12-8, Heritage Christian 10-6.
Andrean: Griffith Sectional — Rensselaer Central 12-2, Hanover Central 7-5, Boone Grove 9-3; Plymouth Regional — New Prairie 9-4; Oak Hill Semistate — Norwell 8-3, Heritage 8-2.
Silver Creek: Madison Sectional — Charlestown 3-0, Scottsburg 9-5; Floyd Central Regional — Connersville 1-0; Southridge Semistate — Evansville Memorial 7-2, Indianapolis Bishop Chatard 8-1.
Lafayette Central Catholic: Lafayette Central Catholic Sectional — Attica 13-0, Covington 7-2, Fountain Central 13-0; Lafayette Central Catholic Regional — Rossville 9-0; Lafayette Jeff Semistate — Wes-Del 6-2, Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian 6-4.
Barr-Reeve: North Daviess Sectional — North Daviess 9-0, Loogootee 7-1; Castle Regional — Evansville 10-0; Jasper Semistate — Greenwood Christian Academy 3-1, Shakamak 4-2.
Penn: Northridge Sectional — Concord 11-0, Northridge 1-0, Goshen 10-0; LaPorte Regional — LaPorte 6-2; LaPorte Semistate — Lake Central 7-6, Hamilton Southeastern 1-0.
Center Grove: Mooresville Sectional — Bloomington South 4-1, Greenwood Community 16-0; Jasper Regional — Columbus North 4-2; Plainfield Semistate — Brownsburg 6-0, Castle 5-2.
All-Time Titles Sectional Illiana Christian (2) Covenant Christian (5) Andrean (31) Silver Creek (12) Lafayette Central Catholic (19) Barr-Reeve (14) Penn (24) Center Grove (21)
Regional Illiana Christian (2) Covenant Christian (1) Andrean (16) Silver Creek (4) Lafayette Central Catholic (16) Barr-Reeve (13) Penn (12) Center Grove (7)
Semistate Illiana Christian (2) Covenant Christian (1) Andrean (10) Silver Creek (2) Lafayette Central Catholic (11) Barr-Reeve (2) Penn (6) Center Grove (2)
State Championships Illiana Christian (1 — 2022; 2A) Covenant Christian (0) Andrean (8 — 2005, 2009, 2010, 2014, 2015, 2018, 2019, 2022; all in 3A). Silver Creek (0) Lafayette Central Catholic (8 — 2004, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2022; all in 1A). Barr-Reeve (0) Penn (5 — 1994, 1998, 2011, 2015, 2022; last four in 4A). Center Grove (0)
State Runner-Up Finishes Illiana Christian (0) Covenant Christian (0) Andrean (1 — 2003; 3A) Silver Creek (1 — 2018; 3A) Lafayette Central Catholic (2 — 2015, 2016; both 2A) Barr-Reeve (1 — 1998, 1A) Penn (1 — 2017; 4A) Center Grove (0)
Adam Bednarek is taking lessons he learned in high school, college and on the travel ball circuit and applying them in his first season as head baseball coach at Hammond (Ind.) Morton High School. Bednarek was hired to head the Governors program at the end of the summer of 2022 and began his first year of teaching (U.S. History) and Morton in the fall. Morton (enrollment around 1,675) is a member of the Great Lakes Athletic Conference (with East Chicago Central, Gary West Side and Hammond Central). The Governors are part of an IHSAA Class 4A sectional grouping in 2023 with East Chicago Central, Gary West Side, Hammond Central, Hobart, Lake Central, Merrillville and Munster. Morton has won 10 sectional titles — the last in 2015. Born in Illinois and raised in Dyer, Ind., Bednarek went to Andrean High School in nearby Merrillville, and played for Indiana High School Baseball Association Hall of Famer Dave Pishkur, who has eight state titles and more than 1,000 victories to his credit. Bednarek was in the program from 2014 to 2017. He was rostered as a sophomore but did not dress for the 2015 IHSAA Class 3A State Finals. He was a second baseman on the varsity in 2016 and moved to third base in 2017 after tearing a meniscus. What does Bednarek, who wore No. 16 in Red and Gold, remember most about time spent with the veteran 59ers skipper? “Coach Pishkur is unbelievable at teaching all sorts of baserunning things — especially stealing third base,” says Bednarek. “I became a much better baserunner during my time at Andrean.” Three of Bednarek’s four Morton assistants — Danny Murray, Eric Mularski and Sawyer Allen — played with him in high school. Only longtime Governors assistant and Babe Ruth League coach Vern Jefferson did not. Bednarek and company led Morton players who were able to attend fall IHSAA Limited Contact Period sessions with an emphasis on fundamentals and defensive situations. A drill he learned from Pishkur — The Runs Game — was part of the twice-a-week workouts. It’s essentially living batting practice on the clock. The offensive team might get 10 minutes to score as many runs in that time. The catch is there are four live balls and the hitting team has to track down the foul balls and get them back into the game before the next pitch can be thrown. “We create fun chaos,” says Bednarek. “It’s a really fast pace and there’s a lot of conditioning.” Winter has been dedicated mostly arm conditioning and strength training with players in the weight room about three times a week. Bednarek has had 26 players sign up for baseball and he might gain a few once the varsity boys basketball season ends. The plan calls for Morton to field varsity and junior varsity teams in the spring, playing home games on Georgas Field (named for former coach Jack Georgas). After high school, Bednarek spent one fall with the baseball team at Quincy (Ill.) University then transferred to Indiana University-Bloomington and earned a degree in Secondary Education focused on Social Studies. That’s when he began coaching in the summer — two with Bobby Morris and 5 Star National Great Lakes and one with the Indiana Playmakers.
Sal Aguilar has been a part of baseball success as a player and an assistant coach. He was the starting third baseman for the Hammond (Ind.) Chiefs that went to the Babe Ruth Baseball World Series. The 1998 graduate of Griffith (Ind.) High School was on the coaching staff at Andrean High School in Merrillville, Ind., as the 59ers won IHSAA Class 3A state championships in 2018 and 2019 — two of eight state titles on Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Famer Dave Pishkur’s watch. Aguilar’s first year as an assistant at Hanover Central High School in Cedar Lake, Ind., was 2021 and the Wildcats finished as Class 3A state runners-up. Ryan Bridges let his team know that the 2022 season would be his last as Hanover Central head coach since he was taking a job at the school as assistant athletic director to Kelly Bermes. In June, Aguilar was hired to head the Wildcats baseball program. “We have great kids and great community support,” says Aguilar. “We’re excited to embark on this new chapter of Hanover Central baseball. We have a very bright future “We’re not going to shy away from the ultimate goal which is to win a state championship.” Hanover Central (enrollment around 775) is a member of the Greater South Shore Conference (with Hammond Bishop Noll, Boone Grove, Calumet New Tech, Griffith, Illiana Christian, Lake Station Edison, River Forest, South Central of Union Mills, Wheeler and Whiting). The Wildcats were part of an IHSAA Class 3A sectional grouping in 2022 with Culver Military Academy, John Glenn, Kankakee Valley, Knox and River Forest. Hanover Central has won two sectional crowns — 2011 (2A) and 2021 (3A). Players from the Class of 2021 included outfielder Jared Comia (now at the University of Illinois), 6-foot-9 right-handed pitcher Peyton Olejnik (who went to Triton College in River Grove, Ill., and is heading to the University of Oklahoma in 2022-23), left-hander/infielder Bret Matthys (Purdue Northwest) and infielder Blaze Cano (who is transferring from PNW to Calumet of St. Joseph in Whiting). Three athletes in the Class of 2023 expected to play at the next level include shortstop/pitcher Zach Zykowski, pitcher Luka Zakman and two-sport standout Gannan Howes (who is getting attention in baseball and football). Aguilar came to Hanover Central as a teacher in 2020-2 and is entering his 16th year in the classroom. He taught seven years in Texas, three in Illinois and this will be his sixth in Indiana. He instructs HCHS freshmen in Integrated Chemistry and Physics (ICP). Born in Munster, Ind., Aguilar spent his first nine years in East Chicago, Ind. After fourth grade, he moved to Griffith and attended St. Mary School then went to Griffith High School for four years. He earned three baseball letters for the Todd Iwema-coached Panthers. Aguilar played for the Hammond Seminoles in 1997 then for Dave Sutkowski’s Hammond Chiefs in 1998 and 1999. “The kids call him Bush,” says Aguilar of Sutkowski. “I learned a lot from Dave as a young kid about building relationships with players.” One way to do that at Hanover Central is through junior high baseball program. Thirty players in grades 6-8 play and practice in the fall. “That’s a huge asset for our program,” says Aguilar. “It’s all hands on deck here so varsity coaches are going to run that team. We’re going to be able install and implement our brands of offense and defense. “We get to cultivate those lifelong relationships with those kids at a very young age.” Aguilar’s coaching staff includes four Hanover Central graduates — Nic Sampognaro (Class of 2011) with the varsity, twins Sam Momcilovic (Class of 2019) and Evan Momcilovic (2019) with the junior varsity and Mike Biegel (Class of 2018) as freshman head coach. Former Hammond Bishop Noll and Merrillville head coach Paul Wirtz lends his experience to the varsity staff. Jesse Forrester (Lowell Class of 2019) is a freshman assistant. Aguilar finished his college degree at the University of Houston-Clear Lake in 2006. His teaching and coaching career began shortly after that. He came back to Indiana and married Griffith alum Brittany Clark in 2016. Sal and Brittany Aguilar have two children — Luis (5) and Gianna (2). “(Brittany) knows it’s not easy being a coach’s wife,” says Sal. “We’re lucky to have family around to help us out.”
Sal Aguilar
Sal and Brittany Aquilar with son with Luis and daughter Gianna.
Peyton Nisch has a torn left shoulder that doesn’t allow him to effectively swing a bat. But Niskch (11-0) can pitch and held No. 4-ranked Brebeuf Jesuit in-check much of the time in helping No. 1 Andrean (31-4) to its eighth IHSAA state baseball championship in nine final appearances at the State Finals. The 59ers beat the Braves 5-1 Friday, June 17 at Victory Field in Indianapolis. “I changed up my tempo; I changed up my first pitch,” said Niksch, a 5-foot-11 senior right-hander who struck out eight, walked two and yielded three hits and one unearned run over seven innings and 112 pitches. “Sometimes it would be a fastball. Sometimes it would be a change-up. “I kept them off-balance and they knew it was coming.” Said Brebeuf coach Jeff Scott of Purdue Northwest-bound Niksch, “I thought we’d get a few more hits off him. He did a really good job. Our kids battled through it. We had a lot of adversity tonight.” Andrean opened the 2022 season with Tennessee trip. On the way back to northwest Indiana, the team bus went past The Vic. “We’re gonna be there,” said Niksch and several of his teammates, predicting a future that came true months later. All the coaches said that the way we played in Tennessee there’s no way. We proved them wrong. That’s all that matters.” Dave Pishkur concluded his 42nd season as 59ers coach with his eighth 3A state title — all won since 2005. Andrean was state runner-up in 2004. “We won the state championship because of the guy that we beat,” said Pishkur after the 59ers topped senior right-hander Andrew Dutkanych, who is committed to Vanderbilt University but could been selected high in the 2022 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. “We beat a stud today. That’s a feather in our cap. “So seven years down the road when he’s pitching in the major leagues, (we can say) we beat that kid or I got a hit off him.” L.V. Phillips Mental Attitude Award winner Dutkanych (8-1) went all six innings and gave up eight hits with eight strikeouts and one walk over 102 pitches. Four of the five runs scored against him were earned. “I’m so proud of these kids,” said Pishkur. “They’re tough kids and they’re athletic.” Andrean swiped seven bases — three for junior Caleb Smith and one each for senior Alonzo Paul, freshman Mason Barth, junior Drayk Bowen and senior Kyle Tyler — and diving catches were made by sophomore right fielder Moises Vazquez for the first out and senior center fielder Billy Jones for the 20th of 21. The 59ers took a 5-1 edge with a run in the fifth. Senior Jax Kalemba led off the frame with a single — one of his three on the day — and courtesy runner Smith later scored on a sacrifice fly by junior pinch-hitter Angel Ramirez — who came in with just three at-bats for 2022. Kalemba’s plate appearance was kept alive by a dropped foul pop-up. Andrean pushed across a run in the fourth for a 4-1 lead. Bowen drew a lead-off walk, stole second, went to third base on a wild pitch and scored on suicide squeeze bunt by Vazquez. Brebeuf (26-5) pulled to within 3-1 with an unearned run in the third. With two outs, senior Anthony Annee singled, moved to second base on an error, third base on junior Jayden Ohmer’s single and scored on an errant pick-off throw toward first base by Niksch. The 59ers strung together five straight hits and scored three runs — all with two outs — in the second inning. After two strikeouts, Jones doubled, Nisch bunted for a single (and was spelled by courtesy runner Tyler), Paul singled, Barth produced an infield single and Kalemba smacked a single. Jones and Tyler scored on Paul’s hit. Paul crossed the plate on Kalemba’s safety. Scott, who had announced that he’s stepping down after four years of leading the program, talked about Friday’s game. “We tip our caps to Andrean,” said Scott. “They had a really good game plan coming into this. “We knew they were going to (suicide squeeze). It’s just a difficult play to defend in baseball. It takes the perfect bunt and they got it down. “We had one heck of a season and will have nothing to hang our heads about when all this wears off.” In going 26-5, Brebeuf got to its second state finals (the Braves were 3A runners-up in 2012) by winning 15 straight and 19 of 20. “We had an unbelievable senior bunch to lead the path for these young guys here coming up through the program,” said Scott. “I came in with these guys when they were freshmen and watched a bunch of kids work their tails off. “It gives me a lot of joy that they set the tone of our program and our culture.” Brebeuf’s next head coach will be Wes Neese, who has been a Braves assistant.
The 55th IHSAA State Finals for baseball is returning to a Friday-Saturday format with two games each day at Victory Field in downtown Indianapolis. On Friday, June 17, the Class 2A game pits No. 7-ranked Centerville (21-5) against unranked Illiana Christian (21-7) at 5:30 p.m. ET/4:30 CT. Both teams are making their first State Finals appearance. Centerville has outscored opponents 38-20 in five postseason games. Illiana Christian has a run differential of 62-6 in six games. The 3A game features No. 4 Brebeuf Jesuit (26-4) against No. 1 Andrean (30-4) at 8 ET/7 CT. The Braves have earned one state runner-up finish in 3A (2012), the 59ers seven state titles (2005, 2009, 2010, 2014, 2015, 2018, 2019) and one runner-up (2003). Tournament run differential — Brebeuf 47-5 in six games, Andrean 49-6 in five games. On Saturday, June 18, the 1A title contest is slated for 4:30 p.m. ET/3:30 CT and includes vote-getter Tecumseh (19-12) and No. 3 Lafayette Central Catholic (26-6). The Braves won it all in 1A in 2003 while the Knights have carted off the state trophy on seven occasions (2004, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013). Tournament run differential — Tecumseh 58-15 in six games, Lafayette Central Catholic 62-7 in five games. The 4A championship is slated for 8 ET/7 CT and pits a pair of unranked clubs — Indianapolis Cathedral (18-10-2) against Penn (25-6). The Irish have reigned three times (2001 in 3A, 2007 and 2017 in 4A) with five runner-up finishes (2006, 2010, 2011, 2013 and 2018). The Kingsmen have four state crowns to their credit (1994 in the pre-class era, 1998, 2001 and 2015 in 4A) with one runner-up (2017). Tournament run differential — Cathedral 59-27 in five games, Penn 33-12 in six games. Andrean’s Dave Pishkur, Lafayette Central Catholic’s Tim Bordenet, Penn’s Greg Dikos are all members of the Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame. A capsule look at the finalists:
Class 4A Indianapolis Cathedral Top hitters: Jr. Kyuss Gargett (.395 average, 3 home runs, 18 runs batted in, 18 stolen bases), So. Carson Johnson (.389, 20 RBI, 12 SB), So. J.T. Stiner (.364, 2 HR, 30 RBI), Sr. Ben Gomez (.342, 2 HR), So. Patrick Mazur (.341, 21 RBI), 13 SB, Jr. David Ayers (.247, 18 RBI, 16 SB), Sr. Connor Hall (15 SB). Top pitchers: Sr. RHP Ben Gomez (5-1, 36 strikeouts, 15 walks, 3.55 earned run average, 51 1/3 IP), Sr. RHP Dylan Haslett (3-3, 3.58, 56 K’s, 25 walks, 43 IP). Cathedral won the Pike Sectional (Pike 11-1, Lawrence North 10-8), New Palestine Regional (Anderson 14-4, New Palestine 11-7) and Mooresville Semistate (Columbus East 13-7). The Fighting Irish have won a season-best seven in a row. Saturday’s game against Penn recalls the 2017 4A championship game (a 4-3 Cathedral victory). Bishop Chatard bested the Irish in the 2022 city championship game May 10 at Victory Field. Cathedral head coach Ed Freje (Sixth season, 113-32-5) says: “We’ve struggled early and throughout to kind of find our identity on the mound and some pieces that worked offensively for us. We had some bad losses. We had some good wins. It was kind of an up-and-down year … Ben Gomez threw a great game, a complete game (in a 3-2 Senior Night win May 16 against Mooresville). I don’t know if that was a turning point, but I think it definitely gave the guys confidence to beat a good opponent. It was some momentum to build on going into the postseason … We make it a priority (to play a competitive schedule). We definitely want to play and see good teams to see where we’re at early and throughout the season — most importantly to see good pitching and challenge ourselves … We can learn from our wins and learn from our losses and grow through the season … Hopefully — along the way — we’re winning some games. Losing is something we try not to settle in too much in the program … We try to go out and compete everyday to win so you know the losses we took throughout weren’t easy, especially some of the lopsided ones (including 11-1 to Homestead, 17-1 to Center Grove and 18-8 to Franklin Community) … We’ve had games where we’ve had to battle and win in some ugly ways … One of the staples of the program when I was an assistant to Coach (Rich) Andriole was pitching and defense and holding opponents to low-scoring games and that — quite frankly — hasn’t been how we’ve won this year. We’ve been kind of fortunate to find some offense and find our bats here lately … Each team kind of takes its own identity and this isn’t the team from 2017 and it’s not the team from 2018 (which lost 4-3 to Fishers for the 4A title). This team is its own team. I’m proud of the way we’ve stuck together … It’s a special opportunity (to play at Victory Field). We try to tell our players it’s nothing to take for granted … It provides a little bit of reassurance the fact that we’ve been there.”
Penn Top hitters: Zach Hoskins (.412, 1 HR, 14 RBI), Jr. Cam Dombrowski (.409, 21 RBI), Sr. Ben Gregory (.373, 30 RBI), Jr. Adam Lehmann (.366, 20 RBI), Jr. Cooper Hums (.333, 2 HR, 16 RBI), Sr. Zac David (.313, 27 RBI), Jr. Evan Tuesley (.219, 2 HR, 11 RBI). Top pitchers: Sr. RHP Ben Gregory (3-1, 2.07, 37 K’s, 8 walks, 27 IP), Jr. RHP Brayden Schoetzow (10-0, 1.37, 62 K’s, 14 walks, 51 IP), Jr. RHP Adam Lehmann (3-1, 1.64, 49 K’s, 16 walks, 34 IP), So. RHP Joe Trennery (4-2, 3.30, 49 K’s, 18 walks, 36 IP). Penn won the Penn Sectional (Elkhart 7-0, Warsaw 3-1, Northridge 7-5), LaPorte Regional (South Bend Adams 11-0, Lake Central 5-4) and LaPorte Semistate (Zionsville 4-2). The Kingsmen are in the state championship game for the sixth time coming off an 11-game win streak. Penn has won 14 of its last 15. Penn head coach Greg Dikos (35th season, 793-281) says: “I think it’s going to be very good baseball … (Cathedral) is pounding the ball pretty good. That’s one of the things we have to stop. They score a lot of runs. They look to have some team speed … Like we did for Zionsville, we’re going working on holding runners and with our catchers getting rid of he ball. You know, making sure we don’t allow them any free bases … We want them to take a look around and enjoy the atmosphere because this could be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity (for our players). I also want to make sure they understand the responsibility on their shoulders. The community is expecting a ‘W.’ … (Competing for championships) is the culture here at Penn … (Assistant coach Jim Kominkiewicz) has been involved for all six (State Finals) appearances. (Tom Stanton) has been involved since 2002. The kids see that we’re experienced (coaches) and I think that might take a little pressure off as well.”
Class 3A Brebeuf Jesuit Top hitters: Sr. Sam Reed (.444, 2 HR, 22 RBI), Sr. Will Schenkelberg (.426, 2 HR, 32 RBI), Sr. Luke Bauer (.413, 1 HR, 28 RBI, 19 SB), So. Will Loftus (.407, 3 HR, 32 RBI), Jr. Jayden Ohmer (.398, 4 HR, 18 RBI, 21 SB), Sr. Anthony Annee (.320, 2 HR, 14 RBI, 33 SB), Jr. Michael Finelli (.329, 22 RBI), Jr. Alex Cookerly (.241, 22 RBI). Top pitchers: Sr. RHP Andrew Dutkanych (8-0, 106 K’s, 24 walks, 1.02, 48 IP), Sr. LHP Sam Reed (5-0, 1.17, 89 K’s, 15 walks, 54 IP). Brebeuf won the Danville Sectional (Greencastle 10-0, Danville 11-3, Tri-West Hendricks 12-2), Danville Regional (West Vigo 4-0, Beech Grove 8-0) and Jasper Semistate (Silver Creek 2-0). The Braves have won 15 straight. Their last loss was April 30 at Center Grove (9-8). Brebeuf won the Marion County tournament championship May 10 against Lawrence North (13-3) at Victory Field. Brebeuf head coach Jeff Scott (Fourth season at Brebeuf and 12th overall, 131-100-1) says: “We never really talked about the State Finals this year. We had a senior leadership meeting (in the winter and throughout the season). One of the things I talked about was ‘let’s enjoy this ride here and let’s take this thing day-by-day. Let’s go work hard and enjoy each day and see where we get when this thing’s over … This is my last year at Brebeuf. I’ve kept that under my hat. I didn’t want to take away our seniors or our team (Scott, who is in his fourth season leading the Braves, lives in the Center Grove district and makes a long daily commute to Brebeuf and wants to spent more time enjoying his children’s activities) … We knew we compete on that stage and compete with that team (after the loss to Center Grove). I think our mindset changed a little bit … Sam (Reed) gives you a great look on the left side. He really works down and keeps the ball down. Where (Friday’s starter) Andrew (Dutkanych) will rely on the breaking ball a little more, Sam relies on the change-up a little more. That’s probably the noticeable differences between those two pitchers … It’s a huge advantage (having played recently at Victory Field). You know we were there last year. The majority of the team has played on that field the last two years already. When you first play there No. 1 you’re a little awestruck. It’s a beautiful venue and unbelievable backdrop with the city of Indianapolis there. So you have that factor. It’s really big (320 feet down the lines, 418 to left-center, 326 to right-center and 402 to dead center). The foul territories are much bigger and the gaps are much bigger that your normal high school field. Positioning the outfielders is very difficult at Victory Field, especially if you haven’t been there. Communicating is extremely challenging out there for some reason … (Andrean) is going to be well-prepared to go pitch it well and defend it well. I’m certain they’ll have a good game plan to try to attack (Dutkanych) as well — just like Silver Creek did this past weekend.”
Andrean Top hitters: Sr. Jax Kalemba (.460, 5 HR, 38 RBI), Sr. Billy Jones (.435, 1 HR, 9 RBI), Sr. Alonzo Paul (.434, 17 RBI), Sr. Miguel Martinez (.429, 2 HR, 11 RBI), Sr. Peyton Niksch (.425, 2 HR, 33 RBI), Fr. Mason Barth (.406, 1 HR, 43 RBI), Sr. Owen Walkowiak (.395, 18 RBI), Jr. Drayk Bowen (.355, 2 HR, 30 RBI), Jr. Chris Koeppen (.282, 2 HR, 13 RBI). Top pitchers: Sr. RHP Peyton Niksch (10-0, 0.22, 79 K’s, 15 walks, 62 2/3 IP), Sr. RHP Owen Walkowiak (5-2, 1.76, 59 K’s, 17 walks, 47 2/3 IP). Andrean won the Griffith Sectional (Griffith 10-2, Calumet New Tech 18-0), Griffith Regional (South Bend Saint Joseph 5-3, Glenn 4-0) and Kokomo Semistate (New Castle 12-1). The 59ers have won six in a row. The team reeled off 14 straight wins April 14-May 10. Andrean head coach Dave Pishkur (42nd season, 1,070-292) says: “The Penn game (a 4-3 win on April 29) might be the one that told me that we’re good enough to beat some of the really good teams. But we kept on getting better week after week (as the starting lineup from Day 1 evolved through the season as is typical at Andrean) … We went right by Victory Field (on the way came back from Louisville Ballard in late March). Our kids were saying ‘we’ll be there in two months.’ My son and I, we were kind of laughing like there’s no way we’re coming back there if we don’t get markedly better and we did. They prophesied that they were going to be there … This is a very athletic team. We put a premium on baserunning and putting the ball in-play … We’ve seen good pitching this year. The problem is Dukanych might be a step up from good pitching. He might be that elite generational type of talent … We’re fortunate at Andrean that we have a lot of good equipment (including a $14,000 iPitch machine which can deliver 97 mph fastballs, 76 mph breaking pitches and just about everything in-between) … With a good opposition (like Brebeuf) you expect good pitching. You expect good hitting. But, on the other side, they should expect the same out of us and you kind of hope it’s a well-played game.”
Class 2A Centerville Top hitters: Sr. Jamari Pamplin (.429, 6 HR, 28 RBI), Sr. Javontae Pamplin (.423, 3 HR, 16 RBI, 16 SB) , Sr. Keegan Schlotterbeck (.364, 2 HR, 27 RBI), Sr. Logan Drook (.361, 18 RBI), Jr. Jacob Crowe (.357, 1 HR, 26 RBI), Jr. Collin Clark (.338, 2 HR, 18 RBI), So. Kollyn Peed (.333, 1 HR, 9 RBI), Sr. Bryce Robertson (333, 18 RBI), Sr. Zach Thompson (.274, 1 HR, 14 RBI). Top pitchers: Jr. RHP Jacob Crowe (10-3, 2.13, 87 K’s, 14 walks, 62 1/3 IP), Sr. RHP Logan Drook (5-0, 1.30, 66 K’s, 28 walks, 43 IP). Centerville won the Centerville Sectional (Shenandoah 4-2, Hagerstown 14-8), Park Tudor Regional (Cascade 6-3, Heritage Christian 8-2) and Mooresville Semistate (Linton-Stockton 6-5). The Bulldogs have won eight in a row — including the school’s first-ever regional and semistate titles — following a three-game losing skid. The team strung together 11 victories April 20-May 9. Centerville head coach Tracey Crull (10th season, 120-94) says: “It’s absolutely madness. It’s crazy (the excitement in the community) … We have a walk-off (RBI single by Jamari Pamplin against Linton-Stockton to punctuate a two-run seventh) and we’re in the state title game. My phone, email, text messages, all kinds of messages have been blowing. It’s not just the Centerville community. It’s the whole county … We had a really tough week in May where we played our rival Hagerstown twice (in Tri-Eastern Conference Wayne County tournament games). We lost both ball games by a run (2-1 and 3-2 sandwiching a 10-0 loss at Lapel). After that week we had some long conversations as a team. We talked about focus. We talked about accountability. We talked about how we react to adversity. We then went on a run … We’ve had a stretch where we’ve hit the ball really well … It could be (Jacob Crowe or Logan Drook starting on the mound Friday). Logan gave up only one unearned run all year. They are completely different pitchers. Logan (who was the semistate starter) is a little bit harder thrower. He doesn’t give up as many hits. Jake gives up a few more hits, but he’s really good at keeping runners and batters off-balance with his motion and his delivery. It depends on whoever is feeling the best and having the best match-up Friday … Our boys like to see really good pitching (which the Bulldogs have faced in tournament play). I think it will be a good ball game (against Illiana Christian).”
Illiana Christian Top hitters: Jr. Kevin Corcoran (.471, 4 HR, 37 RBI), Sr. Ian VanBeek (.446, 22 RBI), Sr. Adam Walters (.410, 12 RBI), Sr. Tyler Barker (.373, 29 RBI), Jr. Cody DeJong (.351, 2 HR, 22 RBI), So. Isaac VanderWoude (.338, 19 RBI), Sr. Levi Hescott (.300, 12 RBI), Sr. Gabe VanRoekel (.282, 17 RBI). Top pitchers: Jr. LHP Kevin Corcoran (4-1, 2.194, 75 K’s, 13 walks, 44 2/3 IP), Sr. RHP Ian VanBeek (3-2, 1.474, 56 K’s, 6 walks, 38 IP). Illiana Christian won the Whiting Sectional (Bowman Academy 19-0, Hammond Bishop Noll 3-1, Wheeler 16-4), Whiting Regional (Winamac 11-1, Eastside 7-0) and Kokomo Semistate (Wapahani 6-0). The Vikings have won a season-best seven straight games. There was a stretch from April 25 to May 2 where Illiana Christian went 2-4 with two losses to Griffith and one each against Highland and Hanover Central. The team has triumphed in 13 of its last 14. Illiana Christian head coach Jeff VanderWoude (Third season, 40-13) says: “Last year we had a younger team. I thought we were pretty good. Last year we ran into Rex Stills of Wheeler and lost that game 2-1 in the (Whiting) Sectional final … This year our (Bible) verse is James 1:2-3. It’s basically saying consider it pure joy when you hit trials and tribulations because our faith has been strengthened … This team turned around when they started playing for each other and not themselves. Our team does that extremely well, I am 100-percent convinced that’s exactly whey we’re in this position … We try to play the bigger schools (around northwest Indiana) … Kevin Corcoran competes really well. He’s a very athletic kid.”
Class 1A Tecumseh Top hitters: Jr. Conner Anglin (.472, 3 HR, 29 RBI, 13 SB), Jr. Brody Julian (.383, 14 RBI), Jr. Drew Dupont (.341, 2 HR, 27 RBI), Jr. Dax Bailey (.387, 1 HR, 27 RBI), So. D.J. Dupont (.298, 1 HR, 17 RBI, 15 SB), Jr. Chase Jones (.263, 1 HR, 14 RBI, 11 SB), Fr. Mason Gogel (.256, 18 RBI). Top pitchers: Jr. RHP Dax Bailey (5-4, 3.35, 39 K’s, 22 walks, 54 1/3 IP), Jr. RHP Conner Anglin (5-2, 1.13, 28 K’s, 10 walks, 31 IP), Jr. RHP Drew Dupont (5-1, 3.00, 47 K’s, 23 walks, 42 IP). Tecumseh won the Cannelton Sectional (Northeast Dubois 9-8, Wood Memorial 11-2, Springs Valley 11-0), Loogootee Regional (New Washington 11-1, Barr-Reeve 4-1) and Jasper Semistate (Shakamak 12-3). The Braves have won a season-high nine straight games. The team, which has no seniors and four freshmen in the starting lineup, started out 1-4 and entered May 6-9. Of the 12 losses, seven are by two runs or fewer. Tecumseh head coach Ted Thompson (Fifth season, 77-44) says: “We started out struggling a little bit. Our four freshmen (Mason Gogel, Wyatt Huddleston, Braydon Long and Thomas Pemberton) were just learning how to play it at the varsity level. I thought by the time we were going to do tournament we were going to be in good shape as far as being able to compete at a high level … About the month of May everything started to click … Everything just really started to work well with our four freshmen and our juniors provided great leadership … We’ve made one — maybe two errors — in the last three weeks. It’s been really good defensively and we’ve just really played well … We try to load up our schedule (with 4A and 3A schools including Evansville North and Gibson Southern) to try to be competitive. We try to do everything we can to provide an atmosphere for our guys to improve … The first two weeks of the season we only pitch our pitches for 35 to 40 pitches. The second two weeks, which ends April, we don’t even get our pitchers above 60 pitches (with freshmen pitching often in relief) … For our young guys to really get some innings is going to be valuable for us not only this year, but next year as well … (The State Finals) is a brand new environment for everyone. They’ve never faced it before. We feel like we do a great job of preparing our guys for big moments. We put a lot of pressure on them in practice. We really drill them on a lot of different situations … We’ll definitely be focused on the Tecumseh Braves. We have a great philosophy and I believe we have a great system. We’ll try to give the kids an idea of what to expect. Lafayette Central Catholic is going to be a formidable opponent. We know they’re going to come at us with a lot of different variations of the game. I can tell you our players will be prepared for those moments. It’s all about execution.”
Lafayette Central Catholic Top hitters: Jr. Evan Dienhart (.462, 18 RBI), Jr. Owen Munn (.366, 1HR, 23 RBI), Jr. Ryan Schummer (.354, 2 HR, 26 RBI), So. Kayden Minnich (.270, 21 RBI), Sr. Justin Brady (.250, 1 HR, 21 RBI). Top pitchers: Jr. RHP Ben Mazur (8-1, 0.63, 96 K’s, 19 walks, 55 1/3 IP), So. RHP Brinn Robbins (8-1, 0.95, 61 K’s, 15 walks, 59 IP). Central Catholic won the Lafayette Central Sectional (Attica 13-1, Riverton Parke 8-0, Covington 10-0), Lafayette Central Regional (Union City 12-2, Rossville 10-0) and LaPorte Semistate (South Central of Union Mills 9-4 in 8 innings). The Knights have won a season-best 13 straight after a two-game losing streak. The team’s other setbacks came between April 1 and May 4. Knights head coach Tim Bordenet (27th season, 634-203) says: “We were kind of up-and-down until our (Hoosier) Conference championship against Western (a 6-1 victory on May 13 against University of Louisville pitching recruit Mitchell Dean). I think that was really the turning point. We had two games that week and were not playing that well. (Beating Western) proved to our guys that when we play the way we’re capable of we can compete and beat anybody … You’ve got to be able to get in a lot of hitters’ counts and put pressure on the opposing pitcher and opposing defense. Saturday (in the regional against South Central) we only had one hit for seven innings, but we did draw a lot of walks and hit by pitches and so we had a lot of traffic on the bases. I thought our approach at the plate was really good … We know we play a tough schedule and intentionally put ourselves in some adverse situations where we have to come back or hold on to a late lead in a close ballgame. Undoubtedly those situations have helped us here in the (state) tournament … We brought (junior right-hander) Evan Dienhart in (to pitch) with one out and the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh in a tie game … He got a strikeout and fly out to get out of that inning … Our outfielders have to have good angles at balls in the gaps (at spacious Victory Field) and not let balls get past them. Fortunately for us, our outfield (senior Carter Johnson in left, Brinn Robbins in center and sophomore Kayden Minnich in right) is probably the strength of our team and has really good speed … Our kids are pretty savvy. The moments haven’t been too big for them to this point.”
Frank Podkul’s baseball journey has taken him to many places in North America. The trek began in northwest Indiana. Podkul’s first organized experience came at Schererville Little League. That was followed by a Lake Central travel team, Northwest Indiana Shockers (coached by John Mallee), Indiana Playermakers (coached by Dave Griffin), Hammond Seminoles (coached by Ryan Pishkur, Tyler Oche and Matt Pobereyko), Hammond Chiefs (coached by Dave Sutkowski) and Midwest Irish (coached by Shane Brogan). Podkul graduated from Andrean High School in Merrillville, Ind., in 2014. He helped the 59ers (steered by Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Famer Dave Pishkur) win an IHSAA Class 3A state title that year. Younger brother Nick Podkul played up on most of Frank’s teams, including Andrean. Nick went on to Notre Dame and is now with Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats in the Toronto Blue Jays organization. “We talk just about everyday,” says Frank. “We’e really close.” Frank and Nick grew up in a neighborhood with kids who played many different sports — football, basketball, baseball, tennis etc. “When you build that culture growing up you get a better appreciation for everything,” says Podkul, who turned 26 June 3. “:earn to be an athlete first. Everything else falls into place after that. “It hurt when people want to specialize early. Let kids be kids.” After he thought he might be a pitcher in college since he didn’t swing a potent bat in high school, Podkul played four seasons in the infield for Lance Marshall at Franklin (Ind.) College (2015-18). “He’s just the best,” says Podkul of Marshall. “He would do anything for any of his players — no matter what. The way he’s built that program over the years it is one big family. “On the baseball side of it, he let guys be themselves and got the best out of everybody.” A corner infielder for the Grizzlies (mostly third base his last two years), Podkul appeared in 132 games and hit .290 (134-of-462) with 29 home runs, 25 doubles, 122 runs batted in, 109 runs and a .946 OPS (.414 on-base percentage plus .532 slugging average). In 2018, Podkul hit .327 (53-of-162) with 16 homers, 10 doubles, 57 RBIs, 52 runs and a 1.129 OPS (.444/.685) while Franklin went 39-5 and ending the season at the NCAA Division III Central Regional. “We had a ridiculous lineup,” says Podkul. “The amount of times we scored four or five runs in the first inning was almost comical.” With baseball workouts and games, classes and his duties as a student athletic trainer, Podkul felt like a two-sport athlete as a senior. In the fall, he would awake at 5 a.m. for soccer practice, followed by classes, baseball practice and weightlifting then football practice and staying on top of his homework. “At Franklin you have to be a good student,” says Podkul. “There’s no gimme classes. “Everything is challenging.” In his first two college summers, Podkul played for the Midwest Irish in 2015 and in the Virginia Beach (Va.) Collegiate Baseball League in 2016. Podkul got a kickstart to his senior season at Franklin by spending the summer of 2017 with the Medicine Hat (Alberta) Mavericks of the Western Canadian Baseball League. “It was amazing,” says Podkul. “There’s really good competition in that league. Learning some stuff from those guys helped me in my senior year.” One of his fond memories is playing a game in Fort McMurray, Alberta, which is 890 kilometers (428 miles) north of Medicine Hat and seeing the sun out at 1 a.m. After graduating from Franklin as an Athletic Training major with minors in Exercise Science and Coaching, Podkul went through some workouts in the independent pro Frontier League. Nothing came of those and he went to the California Winter League where he landed a spot with the Frontier League’s Joliet (Ill.) Slammers in 2019. In the fall of that year, Podkul contacted Joe Torre (not that Joe Torre) of Torre Baseball Training LLC in Ridgewood, N.J. He runs an independent ball spring training camp in Palm Beach, Fla. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit and much of baseball was shut down, a four-team league — the Yinzer Baseball Confederacy — was established with all games played in Washington, Pa., run by Torre and Washington Wild Things president/general manager Tony Buccilli. Podkul split his time between the Road Warrior Black Sox and Baseball Brilliance Sox. The Frontier League put in the two other teams — the Wild Things and Steel City Slammin Sammies. The YBC is back for 2021 with the Road Warrior Black Sox, Baseball Brilliance Sox, Killer Bees and Wolfpack. Players are not paid. They are reimbursed clubhouse attendant dues if they are picked up by another league. The 6-foot-2, 220-pound Podkul is with the Carson McCurdy-managed Black Sox — playing corner infielder and occasionally in the outfield. Through 32 games, he was hitting .284 (27-of-95) with five homers, 10 doubles, 13 RBIs, 16 runs and a .981 OPS (.433/.547). The Yinzer league provides the opportunity for players to stay sharp and build up their numbers while looking to catch on in independent leagues. Rosters are set a month at a time. “It’s real games,” says Podkul, who plays daily — either afternoon or night — at Wild Things Park. “It’s not a showcase. “You’ve got to play and get in front of (coaches and scouts). You go where you’re going to be a good fit.” Since January, about 60 Yinzer league players have moved to other clubs.
Frank Podkul with Andrean High School.
Frank Podkul with Franklin (Ind.) College.
Frank Podkul with Franklin (Ind.) College.
Frank Podkul with Franklin (Ind.) College.
Frank Podkul with the Medicine Hat (Alberta) Mavericks.
Frank Podkul with the Road Warrior Black Sox of the Yinzer Baseball Confederacy.
Chase Dawson was an elementary school student the last time he was a regular in the outfield. At that time he was with the Zuni’s House of Pizza, a travel team that went 44-4 during Dawson’s 8U and 9U travel ball seasons and played in the Continental Amateur Baseball Association World Series. Now 24, Dawson is back in the outfield for the independent Frontier League’s Schaumburg (Ill.) Boomers in his second professional baseball season. He’s been mostly in center field or left field during the team’s first 35 games in 2021. “It’s been a fun little transition,” says Dawson, a 5-foot-9, 185-pounder. “Going into the 2020 season (Boomers manager) Jamie (Bennett) said to be ready for it so I trained my arm a little more. “I did well the first couple of days of spring training and we brought in some pretty good infielders. Jamie trusted me that I’m athletic enough to make the switch. “It might sound goofy but one of my best qualities as an athlete is my athleticism. I can do just about anything in any sport.” Dawson played four years of baseball (two varsity), three years as a soccer midfielder and one as a football defensive back and kicker at Andean High School in Merrillville, Ind., where he graduated in 2015. A lefty batter and righty thrower, Dawson was the starting second baseman for the Dave Pishkur-coached 59ers’ back-to-back IHSAA Class 3A state champions in 2014 and 2015 (he batted second and scored a run in a 6-0 win against Gibson Southern in ’14 and led off and went 2-of-3 with a triple and tallied the first run in a 2-1 triumph against Jasper in ’15) and was a second sacker the majority of the time in his four seasons at Valparaiso (Ind.) University (2016-19), playing for head coach Brian Schmack. Dawson says Pishkur has a knack of teaching the fundamentals and getting talented to players to reach their potential. “It seemed like he out-coached any team we ever played,” says Dawson of Pishkur. “He was definitely hard on us and it stunk at the time, but it’s starting to add up for him.” Pishkur has more than 1,000 career victories, seven state titles and currently has former players Sean Manaea and Mike Brousseau in the big leagues. Schmack’s lessons about leadership and tenacity stuck with Dawson, who earned a Business Management degree at Valpo U., in 2019. “He’s such a good role model,” says Dawson of Schmack. “He brought a lot out of me in my four years. “He made mentally-tougher player.” Dawson played in 199 games (152 starts) at VU, hitting .276 (199-of-722) with seven home runs, 13 triples, 30 doubles, 88 runs batted in, 145 runs scored and 28 stolen bases in 37 attempts. He was named to the Horizon League all-tournament and all-freshman team in 2016 and was all-Missouri Valley Conference second team in 2019. The summer of 2018 was spent with the Coastal Plain League’s Martinsville (Va.) Mustangs, where he hit .395 and was all named all-CPL first team and the CPL select team that competed against the USA Collegiate National Team in a midseason all-star game. In 13 contests with the 2019 Gary (Ind.) SouthShore RailCats, Dawson’s primary position again was second base. The COVID-19 pandemic shut down the RailCats in 2019 and Dawson did not play. “I shut down baseball activities for five or six months,” says Dawson. “It was a good decision. I came back twice as eager. “I’ve tried to find positives out of the situation.” Pat and Lindy Salvi own both the Gary and Schaumburg franchises and RailCats manager Greg Tagert and Schaumburg skipper Bennett are good friends (Bennett pitched for Tagert with the Dubois County Dragons and the RailCats and was Tagert’s pitching coach at Gary). Dawson landed with the Boomers. “It’s been a very good fit,” says Dawson, who has come to appreciate Bennett’s approach. “He’s very easy to play for because of how relaxed he is. “He’s very positive and a go-get-the-next-one type of guy.” Dawson was born in Munster, Ind., and moved to Chesterton, Ind., at a young age. He attended St. Thomas More School in Munster for Grades K-8 then entered Andrean. Dave Griffin’s Indiana Playmakers were Dawson’s travel team from 10U until high school when he went to Shane Brogan’s Midwest Irish. Chase is the son of Rick Dawson and Tonia Michalski. “My dad’s my biggest idol,” says Dawson. “He works his butt off so I can play baseball. “My little brothers (Kingston, 10, and Maverick, 6) mean more than anything to me. It’s fun to hang out and teach them baseball and basketball.”
Chase Dawson (Valparaiso University Photo)
Chase Dawson runs the bases for the 2021 Schaumburg (Ill.) Boomers. (Tom Anson Photo)
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