As the postseason begins, multiple teams in Northwest Indiana look like contenders for state titles, including Crown Point, Chesterton, Andrean and Kouts.
Duneland dominance
A Duneland Athletic Conference team has won the Class 4A state title in each of the past two seasons. Could the DAC make it a three-peat after Lake Central in 2024 and Valparaiso in 2025?
In a word, yes.
Crown Point (24-5, 11-3) is the highest-ranked DAC team in the state coaches poll at No. 2. Coach Steve Strayer said the team got off to “a red-hot start” to the season and then “hit a lull midseason and was not playing our best baseball.”
“But we seem to be trending up,” Strayer said. “Time will tell if we can get hot again for the postseason.”
Senior catcher/outfielder Sean Dunlap, a Tennessee recruit, leads the way for the Bulldogs, hitting .471 with nine homers, which are tied for the state lead, according to MaxPreps; 44 RBIs, which rank second in the state; 30 runs scored; and 14 stolen bases.
Senior shortstop Caden Matusak, a Michigan recruit, is hitting .422 with two homers, 21 RBIs, 32 runs scored and 14 stolen bases, and junior catcher/designated hitter Connor Gaines is batting .412 with a homer, 24 RBIs and 21 runs scored.
Senior pitcher Logan Johnston, an Indiana recruit, fronts the Bulldogs staff, going 6-2 with a 1.25 ERA with 60 strikeouts and 12 walks in 44 2/3 innings.
No. 4 Chesterton (22-6, 12-2) actually won the conference title, its first since 2017.
“We like our team, and we’re playing good baseball right now,” Trojans coach John Bogner said. “We know that the tourney means we all start 0-0 and anything can happen. We just have to continue to trust our process, play hard for the guys in our dugout, pay attention to detail, and the rest will take care of itself.”
Chesterton’s two headliners, senior outfielder/pitcher Rob Czarniecki, a Kentucky recruit, and senior pitcher/outfielder Troy Barrett, a Purdue recruit, have taken care of business.
Czarniecki is batting .495 with seven homers, which rank ninth in the state; 40 runs scored, which also rank ninth in the state; 29 RBIs; and 11 stolen bases. He has also posted a 1.75 ERA with 14 strikeouts and seven walks in eight innings.
Barrett is a pristine 10-0, topping the state in victories, with a 0.48 ERA. He has 89 strikeouts, which rank sixth in the state, and nine walks in 44 innings. He’s also batting .418 with 19 RBIs and 37 runs scored.
Also, senior first baseman Eli McClelland is batting .383 with 26 RBIs and 29 runs scored, and senior shortstop Ethan Glassman is batting .397 with three homers, 28 RBIs and 31 runs scored.
Valparaiso (20-7, 11-3), tied with Munster at No. 5 in the state coaches poll, will be seeking a repeat after last season’s breakthrough.
The four-year starting middle infield combination of senior second baseman DJ Malloy and senior shortstop Trent Gill continues to set the tone for the Vikings. Malloy is batting .409 with 18 RBIs, 30 runs scored and 15 stolen bases, and Gill is batting .389 with three homers, 19 RBIs, 32 runs scored and 24 stolen bases.
Then there’s Lake Central (21-8, 9-5), which is just two seasons removed from its most recent state title. The Indians will open the Crown Point Sectional on Wednesday against Munster (23-6, 10-2), the Northwest Crossroads Conference co-champion.
Junior catcher Brayden Walls, a Ball State recruit, is batting .449 with 22 RBIs and 26 runs scored, and sophomore outfielder Jacob Forystek is batting .360 with 32 RBIs and 29 runs scored.
“We have the potential to compete against anybody if we play to our capabilities,” Lake Central coach Mike Swartzentruber said.
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Addition for Andrean
Indiana Baseball Hall of Famer Dave Pishkur returned to the Andrean dugout two weeks ago.
Pishkur and the Northwest Crossroads Conference co-champion 59ers (24-3, 10-2), who are ranked No. 1 in the Class 3A state coaches poll, will be pursuing their record 10th state title. Tim Bordenet and Lafayette Central Catholic also have nine titles.
Andrean, which won the 3A title last season, has suffered its only two in-state losses this season to Highland and Hobart.
The 59ers could face No. 7 Hanover Central (18-10-1, 8-4) in the Lowell Sectional championship game.
Kouts is cooking
Kouts hasn’t suffered any sort of letdown after reaching its first Class 1A state championship game last year with a lineup devoid of seniors.
Anything but, really.
The Mustangs (25-1, 7-0), who ranked No. 1 in the 1A state coaches poll, have reeled off 25 straight victories since a season-opening loss to Guerin. In the process, they’ve secured their first outright Porter County Conference round-robin title since 2004 and their first PCC Tournament title since 1998.
Sophomore shortstop/pitcher Billy Miller, senior infielder/pitcher Landon Garrett and senior outfielder Jesse Overholt are batting over .400.
Miller is hitting .479 with four homers, 31 RBIs and 24 stolen bases, and his 46 runs scored rank third in the state. He also has a 0.22 ERA, which ranks fifth in the state, with 58 strikeouts and four walks in 32 innings.
Garrett is hitting .418 with two homers, 36 RBIs, 34 runs scored and 10 stolen bases. He also has a 2.05 ERA with 33 strikeouts and 17 walks in 30 2/3 innings.
Overholt is hitting .414 with 14 RBIs, 26 runs scored and 10 stolen bases.
The Mustangs open the Westville Sectional on Friday against No. 7 Morgan Township (17-10, 5-2).
Portage’s potential
Competing in a Class 4A Chesterton Sectional field that includes in-conference state powers, Portage (14-14, 5-9) would have to be considered a dark horse as it pursues its first sectional title since 2013.
But the Indians are propelled by a strong senior class, and they reached a sectional final last season, losing to eventual state champion Valparaiso, after upsetting Chesterton in a semifinal.
Coach Shane Prance, a 2008 Portage graduate, took over the program when these seniors were freshmen. That group includes first baseman/pitcher Kaleb Hacker, outfielder/pitcher Kodie Young, outfielder/pitcher Hunter Cole, outfielder Tyler Pirowski and third baseman Ryan Bogue.
“They’ve bought in since being freshmen and created a high standard for our program. … They will all look to cap off their four-year varsity careers on a high note,” Prance said.
Portage opens the sectional on Friday against Hobart. Chesterton and Valparaiso are on the other half of the draw.
More state superlatives
Munster senior outfielder Nate Southwell is leading the state with 45 RBIs.
Morton senior outfielder Michael Stevens ranks fourth in the state with a .585 batting average. River Forest junior infielder/outfielder Walter Jaime ranks ninth at .561.
Morgan Township junior shortstop Clint Lemmons ranks third with 35 stolen bases, Morton senior catcher Marcellous McQuay ranks sixth with 33 stolen bases, and Crown Point sophomore second baseman Nathan Sheets ranks ninth with 31 stolen bases.
Sheets also ranks 10th with 40 runs scored, and Lemmons ranks 15th with 37 runs scored.
Morgan Township sophomore Nolan Ritthaler hasn’t allowed an earned run in 15 innings.
10 players to watch
Cayden Adley, Munster, freshman, third baseman: Batting .391 with 23 RBIs, 34 runs scored and nine stolen bases.
Nick DeBlock, Illiana Christian, senior, outfielder: Batting .325 with 20 RBIs, 23 runs scored and 13 stolen bases.
Connor Gaines, Crown Point, junior, catcher/designated hitter: Batting .412 with a homer, 24 RBIs and 21 runs scored.
Landon Garrett, Kouts, senior, infielder/pitcher: Batting .418 with two homers, 36 RBIs, 34 runs scored and 10 stolen bases. Also has a 2.05 ERA with 33 strikeouts and 17 walks in 30 2/3 innings.
Ethan Glassman, Chesterton, senior, shortstop: Batting .397 with three homers, 28 RBIs and 31 runs scored.
Joel Gomez, Bishop Noll, senior, outfielder: Batting .435 with 14 RBIs, 19 runs scored and 16 stolen bases.
Clint Lemmons, Morgan Township, junior, shortstop: Batting .407 with 24 RBIs, 37 runs scored and 35 stolen bases.
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Grant McFarden, Valparaiso, senior, catcher/outfielder: Batting .389 with 11 RBIs and 19 runs scored.
Camden Mikulich, Lowell, senior, catcher: Batting .455 with 23 RBIs and 15 runs scored. Also has a 0.67 ERA with 17 strikeouts and three walks in 21 innings.
Brayden Walls, Lake Central, junior, catcher: Batting .449 with a homer, 22 RBIs and 26 runs scored. Ball State recruit.