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Chicago Tribune
21 hours ago
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Introducing the 2025 Post-Tribune Softball All-Area Team
Four players from Lake Central, four players from Munster and three players from Crown Point highlight the first and second teams. Ally Compton, Munster, sophomore, pitcher/infielder: Batted .464 with program-record 19 home runs, 52 RBIs and 19 runs scored for Northwest Crossroads Conference champion. Also went 15-5 with 2.40 ERA and 160 strikeouts in 122 1/3 innings. All-state first team, conference offensive player of the year. Sadie Drousias, Andrean, junior, pitcher: Went 15-7 with 2.82 ERA and 94 strikeouts in 146 2/3 innings for Class 2A state runner-up. Also hit .424 with five home runs, 40 RBIs and 29 runs scored. All-conference. Olivia Fuentes, Lowell, senior, pitcher: Went 13-4 with 2.31 ERA and 161 strikeouts in 118 1/3 innings. Also hit .435 with four home runs and 16 RBIs. North All-Star, conference pitcher of the year. Committed to St. Francis. Ashlyn Kita, Crown Point, junior, third baseman: Batted .505 with eight home runs, 42 RBIs and 35 runs scored for 4A state champion. All-state second team, all-conference. Committed to DePaul. Paige Liezert, Crown Point, junior, pitcher: Went 20-2 with 0.85 ERA and 293 strikeouts in 139 2/3 innings for 4A state champion. All-state first team, all-conference. Committed to Miami of Ohio. Kate Renschen, Lake Central, senior, third baseman: Batted .510 with one home run, 17 RBIs, 42 runs scored and 36 steals for Duneland Athletic Conference champion. North All-Star, all-state first team, all-conference. Committed to Northwestern. Taylor Schafer, Lake Central, senior, shortstop: Batted .529 with five home runs, 47 RBIs and 32 runs scored for DAC champion. North All-Star, all-state second team, conference MVP. Committed to Appalachian State. Sienna Stilley, Hanover Central, junior, catcher: Batted .522 with 17 home runs, 54 RBIs and 21 runs scored for 3A state runner-up. All-state first team, all-conference. Committed to Jacksonville State. Maddie Such, Lake Central, sophomore, pitcher: Went 17-3 with 1.79 ERA and 183 strikeouts in 121 innings for DAC champion. All-state second team, all-conference. Addison Toczek, Hebron, senior, utility/pitcher: Batted .432 with two home runs, 12 RBIs, 28 runs scored and 31 steals. Also had 3.47 ERA and 93 strikeouts in 74 2/3 innings. All-state second team, conference MVP. Committed to Pittsburgh. Lydia VanderWoude, Illiana Christian, senior, shortstop: Batted .583 with four home runs, 22 RBIs, 39 runs scored and 27 steals for Greater South Shore Conference co-champion. North All-Star, all-state second team. Committed to Belmont. Maggie Voliva, Andrean, senior, third baseman: Batted .485 with one home run, 32 RBIs, 39 runs scored and 10 steals for 2A state runner-up. All-conference. Committed to St. Mary's. Sienna Antkiewicz, Hanover Central, senior, shortstop: Batted .361 with three home runs, 36 RBIs and 31 runs scored for 3A state runner-up. All-conference. Committed to St. Xavier. Jillian DeYoung, Hanover Central, freshman, pitcher: Went 7-7 with 1.88 ERA and 165 strikeouts in 111 2/3 innings for 3A state runner-up. Also hit .362 with four home runs, 17 RBIs and 14 runs scored. All-conference. Grace Gabriel, Wheeler, freshman, utility/pitcher: Batted .507 with 14 RBIs, 37 runs scored and 33 steals for GSSC co-champion. Also had 4.38 ERA and 88 strikeouts in 78 1/3 innings. All-state third team. Preslee Hill, Lowell, junior, third baseman: Batted .550 with 10 home runs, 29 RBIs and 25 runs scored. All-state third team, all-conference. Lexi Iwema, Lake Central, junior, outfielder: Batted .417 with five home runs, 31 RBIs and 37 runs scored for DAC champion. All-state third team, all-conference. Committed to Indiana. Delilah Kincaid, Valparaiso, sophomore, third baseman: Batted .446 with 10 home runs, 30 RBIs and 38 runs scored. All-state third team, all-conference. CeCe Mason, Munster, senior, shortstop: Batted .341 with six home runs, 21 RBIs, 33 runs scored and 12 steals for NCC champion. All-conference. Kaylee O'Connell, Munster, sophomore, pitcher/infielder: Batted .337 with six home runs, 19 RBIs and 15 runs scored for NCC champion. Also went 11-1 with 2.09 ERA and 109 strikeouts in 83 2/3 innings. All-conference. Lexi Smith, Crown Point, senior, designated player/pitcher: Batted .400 with 18 RBIs, 34 runs scored and 14 steals for 4A state champion. Also went 11-2 with 2.59 ERA and 96 strikeouts in 78 1/3 innings. North All-Star, all-state third team, all-conference. Committed to Marian. Jordan Steele, Highland, junior, outfielder: Batted .455 with three home runs, 26 RBIs and 32 runs scored for 3A sectional champion. All-conference. Mercedes Szakacs, Boone Grove, senior, infielder/outfielder: Batted .394 with three home runs, 16 RBIs and 16 runs scored for Porter County Conference Tournament champion. All-conference. Committed to Purdue Northwest. Caroline Wendlinger, Munster, sophomore, utility: Batted .420 with 12 home runs, 32 RBIs and 33 runs scored for NCC champion. All-state third team, all-conference.
Yahoo
15-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
BOYS GOLF: Golfers from Cass, Logan, Pioneer compete at regionals
Logansport placed 12th and Pioneer placed 13th at the 15-team Lake Central boys golf regional at Sandy Pines Golf Club on Thursday. The Berries shot a 351. Graham Taylor led with an 81, followed by Louis Rozzi (85), Evan Brandstatter (89), Eli Baldwin (96) and Logan Lange (107). Advertisement Pioneer shot a 368. Micah Rans led with an 83, followed by Ivan Reyes (89), Brady Price (92), Dane Bowditch (104) and Tayt Smith (118). South Bend St. Joseph (313), Elkhart (313) and Lake Central (314) were the three advancing teams to the State Finals. Elkhart's Benjamin Divido shot 70 to earn medalist honors. The three advancing individuals were Andrean's Jack Trtan (74), Twin Lakes' Jack Kaufman (75) and Trinity @ Greenlawn's Jackson Cressy (76). Rochester's Davis Renie shot an 81. Twin Lakes shot a 326 to place seventh. Following Kaufman were Leo Dellinger (79), Cole Woodley (82), Spencer Roth (90) and Kyle Kyser (92). Advertisement The State Finals are next Tuesday and Wednesday at Prairie View Golf Club in Carmel. WARSAW REGIONAL Cass shot a 365 to place 15th at the event held at Stonehenge Golf Club. Michael Myers shot an 86 to lead the Kings, followed by Brody Hillis (90), Cole Rush (94), Nolan Hines (95) and Harrison Clark (105). Homestead (291), Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger (313) and Leo (313) were the three advancing teams. Fairfield's Brayden Miller shot a 66 to earn medalist honors. Miller, Westview's Silas Haarer (67) and Fort Wayne Blackhawk's Gavin Haiflich (72) advanced as individuals.
Indianapolis Star
01-06-2025
- Sport
- Indianapolis Star
First IHSAA boys finals a showcase: 'The whole state has just blown up in volleyball'
WEST LAFAYETTE – If there was any question if the movie 'Hoosiers' still holds relevance almost 40 years after it premiered — or if the underdog story could translate to another sport — look no further than Mackey Arena on Saturday. Lake Central boys volleyball coach Naveed Nizam, looking for a little inspiration for his longshot team, had players measure the volleyball net at Mackey Arena. The height: Seven feet, 11 ½ inches. 'I think you'll find that's the exact same measurements as our gym back at Lake Central.' OK, Nizam did not say that exactly. But you get the idea. It was a day of new traditions with a nod to the old at Purdue University, where the Indiana High School Athletic Association hosted the first sanctioned boys volleyball state finals. Roncalli (30-3) took home the first state IHSAA championship by defeating Cathedral 25-14, 25-22, 25-23 in a three-set sweep Saturday night. It was Roncalli's fourth consecutive state championship with the previous three coming under the banner of the Indiana Boys Volleyball Coaches Association. 'You look how far we've come in the past couple years and now we're getting these boys who have bought into the program,' Roncalli coach Nick Jennings said. 'We used to get a basketball player, a football player — maybe it was their secondary sport. But now these boys are fully committing to us, and it really elevates the whole gym. The whole state has just blown up in volleyball.' Many of the 133 teams in the inaugural state tournament, like Lake Central, are in the still early growth stages. The Indians advanced to the state finals as a third-year team that started out as an intramural program. Lake Central (30-7) was ranked No. 12 in the state but with all but two of its players graduating, should be on the cusp of some better days ahead. 'Where we've gone this far and what we've accomplished, I think, is a miracle in such a short amount of time,' said Nizam, who had his team stay to watch the championship match after losing 25-11, 25-10, 25-15 to Cathedral in the first semifinal. Where Lake Central hopes to go was represented by the team across the net, Cathedral, and the squads that followed on Saturday in the second semifinal: Roncalli and Fishers. Those teams, ranked No. 1 (Roncalli), No. 2 (Cathedral) and No. 3 (Fishers), put a powerful show in the inaugural event. After Cathedral defeated Lake Central in the first semifinal, Roncalli was pushed to the brink twice, trailing Fishers 14-12 in the fifth and decisive set before rallying for a 22-25, 25-14, 25-21, 17-25, 16-14 victory. The intense back-and-forth showdown, filled with laser-sharp kills, timely blocks and a dramatic finish, could be packaged and sent out by the IHSAA as a showcase video for boys volleyball, which has previously been played as a club sport before it gained emerging status from the IHSAA three years ago. 'It gets the nerves going,' said Roncalli senior setter Matthew Dial. 'I came running over after the game to my family and my hands were shaking because I was so excited. There was so much energy that it can really bring people into the sport when they see this. It's just cool to see.' Though the sport is new to the IHSAA, it is a bit of a misnomer to call programs like Roncalli and Cathedral newcomers. Cathedral has had a boys volleyball program for 32 years and Roncalli has developed into a dynasty in recent seasons. Saturday's championship match was a rematch of Roncalli's five-set state title victory over the Irish at Hinkle Fieldhouse. 'Just knowing it's the first chance for an IHSAA state title was something nice,' Cathedral senior middle hitter Ryan Peterson said. 'We've thought about that along the journey.' Cathedral senior setter Nick Whitley said he started playing volleyball when he was 10 years old and 'kind of fell in love with the sport from there.' Even then, it was more of a side venture for Whitley, who said he fell in love with volleyball the more he played. Peterson, who is 6-8, played basketball until eighth grade. 'I did a lot of sports,' Peterson said. 'Football, baseball, basketball, swimming. But after eighth grade, I realized I loved volleyball a lot more.' Peterson and Whitley said as soon as they walked into Mackey Arena on Saturday, the energy was different. 'We played in Hinkle Fieldhouse last year and it was a massive step up from freshman and sophomore year playing in regular high school gyms (at state),' Whitley said. 'Playing in an arena like this is super awesome and really exciting.' Cathedral coach Tyler McClure, in his fifth year as coach at Cathedral, played for the Irish and was an assistant prior to his role as head coach. He has watched first-hand at Cathedral how the players who once had volleyball as a secondary sport 'now come in ready to play.' 'Kids come in as freshman ready to go,' McClure said. 'You aren't starting from zero. You are starting with a little bit of a base.' Roncalli had to survive thrilling semifinal matchup against Fishers just to make it to the championship game. Fishers (31-5), looking to close out Roncalli for the second time this season in five sets, took control of the fifth set to take a 14-12 lead. But the Royals would not be denied, taking the final four points. 'That game was so fun,' said Roncalli senior outside hitter Eli Berger, who led the Royals with 13 kills in the title match. 'You go out there, work your butt off and it just comes down to who works harder, who is there for the ball and who is ready to win. Last time we played them, we played like we didn't want to win. This time, we came out and threw some punches.' That down-to-the-wire cliffhanger of a semifinal showed where boys volleyball can go. 'It went from 'oh my god, oh my god, oh my god,' to 'yes, yes, yes,'' Roncalli's Jennings said. 'You live and die with every point. I think (the game) will really grow. I think next year, people will hopefully see this and say, 'I want to be a part of that. That was a lot of fun.''
Chicago Tribune
30-05-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Virginia Tech commit Tegan Tripp has been ‘trying to get to this point.' Lake Central is glad she made it.
The trip has been worth the wait for Lake Central's Tegan Tripp. The junior first baseman is a Division I recruit, having announced her commitment to Virginia Tech in December. But this is Tripp's first full varsity season in a tradition-rich program that has made no secret about its aspirations to win a state title. 'I worked really hard to get here, trying to get to this point, and now I'm trying to do everything I can to stay here and finish it off this year with the team,' she said. 'Just really keep working. Control what I can control. Not letting anybody get in my way. Working as a team with everybody, pushing through. Working as hard as I can all year.' Tripp has been making the most of her opportunity, including in the Class 4A Crown Point Sectional semifinals on Thursday, when she went 3-for-4 with two doubles, a triple and four RBIs in Lake Central's 9-4 win against Munster. Tripp struck out in her first at-bat, but she tripled in the fourth inning ahead of senior shortstop Taylor Schafer's tying two-run homer, hit a two-run double in the fifth for a 5-2 lead and hit a two-run double in the seventh to make it 8-3. 'After my first at-bat, I was really just trying to get the ball where I know I could score runners because each time runners were in scoring position,' Tripp said. 'It was strategically how I could get them in, however I could. Anything for the team.' In a marquee matchup between Duneland Athletic Conference champion Lake Central (27-3), which is ranked No. 1 in the state coaches poll, and Northwest Crossroads Conference champion Munster (26-6), which is ranked No. 6, Tripp's approach didn't surprise Schafer. After all, Tripp is hitting .397 with a team-high six homers, 30 RBIs and 27 runs scored for the Indians, who ran their winning streak against Munster to 11 games dating to 2017 and advanced to play No. 4 Crown Point (26-4) in the sectional championship game on Friday. 'Great teammate,' Schafer said. 'She really does anything for the team, and it showed.' Last season, Tripp hit .348 with a homer and four RBIs in 23 at-bats for the varsity team and hit .592 with four homers and 34 RBIs in 71 at-bats for the junior varsity team. As a freshman, she hit .508 with eight homers and 43 RBIs on JV and went 2-for-2 on varsity. 'She's been fantastic,' Lake Central coach Yvette Tovar said. 'She's a super strong kid, mentally and physically. When she's up to bat and she hits the ball, if it's a ground ball, if it's a liner, if she hits it out, she's a very strong kid. 'She's one that we've really had to tell to keep things simple and get out of her head. She's so strong, she's usually wanting to hit it out, and it's like, 'You're strong enough, trust me. If you just hit the ball, you'll probably hit it out.' Just little by little. She's a very good kid. I'm glad she's only a junior. She's growing very well.' Tripp wants to continue to contribute this season. 'We've had a great season so far,' she said. 'We've kept going because our ultimate goal is we want to win state. That's just what we've been working toward all year. Everything we do is for that.'
Indianapolis Star
27-05-2025
- Sport
- Indianapolis Star
Five storylines to watch entering 2025 IHSAA baseball state tournament
The road to Victory Field for the IHSAA baseball state championship begins Wednesday. Here are five storylines to watch for once postseason play begins. You could make an argument that every team in Sectional 8 (Hamilton Southeastern, Fishers, Zionsville, Noblesville, Westfield and Carmel) has a legitimate shot at playing for a Class 4A title. Unfortunately, two title contenders won't make it out of the first day of the tournament. I'm not from Indiana. Maybe baseball fans prefer the current tournament format. My first job covering high school sports was in Massachusetts. Massachusetts uses power rankings that weighs average margin of victory, opponent ratings, team's overall rating (avg. margin + opponent rating) and the team's rating are adjusted for forfeits. The results are entered into a formula, and a power ranking is produced, allowing each team in a division to be seeded. I think it would be great for the regular season to have added meaning. Yes, baseball can be very random. A hot pitcher or a hot team can string together wins and get all the way to the state championship game. But I think rewarding teams with tough schedules, and teams with great regular seasons would be great too. Lake Central won a thrilling Class 4A state title over Mooresville in the longest championship game ever last season. Lake Central entered the season as the team to beat, and the Indians once again appear poised for a deep title run. Kentucky commit Joshua Flores is one of the top pitchers in the state. The righty is 7-0 with a 1.69 ERA and 57 strikeouts over 29 innings. Sophomore shortstop Parker Robinson is a top-120 prospect nationally per Prep Baseball Report. The 6-foot-4, 200-pound righty is batting .338 with 15 RBI, 10 doubles and seven stolen bases. Senior Drew Kosteba leads Lake Central with a .407 batting average, 36 RBIs, eight doubles, three triples and three home runs. Five of Lake Central's top seven batters are seniors. LC has three senior pitchers with ERAs under 2.20. The reigning champs are as deep as ever and the road to the 4A championship will likely go through the Indians. Cathedral won its first baseball state championship in 2001 playing in Class 3A. The Fighting Irish won state titles in 2007 and 2017 in Class 4A. Now the Irish are back in Class 3A and have a great chance at making a deep tournament run. Cathedral enters the tournament 17-9, but its daunting schedule should have the squad ready for the postseason. Cathedral has quality wins over Franklin, Mooresville and Carmel. The Irish lost by one to 4A title contender Center Grove and led reigning 4A champion Lake Central 2-0. Shortstop Army commit Eli Sinsabaugh is an elite table setter at the top of the lineup. IU commit Eli Bennett is a smooth-swinging lefty slugger. Senior Bo Cooper is a plus defender behind the plate, and Landon Hughes and Ethan Dorsey combine for a strong 1-2 punch on the mound. A dominant pitcher can carry a team through the postseason. These pitchers may be on teams without great records, but when they take the mound, their teams can hang with anyone in the state. The junior is 1-3 with 4.08 ERA and 63 strikeouts over 46⅓ innings. Carnes notched double-digits strikeouts twice, striking out 10 against Connersville and 11 against Warren Central. The DePauw commit has a 1-2 record with a 2.62 ERA and 48 strikeouts over 21⅓ innings. The South Florida commit has a 4-2 record with a 2.57 ERA and 53 strikeouts over 30 innings. The Dayton commit is 1-1 with a 3.43 ERA and 48 strikeouts over 32⅔ innings. The Mississippi State commit has a 3-2 record with a 1.56 ERA and 63 strikeouts over 31⅓ innings. The Kentucky commit has a 5-1 record with 51 strikeouts over 37⅔ innings. There may not be a hotter hitter in the state than Mooresville junior Tyler Denny. Over his last 10 games, Denny is 17-for-32 (.531) with 15 runs scored, 13 RBIs, seven doubles, one triple, three home runs and three stolen bases. He has six multi-hit games, a two-home run game against Plainfield, two five-RBI games and two games with three hits over that span.
