Area Baseball Teams Looking To Rebuild
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
Rebuilding is the theme for most of the area high school baseball teams. Many of the most talented baseball players this area has seen have now moved on to play in the college or professional ranks.
The Warsaw Tigers enter the 2005 baseball season with some big holes to fill. Gone are Brandon LaFollette, Sean Alderfer and Mark Sherman. LaFollette is currently playing baseball at Purdue, while Alderfer and Sherman are at Indiana Tech and Ancilla College, respectively. Both LaFollette and Alderfer were first team all-state selections in 2004. LaFollette, an outfielder for the Tigers, holds the single-season batting average record (.506) and is tied for the single-season home run record with Sherman. Both hit nine homers last year.
Despite such a loss of talent, Warsaw head coach Will Shepherd remains optimistic.
"We're looking forward to seeing who will step up and lead us," said Shepherd.
Shepherd knows that consistency and execution, however basic, will be two things that will go a long way in determining his team's success.
"Finding pitchers who consistently give us a chance to win is the key to our season," said Shepherd. "Execution on offense will be critical because our power game won't be as strong."
Situational hitting and the ability to move runners over will be key for the Tigers.
Senior Ryan Cox enters his senior campaign after racking up a .490 on-base percentage last year. Fellow senior Tyler Stouder starts the season with the team's second highest batting average at .318.
Cox returns to the Tigers with the most pitching experience. He toed the rubber for 22-2/3 innings last year and finished with a 2-1 record and an ERA of 3.40.
Tippecanoe Valley finished last season with a 20-9 record but fell to Norwell in its sectional semifinal and compiled a 4-3 record in the Three Rivers Conference.
While the Vikings lost such players as Brandon Cody and Derek Adamson, head coach Scott Backus feels good about the talent coming back.
"I am excited about the competition we will have for spots on the field this year," said Backus.
He does know that it will be a task to match the success last year's team had.
The 2004 version of the Vikings set 15 team records including most wins in a season.
That team also produced some individual talent.
Cody is currently playing baseball at Bethel while Adamson was an all-state honorable mention second basemen in 3A.
While Valley will have to replace several everyday players, the pitching staff looks solid. The Vikings return four pitchers who saw significant playing time last season.
Josh Baize went 4-0 last year with 38 strikeouts and a 3.19 ERA. Kyle Brown compiled a 3-0 record in 21 innings pitched. Keith Kindig went 3-2 last year, while Brandon Newcomer went 1-1 in just 11 innings.
Brown also returns as the team's most prolific hitter. The first baseman hit .386 last year and drove in 20 runs.
Triton suffered one of the biggest losses in the area when Todd Blackford graduated. Blackford is currently a pitcher in the Atlanta Braves organization. The Trojans went 11-17 before losing in the sectional championship to Michigan City Marquette last year.
Seniors Gary Smathers, Daniel Stichter and Jeremiah Fisher look to lead a team that's had a year to grow.
That gives head coach Ted Doty confidence and a lofty goal despite the loss of Blackford.
"We were very young last year. Hopefully, last year's experience and a year of growth will help us win the sectional title this year," said Doty.
Manchester looks to improve from its 13-17 record. That record is a bit deceiving since the Squires did finish with a conference record of 5-2 and advanced to the sectional final before losing to Cass.
Nick Poe, Joe Egner, Evan Speicher and Andrew Evans are charged with leading this year's head coach Jack Rupley's Manchester squad.
Whitko may have the largest task in replacing talent. Graduated pitcher Noah Shepherd was the winner of all 12 games the Wildcats won over the past two years.
Head coach Lance Hershberger hopes seniors Travis Christman, Tristan Brubaker, Nate Hart, Erich Schlicht and Jarad Eberly will provide some pop in the lineup this year.
"We will be a better hitting and offensive team, but will still rely on 'little ball,'" said Hershberger.
Wawasee is off to a solid start this season that has included a 12-8 season opening win over Manchester. The Warriors' offensive punch will come from Ryan Beer, Ben Champoux and Aaron Christner. The Warriors will look to develop a solid pitching staff without graduated hurler Jason McDowell.
The Warriors will have an experienced squad as only four players are gone from last year's team and look to improve in head coach Mike Headman's second year.
AREA PREP BOYS GOLF PREVIEW CAPSULES
MANCHESTER SQUIRES
Head coach/years - Jack Rupley/sixth
2004 record/postseason result - 13-17 overall and 5-2 in the TRC/lost to Cass in sectional final
Key losses - Chris Frantz, Dan Jones, Keaton Patrick, Ryan Roth
Returning - Joe Egner, Nick Poe, Evan Speicher, Andrew Evans
Coach's comment - "We will have 10 lettermen returning. Consistent pitching will be the key."
TIPPECANOE VALLEY VIKINGS
Head coach/years - Scott Backus/sixth
2004 record/postseason result - 20-9 overall and 4-3 in the TRC/lost to Norwell in sectional
Key losses - Brandon Cody, Derek Adamson, Britton Burkhart, Stuart Jackson, David Beyers
Returning - Kyle Brown, Brandon Newcomer, Keith Kindig, Jason Sausaman, Kyle Howard
Coach's comment - "We have the physical ability to be competitive in every game we play, the key is if we can stay focused mentally."
TRITON TROJANS
Head coach/years - Ted Doty/fourth
2004 record/postseason result - 11-17 overall and 6-8 in the NSC/lost to Michigan City Marquette in sectional final
Key losses - Todd Blackford, Braxton Barton, Jordan Sauer
Returning - Daniel Stichter, Jeremiah Fisher, Gary Smathers, James Grunnels, Kyle Whiteman
Coach's comment - "If we can find a way to produce runs, we should be competitive."
WARSAW TIGERS
Head coach/years - Will Shepherd/10th
2004 record/postseason result - 13-15 overall and 6-8 in the NLC/lost to Columbia City in sectional
Key losses - Brandon LaFollette, Sean Alderfer, Mark Sherman
Returning - Ryan Cox, Tyler Stouder, Jordan Williams, Derek Freds
Coach's comment - "We had a productive winter and preseason. We will be more inexperienced than we have been to start a season."
WAWASEE WARRIORS
Head coach/years - Mike Headman/second
2004 record/postseason result - 9-17 overall and 4-10 in the NLC/lost to Angola in sectional
Key losses - Jason McDowell, Trevor Brown, Matt Chupp, Chrisk Mock
Returning - Bryan Allen, Ethan Drent, Ryan Christner, Aaron Hoover, Daniel Hoover, Ben Champoux
Coach's comment - "If we put the ball in play and play solid defense, we'll be fine."
WHITKO WILDCATS
Head coach/years - Lance Hershberger/third
2004 record/postseason result - 5-17 overall and 1-6 in the TRC/lost to Fort Wayne Wayne in sectional
Key loss - Noah Shepherd
Returning - Travis Christman, Tristan Brubaker, Brandon Reiff, Nate Hart, Erich Schlicht
Coach's comment - "We were young last year and fielded extremely poor. If we can field better and our pitchers step up, we can be okay." [[In-content Ad]]
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Rebuilding is the theme for most of the area high school baseball teams. Many of the most talented baseball players this area has seen have now moved on to play in the college or professional ranks.
The Warsaw Tigers enter the 2005 baseball season with some big holes to fill. Gone are Brandon LaFollette, Sean Alderfer and Mark Sherman. LaFollette is currently playing baseball at Purdue, while Alderfer and Sherman are at Indiana Tech and Ancilla College, respectively. Both LaFollette and Alderfer were first team all-state selections in 2004. LaFollette, an outfielder for the Tigers, holds the single-season batting average record (.506) and is tied for the single-season home run record with Sherman. Both hit nine homers last year.
Despite such a loss of talent, Warsaw head coach Will Shepherd remains optimistic.
"We're looking forward to seeing who will step up and lead us," said Shepherd.
Shepherd knows that consistency and execution, however basic, will be two things that will go a long way in determining his team's success.
"Finding pitchers who consistently give us a chance to win is the key to our season," said Shepherd. "Execution on offense will be critical because our power game won't be as strong."
Situational hitting and the ability to move runners over will be key for the Tigers.
Senior Ryan Cox enters his senior campaign after racking up a .490 on-base percentage last year. Fellow senior Tyler Stouder starts the season with the team's second highest batting average at .318.
Cox returns to the Tigers with the most pitching experience. He toed the rubber for 22-2/3 innings last year and finished with a 2-1 record and an ERA of 3.40.
Tippecanoe Valley finished last season with a 20-9 record but fell to Norwell in its sectional semifinal and compiled a 4-3 record in the Three Rivers Conference.
While the Vikings lost such players as Brandon Cody and Derek Adamson, head coach Scott Backus feels good about the talent coming back.
"I am excited about the competition we will have for spots on the field this year," said Backus.
He does know that it will be a task to match the success last year's team had.
The 2004 version of the Vikings set 15 team records including most wins in a season.
That team also produced some individual talent.
Cody is currently playing baseball at Bethel while Adamson was an all-state honorable mention second basemen in 3A.
While Valley will have to replace several everyday players, the pitching staff looks solid. The Vikings return four pitchers who saw significant playing time last season.
Josh Baize went 4-0 last year with 38 strikeouts and a 3.19 ERA. Kyle Brown compiled a 3-0 record in 21 innings pitched. Keith Kindig went 3-2 last year, while Brandon Newcomer went 1-1 in just 11 innings.
Brown also returns as the team's most prolific hitter. The first baseman hit .386 last year and drove in 20 runs.
Triton suffered one of the biggest losses in the area when Todd Blackford graduated. Blackford is currently a pitcher in the Atlanta Braves organization. The Trojans went 11-17 before losing in the sectional championship to Michigan City Marquette last year.
Seniors Gary Smathers, Daniel Stichter and Jeremiah Fisher look to lead a team that's had a year to grow.
That gives head coach Ted Doty confidence and a lofty goal despite the loss of Blackford.
"We were very young last year. Hopefully, last year's experience and a year of growth will help us win the sectional title this year," said Doty.
Manchester looks to improve from its 13-17 record. That record is a bit deceiving since the Squires did finish with a conference record of 5-2 and advanced to the sectional final before losing to Cass.
Nick Poe, Joe Egner, Evan Speicher and Andrew Evans are charged with leading this year's head coach Jack Rupley's Manchester squad.
Whitko may have the largest task in replacing talent. Graduated pitcher Noah Shepherd was the winner of all 12 games the Wildcats won over the past two years.
Head coach Lance Hershberger hopes seniors Travis Christman, Tristan Brubaker, Nate Hart, Erich Schlicht and Jarad Eberly will provide some pop in the lineup this year.
"We will be a better hitting and offensive team, but will still rely on 'little ball,'" said Hershberger.
Wawasee is off to a solid start this season that has included a 12-8 season opening win over Manchester. The Warriors' offensive punch will come from Ryan Beer, Ben Champoux and Aaron Christner. The Warriors will look to develop a solid pitching staff without graduated hurler Jason McDowell.
The Warriors will have an experienced squad as only four players are gone from last year's team and look to improve in head coach Mike Headman's second year.
AREA PREP BOYS GOLF PREVIEW CAPSULES
MANCHESTER SQUIRES
Head coach/years - Jack Rupley/sixth
2004 record/postseason result - 13-17 overall and 5-2 in the TRC/lost to Cass in sectional final
Key losses - Chris Frantz, Dan Jones, Keaton Patrick, Ryan Roth
Returning - Joe Egner, Nick Poe, Evan Speicher, Andrew Evans
Coach's comment - "We will have 10 lettermen returning. Consistent pitching will be the key."
TIPPECANOE VALLEY VIKINGS
Head coach/years - Scott Backus/sixth
2004 record/postseason result - 20-9 overall and 4-3 in the TRC/lost to Norwell in sectional
Key losses - Brandon Cody, Derek Adamson, Britton Burkhart, Stuart Jackson, David Beyers
Returning - Kyle Brown, Brandon Newcomer, Keith Kindig, Jason Sausaman, Kyle Howard
Coach's comment - "We have the physical ability to be competitive in every game we play, the key is if we can stay focused mentally."
TRITON TROJANS
Head coach/years - Ted Doty/fourth
2004 record/postseason result - 11-17 overall and 6-8 in the NSC/lost to Michigan City Marquette in sectional final
Key losses - Todd Blackford, Braxton Barton, Jordan Sauer
Returning - Daniel Stichter, Jeremiah Fisher, Gary Smathers, James Grunnels, Kyle Whiteman
Coach's comment - "If we can find a way to produce runs, we should be competitive."
WARSAW TIGERS
Head coach/years - Will Shepherd/10th
2004 record/postseason result - 13-15 overall and 6-8 in the NLC/lost to Columbia City in sectional
Key losses - Brandon LaFollette, Sean Alderfer, Mark Sherman
Returning - Ryan Cox, Tyler Stouder, Jordan Williams, Derek Freds
Coach's comment - "We had a productive winter and preseason. We will be more inexperienced than we have been to start a season."
WAWASEE WARRIORS
Head coach/years - Mike Headman/second
2004 record/postseason result - 9-17 overall and 4-10 in the NLC/lost to Angola in sectional
Key losses - Jason McDowell, Trevor Brown, Matt Chupp, Chrisk Mock
Returning - Bryan Allen, Ethan Drent, Ryan Christner, Aaron Hoover, Daniel Hoover, Ben Champoux
Coach's comment - "If we put the ball in play and play solid defense, we'll be fine."
WHITKO WILDCATS
Head coach/years - Lance Hershberger/third
2004 record/postseason result - 5-17 overall and 1-6 in the TRC/lost to Fort Wayne Wayne in sectional
Key loss - Noah Shepherd
Returning - Travis Christman, Tristan Brubaker, Brandon Reiff, Nate Hart, Erich Schlicht
Coach's comment - "We were young last year and fielded extremely poor. If we can field better and our pitchers step up, we can be okay." [[In-content Ad]]