Warsaw To Host Baseball Regional Tuesday
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
After capturing the Fort Wayne Carroll Sectional title, several Warsaw baseball players dumped a jug of ice water on first-year head coach Mike Hepler.
It seems like the Tigers are getting pretty good at leaving others with a cold feeling.
Warsaw fell to Columbia City in both ends of a doubleheader early in the season. The Tigers then came back Thursday night to upend the Eagles 1-0 for their first sectional crown since 2003 and third since 1996.
Revenge is sweet.
That 2003 squad had the likes of seniors Ryan DeGeeter, Josh Stork, William Knepper and Berto Nunez.
This year's Warsaw squad is led by seniors Kyler Mylin, Bryan Brumbaugh, Matt Ransbottom, Evan Lancaster and Mark Sudhoff.
Mylin scored Warsaw's lone run against Columbia City while Ransbottom was masterful for six innings before running into some control issues in the bottom of the seventh.
Ransbottom, 10-1 on the year, has allowed just 70 hits in 83-1/3 innings while striking out 69. Ransbottom, who is headed to IPFW to play for the Mastadons this fall, also has a 2.35 ERA on the year.
Ransbottom, Mylin, junior Justin Hanson and sophomore Jordan Kistler were named to the All-Northern Lakes Conference team while Derek Freds and Braden Kline earned honorable mention recognition.
After exacting revenge on Columbia City, the Tigers now turn their attention toward Fort Wayne Snider.
The two teams will square off in a one-game regional Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. on the campus of Warsaw Community High School.
The Panthers are one of the elite teams in the northern half of the state and most pundits expect them to have a big say in who represents northern Indiana in the 4A state finals.
That doesn't concern the Tigers.
"I think they're at a point where they know upsetting a team like Fort Wayne Snider could send shockwaves through the state," Hepler said of his players.
Snider already has been to Warsaw this year, defeating the host Tigers 3-1 in the opener of the Tiger Classic. Snider then went on to win the championship with an 8-0 victory over always-tough Lake Central.
The Panthers are 22-6 on the year and earned a regional berth with a 3-0 win over Homestead Thursday afternoon.
Snider was led by southpaw Chris LaGrow (6-0), who struck out 10 while allowing just two hits and giving up a walk.
Warsaw didn't face LaGrow earlier in the year, but Snider didn't face Ransbottom as Kistler took the bump for the Tigers.
Kistler allowed just one run in six innings against Snider.
Hanson leads the Tigers with a .379 batting average in the regular season.
No Tiger player has more than 20 RBI. Kistler has 19 RBI on the season with a .346 batting avereage and a home run.
Hans Sale has the most home runs for Warsaw with three.
The Tigers lack a lot of power as a team with just 12 homers on the year but are batting .303 as team and have scored 139 runs.
Warsaw averages 5.1 runs per game. And with the 1-2 pitching combo of Ransbottom and Kistler, the Tigers, on paper, should have a chance to win most games.
The community is abuzz over Warsaw's success. Little League games have been canceled Tuesday in order to allow for a bigger crowd.
Warsaw's baseball field normally seats just 200, but with Snider, a school that always travels well, the Warsaw Athletic Department brought in four portable seating units that hold 75 spectators each, bumping the capacity to 500.
There also will be additional portable bathrooms on site.
Whether or not the stadium is at, below or past capacity, Hepler and his squad expect it to be a tight contest and a contest Warsaw is definitely capable of winning.
"We just need to make things happen in terms of putting the ball in play, moving runners over and laying down bunts," said Hepler. "And if we keep playing defense the way we have been, we have a good chance."
With solid pitching, unselfish hitters and a defense that has shown flashes of brilliance, Snider may be the next stop on the 2006 Tiger revenge tour.
If that's the case, Warsaw would move on to Saturday's 4A Lafayette Jefferson Semistate. [[In-content Ad]]
After capturing the Fort Wayne Carroll Sectional title, several Warsaw baseball players dumped a jug of ice water on first-year head coach Mike Hepler.
It seems like the Tigers are getting pretty good at leaving others with a cold feeling.
Warsaw fell to Columbia City in both ends of a doubleheader early in the season. The Tigers then came back Thursday night to upend the Eagles 1-0 for their first sectional crown since 2003 and third since 1996.
Revenge is sweet.
That 2003 squad had the likes of seniors Ryan DeGeeter, Josh Stork, William Knepper and Berto Nunez.
This year's Warsaw squad is led by seniors Kyler Mylin, Bryan Brumbaugh, Matt Ransbottom, Evan Lancaster and Mark Sudhoff.
Mylin scored Warsaw's lone run against Columbia City while Ransbottom was masterful for six innings before running into some control issues in the bottom of the seventh.
Ransbottom, 10-1 on the year, has allowed just 70 hits in 83-1/3 innings while striking out 69. Ransbottom, who is headed to IPFW to play for the Mastadons this fall, also has a 2.35 ERA on the year.
Ransbottom, Mylin, junior Justin Hanson and sophomore Jordan Kistler were named to the All-Northern Lakes Conference team while Derek Freds and Braden Kline earned honorable mention recognition.
After exacting revenge on Columbia City, the Tigers now turn their attention toward Fort Wayne Snider.
The two teams will square off in a one-game regional Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. on the campus of Warsaw Community High School.
The Panthers are one of the elite teams in the northern half of the state and most pundits expect them to have a big say in who represents northern Indiana in the 4A state finals.
That doesn't concern the Tigers.
"I think they're at a point where they know upsetting a team like Fort Wayne Snider could send shockwaves through the state," Hepler said of his players.
Snider already has been to Warsaw this year, defeating the host Tigers 3-1 in the opener of the Tiger Classic. Snider then went on to win the championship with an 8-0 victory over always-tough Lake Central.
The Panthers are 22-6 on the year and earned a regional berth with a 3-0 win over Homestead Thursday afternoon.
Snider was led by southpaw Chris LaGrow (6-0), who struck out 10 while allowing just two hits and giving up a walk.
Warsaw didn't face LaGrow earlier in the year, but Snider didn't face Ransbottom as Kistler took the bump for the Tigers.
Kistler allowed just one run in six innings against Snider.
Hanson leads the Tigers with a .379 batting average in the regular season.
No Tiger player has more than 20 RBI. Kistler has 19 RBI on the season with a .346 batting avereage and a home run.
Hans Sale has the most home runs for Warsaw with three.
The Tigers lack a lot of power as a team with just 12 homers on the year but are batting .303 as team and have scored 139 runs.
Warsaw averages 5.1 runs per game. And with the 1-2 pitching combo of Ransbottom and Kistler, the Tigers, on paper, should have a chance to win most games.
The community is abuzz over Warsaw's success. Little League games have been canceled Tuesday in order to allow for a bigger crowd.
Warsaw's baseball field normally seats just 200, but with Snider, a school that always travels well, the Warsaw Athletic Department brought in four portable seating units that hold 75 spectators each, bumping the capacity to 500.
There also will be additional portable bathrooms on site.
Whether or not the stadium is at, below or past capacity, Hepler and his squad expect it to be a tight contest and a contest Warsaw is definitely capable of winning.
"We just need to make things happen in terms of putting the ball in play, moving runners over and laying down bunts," said Hepler. "And if we keep playing defense the way we have been, we have a good chance."
With solid pitching, unselfish hitters and a defense that has shown flashes of brilliance, Snider may be the next stop on the 2006 Tiger revenge tour.
If that's the case, Warsaw would move on to Saturday's 4A Lafayette Jefferson Semistate. [[In-content Ad]]