After an action-packed week of sectionals action, only two baseball teams are left standing from East Central Indiana.
Delta and Monroe Central will both seek regional championships on Saturday, June 7, at Oak Hill High School. The Golden Bears (11-15) will take on North Miami (18-12) in the first game at 11 a.m., and the Eagles (15-10) will face Norwell (18-8) in the afternoon game at 3 p.m.
Both schools are looking to make history on Saturday. Delta is seeking a third-consecutive regional title to mark the first regional three-peat in program history, while Monroe Central is seeking its first regional title ever.
Here’s a quick breakdown of each matchup before the Eagles and Golden Bears attempt to keep their seasons alive on Saturday at Oak Hill:
Monroe Central seeks first-ever baseball regional title
A win over North Miami would mark a truly unprecedented run for Monroe Central. The Golden Bears entered the postseason with a sub-.500 record but have gotten healthy at the right time to grind out a sectional semifinal win over Blue River Valley before run-ruling Cambridge City Lincoln in the sectional final. After bringing home their first sectional since 2014, the Golden Bears have all the momentum they need to make even more history.
Monroe Central is a young squad with most of its offensive production coming from underclassmen. Sophomores Caleb Luedike (1.209 OPS) and Jed Ferguson (1.021 OPS) are the biggest threats at the plate, while seniors Levi Pence (0.891 OPS) and Kyler Bogue (two home runs) bring some solid power at the bottom of the lineup. On the mound, Luedike is coming off a gem in the sectional championship and leads the team with a 1.77 ERA over 35⅔ innings pitched, but Monroe Central’s rotation goes deep, with junior Isaac Middleton and sophomore Myles Oliphant also contributing solid innings.
On the other hand, North Miami’s most productive players are seniors, with Ryan Meredith leading the team in batting average at .420 and Lake Musall leading the team in OPS at 1.085. Junior Logan Smith is another power-hitting threat with five home runs on the season, tied for sixth in Class 1A. On the mound, senior Braylon McIntire is the Warriors’ ace, with a 7-2 record and a 4.96 ERA over 59⅓ innings.
Delta goes for three-peat in revenge game vs. Norwell
Unlike Monroe Central, Delta will be familiar with its regional opponent, as the Eagles took a visit to Norwell during the regular season on Monday, May 4. The Knights got the better of the Eagles that day, winning 11-1 in six innings, but Delta will get another chance with the season on the line for both teams.
Delta’s lineup looks quite different compared to last year’s regional champion, as the Eagles graduated 10 seniors from that team. Senior Everrett Linn is the most productive holdover from last year’s roster and leads the team with a .400 batting average and ranks second with a 1.002 OPS. Fellow seniors Maddox Huffman (team-high 1.109 OPS) and Kaden Crist (a 0.394 batting average that ranks second on the team behind Linn) have also enjoyed breakout seasons at the plate. Delta employs a deep pitching rotation led by senior Ayden Mitchell, who has only gotten better as the season has gone on, junior Sebastian Gillum, who recently returned from injury, and Huffman, an IU-Kokomo commit who has firmly established himself as one of the state’s most reliable relief arms.
Norwell also has an excellent, deep pitching staff featuring senior Noah Schamerloh (1.42 ERA over 49⅓ innings), sophomore Dylan Chism (1.16 ERA over 48⅓ innings), junior Brayden Huffman (1.94 ERA over 18 innings), and senior reliever Cayden Cassel (0.89 ERA over 23⅔ innings). The Eagles only managed three hits against Brayden Huffman the first time the two faced off, but they’re more likely to see Schamerloh, who pitched for the Knights in the sectional championship, this time around.
Offensively, Schamerloh, Chism and Cassel are all reliable hitters for Norwell, with each one boasting a batting average higher than .370 and an OPS over 1. Junior Trey Privett (1.022 OPS), senior Will Case (0.959 OPS) and junior Drew Jolley (three home runs) are also big-time threats at the plate.
Contact Cade Hampton via email at cbhampton@usatodayco.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @CadeHamp10.
This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: Previewing IHSAA baseball regional matchups for Delta and Monroe Central
Reporting by Cade Hampton, Muncie Star Press / Muncie Star Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Cade Hampton, Muncie Star Press | USA TODAY Network
