EVANSVILLE — Could we witness another chaotic baseball season within the Southern Indiana Athletic Conference?
Nothing would surprise me after the last two springs resulted in a trio of co-conference champions – the only times that has occurred in the history of the conference. The answer to the question is an emphatic yes following this week’s events.
Who had the best showing? Who emerged as legitimate title contenders? A few thoughts from the start of SIAC conference play and who is standing out in the Pocket Athletic Conference race:
Mater Dei made an early statement with extra-inning victory
It’s going to be very difficult to top what happened in Newburgh.
Class 2A No. 1 Mater Dei defeated Castle 7-5 in 11 innings in the obvious choice for Game of the Week. The sheer totals were impressive and exhausting: 343 pitches, 20 strikeouts, 19 hits, nine walks, seven pitchers, and only one error. This game was tracking for a crisp 90 minutes until neither side relented. The ultimate tally was three hours of good high school baseball.
The Wildcats led 4-0 after two innings before giving up a four-spot in the fourth. Nick Collins broke the tie with a single in the eighth. Liam Harris answered in the bottom half for the Knights. Mater Dei finally scratched across two in the 11th on a Spencer Schiff sacrifice fly and a Max Miller single. Castle had the winning run at the plate in the bottom half, too.
Dylan Ahola struck out four in two scoreless innings to finally send everybody home.
“That’s what you want out of your team,” Mater Dei coach Adam Wildeman said. “At the end of the day, it’s not about being perfect. It’s about coming out on top and finding a way to win. That’s exactly what we did.”
The obvious takeaway? Mater Dei has the framework to make another lengthy postseason run. The Wildcats didn’t play flawless baseball (curious how many runners were left on base), nor should that be the standard. There was still plenty to like this week between a talented lineup and an even better pitching staff.
Three pitchers combined to allow five hits in a 6-1 win over Central. Cole Breeden looked sharp until the second time through the order against Castle, but Darret Branson (five strikeouts in five innings) and Ahola picked up the slack in relief.
“It just shows that we have the resiliency,” Miller said. “We’re not going to give up no matter what happens. We had a lull in the middle of the game, but kept coming back. It’s a great win for our team and huge momentum if we come back to practice every day and work hard.”
This could also be a pivotal moment for a lineup featuring six sophomores. Any form of success, whether in the SIAC or the postseason, requires one or two results like this. Mater Dei found a repeatable formula to build upon.
“We put a good week together,” Wildeman said. “Now, it’s onto the next one. We’re not going to overlook any opponent. We know the SIAC is tough. We’re going to face a lot of really good teams and need to stay in the present.”
Who else started undefeated in the SIAC?
It’s way too early to label any legitimate favorites. A few earned a head start, though.
Mater Dei, Jasper and Vincennes Lincoln are in first place at 2-0. The latter two had wildly different performances in their victories. Start with the Wildcats, who beat Memorial (8-4) and run-ruled Harrison (19-4). Jasper needed six runs in the sixth to overcome a rough start against the Tigers at Braun Stadium. Drake Hagan (two-run triple) and Kaiden Schmidt were the catalysts with two hits apiece.
The Wildcats raced out to a 14-0 lead versus the Warriors. Schmidt had three more hits and five RBIs. Whether Jasper repeats as SIAC champions or fights for more postseason success will depend on pitching.
“We’re not going to win a lot of games on velocity,” Jasper coach Terry Gobert said. “To turn two double plays (against Memorial) was huge for us. I want to see us compete. I don’t know how we’re flat at Braun Stadium against Memorial for the conference opener. We jumped them hard. Then you get something going, and the kids competed. We’re just not good enough to put a hat out there.”
Vincennes started with a 14-1, five-inning win over Bosse. An 8-3 victory against Reitz at Bosse Field was much tougher. The Alices needed seven runs over the final two innings to leave Evansville with a 2-0 record. Brady Anderson struck out seven in 5 1/3 innings, and Texas A&M commit Cooper Collins had two doubles. A big game is looming at Mater Dei next week.
The four teams are one game back: North, Castle, Reitz, and Central.
Nobody should overlook Castle after those performances
It feels odd to ever label the Knights underdogs. The only reason to pause expectations was the sheer totality of starters who graduated from last season, including most of the pitching rotation.
Any doubt feels silly following this week.
Castle defeated 4A No. 4 North 5-1 on Tuesday. Cincinnati commit Preston Seidl was solid on the mound with nine strikeouts and six hits allowed (on an eye-opening 115 pitches) in a complete game. The Knights got timely hitting across the lineup. It was exactly what one expects from a Curt Welch-coached team.
The loss to Mater Dei was much of the same. Grant Rhinefort was called upon quickly in relief and allowed only two runs in 6 2/3 innings. Seidl ripped a two-run triple into the left field corner. Wyatt Vaughan, Logan Drake, and Harris had two hits apiece. Castle was one swing from a perfect start against two opponents who reached Victory Field last season.
“We just expect them to go out and play,” Welch said after the North victory. “Sometimes, they do. Sometimes, they don’t. That’s the age. Seidl did a great job on the mound. North’s got a really good team. He came out there and didn’t have a couple pitches. He just competed.”
Who stands out in the Pocket Athletic Conference?
There is so much possible variance in a 12-game schedule. I can still say with confidence the PAC championship will likely be a two-team race based on the opening third of games.
Gibson Southern and Heritage Hills are the lone undefeated teams at 4-0 through two weeks. The Titans have rolled through conference play by an aggregate of 37-5 with only Forest Park (a 4-3 comeback victory on April 7) playing within seven runs. The Patriots matched with run-rule victories over North Posey and Boonville this week.
Neither start is a surprise. Gibson Southern has the pitching to go deep in the tournament – Brogan McCllean allowed three hits against Boonville and Jake Mazzier delivered a no-hitter with 13 strikeouts versus Mount Vernon. Heritage Hills is averaging 11.3 runs per game and batting .416 as a team. Micah Toler already has 20 hits through eight games.
Let’s repeat something: we’ve barely made a dent in the PAC schedule. Southridge, Washington and North Posey only have one loss. But unless a surprise or two happens, the Heritage Hills at Gibson Southern matchup on April 30 should produce the frontrunner.
Other thoughts from high school baseball this week
Kyle Sokeland is a sports reporter for the Courier & Press. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @kylesokeland or email at kyle.sokeland@courierpress.com.
This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: What we learned from the first week of SIAC baseball conference games
Reporting by Kyle Sokeland, Evansville Courier & Press / Evansville Courier & Press
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