Northwest Indiana Top-10 Week-1, 2008 High School 'Renegade' Poll 3-26-2008
	A USA-365.com Special Report by Mark Smith

MERRILLVILLE, IN (03-26-2008) With Andrean, Lowell and South Central all reaching the state finals, 2007 was a good year for softball in Northwest Indiana.  It could be better than that this season.  At least nine teams (Lowell, Lake Central, Andrean, Crown Point, Whiting, Hanover Central, Griffith, Munster, and Wheeler) all return their No. 1 pitcher and seven of those teams (Whiting only uses one pitcher) return their top two pitchers.

In a game still dominated more than any other by the girl with the ball, teams that have veteran starting pitchers begin the season a couple of steps ahead of teams that don't.  That's why there's a legitimate chance of four state finalists from Northwest Indiana for the first time.  Legitimate because more than one team has the ability and the credibility to make it in each of the four classes.

Munster (96-20-2), Portage (88-32-3) and Chesterton (97-18-1) will have good teams, but not quite at the won-loss levels they've posted the last four seasons.  In South Lake County this spring, it's going to be hard to find a softball team you don't like.

Everybody can't play at the same level.  20 wins at Whiting is not the same as 20 wins at Crown Point.  Portage winning an 8-team 4A sectional is vastly more difficult than Wheeler winning a 5-team 2A sectional.  Strength of schedule is the number one barometer in judging high school teams and anybody who says it isn't probably believes that the trillion dollars we've burned in Iraq is well spent.

For the sake of the sport, you'd like to see improvement at Hammond, Valparaiso, Merrillville and Michigan City.  But the new league formations should make the Northwest Crossroads (Lowell, Andrean, Griffith, Hobart, Kankakee Valley, Munster and Highland) the most balanced league while the Greater South Shore (Bishop Noll, North Newton, Lake Station, River Forest, Calumet, Whiting, Marquette and Wheeler) is perhaps the most unbalanced.  There may be a changing of the guard in the Duneland Conference.  Lake Central is a clear cut favorite, but new faces have to fill old spaces at Portage and Chesterton while Crown Point and Valparaiso are on the rise.

Winds of change continue to blow.  You may have seen the state proposal to switch the state tournament to three classes.  Don't bet against it, because that could surely happen in a depression era economy where $5 per gallon gas is possible in the next decade.

Schools like Andrean, which have built great programs on the philosophy of travel and tournament (they play six regular season tournaments this year) play, may have to cut back.  Schools like Lake Central (3,053 students) and Crown Point (estimated 2,500) continue to grow at alarming rates.  One thing is certain.  There will be change.

1.  (3A) ANDREAN (29-3)
26-4 (2006), 32-3 (2005), 29-5 (2004), 27-2 (2003)

MERRILLVILLE:  The defending 3A state champion will improve in 2008 if senior pitcher Nicole Derezinski is 100% healthy.  Sophomore Alyssa Mosely (18-3) returns after a freshman season where she won seven consecutive playoff games including the state final.  The Niners goals may be to do the things they did not do in 2007.  Win the Twin Lakes Invitational,  and the Northwest Crossroads Conference title.  Get the best of 4A rival Lowell, a team that beat Andrean twice last season.  But when the playoffs come, it will take a major upset to keep the 59ers from the regional and there is not a 3A team right now that would be favored to keep the Niners from returning to the state championships.  The Niners continue to boast an undisputed truth.  Playing weekend tournaments is better for your team than playing single non-conference games.  Andrean continues to be the only school in Northwest Indiana which exhibits the philosophy that you must play the toughest schedule you can find.  The 59ers play in tournaments at Center Grove, LaPorte, Crown Point, Mishawaka, Monticello and Dowagiac, Michigan in 2008.  Until other teams do the same thing, Andrean will always have an edge on the field in NW Indiana.

2.  (4A) LAKE CENTRAL (21-6)
25-8 (2006), 32-1 (2005), 29-3 (2004), 32-3-1 (2003)

ST. JOHN:  Lake Central remains Lake County's dominant big school softball program and they are well-stocked in pitching for 2008.  LC returns the Duneland Athletic Conference (DAC) MVP in pitcher Rachel Weaver (12-3), not to mention right-hander Jessica Dobson (7-3), a two-year varsity veteran.  The physically imposing duo can scare a weak opposition into a half dozen strikeouts.  Jen Kosinski, Allison Aguilera and Sara Shields all return as core seniors.  Because LC lost 3-1 to Munster at the sectional in 2007 (breaking a string of six consecutive sectional championships), it's easy to forget the Indians won the DAC last year and had the league MVP.  LC's two top pitchers are the equal of anyone and the schedule they play is second probably only to Andrean's in difficulty and then only because LC plays a couple more home games.  LC plays the first 12 games on the road and that's how you win.  Home games are for mom and dad.  Road tournaments are for trophies.  LC plays at tourneys at McCutcheon and Pendleton Heights.  They also ride the big yellow bus to Carmel and Brownsburg.  With Chesterton and Portage having graduated all-state pitchers in 2007, LC is the pre-season favorite to win the DAC again and they'll have something to prove in the post-season.  It's going to be very tough to score against Lake Central.

3.  (4A) LOWELL (30-7)
23-7 (2006), 21-10 (2005), 20-9 (2004)

LOWELL:  Lowell returns 29 victories on the pitching staff with senior Allyssa Reed (15-4) and Kaitlyn Bolanowski (14-3) and, unlike LC and Andrean, the Devils also return an all-state candidate at catcher in Katherine Allert (.310, 23 RBIs).  No one else in NW Indiana returns two senior pitchers and an all-state catcher.  So there.  But the Devils lost No. 3 hitter Kelly Johnson to graduation and their task will be to produce the same amount of runs they scored last year.  Coach Pete Iussig hints that Lowell will return to their bunt and slap offensive roots, something they got away from the last couple of years because they were loaded with good right-handed hitters.  The Devils need Jacqui Fletcher (.343, 30 runs scored) and Becca Nida (.409, 22 runs) to rattle other teams.  If Megan Bolanowski (.309) can replace Johnson at short defensively, Lowell will be fine.  Lowell can be just as good as they were in 2007, but they still have to get by Lake Central (21-6) and Munster (24-7) again and both of those teams return their top two pitchers as well.  Lowell, which is a school of about 1,200, has a different scheduling philosophy.  The Devils' strength of schedule rides on the strength of their big school friends in the neighboring Duneland Athletic Conference (DAC).  Lowell plays six of the eight DAC teams every year.  When the DAC is strong, as it was last year, Lowell's schedule is very strong.  But the DAC is off peak levels in 2008 so Lowell's non conference schedule isn't as tough as it usually is.  On the other hand, the Northwest Crossroads Conference (NWCC) really doesn't have a bad team and Lowell plays 12 NWCC games, including two with 3A state champ Andrean.

4.  (2A) HANOVER CENTRAL (20-10)
16-14 (2006), 26-5-3 (2005), 25-7 (2004)

CEDAR LAKE:  Hanover has the best 2A team, but they probably had the best 2A team last year and Wheeler beat them 2-1 at the Wheeler Sectional.  The Lady Cats won the Porter County Conference (PCC) championship behind freshman pitchers Jessica Toth (9-5, 1.43 ERA) and Kelsey Jankowski (8-4, 1.60 ERA), who, barring injury, will be just as good or better than they were in 2007.  The Cats need more offense and that should come naturally as two-thirds of the batting order returns older and wiser.  Junior shortstop Kara Gilbert and second baseman Lindsay Thompson are playing together for the third consecutive season and seniors Alisha Janes, Danielle Sampagnaro, Shannon Kiraly and Anna Plassmann are three-year varsity players.  Morgan Austgen (.313) will have a breakthrough season on offense.  Hanover always starts slowly because they play Munster, Chesterton and Lowell in the first three weeks and they always have girls on spring break or other injuries or absences.  This year, add CP and Andrean to the first month of play for the Lady Cats and they could be 6-6 at one point in April.  But 2A Hanover faces four 4A schools early and when they get to 2A and 3A foes, they will roll.  Everybody has a hard luck story, but if Gilbert (.377) isn't ill and doesn't miss the sectional loss to Wheeler, that very close game may have gone differently in the first inning.  The Lady Cats probably don't have quite enough to win the Twin Lakes Invitational, which features Lowell, Andrean and state power McCutcheon.  But they could win the LaVille Invitational with Winamac, Clinton Prairie, Marquette and 3A power Mishawaka Marian.  HC’s tough schedule is the reason they win the eight team PCC tournament in May almost every year.  The PCC won't be especially strong this year, but HC is the favorite over Boone Grove and Morgan Township.  But Hanover Central was 0-2 against Wheeler last season and they ended the year early.  The entire season comes down to one game in late May against Wheeler.

5.  (4A) CROWN POINT (16-14)
2006 (13-14), 2005 (12-14), 2004 (8-19), 2003 (16-16)

CROWN POINT:  Assuming good health and good fortune, Crown Point is ready to step up near the top of the DAC as they return a half dozen starters off last year's team, not including pitchers Jackie Beilfuss (4-9), Kelsey Rather (10-4) and Taylor Perry (2-1).  The records don't show that Beilfuss pitched most of the toughest games, including a 13-inning 3-2 win over eventual sectional champ Chesterton.  All-DAC Amber Pierce, shortstop Jessica Martinez and senior catcher Amy Fairchild anchor the defense.  The Bulldogs will try to force mistakes on the bases more than they have in the past.  CP left a lot of runners on base in 2007 and they may try to 'steal' runs to light up the scoreboard.  CP used to play 28 single games and that day is over.  The Lady Bulldogs ride the big yellow bus to play at Hamilton Southeastern and Zionsville on the same day in May.  CP also hosts the first-annual 'Four Class Challenge' in mid-April with 1A South Central, 2A sister school Hanover Central and 3A neighbor Andrean.  The 59ers are back on the schedule after being off for three years.  CP faces most of the NWCC including Griffith, Highland, Hobart, Lowell and Munster and the top two (Hanover and Boone) in the PCC.  CP should win 20 games for the first time in this decade and the Lady Bulldogs are at least a 50-50 bet to win their eight-team sectional in June.

6. (4A) Munster (24-7)
2006 (22-7), 2005 (25-3-1), 2004 (25-3-1) 2003 (22-7)  2002 (15-12)

MUNSTER:  The Mustangs appear to be headed for another 20-win season with pitchers Elanor Kennedy (11-5) and Grace Ispas (13-2) back to share pitching duties.  Munster beat McCutcheon and Lewis Cass, who both reached the state finals and they lost to Lowell, another state finalist three times in 2007.  What gets forgotten about last year is that it was Munster, not Lowell, that ended the six year sectional reign of Lake Central.  Munster beat LC 3-1 before losing 10-1 to Lowell.  The Lady Ponies will have trouble scoring runs without graduated core hitter Hallie Gibbs.  Nobody had anybody like her and no one in NW Indiana does this year either.  Munster cannot replace her impact on the lineup.  Kelly Mashura (.307, 18 RBIs) may move into the No. 3 hole in the batting order, but Mashura and Ashley Moore, both seniors who can catch, should be team leaders.  Munster may do what Lowell is doing and try to bunt-and-slap their way to enough runs to win.  The Mustangs will not be favored to win their league or sectional, but with veteran pitchers and catchers and a difficult schedule, they have to be contenders to win both.

7.  (4A) Chesterton (20-6)
2006 (30-2), 2005 (27-3-1), 2004 (20-7), 2003 (22-5)

CHESTERTON:  Chesterton has won at least 20 for six years in a row, but that will be tested this year as the Trojans break in a bench full of new starters.  Catie Armstrong (1-0) and Alexis Paz (2-0) take over as pitchers and they should do well.  But the Trojans, who traditionally have had big, strong, right-handed hitting teams in recent years, have to prove themselves at the plate, a tall task in a conference loaded with returning pitchers.  Armstrong (.413, 17 RBIs), Paz (.374, 12 steals) and outfielder Amanda Gough (.356, 23 RBIs) should be the core of the lineup.  The Trojans lost four games by one run last year and they beat state finalist Lowell 8-4.  The Trojans lost some games to the weather in 2007 and they should get back to playing 30-31 games a year.  Chesterton isn't favored to win the DAC this year, but they could decide who does.  The Trojans, Portage and Crown Point can all look at each other and see sectional contenders.

8.  (2A) Wheeler (25-4)
2006 (14-16), 2005 (10-18), 2004 (7-21), 2003 (7-18), 2002 (11-14)

UNION TOWNSHIP:  I really think some teams underestimated Lanay Parks (20-3, 0.51 ERA), who beat Hanover Central twice and pitched her team to the sectional title.  The Bearcats need to break in a new catcher, but shortstop Marcy Medina (36-74, .486) returns and Parks (32-71, .451) is the clean-up hitter.  The 5-foot-10 Parks struck out 10 or more 16 times in 2007, and while that's somewhat a product of Wheeler's soft schedule, the Bearcats were 3-0 against Hanover Central and Lowell.  Infielders Kylie Planck and MacKenzie Ness are, like Parks and Medina, just sophomores who have played together for some time.  The core of this lineup is strong.  The rest of the roster is shaky, but again, softball isn't always a team sport.  Wheeler does not play the type of schedule than prepares them for the state tournament.  They play no one in the DAC and the Bearcats face only Lowell and Griffith out of the NWCC.  The Greater South Shore Conference (GSSC) is a very weak softball league.  But nobody hit Parks all last season.  The Cats lost 3-1 in the post-season when she walked five batters, but nobody hits Parks.  Wheeler's not going to have any impressive victories because they do not play any tournaments and they play few tough teams.  But when they had to play last year, they beat Lowell and Hanover, both 20-win teams.  But they will meet Hanover for the 2A Sectional 33 championship.  There's just no way it won't happen.

9.  (4A) Portage (23-7)
2006 (18-12), 2005 (20-9), 2004 (27-4-3), 2003 (19-9)

10.  (1A) Griffith (16-15)
2006 (12-19), 2005 (19-15), 2004 (16-15), 2003 (18-14)

On the outside looking in...

(1A) Whiting (26-4)
2006 (33-0), 2005 (11-16), 2004 (28-6), 2003 (21-10)

WHITING:  Junior pitcher Mel Dumezich (25-4, 0.11 ERA) again figures to dominate Whiting's schedule, but the Oilers will be looking for a little more offense after being no-hit at the regional last spring by Lakewood Park Christian.  Catcher Adi Cruz (.280) played most of the 30-game schedule in 2007, so she'll be much better as the Oilers battle Wheeler in the Greater South Shore Conference.  The Oilers might want to move Dumezich (.421, 7 HRs, 30 RBIs) to third in the batting order so her production can have more of an effect on the game.  Whiting really doesn't play many good teams and that is by design.  They will see Wheeler twice and Hanover Central in the final week of the year.  That's about it.  The Oilers, unless their schedule changed late, do not face anyone in the DAC or the NWCC.  That has been the case for two years now, ever since Dumezich entered the school.  Whiting's soft slate makes them vulnerable again in the post-season because they will take a steep step up in quality.  But if the goal is to win their league title, stay in the Top-10, get adoring local publicity and pile up stats on helpless foes, Whiting will have another very successful season.