EIGHT IS GREAT
Andrean’s Niksch bests potential 1st-round pick as coach Pishkur wins record 8th state title
INDIANAPOLIS — Andrean senior Alonzo Paul and his teammates were locked in from the outset against Indianapolis Brebeuf ace Andrew Dutkanych.
Paul flied out to the warning track in left field to lead off the Class 3A state championship game at Victory Field on Friday night, and freshman Mason Barth and senior Jax Kalemba followed with back-to-back singles.
“I know he’s a confident guy,” Paul said of Dutkanych. “But when you barrel him up off the first pitch, it’s like, ‘Whoa, they’re ready to go.’ It puts a little doubt in his mind. It lets him know we’re ready to go.”
The 59ers didn’t score in that first inning, but they broke through in the second against the Vanderbilt recruit and potential firstround
draft pick, coming away with a 5-1 victory.
By upending Brebeuf (26-5), the 59ers (31-4) won their eighth state title, tying LaPorte for the most. Lafayette Central Catholic had a shot at its eighth in the Class 1A state final on Saturday.
Andrean coach Dave Pishkur won his eighth title, also the most in state history. Lafayette Central Catholic’s Tim Bordenet had a chance to match that Saturday, and LaPorte’s Ken Schreiber won seven.
In his 43rd year coaching Andrean, Pishkur also is the state’s career wins leader.
“When I first started coaching, the very first baseball clinic I went to was the Ken Schreiber clinic,” he said. “I was a frequent member of that for probably the first 15 years. Any time he spoke, I was there listening to what he had to say. He was sort of my mentor.”
Senior pitcher Peyton Niksch, a Purdue Northwest recruit who outdueled Dutkanych, offered high praise for Pishkur.
“I’m just so thankful to get No.
8,” Niksch said. “The first seven, they worked and deserved it. Getting No. 8 for the best coach in Indiana, the best coach I’ll ever have, it’s amazing.”
Niksch, who entered the game with a 10-0 record and a 0.22 ERA, shined yet again. He allowed an unearned run on three hits with eight strikeouts and two walks.
He was hyped up for the matchup against Dutkanych, who was 8-0 with a 1.02 ERA.
“The most I’ve ever been in my life,” Niksch said. “I had butterflies going into the first inning. I saw the crowd and was, like, ‘Oh, man.’ My stomach was rolling a little bit. But after the first inning, I knew I was in control.”
Niksch’s fastball and slider were working throughout the game. He located his change-up in the middle innings.
Kalemba, also a Purdue Northwest recruit who went 3-for-3, wasn’t surprised by Niksch’s performance opposite Dutkanych.
“I’d take Peyton 10 times out of 10 before that kid,” Kalemba said. “I’d take my best friend over that kid any day of the week. I trust him. It’s just an honor catching my best friend.”
With two outs in the second inning, Andrean strung together five straight singles off Dutkanych to grab a 3-0 lead. Senior Billy Jones started the rally. Paul delivered a two-run single that just eluded the right fielder.
“We’ve always been a good program, but with a guy like that, you’re looked down on, you’re kind of the underdog,” Paul said. “We took that personal. We believe in ourselves and our team.
“This environment was electric. This was a highly anticipated matchup. We knew since day one we were going to see him eventually down the road. We were ready. It’s a great feeling. It means the world to us.”
Barth added an infield hit, and Kalemba had a run-scoring single.
Barth went 2-for-4. “How about my freshman shortstop?” Pishkur said. “Is there a shortstop in the country better than that kid? My gosh, is he good. All kinds of plays defensively, gets big hits, steals bases. He’s a freshman. I have him for three more years.”
Sophomore Moises Vazquez executed a squeeze bunt in the third to make it 4-1. Junior Angel Ramirez, who had three at-bats this season, came through with a pinch-hit sacrifice fly in the fifth for the game’s final run.
“We’re going to go down as a team that’s highly remembered,” Kalemba said. “I left a mark my senior year.”
As the 59ers geared up during the week, Pishkur was confident they were prepared.
“Peyton’s awesome,” he said. “He’s such a good athlete, such a competitor. Obviously, Dutkanych is Dutkanych. I’m so proud of this team because in backto-back weeks, we beat a kid who’s going to Indiana who was topping out at 92 (mph), and you have a kid topping out in the mid-90s. We not only won, we hit him. (On Friday) the better team won.
“He is an awesome pitcher. Of the eight state championships, I think we’re most proud of this one because of the guy we had to beat on the mound. You couldn’t have asked for a better scenario. You get the chance to play for the state championship, and you get to play against the best player in the state of Indiana. Are you up to that challenge? We were.”
Pishkur believed the 59ers might have had extra assistance.
“The guy who hired me and preceded me in baseball at Andrean passed away and was buried (Friday) — Jack Bennett,” he said. “I think Jack was looking down on us. And this is the three-year anniversary of my dad passing. So there were some guys up there maybe helping slow Dutkanych’s pitches down for us a little.
“4A doesn’t have a pitcher like that guy. We won the state championship (Friday) because of the guy we beat. That’s the way I take it, and they should take it the same way. It wasn’t a fluke. We beat a stud. That’s a coup. That’s a feather in our cap. Seven years down the road, when he’s pitching in the major leagues, ‘Hey, we beat that kid,’ or ‘I got a hit off him.’ I’m so proud of these kids. They’re tough kids.”