Predictions are a funny thing
Forecasting baseball sectional winners is a thankless job — but someone has to do it
Class 1A Washington Township Sectional: Unfortunately, we get the proverbial first round championship game between Washington Township and Kouts on Thursday. The teams have played two close games with the Senators winning 3-2 and 6-4. The Mustangs are close but they aren’t there yet. One thing is certain. The winner will come from the top bracket. Prediction: Washington Township over Morgan Township. Confidence level: Moderate.
Class 1A Lacrosse Sectional: South Central, Culver Community and LaCrosse are the two best teams here. South Central and Culver play in the first round. The Satellites and Tigers will likely meet on Saturday in the semifinal round. South Central has won both regular-season games. The Satellites should win here. Prediction: South Central over Oregon Davis. Confidence level: High.
Class 2A Whiting Sectional: Illiana Christian, which has the bye, is the favorite here. A young but talented Wheeler team could give Illiana a game. The teams don’t play in the regular season so it’s hard to know how they match up. Prediction: Illiana Christian over Wheeler. Confidence level: Moderate.
Class 2A Hebron Sectional: Boone Grove has two quality pitchers in Kyle Casbon and
Trey Pitcock, which gives them the edge. They play Winamac in the bye game in the semifinals. Hebron should come out of the
top bracket. Prediction: Boone Grove over Hebron. Confidence level: High.
Class 3A Griffith Sectional: The Panthers haven’t lost this sectional since 2011. That won’t change. The bad news for Griffith is it’s going to be a real challenge to get out after this year. Clark and Gavit are the victims of consolidation. Andrean, if it drops to 3A and Hanover Central could be replacement schools for Clark and Gavit. Those decisions haven’t been made but it’s getting harder, not easier. Griffith gets the bye and plays Calumet in the semifinals. Gavit should win the lower bracket. Prediction: Griffith over Gavit. Confidence level: Extremely high.
Class 3A Kankakee Valley Sectional: Hanover Central has maintained its No. 1 ranking in the Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association Poll for about half the season but this is a very tough sectional that appears to get progressively harder for the Wildcats.
The first game against KV isn’t an easy one nor will the second one against Culver Academies be if Culver makes it to the second round. Culver and Hanover haven’t played common opponents and the Wildcat definitely have played the tougher schedule but Culver has been consistent all year. Glenn has received votes in the IHSCB poll. Prediction: Hanover Central over Glenn. Confidence level: Uncertain.
Class 4A Merrillville Sectional: Another one that is too close to call. Lake Central, Munster and Highland all have a chance to win this one. The Indians, ranked No. 1 by the Post-Tribune all year, get the bye and they won’t have a problem against Morton. They’ll be in the championship game. Highland and Munster play in a first-round knockout game. The Trojans won two regular-season games against the Mustangs. Munster, however, beat LC and the Mustangs are good enough to compete with any team around. Prediction: Lake Central over Munster. Confidence level: Moderate.
Class 4A Chesterton Sectional: This really is a wide-open sectional. Valparaiso, Crown Point, and Andrean are the top-tier teams. To a lesser degree, Hobart and Chesterton have an outside shot to win it. The 59ers play Hobart in the big first-round game. Andrean won their previous two games by a total of 20 runs so it’s hard to make a case for the Brickies. It looks like Valparaiso and Crown Point are set for a semifinal game while Chesterton gets the bye and will likely play Andrean in round two. Here is the kicker. The Vikings have the only true lockdown pitcher in Northwest Indiana. Grant Comstock is a low pitch count, high strike pitcher. He could pitch all three games. He gives them the edge. Prediction: Valparaiso over Andrean. Confidence level: Have no idea.
Class 4A Plymouth Sectional: LaPorte, a young team, has exceeded expectations. The Slicers shouldn’t have a problem getting to regionals in a mediocre sectional. Prediction: LaPorte over South Bend Adams. Confidence level: High.