May is finally here which hopefully means more flowers and a lot less showers.  It also means the Marion County Tournament is getting ready to start, which means two schools will get the opportunity to play at Victory Field in downtown Indianapolis for the Marion County Championship on Thursday May 12.  Here is a preview of the 2011 Marion County Tournament? 

First Round Matchups

Southport vs Roncalli

Southport: 5-5

Offensively Southport will rely on junior Tyler Wampler (.487), senior Cole Biggerstaff (.455 and 20 stolen bases), and senior Danny West (.340).

On the mound, Southport will need senior Danny West (UINDY) to throw well in order to get past Roncalli. If Southport can get past Roncalli, they will hand the ball over to juniors Tyler Carr and Chris Kuehr. Both have ERA?s under 4.00.

Roncalli: 9-3

Roncalli was an early top 25 ranked PBR team. Their schedule, however, led them into a couple of early losses against 4A power arms.

Offensively, Roncalli relies on leadoff hitter Colin Hawk to set the tone early. Catcher Alex Ritchie is also a strong offensive weapon. Ryan Parrott leads the team offensively, hitting .470.  

On the mound, Roncalli will hand the ball off to Alex Simpson (Northern KY). Alex is a low to mid 80?s lefty with good pitch ability.

Lawrence North vs Brebeuf

Lawrence North: 8-6

Offensively, LN is led by senior Levi Crawford (.382, 1HR), Cory Meixner (DePauw commit hitting .463 and 4 triples), and junior Craig Larew (.467, 5 doubles).  LN will need contributions from junior?s Julian Flanary, Alex Benson and Nick Weybright in order for the Wildcats to have success.

On the mound, Lawrence North will turn the ball over to seniors Chris Wiles (.95 ERA 1-0), and Cory Meixner (2.76 ERA 19ks 2-2). If they advance, look for Craig Larew (3-0) or Nick Weybright to be given the ball in the Semifinals.   

Brebeuf: 10-4

Brebeuf graduated a lot of players from last year?s team, and many people expected them to be down a little bit. Those experts were wrong. Brebeuf has quietly put together a tough team that looks to repeat as county champions. At the plate, Brebeuf will look for senior John Hardeman to get things going. If he gets on base watch out as he is one of the best base runners in the state.  If Brebeuf is going to make a deep run they will need senior Alex Cohn, senior Andy Enright, and sophomore Joey Perkins to have a good weekend.

On the mound, Brebeuf will hand the ball off to Junior Connor Hale who this past Saturday was 86-88 with a good breaking ball. After that, look for Chance Shaw to contribute on the mound.

Speedway vs Park Tudor

Speedway: 4-12

Speedway is off to a rough start, and does not have much fire power past junior Michael McCormick on the mound. This past winter McCormick was up to 87 at a PBR event, but lately has struggled with command and his defense has struggled to make plays behind him.

Park Tudor: 15-2

Park Tudor is always a 2A powerhouse, and this year is no different.  Park Tudor is led by seniors Kyle Hardacker (.560 5 HRs), Nolan Smith ( .391 4HRs), and Max Zhang (.468).

On the mound, Madison Foster should get the start.  Foster has pitched 31 innings with a .23 ERA. Behind him will be Max Zhang who is 4-1 with a 1.56 ERA.

Warren Central vs Franklin Central

Warren Central: 8-5

Warren Central is led offensively by a strong junior class which includes, Charlie Dant and Josh Piercey. These two will also eat a bulk of the innings on the mound for the Warriors.

Warren has posted some good wins over conference opponents Terre Haute South, and Terre Haute North.  They also have a quality win against Brebeuf.

Franklin Central: 6-6

Franklin Central is led by its senior class. The offensive leaders are AJ Smith (.563), Andy Bryant (.393) and standout catcher Jesse Brown (.345). Jesse Brown will anchor the Flashes defense with his ability to shut running games down.

On the mound the Flashes will be paced by, senior Ryan Kendall (3.10, 30ks) and sophomore Justin Carnes (1.94, 22ks). The Flashes will start 9 seniors on occasion.

The Flashes have recorded wins over county opponents; Perry Meridian, Beech Grove, Southport, and Decatur Central.

Decatur Central vs Pike

Decatur Central: 7-4

The Hawks are an interesting team, and a team that always plays the game the right way under Coach Webster. Offensively, they are anchored by standout senior catcher Kyle Norris. He is currently hitting .367 with 1 homerun.  At a recent PBR event Norris ran a 6.86 sixty, and showed pop times consistently under 2.0. Brandon Bible (.367, 3 HRs) will supply the Hawks with some offensive power.

Pitching will be led by Taylor Douglass and Austin Elder. Taylor is holding opponents to a .267 average, while Elder has an ERA of 1.42. Look for Terry McGloughlin to contribute on the mound as he is holding opponents to a .191 average.

Pike: 1-7

Stats not available for Pike at time of article

Lawrence Central vs Beech Grove

Lawrence Central: 10-2

Lawrence Central will look to make a repeat visit to the county finals where last year they lost to Brebeuf. Offensively, the Bears lean on seniors Brandon Krieg (Purdue, .412), Brandon Wind (Indiana, .455), and Christian Montgomery (Chipola CC, .393).

On the mound, the Bears rely on PBR Top 10 prospects; Christian Montgomery and Jared Ruxer(Louisville).  Montgomery has only given up 6 hits this year, and  Ruxer has struck out 24 hitters in 22 innings.  

Beech Grove

No Stats were available at time of article

Ben Davis vs North Central

Ben Davis: 7-8

Ben Davis is led offensively by Junior catcher Drake Duncan, who might be one of the best pure baseball players in Indianapolis. He is currently hitting .478. Also, contributing is Eric Mcibban who is leading the team in home runs with 4.

On the mound Ben Davis will rely on Donovan Rhodes, Zach Napier, and sophomore Zach Beaucamp. All three of these guys will have to keep walks down to give the Giants a chance to advance deep into the tournament. The talent level is there for the Giants to make some noise.

North Central: 7-5

orth Central?s Joe Trennepohl, Jack Peck, and Jordan Rhinehart are the three stars for the Panthers. Trennepohl is a senior pitcher/infielder. On the mound he will pitch low to mid 80?s with the ability to throw his breaking ball for a strike. At the plate, he is one of the most under rated hitters in the area. He will hit for average and some power. Jack Peck is a 6? 5? lefty that pitches 80-83 with three pitches for a strike. He has the ability to control a game if all three pitches are in the zone. Jordan Rhinehart will add some needed pop in the Panther lineup. The senior outfielder has the ability to hit one out every time he steps up to bat.

Perry Meridian vs. Lutheran

Perry Meridian: 6-5

Perry Meridian will go as far as Kyle Rupe can carry the Falcons. Rupe has arguably been the best player in the county this year. On the mound, he has been seen at 90-92. He has 49 strikeouts and is leading his team in home runs with 4. Look for Rupe to throw the first game on Saturday for the Falcons, giving them a great chance to head to Victory Field next Thursday.

Other contributors for the Falcons are; David O?Leary, hitting .375, and junior Cody House, hitting .343. On the mound look for John Hardwick and sophomore Jordan Tackett to get innings.

Lutheran: 2-4

No Stats Available at time of article

MID-Season All County Team

C,  2012, Drake Duncan, Ben Davis, .478

1B, 2011, Andy Enright, Brebeuf

2B, 2011, AJ Smith, Franklin Central, .563

3B, 2011, Ryan Parrott, Roncalli, .470

SS, 2011, Kyle Hardacker, Park Tudor, .574

OF, 2011, Cory Mexiner, Lawrence North, .444

OF, 2011, Cole Biggerstaff, Southport, .455, 20SB

OF, 2011, John Hardeman, Brebeuf 

Util, 2011, Joe Trennepohl, North Central

P, 2011, Christian Montgomery, Lawrence Central

P, 2011, Kyle Rupe, Perry Meridian

Top 3 Records

Park Tudor 15-2

Lawrence Central 10-2

Brebeuf 10-4

Click Here to see the Full Bracket