A quick look at the teams we saw during the Marion County Tournament.

 

As in most years, the Marion County Tournament was full of surprises and upsets. For the second year in a row the 4A schools were not able to dominate.  Star pitchers Kyle Rupe (Perry Meridian), Connor Hale (Brebuf), and Michael McCormick (Speedway) did not throw. Alex Simpson (Roncalli), and Lawrence Central?s Christian Montgomery and Jared Ruxer did not throw more than 3 innings, leading to an abundant amount of offense in the tournament. 

 

 

 

Roncalli: They are in search of a number one on the mound. Simpson has had an up and down year due to some fluke injuries. They did however figure out how to swing it this past weekend.  For a  team that was not hitting prior to the weekend, they figured something out and put up 33 runs in three games. Hawk and Ritchie led the Rebels all weekend, both having multiple RBIs, and at least one homerun.  

 

Lawrence Central:  Offense was key for the Bears three victories.  Montgomery walked 7 in two innings and Ruxer threw 3 innings with the Bears jumping on top of Decatur Cetral early in game 2. Brandon Krieg is finding his stride offensively, as he and Glenn Jones each had 3 doubles on Saturday.  

 

Ben Davis: This team is young and full of talent. There were able to knock Montgomery (LC) out after two innings, and they scored 20 runs in the first two games of the tournament. They are not deep on the mound, but if there three guys find a way to keep runs off the board this team will be a favorite to get out of a tough sectional.  

 

Park Tudor:  Three quality starters and a ton of senior hitters have made Park Tudor a team that will be a tough out in the 2A state tournament. They advanced to the semi -final of county for the second year in a row. Hardacker had 2 homeruns in the semi-final, quietly making him a favorite for Marion County player of the year.  

 

Decatur Central:  The Eagles were in the game with LC, down only 4-3. However their defense unraveled as the game went along.  Once you get past there 1 and 2 on the mound, pitching depth becomes a problem. DC will still compete with anyone and on the right day can beat anyone in there sectional. 

 

Lawrence North:  Senior Chris Wiles pitched well Friday against Brebuf, but senior Cory Meixner struggled Saturday against Roncalli. LN has four guys on the mound that can keep them in games, but offensively they are still looking for some consistency.  When facing good pitching and hard throwers they have fared well, but many times this year have struggled against average pitching.  If LN can figure it out at the plate they have the ability to compete with anyone in their tough sectional.  LN is currently 9-7. 

 

Perry Meridian: Perry ran into a hot hitting team in Ben Davis in round 2 of the tournament.  For one reason or another number 1 starter Rupe did not pitch.  When Rupe is on the mound this team looks to be one of the better teams in the state. Without Rupe on the mound this is an average/good hitting team, still looking for its true number 2 starter.  Depending on the draw, Perry is a team to watch out for come sectional time.   

 

North Central:  NC lost on a walk off grand slam to Ben Davis. North Central is a team that has enough pitching to keep them in most games. They have two quality high school starters in Trennepohl and Peck.  Offensively, North Central has been up and down. Trennepohl and Rhinehart will have to carry North Central if they want to make a run in sectionals.   

 

Brebeuf:  If you take out the first couple of innings of their game against LN, Brebuf had a chance to beat the Wildcats.  Lawrence North put up 8 in the first couple of innings and was able to hold off Brebuf?s late run.  Hale did not throw and Shaw is currently not throwing. With those two on the mound, Brebeuf swings it well enough to compete with anyone. With those two pitching look for them to compete with Roncalli for the sectional title.