Prep Baseball Report

3A State Championship: Top-Ranked Andrean wins Sixth State Title


Rich Torres
PBR Indiana Correspondent

INDIANAPOLIS -- The top-ranked Class 3A Andrean Fighting 59ers were nearly 150 miles away from home on Saturday night, but at Victory Field in Indianapolis they never feel out of place. 

Competing in their eighth IHSAA baseball state finals since 2002-03 and seventh state championship game overall in 14 years, the 59ers continued their title tradition with a convincing 6-1 win over No. 5 Silver Creek (26-4) to win the 3A crown. 

Vanderbilt recruit Michael Doolin went the distance with a three-hit performance highlighted by 13 strikeouts, and the 59ers claimed their sixth state title all time and third in five years. 

Andrean won its first 3A state championship in 2004-05 after finishing runner-up in 2003-04. Since 2005, head coach Dave Pishkur's program has gone a perfect 6-0 in the finals.

The 59ers' outscored their postseason opponents 67-8 entering Saturday's state championship, and the offense didn't slow down against Silver Creek. 

Andrean posted six extra-base hits, including a two-run home run by Joe Rycerz during a four-run top of the fourth, to secure coach Pishkur's 978th victory in his 39-year tenure. 

"Tradition never graduates at Andrean," Rycerz said. "It just feels good. I can't even put it into words right now." 

The 59ers let their approach speak for them early, building a 6-0 lead to chase Dragons' starter Sammy Barnett, an Indiana recruit, after 3 2/3 innings. 

Barnett, who carried a 6-1 record and 2.39 ERA, kept Andrean's bats at bay through the first two innings, but the senior lefty ran into trouble in the top of the third as the 59ers found their timing. 

Joel Holtcamp led off the top of the third with a triple to right field, and Ball State recruit Nick Fushi, a senior, drove him in with a double to give Andrean a 1-0 lead. 

A one-out sacrifice fly by Tyler Nelson made it 2-0 as Doolin settled in en route to improving his season record to 11-1. The junior right-hander retired nine straight to start the game and increased his season strikeout total to 129. 

"We knew how we were going to attack these hitters, but he still has to produce. And he executed so well on the mound," Pishkur said.

"Through the first six innings that was the best game he's pitched all year." 

During Andrean's 13-2 win over Jay County at the Kokomo Semistate, Doolin went five innings, allowed four hits, two earned runs and struck out nine. 

Doolin sported a 0.67 ERA in 72 2/3 innings leading up to the state championship and had a no-hitter going until a Barnett single in the bottom of the fourth erased his bid. Two of the three hits Doolin surrendered went to Barnett, who finished 2-for-3. 

"You love facing good competition, and coming down here, we knew this wasn't going to be an easy game," Doolin said. "They are a very talented team. Barnett is a stud on the mound, and he's good at the plate. They are a very well coached team, and it was a great game. They were a great team to matchup against for us."

The 59ers' hitters embraced the challenge, erupting for four runs on five hits in the top of the fourth. Doolin led off the inning with a single, which Rycerz followed up with his sixth home run of the year to score pinch-runner Zach Kammer.

"Oh, my goodness. I was sitting on the bench to ice my head and stay cool, and I saw it. I thought, 'there's no way that ball is out.' And I got up and went to the fence, and that ball was gone," Doolin remarked on Rycerz's blast over the left-field wall. "I couldn't believe it. My heart was racing a million miles per hour, I was so happy for Joe."

In his prior at-bat, Rycerz went down swinging in the top of the second. Applying what he learned, the senior put Andrean in control 4-0 during his second plate appearance by connecting on the first pitch.

"The first at-bat, they pounded me inside every time, and I whiffed all three times," Rycerz said. "Honestly, I was probably trying to do too much, so I struck out. The next time, I knew they were going to try and do the same thing because obviously, I didn't too well the first time. I backed off the plate a little bit, and I didn't try to do too much, but obviously I hit a home run. Just enough."

An RBI triple by Matt Lelito and an RBI double by Charlie Jones increased the 59ers' lead to 6-0.

Barnett, who was named the L.V. Phillips Mental Attitude Award winner for 3A, was relieved by Tyler Wheeler in the fourth. The right-hander reliever didn't permit another Andrean hit, except for a Doolin double in the top of the fifth. Doolin went 2-for-4.

Andrean logged eight hits and left four runners on base. Silver Creek left four on base.

Barnett was charged with six earned runs, walked one and struck out three. Wheeler pitched 3 1/3 innings with five strikeouts.

"That was out plan. We wanted to get (Barnett) rattled early, so we could get a good lead going, give Mike some runs and obviously, he was good to go from there," Rycerz said.

Doolin struck out four straight hitters at one point through the first three innings, and he sat down six straight between Barnett's hits in the bottom of the fourth and sixth.

"(Doolin) was really good. We had heard he was good, but he was better than everybody said," Silver Creek head coach Joe Decker commented.

"He threw his off-speed for a strike when we were behind in the count. His fastball was good, but his off-speed was even better. He kept us off-balance. We’ve seen some really good pitchers, but he was the best we’ve seen." 

Doolin threw 109 pitches and didn't hit a snag until the bottom of the seventh. Wheeler led off the inning with a single, and Doolin walked Tyler Kapust and hit Holden Groher to load the bases with no outs. 

"In the seventh inning, I don't know. I can't say what happened. He probably was amped up to try and get the game over with," Pishkur said. "As much as he struggled in that last inning, at no point was he coming out until he threw his 120th pitch. The bullpen was out in center field (in Clay Thompson)."

Doolin shook off the situation by striking out Drew Bush before Stephen Davis flew out to left field for an RBI sacrifice. Davis DeWitt flied out to center field for the final out. 

"The seventh was a little rough, but we got the job done. We have a state championship in our pockets and that's all that matters," Doolin said. 

The victory marked Andrean's ninth consecutive and 31st on the season compared to six losses -- four against out-of-state teams. 

"This is awesome for the kids. This is awesome for my family," Pishkur said. "What a great coaching staff I have. Unbelievable. I don't even need to be at practice anymore. These guys are so good."