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Midwest Select A Big Hit

WESTFIELD- The inaugural Midwest Select two-day event proved to be a big hit.

There were 13 teams from four states, including four from Ohio and one from Michigan, that competed at Grand Park just north of Indianapolis. Four squads from Illinois along with four from the home state of Indiana were rounded out an impressive field of teams that are currently all ranked in their respective state.

Sandburg out of Illinois won all three games it played in the event while Joliet Catholic out of Illinois was the only other team to make it through without a loss going 2-0.

THE  EVENT

“It was a really good event,” Portage Northern coach Chris Andrews said. “Grand Park was a great venue to play at, the teams we played were excellent and the umpiring was good.”

Coaches from Ohio agreed.

“I thought it was an absolute first-class event,” noted Tallmadge coach Kenny Linn. “I am in my 20th year and have ran a Cancer Awareness Classic at Kent State bringing teams in from Michigan and Pennsylvania along with teams out of the Cincinnati and the Columbus area, so I have an understanding of how hard and how much time it takes to run something like this.”

Tallmadge was one of two defending state champions from Ohio in the field along with D-I 2017 champ Massillon Jackson.

“The Grand Park facilities were great, there were outstanding teams representing multiple states and it was centrally located,” noted Jackson coach Bill Gamble.

Tim Held, head coach of perennial state power Moeller, also had high praise for the event.

“What a great experience for my team,” Held said. “It was held in a great location with top-notch facilities and great competition. It’s sometimes tough playing in an event like that when you’re in the middle of a league schedule, but it allowed me to put my team in a tournament-like atmosphere in front of a lot of high school baseball fans and scouts.”

Mason, currently the top-rated team in the PBR state rankings ahead of number two Moeller and third-ranked Jackson, completed the field of Ohio squads participating.

“We were very happy to be included in the event,” Mason coach Curt Bly said. “It was outstanding all the way around. Communication was great and the staff did a great job getting our games in and adjusting with the forecast.”

TALENT GALORE

And the competition? To say the field was loaded was an understatement as the participating coaches found out.

“Our purpose was to play talented teams,” pointed out Andrews, whose squad is ranked third in Michigan by PBR. “We think we’re a talented team but in Michigan during the regular season you’re not always going to get to play talent.”

There was plenty to be found in the Midwest Select field

“The amount of talent on the field and scouts in the stands was impressive,” Linn said. ”It’s the most talent I have seen at one venue at the high school level.”

While Tallmadge played three games in two days - with Indiana teams Roncalli (third-ranked 4A) and Providence (sixth-ranked 3A) along with Edwardsville, the ninth-rated team out of Illinois, the opposition - Moeller played a pair of games on the first day of the event.

“The talent level was outstanding,” explained Held, whose squad defeated Kokomo, Ind., 23-8 before losing 6-5 in 12 innings to Edwardsville. “We played back-to-back games so I wasn’t able to see any other games or players, I just know we faced some top guys. But we were more than ready to face the 90-plus mph arms from Kokomo (including Mississippi State recruit Charez Butcher, the top-ranked 2020 in Indiana) and the hitters that Edwardsville had in their lineup.”

Like Moeller, Mason went 1-1 with a 2-1 victory over Cathedral, Indiana’s second-ranked 4A team, and a 17-7 loss to O’Fallon, the second-ranked team in Illinois.

“The teams we played were terrific clubs from top to bottom,” noted Bly. “It was just a great experience for us.”

Jackson won two of three contests at Grand Park, falling to Joliet Catholic, the fifth-ranked squad in Illinois, 12-2 before rebounding for a 12-2 win over Kokomo (18th-ranked in 4A) and a 10-0 shutout of Providence.

“We saw big-time arms there all weekend,” Gamble said. “It was good to get out of our area code and see such solid teams. It was very challenging for our team, but I think it will prepare us to try and make a tournament run.”

That was a big factor in participating for those involved.

LONG RUN BENEFITS

“After the first night we were not where we needed to be,” explained Andrews, whose team lost to Illinois squads (13th-ranked) Sandburg (2-0) and O’Fallon (8-1). “The first two teams we played were further ahead, they were more polished and well coached. But I knew player to player as far as talent we can match up. We feel we can compete, but we’d been outside only a handful of times.

“On day two we competed against a D-I commit on Roncalli (Michigan State recruit Colten Panaranto) and we beat him,” Andrews continued about a 2-0 win. “That’s going to help us tremendously. We’re not going to see a pitcher better than that. To face a kid of that caliber and to win the game gives our kids confidence. You don’t see that caliber during the regular season, so that’s going to be a big lift.”

Ohio coaches pointed to the Midwest Select as helping prepare for the year-end high school tournament

“The event will help my players to understand the type of players we will see in the state tournament if we can advance from round to round,” Held explained.

Linn, whose team went 0-3 including a 7-6 loss to Providence in a game that Tallmadge scored four runs in three-plus innings off Louisville commit Joe Wilkinson, feels strongly in that regard.

“We have always been big believers in playing the best schedule we can compete with each year,” said the Tallmadge mentor, whose squad opened the season playing in Florida against the likes of St. Thomas Aquinas (Fla), Monsignor Pace, Pine Crest and Gulliver Prep. “After winning the Division II title last year, we have put together the best schedule I have ever challenged our guys to play. We came back from Florida 0-4, then played and won three at home before going to Best of Midwest and came home 0-3.”

With games remaining against squads like Jackson, Michigan defending state champion Saline as well as Strongsville, Massillon Washington and St. Ignatius, Linn is confident strong competition will be good for his squad in the long run.

“Our team sits 3-7 currently, but I know and believe when it comes next month there will not be a team in Ohio more battle tested and ready,” noted Linn.

Coaches weren’t the only ones excited about the event.

“It was an awesome experience,” Mason sophomore standout Harrison Johnson said. “It was fun playing teams from all around. In the second game against Cathedral we had such a good time. Everyone was on the edge of their seats cheering.”

It was that kind of weekend for those involved.

“This represents the style of schedule we play,” Gamble said. “It’s what our program is about. We like to go out and face challenges. It was cool to play teams from other states.

“From the standpoint of our program, we faced some big-time arms. And going against lineups that were deep one through nine, that was a challenge to our staff. But facing mid- to upper-80s and low-90s pitchers is what you need to do if you want to make a tournament run.”

FUTURE MIDWEST SELECT

As for the future of the event?

“We love the idea of this, but the one thing we thought might make it better is if it was played the opening weekend (Ohio can play),” Gamble explained. “Being the third weekend of the season, we couldn’t match up the best arms. We were just coming out of conference games and Joliet was going back to play a conference doubleheader on Saturday. We both wanted to let the top-end guys show what they have, but we were only able to throw our top two or three arms a couple innings.”

But Gamble was more than grateful to be part of the action.

“We very much appreciate being invited,” Gamble said. “If the opportunity comes up, we would love to have the chance to go back and represent Ohio.”

The same goes for Andrews.

“We definitely want to be invited back if at all possible, especially since we have so many young players,” explained Andrews, who pitched a freshman (Xander Morris) against Roncalli and has “two high-level juniors” to go along with a strong sophomore class. “My kids loved it.”