Top 8 Indiana High School Baseball Conferences

Prep Baseball Report Indiana has heard a lot of talk throughout the season on which baseball conference is the best.  This got us thinking, so we came up with our own criteria on how to rank the best eight conferences in the state.

The criteria include the last two year’s results in the IHSAA State Tournament. Now, we understand two years ago has no bearing on the 2012 season, but you cannot undervalue the teams that advance deep into the state tournament.

The second category we considered was the players. We used our current PBR player rankings to rate each conference’s talent level.

The third category is the current team ranking within the top 25, with the fourth category being team depth within the conference. Every conference has one or two dominant teams, but we wanted to look at the conference as a whole.

The fifth and final category was quality wins. We looked at every team in each conference and added up the number of quality wins each conference had outside of the conference schedule. The numbers backed up our opinions surprisingly quite a bit.

8. Metropolitan Interscholastic (MIC)

The top state contender is currently Center Grove, who is 10-1 in their last 11 games.  They have out of conference wins over Cathedral and Bloomington South. Center Grove’s top arm is Zach Anderson (4-1 1.04ERA). Their top hitter is currently Brad Walker, hitting .471 with 5HRs and Brock Koehler .426 4HRs and 26 RBIS. 

The strength of this conference is that there is not one team in the conference you look at and say there is an easy sweep (MIC teams play a home and away series). Each team has at least one plus arm.

The weakness of the conference is there are not enough top end teams. Ben Davis and Lawrence North have a lot of talent, but that has not translated into a lot of wins. North Central is young, and both Terre Haute schools have been up and down all year.

Previous Success in the State Tournament include Terre Haute South, which lost last year’s Semi State, and won the Sectional in 2010.

7. Conference Indiana

Top Contender is Columbus North which started the year 14-0 before losing to Floyd Central.  Top out of conference wins include Fishers, Seymour and Greenwood. Their top Hitter is Alabama St commit Hunter McIntosh (.442 10SB).  Columbus North’s top Arm is junior and Western Michigan Commit, Daniel Ayers (4-0 66ks in 32 innings).

The strength of the conference is power pitching.  PBR has personally seen three arms in the conference touch 90 mph, and four arms at 87 mph or better.

The weakness of the conference is depth. Conference Indiana has really solid teams, but after Columbus North it does not have a second or third top 25 team in the state.

Previous Success in the State Tournament includes Bloomington North winning sectionals in 2011 and Bloomington South reaching Semi State in 2010. 

6. Hoosier Heritage

The top contender is Pendleton Heights which has won 14 straight games. Top out of conference wins include Anderson (2) and New Castle. Pendleton Heights top hitter is Hunter Cook (2014) and Mitch Patishall, both hitting .472. Their top arm is Mitch Patishall (3-1 1.46ERA).

The strength of this conference is three teams have a chance to make a run deep into the 4A state playoffs, and another three have a solid chance to make a run in the 3A state playoffs.  Several teams have made their way in and out of the polls throughout the season.

The weakness of the conference is quality wins. The talent of this conference suggests there should be more quality wins than there are.

Previous Success in the State Tournament includes Yorktown winning the 2011 and 2010 Sectional Championship, and New Palestine winning Regionals in 2010.

5. Hoosier Hills

The top contender is New Albany, which is currently 17-2, with its only two losses in conference to good pitchers. Top out of conference wins include; Jasper, Evansville North, and PRP(KY).  New Albany’s top hitter is Louisville commit Jordan Striegel.  Their top pitcher is 2013 Louisville commit Josh Rogers.

The strength of the conference is its quality wins. Jeffersonville, Seymour, Floyd Central, New Albany, Madison and Columbus East have all picked up at least one quality win.

The weakness of the conference is No.2 pitchers. Most of the teams in conference have one really good arm, but their No. 2 has been inconsistent in and out of conference.

Previous Success includes New Albany winning the 2011 and 2010 Sectional Championship.