They've heard the question all week, and with Blackhawk Christian High School's religious roots, it fits well: Can the baseball team slay Goliath?
Goliath, in this case, is Lafayette Central Catholic. It's obviously similar to Blackhawk in enrollment, both schools being in the Class A Semistate. But LCC, as it's known, has won three straight state titles.
When it comes to Class A prep baseball in Indiana, Lafayette Central Catholic is Goliath.
“They're a team, just like any other team,” Blackhawk centerfielder Brice Urschel said. “They have a good past, but that doesn't mean anything for this year. We think we're a good team, too.”
Blackhawk Christian (22-6-1) will play Lafayette Central Catholic (29-4) at 1 p.m. Saturday at Coveleski Stadium, South Bend. The winner will play the winner of Shakamak (26-6) vs. South Central (24-8) for the state title a week later.
Blackhawk Christian faced Lafayette Central Catholic in the semistate two years ago, when the key players in Blackhawk Christian's lineup were sophomores. Blackhawk lost 14-0. But that was a Blackhawk team that entered the tournament well under .500.
That was a Blackhawk team still learning how to deal with baseball Goliaths.
“The situation overwhelmed them a little bit as sophomores,” Blackhawk coach Kevin Kinnison said. “I think they have their heads on a little bit straighter this time. This time, they're embracing the challenge, and it will be a challenge.
“They're looking forward to seeing if they're good enough to be at that level or not.”
Blackhawk leans heavily on four seniors starters: Matt Kaplanis and Dru Sebastian, who alternate at pitcher and third base, shortstop Reid Zimmerman and Urschel.
Their experience as a team and in tournament play could be a big factor on Saturday.
“That's kind of the difference this year,” Kaplanis said. “We expect to be here. We expect excellence instead of feeling lucky to be here. The last couple of years have built up those expectations.”
Sebastian said the team's confidence is high entering the game.
“I think we're the best and we have to beat the best to prove it,” Sebastian said. “We've won 11 straight games and we think we have things figured out and we can take them.”
Kinnison took over as Blackhawk coach when this year's seniors were freshmen. So they've grown and built the program together. Watching them during practice, it's evident that the coaches and players feed off each other. Despite being out of school and temperatures breaking into the 80s, they brought a lot of energy to the field on Thursday.
The seniors have done a nice job in helping the younger players adjust to the team, too, Kinnison said. Freshman Riley Reimschisel leads the team with a .430 batting average.
Kaplanis (7-1, 2.10 ERA) will start on the mound in the semistate. But Kinnison said he has confidence in Sebastian and some of the other younger pitchers, such as sophomore Aaron Jones, who closed out a game at regional.
The seniors have set the tone of high expectations, Kinnison said.
“They're setting the standard that everybody else will be graded upon moving forward,” Kinnison said. “They're embracing working hard. They're good athletes and pretty smart players, too. What some of them lack in physical talent, they make up for in baseball smarts. That helps from a coaching standpoint.
If Blackhawk pull the upset, the school will be primed to return to state glory. Blackhawk won the Class A state titles in 2002, 2005 and 2006.
“We wouldn't want it any other way,” Kaplanis said. “We want to play LCC and we want to beat them. We think we have a really good shot at this.”
We'll find out Saturday if Blackhawk indeed has a shot (a slingshot?) against Goliath.
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