CC believes schedule readies them for Ft. Wayne Blackhawk Central Catholic's Nick Stone is one
of a handful of Knights to possess a
home run bat. / By Brent Drinkut/Journal & Courier
Written by NATHAN BAIRD
Central Catholic’s players hadn’t yet learned much about semistate baseball opponent Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian earlier this week.
But the Knights already knew about Matt Kaplanis.
Blackhawk’s senior right-handed pitcher has dominated at times this season, and he’ll likely be on the mound for today’s Class A South Bend Semistate game at Coveleski Stadium. Central Catholic would need to get past him to become the first program to advance to the state championship game four straight years.
“Basically, the season is one giant practice,” CC pitcher/outfielder Nick Stone said. “We’ve seen guys anywhere from 70-85 (miles per hour), guys that throw fastballs, curveballs, everything. Hopefully the season has prepared us.”
Kaplanis, a University of Indianapolis recruit, opened the season with iffy starts against Fort Wayne South and Bishop Dwenger. Since then he’s 6-0 with an 0.98 ERA, allowing 31 hits and six walks while striking out 65 over 43 innings.
Three of those victories were shutouts, including a 13-strikeout, no-walk performance against Morgan Township in the Caston Regional championship.
“We have to have shorter swings at the plate in order to hit a faster pitcher,” CC catcher Wiley Lodde said. “We also need to be more selective. We can’t be swinging at pitches out of the zone, because if you get behind a good pitcher he’s going to make good pitches to get you out.”
Facing tougher pitchers throughout the season didn’t hinder the Knights’ offense. CC owns a .321 team batting average and five players – Stone, Evan Kennedy, Andrew Hubertz, Ryan DeBoy and Austin Munn – have hit three or more home runs.
of a handful of Knights to possess a
home run bat. / By Brent Drinkut/Journal & Courier
Written by NATHAN BAIRD
Central Catholic’s players hadn’t yet learned much about semistate baseball opponent Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian earlier this week.
But the Knights already knew about Matt Kaplanis.
Blackhawk’s senior right-handed pitcher has dominated at times this season, and he’ll likely be on the mound for today’s Class A South Bend Semistate game at Coveleski Stadium. Central Catholic would need to get past him to become the first program to advance to the state championship game four straight years.
“Basically, the season is one giant practice,” CC pitcher/outfielder Nick Stone said. “We’ve seen guys anywhere from 70-85 (miles per hour), guys that throw fastballs, curveballs, everything. Hopefully the season has prepared us.”
Kaplanis, a University of Indianapolis recruit, opened the season with iffy starts against Fort Wayne South and Bishop Dwenger. Since then he’s 6-0 with an 0.98 ERA, allowing 31 hits and six walks while striking out 65 over 43 innings.
Three of those victories were shutouts, including a 13-strikeout, no-walk performance against Morgan Township in the Caston Regional championship.
“We have to have shorter swings at the plate in order to hit a faster pitcher,” CC catcher Wiley Lodde said. “We also need to be more selective. We can’t be swinging at pitches out of the zone, because if you get behind a good pitcher he’s going to make good pitches to get you out.”
Facing tougher pitchers throughout the season didn’t hinder the Knights’ offense. CC owns a .321 team batting average and five players – Stone, Evan Kennedy, Andrew Hubertz, Ryan DeBoy and Austin Munn – have hit three or more home runs.
Munn, who will play at Ave Maria University in Florida, is expected to start against Blackhawk.
Central Catholic has outscored its five postseason opponents 47-4. Despite a postseason winning streak that dates back to 2009, the Knights say they take nothing for granted.
“Still, every day, you’ve got to come out and get better,” Munn said. “There’s no easy victory in the postseason.”
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