Central Catholic relishes the opportunity to play at Coveleski Stadium in South Bend

Central Catholic relishes the opportunity to play at Coveleski Stadium in South Bend: wlfi.com

Ross Bolin
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) - With a win on Saturday at Coveleski Stadium the Central Catholic baseball team will advance to their 4th consecutive Class 1A State Championship game.

For the first time in their 3 year State championship run the Knights will not be playing their Semi-State game in Kokomo at Highland Park. Central Catholic insists that where the game is played will not be a problem. For Senior Pitcher Austin Munn, it's about getting 21 Fort Wayne Blackhawk outs.

"It's going to be a little different. I'm not really superstitious but I like to have the same routine. It's not going to be any different were going to come out and play our game and hopefully come out victorious like that last three years," said Munn.

By bus it will take Central Catholic every bit of 3 hours to reach their destination which was not popular news when the team learned their semi-state fate. However, as the game has gotten closer the Knights have changed their tone.

"At first I think some of us questioned it because we weren't sure with the extra hour drive we didn't want to take that long of a bus ride. Going and playing on all turf is definitely going to be worth it and a lot of fun," said junior Cowen Olinger.

During spring break the Knights played a tough series of games in Louisville on turf which at the time didn't seem like a big deal but now seems like a great decision by Hall of Fame head coach Tim Bordenet.

"I always look forward to playing on big fields like that. It's turf like we played on in Louisville during spring break so that is going to be a bit of a change but baseball is baseball and you got to do what you got to do," said senior Nick Stone.

CC's senior catcher keeps Knights on track for fourth straight state title

Written by
NATHAN BAIRD

Central Catholic’s pitchers are grateful to have Wiley Lodde behind the plate.

Grateful for his pre-game pep talks, for his ability to block a would-be wild pitch and for the way he strikes down opposing baserunners.

Yet no Knight is as grateful for Lodde’s presence on the field than the senior catcher himself. After a potentially career-ending shoulder injury two years ago, Lodde returned to become an integral part of Class A No. 1 Central Catholic’s pursuit of a fourth straight state championship.

“When he got the chance, he really excelled,” CC senior pitcher and outfielder Austin Munn said. “He’s saved all the pitchers a lot. He’s a really good blocker, and he’s been throwing people out all season. Watching him grow as a catcher has been really fun.”

Lodde expected to compete for varsity time as a sophomore in 2010. But shoulder soreness that began during his freshman season only worsened while playing in Indianapolis the following fall.

An MRI revealed two tears in the labrum of his right shoulder. The surgery cost him his entire sophomore year, and Lodde said the shoulder didn’t return to normal until late in his junior season.

Once healthy, Lodde decided to make the most of the opportunity.

“This offseason is basically when it popped into my head that this was my chance and my shoulder was 100 percent ready to go,” Lodde said. “I just devoted myself to the team and got in a lot better shape, got my arm a lot stronger and here we are.”

His teammates say Lodde was one of the most consistent Knights in terms of attendance, and performance, at offseason workouts. The effort is evident in the results.

Along with his solid defensive play, Lodde is batting .274 with 18 RBIs out of the No. 7 spot. He’s also displayed one of the best batting eyes on the team, with 14 walks (tied for second on the team) and just six strikeouts.

“The way he worked in the offseason I think really set the tone for all of our guys,” CC coach Tim Bordenet said. “Especially our younger guys, who see there’s a guy who’s never really played who’s a senior and he’s the hardest worker we have in the weight room, that sets a great example for others to follow.”

Lodde said he learned a lot playing behind CC catchers Tyler Child, Reed Drysdale and Devin Morgan the past three seasons. Now he’s mentoring sophomore Evan Kennedy and the Knights’ other young catchers.

Next year, Lodde will be at Franklin College, continuing a baseball career that almost ended before it began.

“Baseball’s his passion,” Bordenet said. “When you have the drive he has, it’s not surprising to see him make the recovery that he did.”

CC headed to South Bend for semistate

By JCOnline:
No. 1 Central Catholic will face Fort Wayne Blackhawk at 1 p.m. Saturday in South Bend’s Coveleski Stadium in the northern Class A semistate championship game.

The winner will play either Shakamak or South Central (Elizabeth) in the state championship game the following week in Indianapolis.

CC (29-4) is gunning for its fourth consecutive Class A state championship. Fort Wayne Blackhawk is 22-6-1. The Knights advanced to the semistate with an 18-3 victory against Daleville this past Saturday at Leming Field in the regional title game.

Lafayette CC eliminates Daleville baseball in regional final

Star Press

Written by
SAM WILSON
LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Lafayette Central Catholic's Austin Munn drove the game's first pitch over the wall for a home run. The Knights' offense didn't slow down much the rest of the game on Saturday night as Central Catholic claimed an 18-3 victory over Daleville in the championship game of its own Class A baseball regional.

Munn, who later hit a double, hit one of four Knight homers, as pitcher/right fielder Nick Stone hit two and Andrew Hubertz hit the other.

Lafayette Central Catholic (29-4, No. 1 Class A) scored multiple runs in five of the game's seven innings.

Daleville did threaten in the fourth inning despite the lopsided final score. Taylor Clark and Caleb Maddox each had doubles, and the Broncos scored three runs and trailed the Knights 7-3 at the end of the inning.

After a scoreless fifth inning, the Knights' offense picked up again, scoring five runs in the sixth inning and six in the seventh in what turned into a blowout win.

"I'm proud of our guys," Daleville coach Daniel Hanson said. "We opened up a little slow there and their lineup, you just never get a break in their lineup."

Lafayette Central Catholic picked up a total of 17 hits in the game, including 10 in the last two innings when its run total more than doubled. Seven of the nine batters in the LCC starting lineup had at least two hits. Munn and Stone each had three hits. Six of the Knights' hits went for extra bases.

Brent Blackwell was the only Daleville player to log two hits, one a double. Drew Nuce and Maddox also each reached base twice. Both players had one hit apiece. Nuce also got hit and Maddox reached on a fielder's choice. The Broncos had six total hits.

Nuce (9-4) started for the Broncos and pitched 6 2/3 innings, taking the loss. Clark pitched the last two outs in relief and allowed a run.

Daleville finished its season 17-13 and won its first sectional championship in five years when it claimed the Cowan Sectional Title on Monday.

The Broncos beat Union City earlier Saturday to advance to the title game. The Broncos scored two runs each in the first, third and sixth innings in the victory. Cody Duke and Clark each had two hits and an RBI to pace the Bronco offense, while Blackwell had a two-RBI single to drive in both third-inning runs.

"We were focused from the get-go," Hanson said. "I felt all week long they were focused in practice and they came out ready to go and we jumped on them early a little bit."

Clark pitched a complete game for the Broncos, allowing five hits and striking out nine batters. He walked one.

"He threw a heck of a game earlier today for us," Hanson said. "I've been saying it all week long, we felt comfortable with Taylor or Drew (Nuce) on the mound. We had confidence in both of them."

Gary Williams pitched a complete game for Union City (8-18). Richie Foster had two singles to lead the Indians offensively. The Indians won the Randolph Southern Sectional Monday to claim their school's first-ever sectional title.