Dragons ranked 7th in state baseball poll
The Class 3A New Palestine Dragons were ranked seventh in Monday’s Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Associations’ top 10 weekly poll.
The Dragons held their position in the rankings with a 2-1 week, including a doubleheader split with Hoosier Heritage Conference Pendleton Heights on Friday.
New Palestine is 17-6 this season and owns an 9-3 HHC record, one game ahead of Pendleton Heights for first in the league standings.
IHSBCA Weekly Rankings (Class 3A)
Monday’s poll
1. Jasper 20-3
2. Silver Creek 23-2
3. Crawfordsville 22-3
4. Norwell 17-1
5. Franklin County 17-3
6. Brebeuf Jesuit 18-6
7. New Palestine 17-6
8. Guerin Catholic 16-7
9. Bishop Chatard 15-6
10. Delta 13-6
Others receiving votes: Brownstown Central, Edgewood, Lawrenceburg, Vincennes Lincoln, Whitko, Northwood, Peru
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Former Marauder competing in softball CWS
Mt. Vernon graduate Ellie Balbach is heading to the NCAA Division II College World Series.
Balbach, a former standout softball pitcher for the Marauders, helped Grand Valley State University win the NCAA Midwest Super Regional championship last Thursday in a 1-0 victory at No. 10 Wayne State.
The junior lefty pitched five innings with three strikeouts and provided the game’s lone run with her fifth home run of the season. Balbach (8-3) combined with reliever Sara Andrasik in the two-hit shutout for the win.
Grand Valley State (43-11) will face No. 1 West Texas A&M (58-3) today in Denver, Colo. at 2 p.m. in the opening round. The double-elimination CWS runs until May 21. This marks the third time in school history the GVSU Lakers have advanced to the national tournament.
This spring, Balbach earned her second straight All-GLIAC First Team honor as a designated player. She was named All-Hoosier Heritage Conference and All-Hancock County at Mt. Vernon while playing for coach Mike McGill.
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New Palestine physical night set for athletes
New Palestine High School will host its 2016 athletics physical night from 6 to 8 p.m. May 24.
All New Palestine High School and Doe Creek Middle School students participating must have a physical on file to participate in sports for the 2016-17 school year.
The cost for the physicals is $25.
The IHSAA physical form for 2016 has changed. All physicals must be signed by a physician (M.D. or D.O.) and include the physician’s license number at the bottom of the second page.
Signature stamps no longer will be accepted. The updated form is available in the New Palestine athletics office.
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Baseball state tourney draw today
The IHSAA will conduct its sectional draw at 8 a.m. today for the 2016 state baseball tournament.
The official pairings will be released on the IHSAA’s website after the pairings have been determined.
The sectional tournament will run from May 25 to 30, with days and times scheduled by each host school.
The second team named in each pairing is the designated home team except when they advance by virtue of a bye. The bye will be home in the semifinal and the visitors in the championship game.
In Class 4A, Greenfield-Central competes in the Richmond Sectional. Mt. Vernon hosts its own 4A sectional.
New Palestine will travel to the 3A Bishop Chatard Sectional. In Class 2A, Eastern Hancock travels to the Heritage Christian Sectional.
Admission per session is $6 and $10 for all sessions.
