NEW PALESTINE — The quest for a second consecutive state title for the New Palestine Dragons now goes through the Edgewood Mustangs.
If that sounds familiar, it’s because it should. The Dragons and Mustangs each won their respective regionals last year and met in the semistate opener in 2017. The Dragons handily dispatched the Mustangs in a 16-0 win en route to the state title.
The score was more lopsided than it may have been, given a different set of circumstances surrounding that contest. Edgewood’s graduation was the morning of that semistate game. The game was delayed, and the Mustangs got right on a bus to travel to the game.
They got off the bus and were promptly shut out by the Dragons.
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“It was some tough circumstances for them last year and we were able to kind of get on them early and just kind of took the game away from them,” New Palestine coach Ed Marcum said. “How we’re approaching it is, don’t expect to have the same game that we had with them last year.”
This is a different year, a different set of circumstances, and a very different Edgewood team. Ranked No. 7 in Class 3A, three of the top four hitters for the Mustangs are freshmen. Both their ace pitcher and their number two are freshmen.
Many of the Dragons players have seen and beaten Edgewood before. But they haven’t seen this Edgewood team. Not yet.
Their coach saw them once. Marcum traveled to Edgewood for their sectional final against Northview on Thursday, a game the Mustangs won 6-4 by surviving a seventh-inning scare.
He saw a team that played well defensively, that can hit the ball and has a pitcher who can move the ball well around the zone.
Marcum got an idea of what to expect out of this year’s Edgewood team. But that’s not his main area of focus.
“We have to concern ourselves with ourselves,” Marcum said. “As I told the girls this morning, we have to make sure we’re prepared and ready to play. That’s kind of our focus. I saw them just so I could get a feel for the team in general.”
Much like last year, the Dragons come into this game with a record-setting offense. They broke their own state mark in home runs for a season, now sitting at 67 for the year, best in Indiana and second best in the nation in a per-game ranking.
New Palestine has the third best batting average in the state and the top slugging percentage.
Three of the regular Dragons starters are hitting well over .500, with Ashley Prange leading the way with a .591 avg., 16 home runs and 64 RBIs. She’s second in the state in home runs and first in RBIs. Michaela Jones is hitting .560, and Tatum Biddle is hitting .529.
Edgewood will likely be bringing a freshman to the mound to face the offensive juggernaut of the Dragons.
Trinity Robertson is the top pitcher for the Mustangs, throwing a hefty 134 innings this year. She has compiled a 2.81 ERA, 18-6 record and 90 strikeouts on the season in leading Edgewood to the regional.
She has faced some good teams, including Brown County and Roncalli. She hasn’t faced an offense quite like New Palestine’s.
“If we could get on her early, that would be important,” Marcum said. “When you’re facing a freshman, they haven’t been in this situation before. The pressure that we feel, you know a freshman is feeling even that much more. We need to make good swings, good decisions at the plate and just try to focus on playing our game.”
New Palestine comes into the game winners of 16 straight, their only blemish a 3-2 loss against Class 4A front-runner Center Grove.
They get what Marcum hopes is an advantage in hosting a regional, bringing one of the top-ranked teams remaining in their side of the bracket to New Palestine to face the Dragons on their home field.
Being the defending champions puts a target on the Dragons back. They have a certain level of pressure every game because of it. For their part, the team isn’t resting on its past successes. It’s all about moving forward, trying to achieve the dream of a state title again.
“This is a completely different year. It’s cliché, but we always try to take one game at a time,” Marcum said. “We’re trying to stay loose. Any time there’s a big game there’s pressure, but you want that.
“If there wasn’t any pressure involved, the game wouldn’t be nearly as fun.”
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Two high-powered offenses with strong pitching are set to face off in Tuesday’s regional at New Palestine. Here’s how the defending state champion Dragons, No. 1 in Class 3A, match up against No. 7 Edgewood.
(Note: Numbers are per game averages)
;New Palestine;Edgewood
Batting avg.;.452;.403
Runs;12.9;9.7
Hits;13.8;12
HR;67;37
Team ERA;2.65;3.26
Strikeouts;137;110
How they got here
New Palestine
Sectional semifinal: Beat Connersville 18-0
Sectional final: Beat Indian Creek 11-0
Edgewood
Sectional first round: Beat Owen Valley 13-0
Sectional semifinal: Beat Brown County 6-2
Sectional final: Beat Northview 6-4
Players to watch in the regional include:
New Palestine
Ashley Prange .591 avg., 16 HR, 64 RBIs
Michaela Jones .560 avg., 10 HR, 40 RBIs
Tatum Biddle .529, 9 HR, 29 RBIs
Edgewood
Grace Bretveld .489 avg., 13 HR, 56 RBIs
Taylor Minnick .490 avg, 6 HR, 32 RBIs
Trinity Robertson 2.81 ERA, 18-6 record, 90 Ks
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What: Class 3A Regional Championship
Who: No. 1 New Palestine Dragons vs. No. 7 Edgewood Mustangs
Where: New Palestine High School
When: 7 p.m.
Tickets: $7
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