HANCOCK COUNTY — It’s too early to crown a Hoosier Heritage Conference baseball champion, but these next few days could play a pivotal role in the final outcome.
At approximately three weeks into the 2021 season, patterns are emerging around the baseball diamond and the wins are mounting as well, especially in a highly-competition HHC race.
At a perfect 4-0 in league play, the defending HHC champion Greenfield-Central Cougars (6-3) currently hold the top spot in the standings with a one-game lead over both Hancock County rivals New Palestine (4-4, 3-1 HHC) and Mt. Vernon (7-3, 3-1 HHC).
Behind the county trio sits Pendleton Heights (5-5, 2-2 HHC) and Shelbyville (7-5, 2-2 HHC). Yorktown (5-4, 3-3 HHC), New Castle (3-7, 1-3 HHC) and Delta (2-6, 0-6 HHC) round out the eight-team standings.
Things should get interesting, however, as Pendleton Heights and Shelbyville are set to play their two-game HHC series this Friday, while the unexpected April snowstorm also pushed back another key match-up between New Palestine and Mt. Vernon.
Originally scheduled to take place earlier this week, the Dragons and Marauders will collide a few days later than expected with their HHC series opening at Mt. Vernon tonight at 6 p.m.
The second game is set at New Palestine on Friday night with the first pitch at 6 p.m.
Greenfield-Central was scheduled to travel to Yorktown this past Tuesday and host the Tigers last night, but recent weather and wet field conditions have shifted the series start until tonight.
The Tigers host the Cougars at 6 p.m. today before the location flips back to Greenfield on Friday at 6 p.m.
Can the Marauders gain ground?
The Mt. Vernon Marauders are tied with Shelbyville with the most wins on the season overall, but unlike the Golden Bears, they’ve never claimed an outright HHC title since the conference formed in 1994.
The Marauders last league title came in 2009 when they shared it with New Palestine. Shelbyville won the HHC outright in 2014, while Greenfield-Central seized championships in both 2019 and 2013 — the program’s only two conference titles to date.
New Palestine owns a conference-best 11 team titles with its first in 2004. The Dragons won nine consecutive championships — or shares of them — from 2004-12. They added two more in 2016 and 2018.
The Marauders appear built to contend led by 10 seniors and the state’s seventh-best senior high school prospect, according to Prep Baseball Report Indiana, in Hunter Dobbins, a Ball State recruit.
Dobbins, who was named PBR Indiana Preseason All-State, has been a tough out this season, hitting .714 (20-for-28) in 40 plate appearances with 19 RBI, seven doubles, a triple and five home runs. His batting average ranks him fifth in the state, according to MaxPreps, and No. 1 in Class 4A.
The 6-foot-2, 210-pound catcher/infielder has been on a tear since opening day at the Noblesville Invitational on April 2, going nine straight games with multi-hit performances and blasting five home runs over five games from April 3-10.
He’s only struck out twice so far and has drawn 10 walks with an on-base percentage of .775 and a slugging percentage of 1.571.
Hardly a one-man team, the Marauders have also been powered by seniors Joel Walton (.433, 13 RBI, nine runs, four doubles, three HRs) and Anderson University recruit Jake Stank (.400, 13 RBI, 16 runs, three doubles, HR).
The Marauders are hitting .322 as a group with a .447 on-base percentage, 24 stolen bases and 94 runs scored in 10 games (9.4 runs per game).
Senior AJ Swingle (.290, nine RBI, two triples), Oakland recruit Landon Clark, a senior, and sophomore Eli Bridenthal (.391) helped fuel the Marauders’ five-game winning streak prior to their series split against Shelbyville last week.
The Marauders lost 13-11 to the Golden Bears at home on April 13, which magnifies their two-game series against New Palestine slightly with a stretch of four consecutive HHC games ahead with Pendleton Heights (Tuesday and Wednesday) and New Castle (May 4-5).
A strong showing against New Palestine could put the Marauders in position to strike or possibly leapfrog Greenfield-Central before May with Mt. Vernon and the Cougars going head-to-head on May 11-12.
Dragons are finding their way
The New Palestine Dragons have four losses this season, but only one has come against a HHC foe.
Dropping their conference opener to Shelbyville, 10-3, on the road, April 6, the Dragons have won three straight HHC games, splitting with the Golden Bears and sweeping Yorktown (April 13-14).
Their first HHC win, 10-3, on April 7, over Shelbyville came against Franklin College recruit Tyler Smalley, a power right-hander, as senior Brandon Tabor, an Anderson University commit, posted a six-RBI day with a home run and a 2-for-2 performance.
Tabor is hitting .440 with 14 RBI, five doubles, three home runs and has an on-base percentage of .516. Junior Carter Stogsdill, an Indiana Wesleyan recruit, carries a .364 average with 14 runs, 10 RBI and three home runs.
The team’s top hitter among the regulars is junior Maddox Manes, who has gone 10-for-21 (.476) in 26 plate appearances.
Junior Zayden Stiller (.400), junior Eli Bruns (.308) and sophomore Blaine Nunnally (.600, 3-for-5, two RBI) are other potential threats in the lineup.
The Dragons could follow a similar path as the Marauders depending on their series this week with a two-game set with Greenfield-Central, starting on Tuesday.
Cougars control their own destiny
The Greenfield-Central Cougars are currently in the driver’s seat.
With a sweep of New Castle (April 6-7) and a gritty two-game run against Delta last week, the Cougars could put some distance between themselves and their HHC foes.
A potential two-game sweep of Yorktown — while New Palestine and Mt. Vernon trade blows — would offer the Cougars some potential for error later this season, especially with the Dragons coming to town on Tuesday.
That task won’t be so simple, however.
The Tigers showcase a quality pitcher in junior right-hander Jacob Pruitt, who has a record of 2-0, a 1.24 ERA and 26 strikeouts in 17.0 innings pitched. Pruitt, like New Castle junior Corbin Malott, is a Purdue recruit. New Castle junior Ayden Decker-Petty is an Indiana commit.
Beyond Pruitt (.500, three triples, 13 runs, seven RBI), the Tigers have relied on senior Robby Hook, who has driven in 12 runs with two home runs on the year.
Sophomore Cole Temple is hitting .419 with nine RBI, while senior Gage Smith has nine RBI.
Greenfield-Central’s senior bunch of Parker Stanley, Lance McKee, Carson Gibson (Indiana Wesleyan), Gavin Atwood, Kalob Martin (Franklin College), Nick Grandstaff and Jacob Riegle have picked up the torch this spring.
Collectively and individually, the group powered the defending sectional champions (2019) to a five-game winning streak before it dropped a pair to Fishers this past weekend.
They will be needed if the Cougars look to chase down the program’s first HHC repeat and possibly match the 2019 team’s 11-3 league record.
Royals seeking consistency
The Eastern Hancock Royals erupted out of the gate on opening day to run-rule Anderson Prep Academy, 33-5, on April 7.
After a 15-2 loss at Anderson on April 8, they bounced back to win big, 31-0, over Tri on the road, April 9, but the Royals are now riding a three-game losing streak, which could end today at Mid-Eastern Conference foe Cowan (2-4, 0-2 MEC).
An 11-team conference, the MEC is led by Class 2A No. 2 Wapahani (8-1, 3-0 MEC) while 2A No. 1 Monroe Central (9-0, 1-0 MEC) sits as the only other unbeaten in the standings.
The Royals don’t face either until they host both with Wapahani visiting on April 29 and Monroe Central on April 30.
In the meantime, the Royals 3-5, 1-1 MEC) will look for a few wins behind 10 players with batting averages at .318 or better.
Senior Drew White leads the charge with a .583 average (14-for-24) with 13 RBI. Wyatt Sutton, a junior, is hitting .478 with five triples and 11 RBI.
Senior Cameron Wise sports a .524 batting average, while junior Reed Hedrick is hitting .500.
Senior Landon Kintner (.333), sophomore CJ Titara (.333) and sophomore Brandon Ridgway (.318) each have eight RBI apiece this season.
Wise has been the Royals most effective pitcher, going 2-1 in three appearances with 11 strikeouts in 11.0 innings.
