INDIANAPOLIS -- Minutes after winning their second state championship in three years, Central Catholic's senior leaders shared a unanimous vision for the program's future.
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"Nothing less," senior shortstop Dru Anthrop said. "If they have the will, they have the way. They can do it, and all they have to do is set their mind to it and they'll be fine."
The Knights must replace senior starters Anthrop, Tyler Child and Matt Combs and reserves Michael Lippai and Ben Wiley. But Central Catholic returns enough talent to make another run to Victory Field next season.
Every significant arm on the Knights pitching staff returns, as does the bulk of a lineup that scored 60 runs in six tournament games.
"Those guys are going to be tough to replace," CC coach Tim Bordenet said of his outgoing seniors. "At the same time, we do have a lot of guys back with experience, and this tournament run will definitely help them as well."
Junior pitcher Taylor Glaze finished off a 9-0 season with five one-hit innings in a 14-1 state championship victory over Vincennes Rivet. He compiled a 1.19 ERA with 59 strikeouts in 70 2/3 innings as the Knights' ace.
Central Catholic also returns juniors Brett Haan (6-1, 2.42 ERA) and Chas Bobillo (4-1, 2.74 ERA) and promising freshmen Austin Munn and Nick Stone. The top five pitchers return from a staff that finished with a 2.26 ERA.
"It's going to be great next year; I'm going to come and watch," said Child, a three-year starter at catcher. "I'd like to see another championship next year."
Cleanup hitter and second baseman Reed Drysdale (.439, 51 RBIs) will be a four-year starter next season. Junior center fielder Scott Windler (.454, 3 home runs, 50 runs) enjoyed a breakout season, and juniors Bobillo, Cole Hruskovich and Jason Aldridge took on bigger roles.
After losing six starters from the 2008 team to graduation, the Knights relied on the emergence of several first-time starters. As those players improved, Central Catholic won 15 of its last 16 regular season games.
"Every game, everyone got better, and it carried on into this game" Glaze said.
Strong freshman seasons from Munn and Stone set the foundation for the program's next three seasons.
Munn capped his rookie season with a 3-for-4 performance as the designated hitter in the title game. He also went 3-0 and struck out 28 batters in 21 innings.
Stone also went 3-0 while posting a 1.77 ERA and 27 strikeouts in 27 2/3 innings.
Expectations will be high again next season, but that's nothing new to the Knights.
"Same thing -- nothing less," Glaze said. "We can do this again, we really can. We've just got to work at it.
"I'm not saying we will, but we can. We definitely can."
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Colt world series!
The Colt World Series!!!
My son Nick has just made The Colt World Series Team for Lafayette, IN. Now that his high school team won The State Championship focus has turned to this Colt tournament that features some of the best 15-16 year olds around the world, an unbelievable opportunity & experience.He will be playing in tournaments leading up to The Colt World Series which is played at this ball park across the street from our house.
Loeb Stadium-Home of the Colt World Series!
My son's baseball team are state champs!
STATE CHAMPS ARE THE CENTRAL CATHOLIC KNIGHTS IN LAFAYETTE, IN!!!!!! A 14-1 thumping of Rivet. BUT!!! Before I go on, kudos to this team (Rivet) to have made it this far. Most have read the article on JCOnline. They had trouble getting enough players to field the team. They begged a female to play & she did & she did it right. She started in left field & had a designated hitter for her. She made some routine plays in left field, did have an error on a routine fly ball as she dropped it. I think as the storm was blowing in the wind played some tricks on a couple fly balls. She did have a nice sliding catch. And came to bat once before the game ended. The girl drilled one into right field & right to our right fielder. Nice contact, the girl has game.
Kudos to our fans and our parents. She got a standing ovation from our fans when she drilled that line drive into right field.
JCOnline news:
INDIANAPOLIS — Behind an offensive onslaught and Taylor Glaze’s masterful pitching, Central Catholic defeated Vincennes Rivet 14-1 Friday night in the Class A state championship game at Victory Field.
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The Knights (28-4) won their third state title in six years. Central Catholic set a record for most runs scored in a Class A championship game.
Dru Anthrop and Reed Drysdale drove in three runs apiece for the Knights, and Scott Windler and Austin Munn each scored three. CC scored at least three runs in each of the first four innings.
Glaze (9-0) allowed one unearned run on one hit while striking out nine over five innings. Brett Haan relieved and closed out the victory.
After the game, Anthrop was presented with the IHSAA’s mental attitude award.
Semi-state champs!
KOKOMO -- Making the trip to Victory Field never gets old for Central Catholic's baseball program.
"We've been working all year for this," senior outfielder Matt Combs said following Saturday's resounding 16-1, five-inning victory over Fort Wayne Canterbury to claim the Class A Kokomo Semistate.
The second-ranked Knights are making their fifth appearance at the state finals since 2002 and seek the program's third state championship. Central Catholic won state titles in 2004 and 2007.
"It's really special and I'm glad we get to go one more time," shortstop Dru Anthrop said.
Although the Cavaliers took a brief 1-0 lead on a solo home run from Cameron Squires, there was never any doubt the Knights would be making another journey to the state finals.
Cole Hruskovich's two-run single broke a 1-1 tie in the bottom of the second. Anthrop's towering two-run homer pushed the lead to 5-1 and chased starting pitcher Daniel McMahon from the game.
Anthrop's home run easily cleared the posted distance of 330 feet down the left field line.
"He was struggling with his control the whole time, and I was waiting for him to miss a spot and pitch one inside," Anthrop said.
CC, though, was just getting started.
Taking advantage of four errors, a bases loaded walk and a wild pitch in the fourth, the Knights sent 15 batters to the plate and scored 11 times on six hits. Catcher Tyler Child and designated hitter Austin Munn each produced two-run singles in the inning.
Overall, the Cavaliers (14-10) were charged with seven errors after committing none in winning the program's first sectional and regional titles.
"They took every error and they took it to us," Canterbury coach Pat McMahon said. "Momentum went in their dugout and never left. Hitting is contagious and so are errors."
The Knights, winners of nine straight and 19 of their last 20, capitalized on each mistake.
"When you give any team more than three outs in an inning, it's going to hurt," said Anthrop, who scored four times and drove in three runs. "They made a few errors and it really helped us get those big innings going. They helped us out a little bit, but we still had to go through and play."
(2 of 2)
Eight of CC's starters had at least one hit and scored one run, including first baseman Jason Aldridge. The junior made his first start in the lineup after just eight official at-bats before Saturday.
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Coach Tim Bordenet inserted Aldridge into the lineup while cleanup batter and second baseman Reed Drysdale served a one-game suspension following last week's ejection at the regional.
Aldridge finished with two hits, including an RBI single in the fourth.
"I was nervous," Aldridge said. "(Coach) told me at the beginning of the week that I didn't have to replace Reed. Just go up there and get a few hits in the eight hole."
CC starter Taylor Glaze wasn't sharp, hitting the leadoff batter on the first pitch of the game. He allowed the home run to Squires, but settled down and scattered four hits and didn't issue a walk.
"I couldn't be any happier for the seniors, who have been great from the first day of practice," Bordenet said. "They've shown great leadership and more importantly, they've been unselfish and put the team ahead of themselves. That's a big reason why we're playing for a state championship."
Regional champs!
What an incredible run by our Central Catholic Knights!!! It's on to The Semi-State Championships!!! We are 1 win away from The State Finals.
We are the 2nd highlight.
Highlights of our Regional Win!
COWAN -- Cowan junior pitching sensation Justin O'Conner was all that and more Saturday night, but in the end, Central Catholic was better.
In a Class A Cowan Regional championship game for the ages, the second-ranked Knights overcame O'Conner's 17 strikeouts in nine innings, then scored six times in the top of the 11th for an 8-2 victory against the third-ranked Blackhawks.
The victory, which sends CC to the Class A semistate on June 13, was the 300th in coach Tim Bordenet's career, including 275 with the Knights and 25 in two seasons at Muncie Central.
Senior shortstop Dru Anthrop, whose 10th-inning error helped Cowan tie the game at 2-2, slapped a two-run, bases-loaded single to center in the top of the 11th.
Anthrop stole home with two outs in the top of the 10th to give CC a brief 2-1 advantage. Winning pitcher Taylor Glaze followed Anthrop's hit with a run-scoring fielder's choice. Chas Bobillo laced a two-run single and Matt Combs added an RBI triple.
While Glaze (7-0) got into jams in the fifth, eighth and 10th innings, the left-hander allowed only one unearned run. In 10 innings, Glaze allowed only five hits and struck out 12.
In all, the Knights struck out 21 times, Cowan 13.
"(O'Conner) was throwing pretty hard and had us on our heels for most of the game," Anthrop said. "Once they brought some new guys in, it was a whole different approach at the plate. We had to stay back rather than jumping at pitches.
"Then, stealing home was great. That's the first time I've done that in high school. I could tell the pitcher (Skyler Toomey) had no idea where I was. I said, 'Hey, coach, I think I can sneak by if I get a good jump.' "
Anthrop said one of this team's many goals was to be part of Bordenet's 300th victory.
"I don't think we really told him about it, but knowing he was this close, and then to win in this fashion and on this big stage is great," Anthrop said. "This was one of the most exciting and most intense games in which I've been involved."
Bordenet has coached 434 high school games and can't remember a more dramatic one.
"I think I never will forget this one," Bordenet said. "I've never been in a game like this with so many momentum swings. We were one pitch away here or there -- both ways -- and the game was in the balance so many times."
We are the 2nd highlight.
Highlights of our Regional Win!
COWAN -- Cowan junior pitching sensation Justin O'Conner was all that and more Saturday night, but in the end, Central Catholic was better.
In a Class A Cowan Regional championship game for the ages, the second-ranked Knights overcame O'Conner's 17 strikeouts in nine innings, then scored six times in the top of the 11th for an 8-2 victory against the third-ranked Blackhawks.
The victory, which sends CC to the Class A semistate on June 13, was the 300th in coach Tim Bordenet's career, including 275 with the Knights and 25 in two seasons at Muncie Central.
Senior shortstop Dru Anthrop, whose 10th-inning error helped Cowan tie the game at 2-2, slapped a two-run, bases-loaded single to center in the top of the 11th.
Anthrop stole home with two outs in the top of the 10th to give CC a brief 2-1 advantage. Winning pitcher Taylor Glaze followed Anthrop's hit with a run-scoring fielder's choice. Chas Bobillo laced a two-run single and Matt Combs added an RBI triple.
While Glaze (7-0) got into jams in the fifth, eighth and 10th innings, the left-hander allowed only one unearned run. In 10 innings, Glaze allowed only five hits and struck out 12.
In all, the Knights struck out 21 times, Cowan 13.
"(O'Conner) was throwing pretty hard and had us on our heels for most of the game," Anthrop said. "Once they brought some new guys in, it was a whole different approach at the plate. We had to stay back rather than jumping at pitches.
"Then, stealing home was great. That's the first time I've done that in high school. I could tell the pitcher (Skyler Toomey) had no idea where I was. I said, 'Hey, coach, I think I can sneak by if I get a good jump.' "
Anthrop said one of this team's many goals was to be part of Bordenet's 300th victory.
"I don't think we really told him about it, but knowing he was this close, and then to win in this fashion and on this big stage is great," Anthrop said. "This was one of the most exciting and most intense games in which I've been involved."
Bordenet has coached 434 high school games and can't remember a more dramatic one.
"I think I never will forget this one," Bordenet said. "I've never been in a game like this with so many momentum swings. We were one pitch away here or there -- both ways -- and the game was in the balance so many times."
Sectional champs!
Central Catholic wins sectional!!!
In a dramatic high school baseball game, my son's high school varsity team wins The Sectional Championship. In a pitcher's duel the final score was CC 1 Tri-Central 0!!! Highlights in this video from channel 18 news.
Highlights of CC's sectional win!!!
Sectional media coverage!
As a freshman, he is listed as 1 of our top pitchers. Without a doubt, Taylor Glaze is our ace. Go Knights!!!
COWAN -- Excellent pitching. Airtight defense. Small-ball offense.
Second-ranked Central Catholic's baseball team finds itself two victories from its third Class A state championship in six seasons because of the aforementioned strengths.
# Pitchers Taylor Glaze, Brett Haan, Chas Bobillo and Austin Munn have a collective 0.70 ERA in sectional and regional action, including Saturday night's 8-2 victory in 11 innings over No. 3 Cowan.
Tournament opponents Rossville, Tri-Central, Monroe Central and Cowan combined for 17 hits in 103 official at-bats, a .165 batting average.
# Once Cowan ace Justin O'Conner left Saturday night after striking out 17 in nine innings, the Knights began to bunt against the Blackhawks' suspect defense.
Three throwing errors by Cowan relievers Skyler Toomey and Kirby Campbell on well-placed bunts from Scott Windler, Cole Hruskovich and Ben Wiley set up CC's six-run 11th.
# Through four tournament games, CC has made three errors, and only one led to a run.
Glaze, 2-0 in the tourney and 7-0 overall, was the key against Cowan, limiting the Blackhawks to five hits and two runs, one earned, in 10 innings.
He and fellow junior O'Conner battled to a 1-1 tie through nine innings. O'Conner allowed four hits.
"Have I ever played in a more exciting game?" Glaze said. "No, no, no, no, no and no. This was by far the most exciting game. I pitched 10 innings and pushed myself to the limit."
Glaze said it was a thrill to pitch against O'Conner, who consistently was throwing 91-to-95 miles an hour.
"O'Conner is a very, very good pitcher," Glaze said. "He throws heat. He is dominating.
"It was a tough battle, but we put our hearts into it and pulled it out."
Glaze said he felt like his heart was in his throat during his final three innings on the mound.
"It was there every time once we got past the seventh inning," Glaze said. "I was praying that I wouldn't mess it up. Luckily, I didn't. We got the job done.
"My curveball was working, and so was my fastball. I threw it high and away and got them chasing it."
(2 of 2)
The bottom four batters in the Cowan order were a collective 0-for-18 with six strikeouts, hitting into a pair of double plays.
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Bordenet, who won his 300th game Saturday night, anticipated Cowan would be vulnerable against CC's bunts.
"We knew that in order for us to be successful, we had to make them make some plays," Bordenet said. "We had to put the ball in play ... had to shorten our swings.
"O'Conner is a heck of a pitcher. We battled him and had several scoring opportunities. We waited him out. And we played great defense. I can't say enough about Taylor. He matched O'Conner pitch for pitch for 10 innings. That was a whale of a ballgame."
In retrospect, senior Dru Anthrop made the play of the game, stealing home with two outs in the top of the 10th for a 2-1 Knights' lead. The steal was magnified when Cowan scored in the bottom of the 10th.
"Dru got to third, and he said, 'Coach, I can get it,' " Bordenet said. "(The pitcher) has his back to me. We kind of rolled the dice, and Dru had a heck of a jump at third with a left-hander on the mound. That kind of turned the tide.
"Then, he came back in the 11th and got that two-run single. Our kids showed so much perseverance. Cowan got the hit to tie it with two outs in the 10th, and we came right back with the big inning in the 11th. I'm proud of our guys."
CC, which will play Fort Wayne Canterbury in Saturday's Kokomo Semistate, probably will be without second baseman and cleanup hitter Reed Drysdale, who was ejected for failing to slide at the plate in the top of the 10th.
According to IHSAA rules, the ejection carries a one-game suspension.
"He started to slide 12-to-15 feet in front of the plate," Bordenet said. "It was a hard slide. It is what it is, and we will move on.
"We've got a long way to go. We've got to get healthy. We've got a lot of kids banged up. The week off will do us good, but I know our kids will play hard and battle."
Hruskovich, Haan and Drysdale each is suffering from a finger injury.
Anthrop, who drove in four runs in the two-game regional, wondered what might have happened has CC not won in the 11th. Cowan does not have lights, and the game ended at 8:31 p.m.
"It was such a suspenseful game," Anthrop said. "Baseball is such a slow-paced game. There's no clock, so anything can happen.
"But actually, there was a clock today. Had the sun gone down, I don't know what would have happened. But it was fun."
# Pitchers Taylor Glaze, Brett Haan, Chas Bobillo and Austin Munn have a collective 0.70 ERA in sectional and regional action, including Saturday night's 8-2 victory in 11 innings over No. 3 Cowan.
Tournament opponents Rossville, Tri-Central, Monroe Central and Cowan combined for 17 hits in 103 official at-bats, a .165 batting average.
# Once Cowan ace Justin O'Conner left Saturday night after striking out 17 in nine innings, the Knights began to bunt against the Blackhawks' suspect defense.
Three throwing errors by Cowan relievers Skyler Toomey and Kirby Campbell on well-placed bunts from Scott Windler, Cole Hruskovich and Ben Wiley set up CC's six-run 11th.
# Through four tournament games, CC has made three errors, and only one led to a run.
Glaze, 2-0 in the tourney and 7-0 overall, was the key against Cowan, limiting the Blackhawks to five hits and two runs, one earned, in 10 innings.
He and fellow junior O'Conner battled to a 1-1 tie through nine innings. O'Conner allowed four hits.
"Have I ever played in a more exciting game?" Glaze said. "No, no, no, no, no and no. This was by far the most exciting game. I pitched 10 innings and pushed myself to the limit."
Glaze said it was a thrill to pitch against O'Conner, who consistently was throwing 91-to-95 miles an hour.
"O'Conner is a very, very good pitcher," Glaze said. "He throws heat. He is dominating.
"It was a tough battle, but we put our hearts into it and pulled it out."
Glaze said he felt like his heart was in his throat during his final three innings on the mound.
"It was there every time once we got past the seventh inning," Glaze said. "I was praying that I wouldn't mess it up. Luckily, I didn't. We got the job done.
"My curveball was working, and so was my fastball. I threw it high and away and got them chasing it."
(2 of 2)
The bottom four batters in the Cowan order were a collective 0-for-18 with six strikeouts, hitting into a pair of double plays.
Advertisement
Bordenet, who won his 300th game Saturday night, anticipated Cowan would be vulnerable against CC's bunts.
"We knew that in order for us to be successful, we had to make them make some plays," Bordenet said. "We had to put the ball in play ... had to shorten our swings.
"O'Conner is a heck of a pitcher. We battled him and had several scoring opportunities. We waited him out. And we played great defense. I can't say enough about Taylor. He matched O'Conner pitch for pitch for 10 innings. That was a whale of a ballgame."
In retrospect, senior Dru Anthrop made the play of the game, stealing home with two outs in the top of the 10th for a 2-1 Knights' lead. The steal was magnified when Cowan scored in the bottom of the 10th.
"Dru got to third, and he said, 'Coach, I can get it,' " Bordenet said. "(The pitcher) has his back to me. We kind of rolled the dice, and Dru had a heck of a jump at third with a left-hander on the mound. That kind of turned the tide.
"Then, he came back in the 11th and got that two-run single. Our kids showed so much perseverance. Cowan got the hit to tie it with two outs in the 10th, and we came right back with the big inning in the 11th. I'm proud of our guys."
CC, which will play Fort Wayne Canterbury in Saturday's Kokomo Semistate, probably will be without second baseman and cleanup hitter Reed Drysdale, who was ejected for failing to slide at the plate in the top of the 10th.
According to IHSAA rules, the ejection carries a one-game suspension.
"He started to slide 12-to-15 feet in front of the plate," Bordenet said. "It was a hard slide. It is what it is, and we will move on.
"We've got a long way to go. We've got to get healthy. We've got a lot of kids banged up. The week off will do us good, but I know our kids will play hard and battle."
Hruskovich, Haan and Drysdale each is suffering from a finger injury.
Anthrop, who drove in four runs in the two-game regional, wondered what might have happened has CC not won in the 11th. Cowan does not have lights, and the game ended at 8:31 p.m.
"It was such a suspenseful game," Anthrop said. "Baseball is such a slow-paced game. There's no clock, so anything can happen.
"But actually, there was a clock today. Had the sun gone down, I don't know what would have happened. But it was fun."
Benton Central tourney!
My freshman son picks up another win for his CC varsity team. Nick pitched 5 innings in The Championship game against Western 11-4. He is now 3-0 as a freshman pitcher for The Knights!
Nicks win in The Championship game of The Benton Central Tourney!
Benton Central Tourney Highlights!
Nicks win in The Championship game of The Benton Central Tourney!
Benton Central Tourney Highlights!
Benton Central tourney!
A win for my son's CC Knights at The Benton Central Tourney this past Saturday. Also, a dramatic comeback by the team against class 3A #5 ranked Northwestern. Attached to this story also is a story about a team Nick started & pitched 4 innings of no hit ball, giving up 2 walks that had #1 class 1A Frontier on the ropes. We also had #1 Frontier on the ropes.
Nick's 1st complete game!
Nick plays on both varsity & JV!!
Nick pitched a 4 hit, 1 run game to clinch the conference title for CC, it's 15th straight title. They have won 54 straight conference games and as a father am so grateful that my freshman son Nick is a part of this incredible ride.
Media coverage of Nicks conference title clinching win!! His 1st complete game!!!
Also, stats of his previous 2 games!!!
His 1st start, 4 innings of no hit ball, gave up 2 W's, then was pulled!
His incredible 1 1/3 innings of relief against class 1A #1 ranked Frontier!
Nick pitched a 4 hit, 1 run game to clinch the conference title for CC, it's 15th straight title. They have won 54 straight conference games and as a father am so grateful that my freshman son Nick is a part of this incredible ride.
Media coverage of Nicks conference title clinching win!! His 1st complete game!!!
Also, stats of his previous 2 games!!!
His 1st start, 4 innings of no hit ball, gave up 2 W's, then was pulled!
His incredible 1 1/3 innings of relief against class 1A #1 ranked Frontier!
Nick's latest baseball outing!
By Larry
Wow!!! An incredible finish to the greatest high school baseball game I've attended. BUT! It was a JV game at CC vs Heritage Christain, a class 2A school. This one went I "think" 11 innings. Nicholas plays varsity and plays "only" if he is to pitch which hasn't been much. And that's only in critical situations it appears. He has not pitched since The Frontier game almost 10 days or so ago. He plays JV at 3rd base and left field but hasn't pitched since the 1st game of the year.
Today's game was a 1st round of some sort of tourney involving some decent religious schools thru out Indiana. 8 teams are involved and the 1st rd is played at 4 different locations. 4 teams will come together for the finals at a later date, school size does not count. Austin Munn, the other standout freshman pitcher I mentioned that is playing varsity dressed for this one. He is having a great freshman year pitching for varsity, his record is 2-0. He threw a 1 hit shuout against Carroll, went the distance. Pitched another shutout game against ???? Nick starts on 3rd base today. Billy Musiek starts on the mound. He goes 4 innings. Austin goes 2 shaky innings.
The game: HC (Heritage Christain) The game is tied 2-2 at the end of one & Nicholas had a triple in the inning. Both pitchers settle down & at the end of 3 it's HC 3 CC 2. (Actually unsure of the scoring at end of what innings but know who got the leads.)
We get a run in the 4th to tie it 3-3. 6th inning HC gets a run and at the end of 6 it's HC 4 CC 3. In the top of the last (7th) HC does not score. Bottom of the 7th in some incredible timing of hits and base running skills we squeeze in a run to tie it 4-4 at the end of 7, EXTRA INNINGS!!!
Nicholas had warmed up in the bullpen in this inning. We're they actually going to pitch him? He has not pitched JV since the very 1st game in which he closed out the last 2 innings....a 6 up 6 down affair. Austin, the other freshman had pitched the last 2 innings & was struggling giving up the 1 go ahead run. 8th inning, Nicholas heads to the mound. 2 GO's back to him and a K. (3 batters faced) We don't score, inning 9 now. Nick K's 2 and gets an out on an infield play. (6 batters faced) Inning 10, we don't score. Nick gets 2 more K's and another out somehow in the infield. (9 batters faced) He's in this zone where he's pumping his fist & hard, he's usually very laid back. We don't score, inning 11, he gets I "think" 2 more K's and another infield out. (12 batters faced, 12 retired) We squeeze a run in the bottom of the 11th off a couple of hits & a squeeze bunt that scored a runner from 3rd. He's 2-0 with 2 saves.
Now, Nicholas with what success he's had still had not taken this last step in this new pitching process he learned last year...stepping farther towards the plate & following thru with more aggression, like gruntin or making faces as some pitchers do. I always wondered at what time coaches would bring this in. Over the past few times I've seen him pitch he's getting more aggressive. I don't know why but I've only seen the gun placed on him at a game (pitchers). This was the varsity start he got. He hit 80mph on several pitches. Recently with the increase in intensity on his delivery it's clear he's throwing harder. Today, I would give him an easy 80 + mph.
Varsity head coach Bordenet was there pitching some batting practice in the cage right behind the stands. He came out a few times to watch Nicholas and we caught eyes, he shook his head.
I've lost track of most of his stats & can only guess at some stats, K's/W's/hits..etc. I do know 2 stats, counting the high school league last fall he has pitched 27 2/3 innings & has given up that 1 cheap earned run against class 4A #3 Cathedral in the 7th inning when we had 2 team errors. These errors placed the runner on 3rd with 1 out. A fly ball to center brought him in, then Nicholas K'd the last batter. In JV he's faced 18 batters and retired them all.
Varsity pitching coach's wife told me he was to have started against McCutcheon last Friday, that got rained out & rescheduled for Monday. It's clear he won't start now.
Nick's media coverage against #1 ranked Frontier!
By Larry
More media coverage for my son Nick.
Nick was brought in to close a rally by #1 class 1A Frontier. They had just scored 3 runs on a triple with 2 outs, making the score 9-7 Frontier. With a runner on 3rd Nick strikes out the batter for the last out. He walks 1 in the 7th & leaves him stranded at 1st. We get 1 run in the 7th & fall short 9-8. Nick's CC team was ranked 5th in class 1A.
#1 class 1A Frontier vs CC, Nick media coverage!
More media coverage for my son Nick.
Nick was brought in to close a rally by #1 class 1A Frontier. They had just scored 3 runs on a triple with 2 outs, making the score 9-7 Frontier. With a runner on 3rd Nick strikes out the batter for the last out. He walks 1 in the 7th & leaves him stranded at 1st. We get 1 run in the 7th & fall short 9-8. Nick's CC team was ranked 5th in class 1A.
#1 class 1A Frontier vs CC, Nick media coverage!
A former team mate wins RAIN!
Another former Wheel Warrior Team mate has won The Race Across Indiana. To date, that makes my former team mates winning this event twice and having a team mate win it once. My best friend Jerry won it while the team was still active, me finishing 7th the same year with The Great Dave Tanner. Since the team folded after 10 very successful years we have had 2 former team mates go on to win this grueling race across Indiana. Great job Kurt Lorenz!!! Miss ridin with ya and good luck!!!!
Race Across Indiana 2008 Results!
A new baseball season has started!
Another baseball season is underway for my son Nicholas. Frustrated that he never made The Varsity Team he did get off to a good start on The JV Team. First game of the year was with The Delphi Oracles. Nicholas' 1st at bat resulted in a skyball into deep right field for a flyout. The next time up he drills a line drive into the right/center gap that landed at about the 320' mark between the 340' & 355' signs for a stand up triple & an rbi. His last at bat was a walk and another scored run.
He did get to close this game out, pitching the last 2 innings in what ended up being done after 5 innings because of the mercy rule. His 1st inning (the games 4th) he got the 1st batter to line out to the shortstop. A measily ground out & then he struck the last batter out, 3 up, 3 down in his debut as a Central Catholic Knight high school baseball player. He finished it off with 3 K's in his 2nd inning (the games 5th) striking out the side. Nicholas got a save for his efforts in an 11-0 win.
Including his high school league season in the fall last year and his 1st 2 innings this year he has these stats.
Innings pitched: 13
Earned runs: 0
Hits given up: 2
K's: 20
Walks: 4
K to W ratio: 5-1
He did get to close this game out, pitching the last 2 innings in what ended up being done after 5 innings because of the mercy rule. His 1st inning (the games 4th) he got the 1st batter to line out to the shortstop. A measily ground out & then he struck the last batter out, 3 up, 3 down in his debut as a Central Catholic Knight high school baseball player. He finished it off with 3 K's in his 2nd inning (the games 5th) striking out the side. Nicholas got a save for his efforts in an 11-0 win.
Including his high school league season in the fall last year and his 1st 2 innings this year he has these stats.
Innings pitched: 13
Earned runs: 0
Hits given up: 2
K's: 20
Walks: 4
K to W ratio: 5-1
Varsity news!
Great, great news!!!!!!!!!! As a freshman, Nicholas has now been invited to start dressing for varsity baseball games at his school, The Central Catholic Knights. He is 1 of 2 freshmen players to make the varsity team.
He may start on the mound against The Seeger Patriots JV team this Monday. He then will dress for a varsity game on Tuesday. Go get em Big Guy!!!!
He may start on the mound against The Seeger Patriots JV team this Monday. He then will dress for a varsity game on Tuesday. Go get em Big Guy!!!!
Nick & high school baseball!
My son Nicholas just started a new baseball season. He is now a freshman at CC which means it's big time baseball now. He has been playing on both the JV & the varsity. He has been playing regularly on the JV team. He pitched 2 close out innings in a win having 6 up & 6 down with 4K's.
He has played some on varsity but did get to pitch 2 games with astonishing results. The 1st had a ton of drama in it. Our team is a class 1A school which means it's small. We were playing class 4A Cathedral who is ranked #3 in the state & pitching for Cathedral is Dillon Peters, one of the top college prospects in the country. No way no how did I think he would play against this team since he's only a freshman. I thought he might pitch the last inning at best. I get to the game a bit late and do not see him on the field. I accidentally see him warming up in the bullpen. I thought the game must have started earlier, again thinking he might pitch the last inning. I look at the scoreboard and it's in the 2nd inning and we're down 5-0 already. CC is getting hammered.
2 more warm up pitches and he's off to the mound. It gets worse, bases are loaded!!! A firestorm!!! It's his 1st varsity game, he's only a freshman, bases are loaded and it's against the #3 team in the state!!! There is 2 outs tho. HE K's THE BATTER!!! Out of a big time jam.
Nicholas proceeds to pitch the rest of the game, 5 1/3 innings. He gave up 1 run (which was in the last, the 7th) 2 hits, 1 walk, 1 hit batter. There were 2 team errors in this last inning that brought a runner to 3rd. A deep fly out brought the runner in.
This must have earned him a start because he starts a couple of games later. Nicholas pitched 4 full innings gave up 0 hits, 2 walks, struck out 7, getting his 1st varsity win.
Nick's 1st varsity start, 4 innings of no hit ball!
He has played some on varsity but did get to pitch 2 games with astonishing results. The 1st had a ton of drama in it. Our team is a class 1A school which means it's small. We were playing class 4A Cathedral who is ranked #3 in the state & pitching for Cathedral is Dillon Peters, one of the top college prospects in the country. No way no how did I think he would play against this team since he's only a freshman. I thought he might pitch the last inning at best. I get to the game a bit late and do not see him on the field. I accidentally see him warming up in the bullpen. I thought the game must have started earlier, again thinking he might pitch the last inning. I look at the scoreboard and it's in the 2nd inning and we're down 5-0 already. CC is getting hammered.
2 more warm up pitches and he's off to the mound. It gets worse, bases are loaded!!! A firestorm!!! It's his 1st varsity game, he's only a freshman, bases are loaded and it's against the #3 team in the state!!! There is 2 outs tho. HE K's THE BATTER!!! Out of a big time jam.
Nicholas proceeds to pitch the rest of the game, 5 1/3 innings. He gave up 1 run (which was in the last, the 7th) 2 hits, 1 walk, 1 hit batter. There were 2 team errors in this last inning that brought a runner to 3rd. A deep fly out brought the runner in.
This must have earned him a start because he starts a couple of games later. Nicholas pitched 4 full innings gave up 0 hits, 2 walks, struck out 7, getting his 1st varsity win.
Nick's 1st varsity start, 4 innings of no hit ball!
Nick's 1st year of organized basketball!
Nicholas' Freshman basketball team for the year 2008 & 2009. This is his 1st year of organized basketball. Here is the 9th grade Central Catholic Knights.
And yes, we know the intelligent photo company misspelled Freshman & are correcting it! LOL
2008 coming to a historical political end!
With the ending of another tumultuous year of a Bush Administration we can look forward to hopefully better days ahead. The US Foreign Policy hopefully has more of a positive outlook that it has had under this former regime. Let's all say goodbye Mr. Bush and please, please do not let the door hit you in the ass on the way out.
Notice the look of awe in the onlookers after Condoleeza Rice's screw up!
Bush lying about seeing the 1st plane hit the tower, how could that be?
Notice the look of awe in the onlookers after Condoleeza Rice's screw up!
Bush lying about seeing the 1st plane hit the tower, how could that be?
Lost a wild one in the tourney!
We lost a wild one in the tourney 4-3. Thought we might have to use Nick to pitch again. Our starter walked batters, hit batters until it was 3-0 with 0 outs in the 1st and bases still loaded. Changed pitchers, bringing in a senior and finally got out of that jam. 2nd inning they get another unearned run on walks & hit batters. 4-0 end of 2. We get a rally in the 6th to make it 4-3 end of 6. 7th inning Nick is 4th batter in the order. He has thrived on this scenario in the past and has always either won the game or tied it with clutch hits in the past, including a home run on a couple of ocassions. Clearly a HR was not going to happen because of the use of wooden bats. Two outs now & the batter before him gets on, steals 2nd. The stage is set!!! Nicholas battles to a full count, fouls off a couple of pitches in that full count, fouls off a couple more after the count went full then sends a fly ball into deep center. The wind (40mph gusts blowing in from right field) held it up long enough for the center fielder to make a play on it. All in all it was a decent run as we won the league but finished 2nd in the tourney.
Tourney time!
Nicholas got the call to start the 1st game of the season ending tourney. This surprised me a bit as I was thinking he might come in and close this game out. He has never started a high school game on the mound. Needless to say Nick Stone (my son) was on fire. As he has done on the previous 1st 2 batters he had faced when entering a game, he struck the batter out on 3 pitches. In his 1st complete game he had I think 8 strike outs, gave up 1 hit, gave up 2 walks, 0 runs. He now has 16 K's, 4 walks, given up 2 hits, gave up 0 runs, has 2 wins & 1 save as a rookie high school pitcher. He pitched 9 full innings of high school baseball.The team will play in the championship game today at 4pm!
GO CARDS!!!!
High school league season ending!
The high school league that Nicholas played in at Loeb Stadium is coming to an end. Today was the last regular season games. Nicholas had good solid contact on his 1st at bat after we worked on his batting stance yesterday. A grounder to the shortstop that resulted in a fielders choice so he ended up on 1st. He then proceeded to steal 2nd and later score. He got a good solid base hit down the 3rd base line in a later inning.
In the last inning & his team leading 4-2 he made a spectacular diving catch in center field to get the 1st out and prevent a potential rally by the opposing team.
Next week the tourney starts and he has a 10am game at beautiful Loeb Stadium.
Go Cards!!!
In the last inning & his team leading 4-2 he made a spectacular diving catch in center field to get the 1st out and prevent a potential rally by the opposing team.
Next week the tourney starts and he has a 10am game at beautiful Loeb Stadium.
Go Cards!!!
1st high school pitching win!
By Larry
Nicholas had a terrible day at the plate. But, they brought him in to pitch in the 2nd game with the team down 4-2. He pitched inning 5, 6 & 7. He struck the 1st batter out on 3 pitches. Then proceeded to strike out the side in this the 5th inning on 13 pitches. We're still down 4-2. In the 6th he struck out the 1st batter, walked the next, got a fly out to center, struck out the last batter. He now has 5 strike outs in 2 innings. End of 6 we trail 4-3 now. In top of the last inning our team gets 6 runs giving us the lead 9-4. Last inning he strikes out the 1st batter, the next batter gets a single, the next batter hits into a double play to shortstop to end the game. Nicholas gets his 1st high school pitching win!In 4 innings of high school baseball as a 14 year old pitcher Nicholas has given up 0 runs, 2 walks and has 8 strike outs!!! Averaging 2 K's per inning. He has given up 1 hit. He has 1 win, 1 save & 0 losses as a high school pitcher!!!
Nicholas had a terrible day at the plate. But, they brought him in to pitch in the 2nd game with the team down 4-2. He pitched inning 5, 6 & 7. He struck the 1st batter out on 3 pitches. Then proceeded to strike out the side in this the 5th inning on 13 pitches. We're still down 4-2. In the 6th he struck out the 1st batter, walked the next, got a fly out to center, struck out the last batter. He now has 5 strike outs in 2 innings. End of 6 we trail 4-3 now. In top of the last inning our team gets 6 runs giving us the lead 9-4. Last inning he strikes out the 1st batter, the next batter gets a single, the next batter hits into a double play to shortstop to end the game. Nicholas gets his 1st high school pitching win!In 4 innings of high school baseball as a 14 year old pitcher Nicholas has given up 0 runs, 2 walks and has 8 strike outs!!! Averaging 2 K's per inning. He has given up 1 hit. He has 1 win, 1 save & 0 losses as a high school pitcher!!!
My son & big time baseball!
Well, Nicholas and his Squires Team finished their season about 2 months ago. It came to an end in a round for The Pony World Series. Since school has started and Nicholas being in the 9th grade recreation baseball as he once knew it is over. It's high school baseball now which means BIG TIME BASEBALL. Since school started his high school baseball coach has put him on a weight program and has the pitching coach working with him 2 days a week.
Ironically Lafayette has a high school fall ball league at beautiful Loeb Stadium just across the street from our house. It's every Tippecanoe County kids dream to play here because it has been the host site for The Colt World Series!!! Known world wide because kids ages 15-16 from countries like Puerto Rico, Mexico and other distant places play a tourney here every year in August.
Nicholas wanted a chance at the age of 14 to play against regional high school standouts. Several players in this high school league have already played for Colt World Series Teams.
In his 1st 2 games of the year he had a couple of grounders to the infield for outs and a walk, some stolen bases & some routine plays in the outfield. In his 3rd high school game he got his 1st RBI, a ground out to 2nd that brought in the runner from 3rd.
In is 4th high school game his stats changed drastically. Subbing in n out because of lack of experience he went 2-2 at the plate. He had a double early then a bases loaded double that brought in 3 runs!!! Two tremendous shots to right center and deep.
He has been desperately wanting to pitch which surprises me some and yet doesn't. Nicholas has always loved pressure and at the age of 14 he's certainly getting that here. He finally got to pitch his 1st inning, closing out a 10-0 lead. He struck out the 1st batter on 3 pitches, walked the next batter, who stole 2nd. Got a fly out to center, a wild pitch sends the runner to 3rd. Up comes the 4th batter and playing against this level of players I was ready for the wheels to fly off. He struck the batter out, game over and his 1st high school pitching save!!!
Loeb Stadium
High School Fall Ball
TCBA tourney champs!
By Larry
Nicholas' highly touted baseball team has just won their league tournament. This league consists of teams from 4 surrounding counties. The team has been on fire lately winning games of 16-1, 15-1, 4-3, 13-1 & The Championship game 4-0. They had to beat a strong McCutcheon Team who had beaten them twice this year. Nicholas has recovered from his knee injury and has been so-so at the plate. In the 4-3 win, he had a sacrifice fly to deep right field with bases loaded in the bottom of the last inning to bring in the winning run. Next up is THE PONY WORLD SERIES which Lafayette could very well host the 1st round.
GO SQUIRES!!!!
Knights classic!
By Larry
The Knights Classic ended with our Squire team finishing 2nd. We lost to Lake Central in the final game 4-1. Nicholas was injured during the entire tourney with his knee. He did get to DH and had some singles, a triple and one double. Entirely out of pitchers in the final game Nicholas asked to come in and close the last inning of the championship game giving up a walk, a double that brought in one run. He struck out 2 batters and we could not get any runs in the bottom of the 7th and lost 4-1.
We are now in our league tournament and Nicholas' knee has healed and he's back in the starting line up. Struggling a bit at the plate he did send 2 shots deep into right field. The last one with bases loaded, one out in the bottom of the 7th inning. The sacrifice fly brought in the winning run, a walk off (LOL) 4-3 win.
Nicholas did come in to close out a game a few days earlier in which we led 16-1. He threw 13 pitches, striking out the last 2 batters for a save.
Our tourney!
By Larry
Having our tourney this weekend 20th-22nd at CC High School field. We play 2 games on Friday, the 1st at 5:30pm against Delphi. In league play we are on a losing streak now. We have blown late game leads in the last 2 games. We finished 3rd in a tourney at Cincy this past weekend out of 14 teams. Nicholas has been on fire at the plate. He went 4-4 in one game with 3 doubles and a single. He went 3-4 in another with a double and 3-4 with 3 singles in another in that tourney. He pitched the final game for 5 innings giving up one run as we 10 runned that team in 5. Monday night he went 3-3 with 2 doubles and a single and reached base on a dropped 3rd strike.
Last nights game was frightening in that in the 1st inning with 2 runners on Nicholas hits one down the 1st base line and deep. It should have been a stand up triple but on his approach to 3rd his brain sent 2 signals to his body to slide or stand (LOL) and he attempted both. In the ugly slide he twisted his body around and it threw him in some sort of wild direction twisting his knee, it was ugly. These were the 1st runs of the game. He limped into home on another single and we ended up with 5 runs. After sitting a few minutes it tightened up I guess and he said he was not going back in. We led most of the next 3-4 innings but in the bottom of the 5th our lead started to dwindle. As it did I saw Nicholas up pacing the dugout and stretching the knee. Then a disastrous inning in the bottom of the 5th put us behind 9-6. Nicholas told me he was going back in. I asked coach and he said no. Nicholas started to do sprints up n down the 1st baseline to the fence. Top 1/2 of the 6th he told coach he was going back in. He got the ok and was lead off man in the top of the 6th. He drills a single to right field which begins a rally. The team responds & gets 2 runs for a now 9-8 score.
The bottom of the 6th they threaten a bit by getting a double with only 1 out. The next 2 batters I get to see 2 incredible plays that once the inning was over would rally us more. There's one out and a runner on 2nd. A foul tip that pops up and to the left of our catcher only about 6-8 ft. in the air. All he has time to do is lunge to his left from his crouching position and reach out in desperation. He pulls it off in an incredible catch for the 2nd out now. The next batter up our pitcher sends a wild throw into center field in a pick off attempt at 2nd. Nicholas is in center and he's covering it as he should. He comes up firing to 3rd. Now, I look at where the runner is at in relation to Nicholas' position. Noway, nohow is he going to get the runner. In a perfect strike our 3rd baseman didn't have to move his glove an inch and just as he caught it the runner slides into the tag for the 3rd out.
BUT!!! We couldn't muster a run in the top 1/2 of the 7th.
Having our tourney this weekend 20th-22nd at CC High School field. We play 2 games on Friday, the 1st at 5:30pm against Delphi. In league play we are on a losing streak now. We have blown late game leads in the last 2 games. We finished 3rd in a tourney at Cincy this past weekend out of 14 teams. Nicholas has been on fire at the plate. He went 4-4 in one game with 3 doubles and a single. He went 3-4 in another with a double and 3-4 with 3 singles in another in that tourney. He pitched the final game for 5 innings giving up one run as we 10 runned that team in 5. Monday night he went 3-3 with 2 doubles and a single and reached base on a dropped 3rd strike.
Last nights game was frightening in that in the 1st inning with 2 runners on Nicholas hits one down the 1st base line and deep. It should have been a stand up triple but on his approach to 3rd his brain sent 2 signals to his body to slide or stand (LOL) and he attempted both. In the ugly slide he twisted his body around and it threw him in some sort of wild direction twisting his knee, it was ugly. These were the 1st runs of the game. He limped into home on another single and we ended up with 5 runs. After sitting a few minutes it tightened up I guess and he said he was not going back in. We led most of the next 3-4 innings but in the bottom of the 5th our lead started to dwindle. As it did I saw Nicholas up pacing the dugout and stretching the knee. Then a disastrous inning in the bottom of the 5th put us behind 9-6. Nicholas told me he was going back in. I asked coach and he said no. Nicholas started to do sprints up n down the 1st baseline to the fence. Top 1/2 of the 6th he told coach he was going back in. He got the ok and was lead off man in the top of the 6th. He drills a single to right field which begins a rally. The team responds & gets 2 runs for a now 9-8 score.
The bottom of the 6th they threaten a bit by getting a double with only 1 out. The next 2 batters I get to see 2 incredible plays that once the inning was over would rally us more. There's one out and a runner on 2nd. A foul tip that pops up and to the left of our catcher only about 6-8 ft. in the air. All he has time to do is lunge to his left from his crouching position and reach out in desperation. He pulls it off in an incredible catch for the 2nd out now. The next batter up our pitcher sends a wild throw into center field in a pick off attempt at 2nd. Nicholas is in center and he's covering it as he should. He comes up firing to 3rd. Now, I look at where the runner is at in relation to Nicholas' position. Noway, nohow is he going to get the runner. In a perfect strike our 3rd baseman didn't have to move his glove an inch and just as he caught it the runner slides into the tag for the 3rd out.
BUT!!! We couldn't muster a run in the top 1/2 of the 7th.
Ohio tourney!
By Larry
The team finished 3rd in this Ohio tourney with 3 wins and 1 loss. Nicholas, in another game went 3-4 with a double and 2 singles. He also pitched the last game and gave up 1 run in 5 innings in which we 10 runned a team.
In a game last night at Dayton, he had 2 doubles and a single. In the last inning we were down 3 runs and had 2 runners on. Nicholas sent a shot down the right field line and well over the wall but foul. this would have tied the game, instead he had a double for an rbi. He is not batting clean up for The Squires!!
The team finished 3rd in this Ohio tourney with 3 wins and 1 loss. Nicholas, in another game went 3-4 with a double and 2 singles. He also pitched the last game and gave up 1 run in 5 innings in which we 10 runned a team.
In a game last night at Dayton, he had 2 doubles and a single. In the last inning we were down 3 runs and had 2 runners on. Nicholas sent a shot down the right field line and well over the wall but foul. this would have tied the game, instead he had a double for an rbi. He is not batting clean up for The Squires!!
Cincy tourney!
By Larry
Big tourney in Harrison OH. The team won their 1st game by a score of 21-6. Nicholas was on fire with 3 doubles. The 1st 2 doubles bases were loaded and he cleared them for 6 rbi's. Another double brought another 2 rbi's. He later got a single that brought in another run. 4-4 for the day with 9 rbi's. All 3 doubles were off the wall in right/center.
The rest of the games were postponed due to rain.
Squires baseball!
By Larry
The Squires had a big game with a team that hammered them earlier in the season. Benton Central, the leagues top team with a record of 7-1 was the opponent. We scored early. Nicholas had a single into right field first time up, hit into a double play and grounded out. With The Squiers leading 7-0 in the 5th inning, Nicholas comes up with bases loaded. A hard shot into the left center gap for a double clears the bases for a 10-0 final. (10 run rule)!!!
This makes Benton Central 7-2 & The Squires are 6-2 in The TCBA League.
Big tournament at McCaw Park this weekend.
Go Squires!!!!!!!!!!!
Squire baseball!
Been a couple of weeks since I have posted about Nicholas' baseball games. Struggling a bit with the bat this year as his stance & swing have been a bit off. A little work at the academy and a chat with his coach and things certainly have changed. A 2 run blast that as soon as it left the bat knew it was gone. Next time up a deep shot that backed the center fielder up against the wall but was caught.
The Squires are now 5-2 in league play. They have a game Thursday night and a tourney in Lafayette at McCaw Park this weekend.
GO SQUIRES!!!!
The Squires are now 5-2 in league play. They have a game Thursday night and a tourney in Lafayette at McCaw Park this weekend.
GO SQUIRES!!!!
Brand new baseball season for Nick!
Nicholas will be playing for a new baseball team this year. It is a travel squad for his current school, Central Catholic. Last year CC won The Class 1-A State Baseball Championship. Below is a link that will provide some interesting info for youth baseball. First game is April 13th, 2008.
Go Squires!!!!
Nicholas' baseball team, The Squires!
Go Squires!!!!
Nicholas' baseball team, The Squires!
Baseball season for Nick is on!
Quick report of Nicholas' 1st 2 games of the season!! We started off the season 2-0 with both wins coming against Harrison. Nicholas is playing the outfield this year & really for the 1st time in his career. He had filled in on about 2 other times for like an out or 2 last year. Got off to a rocky start as they popped one up to him in center and he missed it. 2 innings later he got another chance and came through. 1st game he had no bat to speak of as he struck out 2x and grounded out to the infield. Had a single late in the game.
Pitching, it appears he is the absolute closer. The change in his delivery this year looks funky. They brought him in in the bottom of the last inning with the score 13-8, no outs, bases loaded and Harrison had just scored 2 runs. His 1st 2 warm up pitches struck in the grass infield about 3/4 of the way to the plate. I thought oh man!!! He proceeded to make a wild pitch to let in a run. (remember last year during rec season here in Lafayette he did the very same thing, then never gave up another run for like 20 innings. He shut em down getting the next 3 batters for a save and a final score of 13-9.
He had his 1st diving catch in left field on a diving backhand to rob a player and saved a couple of runs. Had a single hit to him with 2 outs and a runner on 2nd. That runner tried to score from 2nd on a hit n run and Nicholas fired a perfect strike in the air from left field to nail the guy at home to end the inning.
Brought him in to close the 2nd game in the last inning after Harrison had just scored 2 runs to make it 10-7 and 0 outs & bases were juiced. He left those 3 base runners stranded for a final of 10-7 & another save.
Pitching, it appears he is the absolute closer. The change in his delivery this year looks funky. They brought him in in the bottom of the last inning with the score 13-8, no outs, bases loaded and Harrison had just scored 2 runs. His 1st 2 warm up pitches struck in the grass infield about 3/4 of the way to the plate. I thought oh man!!! He proceeded to make a wild pitch to let in a run. (remember last year during rec season here in Lafayette he did the very same thing, then never gave up another run for like 20 innings. He shut em down getting the next 3 batters for a save and a final score of 13-9.
(Playin on Harrison's High School BB field)
2nd game, 4-4 at the plate with 2 doubles that went about 330'. The first was a towering shot to right/center (HRun wall was 361') that fell about 5-10' shy of the warning track. This thing might have had serious contention of going over had he not hit it so freaking high. It like towered over the lighting system. These 2 doubles brought in a total of 4 rbi's. He had another single for an rbi later, then another single.He had his 1st diving catch in left field on a diving backhand to rob a player and saved a couple of runs. Had a single hit to him with 2 outs and a runner on 2nd. That runner tried to score from 2nd on a hit n run and Nicholas fired a perfect strike in the air from left field to nail the guy at home to end the inning.
Brought him in to close the 2nd game in the last inning after Harrison had just scored 2 runs to make it 10-7 and 0 outs & bases were juiced. He left those 3 base runners stranded for a final of 10-7 & another save.
2 losses & an end to a long run!
Nicholas and his team took 2 on the chin today in rain, sleet, snow and blowing wind. A great day for a football game, only it's baseball season.
Ok, clearly in the last inning their pitcher struggled as he walked several of our batters. Together with some hits we scored the 4 runs. As I said the pitching mound was treacherous. But, it was for both pitchers and the other pitcher came out on top of this one. I would have to say in defense of Nicholas, I don't think he ever lost his cool. I mean, he didn't kick, slap anything or appear to act frustrated, he seemed to keep plugging away all the while he was getting whipped.
I discussed something he could have been doing that might have helped him in a rainy situation. As he walks toward the plate a bit to get the ball back from the catcher, to take his glove off immediately and use both hands to rub the ball dry while walking back to the mound, put it back into his glove while closed to keep it dry until delivery. Also to blow on his throwing hand to warm his fingers up a bit. Now, this is illegal unless temps are below 45 deg. because of being able to I guess use a spit ball. No doubt whatsoever temps were below 45.
The run of what I think are 21 games of never losing a lead came to a crashing end today. Once he became a pitcher for real starting 3 years ago he had never given up a lead when he came in to close a game out.
This tourney was at Indianapolis' Indy Sports Park. Here's the update:
2 games today brought some sadness & an end to a long long run of saves for Nicholas. I missed the 1st game today but was told he was brought in to close a game in which we were down 12-11 in the last inning. We batted last and I guess the plan was to have Nicholas shut em down & he did, then we get at least a run to tie it but we didn't. That's not the run that ended. 2nd game was a thriller and we trailed most of the game until we tied it 6-6 at the end of 4 innings. In the 5th, they scored 2 runs to make it 8-6. We scored 2 runs to tie it in the 6th then Nicholas had bases loaded and sent one into right field down the 1st base line for the go ahead run, our first lead. We continued to score and made it 10-8. Now, the weather was horrendous with rain, snow, sleet, blowing wind and just a plain muddy ass field (pitching mound included). They laid a carpet out for the pitchers to land on after their delivery.Ok, clearly in the last inning their pitcher struggled as he walked several of our batters. Together with some hits we scored the 4 runs. As I said the pitching mound was treacherous. But, it was for both pitchers and the other pitcher came out on top of this one. I would have to say in defense of Nicholas, I don't think he ever lost his cool. I mean, he didn't kick, slap anything or appear to act frustrated, he seemed to keep plugging away all the while he was getting whipped.
I discussed something he could have been doing that might have helped him in a rainy situation. As he walks toward the plate a bit to get the ball back from the catcher, to take his glove off immediately and use both hands to rub the ball dry while walking back to the mound, put it back into his glove while closed to keep it dry until delivery. Also to blow on his throwing hand to warm his fingers up a bit. Now, this is illegal unless temps are below 45 deg. because of being able to I guess use a spit ball. No doubt whatsoever temps were below 45.
The run of what I think are 21 games of never losing a lead came to a crashing end today. Once he became a pitcher for real starting 3 years ago he had never given up a lead when he came in to close a game out.
On to the championship game!
McCutcheon Tourney
Played 1 game Friday night and won against McCutcheon. Nicholas went 2-4 with a ground rule double that bounced once and went over the fence. Never pitched as they didn't need him.2 games today and the 1st I know little about as I had to work. We lost against a prominent tourney team Pony Express 2-0. From my understanding those 2 runs came on an error so they were unearned which means this must have been an incredible game to watch. Nicholas pitched the last inning and had a 3 up 3 down inning. Unsure of what happened at the plate but surely not much.
2nd game today I was working but in touch with a friend via cell phone and at the same time finishing with a possibility of getting back to see some of the game at Wea. Bill told me Nicholas bounced a double off the wall in the 1st inning for a double and 2 RBI's. I had called him. He called back a few minutes later and told me he had just been robbed when he backed the center fielder up against the wall. The player got a glove on it but it bounced out for a double. I got there in the top 1/2 of the last inning, we were down 10-8 and batting. Bill told me Nicholas had had another double in the previous inning off the right center wall. We exploded for 15 runs in this inning!!! Nicholas had 2 base hits in this inning for a 5-5 day at the plate. They brought him in to close & did this with authority. A K-out, a fly out and a measly grounder to the 2nd baseman. For the 1st time since his drastic mechanics change pitching he had good form consistently.
McCutcheon tourney champs!
What an incredible game to have watched from a youth baseball standpoint. Pony Express (who gets their players statewide), undefeated in the tourney and the team that beat us 2-0 yesterday was the opponent. We jumped on em early and had a lead of 1-0 at the end of one. They scored 3 runs in the 2nd to lead it 3-1. That score stood until Nicholas had a game tying 2 run double into deep right center with 2 outs in the last inning. (7th). That score stood for the next 4 innings & into the 11th when in the top 1/2 we got a run. Then Nicholas had a 2 run single into right center to make it 6-3 at the end of 10 1/2 innings. We have to hold em, so in comes Nicholas to close it & I'm pacing big time. Got a fly out to center. Puts a guy on with a walk and the next scenario I think is a coaching error. The next batter drills one over the left fielders head for a run scoring double. I thought the left fielder was way to shallow for their No. 2 batter because with a runner on and only one out, you want to keep everything in front of you. It's now 6-4 with one out and a runner on 2nd. Nick strikes out the next 2 batters, their No. 3 & No. 4 hitters in the order for his first tournament (travel squad) championship and the teams 1st tournament championship this year!!! Also awarded were National points towards a national ranking!!!
Bill Lodde (who owns The Igloos in town & has a son that catches) ran onto the field and got a ball from the umps, gave it to me to give to Nicholas for a game ball.
I had been thinking all week about this CC team and the losses they have incurred. They have lost 3 games by 1 run each. They lost 2-0 yesterday to a prominent Pony Express Team with both of those runs coming on an error. But, I was thinking that this team is really pretty good.
Feelings?? I ran up to the pitching coach and grabbed him for a hug and had to thank him for what he has done with Nicholas. I knew the change had to be made with his wind up and delivery to make it any further in baseball as a picther. This is the 1st year I've ran into coach's that actually teach. The Bronco coaches at some point should have corrected his wind up n delivery. And to have the patience to allow him thru the hard times in those 2 games in Indy when he got whipped. To know he was the guy. Besides, he is the brother to Nick Vukas' wife, who owns Nick's Bar & lord knows how much more I had made them rich in the past. Her and I talked at Dayton in detail about the times there and their other bar in Bloomington..Jake's.
Parents!
My last blog entry sort of has something to do with this entry which is a dedication to my parents. I am thankful to have had the parents that I had for what are 2 things that stand out most in my life.
MY FATHER: First about the hours upon hours my Dad spent building my race cars at the ages of 15-17. He was making a futile attempt to steer me away from the drug infected path I was leading. But, as I get older these efforts have not been forgotten & unfortunately what could have been a successful ending in this hobby turned out different. My Father taught me to drive a stick shift in the infield of a dirt track at the age of 15 & put me in my 1st race at the same age, before even having drivers license, as he told me they don't check for drivers license. Sure enough they didn't and I was driving around an oval dirt track at 15 banging bumpers. By the age of 17 he had built me a car good enough to have won a couple of races. Thank You Dad for those memories!!!
MY MOTHER: This situation came later in life as I had already been racing bicycles as a hobby for about 8 years. While out training I was hit by a pick up truck from behind causing some severe injuries. My left leg had been fractured in 7 places including the upper portion of the femur along with a torn ACL. Two seperate surgeries were needed, one to place a plate on my hip that would also attach the femur back together. The 2nd was to place a tube down thru my tibia to pull those fractures back together as well as reconstructive surgery on my ACL. I knew this was going to be a long road to recovery and all I wanted to do was lay around. Although both parents drove 25 miles each day to cater to my needs, it was my Mother that kicked me in the ass one day to finally jump start my rehab. Thank You Mom!!! For this I still had a successful cycling career for the next 10 years until I mostly retired the bike a couple of years ago. This happened in 1992 and to this day have no trouble with my leg or my knee. Also, an excellent orthopedic surgeon by the name of Daniel Daluga here in Lafayette is to be credited. He had me back on the bike in 3 weeks from the accident and actually raced 4 months after the accident finishing 4th. Still it was my Mom pushing the 6 hours a day rehab.
MY FATHER: First about the hours upon hours my Dad spent building my race cars at the ages of 15-17. He was making a futile attempt to steer me away from the drug infected path I was leading. But, as I get older these efforts have not been forgotten & unfortunately what could have been a successful ending in this hobby turned out different. My Father taught me to drive a stick shift in the infield of a dirt track at the age of 15 & put me in my 1st race at the same age, before even having drivers license, as he told me they don't check for drivers license. Sure enough they didn't and I was driving around an oval dirt track at 15 banging bumpers. By the age of 17 he had built me a car good enough to have won a couple of races. Thank You Dad for those memories!!!
MY MOTHER: This situation came later in life as I had already been racing bicycles as a hobby for about 8 years. While out training I was hit by a pick up truck from behind causing some severe injuries. My left leg had been fractured in 7 places including the upper portion of the femur along with a torn ACL. Two seperate surgeries were needed, one to place a plate on my hip that would also attach the femur back together. The 2nd was to place a tube down thru my tibia to pull those fractures back together as well as reconstructive surgery on my ACL. I knew this was going to be a long road to recovery and all I wanted to do was lay around. Although both parents drove 25 miles each day to cater to my needs, it was my Mother that kicked me in the ass one day to finally jump start my rehab. Thank You Mom!!! For this I still had a successful cycling career for the next 10 years until I mostly retired the bike a couple of years ago. This happened in 1992 and to this day have no trouble with my leg or my knee. Also, an excellent orthopedic surgeon by the name of Daniel Daluga here in Lafayette is to be credited. He had me back on the bike in 3 weeks from the accident and actually raced 4 months after the accident finishing 4th. Still it was my Mom pushing the 6 hours a day rehab.
Bob & Tom holiday spirits!
The Sid & Bart "This Christmas Tree" is one of my favorites.
How about some SID & BART??
How about some SID & BART??
Nick's baseball career, the early years!
I found a couple of pictures of Nicholas during his early baseball career. In 2004 he had made The All Star Team and played in a weekend tournament in Crawfordsville, IN. The picture is of him (and the homerun ball) after a 2 out, 2 run, game tying home run in the bottom of the last inning. He had 2 other opportunities in other games in the regular season tournament to either win a game or tie a game but was left on deck. Both of those times he slammed his bat into the ground. After having a talk with him about attitude it was discovered he really, really, really wanted to get up there and bat. This is where together we came to the conclusion "he loves pressure".
Crawfordsville, IN Tourney 2005
Crawfordsville, IN Tourney 2005
My amatuer cycling career!
Many, many years ago I rode a bicycle with my 3 best friends from Otterbein into West Lafayette, a distance of about 12 miles. Now this was quite a feat for me at the time but from that time on I knew I wanted to ride more. I bought a bicycle the very next day and rode it home in Attice, IN. I had no idea as to the enjoyment this would provide me over the next 20 odd years. It was Jerry (my best friend ) that 15 years would team up for thousands of miles with me & on some most memorable rides. I have seen many, many wonderful places around Indiana, Kentucky and southern parts of Michigan & even into Ohio. I was blessed to also meet some of the finest people in the world at these events. I have lost track of how many races I have traveled to but will never forget the experiences. The first year we started out as party riding hounds with 2 riders carrying huge coolers full of beer and the other 2 carrying extra cases of beer. Jerry, upon relating to me that we were getting pretty fast on the bikes should race. I had no idea there was such a thing as bicycle races. We did find a race in Zanesville Ohio & went. Not knowing how the categories related to skill level we got into the wrong class and found ourselves lining up with pro riders from all over The US and some from Europe. The officials allowed us to go ahead and start. From that point on, I still have never seen a rider pass me as easily as these riders did. This was incredible.
I then made up my mind I was going to purchase a race bike and do this. The next 15 years Jerry and I trained and trained and trained. We raced many weekends in Kentucky, Indiana & Illinois with good results. The second year we made out a route to King's Island in Ohio & rode it. Leaving at 5am & arriving at 8pm that evening provided many memories made this ride possible. That was just one of the feats achieved riding a bicycle. But the greatest feat didn't involve winning a race or going fast anywhere. It was a life threatening crash and a possible career ending crash involving a truck!
In 1991 Jerry and I put our brains together and decided we wanted to start our own cycling team. On January 28th of 1992 Jerry and I held a practice TT of 10 miles. Four riders showed up in freezing weather and a bit of snow to ride this demanding course and every rider flew thru the course. Three days later I would be tested to my ability to overcome adversity. While out on a training ride and climbing a small hill 5 miles outside of Lafayette a pick up truck traveling about 60 mph hit me from behind and on my left leg. Yep, the trauma was extensive with 7 fractures in the left leg, 2 broken cheek bones and a torn ACL. I stayed conscious thru the entire ordeal until arriving at the hospital and even then was aware of some of the things going on around me. That night, not having a clear head thought I was paralized for life not being able to feel or move my legs. I am very grateful for my sister Deanna ( a surgery nurse at this hospital) for begging a certain surgeon to drop his family stuff while at home at 10pm in the evening to perform this 1st surgery. I do not remember much over the next several days as I was under the influence of some really good drugs. I do know this, Jerry whose friendship is priceless visited every single day. Nor will the value of his friendship ever, ever be forgotten.
The 1st surgery involved attaching a plate to my upper femur near my hip. According to my surgeon Danial Daluga this was the most serious as the femur supports so much weight. This put me on crutches for 4 months. The 2nd surgery was to drill out the shin bone and place a tube down thru the knee to pull the fractures back into place in both shin bones and support it. Of course at this time re constructive surgery on the ACL took place. Using several $155 screws to re construct it makes my knee worth a bit more I guess. LOL Next comes REHAB!!!
I want to take a minute to say thank you to my father and my mother for making my rehab and return to competitive cycling possible.
I could not drive my truck because of it being a stick shift and all the damage was to my left leg, the clutch pedal side. I traded vehicles for a short period of time with my parents. They drove 50 miles round trip every day to assist in my rehab. I had tons of trouble getting started because of the pain and the 1st few days involved of only wanting to be a couch potato. This is where my mother ripped into me about getting off my ass.
THE REHAB: THIS WAS DONE ENTIRELY BY ME AT HOME AND THE GYM AND THE ROAD ON MY BIKE!!
The days were designed around 1) using a flexibility machine 2x a day 3 hours each bending the knee 10% past it's stiffness stage which was painful to say the least. This was to get the knee back to stretching the ACL so I could bend the knees completely. It involved my parents taking me to my local gym which had a small indoor running track. While on crutches I had to learn to use my left foot which had a ton of damage just above the ankle and learn to walk all over again. Not only was it painful but these surgeries took so much out of my energy. At first, 2 laps was all I good muster around that short track before I had to sit and take a break. Against Dr. Daluga's orders I hit the weights with little weight.
I was in the hospital only 2 weeks and had Dr. orders to go ahead and get back on the bike inside ONLY! On the 3rd day out of the hospital I tried to get back on the bike sitting the seat high because of the lack of being able to bend the knee much. Another good friend named Chad was there that day. I sit the bike on a wind trainer ( a machine designed to hold a bike for inside riding) and climbed on. I could not pull it off due to the lack of flexibility in the knee. Frustrated to absolutely no end I picked the bike up and gave it a toss across the room. Chad who is a great cyclist and an athlete left for fear that it was a turning point into me not coming back., he left immediately. I myself had the same fear. Fortunately, I was able to make the connection between being able to bend the knee more to that 6 hour a day machine. Never did I ever forget to do those 2 a days on that machine again. Three more days later I was able to get on the bike and ride on the wind trainer. I went 5 straight 20 mile days, then had a 60 degree day outside, pulled the wind trainer outside and rode 4 hours in front of my apartment. This was less than 2 weeks out of the hospital.
From that point on and again against Dr.'s orders started riding outside. Four months after this accident I entered my 1st race while still out on crutches and finished 4th. Six months after the accident I was back training with Jerry and the newly formed racing team and putting the hurt on the entire group.
Never ever will I forget these guys. And never will I meet 2 friends such as Jerry and Chad...thank you guys for being there thru these times and most of all being my friends.
Out of all the races I won, the places I've been and the 12 hour races I completed, the return from this adversity is my greatest accomplishment on a bicycle. After this, I never ever bitched or complained how difficult a climb was or how hard a ride was. To this day, thanks to my higher power, 2 great friends, my parents, my sister Deanna and a wonderful surgeon who dropped family to do a late night surgeryI have no trouble or no pain whatsoever with any part of my injuries.
Cycling Websites:
Cycling photos!
Velonews
Our original team manager's (Matt) new team and sport
Paceline (Also Lance Armstrong's website)
Daily Peloton
Matt's Team after he left The Wheel Warriors
Nick is rocking this baseball season!
Nicholas closing this one out and earning himself a huge, huge save!!!
I have been far far behind in posting information about my son's baseball season. As you can see from previous posts he had a stellar season last year. This year he has also been playing on a tournament team and has traveled most weekends and played some of the top teams both in the nation and the state. This is Nicholas' 1st year on a tournament team and is in his 1st year in Pony League in the rec league here in Lafayette. Over the past couple of weekends he has began to pick up his level of playing against the intense competition in these tournaments. More about those stats in a bit.
His rec league stats are phenomenal, especially his pitching stats. All of this will be updated soon along with a pitching and batting story coming out of The Munster Indiana Tourney on the weekend of June 8, 9, 10. Below is a picture of his 2nd place trophy earned by his team who are named The Lafayette Broncos, a 13 year old tourney team established this year.
His rec league stats are phenomenal, especially his pitching stats. All of this will be updated soon along with a pitching and batting story coming out of The Munster Indiana Tourney on the weekend of June 8, 9, 10. Below is a picture of his 2nd place trophy earned by his team who are named The Lafayette Broncos, a 13 year old tourney team established this year.
In the very last inning we have an 8-5 lead and Nicholas has 3 innings left so we at this point are saving him. We get an out, 2 more outs and we win without using Nicholas. 2 straight singles puts runners on 1st n 2nd. Next guy up rips a triple down the 3rd base line and brings in 2 runs making the score 8-7 in the bottom of the last inning. Can't wait any longer now, coaches bring him in, after all, we have to get to the championship game. Bottom of the last inning with a runner on 3rd and 1 out he comes in. NOW THIS IS BIG TIME PRESSURE!!! I don't remember what he ran the pitch count to on the 1st batter but he struck him out which is pretty much what you have to do in this situation. I do remember vividly the pitch count on the next batter. Nicholas got behind in the count 3-0 and I'm thinking to myself that he absolutely does not want to put the winning run on 1st with a walk, it opens up so much more offensive options for the opposing team. He battles back and struck the guy out from a 3 ball n 0 strike count. Broncos WIN 8-7!!!!!!!!! And on to The Championship game!!!!!
In an ironic turn of events in a game at Westfield, IN, Nicholas was benched during a game for attitude. He was pitching and the opposing team was scoring on him. In an exchange of communication between him and coach, Nicholas responded back inappropriately. He was benched! Now, the rules call for all kids to bat regardless. As a parent I felt the benching was needed for a quick attitude adjustment. As we came to bat and got a couple of runners on I saw Nicholas step into the batters box. I thought a benching was a benching and he should not have been allowed to bat. Rules are rules I guess. Needless to say with 2 runners on he sent a tremendous shot over the left field wall for a 3 run home run. It landed on another field, approximately a 325' shot.
In his rec league he has dominated opponents this year from the mound. Pitchers are allowed 3 innings per game at this age. He has pitched 20 innings and has given up 4 earned runs on 6 hits. he has 43 K's against 11 walks. He is 5-1 as a starter which has only been the last 5 games. He was the closer before these games. His last victory came in the 1st round of the tournament. We finished 5th in the division out of 6 teams so we had a No. 5 seed and played the no. 2 seed. Nicholas started and gave up 2 UNearned runs in the 2nd inning. No earned runs for his 3 innings, had 5 K's and walked 3, gave up 4 hits. At the end of his 3 innings we had a 6-2 lead.
The rec season has come to a sad end for Nicholas' team. We lost in a game that turned out to be a tremendous battle between pitchers. This was a loss to the no. 1 seeded team. Nicholas started on the mound and pitched his alotted 3 innings. 1st inning was a bit shaky as he had 1 out and runners on 2nd & 3rd. he was able to battle back and leave those runners stranded. In his 3 innings he gave up 2 hits, walked 2, struck out 5 & gave up 0 runs. At the end of 3 innings it was 0-0. Our pitcher gave up 3 runs in the 4th inning which were the only runs scored in the game.
For the season Nicholas pitched 23 innings and here are his stats.
55 K’s
14 walks
ERA is .64 giving up 4 earned runs for those 23 innings
5-1
1 save
Nicholas trained at this facility in 2007!Munster Tourney 2007!
Back to back home runs!
An incredible display of power and clutch hitting!!!!After struggling Friday night with his swing in a double header in which he looked terrible swinging the bat Nicholas came thru big time in todays game. In Fridays double header Nicholas, while batting had his arms far too high and had the barrel of the bat pointing downward instead of upward forcing him to take an extra movement in his swing. We chatted Friday night and got him back to his Nicholas swing where his upper arms are straight out and the barrel of the bat is pointing to the sky but angled backwards. A picture in FLICKER (perfect stance) in the link below and named McCaw Tourney.
Nicholas went 2-4 today with a hard smash to 2nd base for a ground out on his 1st at bat. On this hit I knew he had his swing back. Next time up with runners on 2nd & 3rd he sends a towering shot over right center for a 3 run home run & into a 15-20 mph gusts of wind. Now I know his swing is back!!! 3rd time up in the game bases are juiced, Nicholas sends a line drive shot over left/center wall for a grand slam!!! His 1st back to back home run game. 4th time up believe it or not bases are loaded again but unfortunately he struck out facing a brand new pitcher. For the day he had 7 of the teams 13 runs batted in. Tomorrow are the finals and they have yet to use him on the mound.
Back to Back Home Runs!Nicholas went 2-4 today with a hard smash to 2nd base for a ground out on his 1st at bat. On this hit I knew he had his swing back. Next time up with runners on 2nd & 3rd he sends a towering shot over right center for a 3 run home run & into a 15-20 mph gusts of wind. Now I know his swing is back!!! 3rd time up in the game bases are juiced, Nicholas sends a line drive shot over left/center wall for a grand slam!!! His 1st back to back home run game. 4th time up believe it or not bases are loaded again but unfortunately he struck out facing a brand new pitcher. For the day he had 7 of the teams 13 runs batted in. Tomorrow are the finals and they have yet to use him on the mound.
Nicholas is winter training here 2008!!!
Media coverage for Nick and the team!
Nicholas (Nick Stone) and his team got some media coverage over their games up to that point. Unfortunately the team lost the tournament and under several controversial situations. More on that later. The season is now over & what a season it was. Nicholas played close to 60 games of baseball this year and he claims he loved every minute of it.
Newspaper coverage!
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