Lake Central, Valparaiso and Crown Point could make the Duneland Athletic Conference race interesting, but they’re also among the local teams with the talent for postseason runs.
TOP 10 TEAMS
1. Lake Central (25-9): After winning the Class 4A state title last season, the Indians have lofty expectations in the Duneland Athletic Conference and beyond. Players such as Milwaukee Brewers draft pick Griffin Tobias graduated, but returnees include senior third baseman Ryder Fernandez (Purdue Northwest), senior outfielder Drew Kosteba (Purdue Northwest), sophomore shortstop Parker Robinson and senior pitcher Josh Flores (Kentucky). Senior pitchers Luke O’Keefe (Wayne State), Grant Mercer and Zach Nicola and junior infielder Victor Villegas also are back, and a number of other highly capable players are eager to make their mark.
2. Valparaiso (20-3): The Vikings also are serious regular-season and postseason contenders with seven starters back after winning their first DAC title since 2002. Senior pitcher/first baseman Caden Crowell (Notre Dame) is an elite ace, and senior pitcher/infielder Trevor Fenters (Indiana State) also is a top arm. Junior infielder Trent Gill (Indiana), senior catcher Max Reaume (Wingate) and junior infielder DJ Malloy also return, along with senior outfielder Gabe Bush (Purdue Northwest), senior pitcher/infielder Adler Holtz, senior third baseman Drayden Wilcox and senior pitcher/first baseman Gordon Wineland.
3. Crown Point (21-9): The Bulldogs are another loaded team in the DAC. Highly touted junior catcher Sean Dunlap (Tennessee) returns from injury. Senior pitcher Logan Cotton and junior pitcher Logan Johnston both are Indiana recruits. Senior shortstop/pitcher Billy Chidsey (Purdue Northwest), senior catcher Jase Horton (Milwaukee School of Engineering), senior utility player Noah Ehrlich (Miami of Ohio for football), senior third baseman/pitcher Linus Chariton (Olive-Harvey), senior outfielder Mick Vagner (Concordia) and senior first baseman/pitcher Jaxtyn Alexander (Lake Land) all are back.
4. Hanover Central (22-7): There aren’t many, if any, more talented rosters in Class 3A than the Wildcats’ group. They return eight starters from a team that won the Northwest Crossroads Conference title in its debut and also won a sectional title. Junior shortstop Dylan Bowen (Oklahoma State), junior pitcher Matt Cook (Evansville), senior pitcher/first baseman Brad Rohde (Polk State), senior catcher/infielder Caiden Verrett (Indianapolis), senior pitcher/second baseman Anthony Rayski, senior pitcher/outfielder Landon Sarkey (Marian) and senior outfielder Jaylen Rutherford (Purdue Northwest) all are back. So are junior infielder/pitcher Aidan Creasbaum (Valparaiso), junior pitcher/infielder Jacob Siska and junior pitcher/first baseman Ian Flores.
5. Andrean (22-7): The 59ers are perennial title contenders. Senior shortstop/pitcher Mason Barth (Notre Dame) leads the way, joined by senior pitcher Ivan Mastalski (Indiana). Senior catcher Blake Kouder, junior first baseman/pitcher Kaden Maxwell, sophomore third baseman Chase Nelson, senior pitcher Braden Branigin (Lindenwood), senior pitcher Trent Kulig (John Logan) and senior pitcher/DH Charlie Sollars all return.
6. Chesterton (22-7): The Trojans won their first sectional title since 2018 in John Bogner’s first season as coach. Junior outfielder/pitcher Rob Czarniecki (Kentucky) headlines the group, joined by junior pitcher/outfielder Troy Barrett. Senior infielder/pitcher Brady McCormack and sophomore catcher Caden Hackett also return.
7. Boone Grove (17-6): The Wolves, who shared the Porter County Conference round-robin title with South Central last season, move back down to Class 2A and are right in the mix as one of the premier teams. The trio of senior shortstop/pitcher Xavier Carrera (Indiana), senior first baseman/pitcher Davian Carrera (Indiana) and senior shortstop/pitcher Seth Pitcock (Valparaiso) has them thinking big.
8. Munster (16-12): The Mustangs should be factors in the NCC and beyond. They have seven seniors committed to play in college: shortstop Zach Wright (Purdue Northwest), outfielder Mason Jarrett (Triton), pitcher/first baseman Bishop Cappetto (Southern Illinois-Edwardsville), pitcher/first baseman Tyler Fuller (South Suburban), pitcher Owen Roberts (Olivet Nazarene), pitcher Eddie Kicho (Calumet College) and utility player Kobe Shelton (Judson).
9. Illiana Christian (21-10): Experienced assistant Dale Meyer succeeds Jeff VanderWoude as coach. The Vikings move up to Class 3A, having won back-to-back state titles in 2A and finished as the runners-up last season, when they also won the Greater South Shore Conference title. Junior pitcher/outfielder Tanner Post returns, and pitcher/infielder Gavin Meyer (Ohio State) continues to recover from an elbow injury. Versatile senior Jake Scott and junior outfielder/pitcher Spencer Bandstra also are among the players back.
10. Morgan Township (14-14): Ryan Troxel, a 2019 Valparaiso graduate and former assistant there, takes over as coach. The Cherokees reached a semistate final last season after winning the program’s first regional title and third straight sectional title, and should shine again in Class 1A along with PCC rival Kouts. Senior catcher/third baseman/pitcher Bradley Farris is back, as are sophomore shortstop Clint Lemmons and sophomore catcher/third baseman Cal Lemmons. Senior outfielder/pitcher Matt Lowenthal and senior pitcher/outfielder Jett Gheaja also return.
25 PLAYERS TO WATCH
- Alex Barr, Kankakee Valley, senior, pitcher/first baseman
- Troy Barrett, Chesterton, junior, pitcher/outfielder
- Mason Barth, Andrean, senior, shortstop/pitcher
- Dylan Bowen, Hanover Central, junior, shortstop
- Drew Burris, Hobart, senior, pitcher
- Davian Carrera, Boone Grove, senior, first baseman/pitcher
- Xavier Carrera, Boone Grove, senior, pitcher/shortstop
- Matt Cook, Hanover Central, junior, pitcher
- Logan Cotton, Crown Point, senior, pitcher
- Caden Crowell, Valparaiso, senior, pitcher/first baseman
- Rob Czarniecki, Chesterton, junior, outfielder/pitcher
- Sean Dunlap, Crown Point, junior, catcher
- Trevor Fenters, Valparaiso, senior, pitcher/infielder
- Ryder Fernandez, Lake Central, senior, third baseman
- Josh Flores, Lake Central, senior, pitcher
- Trent Gill, Valparaiso, junior, infielder
- Mason Jarrett, Munster, senior, outfielder
- Logan Johnston, Crown Point, junior, pitcher
- Drew Kosteba, Lake Central, senior, outfielder
- Ivan Mastalski, Andrean, senior, pitcher
- Gavin Meyer, Illiana Christian, senior, pitcher/infielder
- Seth Pitcock, Boone Grove, senior, shortstop/pitcher
- Tanner Post, Illiana Christian, junior, outfielder/pitcher
- Parker Robinson, Lake Central, sophomore, shortstop
- Zach Wright, Munster, senior, shortstop
