What to do?

Grab a shovel… Bend your knees… Be careful with your back, it  is valuable asset.  Use your legs, build some strength and flex ability in them.

So, Instead of glaring at your phone, all day, take twenty minuets and shovel for your parents, neighbor, friend’s grandmother/grandfather. Don’t expect $10. Just do it. Your phone will be more fun after twenty minutes away.

Items to think about while relaxing during your shovel
1. How can I improve my grades
2. What are the next three things I can dominate at school
3. visualize a ground ball coming to you… bend your knees – stay down – two hands – square up- step – throw – follow through
4. I am thankful for these 5 things
5. What is my greatest strength as a student
6. How can I improve my attitude
7. What am I going to be doing in three years?
8. What do I want to be doing in three years
9. Life is good
10. Dream of your next goal and plan your next celebration

NIC Baseball Apparel

Joers Floor Center, Carpet One

2013 Review and on to 2014

Year one of the NIC Baseball Blog culminated in amazing fashion.  Elkhart Central rode the back of a great group of seniors and an epic performance by C0-NIC Player of the Year, Tanner Tully, to win the 4A State Championship.  Elkhart Central finished 32-1, their only blemish was a conference loss to Penn in a game that was started and stopped due to weather and finished at a later date.

Along the way to the championship, Elkhart Central faced its toughest test in the first game of the Regional.  NIC foe Clay, showed their toughness and battled the Blazers for 11 innings, before Elkhart Central held on 5-4.  The effort, pride, and determination shown by Clay all season was a testament to their late coach, Chad Hudnall.  Chad passing leaves a void at Clay, in the NIC, and all over Northern Indiana.  Chad was a kind person, great coach, and amazing mentor to all and he is deeply missed.

Saint Joseph won the 3A Plymouth Sectional.  Their season came to a tough ending on a walk off Grand Slam in game one of the Regional.  The future is bright for Saint Joseph as they reload with some great young talent.

Here are the returning players from the 2013 All-NIC teams.

Steve Stutsman was NIC coach of the year.

2013 First Team All NIC

Jesse Zepeda – Elkhart Central – Senior – OF/Utility

Joey Lange – Clay – Junior – C/IF

Sam Hosinski – Adams – Senior – P/OF

2013 Second Team All NIC

Jesse Stires – Adams – Senior – IF

Tyler Beck – St. Joseph – Senior – P/IF

Reed Lewis – Marian – Senior – P

Josh Turnock – Marian – Senior – C/IF

Andrew Herman – Penn – Senior – IF

Cole Harlacher – Penn – Senior – IF

2013 Honorable Mention All NIC

Tyler Perry – Penn – Senior – C

Austin Toth – Penn – Senior – IF

Wes Short – St. Joseph – Junior – OF

NIC Baseball Apparel

Happy Holiday

Here’s hoping everyone has a safe and happy holiday!

Kids will be kids, but please be careful and think before you act!

Life is short.  Don’t take anything for granted!

Be thankful for all your blessings.

Who’s using the time off from school to improve their game?  How?

Increasing your baseball IQ is as simple as a google search!

What topics?  Here is a few.

Proper bunting techniques

Fielding a ground ball

Lower body mechanics of a hitter

How to turn a double play

Quick baseball hands (fielding/hitting)

Merry Christmas

Northern Indiana Conference Gear

Joers Floor Center, Carpet One

IHSAA 4A State Championship and Thank You

Good luck to the Elkhart Central Blue Blazers!  A great season being capped off in the State Championship is a memory of a life time!  Play hard, but take a deep breath and be positive.  No one play or umpire’s call will decide the game.  Every play is a new play and every pitch is a new pitch.

I missed being on the field officiating, but I enjoyed being able to root for all of the NIC throughout the year and spending time with my family was a great blessing.  My son’s are now four and ten months old.  Writing about the games instead of umpiring them, I was able to see my baby crawl for the first time (while tweeting updates on a full night in the NIC) and was able to coach T-Ball!

Thank you to the great coaches and parents who spent hours and hours at games and practices and still found time to send me a stat sheet or an update on who did what in each game.  Thank you to the talented and humble players of the NIC.  When I needed to know who did what, they always told me what their team mates did.  I would have to ask them directly how they did.  It has been an honor following this great baseball conference, enjoy the summer and be safe!

Also, congratulations to Bob Lichtenberger on his first state finals as an umpire!

Go Blazers – Win State

Thanks Much

Jeb

Monday Night Scoreboard

Elkhart Central 23-1 (15-1) keeps on rolling.  Tanner Tully fired a No-Hitter for the Blue Blazers.  He faced the minimum number of batters. Tully (7IP, 0H, 0ER, 11K) walked two, but a caught stealing and a double play ball allowed him to be sort of perfect!!  Jesse Zepada had three hits and Cory Malcom and Austin McArt added two.  Good news for St. Joseph 14-6 (10-4) was that Neal Dowling and Conner Sweeney both saw some action tonight!

Clay 15-7 (9-5) beat Marian 13-9 (6-8) by a score of 8-3.  Mitch Hartman was the winning pitcher for the Colonials.

Mishawaka 8-11 (4-9) gets the season sweep over Riley 7-14 (2-12) with a 5-1 victory.  Jacob Schmatz was the winning pitcher for the Cavemen.

Washington 9-14 (6-8) beats Adams 2-17 (1-13) by a score of 9-8.  Mark Arrowsmith was the winning pitcher.  Troy Ericson hit a three run home run in the first inning.  Tyler Reece was able to hold off Adams and record the save.  Sam Hosinski had 4 RBI’s and Jesse Stires had three hits for the Eagles.

Tuesday’s Game

Westview @ Elkhart Central

This week in the NIC

We are down to the final full week of the regular season.  Elkhart Central has clinched first place.  Penn and St. Joseph will play a home and home Wednesday and Friday for second place.

Tuesday the IHSAA will put out the pairing for the 2013 State Baseball Tournament!  The NIC will be represented in three different sectionals across two classes.

Here are this weeks games!  Please let me know if I made a mistake or flip flopped who was home and away.  Keep the tweets coming!  Have a great week and thanks for reading!

Monday 5/13

Marian @ Clay

Washington @ Adams 7pm

Elkhart Central @ St. Joseph

Mishawaka @ Riley

Tuesday 5/14

Westview @ Elkhart Central

Wednesday 5/15

Adams @ Mishawaka

Riley @ Marian

Penn @ St. Joseph

Clay @ Washington

Thursday 5/16

Penn @ Concord

Friday 5/17

Mishawaka @ Adams  7pm

Marian @ Riley

St. Joseph @ Penn

Washington @ Clay

Saturday 5/18

Michigan City @ Riley 11am

Goshen @ Washington 10 am

Elkhart Central @ Fairfield

Clay hosting Reinebold Classic

Marian @ FW Luers Tournament

Penn @ Warsaw Tourney

 

Saturday’s Finals

Here are Saturday’s scores.

Elkhart Central 22-1 (14-1) dimed (not a word, but it is the truth) Concord 11-1.  Matt Eppers was the winning pitcher and Tanner Tully ended the game on a home run.  Central goes to St. Joseph on Monday for their last conference game of the season.

Marian 11-7 (6-7) beat John Glenn 5-3.  Reed Lewis was the winning pitcher and Luke Gabrouy recorded the save.  Josh Turnock and Jay Eggeman both had two hits.

Penn 16-6 (11-3) was swept in a double header by Crown Point 5-1 and 6-4.

Riley 7-12 (2-10) swept Argos 13-6 and 13-5.  Jermaih Easterbrook was the winning pitcher in game one.  Bryce Wieczorek was the winner in game two.  James Solmon, Trevor Creager, and Easterbrook each had two hits.  Easterbrook added a triple.  Alex Wieczorek had a home run for the Wildcats.

Mishawaka 6-11 (2-9) is heating up at the right time.  They swept Elkhart Memorial 5-4 and 5-0.  Matt Carver was the winning pitcher in game one with 10 K’s.  Carver also hit a home run in both games.  Caleb Graber was the winning pitcher in game two.  He only allowed three hits!  Andrew White had a double for the Caveman.

Clay 14-7 (8-5) scored 12 runs on 12 hits to beat Plymouth 12-6, at The Cove.  Tim Strychalski was the winning pitcher for the Colonials.  Aaron Bond and Eric Kelver both had three hits and Joey Lange added a triple for the winners.  Two of Kelver’s hits were doubles.

Washington 8-14 (5-8) was swept by Fort Wayne Snider 6-3 and 4-3

On the day the NIC was 7-4 out of conference!

Sectional draw is Tuesday Morning.

Elkhart Central 2013 NIC Baseball Champions

Congratulations to the Elkhart Central Blue Blazers and Head Coach Steve Stutsman the 2013 NIC Baseball Champions.  Elkhart Central 21-1 (14-1) beat St. Joseph 14-5 (10-3) by a score of 7-1.  Cory Malcom (7IP, 4H 1ER, 8K) was the winning pitcher.  Matt Eppers and Casey Ianigro both had two hits and Eppers had added two RBI’s.  Mike Namisnak and Riley Futterknecht both had a double.  Tyler Beck (4.33IP, 6H, 6ER, 3K) was the losing pitcher and Michael Madden had two of St. Joseph’s four hits.  Tom Mackey added a triple and RBI.

Washington was able to hold on against Adams 7-6.  Tyler White (6IP, 6H, 5ER, 2K) was the winning pitcher and Tyler Reece recorded the save.  Brett Dudeck had three hits and a RBI, while Tony Erickson had two hits and two RBI’s for Washington 8-12 (5-8).  Anthony DeBroka added a double.  Adams’ 2-16 (1-12) Conner Nelson (5IP, 6H, 4ER, 3K) took the loss.  Jesse Stires and Sam Hosinski both had two hits and Hosinski added two RBI’s.  Conner Warrick and Matt Grey contributed two RBI’s each.

Clay 12-7 (8-5) beat Marian 11-7 (6-7) by a score of 7-6.  D.J. Workman had three hits for Clay and hosed a runner at the plate.

Mishawaka is beating Riley 8-2 Bottom of 5 as of 10:11pm… please tweet us any updates and stats.

Saturday 5/11

Argos @ Riley DH

Washington @ FW Snyder

Clay @ Plymouth (Cove)

Marian @ John Glenn

Standings and Showdown

Elkhart Central 20-1 (13-1) and St. Joseph 14-4 (10-2) meet tonight at Elkhart Central.  A Blazer victory will give them the out right conference championship.  This is Elkhart Central’s last conference series of the season.  St. Joseph still has to play the Penn Kingsmen twice.  St. Joseph can still win the NIC out right by wining it’s next four conference games.

I am guessing we will see Cory Malcom (EC) and Tyler Beck (SJ) on the hill!  Good luck to both teams and thanks for your great efforts this season!

Here the rest of the conference games today and the Saturday Schedule!

Friday 5/10

Adams @ Washington

Riley @ Mishawaka

Clay @ Marian

St. Joseph @ Elkhart Central

Saturday 5/11

Argos @ Riley DH

Washington @ FW Snyder

Clay @ Plymouth (Cove)

Marian @ John Glenn

NIC Baseball Conference Standings

School	Overall	NIC
Elkhart Central	20-1	13-1
Penn	16-4	11-3
St. Joseph	14-4	10-2
Clay	11-7	7-5
Marian	10-6	6-6
Washington	7-12	4-8
Riley	5-12	2-10
Mishawaka	4-11	2-9
Adams	2-15	1-11

Updated 5/10/13 6:50am

Joers Floor Center – Update Your Home for Mother’s Day – (574) 277-9711

Wednesday Round Up

Wet April nights equals great baseball weather here in May.  A full slab of NIC Baseball was on the grill tonight.  The Miracle Game in support of the Challenger Little league was played at Notre Dame and included a rain delay when the sprinklers came on!  The kids of the Challenger Little League are a great reminder to us all that putting your heart into something will get you where you want to go.  Baseball is a privilege don’t take an at bat, a game, a practice, or a day off.  Remember to say thank you to your parents and your coaches for their love and support.

Adams hosted St. Joseph at Notre Dame’s Frank Eck Stadium.  Oliver Page (5IP, 7H, 3ER, 4K) came home with the win for St. Joseph 14-4 (10-2) by a score of 20-6.  St. Joseph pounded out 19 hits.  Michael Madden had four hits and six RBI’s.  Dylan Scott and Tyler Beck both added three hits and three RBI’s for the Indians.  Adams 2-15 (1-11) was lead by Jesse Stires and Conner Nelson, they both had two hits and Nelson added two RBI’s.  Adams goes to Washington Friday and St. Joseph goes to Elkhart Central for a big time show down.

Penn beat Clay 8-2.  Penn 15-4 (11-3) saw Cameron Glaze pitch a complete game and strike out five.  Cole Deneen, Elliot Lares, Tyler Perry all had three hits for the Kingsman.  Clay 11-6 (6-6) could not capitalize on an early Adam Hickey home run   Eric Klever was the losing pitcher.  Penn host St. Joseph (MI) Thursday and Clay goes to Marian Friday.

Elkhart Central 20-1 (13-1) had it’s hands full with Riley 4-12 (3-10).  Riley Futterknecht out duel Trevor Creager as the Blazer won by a score of 3-1.  Riley host Culver Academy Thursday and Elkhart Central host St. Joseph with first place in the NIC on the line.

Marian 11-7 (7-5) held off Washington 7-12 (4-8) by a final of 3-2.  Send me who was the winning pitcher and any information. Michael Frakas with the complete game win for the Knights.

Thursday

Culver Academy @ Riley

St. Joseph (MI) @ Penn