The Yorktown Tigers enter the game with a record of 16-7, fresh off a defeat of the Muncie Central Bearcats on Monday. The Tigers are led by several talented players ranked by Prep Baseball Report. Ball State signee Wes Winkle highlights the Tigers on the mound and the plate as the number one pitcher and leadoff hitter. Winkle, a tall, slender, and athletic right hander is expected to toe the rubber against the Blackhawks on Wednesday night after one of his best outings of the year last Thursday against Daleville in the opening round of the tournament. He threw a complete game shutout for the win. Winkle is hitting at a .368 clip for the season with a team high 32 hits, 5 triples, and 16 stolen bases. Winkle also has 44 strikeouts in 39 innings on the season to go along with a 2.15 ERA. His battery mate, John Clawson, who is headed to Anderson University in the fall, hits cleanup and provides a sound backstop and leadership for a quality Tiger staff. Clawson leads the team with 7 doubles and is second with 21 RBI, not to mention his always tough demeanor. Junior Matthew Ring provides a mound presence that has led to success for the Yorktown team. He is 6-0 on the mound this season with a 0.81 ERA and 57 K’s in 43 IP. Ring has also hit a team high 7 home runs on the season. He showed a good fastball and breaking ball against Delta Saturday night and in my opinion will be a force this summer and into next spring as he gains strength. Nolan Hiestand proves to be a big, strong presence at first base and has contributed offensively with 7 doubles and 16 RBI on the season. While I was at the second round game that Yorktown played against Delta, I noticed junior Nick Conte. He looked of strong build, good speed, and a decent path to the baseball at the plate. I look forward to following him the rest of the spring and next season as I think he has some raw tools that could play out in the future. TJ Gibson and Alex McCartney add depth to the lineup and pitching staff.
The Cowan Blackhawks enter the County Championship with a 19-2 record, after their second loss of the season on Tuesday evening. They are led by whom most around the Muncie area refers to as “The Campell and Oconner boys”. Senior and Ball State bound Kirby Campbell, who plays center field and hits leadoff, provides an incredible offensive threat at the top of the order with his combination of hitting ability, power, and speed. Through 21 games, he has 45 hits, 20 of which are for extra bases, with 8 doubles, 4 triples, and 8 home runs. His 40 runs and 32 stolen bases are also tops on the team. He hits at a .584 clip as we close in on the season’s end. Headed to Wabash College to play next fall, senior catcher Jacob Oconner provides leadership and sound 2 hole hitting for the Blackhawks. Although, don’t play this off as a guy who can’t swing the bat as he has put it on his opponents this season to a tune of a .533 batting average with 32 hits, 36 runs, and 14 stolen bases. He has thrown out over 40% of would be base stealers on the season as well. Junior Justin Oconner provides the 3 hole punch necessary to win big games with his 13 home runs, 45 RBI, 38 runs scored, .550 batting average, and over 1.2 slugging percentage. Justin has also recorded 63 strikeouts in 29 innings pitched this season, sporting a 0.48 ERA in the process. 4-hole hitter and utility defender Cody Campbell comes into the championship with a .483 batting average on 29 hits, which include 8 doubles, 1 triple and 9 home runs on the year. Cody is a sound defender with above average arm strength. Junior first baseman/pitcher Tyler Henderson should play a big role in this game as well.
Now, the result??? I think this game will depend on a few factors. The first factor is the pitching matchup. I am guessing Winkle will go for Yorktown as he hasn’t thrown since Thursday and Ring through Saturday, yet I am not sure for Cowan. Oconner threw several pitches on Saturday and Henderson is a viable number 2. Second factor: Can Winkle shut down the potent Blackhawk offense? Cowan will have to get production of some sort from the bottom half of the lineup if they want to beat Winkle. Of course, that is if we see the Winkle that we saw against Daleville last Thursday. Whether it is Oconner or Henderson for Cowan, the Yorktown lineup hasn’t lit up the scoreboard on several occasions this season. They have a talented and viable lineup, but haven’t been the offensive powerhouse of the area yet this season. Factor 3: Execution!!! Who in the end will get the bunt down, move the runner, play sound defense, or come up with that insurance run late to secure the win???? The beauty of this exciting matchup is that it helps to get both of these areas teams ready for IHSAA tournament play, which we all know is why we work hard all season long. Thanks for reading.