SPORTS THE JOURNAL-PRESS
TUESDAY, JULY 17, 2018
PAGE 6
© REGISTER PUBLICATIONS, 2018
Loichinger next x-country phenom 14-year old runner takes Trojan Trot 5K
Tigers’ Helton named to baseball South All-Stars
By Jim Buchberger Sports Editor sports@registerpublications.com ST. LEON - Veteran cross county coaches from the area already are noticing - and telling their teenaged runners to at least try and get second place. The next Batesville phenom - 14-year old Ean Loichinger - won a Southeast Indiana Racing Circuit title for a second-straight week in Saturday’s Trojan Trot 5K Run at St. Leon American Legion Post 464. Making the youngster’s series-leading win in a time of 16:44 - following his 16:20 top effort in Milan’s Indian Trails 5K a week earlier even more special was the fact that he beat a past champion to the finish line. Former Franklin County and Indiana State distance ace Jeremiah Vaughn - now Dr. Jeremiah Vaughan, 28, who’ll soon put his doctorate in Exercise Physiology at work at Bemidji State University (Minn.) - didn’t look bad despite a lack of training time, finishing runner-up in 17:06. Loichinger stands atop the SIRC-it leaderboard after two of the five series 5K races with a combined time of 33:03. Seymour veteran Dwayne Steele, 40, sixth-place finisher Saturday (19:21) - with a slight boost to his finishing kick from a playful black Labrador retriever - ranks second with a combined 37:53 time. Defending SIRC-it series champion Justin Noppert, 42, of Lawrenceburg, finished
Eli Helton Staff Report
JIM BUCHBERGER/Journal Press
Trojan Trot 5K runners Dwayne Steele (683) and Dylan Fledderman had to contend with a playful pooch giving chase near the finish line, as they finished fifth and sixth, respectively, Saturday at St. Leon. third on a sultry Saturday morning run along county roads among the northern Dearborn County cornfields in 18:28. Lawrenceburg’s Scott Jackson, 18, finished fourth in 18:47, with another Batesville high schooler, 16-year old Dylan Fledderman, fifth in 19:20. The Trojan Trot 5K Run women’s overall champion Saturday was South Ripley High School senior-to-be Megan Cole, 17, who placed seventh in a time of 19:33. Ean’s sister, 16-year old Elizabeth Loichinger, was the second women’s runner to cross the finish line, in 20th place overall, in 21:52. Elizabeth tops the SIRC-it women’s 5K run leaderboard at a combined 42:27 after two races, with East Central runner Emilee Wedding, 16, of Lawrenceburg, second at 43:36.
Sunman race walker Kathy Kramer, 61, is making a strong bid for the SIRC-it series title after posting the overall win for a second consecutive week in Saturday’s Trojan Trot 5K Walk in 35:51. Kramer won the series opener at Milan a week earlier in 34:51 Lawrenceburg’s Meagan Roberts, 31, was the 5K Walk runner-up at St. Leon. Masters runner Bill Hardy, 63, of Harrison, Ohio, forced to walk Saturday due to an injury, compensated by winning the overall men’s race in a time of 40:52, taking third place overall. Trojan Trot 5K Run age group award winners on the men’s side Saturday included Ean Loichinger; Fledderman; Jackson; Vaughn; West Harrison’s Joe Paul, 32; Milan’s Jim Drew, 37; Noppert; Versailles’ Jim Cole, 47; Batesville’s Ronnie McAllister, 53;
JIM BUCHBERGER/Journal-Press
Batesville’s 14-year old Ean Loichinger may be the new cross country running phenom on the horizon after winner his second-straight SIRC-it series race in the Trojan Trot 5K at St. Leon Saturday. Rising Sun’s Mike Mullen, Steiner, 58; Aurora’s Carolyn 56; Batesville’s Ken Horn- Stuart, 60; and Guilford’s Arbach, 67; and Cincinnati’s lene Wilgenbusch, 76. formidable Wayne Doehlman Trojan Trot 5K walk age Sr., 73. group awards went to LawWomen’s 5K Run age renceburg Breyen Roberts, group winners were Sun- 10, and Hardy on the men’s man’s Natalie Stenger, 8, and side, and Lawrenceburg’s Lacie Kelly, 14; Elizabeth Cailee Mitchell 16; Meagan Loichinger; Megan Cole; Roberts; and Kramer for the Guilford’s Megan Whitaker, women. 21; Lawrenceburg’s Lauren Next up on the 2018 SIRCHarrison, 25; West Harrison’s it series schedule in this Autumn Paul, 32; Dillsboro’s coming Saturday’s Lakeside Kari Finnegan, 37; Sun- 5K Run & Walk at Frankman’s Amy Slone, 43; Guil- lin County High School, ford’s Angie Whitaker, 45; Brookville. Brookville’s Bev WilgenbusFor complete results go to: ch, 50; Lawrenceburg’s Dena www.stuartroadracing.com.
Middle third good in EC’s baseball season
Inexperience cost Trojans in 10-13 trekST.
By Mark Emral Staff Reporter memral@registerpublications.com LEON - East Central High School baseball coach Bob Reynolds could split his team’s play this past season into thirds. Unfortunately, two thirds did not prove to be winning baseball. “Slow start. Started 0-5. Our kids did a great jobs fighting back,” Reynolds said. “We got to where we were 9-7 at one point. Then we finished the last third of the season, we didn’t play quite as well as we did in the middle third ended up at 10-13.” A bright spot at the end was a 3-2 win over Shelbyville in the first round of the sectional. They lost in the second round, dropping a 9-2 game to Columbus East. “It was a mixed bag, honestly,” Reynolds said. “We played some good baseball in spots and we played some poor baseball in spots. We have to eliminate the spots we don’t play so good and recreate the spots where we do play well.” Inexperience cost the Trojans some victories this year. Reynolds said most of the team had never played an inning of varsity baseball before April. “I know coaches throw out that cliché, but it really is a big jump when you move from junior varsity to varsity baseball,” Reynolds said. “Everything is so much faster. The catchers are better. The pitchers are better. The ground balls that might get through for a hit at the JV level are now fielded by the shortstop and you get thrown out. “It was a big jump for a
lot of our kids, and that was something I had expected. But I don’t think the kids were fully aware when we told them it was a big jump. They had to find out the hard way, and there were some hard lessons to be learned. But they did.” Reynolds said he was proud of how the Trojans stuck together and worked out of the 0-5 start. “We are trying to teach these young men how to be grown man. We are trying to teach them when things are bad you have to handle adversity,” he said earlier this year. “When things aren’t going your way you have to dig in and find a way and get through. I think for the most part these kids did an excellent job with that, and they will be better young men moving forward because of it.” Injuries didn’t help, either. The team’s top hitter, Kyle Merkin, hit .516 but was hurt in late April. All-conference junior catcher Jack Hutchins, one of the players who had no varsity experience, had a nice offensive year (.315), according to Reynolds. His play behind the plate surprised some, too. “He far surpassed what we expected of him this year,” Reynolds said. EC’s top pitcher, senior right-hander Jake Jennings, as it turned out, played most of the year with a torn labrum, on which he’ll have to have surgery on before starting college in the fall. Jennings pitched his best game in the sectional win over Shelbyville, giving up only three hits and striking out 10 batters. Junior right-hander Simon Williams (4-0 EIAC) and sophomore lefty Zach Monhollen both pitched well, and will be able to contribute to the team next year. “Next year I think we’ll be better because of the number of kids who got varsity ex-
SANDY MAHONEY
East Central’s Jared Riehle slides safely into second base in the Trojans’ Eastern Indiana Athletic Conference home game vs. Rushville earlier this season.
H.S. baseball
2018 IHSBCA NORTH/SOUTH ALL-STAR SERIES July 21-22 At Four Winds Field South Bend
East Central TROJANS 2018 Season Wrapup RESULTS: 10-13 (6-8 Eastern Indiana Athletic Conference, 6th place). Lost to Columbus East 9-2 Class 4A sectional semifinal round. GRADUATING SENIORS: 2B/OF Eli Kramer, P Jake Jennings, 3B/1B/OF Kyle Merkin, P/1B Alex Bishop, TOP RETURNEES: C Jack Hutchins, P Simon Williams, P/CF Zach Monhollen, INF Luke Kelly, INF Isaiah Wheat, OF Corey Hoog, P/INF Gunnar Seig, P/1B Zach Henson, P/1B Mitch Behrle perience this year,” Reynolds said. “So now they know what to look for going into next year. We just didn’t have a lot of varsity experience.” The Trojans will lose to graduation five players – Jake Jennings, Kyle Merkin, Eli Kramer, Troy Solar and Shane Sturgill. Two sophomores played regularly – Monhollen and Mitch Behrle – and will be counted on for added leadership. “And the rest are the guys coming back,” Reynolds noted. “We’ll obviously lean on them for leadership and expect things from them next year that weren’t necessarily expected of them this year.” All of the underclassmen
SOUTH BEND - Lawrenceburg graduate Eli Helton has been named to the Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association’s South All-Star team for the 2018 North-South Series July 20-22. Indiana University Southeast signee Helton was a first team Class 3A All-State selection by the coaches’ association a week earlier, and was voted Eastern Indiana Athletic Conference Most Valuable Player by league coaches in June. Four Winds Field, home of the Midwest League’s South Bend Cubs, will host the 2018 IHSBCA All-Star Series, consisting of a doubleheader Saturday, July 21, and a single wooden bat game Sunday, July 22. The coaches’ association will honor two founders, South Bend’s Jim Reinebold and LaPorte’s Ken Schreiber, prior to first pitch of Game 1 of Saturday’s doubleheader, around 11:45 a.m. Sunday’s game is slated for 12 noon EST, with players wearing their high school uniforms. Game admission is $5 each day and the banquet is $25, payable at the gate. Commemorative t-shirts will sell for $10 and $15 apiece, depending on size. All-star rosters below reflect players who have accepted invitations. Some may not be able to play because of injury. Elkhart Central’s Steve Stutsman will be head coach for the North squad, while the South coaching staff will be headed by New Palestine’s Shawn Lyons. New Level Broadcasting plans to webcast throughout the all-star weekend. Area players joining Helton on the South squad include pitchers Drew Hasson, Columbus East; Sam Meek, Hauser; Alan Perry, Seymour; and Joey Weller, Union County. South All-Stars outfielders include Greensburg’s Chase Springmeyer. with Tyler Finke of Columbus North listed as a flex player.
SANDY MAHONEY
East Central senior second baseman Eli Kramer scoops up a ground ball as Lawrenceburg’s Peyton Hartman runs past in EIAC varsity baseball action this past spring. will be playing summer baseball around the area. In the fall, those who are not playing a fall sport will hit the weight room three mornings a week, before hitting the field in September and October. EC’s head coach expects the players to back off a little during November and
December saying, “I value that time as their time away from the game a little bit.” But come January, the team will start preparing in earnest for the 2019 season. “There’s not a lot of rest for these kids, but that’s what they choose to do,” Reynolds said.
SOUTH ALL-STARS Pitchers Luke Albright (Fishers) Jake Andriole (Guerin Catholic) Drew Hasson (Columbus East) Cameron Holycross (Lapel) Carter Lohman (Hamilton Southeastern) Sam Meek (Hauser) Zach Messinger (Castle) Matthew Panagouleas (South Vermillion) Alan Perry (Seymour) Joey Weller (Union County) Catchers Zyon Avery (Ben Davis) Lucas McNew (Borden) Dillon Olejnik (Indianapolis Cardinal Ritter) First Basemen Ethan English (Jeffersonville) Chase Hug (Pike) Middle Infielders Aaron Beard (Tecumseh) Case Eisenhut (Northeast Dubois) Sam Steimel (Sullivan) Craig Yoho (Fishers) Third Basemen Riley Bertram (Zionsville) Trever Zink (Forest Park) Outfielders Eli Helton (Lawrenceburg) Caleb Meeks (Evansville Memorial) Ryan Robison (New Albany) Chase Springmeyer (Greensburg) Flex Tyler Finke (Columbus North) Head Coach Shawn Lyons (New Palestine) Assistant Coaches Jason Combs (Decatur Central) Zach Payne (Lanesville) Curt Welch (Castle) Trainer Anna Roberts (South Bend St. Joseph)