I’m in southern Indiana today, gearing up to bring you live high school baseball at the Regional level of the Class 3A state tournament. The Batesville Bulldogs have battled their way to a 19 & 9 record to be here, winning 4 of their last 5 regular season games, and 3 straight now in the post-season, leading up to today’s battle against the defending state champions, the 23 & 8 Dragons from Silver Creek High of Sellersburg. Bulldog Coach Tyler Burcham says his club’s ready for the challenge, even though none of the current players were on the roster 5 years ago, the last time these clubs met.
According to Coach, “In 2019, we got to face them in the regionals, and we had them right on the ropes. So I think they at least have a decent understanding of who we are, and they’re a great program, so they’ll understand that it’s one game at a time. But I’d like to think, especially with some of the guys we have, with Grunkemeyer on the mound, we feel good about our chances, and then the guys who step up behind him.”
Burcham refers there to his starting pitcher Jack Grunkemeyer, who’s been known to intimidate batters on some clubs. He’ll be playing next year at Northwestern University. The strong Bulldogs behind him are known to include shortstop Chris Lewis, and center fielder Eli Loichinger, who’s also landed a college scholarship. This’ll be a huge high school diamond game, and you’ll hear it live this morning, starting at 10:45, on the Sports Voice, 103.9 WRBI.
And keep in mind another local squad playing in the baseball regionals, as South Decatur matches up with Indianapolis Lutheran. That game starts at 1:00 this afternoon, at Morristown.
The state high school track & field championship finals continue at the IU campus in Bloomington today, with boys’ competition, after the girls got their events in Friday. Just a few of today’s local competitors will include East Central’s 4 by 400 meter relay team, some of whose members are Chase Bellman, Gavin Hicks, Dylan Maxwell, and Trevor Perkins. Batesville’s Ayden Eckstein is there too, looking to go above his current mark of 6 feet 6 in the high jump, and East Central’s Will Kemper’s planning to throw the discus farther than ever before.
Major League Baseball Friday saw the Reds pull a 5-4 victory out, over the Cubs in Chicago. Those two teams will match up at Wrigley Field again tonight, and we’ll have the broadcast for you starting at 6:45, again only on the Sports Voice, 103.9 WRBI.