News

High-scoring Andrean didn't need as many runs as it's accustomed to putting up but their 6-0 win over No. 9 Gibson Southern was enough for the Class 3A state championship at Victory Field in Indianapolis.

The state championship was the fourth in the last 10 years for the Lake County school and makes it one of five schools with four or more baseball titles - LaPorte (8), Lafayette Central Catholic (7), Jasper (5) and Logansport (4). Each title has come under the leadership of 35th year coach Dave Pishkur who ranks third in state history with 865 victories.

Top-ranked Andrean (31-4) plated single runs in the first, fourth and fifth innings and then blew it open in the seventh with three more.

Nick Podkul's 2 RBI triple to right broke it open and he was waved home on a throwing error by the right fielder to make it 6-0.

Matt DeSomer (9-0) went 5 1/3 innings allowing only four hits and striking out 10 Gibson Southern batters. DeSomer earned the distinction of becoming just the second individual to win state championships as the starting quarterback and as the winning pitcher in the same calendar year. Austin Munn of Lafayette Central Catholic was the first in 2011-12.

The 59ers beat their tournament opponents by an 81-11 spread and put up double figure runs in 18 of their 35 games this year.

Chris May was Gibson Southern's seventh year coach. Dillon Whitten went the distance for the Titans giving up six hits and fanning nine. Gibson Southern's softball team also finished as the state runner-up one week ago.

Saturday's attendance was 5,162. Combined with Friday night's record crowd of 4,961, 10,123 attended the 4 games, also a new record.

Gibson Southern’s Matthew Harpenau named Mental Attitude Award Winner
Following the game, members of the IHSAA Executive Committee announced Matthew Harpenau of Gibson Southern High School as the winner of this year’s L.V. Phillips Mental Attitude Award in Class 3A Baseball.

The team’s year-long designated hitter is one the school’s top students boasting a 3.67 GPA. He’s been a member of the Beta Club, Pep Club, National Honor Society, the Anti-Bullying Club and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (Harpenau was diagnosed in 2005). He’s also volunteered many hours in coaching youth baseball and football, a sport he’s played for three years for the Titans.

He is the son of Mick and Valarie Harpenau of Haubstadt and will attend the University of Evansville where he'll study Mechanical Engineering.

The award is annually presented to an outstanding senior participant in each state championship game who has best demonstrated excellence in mental attitude, scholarship, leadership and athletic ability in baseball. The award is named in honor of the late L.V. Phillips, who served as the second commissioner of the IHSAA from 1945-62.

The IHSAA Executive Committee presented a $1,000 scholarship to Gibson Southern High School in the name of Matthew Harpenau.