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CLASS 4A REMATCH HIGHLIGHTS BASEBALL STATE FINALS
Two defending state champions and another who finished as runner-up a year ago are among the eight teams making up this weekend’s 45th Annual IHSAA Baseball State Finals at Victory Field in Indianapolis.

The Class A state championship game is scheduled for Friday at 7:30 pm ET, while the 2A, 3A and 4A games will be contested at 1 pm ET, 4 pm ET and 7 pm ET, respectively, on Saturday. All four games will be played at the home of the Indianapolis Indians, the Triple-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Saturday’s 4A game is a rematch from last year featuring No. 1 and defending state champ Carroll (Fort Wayne) (31-2) and No. 2 Indianapolis Cathedral (28-2). Carroll outdueled Cathedral, 1-0, in a nine inning classic last year to win its first state championship in any sport. The Chargers have won 24 straight games including consecutive wins over No. 4 DeKalb to win the sectional and No. 9 Pendleton Heights in the regional. Cathedral won its seventh consecutive sectional championship and has shut out four of its six state tournament opponents. The Irish will be playing in their fifth state championship game in 11 years (2-2 in previous games).

The other returning champion is No. 3 Lafayette Central Catholic (25-9) which will be gunning for its third straight Class A title and fifth overall when it takes on No. 2 North Central of Farmersburg (25-5) on Friday night. The Knights, who have already knocked off No. 1 Frontier for the sectional championship, will look to become just the third team with five or more baseball state championships (LaPorte with 8; Jasper with 5). The Thunderbirds, making their first appearance in the baseball state finals, will be seeking the school’s first state championship in any sport.

Saturday’s opening game features unranked teams South Spencer (23-6) and Hanover Central (22-5) from opposite ends of the state battling for Class 2A supremacy. South Spencer avenged a late regular season loss by beating No. 1 Forest Park in the sectional and also shut out No. 5 Park Tudor in the semi-state to earn its spot in the final game. The Rebels will be making their third appearance in the state finals and won the 2007 2A crown. Hanover Central will be playing in its first baseball championship game just two weeks after winning the school’s first sectional championship. The Wildcats topped No. 10 Wheeler in that game and then upended No. 2 Taylor, 4-3, for the semi-state nod.

For the second time in four seasons, the 3A championship will go to either No. 5 Crawfordsville (28-6) or unranked Mishawaka Marian (26-7). Crawfordsville won the last meeting between the teams in the 2008 final game and hope to win a second state championship after winning its sixth sectional in a row. The high-scoring Athenians have won 16 games via the 10-run rule, including three this tournament, and have outscored their last five tourney foes by a 9.4 runs per game. Marian will be making its second appearance in the 3A title game after its runner-up finish three years ago. The Knights have shut out three tournament opponents and topped No. 3 Andrean, 5-2, for the regional title and No. 10 New Haven, 5-4, for the semi-state win.

Check www.ihsaa.org throughout the weekend for scoreboard updates on each contest. Line scores and computerized box scores will be available.

Meet the Teams
For roster, stats and schedules on all eight teams in this year’s state finals, click here.

State Finals
Victory Field, 501 W. Maryland Street, Indianapolis | Website
Dates: Friday, June 17 and Saturday, June 18, 2011.
Admission: $9 each day.
Home Team: The winner of the northern semi-state (second team listed below) is the designated home team in each game.
Television: All four state championship games will be televised live throughout the state on the IHSAA Champions Television Network.
Webcast: All four state championship games will be webcast live at www.IHSAAtv.org.

Brackets: 4A | 3A | 2A | A

Friday
Class A | No. 2 North Central (Farmersburg) (25-5) vs. No. 3 Lafayette Central Catholic (25-9) | 7:30 pm ET

Saturday
Class 2A | South Spencer (23-6) vs. Hanover Central (22-5) | 1 pm ET
Class 3A | No. 5 Crawfordsville (28-6) vs. Mishawaka Marian (26-7) | 4 pm ET
Class 4A | No. 2 Indianapolis Cathedral (28-2) vs. No. 1 Carroll (Fort Wayne) (31-2) | 7 pm ET

Media Information

Media Hosts – Sports Information Director Jason Wille, Communications Director Chris Kaufman and assistant Toni Polizzi will be on site to assist in your coverage.

Media Credentials: The 2010-11 IHSAA State Finals Media Credential issued previously this year will allow for admission. To apply, please e-mail your request (with name of individual) as soon as possible to IHSAA Sports Information Director Jason Wille at jwille@ihsaa.org. E-mail requests MUST originate from a recognized business account; e-mails from personal accounts (ie: yahoo.com, aol.com, etc.) will not be accepted. The application deadline is Thursday, June 16, at 4 pm ET / 3 pm CT.

Media Will-Call: Approved requests will be available for pickup at media will-call located inside the glass doors to the right of the ticket windows on the stadium’s west side. Please have identification available to claim your credentials. Will-call will open on Friday at 5:30 pm ET and on Saturday at 11 am ET.

Media Parking: There is no designated parking for media but the lot to the west of the stadium is the nearest option. If full, there are several lots available within short walking distance of Victory Field. The State Garage, opposite the centerfield entrance on the northeast corner of Maryland and West streets is nearby as is the underground garage northwest of the stadium for the NCAA, Indiana State Museum, Eiteljorg Museum and White River State Park.

Services: Starting lineups and game programs will be circulated to members of the media in the press box. Computer-generated official box scores will be available following each of the four state championship games and also posted to the IHSAA website. The Indianapolis Indians provide complimentary wireless internet access within the press box. A password which is posted in the press area is needed for access.

Photography: Photographers may take up positions in the outfield portion of each dugout for field level shots. At no time during the game should photographers be shooting from the playing field itself.

Interviews: Interviews with coaches and players may be conducted on the field following the conclusion of the awards ceremonies. In order to allow the grounds crew to do its work, we ask your cooperation in conducting interviews outside the foul lines.

Notables

Defending State Champions in the Field
4A: Carroll (Fort Wayne).
A: Lafayette Central Catholic.

Returning to State Finals from 2010
4A: Carroll (Fort Wayne), Indianapolis Cathedral.
A: Lafayette Central Catholic.

Former State Champions in the Field
4A: Carroll (Fort Wayne) 2010 (4A); Indianapolis Cathedral 2001 (3A), 2007 (4A).
3A: Crawfordsville 2008 (3A).
2A: South Spencer 2007 (2A).
A: Lafayette Central Catholic 2004 (A), 2007 (A), 2009 (A), 2010 (A).

First-Time Participants in the State Finals
2A: Hanover Central.
A: North Central (Farmersburg).

INDY’S LENNY BRICKENS HONORED AS TOP BASEBALL OFFICIAL
Lenny Brickens of Indianapolis is the recipient of the 2011 Interscholastic Athletic Official Association Award for excellence in the sport of baseball.  Brickens will be honored in a special ceremony at this weekend’s state finals.

Each year, the Indiana High School Athletic Association, in cooperation with the National Federation of Interscholastic Officials Association, recognizes and honors an outstanding official in each of 11 sports during the school year.

Brickens’ career as a baseball official spanned 30 years.  He worked every level of the state tournament, including over 25 sectionals, over 15 regionals, four semi-states and four state finals.  He last officiated the state finals in 2008.

Brickens was selected for this honor by a committee representing the Indiana officials associations.  In Indiana there are 26 associations made up of men and women who give up much of their personal time to assist in providing wholesome, worthwhile, and healthy activities for the student-athletes in our state.  Statewide, there are more than 8,000 officials licensed by the IHSAA in 11 sports.

A member of the Fall Creek Indiana Officials Association, Brickens served as the secreatary of Indianapolis Umpires Association since 1973.He served a local association rules interpreter as well as an IHSAA clinician for 36 years.
Lenny raised thousands of dollars for all levels of baseball in central Indiana. He worked many games for charity tournaments throughout the state.

Lenny and his wife Theresa were married for 18 years and have one child, Anissa.