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Illiana Christian rides Corcoran to repeat state title
INDIANAPOLIS – The first time was special. The second one made it a tradition.
On Friday night, defending Class 2A state champion Illiana Christian won its second consecutive Indiana High School Athletic Association baseball crown at Victory Field with a 3-0 shutout against unranked Covenant Christian (Indianapolis).
The 10th-ranked Illiana Christian Vikings (25-9) were making their second straight state finals appearance in just three years of state tournament eligibility and posted their fourth shutout this postseason to claim their 13th state tournament series game since 2022.
“Awesome. Obviously, last year was a Cinderella story. Kind of coming in and nobody really knows who you are. This year, coming in there were high expectations. Obviously, losing a lot of guys from last year, how do you react to it? We reacted very well,” Vikings’ senior pitcher Kevin Corcoran said. “Guys took some big steps up as a team. We really improved.”
With five returning starters from the 2022 championship roster and six contributors, the Vikings relied on Corcoran to repeat his complete-game performance from a year ago, and he delivered.
The right-handed Webster University recruit, once again, went the distance, striking out eight batters with one walk and six hits surrendered in seven-complete innings.
The Vikings supplied Corcoran with a 2-0 lead in the top of the fourth, utilizing a lead-off hit by senior Cody DeLong to kick off the rally.
A single and a two-base error on a hard-hit line drive to right field by freshman Tanner Post (3-for-3) plated the game’s first run. One at-bat later, senior Matt Bultema grounded in Post to break-up Covenant Christian’s Ethan Kimmerle’s bid at a shutout.
“Hats off to Corcoran and the game he pitched. Obviously, he did a phenomenal job controlling the running game. Ultimately, that’s what it came down to,” Covenant Christian head coach Chris Stevenson said.
Corcoran fired four hitless frames during his 84-pitch outing, and he deployed three successful pickoff moves that netted tag outs in the bottom of the third and fourth. In both innings, the Warriors (16-16) had runners in scoring position at second base. Both were caught.
“We work on it all the time. Simple things. Not many kids can pick them off at second base consistently. Work on it a lot,” Corcoran said. “Obviously, runners in scoring position and getting them out early really, really helps me out and really, really helps the team out.”
The Vikings’ third run crossed on a double steal with no outs and runners on third and first base in the top of the sixth.
Covenant Christian was charged with three errors, including a pair of throwing miscues on pick off attempts in the top of the third and fifth.
Despite both mistakes putting runners on third base, Kimmerle quieted the potential threats.
Kimmerle, a Wabash recruit, went 7.0 innings with eight hits allowed, one walk, nine strikeouts and ended four innings with strikeouts in Covenant Christian’s first baseball state finals appearance.
“I’m proud of the boys and the work that they put in all year. The message is going to be, get back to work and get back at it next year,” Stevenson said. “It’s certainly a special thing to be here at Victory Field in the state championship game. It’s something that they can never take away from these boys.”
DeLong finished 2-for-3 for the Vikings and stole home for the team’s third run. Isaac VanderWoude, a Virginia recruit, went 2-for-4 with two doubles. Josh Vis, a senior, was 1-for-3 with a double and a stolen base.
Kimmerle went 2-for-3 for the Warriors. Nolan Jones was 1-for-2, Brad Nardi, a Rose-Hulman commit, went 1-for-3. Jameson Laughlin and Henry Boyce each logged singles, but the Warriors left five runners stranded.
“When I go in there, I always act as if the game is 0-0. Never let your foot off the pedal. Go in there and throw strikes, making them earn everything they have,” Corcoran said. “They swung really well today, but we swung it better.”
And they did it two years straight after defeating Centerville 10-1 for the 2022 state title behind six hits compared to eight for the encore.
“I’m proud of the boys and all the hard work they put in all year. They all stuck together, and they played a heck of a game. It was awesome,” Illiana Christian head coach Jeff VanderWoude said.
“That’s a good pitcher out there. Kimmerle is a good pitcher. That’s a good team. It’s their job to get us out, too, in situations, and they did a good job, too. We just took advantage of some mistakes, and that’s how the game goes.”
Corcoran retired the final six batters he faced with five strikeouts in Covenant Christian’s final 10 at-bats.
“It’s hard to lose when you don’t give up runs. He went in there and he grinded. He battled. He didn’t have his best stuff really, but he kept fighting,” VanderWoude said. “You could see him from the third inning on keep getting better. He’s been here. He’s done it. He’s a competitor. What a way to go out his senior year.”
Covenant Christian’s Gavin Tindall named Mental Attitude recipient
Following the game, members of the IHSAA Executive Committee announced Gavin Tindall of Covenant Christian High School as the recipient of this year’s L.V. Phillips Mental Attitude Award in Class 2A Baseball.
Gavin is the son of Thad and Lacie Tindall of Avon, Indiana and plans to attend Wabash College and will study Economics and Business. Graduating with a 4.0 GPA, he was an Academic All-State honoree in football and was also a member of the 2020 Warriors 1A football state championship team.
The L.V. Phillips 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.
Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance, the IHSAA's corporate partner, presented $1,000 to the general scholarship fund at Covenant Christian High School in the name of Gavin Tindall.
