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Lake Central won its first 4A baseball state championship on the arm of senior pitcher Jimmy McNamara who threw a three-hitter and struck out nine in a 1-0 victory over Roncalli. Lake Central finished the season the same way they started – on top of the Indiana Baseball Coaches Poll as the top-ranked team in the state.

It was a one-two-three first inning for both sides as the Lake Central senior pitcher Jimmy McNamara and Roncalli senior Colin Hawk settled in early for a pitcher’s duel.

Lake Central broke into the scoring column with a two-out rally in the top of the third started by a single by junior Ryan Burvan, followed by a walk and then an RBI single to center field by senior Austen Wagoner to make it a 1-0 game.

The Indians pitcher had a no-hitter going against the Rebels until the bottom of the fifth when Roncalli senior Jordan Reeser broke it up with an infield single.  Roncalli managed one more hit in the bottom of the sixth, but were unable to put a runner across the plate.

The Indians and head coach Jeff Sandor finished with a 32-1 record.

Roncalli (23-9-1), led by head coach Keith Hatfield, made just its second state finals appearance and their first in 30 years. The 1982 Rebels also finished as state runner-up.

The 2012 state finals enjoyed record attendance figures as a high-mark 3,399 were on hand for Friday's 3A contest while 6,527 attended on Saturday for a four-game session record total of 9,926. The previous record had been 9,915 in 2009.

Lake Central’s Jimmy McNamara named Mental Attitude Award winner
Members of the IHSAA Executive Committee announced Jimmy McNamara of Lake Central High School as the winner of this year’s L.V. Phillips Mental Attitude Award in Class 4A baseball.

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.

McNamara has been both a pitcher and outfielder during his three varsity seasons at Lake Central and named all-conference each year. He’s served as President of the school’s Superfan Club, the National Honor Society, Student Council and was a member of the Duneland Athletic Conference Summit. He also played basketball his first two years of high school.

The son of Michael and Denise McNamara of Dyer, he will attend Central Michigan University on baseball scholarship and plans to study accounting.

Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance, the proud corporate partner of all IHSAA tournaments, presented a $1,000 scholarship to Lake Central High School in the name of Jimmy McNamara.