There is a special aura surrounding Cathedral High School this time of year. With the spring comes baseball season and for a program that has been to two state championships in three years, the expectations are always high. According to Irish Head Coach Rich Andriole those expectations have not changed despite the loss of six key players to division I baseball rosters from the 2008 team.

            “The kids will tell you that the goal is always to win a state championship,” Andriole, who has coached Cathedral to an 87-11 record the last three seasons, said. “The thing you have to remember is that this is a marathon and it is not a sprint and you have to enjoy the ride.”

            That Irish enter this week 6-0 and at No. 7 in 4A, but the ride to a third state finals in four years looks much easier said than done. Only three seniors return in shortstop Patrick Paligraf (.340, 27 RBIs last season), first baseman Kevin Bower (.378, 7 home runs, 37 RBI’s), and second baseman Brian Lauer (.394, 26 RBIs). Sophomore Dillon Peters also returns and will take over as ace of the pitching staff after going 7-0 and giving up a .46 ERA in 2008.

            “We are going to count on those guys because they have kind of been there, done that,” Andriole said. “But we have lost a lot of guys and right now we just really need to focus on continuing to get better day to day.”

            In 3A No. 1 and defending state champ Crawfordsville is off to an 8-1 start for John Froedge’s Athenians. Half of one of the best 1-2 punches in pitching last season returns in Steven Rice (6-0, .71 ERA) from last seasons squad as well as second baseman Brett McKinney who was second on the team in hits and runs scored a season ago.

No. 2 West Vigo and No. 6 Brebeuf Jesuit, teams that Crawfordsville defeated in the 2008 semi-state and regional respectively, both return strong ball clubs as well.

No.1 Park Tudor (9-1) came into this season with high hopes in 2A as Indiana University commit (shortstop) Micah Johnson, and senior second basemen Andrew Bain were set to control one of the best middle infields in the state. With word that shoulder surgery will sideline Johnson for the season, the load falls on Bain who finished in the top-10 in the state in hits and runs scored one season ago.

Last seasons 2A runner-up Elwood returns four veteran players who hit over .300, including center fielder Jacob Dunnichay (.398, 28 RBIs., 6 2B, 6 home runs). The No. 9 Panthers are off to a 3-2 start.

In 1A No. 2 Cowan returns all but one starter from a line-up that lost in the state finals last spring. Kirby (.516, 40 RBIs, 10 home runs in 2008) and Cody Campbell (.440, 45 RBIs, 8 home runs in 2008) lead a stacked offense, while Justin O’Conner returns as the ace of the pitching rotation. O’Conner was 6-2 with a 2.02 ERA in 08’, and also has state finals experience as the losing pitcher at Victory Field last season.

No. 1 Frontier (10-0) brings back a high powered offense as Indiana State RBI and home run king Nick Schnepp returns. No. 7 Washington Township, a sectional champion last spring, has begun the season undefeated as well at 7-0.