<p>Indian Creek senior Jared DeHart could have sat out baseball season and blamed it on his favorite sport.</p>
<p>Instead, the Bethel College basketball recruit realized that using the spring to work on dribbling and mid-range jumpers meant possibly missing out on something special.</p>
<p>And if the Braves’ baseball team has proven anything the past two months, it’s that it’s special.</p>
<p>Regional champions for the first time in school history, Indian Creek is one of four Class 3A teams remaining in contention for a state championship. On Saturday, the Braves (24-5) play third-ranked Silver Creek (24-2) at the Jasper Semistate.</p>[sc:text-divider text-divider-title="Story continues below gallery" ]
<p>The winner qualifies for the state championship game on June 16 at Victory Field in Indianapolis.</p>
<p>DeHart, a starting second baseman who hits leadoff and bats .380, is glad he stuck around to be part of school history.</p>
<p>“I’ve played baseball the past three years and felt obligated to play,” DeHart said. “And I wanted to play. I would’ve missed it, for sure. From the start of the season, our goal was to make it to the state finals. We knew we had talented guys and felt confident.”</p>
<p>DeHart is one of six seniors on first-year coach Steve Mirizzi’s roster.</p>
<p>Classmates Dawson Read (third base), Dylan Sprong (center field) and Luke Bramlett (right field) are starters; outfielders Joey Willis and Kyle Lime are mainly used in reserve roles.</p>
<p>Indian Creek extended its season last weekend by winning the Crawfordsville Regional. The Braves downed Tri-West in the semifinal round, then scored a 5-4 victory over No. 7 West Vigo in the title game.</p>
<p>The program’s four previous sectional champions (1971, 1973, 2016, 2017) had all failed to make it out of the regional.</p>
<p>Led by three talented juniors, the pitching staff is what sets the Braves apart from most opponents. Ace Trevor Ankney, Dustin Sprong and Wyatt Phillips have been the jet fuel for Indian Creek, which boasts an earned-run average of 1.50.</p>
<p>Offensively, the Braves average 8.6 runs and have stolen 63 bases.</p>
<p>Another reason Indian Creek is about to play its 30th game of the season is familiarity. DeHart and Read have known each other since kindergarten and began forming a friendship as freshmen on the 2015 Indian Creek team.</p>
<p>“It’s the bond. The chemistry we have,” said Read, who, like DeHart, has been a Braves starter since his freshman season. “We’ve been playing baseball together since way back and know how to pick each other up.</p>
<p>“We’re pretty hectic in the dugout and always giving instructions out on the field.”</p>
<p>Read says that because of the position DeHart plays, he is the chattiest of Indian Creek’s six seniors.</p>
<p>“I like to talk,” DeHart said with a laugh. “I like to have a good time.”</p>
<p>Mirizzi, previously an assistant coach at Danville, credits his seniors for making his transition to a new program memorable. Upon his arrival in September, Mirizzi knew his plan but none of the individuals that he would be asking to carry it out.</p>
<p>Having good seniors helps.</p>
<p>"This group has been outstanding as far as leadership," Mirizzi said. "They’re used to winning, and their expectations are high. We knew we were capable of winning a lot more than a sectional, and it speaks volumes on them that we have."</p>[sc:pullout-title pullout-title="If you go" ][sc:pullout-text-begin]<p><p style="text-align: center"><strong>Class 3A Jasper Semistate</strong></p>
<p><p style="text-align: center"><strong>Indian Creek (24-5) vs. Silver Creek (24-2)</strong></p>
<p>When: Saturday, approximately 3:30 p.m. (following the 1 p.m. Class 2A game between Scecina and Southridge).</p>
<p>Where: Ruxer Field, Jasper</p>
<p>Admission: $8</p>[sc:pullout-text-end]
