<p><strong>S</strong>tatistics aren’t kept for waiting one’s turn, though there are members of Indian Creek’s baseball team who would impress in this area.</p><p>None more than Wyatt Rund.</p><p>Rund, a senior catcher who is also capable of playing third base, looks forward to being an everyday player this spring should a portion of the Braves’ season be salvaged despite the current COVID-19 situation.</p><p>There is, after all, a winning tradition to keep going.</p><p>“It’s really important for our team and for the community,” Rund said. “Winning is good for the school because it just pulls everyone together.”</p><p>Indian Creek is a combined 44-18 in coach Steve Mirizzi’s first two seasons, winning a pair of Class 3A sectional titles, two Johnson County tournament championships and the program’s first trip to a semistate.</p><p>Braves squads have won four consecutive sectionals overall, with Rund stepping up clutch in last season’s 5-4 semifinal win over host Bishop Chatard. It was his bases-clearing single off the left field fence in the bottom of the 10th inning that sent the Braves to the title game against Beech Grove.</p><p>“Right when it left his bat, I knew,” Mirizzi said.</p><p>Indian Creek went on to down the Hornets, 5-1, with Rund delivering a double.</p><p>At 5-foot-10, 164 pounds, Rund is approximately 36 pounds lighter than he was last season. He accomplished this by dedicating himself to the school’s weight room like never before, replacing fast food with lean meats and vegetables and sugar-filled drinks with water.</p><p>“I feel great. The best I’ve ever felt in my life,” said Rund, who hit .283 and drove in 10 runs as a junior. “I think the weight loss will help me most with hitting and running because I was never the fastest kid. I’m hoping to run the bases more because our coach usually uses a pinch runner for catchers.”</p><p>Mirizzi has been impressed with Rund’s desire to get better.</p><p>“Wyatt has put in a ton of work. We’ve had before-school conditioning, and he’s been there every morning. As a senior, he’s put everything on the table and has been ready to go,” Mirizzi said. “What really impressed me last season is how he handled (being a part-time player).</p><p>“He showed a lot of maturity and stepped up when we needed him to. It was a testament to Wyatt’s mindset. He never stopped believing in his abilities and kept getting better.”</p>
