Center Grove baseball wins semistate, moves into 4A title game

PLAINFIELD

The dozen seniors on Center Grove’s roster were on a mission to buy themselves seven more days.

Hardly a unique way of thinking this time of year, but the Trojans, to a man, had experienced too much in their careers to not see it through.

“I’ve played with all these seniors since I was 8 years old, so we’ve been through our hardships together,” shortstop Drew Culbertson said following his team’s 5-2 win over Castle on Saturday night in the championship game of the Class 4A Plainfield Semistate.

“We’ve gone through ups and downs, and we know that if we continue to play our best baseball, we just relax. That’s when we play our best.”

As a result, top-ranked Center Grove (29-3) is making its first-ever appearance in the state championship game. The Trojans face defending 4A champion Penn (21-8) at Victory Field in Indianapolis this Saturday.

“It feels absolutely great,” Trojans coach Keith Hatfield said. “I’m so happy to be going with this group. It’s going to be a blast. Defending state champion. They’re a solid team. Very well-coached, so we know we’re in for a dogfight, but we’re going to enjoy this for a couple days.”

Maintaining its composure was crucial for Center Grove after falling behind, 2-0, against Castle in the second inning.

Senior catcher Grant Sawa reversed the momentum with his leadoff solo home run over the left center field fence. The Trojans tied the score in the bottom of the fifth when pinch runner Cal Schembra made it home on junior leadoff hitter Noah Coy’s double to right.

Hatfield’s squad took the lead when Carson Vlcan’s triple in the sixth scored right fielder Evan Zapp, who had led off with a walk and moved to second base on a Sawa bunt. Center Grove tacked on an insurance run on A.J. Beggs’ bunt along the right side of the infield, which brought home a sliding Gilliam.

The Trojans then loaded the bases in the sixth, scoring on Culbertson’s walk. Freshman Gannon Grant and Coy both singled to put their team in position to pad its lead.

A team of lesser resolve might have crumbled after falling behind in such an important game.

Center Grove won’t be mistaken as such.

“As a normal person, we all have a little panic there. A little anxiety,” Sawa said. “But we never lost faith in our team because we’ve been playing together since we were young kids, and we’re all here on the biggest stage together.

“Especially with the winter and fall workouts, that’s where it starts. Just playing with my guys the past couple of years, even the guys who graduated, they set this up. We’ve wanted this for a long time.”

Senior right-handed pitcher Caden Cornett went the distance for the Trojans, allowing four hits and striking out six.

“The last inning, I was like, ‘I want this. I’m not giving it up,’” Cornett said. “I’ve got all the faith in my bullpen; they’ll come in and shut it down. (But) I told them I want this.

“If they give me a few runs, I’m going to do the job for them. They’re amazing. They won this game, not me.”

In the afternoon semifinal, senior pitcher Jacob Murphy threw a complete-game three-hitter as the Trojans blanked Brownsburg, 6-0.

Clinging to a 1-0 lead through five innings, Center Grove added three runs in the top of the sixth and two more in the seventh.

Coy singled and doubled, as did Zapp, as the Trojans finished with six hits.

Murphy walked two and struck out four Bulldogs.

Center Grove also chalked up two defensive gems in the semifinal, courtesy of Zapp and freshman first baseman Kobe Cherry.

In the bottom of the fourth inning, Brownsburg’s Mason Tibbs hit a foul ball right of the right field line when Cherry, running with his back to home plate, made a diving, over-the-shoulder catch.

Zapp, meanwhile, threw a frozen rope from right in the bottom of the seventh to throw out a runner at third base, squelching any chance of a Bulldog rally.

Back in 1996, the second-to-last year of single-class sports in Indiana, the Trojans made it to the old Bush Stadium before losing to eventual state champion Jasper in a state semifinal.

Now, 27 years later, a whole new generation of Center Grove players, coaches and fans get to experience it again.

Different format and stadium. Same thrill.

“I’m so excited. I just wasn’t ready to be done playing baseball with these guys,” Culbertson said. “We’ve worked so hard. (The seniors) all live within a five-minute radius of each other. Any day of the week. Any time. We’ve gone to hit at midnight many times before.

“We’ve just been lucky enough to have facilities ready for us that we can go any time we want. I’m so lucky to have these guys around me. Motivating me, and pushing me to be my best every day.”