The light bulb went off for the Whiteland baseball team in a game at New Palestine in mid-April.
After conceding eight runs in the bottom of the first — yes, first — inning, the Warriors regrouped, refocused and gradually chipped away at the sizable deficit, eventually leaving town with an 11-10 victory.
Style points were minimal against the Dragons, but for a collection of inexperienced players thirsting for any sort of positive identity following a rocky start to the season, the win was crucial.
“I think we’ve gotten a lot better as the season has gone on,” Whiteland senior Nick Dwenger said. “Going into the season, I just felt like we went into the season as a new team because of COVID. It just felt like an entirely different game at the start.
“But as the year has gone on, I’ve gotten to know a lot of these guys and we’re all pretty close.”
It was a work in progress.
After all, none of the team’s four seniors played varsity as sophomores in 2019 — nor did any of the current juniors. Sophs and freshmen on this season’s roster were middle schoolers during the last high school season two years ago.
Whiteland enters Monday’s Class 4A sectional semifinal against Greenwood at Mooresville with a 10-14 record and afterthought status with Franklin (19-8) and third-ranked Center Grove (25-4) on the other side of the bracket.
However, the Warriors are playing their best baseball and shouldn’t be overlooked after drawing a first-round bye.
“That’s always one of our goals, to play our best baseball at the end of the year,” coach Scott Sherry said. “It’s something we emphasize and talk about a lot. Baseball is a tough game mentally and physically. It beats you up.
“But playing good late in the season is one of those things our kids have been good at. We’ve said all along that when we put all three phases of the game together that we can compete.”
Since the start of May, the Warriors have won at home against Decatur Central, defeated Perry Meridian on the road in shutout fashion, swept both ends of a home-and-home with Mooresville to cost the Pioneers a Mid-State Conference title and defeated Bloomington South, 8-3.
Whiteland and Greenwood split their two regular-season games in early April.
The top third of Whiteland’s batting order starts with sophomore leadoff Jonathan Crowley (.311) and continues with freshman Drew Helton (.372) and junior Quinn Warweg. Junior Landen Wood (.270, nine doubles) hits cleanup, followed by junior Brant Kunz and sophs Ethan Shipp and Peyton Emberton.
Dwenger and fellow senior Jonathan Wray hit in the 8 and 9 spots, respectively. Another senior, Korey Gordon, adds value as an infielder/pitcher, as does junior Dylan Gross. The team’s most entrusted pitchers have been the right-handed Helton (3-1, 1.77 ERA) and junior lefty Caden Wilburn (2-4, 4.37).
Time was needed to put the puzzle pieces together for Sherry’s eighth Whiteland squad. In a one-and-done postseason environment, the players know that time could be now — and they’re working to make it happen.
“One of my main things as a senior is trying to get guys to come in and hit on our days off. They really want to get better, especially some of the younger guys,” Wray said. “We’ve definitely grown together as a team.”
[sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”If you go” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
Class 4A Mooresville Sectional
Monday
Franklin vs. Center Grove, 10 a.m.
Whiteland vs. Greenwood, noon
Championship, 7 p.m.
Admission: $6 per session
[sc:pullout-text-end]
