By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
BEDFORD – Old age hits like a sucker punch. Gray hair, body aches and fatigue attack without warning. It’s not for the weak.
Bedford North Lawrence is an “old” baseball team. The roster includes 10 seniors, eight with multiple seasons of varsity experience. That means the Stars have “old man game” in their dugout, the savvy and baseball IQ that makes them dangerous if overlooked. They are built to strike without warning, and there’s no weaknesses. Get off their diamond.
They also have motivation, with head coach Jeff Callahan entering his final season at the helm of his alma mater. The goals are simple – Hoosier Hills Conference tournament and Class 4A sectional titles as farewell presents for the retiring and graduating.
“I want to accomplish what the players want to accomplish,” Callahan said as he starts his 11th season with the program. “I asked the seniors what they want, and a lot of times it’s the same things – compete for a conference championship, compete for a sectional championship. And those are basically one and the same. Those are never going to be easy.”
The Stars went 17-11 last season, so there’s success to use as a foundation. The first building block will be the pitching. While the Stars lack the overpowering thrower, they have a formidable foursome of starters with Cade Mungle (4-1 last season with a 2.54 ERA while posting 63 strikeouts in 44 innings) coming off an All-HHC season, with Walker Ward (3-0, 1.87 ERA), with Kline Woodward (a no-hitter against Martinsville) and Ryker Hughes (who combined with Cal Gates for a no-hitter against Scottsburg).
“The mound will be the strength of the team,” Callahan said.
Offensively, the Stars will start at the top with Gates, an Indiana University recruit who hit .407 with 13 doubles and 18 RBIs a year ago to earn All-HHC honors. The middle of the lineup will include Woodward (.330, 3 home runs and 21 RBIs) and dependable hitters Ward, Hughes and Trace Rynders. They are part of a nucleus of nine returning players who saw action in the postseason.
“Cal is definitely a leader on the team, and he will be a leader at the top of the order, creating havoc and putting pressure on teams as the lead-off catalyst,” Callahan said. “We have potential power in the middle of the lineup. I don’t know how many home runs we’ll hit, but we will have more extra-base hits.
“We’ve really worked on our base running. A lot of people think, if you are fast, you‘ll be a good base runner. Being fast does help, but you have to have something between the ears to steal, go first to third. We’re going to try to put more pressure on defenses.”
Even with so many veterans, there is competition during the preseason. BNL is looking to fill spots at catcher (where Tate Tanksley has the inside track), shortstop (with senior Maddox Ray moving over from second) and first base. Carter Bennett made an impact last year with his bat, and Cam Gates could be waiting in the wings to claim a position.
“There is competition for different spots,” Callahan said, “competition for where people hit in the order, who is considered our ‘Friday night’ guy, as they call it at the college level for the staff anchor. There will be dominoe moves. When we make a pitching change, we have to move guys around.“
BNL’s schedule will demand high-level intensity and toughness on a daily basis.
“We built a good schedule this year, and we want to compete against some of the better teams in Southern Indiana, prepare ourselves to be successful in the postseason,” Callahan said. “If we’re going to beat Floyd Central (ranked No.8 in the preseason poll), Jeffersonville (the defending sectional champion), New Albany and Seymour (ranked No.13 and the defending league champion), we need to play some tough teams.
“With a big senior group, it’s a big plus. They’ve played together for a long time, and this is it for them. When it comes to the Memorial Day weekend, hopefully we’ll be playing for a chance to go to the regional.”
BNL will open the regular season on March 29, hosting West De Pere (from Wisconsin).
