101 steps later, Central Catholic baseball back in Class A state finals

LAFAYETTE − The dream for most is merely an expectation at Central Catholic.

It wasn't always that way, but for the last two decades, anything short of celebrating a baseball state championship on the final day of the season meant the Knights came up short.

There's no shying away from what Central Catholic has become, on par with Andrean as the best small school baseball program in Indiana.

Coach Tim Bordenet runs a tight ship and demands a heavy workload, not only on the practice field, but before and after practices to make sure Gordon Leming Field, voted the 2019 national high school baseball field of the year, looks pristine enough to match the powerhouse program that plays there.

"We have field cleanup days and it's in the spring," senior Ryan Schummer said. "It's kind of about getting to know everybody and ultimately it starts with working together. From there, it just builds to where we are now."

Where Central Catholic is now is Victory Field, awaiting the Class A state championship game with Barr-Reeve at 4:30 p.m. Saturday. The Knights are aiming for their ninth state championship since 2004 and second in a row. Twice more, CC lost in the state championship game during that stretch.

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It's the final step in a list of 101 ways of Central Catholic baseball, posted in the home dugout at Leming Field, where there's reminders that baseball is both fun − "Run out on that field like you're eight years old and it's time for recess." − and serious.

Bordenet snagged the 101 ways list from the University of Louisville, seeing it when the Knights practiced there and saw a copy in the dugout.

"I just kind of copied that and modeled that for us," Bordenet said. "It's a few reminders just how to conduct yourself, how to play the game and how to be a great teammate."

It begins with small steps, leading to the big one: 101. Victory Field.

Before Victory Field, there's 100 other propositions that, if not achieved, probably means No. 101 never comes to fruition. Things like, "keep it simple," "communicate," "extra work on your own," "do what's best for the team," "take the hit by pitch," "push my teammates," "make someone else better," and "respect my opponent."

Those and several more lead to No. 100, "perform in the postseason."

"Coach preaches we've got to do all the little things right to win," senior Evan Dienhart said. "A lot of schools will be stronger, bigger, faster than us, but as long as we're doing what we can do, we can go out there and win any game we play."

And that never wavers, regardless of the situation, even if the Knights are down 4-2 in the sixth inning of a semistate championship game against a dominant pitcher.

Last week, Central Catholic put up four runs in the sixth to rally against Fort Wayne Blackhawk at Loeb Stadium.

"The main goal is winning and no matter what your role is, everybody wants to be out on the field playing, but the dugout guys know that's their role," Schummer said. "They bring the energy every game. Coach said last week it was everybody's win, not just the nine on the field. Everybody has a part to play and we do it to the fullest."

It's why the Knights pulled off other improbable postseason wins a year ago with a team that now has eight players who will be starting in their second state championship baseball game − Owen Munn at second base, Dienhart at shortstop, Ben Mazur pitching, Ryan Schummer at first base, Kayden Minnich in right field, Brinn Robbins in center field, Tyler Fox in left field and TJ Bell as designated hitter.

Only catcher Jackson Cain and third baseman Hudson Gutwein, both sophomores, are expected starters Saturday who weren't in last year's state finals lineup.

"That's kind of where the standard is in our program and some teams may feel there's pressure that comes with that," Bordenet said. "Our guys just look at it as expectation. That's what's expected of them when they come to Central Catholic.

"To be realistic, a lot of programs don't really have a realistic chance to get to the state finals every year. We're 1A and 2A and we feel like if we can play a 3A and 4A schedule in the regular season, it prepares us for 1A and 2A tournaments. It definitely has this year. We have 11 losses, but I wouldn't categorize any of those as bad losses. They were good teams, good pitchers and definitely prepared us for the moment we're going to have Saturday."

While playing baseball at Central Catholic is about embracing the past, it's almost always about the current.

The Leming Field scoreboard lists all of CC's state championships - eight of them - and the walkway to the field is decorated by banners of each title team's celebratory postgame photo.

None of that guarantees any success Saturday, however.

"Tradition is huge here," Dienhart said. "But we understand we weren't a part of seven other state championships. We were a part of one. So we know every day we've got to work hard and put our mark on this school the same way those other teams did."

Sam King covers sports for the Journal & Courier. Email him at sking@jconline.com and follow him on Twitter and Instagram @samueltking.

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: 101 steps later, Central Catholic baseball back in state finals