If you’re looking for a team which is flying a little under the radar this high school baseball season, you might look towards Howard County. That’s where Northwestern plays.

   Northwestern is tied with Evansville Memorial for 10^th in the coaches association’s Class 3A preseason rankings. That’s not bad. Anytime a team is in the Top 10, that’s good. But, Northwestern may be a little better than the ranking might indicate.

   It all goes back to a year ago when the Tigers lost to Benton Central, 8-7 in eight innings, in sectional competition. Often times those who rank teams preseason tend to go back to last season.

   This Northwestern club is good! The Tigers finished 21-6 last year and won the Mid-Indiana Conference with a perfect 7-0 record.

   The offensive numbers, led by senior first sacker Jimmy Corcoran, are impressive. Corcoran hit .544 last season, slammed six doubles, three triples and two homers, and drove home 26 runs.

   That’s not all. Third baseman Austin Henderson hit .425 and drove home 31 run as a freshman; Luke Miller, a junior second baseman and outfielder, batted .463 with 24 RBIs. Senior shortstop Mitch Daily hit .364 and 12 RBI and senior outfielder Brad Rist batted .321 with 30 runs knocked home.

   “We have some quality hitters returning,” said coach Ryan Berryman. “I think our style of baseball creates better opportunities for our hitters. We like to be aggressive on the base paths and put pressure on the opposing pitcher. Combine that with our philosophy of hitting and we generally have the upper hand on offense. Corcoran, Henderson and Miller all fit beautifully into our style. They are good contact guys, have some power, and have speed to create havoc.”

   Berryman says his Tigers have an extra advantage.

   “We have the luxury of an indoor field house that others do not have,” said the coach. “We have four drop down 75-foot cages that allow our pitchers and hitters to go head-to-head and get live in game action, as well as drill work and specific simulations. Since February, our pitchers have been in position to throw live, so we’ve seen game-like speed and situations in the cage. By the time the practice season opened on March 16, our hitters had a combined 1,300 at-bats, which is roughly 35 games worth. So, our hitters have a season under their belt before we ever play a game. Since hitting is contagious, our hitters usually have success early and it carries over for the entire season.”

   Corcoran, one of the state’s best hitters, may not continue his baseball career after this season.

   “He is a D1 caliber and all-state soccer player and has the opportunity to play at IUPUI,” explained Berryman. “Also, he has the opportunity to play both baseball and soccer at Rose-Hulman. He is a great student and either choice he makes will be a great fit for him.”

   Northwestern will return 12 homers and 131 RBI from last season.

   “We aren’t necessarily a power hitting team,” said Berryman, “although we do have some pop in our line-up. I would classify us more of an opportunistic offense that uses our speed to take the extra base hit.”

   Northwestern also should be strong on the mound. The Tigers return 15 victories from last year, led by Rist, who posted an 8-2 record with 73 strikeouts and a 1.94 ERA in 65 innings, Zach Martin and Luke Miller.

   “We do have a lot of depth returning on the mound,” said Berryman. “I am most impressed right now with Martin and Miller. They are going to be very productive pitchers.”

   Berryman said the sectional once again will be tough.

   “Benton Central has a lot of returning players from their sectional championship team,” points out the coach. “Western looks to be strong as always with solid pitching and one of the best underclassmen in the state in Matt Reida. West Lafayette will have some speed and hitting back with Matt Lancaster. Twin Lakes was high competitive last year and has some key players back and Frankfort has been young but will be better. Last year, the only team without a winning record was Benton Central, and they won it by getting hot at the right time.”

   Berryman believes Northwestern’s schedule will prepare the Tigers for post-season play.

   “Obviously in MIC play, we will have seven quality opponents,” he said. “Out of the conference we will play Kokomo, Tipton, West Lafayette, Twin Lakes, Northeastern, Boone Grove, Northfield, Lafayette Central Catholic, Roncalli and Greensburg. All of these teams have the potential to be Top 10 teams in their classes.”