Conference action is on deck tonight, as three of Hancock County’s baseball teams take the field against league foes.
1. New Palestine at Shelbyville
What: The Hoosier Heritage Conference remains up for grabs, and the Dragons-Golden Bears doubleheader could go a long way in determining the final standings. While a couple of wins would put New Palestine (8-3, 4-2) in the conference driver’s seat, Shelbyville (5-3, 2-2) will be playing desperate baseball, as a pair of losses would send them spiraling out of contention.
Who: Sophomore sluggers will be on display tonight. For the Dragons, Keegan Watson is the man to watch. The sophomore outfielder has collected multi-hit efforts in eight of the Dragons’ 11 games, including Wednesday, when he cracked his first home run of the season. He is now batting a robust .636 on the season. Opposing him will be the Golden Bears’ Drew Mathies. The infielder has posted nine extra-base hits in nine games and is hitting .517 on the season.
When: The first pitch of Game 1 will be thrown at 5:30 p.m. Game 2 begins a half an hour after the conclusion of the opener.
2. Delta at Mt. Vernon
What: There is no better way for a bottom-of-the-standings team to reverse its fortunes than by taking two from a conference foe in one day. That is what both the seventh-place Eagles (5-5, 2-4 HHC) and the last-place Marauders (2-6, 1-3 HHC) will be trying to do in this HHC doubleheader.
Who: Zach Spears will take the bump in Game 1 for Mt. Vernon. The Marauders’ ace has excelled in his first three HHC starts this season, going 2-1 with 33 strikeouts. Spears’ biggest concern tonight will be the Eagles’ Tate Stone. The senior outfielder is hitting .484 on the season and last week, he cranked out three home runs in the same game against Wes-Del.
When: The first pitch of Game 1 will be thrown at 5:30 p.m. Game 2 begins a half an hour after the conclusion of the opener.
3. Morristown at Eastern Hancock
What: With only one win in the Mid-Hoosier Conference, another league defeat would put the Royals (4-4, 1-2 HHC) in danger of slipping out of contention altogether. They will look to get on track against the Yellow Jackets, a team that beat them 10-4 last season.
Who: How about all of those Runnin’ Royals? Opposing pitchers must hate letting an Eastern Hancock hitter reach base, because they know the Royals don’t plan on being at the same one for long. Eastern Hancock has swiped 26 bases this season, second only to Hauser (31) in the conference. Austin Lacy currently is Eastern Hancock’s deadliest weapon on the base paths, as he has collected five steals so far this season. David Johnson and Devin Denny have swiped four apiece, as has Hancock County’s 2014 stolen base leader Garek Ferguson.
When: First pitch is at 5:30.
