INDIANAPOLIS — The sky was blue. And Victory Field was a sea of West Vigo green.
Unfortunately for the throng of West Vigo baseball fans that made the Indianapolis Indians’ home ballpark look like the Green Dome, the IHSAA Class 3A state championship game didn’t end with a Viking victory. Andrean won the 3A title with a 6-3 victory as the Fighting 59ers parried a few late comeback efforts by the Vikings to win the game.
The loss didn’t dampen the pride West Vigo had in getting to the game. Even as he mulled the loss in the postgame dugout, West Vigo catcher Jeremy Lucas was proud of how far he and his teammates had come in representing their community.
“We had a great season, we’re a great group of kids,” said Lucas, who was 2-for-3 and was named the L.V. Phillips Mental Attitude winner for Class 3A. “West Terre Haute is a great community, they’ve supported us all along. It’s disappointing we couldn’t bring the title home, but we’re proud of what we’ve done.”
West Vigo was down 5-0 at the end of third inning, but rallied to cut its deficit to 5-3 in the fifth. The Vikings had runners on base in both the sixth and seventh innings, but the 59ers induced double plays to end both innings.
West Vigo coach Steve DeGroote tipped his cap to Andrean, but didn’t feel West Vigo had anything to be ashamed of.
“We proved we belonged here. [Andrean] beat us fair and square and they deserve what they got, but no one is going to tell me our kids couldn’t do what they did. They just weren’t able to get it done today.”
West Vigo fans overwhelmingly outnumbered the contingent from Andrean — a private school in Merrillville. The entire first base side was taken up by Viking fans, while the 59ers fans were widely dispersed on the other side. West Vigo athletic director Mike Miller said 1,000 tickets were pre-sold with, “the phone ringing off the hook” of Vikings fans wanting to gobble up more. The actual West Vigo fan total significantly exceeded 1,000.
It wasn’t just West Vigo fans that made the trip. Several recognizable fans one would associate with Terre Haute North blue or Terre Haute South red were decked out in green in a show of Vigo County support.
But this was western Vigo County and West Terre Haute’s moment. West Vigo principal Tom Balitewicz illustrated what this game meant to a community that has long supported baseball teams at all age levels.
“This is one of the greatest days in West Vigo history. This has just energized this community. The amount of people out here is just amazing. It seems to be a once-in-a-lifetime event and we need to enjoy it,” Balitewicz said. “These kids’ core values are absolutely amazing. If my kids grow up like them, I’ll be a proud father.”
West Vigo’s runner-up finish is its best in school history. Terre Haute North remains the only Vigo County school to win an IHSAA state baseball championship. The Patriots won the 1974 championship over Indianapolis Marshall (now a middle school) in the single-class format.
It was Andrean’s second state championship … the 59ers also won the 3A crown in 2005.
Local & Bistate
Vikings fall in state title game, but pride remains
- Local & Bistate
-
-
Patriotism & Honor
From his vantage point, Sonner Faught could see almost every volunteer in the cemetery.
-
Graduation turns to mourning in Clinton
Jeana Lunsford’s graduation from South Vermillion High School Saturday should have been a time of celebration.
-
School choice proponents foresee growth of vouchers
Twenty-seven Vigo County students benefited from tax-supported vouchers during the first year of the Choice Scholarship Program, and that number is expected to grow for 2012-13, say Indiana school choice leaders who visited Terre Haute Thursday.
-
Tales of obstruction meet first takeover attempts
A decade after Indiana legislators gave the state the power to take over chronically failing schools, the first implementation of the law is meeting with resistance, skepticism and questions about its costs.
-
THE OFF SEASON: Raising a flag for my father, veteran or not
My daughter, Ellen, and I stood at my parents’ graves on Mother’s Day a few weeks back and talked about how it couldn’t possibly have been so long since we lost them. My dad, for instance, has been gone for 16 years, and that is nearly unimaginable
-
3 rescued from burning residence
Quick action on the part of some first-responders is credited with saving the lives of three people in a Vermillion County fire early Saturday morning, according to the Vermillion County Sheriff’s Department.
-
He never forgot a name: Friends remember victim of fire at Garfield Towers
When Freddie Poore met you, he never forgot you.
-
Hometown boy embraces ‘Promise I Made’: Clinton native Ken Kercheval takes role in Dreams Come True production
Thanks to some help from a hometown boy in Hollywood, “This Promise I Made” is still on track to be kept in Clinton.
-
STATE OF THE STATEHOUSE: Many say they don’t vote in primary because of tag that comes with it
A couple of columns ago, I posed a question about why most Indiana polling places on primary election day had so few customers.
-
Police looking for convenience store robber
Police are seeking a robbery suspect following a Saturday morning armed robbery at the Jiffy MiniMart at 25th Street and Eighth Avenue.
-
Graduation ‘responsibility’: Rose-Hulman stages 134th commencement exercises
Inventor Dean Kamen gave a first-hand demonstration Saturday of how to be an innovator.
-
THE OFF SEASON: To the seniors, one last lecture before you go …
It dawned on me one day last week, as I sat at my desk in my teacher clothes and shoes, a stack of ungraded essays calling to me from a rather tall and depressing pile, that I hadn’t missed a high school graduation in 33 years.
-
Water rescuers
Emergency personnel wheel a man who was removed from a vehicle that had been driven into the water at Crystal Lake on Boston Avenue near 14th Street at about 9 p.m. Friday.
-
For many, camping outdoors is the way to beat the heat, enjoy nature
Stringing up fishing poles in the shade of American flags, households full of Hoosiers are packing into parks across the state this weekend.
-
Towns along National Road readying for next week’s miles-long yard sale
Stretching 824 miles from Baltimore to St. Louis, the National Road — known as U.S. 40 through Indiana — will soon be the host site for perhaps the longest bargain market in the country.
-
Rose grads honoring late president Branam at commencement today
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology’s Class of 2012 will honor the memory of Matt Branam during today’s commencement ceremony by wearing special pins with the phrase “Make It Happen; Make It Fun,” a favorite saying of the former Rose-Hulman president, who died unexpectedly on April 20.
-
Vigo County Jail Log: May 26, 2012
The following individuals were booked into the Vigo County Jail by area law enforcement on Thursday and Friday, based on jail records. Charges are recommended by arresting officers but are not final until the Vigo County prosecutor reviews the case and files official charges.
-
A fallen soldier returns home
An Army carry team moves a transfer case containing the remains of Spc. Arronn D. Fields early Thursday morning at Dover Air Force Base, Del.
-
Official touts trade with northern neighbor
A top Canadian diplomat told a Terre Haute audience Thursday his country was “disappointed” when President Obama at least temporarily rejected a proposed transcontinental oil pipeline from Alberta to Texas.
-
Caution urged for summer’s kickoff
Lane restrictions in construction zones on Interstate 70 and other highways around the state will be lifted to accommodate holiday travel for the Memorial Day Weekend.
-
Letters delivered
Several positions will be eliminated this summer at the Terre Haute mail processing facility as the U.S. Postal Service begins moving the operation to Indianapolis, a U.S. Postal Service spokesman has confirmed.
-
Companies seek Vigo tax abatements
Two Vigo County companies are seeking tax abatements for expansion projects, one of which is included as part of a county incentive package.
-
High-speed chase suspect caught in West Virginia
The suspect in a cross-country, high-speed chase originating in Terre Haute last week was reportedly in federal custody Thursday evening.
-
Second victim of deadly I-70 semi-trailer crash identified
The Vigo County Coroner’s Office has identified the passenger of a semi-tractor crash on May 16 in the eastbound lanes of Interstate 70 near the 12-mile marker.
- VIGO COUNTY JAIL LOG: May 22-24, 2012
-
Burn ban in effect for Vigo County through holiday weekend
Vigo County officials have issued a burn ban effective Thursday and remains in effect until 8 a.m. Tuesday.
-
Brazil remembers a Fallen Son
A small town seemed sadly quiet Wednesday, waiting to honor a local fallen warrior.
-
ISU OKs four-year degree guarantee
Indiana State University has announced a four-year “graduation guarantee” for students enrolling this fall and beyond.
-
Dems tout good side of compromise
Indiana Senate Minority Leader Vi Simpson, chosen to run as the Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor with gubernatorial candidate John Gregg, said during a stop Wednesday in Terre Haute that bipartisan experience is a key factor in creating jobs and legislation to help Hoosiers statewide.
-
Motorcyclist dies, motorist charged after accident
A Terre Haute man has died of injuries he sustained in a two-motorcycle, one-car crash that also injured another motorcyclist late Tuesday. The incident has led to the arrest of the car’s driver.
- More Local & Bistate Headlines
-
Obama Honors Fallen Troops at Arlington Cemetery
Raw Video: Cop Shoots Man Eating Another's Face
Beryl Makes Landfall on Florida Coast
Service Dogs Help Wash. Soldiers Battling PTSD
Raw Video: National Mall Concert Shut Down
Beryl Threatens Rain, Winds on Southeast Coast
Tropical Storm Beryl Strengthens, Nears US Coast
Romney Promises World's Strongest Military
Beryl Knocks Out Power in Florida
Raw Video: Deadly Explosion at Minn. Paper Mill
Biden Addresses West Point Graduating Class
Raw Video: Obama Lays Wreath on Memorial Day
UN Blames Syrian Forces for Shelling Houla
Obama Pays Tribute to Vietnam Veterans
Raw Video: Memorial Day Aboard Intrepid
Raw Video: Heckler Bursts in on Blair Testimony
Japan Farmers Plant, Seek Radiation-free Rice
Raw Video: Gay Protest Blocked in Moscow
Shell Readies Arctic Drill Ship
Vatican in Chaos After Butler Arrested for Leaks
Keira Reveals Engagement Ring
Man in Crane at Texas College Says He's Armed
Justin Bieber Accused of Assaulting Photographer - Glen Walker reports
J.Lo and Marc's Friendly Reunion
Woman, 80, Falls Out of Skydive Harness Mid-Jump
Dog runs alonside cyclists for 1,100 miles
Lady Gaga Cancels Indonesian Show After Threats
Long Story Short: Beyonce back on stage
Raw Video: Man Rescued From River in China
Celtics crush Sixers in Game 7
Alleged Lego Thief Faces Felony Charges
Has Snooki Named Her Baby?
Heat Wave Warms Holiday Weekend
Beyonce Entertains the First Family
Inspiration for the class of 2012
Colorado College Student Shot While Trespassing
