Shamrocks' Baseball Journey Leads to Victory Field

Something very full-circle took place last Saturday as Westfield players and coaches celebrated the second baseball semistate championship in school history. Eleven years after losing to Jasper in the state's first-ever Class 3A finale, the Shamrocks program won at … wait for it … Jasper.

Sure, this team's seniors were mere first-graders at the time, but, hey, a connection is a connection. And the 2009 'Rocks can connect alright having produced a dozen hits in the 9-3 semistate triumph against Castle that stamped Westfield's ticket for this weekend's 4A title contest at Victory Field in Indianapolis.

Awaiting coach Ryan Bunnell's Shamrocks (24-5) for the 8 o'clock first pitch will be Fort Wayne Snider (24-3), which Monday night edged No. 1 Crown Point, 4-2, to win the South Bend Clay Semistate.

“(Snider) is fundamentally sound, and they make plays in the field. We have to make sure we do the same thing and be aggressive at the plate,” said Bunnell. “If we get caught up in the hoopla of Victory Field and all that, we're going to get it handed to us. But up to now our celebrations have been pretty subdued. Our kids want to see this thing through. They want the blue rings, not the red ones.”

Westfield's largely business-like approach to both its successes and failures stems largely from having nine seniors on its roster. At this juncture there isn't a lot these Shamrocks haven't experienced, including the pitching prowess of one of their own, Kyle Kramp.

The 6-4, 195-pound Kramp, a 45th-round selection by the San Francisco Giants during the recent Major League draft, is the rock of the 'Rocks' rotation, a right-hander who'll take a 10-2 record and 1.77 earned run average to the hill against Snider on Saturday night.

“He's been our ace all year. When he's on the mound our kids are really confident. Kyle has won so many games for this group, and his stuff is pretty good,” said Bunnell. “But we're fortunate. We have at least five pitchers we're confident with...”

Westfield's No. 2 pitcher, junior lefthander Matt Hammel, would be No. 1 for most programs. Hammel is 4-2 with an ERA of 0.95. The bullpen is comprised of three righties – seniors Taylor Luna and submarine-delivering Brett Andrzejewski along with junior Nick Crouse.

Just as competent at the plate, Westfield gets things rolling in the form of leadoff hitter Zach Galyean, a senior outfielder hitting a sizzling .392 with team-high numbers such as at-bats (102) and stolen bases (10).

Luna, the No. 6 presence in the 'Rocks' order and another of Westfield's starting outfielders, hits at a .443 clip and leads the squad in doubles (14), home runs (9) and RBI (39).

Other mainstays batting above .300 are senior second baseman Brandon Thomas (.449), first baseman Hammel (.347), junior outfielder Brandon O'Connor (.392), catcher Kevin Plawecki (.344), Crouse (.329) and sophomore Andy Gehr (.326).

Like every baseball season, the past few months have made for an interesting ride for the Westfield baseball program. Chilly mid-March preseason practice sessions merely planted the seeds for what we're currently witnessing, which is a veteran ballclub on a mission. As for the city of Westfield, well, let's just say the Shamrocks' bandwagon has never been bigger.

“For me, this has been a journey because my first season here (seven years ago), we were a 3A school that just continued to grow and grow,” said Bunnell. “The community has really been great and we're excited. We're going to bring a really big crowd on Saturday.”

If Westfield prevails, perhaps the celebratory caravan can find a way to make it to Jasper. It would only be fitting.