Top contenders, players to watch in each Southwestern Indiana baseball sectional

EVANSVILLE — Welcome back, postseason baseball.

The Indiana High School Athletic Association baseball state tournament begins Monday with the sectional round. Will any teams from Southwestern Indiana make it to Victory Field on June 14-15? You have to win this week first.

Who from the Evansville area has the best chance? Players to keep an eye on? Here is a breakdown of each local sectional with the favorites to win each field based on the teams' body of work and the blind draw.

More: Here are the IHSAA baseball sectional pairings for Southwestern Indiana

Class 4A at Bosse Field

Favorite: No. 10 North (22-6), Castle (17-9)

Two of the three co-SIAC champions get the honor of a semifinal battle. North fought through some hitting slumps to post another 20-win season. Castle still has talent and the potential trump card in a one-game scenario with Missouri commit Will Coleman .

Contender: Central (14-11), Harrison (15-9)

A first-round matchup between two competitive teams. Led by a solid senior class, Central battled a rough start to earn a share of the SIAC. This is also Harrison's best group in some time. The Bears and Warriors meeting was decided on a walk-off hit on April 30. Expect anything different in round two?

Don't overlook: Reitz (9-14)

Reitz received a semifinal bye, already a plus. It also proved competitive this spring with Ty Wilzbacher pitching gems to beat Jasper and Mater Dei. He could play spoiler again.

Players to Watch: Kaiden Bard, Harrison; Owen Cape, Reitz; Will Coleman, Castle; Cole Decker, North; Logan Drake, Castle; Noah Drake, Castle; Josh Ferguson, Central; Jaxon Henke, Central; Bryce Minton, North; Levi Thomas, Harrison; Ty Wilzbacher, Reitz; Gabe Wilke, North.

Class 3A at Jasper

Favorite: No. 3 Jasper (22-6)

A top-five team led by seniors with over 20 wins. It's like clockwork for Terry Gobert and the Wildcats. They have a solid pitching duo in Jack Levin and Andrew Noblitt, plus a good mix of speed and pop. It won't be easy against one of the deeper fields in Southern Indiana.

Contender: Vincennes Lincoln (19-7), Heritage Hills (16-11)

A case for best first-round matchup in the area. Vincennes has an ace in Raden Benson and comes into the sectional with five straight wins. Heritage Hills was a thorn for many in the PAC with a roster built to compete again next year. Could be an interesting week.

Don't overlook: Southridge (13-12)

Never count out Gene Mattingly and the Raiders. They have enough upperclassmen to go on a run. The biggest hurdle is a draw starting with Jasper followed by Vincennes or Heritage Hills.

Players to Watch: Hudson Allen, Southridge; Keaton Allen, Southridge; JJ Belmore, Pike Central; Raden Benson, Vincennes Lincoln; Brayden Giesler, Jasper; Peyton Gray, Heritage Hills; Drew Hambrick, Vincennes Lincoln; Olsen Kroeger, Washington; Andrew Noblitt, Jasper; Alton Ostby, Washington; Andersen Smith; Will Wallace, Jasper.

Class 3A at Princeton

Favorite: Memorial (15-9)

The Tigers fought their own struggles in early April to post another solid season. There is potential up and down the roster. The pressing question is the possible availability of a certain Division I pitcher. Memorial also has five straight sectional titles, so they're at the top until proven otherwise.

Contender: No. 9 Princeton (20-8)

The Tigers would be the favorite if not for an uneven stretch this month and a key injury. They're still capable of winning the sectional with a favorable draw. The championship could come down to pitching matchups.

More: Who are the top Southwestern Indiana high school baseball teams at the midseason mark?

Don't overlook: Gibson Southern (15-13), Boonville (11-12)

The Titans could pose a problem for Memorial in the semifinal. Its roster is young but showing potential with a 9-4 record since April 25. Boonville also improved with a decent second half that includes the Charlestown Invitational championship.

Players to Watch: Riken Burkett, Princeton; Brayden Campbell, Gibson Southern; Luke Curtis, Bosse; Clark Gries, Memorial; Kyle Holder, Mount Vernon; Thomas Lynch, Memorial; Tyler Rinehart, Boonville; Simon Schulz, Memorial; Connor Stevens, Mount Vernon; Cam Truxal, Gibson Southern; Ryne Wilhite, Princeton; Seth Williams, Boonville.

Class 2A at Sullivan

Favorite: Mitchell (17-6)

The defending regional champions have another strong roster with a senior-led lineup.

Contender: South Knox (14-10), Eastern Greene (14-8)

This could be an intriguing semifinal matchup as the only other teams in the field with winning records. Both will need to beat county rivals first (South Knox vs. North Knox and Eastern Greene vs. Linton-Stockton).

Don't overlook: Sullivan (11-13), Linton-Stockton (9-9)

Sullivan received a semifinal bye, but the reward was Mitchell. Linton has a history of postseason success and won four of its final five regular-season games, including a win at South Knox.

Players to Watch: Jacob Allen, South Knox: Zach Allen, South Knox; Jacob Bellman, Eastern Greene; Will Brooks, Sullivan; Simon Gaines, Mitchell; Blaike Husband, Linton-Stockton; Brayden Husband, Linton-Stockton; Peyton Lewis, Eastern Greene; Hunter Mason, Sullivan; AJ Sarver, Mitchell; Ben Seitzinger, Mitchell; Braxton Yenne, North Knox.

Class 2A at South Spencer

Favorite: No. 1 North Posey (21-5)

The Vikings passed many tests with a strong lineup and multiple arms. The PAC champions are also positioned well with a semifinal bye – the matchup could be tougher than you think. North Posey still gets the favorite tab after a regular season with zero losses to 2A teams.

Contender: No. 5 Forest Park (19-5), No. 10 Mater Dei (16-10)

Don't be surprised to see this top-10 matchup in the semifinal. Forest Park has the pieces, notably good depth on the mound. The lineup needs to produce runs after a mini slide to end the regular season. Mater Dei was a strong surprise and nearly won the SIAC.

Don't overlook: Tell City (10-12), South Spencer (8-15)

The Marksmen finished the regular season strong with a 7-1 mark in May. I'm also including the Rebels because of their unpredictability. They've given good teams trouble with close losses to North Posey, Forest Park and Mater Dei.

Players to Watch: Colby Angel, North Posey; Ty Brown, South Spencer; Denver Epperson, South Spencer; Charlie Hoffman, Mater Dei; Reid Howard, Forest Park; Jaxon Lueken, Forest Park; Easton Luigs, North Posey; Ethan Mansfield, North Posey; Dylan Mullis, Perry Central; Nolan Schickel, Mater Dei; Ethan Schraner, Tell City.

Class 1A at Loogootee

Favorite: No. 2 Barr-Reeve (22-6)

Not quite on the same pace as last year, but the Vikings remain one of the favorites in the South. One major positive is a lot of experience returned for the defending state runner-ups.

Contender: No. 10 North Daviess (14-7)

The Cougars drew opposite the Vikings and have been on a hot streak with six straight victories.

Don't overlook: Loogootee (10-10)

The Lions have the toughest road needing victories over North Daviess and presumably Barr-Reeve. Loogootee defeated the former on April 22 but neither side started their ace. Could be a strong semifinal.

Players to Watch: Ethan Graber, Barr-Reeve; Ian Hall, Orleans; Levi Lester, Barr-Reeve; Nash Ransom, Vincennes Rivet; Kadin Stoll, North Daviess; Zach Stoll, North Daviess; Isaac Waggner, Loogootee; Seth Wagler, Barr-Reeve; Drew Walker, Loogootee.

Class 1A at Northeast Dubois

Favorite: No. 6 Northeast Dubois (13-9)

The Jeeps, who last won a sectional title in 2017, didn't lose to a sectional opponent in the regular season.

Contender: Springs Valley (10-9)

The Blackhawks didn't finish the season strong but still likely pose the biggest threat to Dubois. They'd have to reverse a 10-6 decision from May 10 in a potential semifinal meeting.

Don't overlook: Evansville Christian (9-12), Tecumseh (5-20)

Do the Eagles have another run in them? They come into the postseason with four wins in six games. Yes, the Braves have struggled compared to recent years. The draw still matters. A win against Cannelton puts Tecumseh in the championship game.

Players to Watch: Blake Buchanan, Springs Valley; Josiah Dunham, Evansville Christian; Clay Fuhrman, Northeast Dubois; Mason Gogel, Tecumseh; Jonas Hammond, Springs Valley; Braydon Long, Tecumseh; Grant Mehringer, Northeast Dubois; Wil Morton, Wood Memorial; Kai Radke, Evansville Christian.

This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Top contenders, players to watch in each Southwestern Indiana baseball sectional