IHSAA baseball: LN wins 2x at Victory Field; Indy-area pitcher rising on MLB draft boards (2024)

Here's what we learned this week in Central Indiana high school baseball:

Lawrence North gets two wins at Victory Field

Weather delayed the Marion County championship game a day, but Mother Nature couldn't slow down Lawrence North against Decatur Central on Wednesday night at Victory Field.

Brendan Boynton, Brock Taulman and Micah Miller led LN to a 6-1 victory, clinching the Marion County title for the Wildcats. Boynton got the win on the mound scattering six hits across six innings with seven strikeouts and just one earned run. Taulman and Miller provided more than enough offense, driving in two runs each. Theo Kramer added two hits including a triple and a run scored.

Two days later, LN did just enough to pull out a 5-4 win over Mt. Vernon in the 2024 Victory Field Classic.

The Marauders held a 4-3 leading heading into the bottom of the fifth. Boynton led off the inning drawing a walk. Austin Linton was hit by a pitch, and Taulman reached via error, loading the bases with nobody out. Matthew Cunningham put LN up for good with an RBI single into center field. Wyatt Bastin earned the win, throwing two innings of one-hit ball. Logan Crock earned the save with a clean seven inning.

The win is LN's 20th of the season and 11th in a row. The Wildcats have an impressive plus-100 run differential and appear poised to make a postseason run.

More: Matthew Cherry started Fishers from scratch. Now, coach has 300 wins with Tigers.

Cathedral righting ship after shaky start

Cathedral coach Ed Freije's message to his team after an April 17 loss to Center Grove was simple: Play hard, handle the little things and the rest will take care of itself. The Fighting Irish needed to refocus after a 4-6 start to the season. and after their 7-0 victory over Bishop Chatard for the City Championship at Victory Field, Freije's message seems to have hit home.

Since the loss to Center Grove, Cathedral is 8-3 and looking every bit like a Class 4A contender. Ethan Dorsey led the way against Chatard. The junior threw six shutout innings, allowing just three hits and three walks while striking out five. Eli Bennett, Patrick Mazur, Eli Sinsabaugh and Zander Carnahan each drove in a run.

The Irish will be tested before the postseason. With games against Chatard, Mooresville, Carmel, Columbus North and Avon looming, Cathedral has to continue playing with confidence and avoid falling back into the bad habits of the early season.

Mt. Vernon's Cam Sullivan is bringing heat and rising in MLB draft boards

For a state known for its basketball, on any given day on a mound across Indiana, there's a chance one of the pitchers is bringing serious heat.

According to Prep Baseball Indiana, 31 Indiana prep pitchers have thrown a fastball at least 90 mph this season. More than half of those hurlers are located in Central Indiana, and no fastball can top Mt. Vernon senior Cam Sullivan's 96 mph.

Sullivan, a Preseason Super Team member, has elevated his game during his senior season. The Notre Dame commit has a 2-1 record with a minuscule 0.28 ERA and 41 strikeouts over 25⅓ innings. The 6-1 righty has found his groove of late, racking up 33 strikeouts over his past three starts.

According to Baseball America's Carlos Collazo, Sullivan put himself on the MLB draft radar when he reached 97 mph during the Prep Baseball Report's Super 60 showcase. The lively fastball and a sharp slider give him two plus pitches. Callazo added Sullivan and his 180-pound frame does carry some reliever risk from evaluators.

Still, his strong spring has him rising from BA's 215th-ranked high school draft prospect all the way to the No. 94-ranked draft prospect. Continued improvement may make his chances of playing for the Fighting Irish less likely.

Follow IndyStar high school baseball Insider Akeem Glaspie on X at @THEAkeemGlaspie.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Lawrence North baseball wins county; Mt. Vernon ace gets MLB attention