Shelbyville scored eight runs in the first inning on the way to a 15-5 win over Whiteland on May 12. Another strong start against the Warriors would put the Golden Bears into the East Central Sectional semifinal round on Friday.

Shelbyville (14-13) opens the postseason Wednesday at East Central against Whiteland (11-13) in the second quarterfinal game. Head coach Royce Carlton would take another big inning early but will not count on it a second time around.

“You always hear the old adage it’s tough to beat a good team twice,” said Carlton. “It was nice to see what Whiteland had and know we can handle a lot of their hitters.”

Shelbyville did not throw its No. 1 pitcher in that regular-season game, but neither did Whiteland. Carlton expects junior Drew Helton (4-3, 2.06 earned run average) will get the start for the Warriors.

“We know we are going to get the Helton kid,” he said. “He is pretty good. He throws a lot of strikes. We are definitely going to have to put the ball in play and hit it hard.”

Shelbyville will send freshman Aiden Smith (photo) to the mound. He is 5-2 this season with a 2.17 ERA and 63 strikeouts in 42 innings.

“It is nice going in knowing we have our No. 1 on the mound,” said Carlton. “He has been good all year for us. He is a gamer and he wants that big moment.”

In the sectional opener Wednesday, Columbus East (4-21) takes on East Central (17-7). The winner faces the winner of game two Wednesday in the semifinal round Friday at 6 p.m.

The second semifinal Friday pits Columbus North (15-10) against Franklin (13-13-1).

The sectional championship game is set for Monday at noon.

Shelbyville has had success behind the formidable pitching punch of Smith and sophomore Gavyn Fisher, who would get the semifinal start.

“Gavyn is kind of the unsung, underrated hero of our pitching staff,” said Carlton. “He has not had the run support and had some defensive errors behind him at times, but if you look at his ERA against the conference teams, that kid is really good as a sophomore.”

Fisher is 2-3 with a 2.40 ERA and 28 strikeouts in 35 innings.

If either Smith or Fisher get in trouble, senior McKayne Wickham (2-2, 3.43 ERA) and junior Luke Brinkman are capable of getting outs.

While Smith is a heralded pitcher, he leads the team in hitting at .446 and has 10 doubles and two home runs.

“In year one since I first got here, he was the first kid I ever met and the first kid I worked with,” said Carlton. “He was a fifth grader. Seeing his progress through and through, the kid is special. He is different. I haven’t personally coached a kid with that mentality and skill set. The sky is the limit for him.”

Fisher has been strong at the plate as well, hitting .311 with 20 RBIs.

The East Central Sectional champion will face the Mooresville Sectional champion in a one-game regional on June 3. The Mooresville Sectional includes top-ranked Center Grove, No. 6 Mooresville and No. 8 Bloomington North.

TRITON CENTRAL

Triton Central (14-12) opens Class 2A, Sectional 42 Wednesday against the host school, 2A No. 5 Park Tudor (20-7).

The two teams met just recently on May 18 in Fairland. The Panthers prevailed 7-5.

Sophomore Bryce Haney (4-3, 2.51 ERA) has been Triton Central’s top pitcher this season. No other pitcher has more than two wins for the Tigers, who started the season 0-5 and won just two of their first 10 games.

Mathew Shircliff finished his junior season strong, now leading Triton Central in batting average (.392), hits (29), home runs (3) and RBIs (26).

Freshman Eli Sego is hitting .354 and matched Shircliff with a team-high 29 hits. Sophomore Nick Riggins (.306, 19 RBIs) and Avynn Whitaker (.301, 23 RBIs) also have been productive.

The winner of Wednesday’s quarterfinal contest advances to face Indianapolis Scecina (10-16) in Monday’s second semifinal game.

The first semifinal has Irvington Prep (14-6) taking on Heritage Christian (14-15) at 10 a.m.

The sectional championship game follows at 7 p.m. Monday.

The Park Tudor Sectional champion moves on to face the Northeastern Sectional champion on June 3. Both No. 3 Shenandoah and No. 8 Hagerstown are in the Northeastern Sectional.

MORRISTOWN

Morristown is again a sectional host but will not have county rivals Waldron and Southwestern in the field.

The first quarterfinal contest is Wednesday with Edinburgh (3-21) taking on the host Yellow Jackets (11-11) at 5 p.m. Indianapolis Lutheran (14-11) follows against Eminence (7-11).

Wednesday’s winners return Saturday at 10 a.m. for a semifinal game. The second semifinal will follow pitting Greenwood Christian (12-12-1) against Indianapolis Metropolitan (0-6).

The sectional championship game is set for 10 a.m. Monday.

The draw sets up Morristown to utilize its more dominant pitcher, senior Grant Kessler (Mount St. Joseph commit), in the semifinal round. The Yellow Jackets swept Edinburgh by scores of 17-0 and 18-0 in late April.

With a win over the Lancers, Morristown would likely get a rematch with Lutheran, who defeated the Yellow Jackets 14-3 on April 15.

Kessler has 130 strikeouts through 55 innings pitched, which puts him amongst the state leaders.

Morristown also has had success working behind Dyllan Rutledge, Kade Rogers and Bryce Bryant.

Bryant leads the Yellow Jackets with a .569 batting average and 20 RBIs.

Snyder (.431, 12 RBIs) and Rutledge (.404, 12 RBIs) also are dangerous in the lineup.

The Morristown Sectional winner will face the Jac-Cen-Del Sectional champion in a one-game regional, hosted by Morristown.

SOUTHWESTERN

The Spartans (8-11) have been streaky. They have lost four games in a row twice this season but won their final three to maintain an opportunity to get back to .500 this season.

Southwestern opens the Jac-Cen-Del Sectional Wednesday in the second semifinal game against the host Eagles (8-13). The Spartans defeated Jac-Cen-Del, 16-13, on April 4.

In the first quarterfinal game Wednesday, North Decatur (6-15) takes on Oldenburg Academy (8-11).

Wednesday’s winners meet Monday at 10 a.m. in the first semifinal game.

The sectional championship is set for 7 p.m. Monday.

WALDRON

The Mohawks (7-18) received a bye into Monday’s semifinals. To stay busy, Waldron added games against Rushville and Indianapolis Scecina this week to prepare for the postseason.

In the second semifinal Saturday, Waldron takes on South Decatur (16-7), the co-Mid-Hoosier Conference champions this season. The Mohawks and Cougars split their two-game MHC series this season.

Waldron has relied on senior Bryce Yarling (2-3, 4.59 ERA) and junior Jacob Bennett (2-1, 2.73 ERA) on the mound this season.

Yarling is the offensive sparkplug, hitting .459 with 10 doubles, three triples and 29 stolen bases.

Jared Brooks leads the team with 20 RBIs. The junior is hitting .352.

Bennett is hitting .355 with six doubles and 17 RBIs.

Senior Donovan Russell is hitting .347 with five doubles.

The winner of the Jac-Cen-Del Sectional advances to face the Morristown Sectional champion.

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