Cascade baseball growing back into consistent Class 2A threat: 'We've got what it takes'

When the most essential part of the Cascade baseball team's routine, transportation, fell through, it could've easily thrown the team's psyche completely out of whack.

Ahead of Wednesday's game against Beech Grove, the Cadets normal mode of transportation was unavailable. So the Cadets had to wait for a school bus to finish its route, pick them up and battle Indianapolis rush hour traffic to get them to Jim Hensley Baseball Field for their 5:30 p.m. start time.

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The Cadets arrived well after the scheduled first pitch, but they quickly made up for lost time. Hunter Howard started the scoring with an RBI double in the second inning. The Cadets used the four-run second to earn a 6-4 win over the Hornets.

"Getting here late, I know that we were all rushing, it was a different type of game," Cascade coach Ty Foster said. "But we responded well early."

Adapting to change is a big part of how Cascade's gotten out to a 15-3 start and the No. 5 ranking in the Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association Class 2A poll.

Last season a senior-heavy team took a 24-1 record into the postseason before falling to University in the Sectional Championship game.

Cascade's roster has turned over but seniors Wyatt Blinn, Trey Gruca and Howard have taken on leadership roles after serving as supporting members. Underclassmen such as sophomore catcher Logan Gibbs have quickly adjusted to the varsity level, keeping the talent level of the program high.

Gruca and Gibbs lead the Cadets with 19 hits each. Gibbs is Cascade's top run producer with five home runs and 24 RBIs. Sophomore Evan Lanphier has the highest batting average at .433. He doubles as the top pitcher with a 5-0 record and .93 ERA over 30 innings. Wyatt Blinn leads the Cadets in strikeouts with 58 over 37 innings.

The combination of returning vets and talented new faces has the Cadets eyeing a return to the Sectional title game.

"Even though we lost a lot of seniors and had a lot of positions that we needed to fill, people really stepped up and took control," Gruca said. "We have good leaders on the team that help each other out and make us learn faster."

The climb toward consistent success has been gradual under Foster. Cascade went 7-14 his first season at the helm in 2015-16. They were two games under .500 in 2017 and just one game under .500 in 2018. The Cadets broke through with a 14-12 record in 2019 and were poised for continued growth in 2020, only to lose the season due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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Foster said building cohesion and fostering growth at the youth level has helped him turn around the program.

"What's become different is we've had baseball players come in and coming up through the school," he said. "... Most of them play some sort of summer ball. Then we can get them back out here and you don't necessarily have to start from scratch with a lot of them.

"A lot of them have that baseball sense. And the older kids feed it down and help them along the way."

Last week's Sectional draw saw Cascade earn a first-round bye, avoiding potential games against University, Speedway, Covenant Christian and Park Tudor. Cascade will face Monrovia in the Sectional semifinals with a trip to the championship on the line.

Cascade has six sectional titles in school history. Its most recent sectional title came in 2005.

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Confidence within the program is high, and these Cadets aren't shying away from their ultimate goal.

"A sectional championship," Gibbs said when asked about the team's ultimate goal. "We've got the people to get there.

"We've got what it takes. We have the drive," added Gruca.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana High School Baseball: Cascade eyeing Class 2A Sectional title