Wapahani baseball defied expectations in semistate run, loses to Illiana Christian 6-0

KOKOMO, Ind. — No one, perhaps not even Wapahani, expected the Raiders to make it this far in the state tournament.

A historically successful program, the Raiders had plenty of questions coming into the season after graduating a strong 2021 class. Was a sectional title still an expectation? Sure. But a regional? Semistate? Those seemed like far-fetched goals in March.

Head coach Brian Dudley tweaked the lineup throughout the year and a number of players, including some first-time varsity players, stepped up. Slowly, the Raiders gained confidence, produced a 24-win season — which included postseason wins over top-10 opponents Monroe Central and Carroll (Flora) — and booked a trip to the IHSAA Class 2A semistate.

Wapahani's (24-5) season ended in a 6-0 loss against Illiana Christian (21-7) at Municipal Stadium in Kokomo. One bad day left the Raiders one win short of the program's fourth state championship appearance.

But Brian Dudley knows one game doesn't define what this team achieved in 2022.

"At the beginning of the year, nobody thought you guys would be playing in this game with a chance to go to Victory Field," Dudley said he told to his players after the game. "That's a tribute to the guys and their work ethic and showing up every day to prove that they could be good and they did."

Saturday simply wasn't Wapahani's day. Sophomore Isaac Andrews and junior Gavin Lash laced a pair of balls to start off the game, but both ended up in the gloves of Illiana Christian outfielders.

The Raiders struggled at the plate as Illiana Christian junior Kevin Corcoran had a perfect game through six innings. Every hard-hit ball from the Raiders ended up in a defenders glove.

But Wapahani never gave up, that's not it's identity. A week before, it put up eight runs in the seventh inning to complete an 11-3 regional championship victory over the top-ranked team in Class 2A. Heading into the seventh inning, someone from Wapahani's dugout yelled "We're not done yet!"

"Even though we were down six, we're not going to give up," senior Luke Willmann said. "... If you just roll over, there's no chance of doing anything. So you might as well try again."

In the seventh inning, Andrews drew a walk to become Wapahani's first baserunner of the game. Lash hit a ground ball through the middle of the infield to record the team's first hit. Suddenly, Wapahani had life.

But the seventh-inning rally was short-lived. Wapahani was unable to overcome a five-run, two-out rally from Illiana Christian in the second inning. Junior Daxton Dudley, who came in to pitch in the third, allowed one earned run and three hits in four innings. The Raiders, who batted .341 as a team this season, only mustered one hit all game in its worst offensive performance of the year.

The Vikings recorded eight hits and were perfect in the field. Defensively, Wapahani did what it come to overcome six walks, which included three hit batters.

Lash, who was credited with the loss after allowing five runs in two innings on the mound, made a heads up play at third to prevent a potential run in the bottom of the fourth. In the bottom of the fifth, he made a diving stop on a ground ball, tagging the advancing runner midway between second and third before throwing out another runner at first. Senior Issac Jackson made a pair of diving plays in right field to avoid potential extra-base hits early in the game.

"(You) just got to leave everything you have out there," Jackson said. "If you have to dive for a ball, dive for a ball. Make sure you buddy's backing you up, back up your buddies and make sure no ball gets by."

Despite their efforts, Illiana Christian — which first became eligible to compete in IHSAA postseason sports in 2020-21 — earned every bit of its first trip to the Indiana state finals.

For Wapahani, Willmann, Jackson and Landen Thompson will graduate, but the rest of the group — which includes seven juniors — is set to return next season.

"The kids just got to work this summer with their travel ball teams and work on getting better," Brian Dudley said, "and if they do that, then next spring we'll try to assemble a good team again and make another run."

There were somber faces mixed with some bittersweet smiles as Wapahani broke its final huddle of the season. Next year may come with higher expectations. If history tells us anything, Wapahani should have another top-ranked team in Class 2A.

But, in postseason baseball, Brian Dudley knows anything can happen. It's not easy to make it to a semistate game. Perhaps doing it when not many expected them to made this run even more special for the Raiders.

"I’m going to miss it every day," Willmann said. "We played great. Had a good year. Worked our butts off. Playing for Wapahani means something, not just winning baseball games, it’s a culture and that’s what I’m probably going to miss the most.”

Robby General covers Ball State and East Central Indiana high school sports for The Star Press. Contact him via email at rgeneral@gannett.com or on Twitter @rgeneraljr.

This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: IHSAA baseball: Illiana Christian beats Wapahani 6-0 in 2A semistate