PREP BASEBALL: Westview three-peats again, this time at regionals with 11-1 win over Adams Central

CONVERSE — Westview wasted little time in stamping its ticket to a third straight IHSAA Class 2A baseball semistate berth.

In a game that took 90 minutes, the Warriors beat Adams Central 11-1 in five innings Saturday, June 7 in the one-game IHSAA Class 2A baseball regional on the turf at Oak Hill High School.

Westview (15-11) advances to the June 14 northern semistate at a site to be determined by the IHSAA. Boone Grove (23-6) will be the Warriors’ semifinal opponent. The other semifinal features Wapahani (20-8) and Oak Hill (21-9).

In taking the third regional title in program history, Westview piled up 11 hits in 29 plate appearances and won by the mercy rule.

“We came out swinging,” Warriors coach Jason Rahn said. “We had a really good week of prep.

“We were locked-in all week. We had a great round of batting practice yesterday. I felt really good about where are heads are at. We’re feeling confident about ourselves.”

Producing hits for Westview were junior Elijah Zolman (3), senior Jack Massey (2), freshman Jaxon Engle (2), senior Maverick Deveau (1), senior Gavin Engle (1), senior Max Engle (1) and sophomore Owen Weinberg (1).

Massey drove in four runs, Zolman two and Deveau, Jaxon Engle, Gavin Engle and Weinberg one each. Crossing the plate were Zolman (3), Max Engle (2), Massey (2), Deveau (1), Gavin Engle (1), Weinberg (1) and senior Kam Yoder (1).

“If it’s a first-pitch strike, I’m going to swing,” Zolman said.

Zolman is in his first season with the Warriors after transferring from Prairie Heights and has been playing with Deveau (who transferred from Prairie Heights before the 2024 season) most of his life.

Zolman hit a triple in the first inning.

Said Max Engle of that three-bagger, “That was huge. That set the tone right away.”

The Flying Jets finished with four hits — two from junior Hayden Bluhm and one apiece for junior Max Byerly and sophomore Jami Roach. Bluhm scored the runner and senior Carson Ross collected the RBI.

The Warriors left four runners (three in scoring position) and Adams Central (16-10) stranded four (two in scoring position).

Left-hander Max Engle (6-2; five innings, one run, four hits, four strikeouts, two walks with 58 of 82 pitches for strikes) was the winning pitcher.

“The first inning I felt great then I got hit by that pitch (in the first) and I kind of just lost it,” said Engle. “The velo kind of ticked down a little bit.

“I relied on my curveball today. That’s what I was landing for strikes.”

Adams Central senior lefty Cade Van De Weg (8-4; 4 1/3 innings, 11 runs, 11 hits, five strikeouts, and 61 of 88 pitches for strikes) absorbed the loss. Right-hander Roach faced two batters for AC.

“You could tell they had a very nicely-done, detailed pitching report on Cade,” Jets coach Josh Foster said. “We tried to get ahead (in the count) and they came out swinging.”

“We set the (pitching) machine up trying to imitate (Van De Weg),” Deveau said. “We’ve faced some hard pitching all year. That’s what got us prepared.”

Max Engle talked about how the team’s schedule got Westview ready to perform in the postseason.

“Our record might not look great in the regular season,” Engle said. “But it’s prepared for these sort of games today.”

After winning at Oak Hill, a place where regional and semistate appearances happened in 2024, the Warriors advance to the June 14 northern semistate at a site to be determined by the IHSAA. Oak Hill is one of the available sites.

Semistate winners from the north and south move on to the 2A State Finals on either June 20 or 21 at Victory Field in Indianapolis.

Designated home team Westview put the game away with five runs in the bottom of the fifth.

Zolman led off with a single to center field and went to third base on an errant pick-off throw and scored when Massey’s grounder was misplayed. Gavin Engle’s double to left drove in Massey.

Weinberg’s single to left plated courtesy runner Yoder (who spelled Jaxon Engle after a double to right).

Van De Weg hit Brendan Miller with a pitch and was relieved by Roach with the bases loaded.

A wild pitch allowed Gavin Engle to score the 10th run. Roach walked Jaxon Miller to re-fill the bases. A walk to Deveau forced in Weinberg (who had single to left) with the game-ending run.

Two defensive gems were turned in by Westview and setting the Jets down in order in the top of the fifth.

Max Engle pounced on a topper by sophomore Reece Hammond and threw him out at first base. The second out was a sliding catch by freshman left fielder Brendan Miller to take a hit away from junior Joey Everett. The third out was a come-backer.

Van De Weg retired the Warriors in order in the bottom of the fourth with a come-backer, strikeout and pop-up.

Adams Central, making its first regional appearance since 2016, stranded one run in the top of the fourth.

Bluhm led off with a single to left field and the next three hits went out on a pop-up, strikeout and groundout.

Westview pushed its advantage to 6-1 with four runs against Van De Weg in the bottom of the third.

Deveau singled to center field, went to second base on Max Engle’s single to center and scored on Zolman’s first-pitch double to left.

Massey’s triple to right drove in Max Engle and Zolman. Jaxon Engle’s groundout knocked in Zolman.

Adams Central left a runner at second base in the top of the third.

Everett drew a lead-off walked, advanced to second on Byerly’s bunt single and was cut down trying to steal third base — catcher Jaxon Engle to third baseman Gavin Engle. The next two hitters flew out.

“We tried the double steal which we hadn’t done all season,” Foster said. “They executed the throw to third and made a perfect tag.”

The Warriors went down 1-2-3 against Van De Weg in the bottom of the second with a groundout and two strikeouts.

The Jets tallied a run in the top of the second to cut the gap to 2-1.

Blum lashed a one-out ground-rule double to left field, went to third base on Roach’s bunt single and scored on an infield groundout by Ross.

Westview took a 2-0 lead with two runs against Van De Weg in the bottom of the first.

With one out, Max Engle was plunked by a pitch. Zolman rapped a first-pitch triple to center field to plate Max Engle. Zolman trotted home on a sacrifice fly to left by Massey.

Adams Central went down in order in the top of the first with Max Engle recording a pop-up and two strikeouts in 12 pitches.

Van De Weg and Ross were the lone seniors on the Jets roster.