2022 Baseball Sectional Championship

R1-Carter Fleck, Reid Howard, Trevor Berg, Keegan Abell, Landen Marks, Drew Howard, Jaden Bettag, Ej Brosmer

R2-Stan Wendholt, Joe Keusch, Zach Brosmer, Jared Howard, Ashton Cole, Brody

Klem, Landon Nalley, Jaden Schuetter, Bryson Partenheimer, Clayton Weisheit, Sage Stout, Joel Bueltel, Tyler Fetter,  

Darren Weisheit, Jaxon Cronin, Kyle Greulich, Mike Cronin

Varsity Season hitting stats 21-22

21-22 Baseball Defense 

Season overview 

From start to finish the 2022 season was one that will be remembered for sometime. The teams the Rangers faced throughout the year was one of the most difficult schedules in recent years.  They faced multiple ranked opponents not only in Indiana but in Kentucky as well.  It was the first 20+ win season since 2011 as well as the first sectional championship season since 2002.  The tough regular season prepared the Rangers for what was to come in the postseason.  The opening round of sectional was delayed multiple days due to rain and was finally moved to the University of Evansville.  The Rangers faced off against the Mater Dei Wildcats, who are always a tough matchup during the postseason.  The regular season matchup went to the Rangers by a score of 8-6 so everyone knew that the game was going to be a battle.  Things didn't start off too well as the Rangers found themselves in an early 3-0 hole.  Mater Dei eventually got out to a 4-0 lead before the Rangers answered back with 1 run in the bottom of the 4th and 3 in the bottom of the 5th to tie the game at 4-4.  In the 6th inning, with 2 outs, Reid Howard doubled off the centerfield wall and Trevor Berg singled him home to give the Rangers a 5-4 lead.  Clayton Weisheit shut the Wildcats down the 7th to seal the Rangers 1st round win.  With the rain delays, the Rangers would have to win two games on Memorial day for their first sectional championship in 20 years.  The first game of the day the Rangers face off against the North Posey Vikings.  This game was another anticipated matchup, but everything went the Rangers way. They jumped out to a 4-0 lead and never looked back, beating the Vikings 8-2.  This setup a championship matchup with Tell City, the same team the 2002 Rangers beat in the sectional championship.  There was no doubt the Rangers were ready for this matchup.  It was all Rangers beating the Marksmen 10-0 in 5 innings behind Drew Howard's no hitter on the mound.  The Rangers celebrated their first sectional title in 20 years!  This moved them on to the Regional where they would have a rematch with the Providence Pioneers in the first game, the defending State Champions and team the Rangers beat early in the season on a come from behind walk off win.  This matchup was one for the ages as both teams battled back and forth eventually leading to extra innings.  The Rangers pushed across 3 in the top of the 8th to go ahead and shut down the Pioneers in the bottom of the 8th to advance to the Regional Championship.  The championship game against Linton-Stockton started out with a bang. The Rangers lead 3-0 after 1 inning; however, this wouldn't last long as the Miners would get those runs back in the 2nd.  After a back and forth battle throughout the game, the Rangers came up just short in their bid for a regional championship losing 4-5.  The 2022 season will always be one to remember.

Drew Howard as Forest Park erased a 4-0 deficit to defeat Mater Dei 5-4 and advance to the Class 2A sectional semifinals.

     The Seniors 

Landon Nalley 

College - VUJC

Drew Howard

College - UE

Brody Klem

Work Force

Coach's words 

Jarred Howard

My favorite part of the year is pre-season.  I love working with players individually in the winter and preparing them for the season.  The 2 weeks before our first game is my favorite time of year.  Everyone is excited to get the season started and we work diligently on doing the little things correctly.  Once the games start, players are who they are.  You can't make mechanical changes during the season.  All of the fundamentals of the swing must be taken care of in the winter and pre-season.  It is awesome seeing guys work hard in the off season and carrying that over to success on the field. I would say one of the roadblocks or difficult parts of the season is playing 26 games in 2 months.  Playing 4 or 5 games in a week is a grind.  Players must be disciplined in order to be successful during the season.

   Reid Howard ran the bases against Mater Dei in the first round.

‘Coaching staff holding the sectional championship trophy’ 

L-R Stan Wendholt, Kyle Greulich, Joe Keusch, Jared Howard, Jaxon Cronin, Mike Cronin, Darren Weisheit, Zach Brosmer

Brody Klem holding up the 2022 sectional trophy as the Rangers celebrate while walk away with it

Game Quotes 

"It was a grind just getting into the championship," said junior Clayton Weisheit, who earned victories on the mound against both Mater Dei and North Posey. "Our resilience has been unbelievable."

"My dad has been with Forest Park for a long time. It feels so great to finally get it done and bring one back home," said Drew Howard

"Since the beginning of the year, our goal has been to win this," Bueltel said. "We knew coming in that we were the best team here. It just felt good to finally prove it."

"They're a great bunch of kids. They all know their roles and they're unselfish," Jarred said. "This is something they've expected and wanted to do. Now, they've made it happen."

"We don't make a lot of errors on defense and I have a lot of confidence in my guys," Drew said. "I was rolling early and I just kept going with it.

"Special thanks to everyone who has helped this team along their journey. It was a hard fight and the team  appreciates the support! On and off the field.