The CHS baseball season is underway and after legendary coach Jack Campbell ended his historic 54-season reign, there was much anticipation for how a new coach would affect things. Coach John Bogner, former Highland baseball coach, took the head coach position for Chesterton this season. Bogner coached at Highland for 27 years and was head coach for the last 11, and over his tenure, he racked up an impressive 152-87 record.
The team is excited to play for Coach Bogner, saying that his outlook on the game is completely focused on the physical aspects of the game.
“Coach Bogner stresses that mental preparation is just as important as physical preparation,” said senior Caysen Bontrager, “Having a plan every time you step on the field is vital.”
Despite a 1-2 record, their 2 losses come to 4th ranked Hamilton Southeastern and 7th ranked Carmel. The Trojans put up a tremendous fight against Hamilton, only losing 6-5 with some spectacular individual performances. Sophomore Rob Czarnecki went 3-4 on the day from the plate, notching 3 RBI and a home run! Junior Brady McCormack tallied 2 hits in 4 plate appearances.
On the defensive side of things, senior Hunter Leech-Griffin was 6-6 on putouts from behind the dish. Senior Jason Bogner threw 3 innings, and despite giving up 3 runs, he also struck out 5. Bontrager closed out the game by pitching 1.2 innings and giving up 0 hits! In their 5-0 loss to Carmel, Bontrager also had himself a day, coming in and throwing 4.1 innings only giving up 1 run!
The Trojans’ lone win is a 5-0 shutout against Boone Grove, and it came in an odd way. Chesterton only had 1 hit on the day, coming from senior Brayden Barrett, but drew 5 walks and reached on errors twice. Sophomore Troy Barrett shoved on the mound, throwing a complete game. Not only did he throw all 7 innings, but he only gave up 2 hits and struck out 11!
Although the Trojans are 1-2, they have high hopes for this season. They don’t want to limit themselves to just a conference team, they’re working towards a run deep into the playoffs.
“Our goal is to make a name for ourselves and Chesterton baseball,” said senior Vince Fox, “We want to be the program that is known around the state, we want to do more than just win sectionals.”
The Trojans are definitely a team to watch this spring, and with the Bogner era in full swing, Chesterton is looking like THE baseball team in the region.
