(Kokomo, IN) - Last year New Prairie’s girls made history on the diamond. This year it’s the boys’ turn.
New Prairie’s dynamic pitching duo of Tyson Greenwood and Joe Kinney led the team to two semi-state victories Saturday and, for the first time in school history, a place in the Class 3A State Finals.
According to head coach Mark Schellinger, New Prairie’s m.o. has been to get an early lead and rely on steady pitching the rest of the way. That’s just what the Cougars did in each game—with a couple of twists.
New Prairie’s first opponent at Kokomo’s Municipal Stadium was Ft. Wayne Bishop Dwenger (24-9). Nursing a 3-1 lead in the fifth inning, the Cougars found themselves in a bases-loaded jam with only one out. Having relied on the 1-2 punch of his aces all season, Schellinger decided to make a change.
Like a WWE tag team, Kinney bounded to the mound in relief of Greenwood and got the two needed outs. The momentum shifted for good in favor of the Cougars, who went on to win 5-3.
“That’s not the first time that Joe’s been put into a jam,” said Schellinger of Kinney’s solid relief performance. “That’s the thing about Joe--he’s always under control.”
Kinney picked up where he left off, starting the evening game against Twin Lakes (26-5) a few hours later, until pitch count eventually caught up with him.
Once again, New Prairie jumped out on top. In the bottom of the third inning, sophomore Reed Robinson gave the Cougars a 4-1 lead with a nearly 400-foot, three-run blast out of Municipal Stadium.
New Prairie seemed comfortably in the driver’s seat until the wheels almost fell off in the fifth inning. A misplayed fly ball led to a Twin Lakes three-run, inside-the-park-homer, tying the game.
Suddenly, briefly, the momentum shifted away from the Cougars. “I just told them to calm down,” said Schellinger, who said he felt a sense of doom come over the crowd. “I told them we’re doing fine, we’re going to battle back past this. We’ve faced adversity before.”
And battle back the Cougars did. With men at the corners, senior Carson Young charged home on a softly hit ground ball. The alert throw to the plate made for a close play. “I heard coach yell go and I just booked it for home,” recounted Young after the game. “Everything was in slow motion when I was running. When I heard the safe call, it was the best feeling in the world. Just to be the go-ahead run. It was awesome!” Senior Colin Wind then scored an insurance run on a sacrifice fly by junior Jordan Davis.
As fate would have it, Kinney had one pitch left to open the last inning, meaning he could at least face the first batter. Then, with one out and the bases empty, Greenwood returned to the mound with eleven pitches left until his limit. The 6’3” lefty only needed seven to seal the 6-4 victory.
After the game, Greenwood exuded poise and confidence, saying his arm felt great after 110 pitches in the opening game. He went from starter to closer in the same day, something he said he’d never done before. “I was just very calm, collected, and confident up there,” he reflected after his game-clinching performance. “We were just rolling, just buzzing. I don’t know how to describe it; it’s an unreal feeling.”
Schellinger balanced his two aces to a masterful result. “It’s nice to have two guys,” he said afterward. “When you come into a two-game tournament like this, you got to have two, and we knew as long as they were on the mound, we’d have a good chance.”
Schellinger also praised the chemistry of his club as a whole. “It’s a special group,” he admitted. “They’ve played together since they were like eight or nine years old, all of them. And so to see them have this success and be the first group to take New Prairie to Indy is pretty special.”
One thing Schellinger wasn’t quick to admit was his own professional milestone. Saturday night’s semi-state win marked the 200th of his 14-year career. Eight of those years have been at New Prairie.
New Prairie (26-5) will face Brebeuf Jesuit (25-9) for the Class 3A Championship at Victory Field in Indianapolis next Friday night.
