BricksCenter
DaDaDa DaDaDa
April 30, 2023
#23sports1team
Whew ... good thing all #23sports1team are so NSYNC ... it's time for BricksCenter!
Baseball
On Tuesday, Hobart welcomed Highland to The Friendly City for another key NCC matchup. In the rematch, the script was completely flipped as this time around it was the Brickies who jumped out to an early 4-0 first inning lead!! When our boys tacked on 4 more runs in the bottom half of the 5th, any chance for a Highland comeback was squashed!! Final score: Hobart 8, Highland 0. Sophomore Drew Burris was MASTERFUL on the mound for Hobart ... keeping the Trojans out of sync all night as he only surrendered 4 hits and struck out 3 batters in a complete game SHUTOUT!! Sophomore Jayme Hairston had 2 hits, classmates Stafford & Aidan Leonard each registered 2 RBI and junior Jevan Andrews swiped 2 bases to help secure the win!
Thursday, Hobart hosted NWI #7-ranked Boone Grove in a non-conference game. Once again, it was the Bricks who got on the board first with 7 ... that's right, I said 7 ... first inning runs!!! Hobart got on the board again with another run in the 2nd inning and cruised the rest of the way for an easy 8-4 VICTORY!!! Gonzalez had two hits ... sophomore Ben Sullivan & freshman Zach Terek each recorded two RBI and a trio of Brickie pitchers - Stafford, senior Kyle Feterick and junior Gabe Nunez - combined for the W!!
On Friday, our boys were back on the diamond ... this time to play Chesterton. If you recall, the last time these two teams met was in the 2022 IHSAA Sectional quarterfinals ... a nailbiter that the Brickies won 4-3 with a run in the final inning! This time around, the end result was the same ... a BRICKIE WIN, but no late inning heroics were needed as our boys got on the board early & often and sent the Trojans back to Porter County with a 7-1 defeat!! Junior Nick Sobczynski went 4-for-4 at the plate, stole 2 bases and scored twice ... Andrews also had 2 steals and recorded 2 RBI ... Leonard picked up the W on the mound and Gonzalez struck 5 batters over the final two innings to earn the save!!
Hobart is currently 10-6 overall after a 3-win week and 2-4 in NCC action. Another BIG week lies ahead for the Brickies with back-to-back games against NCC front-runner Andrean and the Crown Point Invitational on Saturday! DON'T STOP NOW BOYS!!!
#DIAMONDNOTES
Brickies @ The SteelYard
THANK YOU to Conner Allen for the Chesterton photos!!
Girls Tennis
On Tuesday, Hobart was back at it in Northwest Crossroads Conference play with a trip to Highland to face the Trojans. The Brickies have been sooooooo close to turning the corner this spring ... and on the road in conference play, our Brickies served notice and GOT IT DONE in a THRILLING 3-2 VICTORY! Senior Maddie Baltrushaitis (#2 singles) and sophomore Gracie Krejci (#3 singles) won in straight sets to bring Hobart within reach of a HUGE conference win. The 3rd & deciding game was played at #1 singles by sophomore Natalie Crowley. Natalie and her foe split the 1st two sets 6-3, 4-6 to set up a 3rd set tiebreaker. These two competitors went back-n-forth and in the end, Natalie was able to close it out and SEAL the BRICKIE VICTORY!! INCREDIBLE!!!
Thursday, Hobart traveled to Munster to face the NCC favorite Mustangs. Even though the weather warmed up a bit, the 'Stangs were cooler than the other side of the pillow and defeated our girls 0-5. Baltrushaitis & Krejci ... along with the #2 doubles team of sophomores Addison Williams & Alicia Salamanca ... had Munster on their heels in really close matches as the Brickies continue to show improvement!
On Saturday, our girls traveled to New Prairie for an Invitational with 7 other teams. With predicted rain on the way, the tournament start time was moved to an hour earlier and our Brickies STILL SHINED!! Hobart finished 4th overall as a team and individually, Baltrushaitis placed 2nd at #2 singles!! OUTSTANDING!!!
Hobart is now 2-9 on the year and 1-3 in NCC play. With two weeks remaining in the regular season, our girls are continuing to show growth every time out as they gear up for the IHSAA Sectional!
#SERVINGNOTICE
Maddie Baltrushaitis placed 2nd @ #2 singles at the New Prairie Invitational on Saturday!!
Unified Track & Field
On Thursday, the Brickies were at Kankakee Valley for their 2nd meet of the year and our kids SHINED!!
Hobart got first place finishes from junior Mason Jackson-Solomon in the 100m dash & shot put, classmate Andrew Navarro in the 400m dash, and both the boys (junior Tony Hudson, sophomore Jackson Butler, Jackson-Solomon, and Navarro) and girls (sophomore Lindsey Neyhart, senior Cara Lawrence, junior Margo Page, and junior Brianna Candiano) 400m relay teams!! A total of TWELVE Brickies earned a PR in the running events and several more hit their mark in the field events! Overall, it was a GREAT NIGHT TO BE A BRICKIE!!! Quote from Coaches Jackie Keefe, Kriste Bell & Kelly Butler, "We could not be more proud!"
Here are some results from Thursday:
Shot Put - Jackson-Solomon - 1st, junior Marcus Fernandez - 2nd, junior Aidan Olague - 3rd, Hudson - 4th
Long Jump - Olague - 2nd, Jackson-Solomon - 3rd, junior James Landrum - 4th, Butler - 6th
100m Dash - Jackson-Solomon - 1st, Navarro - 2nd, Olague - 3rd, Landrum - 4th, Butler - 6th, junior Jorge Navarro - 7th
400m Dash - Navarro - 1st, Butler - 3rd
Hobart will have two meets & two more chances for more PR performances this upcoming week with road trips to Crown Point and Griffith! LET'S GO BRICKS!!
#CHAMPIONSTOGETHER
THANK YOU to Kriste Bell for so many great pictures!!
Girls 400m Relay CHAMPIONS!
Brickies and Kougars are the #FaceOfSportsmanship!
Boys Golf
Monday, Hobart hosted Portage at River Pointe Country Club for a non-conference match. Temps were brutally cold out on the course, but our boys played through and collectively shot a 201. Junior Ben Eberle was the medalist for the Brickies with a 46. Classmates Parker Glass & Hunter Kilar were next into the clubhouse at 48 & 51 and senior Shawn Sullivan rounded out Hobart's top 4 with a 56. Portage matched the Brickies stroke for stroke and signed their team scorecard with a 200. A heartbreaker for Hobart no doubt, but considering the windy conditions out there and low temperature, our boys are moving in the right direction! Side note: Playing in the JV portion, senior Trevor Triana posted a season-low score of 52!
On Wednesday, the Brickies traveled to Wicker Memorial Park in Highland for their first road test of the spring season. Hobart's 1-2 punch of Eberle & Glass were once again in the 40s with a 45 & 46 respectively. Unfortunately, the entire Trojan team was basically throwing darts out there and came into the clubhouse with scorecards that showed 45 or under. Final score: Hobart 203, Highland 172
Friday, Hobart hosted the Morgan Township Cherokees still looking for their first "W" of the spring. Our boys have been oh so close multiple times, but just hadn't been able to get over the hump ... UNTIL FRIDAY!! Eberle & gang took full advantage of some nice weather and TORCHED River Pointe for a SEASON BEST team score of 187 ... nearly 30 strokes better than the visitors ... to earn the VICTORY!!! Ben was ON FIRE out there earning medalist honors with a lifetime best 37!! WOW!! Glass (47), Sullivan (50) and junior Nate Becerra (53) completed the Brickie varsity lineup and helped secure the win!
Hobart is now 1-4 on the year and 0-2 in NCC play. With 3 more chances to swing the wrenches this upcoming week, the Brickies will look to continue dropping scores & raising expectations!! BE THE BALL BOYS!!
#NANANANANANANA
Ben Eberle fires a 37!!
THANK YOU to Sherri Eberle for sharing these pics!
Softball
On Tuesday, Hobart was on the road in a HUGE NCC contest at Kankakee Valley. As great as their win against Merrillville was on Monday, this one was just as sweet! After falling to the Kougars in a 3-2 heartbreaker back on April 6th, our girls scored 3 runs in the first inning to set the tone that this matchup would not end in the same fashion! KV scored 3 in the 4th inning to cut the Hobart lead to just 1 run at 4-3, but the Brickies responded with 1 of their own in the 5th and another in the 7th to earn a HARD FOUGHT 6-4 VICTORY!!! Junior Keirys Click had 4 hits, Lopez added 3 RBI and Ellenberger struck out 7 & pitched a complete game for the win!!
Thursday, the Brickies headed West on Ridge Road to take on former NCC foe Griffith. The first inning was a repeat of Tuesday's game @ KV as our girls AGAIN scored 3 runs to take an early lead!! Hobart would go on to add 3 more over the next two innings and the D-D-D-DEFENSE completely SHUT DOWN the host Panthers for the 6-0 WIN!! Freshman Allie Snyder pitched a complete game shutout and Click & sophomore Ladan Weinman each sent one over the fence for a HOMERUN to help our girls win their 10th game of the season!!
On Saturday, Hobart was in Jimtown for an Invitational and a mid-season shot at some hardware! In the opener, the Brickie bats were EXPLODING! Our girls pounded out 12 hits and scored 16 runs on their way to a 16-1 VICTORY over Argos to advance to the championship round! Most of the damage was done by Janik (4-for-4, 2 HR, 7 RBI) and Click (2-for-3, 2 HR, 6 RBI) who combined to go 6-for-7 at the plate, hit 4 HOMERUNS and notch 13 RBI!! WOW!!! The Bricks would face the host Jimtown Jimmies, who defeated Brandywine High School from Michigan in the semifinal round, for the title.
In the championship, Hobart took an early lead with 3 runs in the 2nd inning only to see Jimtown score 2 of their own in the 3rd to cut the deficit to 1 run at 3-2. Our girls tacked on an insurance run in the 6th for a 4-2 advantage and were just two outs from winning when a lightning strike caused a 45-minute delay. Both teams waited to resume and when they got back on the field, Hobart recorded both outs and WON THE TITLE!!! Sophomore Emili Knestrict & freshman Riley Weber each had 2 hits in the championship, Click added 2 RBI and Ellenberger pitched a complete game with 9 strikeouts to help our girls bring home the TROPHY!!! FANTASTIC!!!
Hobart is now 12-5 overall and 3-2 in NCC action after an UNDEFEATED week of competition! 3 NCC games in 4 days will go a long way in determining who stays in the race for a championship ... GOOD LUCK LADIES!!
#WHORUNSTHEWORLD?GIRLS
THANK YOU to our Softball Boosters for sharing all these FANTASTIC PHOTOS!
Brickies are Jimtown Invitational CHAMPIONS!!
Feature on Keirys Click from Pit Viper Media Indiana
Dominance lifts Hobart's Click to Illinois
One of the best softball players in the state of Indiana resides in Hobart and that is Keirys Click.
Click is a major reason why Hobart is enjoying success this season, and the junior holding her own on the softball field is nothing new, as Click has been dominant since being introduced to the game of softball at a very young age.
"I've played softball for as long as I can remember. I got into softball at a very young age, as I started playing tee ball around 2 with my older brother before moving to softball at age 4. I have my parents to thank for showing me this game, but my dad was the one who taught me it and made me fall in love with it," Click told Pit Viper Sports Indiana.
Since being introduced to the game, Click has enjoyed the joy the game brings to her.
"It's the excitement of being surrounded by eight other players on the field who love the game as much as I do. The feeling you get after making a big play or getting a clutch hit, it's surreal. There is honestly nothing I enjoy more than softball," she admitted.
Last season was a huge one for Click, who led the conference in almost every category and made a name for herself on the diamond.
"My goal for this year would be to make myself stand out even more, make those plays that catch people's eyes, get clutch hits, be the best teammate I can and, of course, try to be the best I can be in the conference, on the field and in the dugout," Click said.
As one of the premiere players in the Hoosier State, one may think the pressure gets to Click and, perhaps, she is surprised by her success.
Those who think that would be highly disappointed.
"For me personally, the pressure never really gets to me, but I try to not let it get to me. I am aware I am an elite player, but I don't make it my whole personality. When I am playing softball, I see everyone around me and someone I need to be better than, someone who is better than me. I try to stay humble on the field and use everyone else as motivation to be better and do better," Click admitted.
That mindset and attitude has paid off nicely for Click, as she is now amongst the elite.
"I wouldn't say I am surprised by my success just because of how much work I put in to be successful. For the past three years now, I have hit every day, whether we are on vacation, I am sick or just not feeling it, I get out in my cage in the garage and hit. And after almost every game and practice, I stay behind to get more hitting or work in because even when I have a good game, there is always something I can work on and improve," Click said.
When her career with Hobart concludes, Click will take her game to the University of Illinois, as she has committed to the Illini.
"Being committed to Illinois is absolutely amazing. Playing at the D1 level and competing at a Big 10 school is something I have dreamed about my entire life, so to have it finally come true is something really special," Click said.
What set Illinois apart?
"Right when I met the coaching staff at Illinois, I never had to wonder about continuing my next four years there. Coach Perry just holds such high values of every player, she treats everyone like a human and not just an object she needs to make her program, and that is something I loved. The campus and fields were always so amazing, it felt like home. Right when I left, I was asking my parents when we could back and how I couldn't wait to talk to Coach Perry, Coach Trout and Coach Vann again. And that's the moment I knew it was where I needed to be, the feeling of wanting to be back right after I left. That's why I decided on Illinois," Click said.
Track & Field
On Tuesday, Hobart continued its march through the NCC regular season by facing the Highland Trojans in a coed dual meet. It was windy & cold ... REALLY COLD, but the less than ideal conditions didn't phase the Brickies at all! In fact, both the boys and girls teams secured VICTORIES! The Hobart girls won 10 of 16 events with junior Cailey Weber (100 + 300 Hurdles), freshman Aalliah Otero (100 + 200 Dash) & freshman Cassie Cohen (1600 + 3200 Run) each winning multiple individual events and freshman Audrey Turley (800), freshman Breanna Zon (SP), and both the 400 & 1600m Relay teams crossing the finish first to secure the 73-58 WIN!! On the boys side, the Brickies won 9 of 16 events with junior Johnny Sorensen earning a win in both the 100 & 200m dash and senior Cody Johnston (PV), junior Anthony Hnilo (HJ), senior Gavin Miller (LJ), junior Carson Bell, junior Ryan Mattel and both the 3200m & 1600m Relay teams also registering first place finishes to bring home the 86-45 WIN!!
Here are some results from Tuesday:
Girls
3200m Relay - senior Sarah Romeo, junior Ella Hornak and freshmen Joanna Cantu, Audrey Turley - 2nd
100m Hurdles - junior Cailey Weber - 1st, senior Haylie Skripac - 2nd, junior Shaunice Haymon - 5th
100m Dash - freshman Aalliah Otero - 1st, junior Elisia Otero - 2nd
1600m Run - Cohen - 1st, freshman Emilia Massey - 4th, junior Kylee King - 5th
400m Relay - senior Jayla Lacny, juniors Alyssa Adams & Dominique Zepeda and freshman Olivia Postma - 1st
400m Dash - Romeo - 3rd, junior Ella Freimuth - 4th
300m Hurdles - Weber - 1st, Skripac - 3rd
800m Run - Turley - 1st, Hornak - 2nd, Cantu - 3rd
200m Dash - A.Otero - 1st, Adams - 4th
3200m Run - Cohen - 1st, freshman Emilia Massey - 3rd
1600m Relay - A.Otero, E.Otero, Weber & Turley - 1st
Long Jump - Skripac - 3rd, sophomore Brooke Cawthon - 6th
High Jump - senior Daeges Morgan - 3rd, Freimuth - 4th
Pole Vault - Skripac - 2nd
Shot Put - freshman Breanna Zon - 1st, junior Marie White - 3rd
Discus - White - 2nd, Zon - 3rd
Boys
3200m Relay - freshman Stephen Allande and juniors Jacob Ramirez, Owen Stankich & Quentin Stengel - 1st
110m Hurdles - senior Logan Perschau - 2nd, junior Cirian Spencer - 3rd
100m Dash - junior Johnny Sorensen - 1st, sophomore Willie Shearer - 2nd
1600m Run - sophomore Felix Lopez - 2nd, sophomore Kolin Gladney - 3rd, junior Vinnie Gutierrez - 4th, freshman Durgon Click - 5th
400m Relay - Sorensen, Shearer, and sophomores Jaelen Williams & Kael Schlosser - 2nd
400m Dash - junior Carson Bell - 1st, Ramirez - 3rd, Allande - 4th
300m Hurdles - junior Thomas Martin - 2nd, Spencer - 3rd, junior Calvin Shaginaw - 4th
800m Run - junior Ryan Mattel - 1st, Lopez - 2nd, Stengel - 3rd
200m Dash - Sorensen - 1st, Shearer - 2nd, Bell - 3rd
3200m Run - Stankich - 2nd, Gutierrez - 3rd
1600m Relay - Bell, Mattel, Shearer & Williams - 1st
Long Jump - senior Gavin Miller-Lane - 1st, Schlosser - 2nd, Williams - 3rd
High Jump - junior Anthony Hnilo - 1st, senior Kyle Tolliver - 3rd
Pole Vault - senior Cody Johnston - 1st
Shot Put - senior Diego Verduzco - 2nd, sophomore Patrick O'Connor - 3rd, sophomore Maurice McArthur - 4th
Discus - sophomore Luke Juris - 2nd, McArthur - 3rd, O'Connor - 4th
On Saturday, the Brickies hit the road for Delphi, Indiana to compete in the 90th Norm Ebrite Relays. This was the 2nd year Hobart has participated in the coed relay event ... which consists of every event combining 2 boys & 2 girls. WHAT AN EXPERIENCE and what a B-E-A-UTIFUL DAY!! In 2022, Hobart placed 2nd overall in the 12-team field. In 2023, the BRICKIES WON THE WHOLE THING!!! Hobart placed 1st in 12 out of 18 total events to outdistance 2nd place Winamac 128-104!! It was truly a GREAT DAY TO BE A BRICKIE!!
Here are your winning relay teams from Delphi:
High Jump - Hnilo, Morgan, Tolliver & Freimuth
Shot Put - Verduzco, Pope, O'Connor & Zon
Discus - Kappes, Pope, Verduzco & Zon
100m High Hurdles - Weber, Perschau, Skripac & Hnilo
Oracle - Adams, Fortenberry, Turley & Shearer
3126 - Postma, Williams, Lacny & Mattel
400 - A.Otero, Schlosser, E.Otero & Sorensen
3200 - Cantu, Stengel, King & Gladney
300 Hurdles - Weber, Martin, Skripac & Perschau
Distance Medley - C.Cohen, Romeo, Click & L.Cohen
1600 - A.Otero, Bell, Freimuth & Sorensen
Sprint Medley - Morgan, Schlosser, Postma & Shearer
The Brickies will wrap up the NCC regular season on Tuesday with a double-dual meet against both Kankakee Valley and Lowell down in DeMotte. With the NCC Championship meet just over a week out and the IHSAA post-season looming after, it's the most wonderful time of the year!! (I know it's a Christmas song, but it fits here - okay?)
#PRIDEANDTRADITION
THANK YOU to Mackie Stankich for the GREAT PICS!
Brickies are the 2023 Norm Ebrite Relays CHAMPIONS!!
Boys Volleyball
On Tuesday, the Bricks were road warriors against the Warriors of Bishop Noll. In a first set that was closer than the final score, Noll won 25-11 and never looked back over the final two sets. Hobart played HARD, but never could find a rhythm and lost a tough one 3-0.
Thursday night, Hobart hosted Andrean on SENIOR NIGHT!! Senior players Colton Charo & Jose Torres, along with student managers Julia Zimny, Meah Charo & Angelina Priestly, were recognized prior to varsity warmups ... and then it was GAME TIME! As competitive as our boys have been all year ... and with as much as they have improved, the Brickies had not won a set yet this spring. Hobart had been close - particularly against South Central, but had not quite been able to get over the hump. Well Brickie fans, on Thursday night THEY DID IT! Ultimately, the 59ers prevailed in 4 sets by a 3-1 tally, but Hobart FINALLY felt the sweet taste of victory - something our guys have WORK WORK WORKed so hard for since March.
Being the "first" is tough and this first ever spring of Boys volleyball in H-town has been a challenging one. Still, there aren't words that fully describe how PROUD of our boys we are ... for trying something new, for working together, for getting involved in a sport that might be outside their comfort zone, and for their perseverance against adversity and a continued effort to stay the course & improve each day.
Hobart has two games remaining this spring ... vs. Illiana Christian at home on Monday and @ Kankakee Valley on Wednesday. If you haven't been out to see the Bricks yet, I encourage you to come out and encourage them for all their hard work!!
#WEBELIEVE
2023 Hoosier Gym Classic
CONGRATULATIONS Asia on another well deserved honor!!
#SHEGOTGAME
Anyone recognize #21? Brickie senior Asia Donald!!
Throwback Sunday? Since "It's Gonna Be May" ... thought I would share this gem :)
Sports Schedule This Week
Boys Volleyball vs. Illiana Christian
Softball @ Andrean *
Boys Golf vs. Lowell *
Girls Tennis vs. Whiting
Baseball @ Andrean *
JV Baseball vs. Andrean *
Tuesday
Baseball vs. Andrean *
Girls Tennis vs. Griffith (Senior Night)
Boys Golf vs. Wheeler
Softball @ Highland (V + JV)
Girls Track & Field @ Kankakee Valley *
Boys Track & Field @ Kankakee Valley *
Wednesday
Boys Volleyball @ Kankakee Valley *
JV Softball vs. Bishop Noll
Thursday
Softball vs. Andrean *
Unified Track & Field @ Crown Point
Girls Tennis vs. Andrean *
Boys Golf @ Griffith
JV Baseball @ LaPorte
JV Softball @ Andrean *
Friday
No Events Scheduled
Saturday
Baseball @ Crown Point Invitational
JV Baseball vs. Morgan Township
* = NCC Opponent