NorthWood Baseball Clinches Consecutive IHSAA 3A Regional Title

On Saturday, June 6, the NorthWood Panthers celebrated a significant achievement as they claimed their second consecutive IHSAA 3A regional championship. The moment of triumph was shared by head coach Zach Benko and senior Ryder Ransberger, who took a moment in the dugout to reflect on their journey together. Their victory, marked by an 8-1 win over Highland, made them the first team in the South Bend Tribune coverage area to secure back-to-back regional titles since Penn did so in the previous two years.

“Boy, this is quite an accomplishment with this group,” Benko said in a phone interview after the game. “It’s fun; it’s great. I think we’re young enough that we don’t know any better. We just want to go play. And you know what? Since we’re playing, we might as well win.”

NorthWood's pitching was strong, with sophomore Finley Miller delivering an impressive performance. Miller worked through six and a third innings, allowing no earned runs, striking out six, and contributing offensively with two hits, an RBI, and a stolen base. The Panthers' scoring came in waves, with runs in the second, fifth, sixth, and seventh innings, supported by RBIs from Brady Blackford, Brody Rondeau, Sade Yoder, Drew Rains, and Brady Weaver.

This victory marked NorthWood's third regional title in the last decade and their fifth overall. Last season, they reached the semi-state semifinal but fell to the eventual state champion, Andrean. As they prepare for a rematch against Norwell (19-8), the IHSAA has yet to announce the location and time for this matchup.

Despite losing ten key seniors from last year's roster, Coach Benko praised his current team for their resilience, stating, “It’s been pretty remarkable what they’ve done. They’ve been really resilient. They weren’t very satisfied with the narrative of a down year or rebuilding year.”

In contrast, Bremen's season concluded with a disappointing loss, falling 9-0 to Bluffton (17-10) in the IHSAA 2A regional championship. Despite a strong season that included a sectional title, the Lions struggled offensively and could not overcome the Tigers' lead. The defeat ended the high school careers of eight players, including six starters.