Sophomore pitcher Kevin Hawley has been strong this spring for the Tigers, who play Memorial in sectional action Saturday (File photo by Jim Harris)

WARSAW – Mike Hepler knows his Warsaw baseball team is in a great position as it enters postseason play.

He’s also smart enough to know that the Tigers still need to take advantage of the opportunity in front of them.

Warsaw received a very favorable draw in the loaded field at the Class 4-A Elkhart Memorial Sectional.

The Tigers, who sit at 12-14, face the host Crimson Chargers in a semifinal bye game Saturday.  Warsaw beat Memorial 10-0 and 6-1 in a pair of Northern Lakes Conference games this spring. Memorial finished 6-22 during the regular season.

The other side of the bracket at Memorial includes No. 2  and defending champion Elkhart Central (25-1),  Northridge (22-3) and Concord (17-5).

“We are in a fortunate position, but it doesn’t mean that we take the game lightly,” said Hepler.  “I have seen many upsets during sectionals in my time of coaching, and I know that every game is different.  If we approach the game aggressively, we have a good chance of being successful.

“It is not an easy task to beat a team three times in one season, and Elkhart Memorial will definitely be up for the challenge.  Our second game with them was much closer that the score indicated.  They left the bases loaded three different innings and that really shifted the momentum in our favor.  We have to do a better job of eliminating walks by our pitchers and try to put the ball in play offensively on a more consistent basis.”

Hepler knows all about the talent on the other side of the sectional bracket. The Tigers dropped two games to NLC foe Northridge, split with league opponent Concord and lost 4-3 to Central.

“Those three teams are all very good and it will be competitive between them,” Hepler said.  “We are fortunate that if we get by Elkhart Memorial, we only have to play one of them.

“Our team still has not hit its peak and I am hopeful that it will this week.  We have been good defensively all season and that’s why our games usually are close.  We need to do a better job of driving in runs when given those opportunities.  We have left a lot of runners on base lately that have hurt us in these close games.”

Wawasee jumps right into postseason action at West Noble Wednesday. The Warriors (3-19) face Fairfield (17-4) in the opener of the Class 3-A sectional.  The Falcons beat Wawasee 10-2 on May 14.

Tippecanoe Valley, the defending sectional champions, plays host West Noble Thursday.

A strong Whitko team, ranked No. 8 in Class 3-A and sporting a fine 20-8 record, drew the bye and plays Eastbrook Friday in the semifinals of the Bellmont Sectional.

Triton plays Michigan City Marquette Thursday in a first-round game of the Class 1-A Culver Sectional.

Sectional champions advance to four-team regionals on June 1. One-game semi states are June 8 with the State Finals set for June 14-15 at Victory Field in Indianapolis.

Sectional Pairings
Class 4-A
At Elkhart Memorial
Thursday, May 23
5 p.m.: Elkhart Central vs. Concord; 7:30: Northridge vs. Goshen
Saturday, May 25
11 a.m.: Thursday winners; 1:30: Elkhart Memorial vs. Warsaw
Monday, May 27
Noon: Championship Game

Class 3-A
At West Noble
Wednesday, May 22
5 p.m.: Fairfield vs. Wawasee
Thursday, May 23
5 p.m.: West Noble vs. Tippecanoe Valley
Monday, May 27
9 a.m.: Wednesday winner vs. Thursday winner; 11:30: NorthWood vs. Lakeland;  4:30: Championship Game

At Bellmont
Wednesday, May 22
5:30 p.m.: Mississenewa vs. Heritage; 7:30: Norwell vs. Bellmont
Friday, May 24
5:30 p.m.: Wednesday winners; 7:30: Eastbrook vs. Whitko
Monday, May 27
1 p.m.: Championship Game

Class 1-A
At Culver
Wednesday, May 22
5:30 p.m.: Oregon Davis vs. South Central
Thursday, May 23
5:30 p.m.: Michigan City Marquette vs. Triton
Friday, May 24
5:30 p.m.: Argos vs. Westville
Monday, May 27
10 a.m.: Culver vs. Wednesday winner; 12 p.m.: Thursday winner vs. Friday winner; 5:30: Championship Game