MaxPreps Indiana Team of the Week: Wheeler baseball

It's early in the season for the Wheeler (Valparaiso) baseball team. The Bearcats are off to a 4-0 start, which is reason for optimism for coach Kyle Becich.

The fact they've outscored opponents by a whopping count of 76-14 is enough for Becich to do cartwheels. After all, the one point of emphasis during the offseason was offense, so for the team to open with run counts of nine, 24, 33 and 10 is more than a little encouraging.

For the onslaught and fast start, Wheeler has been selected the MaxPreps Indiana Team of the Week, presented by the Indiana National Guard.

"Right now, we're taking it one game at a time," Becich said. "We hope to surprise some teams along the way and head into sectionals with a hot hand."

The Bearcats are sizzling now. They've piled up 76 runs on 66 hits, 18 doubles, six triples, three home runs and 20 stolen bases.

Wheeler has been more of a track team than a baseball squad the way it's rounding the bases.

"We knew coming into this season that we needed to hit better than last year," Becich said. "From day one, our players have put the work in to correct our errors and we have seen it translate in a major way to the field."

The team has been led offensively by Sam Bolla (5-for-9, nine runs, 14 RBIs), Austin Whitaker (9-for-11, nine RBIs, seven runs) and Jacob Armentrout (8-for-14, nine runs, nine RBIs).

Bolla, Keenan Miller and Jake LaFever have picked up wins on the mound.

"Sam has been a four-year starter for varsity baseball and is our No. 3 hitter," Becich said. "He is a dangerous batter who can hit for power or contact, depending on the situation."

Whitaker has been a three-year starter.

"He hits cleanup and has really become comfortable at the plate," Becich said. "He approaches every at-bat with confidence, no matter what the count is."

Armentrout has made a fast impression as a freshman.

"He hits second and has a great swing, plus he puts the ball in play," Becich said. "He is the fastest player on our team and will be able to beat out grounders and shoot for triples if the ball is put in the gap."

Speed is a big part of the team's game. LaFever has six steals and Bolla four.

"Our team speed is outstanding this year," Becich said. "We have several players that are going to be able to put pressure on the defense, provided they get on base.

"We also have three freshmen that courtesy/pinch-run for us that have been consistently producing on the basepaths. We'll need to be consistent at the plate in order to continue to provide opportunities for our speed to benefit us overall."