District preview: Lancers vs. Knights

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent sports editor

Two Van Wert County rivals will square off in Mercer County with a trip to the Division IV baseball district finals on the line.

Lincolnview and Crestview will meet at Coldwater High School Wednesday at 7 p.m. It will be the second game of the night, after St. Henry and Minster (5 p.m.) St. Henry is the No. 1 seed, Lincolnview is No. 2, Minster No. 4 and Crestiew No. 5.

Crestview advanced to Wednesday’s game with sectional wins over Allen East (10-0, five innings), while Lincolnview had a first round bye, then edged Parkway 5-4 in the sectional title game.

During the regular season, the Lancers (20-5) and Knights (14-5), along with Delphos Jefferson, finished as Northwest Conference tri-champs. It was Lincolnview’s first NWC title since 1990, and it was the second consecutive title for Crestview.

The two teams met on April 26 in Convoy, and Crestview led 4-0 after five innings. However, the Lancers scored three runs in the sixth then stunned Crestview with three more runs with two outs in the seventh for a seemingly improbable 6-4 victory (click https://www.thevwindependent.com/news/2018/04/27/lincolnview-rallies-past-rival-crestview/ for the story).

Lincolnview head baseball coach Eric Fishpaw said the game was electric.

“What I remember most about the regular season game with Crestview at their place was the tournament like atmosphere,” Fishpaw said. “Tons of people from both schools came out to support their respective teams.”

While looking back, Wharton said mistakes were a key factor in the regular season matchup.

“The first game against Lincolnview wasn’t a very clean game for us, as we committed five errors throughout the game and had two in the seventh,” Wharton explained. “You can’t allow a team of that caliber more then 21 outs. Lincolnview did a great job coming back from being 4 runs down and that is what great teams do.”

The two coaches agreed Wednesday’s rematch should be a good one, and both were very complimentary of one another.

“Lincolnview has a deep and talented pitching staff to go along with a exceptional defensive squad that is fundamentally sound at all positions,” Wharton said. “Offensively the Lancers continue to improve and can score in a lot of ways. They are very dangerous on the bases as well and can create problems for defenses.”

“Eric and his staff have done a fantastic job with this team developing a group that believe in one another and facilitating a culture of success,” Wharton continued. “A sign of a great team is they don’t beat themselves and are fundamentally sound.”

“Whenever you play Crestview, you know you are going to get their best. Jim does a great job of getting the best out of his kids and squeezing every ounce out of them,” Fishpaw said of Wharton. “This is a reason why he is in the Ohio High School Hall of Fame and one of the best coaches in our area and the state.”

Regardless of Wednesday’s outcome, Fishpaw and Wharton said the season has been successful for their respective teams.

“We couldn’t be more proud of this group and what they have accomplished thus far this season,” Wharton said of the Knights. “They are a group that has grown throughout the season and have battled through injuries and a few difficult losses along the way. Their resilience and toughness is the reason we have won our last six games.”

“This group truly cares about one another more then themselves and is looking forward to the opportunities of playing in the districts,” Wharton added.

“It is fun seeing goals achieved that the kids set at the beginning of the season,” Fishpaw said of the Lancers. “Most of the goals very loft and hard to achieve, but this is what makes great teams with challenging tasks at hand throughout the season.”

The winner between Crestview and Lincolnview will meet the St. Henry-Minster winner in Friday’s district championship game back at Coldwater (7 p.m.).