Kaden Maxwell and other seniors on the Andrean baseball team were gathered at Luke Goben’s house for their weekly dinner on June 11.
As a storm approached, they followed the radar, watched news reports and checked social media. They soon realized a tornado was near the school.
“We were like, ‘Oh, that looks like it’s right on Andrean,’” Maxwell said. “Then we saw a bunch of posts saying there had been quite a bit of damage at the school.
“My first thought was just, ‘I hope everybody’s OK.’ You see the town, all those apartments right there. I was hoping for everybody’s safety.”
No one was injured when the tornado struck that night, but Andrean suffered serious damage, including what baseball coach Dave Pishkur described as the “destruction” of the team’s field.
Winning a state title, which the 59ers did for the ninth time last year, is a major accomplishment under any circumstances. But if they can win one under these circumstances, it would be even more meaningful for them. Top-ranked Andrean (30-3) will play No. 2 Guerin (27-3-1) in the Class 3A championship game at Victory Field in Indianapolis at 3:30 p.m. Friday.
“It gives me goose bumps just thinking about it,” Maxwell said. “Winning a state championship is obviously the best you can do. But this is going to be more than just a moment. It’s going to be heartfelt and shared with the whole community. It’s going to be something really special if we can pull it off.”
Maxwell, a pitcher/first baseman who has committed to Illinois, spoke Tuesday before a practice at the Gary SouthShore RailCats’ Steel Yard, which the team has used this week. Goben, a right fielder who has committed to IU Southeast, said the 59ers are trying to make the best of it.
“Honestly, it’s probably one of the most prepared weeks we’ve ever been for state, practicing in a stadium like this, just to get that stadium feel and the feel of what the atmosphere is really going to be like,” Goben said. “You can’t get really any closer to Victory Field than this.
“It’s devastating. It’s heartbreaking. It’s a struggle for the community as a whole. Everyone’s just worried about everyone else and just making sure everyone’s all right. But we just know that God is always with us, and we’re just trusting in his plan.”
Senior shortstop Jet Dutton, a Northwestern Ohio commit, agreed.
“We were all watching, and we were like, ‘Dang, our field’s really gone. Like, that was our last practice there,’” he said. “It was really upsetting to see. But we’re using it more as a motivation now, trying to use that to become a better team.”
Pishkur praised the student-athletes’ resilience.
“Field’s not in good shape, school’s not in good shape, but hopefully they’re in good shape,” he said, motioning toward the players. “They seem to be. That’s what matters.
“It’s emotional. I was the first one to play on that field in the first year, 1970, where it was more of a field. It didn’t have a fence. It had a backstop, but that was it. When I inherited the program in the ’79-80 season, it still had no fence, so it was basically the same as when I played on it. It’s been 45 years of just adding something all the time to it, and we just added a really good camera system this year that films everything and gives us all kinds of information. Well, that’s all in ruins.”
Pishkur has been a source of motivation for the 59ers. With nine state titles, Pishkur is tied with Lafayette Central Catholic coach Tim Bordenet for the state record.
“I especially want to do it for coach Pishkur, setting the state record with state title No. 10,” Goben said. “That would be remarkable. And just personally, to leave winning a state championship for my senior year, it would just be a great note to end on.
“I hope we can pull through and do it for him and for this team and for the school and for this community in general.”
Pishkur took a temporary leave of absence during the regular season but returned before the playoffs began.
“I had some sciatica issues, and it was really stopping me from sleeping,” he said. “I couldn’t be comfortable anywhere. Then it actually started turning into some anxiety probably because of lack of sleep. So that’s under control now, been back for a month, and good to be back. Good to follow these kids and this nice little run we’re on right now.
“Good to be back. Not ready to give it up yet.”
The 59ers didn’t give up when Pishkur was away.
“It was definitely different, but we all stuck together, and we battled through it,” Dutton said. “We knew that he was going to come back eventually, and that when he came back, we were going to prove to him that we improved a lot — and I think we did.”
Maxwell thinks the 59ers will be ready for Guerin, which is making its first trip to the state championship game.
“We’ve been under the lights, we’ve been under the pressure, and we know how to handle it,” he said. “Not saying that they don’t know how to handle it, but they’ve just never been in that position. … We’ll see if they have the mentality that it takes to beat us.”
Goben emphasized the 59ers’ mentality.
“It’s going to be a tough game, we know that for sure,” he said. “It’s going to be really close, and I believe it’s just all on the mental side. We have to be mentally prepared for them, and it’s just who wants it more at the end.
“We know it’s going to be a battle, but we know Andrean fights for a reason. Our team has shown that, and I believe that we can pull through.”
