Playing at Victory Field in downtown Indianapolis is something that baseball players across the state strive for, as it signifies playing for a championship. Each year the City Championship, Marion County Championship, and State Championship games are held at the stadium, which serves primarily as the home of the Indianapolis Indians. 

The Irish baseball team has been a frequent participant in these games recently, winning eight of the past ten City Championships, including six straight from 2012 to 2017. The team has also played in four State Championships in the past decade, winning in 2017. Last season, the team played in both the City and State Championships, though they lost both to Bishop Chatard and Penn respectively.

This season, however, the team will look to change its fortune, as it will once again play in the City Championship, this time against Covenant Christian. To get to this point, the team defeated Indianapolis Washington and Heritage Christian. The Warriors, who hold a 7-11 record going into the game, defeated Purdue Polytechnic and Bishop Chatard on their way to the final.

A win in the City Championship would continue what has been a very successful season for the Irish thus far. The team is 13-3 as of May 8, and has played one of the toughest schedules in the state. The Irish are ranked 13th in class 4A by PBR, but they defeated top ranked Center Grove 7-1 on April 19. The team has proven that it can hang with the top competition, wins over #14 Zionsville, #18 Homestead and #23 North Central. The team’s only three losses have come to St. Xavier (OH), #15 Westfield and #24 Roncalli, the latter two coming by only one run. 

This year’s team is great offensively, with returning starters and seniors Kyuss Gargett and Carson Johnson leading the team in batting average. Gargett, a Kentucky commit, is batting .523 while leading the team in hits, runs, doubles, triples, home runs and stolen bases. Johnson, a Depauw football commit, holds a .318 average with three doubles and twelve stolen bases. Sophomore Zander Carnahan leads the team in runs batted in (RBI) with 16. 

One the mound, senior and Butler commit David Ayers has yet to allow a run in 20 innings. Juniors Neal Parrish and Jackson Reeves as well as sophomore Eli Bennett have been big contributors as well. 

The team will look to continue its five-game winning streak against Covenant Christian in the City Championship. The game will be played on May 9 at 8 p.m.