By Al Stilley
Senior staff writer

Six girls basketball standouts from five Southside high school teams have been invited to the 16th annual Indiana Basketball Coaches Association/IHSAA Underclass Showcase Monday afternoon at Ben Davis. The girls, with stats from last season, are:

• Ariana Booker, 5-8 senior, Perry Meridian, 7.7 points, 3.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists.
• Lexie Green, 5-8 junior, Southport, 9.1 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists.
• Rachel Loobie, 6-0 junior, Franklin Central, 15.2 points, 10.2 rebounds, 2.0 blocks.
• Ella Thompson, 5-6 senior, Center Grove, 8.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.0 assists.
• Emma Utterback, 5-7 senior, Center Grove, 8.9 points, 3.1 rebounds, 3.1 assists.
• Alana Vinson, 5-10 junior, Roncalli, 15.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.7 steals.

Perry Meridian’s Mike Armstrong, Southport’s Adam Morelock and Center Grove’s Kevin Stuckmeyer are among the 28 girls’ basketball coaches at the showcase that provides exposure of the top prospects to state and national colleges. Activities begin at 2 p.m. with three games at 3:50, 4:50 and 6:50 p.m. Admission is $5 per person.

The boys showcase on Monday featured senior Gavin Hess of Beech Grove and sophomores Johnny Brunk of Roncalli and Jayden Taylor of Perry Meridian.

All-State pitcher
Southport senior pitcher Avery Short was the only area player named to the Indiana Baseball Coaches Association Class 4A All-State team. As a junior the southpaw struck out 93 hitters in 48.2 innings with his pinpoint control after throwing less than one inning as a sophomore. He had a career-high 15 strikeouts against Ben Davis and Franklin Central.

Short posted a 0.86 ERA, giving up only six earned runs. He allowed only six walks and held hitters to a .133 batting average.

Turf field cost
The cost of the synthetic turf football field at Franklin Central High School will cost a little over $1 million, based upon the low bid from The Motz Group, as approved by the Franklin Township School Board April 23.

Five bids were submitted for the field, which will feature shock padding to guard against concussions. Board members visited a similar field at Avon High School in seeking first-hand information about the field to be installed at Ray Skillman Stadium. Superintendent Bruce Hibbard explained to board members that the field will have a 20-year warranty, and the equipment to maintain it was included in the bid. The field will be ready for Flashes’ home opener Aug. 24 against Roncalli.

Roncalli volleyball setter Sam Eiland and center fielder Nick Schnell were named IndyStar Sports Award winners for their respective sports.

The awards are presented to recognize the state’s best players in various sports, and Roncalli was the only school that had multiple winners.

Eiland just completed his junior season, in which he helped lead Roncalli to a 29-2 record and its first Indiana Boys Volleyball Coaches Association state championship.

The Rebels lost only nine sets all season. Eiland earned All-State, All-State tournament and all-conference honors, led the state in assists with 848 and had 48 service aces, fourth most in the state. His kill percentage ranked ninth in the state.

Schnell, who graduated in June, was selected by Tampa Bay in the first round of the Major League Baseball draft early last month and plays for the Rays’ rookie league team, the Gulf Coast Rays, He compiled career school records for batting average (.473), hits (155), home runs (25), RBIs (109), runs (151) and walks (101).  He hit .535 with 15 homers and 37 RBIs from the leadoff spot as a senior.

Schnell established single-season school records for homers (15), runs (52) and walks (41) as a senior while leading the 2018 Rebels to a 25-6 record and sectional and Marion County tournament titles. As a sophomore he started in center field and hit .435 for the 2016 Class 4A state champions.