Indiana Preps | On The Line — Baseball State Finals Preview

Victory Field in Indianapolis hosts the 59th annual IHSAA Baseball State Finals for the 28th time this weekend — four games, four classifications, four programs that survived a 381-team field to stand here. Friday night opens with 3A and 1A. Saturday closes with 2A and 4A. Admission is $15 per person per day. All four games stream on IHSAAtv.org for $15 per game or $20 for all four.
Here’s your complete preview.

FRIDAY, JUNE 19
CLASS 3A | 4:30 PM
Andrean (30-3) vs. Guerin Catholic (27-3-1)
The marquee matchup of the weekend opens the schedule Friday afternoon. Two Catholic programs. Two north-of-Indianapolis institutions with deep baseball traditions. And a combined 57 wins between them.
Andrean enters at 30-3 — one of the best records in the 3A field. The 59ers program out of Merrillville has been a northern Indiana baseball institution for decades, producing players at the college and professional level and competing deep into the postseason year after year. They have been here before, and they know how to win in this setting.
Guerin Catholic comes in at 27-3-1 — a program that has risen to become one of the premier private school baseball programs in Central Indiana. The Golden Eagles have dropped just three games and tied one all season , which means they’ve handled virtually every test the schedule threw at them. Their pitching depth has carried them through the postseason.
Two Catholic schools. One trophy. The Catholic rivalry storyline writes itself — but the baseball on Friday afternoon will settle it the only way it can be settled.
Pitcher to watch: Guerin Catholic has leaned on multiple arms through the postseason. Their ability to manage a pitching staff across a tournament run has been as impressive as any individual performance this spring.

CLASS 1A | 8:00 PM
Northeast Dubois (23-5) vs. Kouts (31-1)
Kouts enters Friday night’s 1A championship game at 31-1 — one of the most extraordinary records in the state this spring regardless of classification. The Mustangs from Porter County have spent the entire spring winning games, and the one blemish on their record doesn’t diminish what they’ve built. A team that loses once in 32 games is not a team that got lucky. It’s a team with genuine culture.
We covered Kouts earlier this week. The story behind this program — the Porter County community, last year’s state final loss, the way they responded — is the human story of this entire state finals weekend. A 31-1 record commands respect. The way they earned it commands something more.
Northeast Dubois at 23-5 is the opponent standing between Kouts and the trophy they came so close to winning last year. The Jeeps from Dubois County have won 23 games and made it to Victory Field. That’s not an accident. That’s a program that can compete with anyone standing across the diamond Friday night.
Pitcher to watch: Kouts’ ace has been the engine behind one of the best records in Indiana this spring. How deep the Mustangs can push their frontline arm — and how Northeast Dubois responds to the best pitcher they’ve faced all season — will define this game early.

SATURDAY, JUNE 20
CLASS 2A | 4:30 PM
Bluffton (19-10) vs. Evansville Mater Dei (29-3)
Evansville Mater Dei arrives at 29-3 — a program from the southwest Indiana corridor that has been one of the state’s most consistent winning programs over the past decade. The Wildcats program at Mater Dei understands how to develop players and peak in the postseason. Saturday’s 4:30 PM game is a legitimate test of whether Bluffton — at 19-10, a program that has earned its way here through a challenging field — can match the talent and experience Mater Dei brings to downtown Indianapolis.
Bluffton at 19-10 is the underdog on paper. They’ve been the underdog before. The fact that they’re standing in this game means they’re capable of competing with programs that look better on a spreadsheet.
Pitcher to watch: Mater Dei’s ability to throw their best arm on short rest or save them for Saturday will determine how the early innings unfold. A 29-3 team has options.

CLASS 4A | 8:00 PM
Lake Central (27-8) vs. Bloomington South (25-6)
The 4A nightcap closes the weekend. Lake Central at 27-8 is a program that has been in multiple state finals conversations this spring across multiple sports — the Indians are one of Indiana’s most complete athletic programs, and their baseball team has backed that up with a deep postseason run. They return to Victory Field as a legitimate 4A contender.
Bloomington South enters at 25-6 — a program from the college town that has been building toward this moment all spring. The Panthers are well-coached, well-prepared, and standing on the same field as Lake Central at 8:00 PM Saturday night. That alone is a statement about what this program has become.
Pitcher to watch: The 4A final is where arms matter most. The team that gets the best performance from their top pitcher on Saturday night will hold the trophy when the weekend ends.

HOW TO WATCH
Victory Field | 501 W. Maryland Street, Indianapolis. Friday June 19 and Saturday June 20. Admission $15 per person per day. Children 5 and under free. All seats general admission. Stream on IHSAAtv.org for $15 per game or $20 for all four. All games broadcast on affiliates of the IHSAA Champions Radio Network.
Indiana Preps will have live updates across social media throughout both nights.

Indiana Preps covers high school athletics across the state of Indiana.