Latest news with #ValparaisoSectional
Chicago Tribune
29-05-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Portage's Kaleb Hacker doesn't mind being called ‘Chucky.' When he's confident, pitching is like child's play.
If Portage junior pitcher Kaleb Hacker is laughing on the mound, it may be because a teammate just called him 'Chucky.' But the 6-foot-7, 240-pound right-hander said he sometimes needs those heckles from teammates to keep him from venturing too far inside his head. 'I'll still beat myself up a lot when I walk one or two guys, and that's kind of been my issue for the last two years,' Hacker said. 'So that loosens me up a little bit.' It worked again Wednesday, when Hacker turned in another quality outing while guiding Portage to a 5-0 win over Merrillville in a Class 4A Valparaiso Sectional opener. Hacker struck out six in five shutout innings for the Indians (12-12-2), who will play Chesterton (15-12) in the sectional semifinals on Friday. His victory against Merrillville (5-23) improved his record to 5-3 and lowered his ERA to 3.77 in a team-leading 42 2/3 innings. Portage coach Shane Prance said wins like that, the team's first in the postseason since 2019, should give Hacker a boost. 'It's just confidence,' Prance said. 'Throwing him in a game like this and getting this win under this belt helps him know he can do it when he just trusts his stuff and goes for it. Sometimes he is his harshest critic. Getting him to be confident is half the battle.' Hacker's teammates have been happy to help with that half of the battle. Among them is junior pitcher Hunter Cole, who is 3-2 with a team-best 2.23 ERA this season. Cole said he has found that joking with Hacker has been one way to keep his spirits up, even if that means bringing up an inside joke from earlier in Hacker's career when a picture of him looked like the villainous doll from the 'Child's Play' movies. 'We just heckle him a little bit, humble him, and then he throws his game,' Cole said. 'He can get in his head a lot, but as soon as he gets out of there, he starts throwing strikes and ends up being a really good ballplayer.' Hacker handles the other half of the battle, putting in all the physical work necessary to become a pitcher worthy of a postseason start. Extra hours in the weight room helped him increase the velocity of his fastball from 86 mph last summer to 90 mph. 'That's a big improvement,' he said. 'But I still have a long way to go.' Hacker said his work continued throughout the winter months, even while he was part of a basketball team that won its first sectional title since 2001. There were plenty of late-night workouts following basketball practices or games. Hacker said his frequent self-critiques are a symptom of his passion for sports. 'I've always been that way,' he said. 'Ever since I was younger, I always wanted to be better.' But Hacker has made a believer out of Prance. 'He just has to trust his stuff within the strike zone because when he's in the zone, he's dominant,' Prance said. 'He has a high ceiling, and he isn't close to reaching it.' Whenever Hacker makes his next appearance on the mound, he will know what to do. 'Don't even think about it,' he said. 'Just go out there and throw.'
Chicago Tribune
11-03-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Michael Wellman has wanted to win sectional title ‘ever since I could really remember.' But he's not done yet.
From the time Portage senior Michael Wellman started playing basketball, this is where he wanted to be. Family legacy and civic pride have fueled his pursuit of postseason glory. 'Ever since I could really remember, since I was just this tall,' he said, with his hand extended about waist high. 'It's all I could think of — winning a sectional title for this city.' Reaching that goal has motivated Michael Wellman day in and day out. 'Every time I'd get in the gym, it was on my mind,' he said. 'It pushed me every single time I was in the gym, thinking about winning that trophy and getting up on that ladder and cutting down that net.' Michael Wellman and his teammates finally experienced that thrill over the weekend. The 6-foot-5 guard/forward scored 17 points, exceeding his team-leading 14.5 average, as Portage beat Merrillville 83-62 in the Class 4A Valparaiso Sectional championship game on March 8. The Indians (20-5), who won their first sectional title since 2001, will play Crown Point (21-2) in the Michigan City Regional on Saturday. The two teams shared the Duneland Athletic Conference title after Portage beat Crown Point 64-40 on Feb. 6. 'Our goal every year has been to cut down some nets, and our goal is not just one net,' Michael Wellman said. 'It's multiple nets, and that continues to be our goal.' Portage coach Bryon Clouse said the adversity the team's senior quartet have experienced, including a loss to Chesterton in a sectional opener last year, enabled their success this time around. Senior guard Garrett Clark scored a team-high 19 points, senior guard O'Mari Evans had 17 points and Michael Wellman's twin brother Sam, a senior guard, added 15 points. 'Another year of maturity, another year in the weight room and another year working on their skills and talent,' Clouse said. 'They're good, man.' Michael Wellman, a Grace commit, said he wanted to make sure the early postseason exit last year didn't define this group. 'It was the way people talked about us, about how we were a letdown last year for not winning a sectional,' he said. 'It's been on our minds to prove people wrong and to not underestimate Portage.' Sam Wellman, a Bethel commit, noted the longtime connection they have to the program. 'This has always been a goal,' he said. 'For Michael and Garrett and me, we were all ball boys for the high school team when we were little kids. Growing up, we always wanted to be out on that floor and eventually win something.' Sam Wellman said their father Nick added some friendly banter to the mix over the years. Nick Wellman, an assistant for Portage this season, was the quarterback for the 1994 Class 5A state runner-up in football. 'He always told us that he never lost on a Friday night,' Sam Wellman said with a laugh. But there was no joking from Nick Wellman after the sectional championship game. He had to pause a few times as he talked about his sons. 'I'm super proud,' Nick Wellman said. 'They worked their tails off, but they're not the only ones. I'm just so happy for them, that they get to experience something like this. They'll remember it forever.'
