Sophomore pitcher Owen Kopercinski threw a dominant three-hit shutout on June 20 at Victory Field in downtown Indianapolis. His masterwork guided the unranked Lake Central Indians to a 4-0 victory over Bloomington South.
The victory secured Lake Central its second Class 4A state baseball championship in three seasons. The Indians captured the title after executing a flawless defensive performance under the lights.
Kopercinski completely dominated the Panthers throughout his first career varsity complete contest. He delivered 71 strikes on 113 pitches, logging six strikeouts and allowing two walks.
“That was a sophomore that did that,” Lake Central Head Coach Mike Swartzentruber said. “I’ve still got to teach him a change-up.”
The Indians provided run cushioning at the bottom of the first inning to support their young pitcher. Senior outfielder Keegan O’Bryan launched a lead-off triple to right field, sparking the opening barrage. Oklahoma recruit Parker Robinson drove him home with a sharp single to right field. Andrew Brower added a productive groundout later in the frame, expanding the early advantage to 2-0.
Lake Central extended the lead in the fifth inning through bold baserunning and situational hitting. Brayden Walls hit an infield single and advanced on a double from sophomore outfielder Jacob Forystek. Another groundout by Brower allowed Walls to slide safely across home plate, widening the gap to three.
Junior outfielder Isaac Ochoa fueled the final scoring drive with a leadoff triple in the sixth. Robinson brought Ochoa home with a single to center field, cementing the final 4-0 score.
Bloomington South struggled to generate consistent offense against Kopercinski’s relentless pitching sequences all evening. Jonathan Winstead and Luke Arnett collected base hits, but the Panthers could not string together a sustained rally.
“He kept us in the game for a while,” Bloomington South Head Coach Phil Kluesner said. “We played solid defense.”
The IHSAA executive committee named Bloomington South senior Blake Azcui the recipient of the Bob Gardner Mental Attitude Award. The Panthers completed a historic tournament run, making their first state finals appearance since 1972.
Contact multimedia & senior sports reporter Noral Parham at 317-762-7846. Follow him on X @3Noral. For more sports, visit indianapolisrecorder.com.
Noral Parham is the multi-media reporter for the Indianapolis Recorder, one of the oldest Black publications in the country. Prior to joining the Recorder, Parham served as the community advocate of the MLK Center in Indianapolis and senior copywriter for an e-commerce and marketing firm in Denver.
