Five Notre Dame baseball players rely on basketball final four experience

The Notre Dame baseball team recorded the last out to pick up an 8-1 win over host Clayton last week and advance to its first final four since 2009, but there was no outburst of jubilation.

The Bulldogs are saving that for later.

Perhaps they remembered the Notre Dame basketball team that journeyed to the final four in March but was handed a 60-57 loss to Hillcrest in the state semifinals.

Thomas Himmelberg is one of five basketball players on this year's baseball team, which will take on Smithville in a Class 4 semifinal at 4:30 p.m. today at T.R. Hughes Ballpark in O'Fallon, Missouri, and Himmelberg won't forget what transpired less than three months ago.

"It was disappointing, especially losing that semifinal game in basketball. I don't want to feel that feeling again," said the 6-foot-3 Himmelberg, who starts at third base and is batting .317. "I really want to go in there and make sure we win that first game to give us a chance to play for a state championship. The third-place game just doesn't feel the same, and I definitely want to give all these guys, especially the seniors, that experience of playing for a state championship.

From left to right, Notre Dame's Jake Edwards, Dean Crippen, Thomas Himmelberg, Ross Essner and Derek Hulshof faux scrimmage, Monday, June 1, 2015. (Laura Simon)

"I know none of us have had that experience, but we're all looking forward to it."

Dean Crippen is another one of five players who competed for both teams. The 6-foot-4 senior saw his minutes increase tremendously as the basketball season progressed, but his role on the baseball team is the one of most value.

The three-hole slugger is batting .385 and has a team-leading 33 RBIs and five home runs.

The Bulldogs had 10 seniors on the basketball team, including Crippen, who said complacency was the biggest problem the team encountered in the postseason.

"You have to fix your lows as fast as you can, but you can't then come back and rebound with your highs being too high. That was the thing with basketball. I think we got a little too high and got complacent and were like, 'We're going to win,'" said Crippen, who averaged 7 points per game off the bench for the basketball team. "We still think we're going to win, but it's more toned down. Whenever we won the quarterfinals, it was like, 'Well, OK,' and we walked off the field. With basketball, it was crazy. It's a different feel.

"It's more like we're on a mission, I guess. ... Here it's expected in baseball."

Junior Ross Essner also was an integral part of the Bulldogs' final-four run in basketball. The 5-foot-11 Essner was mostly known for his defense off the bench but was asked to step up at the guard position after Grant Ressel tore his ACL in the district championship win over Sikeston.

Essner, who bats ninth and starts at shortstop on the baseball team, believes the environment of a baseball field lends more to the baseball team's focused mentality.

"When we went to state in basketball, we got to play at Mizzou Arena. It's a little bit more of a different feeling coming out on a baseball field," Essner said. "In basketball, there were lights on, people on the sidelines. Baseball is more quiet and more slow. ... I guess the atmosphere is just a lot different."

Senior Derek Hulshof and junior Jake Edwards also are contributors for both teams. The 6-foot-5 Hulshof averaged 14 points and 9 rebounds per game as a starter before his final varsity basketball season was ended early on by an ACL tear.

Himmelberg said learning to "slow the game down" is a valuable lesson he took away from his state basketball experience.

"Whenever those nerves come in, I just say, 'Alright, focus. This is what we've got to do. We've got to get the job done,'" said Himmelberg, who was known for his defensive prowess on the basketball team and averaged 4.6 points per game as a starter. "... I think in basketball, I kind of had blinders on almost at state. I was doing things I wasn't accustomed to, so now I'm just really staying within myself and my game of baseball."

The Bulldogs will lean heavily on the experience of 17-year coach Jeff Graviett, who instills a mentality of calm in each of his players.

"He keeps us on that high, straight line. That's what's good," Crippen said about Graviett. "Your lows never get too low. He always kicks us back into it. Coach Graviett does a great job of that. He never gets too excited, but he never gets too mad. He's going to keep it even-keeled."

Graviett believes the experience of making it to the final four in basketball should benefit his three starters in Crippen, Himmelberg and Essner.

"Once you've been on that stage and you've been through it, you're going to relax a little bit more," Graviett said. "Success breeds success. I believe that. I've seen it up here firsthand, and that's carried over. I had a really good feeling when the basketball team had the success that they did and went up there that it was going to be much easier for us. We were going to be able to come out here and relax, and we could go to those guys that have been in those spots before.

"... They didn't accomplish what they wanted to do, so these guys are really hungry knowing that this is their last shot. And they're going to lead the guys that haven't been there down that path."

The approach is different in this year's run. It's evolved into a "mission" for Notre Dame.

Westminster Christian Academy eliminated the Bulldogs in the state quarterfinals the past two seasons, and the Bulldogs have aimed their sights at the ultimate goal since baseball season began.

Himmelberg believes the team is poised to take the next step and bring home a state title, something that might give Notre Dame a real reason to celebrate.

"We really want to get the job done," Himmelberg said. "As far as basketball, there was a lot of experience of going to state and just kind of getting those nerves out of the way, the jitters.

"I think it's really helped us basketball guys stay calm and stay focused for baseball."

Class 4 final four glance

Notre Dame

No. 1 hitter Chase Urhahn leads the Bulldogs (26-5) with a .394 batting average. The senior left fielder also has 14 RBIs and a team-high 33 stolen bases. Senior second baseman Logan Heisserer isn't far behind in the two-hole, batting .391 with 24 RBIs. Notre Dame's most dynamic hitter is senior Dean Crippen, a 6-foot-4 first baseman who's batting .385 on the year. Crippen has hit five of the Bulldogs' eight home runs this season and has a team-high 33 RBIs.

The Bulldogs' pitching staff is paced by senior right-handed starters Adam Pope and Graham Ruopp. Pope is 9-2 and didn't allow a run in five innings against in the state quarterfinal win over host Clayton. He has a 1.25 ERA with 47 strikeouts and 13 walks. Ruopp, a University of Missouri signee, is 6-2 on the year, including an 11-0 victory over Potosi in the state sectionals. The 6-foot-3 hurler has a 1.94 ERA (54 1/3 innings) and has 62 strikeouts and 17 walks. Notre Dame also features an experienced left-handed pitcher out of its bullpen in senior Hunter Eftink (5-1), who's allowed only three runs in 46 2/3 innings (0.45 ERA) this season. He has two saves, 65 strikeouts and 17 walks.

Smithville

The Warriors (21-7) are led by a pair of senior hitters in left fielder Evan Coder and shortstop Kaleb Reid. Coder, a left-handed hitter, is batting .400 with a team-leading 28 RBIs. Reid has a team-high .421 batting average and has 13 RBIs. Right fielder Treston Horton, a 6-foot-1 sophomore, is batting .306 with 21 RBIs. Smithville is batting .343 as a team and has combined for 48 doubles.

Senior Quintan Reed leads the Warriors on the mound. The 6-foot-2 right-handed pitcher is 7-1 on the season and has an ERA of 0.90 in 70 innings. He's struck out 50 batters and walked 12. Jacob Bohlken, a 6-foot-3 junior right-hander, has a 3.82 ERA in 33 innings with 26 strikeouts and 13 walks. Senior right-hander Dakota Marriott has allowed three runs in 17 1/3 innings (1.23 ERA). He has 11 strikeouts and nine walks.

St. Charles

Right fielder Michael Looney is batting .414 to lead the Pirates (12-15) at the plate. The 6-foot-3 junior has 13 RBIs and eight doubles. Senior first baseman Tyler Renaud has a team-leading 15 RBIs and is batting .357. Left fielder Andrew Weis, a senior, is batting .333, while senior center fielder Bryson Cannon is batting .303 with a team-high 11 stolen bases. St. Charles is batting .275 as a team.

Senior Tristan Tredway leads the Pirates' pitching staff with a 1.81 ERA in 54 2/3 innings. The 6-foot right-hander is 6-3 with 63 strikeouts and 13 walks. Senior Cale Ohlms has a 2.75 ERA in 38 2/3 innings. He's struck out 32 batters and walked 20. The St. Charles pitching staff has a 3.88 ERA and 155 combined strikeouts.

Sullivan

The Eagles (13-13) are led by senior first baseman Matthew Foster, who's batting .478 with 18 RBIs and six doubles. Jake Lochner, a senior pitcher, is batting .402 with 18 RBIs and 13 stolen bases. Sullivan also is led by 6-foot-2 center fielder Heath Schatz, who's batting .313 and has 16 RBIs. The Eagles are batting .283 as a team.

Lochner is the ace of the pitching staff and brings a 5-1 record into the state semifinals. He has a 2.82 ERA in 47 1/3 innings with 88 strikeouts and 41 walks. Foster isn't far behind with a 3.61 ERA in 29 1/3 innings. He has 88 strikeouts and 41 walks. Schatz has a 4.40 ERA in 19 1/3 innings with 23 strikeouts and 16 walks.