Drew Arnold’s role as Lake Central’s starting catcher has been well worth the wait.
Even earlier this season, after multiyear starter Matt Santana had graduated, it wasn’t clear that Arnold would get most of the innings at the position.
But when the Indians play Mooresville in the Class 4A state championship game at Victory Field on Saturday night, there’s no doubt who will be behind the plate.
“I’ve been able to take off with it,” Arnold said.
Perhaps it’s no coincidence that Lake Central (24-9) has been able to take off, too, advancing to the state finals for the first time since 2012.
Mooresville (32-3) has a formidable pitching staff with Cincinnati recruit Brendin Oliver, Alabama commit Hudson DeVaughan and Indiana recruit Hogan Denny, who is the state’s Gatorade player of the year and has logged the team’s second-most innings when he’s not catching.
But Arnold wouldn’t trade Lake Central’s stellar staff for anyone’s, and the DePauw recruit has earned the respect of that talented group, which includes Indiana recruit Griffin Tobias, Maryville recruit Blake Sivak and Cincinnati commit Josh Flores.
“We have the greatest pitching staff in the state right now, and getting to handle Tobias and Sivak and Flores on a day-to-day basis is a great experience,” Arnold said. “We put a lot of work into it day to day. … Every day has built on top of each other to get to where we are now on the mound and in general.
“Helping handle our pitching staff on a day-to-day basis and trying to call the right pitches at all times has definitely contributed to our success.”
Arnold will get no argument from Tobias.
“He’s gotten way better since the start of the year,” Tobias said. “We have that connection as a pitcher-catcher. Every time I have a pitch in my hand that I want to throw, he just ends up calling it, and I’m like, ‘There we go.’ We have that little connection going, which is fantastic to have. He’s great behind the plate.”
When Sivak threw a complete-game gem in Lake Central’s win against Homestead in the semistate finals, the connection between him and Arnold was especially evident.
“On Saturday, when he caught me, I didn’t shake him off one time,” Sivak said. “He knew exactly what to call in the right situation. That led to a great outing and great success and got us the win. We’ve just worked really well together.”
This really is Arnold’s first season as the primary starter at any level of the program. He split time at catcher on the freshman team and again as a sophomore on the junior varsity team. He played sparingly last season, serving mostly as the bullpen catcher.
As this season opened, there still was some gray area.
“We go into the season, I always like to keep three catchers,” eighth-year Lake Central coach Mike Swartzentruber said. “It’s probably not ideal for the three catchers because it’s hard to feed three mouths behind the plate to get them enough playing time. I would’ve liked to have played them all more than I did, and I’m sure they all wanted to play more than they did. But two of them are juniors, and I know they’ll be back next year, and Drew was always the guy going into the season I was going to give first crack at the job to.
“At the very beginning of the season, his heart and mind were in the right place, but he was pressing a little bit as far as behind the plate and at the plate as well. So we were shuffling catchers around. Finally, the Munster game, he had a really big game, and he took hold of the job as the regular guy.”
Arnold went 3-for-3 with two doubles and four RBIs during that game against rival Munster on April 26. Overall, he’s hitting .231 with 11 RBIs, but his defensive role is paramount.
“To have a guy back there you can trust, he’s a smart kid, he’s very conscientious of the game of baseball, he has a good baseball IQ,” Swartzentruber said. “He’s not shy as far as being able to communicate, which is a must as a catcher, as far as communicating with the infield and communicating with the pitchers. He’s been great. You can see his confidence level growing and growing each game. Right now, he’s a very confident catcher and even hitter, for that matter. He’s done a really good job for us.”
Swartzentruber, who led North Posey to consecutive Class 2A titles in 2005 and 2006, also praised Arnold’s persistence and ability to stay focused.
“That’s one of the things we try to teach all the kids here,” Swartzentruber said. “If you were playing somewhere else, you’d probably be a varsity starter right now. But here you have to bide your time. I tell them patience is a great quality to have. … You come here every day and you practice against other really good players, it’s going to make you better. I would want to be challenged and pushed like that. Here, there’s a guy either right above you that you’re trying to catch, or a guy right below you that’s nipping at your heels trying to catch you as far as playing time.
“So those catchers get along really well. That’s another quality of this team. They’re there for each other. They support each other. There’s no pettiness. There’s no individualism. And Drew’s a big part of that. When Drew was splitting three ways, when the playing time was divided up three ways, he didn’t say anything. He kept a great attitude, kept plugging, kept working, and he eventually took over the job.”
Arnold viewed that outcome as a reward for his diligence.
“Looking at last year, I knew I didn’t really have much of a chance to play,” he said. “But going into this year, I knew I was the guy and it was my chance to take it from there. I’ve put everything I have into it to make sure I’d be able to hold down that spot.
“I worked with my staff all throughout the offseason to make sure that when it came around and it was time to play, I was going to be their guy behind the plate. Extra hours before and after practice, on weekends, making sure I’d be able to catch them.”
Arnold hopes to be celebrating with those pitchers and the rest of his teammates on Saturday night.
“We are one jelled group together,” he said. “There is no single individual in the dugout, on or off the field. It’s just a group of guys who try to do whatever it takes to win.
“It means a lot to be able to be here. But at the end of the day, the job’s not finished, and we have to go get the right color ring.”
