nwi Preps Baseball Preview

The Times' Jim Peters and Hillary Smith preview the 2013 high school baseball season.

HILLARY SMITH: Month away is worth the play

Greg Tagert quickly changed roles, from one of an observer at the Texas Winter League to a manager of one of the teams.

HILLARY SMITH: Factor in the town tradition

By April, high school sports fans are going to be well-versed in the term "tradition factor."

HILLARY SMITH: Megyesi builds another success at Purdue Cal

HAMMOND | In his sixth season at Purdue Calumet, women's basketball coach Tom Megyesi has led teams that have broken school records and reached firsts in program history.

HILLARY SMITH: Kolb bolts through door of opportunity

GARY | Brian Kolb's season has been a little indicative of the RailCats' ups and downs this year.

HILLARY SMITH: Urban baseball gems need continuous shining

The West Side baseball team played its fourth game of the year on Thursday on the same day that Lake Central played its 15th game of the year.

HILLARY SMITH: Next goal is to solve the turnover battle

MUNSTER | Tracie Mezera sighed when asked about Highland's turnovers against Lowell in Wednesday's girls basketball sectional.

HILLARY SMITH: With the will, the Cougars are finding their way

WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP | Smiling on the edge of the court, the Gary 21st Century girls basketball team beamed like a squad that had won a sectional championship.

HILLARY SMITH: Both now called 'Coach' meet as foes for first time

When Amy Govert is scouting Crown Point girls basketball games, it doesn't take long for the Merrillville coach to start flashing back to her high school days spent on a court.

HILLARY SMITH: McMichael the fan, coach still has a lot to say

MUNSTER | Steve McMichael points to the television as Denver quarterback Tim Tebow throws a pass against the Bears defense.

HILLARY SMITH: Interleague play idea comes at expense of loss of teams

Last week's announcement of the merging of schedules in the American Association and Can-Am Leagues came with it a bottom paragraph that was supposed to be the bad news pill to join the good news celebration.

HILLARY SMITH: Table cards line up for thanks

In a world of sports, there's always one more thing to be thankful for.

Friday Night Insight: Playoff Edition

Three Northwest Indiana teams remain in the state football playoffs, and The Times' Jim Peters and Hillary Smith analyze the three games featuring Crown Point, Morton and Wheeler.

HILLARY SMITH: Land-loving rules don't always apply in aircraft carrier sports

As a young reporter, I was assigned to write a story about a rugby team.

HILLARY SMITH: Putting net gain in Gladiators vocabulary

Great Lakes Athletic Conference volleyball isn't going to start blowing away the game's purists.

HILLARY SMITH: Gratitude for giving basketball back to the fans

Thanks this week is handed with great applause to the principals of the Duneland Athletic Conference, who listened to their coaches.

HILLARY SMITH: Six weeks is enough time to consider the postseason

GARY | With five straight appearances in the postseason, the RailCats can't help but think about the playoffs.

HILLARY SMITH: Parents hop on board with leave your kids in Gary day

If a parent looked down at a boy scout field trip schedule and saw that instead of his child trekking into the woods of Porter County and finding a comfy spot under a tree, the troop would be trekking into the heart of Gary and pitching a tent in an open field, wouldn't he raise a raucous wi…