At the Indiana North-South All-Star Baseball Classic Saturday and Sunday, Jake Hansen ended his high school baseball career the same way he played it for four years at Westfield High School.

Exciting. Successful.

Playing for the North Team in the second game of the Saturday doubleheader, Hansen made history by being the trigger man in the first triple play ever recorded in the series.

The South had runners on first and second when the next batter lined a shot to Hansen at second base. He caught the ball, tagged the runner attempting to go from first to second and then the South got the third out when the runner on second failed to tag up before going to third.

Hansen, a shortstop during days at Westfield, played second in all three games. He handled every ball hit to him.

The series ended Hansen’s high school career. He now will move on to Purdue University, where his father and two uncles played college baseball.
Hansen played a key role in all three games.

In the opener, a 16-8 loss for the North, Hansen started at second base. He went to the plate three times, collected a walk and a single, stole a base and scored two runs.

In the nightcap of the doubleheader, Hansen came off the bench and doubled, drove in a run and hit a fly ball to left. The North won that game, the game of the triple play, 7-4. The North had collected just one hit and hadn’t scored a run before Hansen hit the double in the seventh inning.

On Sunday, the teams ended the weekend with a wooden bat game. It was won by the South 3-0. Hansen started; struck out his first trip to the plate and drew a walk in his second trip.

The weekend started with a Friday banquet, highlighted by the naming of Greensburg’s Alex Meyer as Mr. Baseball. Meyer has been drafted by the Boston Red Sox, but has indicated he will attend the University of Kentucky.

Standing 6-7, Meyer worked the first three innings of the opening game at the University of Notre Dame. He allowed one run on three hits and fanned four batters.

Meyer lit up the crowd when he was clocked throwing the ball at 96 miles an hour. Veteran coaches said they had never seen that type of speed from an Indiana high  school pitcher.

The best game of the weekend was the Sunday contest. The South led only 1-0 until scoring two runs in the top of the ninth. The North threatened in the bottom of the ninth, getting a hit to open the inning. But then pitcher Cody Johnson fanned the next batter and ended the game on a double play.

Johnson, from North Harrison and headed for Oakland City University, was named the Outstanding Player of the series.

Franklin’s Brad Hook, who will play at the University of South Alabama, won the home run contest.

Hansen was the only Hamilton County player in the series.