“THE SCOREBOARD”
INDIANA BASEBALL SCORES
HAMMOND BAPTIST 15 GARY WEST 1
HIGHLAND 4 HAMMOND MORTON 1
HAMMOND CENTRAL 14 E. CHICAGO CENTRAL 7
EAST CENTRAL 10 BATESVILLE 1
WESTFIELD 8 BROWNSBURG 1
OAK HILL 13 NORTHWESTERN 4
EVANSVILLE NORTH 5 EVANSVILLE MEMORIAL 4
INDIANA SOFTBALL SCORES
VALPARAISO 12 PORTAGE 7
BOONE GROVE 12 HAMMOND NOLL 1
HAMMOND MORTON 11 MERRILLVILLE 1
CALUMET CHRISTIAN 12 WHITING 8
HANOVER CENTRAL 8 LOWELL 7
LAWRENCEBURG 15 JAC CEN DEL 1
BEECH GROVE 5 WARREN CENTRAL 3
BEDFORD NORTH LAWRENCE 8 NEW ALBANY 5
OAK HILL 10 MACONAQUAH 0
MASTERS LEADERBOARD
https://www.pgatour.com/tournaments/2024/masters-tournament/R2024014/leaderboard
NBA SCOREBOARD
CHICAGO 127 DETROIT 105
NEW YORK 118 BOSTON 109
UTAH 124 HOUSTON 121
NEW ORLEANS 135 SACRAMENTO 123
GOLDEN STATE 100 PORTLAND 92
STANDINGS: https://www.nba.com/standings
NHL SCOREBOARD
NEW JERSEY 6 TORONTO 5
BUFFALO 4 WASHINGTON 2
PHILADELPHIA 4 NY RANGERS 1
PITTSBURGH 6 DETROIT 5 OT
OTTAWA 3 TAMPA BAY 2
FLORIDA 4 COLUMBUS 0
NY ISLANDERS 3 MONTRÉAL 2 OT
WINNIPEG 3 DALLAS 0
SAN JOSE 3 SEATTLE 1
LOS ANGELES 4 CALGARY 1
STANDINGS: https://www.nhl.com/standings/2024-04-11/conference
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
NY METS 16 ATLANTA 4
KANSAS CITY 13 HOUSTON 3
OAKLAND 1 TEXAS 0
PHILADELPHIA 5 PITTSBURGH 1
BALTIMORE 9 BOSTON 4 (10)
MINNESOTA AT DETROIT POSTPONED
MILWAUKEE AT CINCINNATI POSTPONED
STANDINGS: https://www.mlb.com/standings/
MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL SCORES
INDIANAPOLIS AT TOLEDO PPD
WISCONSIN AT SOUTH BEND PPD
LAKE COUNTY AT FT. WAYNE PPD
UFL SCORES
NO GAMES SCHEDULED
STANDINGS: https://www.foxsports.com/ufl/standings
MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER
NO GAMES SCHEDULED
COLLEGE BASEBALL SCORES
NO GAMES SCHEDULED
COLLEGE SOFTBALL SCORES
NO GAMES SCHEDULED
NATIONAL SPORTS RELEASES/HEADLINES
FOOTBALL NEWS
OJ SIMPSON, FALLEN FOOTBALL HERO ACQUITTED OF MURDER IN ‘TRIAL OF THE CENTURY,’ DIES AT 76
LAS VEGAS (AP) — O.J. Simpson, the football star and Hollywood actor who was acquitted of charges he killed his former wife and her friend in a trial that mesmerized the public and exposed divisions on race and policing in America, has died. He was 76.
The family announced on Simpson’s official X account that he died Wednesday of prostate cancer. Simpson’s attorney confirmed to TMZ on Thursday that he died in Las Vegas.
Simpson earned fame, fortune and adulation through football and show business, but his legacy was forever changed by the June 1994 knife slayings of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ronald Goldman in Los Angeles. He was later found liable for the deaths in a separate civil case, and then served nine years in prison on unrelated charges.
Live TV coverage of his arrest after a famous slow-speed chase marked a stunning fall from grace.
He had seemed to transcend racial barriers as the star Trojans tailback for college football’s powerful University of Southern California in the late 1960s, as a rental car ad pitchman rushing through airports in the late 1970s, and as the husband of a blond and blue-eyed high school homecoming queen in the 1980s.
“I’m not Black, I’m O.J.,” he liked to tell friends.
His “trial of the century” captured America’s attention on live TV. The case sparked debates on race, gender, domestic abuse, celebrity justice and police misconduct.
Evidence found at the scene seemed overwhelmingly against Simpson. Blood drops, bloody footprints and a glove were there. Another glove, smeared with blood, was found at his home.
Simpson didn’t testify, but the prosecution asked him to try on the gloves in court. He struggled to squeeze them onto his hands and spoke his only three words of the trial: “They’re too small.”
His attorney Johnnie L. Cochran Jr. told the jurors, “If it doesn’t fit, you must acquit.”
The jury found him not guilty of murder in 1995, but a separate civil trial jury found him liable in 1997 for the deaths and ordered him to pay $33.5 million to family members of Brown and Goldman.
A decade later, still shadowed by the California wrongful death judgment, Simpson led five men he barely knew into a confrontation with two sports memorabilia dealers in a cramped Las Vegas hotel room. Two men with Simpson had guns. A jury convicted Simpson of armed robbery and other felonies.
Imprisoned at age 61, he served nine years in a remote northern Nevada prison, including a stint as a gym janitor. He was not contrite when he was released on parole in October 2017. The parole board heard him insist yet again that he was only trying to retrieve sports memorabilia and family heirlooms stolen from him after his criminal trial in Los Angeles.
“I’ve basically spent a conflict-free life, you know,” said Simpson, whose parole ended in late 2021.
Public fascination with Simpson never faded. Many debated whether he had been punished in Las Vegas for his acquittal in Los Angeles. In 2016, he was the subject of both an FX miniseries and five-part ESPN documentary.
“I don’t think most of America believes I did it,” Simpson told The New York Times in 1995, a week after a jury determined he did not kill Brown and Goldman. “I’ve gotten thousands of letters and telegrams from people supporting me.”
Twelve years later, following an outpouring of public outrage, Rupert Murdoch canceled a planned book by the News Corp.-owned HarperCollins in which Simpson offered his hypothetical account of the killings. It was to be titled “If I Did It.”
Goldman’s family, still doggedly pursuing the multimillion-dollar wrongful death judgment, won control of the manuscript. They retitled the book “If I Did It: Confessions of the Killer.”
“It’s all blood money, and unfortunately I had to join the jackals,” Simpson told The Associated Press at the time. He collected $880,000 in advance money for the book, paid through a third party.
“It helped me get out of debt and secure my homestead,” he said.
Less than two months after losing the rights to the book, Simpson was arrested in Las Vegas.
David Cook, an attorney who has been seeking since 2008 to collect the civil judgment in the Goldman case, said he’d spoken with Ron’s father, Fred, on Thursday about Simpson’s death. Cook declined to say what Fred Goldman said or where he was.
“He died without penance,” Cook said of Simpson. “We don’t know what he has, where it is or who is in control. We will pick up where we are and keep going with it.”
Simpson played 11 NFL seasons, nine of them with the Buffalo Bills, where he became known as “The Juice” and ran behind an offensive line known as “The Electric Company.” He won four NFL rushing titles, rushed for 11,236 yards in his career, scored 76 touchdowns and played in five Pro Bowls. His best season was 1973, when he ran for 2,003 yards — the first running back to break the 2,000-yard rushing mark.
“I was part of the history of the game,” he said years later. “If I did nothing else in my life, I’d made my mark.”
Of course, Simpson went on to other fame.
One of the artifacts of his murder trial, the carefully tailored tan suit he wore when acquitted, was later donated and placed on display at the Newseum in Washington. Simpson had been told the suit would be in the hotel room in Las Vegas, but it turned out it wasn’t there.
Orenthal James Simpson was born July 9, 1947, in San Francisco, where he grew up in government-subsidized housing projects.
After graduating from high school, he enrolled at City College of San Francisco for a year and a half before transferring to the University of Southern California for the spring 1967 semester.
He married his first wife, Marguerite Whitley, on June 24, 1967, moving her to Los Angeles the next day so he could begin preparing for his first season with USC — which, in large part because of Simpson, won that year’s national championship.
Simpson won the Heisman Trophy in 1968. He accepted the statue the same day that his first child, Arnelle, was born.
He had two sons, Jason and Aaren, with his first wife; one of those boys, Aaren, drowned as a toddler in a swimming pool accident in 1979, the same year he and Whitley divorced.
Simpson and Brown were married in 1985. They had two children, Justin and Sydney, and divorced in 1992. Two years later, Nicole Brown Simpson was found murdered.
“We don’t need to go back and relive the worst day of our lives,” he told the AP 25 years after the double slayings. “The subject of the moment is the subject I will never revisit again. My family and I have moved on to what we call the ‘no negative zone.’ We focus on the positives.”
NBA NEWS
HAWKS’ JALEN JOHNSON AND ONYEKA OKNOGWU TO MISS PLAY-IN TOURNAMENT WITH INJURIES
ATLANTA (AP) — The Atlanta Hawks will be without forward Jalen Johnson and center Onyeka Okongwu in the Eastern Conference play-in tournament because of injuries.
The Hawks announced Thursday that Johnson, one of the team’s most productive starters with his averages of 16.0 points and 8.7 rebounds, will miss at least three weeks after spraining his right ankle on Tuesday night against Miami.
Okongwu will miss at least four weeks following a non-surgical procedure on Tuesday to address inflammation in his left big toe. Okongwu averages 10.2 points and 6.8 rebounds.
All-Star point guard Trae Young recorded a double-double with 14 points and 11 assists in his return in Wednesday night’s 115-114 loss to Charlotte after missing 23 games because of a torn ligament in his left pinkie.
Johnson, guard Dejounte Murray (right quad contusion) and forward De’Andre Hunter (rest) were held out against Charlotte.
The Hawks currently hold the No. 10 spot and the final position in the Eastern Conference play-in tournament.
NBA ROUNDUP: WARRIORS’ WIN, KINGS’ LOSS TIGHTENS PLAY-IN RACE
Stephen Curry recorded 22 points, eight assists and seven rebounds to help the Golden State Warriors post a 100-92 victory over the host Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday, creating a three-way tie for eighth place in the Western Conference.
Jonathan Kuminga scored 19 points and Andrew Wiggins added 15 as Golden State won for the ninth time in 10 games. The victory keeps the Warriors alive for a spot in the No. 7 vs. No. 8 game in the Western Conference play-in round. Golden State, the Sacramento Kings and the Los Angeles Lakers all have the same record with two regular-season games left.
Golden State standouts Klay Thompson and Draymond Green both missed the contest due to right knee injuries.
Deandre Ayton registered 25 points and 11 rebounds and Scoot Henderson had 18 points and 12 assists for Portland, which lost for the 13th time in the past 15 games. Jabari Walker added 17 points and 16 rebounds.
Pelicans 135, Kings 123
CJ McCollum and Zion Williamson scored 31 points apiece and New Orleans beat host Sacramento for a key win in the Western Conference playoff race.
Trey Murphy III (27 points) contributed three 3-pointers and three free throws to a 34-11, game-opening run for the Pelicans, who retained a one-game lead over the Phoenix Suns in the battle for the West’s sixth and final guaranteed playoff spot with just two games to play.
Thanks to the game-opening flurry, Pelicans never trailed while completing a rare five-game, season-series sweep over the Kings. De’Aaron Fox had a game-high 33 points for Sacramento.
Bulls 127, Pistons 105
DeMar DeRozan poured in 39 points as visiting Chicago beat Detroit, handing the Pistons their franchise-record 67th loss of the season.
DeRozan made 14 of his 22 field-goal attempts, including 4 of 6 from 3-point range, and sank all but one of his eight free-throw tries for the Bulls. Chicago locked up the No. 9 seed in the Eastern Conference with two games remaining and will host No. 10 seed Atlanta in the play-in tournament next week.
Jalen Duren amassed 20 points and 11 rebounds for the Pistons, who have lost six straight and broke the franchise mark set by the 1979-80 team. Marcus Sasser also scored 20 points.
Knicks 118, Celtics 109
Jalen Brunson tossed in a game-high 39 points to help visiting New York beat Boston and extend its winning streak to three games.
The Knicks remain in third place in the Eastern Conference standings, one game behind the Milwaukee Bucks. The Celtics, who have lost two straight, previously secured the No. 1 seed in the East.
Donte DiVincenzo added 17 for the Knicks, who got 16 points and 16 rebounds from Josh Hart. Jayson Tatum led Boston with 18 points and seven assists.
Jazz 124, Rockets 121
Luka Samanic scored a season-high 22 points and Keyonte George had 20 as short-handed Utah snapped a 13-game losing streak with a victory over Houston in Salt Lake City.
On a night when seven of Utah’s rotation players were sidelined for various reasons, seven other Jazz players stepped up to score in double figures in the team’s home finale.
Fred VanVleet topped all scorers with 42 points, but the Rockets fell for the sixth time in seven games. VanVleet and Dillon Brooks each missed game-tying 3-point attempts in the waning moments.
MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
SCOTT DREW STAYING AS BAYLOR’S COACH AFTER BEING MENTIONED AS JOHN CALIPARI’S SUCCESSOR AT KENTUCKY
WACO, Texas (AP) — Scott Drew will remain as Baylor’s men’s basketball coach, stating his desire to “bring more championships” to the program on social media after being linked to the Kentucky coaching vacancy following John Calipari’s departure to Arkansas.
Drew mentioned his Christian faith in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, and stated that he believed “God has called my family and I to continue our work here at Baylor, surrounded by the best people and community anyone could be blessed to have.” He expressed gratitude for support from athletic director Mack Rhoades and Baylor President Linda Livingstone and added, “We look forward to working together to bring more championships to Waco (Texas).”
The 53-year-old Drew, who guided the Bears to the NCAA championship during the COVID-19-shortened 2020-21 season, quickly emerged as Kentucky’s top target to follow Calipari after the Hall of Famer and 2012 title winner stepped down on Tuesday. Calipari, who said the Wildcats program he guided for 15 years ‘ needed to hear another voice, ’ was introduced as Arkansas’ coach on Wednesday. Louisville had also considered Drew to replace the fired Kenny Payne.
Drew’s announcement that he was staying follows one by Alabama’s Nate Oats, who reiterated his commitment to the Crimson Tide on Monday amid speculation of Kentucky’s possible interest. Chicago Bulls coach Billy Donovan said he was “flattered” to be mentioned for the job he once worked as an assistant but expressed his commitment to the NBA club.
REPORTS: MARK POPE EXPECTED TO BE KENTUCKY’S NEXT COACH
BYU coach Mark Pope, who won a national title as a player with Kentucky, is expected to return to his alma mater and succeed John Calipari as head coach, multiple media outlets reported Thursday.
Per the Lexington Herald-Leader, Pope could officially become Kentucky’s coach on Thursday night.
Pope, 51, who played two seasons with Kentucky, including the 1995-96 national championship team, has guided BYU to two NCAA Tournament appearances in his five seasons and posted a 110-52 record.
In the just-concluded season, the Cougars’ first in the Big 12, BYU went 23-11 overall and 10-8 in the conference. The Cougars were upset by No. 11 seed Duquesne in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Pope, who played parts of six NBA seasons, began his coaching career at Georgia as an assistant for the 2009-10 season. He moved on to the same role at Wake Forest (2010-11) and BYU (2011-15) before becoming head coach at Utah Valley (2015-19), where he went 77-56 in four seasons.
Calipari left for Arkansas after making four Final Four appearances and winning a national title in 2012 as coach of Kentucky, where he went 410-123. This season, Kentucky went 23-10 overall and 13-5 in the Southeastern Conference but was upset by No. 14 seed Oakland in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Baylor’s Scott Drew, UConn’s Dan Hurley, Alabama’s Nate Oats and former Villanova coach Jay Wright publicly said they weren’t interested in the Kentucky position.
Former college coach Billy Donovan, an ex-Kentucky assistant who is now head coach of the Chicago Bulls, said he was committed to his current role.
WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
IOWA TO RETIRE CAITLIN CLARK’S NO. 22
Iowa will retire the No. 22 jersey of Caitlin Clark, college basketball’s all-time leading scorer in Division I.
The school made the announcement Wednesday at a celebration of Iowa’s trip to the national championship game of the NCAA Tournament, won by South Carolina 87-75, and the record-setting achievements of Clark.
“There will never be another Caitlin Clark & there will never be another 22,” Iowa wrote on social media.
Clark won the Wooden and the Naismith National Player of the Year awards in a season in which she broke Pete Maravich’s longstanding record for most points scored in college basketball — the most prestigious of her many NCAA records. She ended her Iowa career with 3,951 career points.
“It’s super incredible, something I’m very thankful for,” Clark said. “There’s been a lot of good 22s who have come before me and played for this program, whether it was Kathleen Doyle or Sam Logic. That number holds a lot of weight, far beyond me. I’m really grateful, and it will be a special day when it happens.”
Clark is expected to be the No. 1 pick by the Indiana Fever in the WNBA Draft, which is Monday.
No date was announced for the retirement ceremony.
NFL NEWS
BROWNS RESTRUCTURE RB NICK CHUBB’S CONTRACT AS HE REHABS FROM SEASON-ENDING INJURY, AP SOURCE SAYS
CLEVELAND (AP) — The Cleveland Browns have restructured star running back Nick Chubb’s contract as he continues to rehab after a season-ending knee injury in 2023, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press on Thursday.
Chubb was entering his final year under contract after signing a three-year, $36.6 million deal in 2021.
The 28-year-old Chubb agreed to take a salary cut — he was scheduled to make $11.75 million this season — but can earn back money through incentives, the person said.
The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the team does not make salary figures public.
NFL Network was first to report Chubb’s agreement with the Browns.
Chubb, the Browns’ most popular player and a four-time Pro Bowler who rushed for 1,525 yards in 2022, tore ligaments in his left knee in Week 2 when he was hit from the side by Pittsburgh safety Minkah Fitzpatrick near the goal line.
Chubb had to undergo two surgeries to get it repaired. It’s the same knee he injured while at Georgia. The Browns dedicated their season to Chubb and went on to make the playoffs for just the second time since 2002.
CHIEFS WR RASHEE RICE SURRENDERS TO POLICE
Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice turned himself in to police on Thursday, a day after an arrest warrant was issued for charges stemming from a six-car collision in Dallas on March 30.
According to multiple media reports, Rice surrendered to Glenn Heights, Texas, police, then was booked into the regional jail in DeSoto, Texas. He subsequently was released on bond.
Police allege that Rice, driving a Lamborghini, and SMU cornerback Teddy Knox, driving a Corvette, were speeding on the North Central Expressway (U.S. 75) when they caused a chain-reaction wreck that left four people with minor injuries.
Rice and Knox each face one count of aggravated assault, one count of collision involving serious bodily injury and six counts of collision involving injury.
Rice’s lawyer, Royce West, said in a statement: “I want to re-emphasize Mr. Rice’s continued cooperation with law enforcement. Mr. Rice acknowledges his actions and feels deeply for those injured as a result of this accident. Our legal team is now tasked with reviewing all legal documents.”
Last week, Rice came forward to apologize to the injured parties and accept responsibility for the accidents.
He posted to his Instagram story on April 3, “Today I met with Dallas PD investigators regarding Saturday’s accident. I take full responsibility for my part in this matter and will continue to cooperate with the necessary authorities. I sincerely apologize to everyone impacted in Saturday’s accident.”
The occupants of the Lamborghini and a Corvette left the scene without checking to see if anyone needed medical attention or providing their information, according to police.
The Chiefs have not commented on Rice’s status, but SMU suspended Knox from the team on Thursday.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
SMU SUSPENDS CB TEDDY KNOX FOR ROLE IN MULTI-CAR CRASH
The SMU football team suspended cornerback Teddy Knox on Thursday, a day after he was charged by Dallas police with multiple criminal violations related to a chain-reaction car crash on March 30.
Knox and Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice were alleged to be driving the cars that sparked a collision that left four people with minor injuries. Both men face one count of aggravated assault, one count of collision involving serious bodily injury and six counts of collision involving injury.
The SMU football program issued a statement that read: “SMU has been notified by Dallas Police of an arrest warrant for Theodore ‘Teddy’ Knox, a student-athlete on the Mustang football team. Knox has been suspended from the team. SMU takes these allegations seriously. Federal student privacy laws prevent the University from discussing details involving student disciplinary proceedings.”
Police allege that Rice’s Lamborghini and Knox’s Corvette were speeding when they sparked the multi-car collision on the North Central Expressway (U.S. 75).
Knox is a 21-year-old rising junior. He played on offense and defense in 2022, when he had four catches for 3 yards and made four tackles. Last season he finished with four tackles while seeing most of his action as a special teams player.
Rice, who turns 24 on April 22, grew up in the North Texas suburb of North Richland Hills and attended college in Dallas at SMU.
The SMU football team is moving to the Atlantic Coast Conference for the 2024 season after going 11-3 last year, 8-0 in the American Athletic Conference.
COLLEGE HOCKEY
BOSTON COLLEGE ROUTS MICHIGAN TO REACH FROZEN FOUR FINAL
Freshman Will Smith scored two goals and Boston College pulled away for a 4-0 win over Michigan in the second game of the NCAA Frozen Four on Thursday in Saint Paul, Minn.
Cutter Gauthier and Gabe Perreault contributed one goal apiece for Boston College (34-5-1), which won its 15th game in a row. The Eagles, who entered the tournament as the No. 1 overall seed, are one win from their first title since 2012.
Boston College will face Denver for the NCAA championship on Saturday evening.
Mark Estapa had six shots on goal to lead Michigan (23-15-3). The Wolverines were shut out for the first time this season.
Eagles goaltender Jacob Fowler stopped all 32 shots he faced to notch the shutout.
Wolverines goaltender Jake Barczewski allowed four goals on 22 shots.
Boston College opened the scoring 1:20 into the first period. Smith capitalized on a two-on-one chance as he took a pass from Ryan Leonard and scored on a wrist shot from the left side of the crease.
The Eagles tallied two goals in 49 seconds to grab a 3-0 lead in the second period.
Smith started the one-two punch with his second goal of the game and his 25th of the season with 7:35 remaining in the middle period. The 19-year-old forward, who was selected No. 4 overall by the San Jose Sharks in 2023, threw the puck toward the crease from behind the net and watched it ricochet off the skate of a Michigan defender and slide across the goal line.
Gauthier, the nation’s leading goal-scorer, followed with his 38th goal to make it 3-0 with 6:46 left in the period. The Anaheim Ducks prospect turned defense into offense as he poked the puck loose, chased it down and scored on a breakaway.
Gauthier moved into a tie for Boston College’s single-season goals record. He matched the school record set by Scott Harlow during the 1985-86 campaign and equaled by David Emma in the 1989-90 season.
Boston College increased its lead to 4-0 on a wraparound goal by Perreault at 5:03 of the third period. It was the 19th goal of the season for Perreault, who is the son of longtime NHL forward Yanic Perreault.
NHL NEWS
NHL ROUNDUP: SIDNEY CROSBY, PENS SCORE CRUCIAL OT WIN
Erik Karlsson scored from the top of the slot at 1:40 of overtime Thursday as the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the visiting Detroit Red Wings 6-5 to move into the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.
Sidney Crosby had a legacy night for the Penguins, moving past Phil Esposito into 10th on the NHL’s all-time scoring with 1,591 points. Crosby finished with a goal and two assists, reaching 1,000 assists in his career.
Bryan Rust added a goal and two assists and Drew O’Connor, Kris Letang and Jeff Carter also scored for the Penguins, who have a 10-game point streak (7-0-3). Pittsburgh goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic made 25 saves.
Lucas Raymond had a hat trick and an assist, Dylan Larkin contributed a goal and two assists and Jeff Petry scored for the Red Wings. Detroit goaltender Alex Lyon made 21 saves, and Alex DeBrincat notched three assists.
Kings 4, Flames 1
Viktor Arvidsson scored two goals and Los Angeles clinched a playoff berth for the third straight season with a win against visiting Calgary.
Kevin Fiala and Akil Thomas also scored, Anze Kopitar had two assists and Cam Talbot made 23 saves for the Kings, who won their fourth game in the past five to take a three-point lead over the Vegas Golden Knights for third place in the Pacific Division.
Jonathan Huberdeau scored and Jacob Markstrom made 26 saves for the Flames, who have lost nine of their past 11 games.
Islanders 3, Canadiens 2 (OT)
Kyle Palmieri scored 1:17 into overtime for New York, which overcame a pair of one-goal deficits and moved closer to clinching a playoff berth with a win over Montreal in Elmont, N.Y.
Pierre Engvall scored a tying goal in the second and Casey Cizikas scored in the third for the Islanders, who have won six straight and are three points ahead of the Pittsburgh Penguins in both the race for third place in the Metropolitan Division and the second Eastern Conference wild card.
The Islanders are four points ahead of the Red Wings, Washington Capitals and Philadelphia Flyers, who are tied for ninth place in the East. Jordan Harris and Cole Caufield scored for the Canadiens, who have lost four of five (1-4-0). Sam Montembeault recorded 28 saves.
Flyers 4, Rangers 1
Travis Konecny scored and added an assist as visiting Philadelphia never trailed and snapped an eight-game losing streak with a victory over New York.
Konecny helped the Flyers get their first win since beating the Boston Bruins on March 23. Philadelphia also moved to within one point in the race for the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.
Cam York scored in the first period and Bobby Brink netted the tiebreaking goal off a fortuitous bounce 3:29 into the second. New York star Artemi Panarin scored a five-on-three power-play goal to extend his points streak to 11 games. Panarin also raised his points total to 117 — six behind Jaromir Jagr’s 2005-06 team record.
Jets 3, Stars 0
Laurent Brossoit made 24 saves for his third shutout of the season as visiting Winnipeg held off Dallas for its fifth consecutive victory.
The loss delayed the Stars’ attempt at capturing the Central Division. A win by Dallas would have clinched the title. Instead, the Jets prevailed and moved ahead of the Avalanche for second in the Central. Both Winnipeg and Colorado are 49-24-6 for 104 points, but the Jets hold the regulation-wins tiebreaker.
Nikolaj Ehlers, David Gustafsson and Mark Scheifele scored for Winnipeg. Mason Appleton provided two assists.
Devils 6, Maple Leafs 5
Jesper Bratt scored his second goal of the third period at 18:46 and visiting New Jersey survived two goals from Auston Matthews to earn a win over host Toronto.
Bratt and Timo Meier each finished with two goals and an assist for the Devils, who were 1-4-1 in their previous six games.
Matthews extended his goal streak to seven games with his league-leading 67th and 68th goals of the season. He passed Dave Keon for third on the all-time Maple Leafs goals list with 367.
Panthers 4, Blue Jackets 0
Sam Reinhart scored his 54th goal — second most in the NHL this season — as host Florida defeated Columbus in Sunrise, Fla.
Sergei Bobrovsky made 25 saves as the Panthers shut out their second straight opponent. Matthew Tkachuk, Evan Rodrigues and Vladimir Tarasenko also scored and Oliver Ekman-Larsson added two assists in the win.
The Panthers have already clinched a playoff berth. They are one point behind the first-place Boston Bruins, who were idle, in the Atlantic Division. Blue Jackets goalie Jet Greaves, a 23-year-old rookie making just his seventh NHL start, produced 42 saves.
Sabres 4, Capitals 2
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 22 saves and Buffalo beat visiting Washington.
The Capitals trail the Pittsburgh Penguins by one point for the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference after the Penguins beat the Detroit Red Wings 6-5 in overtime late Thursday.
Alex Tuch scored his 22nd goal of the season for the Sabres, who had lost two straight and have been eliminated from playoff contention. Jordan Greenway and Henri Jokiharju each had two assists.
Senators 3, Lightning 2 (SO)
Brady Tkachuk scored the only goal in a shootout, Anton Forsberg made two crucial saves and Ottawa beat host Tampa Bay.
Tkachuk, who notched his team-leading 35th goal and an assist in regulation for the Senators, beat Lightning goalie Matt Tomkins (25 saves) with a backhander in the bottom of the first round during the backup netminder’s first career shootout.
The Lightning got a goal and an assist from Point and Conor Sheary. Tampa Bay is 11-2-2 in the past 15 games.
Sharks 3, Kraken 1
Rookie goaltender Devin Cooley made 49 saves as San Jose spoiled Seattle’s final home game of the season.
Luke Kunin, Kyle Burroughs and Fabian Zetterlund scored and William Eklund had two assists for San Jose, which is in last place in the NHL’s overall standings.
Brian Dumoulin scored for Seattle and Joey Daccord, making his first start since March 30 after an undisclosed injury, stopped 20 of 23 shots. The Kraken, who will play their final four regular-season games on the road, had a two-game winning streak snapped.
AUTO RACING
BYRON GIVES HENDRICK MORE TO CELEBRATE IN MARTINSVILLE. VERSTAPPEN GETS ANOTHER F1 WIN
NASCAR CUP SERIES
AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400
Site: Fort Worth, Texas.
Schedule: Saturday, practice, 10:30 a.m., and qualifying, 11:20 a.m.; Sunday, race, 3:30 p.m. (FS1).
Track: Texas Motor Speedway.
Race distance: 267 laps, 400.5 miles.
Last year: William Byron won after starting 18th in late September.
Last race: Byron held onto the lead during a two-lap dash to the finish and led a 1-2-3 finish for Hendrick Motorsports at Martinsville, the first for a team in the track’s storied history.
Fast facts: The victory was Byron’s third in eight races. … Kyle Larson finished second and Chase Elliott was third on the 40th anniversary of the team’s first win. … Larson also took over the points lead by 14 over former leader Martin Truex Jr. … Despite his three victories, Byron is fourth in points, 48 behind Larson. … There were 13 lead changes among eight drivers. … The victory was the 29th for Hendrick on the 0.526-mile oval, the most for any organization at any track.
Next race: April 21, Talladega, Alabama.
Online: http://www.nascar.com
NASCAR XFINITY SERIES
Andy’s Frozen Custard 300
Site: Fort Worth, Texas.
Schedule: Friday, practice, 6 p.m., and qualifying, 6:30 p.m.; Saturday, race, 1:30 p.m. (FS1).
Track: Texas Motor Speedway.
Race distance: 200 laps, 300 miles.
Last year: John Hunter Nemechek won after starting 11th in late September.
Last race: Aric Almirola grabbed the lead by going three-wide on the outside in a two-lap overtime dash to the finish and won at Martinsville.
Fast facts: Almirola led six times for 148 laps in his fifth career victory in the series. He also won $100,000 as the top finisher among four drivers eligible for the Dash for Cash. … Chandler Smith finished third and expanded his points lead to 35 over Austin Hill. Smith is the only driver to have finished in the top 10 in all seven races. … Carson Kvapil finished fourth in his series debut. … The race featured 15 lead changes, eight different leaders and 11 cautions.
Next race: April 20, Talladega, Alabama.
Online: http://www.nascar.com
NASCAR TRUCK SERIES
SpeedyCash.com 250
Site: Fort Worth, Texas.
Schedule: Friday, practice, 4:05 p.m., qualifying, 4:35 p.m., and race, 8:30 p.m. (FS1).
Track: Texas Motor Speedway.
Race distance: 167 laps. 250.5 miles.
Last year: Carson Hocevar won after starting fifth.
Last race: Christian Eckes rallied from 19th and outran pole-winner Ty Majeski at Martinsville.
Fast facts: Eckes led the first 104 laps then regained the lead on the 172nd of 200 laps. … The victory was the second for Eckes this season. He also won on another short track at Bristol. … Majeski assumed the points lead by seven over Corey Heim and Tyler Ankrum.
Next race: May 4, Kansas City, Kansas.
Online: http://www.nascar.com
FORMULA ONE
Last race: Max Verstappen won for the third time in four races this season. The win in Japan was also his 22nd in the last 26 races.
Next race: April 21, Shanghai, China.
Online: http://www.formula1.com
INDYCAR
Last race: Two-time and reigning IndyCar champion Alex Palou won the Thermal $1 Million Challenge, leading all 20 laps of IndyCar’s first non-points race since 2008.
Next race: April 21, Long Beach, California.
Online: http://www.indycar.com
NHRA DRAG RACING
Last event: Shawn Langdon won in Top Fuel and Austin Prock won in Funny Car in Arizona.
Next event: April 14, Las Vegas.
Online: http://www.nhra.com
WORLD OF OUTLAWS
Next events: April 12 & 13, Pevely, Missouri.
Online: http://worldofoutlaws.com/sprintcars
GOLF NEWS
TIGER WOODS STARTS MASTERS 1 UNDER, WILL FINISH ROUND FRIDAY
Tiger Woods went 1 under through 13 holes before the first round of the Masters was suspended due to darkness Thursday in Augusta, Ga.
Woods will return to Augusta National early Friday morning to complete his first round before playing the second. The 15-time major winner is tied for 17th, six strokes off Bryson DeChambeau’s lead.
The 88th playing of the Masters began 2 1/2 hours later than scheduled Thursday morning due to weather. Woods’ tee time was pushed to 3:54 p.m. ET, and he wasted no time getting on the board with a birdie at the par-4 first hole.
But after a wayward tee shot at the par-5 second, Woods had to hit a left-handed shot from the base of a tree to get into the fairway. He went on to save par.
“I hit a nice 3-wood off of 1, hit a nice little 8-iron in there about 10, 12 feet and made the putt,” Woods said. “Then quickly hit the next one almost in a hazard, played lefty, got out there, and boy, I hit a nice pitch from over the green. That was nice.”
Woods bogeyed the par-3 fourth after sailing his tee shot over the green, but he got the stroke back at the par-5 eighth with a two-putt birdie.
Woods and playing partners Max Homa and Jason Day of Australia will resume their rounds at 7:50 a.m. Friday.
“It was nice to finish up 13,” Woods said. “We’re going to warm up and just kind of head down there and start our round, and I think the flow would be pretty much almost like between 20 and 30 minutes in between rounds, so it’ll be a natural flow from the finish of the first round and continuation of the second.”
It is Woods’ first appearance since withdrawing from the Genesis Invitational in February with flu-like symptoms, and his first major in a year. Woods made the cut at last year’s Masters but withdrew before the end of the rain-interrupted third round, citing plantar fasciitis.
He underwent left ankle surgery later that month and has played very little competitive golf since. While the ankle no longer gives him pain, he has said the rest of his body, including his knee and back, take the brunt of the weight now instead.
“The body is OK,” Woods said. “We’ve got some (recovery) work to do yet tonight.”
The five-time Masters champion would break a record held by Gary Player and Fred Couples if he makes his 24th straight cut at Augusta this week. The top 50 players and ties after 36 holes, plus anyone within 10 shots of the leader, will play the weekend.
INDIANA SPORTS RELEASES/NEWS
INDIANA BOYS BASKETBALL ALL-STARS
ISAAC ANDREWS, WAPAHANI
JACK BENTER, BROWNSTOWN CENTRAL (PURDUE)
FLORY BIDUNGA, KOKOMO (KANSAS)
KARSON ROGERS, KOKOMO
TREY BUCHANAN, WESTFIELD (IOWA)
MICAH DAVIS, FRANKLIN (EASTERN KENTUCKY)
AARON FINE, NOBLESVILLE (PURDUE)
KEENAN GARNER, FISHERS
EVAN HAYWOOD, BREBEUF JESUIT (BUTLER)
JACK MILLER, SCOTTSBURG (HANOVER)
TYLER PARRISH, CHESTERTON (MARIAN)
TUCKER TORNATTA, EVANSVILLE MEMORIAL (MARIAN)
K.J. WINDHAM, BEN DAVIS (NORTHWESTERN)
IFCA HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES
MORTEN ANDERSON (BEN DAVIS)
DARRICK BROWNLOW (CATHEDRAL)
ROOSEVELT COLVIN (BROAD RIPPLE)
DARREN EVANS (WARREN CENTRAL)
AARON GIBSON (DECATUR CENTRL)
TOBY JACOBS (SCECINA)
MIKE KIRSCHNER (WARREN CENTRAL)
VASCO WALTON (MANUEL)
THOMAS WROBLESKI (SCECINA)
INDIANA PACERS PREVIEW VS. CLEVELAND
The Pacers (46-34) hit the road for the last time in the regular season on Friday, traveling to Cleveland (47-33) for a meaningful matchup with the Cavaliers.
The math is simple for the Pacers at this point. If they win one of their final two regular-season games — either Friday at Cleveland or Sunday against Atlanta — they will clinch a top-six seed and a guaranteed berth in the playoffs. But if the Pacers were to win on Friday in Cleveland, the door would be open for them to secure a top-four seed and homecourt advantage in a first-round playoff series.
Indiana is a game behind the Cavs entering Friday, but the Pacers are 2-1 against Cleveland this season. A win on Friday would also mean the Blue & Gold won the season series with the Cavs and would have the head-to-head tiebreaker over Cleveland, which would move the Pacers into fifth. To then get the four seed, the Pacers would need to close out the season with a win over Atlanta and have either Orlando drop one of its remaining two games or New York lose two of its final three games (if both those things happened, the Pacers could move as high as the three seed).
But if the Pacers were to lose on Friday, their chances of moving any higher than sixth decrease dramatically. Were the Cavs to even the season series, the next tiebreaker is division record, which Cleveland would win. The Pacers would still avoid the Play-In Tournament with either a win on Sunday or a little help elsewhere, but would have slim odds of catching any of the three teams directly in front of them in the standings.
The Cavs had dropped three straight and four of five on a recent Western Conference road trip before returning home and handling Memphis in a 110-98 victory on Wednesday night. The most important development for Cleveland in that win was the performance of All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell, who tallied 29 points, eight rebounds, and three steals while going 9-for-17 from the field and 5-for-10 from 3-point range.
Prior to Wednesday, Mitchell had only played in six games since March 1 while dealing with knee soreness and only reached 20 points in one of those six contests. The Cavs are clearly a different team with their best player fully healthy, and how Mitchell progresses could be the determining factor in their ability to make a deep playoff run.
The Pacers are riding high entering Friday’s matchup, having won three straight and five of their last six. While they got off to a slow start on Tuesday night in Toronto, they righted the ship and ultimately came away with a 140-123 win. All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton had an especially strong night, tallying 30 point, five rebounds, and five assists while going 10-for-16 from the field, his first 30-point game since Jan. 3.
Projected Starters
Pacers: G – Tyrese Haliburton, G – Andrew Nembhard, F – Aaron Nesmith, F – Pascal Siakam, C – Myles Turner
Cavaliers: G – Darius Garland, G – Donovan Mitchell, F – Max Strus, F – Evan Mobley, C – Jarrett Allen
Injury Report
Pacers: Bennedict Mathurin – out (right shoulder labral tear)
Cavaliers: Sam Merrill – doubtful (neck strain), Ty Jerome – out (right ankle surgery), Dean Wade – out (right knee sprain)
Last Meeting
March 18, 2024: The Cavaliers eked out a 108-103 win over the Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Indiana fought back from a nine-point deficit in the fourth quarter, tying the game at 103 on Tyrese Haliburton’s floater with 2:05 remaining, but Caris LeVert answered with a fadeaway jumper on the other end and the Blue & Gold were unable to score the rest of the way.
Pascal Siakam led Indiana with 19 points and 12 rebounds in the loss. Haliburton had a double-double with 14 points and 12 assists, but went just 4-for-14 from the field and 1-for-9 from 3-point range. T.J. McConnell added 14 points off the bench on 7-for-11 shooting.
LeVert — starting in place of an injured Donovan Mitchell — tallied 23 points, eight rebounds, and 11 assists against his former team. Jarrett Allen had 23 points and nine rebounds, Marcus Morris Sr. scored 14 points off the bench on 4-of-5 3-point shooting, and Darius Garland registered 13 points and seven assists.
Noteworthy
With a win on Friday, the Pacers would take the season series against the Cavs for the first time since the 2020-21 season. Cleveland won seven of eight games against Indiana over the last two seasons.
Siakam needs four assists to reach 2,000 for his career.
The Cavs’ roster features three former Pacers: LeVert (2021-22), Georges Niang (2016-17), and Tristan Thompson (2022).
Broadcast Information (TV and Radio Listings >>)
TV: Bally Sports Indiana – Chris Denari (play-by-play), Quinn Buckner (analyst), Jeremiah Johnson (sideline reporter/host)
Radio: 93.5/107.5 The Fan – Mark Boyle (play-by-play), Pat Boylan (studio host)
Tickets
The Pacers close out the regular season by hosting Dejounte Murray and the Atlanta Hawks for the annual Fan Appreciation Game presented by Kroger on Sunday, April 14 at 1:00 PM ET.
INDIANA FEVER
2024 SCHEDULE
| Date, day | place, opponent | Time, TV |
| May 3, Fri. | at Dallas^ | 12:30 p.m. |
| May 10, Fri. | vs. Atlanta^ | 7 p.m. |
| May 14, Tues. | at Connecticut | 8 p.m., ESPN2 |
| May 16, Thurs. | vs. New York | 7 p.m., Prime |
| May 18, Sat. | at New York | 1 p.m., ABC |
| May 20, Mon. | vs. Connecticut | 7 p.m., ESPN |
| May 22, Wed. | at Seattle | 10 p.m. |
| May 24, Fri. | at Los Angeles | 10 p.m., Ion |
| May 25, Sat. | at Las Vegas | 9 p.m., NBA TV |
| May 28, Tues. | vs. Los Angeles | 7 p.m., NBA TV |
| May 30, Thurs. | vs. Seattle | 7 p.m., Prime |
| June 1, Sat. | vs. Chicago* | 1 p.m., NBA TV |
| June 2, Sun. | at New York* | 7 p.m., NBA TV |
| June 7, Fri. | at Washington* | 7:30 p.m., Ion |
| June 10, Mon. | at Connecticut* | 7 p.m., NBA TV |
| June 13, Thurs. | vs. Atlanta* | 7 p.m. |
| June 16, Sun. | vs. Chicago | Noon, CBS |
| June 19, Wed. | vs. Washington | 7 p.m., NBA TV |
| June 21, Fri. | at Atlanta | 7:30 p.m., Ion |
| June 23, Sun. | at Chicago | 6 p.m., NBA TV |
| June 27, Thurs. | at Seattle | 10 p.m., Prime |
| June 30, Sun. | at Phoenix | 3 p.m., ESPN |
| July 2, Tues. | at Las Vegas | 10 p.m., ESPN |
| July 6, Sat. | vs. New York | 1 p.m., CBS |
| July 10, Wed. | vs. Washington | Noon, NBA TV |
| July 12, Fri. | vs. Phoenix | 7:30 p.m., Ion |
| July 14, Sun. | at Minnesota | 7 p.m., ESPN |
| July 17, Wed. | at Dallas | 8 p.m., ESPN |
| Aug. 16, Fri. | vs. Phoenix | 7:30 p.m., Ion |
| Aug. 18, Sun. | vs. Seattle | 4 p.m., ABC |
| Aug. 24, Sat. | at Minnesota | 8 p.m., NBA TV |
| Aug. 26, Mon. | at Atlanta | 7:30 p.m., NBA TV |
| Aug. 28, Wed. | vs. Connecticut | 7 p.m., NBA TV |
| Aug. 30, Fri. | at Chicago | 7:30 p.m., Ion |
| Sept. 1, Sun. | at Dallas | 4 p.m., NBA TV |
| Sept. 4, Wed. | vs. Los Angeles | 7 p.m., CBS SN |
| Sept. 6, Fri. | vs. Minnesota | 7:30 p.m., Ion |
| Sept. 8, Sun. | vs. Atlanta | 4 p.m. |
| Sept. 11, Wed. | vs. Las Vegas | 7 p.m., NBA TV |
| Sept. 13, Fri. | vs. Las Vegas | 7:30 p.m., Ion |
| Sun. 15, Sun. | vs. Dallas | 3 p.m. |
| Sept. 19, Thurs. | at Washington | 7 p.m., Prime |
*-Commissioner’s Cup games
INDIANAPOLIS INDIANS BASEBALL
THURSDAY GAME PPD
INDY FUEL HOCKEY
FUEL FACE FORT WAYNE IN FINAL ROAD GAME OF REGULAR SEASON
INDIANAPOLIS- The Fuel will finish their road schedule in Fort Wayne on Friday night before hosting Kalamazoo for the final regular season game on Saturday. While the Central division playoff race is still tight, the Fuel have secured a spot in the playoffs and look to land in the second seed spot.
LAST TIME OUT
The last time these two teams met was Saturday, April 6 when the Fuel visited Fort Wayne and fell 2-1, despite scoring first. Anthony Petruzzelli had the lone goal against his former team, while Mitchell Weeks made 28 saves in goal.
BIG MACDOUGALL
Ross MacDougall leads the Fuel in points by a defenseman with 28 in 53 games this season. With two power play goals, he also leads defensemen in that category as well as power play assists with four on the season. He is the only defenseman to record more than 100 shots so far this season with 106. MacDougall has had a huge impact both defensively and offensively.
I-69 RIVALRY
This will be the twelfth meeting between these two Indiana teams this season. The Fuel are 6-3-2-0 against Fort Wayne this year, in an ongoing in-state rivalry. At home, Indy is 3-1-1-0 so they have proven to have home ice advantage. It is possible for these two teams to meet in the playoffs for the first time ever, if Fort Wayne secures the three seed spot.
INDIANA WOMEN’S TENNIS
INDIANA WOMEN’S TENNIS WILL TRAVEL TO TWO MATCHES THIS WEEKEND AGAINST NO. 35 ILLINOIS, NO. 37 NORTHWESTERN
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana women’s tennis (6-16, 0-8 B1G) hits the road for two matches this weekend against ranked opponents in No. 35 Illinois and No. 37 Northwestern.
The Hoosiers will take on the Fighting Illini (13-7, 5-2 B1G) on Friday at the Atkins Tennis Center. The match is set to begin at 4 p.m. ET.
IU will close out the weekend against the Wildcats (14-6, 5-2 B1G) on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET at the Combe Tennis Center.
STATS
• Livestats / Livestream (Illinois)
• Livestats / Livestream (Northwestern)
SERIES HISTORY
• IU has an overall record of 19-14 against Illinois. The Hoosiers are looking for their first win since the 2019 season.
• The Wildcats have led the series with a 31-21 record since 2005.
ABOUT THE HOOSIERS
• Indiana fell 6-1 against Maryland in their last match. Freshman Magdalena Swierczynska defeated her opponent in straight sets 6-1, 6-4.
• Freshman Elisabeth Dunac leads the team with 10 wins on the season.
INDIANA BASEBALL
BASEBALL CENTRAL: PENN STATE
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – After picking up three top-35 RPI wins last week, including a series victory at Maryland, the Indiana Baseball team (18-15, 3-3 B1G) returns home with three opportunities at Bart Kaufman Field against Big Ten foe Penn State. The Hoosiers’ Tuesday game against Ball State was canceled, allowing its pitching staff to rest ahead of the crucial conference weekend.
IU received an offensive explosion (51 runs in four games) and held opponents to seven-or-fewer runs in all four games last week. Sophomore shortstop Tyler Cerny (Big Ten Player of the Week) and redshirt freshman Joey Brenczewski (Big Ten Freshman of the Week) were instrumental in helping the Hoosiers get back on track.
The Hoosiers are two wins away from 200 all-time victories at Bart Kaufman Field (opened in 2013). IU could accomplish that this week as it attempts to keep stacking wins towards a potential at-large bid. The Big Ten race is also wide open with Nebraska (5-1) and Illinois (7-2) leading a long list of contenders so far.
Friday’s contest against Penn State will be the first in Bloomington since the COVID-19 season in 2021. It will be the first with fans since the 2019 season, Jeff Mercer’s first at the helm of the Hoosiers. IU is 8-2 in its past 10 contests with the Nittany Lions.
Gameday Info
vs. Penn State (Friday, April 12th – 6:00 PM)
Live Video: t.ly/_fMBQ
Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio
Live Stats: t.ly/DSDfX
vs. Penn State (Saturday, April 13th – 2:00 PM)
Live Video: t.ly/_fMBQ
Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio
Live Stats: t.ly/DSDfX
vs. Penn State (Sunday, April 14th – 1:00 PM)
Live Video: t.ly/_fMBQ
Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio
Live Stats: t.ly/DSDfX
Probable Starters
Indiana vs. Penn State
• Friday – Ty Bothwell, LHP (IU) vs. Travis Luensmann, RHP (PSU)
• Saturday – Connor Foley, RHP (IU) vs. Jaden Henline, RHP (PSU)
• Sunday – TBD (IU) vs. Frankie Sanchez (PSU)
Player and Stat Trends
Closing in on 200
• Josh Pyne (188) is closing on 200 hits through his time in Bloomington. He just needs 12 more to join the club. 23 players in program history, which dates back to the 1890’s, have recorded 200-career hits. Only nine players have ever reached 200 hits in their first three years on campus.
200 of His Own
• Ty Bothwell is also searching for 200 … strikeouts. He is 11 away from becoming the 10th member of the 200-strikeout club at IU. He is currently second on the team with 40 punchies, behind only Connor Foley’s 64.
Racking Up Hits
• Tyler Cerny (50) is one of just two players, along with Rutgers’ Josh Kuroda-Grauer, in the Big Ten with 50 hits this season (as of Monday). The only player in program with 100+ hits in a season was Alex Smith (1985). Phillip Glasser was close with 95 in 2023.
Notable
Big Week Gets IU Back on Track
• Heading into the month of April, IU needed anything to go its way. It got that and more with three top-35 RPI wins including a win over top-20 RPI team Indiana State and a series victory over Maryland.
• That helped the Hoosiers climb into the top-60 of the RPI (56) and back into the Big Ten race, just two games off the leaders Nebraska. The Hoosiers still have seven home games remaining in April including three this week.
Cerny Heating Up
• Tyler Cerny went on a tear this week, hitting .450 across four games enroute to Big Ten Player of the Week honors. He had six-straight multi-hit games across the past two weeks and hit a game-tying grand slam against Indiana State
• On the week, he had nine hits, 11 runs scored, six RBIs, three doubles and one home run. He didn’t make a single error in the field and hit cleanup in the absence of slugger Brock Tibbitts. Cerny is among the top-10 in multiple Big Ten categories including hits (2nd), runs scored (3rd), RBIs (2nd) and doubles (2nd).
The Path Ahead
• The journey to the NCAA and Big Ten Tournament is straight forward: get hot in the month of April. IU got back on track and now needs to continue to play well over the final six weeks of the regular season to put itself in a prime spot for an at-large bid.
• With a more settled rotation and an offense that’s starting to figure it out, IU will look to start stacking wins with important Big Ten series looming over the next few weeks.
Stepping Up
• Without the services of start catcher/first baseman Brock Tibbitts and sophomore AJ Shepard, IU is stretched thin at those two positions. Redshirt freshman Joey Brenczewski (1B) and redshirt junior Jake Stadler (C) have stepped up massively to fill the void. Their offensive production has been great and have both settled in nice defensively.
Foley’s Big Year
• No one’s draft stock is rising more than the draft-eligible sophomore from Jasper. Foley, the Big Ten leader in strikeouts, has begun his conference campaign with 13 scoreless innings, three hits allowed and 20 punchouts. He has been a force on Saturday’s, IU is 7-1 in his starts, and continues to make a case for All-Conference and All-American honors.
Play the Kids
• No one has been more known to play his talented freshmen than Jeff Mercer. Since he’s arrived to Bloomington in 2019, nine different players have earned Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors. Jasen Oliver and Joey Brenczewski have done so in back-to-back weeks and Andrew Wiggins has become a talented option at DH for the Hoosiers.
Scouting the Opponent
Penn State (17-12, 4-5 B1G)
• Winners of four straight, first-year head coach Mike Gambino and Penn State arrive in Bloomington boasting one of the most talented offenses in the country. Gambino was previously the head coach at Boston College and coached IU junior reliever Julian Tonghini for two years.
• J.T. Marr leads the conference with a .421 batting average and supplements that with 27 runs, four home runs and 30 RBIs. Six everyday starters bat above .300 including Bobby Marsh (.380) and Adam Cecere (.347).
• Much like IU, Penn State’s pitching has been a sore spot at time. Its staff boasts a collective 6.42 earned run average. Both teams are top four in the Big Ten in batting average but are bottom five in both earned run average and team fielding percentage.
• IU and Penn State both played Illinois already this year. The Hoosiers salvaged the middle game of the series but Penn State was swept, giving up 43 runs in three contests.
Inside the Series
Indiana vs. Penn State
• The all-time series between the two teams is relatively even with IU holding a 47-43 edge in 90 total contests. However, the recent streak has favored the Hoosiers, winning 8 of the past 10 matchups.
• IU is 8-2 during the Jeff Mercer era against Penn State but he was unavailable to coach in the four-game series in 2021 due to a positive COVID-19 test.
• The Hoosiers won the series in Happy Valley last year, winning the last two games of the series by a combined scored of 26-15.
INDIANA TRACK
HASKETT POSTS PERSONAL BEST IN 3,000M STEEPLECHASE
AZUSA, Calif. –Austin Haskett started the weekend with his first steeplechase race of the season at the Bryan Clay Invitational at Cougar Stadium.
Haskett finished 35th overall and posted a personal best time of 8:52.69.
Up next, the distance crew will continue racing at the Bryan Clay in addition to the Beach Invitational while the field event groups open their weekend at Ball State.
INDIANA SOFTBALL
INDIANA SOFTBALL TO HOST MINNESOTA FOR WEEKEND SERIES
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. –––– Indiana Softball will be back at home for its next Big Ten series against Minnesota this weekend.
The Hoosiers will play a three-game set against the Golden Gophers, with a game on each day from Friday through Sunday.
QUICK HITTERS:
Junior Sarah Stone earned herself Big Ten Player of the Week honors for her stellar play at Michigan State last weekend. Stone went 6-for-10 (.600) from the plate in the series with two home runs and five RBI.
Indiana’s midweek doubleheader vs. Purdue was scheduled to be played on Wednesday but was postponed due to inclement weather. Both teams will look to play each other at a later date.
Five different Hoosiers in the lineup have posted 20-plus RBI on the season, including Taylor Minnick (38), Sarah Stone (31), Avery Parker (26), Brianna Copeland (24) and Cora Bassett (22).
Indiana leads the Big Ten in home runs (44) and stolen bases (87).
Three Hoosiers are hitting .350 or better from the plate: Aly VanBrandt (.363), Taylor Minnick (.362) and Brianna Copeland (.350).
LAST TIME OUT:
Last weekend, Indiana went to East Lansing, Mich. and earned a three-game sweep over Michigan State. No game was decided by less than four runs.
In addition to Sarah Stone’s big-time performance in the Friday win, junior Brianna Copeland also had an impressive series against the Spartans, particularly in the 7-2 win on Sunday.
Copeland did a little bit of everything on Sunday, including hitting a lead-off home run in the top of the first inning to start the game and then turned in one of her best pitching performances of her career. Copeland had a career-high 12 strikeouts while only allowing four hits and two runs. She threw a complete game, as well.
Taylor Minnick hit .385 for the Michigan State series with three doubles and two RBI. Two of her three doubles came in the Sunday win and both were nearly home runs.
In her return to her home state, freshman Aly VanBrandt hit .300 on the weekend with two RBI.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT:
Minnesota enters the weekend with a 21-15 overall record and a 7-2 mark in Big Ten play. The Gophers are also winners of their last six, sweeping Ohio State and Illinois.
In the non-conference the Golden Gophers own notable wins over No. 24 San Diego State, Georgia Tech, No. 10 Clemson and N.C. State.
Minnesota boasts strong hitting as a team with six hitters who have a .300 or better batting average, including Jess Oakland who is hitting .479 with 11 doubles, 14 home runs and 42 RBI. Morgan DeBord is also posting a .392 batting average with seven doubles, three home runs and 22 RBI.
Bri Enter is Minnesota’s top arm, owning a 12-5 record with 61 strikeouts in 25 appearances. She currently has a 2.85 ERA.
Macy Richardson and Jacie Hambrick are also consistent starters for Minnesota (4.74 & 5.76 ERA, respectively).
SERIES NOTES:
Minnesota leads the all-time series against Indiana, 45-56. The teams are 2-2 in the last four games.
Indiana won most recently, defeating them in the Big Ten Tournament semifinal last year.
PURDUE FOOTBALL
FOOTBALL PREPARES FOR SPRING GAME SATURDAY
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – After not having a spring game last year due to renovations at Ross-Ade Stadium, Purdue Football brings back its annual event for the first time under second-year head coach Ryan Walters. Kickoff is set noon this Saturday, April 13.
The event is open to the public, and admission is free. Purdue Football alumni from all generations will join as special guests as part of an alumni reunion weekend. The spring game will also air live on Big Ten Network.
FLASHBACK
• The Boilermakers finished tied for fourth in the Big Ten West a season ago.
• Purdue won both trophy games in 2023, beating Illinois (Cannon Trophy) and Indiana (Old Oaken Bucket) for the third straight season. It marked the first time the Boilermakers defeated both rivals in three consecutive seasons since 2004-2006.
• Leading the Big Ten in rushing during conference games (184.6 ypg) a season ago, Purdue was the only school in the 14-team league to have two running backs rush for more than 500 yards in Big Ten games (Devin Mockobee – 625 yards, Tyrone Tracy Jr. – 624 yards).
• Mockobee (811 yards) and Tracy (716 yards) became the first Purdue duo to eclipse 500 yards in a season since 2018. Mockobee became the first Boilermaker to lead the team in rushing in consecutive seasons since Markell Jones (2015-17).
• Purdue’s 2,029 yards on the ground were the most in a season since 2012.
• The Boilermaker defense registered 35 sacks last season, the most since 2004 and the third-most in school history. Purdue’s 2.92 sacks per game ranked second in the Big Ten and 13th nationally.
• Purdue averaged 24.2 yards per kickoff return, the fourth best in program history and the highest return average since 2004.
BOILERMAKERS THAT ARE BACK
• The Boilermakers return four starters on the offensive line: Jalen Grant, Gus Hartwig, Marcus Mbow and Mahamane Moussa.
• Hudson Card returns for his second year as Purdue’s starting quarterback. He was All-Big Ten Honorable Mention a season ago, ranking third in the conference in passing yards per game and completions per game.
• On the other side of the ball, Dillon Thieneman and Kydran Jenkins return to lead Walters’ defense.
• Thieneman was one of the best defensive players in college football, ranking third nationally in interceptions and solo tackles, breaking Purdue freshman records in both categories.
• Along with earning Third Team All-America accolades by the AP, Thieneman was also named the FWAA Defensive Freshman Player of the Year and the Thompson-Randle El Big Ten Freshman of the Year.
• Jenkins ranked second in the Big Ten in tackles-for-loss with 15.5 on the year, ranking 18th in the country and the most by a Boilermaker since George Karlaftis in 2019 (17.0). He became the first Boilermaker to lead the team in TFLs in straight seasons since Jake Replogle (2014-15).
NEWCOMERS IN OLD GOLD & BLACK
• The Boilermakers welcomed 25 newcomers at the start of the semester (14 transfers, 11 freshmen).
• As the spring semester began, Walters and his staff put together a consensus Top 10 transfer class, featuring 11 players from Power 5 schools.
• The incoming transfers consist of eight offensive players and six defensive players: WR Kam Brown (UCLA), WR De’Nylon Morrissette (Georgia), WR CJ Smith (Georgia). RB Reggie Love III (Illinois), OL Joshua Sales Jr. (Indiana), OL Corey Stewart (Ball State), OL Joey Tanona (Notre Dame), OL DJ Wingfield (New Mexico), DB Nyland Green (Georgia), DB Kyndrich Breedlove (Colorado), RUSH END CJ Madden (Georgia), RUSH END Shitta Sillah (Boston College), DL Jamarius Dinkins (Kentucky) and DL Jireh Ojata (Franklin).
• Freshmen enrolling early for spring ball include: QB Marcos Davila, RB Jaheim Merriweather, TE Tayvion Galloway, WR Tra’Mar Harris, WR Jesse Watson, OL Jaden Ball, OL John Randle Jr., DL Demeco Kennedy, DB Smiley Bradford, DB D’Mon Marable, RUSH END DJ Allen.
PURDUE BASEBALL
PURDUE HOSTS MICHIGAN STATE FOR HOME WEEKEND #4
GAMEDAY INFORMATION
Michigan State (14-16, 3-3 Big Ten) at Purdue (20-13, 5-4 Big Ten)
Friday to Sunday, April 12-14 / Watch B1G+
Series Opener: Friday, April 12 at 6 p.m. ET
Middle Game: Saturday, April 13 at 3 p.m. ET
Series Finale: Sunday, April 14 at 1 p.m. ET
Alexander Field / West Lafayette, Indiana
PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS
Friday: Jordan Morales (Grad, LHP) vs. MSU’s Joseph Dzierwa (So, LHP)
Saturday: Luke Wagner (Sr, LHP) vs. MSU’s Nick Powers (Sr, LHP)
Sunday: Jonathan Blackwell (Sr, LHP) vs. MSU’s Nick Ferazzi (Grad, RHP)
SERIES HISTORY
All-Time: Michigan State leads 88-76
All-Time in West Lafayette: Purdue leads 43-41
2023: MSU won 2 of 3 (March 24-26 in East Lansing)
Last Series in West Lafayette: MSU won 2 of 3 (May 2019)
Purdue’s Last Season Series Win vs. MSU: Purdue won 3 of 4 (April 2021 in East Lansing & Champaign)
Purdue’s Last Weekend Series Win vs. MSU: Purdue won 2 of 3 (April 2012 in West Lafayette)
First Meeting: Purdue 6, MSU 3 (May 1949 in West Lafayette)
WEEKEND PROMOTIONS
Friday: Country Music Night
Saturday: Military Appreciation Day & Doubleheader with Football’s Spring Game (Noon at Ross-Ade)
Sunday: Bark in the Park Dog Day; Dog Bowls Giveaway
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Weekend No. 4 of Big Ten play and Purdue Baseball’s fourth home weekend overlap as Michigan State comes to town for the first time since 2019 and just the third time since Alexander Field opened 11 years ago.
First pitch is slated for 6 p.m. Friday, 3 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday. Saturday’s middle game of the series will serve as the nightcap of a Purdue Athletics’ doubleheader that begins with the football’s annual spring game at Ross-Ade Stadium at noon. The action-packed Saturday on campus also features the College of Agriculture’s Spring Fest, Aviation Day at the airport and the College of Engineering’s evGrandPrix race (the electric edition) next door to Alexander Field.
The Spartans are the opponent for the frontend of the Boilermakers’ consecutive home weekends this month, which comprises the heart of the current nine-game homestand. Tuesday’s homestand opener marked the beginning of a stretch in which Purdue is scheduled to play 16 of its final 23 regular-season games at Alexander.
The Boilermakers are aiming to build on their ninth ever series sweep on the road in Big Ten, bringing out the brooms against a Rutgers team that had not been swept in a three-game Big Ten series at home since April 2017. They’ve bounced back from a four-game losing streak in Big Ten play with a four-game win streak in the league, moving into the top half of the standings with nine of their final 15 conference games at home.
ROAD SWEEPS IN BIG TEN PLAY
Since 1981 – League Moved from 4 to 3-game weekend series beginning in 2009
• April 2024 at Rutgers – 5-3 (10), 8-6, 5-3
• April 2021 vs Michigan State/at Illinois – 2-1 (11), 8-3, 6-4, 20-6 (Pod Weekend in Champaign)
• April 2018 at Maryland – 7-1, 4-3 (10), 8-6
• March 2018 at Penn State – 3-2, 6-3, 9-0
• March 2013 at Penn State – 6-1, 5-4 (10), 7-5
• April 2012 at Northwestern – 7-0, 3-1, 8-4
• April 2001 at Northwestern – 4-2, 9-5, 20-11, 10-3
• March 2001 at Michigan State – 7-2, 5-4, 4-0 (1 game canceled)
• April 1993 at Michigan – 11-1, 8-3, 3-2, 14-0
WEEKEND #4 OF BIG TEN PLAY
• Michigan State (3-3) at Purdue (5-4)
• Iowa (5-4) at Ohio State (3-3)
• Penn State (4-5) at Indiana (3-3)
• Minnesota (2-4) at Michigan (6-3)
• Nebraska (5-1) at Rutgers (1-5)
• Maryland (4-5) at Northwestern (0-6)
• Northern Illinois at Illinois (7-2)
The Purdue-Michigan State series has not featured a weekend sweep since the Boilermakers brought out the brooms in East Lansing in 2001 as part of a 13-game win streak. Purdue won a program-record 21 true road games that year.
Meanwhile, three of the Big Ten’s most infrequent visitors to Alexander all come to town over the final six weekends of the season, beginning with the Spartans. Dating back to 2013, only six of the 22 Purdue-MSU games have been played in West Lafayette. Last year, the teams squared off in East Lansing for the opening weekend of Big Ten play and Michigan State swept a Sunday doubleheader to take the series after the Boilermakers rallied for a 5-4 victory Friday. It proved to be a key result as MSU finished one game ahead of Purdue standings and claimed the final berth in the Big Ten Tournament field.
NOTRE DAME SOFTBALL
IRISH HEAD TO SUNSHINE STATE FOR SERIES WITH THE SEMINOLES
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The University of Notre Dame softball team hits the road for an Atlantic Coast Conference series with the Florida State Seminoles this weekend, with two of three games being broadcasted on the ACC Network. The series begins Friday evening at 6 p.m., continues Saturday at 6 p.m. on ACC Network with the finale on the ACC Network Sunday at 4 p.m.
The Fighting Irish are coming off of a dramatic 3-2 win over the Western Michigan Broncos Tuesday evening. Over the last two weekends, Notre Dame has battled with North Carolina and Virginia, taking a game in both series, and battling to the final inning in other games.
Florida State enters at 28-10, and winners of their last two. Last weekend, the Seminoles dropped the opener with the Louisville Cardinals before rebounding to win the next two to take the series.
Along with the broadcasts, fans can follow the action with live stats available on the Notre Dame softball schedule page.
NOTRE DAME BASEBALL
IRISH HEAD TO NO. 13 NORTH CAROLINA FOR THREE-GAME SERIES
NOTRE DAME, Ind. — The Irish (15-15, 2-13 ACC) go on the road for a three-game series at No. 13 North Carolina (26-7, 11-4 ACC). Led by John P. and Catherine Murphy Head Baseball Coach Shawn Stiffler in his second season with the Irish, Notre Dame welcomes 19 newcomers to the roster.
Game Notes
The Weekend
Friday, April 12
6 p.m. ET
Bryson Field at Boshamer Stadium
ACCNX
RHP Matt Bedford vs. RHP Jason DeCaro
Live Stats
Saturday, April 13
2 p.m. ET
Bryson Field at Boshamer Stadium
ACCNX
RHP Jack Radel vs. LHP Shea Sprague
Live Stats
Sunday, April 14
1 p.m. ET
Bryson Field at Boshamer Stadium
ACCNX
RHP Rory Fox vs. TBA
Live Stats
2024
Following the series sweep at Rice, Notre Dame received votes in the National College Baseball Writers Association poll.
Notre Dame’s four wins to begin the season was the program’s best start since 2004, when the Irish opened the season 7-0.
Notre Dame split the four-game series at FIU, going 2-2 in Miami Feb. 23-25.
The Irish launched several comeback campaigns to earn the series sweep of Tennessee Tech March 1-3. The Irish posted 15 home runs over the weekend, the most of any Division I team that week and in fewer games than the rest of the Top 10. INF Estevan Moreno hit three home runs in Saturday’s contest, tying a program record, which he had already matched once before.
Notre Dame scored 43 runs in the series at Tennessee Tech (14-3 game one, 15-11 game two, 14-11 game three). It marked just the third time Notre Dame has scored 40 runs in three straight games against a single team since 2001 (the team scored 40 against Rutgers over three games in 2006 and 42 against Wake Forest over three games in 2022).
Notre Dame’s home opener was an 11-2 win over Purdue. Moreno set a program record for most career games with three home runs, hitting three bombs in the victory.
The Irish fell victim to a sweep to open ACC play at Virginia Tech. INF Connor Hincks had a standout weekend for Notre Dame, posting a .417 batting average with five hits, two doubles, two runs scored and three RBI. Three of his hits, two RBI and one run came in Sunday’s game. He started all three games at first base for Notre Dame and played a role in two double plays, including an unassisted double play Saturday. In total, Hincks noted 22 putouts, two assists and zero errors on the weekend.
Notre Dame took both games at Radford 10-3, 11-6. Five Irish batters posted multi-hit games in the first win, while OF Simon Baumgardt hit his first-career grand slam to cement the second win.
The Irish fell to Florida State in Tallahassee, as the Seminoles continued their unbeaten streak and entered the national rankings after the weekend.
Notre Dame earned its first ACC series win at home vs. Miami, as pitching was the difference for the Irish in the wins.
The Irish fell in all three games at No. 22 NC State. After an eight-inning 10-0 loss in the series opener, Notre Dame battled in both games to a tie score in the second game, and a 6-4 lead in the third game, heading to the bottom of the ninth. In both games, NC State posted walk-off hits to take the games.
The Irish fell to No. 2 Clemson in three close games, including a 10-run comeback beginning in the seventh inning of the Sunday game to send the matchup to extra innings.
New Lineup in 2024
Notre Dame returns five regular starters from the 2023 lineup in DM Jefferson, Brady Gumpf, TJ Williams, Jack Penney and Estevan Moreno.
With the graduation of key pieces of the 2023 lineup (and 2022 College World Series team) in Carter Putz, Zack Prajzner, Jack Zyska, and Brooks Coetzee, new faces for the Irish have emerged in the lineup.
Notre Dame welcomes nine graduate transfers and 10 freshmen to the roster in the 2024 season.
The Outfield
Notre Dame returns three experienced outfielders in TJ Williams, DM Jefferson and Brady Gumpf. Williams, one of the top defensive centerfielders in college baseball, led the ACC in 2023 in sacrifice bunts (11).
The three are joined by graduate transfers Tito Flores and David Glancy. Flores is a two-time Big Ten all-tournament team selection, while Glancy led St. John’s with 13 home runs in 2023, and is ranked as one of D1Baseball’s Top 100 outfielders entering 2024.
No. 1 Jefferson: Has played most games as the starting DH for the Irish in 2024.
No. 2 Glancy: Leads the team in home runs (11) and RBI (33); Hit two home runs in four series this season – at Rice, at FIU, at Virginia Tech and vs. Miami. Was responsible for Notre Dame’s first home run of the season at Rice. Hit two home runs in the 12-10 (10 innings) loss to Miami, including a grand slam. Also went 4-5 with 4 RBI and hit a home run to give Notre Dame a ninth-inning 6-4 lead in the series finale at No. 22 NC State, but the Irish were unable to hold on.
No. 6 Williams: A four-year member of the Irish, and a leader on the team, Williams currently leads the Irish with a .376 with 38 hits, five home runs and 21 RBI. His 0.492 on-base percentage ranks sixth in the ACC. He posted the first multi-home run game of his career with two home runs in the 13-4 win at FIU (2/23/24).
No. 7 Flores: Ranks fourth on the team in RBI (25) on the season. Hit Notre Dame’s first grand slam of the season in the ninth inning of the Rice series finale, cementing the sweep.
No. 16 Bowen: Has appeared in three games and scored two runs this season; marked his first appearance for the Irish at Rice as a pinch runner, and took his first at-bat at Radford.
No. 21 Gumpf: Ranks third on the team in doubles (8); Hit two doubles in a single game March 9 at Virginia Tech, a single-game career high for the senior; Hit his first home runs of the season at Tennessee Tech, with one homer on Friday (March 1) and one on Sunday (March 3).
The Infield
Jack Penney and Estevan Moreno will look to build off their success in the infield in 2023. Penney tied for the team lead with 10 home runs before being sidelined by an injury, while Moreno, in a breakout freshman season, became the first Irish player since 2016 to hit three home runs in a single game (4/21/23 vs. Virginia). He has again achieved the feat twice since then, setting a program record.
The Irish also return Connor Hincks, Casey Kmet, Nick DeMarco and Rory Fox, all of whom saw playing time last season.
Joining the infield are impact transfers Simon Baumgardt and Josh Hahn. Baumgardt is ranked in D1Baseball’s Top 50 third basemen entering 2024.
No. 3 Moreno: The only player in Division I baseball to have three home runs in two separate games this season; Hit three home runs in the 15-11 win at Tennessee Tech and the 11-2 win vs. Purdue, tying a program record for home runs in a single game. He has achieved the feat three times, the only Irish player in program history to do so (also hit three homers April 21, 2023 vs. Virginia). Moreno leads the team in doubles (12).
No. 11 Penney: Leads the team with in runs scored (35) and walks drawn (23) this season.
No. 12 Hincks: Leads the ACC in fielding double plays (26) and is tied for the third in triples (3). Had a standout weekend for the Irish at Virginia Tech, posting a .417 batting average with five hits, two doubles, two runs scored and three RBI; started all three games at first base for Notre Dame and played a role in two double plays, including an unassisted double play.
No. 15 Hahn: Recorded the go-ahead RBI after being hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the first game of the series at Rice.
No. 18 Baumgardt: Has started all 30 games at third base, and ranks second on the team in total bases (59).
Behind the Plate
With the departure of Vinny Martinez, the catcher position is open entering 2023-24 for the Irish, and multiple players could compete for playing time from the catchers group, which includes senior Tony Lindwedel, junior Joey Spence, and freshmen Carson Tinney, Troy Reader and Davis Johnson.
No. 8 Tinney: Started 12 games at catcher; hit the first homer of his career to score the go-ahead run in the series finale at Rice.
No. 13 Spence: Started 12 games at catcher, one at Tennessee Tech and one at FIU; posted his first home run of the season at Virginia Tech (March 10).
No. 28 Lindwedel: Started eight games at catcher, posting his first hit of the season at Radford (March 12).
No. 55 Johnson: Saw first collegiate action as a pinch hitter on March 8 at Virginia Tech, and saw first action behind the plate on March 9 at Virginia Tech.
On the Mound
Matt Bedford, Jack Radel and Rory Fox have earned starting roles over the past few weeks for the Irish, as Caden Spivey, Bennett Flynn and Ricky Reeth have seen significant time as relievers.
Senior Jackson Dennies comes off a season in which he pitched 46.1 innings and posted 49 strikeouts. Dennies is ranked in D1Baseball’s Top 150 starting pitchers in the nation entering 2024.
Radek Birkholz also returns for the Irish, and will join transfers Bennett Flynn, Will Jacobsen and Nate Hardman in relief roles for Notre Dame.
Jack Findlay continues to recover from an injury.
Rice: The Irish started Spivey (Friday), Dennies (Saturday) and Bedford (Sunday). Birkholz (Friday), RHP Tobey McDonough (Saturday) and LHP Ryan Lynch (Sunday) earned the wins.
Hardman posted two saves on the weekend, a figure which was tied for the ACC lead after the first week.
FIU: The Irish started Spivey (Friday), Dennies (Saturday Game One), Bedford (Saturday Game Two) and McDonough (Sunday) at FIU. Flynn and RHP Jack Radel earned the two wins, and Bedford and Hardman absorbed the losses. Radel’s win was the first of his college career, while Flynn’s win was his first in an Irish uniform. Flynn also earned a save, his first at Notre Dame.
Tennessee Tech: The Irish started Bedford (Friday), Dennies (Saturday) and Spivey (Sunday) against the Golden Eagles. On Friday, Bedford went three full innings only allowing one hit. Birkholz entered to pitch for his second win, and Flynn got three innings of work, earning a save with an impressive seven strikeouts in nine batters faced. After a rocky start Saturday, Rory Fox secured the win, while Ricky Reeth pitched an impressive four innings with four strikeouts. The Irish got down early on Sunday, but a group effort including Jack Radel’s three full innings allowed the Irish to battle back. Keenan Mork secured his first-career win, and Hardman earned the save.
Purdue: Bedford earned the win via the bullpen day setup, going three innings and only allowing two hits and zero runs.
Virginia Tech: The Irish started Reeth (Friday), McDonough (Saturday) and Bedford (Sunday). All three shouldered losses. Fox and Flynn entered in their respective games for meaningful innings, but the Irish were unable to secure a lead.
Radford: Notre Dame took the bullpen approach at Radford, as 11 different pitchers saw action over the two-game span. Freshman RHP Jack Radel made his first-career start and earned the win on March 12, and RHP Nate Hardman posted a win, his first in an Irish uniform, in the March 13 contest.
Florida State: The Irish struggled at Florida State, as McDonough, Bedford and Reeth shouldered the losses. Notre Dame’s staff showed promise through impressive performances from Radel, Cooper, Fox and Spivey.
Western Michigan: Radek Birkholz pitched two scoreless innings in relief to earn the win.
Miami: Notre Dame made a statement on the mound Friday and Saturday, with Spivey and Reeth earning the wins after strong starts from Bedford and Radel. After extra innings on Sunday, Flynn shouldered the loss.
NC State: Bedford, Radel and Fox again started on the mound for the Irish, with Radel allowing just one run in 4.0 innings of work on Saturday. Bedford, Spivey and Reeth absorbed the losses.
Clemson: Bedford, Radel and Fox continued in their starting roles against No. 2 Clemson, and got off to strong starts, but the Irish were unable to hold on. Bedford pitched a career-high 4.2 innings Friday, Radel went a career-high 5.0 innings on Saturday night, and Fox went 4.1 innings with six strikeouts Sunday.
John P. And Catherine Murphy Head Baseball Coach
Shawn Stiffler is in his second season with the Irish, and led Notre Dame to a 30-24 record in his first season. He owns a 385-237 career record.
Stiffler came to South Bend after spending the last 10 seasons at the helm of the VCU program where he accrued a 340-198 overall record, and dominated the Atlantic 10 with a record of 146-71.
He was a monumental piece in VCU’s success where he turned the Rams into one of the most consistent programs in the country, as it is one of just seven programs nationally to earn 34 or more wins in each of the last eight full seasons.
In Stiffler’s 10-seasons at the helm of the VCU program, the Rams won Atlantic 10 Regular Season Championships in 2017, 2019 and 2021. The 2017 A-10 Regular Season Championship was the first in program history at VCU.
Stiffler also led VCU to the NCAA Championship Tournament in 2015, 2021 and 2022.
Stiffler earned American Baseball Coaches’ Association (ABCA) East-Region Coach of the Year honors following the 2015 season in which he led VCU to the A-10 Championship and its first-ever Super Regional.
The 2019 A-10 Coach of the Year guided four Rams to All-American honors, five Freshman All-Americans, 20 ABCA All-Region honorees and 48 All A-10 selections.
Meet the Assistants
Assistant coach Logan Robbins (position players) enters his second season at Notre Dame and joined the Irish after spending seven seasons at Old Dominion in Norfolk, Virginia.
Robbins led the Monarch offense to new heights as hitters finished second in Conference USA in 2021 and 2022, hitting a .301 and a .296 team average, respectively.
In 2021, the Monarchs finish second in the country with 105 home runs, smashing the previous home run record of 67, followed by a 2022 squad that hit 128 home runs as a team, finishing third nationally.
Robbins offense finished in the top 15 nationally in home runs, home runs per game, scoring and slugging percentage.
Robbins played at Western Kentucky University and was a 10th round draft pick by the Atlanta Braves in 2011.
Assistant coach Seth Voltz (pitchers) begins his second season with Notre Dame, having joined the Fighting Irish after spending the 2022 season under Stiffler at VCU, and previously worked as an assistant coach at Wofford College.
Voltz led the Rams to the 2022 Atlantic 10 Championship, winning 17-consecutive games `Hill Regional where they notched wins over North Carolina and Georgia.
VCU finished the 2022 campaign with a 42-20 record, and ranked in the top 20 in Division I in ERA (3.91 – 9th), WHIP (1.29 – 12th) and walks allowed per nine innings (3.12 – 10th).
Voltz was an assistant coach with the Wofford Terriers from 2017-20.
He helped the Terriers win the first Southern Conference Regular Season Championship in program history in 2021, after a 36-21 regular season and a 21-9 SoCon record.
The 492 strikeouts in the 2021 campaign is the second-most in SoCon history and the third-most in program history.
After graduating from VCU in 2012, where he was a four-year letterwinner under Stiffler, he began his coaching career as the Rams’ volunteer coach and then coached as an assistant at UT Martin from 2015-16.
Ryan Munger (position players/catchers) assumes an assistant coach role after serving as Notre Dame’s volunteer assistant coach in 2023. Munger served as an assistant coach at Davidson for the previous seven seasons, and was elevated to recruiting coordinator in July of 2018.
After joining Davidson in the fall of 2013, Munger worked primarily with the catchers and assisted with hitting. In 2022, he helped guide the Wildcats to a 43-13 overall mark, a 20-4 Atlantic 10 Conference record as Davidson earned the 2022 Atlantic 10 Regular Season Championship, finishing a game ahead of Stiffler’s VCU team.
In his time with Davidson, Munger helped lead the program to new heights, winning the most games in a season in program history in 2017, 2018 and further improving that total during the 2022 season. He led the Wildcats to their first-ever conference title in the program’s 115-year history in 2017, and was just the second four-seed to ever sweep an NCAA Regional.
Munger played baseball at Duke and was a team captain in 2012 and 2013.
BUTLER BASEBALL
BIG EAST HOME OPENER BRINGS GEORGETOWN TO BULLDOG PARK
INDIANAPOLIS – Butler and Georgetown will play a three-game series at Bulldog Park this weekend. Game one will stream on FloSports at 3 PM. Games two and three of the series will have live stats available for fans to follow along. Action picks up at 2 PM on Saturday and at Noon on Sunday.
Weekend Schedule
Friday, April 12 – 3 PM
Saturday, April 13 – 2 PM
Sunday, April 14 – 12 PM
Projected Starters
Game 1 – RHP Tyler Banks vs. LHP Marcello Mastroianni
Game 2 – LHP Ben Whiteside vs. LHP Andrew Williams
Game 3 – RHP Nate Rosser vs. LHP Everett Catlett
Scouting Georgetown
The Hoyas are 23-9 overall with a 5-1 record in the BIG EAST. GU swept Villanova at Capital One Park and won two of three at home over Seton Hall last weekend. Head Coach Edwin Thompson is in his fourth season with the program. The 2024 team leads the conference in hits (311), slugging percentage (.487), base on balls (186), double plays (37) and WHIP (1.43). Leading the charge for the Hoyas is senior first baseman Christian Ficca. He leads the league in RBIs (45), is second in hits (47) and comes in at sixth with his .376 BA. The Hoya lineup also features the league leader in stolen bases, Michael Eze (20) and Jake Hyde who ranks second in the BIG EAST in home runs (9).
On the mound, GU has three of the best arms in the conference. Friday’s starter has the fifth-best ERA in the BIG EAST (3.47) and he is followed by Andrew Williams on Saturday who has the lowest ERA at 2.12. On Sunday, Butler will battle Everett Catlett. The lefty leads the BIG EAST with 51 strikeouts and is third among BIG EAST arms with his 2.66 ERA. On the back end, Nick Davis leads the conference in saves (6).
Bulldog Bits
– Carter Dorighi leads the BIG EAST and ranks 15th in the nation in hits (53)
– The Butler team record for hits in a single-season is 82 (Harrison Freed – 2019)
– Dorighi has the third-highest batting average in the BIG EAST (.387 BA)
– Kade Lewis ranks fourth in the conference with his .381 BA
– Lewis is second in the BIG EAST with nine home runs and third in RBIs with 34
– Lewis is the league leader in slugging percentage (.743) and total bases (84)
– Cole Graverson leads the team and ranks second in the conference in saves (5)
– BU ranks second in the BIG EAST in sacrifice flies (17)
– The ‘Dawgs rank third in the league in home runs (42)
– Joey Urban has scored a run in three-straight games
– Urban has been walked seven times over Butler’s last five games
– Tommy Townsend’s first hit of his collegiate career came April 9 vs. Evansville
– Brett Sherrard has recorded one out in each of his last four appearances
– Nate Rosser is slated to start for the fourth time this season on Sunday
– Rosser has seven strikeouts over his last three starts (11 IP)
– Jack Moroknek hit his eighth home run of the season at Notre Dame on Wednesday
– The Bulldogs have hit 42 home runs this year; the single-season team record is 56 (1998)
– 13 different Bulldogs have hit a homer this year; 11 of the 13 have hit two or more
– Moroknek had two RBIs at ND and now has nine multi-RBI games this season
– Simon Linde had a season-high six strikeouts in his last outing (4/9)
– Tate Foxson used 12 pitches to throw a clean inning at ND
– Ian Choi’s second double of the season came at Notre Dame on Wednesday
– Choi’s extra base hit gave BU 50 doubles on the year
– BU has hit a double in six-straight games
– Butler has scored 40 runs this year in the third inning; they haven’t topped 30 in any other inning
– The Bulldogs are 3-6 at home this season
– Butler won the series at Georgetown last year 2-1
– BU lost the opener 3-2, but won game two 5-3 before crushing GU 20-7 in game three
– Georgetown won the last series held in Indianapolis two games to one
– Tyler Banks has tossed at least five innings over his last three starts
– The Butler softball team will play at Georgetown while the baseball team hosts the Hoyas
BIG EAST Standings
St. John’s 3-0, 22-5-1
Georgetown 5-1, 22-9
Creighton 2-1, 25-5
UConn 2-1, 14-16
Seton Hall 1-2, 17-15
Xavier 1-2, 15-17
Butler 1-2, 13-17
Villanova 0-6, 8-21
Up Next
Butler will head to Ypsilanti to play at Eastern Michigan on Tuesday next week. Their next home game after the Georgetown series will be on Wednesday vs. Miami. Each game is slated for a 4 PM start.
BUTLER SOFTBALL
BUTLER SOFTBALL OFF TO WASHINGTON D.C. TO FACE GEORGETOWN
Series Information – at Georgetown
DATE: Friday, Apr. 12 – Sunday, Apr. 14
LOCATION: Washington D.C. / Washington Nationals Youth Academy
LIVE STATS: butlersports.com
LIVE VIDEO: YoutubeFull Notes
The Butler softball team travels to Georgetown this weekend for a three-game BIG EAST series. The Bulldogs (17-21, 6-9 BIG EAST) are coming off a midweek, 4-2, loss to (RV) Miami (OH), though last weekend they took a conference series with DePaul, two games to one. The Hoyas (10-23, 1-11 BIG EAST) most recently lost to George Mason, 2-1, and last weekend were swept by Creighton.
Bulldog Bits
(as of 4-9-24)
Ella White leads the BIG EAST (18th nationally) with four sacrifice flies. Addition conference (national) rankings include: 36 RBI-2nd (60th), 11 doubles-3rd (71st), .643 slugging %-4th, and 7 HR-6th.
Monique Hoosen is sixth in the BIG EAST with 7 home runs.
Kieli Ryan leads the BIG EAST (12th nationally) with 11 base runners caught stealing.
Katie Petran is second in the BIG EAST (64th nationally) with 11 wins in the circle.
Cate Lehner leads the BIG EAST (49th nationally) with 0.21 sacrifice bunts per game, ranks fourth with 43 hits, and is third in the conference (35th nationally) with 18 stolen bases.
vs. (RV) Miami (OH) (Apr. 9)
Miami ranks fourth in the nation for team batting average (.362) and leads the nation in scoring (9.32 runs/game) and home runs per game (2.94). Butler joined Clemson, Georgia, and Ohio as the only four teams to prevent the Redhawks from at least one home run in a game.
Butler also held the Redhawks to a .214 batting average for the game.
vs. DePaul (Apr. 5-6)
Ella White was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll for offensive performance vs. the Blue Demons. She was 4-for-10 (.400) with a double, triple, and home run, tallying 5 RBI. In game one, she singled in the tying run and scored the winning run in the 2-1 victory. In the game-three, 7-6, victory, she led the team with 3 RBI, two of which came on a bases-clearing triple.
Sydney Carter and Cate Lehner each also had four hits in the series.
Katie Petran pitched a complete-game victory over DePaul in game one of the series, posting a 1.00 ERA while striking out four and allowing four hits and three walks.
SCOUTING GEORGETOWN (10-23, 1-11 BIG EAST)
Series- Butler leads, 14-5
2023 (Indianapolis): GU 12-3 / Butler 5-3 / Butler 3-1
2022 (Washington D.C.): Butler 3-1 / Butler 7-1
2019 (Indianapolis): GU 6-5 / GU 3-1
The teams did not meet in 2020 or 2021.
2024 BIG EAST series results: DePaul (W-L-L), Seton Hall (L-L-L), Villanova (L-L-L), Creighton (L-L-L)
Wins for the Hoyas this season include: Murray State, Chattanooga, Towson, Furman, and IUPUI.
Losses include: Louisville, Boston College, Ohio, North Dakota St., Valpo.
Georgetown vs. (opponents) Butler
runs: 116-187 160
hits: 190-266 279
RBI: 109-173 145
SB: 25-41 41
ERA: 4.95-2.78 4.77
Batting Leaders:
#24 Dayanara Campos (.329) 27H, 7HR, 27RBI
#14 Gabby Park (.292) 5-2B
#12 Claire Turner (.270) 24H, 14RBI, 10SB
Pitching Leaders:
#11 Julia Parker (5-10) 3.99 ERA, 32K
#16 Kayla Dunn (4-9) 4.74 ERA, 79K
#5 Avery Wissmar (1-4) 6.87 ERA, 12K
BUTLER BASKETBALL
BUTLER SIGNEE EVAN HAYWOOD NAMED INDIANA ALL-STAR
Evan Haywood, who will join the Butler Basketball program for the upcoming 2024-25 season, has been named an Indiana All-Star.
The list of 13 Indiana All-Stars was announced Thursday, April 11.
The 6-4 guard starred at Brebeuf Jesuit High School in Indianapolis. As a senior, Haywood averaged 19.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.5 steals per game. He shot 38 percent from three-point range. Haywood led Brebeuf to an 18-6 record during the 2023-24 season as the team advanced to the sectional championship.
This year’s Indiana All-Stars will play the Indiana Junior All-Stars on June 5 in Kokomo, followed by the annual doubleheader against the Kentucky All-Stars. Those games will be played on June 7 in Lexington, Ky., and June 8 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
Haywood signed his national letter of intent with Butler in November of 2023.
BALL STATE MEN’S VOLLEYBALL
NO. 11 MEN’S VOLLEYBALL RECEIVES MIVA AWARDS AHEAD OF TOURNAMENT QUARTERFINALS SATURDAY
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association regular season champion Ball State men’s volleyball team had three players and its head coach recognized with postseason honors from the league Thursday.
Junior outside hitter/opposite Tinaishe Ndavazocheva and sophomore outside hitter Patrick Rogers both were named to the All-MIVA First Team while freshman setter Lucas Machado earned All-MIVA Second Team honors. This is Ndavazocheva’s second straight season earning All-MIVA First Team accolades. Cruz was voted MIVA Coach of the Year for the second time in his three years at the helm of the Cardinals.
Ndavazocheva, who was tabbed preseason All-MIVA prior to the start of the season, leads the Cardinals in kills (297) and points (335.5). Ndavazocheva has turned in a double-digit kill performance 19 times this season including a season best 27-kills against McKendree on April 6 in a five-set thrilling win over the Bearcats in the Cardinals’ MIVA regular season finale. Ndavazocheva earned MIVA Offensive Player of the Week honors on Feb. 27 for the third time in his career.
In his first year as a Cardinal, Rogers made quite the impact on the Cardinals offense, earning his first All-MIVA postseason honor. Rogers garnered MIVA Offensive Player of the Week accolades on Feb. 20 after he led Ball State to a pair of wins over Purdue Fort Wayne and then-No. 10 Loyola Chicago. The sophomore outside hitter totaled 40 kills in eight sets for a 5.00 average per set while hitting .395 for the week. Against the Mastodons, he had 22 kills in three sets on a blistering .515 hitting clip then followed it up with 18 kills on .302 hitting in five sets against the Ramblers. He added an ace against the Mastodons. Rogers ranks second on the team in kills (262) and first in hitting percentage (.365). He has tallied 14 double-kill performances with a career best 24-kills against Ohio State (3/34/24).
A true freshman, the Cardinals’ offense cannot operate without its setter Machado who earns his first postseason conference honor. Machado has dished out 749 assists while averaging 9.60 assists per set. Machado dished out a season-best 51 assists twice this season against Purdue Fort Wayne (3/23/24) and Lewis (3/30/24). Machado also leads the squad in defensive digs with 132 and is second on the team in total blocks with 47.
In his third season at the helm of the Cardinals, Donan Cruz has restored Ball State men’s volleyball’s historic success and guided the team to the program’s third straight MIVA regular season title and 24th in program history. Under Cruz, Ball State has posted three 20-win seasons in a row and a current national ranking of 11. Cruz also guided Ball State to the 2022 MIVA Tournament title and first trip to the NCAA Tournament since 2002. Cruz also garnered AVCA National Coach of the Year honors that same season. Cruz currently owns an overall record at Ball State of 63-22 (.741) and a conference ledger of 35-8 (.813).
The Ball State men’s volleyball team is the top seed for the third year in the 2024 MIVA Tournament and will host the eighth-seeded Queens University of Charlotte on Saturday, April 13 at 7 pm ET in Worthen Arena.
BALL STATE BASEBALL
CARDINALS HOSTING ZIPS FOR THREE-GAME SET IN MUNCIE
The Ball State baseball team is scheduled to host Akron for a three-game series starting at 3 p.m. on Friday at Ball Diamond.
Subsequent contests are set for 1 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Links to video streams and live stats can be found above and on the schedule page.
The Cardinals (20-13, 7-8 Mid-American Conference) are winners of 8 of 9 going into the weekend against the Zips (6-25, 1-11 MAC). Ball State most recently took 2 of 3 at Miami (OH) last weekend before a scheduled midweek game at Indiana was canceled due to expected inclement weather.
Akron lost 12-7 at Dayton on Tuesday after salvaging the series finale against Western Carolina the previous Sunday. The Zips have been swept by common opponents Bowling Green, Miami (OH) and Toledo but went 1-1 against Illinois to begin the year before taking a 4-3 decision against a ranked Duke squad on March 2.
SCOUTING AKRON: The Zips went 21-34 (12-18 MAC) last year in their only season under the direction of Tim Donnelly. Bryan Faulds is in his first year as a head coach at the Division I level after spending the previous two seasons leading NCAA Division II St. Edward’s in Austin, Texas.
The Zips lead the league and rank No. 14 nationally in getting hit by pitches (70) while ranking last in the conference in scoring (4.7 runs per game) and seventh in ERA (7.41).
Senior Max Bowman paces the Zips in batting average (.306), homers (three), RBI (23) and triples (four) which leads the MAC and ranks No. 10 nationally. Friday starting pitcher Jared Schaeffer is 0-5 with a 5.45 ERA and 26 strikeouts in 36.1 innings pitched entering this weekend.
CARDS ON A ROLL: Ball State’s eight-game winning streak from March 24 to April 6 marked the program’s sixth time since 2021 that it put together an unbeaten stretch of at least that many contests.
The 2023 Cardinals won nine in a row (March 11-28) after the 2022 group put together 11-game (April 23-May 8) and 10-game (March 14-April 2) heaters. Ball State notched a pair of eight-game winning streaks in 2021 (March 28-April 11 and April 18-May 1).
ONE-TWO PUNCH: The duo of Merritt Beeker and Keegan Johnson have solidified the top two spots in the weekend rotation for the Cardinals over the last few weeks.
Beeker has tossed three straight quality starts, striking out 28 in 21 innings, to earn his spot as the Friday starter after starting the year in the Sunday slot. The left-handed transfer leads the MAC and ranks Top 20 nationally in strikeouts per nine innings (14.5) and total strikeouts (63).
Johnson is the reigning MAC Pitcher of the Week after striking out 10 in 6.0 scoreless innings at Miami (OH) on Saturday to improve his record to 4-0. The true freshman had a season-best 11 strikeouts in 7.0 innings of one-run ball at Toledo on March 24 for a Co-Pitcher of the Week honor.
SERIES HISTORY: The Cardinals lead the Zips 41-25 in the all-time series between the Mid-American Conference foes.
Ball State is 23-10 in the series under the direction of head coach Rich Maloney having been winners of 15 of the past 19 matchups.
LEAGUE LEADERS: The Ball State pitching staff’s 10.0 strikeouts per nine innings paces the MAC and ranks No. 40 in NCAA Division I, while its 5.91 ERA and 1.81 strikeout-to-walk ratio both rank second in the league.
The Cardinals’ bats rank second in the MAC in home runs (46) and slugging percentage (.472) and third with 306 hits and 56 doubles.
POWERFUL AND VERSATILE: Senior infielder Michael Hallquist paces the league and ranks in the Top 60 nationally in both total bases (91, No. 34) and home runs (11, No. 59) while staffing multiple positions.
The transfer from Minnesota-Crookston has 20 starts at third base before recently settling into shortstop, where he has made 12 starts. Hallquist has also been at five spots in the batting order but has been a mainstay at the No. 2 spot in the lineup over the last few weeks.
HUSOVSKY HEATING UP: Junior infielder Nick Husovsky has increased his batting average 184 points since March 15 with the help of six multi-hit games.
The transfer out of Ramona, Calif., has hit both of his home runs and all eight of his RBI on the year in the past month.
Up Next
Ball State is scheduled to play at Purdue in West Lafayette at 6 p.m. on Tuesday.
BALL STATE SOFTBALL
SOFTBALL HOSTS BOWLING GREEN FOR SENIOR WEEKEND
THIS WEEK IN BALL STATE SOFTBALL: It is senior weekend for the Ball State softball team, which hosts Bowling Green for a three-game series at the Softball Field at First Merchants Ballpark Complex … Due to the wet weather currently making its way through Muncie, the teams will play a 1 p.m. doubleheader Saturday and a Noon single game Sunday.
» SENIOR CELEBRATION: Following the conclusion of Saturday’s doubleheader, the Cardinals will honor its 10-member 2024 senior class which includes: Jazmyne Armendariz, Hannah Dukeman, Emma Eubank, Francys King, Samantha-Jo Mata, Kaitlyn Mathews, Emma Richards, Remington Ross, Alyssa Stramaglia and Haley Wynn.
» THE OVERALL RECORD: Ball State enters the weekend with a 1165-1163-4 (.500) overall record dating back to 1975 … The Cardinals have tallied 30-or-more wins in 16 seasons, most recently a 37-18 mark in 2021 … Of the 16 seasons with 30-or-more wins, 11 have come in the past 16 years.
» A QUICK LOOK AT THE CARDINALS: Led by first-year head coach Helen Peña, the Cardinals own a 17-21 overall record … Ball State maintains a .258 team batting average, led by redshirt junior utility player McKayla Timmons at .368 … Timmons ranks third in the MAC and fifth nationally with 16 home runs, while ranking third in the league and 34th among NCAA Division I players with 40 RBIs … Graduate third baseman Haley Wynn is second on the squad in average (.308), home runs (6) and runs scored (28) … In the circle, the Cardinals own a 4.03 ERA led by senior Francys King who boasts a 10-8 record and a 3.40 ERA over 111.1 innings of work … King has also tallied three complete game shutouts this and leads the team lead with 50 strikeouts … Sophomore Bridie Murphy has a team-best .274 average against over 90.0 innings, to go along with a 6-8 record, one save and 47 strikeouts.
» CARDINALS VERSUS THE FALCONS: While Ball State has won the last three meetings, and nine of the last 11, BGSU holds a 54-51 edge in the all-time series … Last season, the Cardinals swept a three-game set at Bowling Green, out-scoring the Falcons 24-5 … BSU scored eight runs in each game, ending the series with an 8-1 victory April 23, 2023 … BGSU holds a 26-23 edge in Muncie, taking two of three meetings in 2022.
» SCOUTING BGSU: Bowling Green enters the weekend with an 5-22 (2-9 MAC) record after closing a three-game series versus Akron with a 7-6 win last Sunday … Aaralyn Nogay leads the squad with a .292 average, while Peyton Dolejs has team-highs of 20 hits and 12 RBI to go along with a .253 average … Taylor Turner leads the Falcons pitching staff with 18 appearances and 53.2 innings of work, boasting a 2-6 record, a 5.35 ERA and a team-high 23 strikeouts … Emma Denison has a team-low 5.25 ERA over 32.0 innings, while Mackenzie Krafcik and Scarlet Anderson have thrown 31.0 and 29.2 innings, respectively.
BALL STATE NEWS & NOTES:
» MAC PRESEASON PROGNOSTICATIONS: Ball State was picked to finish fourth among 11 teams in the Mid-American Conference’s annual preseason poll … The Cardinals, who finished fourth in the league last season with a 17-12 MAC record, are looking for a second consecutive MAC Softball Championship berth, with the league’s top six teams advancing to Firestone Stadium in Akron, Ohio, for the three-day event which runs May 8-11.
» THE WYNN FACTOR: Graduate third baseman Haley Wynn has taken advantage of her extra year of eligibility, ranking second on the team with 41 hits so far this season … That raises her career total to 222 which is seventh in program history … Wynn has registered at least one hit in 26 of first 38 games of the season, including six home runs to up her career long ball total to 25 which is tied for ninth in program history.
» MORE ON WYNN: Haley Wynn is one of the most prolific batters in program history ranking 18th on Ball State’s career charts with a .330 career average … She is also 13th all-time in slugging percentage (.535) and 16th in on base percentage (.406) … In addition, her 160 career runs scored are third in program history and 35th among all active NCAA Division I players … She also ranks 30th among active DI players with 43 career doubles which is eighth in program history, while her 10 career triples are 37th among active DI players and tied for 11th in the BSU record book.
» TIMMONS CLIMBING THE CHARTS TOO: After leading the Ball State offense with a .368 batting average, a .842 slugging percentage and a .479 on base percentage through the first 38 games of the season, McKayla Timmons continued her climb up BSU’s career charts … She currently ranks fourth in program history in both slugging percentage (.693) and on base percentage (.454), while ranking seventh in batting average (.351) … Timmons, who has blasted a team-leading 16 home runs so far this season, including her first collegiate grand slam at Georgia State (Feb. 24), is also one of the program’s top home run hitters with her 32 career long balls ranking fifth on BSU’s all-time list.
» RBI LEADER: McKayla Timmons enters the BGSU series ranked 34th nationally with her 40 RBIs this season … The effort included seven RBIs in the 9-5 (9) win over Georgia State (Feb. 24) and six in the 13-9 victory at Marshall (March 7) … The program record for RBIs in a single game is eight by Stacy Paytonversus Oakland on May 4, 2019.
» SHINING BEHIND THE PLATE TOO: In addition to pacing the offense, McKayla Timmons has proven to be one of the nation’s top threats behind the plate and was recently named one of the nation’s best catchers by Softball America, ranking sixth on the April position list … The effort is aided by Timmons throwing out eight of the 25 runners attempting to steal a base on her so far this season.
» BALL STATE’S BEST THIEF: Senior outfielder Remington Ross enters the Bowling Green series as the greatest base thief in program history with a .966 (56-for-58) career stolen base percentage at Ball State … Last season, she went a perfect 23-for-23 in stolen base attempts and ranked second in the MAC and 54th nationally with a 0.47 steals-per-game average … Ross, who is seventh in program history with 56 career stolen bases, had been successful in her previous 36 stolen base attempts before being caught stealing for just the second time in her Ball State career at Georgia State (Feb. 24) … She has stolen seven straight bases since.
» SPEAKING OF STOLEN BASES: Ball State enters the weekend ranked second in the league and 23rd nationally with 69 stolen bases this season … Haley Wynn leads the squad with 13, while Remington Ross and McKayla Timmons are tied for second with 11 apiece … Overall, 10 different Cardinals have stolen at least one base this season … Ball State’s 69 stolen bases in 2024 are already the 15th-most in a season in program history … The program record is 151 set by the 2008 squad.
» A SLAMMING FIRST HIT: Redshirt sophomore Jessica Hoffman had just two career at bats when she stepped up to the plate with bases loaded in the 10-8 win over Fordham (Feb. 11) … She proceeded to blast her first career hit over the fence in right center field for her first career home run and Ball State’s first grand slam since April 6, 2022 … A regular in the lineup since, Hoffman has 31 career hits and is third on the team with a .295 average this season … Of her 31 hits, 13 have driven in at least one RBI and she currently ranks second on the squad with 23 RBIs.
» SPEAKING OF SLAMS: Senior Kaitlyn Mathews blasted her first career grand slam in last Saturday’s 13-9 (8) victory at Buffalo, taking a two-out, 3-2 pitch over the fence in center field … It was Mathews’ fifth career home run and Ball State’s fourth grand slam of the season.
» KING OF THE PEN: Senior Francys King leads the Ball State pitching staff with a 3.40 ERA over 111.1 innings of work … She has earned the victory in 10 of BSU’s 17 wins, including three of the team’s four complete game shutouts … King has 19 career collegiate pitching victories, with 13 coming at Ball State and six coming in her two seasons at Tennessee State (2021-22).
» TRIPLING UP: The Ball State defense owns one of the nation’s six triple plays this season, turning what was a squeeze bunt attempt into a triple killing in the fifth inning of the 5-4 win over Jacksonville State on Feb. 17 … The bunt was fielded by Haley Wynn at third base, who threw to McKayla Timmons to get the out at first … The play then went to catcher Jazmyne Armendariz to get the runner out trying to advance home, who in turn threw to shortstop Maia Pietrzak to get the final out … It was just the second recorded triple play in program history, with the first coming in 1985.
BALL STATE TRACK
TRACK AND FIELD SET TO HOST WE FLY CHALLENGE
MUNCIE, Ind. — The Cardinals prepare to host the 2024 We Fly Challenge on Friday, April 12 and Saturday, April 13 at the Briner Sports Complex. Competition will start Friday morning at 9:30 a.m. with men’s discus. The Ball State team will begin competing at 12:30 p.m. with women’s discus.
Teams in attendance include, Bethel University (Ind.), Bowling Green State University, Chicago State University, University of Dayton, Goshen College, Grace College, Indiana Elite Athletic Club, Indiana University, Indiana University Kokomo, Indiana Tech, Indiana Tech Developmental, Indiana Wesleyan University, University of Indianapolis, IUPUI, Marian University Indianapolis, Marian University DT, Miami University (Ohio), Purdue University Fort Wayne, Spalding University, University of St. Francis (Ind.), Taylor University and the York University Track and Field Club.
Last weekend the Cardinals competed at the Tennessee Invite in Knoxville, Tennessee. There were many Cardinal personal bests and top placers, including Sydney Miller’s third place finish and new personal best in the discus throw. Miller threw for 43.89m.
The 4x100m relay team, made up of Makayla Sumrall, Alana Springer, Moriah Johnson and Jenna Oriani also had a successful weekend. They finished second, crossing the finish line with a time of 45.41.
Ball State will hope to continue impressing as the team competes in front of its home crowd for the first time this season.
Track and field’s senior day will take place on Saturday beginning at 10:30 a.m. The team will honor seven seniors, Ashley Craycraft, Jenelle Rogers, Jennah Rogers, Josie Stackis, Makayla Sumrall, Alexis Thigpen and Aaleiah Winford.
The We Fly Challenge will be free admittance, and parking is near the Briner Sports Complex and Scheumann Stadium.
Ball State Individual Results at We Fly Challenge
Friday – Field Events
12:30 p.m. – Discus
4:45 p.m. – High Jump
5:30 p.m. – Javelin
Saturday – Field Events
12:00 p.m. – Hammer Throw
1:00 p.m. – Long Jump
3:00 p.m. – Shot Put
5:00 p.m. – Triple Jump
Saturday – Track Events
9:30 a.m. – 5,000m
11:25 a.m. – 3,000m Steeplechase
11:55 a.m. – 4x100m Relay
12:45 p.m. – 800m
1:35 p.m. – 100m Hurdles
2:35 p.m. – 400m
3:55 p.m. – 100m
4:45 p.m. – 400m Hurdles
5:35 p.m. – 200m
6:50 p.m. – 1,500m
8:00 p.m. – 4x400m Relay
INDIANA STATE MEN’S BASKETBALL
INDIANA STATE ANNOUNCES MATTHEW GRAVES AS NEXT MEN’S BASKETBALL HEAD COACH
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State Interim Director of Athletics Angie Lansing announced Matthew Graves has been named the 27th men’s basketball head coach on Thursday afternoon.
Friday Press Conference: An introductory press conference will be held Friday at 11 a.m. in Hulman Center. The press conference will be streamed live via Indiana State Athletics YouTube Page and will be open to the general public. A separate Q&A session with the media will follow the conclusion of the press conference.
Graves had been serving as the interim head coach over the past week following the resignation of former head coach Josh Schertz. He has spent the last three seasons with the Sycamore program, including aiding in arguably one of the best seasons in program history in 2023-24.
President of Indiana State University, Dr. Deborah Curtis said, “Coach Graves has proven himself to be a well-respected member of the Sycamore men’s basketball staff over the last three years, and we are confident in his ability to lead our team. His depth of experience as a coach at several notable colleges and his ability to connect with our student-athletes and community make him a great fit. Our Indiana State men’s basketball team is coming off one of its best seasons in over forty years, and we look forward to continued success. Congratulations, Coach Graves.”
“I look forward to partnering with Coach Graves to capitalize on our success,” Lansing said. “He has been integral within our men’s basketball program and is absolutely the right fit for Indiana State Athletics. First and foremost, he is excited to be a Sycamore and understands the magnitude of the role he plays in the success of our student-athletes, our university and our community. Coach Graves is eager to maintain the momentum of our program and fan base, and he embraces the opportunity to lead Indiana State Basketball well into the future.”
Graves has spent over 20 years in the coaching industry with stops at Xavier, Evansville, South Alabama, and Butler. Well-known for his X’s and O’s acumen, the Switz City native and Butler alumnus brings a wealth of knowledge as a former head coach, an assistant with over a decade of experience, and as a Wabash Valley native.
“I am very excited and appreciative about this opportunity to be the head men’s basketball coach at Indiana State University,” Graves said. “I would like to thank President Curtis and Angie Lansing for their tremendous confidence in me and working judiciously under the unique circumstances in this hiring process. My wife, Susan, and our two daughters, Abby & Lily, are looking forward to embracing the Wabash Valley community for many years to come. Let’s Go Sycamores!”
Graves joined the Indiana State staff as the Associate Head Coach in March of 2021 and made an immediate impact helping transition the Sycamore basketball program into a more up-tempo unit. His recruiting knowledge helped the Sycamores add impact players in helping take ISU to the NIT Championship Game this season.
The Sycamores posted a 32-7 overall record recording the most wins in program history since the 1978-79 team, while recording an ISU record 17 Missouri Valley wins. The Sycamores led the NCAA in both three-pointers made (427) and effective field goal percentage (0.600), while playing an exciting brand of basketball that put Indiana State among the national leaders in scoring offense (84.8). In addition to ISU’s offensive excellence, Indiana State was also the Valley leader in defensive efficiency (100.3).
Graves served as special assistant to the head coach at Xavier University prior to Indiana State. He helped direct an offense that led the Big East in assists per game (17.57), finished second in the Big East in field goal percentage (.458) and fourth in scoring (74.8 points per game), while also assisting with a defense that ranked second in field goal defense (.413).
Graves spent a year working in the Missouri Valley Conference at Evansville in 2018-19. In his lone season with the Purple Aces, UE was second in the Valley in scoring (69.8 ppg) and third in rebounding (34.2 rebounds per game).
One of Graves’ best coaching attributes is his experience in the head coaching chair, spending five years as the head coach at the University of South Alabama from 2013-2018. Graves changed the culture with the Jaguars with the program posting their best GPA, while improving the team’s win total in each of the first three seasons.
Graves spent nearly two decades making a name for himself at Butler, first as a student-athlete and then as an assistant coach. He began his coaching career as coordinator of basketball operations in 2001 under Todd Lickliter and was promoted to associate head coach in 2010 by Brad Stevens.
With Graves on staff, the Bulldogs made a national tournament in each of his last eight seasons and achieved eight straight seasons with 20-or-more wins. The highlight of his tenure at his alma mater came as appearances in back-to-back NCAA Tournament Championship games in 2010 and 2011.
Before his coaching days, Graves was a highly decorated student-athlete for Butler. He was the third-leading scorer of the 1996-97 team that won the Horizon League and earned the Bulldogs their first trip to the NCAA Tournament in 35 years. The sharpshooting guard was named Butler’s Most Valuable Player a season later, leading the Bulldogs to a return trip to the NCAA Tournament while leading the Horizon League in free throw shooting and being named All-Tournament team. He finished his playing career with 994 points.
Graves earned his bachelor’s degree from Butler in secondary education with an emphasis in chemistry in 1998 and his master’s degree in education administration from Butler in 2003. He and his wife Susan have two daughters, Abigail and Lillian.
INDIANA STATE SOFTBALL
SYCAMORES CONTINUE MVC ACTION WITH A TRIP TO UIC
TERRE HAUTE, Ind.- Indiana State Softball will travel to the University of Illinois Chicago for a three-game MVC series this weekend, where play begins Friday, April 12 at 6 p.m ET. All three games will have live stats available and steamed on ESPN+.
Indiana State (15-20, 4-7) won their most recent MVC series matchup 2-1 over Murray State last weekend. The Sycamores were defeated by Purdue on Tuesday evening in a mid week matchup, with a score of 8-5. The Sycamores are ranked fourth in the MVC with a .259 batting average, which consists of 240 hits, 36 doubles, two triples, 14 home runs, 118 RBIs, 135 runs scored, and 322 total bases.
UIC (14-25, 7-7) won their MVC series last weekend, 2-1 over Illinois State, and went 2-0 against Valparaiso in a midweek MVC matchup. UIC has a batting average of .240, which consists of 247 hits, 30 doubles, three triples, 10 home runs, 102 RBIs, 110 runs scored, and 313 total bases.
The Flames lead the all time series over the Sycamores 5-4, which dates back to 1993. Indiana State won the most recent matchup in 2023 with a score of 12-2 in a five-inning run rule over UIC.
Sycamore Standouts:
Abi Chipps leads the Sycamores offensively, with a .350 batting average, where she is ranked second in the conference in hits, with 41. Chipps leads the Sycamores and is ranked second in the MVC in stolen bases, with 11.
Bri Marx recorded her first collegiate home run in the 8-5 loss against Purdue on Tuesday evening, to tie up the game and drive in two runs for Indiana State.
Kennedy Shade has been dominant offensively this season, where she records 25 RBIs, 35 hits, seven doubles, three home runs, and 16 runs scored. Shade has 12 multi-hit games this season, and six multi-RBI games.
Isabella Henning is ranked second in the MVC in doubles, with 11, and she leads the Sycamores with a .565 slugging percentage. I. Henning has three home runs this season as well as Kennedy Shade, and Abby Robakowski.
In the Circle:
Hailey Griffin was named the ISU student athlete of the week for the second time this past week. Griffin had a 2-0 record against Murray State last weekened and a 0.00 ERA, where she led Indiana State to the series win over Murray State. The Sycamore right-hander went 11.2 innings posting 12 strikeouts and four walks to secure both wins against the Racers last weekend. Griffin (5-4) has a 2.92 ERA in the 2024 season, where she has struckout 57 batters in 17 appearances.
Scouting UIC:
Larisa Villa leads the Flames offensively with a .289 batting average, which consists of 33 hits, six doubles, one triple, one home run, 11 RBIs, and eight runs scored.
Christina Toniolo is 7-6 in the circle for UIC where she has a 4.46 ERA, where she has struck out 63 batters in the 2024 season in 111.0 innings of work.
Up Next:
Indiana State will host Butler at Price Field, on Wednesday, April 17, to compete in a non-conference midweek matchup at 4 p.m ET.
INDIANA STATE BASEBALL
SYCAMORES PUT VALLEY WINNING STREAK TO THE TEST WITH HOME SERIES AGAINST BRADLEY
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State returns to Bob Warn Field as the Sycamores welcome Bradley University for a three-game Missouri Valley weekend series starting Friday night as ISU continues conference play. All three games are scheduled to be carried live on ESPN+ and 105.5 The Legend.
Game times for the weekend series features a 6:30 p.m. ET first pitch on Friday night, a 2 p.m. ET first pitch on Saturday, and a 1 p.m. first pitch on Sunday afternoon to close out the series as the Sycamores welcome the Braves to The Bob for the first time since the 2019 season.
Indiana State Baseball Weekend Promotions
April 12 – Trading card giveaway, set 3 of 5, sponsored by Refreshment Services Pepsi for the First 100 Fans
April 13 – First Responders/Child Abuse Prevention Night
April 14 – 90’s Day (anyone with a valid ID with a birthday in the 1990’s can get a $5 GA ticket)
The Sycamores (24-7, 7-2) head into the weekend series looking to extend a 13-series conference winning streak dating back to the end of the 2022 season. Indiana State took two of three this past weekend on the road at Murray State as ISU rallied back after an extra-inning defeat in Friday’s opener by sweeping the Saturday doubleheader to put the Sycamores tied atop the Valley standings through the first three weeks of conference play.
Indiana State enters the weekend winners of three consecutive games after taking Tuesday’s midweek contest at Purdue as the Sycamores topped the host Boilermakers, 9-3, at Alexander Field. Indiana State scored seven runs over the final two innings to rally back against Purdue to sweep the season series and move to 5-1 against the Big Ten on the year.
Luis Hernandez started the eighth-inning rally with a leadoff single as the Sycamores worked the bases loaded for Mike Sears. The senior third baseman delivered with a two-run double to the center field wall scoring Hernandez and Parker Stinson, and Joe Kido followed with a sacrifice fly scoring Adam Pottinger to stake ISU to a 5-2 lead.
The Sycamores added four more runs in the top of the ninth inning to pull away from the Boilermakers with Kido connecting on a two-run single to highlight a three-RBI game. Simon Gregersen shut down the Purdue bats in the bottom of the frame to secure the 9-3 win over the Boilermakers.
Indiana State’s midweek win over the Boilermakers continued ISU’s ascent in the national rankings as the Sycamores enter the weekend ranked in the Perfect Game poll for the second consecutive week, while receiving votes in both the USA Today and the NCBWA polls. ISU clocked in at No. 18 in the Perfect Game NCAA Division I poll marking their second consecutive week inside the top 20 by the organization.
The Sycamores also debuted in the top 10 of the NCAA Division I Baseball RPI standings sitting No. 8 overall heading into the weekend. It marks ISU’s highest ranking in the RPI this season as the Sycamores are lone team not in the ACC, SEC, or Big 12 sitting inside the top-eight after climbing four spots after their midweek win over Purdue. Indiana State finished the 2023 regular season at No. 9 in the RPI on their way to hosting the 2023 Terre Haute Regional in the NCAA Tournament.
Indiana State heads back into Valley play this weekend looking to keep several trends going. ISU has posted a 33-5-1 overall record in the conference regular season dating back to the end of the 2022 season including sweeping UIC at home this year, while taking two of three each from Missouri State and Murray state.
The Sycamores have gotten it done at the plate with a .280 team batting average highlighted by Grant Magill’s .375 mark at the plate, while the pitching staff has silenced opponent bats to the tune of a 3.35 ERA and .192 opponent batting average.
Dominic Listi (.343), Dom Krupinski (.308), and Randal Diaz (.300) are all hitting above .300 on the season in Missouri Valley play, while Mike Sears has connected on a team-high four home runs. Luis Hernandez is also among the team’s hitting leaders with three doubles, two home runs, and an ISU-best 13 RBIs in conference competition.
Twelve different Sycamore pitchers have seen action in Missouri Valley play highlighted by the starting rotation which features Brennyn Cutts (1-0, 1.42 ERA) and Luke Hayden’s (1-0, 5.79 ERA) consistency on both Saturdays and Sundays. Friday night starter Jacob Pruitt returned to the mound in the midweek contest against Purdue and could be back in the mix again this weekend.
Cam Edmonson (2-0, 0.00 ERA) is one of four Indiana State pitchers to post a 0.00 ERA in conference competition, while eight pitchers have posted sub 2.50 ERAs over the nine Valley games. Five different Sycamore pitchers have recorded double-digit strikeouts in conference play with the Sycamores leading the Valley in both total strikeouts (111) and strikeouts looking (31).
Listi (.368) has been Indiana State’s hitting leader in the 2024 season and has reached base safely in 30 of the 31 games this year. The redshirt senior is second in the Valley with a .517 on-base percentage while leading the team with eight doubles.
Hernandez (.344) recorded a team-best 24-game hitting streak on the year, while Diaz (.310) is second on the team with 40 hits from the leadoff position in the lineup. Parker Stinson (.297) has been among the team’s leaders throughout the year with nine home runs and a team-high two triples to go with a .613 slugging percentage. Sears is tied for the conference lead with 12 home runs and 36 RBIs.
Sixteen different Indiana State pitchers have combined to post a 4.34 team ERA in the 2024 season over 274.0 innings pitched. The Sycamores have posted a 326:135 strikeout-to-walk ratio while holding opponents to a .239 batting average at the plate. ISU’s pitching staff sits among the national leaders in ERA (4.34), shutouts (3), strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.41), strikeouts per nine innings (10.7), and WHIP (1.40).
The Sycamore staff has also allowed five of fewer hits in each of their last three contests marking the longest such streak since the 2021 season. ISU posted a six-game streak from April 16-24, 2021, allowing five or fewer hits against Valparaiso (four games) and Dallas Baptist (two games).
Scouting the Braves
Bradley enters the weekend with a 10-19 overall record with a 4-5 mark in Missouri Valley play to date this season. The Braves are coming off a midweek _-_ loss to Lindenwood at home as they return to MVC play.
Bradley took the opening conference series against Illinois State winning the first two games, while falling to both Valparaiso and Missouri State on the year. The Braves are 4-15 away from Dozer Park this season, but picked up the conference series victory over the Redbirds on March 22-24 at Duffy Bass Field winning by scores of 9-8 and 12-6, before falling 12-3 in the finale.
The Braves were selected 10th overall in the MVC preseason poll as voted on by the league’s head coaches finishing with 20 total points. Bradley entered the season featuring one of the more dynamic players in the Valley in outfielder Ryan Vogel, while starting pitcher Jacob Kisting was named the third-highest MVC prospect in the 2024 MLB Draft by D1Baseball.
Beau Durbin (.379) and Logan Delgado (.347) have been Bradley’s leading hitters on the season as the Braves offense has combined to hit .281 from the plate over the first 29 games of the season. Timmy O’Brien has been the team’s primary RBI threat with 30 on the year, while Tyrese Johnson (13) and Vogel (10) have both hit double-digit stolen bases on the year.
Fifteen different Bradley pitchers have combined to post a 6.90 ERA on the mound over 231.0 innings. The Braves’ staff has posted a 187:115 strikeout-to-walk ratio on the season while allowing opponents to hit .300 from the plate.
Noah Edders (4-3, 4.38 ERA) and Travis Lutz (2-4, 5.59 ERA) have been Bradley’s primary weekend arms on the year with eight starts apiece, while Jack Stellano (0-5, 10.30 ERA) has six starts over nine appearances.
Series History
Indiana State holds the 96-66 all-time edge over Bradley dating back to the inaugural contest against the Braves in the 1907 season. The Sycamores hold the 48-26 edge in Terre Haute against Bradley including taking two of three against the Braves in their last contest at Bob Warn Field in 2019.
The Sycamores and Braves have not faced off against each other in Terre Haute since the 2019 season with the 2021 series canceled due to COVID. Due to MVC scheduling, Indiana State traveled to Dozer Park in both the 2022 and 2023 seasons.
ISU swept the series against Bradley last season in Peoria as the Sycamores took 6-1, 2-0, and 8-3 wins over the Braves. It marked ISU’s first sweep over Bradley since the 2017 season and featured complete-games on the mound by both Matt Jachec (Friday) and Connor Fenlong (Saturday) to secure the series win.
Overall, four different Sycamores homered in the series against the Braves to pace the offense, while the ISU pitching staff combined for a 0.67 ERA over 27.0 innings in the win.
PURDUE FT. WAYNE BASEBALL
‘DONS TAKE ON OAKLAND IN WEEKEND SERIES
FORT WAYNE, Ind. - Purdue Fort Wayne (12-20, 6-6 Horizon League) faces off with Oakland (16-16, 7-5 Horizon League) in a Horizon League series.
Game Day Information
When:
Friday, April 12 | 2:30 p.m. ET
Saturday, April 13 | 2 p.m. ET
Sunday, April 14 | 1 p.m. ET
Where: Oakland Baseball Field | Rochester, Mich.
Live Stats:Link
Series History: Purdue Fort Wayne is 18-27 against Oakland in a series that dates back to 2008. The ‘Dons are 10-16 in Rochester but lost all three matchups there last season.
Weather:
Friday: High of 49/low of 40, 91% chance of rain
Saturday: High of 62/low of 43, 3% chance of rain
Sunday: High of 70/low of 45, 84% chance of rain
Probable Pitchers:
Purdue Fort Wayne: RHP Mac Ayres, RHP Carter Sabol, TBD
Oakland: RHP Hunter Pidek, RHP, Shane McAlinden, TBD
Scouting the Golden Grizzlies: Oakland is 16-16 this season and 7-5 in the Horizon League. They won their fourth straight game on Tuesday with a 20-17 victory over Eastern Michigan. Trent Rice and Reggie Bussey are the only two players in the league with more than 20 steals. Rice has 26 and Bussey has 22.
‘Dons & Ends:
– Justin Osterhouse has the second-best batting average in the Horizon League (.390).
– Carter Sabol (3.86) and Kevin Fee (3.94) are two of only four pitchers in the league with an ERA under 4. They are also two of the nine pitchers in the league holding opposing hitters below a .300 average among qualified pitchers.
– Kevin Fee has allowed the fewest runs for a qualifying pitcher in the Horizon League (17).
– Justin Osterhouse leads the team with 14 multi hit games while Jacob Walker, Grant Thoroman, and Nick Sutherlin each have 13.
– Justin Osterhouse (.678), Jacob Walker (.512), and Grant Thoroman (.568) each own a slugging percentage above .500.
– The ‘Dons are 37-of-51 in stolen base attempts this season.
– Six Mastodons have thrown 20 or more innings this season.
Fee Time:Kevin Fee has tied the program record for pitching appearances in a career with 78. He is tied with Adam Feris (2002-05). His next appearance will set the new record.
Stable Sabol:Carter Sabol was named Horizon League Pitcher of the Week after throwing six shutout innings and striking out nine. This effort earned him the win against the league’s top offense in Northern Kentucky. His 1.99 ERA in league play is the best in the league.
Last Time Out: Four Mastodons posted multi-hit games but the Purdue Fort Wayne baseball team dropped a close midweek contest to Bowling Green 8-7 on Wednesday. Justin Osterhouse led the team with three hits in four at-bats and drove in two runs. Nick Sutherlin, Grant Thoroman, and Jacob Walker had two hits each.
Up Next: The ‘Dons travel to South Bend next week to take on Notre Dame on Wednesday.
PURDUE FT. WAYNE MEN’S VOLLEYBALL
JON DIEDRICH AND MARK FRAZIER NAMED TO FIRST TEAM ALL-MIVA
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – Purdue Fort Wayne pin hitters Jon Diedrich and Mark Frazier have been named to the All-MIVA First Team, the conference announced on Thursday (April 11).
This is Diedrich’s third All-MIVA First Team honor. He is the first three-time honoree for the Mastodons since Pelegrin Vargas who earned four First Team All-MIVA honors (2018-21). This season, Diedrich finished with 3.78 kills per set on a career-best .293 hitting percentage. Diedrich was named the MIVA Offensive Player of the Week three times this year, which included one of the best individual performances of the 2024 season on a national level. He had 37 kills in a five-set match against Ball State, which was the most by any player in a match this season. He reached the double-digit kill threshold in 19 matches.
Frazier is a newcomer to the All-MIVA First Team. He has steadily increased his season averages throughout his career, culminating to a 3.84 kills per set mark this season. He was an efficient .323 this season, which ranked 26th in the nation and seventh in the MIVA. Frazier recorded double-digit kills in 23 of the 25 matches the Mastodons played in 2024, including three of 22 or more. Defensively, he had four matches with double-digit digs. His 26 aces also rank 11th in the MIVA.
This is the fourth year in a row that two Mastodons have been named to the First Team All-MIVA.
2024 All-MIVA Awards
Player of the Year: Parker Van Buren, Loyola Chicago
Newcomer of the Year: Daniel Fabikovic, Loyola Chicago
Coach of the Year: Donan Cruz, Ball State
First Team All-MIVA (alphabetical by team)
Tinaishe Ndavazocheva, Ball State, Junior, Outside Hitter
Patrick Rogers, Ball State, Sophomore, Outside Hitter
Nico Paula, Lewis, Sophomore, Libero
Max Roquet, Lewis, Junior, Outside Hitter
Kevin Schuele, McKendree, Junior, Outside Hitter
Daniel Fabikovic, Loyola Chicago, Freshman, Outside Hitter
Parker Van Buren, Loyola Chicago, Redshirt-Junior, Opposite
Jacob Pasteur, Ohio State, Senior, Outside Hitter
Cole Young, Ohio State, Junior, Middle Blocker
Jon Diedrich, Purdue Fort Wayne, Fifth Year, Outside Hitter/Opposite
Mark Frazier, Purdue Fort Wayne, Junior, Outside Hitter
Raje Alleyne, Quincy, Junior, Opposite
Second Team (alphabetical by team)
Lucas Machado, Ball State, Freshman, Setter
Dan Mangun, Loyola Chicago, Redshirt-Junior, Setter
Nicodemus Meyer, Loyola Chicago, Junior, Middle Blocker
AJ Lewis, Lindenwood, Graduate Student, Outside Hitter
Ian Schuller, Lindenwood, Sophomore, Opposite
Connor Sheehan, Lindenwood, Senior, Setter
Clay Wieter, Lindenwood, Redshirt-Junior, Outside Hitter
Yadiel Diaz, McKendree, Redshirt-Sophomore, Libero
D’Aaron McCraney, McKendree, Junior, Middle Blocker
Tyler Poulsen, McKendree, Redshirt-Senior, Setter
Shane Wetzel, Ohio State, Sophomore, Opposite
Michael Wright, Ohio State, Redshirt-Senior, Setter
PURDUE FT. WAYNE TRACK
TWO MEETS AHEAD FOR MASTODON TRACK & FIELD
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The Purdue Fort Wayne track & field team will compete at Bucknell and Ball State this weekend.
Bison Outdoor Classic
When: Friday, April 12 – Sunday, April 14
Where: Lewisburg, Pa. | Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium
Meet Info: Link
Live Results: Link
Video: FloTrack ($)
Men’s Entries:Brent Donaldson (200, 4×400), Austin Hall (mile, 5000), Ezra Lewellen (100, 200, 4×100, 4×400), Kobe Milledge (800, 4×400), Nicholas Mills (1500, mile), Jonas Morris (200, 4×100, 4×400), Jarred Neff (mile, 3000 steeple), Harrison Niswander (800, 3000 steeple), Kehinde Oladapo (800, 1500), Andrew Roman (pole vault), Alex Schipper (pole vault), Isaiah Smith (100, 200, 4×100), Jaylin Springer (100, 4×100).
Women’s Entries:Faith Allen (3000, 5000), Sophia Buck (400 hurdles), Lydia Carrell (mile, 5000), Ava Genovese (1500, mile), Haylee Hile (3000, 3000 steeple), Jesseca Hudson-Turpin (200, 100 hurdles, 4×400, 4×100), Ella Jenkins (100 hurdles, 400 hurdles), Kassie Jordan (200, 4×400,, 4×100), Dylan Kirkwood (100 hurdles, 400 hurdles, LJ), Louiza Kruiswijk (long jump), Jai Reed (100, 200, 4×100), Mercedes Sarver (mile, 5000), Riley Tate (10000), Marissa Van De Weg (400 hurdles, 4×400), Aniya Young (100, 200, 4×100), Korynne Moga (4×400).
We Fly Track and Field Challenge
When: Friday, April 12 – Saturday, April 13
Where: Muncie, Ind. | Briner Sports Complex
Meet Info:Link
Men’s Entries:Andrew Arnos (1500), Kai Auernheimer (100, 200, long jump, discus), Caden Bird (shot put, hammer), Hunter Crew (dicus, hammer), Michael Drohosky (high jump), Alex Evans (discus, javelin), Dona Fagnon (100, 200), Colin Gasson (800), Colten Gasson (1500), Zyler Johnson (shot put, hammer), Owen Kaufman (shot put, discus, hammer), Brevin Miller (shot put, discus, javelin), Jack Mills (400 hurdles), Seth Mills (800), Brejion Peters (100, long jump, discus, javelin), Isaac Shreve (100), Asher Walden (discus, hammer), Corey Waldron (800).
Women’s Entries:Francesca Carlo (hammer), Emery Carrico (shot put, discus), Abbigail Garwood (shot put, hammer), Aubrey Haas (200, 100 hurdles, long jump, javelin), Nakia Harris-Campbell (shot put, discus, hammer, javelin), McKayla Henry (shot put, discus, javelin), Melia Marlin (high jump), Madeline McClerren (200, 400), Kelsey Shatava (high jump), Megan Sinnott (hammer), Ali Sparks (shot put, hammer), Ramey Wilder (javelin), Martia Williams (100 hurdles, long jump).
Up Next: The ‘Dons will have their final tune-up before the Horizon League Championships next week at the Gibson Invitational.
EVANSVILLE SOFTBALL
ACES TRAVEL TO CARBONDALE FOR WEEKEND SERIES
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Another 3-game road series is on the slate this weekend for the University of Evansville softball team as the Purple Aces travel to Carbondale to face Southern Illinois. ESPN+ will have the live coverage of all three games.
Last Time Out
– Drake took the opening two games of last weekend’s series in Des Moines before Evansville came back to take a 7-2 win in Sunday’s finale
– Brooke Voss went 4-for-4 with two runs scored in the victory while Alexa Davis went 3-4 with three runs and two RBI
– Taylor Howe belted her first home run of the season while registering a career-best four runs batted in
– In the circle, Sydney Weatherford earned her fourth win of the season with two unearned runs scoring in seven innings
Perfect Performance
– Brooke Voss recorded a career-best four hits in four plate appearances in Sunday’s finale at Drake
– In the final two games of the weekend, Voss went 5-for-6
– Over her last 17 games, Voss is batting .373 with 19 hits in 51 at-bats while seeing her batting average rise from .146 to its current mark of .273
– Voss finished the UIC series going 3-7 with two runs in the final two games of the series
Evansville’s Ace
– Sydney Weatherford kept things rolling at Drake, completing the weekend with her fourth victory of the season in a complete-game performance
– Sunday’s game saw her allow two unearned runs on six hits
– Over her last eight appearances, Weatherford has allowed just eight earned runs in 50 innings of work
– She picked up her third win of the season in the finale against UIC; in two games against the Flames, she allowed two earned runs in 14 frames
– Her MVC earned run average is 1.43 while her season ERA is just 1.91
Career Game
– Sunday’s finale at Drake saw Taylor Howe finish with one of the best games of her career
– Howe went 2-3 with a home run and a career-high four RBI
– Entering the game, Howe had just one RBI in her first 23 games of the season
– The performance ended a 1-for-13 showing at the plate in her prior seven outings
EVANSVILLE BASEBALL
BASEBALL HOSTS RED-HOT REDBIRDS THIS WEEKEND
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Two of the hottest teams in the Missouri Valley Conference will square off this weekend at German American Bank Field at Charles H. Braun Stadium in Evansville, Indiana, as the surging University of Evansville Purple Aces will do battle with the red-hot Redbirds of Illinois State. The series will begin Friday night at 6 p.m. and continue both Saturday (2 p.m.) and Sunday (1 p.m.) afternoon.
Evansville will enter the weekend series having won five out of the last six games, and six out of eight games overall, after knocking off Butler, 15-5, in seven innings on Tuesday. The Purple Aces are 15-17 overall and 4-5 in the MVC, and sit in a four-way tie for fifth place in the Valley standings.
Graduate outfielder Mark Shallenberger, the current MVC Player of the Week, currently leads the UE offense with a .376 average. Shallenberger ranks second in the Valley in batting average, while ranking in the league’s top 10 in ten different offensive categories this year. Junior outfielder Harrison Taubert is not far behind with a .333 average overall, and a team-best .455 average in MVC play. In league play, Taubert ranks second in the Valley in batting average, on-base percentage (.571), and hits (15), while being tied for the league-lead with five Valley doubles.
Illinois State has been the surprise team of the league race so far, as the Redbirds are currently tied for first in the Valley standings with an 18-12 overall record and 7-2 conference mark. Illinois State was predicted to finish seventh in the league’s pre-season poll. The Redbirds have won eight of their last nine games after a 7-4 win at Western Illinois on Wednesday. Overall, ISU leads the league in team batting average this year at .303, as six Redbird regulars hit above .300 on the season. Sophomore Daniel Pacella leads the every-day Redbirds with a .364 average, while he leads the Valley with 44 RBI already.
Overall, Illinois State leads the series over Evansville, 68-58-1. The Purple Aces won two out of three games at Illinois State last year, and the Purple Aces have won five of the last six series meetings overall. Evansville will turn to freshman left-hander Kenton Deverman (3-1, 4.56 ERA) to start Friday’s series opener. All three games of the series this weekend can be heard live on 107.1 FM-WJPS and seen live on ESPN+. Tickets for all three games are also available by contacting the UE athletic ticket office by phone at 812-488-2623.
VALPO ATHLETICS
VALPO ATHLETICS MOURNS THE PASSING OF DR. JAMES MALAYTER
The Valpo Athletics family is saddened by the passing of Dr. James “Jim” Malayter ’66, who was a fixture at Valparaiso University athletic events while serving as the team physician from 1983-2007.
Malayter, a 2012 Valpo Athletics Hall of Fame inductee, passed away on April 7 at the age of 80.
Malayter, who served as the team physician for all of the department’s teams and routinely traveled with the basketball programs, played football at Valpo for four seasons and was a member of the 1964 Indiana Collegiate Conference championship team.
Malayter went on to become an orthopedic surgeon and was a founding partner and president of Lakeshore Bone & Joint Institute until his retirement in 2007. In the early 1980s, he was one of the lead fundraisers for the project that built the Athletics-Recreation Center.
In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting that tribute gifts be made to the Valpo Victory Fund in Jim’s honor. To donate, please go to give.valpo.edu and select the Valpo Victory Fund from the “Other Designations” menu. Click here for visitation details and more information.
SMALL COLLEGE ATHLETICS
INDIANA WESLEYAN ATHLETICS: https://iwuwildcats.com/
EARLHAM ATHLETICS: https://goearlham.com/
WABASH ATHLETICS: https://sports.wabash.edu/
FRANKLIN ATHLETICS: https://franklingrizzlies.com/
ROSE-HULMAN ATHLETICS: https://athletics.rose-hulman.edu/
ANDERSON ATHLETICS: https://athletics.anderson.edu/landing/index
TRINE ATHLETICS: https://trinethunder.com/landing/index
BETHEL ATHLETICS: https://bupilots.com/
DEPAUW ATHLETICS: https://depauwtigers.com/
HANOVER ATHLETICS: https://athletics.hanover.edu/
MANCHESTER ATHLETICS: https://muspartans.com/
HUNTINGTON ATHLETICS: https://www.huathletics.com/
OAKLAND CITY ATHLETICS: https://gomightyoaks.com/index.aspx
ST. FRANCIS ATHLETICS: https://www.saintfranciscougars.com/landing/index
IU KOKOMO ATHLETICS: https://iukcougars.com/
IU EAST ATHLETICS: https://www.iueredwolves.com/
IU SOUTH BEND ATHLETICS: https://iusbtitans.com/
PURDUE NORTHWEST ATHLETICS: https://pnwathletics.com/
INDIANA TECH ATHLETICS: https://indianatechwarriors.com/index.aspx
GRACE COLLEGE ATHLETICS: https://gclancers.com/
ST. MARY OF THE WOODS ATHLETICS: https://smwcathletics.com/
GOSHEN COLLEGE ATHLETICS: https://goleafs.net/
HOY CROSS ATHLETICS: https://www.hcsaints.com/index.php
TAYLOR ATHLETICS: https://www.taylortrojans.com/
VINCENNES ATHLETICS: https://govutrailblazers.com/landing/index
“SPORTS EXTRA”
NUMBERS IN SPORTS
7 – 5 – 9 – 31 – 16 – 66 – 99
April 12, 1909 – The city of Philadelphia’s Shibe Park, later known as Connie Mack Stadium, has it’s first MLB game played. The hometown Philadelphia Athletics claimed victory 8-1 against Boston Red Sox to open the ballpark venue in style.
April 12, 1970 – The New Yankees dedicated plaques to a couple of their former stars in Number 7, Mickey Mantle and Joe DiMaggio, Number 5.
The website of NBA.com offers these nuggets of history for the day.
April 12, 1954 – The Minneapolis Lakers became the first team to win three NBA titles in a row by defeating the Syracuse Nationals 87-80 in Game 7 of the 1954 NBA Finals.
April 12, 1958 – Number 9, Bob Pettit poured in 50 points as the St. Louis Hawks, who missed the championship by a whisker a year earlier, beat the Boston Celtics 110-109 in Game 6 of the 1958 NBA Finals to dethrone the Celtics as NBA champions.
April 12, 1996 – Indiana’s Number 31, Reggie Miller hits 6-of-11 attempts from 3-point range during the Pacers’ 111-101 road win at Orlando, becoming the second NBA player to reach 1,200 career 33-pointers
Here are a couple of items from the Vintage Hockey Jerseys website
April 12, 1938 – The Chicago Blackhawks beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-1 in game four of the Stanley Cup finals, to win the 1938 Stanley Cup championship. Eight American born players skated for Chicago, as they won their second Stanley Cup.
April 12, 1960 – The Montreal Canadiens defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-2 in game three of the Stanley Cup finals with Number 9, Maurice Richard scoring his 82nd NHL playoff goal. This was the last playoff goal of the “Rocket’s” career.
April 12, 1992 – Blues Number 16, Brett Hull became the third fastest 300 goal scorer in NHL history after Number 99, Wayne Gretzky and Number 66, Mario Lemieux, scoring his 500th career point in a 1-1 tie between the St Louis Blues and the Minnesota North Stars.
FOOTBALL HISTORY
April 12 Football History Headlines
April 12, 1940 – NFL reduced the penalty of clipping. According to the FootballZebras.com website up until 1940, the offense might as well have given the ball to the defense immediately if they got flagged for clipping. Before 1940, a clipping penalty was a 25-yard penalty from the spot of the foul. From 1940 to today, the penalty is 15-yards. At some time during the 1990’s all levels of football adopted the Block in the Back rule that partially cleaned up the clipping rule further. Prior to this change almost any block from behind was considered a clip. The Block in the back fouls are blocks from behind above the waist and have a ten yard penalty while the clip was limited to behind the back below the waist of the offended player.
April 12 Football Hall of Fame Birthdays
April 12, 1870 – Fort Barrancas, Florida – Marks the birth of Winchester Osgood who played halfback for Cornell from 1888 to 1889 then again 1891 to 1892 also played for the Penn Quakers in 1893 and 1894. He seemed to always enjoy gridiron success too as Cornell had a 28-8 record in his playing time, Pennsylvania went 24-3. His bio on the FootballFoundation.org site goes on to say that in 1893 Penn lost to Yale 14-6 but Osgood was acclaimed because he scored a touchdown for Penn. It was the first touchdown scored against Yale in three years. In 1894 Penn went 12-0 and was national champion. His athletic prowess was on full display at Cornell, where Osgood received a medal as the school’s best all- around athlete. He ran the 440 and shot put for the track team, was an accomplished gymnast, boxer, wrestler, tennis player, and set a record of 5:28 for the 2-mile bicycle race. The legendary Yale gridder Pudge Heffelfinger, who was also the first paid pigskin player who became a writer, gave this description of Osgood: “It was downright uncanny to watch him run, opponents missed him by inches. His body undulated like a snake’s. He was the Red Grange of the pioneer era. Winchester Osgood was honored with induction into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1970 after the National Football Foundation tallied their votes.
April 12, 1944 – Los Angeles, California – Southern Cal’s bellcow halfback of the era of 1963 to 1965, Mike Garrett celebrated his day of birth. This celebrated back was in the top ten of the nation’s rushing leaders each year he played college football. He was so good in fact that according to the FootballFoundation.org website bio on Mike his career 3221 yards, broke the national record set 15 years earlier by Ollie Matson at the University of San Francisco. Mike also crossed the goal line stripe 30 times but besides his rushing gains, the versatile Garrett in his career caught 36 passes, returned 43 punts, returned 30 kickoffs and threw 6 passes! The open field is where he really thrived as the 1965 game against Cal proved where Mike G. returned punts 87 and 74 yards for scores. During his collegiate career Garrett averaged 23 yards in kickoff returns. As one can imagine, the accolades of such a player did not go unnoticed. “Iron Mike” was All-America his last two years, a unanimous choice in 1965 and in that magical season he also won the Heisman Trophy, Veit Memorial Award, and the Pop Warner Award. He was named Athlete of the Year by the YMCA and North American Athlete by the Helms Foundation. Mike Garrett’s collegiate football records are celebrated in the College Football Hall of Fame after his induction in 1985. After graduation Mike moved on to the Pro level of the gridiron where he played with Kansas City and San Diego 1966-73 and was all-pro halfback.
April 12, 1966 – Hollywood, Florida – Lorenzo White the standout Michigan State Spartan running back from 1984 through the 1987 season was born. Lorenzo rewrote the school and Big Ten conference record books and remains the Spartans’ all-time leading rusher even to this day. The National Football Foundation shares that White holds nearly every Michigan State career rushing record, including his 1082 rushing attempts, 4887 rushing yards, 43 rushing touchdowns and his 23 100-yard rushing games. At the end of his career, his 4,887 rushing yards were the second most in Big Ten history, and they still rank in the top 10. He also owns two of the top three single-game rushing performances in school history, including a career-best 292 yards against Indiana in 1987. White led the Spartans to the Big Ten title in 1987 and an invite to the Rose Bowl against USC where he had a top notch performance. White capped his stellar career with a 113-yard, two-touchdown performance in a win over No. 16 USC to help Michigan State earn the No. 8 final ranking. Lorenzo was a First Team All-American, earning unanimous honors in 1985 and a consensus selection in 1987 while finishing fourth in the Heisman Trophy balloting in both seasons. The College Football Hall of Fame proudly placed a display in honor of Lorenzo White into their legendary museum in 2019. Lorenzo was a first round pick of the Houston Oilers in the 1988 NFL Draft, and he played seven seasons in Houston including a stellar Pro Bowl season in 1982 before one final season with the Cleveland Browns in 1995.
TODAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY
April 12
1906 — Johnny Bates of Boston became the first modern player to hit a home run in his first major league at bat. Irv Young allowed one hit as Boston beat Brooklyn 2-0.
1909 — The Philadelphia Athletics opened Shibe Park with an 8-1 win over the Boston Red Sox. Shibe Park was the first concrete and steel stadium.
1911 — The Washington Senators opened Griffith Stadium with an 8-5 win over the Boston Red Sox.
1912 — The Chicago Cubs’ Tinker-Evers-Chance double play combination played its final major league game together.
1927 — Bill Terry of the New York Giants hit the first grand slam ever hit on opening day. The Giants beat the Philadelphia Phillies 15-7.
1955 — In their first game in Kansas City, the transplanted Athletics defeated the Detroit Tigers 6-2 at Municipal Stadium. The standing-room crowd of 32,147 was the largest paid crowd for any event in Kansas City.
1960 — The San Francisco Giants beat the St. Louis Cardinals 3-1 in the first game at Candlestick Park.
1965 — The first National League home run in the Houston Astrodome was hit by Richie Allen of the Philadelphia Phillies off Bob Bruce in a 2-0 victory over the Astros.
1966 — A crowd of 50,671 welcomed the Braves to Atlanta, but Willie Stargell spoiled the occasion with a two-run homer in the 13th inning to give the Pirates a 3-2 victory.
1970 — Plaques honoring Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle are dedicated at Yankee Stadium.
1980 — In an awesome display of power, Cecil Cooper and Don Money each hit grand slams in the second inning of Milwaukee’s 18-1 rout of the Boston Red Sox.
1992 — Boston’s Matt Young pitched eight no-hit innings at Cleveland but lost 2-1. In the second game, the Indians managed only two hits off Roger Clemens to set a major league record for fewest hits (2) in a doubleheader.
1994 — Scott Cooper hit for the cycle and drove in five runs to lead the Boston Red Sox to a 22-11 rout of the Kansas City Royals. Cooper went 5-for-6 with two doubles and completed the cycle with a single in the ninth.
2004 — Bobby Abreu of the Philadelphia Phillies hits the first home run in the new Citizens Bank Park.
2009 — For the second time in a week, a team draws four bases-loaded walks in one inning, as the Chicago Cubs score 4-runs in the 4th inning.
2010 — The Minnesota Twins inaugurate their new outdoor ballpark, Target Field, with a 5-2 win over the Red Sox.
2018 — Shohei Ohtani hit a bases-loaded triple in Los Angeles’ five-run seventh inning, helping the Angels beat the Kansas City Royals 7-1 for their fifth straight victory. The pitcher-outfielder was tied with Mike Trout for the Angels’ lead with 11 RBIs in 26 at-bats.
2020 — The Chinese Professional Baseball League, based in Taiwan, is the first pro circuit to open its season since the coronavirus pandemic shut down the global sports world in early March.
2021 — The Twins postpone tonight’s game against the Red Sox after tensions engulf the city following the killing of a black motorist by a policewoman during a traffic stop in the suburb of Brooklyn Center, Minn., a reminder to everyone of the tragic death of George Floyd in Minneapolis a year ago.
2022 — Alyssa Nakken, the first female coach in the history of Major League Baseball, sets another milestone as she becomes the first woman to appear in uniform on the field during a game when in the top of the 3rd inning she replaces Antoan Richardson, who has just been ejected, as first base coach of the Giants in a game against the Padres.
BASEBALL YEAR IN REVIEW: 1972 (BASEBALL ALMANAC).
Off the field…
LIFE, the blueprint for magazine publishing in America folded as a weekly in December of 1972. Though the weekly version’s life span covered only thirty-seve years, it is impossible to think of any other magazine that had such an extraordinary impact on the art of photo-journalism. Debuting in 1936, Henry R. Luce and his colleagues at Time Inc. decided to publish a magazine that would take pictures and words to an unprecedented level. Up to then, most newsworthy imagery had been deliberately posed and static, but after the portable 35mm camera was developed in the 1930’s, it was discovered that a skilled photographer could take pictures of almost anything, anywhere; at anytime. Most magazines had been built around editors and writers, but LIFE was very different, as it was entirely been built around its photographers.
President Richard Nixon defeated Democratic candidate George McGovern by one of the widest margins on record. However, within a few months, his administration was under fire over the so-called “Watergate” scandal, stemming from a break-in at the offices of the Democratic National Committee during the 1972 campaign. The break-in was traced to several officials of the Committee to Re-elect the President. As a result, many resigned and some were later convicted of offenses connected with efforts to cover up the affair. Nixon himself denied any personal involvement, but the courts forced him to yield White House tape recordings, which indicated that he had, in fact, tried to interfere with the ongoing investigation.
In the American League…
On May 12th, the Milwaukee Brewers and Minnesota Twins went head-to-head for twenty-one innings before the one A.M. curfew halted play with the score 3-3. Both teams combined to tie the Major League record for intentional walks during an extra-inning game with seven and the Twins went a step further and tied their own club record by stranding twenty-three men on base. The following day play resumed as the Brewers scored in the top of the twenty-second to win 4-3, but the Twins prevailed with a 4-3 victory of their own in the second outing after fifteen innings. At the end of the day, both games tallied nine hours and twenty-three minutes setting an American League record for the most consecutive innings ever played in a two-day span.
June 4th belonged to the pitchers as a Major League record eight shutouts were pitched in sixteen games. Five took place in the American League and three in the National League with two being recorded by the Oakland Athletics who swept the Baltimore Orioles twice with a pair of identical 2-0 decisions.
California Angels’ ace Nolan Ryan sat down sixteen batters for a 3-0 victory and an American League record with eight K’s in a row on nine pitches. Carl Yastrzemski of the Boston Red Sox, managed a one-out single in the first for the team’s only hit, but Ryan responded by retiring the last twenty-six consecutive batters. In doing so, the future Hall of Famer became only the third pitcher in Major League history to twice fan the side on nine pitches.
In the National League…
Giants’ giant Willie McCovey tied both Gil Hodges and Hank Aaron for the National League grand-slam record with fourteen of his own as San Francisco beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 9-3.
On September 30th, Roberto Clemente doubled to left-center off of the New York Mets’ John Matlack at Three Rivers Stadium for his final at-bat and career hit number three-thousand. The Pittsburgh Pirates went on to win 5-0 and “The Great One” went on the list with Ty Cobb, Stan Musial, Tris Speaker, Honus Wagner, Hank Aaron, Eddie Collins, Napoleon Lajoie, Willie Mays, Paul Waner, and Adrian Anson as the newest member of the “3,000 hit club”.
Unfortunately, Clemente was killed in a plane crash while on a humanitarian mission that was taking supplies to earthquake victims in Nicaragua. The DC-7 aircraft he was flying in went down off the coast of Puerto Rico one-mile from San Juan with no survivors. The four time National League batting champion was only thirty-eight years old and had just won a World Series championship in 1971. As a tribute, he was elected on a special consideration to the National Baseball Hall of Fame with a 93% vote becoming the first Latin American to be inducted into Cooperstown.
Around the League…
Eighty-six games were cancelled due to the first general players’ strike, which was eventually resolved on April 13th. Concessions came after both the owners and players agreed on a $500,000 increase in pension fund payments. In an effort to prevent paying the players for the work stoppage, the league decided not to make up the missed contests. As a result, some teams only played one-hundred fifty-three total games.
The Philadelphia Phillies’ Steve Carlton became the first pitcher at 27-10, to win the Cy Young Award while playing with a last-place team and Rod Carew, of the Minnesota Twins, became the first American League player to lead the league in hitting without ever hitting a single home run.
The Oakland Athletics’ Reggie Jackson set a new trend in baseball after being the first Major League ballplayer to wear a mustache since Wally Schang in 1914. As a result, the A’s owner Charles Finley declared June 18th “Mustache Day” at the ballpark and offered $300 to each player that could grow one before Father’s Day.
The U.S. Supreme Court confirmed lower court rulings in the Curt Flood case by a vote of 5-3 upholding baseball’s exemption from antitrust laws. The decision cleared the way for future legislation or collective bargaining to undercut the reserve system, but proved meaningless after all major league owners agreed to salary arbitration at the end of the season.
BASEBALL’S GREAT PITCHERS
#23 — CARL HUBBELL (1928-1943)
Killer Stat: .622 Win-Loss Percentage
Screwball pitcher Carl Hubbell became legendary at the 1934 MLB All-Star Game — when he struck out five consecutive future Hall of Famers, including Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig and Jimmie Foxx — but he was one of the game’s best even without that feat.
Hubbell spent his entire 15-year career with the then-New York Giants, helping the team win a World Series in 1933, which was also one of two seasons in which he was named National League MVP. He held down an ERA of 2.98 and a 1.166 WHIP for his career and finished with the 30th-best WAR mark among all pitchers in baseball history at 68.3.
TODAY IN NBA HISTORY
April 12, 1954
The Minneapolis Lakers became the first team to win three NBA titles in a row by defeating the Syracuse Nationals 87-80 in Game 7 of the 1954 NBA Finals.
April 12, 1958
Bob Pettit poured in 50 points as the St. Louis Hawks, who missed the championship by a whisker a year earlier, beat the Boston Celtics 110-109 in Game 6 of the 1958 NBA Finals to dethrone the Celtics as NBA champions.
April 12, 1994
Denver’s Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf stretched his consecutive free throw streak to 53, during the Nuggets’ 107-102 home loss to Phoenix. Earlier in the 1993-94 season, Abdul-Rauf also compiled consecutive FT streaks of 81 and 57, making him only the second player in NBA history (along with Bill Sharman) to have three FT streaks of 50 or more in the same season.
April 12, 1996
Indiana’s Reggie Miller hits 6-of-11 attempts from 3-point range during the Pacers’ 111-101 road win at Orlando, becoming the second NBA player to reach 1,200 career 33-pointers
April 12, 2001
The NBA Board of Governors approved four rules changes recommended by a select committee on playing rules. The rules changes provided for included the elimination of illegal defense guidelines, the institution of a defensive three seconds call, a reduction of the time to advance the ball into the frontcourt from 10 to eight seconds and a relaxation of the rules against hand-checking. All changes were scheduled to go into effect for the 2001-02 season.
April 12, 2015
Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder scores 54 points in a 116-104 loss to the Indiana Pacers.
TODAY IN SPORTS HISTORY
April 12
1939 — Stanley Cup Final, Chicago Stadium, Chicago, IL: Chicago Black Hawks beat Toronto Maple Leafs, 4-1 for a 3-1 series win; only team to win Cup with losing regular season record.
1941 — The Boston Bruins beat the Detroit Red Wings 3-1 to cap a four-game sweep in the Stanley Cup finals.
1942 — Byron Nelson wins his second Masters, edging Ben Hogan by one stroke.
1945 — Toronto rookie goalie Frank McCool set a playoff record with his third consecutive shutout, defeating the Detroit Red Wings 1-0 at Maple Leaf Gardens in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final.
1953 — Ben Hogan takes his second Masters with a five-stroke victory over Porky Oliver.
1954 — Sam Snead edges Ben Hogan by one stroke in a playoff round to win his third Masters.
1954 — 8th NBA Championship: Minneapolis Lakers beat Syracuse Nationals, 4 games to 3.
1958 — St. Louis’ Bob Pettit scores a record 50 points as the Hawks beat the Boston Celtics in six games for the NBA title. Pettit hit 19 shots from the field and 12 from the free-throw line in the Hawks 110-109 win.
1960 — Maurice Richard scored his NHL-record 82nd, and final, playoff goal in the Montreal Canadiens’ 5-2 victory against the Maple Leafs in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final. Richard retired before the 1960-61 season.
1964 — Arnold Palmer wins the Masters for the fourth time and comes within the course record by two strokes with a 274.
1980 — U.S. Olympic Committee endorses a boycott of the Moscow Olympic games.
1981 — Tom Watson wins his second Masters with a two-stroke victory over Jack Nicklaus.
1987 — Larry Mize hits a 48-foot chip shot to defeat Greg Norman on the second hole of sudden death at the Masters.
1987 — Ahmed Salah wins 2nd World Cup marathon (2:10:55).
1988 — Frank Robinson replaces Cal Ripkin as manager of Baltimore Orioles.
1992 — Fred Couples wins the Masters by two strokes to end a string of four consecutive British victories. Couples beats Ray Floyd, who was attempting to become the oldest player to win a major at age 49.
1993 — American Jeff Rouse swims world record 100m backstroke (51.43 sec).
1997 — Allen Iverson scores a career-high 50 points, for his fourth straight game with at least 40, as Philadelphia loses to Cleveland 125-118. Iverson breaks Wilt Chamberlain’s rookie record of three consecutive 40-point games, set during the 1959-60 season.
1998 — Mark O’Meara wins the Masters with a 20-foot birdie putt on the final hole. O’Meara becomes the first player since Arnold Palmer in 1960 to win by closing with two consecutive birdies.
2005 — Smithtown (N.Y.) High School’s co-ed badminton team defeats Miller Place (N.Y.) High School 10-5 to end Miller Place’s 504-match win streak, the longest sports winning streak in U.S. history. For Miller Place, it is the first loss in the program’s history, which began in 1973.
2009 — In Hameenlinna, Finland, the United States wins its second straight women’s World Hockey Championship title, beating Canada 4-1 behind defenseman Caitlin Cahow’s two goals.
2009 — 73rd US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: Ángel Cabrera wins his 2nd major title in a playoff with Chad Campbell and Kenny Perry; Cabrera, first Masters champion.
2015 — Jordan Spieth romps to his first major championship with a record-tying performance at the Masters, shooting an 18-under 270 to become the first wire-to-wire winner of the green jacket since 1976. Spieth is the first Masters champion to lead after every round since Raymond Floyd 39 years ago.
TV SPORTS FRIDAY
AUSTRALIAN RULES FOOTBALL (MEN’S)
11:30 p.m.
FS2 — AFL: St. Kilda at Greater Western Sydney
2:30 a.m. (Saturday)
FS1 — AFL: Carlton vs. Adelaide, Docklands, Australia
5:30 a.m. (Saturday)
FS2 — AFL: Fremantle at Port Adelaide
AUTO RACING
4 p.m.
FS1 — NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series: Qualifying, Texas Motor Speedway, Fort Worth, Texas
6 p.m.
FS1 — NASCAR Xfinity Series: Qualifying, Texas Motor Speedway, Fort Worth, Texas
8:30 p.m.
FS1 — NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series: The SpeedyCash.com 250, Texas Motor Speedway, Fort Worth, Texas
11 p.m.
FS1 — NHRA: Qualifying, The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Las Vegas (Taped)
COLLEGE BASEBALL
8 p.m.
BTN — Minnesota at Michigan
ESPNU — LSU at Tennessee
SECN — Mississippi St. at Mississippi
COLLEGE SOFTBALL
6 p.m.
BTN — Minnesota at Indiana
SECN — Arkansas at South Carolina
7 p.m.
ACCN — NC State at Virginia
ESPN2 — Duke at Clemson
8 p.m.
PAC-12N — Oregon at Arizona
10 p.m.
PAC-12N — California at UCLA
GOLF
3 p.m.
ESPN — PGA Tour: The Masters, Second Round, Augusta National Golf Course, Augusta, Ga.
8 p.m.
ESPN — PGA Tour: The Masters, Second Round, Augusta National Golf Course, Augusta, Ga. (Taped)
HORSE RACING
1 p.m.
FS2 — NYRA: America’s Day at the Races
MIXED MARTIAL ARTS
9 p.m.
ESPN2 — PFL Main Card: Light Heavyweights & Lightweights, Las Vegas
MLB BASEBALL
7:05 p.m.
APPLETV+ — Milwaukee at Baltimore
8 p.m.
MLBN — Regional Coverage: Texas at Houston OR NY Yankees at Cleveland (7:10 p.m.)
9:40 p.m.
APPLETV+ — Chicago Cubs at Seattle
11 p.m.
MLBN — Regional Coverage: San Diego at LA Dodgers (10:10 p.m.) OR St. Louis at Arizona (9:40 p.m.)
NBA BASKETBALL
8 p.m.
NBATV — Milwaukee at Oklahoma City
10:30 p.m.
NBATV — Phoenix at Sacramento
NHL HOCKEY
8 p.m.
NHLN — Carolina at St. Louis
RUGBY (MEN’S)
5:55 a.m.
FS2 — NRL: Dolphins at Brisbane
TENNIS
5 a.m.
TENNIS — Monte Carlo-ATP Quarterfinals
6 a.m.
TENNIS — Monte Carlo-ATP Quarterfinals
6 p.m.
TENNIS — Billie Jean King Cup Qualifiers: U.S. vs. Belgium
VOLLEYBALL (WOMEN’S)
7 p.m.CBSSN — Pro Volleyball Federation: San Diego at Columbus