INDIANA BOYS BASKETBALL
STATE FINALS
SESSION 1
PUBLIC GATES OPEN AT 9:30 AM ET
10:30 AM ET | CLASS 1A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP
BETHESDA CHRISTIAN (23-7) VS. FORT WAYNE CANTERBURY (18-9)
APPROX. 12:45 PM ET | CLASS 2A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP
BROWNSTOWN CENTRAL (27-4) VS. WAPAHANI (26-2)
FIELDHOUSE CLEARED
SESSION 2
PUBLIC GATES OPEN AT 5 PM ET
6 PM ET | CLASS 3A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP
SCOTTSBURG (24-5) VS. SOUTH BEND ST. JOSEPH (20-9)
APPROX. 8:15 PM ET | CLASS 4A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP
BEN DAVIS (23-5) VS. FISHERS (28-1)
STATE FINALS PREVIEW: https://www.ihsaa.org/sites/default/files/documents/2023-24%20Boys%20Basketball%20Preview.pdf
INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL SOFTBALL SCORES-REPORTED
CAMDEN CENTRAL 8 MILAN 3
WINAMAC 6 TIPPECANOE VALLEY 5
MOUNT VERNON 7 LOOGOOTEE 0
TRI 10 COWAN 0
GIBSON SOUTHERN 15 SULLIVAN 2
WEST VIGO 13 TERRE HAUTE NORTH 10
PRINCETON 6 S. KNOX 0
FLOYD CENTRAL 11 MOUNT JULIET 8
LEBANON 13 BETHESDA CHRISTIAN 5
UNION COUNTY 16 NEW CASTLE 1
RIVERTON PARKE 19 CRAWFORDSVILLE 1
NORTH DAVIESS 4 NE DUBOIS 3
CASTON 13 CARROLL 0
WESTERN BOONE 17 SHERIDAN 2
LAKELAND 16 WHITKO 13
LAPEL 26 GUERIN CATHOLIC 2
BREBEUF 20 HERRON 1
JEFFERSONVILLE 9 SACRED HEART 3
KOKOMO 15 EASTERN 2
PLAINFIELD 12 FRANKLIN 1
JASPER 9 PIKE CENTRAL 2
FISHERS 11 WARREN CENTRAL 0
MOORESVILLE 10 TERRE HAUTE SOUTH 1
CHRISTIAN ACADEMY 15 PORTLAND CHRISTIAN 1
PENN 10 VALPARAISO 0
WASHINGTON 19 S. SPENCER 9
OAKLAND 16 MILAN 4
FLOYD CENTRAL 6 BLACKMAN 1
CASTLE 11 MOUNT JULIET 4
INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL SCORES-REPORTED
NO SCORES REPORTED
MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL SCORES
(NCAA TOURNEY)
MICHIGAN STATE 69 MISSISSIPPI STATE 51
DUQUESNE 71 BYU 67
CREIGHTON 77 AKRON 60
ARIZONA 85 LONG BEACH STATE 65
NORTH CAROLINA 90 WAGNER 62
ILLINOIS 85 MOREHEAD STATE 69
OREGON 87 SOUTH CAROLINA 73
DAYTON 63 NEVADA 60
TEXAS 56 COLORADO STATE 44
OAKLAND 80 KENTUCKY 76
IOWA STATE 82 SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 65
GONZAGA 86 MCNEESE STATE 65
TENNESSEE 83 ST. PETER’S 49
NORTH CAROLINA STATE 80 TEXAS TECH 67
WASHINGTON STATE 66 DRAKE 61
KANSAS 93 SAMFORD 89
(NIT SCORES)
NO GAMES SCHEDULED
NCAA MEN’S TOURNAMENT FIRST ROUND SCHEDULE
FIRST ROUND
IN BROOKLYN (FRIDAY)
1-SEED UCONN (31-3) VS. 16-SEED STETSON (22-12)
8-SEED FAU (25-8) VS. 9-SEED NORTHWESTERN (21-11)
IN SPOKANE (FRIDAY)
5-SEED SAN DIEGO STATE (24-10) VS. 12-SEED UAB (23-11)
4-SEED AUBURN (27-7) VS. 13-SEED YALE (22-9)
SOUTH REGION (DALLAS)
FIRST ROUND
IN MEMPHIS (FRIDAY)
1-SEED HOUSTON (30-4) VS. 16-SEED LONGWOOD (21-13)
8-SEED NEBRASKA (23-10) VS. 9-SEED TEXAS A&M (20-14)
IN BROOKLYN (FRIDAY)
5-SEED WISCONSIN (22-13) VS. 12-SEED JAMES MADISON (31-3)
4-SEED DUKE (24-8) VS. 13-SEED VERMONT (28-6)
IN INDIANAPOLIS (FRIDAY)
7-SEED FLORIDA (24-11) VS. 10-SEED COLORADO
2-SEED MARQUETTE (25-9) VS. 15-SEED WESTERN KENTUCKY (22-11)
MIDWEST REGION (DETROIT)
FIRST ROUND
IN INDIANAPOLIS (FRIDAY)
1-SEED PURDUE (29-4) VS. 16-SEED GRAMBLING STATE
WEST REGION (LOS ANGELES)
FIRST ROUND
IN SPOKANE (FRIDAY)
5-SEED SAINT MARY’S (26-7) VS. 12-SEED GRAND CANYON (29-4)
4-SEED ALABAMA (21-11) VS. 13-SEED CHARLESTON (27-7)
IN MEMPHIS (FRIDAY)
6-SEED CLEMSON (21-11) VS. 11-SEED NEW MEXICO (26-9)
3-SEED BAYLOR (23-10) VS. 14-SEED COLGATE (25-9)
WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
ARIZONA 69 AUBURN 59
HOLY CROSS 72 TENNESSEE MARTIN 45
WOMEN’S NCAA TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
MARCH 21 – FIRST FOUR
7 P.M. – NO. 11 ARIZONA VS. NO. 11 AUBURN, ESPN2
9 P.M. – NO. 16 UT MARTIN VS. NO. 16 HOLY CROSS, ESPN2
MARCH 22 – FIRST ROUND
11:30 A.M. – NO. 9 MICHIGAN STATE VS. NO. 8 NORTH CAROLINA, ESPN2
NOON – NO. 15 MAINE VS. NO. 2 OHIO STATE, ESPN
1:30 P.M. – NO. 11 MIDDLE TENNESSEE VS. NO. 6 LOUISVILLE, ESPN2
2 P.M. – NO. 16 PRESBYTERIAN/SACRED HEART VS. NO. 1 SOUTH CAROLINA, ESPN
2:30 P.M. – NO. 10 RICHMOND VS. NO. 7 DUKE, ESPNEWS
3 P.M. – NO. 16 DREXEL VS. NO. 1 TEXAS, ESPNU
3:30 P.M. – NO. 13 MARSHALL VS. NO. 4 VIRGINIA TECH, ESPN2
4 P.M. – NO. 14 RICE VS. NO. 3 LSU, ESPN
4:30 P.M. – NO. 13 PORTLAND VS. NO. 4 KANSAS STATE, ESPNEWS
5:30 P.M. – NO. 9 FLORIDA STATE VS. NO. 8 ALABAMA, ESPN2
6 P.M. – NO. 12 COLUMBIA/VANDERBILT VS. NO. 5 BAYLOR, ESPNU
7 P.M. – NO. 12 DRAKE VS. NO. 5 COLORADO, ESPNEWS
7:30 P.M. – NO. 10 MARYLAND VS. NO. 7 IOWA STATE, ESPN2
8 P.M. – NO. 14 EASTERN WASHINGTON VS. NO. 3 OREGON STATE, ESPNU
10 P.M. – NO. 15 NORFOLK STATE VS. NO. 2 STANFORD, ESPN2
10:30 P.M. – NO. 11 TEXAS A&M VS. NO. 6 NEBRASKA, ESPNU
MARCH 23 – FIRST ROUND
NOON – NO. 11 GREEN BAY VS. NO. 6 TENNESSEE, ESPN
1 P.M. – NO. 14 JACKSON STATE VS. NO. 3 UCONN, ABC
1:30 P.M. – NO. 13 FAIRFIELD VS. NO. 4 INDIANA, ESPN2
2 P.M. – NO. 9 MICHIGAN VS. NO. 8 KANSAS, ESPNEWS
2 P.M. – “NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP IN THE STUDIO PRESENTED BY AT&T,” ESPN
2:15 P.M. – NO. 15 KENT STATE VS. NO. 2 NOTRE DAME, ESPN
2:30 P.M. – NO. 14 CHATTANOOGA VS. NO. 3 NC STATE, ESPNU
3 P.M. – NO. 16 UT MARTIN/HOLY CROSS VS. NO. 1 IOWA, ABC
3:30 P.M. – NO. 11 ARIZONA/AUBURN VS. NO. 6 SYRACUSE, ESPN2
4 P.M. – NO. 12 FGCU VS. NO. 5 OKLAHOMA, ESPNEWS
4:15 P.M. – “NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP IN THE STUDIO PRESENTED BY AT&T,” ESPN
4:30 P.M. – NO. 16 TEXAS A&M-CORPUS CHRISTI VS. NO. 1 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, ESPN
4:45 PM – NO. 10 MARQUETTE VS. NO. 7 OLE MISS, ESPNU
5:30 P.M. – NO. 9 PRINCETON VS. NO. 8 WEST VIRGINIA, ESPN2
6:30 P.M. – “NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP IN THE STUDIO PRESENTED BY AT&T,” ESPN
7 P.M. – NO. 10 UNLV VS. NO. 7 CREIGHTON, ESPNEWS
7:30 P.M. – NO. 13 UC IRVINE VS. NO. 4 GONZAGA, ESPN2
9:30 P.M. – NO. 15 CALIFORNIA BAPTIST VS. NO. 2 UCLA, ESPN2
10 P.M. – NO. 12 SOUTH DAKOTA STATE VS. NO. 5 UTAH, ESPNU
MARCH 24 – SECOND ROUND
SECOND-ROUND GAMES WILL AIR FROM NOON P.M. TO 10 P.M. ACROSS ESPN AND ABC.
MARCH 25 – SECOND ROUND
SECOND-ROUND GAMES WILL AIR FROM 2 P.M. TO 10 P.M. ACROSS ESPN, ESPN2 AND ESPNU.
MARCH 29 – SWEET 16
2 P.M. – “NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP IN THE STUDIO PRESENTED BY AT&T,” ESPN
2:30 P.M. – ALBANY 1 REGIONAL – SWEET 16 GAME 1, ESPN
4:30 P.M. – “NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP IN THE STUDIO PRESENTED BY AT&T,” ESPN
5 P.M. – ALBANY 1 REGIONAL – SWEET 16 GAME 2, ESPN
7 P.M. – “NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP IN THE STUDIO PRESENTED BY AT&T,” ESPN
7:30 P.M. – PORTLAND 4 REGIONAL – SWEET 16 GAME 1, ESPN
9:30 P.M. – “NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP IN THE STUDIO PRESENTED BY AT&T,” ESPN
10 P.M. – PORTLAND 4 REGIONAL – SWEET 16 GAME 1, ESPN
MARCH 30 – SWEET 16
1 P.M. – ALBANY 2 REGIONAL – SWEET 16 GAME 1, ABC
3:30 P.M. – ALBANY 2 REGIONAL – SWEET 16 GAME 2, ABC
5:30 P.M. – PORTLAND 3 REGIONAL – SWEET 16 GAME 1, ESPN
8 P.M. – PORTLAND 3 REGIONAL – SWEET 16 GAME 2, ESPN
MARCH 31 – ELITE 8
1 P.M. – ALBANY 1 REGIONAL – ELITE 8, ABC
3 P.M. – PORTLAND 4 REGIONAL – ELITE 8, ABC
APRIL 1 – ELITE 8
7:15 P.M. – ALBANY 2 REGIONAL – ELITE 8, ESPN
9:15 P.M. – PORTLAND 3 REGIONAL – ELITE 8, ESPN
APRIL 5 – FINAL FOUR
7 P.M. – SEMIFINAL 1, ESPN/ESPN+
9:30 P.M. – SEMIFINAL 2, ESPN/ESPN+
APRIL 7 – CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
3 P.M. – “NCAA WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP GAME PRESENTED BY CAPITAL ONE,” ABC/ESPN+
NBA SCOREBOARD
ORLANDO 121 NEW ORLEANS 106
WASHINGTON 109 SACRAMENTO 102
MILWAUKEE 115 BROOKLYN 108
HOUSTON 127 CHICAGO 117
DALLAS 113 UTAH 97
DENVER 113 NEW YORK 100
PHOENIX 128 ATLANTA 115
NHL SCOREBOARD
NEW JERSEY 4 WINNIPEG 1
ST. LOUIS 5 OTTAWA 2
NY RANGERS 5 BOSTON 2
DETROIT 6 NY ISLANDERS 3
CAROLINA 3 PHILADELPHIA 2 OT
NASHVILLE 3 FLORIDA 0
EDMONTON 8 BUFFALO 3
VANCOUVER 4 MONTRÉAL 1
ANAHEIM 4 CHICAGO 0
VEGAS 3 SEATTLE 1
TAMPA BAY 4 SAN JOSE 1
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
SAN DIEGO 15 LA DODGERS 11
SPRING TRAINING
NY METS 10 DETROIT 5
TAMPA BAY 6 PHILADELPHIA 5
HOUSTON 9 ST. LOUIS 1
WASHINGTON 9 MINNESOTA 8
ATLANTA 5 NY YANKEES 2
CHICAGO WHITE SOX 3 KANSAS CITY 3
CLEVELAND 8 KANSAS CITY 5
CHICAGO CUBS 5 COLORADO 2
TORONTO 3 PITTSBURGH 2
BOSTON 3 BALTIMORE 2
SAN FRANCISCO 7 MILWAUKEE 6
SEATTLE 7 CINCINNATI 6
MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER
NO GAMES SCHEDULED
COLLEGE BASEBALL SCORES
NO GAMES SCHEDULED
COLLEGE SOFTBALL SCORES
NO GAMES SCHEDULED
NATIONAL SPORTS RELEASES/HEADLINES
MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
NCAA TOURNAMENT ROUNDUP: NO. 14 OAKLAND OUSTS NO. 3 KENTUCKY
Jack Gohlke drilled 10 3-pointers en route to 32 points and DQ Cole buried the final triple of the game to clinch No. 14 seed Oakland’s 80-76 upset of No. 3 seed Kentucky in the first round of the NCAA Tournament’s South Region on Thursday in Pittsburgh.
The Golden Grizzlies (24-11) led for nearly the entire second half and went shot for shot with the heavily favored Wildcats (23-10) down the stretch. Oakland advances to the Round of 32 for the first time since joining Division I while handing Kentucky its second first-round exit in three years.
Gohlke, a graduate transfer from Division II Hillsdale, earned his place in NCAA Tournament lore. All 20 of his field-goal attempts came from 3-point range, and he came one shy of tying the tournament single-game record of 11 triples set by Jeff Fryer of Loyola Marymount in 1990.
Oakland, the Horizon League champion, will face No. 11 NC State in the second round Saturday. Antonio Reeves scored 27 points and went 5-for-9 on 3-point shots in his attempt to carry Kentucky back from the dead. Tre Mitchell had 14 points and 13 rebounds.
No. 11 North Carolina State 80, No. 6 Texas Tech 67
Ben Middlebrooks scored a career-high 21 points, Mohamed Diarra added a career-best 17 points plus 12 rebounds and the Wolfpack continued their surprising March by taking down the Red Raiders in Pittsburgh.
DJ Horne tallied 16 points, six rebounds and five assists and D.J. Burns Jr. scored 16 for NC State (23-14), which only made it this far by winning five games in five days to capture the ACC tournament title, where it was the 10th seed. Now, the Wolfpack will play No. 14 seed Oakland on Saturday with a Sweet 16 berth from the South Region on the line.
Joe Toussaint led Texas Tech (23-11) with 16 points. Pop Isaacs scored 12, and Darrion Williams finished with 10 points, seven rebounds and six assists.
West Region
No. 1 North Carolina 90, No. 16 Wagner 62
RJ Davis scored 22 points and Armando Bacot had a double-double in the first half as the Tar Heels routed the Seahawks in Charlotte.
Bacot finished with 20 points and 15 rebounds, Jae’Lyn Withers notched 16 points and 10 rebounds off the bench and Cormac Ryan posted 13 points for the top-seeded Tar Heels, who shot 55 percent from the field.
North Carolina (28-7) will meet ninth-seeded Michigan State in the second round Saturday. Melvin Council Jr. and Julian Brown both had 18 points for Wagner (17-16), which defeated Howard 71-68 in Tuesday night’s First Four in Dayton, Ohio. Keyontae Lewis added 13 points.
No. 2 Arizona 85, No. 15 Long Beach State 65
The Wildcats took control with a 17-2 run over the first four minutes of the second half and cruised past Beach in the first-round game in Salt Lake City.
Kylan Boswell led Arizona (26-8) with 20 points and Caleb Love added 18 points and 11 rebounds. Oumar Ballo had 11 points, 13 rebounds and four blocked shots for the Wildcats.
Long Beach State (21-15) couldn’t keep up in the second half as Arizona found its rhythm on offense. Beach got 14 points and 15 rebounds from Aboubacar Traore and 14 points from Amari Stroud off the bench.
No. 7 Dayton 63, No. 10 Nevada 60
DaRon Holmes II scored 18 points and grabbed nine rebounds as the Flyers stormed back to beat the Wolf Pack in Salt Lake City.
Dayton (25-7) erased a 17-point deficit in the second half to rally for its first tournament win since the 2014-15 campaign. Koby Brea finished with 15 points on five 3-pointers, and Enoch Cheeks chipped in 12 points.
Jarod Lucas scored 17 points to lead Nevada (26-8), which recorded the eighth-most victories in program history but failed to advance out of the first round. Kenan Blackshear and Nick Davidson finished with 15 points apiece.
No. 9 Michigan State 69, No. 8 Mississippi State 51
Tyson Walker scored 19 points and the Spartans never trailed in claiming a victory against the Bulldogs in the first-round matchup.
Michigan State (20-14) meets top-seeded North Carolina in the second round on Saturday. Jaden Akins racked up 15 points, joining Walker with three 3-pointers, and Malik Hall added 10 points.
Josh Hubbard scored 15 points for Mississippi State (21-14), which shot 37 percent from the field and made only 6 of 27 attempts from 3-point range. The Bulldogs ended up with a season-low point total.
Midwest Region
No. 2 Tennessee 83, No. 15 Saint Peter’s 49
Dalton Knecht poured in 23 points and the Volunteers quickly snuffed out any hopes the Peacocks had of making another deep Cinderella run into the postseason with the first-round blowout.
Jonas Aidoo posted 15 points and Zakai Zeigler provided 11 points and 10 assists for the Volunteers, who led by as many as 29 points in the first half. Tennessee (25-8) takes on seventh-seeded Texas (21-12) on Saturday.
Latrell Reid scored 17 points and Marcus Randolph followed with nine for Saint Peter’s (19-14), which reached the Elite Eight as a No. 15 seed two years ago. The Peacocks were winners of eight of their past 10 games prior to Thursday.
No. 3 Creighton 77, No. 14 Akron 60
Ryan Kalkbrenner racked up 23 points and eight rebounds, Baylor Scheierman added 15 points and 13 boards and the hot-shooting Bluejays took care of Akron in Pittsburgh.
The Bluejays (24-9) shot 56.5 percent overall and a season-high 58.8 percent from 3-point range (10 of 17) to advance out of the first round for the fourth straight tournament. They will face No. 11 Oregon in the next round. Trey Alexander scored 19 points and Mason Miller and Steven Ashworth each supplied 10.
Enrique Freeman powered Akron (24-11) with 21 points and 14 rebounds.
No. 4 Kansas 93, No. 13 Samford 89
Hunter Dickinson registered 19 points, 20 rebounds and four blocked shots to help the Jayhawks escape an upset bid by the Bulldogs in Salt Lake City.
KJ Adams Jr. scored 20 points and Nicolas Timberlake added 19 for Kansas (23-10). Johnny Furphy added 16 points and eight rebounds for the Jayhawks, who never trailed but nearly let a 22-point, second-half lead slip away.
Achor Achor recorded 23 points and eight rebounds for Samford (29-6). The Bulldogs’ A.J. Staton-McCray appeared to make a clean block of a Timberlake shot with 14.7 seconds left, but a foul was called and Timberlake hit two free throws to give Kansas a three-point lead.
No. 5 Gonzaga 86, No. 12 McNeese 65
Graham Ike and Anton Watson had double-doubles and the hot-shooting Bulldogs routed the Cowboys in the first round in Salt Lake City.
Ike finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds, and Watson had 13 points, 13 rebounds, nine assists and two steals for the Bulldogs (26-7).
Christian Shumate had 19 points and 11 rebounds and Shahada Wells scored 19 points for McNeese, which entered the tournament on an 11-game winning streak.
No. 11 Oregon 87, No. 6 South Carolina 73
Jermaine Couisnard dropped a career-high 40 points against his former team as the Ducks toppled the Gamecocks in Pittsburgh.
Couisnard spent three seasons with the Gamecocks before transferring to Oregon ahead of the 2022-23 season. He shot 14 of 22 on Thursday, making 5 of 9 from beyond the arc and adding six assists and four rebounds. N’Faly Dante provided 23 points, six rebounds, two blocks and two steals. Oregon (24-11), will face No. 3 seed Creighton on Saturday.
Meechie Johnson poured in 24 points, Ta’Lon Cooper had 15 and B.J. Mack scored 13 for South Carolina (26-8), which suffered a field-goal drought of 8:21 at the end of the first half and could not recover.
No. 7 Texas 56, No. 10 Colorado State 44
Max Abmas and Dylan Disu scored 12 points apiece and the Longhorns overcame offensive struggles to control the Rams in in Charlotte.
Chendall Weaver came off the bench for Texas (21-12) to add 11 points, making 5-of-7 shots when most other players had trouble converting. The game was defined by miserable shooting along with turnovers, with Colorado State committing 19 to 12 for the Longhorns.
Isaiah Stevens and Joel Scott each had 10 points for No. 10 seed Colorado State (25-11), which was playing for the second time in three nights. Despite missing 41 shots from the floor, the Rams collected only 13 offensive rebounds on its 29.3 percent shooting from the field.
East Region
No. 2 Iowa State 82, No. 15 South Dakota State 65
Milan Momcilovic scored 19 points to help the Cyclones thump the Jackrabbits in Omaha, Neb.
Tamin Lipsey added 17 points and seven assists for the Cyclones (28-7), who won their fourth straight game and eighth in their last nine. Keshon Gilbert had 15 points and three steals. Iowa State will face No. 7 Washington State on Saturday.
Zeke Mayo scored 19 points and William Kyle III had 14 for the Jackrabbits (22-13), who had an eight-game winning streak snapped. They are 0-7 all-time in NCAA Tournament play.
No. 3 Illinois 85, No. 14 Morehead State 69
Terrence Shannon Jr. scored 26 points, Dain Dainja had 17 of his 21 points after halftime and Marcus Domask notched a triple-double to lift the Illini past the Eagles.
Illinois (27-8) pulled away thanks a 20-3 run midway through the second half to go ahead 68-51. Dainja scored 10 points during the surge and finished 9-for-9 from the floor. Illinois advanced to face 11th-seeded Duquesne in the second round on Saturday. Domask finished with 12 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists.
Riley Minix, an NAIA transfer and the Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year, scored a game-high 27 points, giving him 20-plus points in 13 of 14 games to close the season. Jordan Lathon followed with 23 points for the Eagles (26-9) to go with seven rebounds.
No. 11 Duquesne 71, No. 6 BYU 67
Dae Dae Grant scored 19 points and the Dukes picked up their first NCAA Tournament victory since 1969 by knocking off the Cougars in Omaha, Neb.
Jakub Necas added 12 points, six rebounds and three blocked shots and Jimmy Clark III tallied five of his 11 points in the final 88 seconds as Duquesne (25-11) won its ninth consecutive game. The contest was the Dukes’ first in the NCAA Tournament since the Norm Nixon-led team played in the 1977 tourney.
Jaxson Robinson scored 25 points off the bench for BYU (23-11). Spencer Johnson had 11 points and 16 rebounds.
No. 7 Washington State 66, No. 10 Drake 61
Isaac Jones recorded 20 points and 11 rebounds and Isaiah Watts made the go-ahead shot to help the Cougars beat the Bulldogs in Omaha, Neb.
Jaylen Wells added 17 points and nine rebounds as the Cougars (25-9) won an NCAA Tournament game for the first time since 2008. Washington State will face No. 2 seed Iowa State on Saturday.
Atin Wright scored 20 points for the Bulldogs (28-7). Tucker DeVries had 14 points and six assists and Darnell Brodie contributed 13 points, nine rebounds and three blocked shots.
WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
HOKIES’ KITLEY, 3-TIME ACC PLAYER OF THE YEAR, SAYS SHE’S OUT FOR NCAA TOURNAMENT
BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) — Three-time Atlantic Coast Conference player of the year Elizabeth Kitley of Virginia Tech will miss the Women’s NCAA Tournament, she announced Thursday on social media.
Kitley, a second-team All American and the Hokies’ top scorer and rebounder, sustained a torn ACL in Virginia Tech’s final regular season game at Virginia.
The 6-foot-6 center averaged 22.8 points on 55.6% shooting, 11.4 rebounds and just over two blocks this season.
“This is not at all how I anticipated ending this year with my team,” she said in the post on Instagram.
Coach Kenny Brooks called the time since Kitley’s injury emotionally “one of the most trying couple weeks of my life, for the kids as well, just because of what she means to us.”
Kitley, he said, has “been emotional. I’ve been emotional. I think we probably text each other probably 30 times a day. She will be good and then she will be sad. The kid has put everything into this and she’s the reason we are here. She’s the reason we are here. … The kid ate, slept, drank basketball.”
Virginia Tech, seeded fourth this year after reaching the Final Four for the first time last year, will face Marshall in its opening game on Friday at Cassell Coliseum.
Kitley’s absence will put increased pressure on guard Georgia Amoore, a third-team All-American, the team’s second leading scorer at 19.2 ppg and top playmaker with just under seven assists per game, as well as Olivia Summiel, who has averaged 13 rebounds in the two games Kitley has already missed.
Summiel doesn’t score like Kitley, averaging just 3.7 points, but the transfer from Wake Forest “had a couple of really big double digit rebounding games where she might have had only eight points, six points. But she knows her role, she’s comfortable with it, and she’s so valuable to us,” Amoore said.
“Mindset has stayed very much the same all the year, regardless of who we’re playing, where we’re playing at, what kind of stakes are at with us,” Amoore said Thursday. “So our mindset, it’s been pretty solid and been pretty consistent the whole year so we haven’t really been focused on that.”
HOLY CROSS CRUSHES UT MARTIN, EARNS MATCHUP WITH IOWA
Senior Cara McCormack scored a career-high 23 points and grabbed seven rebounds to lead Holy Cross to a 72-45 victory over UT Martin on Thursday in a Women’s NCAA Tournament First Four game at Iowa City.
No. 16 Holy Cross (21-12) advances to play No. 1 Iowa (29-4) in a first-round game of the Albany 2 Regional on Saturday in Iowa City.
The Crusaders earned the second NCAA Tournament victory in Patriot League history. The first was achieved by Holy Cross in 1991.
Bronagh Power-Cassidy added 15 points in Holy Cross’s win over UT Martin (16-17).
Anaya Brown had 15 points, Kenley McCarn 12 and Love Mayes 10 for UT Martin, which made the NCAA Tournament despite losing 81-53 to Southern Indiana in the Ohio Valley Conference championship game.
Southern Indiana is in the second year of the four-year reclassification to Division I, leaving the Screaming Eagles ineligible to play in the Women’s NCAA Tournament.
Holy Cross, which never trailed, went on a 13-4 run to build a 16-6 lead in the first quarter. McCormack made two 3-pointers in that surge.
UT Martin did not come closer than seven points the rest of the game.
The Crusaders opened the second quarter with three 3-pointers, including two more from McCormack, to open a 31-13 lead.
Holy Cross led 45-24 at halftime behind 18 points from McCormack.
The Crusaders’ lead swelled to 62-32 by the end of the third quarter.
Holy Cross tallied 20 assists on its 28 made field goals.
ARIZONA GETS PAST AUBURN IN WOMEN’S TOURNEY FIRST FOUR
Freshman Jada Williams scored 17 points as Arizona beat Auburn 69-59 on Thursday in a Women’s NCAA Tournament First Four game at Storrs, Conn.
Arizona (18-15) advances as a No. 11 seed to meet No. 6 seed Syracuse on Saturday afternoon in Storrs.
The Wildcats never trailed and held an eight-point halftime lead as they won for the sixth time in nine games.
Helena Pueyo totaled 16 points, four assists and three assists for Arizona, while Esmery Martinez had 14 points, seven rebounds and five steals. Skylar Jones scored 13.
Honesty Scott-Grayson had 13 points, four rebounds and three steals for Auburn (20-12).
The teams notched 13 steals apiece.
In the first quarter, Arizona built an 8-2 lead but went scoreless more than four minutes to allow Auburn to get back in it 10-8 on consecutive layups by Yakiya Milton sandwiching a Jones basket.
Ahead 11-8 after 10 minutes, the Wildcats pushed it to 20-10 with 6:13 left in the second quarter on a Pueyo jump shot.
Arizona held a 27-19 halftime lead after creating 11 steals and forging a 14-7 edge in points off turnovers as both squads shot below 40 percent from the field.
The Wildcats turned it on with a 13-4 run in the first five minutes of the third quarter as Martinez scored five points, but Auburn’s 8-0 stretch cut it to 40-31.
A Milton jumper with 2:25 to go and a Mar’shaun Bostic layup with 1:57 left got the Wildcats within five, but Auburn never got closer.
UCONN STAR AALIYAH EDWARDS DECLARES FOR WNBA
UConn forward Aaliyah Edwards declared her intention to enter the 2024 WNBA Draft on Thursday.
Edwards had the option of returning for one more season due to the NCAA’s COVID-19 exemption, but declined. In doing so, she assured fans that she was committed to seeing the Huskies’ tournament appearance through to the end.
“I’m all in, ready to bring that championship glory back to Storrs with my squad by my side,” Edwards said in her announcement video. “Let’s have one last dance.”
A third-team AP All-American in 2022-23, Edwards was named first-team All-Big East this season after averaging 17.8 points and 9.3 rebounds for the 10th-ranked Huskies.
After debuting as a freshman in a reserve role, Edwards has started 95 games over the last three seasons. For her career, she has averaged 13.3 points and 7.3 rebounds per contest.
The No. 3 seeded Huskies will begin their tournament with a game Saturday afternoon against Jackson State.
NBA NEWS
NBA ROUNDUP: ROCKETS BEAT BULLS FOR 7TH STRAIGHT WIN
Jalen Green scored 26 points, Dillon Brooks added 23 and three reserves scored in double figures as the Houston Rockets extended their winning streak to seven games with a 127-117 victory over the visiting Chicago Bulls on Thursday.
Jock Landale added 17 points and 12 rebounds while Aaron Holiday tallied 15 points and Jeff Green had 14 points and seven rebounds off the Houston bench. Brooks shot 10 of 13 before earning an ejection as the Rockets shot 50.5 percent from the floor.
Ayo Dosunmu scored a career-high 35 points to pace the Bulls, who had all five starters score in double figures, including Nikola Vucevic (16 points, 14 rebounds, six assists).
After blowing nearly all of a 19-point, second-quarter lead, Houston reclaimed control following an altercation between Bulls forward DeMar DeRozan and Brooks just before the midpoint of the third quarter with the Rockets up by nine.
DeRozan delivered a hard foul on Jalen Green at the 6:02 mark, and while Green rolled on the floor in pain, Brooks and DeRozan locked arms, leading to a larger fracas. Both players were ejected, and the Rockets immediately found another gear, closing the period with 3-pointers from Fred VanVleet, Jeff Green, Jalen Green and Holiday.
Nuggets 113, Knicks 100
Nikola Jokic posted another triple-double and Michael Porter Jr. scored a game-high 31 points for host Denver, which continued surging with a win over New York.
Jokic finished with 30 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists in his seventh triple-double in the last 15 games and his 22nd of the season for the Nuggets, who improved to 13-2 since Feb. 22 to move into a virtual tie for first place in the Western Conference with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Jamal Murray scored 23 points while Aaron Gordon added 10 points.
Jalen Brunson had 26 points and nine assists for the Knicks, which had its four-game winning streak snapped. Isaiah Hartenstein scored a career-high 20 points while Alec Burks had 18 points off the bench. Donte DiVincenzo and Miles McBride added 11 points each.
Mavericks 113, Jazz 97
Luka Doncic scored 34 points and Daniel Gafford added 24 as Dallas defeated visiting Utah.
Gafford hit 10 of 11 field goals, all dunks, and Doncic added nine rebounds, eight assists and four steals as the Mavericks (41-29) won their third consecutive game. Kyrie Irving contributed 16 points and seven assists. Dallas ended with a franchise-record 18 dunks.
Lauri Markkanen returned to the lineup to lead the Jazz (29-41) with 21 points despite an off night shooting. He finished 6 of 20 overall and 1-for-9 from 3-point range. Utah made only 4 of 30 from beyond the arc. Collin Sexton scored 20 points off the bench for Utah, which has lost four straight. Keyonte George added 18 points, while Walker Kessler totaled 14 points and nine rebounds.
Magic 121, Pelicans 106
Paolo Banchero had a triple-double and surging Orlando cooled off visiting New Orleans.
Banchero finished with 20 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds as the Magic won for the 13th time in 16 games. Jalen Suggs scored 22 points and Franz Wagner had 18.
Trey Murphy III scored 21 points for the Pelicans, who lost for just the second time in nine games. Zion Williamson had 20 points, CJ McCollum finished with 18 and Brandon Ingram added 14 before leaving the game for good early in the third quarter after injuring his left knee.
Wizards 109, Kings 102
Kyle Kuzma scored a game-high 31 points, leading Washington to a win over visiting Sacramento.
Deni Avdija added 17 points and nine rebounds for the Wizards, while Corey Kispert scored 15 points. Jordan Poole chipped in 14 points and Richaun Holmes collected 16 rebounds for Washington, which ended a five-game skid.
De’Aaron Fox led the Kings with 25 points, six steals, five rebounds and five assists. Malik Monk scored 20 points off the bench, Keegan Murray chipped in 16 and Domantas Sabonis amassed 14 points, 14 rebounds and six assists.
Bucks 115, Nets 108
Damian Lillard had 30 points and 12 assists, Giannis Antetokounmpo added 21 points and nine rebounds and Milwaukee withstood a fourth-quarter rally to beat visiting Brooklyn.
Brook Lopez added 17 points for the Bucks, who completed a three-game sweep of the season series against the Nets. Brooklyn trailed by as many as 20 late in the first half before cutting the deficit to 81-69 at the end of the third quarter.
The Nets opened the fourth quarter on a 21-6 run to move ahead 90-87 with 6:41 remaining in the contest, but Milwaukee regained the lead and held a 103-98 advantage with 2:34 left. Mikal Bridges hit a trey to make it 103-101, but that was the closest Brooklyn would get. Bridges finished with 24 points.
NHL NEWS
NHL ROUNDUP: ARTEMI PANARIN’S HAT TRICK LEADS RANGERS PAST BRUINS
Artemi Panarin recorded his third hat trick of the season, leading the visiting New York Rangers to a 5-2 victory over the Boston Bruins on Thursday.
Panarin scored New York’s first two goals and capped the scoring with an empty-netter, becoming the fourth Ranger in the past 10 years to record a 40-goal season.
Adam Fox’s eventual game-winning goal came at 3:57 of the third period, just 40 seconds after Justin Brazeau had tied the score for Boston. Fox and Mika Zibanejad each had a goal and an assist, and Jonathan Quick made 24 saves as New York won for the third time in its past four games.
Justin Brazeau had a goal and an assist while Jake DeBrusk also scored for Boston, which had won its previous three. Jeremy Swayman stopped 26 shots.
Predators 3, Panthers 0
Filip Forsberg scored two goals and dished one assist and backup goalie Kevin Lankinen posted a shutout, leading Nashville to a record-breaking win over host Florida.
The Predators set a franchise mark with their 16th consecutive game earning at least one point. Nashville, which has won four straight games, is 14-0-2 during its points streak. Lankinen, making just his 14th start of the season, made 33 saves, improving his record to 10-4-0. Gustav Nyquist scored the other goal and added an assist for Nashville.
Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, who leads the Eastern Conference with 32 wins, made 34 saves in a losing effort.
Hurricanes 3, Flyers 2 (OT)
Seth Jarvis scored 1:28 into overtime and Carolina topped Philadelphia in Raleigh, N.C., for its fifth straight victory.
Jarvis notched his 26th goal of the season by coming down the right side and beating Flyers goalie Samuel Ersson. Jordan Martinook and Jalen Chatfield scored in regulation for Carolina, while Frederik Andersen made 30 saves. Anderson is 5-0-0 since returning to action after missing more than four months.
Scott Laughton and Travis Konecny had the goals for Philadelphia, while Ersson stopped 30 shots. Winger Joel Farabee left late in the second period after he was struck in the face by a shot from Laughton, and captain Sean Couturier sat out for the second game in a row as a healthy scratch.
Red Wings 6, Islanders 3
Dylan Larkin and Andrew Copp each scored two goals to lead Detroit in a home win over New York.
Christian Fischer added a goal and two assists for the Red Wings, who moved five points ahead of the Islanders in the hunt for an Eastern Conference wild-card berth.
Mike Reilly, Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Mathew Barzal scored for the Islanders, who have lost six straight.
Devils 4, Jets 1
Jack Hughes scored two of New Jersey’s three power-play goals during a victory over Winnipeg in Newark, N.J.
Nico Hischier and Timo Meier each had a goal with two assists while Luke Hughes added three helpers for the Devils, who won their second game in a row. Jake Allen stopped 18 shots.
Nikolaj Ehlers scored and Laurent Brossoit made 37 saves for Winnipeg, who went 0-for-4 on the power play. The Jets had won three straight amid a 14-5-0 stretch.
Canucks 4, Canadiens 1
Defenseman Nikita Zadorov scored two goals and host Vancouver improved to 6-1-1 in its past eight by beating Montreal.
The Canucks also got goals from Conor Garland and Nils Aman and two assists from Ilya Mikheyev. Casey DeSmith, acquired from the Canadiens in a September trade, stopped 16 shots.
Juraj Slafkovsky scored and Sam Montembeault made 21 saves for the Canadiens, who lost their fourth consecutive game (0-2-2).
Golden Knights 3, Kraken 1
Keegan Kolesar scored the game-winner on a rebound with 1:20 remaining as Vegas beat Seattle, just the Golden Knights’ third win in their past nine games in Las Vegas.
Chandler Stephenson sealed the win with an empty-netter with 10.5 seconds left, and Jack Eichel also scored for the Golden Knights. Logan Thompson finished with 21 saves and Brayden McNabb added a pair of assists.
Jaden Schwartz scored and Philipp Grubauer made 34 saves for Seattle, which lost its sixth straight game (0-5-1).
Oilers 8, Sabres 3
Edmonton broke away from a tie game in a big way, scoring five times in the third period to defeat visiting Buffalo.
Connor McDavid had four assists, Mattias Ekholm had two goals and an assist, Leon Draisaitl had a goal and two assists and Zach Hyman had two goals for the Oilers, who are 9-1-2 in their past 12 games. Stuart Skinner made 26 saves.
JJ Peterka scored twice and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 31 saves for the Sabres, who have lost three of their past four.
Lightning 4, Sharks 1
NHL points leader Nikita Kucherov notched four assists and Tampa Bay beat host San Jose for a fifth straight win. Kucherov stretched his assist streak to 12 games, breaking his own franchise record.
Brayden Point scored twice and had a helper, while Anthony Duclair finished with a goal and an assist for Tampa Bay. Nicholas Paul scored the Lightning’s other goal. Andrei Vasilevskiy made 21 saves.
In losing their sixth straight contest, the Sharks got a goal from William Eklund. Mackenzie Blackwood, back from an 11-game injury absence, stopped 17 shots.
Blues 5, Senators 2
Jake Neighbours scored twice and Jordan Kyrou had a goal and two assists to lead visiting St. Louis past Ottawa.
Brandon Saad had a goal and an assist and Colton Parayko also scored for the Blues, who won for the fifth time in six games. Ottawa outshot St. Louis 39-27, but Joel Hofer made 37 saves for the Blues.
Mark Kastelic and Dominik Kubalik scored for the Senators, who lost their third straight game. Anton Forsberg recorded 22 saves.
Ducks 4, Blackhawks 0
Alex Killorn scored twice and goaltender Lukas Dostal recorded his first career shutout as host Anaheim snapped a seven-game losing streak by beating Chicago.
Brett Leason netted one goal and one assist while Frank Vatrano added a single for the Ducks, who last tasted victory on March 6. Dostal made 29 saves for his milestone moment.
Arvid Soderblom stopped 21 shots for the Blackhawks, who have lost two straight games and three of four. They sit at the bottom of the Central Division and have one victory in their past 26 road games.
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
YAMAMOTO CHASED AFTER 1ST INNING OF DEBUT AS PADRES BEAT DODGERS 15-11 FOR 2-GAME SOUTH KOREA SPLIT
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — After chasing Yoshinobu Yamamoto from his major league debut after one inning and scoring their most runs ever against the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego’s Xander Bogaerts was sad to leave the Gocheok Sky Dome.
“We got to come here more,” he said.
Jake Cronenworth tied a career high with four hits and had four RBIs as the Padres outlasted the Dodgers 15-11 on Thursday night after Los Angeles fired Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter following allegations of illegal gambling.
Interpreter Ippei Mizuhara was let go from the team Wednesday following reports from the Los Angeles Times and ESPN about alleged ties to an illegal bookmaker.
Ohtani hit three deep flyouts on a 1-for-5 night, including a sacrifice fly, and was 3 for 10 with two RBIs in the series. He did not speak with reporters.
“I hope Sho is good, but you know, at the end of the day we have to make sure we take care of our jobs,” said Mookie Betts, who had six RBIs along with four hits that included the first home run of the major league season. “No matter what cards we’re dealt, we better go play them.”
Yamamoto and Dodgers manager Dave Roberts insisted Mizuhara’s situation didn’t contribute to the defeat.
“I feel regret that I just couldn’t keep the team in the game from the get-go, so I do feel the responsibility for it,” Yamamoto said through a translator. “I just got to get ready for the next outing.”
San Diego gained a split in the opening two-games series, Major League Baseball’s first games in South Korea. After the Dodgers rebounded from a 9-2 deficit and closed to 12-11, Manny Machado hit a three-run homer in the ninth off J.P. Feyereisen.
San Diego outhit the Dodgers 17-16, and Los Angeles made three errors that led to a pair of unearned runs. Luis Campusano had three hits and 20-year-old center fielder Jackson Merrill got his first two major league hits.
Yamamoto (0-1) signed a $325 million, 12-year contract, a record amount for a pitcher that created high expectations. San Diego batted around against the two-time Pacific League MVP, and he left with a 45.00 ERA, allowing five runs, four hits, one walk, a hit batter and a wild pitch. Cronenworth’s two-run triple, Ha-Seong Kim’s sacrifice fly, Campusano’s RBI double and Tyler Wade’s run-scoring single built a 5-1 lead.
“Just didn’t have the command and so it’s not about the stuff,” Roberts said. “When you’re a command guy, which he’s been his entire career, his life, and you just misfire, get behind in counts, hit batters, that’s just not who he is. … He’s an easy guy that you know he’ll bounce back from this.”
Bogaerts hit a two-run single in a four-run third off Michael Grove.
Michael King (1-0) won in his Padres debut following his acquisition in the trade that sent Juan Soto to the New York Yankees. King allowed three runs in 3 1/3 innings.
Robert Suarez got four outs for the save after 26-year-old right-hander Stephen Kolek made his major league debut, getting charged with two runs in the eighth.
Padres starter Joe Musgrove gave up five runs, seven hits and two walks in 2 2/3 innings.
Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy allowed Campusano’s first-inning bouncer to get under his glove and down the line for an RBI double, had Fernando Tatis Jr.’s third-inning grounder kick off his glove into left for an error as a run scored, then allowed José Azocar’s seventh-inning grounder to bounce off his glove for a run-scoring error. Muncy hit an inning-ending popup that stranded two runners in the eighth.
In the second season of the pitch clock, the game took 3 hours, 42 minutes, a day after the opener lasted 3:05. Bogaerts struck out for the final out in the eighth when a pitch clock-violation was called by plate umpire Andy Fletcher with a 1-2 count.
Mike Schildt got his first win as Padres manager.
“A lot of courage, a lot of toughness, a lot of fight,” he said. “A really big identity game for our group.”
TRAINER’S ROOM
Bogaerts jammed the ring finger of his left hand while sliding into second base when tagging up in the seventh.
UP NEXT
Dodgers: They host the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday and Monday, then play at Anaheim on Tuesday in the annual exhibition Freeway Series. They resume the season March 28 in their home opener against St. Louis.
Padres: They are home against Seattle in exhibitions at Petco Park on Monday and Tuesday, then resume the season hosting San Francisco in a four-game series starting March 28.
IN JAPAN, OHTANI’S ‘PERFECT PERSON’ IMAGE COULD TAKE A HIT WITH FIRING OF INTERPRETER OVER GAMBLING
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Shohei Ohtani is referred to in Japan as “kanpeki no hito” — the perfect person — because of his manners and impeccable behavior.
That image may have taken a hit when the Dodgers fired his good friend and interpreter Ippei Mizuhara on Wednesday over allegations he gambled illegally and stole Ohtani’s money to pay off debts.
The law firm representing Ohtani called it a “massive theft” in a statement.
The Seoul Series — the first MLB games in South Korea — were supposed to be a showcase for Ohtani before a fertile baseball audience in Asia. The games between San Diego and Los Angeles were scheduled before he signed a $700 million, 10-year deal with the Dodgers in December. For MLB, the stars seemed perfectly aligned and there is already talk of a similar series next year in Tokyo.
A bomb threat Wednesday briefly put a cloud over the series. Police were warned before the first game of a bomb at the stadium but found no explosives. Ohtani was reportedly the target.
Then came the other Ohtani bombshell.
“I was shocked when I read it,” said Jorge Kuri, a hardcore Dodgers fan from Tijuana, Mexico, who runs a garment business there.
Wearing a blue Dodgers sweatshirt and cap at the Gocheok Sky Dome, Kuri said he was trying to sift through the information that’s out there. He said he’d just returned from vacation in Japan “where Ohtani is king.”
“I don’t know what the end is going to be with this because I think it’s just the tip of the iceberg,” he added. “Right now he’s the image of Major League Baseball.”
Mizuhara, 39, was let go from the team following reports from the Los Angeles Times and ESPN about his alleged ties to an illegal bookmaker. He was in the dugout and with the team through Wednesday’s game — the shocking reports dropped Wednesday evening in the U.S., while most fans in Asia were asleep.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts confirmed Mizuhara had a meeting with the team Wednesday but declined to elaborate. He said he did not know Mizuhara’s whereabouts and said a different interpreter would be used.
“Anything with that meeting, I can’t comment,” Roberts said, adding that “Shohei’s ready. I know that he’s preparing.”
Ohtani didn’t practice on the field before Thursday’s game. In his absence, his face appeared on the video board promoting a line of Japanese cosmetics.
He seemed unfazed hours later in his first at-bat as he lined a single to right field. In two other at-bats he hit towering drives to right just a few feet short of a home run.
Mizuhara is likely to be investigated by U.S. authorities and MLB, and the whole story is a stunning turn for the man who has been inseparable from Ohtani since the two-way star came to the U.S in 2017. He told ESPN this week that Ohtani knew nothing of his illegal wagers on international soccer, the NBA, the NFL and college football.
As Mizuhara told it, Ohtani was an innocent victim to his close friend’s gambling addiction.
As long as Ohtani isn’t directly accused of illegal betting, the allegations won’t meaningfully hurt his carefully crafted public image, said Lee Seung-yun, a marketing professor at Seoul’s Konkuk University.
“Ohtani’s image is like clean, white porcelain, and that could make a speck look bigger than it is,” he said. “Information spreads at amazing speeds these days, narratives are made before the truth of the facts are figured out, and if Ohtani was seen as a questionable character, the allegations would have really hurt him.”
“But his image is so strong and impeccable, and as long as he wasn’t directly involved, the allegations may just end up a blip,” Lee added.
Lee Jong-Sung, a sports culture expert at Seoul’s Hanyang University, said Ohtani’s image to global fans, including South Koreans, was that of a mysterious monk who “fully devoted himself into a religion called baseball.”
He said the allegations facing Mizuhara so far only may only strengthen that impression of Ohtani — a person who’s driven by perfection in baseball but more naïve and simple-hearted with other things.
“It’s a problem you often see with athletes — putting too much trust and depending excessively on the people they have known for long and are comfortable with and not knowing when they are taken advantage of,” Lee Jong-Sung said.
“It’s not all about you being perfect. Ohtani and the Dodgers should have better judgment in picking the people he works with,” he added.
RANGERS SIGN RHP MICHAEL LORENZEN TO ONE-YEAR DEAL
The Texas Rangers addressed their injury-riddled rotation by reaching a one-year deal with free agent right-hander Michael Lorenzen, multiple outlets reported Thursday.
The deal is reportedly worth $4.5 million, with the potential for another $2.5 million in incentives.
The Rangers are expected to face a good chunk of the season without injured starters Max Scherzer, Jacob deGrom and Tyler Mahle. One of the club’s postseason heroes, free agent Jordan Montgomery, is reportedly back in talks with the New York Yankees and is not expected to return to the Rangers.
Lorenzen, 32, split time between the Detroit and Philadelphia last season. His 3.58 ERA in 18 starts for the Tigers earned him his first All-Star nod. In his first home start with the Phillies, he posted his first career no-hitter against the Washington Nationals on Aug. 9.
He finished last season on a downward slide, with an 8.01 ERA and 1.91 WHIP across his final 30 1/3 innings that got him demoted to the bullpen. He made just two appearances in the Phillies’ postseason run.
Lorenzen has a 40-38 career record with a 4.11 ERA in 724 innings over 342 games (69 starts) with the Cincinnati Reds (2015-21), Los Angeles Angels (2022), Tigers and Phillies.
REPORTS: METS LAND J.D. MARTINEZ FOR ONE YEAR, $12M
The New York Mets beefed up their batting order by agreeing to a one-year, $12 million deal with designated hitter J.D. Martinez, multiple media outlets reported Thursday.
The contract reportedly will pay Martinez just $4.5 million in 2024, with the rest deferred to be paid $1.5 million annually from 2034-2038. The deferrals will save the Mets significant money in terms of luxury tax.
Martinez, 36, was an All-Star for the third season in a row last year, the sixth selection of his career. In his lone season with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Martinez hit .271 with a .321 on-base percentage, a .572 slugging percentage, 33 homers and 103 RBIs over 113 games in 2023.
He lost his spot in Los Angeles when the team signed two-way star Shohei Ohtani, who will be limited to designated hitter duties for most or all of this year while recovering from an arm injury.
Martinez spent the previous five years in Boston, helping the Red Sox win the 2018 World Series, a year in which he led the majors with 130 RBIs.
Martinez previously played for the Houston Astros (2011-13), Detroit Tigers (2014-17) and the Arizona Diamondbacks (2017). In 1,522 career games, he has a .287/.350/.524 batting line with 315 home runs and 1,002 RBIs.
Mark Vientos was the likely candidate to be the Mets’ regular designated hitter before Martinez’s arrival. Vientos, 24, hit .211/.253/.367 with nine homers and 22 RBIs in 65 games last year.
The Mets are coming off a disappointing 75-87 season in 2023, when they had the major leagues’ highest payroll.
NFL NEWS
REPORT: EAGLES SIGNING WR PARRIS CAMPBELL
The Philadelphia Eagles reached an agreement with wide receiver Parris Campbell on a one-year contract, ESPN reported Thursday.
The 26-year-old free agent played last year with the NFC East rival New York Giants following four seasons with the Indianapolis Colts.
Campbell caught 20 passes for 104 yards in 12 games (three starts) for the Giants. He also returned eight kickoffs for 191 yards (23.9 average).
A second-round pick by Indianapolis in 2019, Campbell has 117 career receptions for 1,087 yards and five TDs in 44 games (27 starts). He has also rushed 11 times for 108 yards and returned 15 kicks for 366 yards.
RAVENS SIGN VETERAN OT JOSH JONES
The Baltimore Ravens signed Josh Jones to boost their offensive line depth on Thursday.
Terms of the deal with the 26-year-old free agent tackle were not disclosed.
Jones was a third-round pick of the Arizona Cardinals in 2020 and has 24 starts in 60 career games.
He played on a one-year deal with the Houston Texans in 2023 and started three of his 13 games.
BRONCOS RE-SIGN LB JUSTIN STRNAD TO 1-YEAR DEAL
The Denver Broncos re-signed inside linebacker Justin Strnad on Thursday to a one-year deal.
Strnad, 27, has played in 50 games over the last three seasons for the Broncos, with his five starts all coming in 2021.
The 2020 fifth-round pick has 46 career tackles with one quarterback hit and has played in at least 84 percent of the team’s special teams snaps over the past two seasons.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL NEWS
FIRST-YEAR MICHIGAN ASSISTANT GREG SCRUGGS RESIGNS AFTER DRUNKEN DRIVING ARREST
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Michigan defensive line coach Greg Scruggs resigned Thursday, less than a week after his arrest for suspected drunken driving and without coaching a game with the Wolverines.
Coach Sherrone Moore said he was notified of Scruggs’ resignation and wouldn’t comment further.
Scruggs, a former NFL defensive end, coached Wisconsin’s defensive line last season. He was a New York Jets assistant defensive line coach in 2022 following two seasons as an assistant with the Cincinnati Bearcats.
He was hired by Moore, who replaced Jim Harbaugh when he left to lead the Los Angeles Chargers two months ago.
The 33-year-old Scruggs was arrested for operating a vehicle while intoxicated at 3 a.m. Saturday, according to Ann Arbor police.
He was a defensive lineman at Louisville from 2008 to 2011, playing for the program for three years while Moore was starting his coaching career as a graduate assistant.
Scruggs, who is from Cincinnati, was drafted by Seattle in the seventh round in 2012 and played in 18 games over four seasons with the Seahawks and Chicago Bears.
COLLEGE SPORTS NEWS
REPORT: UT RIO GRANDE VALLEY TO EXIT WAC, JOIN SOUTHLAND
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley is set to leave the Western Athletic Conference to join the Southland Conference, ESPN reported.
The change will take place for the 2024-25 season and will cost UTRGV a $2 million exit fee to the WAC, per Wednesday’s report.
However, the UTRGV said in a statement that there was “nothing definitive to announce” at this time.
“As you know this is a dynamic time in college athletics with exciting opportunities for our university,” the UTRGV athletics department told ESPN in a statement. “We are always evaluating ways we can enhance the competitive experience for our student-athletes and improve their overall well-being.”
UTRGV joined the WAC in 2013 when the school was still known as UT Pan American. The new name came about in 2015 after a merger between UT Pan-American and UT Brownsville.
Switching to the Southland makes geographic sense with its members including Texas A&M Corpus Christi, Texas A&M Commerce and Lamar.
The Vaqueros finished last in the WAC in both men’s and women’s basketball in 2023-24. The university’s football program is slated to debut in 2025.
MEN’S GOLF
TIGER WOODS OFFICIALLY ENTERED INTO NEXT MONTH’S MASTERS
Tiger Woods is officially entered into the Masters Tournament field, setting himself up to compete in the April 11-14 major at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Ga.
A five-time Masters winner, Woods last won what is traditionally the first major of the calendar year in 2019.
A car crash in February of 2021 has limited Woods’ participation in tournaments after sustaining major damage to his right leg while undergoing multiple surgeries.
Since his last Masters victory, Woods finished tied for 38th in the 2020 event, did not participate in 2021, finished 47th in 2022 and withdrew last year because of plantar fasciitis after making the 36-hole cut.
Woods, 48, has played just once this season in the Genesis Invitational at Pacific Palisades, Calif., withdrawing after six holes of the second round with the flu.
A 15-time major champion, Woods has said he hoped to play one tour event per month going forward.
Not scheduled to compete in this year’s Masters is 2009 champion Angel Cabrera, who has missed the event in each of the past four years. Cabrera was released from prison in his native Argentina late last year.
Cabrera’s visa was temporarily denied after he was involved in “gender violence cases,” according to Golfweek, including theft and intimidation charges. Cabrera served 30 months in prison for alleged assaults on two former girlfriends.
KEVIN STREELMAN FIRES 64, GRABS FIRST-ROUND LEAD AT VALSPAR
Kevin Streelman shot a 7-under 64 to take a one-stroke lead after the first round of the Valspar Championship on Thursday in Palm Harbor, Fla.
Seeking his first win on the PGA Tour in nearly 10 years, Streelman sunk three birdies on Holes 10-18 to start, then added four more over his second half in a bogey-free round at Innisbrook Resort’s Copperhead Course.
Kevin Roy bested Streelman with eight birdies but stumbled on the seventh and 16th holes with a pair of bogeys, finishing one shot behind Streelman at 65.
Peter Malnati, Canada’s Adam Svensson and China’s Carl Yuan are tied for third at 66. Malnati struggled out of the gate with a pair of bogeys on the front nine, then recovered with five of his seven birdies on the back nine.
Seven players are tied for sixth at 67, while Justin Thomas and Xander Schauffele are among those tied for 13th after a first-round 68.
Jordan Spieth (69) is tied for 28th, while Brian Harman (70) is tied with several others in 48th.
WOMEN’S GOLF NEWS
MAUDE-AIMEE LEBLANC GRABS LEAD AT SERI PAK CHAMPIONSHIP
Maude-Aimee LeBlanc, a 35-year-old Canadian who has never won an LPGA event, holds a one-shot lead after the first round of the Fir Hills Seri Pak Championship on Thursday in Palos Verdes Estates, Calif.
LeBlanc shot a bogey-free, 7-under-par 64 at Palos Verdes Golf Club, with Malia Nam just behind.
Alison Lee, Lauren Hartlage, Japan’s Yuka Saso and Sweden’s Madelene Sagstrom are tied for third at 5 under. Rose Zhang, Thailand’s Natthakritta Vongtaveelap, China’s Xiyu Lin, Canada’s Brooke Henderson, Germany’s Isi Gabsa, South Korea’s In Gee Chun and Japan’s Yuna Nishimura share seventh place at 3 under.
LeBlanc birdied two of her first three holes, then added three consecutive birdies to complete the front nine. She birdied both of the par-5 holes on the back nine.
“I felt like I hit the ball really well today and whenever I missed the green I was able to make up and down,” LeBlanc said. “Made some really good saves and just kept the momentum going throughout the round, so, yeah, the putting was good as well.
“These greens can get really tricky. They’re hard to read, but I feel like my caddie and I did a good job reading them today, so I’ll take it.”
LeBlanc missed the cut in both of her previous starts this year, and she made just three cuts in seven events last year, topped by a tie for 13th at this event last year.
Asked about the challenge of breaking through for a victory, LeBlanc said, “That’s a constant work. I feel like I have to bring myself back to the present a lot of time. I have my mental coach on the bag with me so he helps me with that as well.
“So, yeah, I can feel my mind going in the future a lot when I’m playing, but when I’m over the ball, I feel like I can bring myself back to the shot that I need to hit.”
Nam, a 24-year-old rookie, is a former University of Southern California star competing in her second LPGA event. She tied for 57th in Bradenton, Fla., in January.
Nam, who said she has played Palos Verdes more than 100 times, was at 6-under 30 through the front nine, including an eagle on the par-4 fifth hole. She finished with one bogey and one birdie on the back nine.
“It’s really nice to come back to a course that I’m really familiar with,” she said. “It definitely helped knowing where not to miss and where to miss.”
Lexi Thompson became the first player to record two eagles in a round on the tour this year, accomplishing the feat on the par-5 seventh and par-4 18th holes. However, she is tied for 44th at even par, as her round included five bogeys and just one birdie.
Defending champion Ruoning Yin of China shot a 70 and is tied for 28th.
TWO-TIME MAJOR WINNER SO YEON RYU, 33, RETIRING
After 13 seasons on the LPGA Tour, including a pair of major victories, South Korea’s So Yeon Ryu announced Thursday she will retire from professional golf next month.
Ryu made her announcement in a social media post.
“After deciding to retire, I spent much time looking back on my career,” Ryu wrote in a note posted to Instagram. “So many memories came flooding back, and I felt so many emotions. But the more I thought about it, the more I was thankful for so many things.
“I am so grateful that I could do what I loved to do, day in and day out, and even make a career out of it. I am not going to lie; I had some hard patches, but despite some of the challenges, I truly enjoyed it all.”
Ryu said her final event will be The Chevron Championship from April 18-21 at The Woodlands, Texas.
At the 2011 U.S. Women’s Open, Ryu defeated Hee Kyung Seo in a three-hole aggregate playoff to win her first major title before joining the LPGA in 2012 and being named rookie of the year. She finished in the top five at the U.S. Women’s Open six times from 2011-19.
Ryu’s second major came at the 2017 ANA Inspiration at Mission Hills, Calif., by defeating Lexi Thompson in another playoff. She has six LPGA Tour wins and won 10 times on the Korean LPGA Tour.
Ryu was ranked No. 1 in the world for 19 weeks in 2017, while winning LPGA Player of the Year honors that season.
INDIANA SPORTS RELEASES/NEWS
INDIANA PACERS BASKETBALL
GAME PREVIEW: PACERS AT WARRIORS
The Indiana Pacers’ last long road trip of the regular season will next take them on a three-game tour of California, kicking off their West Coast visit with a battle in the Bay Area.
In game two of their five-game away span, the Pacers (39-31) will face the Golden Warriors (36-32) on Friday at Chase Center.
While an out-of-conference matchup, there could be some extra incentive for the Blue & Gold to come out on top against Golden State, as the Pacers could secure at least Play-In Tournament berth if they beat the Warriors.
At the same time, the Blue & Gold could get some help before then, as they would also secure a Play-In spot if the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday.
The Pacers are currently in sixth place in the East, just a half-game ahead of the Philadelphia 76ers (38-31). The top six teams in the final standings avoid the Play-In and advance directly to the playoffs.
Indiana enters Friday’s game winners of four straight on the road, including a 122-103 victory over the Detroit Pistons (12-56) on Wednesday in the Motor City.
Against the Pistons, Pacers All-Star Tyrese Haliburton shook a string of cold shooting by going 9-for-13 for 20 points in 26 minutes, while Pascal Siakam scored a team-high 25 points on 10-of-15 shooting.
Indiana, the highest-scoring team for almost the entire season, has earned its wins differently in recent weeks. The Pacers are 4-2 over their last six games, as the team has put together some of its best defensive efforts of the season, giving up just 108.5 points per game during that span.
Golden State comes into Friday’s game off a 137-116 win over the Memphis Grizzlies (23-47) on Wednesday. The Warriors have a better record on the road (18-14) than at home (18-18) this season and are 5-5 in their last 10 games.
Against Memphis, three Warriors players scored 20-plus points, led by 26 from Jonathan Kuminga, 23 from Klay Thompson, and 22 by Andrew Wiggins.
A key point of emphasis for the Pacers will be finding a way to slow down two-time MVP Stephen Curry, who torched the Blue & Gold for 42 points on 11 made 3-pointers in a 22-point Golden State win in Indianapolis on Feb. 8. In his 15th season, Curry is still a dominant force, averaging 26.8 points per game and leading the league with 301 made 3-pointers.
In the last matchup between the teams, the Warriors were without Thompson due to injury. After starting early in the season, Thompson has moved into a bench role and provided a major scoring boost for the Warriors’ second unit in recent weeks. Thompson is averaging 17.3 points per game this season.
After playing Golden State, the Pacers will head to the City of Angels to play the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday and Los Angeles Clippers on Monday before concluding their road trip on Wednesday at the Chicago Bulls.
Projected Starters
Pacers: G – Tyrese Haliburton, G – Andrew Nembhard, F – Aaron Nesmith, F – Pascal Siakam, C – Myles Turner
Warriors: G – Stephen Curry, G – Brandon Podziemski, F – Andrew Wiggins, F – Jonathan Kuminga, C – Draymond Green
Injury Report
Pacers: Bennedict Mathurin – out (right shoulder labral tear)
Warriors: TBA
Last Meeting
Feb. 8, 2024: In Indiana’s final pre-All-Star break game, Warriors superstar Steph Curry dropped 42 points in a 131-109 win over the Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Indiana trailed 45-34 at the end of the first quarter and never recovered. Curry finished 6-for-6 from 3-point range in the opening frame and had 29 points by halftime in the blowout win.
The Warriors outshot the Pacers 55.9 to 48.1 percent, including making 17 3-pointers to Indiana’s 12 treys. Golden State dominated the boards, outrebounding Indiana 49-30.
Pascal Siakam led six Pacers in double figures with 16 points and eight rebounds, and Myles Turner tallied 15 points and seven boards.
Curry finished 15-for-22 (11-for-16 from 3-point range) shooting for his game-high 42 points, while Jonathan Kuminga had 18 points, Gui Santos scored 13 and Dario Saric and Andrew Wiggins each recorded 11 points for Golden State.
Noteworthy
Friday’s matchup will be the 100th regular season game between the Pacers and Warriors. Indiana leads the all-time series, 52-47.
Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle has 935 career wins, one shy of passing Dick Motta for 13th place on the all-time list.
Pacers center Myles Turner has 1,243 career blocks and needs three more to break Jermaine O’Neal’s franchise record.
If the Warriors win on Friday, it will be their first sweep over the Pacers since the 2018-2019 season.
Warriors rookie Trayce Jackson-Davis is the son of Pacers legend Dale Davis. Jackson-Davis played at Center Grove High School in Greenwood and at Indiana University before being taken by the Warriors with the 57th overall pick in the 2023 Draft.
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), Eddie Gill (analyst), Pat Boylan (sideline reporter/host)
Tickets
After a five-game road trip, the Pacers will return to Gainbridge Fieldhouse to host LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday, March 29 at 7:00 PM ET.
INDIANA BASEBALL
BASEBALL CENTRAL: ILLINOIS
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Big Ten play is officially underway this weekend across the conference with four series including an important battle between the Indiana Baseball team (11-10) and Illinois at Bart Kaufman Field.
In every full season under head coach Jeff Mercer, IU has opened its Big Ten slate at home, winning two of the previous three series. The Hoosiers swept Ohio State last season to continue a run of eight-straight wins at the end of March.
Mercer is 8-5 in his IU career against Illinois with the Hoosiers winning eight of the past 11 games including three of four in the 2023 season. The two teams have met every year in a completed season since 2017.
The Big Ten expects to be wide open this season in the 24-game race to a conference title. Nebraska (9) has the highest RPI in the conference but Iowa, Rutgers, Maryland and IU all expect to factor into the regular season battle this year.
All three games will be broadcasted on BTN+ this season. Saturday’s game will be free admission due to the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. First pitch Friday is slated for 6:00 PM.
Gameday Info
Illinois (Friday, March 22nd)
Live Video: t.ly/_fMBQ
Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio
Live Stats: t.ly/DSDfX
Illinois (Saturday, March 23rd)
Live Video: t.ly/_fMBQ
Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio
Live Stats: t.ly/DSDfX
Illinois (Sunday, March 24th)
Live Video: t.ly/_fMBQ
Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio
Live Stats: t.ly/DSDfX
Probable Starters
Indiana vs. Illinois
• Friday – Ethan Phillips (IU) (3-0, 5.29 ERA) vs. Jack Crowder (ILL) (0-1, 5.88 ERA)
• Saturday – Connor Foley (IU) (1-1, 4.63 ERA) vs. Cooper Omans (ILL) (2-0, 1.45 ERA)
• Sunday – TBD (IU) vs. TBD (ILL)
Player and Stat Trends
Closing in on 200
• Josh Pyne (177) and Brock Tibbitts (174) are neck-in-neck as they try to become the next members of the 200-hit club at IU. They would be the first pair of teammates from the same recruiting class to reach the plateau since Kyle Schwarber and Sam Travis (2012-14). 23 players in program history, which dates back to the 1890’s, have recorded 200-career hits.
200 of His Own
• Ty Bothwell is also searching for 200 … strikeouts. He is 28 away from becoming the 10th member of the 200-strikeout club at IU. He is currently second on the team with 23 punchies this season behind only Connor Foley’s 35.
Ironman Brock
• Brock Tibbitts is on a run of 140-straight starts without missing a contest. He is searching to become the third player since 2008 to have a stretch of at least 150-consecutive starts. Jerrud Sabourin made a 220-straight starts from 2008-11 while Craig Dedelow had 175-consecutive starts (2015-17).
Racking Up Hits
• Devin Taylor (33), Tyler Cerny (32) and Brock Tibbitts (30) are all top-10 in the Big Ten in hits this season and could be chasing special numbers in Bloomington this season. Only once at IU has a pair of teammates (Alex Dickerson and Jerrud Sabourin, 2010) each had 92+ hits respectively in the same campaign. Only one player ever (Alex Smith, 1985) has had 100+ hits in a season.
Notable
The Time to get it Going
• After a strong February and start to the season, Indiana has faced an up-and-down month of March filled with a trio of run-rule defeats. Through the first 19 days of the month, IU had already played 13 contests including a stretch of eight games in nine days.
• Heading into this weekend, IU had two full days of practice to get ready for Big Ten play and has a nice stretch of run with only one of its next nine games on the road (at Butler). The Hoosiers won’t see any hotel rooms or flights until the beginning of April.
• IU used a big stretch heading into April in 2023, winning its final eight games in the month of March, before heading into the heart of conference play. The next nine contests (three vs. Illinois, one vs. MTSU, four vs. Butler and one vs. Indiana State) will be massive in the season outlook.
Buzz Cuts and Big Bats
• Junior third baseman Josh Pyne decided the team needed a change of pace after Friday’s loss to Belmont. He, along with redshirt junior catcher Jake Stadler, led the charge in the buzz-cut trend, shaving down their heads in the locker room. Nearly three-fourths of the team followed suit.
• The Hoosiers have had 10+ hits in each of the three games since, putting up a combined 37 runs in those three contests. The top five batters in IU’s order have been on a tear in that stretch and will look to continue that into Big Ten play.
Phillips Does the Job
• Sophomore Ethan Phillips was called in to help manage the pitching on Saturday afternoon in a close game. IU took the lead in the bottom of the seventh to reward him the win. Pitching coach Dustin Glant looked to him to open Sunday’s game and he turned in three innings of one-run baseball on a staff day.
• He was the first IU pitcher since Cal Krueger (who won three-in-a-row) in 2018 to be the winning pitcher in consecutive games played. On the season, Phillips has turned in seven appearances and a team-best six starts with a 3-0 record and a 5.29 ERA.
Big Game Ty
• Perhaps no one on IU’s pitching staff has been more reliable than sixth-year senior Ty Bothwell. He’s 2-0 with a 5.16 ERA across 22.2 innings pitched this year. He gave IU a chance to win games against Troy and Belmont but the Hoosier offense couldn’t muster much of anything in the opening contests of those series.
Big Ten Play Gets Underway
• IU opens Big Ten play at home this weekend with Illinois. The Hoosiers swept Ohio State at home last year to open conference play and will look to tack on some more wins this weekend. IU went 2-1 against Illinois in Champaign last year. It is 7-3 against Illinois in the last 10 regular season meetings.
Year Opponent Result
2023 vs. Ohio State 3-0
2022 vs. Northwestern 1-2
2021 vs. Rutgers/Minnesota (neut.) 3-1
2019 vs. Iowa 3-0
Scouting the Opponent
Illinois (8-11, 0-0)
• One of two permanent opponents (Purdue) on IU’s schedule under the current Big Ten format, Illinois makes the trip to Bloomington for the first time since 2022. The two programs have played the last two years at the Big Ten Tournament in Omaha with IU winning both games.
• Camden Janik anchors the Illinois lineup as the only hitter above .300 on the season. He also has four home runs and 13 RBIs to pair with 10 walks. Drake Westcott leads the way with five home runs while Coltin Quagliano has driven in 18 runs on the season.
• Jack Crowder gets the ball on Friday night. He has worked a team-high 26.0 innings on the season and holds a 0-1 record with a 5.88 ERA. Cooper Omans (2-0, 1.45) has been solid as both a starter and reliever and will get the nod on Saturday.
Inside the Series
Indiana vs. Illinois
• Separated by just a few hours, these programs are no stranger to one another. Jeff Mercer is 9-5 in his tenure in Bloomington against the Fighting Illini. Illinois leads the all-time series 122-89-1 but IU has won eight of the past 11 matchups.
• McCade Brown and Braydon Tucker combined for a no-hitter against Illinois in 2021, the team’s first in over 37 years. That came the night after Collin Hopkins hit a dramatic walk-off home run.
• The Hoosiers hit seven home runs in a series victory in Champaign last season. IU put up 16 runs in the weekend finale.
INDIANA FOOTBALL
QUOTED: SPRING PRACTICE – PRACTICE ONE
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana head football coach Curt Cignetti met with the media on Thursday (March 21) to recap the first of 13 spring practices.
Below is a full transcript of the press conference, while video of the media session can be found in the link above this story and at IUHoosiers.com/watch.
Curt Cignetti | Indiana Head Football Coach
Opening Statement:
CC: You guys are going to want to know a lot, but it is just one practice with no pads. You play football with pads on, and I always call it pajamas when we go out [and practice] like this. Some people think it’s safer that we go out two days like this. It’s really not, but just tell me the rules and I will play by them.
I thought the flow was good today. Players tried to do the right thing. [We practiced for] About an hour and 55 minutes. There is not a whole lot to tell you other than we have practice again on Saturday morning and we will get 13 in this spring and 22 or 23 in fall camp. The most important thing is that we are ready to go when we run out of the tunnel for the opener.
We are trying to promote competition. I think the defense is going to be a little shorthanded throughout the spring because they are missing some key guys that have played really good football collegiately in the past and that we expect to help us. On offense, really the only significant guy out is [Nick] Kidwell at right guard. You are looking at [James] Carpenter, who is a really good player, [Lanell] Carr’s played football, [Venson] Sneed has been a top backup, Jalin Walker is an excellent linebacker. There may be another guy or two on defense [that I am missing], so they are a little thin over there, and with [Philip] Blidi leaving, which was unexpected, but he did what he did and that is all I am going to say about that, and we will keep it to our guys.
We will make progress this spring and push it forward and keep working every day to improve and improve the roster. We will see where we are at the end of spring in this wild world of college football. And we’ll see what the roster looks like in August. Have to be light on your feet around here, to be a Power 5 or any kind FBS or any kind of college football coach now a days, because it is crazy.
Alright, let’s go.
On managing the defensive load during spring ball…
CC: We have enough bodies to go three teams, which is the goal. You want to be able to work three teams when you start your 11-on-11 stuff. We are keeping the reps a little lower, racks of four, right now, early on, because football movements are just do different than anything the strength and conditioning staff can do with them. It’s a start-stop game, so you want to develop players and keep them healthy, so we kind of build the reps up as we go.
On quarterback structure and practice reps…
CC: Every year has been a little different, but there was a year at [James Madison] where we had three guys – my first year there – that we thought were fairly equal and we gave them all a day. The second year, we did the same thing. [Kurtis] Rourke went with the ones today, Tayven [Jackson] with the teams and [Tyler] Cherry with the threes.
On the depth in the wide receiver room…
CC: On paper, you are right. There is a lot of production, and we want to promote competition. Everything is earned, not give, and no one has a job. Some guys have a body of work, and I’m talking about all positions right now.
Everything is earned on the field. There is no entitlement, nor can there every be. That room has a lot of older guys that have made plays in game, and I am excited about their potential to help us win football games.
On the evolution of on-field leadership…
CC: I think we are still developing and learning about the guys. Like in flex today, at the end of flex we always have somebody talk, have a few guys out front, and Kaelon Black talked today, who was at JMU and was a running back, because he talked one time last year and had a lot of juice. We want that guy to kind of grab everyone’s attention.
I think we are learning. We have players from Indiana that we did not coach last year. There are transfers that we did not coach last year, and we have some guys from JMU that we did coach last year. So, I think that will evolve.
On how to measure success in the spring…
CC: Number one, we want to keep them all healthy. We don’t want to have any significant injuries, especially to guys we think can make major contributions to the football team.
Number two, we have to install our offense, defense and special teams schemes, and teach the way we practice. We have a certain way we practice, a certain way we play the game and things that we emphasis that we think are important in being successful. And practice should emulate the game a little bit.
I was fairly pleased with day one, the flow of day one. We want to develop players and find out who can do what. Then, come out of spring, it used to be recruiting and development, now it is recruiting, development and retention, se who is on the bus and who is off the bus and put the best roster together that we can for August.
On the setup of the spring schedule…
CC: This [spring practice schedule] was more about [scheduling]. I have always started the Thursday after spring break. We have always like to come off of spring break and stride the guys Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, let them get the stuff out of them so we don’t have soft tissue stuff on day one and two. Now, the way the school year fell and with some other activities going on on campus, it just worked out that way that we would only get 13 [practices] in. So, I can’t say that will be the case next year.
On what goes into the setup of practice…
CC: Organization and planning.
On evaluating and making decisions regarding position changes…
CC: You want to put your best team on the field, and you have strengths and weaknesses. If that guy can be a starter over here, I think we all do that as coaches. I have a history of [position changes]. We have had some offensive guys that weren’t first teamers go and play [defensive back] and a couple of them had pretty lengthy NFL careers. So, we are trying to put the best 11 on the field, but we don’t have to do that today.
You saw [Nic] Toomer out there today at strong safety, and he has played some corner, and that is just a situation where we have some corners and we wanted to take a look at him at strong safety.
On how practice one went…
CC: Day one it’s how you do things, and this was new for everybody today. It was new for me to go out on the field and practice. Like, how do I even get to the field from my office, and I figured that out and found the shortest way. Then, I go out there and the tight ends and receivers and running backs stuff is in the wrong spot, so that was new.
It was a good day, and Kaelon was sort of showing everybody else how we do it. Everybody is different and does it different. Not everybody’s going to get up in front and talk, because those are sort of like the guys that are going to end up being leaders.
INDIANA WRESTLING
INDIANA WRESTLES THROUGH SESSION II OF NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS
KANSAS CITY, Mo. –––– After two sessions of action at the NCAA Championships in the T-Mobile Center, Indiana has five of its six wrestlers still alive in the tournament.
Cayden Rooks (133), Dan Fongaro (141), Graham Rooks (149), Brayton Lee (157) and Tyler Lillard (165) are all still competing in the consolation brackets.
Every Indiana wrestler in the tournament won at least one match.
MATCH RECAPS
After dropping their opening matches, No. 32 Cayden Rooks and No. 17 Tyler Lillard each bounced back to stay alive in the tournament and advance in the wrestlebacks.
Rooks dominantly won his second preliminary round match, defeating No. 30 Hunter Leake (Cal Baptist) by major decision, 11-3.
Then, when facing No. 19 Julian Farber (Northern Iowa) in the first round of consolation action, Rooks had his best showing of the tournament through the first half of the match. The graduate student scored on four first period takedowns and was on his way to bonus-point victory prior to Farber injury defaulting.
Lillard, coming off a 5-0 loss in the opening round, found his stride in his consolation bout against Northern Iowa’s No. 33 Jack Thomsen. Thomsen and Lillard were locked in at 1-1 before Lillard got Thomsen on his back and stuck him for a fall at the 7:43 mark.
Nick Willham found himself in a close battle with No. 16 Cory Day (Binghamton) in the first round of consolation action and nearly advanced, too. It was a 3-3 match after regulation, but Day scored on a takedown in Sudden Victory, 6-3.
After winning their opening matches and advancing, Fongaro, Graham Rooks and Lee fell in tough bouts in the Round of 16. Each will continue wrestling tomorrow in the consolation brackets.
Action will resume tomorrow at 12 p.m. eastern/11 a.m. central time.
Indiana’s 10.5 points already surpasses last year’s total of seven scored at the NCAA Championships.
FULL RESULTS
133 – No. 32 Cayden Rooks:
-Prelim R1: No. 33 Dyson Dunham (VMI) def. No. 32 Cayden Rooks (IU): Dec. 9-5
-Prelim R2: No. 32 Cayden Rooks (IU) def. No. 30 Hunter Leake (Cal Baptist): MD, 11-3
-Cons. R1: No. 32 Cayden Rooks (IU) def. No. 19 Julian Farber (Northern Iowa): Inj. Default
141 – No. 23 Dan Fongaro:
-Round 1: No. 23 Dan Fongaro (IU) def. No. 10 Tagen Jamison (OK State): Dec. 9-8
-Round of 16: No. 26 Vance Vombaur (Minnesota) def. No. 23 Dan Fonagro (IU): Dec. 5-0
149 – No. 17 Graham Rooks:
-Round 1: No. 17 Graham Rooks (IU) def. No. 16 Kelvin Griffin (Lehigh): Dec. 12-5
-Round of 16: No. 1 Ridge Lovett (Nebraska) def. No. 17 Graham Rooks (IU): Dec. 11-4
157 – No. 11 Brayton Lee:
-Round 1: No. 11 Brayton Lee (IU) def. No. 22 DJ McGee (George Mason): SV-1, 4-1
-Round of 16: No. 6 Daniel Cardenas (Stanford) def. No. 11 Brayton Lee (IU): MD, 8-0
165 – No. 17 Tyler Lillard:
-Round 1: No. 16 Will Miller (App State) def. No. 17 Tyler Lillard (IU): Dec. 5-0
-Cons. R1: No. 17 Tyler Lillard (IU) def. No. 33 Jack Thomsen (UNI): Fall (7:43)
285 – No. 32 Nick Willham:
-Prelim R1: No. 32 Nick Willham (IU) def. No. 33 Jordan Greer (Ohio): Dec. 11-4
-Round 1: No. 1 Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State) def. No. 32 Nick Willham (IU): TF, 19-3 (5:17)
-Cons. R1: No. 16 Cory Day (Binghamton) def. No. 32 Nick Willham (IU): SV-1, 6-3
TEAM STANDINGS UPDATE (THROUGH SESSION II)
1. Penn State (34.5 points)
t-2. Iowa State (24.5 points)
t-2. Iowa (24.5 points)
t-4. Michigan (22.0 points)
t-4. NC State (22.0 points)
17. Indiana (10.5 points)
INDIANA SWIMMING
PEPLOWSKI BRONZE HIGHLIGHTS DAY TWO AT NCAA MEET
ATHENS, Ga. – Indiana kept pace at the 2024 NCAA Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships thanks to two podium finishes, two program records and five All-America placements Thursday (March 21) inside the Gabrielsen Natatorium on the campus of the University of Georgia. IU sits No. 8 in the team standings with 87 points through two days.
Indiana’s night was highlighted by junior Anna Peplowski’s bronze-medal finish in the 500-yard freestyle, becoming the program’s third medalist in the event all-time and first since Kennedy Goss in 2017. Peplowski broke the program record twice Thursday, going 4:34.72 in the prelim and 4:34.06 in the final – a drop of 3.41 seconds from her Big Ten runner-up time. The junior was the No. 11 seed coming in and dropped eight spots to earn valuable points for the Hoosiers over the projections.
“It was another solid day for the Hoosiers,” IU head swimming coach Ray Looze said. “Anna Peplowski really did a fine job in the 500 freestyle. She just gained such valuable experience. The two people that beat her were U.S. Olympians in Tokyo, and that event is going to be really important to her down the line for races like the 200-meter free. And she just stepped up to the pressure, handled it beautifully and took a huge step forward.”
Peplowski was fifth after 750 yards but blasted the quickest final 50 in 26.32 to race past Stanford junior Aurora Roghair (4:34.26) and Virginia freshman Cavan Gormsen (4:35.37).
Thursday marked the final chapter of IU’s friendly 50-yard freestyle relay rivalry between fifth-year senior Ashley Turak and sophomore Kristina Paegle – the two fastest 50 free swimmers in program history. Turak reclaimed her school standard in the 50 free B final in 19.73 with Paegle swimming in the next lane. It was déjà vu, as Turak set the top mark for the first time at the 2023 NCAA Championships with a time of 21.81 – again with Paegle in the next lane. Paegle had held the record since midseason (21.76), and the duo have set the school’s top eight times over the last year.
Turak tied her career-best finish, placing 10th for the second-straight season in her final meet. Paegle improved from 13th to 12th with a time of 21.86.
Senior Anne Fowler earned her third-career 1-meter All-America honors, placing 16th to earn a point in the first diving event of the week. Fowler tallied a score of 266.05.
“The girls fought hard today,” IU head diving coach Drew Johansen said. “Anne battled all day to bring some points to the team. Events like these are always decided by the little things. I am looking forward to getting after the little things tomorrow.”
Indiana returned to the podium in the 200-yard freestyle relay, finishing eighth with a time of 1:26.84 – the second-fastest time in program history. IU went 1:26.66 during its Big Ten Championship last month. Peplowski (21.91), Turak (21.28), junior Kacey McKenna (22.28) and Paegle (21.37) grabbed IU’s second consecutive podium placement after the program had not scored in the race since 2005.
“Getting a top-eight relay is always just so fortunate, because it’s not easy to do that at this meet. We just have to keep clawing. It’s a long meet, most of it still remains and some of our best events are coming up. Go Hoosiers!”
RESULTS
500 FREESTYLE
2. Anna Peplowski – 4:34.06 (NCAA Bronze, All-America, Program Record, Career Best)
50 FREESTYLE
10. Ashley Turak – 21.73 (Second-team All-America, Program Record, Career Best)
12. Kristina Paegle – 21.86 (Second-team All-America)
1-METER DIVING
16. Anne Fowler – 266.05 (Second-team All-America)
200 FREESTYLE RELAY
8. Anna Peplowski, Ashley Turak, Kacey McKenna, Kristina Paegle – 1:26.84 (All-America)
HOOSIER ALL-AMERICANS
Brearna Crawford (200 medley relay*)
Ching Hwee Gan (800 freestyle relay)
Anne Fowler (1-meter*)
Kacey McKenna (200 medley relay*, 200 freestyle relay)
Kristina Paegle (200 medley relay*, 800 freestyle relay, 50 freestyle*, 200 freestyle relay)
Anna Peplowski (800 freestyle relay, 500 freestyle, 200 freestyle relay)
Ella Ristic (800 freestyle relay)
Chiok Sze Yeo (200 medley relay*)
Ashley Turak (50 freestyle*, 200 freestyle relay)
UP NEXT
Indiana will look to set the tone for a great night when they open day three with the morning preliminary session on Friday beginning at 10 a.m. ET. The 100 fly, 400 IM, 200 free, 100 breast, 100 back, 3-meter dive and 400 medley relay will be contested.
PURDUE MEN’S BASKETBALL
PURDUE BEGINS PROVE-IT MISSION, PLUCKY GRAMBLING STATE UNBOWED
INDIANAPOLIS — Purdue knows the proving ground as a No. 1 seed is lined with potholes but empty of mulligans.
A 60-mile drive from Lafayette to the state capital ushers the Boilermakers (29-4) into the first-round NCAA Tournament matchup with 16 seed Grambling State on Friday.
Purdue was searching for a do-over at this time last year. They became the second team in tournament history to lose to a No. 16 seed, falling to Farleigh Dickinson to spark a redemption tour led by All-American center Zach Edey.
“We put ourselves right back in the same position we were in last year,” Purdue coach Matt Painter said of repeating as Big Ten regular-season champions and earning the top seed in the Midwest Region. “Proud of our players. You don’t start at the No. 1 seed next year.”
Edey enters the tournament with a 10-game streak of scoring at least 22 points.
The 7-4, 300-pound Edey said his sole focus this season has been on being at his best for this targeted run to Phoenix and the Final Four, which would be the Boilermakers first since 1980. Edey led college basketball with an average of 24.4 points per game and was third in the nation with 11.7 rebounds per game.
Grambling State (21-14) initially fell behind by 14 points to Montana State in the First Four on Wednesday, before a comeback resulted in the first NCAA Tournament victory in program history.
“Hey listen, we got to get to the room, pack up, figure it out, start on film and just worry about how we can throw the whole house, the kitchen — whatever — the backyard at Zach Edey,” SWAC coach of the year Donte’ Jackson said after the 88-81 win in overtime.
Jackson said Grambling brings an air of confidence from being in the ring with several college basketball heavyweights this season. They rebounded from a nine-game losing streak dotted with teams in the Field of 64: Colorado, Iowa State, Dayton, Washington State, Drake and Florida.
The Tigers were 2-10 when conference play began. Jackson said he knew his team would come out punching. They went 14-4 in conference games and claimed back-to-back SWAC regular-season titles, then got an automatic bid by winning the conference tournament.
“The atmosphere (Wednesday), it wasn’t too much different for us,” said forward Jourdan Smith, who powered home a putback dunk to bring UD Arena to life in the win. “(Jackson) made the schedule he made this year for a reason. When we came in here, we knew what we were coming into. The atmosphere wasn’t too much different.”
Painter said Purdue’s overtime loss in the Big Ten tournament semifinals to Wisconsin won’t carry over to the NCAA Tournament, but it sparked renewed conversation about the Boilermakers’ vulnerability to teams that play at a frenetic pace.
In the past three NCAA Tournament brackets, Purdue went out in painful fashion: to 16 seed FDU last year, to 15 seed Saint Peter’s in the Sweet 16 in 2022 and to 13 seed North Texas in overtime in 2021.
Painter’s record of 87-18 over the past three seasons is among the best in college basketball. Only Houston’s Kelvin Sampson has won at least 29 games each of the past three years.
This might be the best on-paper resume Purdue has had entering the tournament with wins over the teams ranked 4th (Arizona), 7th (Tennessee), 9th (Alabama), 13th twice (Illinois), 14th (Marquette), 17th (Gonzaga), 21st twice (Wisconsin) and 24th twice (Michigan State) in the NCAA NET rankings. The Boilermakers are 11-1 against the NCAA NET top 25.
But Painter is 17-15 all-time in the NCAA Tournament. He has never advanced beyond the Elite Eight with Sweet Sixteen appearances in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2022.
Players know the subject of painful upsets isn’t going away until the Boilermakers change the narrative.
“(History) gives you a bigger chip on your shoulder,” said Purdue sophomore Fletcher Loyer. “There’s more you want to prove. That bad taste in our mouth has stuck with us all year.
“We’re ready to go for March, and ready to prove what everybody said was wrong.”
PURDUE WRESTLING
RAMOS AND CLARK FIGHT ON INTO DAY 2 AT NCAAS
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Matt Ramos and Greyson Clark will fight into Friday after picking up big wins on Thursday night in the T-Mobile Center. The pair are the lone Purdue wrestlers still active going into day two at the 2024 NCAA Wrestling Championships.
Ramos followed a similar pattern for both of his matches on the day. In his Thursday evening faceoff with Northern Colorado’s No. 20 Stevo Poulin, the All-American once again grabbed an early takedown to take a lead that he would not surrender. He would go on to win 4-2 to put himself into the quarterfinals for the second straight season.
Friday morning he will face a familiar opponent in Lock Haven’s No. 12 Anthony Noto. The duo faced off at the annual NWCA All-Star Classic back in November where Ramos won a 10-2 major decision to knock off the then-No. 1 ranked Noto.
Greyson Clark has made a habit of dramatic come from behind victories, claiming 10-9 upset wins in back-to-back tournaments now after beating No. 12 Wyatt Henson in the first round of the consolation ladder. On two separate occasions Henson held a two-point lead, only to see Clark surmount him.
Trailing 3-1 at the start of the second period, Purdue’s leader in back points locked up a cradle to get a four-point nearfall and go up 4-3, only for Henson to reverse him and tie it up. Takedown for the Lock Haven wrestler early in the third gave him the lead back, but it was Clark who got the last laugh with a takedown with 19 seconds left to take the win and stay alive in the wrestlebacks in his debut trip to the national tournament.
Fellow NCAA tournament debutants Joey Blaze, Stoney Buell and Brody Baumann all dropped their second matches to bring their postseason runs to a close. Blaze lost both of his matches in overtime, giving up a 4-1 decision to Central Michigan’s No. 25 Johnny Lovett in the second session. Buell held a 6-1 lead over No. 25 Holden Heller from Pittsburgh before overplaying his hand on a cradle and giving up a fall.
Wrestling resumes tomorrow at 12:00 p.m. ET with Ramo’s quarterfinal match first and Clark’s run through the consolations to follow. Session three matches will be broadcast live on ESPNU with streaming for each mat available on ESPN+.
RESULTS
NCAA Wrestling Championships
T-Mobile Center
125: #4 Matt Ramos (R-Junior)
First Round: #29 Brendan McCrone (Ohio State) – W, D 4-3
Second Round: #20 Stevo Poulin (Northern Colorado) – W, D 4-2
Quarterfinals: #12 Anthony Noto (Lock Haven)
141: #28 Greyson Clark (Freshman)
First Round: #5 Anthony Echemendia (Iowa State) – L, TF 20-4 (6:52)
Cons. First Round: #12 Wyatt Henson (Lock Haven) – W, D 10-9
Cons. Second Round: #11 Josh Koderhandt (Navy)
157: #23 Joey Blaze (Freshman)
First Round: #10 Jared Franek (Iowa) – L, D 3-2 (TB2)
Cons. First Round: #26 Johnny Lovett (Central Michigan) – L, D 4-1 (SV1)
165: #24 Stoney Buell (R-Sophomore)
First Round: #9 Peyton Hall (West Virgina) – L, TF 17-2 (6:29)
Cons. First Round: #25 Holden Heller (Pittsburgh) – L, Fall 2:04
174: #32 Brody Baumann (R-Freshman)
Prelim: No. 33 Cael Valencia (Arizona State) – L, D 5-0
Cons. Prelim: #30 Myles Takats (Bucknell) – L, D 13-9
PURDUE BASEBALL
BASEBALL OPENS BIG TEN PLAY AT HOME VS. PRESEASON FAVORITE IOWA
GAMEDAY INFORMATION
Iowa (11-9) at Purdue (15-7)
Friday to Sunday, March 22-24 / Watch B1G+
Series Opener: Friday, March 22 at 4 p.m. ET
Middle Game: Saturday, March 23 at 1 p.m. ET
Series Finale: Sunday, March 24 at 1 p.m. ET
Alexander Field / West Lafayette, Indiana
PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS
Friday: Jordan Morales (Grad, LHP) vs. Iowa’s Brody Brecht (Jr, RHP)
Saturday: Luke Wagner (Sr, LHP) vs. Iowa’s Cade Obermueller (So, LHP)
Sunday: TBA for Both Teams
SERIES HISTORY
All-Time: Iowa leads 104-67-1
All-Time in West Lafayette: Iowa leads 47-40-1
Last Meeting: Iowa 5, Purdue 4 (2022 Big Ten Tournament in Omaha)
Last Series: Iowa won 2 of 3 (May 2022 in Iowa City)
Last Series in West Lafayette: Iowa won 2 of 3 (April 2021)
Purdue’s Last Series Win vs. Iowa: Swept a 3-game set (May 2011)
First Meeting: Purdue 5, Iowa 2 (May 1902 in West Lafayette)
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue Baseball closes out its 13-game homestand by opening Big Ten Conference play at home for just the second time since 2017, hosting the league’s preseason favorite, Iowa, for a three-game series at Alexander Field.
First pitch is slated for 4 p.m. Friday and 1 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday. Fans are permitted to bring their dog to the ballpark as part of the Bark in the Park promotion on Sundays.
The Hawkeyes are making their sixth trip to Alexander Field since the stadium opened in 2013. They played in West Lafayette three straight years from 2013-15 and returned again in 2019 and 2021. The Boilermakers have played more games (15) against Iowa at Alexander than any other opponent. However, a March series between the teams is less common. Rather, they closed the regular season against each other five years in a row from 2010-14.
Purdue is 8-1 in Big Ten openers since 2014 and 12-3 since 2008. However, series wins have been tougher to come by, claiming just five since 2008 (excluding 2022 when cold weather canceled the final two games of a Purdue-Ohio State series in West Lafayette).
This year the Boilermakers not only draw the preseason favorite for the opening weekend of league play, but also the Hawkeyes’ All-American ace pitcher, Brody Brecht, for the series opener. Brecht leads the Big Ten with 50 strikeouts in 23 1/3 innings (19.3 K/9) while compiling a 1.54 ERA. Surprisingly, the fireballer doesn’t have a decision yet in any of his five starts. Saturday starter Cade Obermueller also has elite numbers (2.35 ERA, .149 B/Avg). They’ve led the way as the Hawkeyes have racked up 237 strikeouts vs. 157 hits allowed over 171 innings. By comparison, Purdue’s pitching staff – which by no means has been a weakness while compiling a 15-7 pre-conference record – has 189 strikeouts vs. 208 hits allowed in 196 innings. However, Iowa’s team ERA is higher (5.94 vs 4.45) in part because of free passes – the Boilermakers have issued 98 (78 walks, 20 HBP) and the Hawkeyes have conceded 165 (123 walks, 42 HBP).
Luke Wagner and Jackson Dannelley have emerged as pair of elite pitchers for Purdue early this season. Wagner (4-0, 2.08 ERA, .245 B/Avg) enters the weekend having not allowed an earned run in 22 consecutive innings, the longest streak by a Boilermaker since All-American Ross Learnard’s 24 1/3 consecutive scoreless innings as a reliever in 2018. Dannelley (1.83 ERA, 1.15 B/Avg) has worked three innings of scoreless relief six times this season, five of those appearances resulting in saves to make him the Big Ten leader and among the top five nationally. He’s done it three times during the current homestand for a streak of nine consecutive scoreless inning and has stranded 10 straight inherited base runners dating back to the 2023 season finale.
ACTIVE STREAKS
• Connor Caskenette – 26-game on-base streak at Home (since 3/31/23); 10-game on-base streak in all games; 6-game hit streak
• Camden Gasser – 20-game on-base streak (every game he’s played in 2024)
• Couper Cornblum – 13-game on-base streak in Big Ten Play (since 4/15/23)
• Jo Stevens – 8-game hit streak
• Luke Wagner – 22 consecutive innings without allowing an earned run
• Jackson Dannelley – 9 consecutive scoreless innings; 13 consecutive innings at Alexander Field without allowing an earned run (since 5/7/23); 10 consecutive inherited runners stranded (since 5/20/23)
TOP 10 IN THE BIG TEN ENTERING THE WEEKEND
• Camden Gasser – 1st in OBP (.540), T-1st in Walks (19), T-2nd in Sac Bunts (4), 3rd in Batting Avg (.418), 4th in Batting Avg (.408), T-4th in Steals (10), T-8th in Runs (22), 10th in OPS (1.062)
• Logan Sutter – T-1st in Doubles (12), 3rd in Slugging (.732), 3rd in OPS (1.204), T-4th in Homers (5), T-6th in RBI (25), 10th in Walks (14)
• Couper Cornblum – 1st in Triples (3), 8th in At-Bats (86)
• Jackson Dannelley – 1st in Saves (5)
• Luke Wagner – T-1st in Wins (4), 3rd in ERA (2.08)
• Luke Gaffney – T-2nd in Triples (2), T-3rd in hits (34), 4th in Runs (26), T-4th in Doubles (9), 5th in Slugging (.667), 6th in Batting Avg (.405), 6th in OPS (1.141), T-6th in RBI (25)
• Connor Caskenette – T-2nd in RBI (28), T-4th in HBP (10), T-4th in Homers (5)
• Jordan Morales – T-3rd in Wins (3)
• Mike Bolton Jr. – T-8th in Steals (8)
OPENING WEEKEND OF BIG TEN PLAY
• Iowa at Purdue
• Illinois at Indiana
• Michigan State at Maryland
• Michigan at Penn State
Non-Conference Series
• UConn at Rutgers
• Georgetown at Ohio State
• New Mexico at Nebraska
• Northwestern at McNeese
• Minnesota at San Francisco
NOTRE DAME WOMEN’S SWIMMING
IRISH WOMEN HEAD TO NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS AT GEORGIA
ATHENS, Ga. — Four Irish will head south to the 2024 NCAA Championships at the University of Georgia this week. The meet runs from March 20-23.
Divers Calie Brady and Grace Courtney made the team after successful performances at the Zone C Championships last weekend. Both will compete in the 1-meter and 3-meter springboard events on Thursday and Friday, respectively. In total, 51 divers are entered in the 1-meter, and 50 divers are entered in the 3-meter. Brady competed at last year’s NCAA Championships, placing 33rd in the 1-meter and 23rd in the 3-meter.
Both Irish swimmers heading to Georgia are juniors and first-time qualifiers. Madelyn Christman will swim 100 and 200 backstroke plus the 100 freestyle. The 200 back is her best event, as she has the 24th fastest time in the country this season (1:53.06). That mark is also second in Notre Dame history.
On Saturday, Maggie Graves will swim the 1650 freestyle. Her time this year of 16:11.39 ranks 31st nationally this year and ranks second in program history.
Full meet information can be found here.
NOTRE DAME TRACK
OLIVIA MARKEZICH AND JADIN O’BRIEN TAKE HOME ACC PERFORMER OF THE YEAR HONORS
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (theACC.com) – While the two have drawn attention nationally all season long, Olivia Markezich and Jadin O’Brien continue to bring home accolades.
Announced by the conference office on Tuesday, Markezich was named the ACC Women’s Indoor Track Performer of the Year and O’Brien was named the ACC Women’s Indoor Field Performer of the Year.
O’Brien repeats as the ACC Women’s Indoor Field Performer of the Year, becoming the first women’s field athlete to win consecutive titles since Duke’s Megan Clark in 2015 and 2016. O’Brien repeated as the NCAA champion in the women’s pentathlon after winning the ACC’s crown just two weeks prior. The Pewaukee, Wisconsin, native broke her own facility record at the TRACK at new balance during the NCAA championships, totaling 4,497 points, surpassing the 4,329 points that she accumulated during the ACC championships.
Markezich earned ACC Women’s Track Performer of the Year honors after winning a pair of ACC championships in the 3,000-meters and the distance medley relay. Markezich was also the runner-up at the NCAA championships in both events. During the regular season, the Woodinville, Washington, native ran the second-fastest 3,000-meter time in NCAA history, clocking in at 8:40.42.
BUTLER SOFTBALL
BUTLER SOFTBALL HOSTS UCONN FOR BIG EAST SERIES
Series Information – vs. UConn
DATE: Friday, Mar. 22 – Sunday, Mar. 24
LOCATION: Indianapolis / Butler Softball Field
LIVE STATS: StatBroadcast
LIVE VIDEO: FloSports (Friday)
Full Notes
The Butler softball team plays its second BIG EAST series of the season, this time on the road at St. John’s. The Bulldogs (13-15, 2-4 BIG EAST) most recently were swept in a conference series at St. John’s. UConn (15-11, 3-0 BIG EAST) is coming off mid-week wins over Central Connecticut and Yale. The Huskies swept DePaul the previous weekend.
Bulldog Bits
(as of 3-20-24)
Ella White ranks second in the BIG EAST with 10 doubles (26th nationally), and a .395 batting average. She is third with 27 RBI (66th), a .741 slugging percentage (79th), 6 home runs (98th), and 32 hits.
Paige Dorsett leads the BIG EAST (85th nationally) with 34 hits.
Monique Hoosen is second in the BIG EAST (64th nationally) with 7 home runs.
Kieli Ryan leads the BIG EAST (8th nationally) with 9 base runners caught stealing.
Katie Petran is second in the BIG EAST (64th nationally) with 8 wins in the circle and is fifth with 60 strikeouts.
Cate Lehner is second in the BIG EAST (28th nationally) with 15 stolen bases.
vs. St. John’s (Mar. 15-17)
Cate Lehner was the hot bat for Butler, going 5-for-11 (.455) and stealing two bases. Paige Dorsett was 4-for-11 (.364) with two doubles and two RBI.
Teagan O’Rilley and Monique Hoosen each connected on a home run in the series.
SCOUTING UConn (15-11, 3-0 BIG EAST)
Series- UConn leads: 11-1
2023 series (Storrs): UConn 2-1, UConn 9-1, UConn 3-2
2022 series (Indianapolis): Butler 6-2, UConn 5-0, UConn 3-0
2021 series (Storrs): UConn 6-1, UConn 4-2, UConn 1-0
The teams met in the BIG EAST Tournament in 2022 (UConn 4-1) and in 2021 (UConn 4-1).
2024 BIG EAST series: vs. DePaul (W, W, W)
Wins this season include: Georgia State, Hawaii, Cleveland State, and New Mexico.
Losses include: No. 9 Clemson, Miami (OH), Ole Miss, NC State, Seattle, and Howard.
UConn vs. (opponents) Butler
runs: 120-92 127
hits: 185-154 215
RBI: 108-84 113
SB: 43-21 33
ERA: 3.09-4.16 4.64
Batting leaders:
#17 Grace Jenkins (.388) 11-2B, 3HR, 29RBI
#14 Lexi Hastings (.368) 5-2B, 3HR, 15SB
#10 Rosie Garcia (.322) 4-2B, 4HR, 14RBI
#7 Hope Jenkins (.300) 6-2B, 5HR, 18RBI
Pitching leaders:
#16 Meghan O’Neil (3-4) 2.30 ERA, 54K
#00 Payton Kinney (3-2) 2.49 ERA, 27K
#57 Hallie Siems (7-3) 3.12 ERA, 72K
BUTLER BASEBALL
DOUBLEHEADERS VS. DAYTON UP NEXT FOR BUTLER BASEBALL
INDIANAPOLIS – Butler will play a four-game home series against Dayton this weekend. Action opens at Noon on Saturday and the two teams will run it back with a Sunday doubleheader that also features a 12 PM first pitch.
Weekend Schedule
Saturday, March 22 – 12 PM Start
Sunday, March 23 – 12 PM Start
– Games played at Bulldog Park
Projected Starters
Game 1 – RHP Tyler Banks vs. LHP Eli Majick
Game 2 – RHP Grant Brooks vs. RHP Connor Fennell
Game 3 – RHP Nick Miketinac vs. LHP Ryan Steinhauer
Game 4 – RHP Nate Rosser vs. RHP Will Newell
Scouting Dayton
The Flyers are 13-8 with two weekends to play in March. They recorded an impressive 8-5 win at No. 6 Vanderbilt on Feb. 20 and followed that contest with a three-game series at No. 1 Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons swept Dayton in Winston-Salem, but the Flyers have not lost a series since.
Head Coach Jayson King is now in his seventh season with the program. His 2024 team ranks second in the A-10 in home runs (26), on-base percentage (.415) and slugging percentage (.445). David Mendez has the best batting average on the club (.455) and Carlos Castillo is the team’s hit leader with 27. Only three players have started in all 21 games for Dayton. That trio includes Mason Dobie, Ivan Arias, and Eddie Yamin IV.
On the mound, Dayton could throw Eli Majick, Connor Fennell, Ryan Steinhauer or Will Newell this weekend. Nick Wissman is a weapon out of the bullpen. The right-handed senior is 4-0 on the hill in 10 appearances. He leads the club in saves (3), innings pitched (20.2) and has the opposition batting .164.
Last Meeting vs. Dayton
Butler lost 7-6 at Dayton last year in mid-May. The Bulldogs broke a 3-3 tie in the top of the seventh but two Flyer home runs in the bottom half of the inning would give the home team a 7-4 advantage. BU got an RBI from Billy Wurch in the eighth and closed the gap to just one run with a sac fly, but the comeback fell short.
Bulldog Bits
– Butler defeated Miami Ohio 13-10 earlier this week, but fell to Ball State 7-6
– Billy Wurch and Ian Choi hit doubles against the Cardinals
– Jack Moroknek and Kade Lewis hit home runs
– Moroknek now leads the BIG EAST with six home runs
– Butler only allowed one BSU hit over the final six innings of action
– Kade Lewis now has eight multi-hit games for BU
– Lewis has reached base safely in all 18 games
– Lewis and Moroknek each carry five-game hitting streaks into the Dayton series
– Butler has recorded 11 or more hits in each of their last four games
– The ‘Dawgs have hit nine doubles over the last four contests
– Butler ranks second in the BIG EAST in home runs (29)
– BU leads the league in sacrifice flies (13)
– Carter Dorighi has the highest batting average in the BIG EAST (.440)
– Lewis cracks the top ten with his .368 average
– Lewis has 12 extra base hits this year
– Dorighi ranks seventh in the NCAA with 37 hits
– Dorighi has 11 RBI over his last four games
– Butler is 0-2 at home this season
– Keegan Connors scored for the first time this seasons vs. Ball State
– Cole Graverson collected his third save of the season at Miami Ohio
BIG EAST Standings
Creighton 15-3
St. John’s 15-4
Georgetown 13-7
Seton Hall 13-8
Butler 8-10
Xavier 9-12
UConn 8-11
Villanova 6-12
Up Next
Butler will play a four-game series against Indiana before the start of conference play the following weekend. The Hoosiers will play one game at Bulldog Park on Thursday, featuring a 4 PM start. The final three games will all be played in Bloomington. The teams are set for a single game on Friday at 5 PM followed by a Saturday doubleheader with a 2 PM start.
BUTLER WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
BUTLER WINS WNIT MATCHUP OVER BOWLING GREEN 75-63
INDIANAPOLIS – The Butler Bulldogs will advance to the second round of the WNIT after claiming a 75-63 victory over visiting Bowling Green on Thursday night. The win moves Butler to 15-16 on the year and sets up a game against Purdue on Monday night at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
Butler made four of their first five shots on Thursday night to grab an 11-2 lead. Three of the four makes came from behind the arc and the Bulldogs would jump out to a 12-point advantage over the Falcons before a BGSU timeout.
All five BU starters scored before the first stoppage of the game, but Bowling Green battled back after the sideline huddle to get within two of BU at 15-13. Amy Velasco led the charge for BGSU with seven first quarter points but the Bulldogs would end the opening frame on a 9-2 run to own a 26-17 lead after one.
Butler scored 14 points off seven Bowling Green turnovers in the opening quarter. That proved to be the difference early as BGSU only missed four shots at the start of the game (63%). The Bulldogs opened the second quarter on a 13-5 scoring run to hold a 39-22 lead at the midway point.
The first half would end with each team scoring 16 points in the second frame giving BU a nine-point cushion at the half. Caroline Strande led BU with eight points and Erika Porter had a game-high 15 for BGSU.
BU outscored BGSU 8-4 at the start of the second half to reach 50 points first. The ‘Dawgs kept their foot on the gas and outscored the visitors 18-14 in the third to keep their double digit lead. The fourth quarter was more of the same action as BU outscored the Falcons 8-2 to help eliminate any chance of a Falcon comeback. The victory tonight was Butler’s first in the WNIT since March 23, 2019.
Inside the Box Score
– Caroline Strande scored a team-high 25 points and added five assists, five rebounds and two steals
– Sydney Jaynes came off the bench to supply BU with 11 points, two steals and two assists
– Ari Wiggins had five assists and zero turnovers
– Riley Makalusky was in double figures with 10 points
– Karsyn Norman had nine points and three steals
– Cristen Carter impacted the game with seven points, a block and four rebounds
– Butler never trailed in the contest
– BU scored 26 first quarter points
– The Bulldogs shot 45 percent from 3 and from the floor
– Butler only had five turnovers
– The Bulldogs scored 23 points off 18 BGSU turnovers
– BU limited Morgan Sharps to just three points on four shots
– Erika Porter scored a game-high 32 points for the Falcons
Up Next
Butler will advance to the second round of the WNIT and host Purdue on Monday, March 25. The home game at Hinkle Fieldhouse will get started at 7 PM.
BUTLER WOMEN’S LAX
BUTLER
WLACROSSE TAKES ON FIRST BIG EAST MATCHUP AT XAVIER
The Butler women’s lacrosse program will take on their first BIG EAST matchup of the season on Saturday, March 23. This Bulldogs will travel to Cincinnati, Ohio to take on Xavier. The first draw is set for 11 a.m.
GameDay
Butler vs. Xavier
11AM
Saturday, March 23
Cincinnati, Xavier
Bulldog Bits:
Maggie Zentgraf is in her second season as head coach for the Bulldogs. Zentgraf is a former member of the Notre Dame women’s lacrosse team. Zentgraf previously coached at Division III Lake Forest, going 11-4 in the program’s first-ever season.
The Bulldogs currently sit at 1-7 for the 2024 season after facing a hard-fought loss to Eastern Michigan last week.
Senior midfielder Leah Rubino currently leads the program with 23 goals on 27 shots. Rubino is ranked fourth in the conference with the most goals in the 2024 season.
Sophomore attack Delaney Hudson leads the program with nine assists. Hudson ranks at sixth in the conference with the most assists and is ranked third for most assists per game with 1.29.
Goalie Caroline Smith has recorded 85 saves during the 2024 season. Smith leads the conference with the most saves and average saves per game with 10.63.
The Bulldogs are currently 1-0 all time against Xavier. In their last matchup on April, 1 2023 the Bulldogs took down the Musketeers 19-12.
Scouting Xavier
The Xavier women’s lacrosse is currently led by Meg Decker. Decker is in her third season leading the Musketeers.
The Musketeers currently sit at 3-5 overall for the 2024 season.
Sophomore attack Lola Mancuso leads the program with 24 goals on 51 shots. Mancuso is second in the conference for the most points thus far in the 2024 season with 34.
Freshman midfielder Megan Droney leads the program with 10 assists. Droney is ranked fourth in conference with the most assists.
Up Next
The Butler women’s lacrosse program will be back home to take on BIG EAST member Villanova at Varsity Field in Indianapolis, Ind. The first draw is set for 12 p.m.
Follow Along
For updates follow the Butler women’s lacrosse team on X and Instagram @ButlerWLacrosse. Live scoring will be available on ButlerSports.com
BALL STATE BASEBALL
BASEBALL SET FOR FIRST MAC ROAD SERIES OF 2024 AT TOLEDO
The Ball State baseball team is scheduled to play its first road Mid-American Conference games of the year when it travels to Toledo this weekend.
Game times are set for 3 p.m. on Friday and 1 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. The games will be streamed on ESPN+, and links to the video streams and live stats can be found above.
The Cardinals (12-10, 1-5 MAC) are coming off a 7-6 win at Butler on Wednesday where they rode a 5-run first inning and strong start from Will Jacobson to the midweek triumph. Toledo (8-12, 4-2 MAC) last played on Saturday when the Rockets split a doubleheader with Western Michigan. The Rockets swept Akron on the road in their first MAC series of 2024.
SCOUTING TOLEDO: The Rockets finished 26-29 (14-16 MAC) last year in head coach Rob Reinstetle’s fourth season leading the program.
The Toledo pitching staff ranks third in the league in strikeouts per nine innings (9.7), strikeout-to-walk ratio (1.62) and WHIP (1.83).
Senior Owen Jackson’s six home runs ranks fifth in the MAC, while he has hit .313 on the season.
QUICK CARDINALS: Ball State stole seven bases in Wednesday’s 7-6 win at Butler, the first time the Ball State offense has accumulated five steals in a game since March 17, 2018 against Dayton.
Nick Gregory was the first Cardinal to swipe three bases in a game since Aaron Simpson did so against Miami (OH) on April 19, 2019.
WINNING WILL: Senior left-handed pitcher Will Jacobson tossed 5.0 inning of 1-run ball with six strikeouts on Wednesday against the Bulldogs to earn his first win at Ball State.
The tall lefty is third on the Cardinals’ pitching staff in ERA (4.60) and sixth in innings pitched (15.2) through the schedule’s first 22 games.
BEVIS AND HALLQUIST STAY HOT: Sophomore Blake Bevis and senior Michael Hallquist have each posted nine multiple hit games, while Hallquist has seven multi-RBI games including 3-RBI, 4-RBI and 5-RBI performances already this year.
Bevis is riding a seven-game hitting streak and has increased his batting average by 130 points since Feb. 25 (up to .338).
LEAGUE LEADERS: Multiple Cardinals pace the MAC in various categories including Hunter Dobbins (seven doubles), Hallquist (eight home runs and 64 total bases), Nick Gregory (11.2 percent strikeout rate), Tanner Knapp (four saves) and Zach Kwasny (three wins).
WINNING TRADITION: The Ball State baseball program has finished first or second in the Mid-American Conference regular season standings every year since the MAC did away with divisions in 2018 (five years in a row).
The Cardinals won the league tournament in 2023 a year after claiming the regular season crown in 2022. Ball State has finished in the Top 3 of the division or overall standings every year under Maloney except for his first in 1996.
KAMINS IS CLUTCH: Junior Matthew Kamins leads the Cardinals in batting average with runners in scoring position (.526, 10-for-19) and with runners on base (.393, 11-for-28).
The infielder from Goodyear, Ariz., hits .310 overall with three doubles, 11 RBI and nine runs scored so far in his first year at Ball State.
STARTING STRONG: The Cardinals have outscored opponents 68-35 in the first three innings of games so far this year (1.5 more runs per game).
Ball State’s best inning by run differential in 2024 has been the second, when the Cardinals are plus-18 (26-8).
Up Next
Ball returns home to host Southern Indiana at 3 p.m. on Tuesday before an Easter weekend series at home against Ohio.
BALL STATE SOFTBALL
SOFTBALL HOSTS KENT STATE FOR THREE-GAME SERIES STARTING FRIDAY
» THIS WEEK IN BALL STATE SOFTBALL: The Ball State softball team continues its seven-game homestand this weekend when it hosts Kent State for a three-game Mid-American Conference series … The Cardinals and Golden Flashes will play a Noon game Friday and a 1 p.m. doubleheader Saturday at the Softball Field at First Merchants Ballpark Complex.
» HOME SWEET HOME: After playing its first 26 games of the season on the road, Ball State continues its seven-game homestand on Friday and Saturday versus Kent State … It is slated to be BSU’s longest homestand since the COVID adjusted 2021 season which saw Ball State play 12 straight at home from April 23 to May 4 … Looking at the road numbers, the program record for consecutive road games to start a season is 33 games set in 2018.
» THE OVERALL RECORD: Ball State enters Friday’s game versus Kent State with a 1163-1156-4 (.502) 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 15-14 overall record … Ball State maintains a .248 team batting average, led by redshirt junior utility player McKayla Timmons who ranks 14th in the MAC at .357 … Timmons ranks third both in the MAC and nationally with 15 home runs, while ranking second in the league and eighth nationally with 37 RBIs … Graduate third baseman Haley Wynn is second on the squad in average (.307), home runs (6) and runs scored (23) … In the circle, the Cardinals own a 4.01 ERA led by senior Francys King who boasts an 8-5 record and a 3.34 ERA over 88.0 innings of work … King has also tallied three complete game shutouts this season and is tied for the team lead with 41 strikeouts … Sophomore Bridie Murphy has a team-best .273 average against over 69.1 innings, to go along with a 6-6 record, one save and 41 strikeouts … Murphy picked up her first complete game shutout of the season in last Saturday’s 5-0 victory over Ohio.
» CARDINALS VERSUS THE BOBCATS:
– While Kent State owns a 52-39 lead in the all-time series, the Cardinals maintain a 24-19 edge in games played in Muncie … Last season, the teams played a March 17 doubleheader at Baldwin Wallace’s BW Softball Field with Kent State winning the opener 4-1 and Ball State taking the nightcap 15-9.
» SCOUTING THE GOLDEN FLASHES: Kent State enters the weekend with a 14-8 overall record after sweeping a three-game series at Manhattan last weekend … KSU was the only team not to open league play last weekend … Savannah Wing currently leads the team with a .426 average and is tied for team-high honors with 21 RBI … Emily Lippe has a team-high six home runs and is tied with Wing at 21 RBI … Macy Irelan leads Kent State in the circle, owning a 2.18 ERA and a 5-4 record over 74.0 innings … Irelan also has two saves and one complete game shutout to her name, along with 62 strikeouts and a .223 average against.
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, leading the team with 31 hits so far this season … That raises her career total to 212 which is seventh in program history … Wynn has registered at least one hit in 21 of first 29 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 16th on Ball State’s career charts with a .331 career average … She is also 12th all-time in slugging percentage (.540) and 16th in on base percentage (.409) … In addition, her 155 career runs scored are third in program history and 31st among all active NCAA Division I players … She also ranks 33rd among active DI players with 41 career doubles which is eighth in program history.
» TIMMONS CLIMBING THE CHARTS TOO: After leading the Ball State offense with a .357 batting average, a .940 slugging percentage and a .477 on base percentage through the first 29 games of the season, McKayla Timmons continued her climb up BSU’s career charts … She currently ranks fourth in program history in slugging percentage (.705), fifth in on base percentage (.452) and ninth in batting average (.346) … Timmons, who has blasted a team-leading 15 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 31 career long balls tying for fifth on BSU’s all-time list.
» RBI LEADER: McKayla Timmons enters the weekend ranked eighth nationally with her 37 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.
» BALL STATE’S BEST THIEF: Senior outfielder Remington Ross enters the weekend as the greatest base thief in program history with a .964 (53-for-55) career stole 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 53 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 since stolen four straight bases.
» SPEAKING OF STOLEN BASES: Ball State enters the Kent State series ranked second in the league and 19th nationally with 53 stolen bases this season … Three Cardinals, McKayla Timmons, Haley Wynn and senior outfielder Kaitlyn Mathews, are tied for the team lead with nine stolen bases, while Remington Ross has eight … Overall, 10 different Cardinals have stolen at least one base this season … Ball State’s 53 stolen bases in 2024 are already the 20th-most in a season in program history.
» 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 24 career hits and is third on the team with a .304 average this season … Of her 24 hits, 11 have driven in at least one RBI and she currently ranks second on the squad with 21 RBIs.
» KING OF THE PEN: Senior Francys King leads the Ball State pitching staff with a 3.34 ERA over 88.0 innings of work … She has earned the victory in eight of BSU’s 15 wins, including three of the team’s four complete game shutouts … King has 17 career collegiate pitching victories, with 11 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 three 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 GYMNASTICS
GYMNASTICS SET TO HOST MAC CHAMPIONSHIPS SATURDAY
THIS WEEK IN BALL STATE GYMNASTICS: The Ball State gymnastics program welcomes the league’s other six schools to Worthen Arena Saturday afternoon for the 2024 Mid-American Conference Gymnastics Championships … Action begins at 2 p.m. ET with the meet broadcast live on ESPN+
» WHEN THE CHAMPIONSHIPS IS IN MUNCIE: This will be the seventh time the Mid-American Conference Championships have been held in Muncie, with the last coming in 2016 … Ball State’s only MAC Championship title came on the Worthen Arena floor in 2002, while it finished second at home in both 1995 and 2016.
» BALL STATE IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS:
– Ball State enters the MAC Championships ranked 35th nationally with an NQS of 196.520 and is mathematically locked for a berth into the 2024 NCAA Championships according to the latest Road to Nationals Rankings.
– BSU’s program record score of 198.025 at the Tennessee Collegiate Classic (Jan. 19) is the 31st-highest team score in the nation … The Cardinals were the first program in the country to break the 198 mark this season, while No. 1 Oklahoma, No. 2 Cal, No. 3 LSU, No. 4 Florida, No. 5 Utah, No. 6 Kentucky, No. 7 Alabama, No. 9 Michigan State, No. 11 UCLA and No. 12 Arkansas are the only programs to score higher than Ball State since.
– The Cardinals have proven to be one of the nation’s top bars teams this season, ranking 23rd nationally with an NQS of 49.255 … In fact, Ball State’s program record score of 49.775 on bars at the Tennessee Collegiate Classic (Jan. 19) ties as the seventh-best team score on any apparatus in the nation this season.
– So far this season, there have been a total of 72 perfect 10.0s scored nationally … Three of them have come from Ball State gymnasts, starting with senior Suki Pfister on vault at the Tennessee Collegiate Classic (Jan. 19) … Sophomore Zoe Middleton and graduate student Megan Teter added perfect 10.0s on bars later in the meet, the first two perfect 10.0s in program history in the event.
– BSU gymnasts also boasts three of the nation’s 186 scores of 9.975 this season including Victoria Henry’s vault at the Ohio State Tri-Meet (Jan. 14), Ashley Szymanski’s bars routine in the home opener versus Bowling Green (Jan. 22) and Suki Pfister’s vault at George Washington (Feb. 23).
» ALL-MAC HONORS: A program record six Ball State gymnasts earned All-Mid-American Conference honors for the 2024 season … Representing the Cardinals on the First Team All-MAC squad were senior Suki Pfister on vault and freshman Ashley Szymanski on bars … Earning Second Team All-MAC honors were senior Victoria Henry on vault, senior Hannah Ruthberg on beam, sophomore Zoe Middleton on floor and graduate student Megan Teter in the all-around.
» A THIRD FOR PFISTER: Suki Pfister earned First Team All-MAC honors on vault for the third straight season after ranking first in the league and fifth nationally with a national qualifying score (NQS) of 9.935 … A three-time MAC Specialist of the Week this season, Pfister has turned in seven vault scores of 9.900-or-higher this season, including only the second perfect 10.00 on the apparatus in program history … She has also won the vault competition in seven events, while placing second in three others.
» MORE ON PFISTER: The first All-American in program history, earning WCGA second team honors last season, Suki Pfister has had 17 of her 43 collegiate vault performances score 9.900-or-higher … The total includes one 10.0, one 9.975, four 9.950s, three 9.925s and eight 9.900s.
» OH, SHE ROCKS THE FLOOR TOO: In addition to being one of the nation’s leaders on vault, Suki Pfister has shined on the floor for the Cardinals this season, including tying the program record for a second time in her career with a 9.950 at the Tennessee Collegiate Classic (Jan. 19) … She also has a 9.925 vs. Eastern Michigan (March 17) and a 9.900 vs. Bowling Green (Jan. 22), while ranking 12th in the league with a floor NQS of 9.880.
» FRESHMAN SHINING ON BARS: Ashley Szymanski earned First Team All-MAC honors on bars in her debut season after ranking first in the league and 28th nationally with an NQS of 9.910 … She has won the bars competition in five meets this season and has turned in five routines of 9.900-or-higher … Her career-best score was a 9.975 in her MAC debut versus Bowling Green (Jan. 22).
» HENRY WITH A THIRD OF HER OWN: Victoria Henry earned Second Team All-MAC honors for the third time in her career after ranking second in the league with a vault NQS of 9.885 … She turned in a career-best 9.975 to win the event at the Ohio State Tri Meet (Jan. 14) and added a 9.950 at George Washington (Feb. 23) … Henry, who has competed in the all-around for the Cardinals much of the season, has also set career marks on bars (9.925), beam (9.850), floor (9.925) and in the all-around (39.475) in 2024.
» HENRY HITTING THE 9.900 MARK: Senior Victoria Henry has registered 19 scores of 9.900-or-better over her career, including nine so far this season … The total includes nine floor routines, eight vaults and two bars performances … In last Sunday’s dual versus Eastern Michigan, Henry won vault with a 9.925, while taking third on bars at 9.900.
» A SOPHOMORE SENSATION: Zoe Middleton earned Second Team All-MAC honors for the first time in her career after ranking second in the league on floor with an NQS of 9.920 … She has posted five scores of 9.925 on floor, while also tallying a 9.900 … A three-time MAC Gymnast of the Week, Middleton is also BSU’s top all-around gymnasts with an NQS of 39.330 … She leads Ball State with 30 scores of 9.800-or-better this season, including the first perfect 10.0 in program history on bars and a program record 39.750 in the all-around … She has also turned in career-best scores on vault (9.950) and beam (9.900) this season, while earning eight individual event wins and four all-around titles.
» YOU CAN COUNT ON HER: Over her first two seasons, Zoe Middleton has seen 78 of her 83 total routines count in the final team score … The effort includes 41 of 44 routines this season, along with 37 of 39 routines her freshman campaign … Over that time, Ball State has turned in the top nine teams scores in program history, along with 17 of the top 20.
» RUTHBERG SHINES IN SENIOR SEASON: Hannah Ruthberg earned Second Team All-MAC honors for the first time in her career for her effort on beam, in which she ranks fourth in the league with an NQS of 9.850 … She turned in a career-best beam performance of 9.900 in the dual win at Western Michigan (Feb. 17), while scoring 9.800-or-higher in eight meets … Another all-around gymnast for the Cardinals, Ruthberg has also turned in career-best scores on vault (9.875), bars (9.925), floor (9.925) and in the all-around (39.425) this season.
» TETER TAKES ADVANTAGE OF EXTRA RUN: Megan Teter took advantage of her COVID year of eligibility, earning Second Team All-MAC honors for the first time in her career after ranking seventh in the league with an all-around NQS of 39.190 … In her first season as an all-around gymnast for the Cardinals, Teter has turned in 17 total routines of 9.800-or-better, including the second perfect 10.0 in program history on bars … She has also registered a career-best all-around score of 39.575 this season, while posting career-best scores on beam (9.875) and floor (9.925).
» RECORDS FALL AGAIN AT TENNESSEE COLLEGIATE CLASSIC:
– For the second consecutive season, Ball State shattered records at the Tennessee Collegiate Classic (Jan. 19), highlighted by a team record score of 198.025 … The Cardinals were the first program in the nation to break the 198 mark this season, with the score also being a Mid-American Conference record … The effort included program event records on vault (49.375), bars (49.775) and floor (49.625), as well as the fourth best beam score in program history (49.250).
– Ball State’s gymnasts registered a program meet record 12 scores of 9.900-or-higher, including perfect 10.0s by Suki Pfister (vault), Zoe Middleton (bars) and Megan Teter (bars) … Prior to the meet, the Cardinals only had one perfect 10 in program history.
– Ball State’s student-athletes also earned 21 career best scores over the course of the meet, with each athlete who competed tallying at least one.
» MORE RECORD NOTES FROM TENNESSEE:
– On floor, Suki Pfister tied the program record for a second time in her career with a 9.950 … Three Cardinals, Carissa Martinez, Zoe Middleton and Megan Teter, all earned 9.925s, while Hannah Ruthberg added a 9.900 … It marked the first time in program history all five countable scores on an event were 9.900-or-higher.
– Ball State produced five of the top 10 individual bars scores in program history later in the meet, led by the first two perfect 10s on bars in the BSU record book from Zoe Middleton and Megan Teter … The Cardinals also received 9.925s on bars from Ashley Szymanski, Victoria Henry and Hannah Ruthberg to give the program its first-ever event with all five countable scores at 9.925-or-higher.
– Zoe Middleton crushed the program’s all-around record with a 39.750, including a 10.0 on bars, a 9.950 on vault, a 9.925 on floor and a 9.875 on beam … It currently ties as the 14th-highest individual all-around score in the nation this season.
» A RECORD OPENER AS WELL: Ball State started the season with the best opening meet score in program history with a 194.925 at the UNC Quad (Jan. 5) … The previous record was 194.475 set at Kentucky to open the 2018 season.
» SHINING ON FLOOR: Along with owning the nation’s third-best event team score this season with its 49.775 on bars at the Tennessee Collegiate Classic (Jan. 19), Ball State’s 49.625 on floor the same night is tied as the nation’s 38th-best team effort on floor … The Cardinals enter the MAC Championships ranked 23rd nationally with a floor NQS of 49.370, including 20 individual routines of 9.900-or-higher, led by Suki Pfister’s program-record tying effort of 9.950 also set at the Tennessee Collegiate Classic.
SCORING HIGH IN 2024:
– Ball State has registered 154 scores of 9.800-or-higher so far this season, led by the team’s 22 at the Tennessee Collegiate Classic (Jan. 19) and 19 at George Washington (Feb. 23) … Of the 154 routines, 45 have come on floor, 44 on bars, 35 on vault and 30 on beam … The total includes 48 scores of 9.900-or-better.
» RECORDS UNDER SALEEM:
– In the program’s first 11 seasons under head coach Joanna Saleem, Ball State has tallied the 35 best team scores in program history … In fact, of Ball State’s 39 scores of 195.450-or-higher, 37 have been set by Saleem’s squads.
– Saleem’s squads own the event records on all four apparatus: vault (49.375), bars (49.775), beam (49.350), and floor (49.625).
– All 44 team entries in the vault record book are held by Saleem’s teams, as are 27 of 34 scores on bars, 26 of 32 scores on floor and 25 of 30 scores on beam.
BALL STATE MEN’S VOLLEYBALL
NO. 12 MEN’S VOLLEYBALL SUFFERS 3-0 SETBACK AGAINST LONGTIME MIVA RIVAL NO. 10 OHIO STATE
MUNCIE, Ind. – The No. 12 Ball State men’s volleyball team struggled against one of its longest Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (MIVA) rivals, suffering a 3-0 (25-18, 25-16, 25-18) setback to the No. 10 Ohio State Buckeyes Thursday night in Worthen Arena.
Just a week ago, Ball State (16-8, 9-2 MIVA) defeated Ohio State (16-7, 9-4) on its home court 3-1 to take the first match of the series.
Tinaishe Ndavazocheva paced the Ball State offense with 10 kills. The Cardinals unfortunately struggled on all cylinders of the court today which is unlike Ball State this season.
Tonight, just wasn’t the Cardinals night finding themselves on the other side of the win column for the first time in nine matches. The loss to Ohio State snapped Ball State’s eight-match win streak.
The Buckeyes started the competition off strong taking impressive leads in both the first and second sets.
The Cardinals began to fight their way back into the match in the third frame taking a 12-10 edge over the Buckeyes after a kill from Dyer Ball. After a few ties, Ohio State took back the lead at 16-15 and never looked back.
The Ball State men’s volleyball now travels to another MIVA rival when it plays at Purdue Fort Wayne on Saturday at 7 pm ET.
BALL STATE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
WBB ENDS RECORD-BREAKING SEASON WITH FIRST ROUND WBIT LOSS TO BELMONT
MUNCIE, Ind. – It was an emotional game as Ball State and Belmont were playing to keep their respective seasons alive Thursday afternoon in Worthen Arena during the first round of the inaugural Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament hosted by the NCAA.
Unfortunately, the host Cardinals (28-6) were unable to recover from serious first-half foul trouble as the Bruins (26-8) avenged last season’s WNIT first round loss on the same court with a 77-59 victory.
Both teams opened with a ton of passion, strong defense, and intensity underneath the basket, with Belmont holding a slight 9-7 edge at the media timeout. The contest continued to be a defensive battle, with the teams combining to force 11 turnovers, as the Bruins closed the first stanza with a two-point (18-16) edge.
The Cardinals could not seem to get their offensive groove going until Nyla Hampton hit back-to-back 3’s to bring BSU within three at 27-24 with 3:48 remaining. A crazy final three minutes of the opening half ultimately saw Belmont keep a three-point lead, at 35-32, heading into intermission.
Belmont came out of the gates strong after the break, opening the third quarter with a 9-0 run to go back up by nine (44-32) at the 6:50 mark. The Bruins finished the third frame outscoring the Cardinals 24-9 to take a 59-41 advantage into the final 10 minutes of play.
After that, Belmont continued to outplay Ball State the remainder of the contest stopping the Cardinals in their tracks despite BSU’s efforts for a possible comeback.
For the game, Hampton led the Cardinals with 14 points while Marie Kiefer led defensively with eight rebounds.
Ball State had a successful season with its 28 overall wins and 16 Mid-American Conference victories beingprogram records. The Cardinals were the No. 2 seed in the MAC Tournament, reaching the semifinals for the third-straight season and were getting votes in the USA Today Top 25 Coaches Poll for nine straight weeks during the season.
The WBIT was also the the ninth postseason appearance under 12th-year head coach Brady Sallee. Sallee, is the only head coach in program history to take the Cardinals to nine postseason tournaments. He is also the program’s winningest coach with 237 victories.
INDIANA STATE TRACK
TREES OPEN 2024 OUTDOOR CAMPAIGN AT OLE MISS CLASSIC
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – After sweeping the MVC Indoor Track and Field Championships for the second time in the last three years, Indiana State begins its 2024 outdoor season Friday and Saturday at the Ole Miss Classic.
Friday’s events from the Ole Miss Track and Field Complex will begin at 1 p.m., with Saturday’s events slated to start at noon.
Who’s In The Field?
Indiana State opens its 2024 outdoor season with a stern challenge. Joining the Sycamores in this week’s field at the Ole Miss Classic are Alcorn State, Arkansas State, Aurora, Belmont, Christian Brothers, Harding, Memphis, North Dakota, Ole Miss, Pittsburg State, Rhodes, Southeast Missouri State, Troy and Virginia Tech.
This weekend’s field features six Division I teams that won indoor conference championships (Arkansas State men and women, Indiana State men and women, Southeast Missouri State women, Virginia Tech women) and the NCAA Division II Men’s National Champion in Pittsburg State. Pittsburg State also finished runner-up on the women’s side at the NCAA Division II Indoor National Championships, while Ole Miss finished in the top 15 on both the men’s (15th) and women’s (fifth) side at the NCAA Division I Indoor National Championships. Virginia Tech was 12th on the women’s side at the NCAA Division I Indoor National Championships
Last Time Out
Indiana State pole vaulter Will Staggs capped off a stellar indoor season at the NCAA Indoor National Championships, earning a top-10 finish in the pole vault at The TRACK at New Balance.
Staggs cleared marks of 5.30m (17-04.50) on his second attempt and 5.40m (17-08.50) on his third attempt, placing ninth in the field. The ninth-place finish earns Staggs Second Team All-America honors.
For Staggs, the All-America performance caps an indoor season which saw him break the school pole vault record twice, along with the Indiana State facility record in the pole vault. He became the first MVC Athlete since 2001 to clear a mark of 5.50m (18-00.50) or better, having done so twice this season. A model of consistency this season, Staggs cleared 5.25m (17-02.75) or better at every meet he competed in this season.
Trees On Top
Indiana State continues to top the chart in the Missouri Valley Conference, with the Sycamores’ most recent MVC Indoor Championship sweep giving ISU seven team conference titles in the last three years (men’s indoor – 2022, 2023, 2024; women’s indoor – 2022, 2024; men’s outdoor – 2022, 2023). In addition to the team indoor championships, Indiana State won seven individual championships and took home multiple MVC specialty awards at this year’s indoor championships.
The Sycamores winning specialty awards were:
Shomari Rogers-Walton – Most Valuable Athlete of the MVC Championships (20 points scored, first place in both long jump and triple jump)
Will Staggs – Most Outstanding Men’s Field Athlete (5.52m/18-01.25 in the pole vault ranked 13th nationally)
Niesha Anderson – Most Outstanding Women’s Field Athlete (21.40m/70-02.50 in the weight throw ranked 19th nationally)
Casey Hood Jr. – Freshman of the Year (16 points scored, first place in the 60m, third place in the 200m)
Will Staggs – MVC Elite 17 (highest GPA among medalists in an event at the conference championships)
Angela Martin – MVC Men’s and Women’s Indoor Track and Field Coach of the Year (led Indiana State to second championship sweep in the last three years)
In addition to the accolades from indoor season, Indiana State also returns four outdoor conference champions from the 2023 season. Those individuals who placed atop the podium a season ago were:
Kevin Krutsch (high jump) – Krutsch led a sweep of the high jump podium for the Sycamores, clearing 2.12m (6-11.50) in a statement event win for the Sycamores on their way to another team title. He also placed in the top 25 at the NCAA East First Round.
Brett Norton (shot put) – Norton had a career-best afternoon on a day when it mattered most, as his mark of 18.40m (60-04.50) vaulted him to the top of the conference ranks and led Indiana State to a 1-2 finish at the top of the shot put podium.
Claire Pittman (long jump) – After coming agonizingly close to an individual conference title on multiple occasions, Pittman rose to the top at last year’s conference championships with a wind-legal career-best mark of 5.93m (19-05.50) to win the long jump.
Shomari Rogers-Walton (triple jump) – Rogers-Walton always has a knack for performing on the big stage, and his mark of 15.18mw (49-09.75) delivered his second straight outdoor triple jump conference title.
Staggs On The National Stage
In addition to all the success against conference foes, Indiana State has regularly found itself competing against the best at NCAA regional and national championships. Last season, the Sycamores had 14 entries in the NCAA East First Round, with a majority of that talent back for the Blue and White this season.
Indiana State’s returning NCAA East First Round Entries are:
Noah Bolt (discus, hammer throw) – one of two Sycamore throwers to qualify in multiple events, Bolt placed above his seed line in the hammer throw with a mark of 58.70m (192-07).
Elias Foor (hammer throw) – One of the last qualifiers in the field, Foor finished above his seed line in the hammer throw with a mark of 53.15m (174-04).
Kevin Krutsch (high jump) – One of three Sycamores to qualify in the men’s high jump, Krutsch placed in the top 25 at the NCAA East First Round in the high jump with his clearance of 2.04m (6-08.25) in unfavorable conditions.
Lawrence Mitchell (high jump) – Mitchell did not compete at the NCAA East First Round, but qualified for the regional round after clearing an outdoor career-best mark of 2.09m (6-10.25) at the MVC Championships.
Brett Norton (shot put) – Noton closed out a strong season for the Blue and White with a mark of 17.66m (57-11.25) in the shot put.
Wyatt Puff (discus, shot put) – Puff earned a top-20 finish in the discus (54.32m/178-02) and also placed in the top 25 of the shot put (18.41m/59-06.25), finishing ahead of where he was seeded in both events.
Will Staggs (pole vault) – Staggs punched his ticket to the NCAA Outdoor National Championships last season with an outdoor-best mark of 5.30m (17-04.50) at the NCAA East First Round.
Selene Weaver (pole vault) – one of the last entries in the field, Weaver finished 20 spots ahead of where she was seeded after clearing 3.97m (13-00.25).
Indiana State also returns three-fourths of its 4x100m relay team (Daunte Majors, Terrance O’Bannon, Isiah Thomas) which earned a top-15 finish at the NCAA East First Round.
Up Next
Indiana State makes a short trip northwest to compete in the EIU Big Blue Classic March 29-30 in Charleston, Illinois.
INDIANA STATE MEN’S BASKETBALL
SYCAMORES TO HOST MINNESOTA IN THE NIT SECOND ROUND; TICKET INFORMATION ANNOUNCED FOR GAME
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State men’s basketball will host Minnesota in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) Second Round on Sunday, March 24, with tipoff time set for 2 p.m. ET. The game will be carried live on ESPN2 and 105.5 The Legend.
The Sycamores (29-6) advanced to the Second Round courtesy of their 101-92 win over SMU on Wednesday evening. Indiana State rode a career performance from Jayson Kent (35-points, 9-rebounds) with Ryan Conwell posting 25 points on 8-of-11 shooting from the floor as five Sycamores scored double-digits in the win.
Minnesota (19-14) advanced to the Second Round after topping Butler Tuesday night in Indianapolis, 73-72. Dawson Garcia scored a team-high 25 points, while Elijah Hawkins had 11 points, 15 assists, six rebounds, and the game-tying and game-winning free throws.
The Sycamores are 1-3 all-time against Minnesota dating back to the 1983 season. The teams are meeting for the first time since 2011 with ISU holding the 1-0 edge in Terre Haute courtesy of their 94-86 win back on December 11, 1984.
Season ticket holders will have first option to purchase their seats from this season. The number of tickets and the seat locations will be the same as they were for the regular season. All tickets have been automatically added to your ISU Ticketmaster Account on Thursday morning. Tickets may be purchased by accessing your ISU Ticketmaster Account, or in the Sycamores March On App, by logging in and selecting “Invoices” to view your total payment required. Season ticket holders can also purchase their tickets in person by visiting the Hulman Center ticket office on Thursday, March 21, by 5 p.m. ET.
Season ticket holders will have until Thursday, March 21 at 5 p.m. ET to access their account and process payment for the tickets they wish to purchase. General public sale of tickets will begin Thursday, March 21 at Noon ET.
Tickets can be purchased on the ISU Ticketmaster site, at ticketmaster.com or at the Hulman Center ticket office during normal business hours.
Additional tickets not claimed by season ticket holders will be released on Friday, March 22 at 5:30 p.m. ET.
As a NCAA sponsored event, there are no Flex 5 or Sycamore Kids Club tickets available for this game.
INDIANA STATE BASEBALL
SYCAMORES OPEN VALLEY PLAY AGAINST MISSOURI STATE
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State opens up Missouri Valley Baseball play this weekend with a tough task as the Sycamores welcome the Missouri State Bears to Bob Warn Field for a three-game series running from March 22-24. All three games are scheduled to be on ESPN+ and 105.5 The Legend.
Game times for the weekend feature a 3 p.m. ET first pitch on Friday, a 2 p.m. ET first pitch on Saturday, while Sunday’s series finale will be a 1 p.m. ET first pitch at The Bob as the Sycamores take on the Bears in a battle between the two teams voted in the top two positions in the Valley’s preseason poll this season.
Indiana State Baseball Weekend Promotions
March 22 – Trading card giveaway, set 1 of 5, sponsored by Refreshment Services Pepsi for the First 100 Fans
March 23 – Can Koozie Giveaway, sponsored by Zink/Bud Light (First 100 Fans 21+)
March 24 – 70’s night (anyone with a valid ID with a birthday in the 1970’s can get a $5 GA ticket)
The Sycamores (15-4) received 95 total points and eight of the 10 first-place votes to claim the conference’s preseason recognition following a standout MVC campaign last season. Indiana State claimed all nine conference weekend series for the first time in program history and won the league’s regular season championship by six games – the largest margin in the Valley since 1998.
Missouri State (9-10) received 89 total points and one of the two remaining first-place votes in finishing second in the preseason poll. The Bears return one of the most talented teams in the MVC this season featuring preseason All-Conference selections Taeg Gollert (3B), Zack Stewart (OF), Brandt Thompson (SP), and Garrett Ferguson (RP).
Indiana State opened up the season with a pair of seven-game winning streaks and enters the weekend looking to start another one after taking the 15-7 midweek win over Indiana this past Tuesday in Terre Haute. The ISU offense combined for five home runs and Cam Edmonson shut down the Indiana bats in an extended relief appearance as the Sycamores picked up their second consecutive win over the Hoosiers.
Randal Diaz, Luis Hernandez, Parker Stinson, Mike Sears, and Adam Pottinger all homered on Tuesday as the Sycamores improved to 2-0 inside the friendly confines of The Bob in their final tune-up before the start of Missouri Valley play. Sears added a three-run double on his way to a six-RBI contest in powering ISU to the win. The Sycamores overcame an early 6-0 deficit scoring three runs in the third and fifth innings, before erupting for a seven-run sixth inning to take the contest.
The run support benefitted Edmonson as the redshirt senior left-hander quelled the IU bats during the middle part of the game. Edmonson entered the game with two on, none out in the top of the third inning and gave up Stadler’s two-run single before retiring the next three batters to escape the early jam. He retired six of seven batters at one point and ended his 4.0-inning stint on the mound retiring the final three IU hitters he faced before turning the ball over the Zach Davidson in the seventh. Davidson faced the minimum nine batters the rest of the way in three shutout innings to secure his second save of the year.
The Sycamore bats have come to life over the last 10 games highlighted by Hernandez’s team-high .463 batting average from the plate. The junior first baseman is currently on an 18-game hitting streak with four multi-hit games over the last six contests, including a 4-for-4 day against Florida A&M, and a 5-for-5 stretch with two home runs and five RBIs against Xavier.
Dominic Listi has hit .371 from the plate over the last 10 games, while Randal Diaz has posted a .366 average with 15 hits, including six doubles and two home runs over the stretch. Mike Sears (.333) has also come to life with seven home runs and 23 RBI, while Josue Urdaneta has added a .310 batting average with 10 runs scored.
The numbers have increased the Sycamore season averages across the board with Indiana State increasing their team batting average to .275 on the year, while adding 18 of their 26 home runs across the same stretch. Indiana State has scored double-digit runs in four of their last six games, including a 16-5 eight-inning win over Xavier, while adding a 15-0 win over Florida A&M in the series finale.
Hernandez is the team’s hitting leader in the 2024 season connecting at a .380 clip for the year. He boasts a team-high 30 hits and 20 runs scored, while sitting third in home runs (5) and second in RBIs (21). Listi is second on the team hitting .344 with a team-high .506 on-base percentage, while Diaz is hitting .342 from the plate with 26 hits and slugging .579 from the leadoff position in the batting order.
Sears is the team’s primary power threat with eight home runs and 27 RBIs while leading the team with 11 extra-base hits. Parker Stinson has added six home runs and 16 RBIs, while slugging .585 from the plate on the year.
The pitching staff continues to be dominant leading the Missouri Valley in ERA (4.28), strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.97), and strikeouts per nine innings (10.4). Headlining the staff continues to be another strong weekend rotation for the Sycamores led by Brennyn Cutts and Luke Hayden, while Cameron Holycross continues to hold the line on Fridays for Indiana State
Cutts (2-1) has taken on the Saturday starter role for ISU sitting with a 4.58 ERA over six appearances while posting a 22:8 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Hayden has posted at least five strikeouts in all five of his 2024 starts on his way to pitching a team-leading 24.0 innings with a 28:12 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Holycross made his first two starts of 2024 over the last two weekends and has posted a 2.87 ERA on the year with a 16:2 strikeout-to-walk ratio while limiting opponents to a .254 batting average.
Jacob Pruitt could be back in the mix this weekend with the sophomore right-hander boasting a Valley-leading 1.06 ERA with 31 strikeouts over 17.0 innings following his Friday night start at Southern Miss. He’s posted back-to-back 11-strikeout games and still currently sits second in the Valley in the category.
Fifteen different pitchers have recorded time on the mound in the 2024 season highlighted by Zach Davidson, Simon Gregersen, and Jared Spencer’s multiple appearances out the bullpen, while Edmonson opened the season starting on Friday nights and is coming off one of his best performances of the season against IU.
Scouting Missouri State
Missouri State opens conference play after playing one of the toughest nonconference schedules in the season featuring games against Louisiana Monroe, Oral Roberts, Southern Miss, Ole Miss, Kansas State, and Oklahoma State among others over the first month of the season. The Bears on a bit of a skid falling in their last five games after sweeping Central Arkansas in Conway over the March 9-10 weekend.
Reigning MVC Freshman of the Year Zack Stewart continues to hit at a high level as the Lebanon, Mo. native leads the Bears with a .354 batting average, while adding 23 hits, 18 runs, and eight home runs. He’s hit safely in 15 of the 17 games he’s played, including a two-homer game on March 3 against Arkansas State.
Dylan Leach (.324) and Logan Chambers (.303) are also among the team’s hitting leaders on the year with Leach connecting on five home runs and 17 RBI, while Chambers is one of five Bears with 20 hits on the year to go with 14 runs scored. Overall, Missouri State is hitting .259 from the plate with 27 home runs while posting a .367 on-base percentage.
The Missouri State pitching staff has combined to post a 5.80 ERA on the season over 163.0 innings pitched. The Bears have posted a 147:105 strikeout-to-walk ratio allowing opponents to hit .257 from the plate on the season.
Highlighting the Missouri State pitching staff includes All-Conference right-hander Brandt Thompson who paces the Bears with a 2-0 record and 3.00 ERA over six starts. He’s posted a 23:4 strikeout-to-walk over 21.0 innings of work. Tyler Charlton (0-1, 4.57 ERA) is one of the top weekend arms for the Bears, while Jason Schaaf is also expected to draw a start this weekend with six appearances and a 3.45 ERA over 15.2 innings.
Series History
Missouri State leads the all-time series history against the Sycamores, 78-53. The Bears lead 29-21 in Terre Haute, while holding the 40-25 edge in Springfield. Indiana State has won each of the last four contests between the two programs dating back to taking the series finale in Terre Haute on May 1, 2022.
The Sycamores have faced Missouri State in their conference opener twice in the Mitch Hannahs coaching era coming in the 2015 and the 2019 seasons with both occurring on the road in Springfield. ISU fell in two of the three in the 2015 season over March 20-22 with the Sycamores taking the middle game in the three-game series. ISU took the series finale against the Bears in the 2019 season capping the March 29-31 weekend.
Last season’s sweep over the Bears marked ISU’s first since the 2016 season when the Sycamores took all three contests at Bob Warn Field.
PURDUE FT. WAYNE TRACK
OUTDOOR SEASON BEGINS FOR MASTODON TRACK & FIELD
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The Purdue Fort Wayne track & field programs open up their outdoor season this weekend at the Margaret Simmons Invitational, hosted by Murray State.
When: Friday, March 22 – Saturday, March 23
Where: Murray, Ky. | Marshall Gage Track at Roy Stewart Stadium
Meet Info:Link
Live Results:Link
Teams: Austin Peay, Ball State, Bethel (Tenn.), Evansville, Freed-Hardemen, Lindenwood, Murray State, Oakland City, Olivet, Saint Louis, Southern Illinois, St. Thomas Aquinas, Tennessee-Martin, Union (Tenn.) and UT Southern
Men’s Entries: Andrew Arnos, Caden Bird, Hunter Crew, Brent Donaldson, Michael Drohosky, Alex Evans, Dona Fagnon, Colin Gasson, Colten Gasson, Austin Hall, Zyler Johnson, Owen Kaufman, Kaden Kruer, Kobe Milledge, Brevin Miller, Jack Mills, Nathan Mills, Nicholas Mills, Seth Mills, Jonas Morris, Harrison Niswander, Kehinde Oladapo, Brejion Peters, Andrew Roman, Isaac Shreve, Isaiah Smith, Jaylin Springer, Cory Waldron
Women’s Entries:Faith Allen, Sophia Buck, Francesca Carlo, Lydia Carrell, Emery Carrico, Abbigail Garwood, Ava Genovese, Aubrey Haas, Nakia Harris-Campbell, Haylee Hile, Ella Jenkins, Kassie Jordan, Melia Marlin, Madeline McClerren, Korynne Moga, Mercedes Sarver, Kelsey Shatava, Riley Tate, Ramey Wilder, Martia Williams, Ellie Zagel
Meet Preview:
The 2024 Under Armour Men’s and Women’s Horizon League Outdoor Track & Field Preseason Poll were released on Monday (March 18), with both Purdue Fort Wayne teams picked for third. The women received 80 points while the men received 48 points. Last year, the women took fourth after individual titles from Jesseca Hudson-Turpin (100 hurdles), Brooke Neal (3000 steeplechase) and Dylan Kirkwood (heptathlon) won individual titles. The men were fifth last season at the outdoor meet.
Up Next: The ‘Dons will be split across three meets next weekend. Athletes will compete at the Texas Relays (Mar. 27-30), Bobcat Invitational (Mar. 28-30), and the Washington Distance Carnival (Mar. 29).
PURDUE FT. WAYNE BASEBALL
‘DONS HOST WRIGHT STATE IN HOME OPENER
FORT WAYNE, Ind. - The Mastodons (8-14, 2-1 Horizon League will play their first home games of the 2024 season this weekend as defending champion Wright State (11-9, 2-1 Horizon League) come to Mastodon Field for a Horizon League series.
Game Day Information
When:
Friday, March 22 | 3 p.m. ET
Saturday, March 23 | 2 p.m. ET
Sunday, March 24 | 1 p.m. ET
Where: Mastodon Field | Fort Wayne, Ind.
Live Stats: Link
Series History: Purdue Fort Wayne is 6-13 against the Raiders in a series that dates back to 2002.
Weather:
Friday – High of 51/low of 29
Saturday – High of 43/low of 27
Sunday – High of 47/low of 38
Probable Starters:
Purdue Fort Wayne: RHP Mac Ayres, RHP Carter Sabol, TBD
Wright State: RHP Josh Laisure, RHP Ty Roder, RHP Garret Simpson
Scouting the Raiders: Wright State is 11-9 this season and 2-1 after the first weekend of Horizon League play. The Raiders took two of three over Milwaukee before losing to Akron in a midweek game. They lead the Horizon League with 34 home runs and Jay Luikart is tied for third with the Mastodons’ Justin Osterhouse with eight home runs.
‘Dons & Ends:
– Grant Thoroman and Justin Osterhouse each have a team-best nine multi hit games.
– Justin Osterhouse enters the series on an 11-game hitting streak and 15 game on-base streak.
– Justin Osterhouse (.744), Grant Thormoan (.557) and Jacob Walker (.553) each own a slugging percentage above .500.
– The ‘Dons are 30-of-31 in stolen base attempts this season.
– 10 Mastodons have thrown 10 or more innings this season.
Justin Time:Justin Osterhouse leads the team in batting average (.385), slugging percentage (.744), and on base percentage (.461). He ranks in the top 10 of the Horizon League in each of those categories as well. The freshman is also a threat on the bases as he’s tied for the third-most steals in the Horizon League with nine.
Big Unit:Carter Sabol is fourth in the Horizon League in innings pitched at 25.1 and also ranks fifth in the league in ERA (4.97). He’s fared well so far thanks to 19 strikeouts, one shy of Mac Ayres’ team lead of 20.
One Week, Two Awards:Kevin Fee (Pitcher of the Week) and Justin Osterhouse (Batter of the Week) earned the Horizon League’s weekly honors on March 13 following the Mastodons’ series split at Missouri. Osterhouse hit four home runs on the week. Fee had a win and two saves after not allowing a run in 4.2 innings.
Three Over Five: The ‘Dons have three wins over Power Five schools this season for the first time in program history. The ‘Dons topped No. 20 Indiana 9-6 and won at Missouri twice by identical 9-7 scores.
Up Next: Purdue Fort Wayne travels to Kalamazoo, Michigan for a midweek matchup with Western Michigan on Tuesday (Mar. 26).
PURDUE FT. WAYNE SOFTBALL
MASTODON SOFTBALL WELCOMES YOUNGSTOWN STATE FOR HOME-OPENING SERIES
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – Purdue Fort Wayne will play Youngstown State on Friday and Saturday (March 22-23) at Homestead High School to open Horizon League play in an altered schedule from originally announced.
Game Day Information
Who: Youngstown State Penguins
When: Friday, 3 PM doubleheader | Saturday, 1 PM single game
Where: Fort Wayne, Ind. | Homestead High School
Live Stats: Link
Watch: None
Know Your Foe
Youngstown State is 14-10 and 3-0 to start Horizon League with a series sweep of Detroit Mercy. The Penguins out-scored the Titans 31-3. Hailey Niederkohr has a team-best .315 batting average and .556 slugging percentage. Sophie Howell is the best pitcher for YSU with a 9-4 record and 1.84 ERA.
Series History
YSU leads 9-3 and has won the last five meetings. The Mastodons’ last win came in 2021 when the ‘Dons won 11-6 at YSU.
Bailey Banter
Bailey Manos is batting .351 this season, the best on the team and fourth in the Horizon League.
Hollopeter Hoopla
Grace Hollopeter ranks fifth in the Horizon League with a .522 slugging percentage. She has eight doubles and three home runs this season with a team-high 13 RBIs. Her three home runs are the fourth-most in the HL.
A Lineup Not Out of Left Field
Three Mastodons have started all 22 games this season in the same field position: McKenna Minton (left field), Gwen McMenemy (right field), Bailey Manos (center field).
Last Time Out
The Mastodons picked up a victory against Lafayette last weekend at Maryland’s tournament thanks to 10 hits against the Leopards.
Up Next
The ‘Dons will hit the road for a game at Akron on Tuesday (March 26). That game will be on ESPN+.
EVANSVILLE SOFTBALL
ACES TRAVEL TO BELMONT FOR 3-GAME SERIES
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – With a 4-1 start to the Missouri Valley Conference slate under their belts, the University of Evansville softball team takes to the road for the first time in league play with a 3-game weekend series at Belmont. ESPN+ will have the live coverage of the games on Friday and Sunday.
Last Time Out
– UE has won its last five games, including a 10-0 shutout win over SIUE on Tuesday
– Jenna Nink got things rolling in the first inning with a grand slam while Megan Brenton got the job done in the circle, tossing a 3-hit shutout in 5 innings
– Last weekend, the Purple Aces swept a 3-game series against Valparaiso as they won by scores of 8-0, 9-7 and 2-1
Turning the Corner
– After opening the season with 17 consecutive losses, the Purple Aces have turned things around going 9-2 in their last 11 games
– In its 6-game homestand, the Aces went 5-1 as they split two games against Indiana State before defeating the Beacons in three games and midweek versus the Cougars
Player of the Week
– Evansville notched its second consecutive MVC Player of the Week award on Tuesday as Lacy Smith earned the honor
– Smith batted .500 last week while picking up several huge hits for her squad
– The 3/13 win over ISU saw her record the game-tying and game-winning hits while picking up three RBI
– Sunday’s series finale against Valpo saw her add another game-winning walk-off hit in the 2-1 victory as she went a perfect 3-for-3
Hitting Her Stride
– Sydney Weatherford has been masterful in the circle since making her season debut on March 9 – in 20 2/3 innings, she has accumulated a 2.71 ERA
– Weatherford was at her best in the series against Valparaiso as she allowed one unearned run in 12 innings of work on her way to a pair of victories
All She Does is Win
– Picking up five wins in her last seven appearances, Megan Brenton has played a pivotal role in the latest success for UE
– Brenton was credited with the win in Evansville’s first victory of the year against Lindenwood before adding two wins at Bellarmine
– Her 5th win of 2024 came against SIUE on Tuesday as she tossed a 3-hit shutout against SIUE
EVANSVILLE BASEBALL
BASEBALL OPENS VALLEY PLAY THIS WEEKEND AGAINST MURRAY STATE
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The University of Evansville baseball team will open up Missouri Valley Conference play this weekend by hosting the red-hot Murray State Racers in a three-game series at UE’s German American Bank Field at Charles H. Braun Stadium beginning on Friday night at 6 p.m. The series will continue on Saturday at 2 p.m. and conclude on Sunday at 1, with all three games being seen live on ESPN+.
Evansville enters MVC play at 9-11 overall after dropping an 11-3 decision at #21 Kentucky on Tuesday night. The nationally-ranked Wildcats used a seven-run sixth inning to blow open a tied game and power past the Purple Aces. Tuesday’s game capped a stretch of seven out of eight games against Power Five competition for UE.
UE will enter MVC play with a .304 team batting average, led by graduate outfielder Mark Shallenberger’s .403 batting average. Shallenberger has reached base safely in 36-straight games dating back to last year, and he ranks 16th in the country in on-base percentage at .561. Junior second baseman Cal McGinnis (.355) and junior outfielder Ty Rumsey (.351) both hit above .350 as well this season for UE, while senior infielder/outfielder Kip Fougerousse and graduate third baseman Brent Widder will bring .333 batting averages into this weekend’s series. Widder currently leads the team with six home runs and 20 RBI.
Murray State, meanwhile, will bring a 14-6 overall record into Valley play after sweeping Little Rock in a three-game series at home last weekend. The Racers are a perfect 11-0 at home so far this year, and that has helped MSU rank 37th in the RPI entering the weekend. Murray State is hitting .298 as a team, led by junior infielder Drew Vogel’s .383 batting average. The Racers currently lead the MVC in home runs with 36, and junior infielder Carson Garner leads the league with nine home runs already this season.
Evansville leads the all-time series against Murray State, 44-22. Last year, Evansville won three out of four meetings against Murray State, including posting a 3-2 victory over MSU in the MVC Tournament. Evansville will send senior RHP Nick Smith (0-3, 11.50 ERA) to the mound on Friday to begin the series. Murray State is expected to counter with right-hander Cade Vernon (3-1, 4.08 ERA).
SOUTHERN INDIANA SOFTBALL
EAGLES TAKE WINNING STREAK TO LINDENWOOD
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Softball will carry a four-game winning streak to St. Charles, Missouri, this weekend when the Screaming Eagles travel to Lindenwood University for a three-game series in Ohio Valley Conference play.
The series begins Saturday with a single game at 3 p.m. from the Lou Brock Sports Complex. Sunday is a doubleheader beginning at Noon. All three games can be heard on 95.7 The Spin.
Southern Indiana (10-11, 4-2 OVC) took care of business in the second week of the OVC slate last weekend. USI opened its 2024 home schedule with a three-game sweep of Morehead State University last weekend. USI outscored Morehead State 14-2 in the series. The Screaming Eagles opened the series with a 4-1 win before capturing a 2-1, nine-inning thriller in the backend of last Saturday’s doubleheader. USI completed the sweep with an 8-0 win in five innings last Sunday.
The Screaming Eagles hit .304 as a team last weekend against Morehead State. Senior first baseman Lexi Fair (Greenfield, Indiana) went 6-8 in the series with two doubles, six RBIs, and a walk-off hit-by-pitch in the series finale. Sophomore outfielder Caroline Stapleton (Shirley, Indiana) and senior outfielder Mackenzie Bedrick (Brownsburg, Indiana) both hit above .300 and combined to score five runs. In the pitching circle, junior pitcher Josie Newman (Indianapolis, Indiana) went 2-0 in two complete games and one shutout. The right-hander posted a 0.58 ERA across 12 innings of work with 21 strikeouts. Junior pitcher Whitley Hunter (Nashville, Indiana) hurled a gem last Saturday, pitching all nine innings in USI’s extra-inning victory. Hunter allowed only one run and struck out eight.
Following an 0-2 start to the OVC season, Southern Indiana has won four in a row to match its longest winning streak from the 2023 campaign. USI has gone 7-3 in its last 10 games going back to when Southern Indiana wrapped up play at The Spring Games in Florida.
This season, Stapleton leads the team with a .358 batting average and 10 runs scored. After a strong weekend with the bat against Morehead State, Fair is second on the team with a .328 batting average while pacing the squad with seven doubles and 12 RBIs. Senior catcher Sammie Kihega (Greenwood, Indiana) is hitting .298 with two home runs and 11 RBIs. Newman tops the pitching staff with an 8-5 record and a 2.04 ERA with 97 strikeouts in 14 starts and 89 innings pitched. The right-hander also has three shutouts and 11 complete games.
Lindenwood (13-14, 2-4 OVC) dropped all three of its contests last weekend against Tennessee State University. The Lions fell in two one-run games in the series, including an eight-inning setback last Saturday. Lindenwood bounced back with a midweek 1-0 victory against Saint Louis University.
Junior outfielder Mya Bethany paces Lindenwood with a .284 batting average and is second on the team with 11 runs scored. Freshman infielder Madisen Noll is the Lions’ top run producer with 10 RBIs. The Lions are hitting .234 as a team with 33 extra-base hits, 74 runs, and 31 stolen bases.
Lindenwood’s pitching staff is led by graduate Amanda Weyh and sophomore Avery Wapp. Weyh is 8-6 with a 2.55 ERA and 83 strikeouts in 12 starts and 82.1 innings pitched. Wapp is 4-5 in 11 starts and 68 innings of work, posting a 3.09 ERA with 65 strikeouts. Lindenwood has a team ERA of 4.23 and 160 strikeouts.
USI leads the all-time series against Lindenwood, 7-1. The series history dates back to when both teams were in the Great Lakes Valley Conference at the Division II level. Lindenwood won the first all-time meeting in 2021, but Southern Indiana has since won seven straight games against the Lions. Last season, the Screaming Eagles went 2-0 against Lindenwood, as the series was cut a game short due to bad weather. Southern Indiana started the series with an 8-0, six-inning win before claiming the final game by a score of 7-4.
Live stats and coverage links can be found on the USI Softball schedule page on usiscreamingeagles.com.
SOUTHERN INDIANA WBB
RALSTON’S CAREER NIGHT LEADS USI TO FIRST WNIT WIN; EAGLES HOST WISCONSIN MONDAY
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Women’s Basketball extended its winning streak to a season-best 11 games in dramatic fashion Thursday night at Screaming Eagles Arena, capturing the program’s first-ever Division I victory in a national postseason tournament with a 69-64 win against the University of Illinois Chicago in the first round of the 2024 Women’s National Invitation Tournament (WNIT).
The Ohio Valley Conference champion Screaming Eagles (25-6) went back and forth against the Missouri Valley Conference’s UIC Flames (18-16) in front of over 1,700 fans in attendance. Each side led by as many as nine within the game, but the contest remained a battle inside the final minutes. With the historical first WNIT win for USI on Thursday, Southern Indiana advanced to the second round and was rewarded with the opportunity to host the University of Wisconsin (13-16) at Screaming Eagles Arena on Monday at 7 p.m. CT.
Thursday’s game started at a high tempo early. UIC knocked down two three-pointers within the first two and a half minutes despite shooting below 30 percent from long range this season. However, senior forward Madi Webb (Bedford, Indiana) provided the answer for Southern Indiana by scoring the Screaming Eagles’ first eight points. USI led by five, 13-8, near the midway point of the opening quarter. At the three-minute mark freshman guard Triniti Ralston (Louisville, Kentucky) converted a three-point play to put USI up 16-10. Southern Indiana carried an 18-14 lead to the second period.
Ralston began the second quarter for Southern Indiana with another three-point play. A few minutes later, Webb continued her hot start. The senior crossed into double figures and helped build USI’s lead up to nine, 27-18, with nearly seven minutes left in the first half. UIC ended the first half on a 12-4 run to cut Southern Indiana’s advantage down to one at halftime, 31-30.
Out of the break, the Flames went on another run to take the lead, which eventually reached a nine-point advantage, 42-33, before Ralston cashed in on another three-point play for Southern Indiana. The conversion put Ralston into double-digit scoring for the game. Ralston helped USI chip away, surpassing her career-high 14 points that she set in the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament championship game. With Screaming Eagles Arena buzzing after strong defensive stops, USI jumped back in front, 46-45, with three minutes left in the third quarter. A last-second layup by Webb gave USI a 50-46 lead heading to the fourth frame.
The intensity and physicality of the contest increased even more so in the fourth period. Senior forward Meredith Raley (Haubstadt, Indiana) made a tough layup at the 6:26 mark to maintain USI’s four-point lead, giving Raley 10 points in the game. At the halfway point of the fourth, Ralston continued to put her head down and get to the hoop, reaching the 20-point threshold for the first time in a USI uniform. Later in the quarter, UIC grabbed a 59-58 lead with just over two minutes left in the fourth. Ralston had the response once again for the Screaming Eagles. The guard scored a layup and a triple to generate the final momentum push needed to put USI in front for good, as Southern Indiana iced the game at the foul line.
Southern Indiana shot nearly 42 percent (23-55) in the game, hitting a pair of treys and also going 21-24 for 87.5 percent at the free-throw stripe. USI forced UIC into 23 turnovers, outscored the Flames 22-10 in transition, and was plus-eight in the paint. Ralston posted a game-high and career-high 25 points on 8-12 shooting with two threes and a 7-7 night at the charity stripe. The freshman also had four steals. Webb finished with 14 points, while Raley tallied 12 points.
UIC was held to just under 34 percent from the floor (20-59) with five three-pointers. The Flames were 19-25 for 76 percent at the foul line. UIC had 43 rebounds compared to USI’s 33. Junior forward Makiya Williams led three UIC players in double figures with 17 points.
Monday’s game against Wisconsin can be seen live with a subscription to ESPN+. 95.7 FM The Spin and 97.7 FM WREF will have radio coverage.
Detailed ticket information will be released soon. Inquiries can be directed to the USI Ticket Office at 812-465-1190. USI students receive free admission.
Stay tuned to usiscreamingeagles.com and @USIAthletics on social media for more information.
VALPO BASEBALL
VALPO BASEBALL TO OPEN MVC SLATE AT SIU
Valparaiso (8-11, 0-0 MVC)
at Southern Illinois (14-7, 0-0 MVC)
Itchy Jones Stadium (2,000) | Carbondale, Ill.
Friday, March 22, 6 p.m. CT – RHP Connor Lockwood
Saturday, March 23, 2 p.m. CT – RHP Adam Guazzo
Sunday, March 24, 1 p.m. CT – RHP Griffin McCluskey
Next Up in Valpo Baseball: The Missouri Valley Conference portion of the season gets underway this weekend as the Valparaiso University baseball team travels to Southern Illinois to clash with the Salukis. After recently returning from an 18-day, 11-game road trip over spring break, the Beacons will embark on another six-day journey as this trip will continue on to Nashville for a midweek matchup with nationally-ranked Vanderbilt after the weekend in Carbondale. Valpo enters this trip ranked No. 62 in the latest RPI.
Last Time Out: Valpo faced deficits of 5-0 and 6-1 on Tuesday afternoon at Emory G. Bauer Field, but scored the game’s final eight runs to beat Ball State 9-6. Kyle Schmack delivered a pair of birthday bombs, celebrating his 23rd in style including a go-ahead two-run shot that flipped the scoreboard in the bottom of the sixth. Alex Thurston homered as part of a three-hit day, while Grant Jablonski and Bryce Konitzer combined for five shutout innings of relief while permitting a combined two hits.
Following the Beacons: All three games in this weekend’s series will air on ESPN+ with broadcasters Luke Martin and Mike Trude on the call. Links to live video and stats will be available on ValpoAthletics.com. For in-game updates, follow @ValpoBaseball on X, a social media platform that in its heyday was known as Twitter.
Head Coach Brian Schmack: Brian Schmack (196-305) is in his 11th season in charge of the program. He ranks third in program history in seasons coached and games coached as he entered 2024 having skippered 482 Valpo games. He entered the season with 188 victories, the third most in program history. Schmack, a member of the 2003 Detroit Tigers, served as pitching coach/associate head coach at Valpo for seven seasons prior to his promotion.
Series Notes: Valpo is 11-9 all-time against the Salukis and holds a 9-8 record against SIU since joining the MVC but did drop two of three last season at Emory G. Bauer Field and in 2022 in Carbondale. The Beacons won the series opener 9-8 on May 5, 2023 at Brown Field, but SIU took the remaining two games 7-3 and 10-6 to take the series. The last time Valpo made the trip to Carbondale, Valpo dropped the first two games 4-0 and 15-12 before prevailing 11-10 in the series finale on May 1, 2022.
In The Other Dugout: Southern Illinois
Picked to finish fifth of 10 in the MVC preseason poll.
Won two of three at home against Jacksonville State last weekend before playing a midweek home-and-home with Arkansas State on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Went 30-27 last season and 15-12 in MVC play.
Notes Wrapping Up March 19: Valpo 9, Ball State 6
Kyle Schmack ripped a pair of home runs on his 23rd birthday, including a go-ahead, two-run shot that turned a 6-5 deficit into a 7-6 lead in the sixth inning. He became the third Beacon to enjoy a multi-homer game this season, joining Kevin Denty on March 1 at Elon and Alex Ryan on March 16 at No. 21 Campbell.
This was Schmack’s third career multi-homer game and first since Feb. 26, 2023 at UT Martin. He also left the yard twice on April 16, 2022 at Illinois State.
Schmack now has three career birthday bombs. He also homered on his 21st birthday in 2022 at Murray State. Lucky for opposing pitchers, Valpo did not play on his 22nd birthday in 2023.
Alex Thurston had a team-high three hits including his second home run of the season and the fifth of his collegiate career. Kaleb Hannahs, Kyle Schmack and Carson Husmann each had multiple hits.
Bryce Konitzer nailed down his first save of the season, becoming the fourth different Beacon with a save. Konitzer, Jake Jakubowski, Trent Turzenski and Joe Seiber have all closed out games for the Brown & Gold.
Five of Valpo’s 11 hits went for extra bases and the Beacons outhit the Cardinals 11-8.
The win came over a Ball State team that was picked to finish second in the Mid-American Conference preseason poll, received three of 11 first-place votes and made an NCAA Regional appearance last season.
UINDY TRACK
GREYHOUNDS ELECTED TO FINISH THIRD IN MEN’S PRESEASON COACHES POLL
INDIANAPOLIS – The UIndy men’s track and field was voted in the preseason coaches’ poll to finish third for the 2024 Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) men’s outdoor track & field title, the league office announced on Thursday.
The preseason poll is selected by the league’s head coaches, who, per GLVC Bylaws, are not permitted to vote for their own team.
No. 3 Indianapolis
- Received 121 total points.
- Finished third at GLVC Championship last season.
- Coached by Brad Robinson in his first season, who replaces long-time mentor Scott Fangman but has served as the head cross country coach for the past eight seasons.
- Return GLVC pole vault champion Treyton Arnold.
The complete poll and voting results can be found below.
| Place | School | Points (1st-place votes) |
| 1. | Lewis | 137 (7) |
| 2. | Missouri S&T | 135 (5) |
| 3. | Indianapolis | 121 |
| 4. | Maryville | 98 |
| 5. | Southwest Baptist | 90 |
| 6. | McKendree | 77 |
| 7. | Truman State | 75 |
| 8. | Illinois Springfield | 72 |
| 9. | Drury | 70 (1) |
| 10. | William Jewell | 45 |
| 11. | Missouri-St. Louis | 44 |
| 12. | Rockhurst | 29 |
| 13. | Quincy | 21 |
UINDY WOMEN’S TRACK
WOMEN’S TRACK & FIELD GRABS SECOND IN OUTDOOR PRESEASON COACHES POLL
INDIANAPOLIS – UIndy was voted in the preseason coaches’ poll to finish second in the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) women’s outdoor track and field championships, the league office announced on Thursday.
The preseason poll is selected by the league’s head coaches, who, per GLVC Bylaws, are not permitted to vote for their own team.
No. 2 Indianapolis
- Received one first-place vote and 155 total points.
- Finished runner-up at GLVC Championship and tied for 53rd at the NCAA Division II Championships last season.
- Coached by Brad Robinson in his first season, who replaces long-time mentor Scott Fangman but has served as the head cross country coach for the past eight seasons.
- Return 2023 All-GLVC hammer throw champion, Zoe Pentecost, long jump and 400-meter hurdles champion, Ellie Lengerich, as well as pole vault runner-up, Sabrina Robison.
- Pentecost earned All-America honors at last year’s NCAA Championship with a seventh-place finish in the hammer.
The complete poll and voting results can be found below.
| Rank | School | Points (1st-place votes) |
| 1. | Lewis | 164 (11) |
| 2. | Indianapolis | 155 (1) |
| 3. | Southwest Baptist | 136 (1) |
| 4. | Missouri S&T | 122 |
| 5. | Maryville | 113 |
| 6. | Drury | 109 (1) |
| 7. | Truman State | 94 |
| 8. | Illinois Springfield | 85 |
| 9. | William Jewell | 74 |
| 10. | McKendree | 66 |
| 11. | Missouri-St. Louis | 54 |
| 12. | Upper Iowa | 43 |
| 13. | Rockhurst | 35 |
| 14. | Quincy | 24 |
MARIAN WOMEN’S LAX
KNIGHTS CONTINUE CONFERENCE WIN STREAK WITH 18-3 WIN OVER MADONNA
INDIANAPOLIS – The Marian women’s lacrosse continued their conference win streak with a 18-3 win over the Madonna University Crusaders. The Knights are now 4-3 overall and 2-0 in conference.
Marian took the reigns early in the game with three unanswered goals in the first five minutes of play to force a Madonna time-out and bring the score 3-0. Ella Grace Giedd scored the first two goals to leave Ashlynn Gray the third. The Knights quickly came out of the Crusaders’ time-out to score seven more goals on the board to strengthen their lead. Giedd had two more goals in the quarter, while Katie Murphy had three, and both Gray and Tori Farkas had one to bring the score 10-0 at the end off the first quarter.
The Crusaders pushed at the Knights lead in the second quarter scoring one goal which was quickly answered by Taleah Nool to keep the difference to 10 goals. At the 3:19 mark Madonna attempted to rally back to decrease the lead with a goal by Stringham. In hopes of keeping the 10 goal lead alive Rylie Boezeman got her first goal of the night to bring the score 12-2 going into the half.
In the third quarter the goals slowed down for Marian to only score two goals to strengthen their lead. Murphy got the first goal of the quarter at the 12:37 mark, and Farkas got her second goal of the day at the 5:19 mark to bring the score 14-2 going into the final quarter.
In the final attempts to push at Marian’s lead Madonna’s O’Connor scored the Crusaders last goal of the day. Once the starters were pulled the Knights went on a four-goal run with Delaney Koles having one and Alex Dean having the final three goals of the game to secure the 18-3 win over the Crusaders.
Offensively for the Knights, Mason and Giedd lead the team in goals with four each in the win. Katelynn Gray lead the team in assists with three. The Knights dominated the circle with 15 draw controls in the win, and were lead by seven wins by Katelynn Gray. Madeline Dumke lead the team in ground ball recoveries with three and Giedd lead the team in caused turnovers with three. In goal, Katherine Hirsch took the win allowing two goals and one save in her first half of play. Grace Coyne took over goal in the second half, allowing one goal and having three saves.
The Knights are back in action on Saturday, March 23rd at home against Siena Heights (Mich.) with the first draw set at 4:00 p.m.
MARIAN WBB
KNIGHTS DEFEAT JIMMIES 72-63 TO REACH NAIA NATIONAL QUARTERFINALS
Sioux City, Iowa – The Marian women’s basketball team kept their win streak going Thursday afternoon in the Tyson Events Center, winning the first game in the Round of 16 at the NAIA National Tournament with a 72-63 victory over the University of Jamestown. Marian’s streak moves to 31 consecutive games, as the Knights are 33-1 entering the NAIA Quarterfinals.
Similar to the last time the Knights stepped on the court, scoring was at a premium in the first quarter, as both sides went nearly two minutes without a score. Ella Collier was able to get the lid off the basket in the first game at the Tyson Events Center as she ripped a steal and breakaway layup, but was quickly matched by Kate Cordes of Jamestown. The Jimmies would take a brief lead after scoring two possessions after the Cordes bucket, but Marian quickly heated up with Kinnidy Garrard scoring four straight to reclaim the lead. Marian went into the first media timeout leading 8-7, and over the final three minutes of the first quarter got contributions from Garrard, Collier, and Aliyah Evans to take a 16-9 advantage into the second period.
The Knights added to their lead in the first minute of the second quarter, with a three from Allison Bosse punctuating a 5-0 run that forced an early Jimmie timeout. Marian’s lead held at double digits as the clock rolled under seven minutes to play before the half, but a Jamestown run of seven unanswered points during a Marian lull brought the game back within two scores. Allison Bosse halted the run with a corner three, sparked the Knights offense as Marian pushed back ahead by 13 points. Marian held a double figure lead for the majority of the final five minutes before halftime, and led by as many as 14 but a 5-0 run allowed in the last 51 seconds made the game an eight-point affair at the break.
Marian led 37-29 at the half, with Garrard’s 11 points pacing the offense through 20 minutes.
The game went back and forth as the second half opened with Marian maintaining their three-possession lead as Garrard held the team in check. Abbey McNally shouldered the offense after the seven-minute mark, as the sophomore post player took over inside with three baskets and strong rebounding. Open three point makes from Sara Majorosova and Bosse vaulted the edge near twenty points, as the Knights gained their largest lead of the day with 4:03 to play in the third, holding a 53-36 edge. The 17-point lead would dwindle before the quarter’s end as Jamestown was able to get back within 10 points, but a late spark from McNally and Aliyah Evans recouped a 59-45 lead entering the final quarter.
Marian stayed in a groove entering the fourth quarter as they stayed on top by double figures, but pressure from Jamestown as their 16-point lead shrink to seven at the halfway point of the final period. After Jamestown made the game a 63-56 score, a 90-second drought occurred before Garrard was able to muscle in a shot deep in the paint. Garrard’s bucket regained momentum for the Knights as they pushed their lead to 11 in the final two minutes, putting the pressure on the Jimmies to make shots and foul.
Jamestown was able to convert from the field and make it a nine-point game with 1:36 to play, but after air-balling a three on their next possession, the life left the Jimmies sideline, as they were forced to foul to stay in the game. Marian converted three of four free throw attempts in the final 64 seconds of the game to seal the win, as the final points of the game from McNally closed the 72-63 win.
The Knights forced Jamestown to a 35 percent day from the field, while their offense converted 48 percent from the field and 80 percent at the charity stripe. McNally put together a commanding 16-point, 14-rebound double-double in the win, while Garrard led the team in scoring with 17 points to go with her eight boards. Bosse scored 10 points making three of the team’s four three-point shots. Collier scored nine and had two steals, while Majorosova and Perryman each scored eight.
Marian will play either Concordia or Providence in the NAIA Quarterfinals on Saturday. Tip from the Tyson Events Center is slated for 2:00 p.m. ET.
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/
HOLY CROSS ATHLETICS: https://www.hcsaints.com/index.php
TAYLOR ATHLETICS: https://www.taylortrojans.com/
VINCENNES ATHLETICS: https://govutrailblazers.com/landing/index
FOOTBALL HISTORY
March 22, 1989 – Pete Rozelle announces his retirement as NFL commissioner after 29 years. Rozelle if you remember was a surprise choice to become NFL Commissioner to replace the legendary Bert Bell who had very suddenly and tragically passed away at a Steelers versus Eagles game. Ironically two teams that he had formerly owned. Pete at the time was in the front office of the Los Angeles Rams and had recently completed deals like the blockbuster one that brought running back Ollie Matson to the Rams from the Cardinals for 11 players. Rozelle of course was eventually replaced by Paul Tagliabue.
March 22, 1879 – Baltimore, Maryland – Art Poe the great end of Princeton University was born. He was the nephew of famous writer Edgar Allen Poe and had five brothers that played ball too. More on him on own page, found easily by clicking his name above.
March 22, 1931 – Cleveland, Oklahoma – Billy Vessels the fine halfback from the Oklahoma Sooners celebrated the anniversary of his birth. Voters of the National Football Foundation inducted Billy Vessels into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1974. More on this legend by clicking his name above.
HOF Birthdays
March 22, 1954 – Warren, Ohio – The University of Notre Dame’s Ross Browner claimed his date of birth. Browner is one of the top most decorated college players in NCAA history, as he played defensive end for the Irish in 1973 and then 1975 through 1977. Ross was the Outland Trophy winner in 1976 for being the top interior lineman in the country as well as claiming unanimous All-America honors in his final two collegiate seasons. As a senior Browner captured the coveted Lombardi Trophy as the nation’s best lineman and the Maxwell Award as the nation’s best player. The ballot came in from Football Foundation voters in 1999 sending Ross Browner into the College Football Hall of Fame. Ross registered a school record 340 tackles, ten deflected passes and two blocked kicks. Browner also put points on the board as he scored a touchdown and two safeties. The touchdown came when he blocked a Navy punt and recovered it in the end zone. His first safety was in the 1973 Northwestern game. Ross blocked a punt, and the ball rolled out of the end zone. The second safety was N against Miami of Florida during the 1975 season. Browner bet his blocker then tackled the Hurricane quarterback in the end zone. Browner went on to play nine years with the Cincinnati Bengals and one with the Green Bay Packers in the National Football League.
March 22, 1960 – Conway, Pennsylvania – The University of Pittsburgh’s big offensive tackle, Jimbo Covert arrived into this life. His bio on the FootballFoundation site says that Covert joined the Pitt team wanting to be a defensive lineman. Jimbo was skilled at the position but the Panthers were loaded with talent in that area. An injury in his second year gave him some time to think and the results were that he asked his coaches if he could switch to play offensive line instead, in an attempt to get on the field more. What a great choice it was for all involved as Covert became a starter on the same line as Mark May and Bill Fralic. Pitt was on fire with offensive firepower. The Panthers posted two consecutive 11-1 seasons twice finishing as the nation’s second-ranked team. In his three seasons at tackle he allowed only three sacks, none as a senior. His sacks allowed statistic is even more remarkable by the fact that Pitt averaged 34 passes a game. That year, he became a unanimous All-America after his first team All-America season in 1981.The National Football Foundation council approved the name of Jimbo Covert for induction into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2003. THe Chicago Bears picked Jimbo sixth overall in the 1983 NFL Draft and in nine seasons, he twice made the Pro Bowl, was an All-Pro twice and led the Bears to a victory in Super Bowl XX. The Offensive Lineman of the Year went to Covert in 1986. Jimbo Covert was enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2020.
March 22, 1969 – Chicago, Illinois – The Miami Hurricanes stud defensive tackle, Russell Maryland was born. Maryland did not have a tremendous amount of college suitors as he was over 300 pounds and not the mobile player we came to know him as per the NFF article on him. The University of Miami though saw potential in the youngster and red shirted him, encouraging him to lose 50 pounds to have him at the ideal playing weight for a man his size. The transformation was remarkable as he had a big time breakout game when he went against All-American John Vitale and Michigan in 1988. It gave Maryland confidence in his abilities and unlocked the athletic potential hiding within him. Russell went on to notch up 20-½ sacks, 279 tackles and 25 tackles for loss in his career. Maryland helped the Hurricanes to two national titles, four bowl wins, a perfect home record and a 44-4 overall record in his four seasons in Coral Gables. Russell Maryland was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2011. After classes were over Maryland was the first pick in the 1991 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys. Russel was a big part of the Cowboys winning three Super Bowls. He also played in the 1993 Pro Bowl and started 140-of-154 games in his 10-year career. He posted 375 tackles, 24.5 sacks and forced nine fumbles as a pro.
NUMBERS IN SPORTS
22 – 33 – 19
March 22, 1958 – Elgin Baylor, Number 22 of Seattle University helps his Cinderella team to knock off powerful favorite Kansas State 73-51 in the NCAA Men’s Basketball tournament final four game. Baylor scored 23 points and hauled down 22 rebounds in the victory.
March 22, 1969 – Lew Alcindor Number 33, of UCLA is voted as the NCAA Men’s Basketball tournament Most Outstanding Player. UCLA overwhelms Purdue 92-72. It is the third year in a row for the great center to win the award and a three-peat for the Bruins to win the National Championship game. Alcindor would later change his name for religious reasons to become Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
March 22, 1972 – Speaking of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, he on this day in history won the prestigious NBA Most Valuable Player Award for the season for his performance wearing the Number 33 of the Milwaukee Bucks.
March 22, 1979 – The National Hockey League franchises voted to accept four of the former World Hockey Association teams. The Edmonton Oilers, Winnepeg Jets, Nordiques & Hartford Whalers all are absorbed into the NHL as a result.
March 22, 1984 – Bryan Trottier, Number 19 of the New York Islanders ties an NHL record when he scored 5 seconds into a game against the Boston Bruins. The two teams ended up in a 3-all tie at the completion of the game.
TODAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY
1939 The 20-year-old injury-plagued Pete Reiser homers in his first at-bat during the Dodgers’ second spring training game, beginning a streak of ten consecutive hits. ‘Pistol Pete,’ one of 74 minor-leaguer free-agents when Commissioner Landis ruled the Cardinals signed too many players to play on multiple teams in the same leagues, hits .301 in 38 games with the Elmira Pioneers, the team’s Eastern League Single-A affiliate.
1962 In the first meeting between the two New York clubs, the Mets defeated the World Champion Yankees in a spring training game with a dramatic walk-off 4-3 victory at Al Lang Field. Casey Stengel, the former skipper of the Bronx Bombers, now the expansion team’s manager, clearly wanting to beat his old club, calls upon veteran Richie Ashburn, who delivers a ninth-inning pinch-hit single for the Amazins’.
1962 Roger Maris declines to pose with Mets coach Rogers Hornsby because the veteran had criticized him in the recently published autobiography, My Wars with Baseball. In the book, the 65-year-old Hall of Famer dismisses the Yankees slugger as a mediocre hitter who couldn’t bat .400 even with all of his averages added up.
1972 The Yankees trade first baseman Danny Cater to the Red Sox for lefty reliever Albert Walter Lyle. Sparky will pitch in 420 games in relief over the next seven years with a 57-40 record and a 2.41 ERA, notching 141 saves as he helps the Bronx Bombers appear in three World Series.
1986 The Yankees announce Britt Burns, an 18-game winner with the White Sox last season, will miss the entire season due to a degenerative hip condition. The 26-year-old southpaw will never throw another major league pitch, ending his eight-year career, played entirely with Chicago, with a 70-60 (.538) won-loss record.
2002 After a miserable spring trying to make the Dodgers as a bench player, 38-year-old Dante Bichette (.299, 274, 1,141) announces his retirement. The four-time affable All-Star, who played with the Angels, Brewers, Rockies, Reds, and Red Sox during his 14-year major league career, will have a brief stint as the Rockies’ batting coach in 2009.
2005 Giants’ slugger Barry Bonds, 11 home runs shy of passing Babe Ruth on the all-time list, indicates he may not play this season. Implicated in the sport’s steroids scandal, the 40-year-old National League MVP, who has had two knee operations, cites being physically and mentally “done,” blaming the media for his unhappiness.
2010 With the same pen he used to sign his rookie contract in 2001, Twins catcher Joe Mauer (.365, 28, 96) signs a $184 million, eight-year contract extension, keeping him with the small-market team through 2018. Last year, the 26-year-old backstop, after starting the season on the DL as a result of back surgery the previous year, captured his third batting crown and was named the American League’s Most Valuable Player.
2014 🇦🇺 At Sydney Cricket Grounds, the Dodgers defeat the Diamondbacks, 3-1, to open the Major League Baseball season. The contest marks the first regular season game played in Australia.(Ed. Note: MLB has previously opened seasons in Mexico (1999); Japan (2000, 2004, 2008, 2012); and Puerto Rico (2001).- LP)
2016 In a game attended by Barack Obama, the first sitting United States president on Cuban soil since 1928, the Rays beat the Cuban National team, 4-1, marking the first time in 17 years a major league team has visited the island nation. In 1999 at Havana’s Estadio, the Orioles edge the home team, 3-2, thanks to Harold Baines’ eventual game-winning hit in the 11th inning.
BASEBALL YEAR IN REVIEW: 1950 (BASEBALL ALMANAC)
Off the field…
The Korean War began after North Korean forces known as the “Democratic People’s Republic” crossed the 38th parallel dividing North and South Korea. The attack, aimed at reuniting the country under Communist rule from the North, took place on June 24th and was a complete surprise to the American administration. Many feared that this attack heralded the beginning of World War III. Under the flag of the United Nations, sixteen countries sent military forces to South Korea’s defense, most coming from the United States. Many other countries contributed equipment, supplies, and other support. North Korea’s main allies were the Soviet Union, which supplied it with arms, and China, which later sent many troops.
Two Puerto Rican nationalists, Oscar Collazo and Griselio Torresola, attempted to assassinate President Truman on November 1st. Both arrived in Washington D.C. the day before from the Bronx in New York City, where they were active in the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party. Both felt the assassination would call attention to their home country and advance the cause of Puerto Rican independence. In the ensuing gun battle, both traded gunfire with White House policemen and several Secret Service Agents. Torresola was killed in the melee, but Collazo reached the steps of Blair House before collapsing with a gunshot wound to the chest. He was later sentenced to death. President Truman himself commuted the sentence to life imprisonment in 1952.
In June 1950, three former agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and television producer Vincent Harnett, published “Red Channels”, a pamphlet listing the names of one-hundred fifty-one writers, directors and entertainers who they claimed had been members of subversive organizations (before World War II) but had not been blacklisted. The names had been compiled from FBI files and a detailed analysis of the “Daily Worker”, an underground newspaper published by the American Communist Party.
In the American League…
On June 8th, the Red Sox recorded the most lopsided victory in baseball history after crushing the visiting St. Louis Browns 29-4. Boston also set several Major League records including most extra bases on long hits (thirty-two) in a game, and the most extra bases on long hits in consecutive games (fifty-one). Leadoff batter Clyde Vollmer set a Major League mark of his own as the only batter to go to the plate eight times in eight innings.
The Cleveland Indians came out swinging in the 2nd game of a June 18th doubleheader and set a modern Major League record by scoring fourteen runs in the first inning. The opening rally also tied the mark for most runs scored in a single inning. With the exception of pitcher Mike Garcia, all Tribe members batted twice en route to a 21-2 massacre.
The New York Yankees and Detroit Tigers combined for a Major League record eleven home runs during a 10-9, June 23rd outing at Tiger Stadium. It was also the first time that nine different players connected for home runs in a single game. Detroit tallied four home runs in the 4th inning thanks to Dizzy Trout, Gerry Priddy, Vic Wertz, and Hoot Evers. New York’s Hank Bauer connected for two while Joe DiMaggio, Jerry Coleman, Yogi Berra, and pinch hitter Tommy Henrich also belted round trippers. Home team slugger Evers finally won the contest with his second blast, an inside-the-park two-run game winner in the 9th.
In the National League…
Boston Braves slugger Sid Gordon tied the Major League record for most grand slams in a season after knocking his fourth of the year against the Philadelphia Phillies. His team dominated both games in a Fourth of July doubleheader and their 12-9 win in game two gave both teams a combined total of forty runs, fifty-five hits, and ninety total bases for the day.
On July 16th, players from around the league connected for thirty-seven combined home runs setting a new Major League record. Leading the home run derby was the Cincinnati Reds who posted two wins over the New York Giants, 16-4 and 11-10.
The Brooklyn Dodgers beat the St. Louis Cardinals 7-5 on July 26th as the Dodgers’ Jim Russell went both ways for two home runs, making him the first switch-hitter in history to accomplish the feat more than once. On the other side of the plate, St. Louis’ Stan Musial hit in his 30th straight game for the longest consecutive hitting streak of the decade.
Around the League…
Jackie Robinson, the man who broke baseball’s color barrier signed a new contract for $35,000, making him the highest paid Brooklyn Dodger in the history of the franchise.
The Associated Press selected the “Miracle Braves” of 1914 as the greatest sports upset in the 20th century. Managed by George Stallings, Boston completed the season riding a 60-16 streak to go 94-59. Later, they went on to win the National League pennant by 10½ games over the heavily favored New York Giants in the post-season.
President Harry Truman tossed out two balls at the Washington opener (one left-handed and one right-handed) then sat through a driving rain to see his Senators beat the Philadelphia Athletics 8-7 at Griffith Stadium.
In an effort to discourage the continued Major League signing of black ball players, Dr. J.B. Martin, the president of the Chicago Giants of the Negro American League, ordered manager Ted “Double Duty” Radcliffe to sign several white players. Radcliffe obliged his employer by signing three white teenagers immediately and adding at least two others later in the season.
BASEBALL’S GREAT PITCHERS
MICKEY WELCH
A far-from-giant Giant, pitcher Mickey Welch formed a cornerstone of the celebrated National League franchise founded in New York. Generously listed in baseball reference works as 5-feet-8 and 160 pounds, the undersized right-hander pitched and won the Giants’ [then Gothams’] inaugural NL game in 1883. Two years later, he compiled 17 consecutive pitching victories on the way to posting a 44-win season, still the all-time franchise record. By the time he departed the major league scene in early 1892, Welch had become only the third pitcher in big-league history to record 300 wins. He spent the remainder of his long life at the margins of the game, serving as a ballpark attendant at the Polo Grounds and Yankee Stadium, and regularly regaling New York sportswriters with tales from baseball’s early years. Some three decades after his passing in 1941 – and more than 80 years after he had appeared in his final major-league game – the memory of Mickey Welch was forever preserved by his induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
READ MORE: https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/mickey-welch/
TODAY IN NBA HISTORY
March 21, 1953
Bob Cousy scored 50 points (25 of which were in overtime play) as the Celtics outlasted Syracuse 111-105 in four overtimes to eliminate the Nationals in the Eastern Division Semifinals. Cousy’s 30 free throws made was an NBA playoff record.
March 21, 1999
Utah’s Karl Malone reaches 40,771 career minutes played and passes Bill Russell (40,726) for ninth place on the NBA’s all-time charts.
March 21, 2014
Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder scores 51 points in a 119-118 win over the Toronto Raptors.
March 21, 2021
Suns guard Chris Paul throws a perfect alley-oop pass to Deandre Ayton for his 10,000th career assist, becoming the sixth player in NBA history to reach that feat. The other players to do so: John Stockton, Jason Kidd, Steve Nash, Mark Jackson and Magic Johnson — all of whom, save for Jackson — are Hall of Famers.
TODAY IN SPORTS HISTORY
1932 — The blue lines are eliminated with the center red line used to determine offsides in an experiment by the NHL. With both teams out of playoff contention, the league tries it in the New York Americans’ 8-6 victory over Boston.
1952 — The St. John’s Redmen avenge an earlier 41-point loss, beating top-ranked Kentucky 64-57 in the East Regional championship game of the NCAA Division I Men’s Tournament. St. John’s, led by Bob Zawoluk’s NCAA tournament record 32 points, advances to its first Final Four.
1953 — The United States beats host Chile, 49-36 to win the first FIBA World Championship for Women basketball tournament.
1958 — Vern Hatton and Johnny Cox combine for 54 points to give Kentucky an 84-72 victory over Seattle in the NCAA basketball championship.
1959 — Montreal Canadiens forward Dickie Moore sets an NHL record for most points in a season with 96. He scores a goal and an assist in a 4-2 win at New York.
1969 — Lew Alcindor scores 37 points to lead UCLA to the NCAA men’s basketball title with a 97-72 win over Purdue. Alcindor is chosen as MVP for the third straight year.
1969 — West Chester State beats Western Carolina 65-39 to win the first women’s collegiate national championship. The game is played using the six-player format.
1986 — Trevor Berbick wins a unanimous 15-round decision over Pinklon Thomas in Las Vegas for the WBC heavyweight title.
1994 — The NFL announces the addition of the 2-point conversion, the league’s first scoring change in 75 seasons.
1997 — Tara Lipinski’s jumps, the cleanest and the surest in women’s figure skating, lift the 14-year-old into history as the youngest women’s world champion.
2000 — Pat Verbeek of the Detroit Red Wings scores twice in a 2-2 tie with Calgary to become the 28th player in NHL history with 500 career goals.
2007 — Kobe Bryant becomes the fourth player in NBA history to score at least 50 points in three straight games. Bryant scores 60 points in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 121-119 win over Memphis. Bryant joins Elgin Baylor, Wilt Chamberlain and Michael Jordan.
2008 — The first of two assists Colorado captain Joe Sakic has in a 7-5 loss to Edmonton are the 1,000th of his career. He is the 11th player in NHL history to reach the milestone.
2011 — The NFL owners vote to make all scoring plays subject to review by the replay official and referee.
2013 — Florida Gulf Coast, a school so new it wasn’t eligible for the NCAA men’s tournament until last year, upsets second-seeded Georgetown 78-68 in the second round of the South Regional. The Eagles used a 21-2 second-half run to pull away from the Hoyas and hold on in the final minute to become the seventh No. 15 seed to beat a No. 2.
2015 — Oklahoma advances in the NCAA Tournament with a 72-66 victory over Dayton. Sooners coach Lon Kruger becomes the second coach to take four schools to the round of 16.
TV SPORTS FRIDAY
AUSTRALIAN RULES FOOTBALL (MEN’S)
4:20 a.m.
FS2 — AFL — Geelong at Adelaide
AUTO RACING
3:30 p.m.
FS1 — NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series: Qualifying, Circuit of the Americas, Austin, Texas
5:30 p.m.
FS1 — NASCAR Xfinity Series: Qualifying, Circuit of the Americas, Austin, Texas
9:25 p.m.
ESPNEWS — Formula 1: Practice, Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit, Albert Park, Australia
12:55 a.m. (Saturday)
ESPN2 — Formula 1: Qualifying, Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit, Albert Park, Australia
COLLEGE BASEBALL
8 p.m.
ACCN — Florida St. at Clemson
FS1 — West Virginia at Oklahoma
SECN — Florida at LSU
10 p.m.
PAC-12N — Southern Cal at UCLA
COLLEGE BASKETBALL (MEN’S)
12:15 p.m.
CBS — NCAA Tournament: Northwestern vs. FAU, First Round, Brooklyn, N.Y.
12:40 p.m.
TRUTV — NCAA Tournament: Colgate vs. Baylor, First Round, Memphis, Tenn.
1:45 p.m.
TNT — NCAA Tournament: UAB vs. San Diego St., First Round, Spokane, Wash.
2 p.m.
TBS — NCAA Tournament: W. Kentucky vs. Marquette, First Round, Indianapolis
2:45 p.m.
CBS — NCAA Tournament: Stetson vs. UConn First Round, Brooklyn, N.Y.
3:10 p.m.
TRUTV — NCAA Tournament: New Mexico vs. Clemson, First Round, Memphis, Tenn.
4:15 p.m.
TNT — NCAA Tournament: Yale vs. Auburn, First Round, Spokane, Wash.
4:30 p.m.
TBS — NCAA Tournament: Colorado vs. Florida, First Round, Indianapolis
6:50 p.m.
TNT — NCAA Tournament: Texas A&M vs. Nebraska, First Round, Memphis, Tenn.
7:10 p.m.
CBS — NCAA Tournament: Vermont vs. Duke, First Round, Brooklyn, N.Y.
7:25 p.m.
TBS — NCAA Tournament: Grambling St. vs. Purdue, First Round, Indianapolis
7:35 p.m.
TRUTV — NCAA Tournament: Coll. of Charleston vs. Alabama, First Round, Spokane, Wash.
9:20 p.m.
TNT — NCAA Tournament: Longwood vs. Houston, First Round, Memphis, Tenn.
9:40 p.m.
CBS — NCAA Tournament: James Madison vs. Wisconsin, First Round, Brooklyn, N.Y.
9:55 p.m.
TBS — NCAA Tournament: TCU vs. Utah St., First Round, Indianapolis
10:05 p.m.
TRUTV — NCAA Tournament: Grand Canyon vs. Saint Mary’s (Cal), First Round, Spokane, Wash.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL (WOMEN’S)
11:30 a.m.
ESPN2 — NCAA Tournament: Michigan St. vs. North Carolina, First Round, Columbia, S.C.
Noon
ESPN — NCAA Tournament: Miane at Ohio St., First Round
1:30 p.m.
ESPN2 — NCAA Tournament: MTSU vs. Louisville, First Round, Baton Rouge, La.
2 p.m.
ESPN — NCAA Tournament: Presbyterian at South Carolina, First Round
2:30 p.m.
ESPNEWS — NCAA Tournament: Richmond vs. Duke, First Round, Columbus, Ohio
3 p.m.
ESPNU — NCAA Tournament: Drexel at Texas, First Round
3:30 p.m.
ESPN2 — NCAA Tournament: Marshall at Virginia Tech, First Round
4 p.m.
ESPN — NCAA Tournament: Rice at LSU, First Round
4:30 p.m.
ESPNEWS — NCAA Tournament: Portland at Kansas St., First Round
5:30 p.m.
ESPN2 — NCAA Tournament: Florida St. vs. Alabama, First Round, Austin, Texas
6 p.m.
ESPNU — NCAA Tournament: Vanderbilt vs. Baylor, First Round, Blacksburg, Va.
7 p.m.
ESPNEWS — NCAA Tournament: Drake vs. Colorado, First Round, Manhattan, Kan.
7:30 p.m.
ESPN2 — NCAA Tournament: Maryland vs. Iowa St., First Round, Stanford, Calif.
8 p.m.
ESPNU — NCAA Tournament: Eastern Washington at Oregon St., First Round
10 p.m.
ESPN2 — NCAA Tournament: Norfolk St. at Stanford, First Round
10:30 p.m.
ESPNU — NCAA Tournament: Texas A&M vs. Nebraska, First Round, Corvallis, Ore.
COLLEGE HOCKEY (MEN’S)
5 p.m.
CBSSN — NCHC Tournament: North Dakota vs. Omaha, Semifinal, St. Paul, Minn.
8:30 p.m.
CBSSN — NCHC Tournament: Denver vs. St. Cloud St., Semifinal, St. Paul, Minn.
COLLEGE LACROSSE (WOMEN’S)
8 p.m.
BTN — Northwestern at Penn St.
COLLEGE SOFTBALL
6 p.m.
ACCN — Clemson at Virginia
BTN — Illinois at Nebraska
PAC-12N — Arizona at California
SECN — Kentucky at Florida
8 p.m.
PAC-12N — UCLA at Washington
COLLEGE WRESTLING
Noon
ESPNU — NCAA Tournament: Session 3 – Championships Quarterfinals + Consolations, Kansas City, Mo.
8 p.m.
ESPN — NCAA Tournament: Session 4 – Championship Semifinals + Blood Round, Kansas City, Mo.
FIGURE SKATING
8 p.m.
USA — World Championships: Women’s Free, Montreal, Canada
GOLF
2 p.m.
GOLF — PGA Tour: The Valspar Championship, Second Round, Copperhead Course, Palm Harbor, Fla.
6 p.m.
GOLF — LPGA Tour: The FIR HILLS SERI PAK Championship, Second Round, Palos Verdes Golf Club, Palos Verdes Estates, Calif.
10 p.m.
GOLF — PGA Tour Champions: The Hoag Classic, First Round, Newport Beach Country Club, Newport Beach, Calif. (Taped)
Midnight
GOLF — DP World Tour: The Porsche Singapore Classic, Third Round, Laguna National Golf Resort Club, Singapore
MLB BASEBALL
1 p.m.
MLBN — Spring Training: NY Mets vs. NY Yankees, Tampa, Fla.
4 p.m.
MLBN — Spring Training: Texas (Split Squad) vs. Cleveland, Goodyear, Ariz.
NBA BASKETBALL
8 p.m.
NBATV — Cleveland at Minnesota
10:30 p.m.
NBATV — Philadelphia at LA Lakers
NHL HOCKEY
7 p.m.
NHLN — Carolina at Washington
RUGBY (MEN’S)
10:30 p.m.
FS2 — MLR: Houston at Seattle
2:25 a.m. (Saturday)
FS2 — NRL: North Queensland at St. George Illawarra
SOCCER (MEN’S)
10:20 a.m.
FS2 — International Friendly: North Macedonia vs. Moldova, Aksu, Antalya, Turkey
12:50 p.m.
FS2 — International Friendly: Norway vs. Czech Republic, Oslo, Norway
3:30 p.m.
FS2 — International Friendly: Netherlands vs. Scotland, Amsterdam
TENNIS
11 a.m.
TENNIS — Miami-ATP/WTA Early Rounds