THE INDIANA SRN “SPORTSPAGE” FRIDAY MARCH 29, 2024

INDIANA BOYS BASKETBALL

STATE FINALS-SATURDAY MARCH 30

 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

CASEY WESTFIELD 11 PARKE HERITAGE 5

HANOVER CENTRAL 19 S. NEWTON 2

KNOX 6 ARGOS 0

MICHIGAN CITY 13 TRI-TOWNSHIP 0

JENNINGS COUNTY 8 BROWNSTOWN CENTRAL 7

FAIRFIELD 18 CONCORD 10

ELKHART CHRISTIAN 15 SOUTH BEND CLAY 5

FOREST PARK 3 SPRINGS VALLEY 2

FRANKLIN COUNTY 2 CAMBRIDGE CITY LINCOLN 1

HERITAGE HILLS 10 EVANSVILLE REITZ 3

CHESTERTON 6 GRIFFITH 0

BREMEN 3 MANCHESTER 1

JEFFERSONVILLE 13 NEW WASHINGTON 3

SOUTH BEND RILEY 8 PLYMOUTH 1

MISHAWAKA 8 ROCHESTER 2

EDGEWOOD 17 EASTERN GREENE 0

CHRUBUSCO 6 WHITKO 5

BORDEN 14 PAOLI 1

WAWASEE 7 ELKHART 3

LAKELAND 10 NORTHWOOD 6

RITTER 17 PURDUE POLY 6

LANESVILLE 5 CORYDON CENTRAL 3

SCOTTSBURG 5 SEYMOUR 4

GREENSBURG 12 JAC CEN DEL 2

BATESVILLE 20 S. RIPLEY 10

LAKE CENTRAL 5 PENN 4

HERITAGE 16 NEW HAVEN 2

COLUMBUS NORTH 8 E. CENTRAL 7

BLOOMINGTON SOUTH 8 N. KNOX 4

NOBLESVILLE 15 GREENFIELD CENTRAL 0

INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL SCORES-REPORTED

PLANO 12 RENSSELAER CENTRAL 2

DELTA 15 POPE JOHN PAUL 4

BARTLETT 3 LAKE CENTRAL 2

CASTLE 6 GIBSON SOUTHERN 5

HUNTLAND 5 EASTERN HANCOCK 0

WATKINS MEMORIAL 3 CRAWFORDSVILLE 2

SODDY DAISY 6 HERITAGE CHRISTIAN 5

BARR REEVE 6 CLAY CITY 0

WHEELER 14 WESTVILLE 4

CHESTERTON 5 BOONE GROVE 0

HOBART 13 RIVER FOREST 1

PORTAGE 4 SOUTH-CENTRAL 0

JIMTOWN 11 EDWARDSBURG 1

HILLTOP 9 FORT WAYNE CRUSADERS 7

EASTSIDE 3 WOODLAN 0

GREENWOOD CHRISTIAN 10 MORRISTOWN 2

CONCORD 19 ELKHART CHRISTIAN 6

EDINBURGH 10 BROWN COUNTY 4

SULLIVAN 16 N. KNOX 0

MARSHALL 9 N. CENTRAL 2

WAWASEE 12 MANCHESTER 7

FORT WAYNE NORTHRUP 11 HUNTINGTON NORTH 1

HERITAGE 1 FORT WAYNE SOUTH 0

DECATUR CENTRAL 10 N. CENTRAL 9

BREMEN 9 W. NOBLE 5

ELKHART 5 GOSHEN 3

SOUTH BEND ADAMS 2 NORTHWOOD 0

COLUMBIA CITY 19 CHURBUSCO 0

KNIGHTSTOWN 14 MUNCIE BURRIS 3

FORT WAYNE NORTH 6 NEW HAVEN 5

EVANSVILLE CHRISTIAN 9 SPRINGS VALLEY 3

WESTFIELD 11 FRANKLIN CENTRAL 1

CARMEL 11 COVENANT CHRISTIAN 0

GREENWOOD 8 BROWNSTOWN CENTRAL 7

HANOVER CENTRAL 16 DEKALB 5

SIEGEL 3 NOBLESVILLE 2

MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL SCHEDULE

THURSDAY, MARCH 28 (SWEET 16)

CLEMSON 77 ARIZONA 72

CONNECTICUT 82 SAN DIEGO STATE 52

ALABAMA 89 NORTH CAROLINA 87

ILLINOIS 72 IOWA STATE 69

FRIDAY, MARCH 29 (SWEET 16)

(2) MARQUETTE VS. (11) NC STATE | 7:09 P.M. | CBS

(1) PURDUE VS. (5) GONZAGA | 7:39 P.M. |TBS/TRUTV

(1) HOUSTON VS. (4) DUKE | 9:39 P.M. | CBS

(2) TENNESSEE VS. (3) CREIGHTON | 10:09 P.M. |TBS/TRUTV

(NIT)

TUESDAY, APRIL 2

UTAH VS. INDIANA STATE 7 PM

GEORGIA VS. SETON HALL 9:30 PM

WOMEN’S NCAA TOURNAMENT

FRIDAY, MARCH 29

OREGON STATE VS. NOTRE DAME 2:30 PM

INDIANA VS. SOUTH CAROLINA 5 PM

NORTH CAROLINA STATE VS. STANFORD 7:30 PM

GONZAGA VS. TEXAS 10 PM

NBA SCOREBOARD

ATLANTA 123 BOSTON 122 OT

NEW ORLEANS 107 MILWAUKEE 100

NHL SCOREBOARD

PITTSBURGH 3 COLUMBUS 2

OTTAWA 2 CHICAGO 0

NY ISLANDERS 3 FLORIDA 2

MONTRÉAL 4 PHILADELPHIA 1

TORONTO 5 WASHINGTON 1

CAROLINA 4 DETROIT 0

MINNESOTA 3 SAN JOSE 1

ST. LOUIS 5 CALGARY 3

VEGAS 4 WINNIPEG 1

EDMONTON 4 LOS ANGELES 1

NY RANGERS 3 COLORADO 2

SEATTLE 4 ANAHEIM 2

ARIZONA 8 NASHVILLE 4

DALLAS 3 VANCOUVER 1

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

BALTIMORE 11 LA ANGELS 3

SAN DIEGO 6 SAN FRANCISCO 4

LA DODGERS 7 ST. LOUIS 1

PITTSBURGH 6 MIAMI 5 (12)

TORONTO 8 TAMPA BAY 2

CINCINNATI 8 WASHINGTON 2

MINNESOTA 4 KANSAS CITY 1

DETROIT 1 CHICAGO WHITE SOX 0

NY YANKEES 5 HOUSTON 4

TEXAS 4 CHICAGO CUBS 3 (10)

CLEVELAND 8 OAKLAND 0

BOSTON 6 SEATTLE 4

ARIZONA 16 COLORADO 1

MILWAUKEE AT NY METS POSTPONED

ATLANTA AT PHILADELPHIA POSTPONED

MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER

NO GAMES SCHEDULED

COLLEGE BASEBALL SCORES

NORTH CAROLINA STATE 10 NOTRE DAME 0

BUTLER 6 INDIANA 2

MILWAUKEE 10 PURDUE FORT WAYNE 2

MIAMI OHIO 2 AKRON 1

TOLEDO 23 NORTHERN ILLINOIS 4

EASTERN MICHIGAN 5 CENTRAL MICHIGAN 4

BALL STATE 7 OHIO 6

WESTERN MICHIGAN 9 STATE 3

EVANSVILLE 12 SOUTHERN ILLINOIS 2

MOREHEAD STATE 11 SOUTHERN INDIANA 10

COLLEGE SOFTBALL SCORES

NORTH CAROLINA 8 NOTRE DAME 2

NATIONAL SPORTS RELEASES/HEADLINES

BASEBALL NEWS

MLB ROUNDUP: CORBIN BURNES, O’S CRUSH ANGELS IN OPENER

Corbin Burnes pitched six innings of one-hit baseball in his Baltimore debut and the Orioles rolled past the visiting Los Angeles Angels 11-3 in their opener on Thursday.

Cedric Mullins hit a three-run homer and Anthony Santander added a two-run shot while totaling four RBIs for the defending American League East champions.

Burnes (1-0), acquired in a February trade with the Brewers, struck out 11 batters without issuing a walk. Mike Trout’s first-inning homer was the only hit allowed by the 29-year-old right-hander.

Starter Patrick Sandoval (0-1) allowed five runs — three earned — in 1 2/3 innings for the Angels, who endured a long afternoon as they began the post-Shohei Ohtani era. Sandoval gave up six hits, walked two and struck out two.

Diamondbacks 16, Rockies 1

Lourdes Gurriel Jr. homered and drove in five runs and Arizona set a franchise record with a 14-run inning while rolling over Colorado in the season opener for both teams in Phoenix.

Gurriel hit a two-run homer in the first inning and drove in three runs with a pair of hits in the 14-run third inning. He scored three times for Arizona, which put together an 18-hit attack. The Diamondbacks’ third inning also set a modern major league record (since 1900) for the highest-scoring inning on Opening Day. Ketel Marte also had three hits and scored three times and Gabriel Moreno had three RBIs for Arizona, which went 12-for-15 with runners in scoring position. Arizona’s Zac Gallen (1-0) allowed one run and three hits over five innings.

Ryan McMahon reached base four times and had two hits for the Rockies, including an RBI double. Kyle Freeland (0-1) was torched for 10 runs and 10 hits in 2 1/3 innings.

Rangers 4, Cubs 3 (10 innings)

Jonah Heim redeemed himself for a mental miscue by delivering a walk-off single in the 10th inning, sending Texas past Chicago in the season opener in Arlington, Texas.

Chicago seized a 3-2 lead in controversial fashion in the ninth inning, as Michael Busch scored from second base on a wild pitch. Replays, however, showed that pinch hitter Miles Mastrobuoni made contact with a pitch by Jose Leclerc, and Busch alertly scampered home after Rangers catcher Heim did not immediately chase after the ball.

Texas’ Travis Jankowski belted a pinch-hit homer to lead off the bottom of the ninth. Adolis Garcia launched a solo shot in the sixth inning among his two hits. Cubs ace left-hander Justin Steele exited the game in the fifth due to left hamstring tightness.

Red Sox 6, Mariners 4

Tyler O’Neill set a major league record by hitting a home run on Opening Day for a fifth consecutive season as Boston defeated host Seattle.

A former Mariners draft pick acquired from St. Louis in the offseason, O’Neill broke the record of four set by Yogi Berra (1955-58) and matched by Gary Carter (1977-80) and Todd Hundley (1994-97). Right-hander Brayan Bello (1-0) pitched five solid innings for the Red Sox, allowing two runs on five hits with no walks and two strikeouts. Kenley Jansen pitched the ninth for the save. Boston’s Rafael Devers went 2-for-5 with a double and a two-run homer.

Mitch Haniger and Dylan Moore hit two-run shots for the Mariners, who had won their previous three openers and 14 of 17.

Yankees 5, Astros 4

Aaron Judge doubled and scored the tiebreaking run in the seventh inning as New York erased an early four-run deficit and topped Houston at Minute Maid Park.

Judge ignited the rally off former Astros closer Ryan Pressly (0-1) with a leadoff double into the left-field corner. After advancing to third base two batters later when Anthony Rizzo singled to left field, Judge later scored on Alex Verdugo’s sacrifice fly to left. Jonathan Loaisiga (1-0) worked two scoreless innings of relief to earn the victory. Nestor Cortes rebounded from a rocky first inning to work five solid frames, allowing four runs on five hits and two walks with five strikeouts.

Jake Meyers led off the second with a 415-foot blast to left, extending the Houston lead to 4-0. Astros left-hander Framber Valdez labored with his control, issuing six walks before departing with two outs in the fifth when he hit Rizzo with a pitch that forced home Oswaldo Cabrera.

Twins 4, Royals 1

Minnesota began defense of its American League Central crown behind a strong start by Pablo Lopez, beating host Kansas City.

After surrendering a leadoff home run to Maikel Garcia, Lopez shut out the Royals while scattering four hits over seven innings, striking out seven. Lopez needed just 84 pitches to complete seven innings.

Royce Lewis hit a solo homer and Carlos Correa hit an RBI double for the Twins. Correa had three hits and drove in two while reaching base four times, marking 21 consecutive games reaching in games at Kauffman Stadium, the longest active streak in the majors.

Guardians 8, Athletics 0

Shane Bieber continued his Opening Day mastery, Cleveland scored five runs in the fourth inning and the Guardians beat Oakland to give Stephen Vogt a win in his managerial debut.

Bieber (1-0), who entered the game with a 1.19 ERA in Opening Day starts over the last four seasons, shut out the A’s on four hits over six innings. He walked one and struck out 11.

David Fry went 3-for-4 and scored twice for Cleveland. He also was one of six players to drive in runs. Brayan Rocchio drove in two with a double, and Fry, Jose Ramirez, Tyler Freeman, Andres Gimenez and Austin Hedges each drove in a run as well.

Pirates 6, Marlins 5 (12 innings)

Jared Triolo blooped an RBI single to right in the top of the 12th inning, helping Pittsburgh rally past host Miami.

The Pirates got 6 1/3 scoreless innings from their bullpen, including Luis L. Ortiz (1-0), who earned the win, and Jose Hernandez, who posted the save. Pittsburgh hit three home runs, including a two-run shot by Bryan Reynolds and solo blasts by Edward Olivares and Oneil Cruz. Pirates starter Mitch Keller allowed five runs (four earned) on seven hits and two walks in 5 2/3 innings.

Declan Cronin (0-1) took the loss despite allowing no earned runs in three innings. Marlins starter Jesus Luzardo left the game with a three-run lead but didn’t get a decision. In five innings, he struck out eight and allowed two hits, two walks and two runs. Jake Burger led Miami’s offense, going 3-for-4 with three RBIs.

Tigers 1, White Sox 0

Tarik Skubal and three relievers combined on a three-hit shutout and Spencer Torkelson had two hits to boost visiting Detroit past Chicago.

Skubal (1-0) outdueled White Sox counterpart Garrett Crochet in a game that took 2 hours, 3 minutes to complete. The lefty Skubal spaced three hits and six strikeouts across six innings before yielding to Shelby Miller, Andrew Chafin and Jason Foley for the Tigers.

Luis Robert Jr., Eloy Jimenez and Andrew Vaughn singled for the White Sox.

Dodgers 7, Cardinals 1

Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman hit home runs, while Shohei Ohtani and Tyler Glasnow delivered key contributions in their first home game for their new team as Los Angeles beat St. Louis.

After receiving a standing ovation from the Dodger Stadium crowd of 52,667 before his first at-bat, Ohtani reached base in his first three trips to the plate with a pair of hits and a walk. Ohtani signed a 10-year, $700 million heavily deferred contract in the offseason.

Paul Goldschmidt hit a home run for the Cardinals as he continued his career-long success against the Dodgers, but St. Louis’ injury woes were too difficult to overcome. Goldschmidt had all three of the Cardinals’ hits.

Reds 8, Nationals 2

Nick Martini homered twice and drove in five while starter Frankie Montas threw six shutout innings to lead host Cincinnati past Washington.

Spencer Steer doubled, singled, scored twice and had two RBIs for the Reds, who won their home opener for the first time since 2020. Montas (1-0) allowed just four hits, striking out four and walking none.

In his first Opening Day start, Josiah Gray, a former Reds pitching prospect, was charged with seven runs on eight hits, striking out six and walking two in four innings. Eddie Rosario broke up the shutout bid in the seventh with a two-run homer off reliever Emilio Pagan.

Blue Jays 8, Rays 2

Cavan Biggio and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. homered in a five-run sixth inning and Toronto routed Tampa Bay on Opening Day in St. Petersburg, Fla.

George Springer also went deep, and Bo Bichette was 2-for-4 with a double, two RBIs, a run and a walk. In his second career Opening Day nod, Jose Berrios (1-0) allowed two runs on six hits in six innings. He fanned six and walked one.

Last year’s American League batting champion, the Rays’ Yandy Diaz went 3-for-4 with a homer, double and both RBIs as the home club outhit Toronto 8-7, Over 5 2/3 innings, Zach Eflin (0-1) surrendered six runs on six hits, including three home runs.

Padres 6, Giants 4

Jake Cronenworth capped a four-run seventh inning with a two-run double as San Diego rallied past visiting San Francisco.

Luis Campusano and Xander Bogaerts had two hits apiece for the Padres, who opened the season with a two-game split with the Los Angeles Dodgers in South Korea last week.

Michael Conforto collected a single, double and home run while scoring three times for the Giants, while Nick Ahmed had a single, a double and two RBIs.

RAYS’ WANDER FRANCO PLACED ON ADMINISTRATIVE LEAVE THROUGH JUNE 1 AS SEXUAL ABUSE PROBE CONTINUES

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Tampa Bay All-Star shortstop Wander Franco was placed on administrative leave through June 1 under an agreement between Major League Baseball and the players’ association while the investigation continues into an alleged relationship with a minor.

Administrative leave is not disciplinary under the sport’s joint domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse policy, and a player continues to be paid. Franco, who has a $2 million salary this year, has remained in his native Dominican Republic while authorities there investigate and he did not report to spring training.

The Rays opened the season Thursday against Toronto, forcing MLB and the union to make a decision on Franco’s roster status.

“I don’t have any comment. … I’m really focused on the guys that are here,” manager Kevin Cash said before Thursday’s game at Tropicana Field.

Franco has not played since Aug. 12. He was placed on the restricted list for a week on Aug. 14 while MLB launched an investigation following social media posts suggesting Franco was in a relationship with a minor. The Associated Press has not been able to verify the reported posts.

Franco was moved to administrative leave on Aug. 22 and remained there through the end of the season. There is no leave during the offseason.

MLB is likely to wait until the Dominican investigation is concluded before deciding whether there will be any discipline.

Originally accused of commercial and sexual exploitation and money laundering — charges that carry up to 30 years, 10 years and 20 years of prison, respectively — Franco stands accused instead of sexual and psychological abuse, according to a judge’s resolution that the AP obtained in January.

Franco had not been formally accused, but if found guilty on the new charge, he could face two to five years in prison.

Franco, who turned 23 on March 1, was in the midst of his third major league season when his career was halted and was hitting .281 with 17 homers, 58 RBIs and 30 stolen bases in 40 attempts over 112 games.

Franco agreed to a $182 million, 11-year contract in November 2021.

He earned $706,761 last year in addition to his salary as part of MLB’s pre-arbitration bonus pool, a fund agreed to by the league and players’ association as part of their 2022 labor contract. The bonus pool was created to reward young players, most who earn at or just above the minimum major league salary based on how long they’ve been in the big leagues.

The Rays obtained infielder Jose Caballero from Seattle in a trade this offseason and are giving him an opportunity to be the regular shortstop . The 27-year-old played 104 games for the Mariners in 2023, hitting .221 with four homers and 26 RBIs. He was in Tampa Bay’s opening day lineup, batting eighth.

YANKEES’ GERRIT COLE PLACED ON 60-DAY INJURED LIST WITH RIGHT ELBOW INFLAMMATION

HOUSTON (AP) — New York Yankees’ ace Gerrit Cole was placed on the 60-day injured list with right elbow inflammation ahead of Thursday’s opener at Houston.

The earliest the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner can pitch in the major leagues is May 27. The team announced on March 16 that the right-hander won’t throw for three to four weeks due to nerve irritation and edema in his throwing elbow.

New York placed infielder DJ LeMahieu on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to Monday, with a bruised right foot. With LeMahieu out, manager Aaron Boone moved Gleyber Torres to the leadoff spot to face left-hander Framber Valdez.

The Yankees also placed infielder Oswald Peraza on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to Monday, with a right shoulder strain and added infielder Jon Berti to the active roster a day after he was acquired from Miami.

Also placed on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to Monday, were right-handers Tommy Kahnle (right shoulder inflammation) and McKinley Moore (right knee bursitis).

Right-hander Luis Gil was recalled from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and the Yankees selected the contract of right-hander Nick Burdi from Scranton.

NATIONALS PLACE STEPHEN STRASBURG ON 60-DAY INJURED LIST

CINCINNATI (AP) — Pitcher Stephen Strasburg was put on the 60-day injured list by the Washington Nationals ahead of Thursday’s opener at Cincinnati.

The 2019 World Series MVP, has not pitched since June 2022 because of injuries that have derailed his career. He still has three seasons left a $245 million, seven-year contract.

Strasburg decided in late August to retire, but the Nationals announced in September that there would be no retirement news conference. Owner Mark Lerner said in a statement at the time that the team looked forward to seeing Strasburg at spring training.

The 35-year-old right-hander did not report to the Nationals facility in West Palm Beach, Florida. The only practical impact of him being on the roster is it takes up a protected spot for the Rule 5 draft in December.

Strasburg gets $35 million annually, with $11,428,571 a year deferred at 1% interest. The deferred money is payable in equal installments of $26,666,667 on July 1 in 2027, 2028 and 2029, with an interest payment of $3,999,974 on Dec. 31, 2029.

Restructuring the money Strasburg is owed could be part of a retirement agreement.

Washington also selected the contracts of right-handers Matt Barnes and Derek Law along with outfielders Eddie Rosario and Jesse Winker from Triple-A Rochester. Barnes, Rosario and Winker get $2 million salaries while in the major leagues and Law gets $1.5 million.

The Nationals also placed right-handers Cade Cavalli and Mason Thompson (Tommy John surgery) and left-hander Jose Ferrer (left lat strain) on the 60-day injured list and outfielder Stone Garrett (recovery from left ankle reconstruction surgery) on the 10-day injured list, a move retroactive to March 25.

RELIEVER NAOYUKI UWASAWA TRADED TO THE BOSTON RED SOX FROM TAMPA BAY RAYS FOR CASH

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Reliever Naoyuki Uwasawa was traded to the Boston Red Sox from the Tampa Bay Rays for cash.

Boston selected the contract of Uwasawa to the 40-man roster before Thursday’s opener at Tampa Bay, then optioned him to Triple-A Worcester.

Uwasawa had a 13.03 ERA in 9 2/3 innings over four spring training appearances, allowing 14 runs and 15 hits that included three home runs. He walked eight and struck out nine.

The 30-year-old right-hander agreed in January to a $25,000 signing bonus as part of a minor league contract. He gets a $2.5 million salary while in the major leagues and a $225,000 salary while assigned to the minor leagues. He could earn an additional $900,000 in performance bonuses for innings in the major leagues: $100,000 for 80 innings and each additional 10 through 160.

Tampa Bay owed a release fee of $6,250 to the Pacific League’s Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters.

Uwasawa was 9-9 with a 2.96 ERA in 24 relief appearances last year and has pitched exclusively out of the bullpen since 2018. Uwasawa is 70-62 with a 3.58 in 50 starts and 123 relief appearances over nine seasons with the Fighters.

WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL

CAITLIN CLARK INVITED TO PLAY WITH US NATIONAL TEAM DURING TRAINING CAMP AT FINAL FOUR IN CLEVELAND

Caitlin Clark has been invited to participate in the USA Basketball national team training camp during the Final Four in Cleveland, contingent on Iowa’s season being over.

The NCAA’s Division I all-time scoring leader has earned three gold medals with USA Basketball junior teams, most recently as a member of the 2021 under-19 squad.

Clark, the likely No. 1 draft pick in the WNBA Draft on April 15 by the Indiana Fever, has been a ratings boon for college basketball. Nearly 5 million people watched the Hawkeyes second-round game against West Virginia on Saturday.

Five-time Olympic champion Diana Taurasi is one of nine former Olympians who will participate in the camp training camp from April 3-5. The others are Ariel Atkins, Chelsea Gray, Brittney Griner, Jewell Loyd, Kelsey Plum, Breanna Stewart, A’ja Wilson and Jackie Young.

Former WNBA Rookie of the Year winners Aliyah Boston and Rhyne Howard also will participate, along with Sabrina Ionescu and Shakira Austin.

The U.S. went 3-0 last month in a FIBA Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Belgium. The Americans beat the host nation 81-79 on a last-second shot by Stewart. They went on to beat Nigeria and Senegal.

The Americans have won the gold in every Olympics since the 1996 Atlanta Games. They will face Belgium again in pool play at the Olympics. The Americans also will play Japan in a rematch from the gold-medal game of the Tokyo Olympics, as well as Germany.

The U.S. is expected to name its roster later this spring.

MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL

NCAA TOURNAMENT ROUNDUP: ALABAMA STUNS TOP SEED UNC

Grant Nelson scored fourth-seeded Alabama’s final five points, including a three-point play with 38 seconds left that put the Crimson Tide ahead for good in a 89-87 win over top-seeded North Carolina on Thursday in an NCAA Tournament West Region semifinal in Los Angeles.

Alabama (24-11) rallied from an eight-point halftime deficit, holding North Carolina to seven points through the first 10 minutes of the second half. The Crimson Tide’s defensive effort to open the second half produced a back-and-forth final stretch in a contest that featured 13 ties and 12 lead changes.

Nelson put up a game-high 24 points for the Crimson Tide, who advance to face sixth-seeded Clemson on Saturday in the regional final. Aaron Estrada and Rylan Griffen each scored 19 points.

Armando Bacot led North Carolina (29-8) with 19 points and 12 rebounds. Cormac Ryan scored 17 points, and RJ Davis had 16 points and seven assists.

West Region

No. 6 Clemson 77, No. 2 Arizona 72

Chase Hunter’s and-one play with 25.7 seconds remaining capped his game-high-matching 18-point performance, and the Tigers held off the Wildcats to earn their first trip to the Elite Eight since 1980 in Los Angeles.

Clemson (24-11) led nearly wire-to-wire behind the play of Hunter — who also had seven rebounds and five assists — and PJ Hall, who scored 17 points and grabbed a team-high eight rebounds. Ian Schieffelin added 14 points, including some pivotal baskets in the second half, and snared seven rebounds.

Caleb Love, who scored 13 points, went 0-of-9 from beyond the arc for Arizona (27-9). He shot 5-of-18 from the floor overall. Oumar Ballo finished with 15 points and 15 rebounds but was just 1-of-7 at the foul line. Keshad Johnson grabbed 11 rebounds to go with six points.

East Region

No. 1 UConn 82, No. 5 San Diego State 52

Cam Spencer scored a team-high 18 points and the Huskies dominated the offensive glass to beat the Aztecs in a meeting of East Region teams in the Sweet 16.

Spencer added five rebounds for the Huskies (34-3), who grabbed 21 offensive boards that led to 12 second-chance points. Tristen Newton chipped in 17 points and seven rebounds, and Stephon Castle supplied 16 and 11, respectively, as UConn became the first defending champion to reach the Elite Eight since Florida in 2007.

The Huskies downed the Aztecs 76-59 in last year’s national championship game. Jaedon LeDee paced San Diego State (26-11) with 18 points and eight rebounds. Micah Parrish had 10 points as the Aztecs’ only other scorer in double figures. San Diego State was outshot 46.2 percent to 36.2 percent from the field.

No. 3 Illinois 72, No. 2 Iowa State 69

Terrence Shannon Jr. poured in 29 points and the Illini held off a second-half rally to earn a victory over the Cyclones.

The Fighting Illini will face No. 1 seed UConn in the Elite Eight on Saturday. Coleman Hawkins chipped in 12 points and six rebounds for the Fighting Illini (29-8), who outshot Iowa State 42.1 percent to 39.7 percent.

Curtis Jones paced Iowa State (29-8) with 26 points. Keshon Gilbert supplied 14, and Tre King had 12 to go along with seven boards.

TRANSFER PORTAL, NIL CHALLENGE TEAMS TO FILL AND MAINTAIN ROSTERS, EVEN AS MARCH MADNESS CONTINUES

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Morehead State coach Preston Spradlin wasn’t surprised when several players from his 2021 March Madness team eventually took their talents elsewhere, with a couple landing at Power Five programs.

The Eagles’ return to this year’s NCAA Tournament shows he didn’t panic. Even though the Ohio Valley Conference school tucked in the eastern Kentucky mountains lacks the flashy profile and deep resources that larger programs can offer — especially when it comes to name, image and likeness (NIL) — Spradlin worked the transfer portal to his advantage by selling small-school virtues along with a successful resume.

“We’ve had some guys who played at the Power Five level that have come down because they wanted a bigger role and wanted to experience playing more and all those types of things,” the eighth-year coach said the day after Selection Sunday. “So yeah, there’s give and take both ways and it works in both directions.”

No matter the level, the transfer portal that opened March 18 presents basketball programs with the dual challenge to fill roster vacancies and prevent their own players from leaving and deepening the vast pool of talent. That’s been an ongoing obstacle for sure, perhaps more so in an era of expanded movement with the one-time transfer exception and the extra year of eligibility granted during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Though the numbers taking advantage of the extra year is expected to drop in 2025 as players complete eligibility, the portal remains a free-for-all with the pool already at more than 750 Division I men and nearly 600 D-I women as NCAA Sweet 16 action resumed on Thursday.

Clemson guard Joseph Girard III, who transferred from Syracuse after Hall of Fame coach Jim Boeheim retired, said there are pros and cons and the portal is a good second chance for players whose decisions in high school didn’t pan out as expected. South Carolina women’s coach Dawn Staley has also turned over the top-ranked Gamecocks roster after departures of several veterans and acknowledged that the portal’s presence requires relationship building.

“If you don’t have a strong staff and a strong connection with your team, it gets hard because, you know, you’re thinking about who is going to jump in the portal, how you prep for the NCAA Tournament,” she said.

For schools from lower-profile conferences, the so-called mid-majors, keeping players from seeking greener pastures at bigger schools is even tougher. Especially when the big teams can sweeten the pot with lucrative NIL opportunities along with more exposure on the bigger stage.

“It’s a different game than what it’s been,” said Dayton men’s coach Anthony Grant, who wondered about NIL and the influence of agents and sponsors involved with players.

“I think the beauty of college athletics has always been the ability to bring a team together and grow a team together. … As a coach, you begin to question if that piece of it can remain a part of the game. Whether it’s basketball or football, or really any sport, I think that’s in the balance right now.”

Though the portal’s opening right after Selection Sunday gave schools who aren’t playing in the postseason an initial peek at who’s available, many of the 68 men’s and women’s teams that began NCAA play last weekend had a bigger goal to focus on. That’s the case with schools competing in lower-tier tournaments such as the NIT and CIT.

That doesn’t mean coaches aren’t looking. Recruiting never really stops. Although coaches, such as Nevada’s Steve Alford, wish the window could have opened after the Final Four to allow tournament teams and their coaching staffs to enjoy the most important part of the season.

Added Longwood coach Griff Aldrech, “It’s disappointing because you want to really enjoy and be present in this moment.”

How it all shakes out remains to be seen.

Though the bigger schools at first glance figure to benefit by raiding rising talent from smaller school, there’s also the chance for lateral movement among Power Five and mid-major members. Morehead State, for example, earned its second OVC title in four seasons with four players from mid-major schools along with a major NAIA addition in forward Riley Minix, who was one of Division I’s top 10 scorers.

This despite losing forward Johni Broome to Auburn — where he became an All-Southeastern Conference selection — and guard Ta’Lon Cooper to South Carolina (after a one-year stopover at Minnesota) from the 2021 OVC title team. Both players helped their schools reach the Big Dance.

“The key is still figuring out what kind of players you want to build your program with,” Spradlin said, “and then figuring out the best avenue to get those players. NIL has not necessarily been a factor for that.”

Drexel women’s coach Amy Mallon made it work the other way, filling the void left by the departure of No. 2 scorer Kylie Lavelle to Penn State by adding starting guard Amy Mallon from Villanova. Dragons leading scorer Amaris Baker transferred in from a junior college.

“We benefited,” Mallon said.

And then there’s Montana State, where six of eight new scholarship players came from other Division I schools. Like many student-athletes who change venues, they arrived with something to prove, and the destination mattered less than the opportunity.

While coach Matt Logie acknowledged the transfer portal and NIL are changing rapidly, the Bobcats made the tournament by sticking to two basic principles.

“Number one is player development,” Logie said. “And the second part is team building. That’s not just roster building. We’ve always taken great pride in the basketball family that I’m a part of in player development and team building. Once that process started in earnest in June, nothing was really different about our journey.”

REPORTS: SOUTHERN ILLINOIS TO HIRE WRIGHT STATE’S SCOTT NAGY

Southern Illinois will hire Wright State’s Scott Nagy as its next basketball coach, multiple outlets reported Thursday.

Nagy was 167-92 in eight winning seasons at Wright State, including NCAA Tournament berths in 2018 and 2022. The Raiders won the Horizon League regular-season championship three straight years from 2019 to 2021. They went 18-14 in the 2023-24 season.

Nagy, 57, previously coached for 21 seasons (410-240) at South Dakota State, helping the program transition from NCAA Division II to I beginning in 2004. He compiled a 167-98 mark with three Summit League regular-season and conference tournament titles and three NCAA Tournament appearances in four of his final five seasons there.

Southern Illinois fired Bryan Mullins on March 8 after an 86-68 record in five seasons. The Salukis were 19-13 in their recently completed season, losing to Illinois-Chicago in double overtime in the Missouri Valley Conference tournament.

Wright State is expected to promote associate head coach Clint Sargent to replace Nagy, The Field of 68 reported Thursday.

NBA NEWS

BALANCED ATTACK HELPS PELICANS HOLD OFF BUCKS

Zion Williamson scored 28 points, CJ McCollum added 25 and the host New Orleans Pelicans held off the Milwaukee Bucks 107-100 on Thursday night.

Jonas Valanciunas had 17 points and 10 rebounds, Trey Murphy III had 15 points and 11 rebounds and Herbert Jones scored 11 for the Pelicans (45-28).

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 35 points and 14 rebounds and Malik Beasley and Damian Lillard scored 20 each to lead the Bucks (46-27).

Beasley made a 3-pointer to pull the Bucks within 66-53 with 8:29 left in the third quarter before Antetokounmpo took over. He scored Milwaukee’s final 20 points of the quarter, but the Bucks reduced the lead by just one point as four different Pelicans combined for 19 points.

Milwaukee got as close as three points late in the third, but Murphy answered with consecutive 3-pointers and Larry Nance Jr. added one of his own. Those two combined for the final five points of the period, leaving New Orleans with an 85-73 lead entering the fourth quarter.

Valanciunas made a field goal for the first points of the fourth quarter, but Jae Crowder answered with a 3-pointer and Milwaukee scored four more points to get within 87-80.

Consecutive baskets by Valanciunas and Williamson gave New Orleans a 91-80 lead midway through the period. The Bucks got within five points, but Williamson made three free throws for an eight-point lead with 1:55 left.

The score was tied five times and the lead changed hands eight times during the first quarter. The final change came on a layup by Nance that gave New Orleans a 26-25 edge at the end of the period.

Valanciunas scored six points and the Pelicans started the second quarter with a 10-2 run that produced a nine-point lead.

Jones had five points during an 8-0 run that increased the Pelicans’ lead to 46-32. Khris Middleton made a field goal to stop the run before McCollum’s three-point play helped New Orleans take a 61-45 halftime lead.

HAWKS SINK CELTICS ON DEJOUNTE MURRAY’S OT BUZZER-BEATER

Dejounte Murray scored a career-high 44 points, including the game-winning basket with 0.1 seconds remaining in overtime, to give the Atlanta Hawks a 123-122 win over the visiting Boston Celtics on Thursday.

The Celtics took a 122-121 lead with 6.2 seconds left on Jaylen Brown’s jumper. After a timeout, the Hawks got the ball to Murray, who drove to the top of the key and shot the winning jumper over Jrue Holiday.

The win gives the Hawks a four-game winning streak and two wins over the league-leading Celtics this week. The win pulled Atlanta to within one game of No. 9 Chicago in the race for the NBA’s play-in tournament.

Murray took a career-high 44 shots, making 18, and had seven rebounds and seven assists in almost 47 minutes.

Atlanta (34-39) also got 24 points from Bogdan Bogdanovic and 21 points and 13 rebounds from De’Andre Hunter. Clint Capela added 12 points and 13 rebounds.

Boston (57-16) was led by Tatum with 31 points, 13 rebounds and six assists. Derrick White added 22 points and seven rebounds, Kristaps Porzingis scored 20 and Brown added 18.

The win gave Atlanta a split in the four-game season series with Boston.

The Hawks tied the game at 112-112 with 27.2 seconds remaining in regulation on a 3-pointer by Bogdan Bogdanovic. Boston had a chance to win, but Tatum’s long 3-pointer missed.

Unlike Monday’s game, when Boston had a 30-point lead in the first half, the rematch was close. There were 12 lead changes and six ties in the high-energy half, which Boston led 63-59 at intermission. Boston shot 12 free throws in the first half, making 11, while Atlanta missed its only free throw.

Neither team led by more than five points in the third quarter and the margin was no larger than three over the final 7 1/2 minutes and Boston led 90-89 entering the fourth quarter.

The Hawks conclude their five-game homestand on Saturday against Milwaukee. The Celtics make the fifth stop of their six-game road trip on Saturday at New Orleans.

HORNETS SHUT DOWN LAMELO FOR REST OF SEASON

Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball will not return this season while continuing to rehab his ankle injury, the team announced.

Ball, who has been out since Jan. 26, played in just 22 games, a career-low in four NBA seasons. However, the 2020-21 Rookie of the Year scored a career-high 23.9 points per game in his fourth campaign while averaging eight assists and 5.1 rebounds.

His ankle concerns are a recurring issue. His 2022-23 season was cut short in February after he sustained a right ankle fracture that required surgery to repair, and he suffered multiple sprains to his left ankle during his young career.

The Hornets went 7-15 this season with the former third overall pick in the lineup.

Charlotte was mathematically eliminated from playoff contention earlier this week following a 41-point defeat to the Atlanta Hawks. The Hornets currently sit 13th in the Eastern Conference at 18-54 and are 6.5 games clear of the last-place Detroit Pistons, who own the league’s worst record at 12-61.

HARDEN: ‘I DON’T EVEN KNOW WHY THEY WERE BOOING’ ME IN PHILLY

James Harden wasn’t caught off guard by the harsh reception he received from 76ers fans in his return to Philadelphia, but he did question the reasoning behind it.

Speaking to reporters following the Los Angeles Clippers’ 108-107 win over the 76ers on Wednesday night, Harden said he wasn’t sure why the crowd booed him and doesn’t think they knew why either.

“I expected it,” Harden said. “I really don’t know what it’s about, but I expected it. So, it is what it is. I don’t even know why they were booing, I don’t think – if you ask them, they probably don’t even know why they were booing.”

The veteran guard finished with 16 points and 14 assists for the Clippers, who improved to 45-27. The 76ers are now 39-34 on the season.

Harden spent one-and-a-half seasons in Philadelphia before being dealt to the Clippers in October. The trade came after Harden called 76ers president Daryl Morey a “liar” and vowed to never play for him again.

NFL NEWS

DRAFT PROFILE: CB TERRION ARNOLD, ALABAMA

Overview

Twitchy man-cover corner with outstanding athletic ability and the skill set to bring in ball production at the professional level. Arnold possesses average size but plays with a desired level of aggression and competitiveness in both phases of his job. He’s fast and agile to match up against a variety of receiver flavors on the outside or in the slot. Arnold could squeeze routes tighter from off coverages and limit the yards after catch with a slightly different approach. His closing burst allows him to meet throws at the catch point with a natural feel for playing angles and attacking the receiver’s hands. Arnold will make mistakes with positioning and lose focus at times, but the athletic traits and nose for the ball create quality upside for him to be positioned as a CB1 within a couple of years.

Strengths

• Sits under receiver’s chin and plays tight press man from snap to whistle.
• Agile feet and slippery hips accommodate challenging cross-face transitions.
• Smooth coming to balance and shadowing comebacks from side-shuffle.
• Very good top-end speed with above-average burst to close.
• Urgent ball-challenger, competing hard for both space and the ball.
• Standout ball production over two-year span as a starter.
• Jars throws loose with heavy strikes and is aggressive in run support.
• Works through blockers and gets after it as a tackler.

Weaknesses

• Feet become indecisive when hit with release fakes.
• Lacks eye balance, losing sight of play development around him.
• Offers excessive cushion for easy catches from off-man and quarters.
• Room for improvement on jump-ball play and positioning.
• Needs to do a better job of dropping pad level and wrapping to tackle.

Sources Tell Us

“Kool-Aid (McKinstry) is more reliable and consistent than Arnold, but I think Arnold has more pure cover talent.” – NFC regional scout

NFL DRAFT PROFILE: OT TALIESE FUAGA, OREGON STATE

Overview

Beefy right tackle capable of playing at a high level despite his lack of ideal pad level and lower-body bend. Fuaga plays with a fairly aggressive disposition. He’s a one-pop blocker who struggles to clinch into his run blocks and is therefore forced to work overtime to sustain and finish. The pass protection technique is outstanding, and he possesses the athleticism to mirror and match edge-to-edge rush movements. Fuaga’s hand work is exceptional in pass pro and will need to remain so, because of his lack of desired range for recovering when beaten. A team could slide him to guard to improve its interior protection, but he’s best-suited at right tackle, where he should become a good starter.

Strengths

• Glides into pass sets with controlled slides, ready hands and quiet upper body.
• Throws stiff right-left combinations, creating disruption for rusher.
• Hands are highly active through the rush, helping to keep opponent centered.
• Mirrors with fluidity, with little to no stall when changing direction.
• Flashes ability to dig in with leveraged hand strikes at point of attack.
• Gathers and adjusts his track to make his blocks in space.
• Smooth and accurate when working from block to block.

Weaknesses

• Pops up tall off the snap and gets behind in back-side cutoffs.
• On first contact, tends to hit and bounce rather than hit and stick.
• His run blocking is much less organized and technical than his pass blocking.
• Doesn’t have the range in pass sets to succeed when tardy out of his stance.
• Occasional issues allowing weight to slide too far out on outside foot.
• Washington had some success beating his outside hand and trimming the edge.

Sources Tell Us

“I see him as a very good starting guard. I think you might need to help him against edge speed if he stays at tackle.” – NFC West Coast scout

NFL DRAFT PROFILE: OT JOE AULT, NOTRE DAME

Overview

Long-limbed team captain with NFL-quality tackle play coursing through his veins. Alt plays a disciplined brand of football, avoiding penalties and working with fluid transitions from entry to sustain to finish as a run blocker. Alt is a capable drive blocker with the foot quickness to play onto the second level. He struggles to bend enough to compensate for his height and ends up playing with waist-bending and forward lean that can hamper his anchor against bull-rushers. Alt has quick hands and outstanding arm extension, promoting his ability to sustain blocks and redirect pass-rushers. He’s a good technician who carries himself with confidence from snap to snap. Alt clearly has the talent to become a Day 1 starter on the left side, but he’ll need to clean up his habit of leaning forward, or he could be in for some bumpy action early on.

Strengths

• Father, John Alt, was a Pro Bowl NFL tackle and brother, Mark Alt, was an NHL player.
• Creates pre-snap plan for combo blocks and is rhythmic getting from one to two.
• Adjusts stride length and footwork to capture first contact with balance.
• Maintains feel and keeps feet moving to mirror and ride opponents for block sustain.
• Scores early with stiff right hand into rusher’s inside shoulder in pass pro.
• Feet are fluid and instinctive to consistently mirror edge-to-edge rush challenges.
• Uses arm extension to successfully steer arc runners and inside counters off the track.
• Technically sound with good instincts to withstand attacks from twists.

Weaknesses

• Gets off the snap with excessive forward lean in an attempt to lower pad level.
• Leverage-based opponents can stand and stall drive blocking attempts.
• Too much waist-bending and not enough chin-tuck in protection posture.
• Beaten by late movement when feet start to sink too deep.
• High center of gravity could make it hard to find emergency brakes against NFL power rushers.

Sources Tell Us

“I don’t love the [Mike] McGlinchey comparison because I thought Mike was a better pure run blocker, but Alt is just a better all-around prospect. I think Eric Fisher is the better comparison for who Alt is.” – AFC personnel executive

NFL DRAFT PROFILE: DE DALLAS TURNER, ALABAMA

Overview

Long and athletic with the explosive traits needed to become an impactful NFL pass rusher. Turner’s first-step quickness and elite closing burst are important building blocks, but he still needs to work on his process from Point A to Point B. He hasn’t learned to create the space and angles needed to consistently attack the edges, but that should come with better hand development and a more diversified approach. A team would be wise to widen him out and allow him a better runway to ignite his burst and overwhelm tackles with his speed. He’s added 20 pounds since coming to Alabama, but he struggles at times to stack and shed run blockers or set a firm edge. Turner’s frame and game are much less developed than Will Anderson Jr.’s coming out of Alabama last year, so it could take time for him to make his mark as a starting 3-4 outside linebacker.

Strengths

• History of playing for winning programs in high school and college.
• Sudden hands are first into blocker’s frame as edge-setter.
• Disruptive initial quickness to beat blocks and stop runs in the backfield.
• Speed and stride to stress offensive tackles in race to the rush turn.
• Builds tremendous momentum at the turn if allowed too much space.
• Possesses elite closing burst chasing down backs and sacking passers.
• Athleticism to soak up play-extending quarterbacks with his secondary rush.
• Able to peel off and drag running back into the flat in coverage.

Weaknesses

• Below-average anchor to prevent being displaced by force.
• Needs better play strength to improve block take-on.
• Doesn’t always play with ideal urgency when not directly challenged.
• Takes too many shots at winning rush with speed-to-power.
• Needs to become a more skilled hand-fighter at the top of the rush.
• Rush is currently missing instincts and counters associated with high sack production.

Sources Tell Us

“He’s such a talented athlete. One of the biggest mistakes people make is looking past athletic ability and focusing too much on technique or polish when they come out. Just look for ‘dudes’ and coach the rest of it.” – NFC executive

BILLS SIGN DTS DESHAWN WILLIAMS, AUSTIN JOHNSON

The Buffalo Bills added to their depth on the defensive front on Thursday with the signings of tackles DeShawn Williams and Austin Johnson to one-year contracts.

Contract terms were not disclosed.

The Bills needed defensive tackles behind starters Ed Oliver and DaQuan Jones after losing reserves Poona Ford, Linval Joseph and Tim Settle to free agency, and Jordan Phillips considering retirement.

Williams, 31, completed his lone season for the Carolina Panthers in 2023, starting 10 of the 16 games he played and totaling 33 tackles, one sack and seven quarterback hits.

An undrafted free agent out of Clemson, Williams played four games for the Cincinnati Bengals in 2016 before spending the next three seasons with the Denver Broncos. He has career totals of 148 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, nine sacks, 30 QB hits, nine passes defensed and one interception in 66 games (44 starts).

Johnson, 29, played the past two seasons for the Los Angeles Chargers, starting all 17 games in 2023 and totaling 46 tackles, including two tackles for loss.

The Tennessee Titans selected him in the second round (43rd overall) of the 2016 NFL Draft out of Penn State, where he was Jones’ teammate.

Johnson played for the Titans (2016-19), New York Giants (2020-21) and Chargers, totaling 241 tackles, 17 tackles for loss, eight sacks, 17 QB hits and 10 passes defensed in 116 games (55 starts).

Bills general manager Brandon Beane said Johnson could improve much like Jones did in his first season with the team in 2022.

“I think even DaQuan, you’ve seen in our system improve his pass rush, and we do think Austin can kind of follow that same trajectory,” Beane said. “Brought him in for a visit. Great young man. You know, he talked about the importance of a winning culture, winning team, and obviously DaQuan was helping sell, you know, our situation.”

REPORTS: CHIEFS REACH DEAL WITH RUGBY PLAYER

The Kansas City Chiefs agreed to terms with former rugby star Louis Rees-Zammit, multiple media outlets reported.

Bleacher Report said the Chiefs have designs on having Rees-Zammit, a native of Wales, compete as both a running back and wide receiver. He also will be expected to participate on special teams, particularly on returns under the NFL’s new kickoff format.

Rees-Zammit, 23, announced his desire to play in the NFL during a social media post in January. He ran a 4.43 in the 40-yard dash during his International Pathway Program pro day last week.

This season, NFL teams are allowed to promote an international practice squad player to the active roster a maximum of three times.

NHL NEWS

NHL ROUNDUP: STARS, HURRICANES WIN, SEAL PLAYOFF BIDS

Jamie Benn’s power-play goal broke a tie late in the third period and helped give the visiting Dallas Stars a 3-1 victory over the Vancouver Canucks and a berth in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Roope Hintz netted one goal and two assists while Jason Robertson and Benn collected one goal and one assist for the Stars, who sit atop the Western Conference standings. Goaltender Jake Oettinger made 27 saves and Joe Pavelski collected two assists.

Benn’s goal was his seventh in a six-game goal streak and his 18th of the season. He also extended his point streak to eight games, in which he’s collected seven goals and 12 points. His assist on Hintz’s first-period goal gave him 900 career points.

J.T. Miller scored for the Pacific Division-leading Canucks, who have lost two straight in regulation. Goalie Casey DeSmith made 31 saves.

Hurricanes 4, Red Wings 0

Frederik Andersen made 24 saves for his second shutout in five games and Carolina clinched a playoff berth by ripping Detroit in Raleigh, N.C.

Sebastian Aho and Seth Jarvis both provided a goal and two assists. Andersen is 7-0-0 since returning to action following an absence of more than four months caused by blood-clotting issues. Martin Necas and Brady Skjei scored Carolina’s other goals.

The Red Wings have lost three consecutive games (0-2-1) and are 0-7-1 in their last eight road contests. James Reimer made 29 saves.

Rangers 3, Avalanche 2 (SO)

Igor Shesterkin made 39 saves and two more in the shootout, Artemi Panarin and Vincent Trocheck scored the only goals in the shootout, and New York beat Colorado in Denver.

Kaapo Kakko and Chris Kreider scored regulation goals for the Rangers, who earned their fourth win in a row.

Devon Toews and Casey Mittelstadt each had a goal and Alexandar Georgiev made 23 saves through overtime for the Avalanche. Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon had his 19-game point streak end and he went without a point at home for the first time in 36 games this season.

Coyotes 8, Predators 4

An offensive second period powered Arizona’s victory in Tempe, Ariz., snapping Nashville’s franchise-record 18-game point streak in the process.

Nick Bjugstad scored the eventual winning goal for Arizona at the 12:36 mark of the second period, while the Coyotes used a four-goal second period to push them to victory, aided by empty-net goals from Matias Maccelli and Logan Cooley in the final frame. Cooley completed the first hat trick of his career.

Nashville’s Jason Zucker, who was traded from the Coyotes to the Predators on March 8 in exchange for a 2024 sixth-round pick, scored twice in the opening 5:11 for his new team.

Wild 3, Sharks 1

Matt Boldy scored the go-ahead goal in the first minute of the third period, and Minnesota pulled away for a win over San Jose in Saint Paul, Minn.

Joel Eriksson Ek and Ryan Hartman also scored for the Wild, who snapped a two-game skid. Boldy added an assist and Kirill Kaprizov finished with two assists.

Mikael Granlund scored the lone goal for San Jose, which fell to 0-8-1 in its past nine games. Jan Rutta and Marc-Edouard Vlasic tallied one assist apiece for the Sharks, who have the worst record in the NHL.

Maple Leafs 5, Capitals 1

Tyler Bertuzzi scored twice as Toronto defeated visiting Washington, sweeping the three-game season series.

Mark Giordano, Connor Dewar and Bobby McMann also scored for the Maple Leafs, who had lost their two previous games. Joseph Woll made 24 saves for Toronto.

Nic Dowd scored for the Capitals, who had won six of their previous seven games. Charlie Lindgren stopped 43 shots for Washington, which still holds the second Eastern Conference wild-card spot.

Penguins 3, Blue Jackets 2

Drew O’Connor’s go-ahead goal early in the third complemented Evgeni Malkin’s two power-play goals as host Pittsburgh defeated Columbus for the 11th time in the teams’ past 12 meetings.

Sidney Crosby added two assists — moving him into 11th place all-time in NHL history with 1,580 career points — for the Penguins, who have won two in a row. Pittsburgh goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic made 17 saves. Pittsburgh defenseman Ryan Graves did not return after the first period for what the team later announced was an upper-body injury.

Cole Sillinger had a goal and an assist and Mathieu Olivier also scored for the Blue Jackets, who have lost six in a row (0-5-1). Columbus goaltender Danil Tarasov made 33 saves.

Canadiens 4, Flyers 1

Nick Suzuki had a goal and an assist in Montreal’s win over visiting Philadelphia.

Jesse Ylonen, Joel Armia and Jake Evans also scored, Mike Matheson had three assists, and Cayden Primeau made 29 saves for the Canadiens, who have won three in a row.

Owen Tippett scored, and Samuel Ersson made 13 saves for the Flyers, who have lost four of their past five games.

Islanders 3, Panthers 2

Jean-Gabriel Pageau scored the go-ahead goal in the second period to help New York rally for a win in Sunrise, Fla.

It was just the second win in the past nine games (2-6-1) for the Islanders. New York is four points out of the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.

The Panthers have lost six of their past seven games (1-5-1) but clinched a playoff spot when the Detroit Red Wings lost to the Carolina Hurricanes.

Senators 2, Blackhawks 0

Anton Forsberg made 18 saves and host Ottawa won its fourth game in a row, beating Chicago.

Forsberg, who surrendered a combined 11 goals in his previous two starts, recorded his second shutout of the season and fifth of his nine-year NHL career, all coming in the past three seasons. Claude Giroux and Parker Kelly scored first-period goals.

Petr Mrazek made 32 saves for the Blackhawks, who won their previous two games. Chicago still has not recorded a three-game winning streak this season.

Blues 5, Flames 3

Pavel Buchnevich scored twice to lead St. Louis past visiting Calgary.

Jake Neighbours had a goal and an assist for the Blues, who are 7-1-1 in their past nine games. Zack Bolduc and Brandon Saad also scored and Torey Krug had two assists.

Andrei Kuzmenko scored twice for the Flames, who have lost five consecutive games. Jonathan Huberdeau also scored, MacKenzie Weegar had two assists and Dustin Wolf made 14 saves.

Golden Knights 4, Jets 1

Ivan Barbashev scored twice in the third period and Logan Thompson made 39 saves to lead Vegas to a victory at Winnipeg.

Pavel Dorofeyev and Jack Eichel also scored goals and William Karlsson had two assists for Vegas, which extended its points streak to five games (4-0-1) while completing its second straight regular-season series sweep of the Jets. Thompson won his fourth consecutive start, allowing just one goal in each game.

Sean Monahan scored for Winnipeg, which lost its fifth straight game (0-4-1). Connor Hellebuyck stopped 23 of 25 shots. It was Monahan’s 23rd goal and 10th since joining the Jets in a Feb. 2 trade from the Canadiens.

Oilers 4, Kings 1

Connor McDavid scored a goal and contributed two assists to lead Edmonton to a win against visiting Los Angeles.

Edmonton leads the Golden Knights by four points for second place in the Pacific Division, while Los Angeles is one point behind Vegas.

Evan Bouchard had a goal and an assist for the Oilers, who have won four of six. Cody Ceci and Adam Henrique netted goals, Leon Draisaitl had three assists and Stuart Skinner made 32 saves, including 14 in the third. Arthur Kaliyev scored for the Kings, who had won four straight. Cam Talbot stopped 16 shots.

Kraken 4, Ducks 2

Tye Kartye scored the go-ahead goal with 6:57 left and Jared McCann had three assists to lead Seattle past visiting Anaheim.

Andre Burakovsky had a goal and an assist and Jaden Schwartz and Matty Beniers also scored for the Kraken, who won their second straight game after losing eight in a row. Philipp Grubauer made 21 saves to snap a personal four-start losing streak (0-3-1).

Isac Lundestrom and Jakob Silfverberg scored short-handed goals just 44 seconds apart early in the third period for Anaheim. Lukas Dostal finished with 24 saves as the Ducks lost their third straight and 10th in 11 games (1-9-1).

NASCAR NEWS

WEEKEND PREVIEW: RICHMOND RACEWAY

It’s been a fast and furious start to the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season, with race records and competitive championship standings reflecting the pace. And there’s plenty of reason to expect that high-level of competition to continue with Sunday night’s Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond (Va.) Raceway (7 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

The “Easter Edition” of this race on Richmond’s three-quarter mile short track brings plenty of expectation following an early season lineup featuring five different winners in the first six races.

Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson is the defending race winner, but it’s a couple of other drivers still looking for their first win of the season that the field knows it will also have to deal with Sunday night.

Last week’s third-place finisher, Ty Gibbs, has put himself in contention to win every race this season; his five top-10 finishes in six races are most in the series. The 21-year old is coming off a third-place run at Circuit of The Americas road course last week and is only five points behind his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Martin Truex Jr. atop the NASCAR Cup Series driver standings.

Most impressive is that Gibbs has been good on all brands of tracks — from superspeedways to short tracks — and his average finish of 7.8 this season is tops in the series. Only two years ago, en route to the 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series title, Gibbs turned in a dominating effort at Richmond – leading 114 of the 250 laps to win the Xfinity race at the track. It seems a legitimate venue for the young talent to score his first career NASCAR Cup Series trophy.

“We’ve run well and hopefully we can have another good race this week in Richmond,” Gibbs said, “It’s been great.”

“We’ve all been working really well together,” he added, “and we are going to keep hammering down.”

Of course, Gibbs will have plenty of competition from a veteran group of drivers also looking to secure a 2024 Playoff position with a win. Chief among those is Richard Childress Racing’s Kyle Busch, whose six Richmond wins are most among active drivers. Busch’s last Richmond win was part of a 2018 season sweep, and he’d love to reclaim that mojo this weekend. He’s ranked 13th in the standings with only a pair of top-10 finishes.

Gibbs’ JGR teammates Denny Hamlin (four wins) and Truex (three) are also multi-time winners at Richmond. Hamlin won at Bristol, Tenn., two weeks ago, but Truex is still racing for his first victory of the season, despite holding the driver standings lead. In fact, the top-three ranked drivers — Truex, Gibbs and reigning series champion Ryan Blaney — are all still competing for their first trophy of the year.

It’s been a record season for competition in the NASCAR Cup Series with the most average lap leaders per race (13) through the opening six-races. And the 31.33 average lead changes through the opening portion of the schedule is second most in the Modern Era (1972-present), only a tick off the record of 31.50 set in 2011. Last year’s Spring Richmond race set a record for Green Flag Passes for the Lead (35).

The pole position historically has produced the most race winners (24) in the field at Richmond, and practice for the Toyota Owners 400 is set for 10:35 a.m. ET on Saturday followed immediately by pole qualifying. Both sessions will be broadcast on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

–Hill leads a pack of hungry Xfinity Series drivers to Richmond

Boasting a perfect five-for-five in top-10 finishes this season, championship leader Austin Hill has set a blistering pace out front, but the Richard Childress Racing driver arrives at Richmond Raceway for Saturday’s ToyotaCare 250 (1:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) with designs on his first win at the track.

The two drivers right on Hill’s heels — Joe Gibbs Racing’s Chandler Smith and Stewart-Haas Racing’s Cole Custer — have won at Richmond before and would love to close that gap atop the championship lead.

Richmond is certainly a special place for Smith, who earned his first career NASCAR Xfinity Series victory in this race last year. He added a win this season at Phoenix and is sitting second in the current championship standings to Hill by only nine points.

Custer (2019) and JR Motorsports’ Justin Allgaier, who swept the 2020 COVID doubleheader, are the only other former winners among the full-time contingent. A victory this week for Allgaier would be especially timely for the perennial championship contender and his JRM team; the whole four-car full-time operation is still looking for its first win of 2024.

Allgaier, who has only a pair of top-10 finishes, is ranked eighth, followed by teammate Brandon Jones in ninth. Sammy Smith is 11th and Sam Mayer, who has had a season of tough luck, is ranked 19th heading into Richmond. Mayer’s best short track finish (third place) came at Richmond in 2022.

“We have always had really strong cars on the short tracks at JRM (JR Motorsports) and I see no reason why that won’t be the case again this weekend,” said Allgaier, who has six career short track victories.

“I feel like Richmond is falling at the right time for us to get that positive momentum back going,” he said.

This is not only an important race for the championship but a win this weekend will qualify a full-time driver for the upcoming NASCAR Xfinity Series Dash 4 Cash program, which gives drivers a chance to win a $100,000 bonus. The top four eligible drivers from Saturday afternoon’s race will qualify for the first Dash 4 Cash event — April 6 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway.

The top four eligible drivers from Martinsville then will be Dash 4 Cash eligible at the April 13 race at Texas Motor Speedway. The other two Dash 4 Cash events are April 20 at Talladega (Ala.) and April 27 at Dover (Del.) Motor Speedway.

Of note this weekend, late model superstar Bubba Pollard will be making his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut, driving the No. 88 Chevrolet for JR Motorsports. Not only will this be Pollard’s first laps in an Xfinity Series car, but it also will be his first laps at Richmond Raceway.

“I really don’t know what to expect, as it’s all very new to us,” Pollard said. “But I’m very thankful for the opportunity. .. I hope we can make the most of it.”

Also making their series debut is NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series standout Taylor Gray, who will drive the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, and modified standout Morgen Baird, who will steer the No. 4 JD Motorsports Chevrolet.

It’s a busy race day for the Xfinity Series, with practice slated for 8:35 a.m. ET Saturday followed by qualifying at 9:05 a.m. ET (FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

GOLF NEWS

TAYLOR MOORE, WILSON FURR TIED FOR LEAD AT HOUSTON OPEN

Wilson Furr punctuated a strong finish with a nearly 20-foot birdie putt to shoot a 6-under 64 and tie Taylor Moore for the lead after the opening round of the Texas Children’s Houston Open on Thursday at Memorial Park Golf Course.

Furr, a PGA Tour rookie ranked No. 278 in the world entering this week, started his round on the back nine before heating up on the front. After a birdie at No. 3, he holed out from the fifth fairway for an eagle 2 and finished his round birdie-birdie, including his long putt at the par-3 ninth.

Moore rebounded from an opening bogey by chipping in for eagle at the par-5 third hole. He added five birdies without a bogey the rest of the way. The 30-year-old is now one year removed from his only career PGA Tour win, at the 2023 Valspar Championship.

World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler began his quest for three wins in three starts by shooting a 5-under 65. Scheffler won the Arnold Palmer Invitational and The Players Championship before heading to his home state of Texas. He is tied for third with Davis Riley and Joe Highsmith.

Beau Hossler, Argentina’s Alejandro Tosti, Englishman Aaron Rai and Canadians Mackenzie Hughes and Adam Svensson are tied at 4-under 66.

Tony Finau, the champion the last time the Houston Open was played (November 2022), opened with a 1-under 69. Wyndham Clark, the second-highest ranked player in the field behind Scheffler, said he hurt a muscle in his back to begin the week but is attempting to play through it. He carded an even-par 70 to start the week.

PAJAREE ANANNARUKARN JUMPS IN FRONT AT FORD CHAMPIONSHIP

A string of five consecutive birdies led Thailand’s Pajaree Anannarukarn to the first-round lead at the inaugural Ford Championship on Thursday in Gilbert, Ariz.

Anannarukarn shot a 9-under-par 63 at Seville Golf and Country Club, leaving her with a one-stroke advantage.

American Lilia Vu, Germany’s Isi Gabsa, Australian Gabriela Ruffels and Spaniards Azahara Munoz and Carlota Ciganda share second place at 8 under. South Korea’s Kyo Joo Kim and France’s Celine Boutier are tied for seventh at 7 under.

Eleven players, including world No. 1 Nelly Korda, are at 6 under, tied for ninth.

Anannarukarn began on the back nine and was enjoying an impressive round through 13 holes: four birdies and nine pars. Then she closed with birdies at No. 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 to conclude her day.

“It was a great day out there,” she said. “I actually was in the zone. I didn’t realize that I holed my fifth birdie in a row on the ninth green, but it was a great day. …

“I played some really good shots today. Hit a lot of good driver off the tee and gave me a lot of benefit just going into the green with short irons. I was able to just hit some good long irons in as well, so that helped.”

Ciganda had a similar hot streak in her bogey-free round. After starting on the back nine, she birdied five of the first six holes on the front nine.

“Eight birdies, no bogeys. It’s always a great round,” she said.

Vu closed the back nine with a run of three consecutive birdies, her lone bogey of the day at par-3 eighth hole, then another birdie.

“I think I did pretty well,” said Vu, the world’s second-ranked player. “I’ve been kind of recovering from a back injury, and the only goal today was to hit the ball solid. It’s been kind of difficult the past couple weeks just playing through pain and trying to make contact with the golf ball.

“But today that was my only focus, and turned out really great.”

Boutier, ranked third in the world, carded seven birdies without a bogey.

She said of the weather, “It was pretty calm today. Definitely felt like the scores were going to be low, so just tried to take advantage of the chances that I got. Especially the par-5s are mostly reachable, so I feel like it was definitely a big advantage to have a very calm day today.

“I managed to get a lot of birdies, so that was pretty fun.”

Korda began with three birdies in a row, and she finished with seven birdies plus a bogey at the par-4 11th hole.

INDIANA SPORTS RELEASES/NEWS

INDIANA PACERS BASKETBALL

GAME PREVIEW: PACERS VS LAKERS

Five days after squaring off in Los Angeles, the Pacers (41-33) and Lakers (41-32) will meet once more on Friday night in Indianapolis. The Lakers prevailed 150-145 in an offensive shootout on Sunday in L.A. and are now 2-0 against the Blue & Gold this season, including their 123-109 win over the Pacers in the inaugural In-Season Tournament Championship game on Dec. 9 in Las Vegas.

The Pacers will have revenge on their minds on Friday, when LeBron James and Anthony Davis make their lone visit of the regular season to Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

They had plenty of offensive firepower in their last meeting, scoring 145 points, but couldn’t slow down the Lakers on the other end. Free throws were a major issue, as the Lakers outscored Indiana by 29 points from the charity stripe, going 38-for-43 (88.4), while the Pacers were just 9-for-16 (56.3 percent). Keeping the Lakers off the foul line while be a big focus on Friday, although that’s easier said than done against a team that features James and Davis.

The Pacers will be back at home after their last long road trip of the season, a five-game jaunt that started in Detroit and ended in Chicago but also featured three games on the West Coast. It was a good trip overall, with the Blue & Gold going 3-2, but had a disappointing finish with a 125-99 loss to the Bulls. The Pacers fell behind 64-43 by halftime and couldn’t recover.

Indiana remains in sixth place in the Eastern Conference standings with eight games remaining in the regular season, but is just a game up on Miami. Every game will matter down the stretch, as the top six teams in the final standings automatically qualify for the playoffs, while the teams that finish seventh through 10th must compete in the Play-In Tournament for the final two playoff berths.

PLAYOFF PICTURE: Track the Latest Standings, Potential Matchups, and More >>

The Lakers enter Friday night with a five-game win streak, including back-to-back victories on Tuesday and Wednesday over Milwaukee and Memphis. James missed Tuesday’s game against the Bucks, but Davis stood up in a big way in his absence, tallying 34 points and 23 rebounds and logging 52 minutes in a double-overtime victory. Davis then got the night off on Wednesday, with James recording a triple-double with 23 points, 14 boards, and 12 assists in a win over the Grizzlies.

Projected Starters

Pacers: G – Tyrese Haliburton, G – Andrew Nembhard, F – Aaron Nesmith, F – Pascal Siakam, C – Myles Turner

Lakers: G – D’Angelo Russell, G – Austin Reaves, F – LeBron James, F – Rui Hachimura, C – Anthony Davis

Injury Report

Pacers: Bennedict Mathurin – out (right shoulder labral tear)

Lakers: TBA

Last Meeting

March 24, 2024: The Lakers outlasted Indiana in a 150-145 shootout in Los Angeles. Pascal Siakam scored a Pacers career-high 36 points and the Blue & Gold went 18-for-36 from 3-point range, but four Lakers scored 25 or more points as L.A. snapped Indiana’s five-game road winning streak.

The Pacers led by double digits at one point in the first quarter, but were outscored by 23 over the next two frames and trailed by 19 entering the fourth. They clawed their way back within four midway through the final frame, but ultimately ran out of gas.

Eight Pacers reached double figures in the loss, with Siakam leading the way with 36 points on 16-of-29 shooting and 12 rebounds. 27 of Siakam’s points came in the second half, including 19 in the third quarter. Myles Turner finished with 20 points and T.J. McConnell tallied 17 points and seven assists off the bench.

Anthony Davis matched Siakam with 36 points for the Lakers on 15-of-21 shooting to go along with 16 rebounds, LeBron James added 26 points and 10 assists, while Spencer Dinwiddie (26 points and five assists), and Austin Reaves (25 points, five boards, and eight assists) also had big nights.

Noteworthy

The Lakers have won three straight games at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Indiana’s last home win over the Lakers was on Dec. 17, 2019.

With a win on Friday, the Lakers would sweep the season series with the Pacers for the second time in the last four seasons.

Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle has 937 career wins. His next victory will tie him with the legendary Red Auerbach for 12th place on the NBA’s all-time wins list.

Tyrese Haliburton has 674 assists on the season and needs 12 to pass Don Buse (685 assists in 1976-77) for second place in the franchise’s single-season record book. Mark Jackson holds the franchise record with 713 assists in 1997-98.

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.

INDY FUEL HOCKEY

DIVISIONAL BATTLE FRIDAY NIGHT IN FORT WAYNE

INDIANAPOLIS – The Fuel head to Fort Wayne for a crucial division matchup against the Komets to start Easter weekend.

LAST TIME OUT

It was a back-and-forth affair between these two teams on March 10.

Fort Wayne scored the first two of the game in the first period to lead 2-0, a lead that would hold after no scoring at all in the second period.

Things began to heat up in the third when the Fuel scored three straight goals in the first nine minutes of the period to take the lead 3-2. That lead would only hold for another four minutes when the Komets tied it up on the power play then would eventually take the lead with 4:30 left in the game.

The Komets would walk away 4-3 victors in this one.

WIN FOR WEEKS

The Fuel are 5-3-1 against the Komets so far this season. Zach Driscoll has loved playing Fort Wayne, not only for the goalie fights between him and Brochu but for the fact he’s a perfect 5-0 on the season against the Komets.

On the flip side, Mitchell Weeks is still searching for his first win against Fort Wayne this season. Weeks has seen two games on the road and two games at home against the Komets and all have been within one goal, outside of the season opener.

A win for Weeks would give him a boost of confidence going into the final stretch of games to end the regular season.

AROUND THE DIVISION

The Toledo Walleye hold the lead in the division with 91 points and have locked up the number one seed in the Western Central Division. The Fuel hold second place with 76 points with Wheeling right behind them in third with 73. The Komets and Wings are fighting for fourth place with 71 and 69 points, respectively. Finally, Cincinnati and Iowa bring up the bottom of the division with 62 and 60 points, respectively.

INDIANA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

MACKENZIE HOLMES, INDIANA BRACE FOR UNDEFEATED SOUTH CAROLINA

ALBANY, N.Y. — Before Mackenzie Holmes stepped foot on the campus of Indiana University, the school’s women’s basketball program had never been past the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Now, the fourth-seeded Hoosiers are in the Sweet 16 for the third time with the fifth-year All-America forward leading the way.

“It means everything. This is the vision that coach (Teri) Moren had for this program, and I knew when I got on campus I wanted to be a part of it,” Holmes said after Indiana’s 75-68 victory over No. 5 seed Oklahoma on Monday in the second round. “Just to be able to be a small piece that have history is amazing.”

The path to advancing in the Albany Region 1 is far from easy for Indiana, however.

On Friday, the Hoosiers will face No. 1 overall seed South Carolina for the right to advance to the Elite Eight.

To avoid becoming the next victim of the undefeated Gamecocks (34-0), Indiana (26-5) will have to play near-perfect basketball. And the Hoosiers will need everyone to step up, not just Holmes.

“I just think it’s that it can be anybody’s night, night-in and night-out,” Holmes said. “We have so many threats, we’re so well-balanced, and I think it’s just our maturity level and our composure and the competitiveness that we have that we are never going to quit, no matter what the score is.”

The Hoosiers did receive 29 points from Holmes against Oklahoma, but they also got 17 points from Sydney Parrish and 12 from Sara Scalia. Parrish, Scalia and Yarden Garzon combined for 15 assists, too.

That sort of varied offensive firepower will be needed against a South Carolina team that ranks first nationally in opponent field-goal percentage (31.7). And against the North Carolina Tar Heels in the second round, the Gamecocks showed they can stand out on offense too, scoring 88 points.

Freshman guard MiLaysia Fulwiley powered the Gamecocks in that dominant 88-41 victory over the Tar Heels, scoring 20 points on 4-of-7 3-point shooting to go with nine rebounds. Fellow rookie Tessa Johnson played well too, knocking down a trio of 3-pointers in a crucial stretch that helped the Gamecocks pull away early.

Both Fulwiley and Johnson have been key for South Carolina this season as coach Dawn Staley replaced her entire starting five from last season’s squad, which was undefeated until a Final Four loss to Iowa.

Fulwiley is second on the team in scoring with an average of 12.2 points per game, while Johnson has the second-best free-throw percentage (85.0) and is shooting 43.3 percent from 3-point range.

“They see themselves as being integral parts of our success,” Staley said of Fulwiley and Johnson. “And they didn’t back down from it.”

Much of the focus in Friday’s game will be in the paint as two of the best post players in the country — Indiana’s Holmes and South Carolina’s Kamilla Cardoso — will battle. Both earned spots on the Associated Press All-America team this season, with Cardoso landing on the second team and Holmes on the third.

The 6-foot-4 Holmes is one of the most efficient scorers in the country, ranking fourth nationally in field-goal percentage (65.7) while averaging 20 points per game. Cardoso – at 6-foot-7 – mostly is regarded for her defense as she averages 2.6 blocks and 9.5 rebounds per game, but she also leads the Gamecocks in scoring with 13.9 points per game.

The Albany 1 Region went mostly chalk in the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament, as No. 2 seed Notre Dame (28-6) and No. 3 seed Oregon State (26-7) also advanced.

Despite being depleted by injuries, the Fighting Irish rolled to two victories in South Bend, Ind., in the first and second rounds, beating No. 15 seed Kent State by 14 points and No. 7 seed Ole Miss by 15. Notre Dame has played all season without All-American guard Olivia Miles, and it lost leading shot-blocker Kylee Watson to a knee injury in the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament.

Aside from a minute or two here and there for players way down the bench, Notre Dame has mostly used a six-player rotation.

Hannah Hidalgo and Sonia Citron each topped 38 minutes played in both wins. Hidalgo had a double-double against Kent State, and Citron had one against Ole Miss.

As long as those two and Maddy Westbeld – who had 20 points against the Rebels – are playing well, Notre Dame looks difficult to beat. And a zone scheme on defense has helped, too.

“I think the important thing is for one of the three of us is to set the tone early,” Westbeld said. “I think that’s kind of where we are at this point. The three of us are kind of the leaders, whether it’s on the defensive end or on the offensive end. It’s up to one of us to set the tone.”

If Notre Dame can get by an Oregon State team led by Raegan Beers and Talia von Oelhoffen, it could see South Carolina in the Elite Eight. That matchup would be a rematch of the season opener for both teams – a 100-71 win for the Gamecocks in Paris.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – 4-seed Indiana will make its third NCAA Tournament regional semifinal appearance in four years when it faces top seeded South Carolina at MVP Arena on Friday at 5 p.m. ET on ESPN.

SERIES HISTORY

South Carolina leads 3-2

LAST MEETING

11/28/19 – W, 71-57 (St. Thomas, USVI)

NOTES

Graduate student forward Mackenzie Holmes scored 12 of her game-high 29 points in the fourth quarter as Indiana gritted out a win over Oklahoma in the NCAA Tournament second round, 75-68, at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. Senior guard Sydney Parrish added 17 points, eight rebounds and five assists while senior guard Sara Scalia had 12 points.

For the 10th time in school history and for the fifth-consecutive year, the Hoosiers will appear in the 2024 NCAA Tournament. IU advances to the regional semifinal for the third time in four years (2021, 2022, 2024). It also has one appearance in the Sweet Sixteen in the previous 36-team format in 1983. All-time, IU holds an 11-9 record in the Big Dance. Indiana head coach Teri Moren holds a 10-5 record in her six appearances as IU’s head coach.

The Hoosiers last met South Carolina in the 2019 Paradise Jam in St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands. Indiana shot 50 percent from the field and had four players in double figures in the Thanksgiving night victory. Holmes is the only player left from that squad, as she scored eight points and had six rebounds.

Not only did the Hoosiers punch their ticket to the Sweet Sixteen in Monday’s win over Oklahoma, it also capped off a perfect 17-0 record at home in 2023-24. They are tied for the 10th longest home winning streak in the country and the longest in the Big Ten. Additionally, they are just one of 10 teams in NCAA Division I women’s basketball to go undefeated at home this season. It was the second undefeated season at home for Indiana, who went 14-0 in 2015-16.

UP NEXT

Friday’s winner advances to the NCAA Elite Eight against either 3-seed Oregon State or 2-seed Notre Dame on Sunday at MVP Arena in Albany, N.Y.

INDIANA TRACK

STIDAM SETS SCHOOL RECORD ON DAY ONE OF RALEIGH RELAYS

RALEIGH, N.C. –Skylar Stidam set the 10,000-meter school record with a time of 28:32.41 on day one of the Raleigh Relays.

The previous school record was set with a time of 28:48.02 in 2011 by our now Assistant Coach Andrew Poore.

Austin Haskett also earned a top-25 finish in the 5000m race with a personal best time of 13:49.64.

Freshman Aidan Lord competed in his first outdoor competition with a time of 14:10.25 in the 5k race.

Up next, Indiana distance and throws group will return to the track for day two of the Raleigh Relay while the rest of the squad opens up their outdoor campaign at LSU’s Battle on the Bayou.

INDIANA SWIMMING

INDIANA KEEPS PACE WITH DOMINANT DIVING, TIME DROPS

INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana remains No. 4 in the team standings through two days at the 2024 NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships inside the IU Natatorium in Indianapolis. Two diving medalists and clutch swimming helped the Hoosiers hold position Thursday (March 28).

Juniors Quinn Henninger and Carson Tyler challenged for the 1-meter springboard national title, and took the silver and bronze medals, respectively. Henninger, the top qualifier from the preliminary, posted a score of 427.50, just 6.35 points behind repeat champion Lyle Yost. Henninger was consistent, with a low dive of 66.00 and a best dive scoring 78.40. Tyler finished with a mark of 412.95 – his lowest dive earning 60.45 points.

“What a great day for the entire team today,” IU head diving coach Drew Johansen said. “Quinn showed great composure all day. That final dive had a lot of pressure on it, and he delivered. This was Carson’s first time scoring on the 1-meter at this meet, and he showed up in a big way today. I am looking forward to see what they bring tomorrow.”

Henninger earned his third-career NCAA medal, first on the 1-meter board, after taking bronze on 3-meter and platform a year ago. Tyler, the defending platform champion grabbed his second-career medal.”

Indiana’s two swimming finalists and relay finished well above their seeds coming into the week.

“I couldn’t be prouder of the Hoosiers!” IU head swimming coach Ray Looze said. “This was by far our weakest swimming day, yet through determination and sheer will both Luke Barr and Rafa scored individually in the 200 IM and the 500 freestyle. Most importantly, Quinn and Carson were spectacular on 1-meter, putting us in a good position leading into the relay. We really couldn’t be happier moving up from 16th to 11th in that event.”

Junior Rafael Miroslaw was the No. 24 seed in the 500-yard freestyle and dropped 2.56 seconds off to jump into the top-16 Thursday morning. He finished 14th in the evening with a 4:13.86. Classmate Luke Barr placed 10th in the 200 IM despite matching his original seed time of 1:42.00, which was 15th nationally at the start of the day. Barr posted a personal best 1:41.97 in the morning.

IU closed the night with a significant gain in the 200-yard freestyle relay. The relay came into the night as the No. 16 seed, racing in lane eight of the penultimate heat. The quartet featuring junior Rafael Miroslaw, freshman Mikkel Lee and seniors Gavin Wight and Tomer Frankel finished in 1:16.05, dropping 15 hundredths from the previous season best mark.

RESULTS

500 FREESTYLE

14. Rafael Miroslaw – 4:13.86 (Second-Team All-America)

200 IM

10. Luke Barr – 1:42.00 (Second-Team All-America)

1-METER

2. Quinn Henninger – 427.20 (NCAA Silver, All-America)

3. Carson Tyler – 412.95 (NCAA Bronze, All-America)

200 FREESTYLE RELAY

11. Rafael Miroslaw, Mikkel Lee, Gavin Wight, Tomer Frankel – 1:16.05 (Second-Team All-America)

HOOSIER ALL-AMERICANS

Luke Barr (200 IM*)

Finn Brooks (200 medley relay)

Brendan Burns (200 medley relay, 800 freestyle relay)

Tomer Frankel (200 medley relay, 800 freestyle relay, 200 freestyle relay*)

Quinn Henninger (1-meter)

Mikkel Lee (200 medley relay, 200 freestyle relay*)

Rafael Miroslaw (800 freestyle relay, 500 freestyle*, 200 freestyle relay*)

Carson Tyler (1-meter)

Kai van Westering (800 freestyle relay)

Gavin Wight (200 freestyle relay*)

* – Denotes second-team All-America

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.

INDIANA SOFTBALL

INDIANA SOFTBALL TO HOST MICHIGAN FOR HOME-OPENING BIG TEN SERIES

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. –––– Coming off a dominant 11-6 win over Louisville on Tuesday, Indiana looks to continue its strong play in its first home Big Ten series of the season when it hosts Michigan from March 29-31 at Andy Mohr Field.

The Hoosiers enter the weekend with a 23-9 record and 0-3 conference mark.

QUICK HITTERS:

Indiana enters the weekend coming off a dominant 11-6 win over Louisville. It was Indiana’s fourth consecutive win over the Cardinals dating back to last season when the Hoosiers won once in the regular season and twice in the NCAA Tournament’s Knoxville Regional.

The Hoosiers boast seven players in their regular lineup who are hitting for a .300 or better batting average, led by freshman Aly VanBrandt who has posted a .380 average in her first collegiate season.

Indiana will welcome its 1983 College World Series team to Andy Mohr Field this weekend as part of the program’s alumni weekend. Ten of the 14 players from the team and head coach Gayle Blevins will be there.

Against FAU earlier this month, Indiana defeated the Owls, 4-1. In the game, redshirt senior Cora Bassett recorded her 200th career hit. The hit occurred on the same field as her first career hit as Bassett began her college career playing in a tournament at FAU in 2020 when she was a student-athlete at Purdue.

LAST TIME OUT:

Indiana put an offensive clinic on in their last game at Louisville, posting 11 runs on 16 hits. The Hoosiers opened the game up 9-0 through the first 4-and-a-half innings before Louisville scored two in the bottom of the fifth.

The Hoosiers set the tone early against the Cardinals, scoring six runs in the top of the second to take a commanding 6-0 lead.

Three different Hoosiers recorded three hits in the game (Brianna Copeland, Avery Parker and Cassidy Kettleman). Each of them had two RBI. Parker had two doubles on the night, as well.

In the circle, a combined effort from Copeland, Sophie Kleiman and Alex Cooper got the job done pitching. Copeland started and threw five innings for three strikeouts and only allowing two hits.

Indiana is outscoring its opponents by nearly one hundred runs, leading the differential, 204-105 at this point in the season.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENT:

Michigan enters the weekend playing their best that they’ve shown all season as winners of their last seven, including a series sweep over Purdue to begin Big Ten play.

The Wolverines are 21-11 overall and 3-0 in the conference. The most notable wins from the Wolverines include two wins over No. 9 Florida in separate tournaments.

Most recently, Michigan defeated Toledo on Wednesday at home in a 12-3 win in six innings.

Michigan’s Lauren Derkowski and Erin Hoehn lead the way in the circle for the Wolverines. Derkowski has gotten the most work, throwing 94 innings with 105 strikeouts and posting a 9-5 record and 1.41 ERA. Hoehn has thrown 47 strikeouts and recorded a 2.84 ERA and 10-3 mark.

Ellie Sisler is Michigan’s most consistent hitter with a .363 batting average. Maddie Erickson, Lilly Valimont, Jenissa Conway and Keke Tholl all have 16-plus RBI on the season.

SERIES NOTES:

Michigan leads the all-time series against Indiana, 32-94.

Indiana has won three in a row over Michigan as last season, it swept Michigan in Ann Arbor.

INDIANA BASEBALL

BASEBALL DROPS SERIES OPENER

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – The Indiana Baseball team (13-13, 1-2 B1G) dropped the series opener to Butler 6-2 on Thursday (March 28) night at Bulldog Park. The Hoosiers used five arms, holding Butler to just six runs. However, IU’s offense mustered just six hits and two runs on a slow moving offensive evening.

Sophomore outfielder Devin Taylor had the lone multi-hit night for the Hoosiers as only five players in the offensive lineup recorded a hit. Sophomore right-hander Aydan Decker Petty (L, 0-1) was handed the loss after conceding three runs in two innings.

The two teams resume the weekend series in Bloomington tomorrow evening. Sixth-year senior Ty Bothwell gets the nod for the Hoosiers. First pitch is set for 5:00 PM at Bart Kaufman Field.

Scoring Recap

Bottom First

Jack Moroknek opened the scoring in the first inning, doubling into the gap in left-center field to score Joey Urban. Kade Lewis followed it up later in the frame with a no-doubt two-run home run. Butler took the lead and would never concede it on Thursday night.

Butler 3, Indiana 0

Bottom Third

Moroknek continued his hot night in the third. He was the first batter to face IU reliever Ryan Rushing and cranked a home run over the right field wall.

Butler 4, Indiana 0

Top Fourth

Josh Pyne handed IU its first run of the night on a sacrifice fly to the center fielder. Brock Tibbitts scored on the play.

Butler 4, Indiana 1

Top Fifth

The Hoosiers missed a massive chance in the fifth. With the bases loaded and one out, Tibbitts lined a ball that was caught and dropped by the shortstop. There was no out on the initial contact but all runners had to freeze, allowing Butler to turn a wild 6-4-5 double play. Carter Mathison scored on the play before the third out was made. Tibbitts’ at-bat went down as a fielder’s choice.

Butler 4, Indiana 2

Bottom Fifth

Butler got both runs back in the bottom of the frame. Kade Lewis hit a line drive sacrifice fly to center field to score Moroknen (three runs on the day). Xavier Carter followed with a solo home run, Butler’s third and final long ball of the evening.

Butler 6, Indiana 2

Top Hoosier Performers

#5 Taylor, Devin

2-4

#19 Keyster, Brandon

2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 R

Notes to Know

• Nick Mitchell extended his hitting streak to 10 games with a bunt single down the third base line. Freshman Jasen Oliver also recorded a hit, pushing his season and career-best streak to eight games.

• Brock Tibbitts had one RBI on the night. He’s got a team high 29 on the season. Devin Taylor now has a team best 37 hits in the campaign.

Up Next

IU continues its series with Butler as the final three games of the set move to Bloomington. Friday’s game will have a first pitch at 5:00 PM before a Saturday doubleheader. All three games will be streamed on BTN+ or can be heard on the Indiana Sports Radio Network via IUHoosiers.com/Audio.

PURDUE TRACK

CAROLINE JORDAN WINS TEXAS RELAYS 10,000M

AUSTIN, Texas and SAN MARCOS, Texas. – Senior Caroline Jordan won the Texas Relays 10,000-meter as the Purdue track & field team opened a three-day weekend in Texas at the Texas Relays in Austin, Texas, and the Bobcat Invitational in San Marcos, Texas, on Thursday.

Jordan’s Texas Relays title is the Boilermakers’ first at the prestigious national meet since 2017 and the ninth in program history in any event. Fellow senior Caleb Williams was the runner-up in the 3,000m steeplechase as he entered the school top-10 list in the event. Jordan and Williams had two of Purdue’s five top-five finishes at the Texas Relays on Thursday.

Under the lights at a windy and cool Mike A. Myers Track & Soccer Stadium, Jordan won the 10,000m in 35:57.66. She won by a convincing 35.13 seconds and was in the lead pack early in the race before leaving every other runner behind her. It’s Jordan’s first collegiate victory in any event, in cross country or indoor and outdoor track & field.

Jordan joins a star-studded list of Boilermakers to win an event at the Texas Relays. The Old Gold and Black’s last Relays champion was Savannah Carson, Obokhare Ikpefan and the women’s 4×400 relay in 2017. Carson won the women’s long jump and Ikpefan won the men’s 400m hurdles invitational. Both are the school record-holders in their respective events, and the 4×400 champs also have their name etched throughout the school top-10 lists in several events. Jordan is the first distance runner to win the Texas Relays since Sally Smith – who later broke the school record in the 1,500m – was victorious in both the women’s 1,500m and 3,000m in 1988.

Williams was second in the 3,000m steeplechase in 8:56.79. The time ranks No. 7 in program history and is the first top-10 time in the event since Brody Smith set the record (8:43.77) in 2021. Williams and Smith have the only two top-10 marks since 2015. On Thursday night, Williams was one of two runners to break nine minutes, and he secured a top-three finish by nearly six seconds.

In the last race of the evening, junior Nathan Walker was third in the 10,000m in 30:17.47. In his first collegiate track & field 10,000m, Walker was less than five seconds behind the runner-up but almost 14 seconds ahead of the fourth-place finisher.

Junior Joel Gomez got the evening on the track started for the Boilermakers when he was fourth in the 1,500m B event. As he made his outdoor collegiate debut, he crossed the finish line in 3:52.10. Graduate student Meredith Bloss also ran the 10,000m, and she was fifth in 37:02.81.

Meanwhile in San Marcos at the Bobcat Invite on Thursday afternoon, a trio of pole vaulters posted top-four finishes with personal-best marks.

On a sun-filled day, freshman Melissa Riegle tied for second place in the women’s pole vault. She cleared a personal-best 3.88 meters to take runner-up in the B event.

In the men’s pole vault B section, juniors Danny Affleck and Grant Gogel tied for fourth place with clearances of 4.87m. Affleck’s mark was a PR, as was senior Logan Sandlin’s, as he cleared 4.72m.

The Texas Relays and Bobcat Invitational continue on Friday, March 29, and conclude on Saturday, March 30. Fans unable to cheer the Boilermakers on in person can follow along with live results (Texas | Bobcat) and the meet schedules (Texas | Bobcat). The Texas Relays will be broadcast on the Longhorn Network and ESPN+. Additional updates from the Lone Star State can be found by following and connecting with the Boilermakers on Twitter/X, Instagram and Facebook, while direct links are available on the schedule page at PurdueSports.com/TrackField.

On Friday at the Texas Relays, running events open the day at 10:35 a.m. ET / 9:35 a.m. CT, followed by field events at 11 a.m. ET / 10 a.m. CT. The Boilermakers’ last event should conclude at 7:25 p.m. ET / 6:25 p.m. CT. The meet wraps up on Saturday, with the squad’s first field event and finals on the track at 2:30 p.m. ET / 1:30 p.m. CT and the last final finishing at approximately 6 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. CT.

Meanwhile at the Bobcat Invitational, Friday will see field events starting at 11 a.m. ET / 10 a.m. CT and running events going from 8:30 p.m. ET / 7:30 p.m. CT until 10:30 p.m. ET / 9:30 p.m. CT. Saturday’s finale begins with field events at 11 a.m. ET / 10 a.m. CT and Purdue’s running events at 3:35 p.m. ET / 2:35 p.m. CT. The weekend will finish at about 6:30 p.m. ET / 5:30 p.m. CT.

Purdue’s travel roster to the Lone Star State features 43 athletes. 27 men and 16 women. The Boilermakers have 31 entries at the Texas Relays and 23 at the Bobcat Invite.

The 96th Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays, one of the most prestigious national meets, is hosted by the University of Texas at Mike A. Myers Track & Soccer Stadium. Texas State University’s Bobcat Invite is at the Texas State Track & Field Complex, 31 miles south southwest of UT’s track.

PURDUE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

BOILERS DOWN DUKES, ADVANCE TO WNIT GREAT 8

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Purdue women’s basketball advanced to the Great 8 of the WNIT on Thursday night with a 71-50 win over Duquesne at Mackey Arena. The Boilermakers outscored the Dukes 42-28 in the second half and held the visitors to just nine points in the final period.

The Boilermakers (15-18) put four players in double figures, led by Abbey Ellis and Jayla Smith each with 15 points. Smith reached double digits for the second straight game this postseason and notched a season high in points on 5-of-9 shooting and a perfect 4-of-4 mark at the line.

Ellis turned in an all-around performance with 15 points on 6-of-13 shooting to go with six rebounds, four assists, one block and one steal. After reaching double figures for the 29th this season, Ellis pulled within 16 points of 2,000 for her career.

Sophie Swanson drained a quartet of 3-pointers to post 14 points. The Barrington, Ill., native has 41 3-pointers on the year, one shy of Katie Gearlds for seventh on the freshman season list. Mary Ashley Stevenson came up one rebound shy of a double-double. The New York City native tallied 13 points, nine rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block and one steal.

For the sixth straight game, Jeanae Terry posted double-digit rebounds. Terry finished with 11 boards to go with four assists. The fifth-year senior passed Katie Douglas for 12th in Purdue career rebounds with 729. Terry also moved within eight assists of Katie Douglas for second in Purdue career history and four shy of Lisa Jahner’s single-season assist record of 201.

Purdue’s defense stood tall all night against Duquesne (21-13), holding the Dukes to just 28.1% shooting from the field and 5-of-26 from beyond the arc. Purdue forced 17 turnovers and flipped them into 17 points, while allowing just eight on 13 miscues. Rashunda Jones matched her career high with a trio of steals.

Purdue held an opponent to 50 points or fewer for the fourth time this season, the most by a Boilermaker squad since 2019-20, while its 13 games of 60 points allowed or less were the most since 2018-19.

Purdue finished the game shooting 40.9% from the field and went 7-of-22 from behind the arc. After shaking off early shooting woes, the Boilermakers shot 46.8% over the final three quarters.

Stevenson and Ellis powered the Boilermakers through the opening 10 minutes with nine combined points, as the team shot just 5-of-19 from the field. Both sides were tied 11 after the first.

Duquesne took a one-point lead early in the second on a 3-pointer, before the Boilermakers took over on a 10-1 run with six points from Stevenson. Swanson nailed her first 3-pointer to open a nine-point gap with 2:46 to play. Purdue carried a 29-22 lead into the break. Ellis and Stevenson both had 11 points in the first half.

Jones and Swanson each tallied six points in the third quarter. Purdue built up a 14-point lead with 3:24 to play after Swanson and Smith scored 10 straight for the Boilermakers. Purdue led 50-41 heading into the fourth.

Smith took over in the fourth. The junior went on a personal 7-2 run to start the final frame, scoring 11 in the quarter. Purdue was 7-of-15 with a trio of 3-pointers in the fourth. On defense, the Boilermakers forced eight turnovers and kept the Dukes to just 4-of-19 shooting. Purdue surrendered just two points in the final 5:28 of the game.

Smith scored all 15 of her points in the second half.

NOTES

• Purdue and Duquesne met for the first time on Thursday night. Purdue is now 154-56 in first time matchups.

• The Boilermakers won the rebounding battle 44-39 with 16 second chance points on 11 offensive rebounds.

• Alaina Harper grabbed her Purdue best five rebounds and posted a plus-minus of 18 in 20 minutes on the floor.

• Purdue’s freshmen combined to score 33 points, marking their eighth game with 30 or more points this year.

• Purdue is now 5-1 this season and 13-4 in the last three years when holding a team to nine or fewer points in a quarter.

• Swanson joined a trio of Boilermakers for the program WNIT record of four 3-pointers.

• Terry moved up to ninth in Purdue single-season rebounds with 279.

• Through two games, Jeanae Terry has moved up to second in rebounds by a Boilermaker in a WNIT with 23.

• Smith has found her groove in the postseason with 13 points on 55.6% shooting with 4.5 rebounds.

UP NEXT

Purdue will face the winner of Colgate and Vermont, who will square off Friday night. Game date, location and tip time will be announced after its conclusion.

The 2023-24 Purdue women’s basketball season is presented by Purdue Global, Purdue University’s online educational solution for working adults.

PURDUE SWIMMING

MILLER AN ALL-AMERICAN ON 1-METER IN HIS DEBUT AT NCAAS

INDIANAPOLIS – Max Miller finished 12th among a field of 47 in 1-meter diving in his debut at the NCAA Championships, earning All-America honors to headline the first day of individual events for Purdue men’s swimming & diving at the national championship meet.

Miller and classmate Holden Higbie both finished top 20 in their debuts at NCAAs. Miller was 10th and Higbie 20th in Thursday’s prelim. Miller qualified for the consolation final and placed fourth while competing his list for the second time on the day.

Miller improved on his prelim list score by 19.55 points in the consolation final.

Jordan Rzepka, Miller and Higbie are all slated to compete again Friday on 3-meter at NCAAs. Rzepka and Higbie qualified in all three diving events.

Diving Prelims are set for noon ET and finals at 5:15 p.m. this week at the NCAA Championships.

THURSDAY AT NCAAs – 1-METER DIVING

• Max Miller, 362.80 – Finished 4th in Consolation Final (12th Overall); Honorable Mention All-America

• Holden Higbie, 326.80 – Finished 20th in Prelim

• Jordan Rzepka, 301.75 – Finished 33rd in Prelim

PURDUE SOFTBALL

SOFTBALL TO HOST RUTGERS

Friday, March 29

vs. Rutgers | 5 p.m. | B1G+

Mental Health Awareness Night

Free Admission to Bittinger Stadium

Saturday, March 30

vs. Rutgers | 2 p.m. | B1G+

Riley Children’s Hospital Day

Free Admission to Bittinger Stadium

Sunday, March 31

vs. Rutgers | 1 p.m. | B1G+

Easter Celebration & Bark at the Park

Free Admission to Bittinger Stadium

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – In the team’s first Big Ten home series of the year, Purdue will take on Rutgers, with a game on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. All games will be streamed on B1G+.

RECORD BOOK WATCH

• Third baseman Sage Scarmardo owns a .540 on-base %, which if the season were to end today, would rank second in program history, eclipsing Rachel Becker (.539 in 2018 and .522 in 2022).

• If Purdue’s season ended today, the team’s collective on-base % of .370 would rank as fifth-highest in program history, including the best in 11 years (2014: .374%).

THE FASTEST DUO IN THE BIG TEN

• The underclassmen duo of Moriah Polar and Khloe Banks are the fastest in the Big Ten, ranking first and second, respectively, in the Big Ten in stolen bases.

ALL ABOUT SPEED

• Purdue ranks #8 in the nation and #2 in the Big Ten entering the week with 69 stolen bases.

• The team is 69-79 in stolen bases this year and entered Big Ten play already with more stolen bases than the entire 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2008, 2005, 1998 and 1994 seasons.

• Overall, Purdue is more aggressive team on the bases compared to their opponents, with 26 stolen bases on 32 attempts by its foes.

NOTRE DAME BASEBALL

IRISH FALL 10-0 IN SERIES OPENER AT NO. 22 NC STATE

RALEIGH, N.C. –  Notre Dame (14-10, 2-8 ACC) took its first run-rule loss of the season at the hands of No. 22 NC State (16-7, 6-4 ACC) in a 10-0, eight-inning defeat Thursday evening. RHP Matt Bedford (1-4) went 3.2 innings and shouldered the loss for the Irish.

Due to the ACC’s new run rule, if a team is ahead by ten or more runs in the seventh inning or after, the game ends. The Irish marked their first game in which the rule was enacted Thursday.

Notre Dame posted three hits on the evening, all three being two-out doubles that occurred in three-straight innings (sixth through eighth).

NC State’s Sam Highfill pitched a complete game, marking the first time an opposing pitcher has thrown a complete game against the Irish since NC State’s Brian Brown on April 14, 2018 (Game One, a 12-2 win for No. 2 NC State). It was Notre Dame’s first time being shut out since April 23, 2021 at Boston College (also 10-0).

HOW IT HAPPENED

Notre Dame went three up, three down through the first inning. NC State compiled two hits, but with runners on second and third, Bedford and the Irish were able to hold them off the plate.

Again retired in order in the second, Notre Dame went to the field and Bedford earned a strikeout after a HBP. A Wolfpack double scored the first run of the night, and after a walk, OF T.J. Williams snagged the second out in center field. NC State again doubled, scoring two more, and the next batter homered to put the Wolfpack up 5-0 headed to the third.

NC State sat Notre Dame down in order in the third, and after a one-out single in the bottom of the inning, INF Simon Baumgardt snagged a lineout and turned a double play to keep the Wolfpack from adding to the lead.

It was nothing doing for the Irish in the fourth, as Notre Dame went three up, three down. NC State led off the bottom of the inning with a flyout, and after a HBP, the runner got to second on a groundout. RHP Tobey McDonough entered to pitch for Notre Dame, and OF Tito Flores caught a fly ball at the wall to end the inning on the next batter.

In the fifth, a quick grounder from INF Jack Penney looked promising, but a diving play by the NC State shortstop thwarted Notre Dame’s hopes. A flyout ended the inning, again with the Irish held off the bases. McDonough and the Irish sat the Wolfpack down in order, with McDonough posting a strikeout.

In the sixth, INF Estevan Moreno delivered Notre Dame’s first hit of the day, a two-out double. However, a groundout ended the top of the inning. RHP David Lally entered to pitch to begin the bottom of the inning. A leadoff single placed a runner on, and the runner took second on a passed ball, reaching third on a groundout. A sac fly brought another run in for NC State. After a walk, Lally grabbed a groundout to end the inning.

Baumgardt delivered a two-out double down the left field line in the seventh, but a long fly ball ended the inning, again holding the Irish scoreless. RHP Nate Hardman began the bottom of the seventh on the mound. Penney took care of the first out with a quick grab on a line drive, while Hardman struck out the second batter. Moreno made a leaping catch to rob the third batter of a hit, and the Irish went to bat.

C Joey Spence entered in the eighth and delivered Notre Dame’s third two-out double, marking three-consecutive innings with a two-out double for the Irish. A strikeout ended the top half again holding the Irish scoreless. RHP D.J. Helwig took the mound to begin the bottom of the eighth. A leadoff single and a HBP put two runners on, and a subsequent single scored the lead runner to put the Wolfpack up 7-0. NC State hit into a fielder’s choice to score another run. The runner got to second on a wild pitch, and after a HBP, LHP Ryan Lynch took the mound. A single scored another run, and RHP Sammy Cooper entered to pitch. A passed ball allowed NC State’s 10th run to come home, ending the game via the run-rule.

UP NEXT

Notre Dame and No. 22 NC State return Friday for Game Two of the three-game series. The game will be nationally televised on ACC Network, and first pitch will be at 8 p.m. ET. RHP Jack Radel (Notre Dame) and RHP Logan Whitaker (NC State) will start on the mound.

NOTRE DAME MEN’S LAX

GAME 7 PREVIEW: #3 SYRACUSE

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – No. 1 Notre Dame opens up ACC with a pivotal top-5 matchup against No. 3 Syracuse at Arlotta Stadium at 2 p.m. ET on Saturday, March 30. The game will air on ACCN.

GAME DETAILS
Location: South Bend, Indiana | Arlotta Stadium
Schedule: March 30 — 2 p.m. ET
TV: ACCN
Live Stats: FightingIrish.com
Twitter Updates: @NDlacrosse
For a more in-depth look at the matchup – Game Notes: Notre Dame

THE SYRACUSE SERIES

• Saturday will be the 21st meeting all-time between Notre Dame and Syracuse. The Irish and Orange have battled over the years to a standstill, with a record of  10-10 in the matchup.

• Notre Dame has won nine of the last 11 meetings between the two programs, including six straight.

• The Irish and Orange have played five times over the last three seasons, with Notre Dame scoring at least 18 goals in each meeting.

• Pat Kavanagh has been a problem for the Syracuse defense in his five meetings, as he has totaled 43 points (18 G, 25A) in the matchup.

VIDEO GAME NUMBERS

• The Irish enter Saturday’s matchup leading the country in scoring offense (17.0 goals per game), points per game (27.83) and assists per game (10.83).

• For the first time in program history Notre Dame recorded back-to-back 20+ goal performances, coming in its first two games of the season.

• The combined 46 goals over the two games shatter the previous program record for most goals in back-to-back games, as the 1992 squad previously held the record with 40 goals.

• The 22-goal win over Cleveland State, the 13-goal victory at Marquette and the five-goal win over Maryland represent the largest margin of victory for the Irish in the respective all-time series.

• The Irish have also played fairly clean games thus far, as they are averaging just 13.5 turnovers per game which is the third best mark in the country.

PICK YOUR POISON

• The Irish starting attack has combined for 84 points this seasons.

• Pat Kavanagh (7G, 22A), Chris Kavanagh (16G, 14A) and Jake Taylor (22G, 3A) are each off to great starts this season.

• The three attackman have a combined 463 points in their career off 257 goals and 206 assists.

• The Irish starting midfield also presents headaches for the opposition with Eric Dobson, Jordan Faison and Devon McLane each presenting different challenges to try to stop.

• McLane leads the unit with 17 points (12G, 5A) while Faison has 16 (13G, 3A) and Dobson has added 11 (6G, 5A).

DOMINATING DEFENSE

• The Irish have allowed just 50 total goals over the course of the season, giving up just 8.33 goals per game, which leads the country.

• The Blue and Gold have held Cleveland State (3), Maryland (9) and Michigan (9) to their lowest goal outputs of the season.

• Dating back to last season, which includes an NCAA Championship run, the Irish have held nine of theirl last 11 opponents to 10 or fewer goals.

• The unit allowed just three goals in the win over Cleveland State, which is tied for the second fewest given up by ND in a season opener in program history.

• The Irish finished 2023 allowing just 9.69 goals per game, leading the ACC and ranking sixth in the country, despite playing nine games against opponents that ranked in the top 10 in goals scored per game.

• Notre Dame led the ACC and ranked ninth in the country in caused turnovers per game last season, averaging 9.69.

CASHING IN ON THE EMO

• For the third-straight season, Notre Dame’s man-up offense is among the nation’s best, scoring on 77.8 percent of its opportunities.

• Notre Dame comes into the weekend 14-of-18 on man-up situations.

• Jeffery Ricciardelli leads the unit with four goals while Jake Taylor and Chris Kavanagh have each scored three goals for the Irish when having the player advantage this season.

• Ricciardelli’s four goals lead the ACC and ranke fourth in the country for EMO scoring.

• The Irish finished the 2023 season going 22-for-41 (.537) on the EMO ranking fifth in the country.

• Chris Kavanagh finished seventh in the nation in EMO goals with eight.

• The Irish EMO unit cashed in on 21-of-31 chances (.677) during the 2022 season.

THE CONDUCTOR

• Pat Kavanagh became the first Notre Dame player to be named a Tewaaraton Trophy finalist two times, earning the honor in 2021 and 2023.

• The attackman is the current NCAA DI active career leader in assists per game (3.08) and is second for total career assists (157).

• Kavanagh is closing in on the Notre Dame all-time career points record, as he is currently 24 shy of breaking the record held by Randy Colley ‘95 (see table on left).

• The Rockville, New York, native broke the program record for points in a season in 2023 with 77 points off 25 goals and 52 assists.

• Kavanagh became the program record holder for career assists during the 2023 season and has 157 in his illustrious career.

• The attackman also shattered his own single-season program assists record in 2023, totaling 52 on the season. Kavanagh now holds the top three marks for assists in a season.

• Kavanagh is also the only player in program history to record 10 points in a single game, a feat which he has achieved three times in his career.

• The graduate student is off to a flying start in 2024, earning ACC Co-Offensive Player of the Week after his first week of play in which he totaled 12 points off two goals and 10 assists.

• Kavanagh has recorded two or more assists in every game this season.

THE STOPPER

• Grad student Liam Entenmann cemented his status as the top goalie in the country with his play in 2023, being named the Ensign C. Markland Kelly Jr. Outstanding Goalie by the USILA, ACC Defensive Player of the Year, ACC Goalie of the Year and NCAA Championships Most Valuable Player.

• The grad student ranks fourth in the country this season in goals allowed per game with a mark of 8.65.

• As the weather is heating up, so is Entenmann. The goalie had a big game against No. 3 Maryland this season, making 13 saves while limiting the Terrapins to just nine goals and made a season-high 15 saves in the win over No. 18 Michigan.

• Entenmann led the ACC and ranked sixth in the country in goals against average, allowing just 9.55 goals per game in 2023.

• Entenmann had a save percentage of .570 (196 saves, 148 goals allowed), ranking fourth in the country last season.

• Entenmann made double-digit saves in each of the final 13 games in 2023, including a season-high 18 in the win over No. 1 Duke to win the national title.

• Entenmann currently ranks fourth on the ND all-time saves list with 609 in his career.

THE SCORER

• Chris Kavanagh had one of the most prolific goal scoring seasons in program history in 2023, recording a career-high 46 goals to lead the Irish attack.

• Kavanagh hasn’t missed a beat so far in 2024, as the junior is tied with his brother for team leader in points (23) with 15 goals and eight assists

•The junior not only paced Notre Dame’s offense in 2023 but his 46 goals ranked third all-time in program history for a single season, just three behind Randy Colley’s record of 49 goals set in 1995.

• The attackman also added 16 assists to total 62 points, which ranks 10th all-time in Notre Dame men’s lacrosse history.

• Chris finished with 10 hat tricks during the 2023 campaign and has 15 in his career.

• The Rockville Centre, New York, native has 78 career goals.

THE FINISHER

• Jake Taylor has been one of the best crease finisher in the country this season, tied for third in the country with 3.67 goals per game.

• Taylor has recorded hat tricks in four of six games and has scored multiple goals in five of six outings.

• The attackman nearly tied his own program record for goals in a game in the win over Michigan, scoring seven goals in the contest to garner ACC Offensive Player of the Week, Inside Lacrosse Player of the Week and USILA Team of the Week honors.

• The grad student has 80 career goals, despite battling injury setbacks over the first four seasons in South Bend.

• Taylor came up clutch for the Irish in one of the biggest moments in program history, sending the 2023 NCAA Championship semifinal into overtime with a twister goal with under a minute left in regulation against Virginia.

LYNCH LEVELING UP

• Junior FOGO Will Lynch has gotten off to a great start in 2024, winning 61.8 percent of the faceoffs he hast taken, ranking 10th in the country.

• Lynch is 63-for-102 on the season at the dot, scooping up 37 ground balls.

• To make this number even more impressive, Lynch has faced five of the top 25 FOGOs in the country by faceoff winning percentage and won over 50 percent against four of the five.

• The junior had a remarkable performance in the win over No. 3 Maryland, winning 12-of-18 faceoffs against Luke Weirman, a 2024 preseason All-American.

• The FOGO also has added a goal this season, scoring in the win over Marquette.

THE ATTACK IS BACK

• The Irish returned a lot of firepower from the 2023 roster that claimed the national title, as the top five goal scorers are back in 2024.

• Notre Dame brings back 78.6 percent of its goals (195/248), 77.4 percent of its assists (103/133) and 78.2 percent of its points (298/381).

• Four players who recorded 30+ points last season are back, which include Pat Kavanagh (77), Chris Kavanagh (62), Eric Dobson (45) and Jake Taylor (33).

CHALLENGING SLATE AHEAD

• Notre Dame has never shied away from putting together a challenging schedule and the 2024 slate is no different.

• Of Notre Dame’s 11 regular-season opponents, seven are currently ranked in the top 15 in the USILA or Inside Lacrosse Top 20 Polls.

• Four of five of Notre Dame’s remaining regular season opponents are ranked in the top 10 of the current Inside Lacrosse and USILA polls.

FAISON’S FIRST IMPRESSION

• Jordan Faison has had an impressive start to his ND lacrosse career, as he ranks third on the team in goals (13) and fifth in points (16).

• The freshman has three hat tricks, including a five-point effort (3G, 2A) in the win over No. 3 Maryland.

• The midfielder has scored in every game this season.

• Faison enters the weekend ranked second in the country in shooting percentage, scoring on 56.5 percent of his shots.

• Faison wasted no time introducing himself to the college lacrosse world, scoring 38 seconds into the 2024 season for the first Notre Dame goal of the season in his debut.

• The freshman finished with a three-goal hat trick and an assist in the win over Cleveland State.

• The three goals in his first career game are the most by a Notre Dame midfielder in their debut since at least the 2000 season.

• The freshman has 13 goals and three assists on the season.

• Faison also had an electric start to his Notre Dame football career, finishing with 19 catches for 322 yards and was second on the team with four touchdowns receptions despite playing in just seven games.

• The WR was named the 2023 Sun Bowl C.M. Hendricks Most Valuable Player after recording five catches for 115 yards and a touchdown in the win over Oregon State.

FAMILY AFFAIR

• The Fighting Irish feature four pairs of brothers on the 2024 roster.

• The four sets of brothers are BJ and Gavin Burlace, Will and Andrew Donovan, Pat and Chris Kavanagh, and Jeffery and Thomas Ricciardelli.

CORRIGAN ALL-TIME DI PROGRAM WINS LEADER

• With the win over No. 1 Duke on April 10, 2021, Baumer Family Head Men’s Lacrosse Coach Kevin Corrigan broke the NCAA record for most wins at a DI program with 311, passing Bob Shillinglaw (Delaware).

• Corrigan became just the third coach in NCAA Division I men’s lacrosse history to reach the 300-win mark at a single school with the win over Marquette on April 10, 2019.

• Corrigan is one of just four active Division I coaches to reach the 300-win mark in his career.

• Corrigan has an overall record of 350-175 in his 38 seasons of coaching.

• The head coach is 340-160 in his 36 seasons at Notre Dame.

• Corrigan is the longest tenured men’s lacrosse coach at the DI level.

BUTLER BASEBALL

BULLDOGS TAKE DOWN HOOSIER STATE RIVALS 6-2 AHEAD OF BLOOMINGTON SERIES

Indianapolis – In the first of four straight meetings, the Butler Baseball team won against the Indiana Hoosiers 6-2. The Bulldogs led the way through all nine innings and totaled 10 hits at the plate. Thursday night’s win not only marked the club’s third-consecutive victory but snapped a six-game losing streak against the Hoosiers.

Jack Moroknek, Kade Lewis, and Xavier Carter led the charge for Butler at the plate. This trio all hit home runs and were responsible for all six RBIs. Zach Munton and Keegan Connors also tallied extra-base hits.

Thursday afternoon’s scoring opened right away in the bottom of the first inning. Moroknek began the offensive effort with an RBI double that scored sophomore Joey Urban. Two batters later, Lewis launched his sixth home run of the year to right-center field. The Bulldog lead stood at 3-0 after the first inning.

The score remained the same until the bottom of the third inning when the Bulldogs added another run. Moroknek took an inside curveball deep to right field for his seventh homer of the season.

After the Hoosiers scored their only two runs of the game in the fourth and fifth innings, the Bulldogs put two more runners across home. Lewis picked up his third RBI of the game to score Moroknek on a sac fly. Moments later, Xavier Carter launched a line-drive home run over the wall in right-center field for the Bulldogs’ final run of the game.

For the Bulldogs, the pitching staff held the Hoosiers to just two runs. Ben Whiteside drew the start and was followed by Andrew Crumbley before Cole Graverson entered the game. Graverson tossed three scoreless innings while striking out four batters. Crumbley was awarded his third win of the season while Graverson picked up his third save.

Up Next

The Bulldogs will travel to Bloomington, IN for the rest of the series against the Hoosiers. The second game of the series will be on Friday followed by a doubleheader on Saturday. The first pitch on Friday is set for 5:00 p.m. Eastern time from Bart Kaufman Field. Tyler Banks is projected to get the start on the mound for Butler and is slated to face Hoosier arm Ty Bothwell.

BUTLER SOFTBALL

BUTLER SOFTBALL DROPS SERIES OPENER TO SETON HALL IN EXTRAS

INDIANAPOLIS – The Butler softball team lost in extra innings to Seton Hall in game one of a three-game BIG EAST series. The Bulldogs (14-18, 3-7 BIG EAST) were up 1-0 after five innings, but the Pirates (15-12, 6-4 BIG EAST) scored one run in the sixth to extend the game and another in the eighth for the win.

Game 1: Seton Hall 2, Butler 1 (8 innings)

In the bottom of the fourth, Paige Dorsett hit a solo home run. Butler’s 1-0 lead held through five complete.

In the top of the sixth, Seton Hall put two on with a double and a single. On an infield grounder, the Bulldogs attempted to throw out the runner at the plate, but the Pirates were able to tie the game at 1-1. Later, with the bases loaded, a double play got Butler out of the inning.

In the top of the eighth, Seton Hall put two on with two singles. A sacrifice bunt advance both runners to second and third. A single up the middle produced what would be the winning run.

The Bulldogs were unable to produce any base runners in their final at bat.

Katie Petran (6.0IP, R, 7H, 2BB, 2K) started for Butler in the circle and left with the game tied in the seventh inning. Rylyn Dyer pitched the final two innings and took the loss. She allowed one run on three hits with one strikeout.

Bulldog Bits

Paige Dorsett’s home run was her fifth of the season and 14th of her career.

Kaylee Gross stole her second base of the season and has 20 for her career.

Up Next

Butler hosts game two of the BIG EAST series with Seton Hall on Friday, March 29. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m.

IUI TRACK

PETERSEN, WHITINGER SET NEW SCHOOL RECORDS AT THURSDAY’S RALEIGH RELAYS

RALEIGH, N.C. – The IUPUI distance duo of Eric Petersen and Andrew Whitinger continued to shine as each took down school records at the Raleigh Relays on Thursday night. Petersen shattered the program’s 5,000m record while Whitinger followed up by shattering the 10,000m mark.

Petersen hung near the front of his race throughout, ultimately placing third behind runners from nearby Wingate and Duke University, crossing in a time of 14:11.56. His time was 19 seconds faster than his previous best and broke the program’s school record by eight seconds.

Later in the evening, Whitinger rode the wave of a deep and talented group in the 10,000m event, running a steady 29:13.08. He consistently clicked off 70 second laps, roaring past his previous best time by 37 seconds. His time broke the IUPUI school record by 39 seconds.

Also on Thursday, another duo of Jaguars competed in the 10,000m event at the WashU. Distance Carnival in St. Louis. Nick Perkins spun a time of 29:41.95 and classmate Mitchell Gits was just off his pace at 29:45.58 as both went under the previous school record.

Perkins’ time broke his previous best by 42 seconds and Gits shed 22 seconds off his prior record. Perkins placed tenth overall and Gits finished 13th.

The Jaguars will continue the WashU. event on Friday.

FIVE JAGUARS COLLECT TOP THREE FINISHES AT MARIAN KNIGHT OPEN

INDIANAPOLIS – Five members of the IUPUI women’s track and field squad collected top-three finishes and freshman Paige Schulte earned an event win as the Jaguars competed at the Marian Knight Open on Thursday (Mar. 28). Schulte won the 400m event in a personal best time of 58.74 as IUPUI runners took the top three spots. Sophomore Reese McCuan was runner-up in a personal best time of 58.94 and fellow sophomore Karis Davis was third at 1:00.38.

“It was exciting to win but overall I’m more excited about the position I’m in now starting off the season like that,” Schulte said. “I think there’s a lot to come.”

In the javelin, true freshman Paige Laffoon had a best throw of 30.34m (99′ 6”) to take second overall and Shelby McGee placed fifth with a throw of 28.82m (94′ 7”). Sophomore Morgan Hoard her a personal best toss of 23.09m (75′ 9”).

In the 400m hurdles, sophomore Jada-Marie Davis placed second overall with a time of 1:07.50 and freshman Journey Howard was third at 1:08.64.

Sophomore Kyla Kante capped the day with a personal best effort in the 200m event with a time of 27.11 seconds. All total, six different Jaguars registered new personal bests at Marian’s event.

Later on Thursday, Madison Fry and Laci Provenzano competed in the 10,000m event at the WashU. Distance Carnival in St. Louis. Fry, running her first career 10K, crossed at 36:55.13 for the fourth-best time in program history. Provenzano finished at 37:32.57, taking 86 seconds off her prior best. Her time left her at No. 7 on the program’s all-time list.

IUPUI runners will continue to compete at WashU. on Friday.

BALL STATE MEN’S VOLLEYBALL

NO. 12 MEN’S VOLLEYBALL WINS ANOTHER TIGHT MATCH IN FIVE SETS AT NO. 14 LEWIS

ROMEOVILLE, Ill. – In another high intensity Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association road battle, the Cardinals prevailed yet again in five sets by defeating Lewis on the road Thursday night in Neil Carey Arena.

With the win, Ball State still sits in first place in the MIVA standings with an overall record of 18-8 and 11-2 in league play while Lewis drops to 14-12 on the year and 7-6 in conference action.

Ball State got off to a slow start offensively, as the Cardinals struggled hitting a match low .114 percent from the floor causing them to drop the opening set to the Flyers, 25-19.

 The Cardinals were able to turn things around in both the second and third frames to take a 2-1 match lead over Lewis. Ball State found its offensive rhythm after hitting .355 from the floor in the second set and then turned in a .375 hitting percentage in the third stanza. BSU went on to win both sets, 25-22 and 25-21.

In the fourth set, the Cardinals had a chance to lock the match up late in the frame as Ball State had a 24-23 advantage after a Wil McPhillips kill. After that, it would turn into a seesaw match which saw Lewis send the competition into overtime after winning the fourth stanza, 28-26.

Again, the final set was a back-and-forth affair with Ball State finally taking a 13-10 edge after a kill from Tinaishe Ndavazocheva. The Cardinals were able to stop the Flyers from a possible comeback despite the Flyers efforts. BSU went on to take the final frame, 15-13, which was capped off by a Ndavazocheva kill.

For the match, Ndavazocheva led Ball State offensively with 23 kills while teammate Rodney Wallace had 10. Wallace also had eight block assists. Both Ryan Bartz and Dyer Ball led the Cardinals with two service aces apiece.

The Ball State men’s volleyball team will continue MIVA action at Lewis on Saturday. First serve is at 6 pm ET.

BALL STATE BASEBALL

CARDINALS RALLY BACK FROM LATE FOUR-RUN DEFICIT TO TAKE GAME ONE VS BOBCATS

The Ball State baseball team rallied back from a 6-2 deficit in the eighth inning on Thursday afternoon at Ball Diamond to beat Ohio 7-6 in the Mid-American Conference series opener.

The Cardinals (15-12, 3-7 MAC) crossed home plate five times in the eighth frame to complete the comeback against the Bobcats (8-14, 4-6 MAC) who had scored two runs each in the seventh and eighth innings to take the late advantage.

Decker Scheffler got the big inning started for Ball State with a single. Hunter Dobbins and Clay Jacobs would later draw consecutive walks before Casey Turturici plated a run on a groundout. From there, Corey Miley, Houston King and Nick Gregory hit consecutive two-out RBI knocks to tie the game. Michael Hallquist got hit by a pitch and Scheffler walked to score King for the go-ahead run.

Jacobs hit a solo home run to right field in the fourth inning and Hallquist poked a solo shot out down the right field line in the sixth to account for Ball State’s offense prior to the game-winning rally. Hallquist’s blast tied the score at 2-2 after the visiting Bobcats put up two runs in the fourth inning.

King went 3-for-4 while Gregory, Hallquist and Jacobs notched a pair of hits each. Seven Cardinals had an RBI, and six scored at least one run.

Brady Owens (1-1) got the final two outs of the top of the eighth to get credit for the win, while Ohio’s Zach Weber (3-3) suffered the loss after allowing five runs in an inning of work. Will Jacobson struck out one in a scoreless ninth to earn his first save of the year.

“Our boys stayed the course and grinded out a much-needed comeback win,” head coach Rich Maloney said. “We got contributions from so many guys. This truly was a team win.”

The Cardinals and Bobcats are set to play again at 3 p.m. on Friday in the middle game of the series.

BALL STATE TRACK

JENELLE ROGERS WINS HEPTATHLON AT TEXAS RELAYS

AUSTIN, Tex. — Jenelle Rogers has had an electric start to her outdoor season after securing victory in the heptathlon at the Texas Relays on March 28 in Austin, Texas. 

Competition began Wednesday, March 27 with the 100m hurdles. Rogers had a good start, finishing with a time of 13.90 to put her in second place. 

She maintained her second-place position after finishing third in the high jump with a mark of 1.71m. Soon after, Rogers took the lead with a throw of 14.32m in the shot put. 

Day one concluded with the 200m. With a time of 24.24, Rogers finished second in the event and maintained her first-place position. After the first four events, she had collected a total of 3,633 points. 

The long jump got things started on day two. Rogers hit a mark of 6.09m, good for second in the event and enough to keep her lead. 

With just two events remaining, Rogers led by 348 points. She finished the javelin with a throw of 31.19m. 

The 800m was the final event of the competition. Rogers crossed the finish line with a time of 2:20.58, a new college best. Her efforts were good for an eighth-place event finish and 816 points. 

After seven events, Rogers collected a total of 5,825 and the heptathlon win. 

Competition will continue for the Cardinals at the Texas Relays as Malina Miller will compete in the high jump. 

INDIANA STATE BASEBALL

CUTTS, SPENCER NAMED IN THE D1BASEBALL WEEK 6 POSITIONAL RANKINGS

D1BASEBALL – Indiana State pitchers Brennyn Cutts and Jared Spencer were named among the top players at their position by D1Baseball as the organization announced their Week 6 Positional Rankings this week.

Cutts was named the No. 143 starting pitcher in the NCAA Division I, while Spencer checked in as the No. 13 relief pitcher after the first six weeks of the 2024 season. Cutts makes his first appearance in the D1Baseball positional rankings, while Spencer remains in the top-15 in the position group as announced by the organization on March 28.

Cutts has posted six starts among his seven appearances in the 2024 season. The Greenup, Ill. native has posted a 3-1 record on the mound with a 3.46 ERA and been a part of two of ISU’s three shutouts on the mound this season coming against both Florida A&M (15-0) and Xavier (5-0).

Cutts is tied for the team lead with 26.0-innings on the mound while allowing opponents to hit .248 from the plate. He’s posted a 28:12 strikeout-to-walk ratio on the season with a season-high seven strikeouts coming back on March 10 at Florida A&M.

The junior right-hander is coming off a career-long 6.1-inning outing against Missouri State this past Saturday allowing five hits while striking out six as the Sycamores evened the series with a 3-0 win over the Bears.

Spencer has made seven appearances out of the bullpen in the 2024 season posting a 4-0 record with a 3.52 ERA on the year. The Centreville, Mich. native has gone 15.1 innings with two saves on the year while highlighting a strong ISU bullpen.

Spencer has posted a 23:8 strikeout-to-walk ratio on the year while allowing opponents to hit just .217 from the plate. He’s gone at least 2.0-innings in five of his seven appearances, including a 2.1-inning, six strikeout game against Southern Miss back on March 3 in Hattiesburg.

The Sycamore left-hander has allowed one or fewer runs in six of his seven appearances including a 2.2-inning shutout relief appearance against Missouri State on March 23 for his second save of the year.

Indiana State closes out their longest home stand of the 2024 season this weekend as the Sycamores host the UIC Flames for a three-game Missouri Valley Conference series over March 29-31. Friday’s game will be carried live on ESPN+, while all three games will be broadcast live on 105.5 The Legend.

INDIANA STATE BASEBALL

SYCAMORES CLOSE OUT HOME STAND WITH THREE-GAME SERIES AGAINST UIC

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State closes out their longest home stand of the 2024 season this weekend as the Sycamores host the UIC Flames for a three-game Missouri Valley Conference series over March 29-31. Friday’s game will be carried live on ESPN+, while all three games will be broadcast live on 105.5 The Legend.

Game times for the weekend feature a 3 p.m. ET first pitch on Friday, a 2 p.m. ET start time on Saturday, and a 1p.m. ET first pitch at The Bob on Easter Sunday as the Sycamores welcome the Flames to Terre Haute during the regular season for the first time since 2013.

Indiana State Baseball Weekend Promotions

March 29 – Trading card giveaway, set 2 of 5, sponsored by Refreshment Services Pepsi for the First 100 Fans

March 30 – Bottle Koozie Giveaway, sponsored by Sparkle Pools (First 200 Fans)

March 31 – 80’s Day (anyone with a valid ID with a birthday in the 1980’s can get a $5 GA ticket)

The Sycamores (18-5, 2-1) head into the weekend series looking to extend an 11-series conference winning streak dating back to the end of the 2022 season. Indiana State took two of three this past weekend at home against Missouri State as the Sycamores rallied back from falling in Friday’s opener to take both Saturday and Sunday’s games and the season series edge over the Bears.

Indiana State has won three in a row heading into the weekend series against the Flames including rallying back in Tuesday’s matchup against Purdue at Bob Warn Field. The Sycamores batted around in the fifth inning on their way to turning a 5-1 deficit into a 7-5 lead and Simon Gregersen shut the door on the Boilermakers in the ninth inning as Indiana State recorded its 10th consecutive win against the Big Ten.

The Sycamores loaded the bases with none out in the bottom of the eighth inning after Purdue evened the game up in the top of the frame on Keenan Taylor’s sacrifice fly scoring Connor Caskenette. Listi drew a leadoff walk to set the table, while back-to-back singles from Luis Hernandez and Joe Kido loaded the bases against Purdue reliever Jackson Dannelley. Dannelley’s first pitch to Parker Stinson went to the backstop and Listi beat the relay home to give the Sycamores the 8-7 lead.

Purdue rallied in the top of the ninth loading the bases before Simon Gregersen took the mound. The redshirt junior closer proceeded to strike out Logan Sutter for the first out, before getting Caskenette to roll over on a pitch for the game-inning ground ball double play to secure the one-run win for the Sycamores.

Indiana State rallied back from an early 5-1 deficit in the bottom of the fifth inning thanks to a six-run frame highlighted by Connor Hicks and Grant Magill home runs. Parker Stinson added a solo home run in the second inning, while Listi, Hernandez, and Hicks all posted multi-hit games in the win.

The Sycamore win over the Boilermakers ran ISU’s record to 5-1 overall in the midweek as ISU continues one of the most successful stretches in program history. After starting 2-8 in the 2023 season, the Sycamores posted 43 wins over their next 52 games on their way to advancing to the NCAA Super Regional. With the 18-5 start to the 2024 season, the Sycamores have posted a 61-14 record over their last 75 contests, an .813 winning percentage.

ISU took two of the three games from Missouri State this past weekend in Indiana State’s conference-opening series against Missouri State. Luis Hernandez (.500) and Dom Listi (.500) both paced the Sycamores lineup, while Hernandez and Randal Diaz both homered over the series win. The ISU pitching staff took control of the series from the mound posting a 3.00 ERA while limiting the Missouri State offense to a .186 batting average over the three-game series.

For their efforts over the last week, both Hernandez (Player) and Cam Edmonson (Pitcher) swept the Missouri Valley Conference’s weekly awards. Hernandez hit .533 from the plate while homering twice against both Indiana and Missouri State. He added eight hits and seven RBIs while scoring six runs in his first conference recognition. Edmonson went 7.0-innings over two relief appearances in picking up wins over both Indiana and Missouri State. He struck out 10 and posted a 1.29 ERA.

The Sycamores added two more accolades to their credit coming into the weekend as both Randal Diaz (No. 20 Shortstop) and Hernandez (No. 46 First Baseman) were honored among the tops in their position by D1Baseball in their Week 6 rankings.

Hernandez continues to pace the Sycamore offense in the 2024 season as the first baseman enters the weekend on a career-best 22-game hitting streak. The Gurabo, Puerto Rico native is hitting .396 from the plate while leading ISU in hits (38) and runs (23), while sitting third in home runs (6) and second in RBIs (27). He’s also tied for the team lead with two stolen bases on the season.

Listi has nearly kept pace with Hernandez connecting at a .373 clip from the plate with 28 hits and a team-high six doubles, while reaching base in all 23 games in 2024. He’s posted a team-best .529 on-base percentage drawing 15 walks and 12 hit-by-pitches working primarily out of the two-spot in the Indiana State lineup.

Diaz (.313) is second on the team with 30 hits while adding five home runs and 20 RBIs from the leadoff position in the lineup. He’s slugging .531 with a .393 on-base percentage while starting all 23 games. Josue Urdaneta, Parker Stinson, Adam Pottinger, and Mike Sears have all started to come alive at the plate with Grant Magill adding seven multi-RBI games on the year.

The Indiana State pitching staff continues to get the job done on the mound as the Sycamores boast a Valley-leading 4.23 ERA spread across 15 different pitchers. Cameron Holycross (1-1, 3.66 ERA) has held down the Friday starting spot over the last three games posting a 19:6 strikeout-to-walk ratio, while Brennyn Cutts (3-1, 3.46 ERA) and Luke Hayden (2-1, 3.81 ERA) continue to work in the weekend rotation.

The bullpen was stellar over the weekend series against Missouri State posting a 1.23 ERA highlighted by performances from Jared Spencer, Cam Edmonson, Simon Gregersen, Brayden Lybarger, Kyle Cortner, and Zach Davidson all shutting down the Bears’ offense. For the season, the ISU staff has posted a 227:90 strikeout-to-walk ratio while allowing opponents to hit .248 from the plate.

Scouting the UIC Flames

UIC entered the 2024 season ranked eighth in the Missouri Valley Conference preseason poll receiving 34 total points following a 28-25 season that included a 13-14 overall mark in their first season in Valley play. The Flames welcomed 15 new faces to the roster this season under head coach Sean McDermott including Kentucky transfer Kendall Ewell, a 2022 Golden Spikes Award National Semifinalist.

The Flames have started off the 2024 season strong posting a 16-7 overall record, including a 2-1 mark on the road at Belmont in the MVC opener for both squads. The Flames took the Friday game, 8-6, against the Bruins, and bounced back from Saturday’s 4-3 loss to claim the series with the 7-4 Sunday win.

Highlighting UIC’s season to date includes wins over Houston Christian, North Park, Ohio (twice), Milwaukee (twice), St. Thomas (three), SIUE (twice), and last week’s 6-5, 14-inning win at Purdue. The victory over the Boilermakers featured an early two-run Ewell home run, while AJ Henkle and Jackson Bessette drove in RBI singles in the 14th frame to secure the victory.

Zane Zielinski has been UIC’s most consistent hitter at the plate over the first 23 games connecting at a .407 clip from the plate with team-highs in hits (35), runs (24), triples (3), and stolen bases (12). He’s also posted a team-high .535 on-base percentage to go with seven doubles and four home runs.

Jackson Bessette was also hitting close to the .400 mark over the early part of the season on his way to posting a .367 batting average through 21 games. He’s added 33 hits and eight doubles, while scoring 22 runs. Kendal Ewell (.311) and James Harris (.306) are also among the team’s batting leaders with UIC posting a Valley-leading .311 team batting average. UIC also leads the conference in team triples (12) and on-base percentage (.424).

UIC has relied on the arms of Dillon Schueler (3-0, 3.77 ERA), Brandon Bak (2-2, 3.54 ERA), and Kendall Lyons (2-1, 5.13) on the weekend to date this season as the trio headline the Flames’ pitching staff in 2024. Fifteen different pitchers have combined for a 5.70 team ERA over 203.2 innings on the year while allowing opponents to hit .280 from the plate. UIC has also posted a 158:86 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

Series History

Indiana State and UIC have lined up six times over their respective program histories dating back to the inaugural matchup in the 2012 season. The Sycamores are 4-2 all-time against the Flames including 1-1 in Terre Haute following last season’s 8-5 win in the Missouri Valley Championships held at Bob Warn Field.

UIC hosted Indiana State last season at Curtis Granderson Field with the Flames taking the series opener, 10-7, before ISU rallied back to win 13-7 and 10-1 over the final two games to claim the conference series. The pair of wins against UIC in the series finale started a 14-game winning streak that propelled the Sycamores to a stretch that featured 30 wins over 33 games on their way to winning the MVC regular season and Valley tournament championship.

The Sycamores hit .327 as a team against UIC over the four games last season paced by Seth Gergely’s .467 batting average. Luis Hernandez (.400) and Adam Pottinger (.364) were also among the hitting leaders, while Mike Sears and Randal Diaz connected on two homers apiece to lead the offense.

ISU’s pitching staff posted a 5.66 ERA over the four games against the Flames with a 30:15 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 35.0 innings. The Sycamores held the Flames to a .246 batting average with Simon Gregersen, Cam Edmonson, and Brennyn Cutts all making multiple appearances out of the bullpen.

PURDUE FT. WAYNE TRACK

MASTODON MEN IN ACTION IN TEXAS AND ST. LOUIS

AUSTIN, Texas/ST. LOUIS, Mo. – The Mastodon men’s track and field team was in action at the Texas Relays and Washington Distance Carnival on Thursday (March 28).

Aaron Martin was 10th at the Texas Relays in his section of the javelin with a throw of 58.98 meters.

At Washington University, Austin Hall turned in a time of 29:52.57 in the 10000 meters for a new PR. Harrison Niswander ran the 5000 in 14:45.32

The ‘Dons are back in action in multiple meets on Friday.

RILEY TATE RECORDS PR IN 5000 METERS AT WASHINGTON DISTANCE CARNIVAL

SAN MARCOS, Texas & ST. LOUIS, Mo. – The Mastodon women’s track and field team opened a busy week of competition in two different sites on Thursday (March 28).

Riley Tate opened the Washington Distance Carnival with a PR of 16:38.54 in the 5000 meters. The top time in the Horizon League this season and second on the school’s top 10 list.

Megan Sinnott used a toss of 34.16 meters to take eighth in the javelin at the Bobcat Invitational hosted by Texas State. Ali Sparks was 19th in the discus (38.47 meters) at the same meet.

Dylan Kirkwood competed in four events of the heptathlon. She was eighth in the 200 (25.60), ninth in the 100 hurdles (14.54), ninth in the shot put (10.70 meters) and 12th in the high jump (1.55 meters). She is 11th after day one with 2989 points.

The ‘Dons are back in action on Friday.

PURDUE FT. WAYNE BASEBALL

MILWAUKEE TAKES SERIES OPENER FROM THE ‘DONS

MILWAUKEE – Purdue Fort Wayne lost a Horizon League baseball game at Milwaukee 10-2 on Thursday (March 28) to open a three-game series.

The Mastodons scored first with two runs in the first inning. Grant Thoroman hit a triple off the right field wall to knock in a run. He then scored on a Nick Sutherlin RBI groundout.

It stayed a 2-0 game until the Panthers scored twice in the third. It started a stretch of 10 straight runs for Milwaukee.

Carson Hansen put the Panthers up 5-2 with a two-run home run in the fifth.

Eight of nine Mastodon starters reached base in the game. Ben Higgins had a triple and a walk.

Owen Willard is 0-4 after taking the loss. He recorded four strikeouts and gave up three runs (two earned) in 3.1 innings. Luke Hansel got the win to move to 1-2 after 7.0 innings of work.

Tyler Bickers had four hits and drove in five runs for the Panthers.

Milwaukee improves to 3-19 (2-5 Horizon League). The ‘Dons fall to 9-17 (3-4 Horizon League).

EVANSVILLE BASEBALL

BASEBALL RUN-RULES SOUTHERN ILLINOIS, 12-2 TO OPEN SERIES

EVANSVILLE, Ind. –  University of Evansville senior starter Shane Harris tossed six strong innings on Thursday night, and the Purple Aces broke things open with nine runs in the seventh and eighth innings to post a series-opening 12-2 run-rule victory over the Southern Illinois Salukis at German American Bank Field at Charles H. Braun Stadium in Evansville.

“It’s great to get back in the win column obviously,” said UE head coach Wes Carroll.  “It really started on the mound for us tonight with the effort that we got out of Shane Harris.  He got some early swings tonight, which kept his pitch-count low, and that really helped him settle in and set the tone for us.

“Offensively, we got a lot of hits early, but also left a lot of guys on base, and it felt like we should have been up more early on.  But, the guys never wavered, and finally, in winning time, we were able to string together a lot of good at-bats and we were finally able to put up the big inning.  Overall, I really liked the energy that our guys came to the park with today and we need to carry that over to tomorrow night.”

Harris set the tone early for UE, recording a pair of strikeouts in the first inning, as he retired the first 12 men he faced.  Graduate outfielder Mark Shallenberger then led off the game with a double to left-center field and he eventually scored on an RBI ground out by graduate third baseman Brent Widder, as UE took a 1-0 lead just three batters into the game.

Shallenberger then added a two-run double off the wall in left-center field in the second inning to push the lead to 3-0.  Evansville would collect seven hits in the first three innings, but left five men stranded on base, as the lead remained 3-0.

Southern Illinois would finally get its first hit and run of the game off of Harris in the fifth inning, and tacked on another run in the sixth inning, but he buckled down and got a fly out from SIU’s clean-up batter to end the sixth inning with a 3-2 lead.  Harris (2-4) would earn the victory in just his second start of the year, giving up just two runs on five hits in 6.0 innings of work with three strikeouts against no walks.

SIU threatened to tie the game in the seventh inning, putting two men on base, but reliever Drew Fieger got a pop up to end the frame and keep Evansville in the lead.  Then, in the seventh inning, Evansville took advantage of extreme wildness from the SIU bullpen to plate six runs on a lead-off single, an error, seven walks and a pair of sacrifice flies.  UE then enacted the run-rule in the eighth inning on a run-scoring ground-rule double by junior outfielder Harrison Taubert, a run-scoring passed ball, and a walk-off RBI single by Shallenberger.

Shallenberger led UE by going 3-for-4 with two doubles and four RBI.  Taubert, graduate first baseman Chase Hug and junior catcher Evan Waggoner also had two-hit outings.

With the victory, Evansville improves to 10-15 overall and 1-3 in the Missouri Valley Conference.  Southern Illinois, meanwhile, falls to 17-9 overall and 3-1 in the Valley.  The series will continue on Friday night at 6 p.m. in a game that can be heard live in the Tri-State on 107.1 FM-WJPS and seen live on ESPN+.  Freshman left-hander Kenton Deverman (2-1, 4.46 ERA) will get the start for UE.

EVANSVILLE SOFTBALL

SOFTBALL WELCOMES UIC FOR 3-GAME SERIES

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Another 3-game home series is on the slate this weekend as the University of Evansville softball team welcomes UIC to Tri-State Orthopaedics Field at Cooper Stadium for a 3-game series running Friday through Sunday.  ESPN+ will have the live coverage of the final two games of the weekend.

Last Time Out

– Strong pitching by Belmont led them to a 3-game series sweep last weekend in Nashville; the Bruins allowed just two runs by the Purple Aces in the three games

– Sunday’s finale saw the Aces fall by a 2-1 final as Sydney Weatherford kept her team in it, allowing two earned runs in five frames

– Jess Willsey, who hit .444 over the weekend, had a solo home run in the final game

Providing the Offense

– Batting a team-high .444 in the Belmont series, Jess Willsey has upped her season average to .302, which is second on the team

– Willsey registered four hits in nine at-bats versus the Bruins and takes a 7-game hit streak into the weekend

– She is tied for 6th in the MVC with seven doubles and a total of 29 hits; her 96 at-bats ranks third in the conference

Solid Performances

– Brooke Voss finished the Belmont series batting .333 with three hits in nine at-bats

– Over the last 11 games, Voss has batted .344 with 11 hits in 32 at-bats; those efforts have seen her season average rise from .146 to .237

– Voss has 10 runs and six RBI during that span and has picked up a hit in 8 of the last 11 games

Making Strides

– Mid-March saw Hannah Hood posted just two hits in 16 at-bats between the 12th and 19th, but she looks to get back on track following the road trip to Belmont

– Against the Bruins, Hood registered a pair of hits in eight at-bats and has upped her average for the season to .257

– Her 15 runs is tied for third on the team while her 14 walks is second

Solid in the Circle

– Over her last four pitching appearances, Sydney Weatherford has allowed just three earned runs in 23 frames, translating to an ERA of 0.91

– In that time, Weatherford has seven strikeouts while walking just two batters

– Her MVC earned run average is 1.56 while her season ERA is just 2.43

– 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

SOUTHERN INDIANA BASEBALL

SCREAMING EAGLES LOSE SLUGFEST WITH MOREHEAD STATE

MOREHEAD, Ky. – University of Southern Indiana Baseball lost a slugfest with Morehead State University, 11-10, to start a three-game series Thursday evening in Morehead, Kentucky. USI is 11-14 overall and 2-2 in the OVC, while MSU goes to 15-11, 2-2 OVC.

The Screaming Eagles took the early advantage, 2-0, with a pair of runs in the top first. Senior designated hitter Jack Ellis (Jeffersonville, Indiana) put USI on top, 1-0, with a sacrifice fly, while junior rightfielder Adam Euler (Evansville, Indiana) gave the Screaming Eagles a 2-0 lead on a RBI-single in his 2024 debut.

After Morehead tied the score, 2-2, in the bottom half of the frame, USI jumped back out in front, 5-2, with three in the top of the second. Senior first baseman Tucker Ebest (Austin, Texas) would give the Screaming Eagles a 4-2 lead with a two-out two-run single to left center before sophomore shortstop Caleb Niehaus (Newburgh, Indiana) finished the rally by sneaking home on a wild pitch.

The MSU Eagles bounce back in the bottom of the second to regain the lead, 6-5, after a four-run frame. The score would remain 6-5 until USI took back the advantage, 8-6, in the seventh on a three-run blast by Ellis. The homer was Ellis’ team-high fifth of the season.

The USI margin would last until the bottom of the eighth when MSU jumped back into the lead, 10-8, with its second four-run frame of the game. The Screaming Eagles fought back into the game for a third time, tying the game, 10-10, with a pair of runs in the top of the ninth.

USI pulled to within one at 10-9 on a RBI-single by junior catcher Logan Mock (Livermore, California) and tied the score, 10-10, on a RBI-single by Euler.

MSU, however, rebounded to take the lead for a third time in the game when USI senior right-hander Cory Anderson (Linton, Indiana) gave up a walk-off home run to MSU Eagles first baseman Roman Kunz to lead-off the frame. Anderson fell to 0-1.

USI freshman Grant Parson (Owensboro, Kentucky) started and got a no-decision. Parson allowed six runs on two hits and four walks in two innings of work.

Up Next for the Eagles:

The Screaming Eagles and the MSU Eagles continue the series Friday with a 4 p.m. (CDT) first pitch. The series concludes Saturday at noon (CDT).

UINDY TRACK

PENTECOST SHATTERS SCHOOL RECORD AT MARIAN OPEN

INDIANAPOLIS – The UIndy men’s and women’s track and field teams kicked off their 2024 outdoor campaign at the local Marian University Open. The meet featured athletes from Ancilla, Behtel (Ind.), IU-Kokomo, IUPUI, Marian (Ind.), St. Mary’s-of-the-Woods, St. Xavier, and Trine.

WOMEN’S RECAP

The highlight of the day was Zoe Pentecost destroying the UIndy school record in the hammer throw. The All-American reached 61.94 meters and is now No. 1 in the country for the event. The previous UIndy school record was held by Farin Hickman who reached 59.31 meters in 2015. Pentecost also placed second discus with 44.36 meters.

Fellow All-American Sabrina Robison also reached an NCAA D2 provisional in the pole vault. Robison cleared 3.95 meters and finished the competition in the top spot. Teammate Mackenzie VanBibber was right behind her in second with a high of 3.65 meters.

Ellie Lengerich also had a successful day on track and in the field. Lengerich placed second in the high jump after clearing 1.65 meters and first in the 400m hurdles. In the hurdles, the junior set a new PR of 1:02.39. Also on the track, Lindsey Wormuth placed second in the 100m hurdles after clocking 15 seconds.

Thrower Emily Bonser finished with three top-five finishes. Bonser placed second in the hammer throw (50.59) and fourth in the shot put (12.23 meters) and discus (41.75 meters).

OTHER TOP WOMEN’S FINISHES

5. Zaleeya Martin, 100m, 12.64 PR

5. Audra Hogan, discus, 41.74 meters

6. MaKenna Maschino, discus, 40.44 meters

6. Claire Tabit, shot put, 11.61 meters

6. Joanna Fields, long jump, 4.91 meters

6. Emma Neargardner, 100m hurdles, 16.18

6. Zaleeya Martin, 200m, 26.46

MEN’S RECAP

Alex Meyer took the top spot in two events at Marian. The freshman first won the high jump with a mark of 1.97 meters. Meyer later reached 7.11 meters in the long jump, winning with a margin of 0.27 meters. Samuel Sommers was another participant in the long jump. Sommers placed third with a distance of 6.83 meters.

In the pole vault, Treyton Arnold and Keywaun Taylor finished inside the top five. Arnold took second with 4.60 meters and Taylor claimed fifth after clearing 4.35 meters.

On the track, Drayden Gates competed in both hurdle events. In the 110m, Gates clocked 18.84 securing him seventh place. The sophomore took fifth in the 400m with a time of 59.32.

Senior Owen Butler claimed second place in the Javelin with 40.86 meters. Also in throws, Dylan Mayhew ended the day with a third (hammer, 54.47m) and fourth (shot put, 15.34m). Mayhew’s distance in the hammer throw created a new personal record for the sophomore.

OTHER TOP MEN’S FINISHES

4. Cameron Smith, discus, 43.07m

4. Cameron Smith, hammer, 50.96m

5. Bryson Adams, 14.58m

6. Tyje Elias, triple jump, 12.44m

UP NEXT

The Greyhounds will travel to Cincinnati, Ohio on Saturday to compete in the Oliver Nikoloff Invitational. Hosted by the University of Cincinnati, the meet will start with field events at 10 a.m. with the running events to follow at 12:10 p.m.

UINDY BASEBALL

OFFENSE EXPLODES AS HOUNDS HAMMER HAWKS 21-4

INDIANAPOLIS – The bats were hot for the UIndy Greyhounds as they unleashed 21 runs in the series opener against the Rockhurst Hawks for their 15th win in a row.

Three separate Greyhounds went yard, with the milestone coming in the fifth inning as Bryce Goodwine hammered one over the right-field fence for his first career bomb. He was joined in the dinger party by Luis Vergara and Drew Donaldson.

INS & OUTS

The Hounds got the party started early with Dakota Sill getting hit by a pitch in a bases-loaded jam. The Hawks responded in the top second with a sac fly, but after that it was all Hounds at Bill Bright Field. The Hounds slapped five across in the third, the big blow coming via a Vergara oppo-taco bomb.

UIndy put up another crooked number in the fourth after a top of the fourth solo shot by the Hawks. Both Zack Williams and Nick Lukac tallied RBIs in the four-run fourth, the latter coming via a bases loaded double.

But the final nail in the coffin came where the Hounds put up a ten-run inning for the third time in the last three days. Walks, walks and more walks brought runners home up until Goodwine made some noise, demolishing a ball into right field for his first career home run.

Diego Cardenas, Jake Barbeau and Jacob Flaherty made up the pitching attack for the Hounds with Cardenas picking up his second win of the season in five innings of work.

OUCH!

Cole Hampton, starting at third base, was an on-base percentage lovers dream in the victory, reaching five times on the day, three of which by hit by pitch and two walks. In total the Hawks issued five hit by pitches alongside 13 walks on the day.

UP NEXT

Games two and three are on the docket next for the Hounds as they play a doubleheader on Friday against the Hawks. First pitch of game one is set for 12 p.m. while the second game is set for 3 p.m.

UINDY WOMEN’S LAX

LAKERS SINK HOUNDS IN THURSDAY BATTLE

INDIANAPOLIS – The No. 13 UIndy women’s lacrosse team suffered another tough defeat to a ranked opponent on Thursday, falling to top-10 Grand Valley State from Key Stadium by a score of 16-9.

Caroline Krauch played a solid all-around game, adding three goals to her final line of five ground balls and four caused turnovers. Joining Krauch with a hat trick was Olivia Bladon, netting all three of her scores in the first half.

INS & OUTS

Krauch beat the buzzer at the end of the opening quarter, inching the Hounds within a single score. The junior capped a three-goal stretch minutes later to give UIndy its first lead in 15 minutes of game play, sandwiching Bladon’s third score of the afternoon.

Grand Valley begin to pull away later in the frame, before Megan Dunn beat the visiting keeper to trail by one in the waning moments of the half. The Lakers scored four straight goals thereafter – including immediately two after Dunn’s lone score of the afternoon – to build an insurmountable lead.

The Greyhounds would not get back within four over the final 19+ minutes, with a pair of fourth-quarter goals from Mackenzie Winn not enough to put a dent in the final result.

INSIDE THE BOX

– Malaena Michielin led the team with four draw controls, while assisting on Bladon’s third goal.

– Grand Valley entered Thursday with a 73.5 percent clip in the draw circle; however, UIndy chipped into that mark with 11 victories.

– The Hounds’ nine goals tied the season-high allowed by the Lakers, including three from the free position.

– Winn led the team with four points, adding two helpers.

– The Greyhounds caused 11 of the Lakers’ 14 turnovers, with Michielin joining Sage Da Silva with a pair each.

MORE NOTES

UIndy now leads the all-time series, 8-6 … Thursday marked the first Lakers’ win at Key Stadium since 2017.

UP NEXT

The Greyhounds open GLVC play on Saturday with a 1 p.m. ET battle at Lewis in Romeoville, Ill.

MARIAN TRACK

RIOS’ BIG DAY LEADS MEN’S TRACK AND FIELD IN HOME OPEN

INDIANAPOLIS – The Marian men’s track and field team hosted their first home event of the season Thursday at St. Vincent Field and the Eco Lab, hosting the Marian Knight Open. Christian Rios led the Knights efforts with three NAIA A Standards, as the field events headlined Marian’s efforts.

Christian Rios stole the show in the throwing pits on Thursday, claiming three victories and three NAIA A Standards as he led the throwers. Rios began his day with a school record in the hammer, hitting an A standard with a 64.03m effort, and followed with a 16.81m mark to hit an A Standard in the shot put. Rios finished his day with an A Standard victory in the discus.

Joining Rios with NAIA A Standard distances in the throws were Isaiah Tipping who finished second in the discus and hammer with A standard distances, while Jacob Netral finished third in the discus and second in the shot put, with an A mark in both events. Tipping finished third in the shot put, adding a B Standard distance with his bronze efforts.

Also hitting an NAIA A Standard was Brenden Endres, who cleared 4.80m in the pole vault to qualify for the NAIA National Championships.

Marian won seven different races, and ended the day with victories in 11 events. Eli Givens won the 200m and finished runner-up in the 400m behind Matthew Riehle, and Mason Piatt finished first in the 800m. Jeremiah Brown won the 100m and Gus Martinez took first in the 110m hurdles, while Marian won both the 4x100m and 4x400m relays.

100m: Jeremiah Brown (1st, 10.96), Olivier Lifrange (3rd), Manny Manneh (4th), Connor Maple (5th), Eric Materna (12th), Richard Dube (14th), Michael Runions (33rd)

200m: Eli Givens (1st, 22.18), Maple (2nd), Materna (3rd), Dude (4th), Gideon Brimmage (6th), Brown (8th), Amarion Sanders (18th), Brendan Oleksak (20th), Howard Hendricks (31st)

400m: Matthew Riehle (1st, 49.08), Givens (2nd), Tristan Trevino (4th), Everett Carlisle (5th), Hendricks (8th), Micah Williams (9th), Alex Chavarria (18th)

800m: Mason Piatt (1st, 1:56.09), Owen Pittman (2nd), Benjamin Moster (3rd), Alex Mundt (5th),  Daniel Camacho (7th), Chavarria (12th)

1500m: Alex Cuevas (7th), Thomas Richards (10th), Lucas Steward (27th), Kenneth Hammell (30th), Mitchell Hayward (34th)

5000m: Clark Chustz (2nd), Robert Lohman (5th), Adam Heitz (8th), Aaron Broderick (9th)

4x100m Relay: 1st place (41.97), 4th place

4x 400m Relay: 1st place (3:19.97), 2nd place, 5th place, 6th place

110m Hurdles: Gus Martinez (1st, 15.66), Emory McClellan (2nd), Caleb Carter (3rd)

400m Hurdles: Martinez (2nd), Carter (3rd), McClellan (4th), Runions (7th), Gregory Hueston (13th)

Race Walk: Emory McClellan (4th)

High Jump: Van Lian (6th), Felipe Mentz (8th), AJ Wrenn (10th)

Long Jump: Armani Glass (2nd), Amarion Sanders (7th), Cameron Parsley (12th), Van Lian (17th), Jeremiah Brown (22nd), Caden Wildey (29th)

Pole Vault: Brenden Endres (1st, 4.80m, NAIA A Standard), Evan Haag (3rd), Brennan La Belle (7th), Felipe Mentz (9th)

Triple Jump: Lian (2nd), Glass (3rd), Oleksak (4th), Qujuan Cannon (7th), Parsley (14th), Jordan Pohl (14th)

Hammer: Christian Rios (1st, 64.03m, NAIA A Standard, School Record), Isaiah Tipping (2nd, NAIA A Standard), Markevious Keys (5th), Ayden Brown (15th), Jacob Netral (21st)

Shot Put: Rios (1st, 16.81m, NAIA A Standard), Netral (2nd, NAIA A Standard), Tipping (3rd, NAIA B Standard), Steely Munoz (10th), Keys (25th), Kevaughn Dawn (25th)

Discus: Rios (1st, 52.63m NAIA A Standard), Tipping (2nd, NAIA A Standard), Netral (3rd, NAIA A Standard), Marco Keys (15th), Munoz (17th), Brown (21st)

Marian will be on the road next weekend, sending members of the lineup to the University of Tennessee on Friday and Saturday.

MARIAN MEN’S TENNIS

KNIGHTS FALL TO HOLY CROSS IN THURSDAY’S MATCH

INDIANAPOLIS – The Marian men’s tennis team continues their home stretch on a sour note Thursday afternoon, losing at the hands of Holy Cross by a 4-2 final count. Marian is 12-7 on the season.

Jan Bartolome and James McNamar finished first at No. 3, 6-4 to put the Knights in the lead. Jona Henze and Marc Soriano finished second at No. 2, 7-6 and 7-4 in the tie breaker to secure the point for Marian. James Ashworth and Luis Sobanski went unfinished at No.1.

The Knights got behind early in singles with Ashworth falling first at No. 1, 3-6 and 1-6. Henze fell after at No. 3 with final counts of 1-6 and 5-7. Soriano finished next to claim Marian’s soul point in the singles category, winning at No. 4 with consecutive 6-4 counts.

Sobanski finished next falling at No. 2, 3-6 and 5-7 final counts. McNamar fell last at No.6 with 2-6 and 3-6 final counts. Bartolome went unfinished at No.5.

Marian will play their next match on Tuesday, April 2nd against Missouri Baptist at the Marian Tennis Courts starting at 2:00 p.m.

MARIAN WOMEN’S TENNIS

#22 MARIAN LANDS UPSET 4-1 WIN OVER #14 HOLY CROSS

INDIANAPOLIS – The Marian women’s tennis team finishes off home stretch with a 4-1 win over Holy Cross College Thursday afternoon. The Knights are now 14-5 overall on the season.

Katharina Bopst and Michelle Irigoyen finished off first at No. 1, 6-0 to claim the lead for the Knights. Yasmin Imamniyazova and Ana Barbosa Fernandez finished second at No. 2 with a score of 6-2 to claim the point for the Knights. Paloma Caceres Villalba and Isadora Muller went unfinished at No. 3.

After the Knights claimed the point at doubles Holy Cross quickly fired back with a consecutive 6-0 win against Bopst at No.4. Imamniyazova then finished next at No. 1 with 6-3 and 6-1 to claim the second point for the Knights to put them back in the lead. Barbosa Fernandez finished next at No. 2 with 6-3 and 6-1 scores aswell. Irigoyen finished it up with a consecutive 6-0 win at No.3 to claim the 4-1 win for the Knights. Caceres Villalba went unfinished at No. 5 and Muller went unfinished at No.6.

Marian will play their next match on the road Saturday, March 30th against Butler starting at 10:00 a.m.

MARIAN TRACK

MARIAN WOMEN’S TRACK AND FIELD MAKE STRONG EFFORTS IN HOME OPEN

INDIANAPOLIS – The Marian women’s track and field team hosted their annual Marian Knight Home Open on Thursday, putting together a strong collective of outings in the home meet. Arriana Benjamin and Gina Butz hit NAIA A standards, as the Knights field athletes led the team in the meet.

Arriana Benjamin put together a strong outing, hitting NAIA A standard marks in her wins in the shot put and discus. Benjamin also finished third overall behind the defending NCAA DII Indoor weight throw champion Zoe Pentacost of UIndy, piecing together a strong effort. Gina Butz also hit an NAIA A standard, as the Knights’ All-American high jumper cleared 1.68m in the high jump. Brooke Coffman also hit the NAIA B standard in the high jump at 1.65m, later finishing fourth in the 100m hurdles.

Marian had several podium level finishes in their races with Catalla Jones scoring third in the 100m and Janae Bailey finishing second in the 200m. Emma Beimfohr won the steeplechase and Taylor Thomas won the 800m, while the Knights won the 4x100m and 4x400m relays. Shirmara Anderson also added a win with her victory in the triple jump.

100m: Catalla Jones (3rd), Armoney Clay (13th), Areyeana Fry (14th), Kathy Soriano (16th), Jade Dogan (21st), Aya Dunn (22nd), Kyla Booker (30th)

200m: Janae Bailey (2nd), Hanna Reuter (4th), Soriano (9th), Taylor Thomas (11th), Aryana Fry (13th), Dogan (15th), Nora Steele (17th), Kylee Lewellen (23rd)

400m: Steele (4th), Holli Reuter (5th), Maya Mundy (6th), Katie Woods (7th), Rosie Barrett (10th), Brooke Trinkle (13th), Gracynn Hinkley (14th)

800m: Taylor Thomas (1st, 2:18.05), Liz Loichinger (2nd), Adrianna Boyd (3rd), Trinkle (5th), Hinkley (6th), Lewellen (8th)

5000m: Josie Feldman (4th), Luci Woodrum (5th), Emily Baker (7th)

4x100m Relay: 1st place (48.43)

4x400m Relay: 1st place (4:04.52), 2nd place, 3rd place

100m Hurdles: Nina Marinkovic (3rd), Brooke Coffman (4th), Bella Dean (9th), Booker (14th), Aya Dunn (17th)

3000m Steeplechase: Emma Beimfohr (1st 12:22.56), Sabrina Siems (2nd), Lindsay Huston (3rd)

High Jump: Gina Butz (1st, 1.68m, NAIA A Standard), Brooke Coffman (2nd, NAIA B Standard), Bella Dean (10th)

Long Jump: Hanna Reuter (5th), Nina Marinkovic (8th), Shirmara Anderson (10th)

Pole Vault: Mia Curran (5th), Alli Taylor (7th)

Triple Jump: Shirmara Anderson (1st, 10.85m), Holli Reuter (2nd)

Javelin: Bella Dean (4th), Gabi Bilbrey (6th), Keeley Hughes (10th), Emma Bock (13th), India Smith (15th)

Hammer: Arriana Benjamin (3rd), Keeley Hughes (5th), Nhaydia Watson (6th), Allie Miller (9th), Karen Willaredt (10th), Gabi Bilbrey (20th), Tracey Gooch (29th), Courtney Butler (29th)

Shot Put: Benjamin (1st,14.41m, NAIA A Standard), India Smith (12th), Bilbrey (15th), Watson (16th),  Gooch (17th), Butler (19th), Willaredt (21st), Miller (22nd), Bock (25th),

Discus: Benjamin (1st, 47.34m, NAIA A Standard), Bilbrey (7th), Gooch (8th), Miller (13th), Willaredt (15th), Watson (20th), Hughes (22nd), Smith (24th)

Marian will be on the road next weekend, sending members of the lineup to the University of Tennessee on Friday and Saturday.

TAYLOR ATHLETICS | NO. 18 TROJANS’ WIN STREAK HALTED AT 11 GAMES IN SPLIT

HUNTINGTON, Ind. – The 18th-ranked Taylor baseball team (22-10, 15-3 CL) exploded for a season-high 20 hits in a 14-2 game one victory before the bats fell silent in a 3-0 game two defeat at Huntington (17-12, 12-6) on Thursday evening.

The loss in the nightcap ended TU’s 11-game winning streak, though the pitching staff continued its streak of seven consecutive games allowing no more than four runs.

The Trojans’ offense, fueled by huge days from everyone batting in the top of the order, was clicking on all cylinders in the doubleheader opener as it scored in seven-of-eight innings and hit for a .500 batting average.

Through two innings, Kaleb Kolpien had a pair of hits, a run scored and an RBI while graduate-transfer Jacob Caruso launched his first career home run in a Taylor uniform as TU grabbed a 5-0 lead. The Trojans took advantage of two errors in the third inning to plate two more before the Foresters answered in the third inning to make it 7-1.

Ben Kennedy notched an RBI-double in the fourth frame before HU responded in kind to make it 8-2 through four innings. Brayden Manning got the run right back, however, with a run-scoring single – his third hit of the afternoon – to extend the lead again to 9-2.

Starting pitcher Gabel Pentecost (4-1) closed his day after the fifth inning with a final line of six strikeouts and two runs (both earned) allowed in the winning effort.

TU’s lineup went back to work by scoring multiple runs in the sixth and eighth frames courtesy of a two-run double from Mason David and run-producing knocks from Manning and Rylee Singleton to make it a 14-2 game.

Reliever Jake Boyer was outstanding as he breezed through the Forester lineup with perfect sixth, seventh and eighth innings. The sophomore right-hander’s performance locked up the run-rule victory and gave Boyer his first career save.

TU’s one-through-four hitters beginning with Camden Knepp all had multi-hit games in the series opener, led by David and Manning’s matching production of four hits and two RBIs.

Nick Crabtree took the mound for TU in game two, and he piggy-backed off Boyer’s performance by starting his night with four perfect innings.

The Foresters got their first baserunner aboard via a walk in the fifth frame, but that was immediately erased when Caruso made a perfect throw down to second base to catch their pinch runner stealing. The strong-armed catcher’s successful runner-caught-stealing was his 14th of the season.

Crabtree went back out for the sixth inning before running into trouble in the 0-0 ballgame, and HU took advantage of its baserunners this time around to plate three with the runs charged to both Crabtree and Jack Ross. The sophomore Crabtree ended his day going 5.1 innings with seven strikeouts against just one hit and two runs allowed.

TU’s offense could not muster much of anything throughout game two as it got shut out for the first time in Crossroads League play. The one-through-four bats again were the most productive, with Knepp, Kolpien, David and Sam Gladd recording the only four hits in the nightcap.

The Trojans have a chance to get the series win on Saturday, March 30, with first pitch of the doubleheader set for 1 p.m. at Huntington.

TAYLOR ATHLETICS | TAYLOR BASEBALL CLIMBS TO NO. 18 IN COACHES’ RATING

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – In the midst of a 10-game winning streak and a Crossroads League-best record of 14-2, the Taylor baseball team climbed three spots to stake its claim as the 18th-ranked team in the nation in the NAIA Coaches’ Top 25 poll, released March 27.

A perfect 14-0 record at Winterholter Field and some dominant pitching of late has lifted the Trojans back into the conversation as one of the elite teams in the country. Taylor’s pitching staff is currently 24th in the NAIA with a 1.42 WHIP.

Anchored by starting pitchers Gabel Pentecost, who leads the CL in WHIP and ERA, and Alec Holcomb, as well as back-end relievers Jack Ross and Dalton Swinehart, TU has allowed four or fewer runs in 16 of its past 20 games, and it has thrown two shutouts in its past four contests.

The Trojans’ lineup has also gotten continued production as it nears a .300 batting average while holding an impressive .426 on-base percentage. Among regular players, Kaleb Kolpien, Ben Kennedy and Mason David all headline TU’s bats with slugging percentages above .500.

TU looks to continue its run of success as it takes to the road beginning with a series at Huntington on Thursday, March 28. First pitch of Thursday’s doubleheader is slated for 3 p.m.

ROSE HULMAN SOFTBALL

WORSTELL COMPLETE GAME SHUTOUT LEADS ROSE-HULMAN SOFTBALL TO DOUBLEHEADER SPLIT

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. — The Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology softball team came away with a doubleheader split against a talented Greenville team with an 11-3 loss and a 2-0 victory.

The Panthers took the lead early in game one with a couple of two runs home runs, and they would take advantage of three Rose-Hulman errors to tack on four more runs in the third inning and extend the lead to 8-0.

The Fightin’ Engineers would get three runs back in the bottom of the inning on a two-run home run from Jessica Newsom and an RBI groundout by Katelyn Sarvis to score Kayla Schnippel from third.

However, Rose-Hulman would come up short 11-3 as Greenville would score two in the fourth and one in the fifth to seal the win.

In the second game, it was a pitchers dual from the very beginning with Phoebe Worstell and Valerie Greenley both locking down the hitters.

Kennedy Michnewicz finally broke through for the Fightin’ Engineers in the bottom of the fifth inning with her second career home run over the left field fence to give Rose-Hulman a 1-0 lead.

Aubrey Smith, Schnippel, and Worstell would then add three consecutive singles to give the Fightin’ Engineers an insurance run and a 2-0 lead.

Worstell would take those two runs and cruise as she would earn the win in her third complete game shutout of the season as she held the Panthers to just 6 hits as well as striking out 6 batters.

Rose-Hulman falls to 10-8 on the season with the losses. They will return to action on Thursday, April 4 as they host the Spalding Golden Eagles at 5:30 and 7:30 PM for the non-conference doubleheader.

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/

MNCHESTER ATHLETICS: https://muspartans.com/

HUNTINGTON ATHLETICS: https://www.huathletics.com/

OAKLAND CITY ATHLETICS: https://gomightyoaks.com/index.aspx

ST. FRANCIS ATHLETICS: https://www.saintfranciscougars.com/landing/index

IU KOKOMO ATHLETICS: https://iukcougars.com/

IU EAST ATHLETICS: https://www.iueredwolves.com/

IU SOUTH BEND ATHLETICS: https://iusbtitans.com/

PURDUE NORTHWEST ATHLETICS: https://pnwathletics.com/

INDIANA TECH ATHLETICS: https://indianatechwarriors.com/index.aspx

GRACE COLLEGE ATHLETICS: https://gclancers.com/

ST. MARY OF THE WOODS ATHLETICS: https://smwcathletics.com/

GOSHEN COLLEGE ATHLETICS: https://goleafs.net/

HOY CROSS ATHLETICS: https://www.hcsaints.com/index.php

TAYLOR ATHLETICS: https://www.taylortrojans.com/

VINCENNES ATHLETICS: https://govutrailblazers.com/landing/index

“SPORTS EXTRA”

NUMBERS IN SPORTS

40 – 18 – 52

March 29, 1941 – At only the third NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship played, it was the Badgers of Wisconsin capturing the crown over Washington State, 39-34. The Badgers’ forward John Kotz, Number 40 was named as the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player.

March 29, 1973 – The Boston Celtics big man, Number 18, Dave Cowens claimed the NBA’s prestigious Most Valuable Player award.

March 29, 1982 – In a star studded NCAA Men’s Championship game final, it was the North Carolina Tarheels defeating the Georgetown Hoyas 63-62. Tarheels player Number 52, James Worthy was the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player amongst other future legends in Michael Jordan, Patrick Ewing, Sleepy Floyd and coaches John Thompson and Dean Smith.

FOOTBALL HISTORY

March 29, 2004 – The NFL announces that the 2003 Regular-season paid attendance of 16,913,584 for an average of 66,328 per game were both all-time records.

March 29, 1977 the NFL adopted the 16-game regular season and four-game preseason schedule that began in the 1978 season. The new CBA passed in 2020 voted to adopt a 17-game regular season.

March 29, 1994 – Coach Jimmy Johnson resigns as head Coach of the  Dallas Cowboys. Johnson left the Cowboys because of a feud with owner Jerry Jones. Johnson coached five seasons in Dallas and made the playoffs in each of his last three seasons and walked away from the Cowboys after winning back-to-back Super Bowls of Super Bowl XXVII and Super Bowl XXVIII. Johnson went on to be the head coach of the Miami Dolphins from 1996 to 1999 after taking a two-year hiatus. He later signed up to be a pre and post game commentator on the network coverage of NFL Football.

March 29, 1996 – Cleveland Browns choose new name, Baltimore Ravens. Owner Art Modell decided to move the franchise out of the City of Cleveland but one  of the conditions of the move was that the Browns name, logo and records must stay in  Cleveland and his new team would have to take on a new identity.

March 29 Hall of Fame Birthdays

The Defiance High School football season had just concluded another season in 1921 and Don, who was now a senior had just witnessed another year where he got to substitute in for one of his teammates at the end of a one sided game. The scrawny lad did his best but his size and speed were not to the measure of his peers. After graduation Don headed for South Bend, Indiana to attend Notre Dame. He decided despite the opinions of everyone he knew to try out for the varsity football team in his sophomore team. Even Irish Head Coach Knute Rockne looked at the  5-11, 160-pound sophomore with a bit of surprise that he would be trying out for his team. But Don through hard work, hustle and smart play was destined for greatness as the workhouse runner in the famed Four Horsemen backfield of Notre Dame’s immortal 1924 national championship team according to the NFF. Don Miller was born on March 29, 1902 in Defiance, Ohio and served as one of the halfbacks from the 1922 to the 1924 seasons. Miller’s legendary coach said this about him, “With his fleetness and daring, he quickly sized up as a halfback to cheer the heart of any coach,” Rockne later admitted. “Once in the open field, he was the most dangerous of the Four Horsemen. I would have to call him the greatest open-field runner I ever had.” Don Miller had a unique high stepping gait where his knees rose higher than a normal rusher and it made it difficult for defenders to tackle him.  For the season of 1924, Miller averaged 7.1 yards per carry, and over his three-year career, Miller rushed for a 6.8-yard average. Miller was also the leading Notre Dame receiver in each of his three varsity years as well as a football All- America selection in 1923. The National Football Foundation selected Don Miller for entrance into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1970.

March 29, 1906 – Marion, South Dakota – University of Kansas outstanding halfback of the late 1920’s Jim Bausch was born.

March 29, 1925 – Emlen Tunnell was  NFL safety who played on both the Giants and Packers teams was born in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania . The Pro Football Hall of Fame tells us that Emlen was known as that Giants “offense on defense.” Tunnell entered pro football as a free agent in 1948 after having spent time at the University of Toledo and Iowa as well as time in the Coast Guard. He broke his neck at Toledo and thus neither the Army or the Navy would accept him into their ranks because of the severity of the injury. However the Coast Guard did employ him as an Em so he was able to fulfil his angst to serve his country during war time. After his service to his country Emlen returned to Iowa and played some more ball. Most teams thought Tunnell would be playing a third season with the Hawkeyes so no one drafted the defender in the 1948 NFL Draft therefore Emlen went to the New York Giants and asked to join the team as a Free Agent. He played safety at the top of a 4-1-2 Umbrella defense where Emlen intercepted a then-record 79 passes in his 14 seasons with the Giants and the Green Bay Packers. Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrined Emlen Tunnell in 1967.

March 29, 1955 – Earl Campbell the powerful back of the Texas Longhorns from 1974 through 1977 was born.  Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrined Earl Campbell in 1991.

TODAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY

1933      After missing half of last season when he broke his leg, Cubs outfielder Kiki Cuyler breaks his other leg and will miss nearly three months. The 36-year-old future Hall of Famer has led the league in stolen bases four times and will finish with 328 career steals.

1935      The reigning National League champion Cardinals release 44-year-old right-hander Dazzy Vance, who appeared in his first and only World Series this season. The future Hall of Fame hurler will return to the Dodgers, where he spent the most productive years of his career, finishing his major league 16-year tenure in the major leagues with a 197-140 (.585) record along with an ERA of 3.24.

1944      During a Pacific Coast League minor league exhibition game, Oakland lends Los Angels five players after some of their opponents suffer various injuries in a car accident. The ‘visiting’ team beats the hometown Oaks, 6-2.

1948      Thirty-four players participate in an unusually long exhibition game when the Yankees and the Red Sox take 17 innings to play to a 2-2 tie. The four-hour, two-minute contest features the Bronx Bombers scoring runs in the bottom of the ninth and tenth innings to keep the score knotted, but the team fails to push in the winning run in the final frame when Frank Crosetti attempts a two-out bunt to squeeze in a runner from third.

1954      The Cubs fire skipper Phil Cavarretta after telling reporters the team had little chance to finish in the first division. The 36-year-old player-manager, who compiled a 169-213 (.442) record during his three years at the helm, is the first to lose a managerial position during spring training.

1973      At the suggestion of A’s owner Charlie Finley, orange-colored balls are used in an 11-5 exhibition game loss to the Indians. Major League Baseball drops the novel concept after Cleveland outfielder George Hendrick, who hit three home runs in the contest, claims he had difficulty picking up the ball due to the lack of red seams on a white sphere.

1975      Mel Stottlemyre, suffering from a torn rotator cuff, is given his unconditional release by the Yankees. The team’s future pitching coach compiled a 164-139 record and a 2.97 ERA, tossing 152 complete games, including 40 shutouts.

2000      The Expos and Labatt announce the C$100M sponsorship deal, negotiated two years ago, will go forward as planned. The Brewery has committed to paying C$40M over the next twenty years for the naming rights to Montreal’s proposed downtown ballpark and approximately another C$60M to be the team’s primary sponsor, the company’s role for the past 15 years.

2001      Todd Helton signs a nine-year, $141.5 million contract extension, making him the highest-paid player in Rockies’ history. Last season, the Colorado first baseman batted .372, hit 42 homers, and knocked in 147 runs.

2002      The Red Sox purchases Rickey Henderson’s contract from Pawtucket, placing the future Hall of Fame outfielder on their Opening Day roster. The ‘Man of Steal,’ who joined the exclusive 3,000-hit club on the final day of last season, will begin his 24th year in the majors, appearing with his eighth different club.

2002      Major League Baseball announces there will be a minute of silence at 9:11 at every major league team’s first-night game this season to remember September 11th’s tragic events. The performing of God Bless America will continue during the seventh-inning stretch of all contests.

2002      The Brewers announce that Miller Park’s retractable roof will be used only on a limited basis at the start of the season as engineers try to eliminate persistent noise from the year-old structure. According to the engineers who designed the building, the problem in the pivot system, located behind and above home plate in the so-called Uecker seats, is not a hazard.

2007      In a split-squad game between the Cubs and Diamondbacks at Mesa’s HoHoKam Park, Ria Cortesio, serving alternately as the first and third base umpire, becomes the first female ump to work a major league exhibition game since Pam Postema in 1989. The thirty-year-old Davenport (IA) native, starting her ninth year as an arbitrator and fifth in Double-A minor league ball, hopes to be the first woman umpire in major league history.

2008      In an exhibition game celebrating the club’s 50th anniversary of their move west from Brooklyn, the Dodgers lose to the Red Sox in front of 115,300 fans at the LA Coliseum. The crowd is the largest ever to watch a baseball game, surpassing the previous record when approximately 114,000 patrons attended an exhibition contest between the Australian national and American services teams during the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne.

2009      The Yankees dedicate a permanent September 11th memorial at the entrance of George M. Steinbrenner Field, the team’s Spring Training home in Tampa (FL). The tribute to the victims and their families of the terrorist attacks of 2001 features a foundation in the shape of the Pentagon, which supports two towers made from steel from the World Trade Center placed on a grassy spot representing the heroes of United Flight 93, who perished in a field in Pennsylvania.

2009      John Franco throws out the ceremonial first pitch to a standing ovation from the crowd attending the collegiate matchup between St. John’s and Georgetown in the first baseball game ever played at Citi Field. Before tossing his signature pitch, a breaking ball in the dirt, the former Mets reliever takes the mound wearing the familiar blue and orange but then removes his jacket to reveal his alma mater’s colors, a Red Storm jersey with his number 45.

2009      On a chilly afternoon, 22,397 patrons become the first fans to attend a baseball game at Citi Field, the Mets’ new home, when St. John’s University hosts Georgetown in a collegiate contest. The weather dampened the schools’ hope of breaking the NCAA attendance record of 40,106, set during a game between San Diego State and Houston played at Petco Park in 2004.

2009      Dontrelle Willis is placed on the 15-day disabled list by the Tigers. According to the 27-year-old southpaw, unsuccessful since winning 22 games with the Marlins in 2003, he has been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder, believed by doctors to be easily treatable.

2010      Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig announces President Obama will throw out the first pitch before Washington’s game against the Phillies at Nationals Park on Opening Day, continuing a century-old tradition. In 1910, William Howard Taft became the first Commander-in-Chief to toss the ceremonial first pitch to start the season.

2013      The Giants and Buster Posey, the National League’s MVP, agree on an eight-year, $159 million extension with a full no-trade clause. The deal, keeping the 26-year-old backstop in a Giants’ uniform through 2021, is the second-richest contract ever given to a catcher, surpassed only by the Twins’ signing of Joe Mauer two seasons ago to an eight-year, $184 million pact.

2013      Tiger right-hander Justin Verlander agrees to a seven-year, $180 million contract, the richest deal for a pitcher in baseball history. The 2011 American League MVP and Cy Young Award winner, already signed through 2014 under a previous $80 million, five-year deal, decides not to test free agency in two years, stating that “the pull of Detroit was too much.”

2017      The Dodgers commemorate Kirk Gibson’s historic pinch-hit, walk-off home run in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series by offering a special ticket package to sit in the right-field pavilion seat, recently painted blue bearing his signature, where the ball landed. The team is donating two-thirds of the $300 price of the ducats, including a companion seat, two commemorative T-shirts, and food and drink, to the Kirk Gibson Foundation to raise money and awareness for Parkinson’s research, a neurological disease affecting the Fall Classic hero.

2018      Matt Davidson becomes the fourth major leaguer to hit three home runs on Opening Day, contributing to the White Sox’s 14-7 victory over the Royals at Kauffman Stadium. The White Sox slugging third baseman joins Dmitri Young (Tigers, 2005), Tuffy Rhodes (Cubs, 1994), and George Bell (Blue Jays, 1988) in accomplishing the feat on the first day of the season.

2018      This date marks the earliest start of the major league season in the game’s history, excluding international openers. The schedule calls for all the teams to play on Opening Day for the first time since April 10th, 1968, the last season before divisional play started in the American and National Leagues.

2018      On Opening Day, the late right-hander Roy Halladay’s number #32 is retired during an emotional on-field ceremony at Rogers Centre. In his 12 seasons with Toronto, the six-time American League All-Star, who died in a plane crash off the coast of Florida in November, compiled a 148-76 record with a 3.43 ERA before his trade to the Phillies in 2009 for minor league prospects.

2018      At Miami, Cubs’ leadoff hitter Ian Happ goes deep on the season’s first pitch, homering to right field off a Jose Urena fastball in the team’s 8-4 victory over the Marlins. The 23-year-old center fielder, playing in his first Opening Day contest, becomes the first player to accomplish the feat since Red Sox’s Dwight Evans took Tiger right-hander Jack Morris deep on the initial delivery of the 1986 campaign.

APRIL 2-APRIL 4

April 2

1931 — Virne Beatrice “Jackie” Mitchell, the first woman in professional baseball, pitched against the New York Yankees in an exhibition game in Chattanooga. Babe Ruth waved wildly at the first two pitches and took a third strike. Lou Gehrig timed his swing to miss three straight pitches. Tony Lazzeri, after trying to bunt, walked and Mitchell left the game.

1952 — Hall of Fame outfielder Monte Irvin of the New York Giants broke his ankle in an exhibition game. Irvin played just 46 games that season.

1976 — The Oakland Athletics trade two key members from their recent World Series championship teams, sending OF Reggie Jackson and P Ken Holtzman to the Baltimore Orioles.

1984 — The New York Mets lost to the Cincinnati Reds 8-1 for their first opening-day defeat in 10 years.

1995 — The longest strike in major league history comes to an end. Having the first 23 days of this major league season canceled and 252 games of the last season lost, the owners accept the players’ March 31st unconditional offer to return to work. The players’ decision to return to work is made after a US District Court issued an injunction restoring terms and conditions of the expired agreement. Teams will play 144-game schedules. The strike had begun on August 12, 1994.

1996 — St. Francis of Illinois pummeled Robert Morris 71-1, with Robert Morris coach Gerald McNamara ending the after four innings.

1997 — For the first time, the salary of one player — Albert Belle — exceeded the payroll of an entire team — the Pittsburgh Pirates. Belle, the game’s highest-paid player for 1997 at $10 million, made $928,333 more than the whole Pirates payroll of $9,071,667.

1998 — By hitting a home run at Bank One Ballpark, Ellis Burks sets a major league record by having homered in 33 different stadiums.

2001 — For the first time in major league history, a Japanese position player participates in a regular season game. Seattle Mariners outfielder Ichiro Suzuki, hitless in his first three at-bats, singles in the 7th inning to ignite a two-run rally, and bunts for another single in the 8th in his debut at Safeco Field. He will go on the be both the American League Rookie of the Year and MVP this year.

2001 — Roger Clemens became the AL strikeout king, getting five to pass Walter Johnson as the Yankees beat Kansas City 7-3 in their season opener. Clemens fanned Joe Randa for his 3,509th career strikeout.

2003 — Alex Rodriguez became the youngest player to hit 300 home runs, connecting for a three-run drive in the Texas Rangers’ 11-5 loss to the Anaheim Angels. Rodriguez at 27 years, 249 days old, surpassed Hall of Famer Jimmie Foxx (27 years, 328 days).

2003 — The Detroit Tigers became the first team to have four pitchers make their major league debuts in the same game — Jeremy Bonderman, Wilfredo Ledezma, Chris Spurling and Matt Roney. The Tigers lost 8-1 to the Minnesota Twins.

2007 — Tampa Bay’s Elijah Dukes homered in his first big league at-bat in a 9-5 loss to the New York Yankees.

2008 — Kevin Youkilis plays his 194th consecutive error-free game at first base, breaking Steve Garvey’s 23-year-old major league record.

2010 — The Minnesota Twins open their new ballpark, Target Field, with an 8 – 4 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals in an exhibition game.

2011 — Ichiro Suzuki breaks the franchise hit record for the Seattle Mariners in the Mariners’ 6 – 2 win over Oakland. Ten years to the day after his first major league hit, Ichiro collects safety number 2,248, passing Edgar Martinez, with an infield single that drives in the winning run in the 9th.

2011 — Ian Kinsler of Texas became the first major leaguer with leadoff homers in each of his team’s first two games. Kinsler hit the first of four homers by the Rangers in a 12-5 victory over the Boston Red Sox.

2012 — Matt Cain and the San Francisco Giants agreed to a $127.5 million, six-year contract, the largest deal for a right-handed pitcher in baseball history.

2017 — Madison Bumgarner hit two homers but the Arizona Diamondbacks scored twice with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning off new San Francisco closer Mark Melancon to beat the Giants 6-5 in a wild season opener. Bumgarner retired his first 16 batters and became the first pitcher to hit two home runs on opening day. He struck out 11 with no walks in seven innings.

2019 — Returning to Washington, D.C. for the first time since signing a record free agent contract with the Phillies in the spring, Bryce Harper is back. He collects 3 hits, including a 458-foot two-run homer to lead the Phillies to an 8 – 2 win over the Nationals.

2021 — Commissioner Rob Manfred announces that the 2021 All-Star Game will not be staged in Atlanta, GA, as planned, but will be moved to another location to be determined, in response to the state of Georgia’s adoption of rules aimed at restricting the voting rights of African-Americans. This follows only two days after President Joe Biden stated he supported such a move, given the discriminatory nature of Georgia’s law.

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April 3

1923 — In Chicago, Ill., two Black Sox sue the White Sox. Swede Risberg and Happy Felsch seek $400,000 in damages and $6,750 in back salary for conspiracy and injury to their reputation in the aftermath of the scandalous 1919 World Series court case. Their suit will be unsuccessful.

1966 — The New York Mets sign University of Southern California star P Tom Seaver to his first contract.

1974 — The Cincinnati Reds defeated the Atlanta Braves 7-6 in 11 innings before a crowd of 52,000 at Riverfront Stadium. In his first at-bat, Hank Aaron hit a three-run homer off Jack Billingham. It was his 714th, tying Babe Ruth’s career record. The Braves had considered keeping Aaron on the bench for the season-opening series in Cincinnati so that he could attempt to tie the record four days later in Atlanta. But commissioner Bowie Kuhn would not allow it and ordered the Braves to put Aaron into the lineup for at least two of the three games.

1985 — A major league owners’ proposal is agreed to by the Players Association. The American and National leagues playoff formats are changed to best-of-sevens.

1987 — The Chicago Cubs trade starting pitcher Dennis Eckersley to the Oakland Athletics for three minor leaguers. Eckersley will emerge as the game’s dominant closer, saving 291 games over the next eight seasons.

1988 — George Bell became the first player to hit three home runs on opening day, leading the Toronto Blue Jays past the Kansas City Royals 5-3. Bell, bitter throughout spring training with his move to designated hitter, homered three times in that role off Bret Saberhagen.

1989 — Ken Griffey, Jr. of the Seattle Mariners makes his major league debut.

1994 — Chicago’s Karl Rhodes hit three solo home runs off Dwight Gooden in a 12-8 loss to the New York Mets on opening day at Wrigley Field. Rhodes became the second player to homer three times in an opener.

1998 — Mark McGwire tied Willie Mays’ National League record by hitting a home run in each of his first four games of the season. McGwire launched a towering three-run shot in the sixth inning of an 8-6 victory over the San Diego Padres.

1999 — America’s pastime opened in Mexico for the first time. The Colorado Rockies beat the Chicago Cubs 8-2 in baseball’s first season opener away from the United States and Canada.

2000 — A new major league record for Opening Day is set with five players having multiple home run games.

2001 — Hideo Nomo became the fourth pitcher in major-league history to throw a no-hitter in both leagues in Boston’s 3-0 victory over Baltimore. Nomo, who threw the first no-hitter in Colorado’s Coors Field on Sept. 17, 1996, for Los Angeles, walked three and struck out 11 in the first no-hitter in the 10-year history of Camden Yards. Nomo joined Cy Young, Jim Bunning and Nolan Ryan as the only pitchers with no-hitters in both leagues.

2003 — Sammy Sosa of the Chicago Cubs became the 18th player to hit 500 career homers, connecting for a solo shot in a 10-9 loss to Cincinnati. He became the fifth player to reach 500 homers before his 35th birthday. Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron, Willie Mays and Jimmie Foxx were the others.

2005 — Dmitri Young became the third player to hit three homers on opening day, and Jeremy Bonderman won as the youngest opening day starter in the major-leagues since 1986 to lead Detroit over the Royals 11-2.

2005 — In his first outing for the New York Yankees, Randy Johnson allows a run and five hits in six innings as New York open the major league season with a 9 – 2 win.

2006 — Seattle Mariners rookie Kenji Johjima, the first catcher from Japan to start a major league game, hits a home run for his first hit.

2015 — MLB suspends P Ervin Santana, who signed the largest free agent contract in Twins history this off-season, for 80 games for testing positive to the anabolic steroid stanozolol.

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April 4

1974 — The Cincinnati Reds defeated the Atlanta Braves 7-6 in 11 innings before a crowd of 52,000 at Riverfront Stadium. In his first at-bat, Hank Aaron hit a three-run homer off Jack Billingham. It was his 714th, tying Babe Ruth’s career record. The Braves had considered keeping Aaron on the bench for the season-opening series in Cincinnati so that he could attempt to tie the record four days later in Atlanta. But Commissioner Bowie Kuhn ordered the Braves to put Aaron into the lineup for at least two of the three games.

1988 — George Bell became the first player to hit three home runs on opening day, leading the Toronto Blue Jays past the Kansas City Royals 5-3. Bell, bitter throughout spring training with his move to designated hitter, homered three times in that role off Bret Saberhagen.

1993 — At Camden Yards, Bill Clinton becomes the first U.S. President to throw the first pitch of the season from the pitcher’s mound.

1994 — Chicago’s Karl Rhodes hit three solo home runs off Dwight Gooden in a 12-8 loss to the New York Mets on opening day at Wrigley Field. Rhodes became the second player to homer three times in an opener.

1994 — The Cleveland Indians open new stadium, Jacobs Field, with a 4 – 3 victory over the Seattle Mariners.

1998 — Mark McGwire tied Willie Mays’ National League record by hitting a home run in each of his first four games of the season. McGwire launched a towering three-run shot in the sixth inning of an 8-6 victory over the San Diego Padres.

1999 — America’s pastime opened in Mexico for the first time. The Colorado Rockies beat the Chicago Cubs 8-2 in baseball’s first season opener outside the United States and Canada.

2001 — Hideo Nomo became the fourth pitcher in major league history to throw a no-hitter in both leagues in Boston’s 3-0 victory over Baltimore. Nomo, who threw the first no-hitter in Colorado’s Coors Field on Sept. 17, 1996, for Los Angeles, walked three and struck out 11 in the first no-hitter in the 10-year history of Camden Yards. Nomo joined Cy Young, Jim Bunning and Nolan Ryan as the only pitchers with no-hitters in both leagues.

2003 — Sammy Sosa of the Chicago Cubs became the 18th player to hit 500 career homers, connecting for a solo shot in a 10-9 loss to Cincinnati. He became the fifth player to reach 500 homers before his 35th birthday. Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron, Willie Mays and Jimmie Foxx were the others.

2005 — Dmitri Young became the third player to hit three homers on opening day, and Jeremy Bonderman won as the youngest opening day starter in the major leagues since 1986 to lead Detroit over the Kansas City Royals 11-2.

2011 — Nelson Cruz of Texas became the third player in major league history to homer in the first four games of a season and the Rangers beat Seattle 6-4. Cruz joined Willie Mays (1971) and Mark McGwire (1998) as the only players to go deep in each of their first four games of a season.

2012 — The Miami Marlins open a new name and a new ballpark, Marlins Park, but lose to the St. Louis Cardinals.

2016 — Colorado Rockies SS Trevor Story becomes the first player to hit two homers in his debut on Opening Day.

2018 — MLB experiments with a new medium as today’s game between the Phillies and Mets is broadcast live exclusively on “Facebook Watch”.

2021 — For the first time since his debut in Major League Baseball in 2018, Shohei Ohtani is in the batting order in a game in which he is also the starting pitcher.

BASEBALL YEAR IN REVIEW: 1957 (BASEBALL ALMANAC)

Off the field…

President Dwight D. Eisenhower deployed Federal troops to uphold the integration of public schools in Little Rock, Arkansas after local authorities refused to implement court-ordered desegregation. Little Rock Mayor Woodrow Mann had sent the President a telegram asking for assistance in maintaining order and completing the integration process. The President responded by sending 1,000 members of the 101^st Airborne Division and federalizing the 10,000-man Arkansas National Guard. On September 25^th, nine black students finally entered Central High School under Army escort.

In the American League…

Ted Williams set an American League record after being intentionally walked thirty-three times during the regular season. It was the highest American League total since the league had started compiling the statistic in 1955.

On June 2^nd, New York Yankees ace Whitey Ford fanned six batters in a row to tie an American League record as he shut out the Chicago White Sox 3-0.

Bob Keegan of the Chicago White Sox tossed the only no-no of the season (in either league) on August 20th, shutting down the Washington Senators who were going to lose 99 games and finish forty-three games out of first.

In the National League…

On August 17^th, Richie Ashburn of the Phillies proved that lightning could strike twice after hitting spectator Alice Roth twice in the same at bat. The first foul struck the wife of Earl Roth, sports editor at the Philadelphia Bulletin in the face and the second hit her body while she was being removed from her seat on a stretcher. Mrs. Roth went on to the hospital to be treated for a broken nose and Philadelphia went on beat the New York Giants 3-1.

The Brooklyn Dodgers tied a National League record on August 24^th after using eight pitchers during a single game. The expanded rotation failed miserably as the first-place Milwaukee Braves dominated the entire bullpen for a 13-7 massacre. The Dodgers’ Johnny Podres surrendered three home runs in the fourth and Hammerin’ Hank Aaron added insult to injury with the first grand slam of his career. The St. Louis Cardinals also tied the record on September 21^st while losing 9-8 (in ten innings) against the Cincinnati Reds.

Milwaukee Braves’ ace Warren Spahn hurled the forty-first shutout of his career during an 8-0 victory over the Chicago Cubs on September 3rd setting a new National League record for left-handed pitchers.

Around the League…

The Dodgers became the first Major League baseball team to own their own plane after they purchased a forty-four passenger, twin-engine airliner for $775,000 to transport the club during the season.

The Associated Press named Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Jack Sanford as its National League Rookie of the Year and the Milwaukee Braves’ Henry Aaron as the 1957 National League Most Valuable Player with two-hundred thirty-nine votes. Stan Musial of the St. Louis Cardinals was a close second with two-hundred thirty. On the American League side, Tony Kubek of the Yankees was elected the American League Rookie of the Year and teammate Mickey Mantle edged out Red Sox rival Ted Williams two-hundred thirty-three to two-hundred nine votes to win the American League Most Valuable Player Award.

After the Minor Leagues threatened to sue Major League Baseball if Sunday games were televised in their territory, the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) announced that it would not broadcast any big league match-ups at the time a Minor League game was scheduled.

New York City Mayor Robert Wagner formed an exclusive four-member committee to find a National League “replacement team” for the vacating Dodgers and Giants.

BASEBALL’S GREAT PITCHERS

Christy Mathewson

In the time when Giants walked the earth and roamed the Polo Grounds, none was more honored than Christy Mathewson. Delivering all four of his pitches, including his famous “fadeaway” (now called a screwball), with impeccable control and an easy motion, the right-handed Mathewson was the greatest pitcher of the Deadball Era’s first decade, compiling a 2.13 ERA over 17 seasons and setting modern National League records for wins in a season (37), wins in a career (373), and consecutive 20-win seasons (12). Aside from his pitching achievements, he was the greatest all-around hero of the Deadball Era, a handsome, college-educated man who lifted the rowdy world of baseball to gentlemanliness. Matty was the basis, many say, for the idealized athlete Frank Merriwell, an inspiration to many authors over the years, and the motivation for an Off-Broadway play based on his life and writings. “He gripped the imagination of a country that held a hundred million people and held this grip with a firmer hold than any man of his day or time,” wrote sportswriter Grantland Rice.

READ MORE: https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/christy-mathewson/ 

TODAY IN NBA HISTORY

March 29, 1952

Minneapolis center George Mikan scored a then NBA playoff record 47 points against the Rochester Royals in Game 1 of the Western Division Finals, but the Lakers were defeated 88-78.

March 29, 1960

Boston Celtics standout Bill Russell hauled down an NBA Finals record 40 rebounds as the Celtics lost to St. Louis 113-103. On April 18, 1962, Russell matched his 40-rebound effort in a Game 7 overtime win against the Los Angeles Lakers that gave Boston the 1962 NBA championship.

March 29, 1962

Elgin Baylor (45) and Jerry West (41) of the Lakers became the first teammates to both score 40 or more points in a Playoff game as the Lakers lost to Detroit 118-117 in a Western Division Finals game.

March 29, 1990

Houston’s Hakeem Olajuwon became just the third NBA player (along with Nate Thurmond and Alvin Robertson) to record a quadruple-double, with 18 points, 16 rebounds, 10 assists and 11 blocks in the Rockets’ 120-94 win over Milwaukee. Four years later, David Robinson became the fourth NBA player to record a quadruple-double.

March 29, 1996

Utah beat Vancouver 105-91, increasing the Grizzlies’ record losing streak to 20. Vancouver would extend its losing streak to an NBA record 23 games. The 23-game losing streak would be tied by the Denver Nuggets during the 1997-98 season.

March 29, 1998

Indiana scored an NBA record-low 55 points (since the introduction of the 24-second shot clock) in a 74-55 loss to San Antonio. On April 10, 1999, the Chicago Bulls scored 49 points against Miami to set a new record low.

March 29, 2017

Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder scores 57 points in a 114-106 win over the Orlando Magic.

March 29, 2021

In just his 38th career game as a member of the Wizards, Washington’s Russell Westbrook finishes with 35 points, 14 rebounds and a career-best 21 assists to give him his 16th triple-double with the team, breaking the record set by Darrell Walker. In addition, Westbrook’s 30-20-10 triple-double is the NBA’s first such triple-double since Magic Johnson recorded on in 1988 against the Philadelphia 76ers.

TODAY IN SPORTS HISTORY

1929 — The Boston Bruins win the Stanley Cup with a 2-1 victory over the New York Rangers to complete a two-game sweep.

1940 — Joe Louis knocks out Johnny Paychek in the second round at Madison Square Garden in New York to retain the world heavyweight title.

1941 — Wisconsin, led by Gene Englund’s 13 points, wins the NCAA basketball championship with a 39-34 victory over Washington State.

1952 — George Mikan of the Minneapolis Lakers scores an NBA playoff record 47 points in an 88-78 loss in Game 1 of the Western Division Finals against Rochester.

1960 — Boston’s Bill Russell pulls down an NBA Finals record 40 rebounds, as the Celtics lose to St. Louis 113-103 to even the series at 1-1. Bob Petit has 35 points and 22 rebounds for the Hawks.

1962 — Elgin Baylor (45) and Jerry West (41) of the Los Angeles Lakers become the first teammates to both score 40 or more points in an NBA Playoff game. It isn’t enough as the Lakers lose to Detroit, 118-117, in Game 4 of the Western Division finals.

1966 — Muhammad Ali defeats George Chuvalo in 15 rounds for the heavyweight boxing title.

1976 — Indiana beats Michigan, 86-68. First time 2 teams from the same conference (Big Ten) play in title game.

1982 — Michael Jordan’s jump shot with 16 seconds remaining gives North Carolina a 63-62 victory over Georgetown for the NCAA men’s basketball championship.

1984 — The NFL Colts leave the city of Baltimore in the early hours of the morning, headed for Indianapolis.

1985 — Wayne Gretzky breaks own NHL season record with 126th assist.

1990 — Houston’s Akeem Olajuwon is the third player in NBA history to achieve a quadruple double during a 120-94 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks. He scores 18 points, 16 rebounds, 11 blocked shots and 10 assists.

1992 — Olympic champion Kristi Yamaguchi becomes the first American woman to win consecutive world figure skating championships since Peggy Fleming in 1968.

1994 — Jimmy Johnson quits as Head Coach of the Dallas Cowboys.

1996 — The Vancouver Grizzlies break the NBA record for consecutive losses in a season with their 21st in a 105-91 loss to the Utah Jazz. The 1972-73 Philadelphia 76ers and the 1993-94 Dallas Mavericks lost 20 straight.

1996 — Cleveland Browns choose new name for their relocated team – Baltimore Ravens.

1999 — UConn beats Duke 77-74 in the Men’s NCAA National Title game. Huskies’ first National Championship.

2003 — Michelle Kwan becomes the third American to win five World Figure Skating Championships. Kwan, a seven-time U.S. champion, ties Dick Button and Carol Heiss for most world crowns by an American.

2008 — Curlin rolls to a record-setting 7 3/4-length victory in the $6 million Dubai World Cup, the world’s richest race. Curlin is the fourth horse to win the Breeders’ Cup Classic and then take the World Cup the following year.

2015 — Seventh-seeded Michigan State caps an improbable Final Four run with 76-70 overtime victory over Louisville. Duke beats Gonzaga 66-52 to send coach Mike Krzyzewski to a 12th Final Four, matching coaching record by John Wooden.

2015 — Belmont breaks three NCAA Division I records and tied a fourth during a 20-run sixth inning in a 34-10 victory over UT Martin.

2016 — The United States fail to qualify for consecutive Olympic men’s soccer tournaments for the first time in a half century. Roger Martinez scores twice, Americans Luis Gil and Matt Miazga are ejected and Colombia’s under-23 team defeats the U.S. 2-1 to earn the last berth in the Rio de Janeiro Games with a 3-2 aggregate win in the two-leg, total-goals series.

2017 — Russell Westbrook has 57 points — the most in a triple-double in NBA history — 13 rebounds and 11 assists to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 114-106 overtime win over the Orlando Magic.

TV SPORTS FRIDAY

AUSTRALIAN RULES FOOTBALL (MEN’S)

4:30 a.m. (Saturday)

FS1 — AFL: Melbourne at Port Adelaide

AUTO RACING

2 a.m. (Saturday)

CBSSN — ABB FIA Formula E: Round 5, Tokyo

COLLEGE BASEBALL

6 p.m.

BTN — Purdue at Ohio St.

8 p.m.

ACCN — Notre Dame at NC State

SECN — LSU at Arkansas

10 p.m.

PAC-12N — Washington St. at Washington

COLLEGE BASKETBALL (MEN’S)

7 p.m.

CBS — NCAA Tournament: NC State vs. Marquette, Sweet Sixteen, Dallas

7:30 p.m.

TBS — NCAA Tournament: Gonzaga vs. Purdue, Sweet Sixteen, Detroit

TRUTV — NCAA Tournament: Gonzaga vs. Purdue, Sweet Sixteen, Detroit

9:30 p.m.

CBS — NCAA Tournament: Duke vs. Houston, Sweet Sixteen, Dallas

10 p.m.

TBS — NCAA Tournament: Creighton vs. Tennessee, Sweet Sixteen, Detroit

TRUTV — NCAA Tournament: Creighton vs. Tennessee, Sweet Sixteen, Detroit

COLLEGE BASKETBALL (WOMEN’S)

2:30 p.m.

ESPN — NCAA Tournament: Oregon St. vs. Notre Dame, Sweet Sixteen, Albany, N.Y.

5 p.m.

ESPN — NCAA Tournament: Indiana vs. South Carolina, Sweet Sixteen, Albany, N.Y.

7:30 p.m.

ESPN — NCAA Tournament: NC State vs. Stanford, Sweet Sixteen, Portland, Ore.

8 p.m.

CBSSN — NCAA Division II Tournament: Minnesota St. vs. Texas Woman’s, Championship, St. Joseph, Mo.

10 p.m.

ESPN — NCAA Tournament: Gonzaga vs. Texas, Sweet Sixteen, Portland, Ore.

COLLEGE HOCKEY (MEN’S)

2 p.m.

ESPNU — NCAA Tournament: Michigan Tech vs. Boston College, Regional Semifinal, Providence, R.I.

5 p.m.

ESPNU — NCAA Tournament: W. Michigan vs. Michigan St., Regional Semifinal, St. Louis

5:30 p.m.

ESPNEWS — NCAA Tournament: Quinnipiac vs. Wisconsin, Regional Semifinal, Providence, R.I.

8:30 p.m.

ESPNU — NCAA Tournament: Michigan vs. N. Dakota, Regional Semifinal, St. Louis

COLLEGE SOFTBALL

6 p.m.

ACCN — Virginia Tech at Duke

SECN — Tennessee at Auburn

8 p.m.

ESPN2 — Texas at Oklahoma St.

PAC-12N — Oregon at UCLA

CROSS COUNTRY

6 a.m. (Saturday)

CNBC — World Athletics Championships: From Belgrade, Serbia

GOLF

3:30 a.m.

GOLF — DP World Tour: The Hero Indian Open, Second Round, DLF Golf & Country Club – The Gary Player Course, New Delhi, India

4 p.m.

GOLF — PGA Tour: The Texas Children’s Houston Open, Second Round, Memorial Park Golf Course, Houston

7 p.m.

GOLF — LPGA Tour: The Ford Championship, Second Round, Seville Golf and Country Club, Gilbert, Ariz.

10 p.m.

GOLF — PGA Tour Champions: The Galleri Classic, First Round, Mission Hills Country Club – Dinah Shore Tournament Course, Rancho Mirage, Calif. (Taped)

4 a.m. (Saturday)

GOLF — DP World Tour: The Hero Indian Open, Third Round, DLF Golf & Country Club – The Gary Player Course, New Delhi, India

HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL (GIRL’S)

3 p.m.

NBATV — The Throne National Championship: TBD vs. Hebron Christian (Ga.), Semifinal, East Rutherford, N.J.

MLB BASEBALL

6:30 p.m.

MLBN — Regional Coverage: Toronto at Tampa Bay (6:50 p.m.) OR Pittsburgh at Miami (7:10 p.m.)

8:10 p.m.

APLLETV+ — NY Yankees at Houston

10:10 p.m.

APPLETV+ — St. Louis at LA Dodgers

NBA BASKETBALL

7 p.m.

NBATV — LA Lakers at Indiana

10 p.m.

NBATV — Dallas at Sacramento

NHL HOCKEY

7 p.m.

NHLN — New Jersey at Buffalo

RUGBY (MEN’S)

4:55 a.m.

FS2 — NRL: North Queensland at Brisbane

TENNIS

1 p.m.

TENNIS — Miami-ATP Semifinal; Miami-WTA Doubles Semifinal

7 p.m. TENNIS — Miami-ATP Semifinal; Miami-WTA Doubles Semifinal