“THE SCOREBOARD”
CENTRAL INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL SCORES
INDY GENESIS 6 TENNESSEE HEAT 3
INDIANAPOLIS KINGS 14 W. MICHIGAN 3
INDIANAPOLIS KINGS 4 INDY GENESIS 4
SETON CATHOLIC 11 LIBERTY CHRISTIAN 0
RUSHVILLE 3 N. DECATUR 1
SOUTH VERMILLION 4 SEEGER 0
MUNCIE BURRIS 12 UNION 1
MISSISSINEWA 6 RANDOLPH SOUTHERN 4
BREBEUF 7 BISHOP CHATARD 4
FRANKLIN 13 MOORESVILLE 2
CAMBRIDGE CITY LINCOLN 12 TRI 5
PURDUE POLY 10 INDIANAPOLIS WASHINGTON 0
LAWRENCE NORTH 8 WARREN CENTRAL 3
SCECINA 5 SPEEDWAY 0
DECATUR CENTRAL 2 PLAINFIELD 0
NORTH CENTRAL 9 PIKE 3
ANDERSON 11 MARION 1
HAGERSTOWN 3 WINCHESTER 2
ALEXANDRIA MONROE 9 BLACKFORD 0
EASTERN HANCOCK 13 ANDERSON PREP 2
INDIANA DEAF 25 TINDLEY 9
TRITON CENTRAL 2 COVENANT CHRISTIAN 1
INDIANAPOLIS LUTHERAN 8 MONROVIA 0
YORKTOWN 8 NEW CASTLE 6
FRANKFORT 9 DALEVILLE 6
DANVILLE 5 WESTERN BOONE 2
LAPEL 14 ELWOOD 2
WEST LAFAYETTE 7 BENTON CENTRAL 1
BEECH GROVE 8 RITTER 5
MADISON GRANT 11 TIPTON 5
WHITELAND 5 MARTINSVILLE 2
BLOOMINGTON SOUTH 12 JENNINGS COUNTY 0
FISHERS 5 HAMILTON SOUTHEASTERN 1
SOUTHMONT 14 CRAWFORDSVILLE 9
AVON 9 BROWNSBURG 6
SHELBYVILLE 4 DELTA 0
PERRY MERIDIAN 5 GREENWOOD 1
TRI-WEST 5 LEBANON 2
NEW PALESTINE 7 GREENFIELD CENTRAL 1
LOGANSPORT 3 HAMILTON HEIGHTS 0
HARRISON 5 LAFAYETTE JEFF 1
FRANKLIN 10 MOORESVILLE 0
PERRY MERIDIAN 9 GREENWOOD 4
CENTRAL INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL SOFTBALL SCORES
WEST LAFAYETTE 20 LAFAYETTE CENTRAL CATHOLIC 3
BREMEN 12 TRITON 0
SOUTH PUTNAM 3 EDGEWOOD 0
SOUTH-CENTRAL 7 WHEELER 3
HAGERSTOWN 5 CENTERVILLE 2
MISSISSINEWA VALLEY 19 RANDOLPH SOUTHERN 7
FRANKLIN 7 MOORESVILLE 2
UNION COUNTY 14 COWAN 1
OAK HILL 14 MARION 2
SOUTHMONT 8 CRAWFORDSVILLE 2
UNION CITY 22 MUNCIE CENTRAL 2
LAWRENCE NORTH 11 BREBEUF 1
PLAINFIELD 11 DECATUR CENTRAL 0
HAMILTON HEIGHTS 6 GUERIN CATHOLIC 2
TRI-WEST 1 LEBANON 0
PERRY MERIDIAN 16 GREENWOOD 3
SOUTH DEARBORN 6 S. RIPLEY 1
NEW PALESTINE 4 CENTER GROVE 3
ALEXANDRIA MONROE 13 BLACKFORD 3
ROSSVILLE 23 EASTERN 0
CATHEDRAL 7 NOBLESVILLE 5
NORTHVIEW 2 N. PUTNAM 0
DANVILLE 5 WESTERN BOONE 2
KNIGHTSTOWN 5 S. DECATUR 1
LAPEL 7 NEW CASTLE 3
TRITON CENTRAL 3 INDIANAPOLIS LUTHERAN 0
SPEEDWAY 19 RITTER 6
LIVING WATER HOMESCHOOL 15 TRADERS POINT 2
SULLIVAN 10 BROWN COUNTY 0
EASTERN HANCOCK 6 NORTHEASTERN 5
DELTA 15 MONROE CENTRAL 3
YORKTOWN 7 GREENFIELD CENTRAL 3
FRANKLIN CENTRAL 9 RONCALLI 4
FLOYD CENTRAL 15 COLUMBUS NORTH 3
LAFAYETTE JEFF 15 WARREN CENTRAL 1
WASHINGTON 32 PIKE CENTRAL 27
WHITELAND 1 MARTINSVILLE 0
FRANKLIN 7 MOORESVILLE 2
SOFTBALL RANKINGS
CLASS 4A
1. LAKE CENTRAL (155)
2. CENTER GROVE (149)
3. ZIONSVILLE (138)
4. PENN (121)
5. NOBLESVILLE (100)
6. CROWN POINT (91)
7. FLOYD CENTRAL (83)
8. HAMILTON SOUTHEASTERN (80)
9. BROWNSBURG (75)
10. PLAINFIELD (55)
ALSO RECEIVING VOTES: FISHERS, MUNSTER, CASTLE, PENDLETON HEIGHTS
CLASS 3A
1. NEW PALESTINE (118)
2. RONCALLI (115)
3. WESTERN (107)
4. LEO (93)
5. CATHEDRAL (92)
6. GIBSON SOUTHERN (75)
7. YORKTOWN (67)
8. SILVER CREEK (53)
9. EDGEWOOD (46)
10. CASCADE (36)
ALSO RECEIVING VOTES: JAY COUNTY, JASPER, LOGANSPORT, INDIAN CREEK, HANOVER CENTRAL
CLASS 2A
1. ALEXANDRIA MONROE (84)
2. ANDREAN (76)
3. LAPEL (75)
4. TECUMSEH (63)
5. SOUTH ADAMS (58)
6. MADISON-GRANT (38)
7. EASTSIDE (37)
8. WOODLAN (33)
9. WINAMAC (30)
10. WEST VIGO (26)
ALSO RECEIVING VOTES: SULLIVAN, ROSSVILLE, SOUTH PUTNAM, CENTRAL NOBLE, FRANKTON
CLASS A
1. TRI (84)
2. RIVERTON PARKE (72)
3. CLAY CITY (69)
4. WEST WASHINGTON (67)
5. ORLEANS (59)
6. LUTHERAN (48)
7. TRI-COUNTY (45)
8. (TIE) WESTVILLE (39)
8. (TIE) FREMONT (39)
10. BORDEN (31)
ALSO RECEIVING VOTES: NORTHEAST DUBOIS, NORTH NEWTON, NORTH MIAMI, RISING SUN, NORTH DAVIESS
CENTRAL INDIANA BOYS VOLLEYBALL SCORES
NEW ALBANY 3 COLUMBUS EAST 0
RONCALLI 3 GUERIN CATHOLIC 0
FISHERS 3 BROWNSBURG 1
MONROVIA 3 RITTER 0
PERRY MERIDIAN 3 MARTINSVILLE 0
CARMEL 3 BISHOP CHATARD 0
FRANKLIN CENTRAL 3 CENTER GROVE 1
CENTRAL INDIANA BOYS LAX SCORES
CATHEDRAL 17 GUERIN CATHOLIC 7
MASON OH 12 HAMILTON SE 9
NORTH CENTRAL 18 AVON 3
ZIONSVILLE 13 NOBLESVILLE 12
CENTRAL INDIANA GIRLS LAX SCORES
NO SCORES REPORTED
INDIANA COLLEGE BASEBALL
INDIANA 14 EVANSVILLE 6
PURDUE FT. WAYNE AT NORTHWESTERN CANCELLED
SOUTHERN INDIANA AT ILLINOIS STATE CANCELLED
INDIANA COLLEGE SOFTBALL
NO GAMES SCHEDULED
INDIANA MEN’S LACROSSE
NO GAMES SCHEDULED
INDIANA WOMEN’S LACROSSE
NO GAMES SCHEDULED
NBA PLAYOFF SCHEDULE/SCORES
EASTERN CONFERENCE
ALL TIMES EASTERN STANDARD TIME
(1) CLEVELAND VS. (8) MIAMI
• GAME 1: CAVALIERS 121, HEAT 100
• GAME 2: CAVALIERS 121, HEAT 112
• GAME 3: CAVALIERS 124, HEAT 87
• GAME 4: CAVALIERS 138, HEAT 83
CAVALIERS WIN SERIES 4-0
(2) BOSTON VS. (7) ORLANDO
• GAME 1: CELTICS 103, MAGIC 86
• GAME 2: CELTICS 109, MAGIC 100
• GAME 3: MAGIC 95, CELTICS 93
• GAME 4: CELTICS 107, MAGIC 98
• GAME 5: CELTICS 120, MAGIC 89
CELTICS WIN SERIES 4-1
(3) NEW YORK VS. (6) DETROIT
• GAME 1: KNICKS 123, PISTONS 112
• GAME 2: PISTONS 100, KNICKS 94
• GAME 3: KNICKS 118, PISTONS 116
• GAME 4: KNICKS 94, PISTONS 93
• GAME 5: PISTONS 106, KNICKS 103
• GAME 6: KNICKS AT PISTONS (THU. MAY 1, 7:30 ET, TNT)
• GAME 7: PISTONS AT KNICKS (SAT. MAY 3, TBD)*
* IF NECESSARY
KNICKS LEAD SERIES 3-2
(4) INDIANA VS. (5) MILWAUKEE
• GAME 1: PACERS 117, BUCKS 98
• GAME 2: PACERS 123, BUCKS 115
• GAME 3: BUCKS 117, PACERS 101
• GAME 4: PACERS 129, BUCKS 103
• GAME 5: PACERS 119, BUCKS 118 (OT)
PACERS WIN SERIES 4-1
WESTERN CONFERENCE
ALL TIMES EASTERN STANDARD TIME
(1) OKLAHOMA CITY VS. (8) MEMPHIS
• GAME 1: THUNDER 131, GRIZZLIES 80
• GAME 2: THUNDER 118, GRIZZLIES 99
• GAME 3: THUNDER 114, GRIZZLIES 108
• GAME 4: THUNDER 117, GRIZZLIES 115
THUNDER WIN SERIES 4-0
(2) HOUSTON VS. (7) GOLDEN STATE
• GAME 1: WARRIORS 95, ROCKETS 85
• GAME 2: ROCKETS 109, WARRIORS 94
• GAME 3: WARRIORS 104, ROCKETS 93
• GAME 4: WARRIORS 109, ROCKETS 106
• GAME 5: ROCKETS 131, WARRIORS 116
• GAME 6: ROCKETS AT WARRIORS (FRI. MAY 2, 9 ET, ESPN)
• GAME 7: WARRIORS AT ROCKETS (SUN. MAY 4, 8:30 ET, TNT)*
* IF NECESSARY
WARRIORS LEAD SERIES 3-2
(3) LOS ANGELES LAKERS VS. (6) MINNESOTA
• GAME 1: TIMBERWOLVES 117, LAKERS 95
• GAME 2: LAKERS 94, TIMBERWOLVES 85
• GAME 3: TIMBERWOLVES 116, LAKERS 104
• GAME 4: TIMBERWOLVES 116, LAKERS 113
• GAME 5: TIMBERWOLVES 103, LAKERS 96
TIMBERWOLVES WIN SERIES 4-1
(4) DENVER VS. (5) LA CLIPPERS
• GAME 1: NUGGETS 112, CLIPPERS 110 (OT)
• GAME 2: CLIPPERS 105, NUGGETS 102
• GAME 3: CLIPPERS 117, NUGGETS 83
• GAME 4: NUGGETS 101 AT CLIPPERS 99
• GAME 5: NUGGETS 131, CLIPPERS 115
• GAME 6: NUGGETS AT CLIPPERS (THU. MAY 1, 10 ET, TNT)
• GAME 7: CLIPPERS AT NUGGETS (SAT. MAY 3, TBD)*
* IF NECESSARY
NUGGETS LEAD SERIES 3-2
> CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS
EASTERN CONFERENCE
(1) CLEVELAND CAVALIERS VS. (4) INDIANA PACERS
• GAME 1: PACERS AT CAVALIERS (SUN. MAY 4, TBD)
• GAME 2: PACERS AT CAVALIERS (TUE. MAY 6, TBD)
• GAME 3: CAVALIERS AT PACERS (FRI. MAY 9, TBD)
• GAME 4: CAVALIERS AT PACERS (SUN. MAY 11, TBD)
• GAME 5: PACERS AT CAVALIERS (TUE. MAY 13, TBD)*
• GAME 6: CAVALIERS AT PACERS (THU. MAY 15, TBD)*
• GAME 7: PACERS AT CAVALIERS (SUN. MAY 18, TBD)*
* IF NECESSARY
SERIES TIED 0-0
(2) BOSTON CELTICS VS. TBD
• GAME 1: NYK/DET AT CELTICS (MON. MAY 5, TBD)
• GAME 2: NYK/DET AT CELTICS (WED. MAY 7, TBD)
• GAME 3: CELTICS AT NYK/DET (SAT. MAY 10, TBD)
• GAME 4: CELTICS AT NYK/DET (MON. MAY 12, TBD)
• GAME 5: NYK/DET AT CELTICS (WED. MAY 14, TBD)*
• GAME 6: CELTICS AT NYK/DET (FRI. MAY 16, TBD)*
• GAME 7: NYK/DET AT CELTICS (MON. MAY 19, TBD)*
* IF NECESSARY
WESTERN CONFERENCE
(1) OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER VS. DEN/LAC
(6) MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES VS. HOU/GSW
> CONFERENCE FINALS
THE CONFERENCE FINALS WILL BEGIN MAY 20-21, BUT CAN MOVE UP TO MAY 18-19.
MAY 20: WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS – GAME 1 ON ESPN, 8:30 P.M. ET (POSSIBLE SERIES MOVE UP TO MAY 18)
MAY 21: EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS – GAME 1 ON TNT, 8 P.M. ET (POSSIBLE SERIES MOVE UP TO MAY 19)
MAY 22: WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS – GAME 2 ON ESPN, 8:30 P.M. ET
MAY 23: EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS – GAME 2 ON TNT, 8 P.M. ET
MAY 24: WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS – GAME 3 ON ABC, 8:30 P.M. ET
MAY 25: EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS – GAME 3 ON TNT, 8 P.M. ET
MAY 26: WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS – GAME 4 ON ESPN, 8:30 P.M. ET
MAY 27: EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS – GAME 4 ON TNT, 8 P.M. ET
MAY 28: WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS – GAME 5 ON ESPN, 8:30 P.M. ET (IF NECESSARY)
MAY 29: EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS – GAME 5 ON TNT, 8 P.M. ET (IF NECESSARY)
MAY 30: WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS – GAME 6 ON ESPN, 8:30 P.M. ET (IF NECESSARY)
MAY 31: EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS – GAME 6 ON TNT, 8 P.M. ET (IF NECESSARY)
JUNE 1: WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS – GAME 7 ON ESPN, 8 P.M. ET (IF NECESSARY)
JUNE 2: EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS – GAME 7 ON TNT, 8 P.M. ET (IF NECESSARY)
> NBA FINALS
THE 2025 NBA FINALS WILL BEGIN JUNE 5, WITH ABC AS THE EXCLUSIVE BROADCASTER.
JUNE 5: NBA FINALS 2025 PRESENTED BY YOUTUBE TV – GAME 1 ON ABC
JUNE 8: NBA FINALS 2025 PRESENTED BY YOUTUBE TV – GAME 2 ON ABC
JUNE 11: NBA FINALS 2025 PRESENTED BY YOUTUBE TV – GAME 3 ON ABC
JUNE 13: NBA FINALS 2025 PRESENTED BY YOUTUBE TV – GAME 4 ON ABC
JUNE 16: NBA FINALS 2025 PRESENTED BY YOUTUBE TV – GAME 5 ON ABC (IF NECESSARY)
JUNE 19: NBA FINALS 2025 PRESENTED BY YOUTUBE TV – GAME 6 ON ABC (IF NECESSARY)
JUNE 22: NBA FINALS 2025 PRESENTED BY YOUTUBE TV – GAME 7 ON ABC (IF NECESSARY)
NHL PLAYOFF SCHEDULE/SCORES
EASTERN CONFERENCE
OTTAWA SENATORS (WC1) VS. TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS (1A)
TORONTO LEADS SERIES 3-2
GAME 1: MAPLE LEAFS 6, SENATORS 2
GAME 2: MAPLE LEAFS 3, SENATORS 2 (OT)
GAME 3: MAPLE LEAFS 3, SENATORS 2 (OT)
GAME 4: SENATORS 4, MAPLE LEAFS 3 (OT)
GAME 5: SENATORS 4, MAPLE LEAFS 0
GAME 6: MAPLE LEAFS AT SENATORS, THURSDAY, MAY 1, 7 P.M. ET; SN, CBC, TVAS, TBS, MAX
GAME 7: SENATORS AT MAPLE LEAFS, SATURDAY, MAY 3, TBD *
* IF NECESSARY
FLORIDA PANTHERS (3A) VS. TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING (2A)
FLORIDA WINS SERIES 4-1
GAME 1: PANTHERS 6, LIGHTNING 2
GAME 2: PANTHERS 2, LIGHTNING 0
GAME 3: LIGHTNING 5, PANTHERS 1
GAME 4: PANTHERS 4, LIGHTNING 2
GAME 5: PANTHERS 6, LIGHTNING 3
MONTREAL CANADIENS (WC2) VS. WASHINGTON CAPITALS (1M)
WASHINGTON WINS SERIES 4-1
GAME 1: CAPITALS 3, CANADIENS 2 (OT)
GAME 2: CAPITALS 3, CANADIENS 1
GAME 3: CANADIENS 6, CAPITALS 3
GAME 4: CAPITALS 5, CANADIENS 2
GAME 5: CAPITALS 4, CANADIENS 1
NEW JERSEY DEVILS (3M) VS. CAROLINA HURRICANES (2M)
CAROLINA WINS SERIES 4-1
GAME 1: HURRICANES 4, DEVILS 1
GAME 2: HURRICANES 3, DEVILS 1
GAME 3: DEVILS 3, HURRICANES 2 (2OT)
GAME 4: HURRICANES 5, DEVILS 2
GAME 5: HURRICANES 5, DEVILS 4 (2OT)
WESTERN CONFERENCE
ST. LOUIS BLUES (WC2) VS. WINNIPEG JETS (1C)
WINNIPEG LEADS SERIES 3-2
GAME 1: JETS 5, BLUES 3
GAME 2: JETS 2, BLUES 1
GAME 3: BLUES 7, JETS 2
GAME 4: BLUES 5, JETS 1
GAME 5: JETS 5, BLUES 3
GAME 6: JETS AT BLUES, FRIDAY, MAY 2, 8 P.M. ET; TNT, MAX, TRUTV, SN, CBC, TVAS
GAME 7: BLUES AT JETS, SUNDAY, MAY 4, TBD *
* IF NECESSARY
COLORADO AVALANCHE (3C) VS. DALLAS STARS (2C)
DALLAS LEADS SERIES 3-2
GAME 1: AVALANCHE 5, STARS 1
GAME 2: STARS 4, AVALANCHE 3 (OT)
GAME 3: STARS 2, AVALANCHE 1 (OT)
GAME 4: AVALANCHE 4, STARS 0
GAME 5: STARS 6, AVALANCHE 2
GAME 6: STARS AT AVALANCHE, THURSDAY, MAY 1, 9:30 P.M. ET; TBS, MAX, SNE, SN360, TVAS, VICTORY+, ALT
GAME 7: AVALANCHE AT STARS, SATURDAY, MAY 3, TBD*
* IF NECESSARY
MINNESOTA WILD (WC1) VS. VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS (1P)
VEGAS LEADS SERIES 3-2
GAME 1: GOLDEN KNIGHTS 4, WILD 2
GAME 2: WILD 5, GOLDEN KNIGHTS 2
GAME 3: WILD 5, GOLDEN KNIGHTS 2
GAME 4: GOLDEN KNIGHTS 4, WILD 3 (OT)
GAME 5: GOLDEN KNIGHTS 3, WILD 2 (OT)
GAME 6: GOLDEN KNIGHTS AT WILD, THURSDAY, MAY 1, 7:30 P.M. ET; ESPN, SN360, TVAS2, FSSNNO, SCRIPPS
GAME 7: WILD AT GOLDEN KNIGHTS, SATURDAY, MAY 3, TBD *
* IF NECESSARY
EDMONTON OILERS (3P) VS. LOS ANGELES KINGS (2P)
EDMONTON LEADS SERIES 3-2
GAME 1: KINGS 6, OILERS 5
GAME 2: KINGS 6, OILERS 2
GAME 3: OILERS 7, KINGS 4
GAME 4: OILERS 4, KINGS 3 (OT)
GAME 5: OILERS 3, KINGS 1
GAME 6: KINGS AT OILERS, THURSDAY, MAY 1, 10 P.M. ET; SN, CBC, TVAS2, ESPN, FDSNW
GAME 7: OILERS AT KINGS, SATURDAY, MAY 3, TBD *
* IF NECESSARY
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
ST. LOUIS 6 CINCINNATI 0
ST. LOUIS 9 CINCINNATI 1
DETROIT 7 HOUSTON 4
LA DODGERS 12 MIAMI 7
COLORADO 2 ATLANTA 1
SAN DIEGO 5 SAN FRANCISCO 3
SEATTLE 9 LA ANGELS 3
CLEVELAND 4 MINNESOTA 2
BALTIMORE 5 NY YANKEES 4
PITTSBURGH 4 CHICAGO CUBS 3
PHILADELPHIA 7 WASHINGTON 2
KANSAS CITY 3 TAMPA BAY 0
TORONTO 7 BOSTON 6 (10)
ARIZONA 4 NY METS 3
MILWAUKEE 6 CHICAGO WHITE SOX 4
LAS VEGAS 7 TEXAS 1
MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
OMAHA 9 INDIANAPOLIS 6
FT. WAYNE 8 DAYTON 3
CEDAR RAPIDS 4 SOUTH BEND 3
MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER
NO GAMES SCHEDULED
UNITED FOOTBALL LEAGUE
NO GAMES SCHEDULED
WOMEN’S PRO VOLLEYBALL
ORLANDO 3 GRAND RAPIDS 2
TOP NATIONAL HEADLINES
NBA NEWS
GIANNIS ANTETOKOUNMPO ENTERS THIS OFFSEASON WITH A BIG QUESTION AWAITING HIM. STAY OR GO?
Giannis Antetokounmpo had to have known the question was coming.
“Do you think that you can still win that second championship here in Milwaukee after a third straight first-round exit?”
The question came after the Bucks’ season ended in Indianapolis on Tuesday night. Antetokounmpo is surely asking himself the same question right about now.
Antetokounmpo didn’t have a public answer for it following the 119-118 overtime, season-ending loss in Game 5 of Round 1 against Indiana. He probably doesn’t have a private answer to it, either. But he needs that answer sometime over the coming days or weeks, because he is now officially at the crossroads that plenty of superstars have reached over the years.
Stay or go?
Yes, a fair question — though it’s not really Antetokounmpo’s decision. He’s under contract to the Bucks for multiple seasons. Even if he asks for a trade, they don’t have to accommodate him.
It could be great for Antetokounmpo; he’d pick a new spot and that team would instantly be considered a title contender. It could be great for the Bucks; most teams after years of contending have to hit the reset button at some point anyway, and they could get a haul of players and picks to begin anew.
“I’m not going to do this. I’m not going to do this,” Antetokounmpo said in response to the question. “I know … whatever I say, I know how it’s going to translate. I don’t know, man. I wish I was still playing. I wish I was still competing and going back to Milwaukee. I don’t know.”
Here’s what might figure into the answer, whenever the time comes to formulate the real one: His place in Milwaukee lore is secure, he’s brought an NBA championship to the city, he won’t have Damian Lillard for much if not all of next season because of Lillard’s torn Achilles, his team just got eliminated in the first round for the third consecutive season and the Bucks aren’t exactly loaded with draft picks or easy ways to bolster their roster.
Antetokounmpo is in his prime. He’s about to finish in the top four of the voting for the NBA MVP award — a trophy he’s won twice — for the seventh consecutive year. He just averaged 30 points per game for the third year in a row, and if he had scored eight more measly points in the 2021-22 season it’d be four straight years of doing that. He just averaged at least 25 points and 10 rebounds for the eighth straight season; only Shaquille O’Neal, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Karl Malone have more such seasons.
Antetokounmpo will want more, whether he’s in Milwaukee or elsewhere.
“There’s a lot of times that life has made me sad or frustrated since I was a kid. I never gave up,” Antetokounmpo said. “You know, I always try to find solutions in my life. I think it translates to the basketball court. I always try to, even though things might not happen the way I want it to happen. I always have class, and I have this optimistic mentality of coming back, keep on working. And there’s going to be a day that’s it going to be your turn.”
Moving someone with two years and $113 million left on his contract — not to mention a player option that could extend it by another year and tack $63 million more onto the bill — will be difficult. And players don’t always get traded where they want to go; the obvious case in point there is when Lillard wanted to be traded by Portland to Miami and wound up in Milwaukee instead.
But if it’s what he wants, teams will jump at the chance to make it happen.
“Giannis is one of one,” Bucks coach Doc Rivers said. “I think, unfortunately for all the voters, they’re tired of voting for him for stuff. But he had every bit of an MVP season this year. What I’m most proud of is he has turned into a leader. I’m not just talking about on the floor, but off the floor.”
Antetokounmpo has received tons of praise in recent years for the way he has sometimes given long, well-thought-out, from-the-heart answers to important questions in postgame news conferences. He handled a question about the postgame fracas that involved Indiana star Tyrese Haliburton’s father essentially taunting Antetokounmpo on the court seconds after the final buzzer with his traditional grace and charm. It wasn’t the first time Antetokounmpo found the right words in an important moment.
Another important moment is here. Another big question. Stay or go?
RUDY GOBERT, WOLVES KNOCK OUT LAKERS IN GAME 5
Rudy Gobert scored 27 points and grabbed 24 rebounds as the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves advanced to the Western Conference semifinals with a 103-96 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 5 on Wednesday.
Julius Randle put up 23 points as the sixth-seeded Timberwolves finished off a 4-1 first-round series win over the third-seeded Lakers.
The rebound total for Gobert was a Timberwolves postseason record and his personal career playoff high.
Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards was limited to 15 points while Donte DiVincenzo added nine on an off night for both players. Edwards shot 0-for-11 from 3-point range and DiVincenzo was 2-for-12.
The Timberwolves had a 54-37 rebounding advantage while advancing out of the first round for the second consecutive season after not getting that far over the previous 19 seasons. They will face either the Houston Rockets or the Golden State Warriors in the next round.
Luka Doncic put up 28 points and LeBron James added 22 for the Lakers as the NBA’s newest dynamic duo saw its season come to an end. Doncic, who also had nine assists and seven rebounds, was limited in the second half after sustaining a back injury following a hard foul by DiVincenzo with 1:01 remaining before halftime.
Rui Hachimura scored 23 points and Austin Reaves had 12 for Los Angeles, which went 20-17, including playoff games, after Doncic made his debut with the team on Feb. 10 following a trade from the Dallas Mavericks.
The Lakers, who trailed by 14 in the first half, got within two on a James 3-pointer with 3:08 left in the game. Randle then hit a layup and Edwards added an inside hoop to give the Timberwolves a 97-91 lead with 2:22 to go.
Hachimura got the Lakers within three on a 3-pointer with 1:42 remaining, but Mike Conley answered with a 3-pointer for Minnesota for a 100-94 lead with 1:22 left. The shot ended an 0-for-18 dry spell for the Timberwolves from long range. Minnesota won despite shooting 7 of 47 (14.9 percent) from beyond the arc.
With a chance to advance, Minnesota got off to a fast start to lead 29-15 in the first quarter en route to a 59-49 edge at halftime.
With a hobbled Doncic, Los Angeles made a charge in the third quarter, taking its first lead of the game at 78-77 on a Dorian Finney-Smith 3-pointer with 2:38 remaining in the period. Minnesota went into the fourth quarter with an 81-80 advantage.
NHL NEWS
OVECHKIN SCORES AS THE CAPITALS ELIMINATE THE CANADIENS IN 5, ADVANCE TO PLAY THE HURRICANES
WASHINGTON (AP) — For the first time in seven years, the Washington Capitals were on the smiling end of a playoff handshake line. And they got to enjoy it at home for the first time in a decade.
Alex Ovechkin scored on a laser of a shot off a faceoff, Logan Thompson made some spectacular saves among his 28 and the Capitals beat the Montreal Canadiens 4-1 in Game 5 of their first-round series Wednesday night to advance in the NHL playoffs.
It’s the Capitals’ first series win since capturing the Stanley Cup in 2018, and they clinched at home for the first time since 2015. They face the Carolina Hurricanes in the second round with a spot in the Eastern Conference final at stake.
“We won a series and we’re going to enjoy it tonight and tomorrow it’s a new day and it’s going to be a new series,” Ovechkin said. “We have to be smart and we have to move on and game by game.”
Ovechkin led the way with his power-play goal 11 minutes in, setting off chants of “Ovi! Ovi!” from the juiced up crowd. Pierre-Luc Dubois delivered a perfect pass to Jakob Chychrun, who beat Jakub Dobes just over two minutes later. Tom Wilson provided a valuable insurance goal on the power play late in the second period.
Fans expressed their appreciation for Thompson with chants of “LT! LT!” when he turned aside Kaiden Guhle on a three-on-one rush and with under two minutes left when he flashed his glove to rob Nick Suzuki with Dobes pulled for an extra attacker. Brandon Duhaime sealed it with an empty-netter with 25.6 seconds left.
Much like the final minutes of Game 2, Thompson was at his best at the start when the Canadiens came out with the desperation expected from a team facing elimination and then in the third when they pressed and tilted the ice toward him.
“He’s a rock,” center Dylan Strome said. “He was great. I thought he did what he did all year. He kept us in it, made the big saves when we needed it.”
The Capitals asserted their dominance in the East’s 1 versus 8 series, a year after getting swept as the underdog in it by the New York Rangers. Banged up and without top goalie Sam Montembeault and scoring winger Patrik Laine, the Canadiens got a goal from Emil Heineman but ultimately ran out of steam after going on a tear down the stretch in the regular season to be the last team to qualify for the playoffs.
“We had a good push in the third, and I think when teams gave us a little bit of space, we were very dangerous,” coach Martin St. Louis said. “If we introduced ourself to the rest of the league in this playoffs, especially being the youngest team and stuff, I think we can walk out of here with our head held high.”
Up next
Carolina and Washington meet in the playoffs for the first time since 2019.
PANTHERS ADVANCE TO THE SECOND ROUND AFTER DEFEATING TAMPA BAY IN 5 GAMES
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Eetu Luostarinen had a goal and three assists to lead the Florida Panthers to a 6-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning and advance Florida to the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Carter Verhaeghe, Anton Lundell, Aleksander Barkov, Sam Bennett and Sam Reinhart also scored for Florida. Sergei Bobrovsky finished with 26 saves as the defending Stanley Cup champion Panthers defeated their in-state rival in five games in the first round for the second consecutive season.
“I know every year is gets harder and harder, and this series was really hard,” Barkov said. “So, we’re happy with the end result.”
The Panthers will play the winner of the series between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators, which Toronto currently leads 3-2. Game 6 is Thursday.
Nick Paul, Gage Goncalves and Jake Guentzel scored for Tampa Bay. Andrei Vasilevskiy finished with 25 saves. Since advancing to three consecutive Stanley Cup Final appearances from 2020-2022, the Lightning have lost in the first round for the past three seasons. Tampa Bay fell to 1-9 in the past 10 home playoff games.
“We have a group in here that we really believe in, and that’s not going to change going forward,” Lightning captain Victor Hedman said. ”Three straight years, we’re knocked out in the first round, so we’re going to have to put a stop to that next year.”
Bennett, who took a penalty that led to Tampa Bay’s tying goal, scored with 4:47 left in the second period just six seconds after he came out of the penalty box, beating Vasilevskiy to the far post on the stick side to lift the Panthers to a 4-3 lead.
“It’s not a good feeling being in the box twice there, and especially after they scored one,” Bennett said. ”So, a little anxious in the box there, but was able to come out, and (Lundell) made a great play to find me. Definitely a little weight off my shoulders.”
Tampa Bay scored the opening goal for the first time in the series when Goncalves scored 2:33 into the game. But Florida answered with a power-play goal from Verhaeghe at 5:21 and Lundell redirected a Brad Marchand pass at 10:06.
Paul pulled the Lightning even at 12:16 of the first with his second goal of the series.
Barkov tipped in a Gustav Forsling shot 52 seconds into the second to put Florida back in front before Guentzel snapped an 0-for-16 power-play slump for Tampa Bay at 9:57.
Luostarinen scored at 13:02 if the third period and Reinhart added an empty net goal with 4:24 left to push the Panthers past the Lightning again.
Either Tampa Bay or Florida has represented the Eastern Conference in the Stanley Cup Final each of the past five seasons.
“Two teams right in their prime, very competitive,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said.
KYLE CONNOR HAS A GOAL, 2 ASSISTS TO LEAD JETS TO 5-3 WIN OVER BLUES FOR 3-2 SERIES LEAD
WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) — Kyle Connor had a goal and two assists and the Winnipeg Jets overcame the loss of star center Mark Scheifele to beat the St. Louis Blues 5-3 on Wednesday night and take a 3-2 lead in their best-of-seven first-round playoff series.
The Jets lost Scheifele after he was crushed into the boards by Brayden Schenn early in the opening period.
Vladislav Namestnikov, who replaced Scheifele on the top line, had a goal and an assist.
“When things don’t go your way, we lost (Scheifele), people have to step up. So I think as a team we stepped up today and got the win,” Namestnikov said.
Jets head coach Scott Arniel had no postgame updates on Scheifele and couldn’t say if he would make the trip to St. Louis for Game 6 on Friday.
Nino Niederreiter also had a goal and assist. Dylan DeMelo and Adam Lowry had goals while Mason Appleton had three assists.
Connor Hellebuyck made 16 saves for Winnipeg, which had top-line winger Gabriel Vilardi back in action after missing 15 games with an upper-body injury.
“Really proud of the effort,” said Lowry, who scored an empty-netter. “Sometimes when you lose your No. 1 center, you lose a key piece to your lineup there can be a bit of a sag, an emotional letdown. But you know, I thought the guys really rallied around it.”
Nathan Walker scored twice and rookie Jimmy Snuggerud also had a goal for the Blues. Jordan Binnington stopped 21 shots.
“They’re a good team, but we’ve played some good hockey at home for a couple of months now, so we’re comfortable there and fans (are) behind us,” Schenn said.
After being outscored 12-3 in two losses in St. Louis, the Jets jumped to a 1-0 lead 1:23 into the first period.
Scheifele sent the puck from behind the net out to Connor, who snapped it past Binnington.
The Blues responded when Walker stayed in front of Hellebuyck and tipped in a point shot from Colton Parayko at 3:42.
St. Louis defenseman Cam Fowler also picked up an assist, extending his point streak to five games with one goal and eight assists.
Winnipeg got the game’s first power play after Schenn crushed Scheifele. He was called for interference and then roughing after Jets forward Brandon Tanev defended his teammate.
Twenty-seven seconds after Schenn’s extra penalty expired, Niederreiter tipped in Dylan Samberg’s shot at 8:39.
Both teams took four penalties, and had 17 hits each.
After the Jets only got one shot on goal in their second power play, Snuggerud scored his second goal of the playoffs with a low shot that went between Hellebuyck’s left pad and the post at 6:06.
DeMelo scored Winnipeg’s first second-period goal of the series when his point shot went off the back of Parayko and into the net at 11:05.
Connor sent a backhand pass across the front of the net to a rushing Namestnikov, who made it 4-2 with 1:09 remaining in the second.
MLB NEWS
MLB ROUNDUP: JAYS RALLY FROM 6 DOWN, TOP RED SOX IN 10
Alejandro Kirk singled home the winning run in the 10th inning and the Toronto Blue Jays rallied from a 6-0 deficit to defeat the visiting Boston Red Sox 7-6 on Wednesday night.
Anthony Santander had tied the game with a three-run home run in the seventh. Daulton Varsho added a two-run blast and Kirk hit a solo shot to help Toronto square the three-game series up at 1-1.
Toronto’s Jeff Hoffman (3-0) pitched clean ninth and 10th innings to earn the win.
Carlos Narvaez hit a two-run home run and Alex Bregman added a solo shot to extend his hit streak to 10 games for the Red Sox.
Cardinals 6, Reds 0 (Game 1)
Masyn Winn belted two homers and Miles Mikolas allowed just three hits over 5 1/3 innings to lead St. Louis to a win over host in the opener of a day-night doubleheader.
Mikolas (1-2) struck out four and walked none before being relieved with one out in the sixth. Kyle Leahy pitched out of a second-and-third jam in the sixth and followed with a scoreless seventh.
With two outs in the ninth, Victor Scott II belted a three-run homer before Lars Nootbaar and Winn hit back-to-back blasts off Alexis Diaz in a five-run inning as the Cardinals won for just the third time in 15 road games.
Cardinals 9, Reds 1 (Game 2)
Willson Contreras belted a three-run homer and Pedro Pages added a solo shot to lead St. Louis to a sweep of a day-night doubleheader against Cincinnati.
The Cardinals broke to a 9-0 lead in the first three innings of the nightcap.
St. Louis gave a rude welcome to highly touted Reds right-hander Chase Petty in his major league debut. He was charged with nine runs on seven hits over 2 1/3 innings.
Tigers 7, Astros 4
Javier Baez blasted a grand slam in the third inning as Detroit salvaged the finale of a three-game series with host Houston.
Colt Keith smacked a two-run homer and Riley Greene went 4-for-4 with two runs for the Tigers. Brenan Hanifee (2-0) threw two scoreless innings in support of starter Jackson Jobe, who allowed three runs, four hits and four walks in four-plus innings.
Jeremy Pena and Victor Caratini homered for the Astros. Starter AJ Blubaugh’s major-league debut ended after four innings after allowing seven runs (two earned) and five hits. He fanned six and walked one.
Rockies 2, Braves 1
Colorado snapped an eight-game losing streak as Chase Dollander and three relievers allowed visiting Atlanta just three hits and Brenton Doyle delivered the game-winning homer.
Doyle stroked his fourth homer of the year in the third inning off reigning Cy Young Award winner Chris Sale (1-3), who struck out 10 while allowing two runs and five hits over seven innings. The Braves backed Sale with three singles.
Dollander (2-3) allowed just one run and two hits over 5 ? innings, but he left with an apparent blister in the sixth after walking two Braves. Rookie Zach Agnos threw a scoreless ninth for his first save.
Padres 5, Giants 3
Michael King (4-1) notched six strikeouts while allowing one run and three hits over 5 2/3 innings, and Elias Diaz homered to help host San Diego secure the two-game sweep against San Francisco.
Fernando Tatis Jr. added three hits and a run, Luis Arraez had two hits, a run and an RBI, and Roberto Suarez secured his MLB-leading 12th save of the season for the Padres.
The Giants countered with home runs from Heliot Ramos and Mike Yastrzemski, and Landen Roupp (2-2) struck out four and walked three over 4 /3 innings. He gave up four runs and seven hits in the loss.
Guardians 4, Twins 2
Bo Naylor’s three-run homer capped off a four-run seventh inning, and Luis Ortiz tossed a season-high 6 1/3 shutout innings to lead Cleveland to a victory over Minnesota.
Naylor homered for a second straight night and provided needed insurance runs for his team. Meanwhile, Ortiz yielded three hits with two walks and struck out five as his team won their second straight after losing the series opener, 11-1, on Monday.
Brooks Lee clubbed an eighth-inning homer off Hunter Gaddis for the Twins, who also recorded a pair of singles and scored on a wild pitch by Emmanuel Clase in the ninth. Minnesota batters struck out 13 times and have been held to three runs over the last two contests.
Orioles 5, Yankees 4
Six Baltimore relievers kept New York mostly in check in the rubber match of a three-game series Wednesday night.
Ryan Mountcastle and Ramon Urias homered for the Orioles while Adley Rutschman and Heston Kjerstad each rapped two hits as Baltimore picked up its third victory in a 10-game stretch.
Aaron Judge, with three hits and three RBIs, and Paul Goldschmidt had home runs for the Yankees.
Mariners 9, Angels 3
J.P. Crawford’s two-run single broke a tie in the seventh inning and Seattle went on to defeat Los Angeles to sweep a two-game set.
Randy Arozarena homered for the division-leading Mariners, who have won four games in a row and 15 of their past 20.
Jorge Soler went deep for the last-place Angels, who lost their fifth consecutive game and for the 13th time in their past 17.
Trout was lifted for a pinch hitter in the fourth inning due to left knee soreness, Angels manager Ron Washington told reporters after the game. Trout said he believes he’ll be able to play Thursday against Detroit.
Dodgers 12, Marlins 7
Tony Gonsolin, pitching in the majors for the first time since August 2023, struck out nine as host Los Angeles defeated Miami to complete a three-game sweep.
Mookie Betts went 2-for-4 with four RBIs to lead Los Angeles’ offense. Freddie Freeman hit a two-run homer, Max Muncy added a solo shot and Enrique Hernandez drove in two runs for the Dodgers. Gonsolin (1-0), who had elbow surgery on Sept. 1, 2023, allowed three runs on six hits and didn’t issue a walk in six innings.
Kyle Stowers went 4-for-4 with a pair of homers and four RBIs for Miami. He had a two-run homer, a solo shot, an RBI double and a single. Marlins starter Cal Quantrill (2-3) gave up four runs on six hits and one walk in 3 2/3 innings.
Pirates 4, Cubs 3
Andrew McCutchen drove in two runs with his lone hit to help Pittsburgh snap a three-game slide with a win against Chicago Cubs.
With Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Bryan Reynolds on base with two outs in the seventh, McCutchen delivered a double into center field to drive in the tying and game-winning runs.
Reliever Caleb Ferguson (1-0) was perfect in 1 1/3 innings and closer David Bednar gave up one hit and fanned one for the save.
Royals 3, Rays 0
Noah Cameron took a no-hitter into the seventh inning of his major league debut, propelling visiting Kansas City to a shutout victory over Tampa Bay.
In the seventh, Curtis Mead singled to left, ending Cameron’s no-hit bid and his outing. Three relievers followed, closing out a four-hit shutout. Cameron (1-0) allowed just one hit while walking five and striking out three after being called up from Triple-A Omaha before the game. Vinnie Pasquantino launched a two-run homer and Bobby Witt Jr. tallied two hits and an RBI for the Royals, who clinched the three-game series and won their eighth game in nine tries.
Drew Rasmussen (1-2) allowed three runs on six hits over five innings for Tampa Bay. The Rays dropped their second game in a row after a five-game winning streak.
Phillies 7, Nationals 2
Kyle Schwarber hit a three-run home run and J.T. Realmuto and Max Kepler socked solo shots as Philadelphia won its fourth straight game, beating visiting Washington.
Realmuto, Bryson Stott and Johan Rojas each had two hits for Philadelphia in support of Cristopher Sanchez (3-1), who combined with three relievers to pitch a five-hitter.
Nathaniel Lowe and Amed Rosario each drove in a run for Washington, which has dropped three in a row. The Nationals will look to avoid a three-game sweep when the teams reconvene Thursday evening.
Diamondbacks 4, Mets 3
Pinch hitter Geraldo Perdomo’s two-run single in the seventh inning put visiting Arizona ahead, and it withstood a furious ninth-inning rally by New York.
Still leading 2-1 in the ninth, the Diamondbacks’ Jorge Barrosa and Perdomo lofted back-to-back sacrifice flies to provide pivotal insurance runs. Corbin Burnes (1-1), who signed a six-year deal with Arizona in December, allowed one run on four hits over six innings. Arizona won for just the second time in seven games.
Mark Vientos gave the Mets an early 1-0 lead with a solo homer in the third inning, and Tyrone Taylor went deep leading off the ninth against Justin Martinez. New York had its eight-game home winning streak snapped and lost for only the second time in 15 games at Citi Field this season.
Athletics 7, Rangers 1
Brent Rooker lined a two-run tiebreaking homer in the ninth inning and Lawrence Butler followed with a grand slam as the Athletics turned it on late to beat Texas in Arlington, Texas.
The Athletics won for the second time in the first three games of a four-game series. Grant Holman (3-0), the third pitcher for the visitors, allowed one hit over two scoreless innings. Tyler Ferguson finished up with a 1-2-3 ninth. Butler, Rooker, Jacob Wilson and Shea Langeliers had two hits each to lead the Athletics.
Adolis Garcia and Josh Jung each had a pair of hits for Texas. The Rangers left 11 runners on base and finished 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position. Neither starter figured in the decision. Texas’ Nathan Eovaldi left after allowing a run on six hits over six innings. The Athletics’ Luis Severino yielded one run on eight hits in five-plus innings.
Brewers 6, White Sox 4
Jake Bauers ripped a two-run tiebreaking double during a three-run eighth inning to help Milwaukee win at Chicago.
William Contreras singled twice and walked twice as the Brewers defeated the White Sox for the second straight night and the eighth consecutive meeting. Sal Frelick also had two hits as Milwaukee won its third straight overall game.
Miguel Vargas had three hits for the White Sox, who have lost three straight games and 13 of their past 16. Luis Robert Jr. and Lenyn Sosa added two hits apiece.
NFL NEWS
NFL FINES FALCONS AND DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR JEFF ULBRICH FOLLOWING PRANK CALL TO SHEDEUR SANDERS
ATLANTA (AP) — The Atlanta Falcons have been fined $250,000 and defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich has been fined $100,000 as the result of Ulbrich’s son participating in a prank call to Shedeur Sanders during the NFL draft.
The NFL confirmed the fines on Wednesday for the roles by the Falcons and Ulbrich in failing to prevent the disclosure of confidential information distributed to the club in advance of the NFL draft.
The Falcons, who disclosed the role of Ulbrich’s 21-year-old son Jax in the prank call as Sanders was waiting for his name to be called in the draft, said they accept the discipline from the league.
“We appreciate the NFL’s swift and thorough review of last week’s data exposure and the event that transpired due to it,” the Falcons said in a statement.
“We were proactive in addressing the situation internally and cooperated fully with the league throughout the process, and accept the discipline levied to Coach Jeff Ulbrich and the organization. We are confident in our security policies and practices and will continue to emphasize adherence to them with our staff whether on or off premises.”
The Falcons also said the Ulbrich family “is working with the organization to participate in community service initiatives in relation to last week’s matter.”
On Sunday, the Falcons said in a statement that Jax Ulbrich “unintentionally came across the draft contact phone number for Shedeur Sanders off an open iPad while visiting his parent’s home and wrote the number down to later conduct a prank call.”
Jax Ulbrich was sitting beside an unidentified friend who actually made the call to Sanders on Friday, the second day of the draft. Sanders, a standout quarterback from Colorado, is the son of Buffaloes coach and Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, who began his NFL career with the Falcons.
Sanders, who entered the draft expecting to be a first-round pick, was selected Saturday in the fifth round by the Cleveland Browns.
The Falcons said Jeff Ulbrich was unaware of the data exposure or the prank until after the fact. The team offered “sincere apologies to Shedeur Sanders and his family.” Jax Ulbrich also posted a public apology on social media.
The NFL continues to investigate prank calls made to other players during the NFL draft. The Associated Press reported Tuesday the call to Shedeur Sanders wasn’t related to the other prank calls.
Tyler Warren, Kyle McCord, Mason Graham and Chase Lundt also have reported receiving prank calls.
JETS QB JORDAN TRAVIS, ’24 DRAFT PICK, FORCED TO RETIRE
New York Jets quarterback Jordan Travis, a fifth-round draft pick in 2024, informed the team Wednesday that he is retiring.
Travis, 24, cited ongoing complications from a left leg injury sustained during his final game at Florida State.
“On November 18, 2023, my life took an unexpected turn,” Travis said in a statement. “I gave everything I had to the rehab process but despite all my efforts, my leg never responded the way we hoped. After much prayer and consultation with the doctors, medical experts and my agent, I’ve been medically advised to retire from the game I love so deeply.”
The Jets said Travis will be placed on the reserve/retired list.
“Jordan has informed us of his intent to retire due to the injury he sustained while at Florida State,” Jets general manager Darren Mougey said in a statement. “It is unfortunate that he was unable to get back on the field after working so hard. We support his decision and wish him only the best.”
Travis was 11-0 as the Seminoles’ starter in 2023, finishing fifth in the Heisman Trophy voting after throwing for 2,756 yards with 20 touchdowns and just two interceptions. He was injured by a controversial hip-drop tackle during Florida State’s 58-13 win against North Alabama.
The 2023 ACC Player of the Year completed 62.0 percent of his passes for 8,715 yards with 66 TDs and 20 picks in 49 games at Louisville (2018) and Florida State (2019-23).
RAVENS PICK UP OPTION OF KYLE HAMILTON, DECLINE TYLER LINDERBAUM
The Baltimore Ravens picked up the fifth-year option on All-Pro safety Kyle Hamilton while declining the same commitment to offensive lineman Tyler Linderbaum on Wednesday.
General manager Eric DeCosta said he intends for the 2022 first-round picks to continue to wear a Ravens uniform for years to come.
“We are exercising the fifth-year option for Kyle Hamilton with the goal of working toward a multi-year contract extension,” DeCosta said in a team statement.
“While we will not apply the fifth-year option to Tyler Linderbaum, it is our intention for him remain a Raven long term.”
Hamilton, 24, was the No. 14 overall pick of the 2022 NFL Draft. He has appeared in 48 games (35 starts) in the regular season, with 250 tackles, seven sacks, five interceptions (one for a TD), four forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries.
He was a first-team All-Pro in 2023 and is a two-time Pro Bowl selection. In 2026, he will earn $18.6 million.
Linderbaum, 25, was take 11 picks after Hamilton in the same draft. A two-time Pro Bowl selection, he has played in 49 regular-season games (all starts) over three years.
Had the Ravens picked up his option, he would have been paid $23.4 million in 2026. Instead, he will play out the final season of four-year, $13.23 million rookie deal as DeCosta hopes to negotiate an extension.
A May 1 deadline (Thursday) is in place for teams to exercise the fifth-year option for 2022 first-round draft selections.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL NEWS
ALABAMA’S WILLIAMS, LSU’S PERKINS AND TEXAS’ BAXTER TOP LIST OF SEC PLAYERS TO WATCH IN ’25
Non-quarterback players from each of the SEC’s 16 schools who could be poised to help change his team’s fortunes in 2025:
Alabama
WR Ryan Williams already had his breakout season with 48 receptions for 865 yards and eight touchdowns as a freshman in 2024. What will he do for an encore? A good start would mean more consistency after failing to crack 100 yards in the Tide’s last nine games.
Arkansas
After three lackluster years at Georgia, LB Xavian Sorey Jr. came on strong in his debut season with the Razorbacks. He finished with 99 tackles, which ranked seventh in the league, and is expected to anchor Sam Pittman’s defense as a senior.
Auburn
WR Cam Coleman was arguably the SEC’s best receiver in late November, notching a combined 23 catches for 306 yards and six touchdowns against Louisiana-Monroe, Texas A&M and Alabama. Like Williams at Alabama, he was only a freshman.
Florida
Although RB Jaden Baugh took a backseat to teammate Ja’Kobi Jackson (10 carries for 198 yards and 3 TDs) in the team’s spring game, he is expected to be the lead ballcarrier when the Gators open the season. Baugh ran for 673 yards and seven TDs while sharing carries with Jackson and Montrell Johnson in 2024.
Georgia
DL Christen Miller should be a key piece as the Bulldogs attempt to revamp a front seven that lost Mykel Williams, Jalon Walker, Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins, Smael Mondon, Warren Brinson and Chaz Chambliss. The 6-foot-4, 305-pound Georgia native had five tackles against Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff semifinals.
Kentucky
WR Kendrick Law transferred to Lexington after three years at Alabama, where he totaled 33 catches for 343 yards and a score. With Dane Key (Nebraska) and Barion Brown (LSU) gone, he could emerge as the Wildcats’ top threat.
LSU
LB Harold Harold Perkins was supposed to be in the NFL by now. At least that’s how it looked after he totaled 27 tackles for loss, including 14 sacks, in his first two years with the Tigers. But he tore a ligament in his right knee against UCLA in late September and is back to prove he’s healthy and worthy of a first-round draft pick.
Mississippi
DE Princewell Umanmielen, the younger brother of Princely Umanmielen, transferred to Ole Miss after two years and seven tackles for loss at Nebraska. Princewell Umanmielen should help the Rebels rebuild a talented front that also included Walter Nolan and JJ Pegues.
Mississippi State
S Isaac Smith, a 6-foot, 205-pound Mississippi native, led the conference with 127 tackles as a sophomore last season. The hard-hitting safety was one of the bright spots for a Bulldogs defense that ranked last in the league in nearly every category.
Missouri
On his fourth college stop in as many years, WR Kevin Coleman Jr. is finally home. Now he gets tasked with helping the Tigers replace standouts Luther Burden III and Theo Wease. Coleman caught 74 passes for 932 yards and six scores at Mississippi State in 2024. He also played for Louisville (2023) and Jackson State (2022).
Oklahoma
Following a nine-sack campaign as a junior in 2024, DL R Mason Thomas already is gaining traction as a potential first-round draft pick in 2026 despite his 6-foot-2, 249-pound frame.
South Carolina
In 13 games last season, edge rusher Dylan Stewart had 23 tackles, including 6 ½ sacks, and was widely regarded as one of the best freshmen defenders in the country. There already are comparisons to Jadeveon Clowney and speculation that the 6-foot-5, 245-pounder has the potential to be a top pick in 2027.
Tennessee
CB Jermod McCoy was a lockdown cornerback as a sophomore in 2024 — a semifinalist for the Jim Thorpe Award — after transferring from Oregon State. Pro Football Focus gave the 6-foot, 193-pound Texan an 89.6 coverage grade and a near-perfect score (99.9) in its athleticism metric.
Texas
RB CJ Baxter was projected to be the team’s starter when he tore two ligaments in his right knee in August 2024. As a true freshman in 2023, Baxter ran for 659 yards and averaged 4.8 yards a carry. He’s fully healthy now and expected to share carries with Quintrevion Wisner.
Texas A&M
CB Will Lee III surprised some outsiders when he decided to stay in school for his senior season. It was a boon for second-year coach Mike Elko’s defense. Lee finished last season with 42 tackles and two interceptions, including a 93-yarder for a score against rival Texas in late November.
Vanderbilt
G Chase Mitchell anchors an offensive line tasked with keeping dynamic quarterback Diego Pavia upright. Mitchell is one of five transfers up front for the Commodores and the unit’s only returning starter.
MORE THAN HALF THE SEC WILL HAVE NEW QBS IN 2025, THOUGH SOME CHANGES COME WITH CONTINUITY
More than half the teams in the powerhouse Southeastern Conference will have new starting quarterbacks this fall.
Many of the changes were expected. Some were needed. All of them will be overly dissected before training camps open in August.
Alabama ( Jalen Milroe ), Auburn (Payton Thorne) Missouri (Brady Cook), Ole Miss ( Jaxson Dart ) and Texas ( Quinn Ewers ) lost entrenched starters to the NFL. But those typical progressions were hardly the norm elsewhere.
Georgia’s Carson Beck transferred to Miami. Tennessee’s Nico Iamaleava bailed on a $2.4 million name, image and likeness deal and ended up at UCLA. Oklahoma’s Jackson Arnold landed at Auburn. And Kentucky’s Brock Vandagriff retired from football after getting benched.
“A new day and age in football,” said current Florida backup quarterback Harrison Bailey, who previously played at Tennessee, UNLV and Louisville. “I’m glad I’m getting out of it.”
The burgeoning transfer portal — the lure of more money or a better opportunity elsewhere, really — continues to create roster turnover in college football, and no school appears safe from the chaos.
Not even the SEC, which has every head coaching returning for the first time since 2019 and for just the second time since 2005.
Despite all the different faces under center, 10 SEC schools are poised to start the season with some level of continuity at the all-important QB position.
The holdovers
Arkansas’ Taylen Green, Florida’s DJ Lagway, LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier, Mississippi State’s Blake Shapen, South Carolina’s LaNorris Sellers, Texas A&M’s Marcel Reed and Vanderbilt’s Diego Pavia have significant experience in their current systems. Sellers, though, has a new offensive coordinator, former Alabama coach Mike Shula.
Green could make a jump in his second year under offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino. Lagway and Sellers, athletic big men with above-average arms, look like budding stars who could carry improving teams to the College Football Playoff.
Nussmeier is entering his third year in coach Brian Kelly’s system. Shapen, a sixth-year senior, is healthy again. Reed flashed early last season before losing four of his final starts as a freshman. And Pavia was a bright spot for the Commodores, finishing with 20 touchdown passes and four interceptions.
The not-so-newcomers
Georgia’s Gunner Stockton came up big in last year’s SEC championship game against Texas and should benefit from sitting behind Beck the last two seasons. Ole Miss is confident Austin Simmons will step in for Dart and keep the Rebels rolling. And the Longhorns have been waiting two years for Arch Manning to take the spotlight.
“I hope he’s got a really hard decision to make around January 21,” Texas coach Steve Sarkisian told the Houston Touchdown Club this week. “That means we played a long time. That means he played a really good season. And that means he’s trying to figure out do I want one more year in the burnt orange or is it time to go to the NFL?
“I hope it’s a really hard decision. I hope it’s not a no-brainer to come back to school.”
Everyone else
The six remaining schools – Alabama, Auburn, Kentucky, Missouri, Oklahoma and Tennessee – have varying degrees of uncertainty about their QBs following spring football.
Alabama is turning to Ty Simpson. Auburn is expected to go with transfer Jackson Arnold. Kentucky is taking a chance with transfer Zach Calzada, who is entering his seventh collegiate season.
Missouri appears content with Penn State transfer Beau Pribula, who signed a $1.5 million NIL. Oklahoma believes its new duo from Washington State – quarterback John Mateer and offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle – will pay immediate dividends.
Tennessee might have the most to figure out. The Volunteers ended up with UCLA transfer Joey Aguilar in a pseudo trade. But Aguilar still has to beat out Jake Merklinger and George MacIntyre for the job.
“I’m looking forward to being a part of the traditions, the fans, and the legacy of winning at Tennessee,” Aguilar wrote on social media. “I’m ready to get to work, compete at the highest level and building something special with my teammates and coaches. I can’t wait to get to Rocky Top!”
WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
FORMER WISCONSIN FORWARD SERAH WILLIAMS TRANSFERRING TO UCONN
STORRS, Conn. (AP) — Former Wisconsin forward Serah Williams says she is transferring to UConn.
Williams posted on social media Wednesday that she had committed to the reigning national champions. Williams had entered the transfer portal after Marisa Moseley stepped down as Wisconsin’s coach last month.
Williams, who is 6-foot-4, averaged 19.2 points, 9.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 2.3 blocks this past season and was the 2023-2024 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and a first-team all conference selection.
KENTUCKY DERBY NEWS
JOURNALISM (4-1) AIMS TO END KENTUCKY DERBY FAVORITES’ HEX
The betting favorite has not won the Kentucky Derby since 2018, adding to the drama when Journalism enters the starting gate at Churchill Downs in Louisville on Saturday evening.
The 3-year-old colt, trained by Michael McCarthy, was a 4-1 favorite on Wednesday after opening at 3-1 on Saturday following the post-position draw for the first leg of the Triple Crown.
Most expect Journalism, with jockey Umberto Rispoli aboard, to remain the top choice as he breaks from the eighth gate in an anticipated 20-horse field.
Sired by Curlin, a two-time horse of the year, Journalism has won his last four races, most recently the Santa Anita Derby on April 5. The last Santa Anita winner to then take the Kentucky Derby was Justify in 2018. Justify was also the last betting favorite to win the 1 1/4-mile race.
Trainer Bob Baffert, whose six wins are tied with Ben Jones for the most in Kentucky Derby history, returns to the race with a pair of horses after a three-year suspension.
Citizen Bull, who finished fourth in the Santa Anita Derby, will break from the inside gate, and Rodriguez, who won the Wood Memorial on April 5, will run from the fourth gate. Neither spot is ideal for horses who are seeking to control the race from the start.
Rodriguez, sired by Authentic and ridden by two-time winner Mike Smith, is currently the third choice at 9-1. Citizen Bull is listed at 17-1.
Baffert appeared to have his seventh Kentucky Derby win in 2021 when Medina Spirit crossed the finish line first. However, the colt’s win was eventually taken down after a failed drug test. That also led to Churchill Downs’ ban on the Hall of Fame trainer.
Justify will also have a progeny in the race. American Promise, who last raced and won in the Virginia Derby six weeks ago, will run for legendary trainer D. Wayne Lukas, and Nik Juarez will get his first Kentucky Derby mount. Initially 30-1 on the morning line, early betting brought American Promise’s odds down to 12-1.
American Pharoah, the 2015 Triple Crown winner also trained by Baffert, sired two entries. Luxor Cafe comes from Japan. Trained by Noriyuki Hori and ridden by Joao Moreira, the colt is currently at 15-1 and will break seventh.
In addition, Publisher is looking to give Steve Asmussen, who has won more races at Churchill than any other trainer, his first Derby winner. With Irad Ortiz Jr. aboard, Publisher will come from the 13th gate and is priced at 32-1.
Journalism’s most likely rivals will have to come from the far outside. Sandman, sired by Tapit and trained by Mark Casse, was 5-1 as of Wednesday. The Arkansas Derby winner, though, will break from the 17th post with Jose Ortiz aboard. No horse has won the Kentucky Derby from that gate.
Just to Sandman’s outside will be Sovereignty, ridden by Junior Alvarado. Trainer Bill Mott’s entry won the Fountain of Youth Stakes and finished second in the Florida Derby on March 29. While he was given morning line odds of 5-1, those lengthened to 10-1 as of Wednesday.
The National Weather Service indicates a 40 percent chance of rain on Derby Day. The last time the Derby was run on an off track was 2019, when Country House, a 65-1 long shot trained by Mott, won after Maximum Security was disqualified for interfering with another horse in the final turn.
TOP INDIANA HEADLINES
INDIANA PACERS
NBA ANNOUNCES DATES FOR PACERS-CAVALIERS EASTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS
After Tuesday night’s dramatic overtime comeback win to close out their first round series with the Bucks, the Pacers are back in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Fourth-seeded Indiana will take on top-seeded Cleveland in the second round of the playoffs.
The NBA announced the dates for all seven games in the Pacers-Cavaliers series on Wednesday afternoon. Times and television information will be announced later.
The series will tip off in Cleveland on Sunday, with Game 2 scheduled for Tuesday. The Pacers will then host Games 3 and 4 next weekend at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Game 3 is on Friday, May 9 and Game 4 is Sunday, May 11.
If necessary, Game 5 would be in Cleveland on Tuesday, May 13, Indiana would host Game 6 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Thursday, May 15, and a winner-take-all Game 7 would take place in Cleveland on Sunday, May 18.
Single game tickets for all three potential second round home games will go on sale to the general public on Friday, May 2 at 2:00 PM ET. Fans can visit Pacers.com/Playoffs to purchase tickets, sign up for exclusive presale access, and guarantee playoff seats by placing a deposit on a 2025-26 season ticket plan.
This is the fourth time the Pacers and Cavs have met in the postseason. All three previous meetings were in the first round, with the Pacers prevailing 3-1 in a best-of-five series in 1998 and the Cavaliers sweeping Indiana in four games in 2017 and then being pushed to seven games by the Pacers in 2018.
The Pacers won three of four games against Cleveland during the regular season. The final two contests between the two Central Division rivals took place over the final four days of the regular season, after both teams had already secured playoff berths.
The 2025 Pacers Playoffs are presented by KeyBank, Kroger, and Starry.
INDIANAPOLIS INDIANS
FIVE-RUN SEVENTH HANDS INDIANS SERIES-LEVELING LOSS
PAPILLION, Neb. – The Indianapolis Indians built a 6-2 lead after six innings on Wednesday evening, but the Omaha Storm Chasers scored five runs in the seventh to erase the deficit and even the series at Werner Park with the 9-6 triumph.
With the Indians (14-13) holding onto a four-run lead, Randy Labaut retired Nelson Velazquez to open the bottom of the seventh before six of the next seven Omaha batters reached base safely to flip the script. A double by Nick Pratto began the five-run rally, which included a run-scoring balk and game-tying errant throw to the plate from new reliever Yohan Ramirez (L, 0-1). The Storm Chasers (11-16) went in front when Harold Castro bounced a single through the right side.
The Indians trailed 2-0 after two innings but then scored six unanswered runs before Omaha’s decisive rally. Ji Hwan Bae knocked in Indy’s first run with a groundout in the top of the third. Liover Peguero led off the fourth with a double and scored on a single by Jack Suwinski. Darick Hall then homered for the second consecutive game to drive in two, bringing his total RBI on the young series to six. The lead swelled to 6-2 with a two-run fifth, highlighted by Bae’s double to extend his on-base streak to 14 games.
Anthony Simonelli (W, 1-2) fired scoreless frames in the sixth and seventh out of the Omaha bullpen to earn the win. Chandler Champlain started the game and labored through five innings, allowing all six Indy runs. Evan Sisk (S, 2) closed out the game after a perfect eighth from Eric Cerantola.
The Indians and Storm Chasers will tangle in the third contest of the six-game set on Thursday night at Werner Park. First pitch is scheduled for 7:35 PM. Pirates top prospect Bubba Chandler (1-0, 1.33) is the scheduled starter for Indianapolis and will face Ryan Ramsey in his Triple-A debut.
INDIANA BASEBALL
HANLEY HELPS HOOSIERS TO BOUNCEBACK WIN
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Freshman first baseman Jake Hanley had a career day at the plate, providing an outstanding offensive performance to help the Indiana Baseball team (24-21, 12-12 B1G) get back into the win column on Wednesday (April 30) evening at Charles H. Braun Stadium.
Hanley recorded career highs in hits (4), RBIs (5) and total bases (12) to pair with his third multi-home run game of the season out of the cleanup spot. He finished a double short of the cycle but was instrumental in opening a late lead in IU’s 14-6 win over Evansville.
His freshman counterpart, shortstop Cooper Malamazian, provided three hits and three RBIs in a lopsided victory over the Purple Aces. For eight innings, the lead never grew bigger than four runs. But IU exploded for eight runs in a marathon ninth inning. Malamazian’s bases-clearing triple helped put the game out of hand in IU’s final at-bat.
Junior pitcher Aydan Decker-Petty (W, 1-1) provided four quality innings, throwing a season-high 57 pitches in relief of veteran opener Drew Buhr. Freshman southpaw Brayton Thomas tossed a career-best four strikeouts to keep the game in check before right-handed relievers Pete Haas and Jacob Vogel got the final six outs.
IU’s much-needed victory closes out the month of April and sends the Hoosiers to Texas for a three-game set with Abilene Christian this weekend (May 2-4). Just three more series’ remain on IU’s schedule as it tries to build momentum before the Big Ten Tournament in Omaha at the end of May.
Scoring Recap
Top Second
Jake Hanley hit a no-doubt solo home run to right field to open the scoring.
Indiana 1, Evansville 0
Top Third
IU added another pair of home runs in the third. Devin Taylor hit a two-run blast before Hanley added his second long ball of the evening.
Indiana 4, Evansville 0
Bottom Fifth
The home team got a pair back in the fifth. Harrison Taubert scored on a pass ball before Charlie Longmeier singled through the left side to score Ty Rumsey.
Indiana 4, Evansville 2
Top Eighth
Hanley continued his hot night with a RBI triple to add insurance to the board. He’d eventually come around to score on a wild pitch.
Indiana 6, Evansville 2
Bottom Eighth
Evansville got one back in the eighth with a ground-rule double from Drew McConnell.
Indiana 6, Evansville 3
Top Ninth
Korbyn Dickerson added a RBI to his season tally with a bases-loaded walk. Hanley scored two on a RBI single. Cooper Malamazian cleared the bases with a three-run triple to break it open. Tyler Cerny added to the fun with a RBI double to left field. Jake Stadler singled up the middle to put the eighth run on the board.
Indiana 14, Evansville 3
Bottom Ninth
Cal McGinnis had a RBI double to add to Evansville’s tally in the ninth. The Purple Aces added two more in the ninth but IU closed out the victory.
Indiana 14, Evansville 6
Top Hoosier Performers
#55 Decker-Petty, Aydan
4.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 4 K
#34 Hanley, Jake
4-5, 2 HR, 4 R, 5 RBI
#15 Malamazian, Cooper
3-5, 2B, 3B, 3 RBI
#14 Thomas, Brayton
2.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 4 K
Inside the Box Score
• IU’s offense scored 14 runs on 14 hits. Freshmen had eight of the 14 hits.
• Freshman first baseman Jake Hanley recorded 12 total bases.
• Every starting position player reached base at least once.
• There were three multi-hit games for IU, all three were with at least three base knocks.
Notes to Know
• Freshman first baseman Jake Hanley had perhaps the brightest game of his young career. He recorded his third multi-home run game of the season with back-to-back blasts in the second and third innings. He’s the first IU player with at least three multi-home run games in the same year since Devin Taylor (4 – 2023) two years ago.
• It was also the first four-hit game for Hanley and a career high in RBI’s (5) for the Mason, Ohio native. He’s the seventh true freshman since 2022 with a four-hit game for the Hoosiers. Hanley is the second (Cooper Malamazian) to do it this season.
• Junior outfielder Devin Taylor extended his own lead a top the home run charts at Indiana, hitting the 50th long ball of his illustrious career. He also moved into a tie for 10th on the program’s all-time RBI list (165), tying legendary first baseman Sam Travis (2012-14) on the charts.
• Graduate student right-handed pitcher Drew Buhr made his return to the mound after a six-week absence through injury. He made his first start for the Hoosiers and tossed a scoreless first inning. Buhr will be an important bullpen piece down the stretch for IU.
• Junior right-handed pitcher Aydan Decker-Petty threw a season high four innings and a season best 57 pitches. He ate up key innings in the midweek contest and earned his first victory of the season. Freshman southpaw Brayton Thomas recorded a career high four strikeouts.
Up Next
IU continues its week against non-conference opponents with a three-game set at Abilene Christian. The series in Texas will be streamed on ESPN+ can also be heard on the Indiana Sports Radio Network via IUHoosiers.com/Audio.
INDIANA SOFTBALL
TAYLOR MINNICK NAMED TOP 25 FINALIST FOR USA SOFTBALL COLLEGIATE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. ––– Indiana senior Taylor Minnick was named a top 25 finalist for USA Softball’s Collegiate Player of the Year award on Wednesday.
The senior standout has had an outstanding 2025 campaign. Minnick is hitting .504 at the plate with 67 hits, 21 doubles, 15 home runs, 58 RBI and 30 walks. Her slugging percentage is at 1.030 and she has a .608 on-base percentage.
This season, Minnick has become the program’s all-time leader in career RBI (191) and doubles (56). She broke the previous records of 153 and 54, respectively.
USA Softball will further narrow the list of finalists down to the top 10 (May 14) and top 3 (May 19) before announcing the player of the year during a team reception the week of the Women’s College World Series (May 29-June 5 or 6).
INDIANA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
BIG TEN SETS HOME AND AWAY OPPONENTS FOR 2025-26 WOMEN’S BASKETBALL SEASON
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Home and Away opponents for the 2025-26 Big Ten Conference women’s basketball season was announced by the league today (April 30).
The league will stay with an 18-game format and teams will play eight games at home and eight on the road while playing its protected rival twice. Dates, times and television designations will be announced at a later time.
2025-26 Big Ten Women’s Basketball Opponents
Home Only: Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Northwestern, Penn State, Washington, Oregon
Away Only: Illinois, Maryland, Nebraska, Ohio State, Rutgers, Wisconsin, UCLA, USC
2-Play: Purdue
PURDUE MEN’S GOLF
BOILERMAKERS SELECTED TO NCAA REGIONALS AT AUBURN
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – For the 10th time in the last 11 seasons, the Purdue men’s golf team heard its name announced for the NCAA Golf Regionals, being selected to the Auburn Regional announced today on the Golf Channel.
The Boilermakers were selected as the No. 7 seed in the Auburn Regional and will be heading to the Southeast for the third time in the last four years. Purdue’s seed marks the fourth straight year the Boilermakers have been a top-seven seed and for the seventh time in the last eight seasons. Purdue is looking for its second straight NCAA Championship appearance and its fifth trip since 2014.
Purdue will be joined by top seed and the nation’s No. 1 team, Auburn, Texas A&M (2), UCLA (3), SMU (4), Georgia Tech (5), Oregon (6), Little Rock (8), TCU (9), Charleston (10), New Mexico State (11), Loyola, Md. (12) and USC Upstate (13).
Purdue owns a 4-6-0 head-to-head record against teams in the Auburn Regional. The Boilermakers are 1-4-0 against the top-5 seeds, featuring a head-to-head victory over UCLA. Overall, Purdue is 41-33-1 against the NCAA field.
Purdue surged into NCAA action this season with a strong spring campaign. The Boilermakers won the elite Puerto Rico Classic in its first spring action and followed it up with a playoff win in the Hootie Intercollegiate. It finished fourth at the Calusa Cup and second at the Boilermaker Invitational. It finished ninth at last week’s Big Ten Championship, but owns a 57-12-1 head-to-head record this spring, including a 25-8-1 record against the NCAA field.
Purdue currently boasts an 18-hole stroke average of 285.21, the lowest average in school history, with 14 of its 33 rounds being even- or under-par. Ten of Purdue’s 15 rounds this spring have ben even- or under-par.
Leading the way for the Boilermakers is sophomore Sam Easterbrook with a 70.85 stroke average and nine top-20 finishes – tied for the second most in a season in school history. Easterbrook has posted 19 rounds of even-par or better with 11 rounds in the 60s. He won the prestigious Puerto Rico Classic earlier this spring.
Kent Hsiao has a 71.79 stroke average with three top-10 finishes (in eight events) and Jenson Forrester has a 71.88 average with 14 rounds of par or lower. He has four top-10 finishes.
All six of Purdue’s players have a stroke average of 73.30 or lower.
Head coach Andrew Sapp will be making a return appearance to NCAA Regionals after leading Michigan and North Carolina to NCAA action in previous stops. Sapp is one-of-three Big Ten coaches in NCAA Golf history to lead a conference member to the match play portion at the NCAA Championships.
PURDUE SOFTBALL
BOILERS PLATE SEVEN IN WIN OVER SIUE
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue (27-20, 8-11 Big Ten) beat the SIUE Cougars (27-20, 17-6 OVC) on Wednesday evening, 7-5.
Kendall Klochack started the game and registered two strikeouts. Emma Bailey took over to finish and was credited with her first career save. The Boilermakers were strong at the plate with 11 hits, four of which were multi-base hits, including an in-the-park home run from Moriah Polar.
BOILER BITS vs. SIUE
Offensive Highlights:
Moriah Polar: 3-for-4, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 3 R, 3 H
Khloe Banks: 4-for-4, 3 R, 4 H
Julia Gossett: 2-for-4, 1 2B, 1 3B, 2 RBI
Kyndall Bailey: 2-for-4, 1 RBI, 1 H, 1 BB
Pitching Breakdown:
Kendall Klochack (W, 8-5): 2.1 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 K, 12 BF
Emma Bailey (SV): 4.2 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 K, 21 BF
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Klochack started the game with a strikeout, followed by two fly outs to right field. Banks and Polar went to bat in the bottom of the inning and each put up a bunt single. A Cougar error let Banks score and Polar take third base. Kyndall Bailey had a line drive that sent Polar home. Sage Scarmardo was hit by pitch and advanced her, but both were left on base.
SIUE came into the second inning with two hits and an RBI to put them on the scoreboard. Purdue stopped the damage with another bunt single from Banks and another Cougar error to send her to third base again. Polar came in and smashed a grounder past right field and sprinted around the bases for an inside-the-park homer.
SIUE fired back with a home run to close the gap, but Purdue stopped the damage with a double play from Scarmardo and Julia Gossett. The Boilermakers put some runners on base at the bottom of the frame, but did not add to the score.
The Cougars added a pair of hits to the board in the fourth inning, but the Boilers held them from scoring. They strengthened their lead with three more runs on a double from Gossett and two singles from Banks and Polar.
The fifth inning brought three back-to-back outs in the field for Purdue, and a double from Ryen Ross at the plate. SIUE added two more runs to the score in the sixth inning, but still trailed Purdue and E. Bailey earned her first-career save.
UP NEXT:
Purdue will close out regular-season play in their series with Indiana this weekend. Game one is Friday, May 2, at 5:00 p.m. ET at Bittinger Stadium.
NOTRE DAME SOFTBALL
IRISH TO CLOSE REGULAR SEASON AGAINST BOWLING GREEN
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The Notre Dame softball team closes out the 2025 regular season Thursday against Bowling Green at Melissa Cook Stadium. First pitch is set for 5:30 p.m. and is a makeup game after the original April 8th matchup was rained out.
The Irish will look to bounce back after a tough stretch over the weekend. Notre Dame battled against North Carolina and 5th-ranked Oregon over the past couple days, but ultimately fell short in all four matchups.
Notre Dame pitching continues to strikeout batters at an alarming rate. The 320 strikeouts by the staff is the second-most in the ACC. Led by Micaela Kastor’s 120 on the year, who also struck out 19 Tar Heels over the weekend, the Irish have three pitchers with at least 70 punch outs (Kami Kamzik-82, Brianne Weiss-70).
Addison Amaral was recognized nationally by Softball America earlier today, being ranked the 15th-best shortstop in the country during the publication’s May rankings. Amaral leads the team in almost every offensive category and has started every single game for the Irish this season, one of only two players on Notre Dame to have done that this year (Jane Kronenberger).
The Irish are 18-6 all-time against Bowling Green, including a 14-3 clip in South Bend. Notre Dame swept a doubleheader last year against the Falcons on March 12, 2024.
BUTLER BASEBALL
BUTLER TO HOST BLUEJAYS AT BULLDOG PARK
The final month of the regular season will start with Butler hosting Creighton at Bulldog Park this weekend. The first game of the weekend series has been picked up by the BIG EAST Digital Network and will stream on FloCollege.com.
Weekend Schedule
Friday, May 2 – 3 PM
Saturday, May 3 – 2 PM
Sunday, May 4 – 1 PM
Scouting Creighton
The Bluejays find themselves at the top of the BIG EAST standings heading into the month of May with a 9-3 conference record. They went 2-1 at home vs. UConn, lost two of three at Seton Hall, then swept both St. John’s and Villanova at Charles Schwab Field.
Preseason All-BIG EAST selection Nolan Sailors has started in all 41 games this year and leads the club with his .396 batting average. Sailors has 63 total hits including 12 doubles, three triples and three home runs. He leads CU in runs scored (39) and total bases (90) while ranking second in RBIs (29). Ben North is another Bluejay batting over .300. An everyday starter, North has 50 hits and leads the team with 36 RBIs.
Dominic Cancellieri got the start for CU on Friday last weekend. He’s another preseason all-conference selection on the roster with great numbers on the mound. While he is 0-1 over eight starts, Cancellieri has a 2.17 ERA and has 33 strikeouts over 29 innings. The opposition is hitting just .220 against him. Jack Pineau and Wilson Magers also got starts last weekend vs. Nova. Pineau is 2-0 on the hill with a 6.00 ERA. Magers is 4-2 over 10 starts with a 3.42 ERA. He has thrown 50 innings, six more than the next highest Bluejay.
Last Season vs. Creighton
Butler opened conference play at Creighton last year and won 5-1 on Friday before losing the series with setbacks to the Bluejays on Saturday (11-1) and Sunday (10-7). Jack Moroknek impacted the win with a two-hit game that included an RBI. He also ended the series with two hits and an RBI.
Watch BEDN on FloCollege.com
Greg Rakestraw and Steven Siebel will call the action on Friday afternoon. Butler’s first game on BEDN was the finale at Seton Hall and their next one will be the final game of the UConn series. BU fans will also be able to stream the first game of the home series against St. John’s on May 15.
Bulldog Park Beer Garden
The Bulldog Park Beer Garden will be open Friday and Saturday this weekend. First pour will happen one hour before the start of the game and last call will come at the seventh inning stretch. All fans that enter must be 21+ years old and must remain in the designated area with their beverage.
Alumni Day
Saturday is Alumni Day for the Bulldogs. Former players are welcomed back to campus to take in the action for the 2 p.m. game. Current Butler players and coaches will recognize the alums on the field before the start of the contest. Both alums and fans are encouraged to park on the Northside of 52nd Street or in the main Hinkle Fieldhouse lot.
About Butler
The Bulldogs are 14-30 overall after taking an 11-7 loss to Northwestern on Tuesday. They were swept at Seton Hall last weekend but defeated Georgetown in D.C. the previous week by winning the final two games of the series. BU already hosted Villanova in BIG EAST action and opened league play at Xavier. Over the course of the non-conference slate, BU won three of four at home vs. Northern Illinois, took a midweek game at Miami Ohio and swept Norfolk State in February.
League Leader
Jack Moroknek leads the BIG EAST in total bases (128), home runs (15), and slugging percentage (.736).
Bulldog Bits
– Butler leads the BIG EAST in doubles (85) and sacrifice flies (30)
– BU ranks second in the league in hits (420), batting average (.288) and slugging percentage (.469)
– The ‘Dawgs are third in the BIG EAST in home runs (52), and runs scored (302)
– Jack Moroknek and Jack Bello are third and fourth in the league in batting average
– That duo comes in at second and third in the BIG EAST in total hits
– Moroknek is second in the conference in runs (49) and third in RBIs (47)
– Moroknek is 10 runs away from tying the BU single-season record
– Bello had a team-high four RBIs in the Seton Hall series
– Bello has only walked six times this year in 166 at-bats
– Connor Sackett went 5-for-5 from the plate at Seton Hall
– Sackett recorded his second three-hit game of the season last weekend
– Sackett, Bello, Barbero and Burgess are all batting over .300 in BIG EAST action
– Sackett is on a three-game hitting streak
– Burgess started in every game last weekend
– Barbero had at least one hit in all three SHU games
– Barbero has reached base safely in four-straight games
– Bello has 22 multi-hit games, Moroknek leads the club with 23
– Bello hit two doubles in the same game last weekend for the second time this year
– Bello has 16 doubles this year and needs four more to tie the school single-season record
– AJ Solomon had a three-hit game at SHU
– Ryan Drumm went 2-for-4 in his last start to post a team-high three RBI
– Drumm had a 12-game hitting streak early this year, the longest on the team
– Tommy Townsend had a multi-hit game at Northwestern, his first since April 1
– Harry Carr scored a run and recorded an RBI in his last game
– Ian Choi has appeared in every BIG EAST weekend series, but has never started in all three games
– Zach Munton recorded his second multi-hit game of the season at Northwestern
– Marcus Goodpaster struck out four and didn’t issue a walk in his last start
– Goodpaster has 11 K’s and just two walks over his last three starts
– Goodpaster has made a team-high 10 starts this year, no other Bulldog has more than five
– Tate Foxson threw 46 pitches at SHU, his highest total since March 16 at Belmont
– Andrew Hendrickx had his longest outing of the year at SHU throwing 76 pitches in three innings
– Simon Linde made two appearances at SHU, limiting the Pirates to just one hit and no runs
– Nate Rosser got one out on one pitch at SHU on Sunday
– Ben Whiteside returned to action last weekend
– Whiteside pitched two innings at SHU, his first action since Feb. 22
– Alex Kanipe has made 15 appearances on the mound this year, the most of any Bulldog
– The Bulldogs have four saves on the year; each save came from a different player
– Justin Hornschemeier is the only BU pitcher not to give up an extra base hit this year
– Butler has recorded 10+ hits in 21 of their 40 games this year
– They came up with a season-high 19 in game two at Georgetown
– BU has scored 9+ runs in a game 18 times this year
– They scored a season-high 17 in the win at Evansville on April 8
– The Bulldogs hit eight doubles in their win over Norfolk State on Feb. 22
– Butler tied a school record by hitting six home runs in the first game vs. Belmont
– BU has topped 30 total bases in a single game four times this season
– Butler has not made multiple errors in the same game since April 15
– No Bulldog has started in all 44 games this year
– Moroknek, Drumm, and Barbero have played in all 44
– 14 different Bulldogs have hit a sac fly this year; no player has more than four
BIG EAST Standings
Creighton 9-3, 28-13
UConn 11-4, 26-18
Xavier 11-4, 27-19
St. John’s 6-6, 21-20
Seton Hall 5-7, 18-26
Villanova 4-8, 20-21
Butler 3-9, 14-30
Georgetown 2-10, 14-30
Around the BIG EAST
Creighton at Butler
UConn at Villanova
Seton Hall at Xavier
St. John’s at Georgetown
Up Next
Butler will play at Bowling Green on Tuesday, May 6. The contest will start at 3 p.m.
IU INDY MEN’S GOLF
BOSWELL ASSIGNED TO NCAA MEN’S GOLF URBANA REGIONAL
INDIANAPOLIS – IU Indianapolis sophomore men’s golfer Titus Boswell has been assigned to compete at the NCAA Men’s Golf Urbana Regional, hosted by the University of Illinois at Atkins Golf Club. Boswell, who earned an automatic berth by winning medalist honors at the Horizon League Championships, will be among the 75 players competing at the Urbana site.
Oklahoma State was pegged as the top team seed at the site, followed by North Carolina, Illinois, Texas Tech and Long Beach State. Boswell is seeded No. 9 among the individual entries.
Boswell became the Jaguars’ first individual qualifier since 2015 as he closed the Horizon League Championships at 5-under 211, earning a four shot win. For the season, Boswell owns a 73.04 scoring average in 23 rounds and has scored par or better in 10 rounds. In addition to his win at the Horizon League Championships, he also tied for third of 100 players at the ECU Intercollegiate at Brook Valley with an even par 216 and later tied for third at the NKU Jewell Invite at 1-under 141.
Boswell was later voted First Team All-Horizon League by the league’s head coaches.
Teams and individuals from Regionals are vying for spots in the NCAA Championships, to be played May 23-28 at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, California. The University of Texas will serve as the championship host.
The full rundown of participants at the Urbana Regional are listed below.
Atkins Golf Club – Urbana, Illinois
Hosted by Illinois
Teams (seeded in the following order):
1. Oklahoma State [Big 12 Conference]
2. North Carolina
3. Illinois
4. Texas Tech
5. Long Beach State [Big West Conference]
6. UNLV
7. Houston
8. Marquette [Big East Conference]
9. Troy
10. Pacific
11. NC State
12. Illinois State [Missouri Valley Conference]
13. Wright State [Horizon League]
Individuals (seeded in the following order):
1. Hunter Thomson, Michigan
2. Jack Schoenberger, Kentucky
3. Paul Beauvy, Iowa State
4. Patton Samuels, Austin Peay
5. Anthony Delisanti, Valparaiso
6. Clay Merchent, Indiana
7. Ryan Ford, Cincinnati
8. Ben Cors, Dayton [Atlantic 10 Conference]
9. Titus Boswell, IU Indy [Horizon League]
10. Trey Wall, Murray State [Missouri Valley Conference]
EVANSVILLE BASEBALL
UE BASEBALL DROPS HOME CONTEST TO INDIANA
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – In the first of five straight games in the River City the University of Evansville baseball team fell 14-6 to the Indiana Hoosiers.
The Purple Aces kept things close against in-state Power Four Indiana through eight innings on Wednesday night. But an eight-run ninth inning for the Hoosiers put the first of four games at Charles H. Braun Stadium out of reach for UE. Evansville was led on offense by center fielder Ty Rumsey (Evansville, Ind. / North HS) with three hits.
“It’s unfortunate the game got away from us in the last two innings,” said Head Coach Wes Carroll following the game. “We had some positives in what was a very close game for seven innings. [Starter Kellen] Roberts and [reliever Jack] Clevidence had good outings to build off of tonight. We have a big weekend ahead of us.”
It was a quick first inning on defense for the Aces with a three-up and three-down frame. Infielder Cal McGinnis (Kimberly, Wis. / Bradley) had the first hit of the game to left, followed by designated hitter Brodie Peart (Markham, Ontario) earning a walk. But both runners were stranded to end the first. IU took an early lead off a solo home run from first baseman Jake Hanley, but it was the only run of the inning for the Hoosiers.
Indiana quickly extended its lead in the third with three runs on two homers to make it a 4-0 game. It was an empty fourth inning for both sides while UE’s defense took down the Hoosiers in order to start the fifth. Right fielder Harrison Taubert (Casper, Wyo. / Northeast CC) hit a double down the left line in the bottom of the fifth to break the shutout and soon scored on a passed ball to give Evansville its first run.
The Aces doubled their score only two at-bats later as Rumsey had his first hit of the night with a single through the left side and stole second base. He crossed home plate on a single to the same spot from left fielder Charlie Longmeier (Seymour, Ind. / Seymour HS) to cut IU’s lead in half to make it a 4-2 contest.
It was a quiet sixth and seventh innings as UE took down the Hoosiers in order for three straight defensive frames. Evansville added a hit in both the sixth and the seventh from Peart and Rumsey, but both runners were left on base. Indiana was able to go back up to a four-run lead in the eighth as they added two runs on a triple and a wild pitch.
The Aces answered in the bottom of the inning as shortstop Drew McConnell (Blue Springs, Mo. / Blue Springs HS) hit a ground rule double to right center that scored catcher Evan Waggoner (Bedford, Ind. / Bedford North Lawrence HS). But UE left two other runners on base, including Taubert in scoring position at third.
The Hoosiers’ offense came alive in the ninth inning with six hits and eight runs to put the game away. Evansville didn’t go down without a fight, though, as Rumsey, McGinnis, Peart, and Waggoner all had hits in the ninth to score three runs. But the Aces didn’t find another eight runs to send the game into extras, falling to IU 14-6.
UE is back in action at home this weekend in Valley play. Evansville will host Belmont for a three-game series over the weekend starting on Friday night. First pitch for Friday’s game is set for 6 p.m. at Charles H. Braun Stadium.
VALPO MEN’S GOLF
DELISANTI EARNS AT-LARGE NCAA REGIONAL BERTH
Valparaiso University men’s golf senior Anthony Delisanti (Sanborn, N.Y. / Niagara Wheatfield) has earned an individual at-large NCAA Regional berth, as announced during Wednesday’s 2025 NCAA Men’s Golf Selection Show, which was televised on The Golf Channel.
Delisanti will compete in the Urbana Regional hosted by the University of Illinois at Atkins Golf Club in Urbana, Ill. NCAA Regionals will take place May 12-14 with the top five teams and top individual not on an advancing team advancing from each Regional to the National Championship, which is slated for May 23-28 in Carlsbad, Calif.
Delisanti finishes his collegiate career with three NCAA appearances over his four seasons after he earned an automatic NCAA bid by winning the Missouri Valley Conference Championship as a freshman and sophomore before earning his first at-large selection this year. He golfed in prominent postseason events in each of his four collegiate campaigns, capping his junior season by winning the National Golf Invitational (NGI).
A four-time All-Missouri Valley Conference honoree and a top-4 finisher at the league championships all four years of his career, Delisanti was named the MVC Golfer of the Year for the second time in his career this season. He also earned the Elite 18 Award, which is presented to the individual with the highest cumulative grade point average among top finishers at the league championship. Delisanti owns a season scoring average of 69.56, which is in position to break the program record, and is ranked 175th nationally by Clippd. He is the fifth seed among the 10 individuals competing in the Urbana Regional.
This marks the fourth straight year that Valpo has had at least one individual in the NCAA Regional field.
Teams (seeded in the following order):
Oklahoma State [Big 12 Conference]
2. North Carolina
3. Illinois
4. Texas Tech
5. Long Beach State [Big West Conference]
6. UNLV
7. Houston
8. Marquette [Big East Conference]
9. Troy
10. Pacific
11. NC State
12. Illinois State [Missouri Valley Conference]
13. Wright State [Horizon League]
Individuals (seeded in the following order):
Hunter Thomson, Michigan
2. Jack Schoenberger, Kentucky
Paul Beauvy, Iowa State
Patton Samuels, Austin Peay
5. Anthony Delisanti, Valparaiso
6. Clay Merchent, Indiana
7. Ryan Ford, Cincinnati
8. Ben Cors, Dayton [Atlantic 10 Conference]
9. Titus Boswell, IU Indy [Horizon League]
10. Trey Wall, Murray State [Missouri Valley Conference]
VALPO SOFTBALL
SOFTBALL CLOSES REGULAR SEASON AT UNI
Valpo (20-26, 9-14 MVC)
May 2-4 – at UNI (28-17, 16-8 MVC) – 5 p.m., 2 p.m., noon
Next Up in Valpo Softball: The regular season reaches its conclusion this weekend as the Valpo softball team travels to Cedar Falls, Iowa for a three-game series at UNI. The Beacons could finish anywhere from seventh through tenth in the final MVC standings.
Previously: The Beacons dropped a 1-0 heartbreaker in midweek action at Notre Dame before taking two of three from Drake in their final home series of the season.
Looking Ahead: The 2025 MVC Tournament opens Wednesday in Des Moines, Iowa.
Following Valpo Softball: All three games will be broadcast on ESPN+. All home games and most MVC road games will be broadcast on ESPN+, while select nonconference games will have video streams depending on the host.
Head Coach Mike Armitage: Mike Armitage (89-93) is in his first season as head coach of the Valpo softball program after being hired as head coach on June 6, 2024. Armitage came to Valpo following a successful stretch as head coach at Minnesota State University Moorhead, turning around the Dragons’ program, and brings familiarity with the Missouri Valley Conference with a stint on staff at Illinois State. Armitage spent the last three seasons as head coach at MSUM, posting the first back-to-back 30-win seasons in MSUM program history in 2023 and 2024 after inheriting a Dragons program which had not finished above .500 since 2007.
Series Notes: Valpo is just 2-22 in program history against UNI, including 2-16 since joining the MVC prior to the 2018 season. One of those wins came last season, however, as the Beacons upset the Panthers in the middle game of their three-game series with a come-from-behind 5-4 win. UNI won the series opener, 5-0, and then claimed the finale in nine innings, 4-2.
Scouting the Opposition: The Panthers enter the week with a 28-17 overall record and sit at 16-8 in MVC play, good for third in the conference. Prior to the weekend series, UNI faces Iowa in midweek action. Kate Lappe and Kylee Sanders lead the Panther offense – Lappe leads the MVC with a .431 batting average and 16 home runs, while Sanders ranks second in the Valley with a .424 batting average and leads the MVC with 44 runs scored. In the circle, Anna Wischnowski has been UNI’s workhorse and is 15-6 with a 2.59 ERA and 87 strikeouts in 129.2 innings of work.
Checking Out the Standings: Entering the final weekend of regular season play, Valpo sits at 10th place in the MVC standings, just one-half game back of Murray State in ninth. The Beacons cannot drop below the 10th seed in the upcoming MVC Tournament, and depending on other results this weekend, could move up as high as seventh in the final standings.
This Season’s Improvement: Last weekend’s pair of wins over Drake pushed the Beacons to 20 wins this season, more than they had won in the last two seasons combined. In fact, the 20 wins this year are the program’s most in a season since going 27-24 in 2018 in its first year in the MVC. In addition, Valpo has nine MVC wins to its name this year, also the most since the 2018 team (12-13).
Best In a While: It’s not just the wins column where Valpo is putting up numbers it hasn’t seen for quite a few years. On offense, the Beacons own their best batting average and on-base percentage, have scored the most runs and drawn the most walks in a full season since 2017 – with six more walks, they would have their highest walk total since 2013. Meanwhile, Valpo’s pitching staff has the team’s best ERA, opponents’ batting average and strikeout total since 2018.
Winning Series: Valpo took the first two games of its series with Drake last weekend to secure its third MVC series victory of the season, having previously claimed series against Bradley and UIC earlier in the calendar. It is the first time since 2018 Valpo has won at least three series in MVC play, as it won four series in its inaugural campaign in the Valley.
Something About Senior Day: It was a thrilling Senior Day on Saturday for the Beacons, as they rallied late for a pair of one-run victories over Drake. Since 2016, Valpo owns a 9-6 record in Senior Day games – a mark which is all the more impressive when you consider the program’s record at home in non-Senior Day games over that stretch is 32-85. Of those nine Senior Day wins, six have been by a singular run, including four walk-off wins.
Beating the Bulldogs: The doubleheader sweep of Drake was especially notable since Valpo entered the weekend 1-19 all-time against the Bulldogs and had failed to win 14 previous matchups as MVC opponents. It was Valpo’s first doubleheader sweep with a pair of one-run wins since winning 1-0 and 4-3 at Charleston Feb. 18, 2022. Doubleheader sweeps at home have been even rarer in recent history, as Saturday was Valpo’s first 2-0 day at the Valpo Softball Complex since defeating Bradley 2-1 and 4-1 April 28, 2018 — also a Senior Day. In fact, each of the program’s last three twinbill sweeps at home have come on Senior Day, going back to the 2017 squad’s sweep of Wright State.
Near Miss Against the Irish: Valpo was nearly able to earn its first win against Notre Dame since 1989 last week, stranding 12 runners on base in a 1-0 defeat. The combination of Azalya Lopez and Erin Metz held Notre Dame to just one run on five hits, the best performance by Valpo’s defense and pitching against the Fighting Irish since that 2-0 win in 1989 — 38 matchups ago in the series. The one-run loss was the Beacons’ closest game against Notre Dame since falling in walkoff fashion to the Irish in 2010, 7-6. Before that, you have to go back to 1996 to find the last one-run game in the series. Valpo out-hit Notre Dame 8-5 as well, the first time it has outhit the Irish since the aforementioned 2010 game.
Tight Ballgames: The trio of one-run ballgames continues a season-long trend of close contests for the Beacons, who have now played 18 one-run games out of their 46 contests this year. Valpo owns an 11-7 record in one-run games. It is the program’s highest number of one-run games and one-run wins since the 2013 squad went 13-7 in one-run games.
Looking at the Record Book: As the season winds down, a number of Beacons are starting to impact the program’s single-season record book. Azalya Lopez and Erin Metz each have four saves, tied for sixth in a single season in program history – as a team, Valpo’s eight saves are just one away from matching the program team single-season record. Metz has also racked up 40 pitching appearances, tied for fifth, while Lopez is tied for ninth in the same category with 36 appearances. At the plate, Mack Gallagher has drawn 35 walks (a mark which ranks second in the MVC) – tied for third, while on the basepaths, Madison Vrastil’s 17 stolen bases are tied for 10th.
Dual Threat: Junior Azalya Lopez again excelled last week in the circle and at the plate, continuing her strong first season as a Beacon. Offensively, Lopez hit .308 with four RBIs, reaching base in all four games – including a massive three-run homer to give Valpo the lead for good in the middle game of the series against Drake. In the circle, Lopez tossed 3.2 innings of shutout softball at Notre Dame and then threw her first seven-inning complete game of the year in the opener against Drake, limiting the Bulldogs to two runs on three hits. Lopez ranks among the MVC’s top pitchers in saves (t-1st, 4), strikeouts (5th, 95), opponents’ batting average (5th, .223), ERA (8th, 2.89) and wins (t-5th, 10).
Continued Success: Freshman Madison Vrastil has ranked among the MVC’s best rookies this season. Owner of a 13-game hitting streak and a 22-game on-base streak earlier this year, both the longest by a Valpo player since 2017, Vrastil ranks among the MVC’s best in hits (t-4th, 55) and stolen bases (2nd, 17), and is just outside the top-10 in batting average (.353). The freshman is a perfect 17-for-17 in stolen bases, which would set a new program standard for most steals in a season without being caught – she is tied for eighth nationally for most stolen bases by an individual who hasn’t been caught stealing.
Putting Together Wins: While Valpo dropped its series finale at Bradley April 6, the Beacons had won five in a row prior to that point – their second five-game winning streak of the season. Prior to this year, the program had put together just one five-game winning streak in the last six seasons.
Conference Streak: Notably, all five of the most recent streak’s wins came in MVC play. It was Valpo’s longest conference winning streak since stringing together six MVC wins late in the 2018 campaign – also the last time before this last week that the program had won consecutive MVC series. Before the series finale loss at Bradley, Valpo had won four straight road games overall and five straight MVC road contests — both streaks the longest since the 2017 squad won six consecutive Horizon League road games.
Earning the WWWWins: Freshman Erin Metz did something no Valpo pitcher had accomplished since 2008 – earning the win in four straight Valpo victories. Metz picked up the win in both halves of the doubleheader sweep at UIC, and turned around and recorded both wins as the Beacons swept a series-opening twinbill at Bradley. For the week, Metz went 4-0 with a 1.34 ERA in her five appearances, surrendering just three runs in 15.2 innings of work as she earned MVC Pitcher of the Week recognition April 7. The last Valpo pitcher to score the win in four straight victories was Andrea Zappia, who accomplished the feat in April 2008.
Closing the Door: Lopez picked up the save with her three innings of hitless work in the opener against the Braves, one of three saves she picked up on the week, as she also earned saves with three innings of work to close things out in the UIC opener April 1 and the middle game of the Bradley series April 5. For the week, Lopez posted a 2.10 ERA and a .216 batting average against along with 10 strikeouts in 13.1 innings of work and was named MVC Newcomer of the Week – her second weekly award this season.
Coming Home: While the walks dominated the box score in the UIC nightcap April 1, the record the Beacons matched that day was in the runs department. Batting in the nine spot in the lineup, Carson Kuhlmann scored four runs to tie a Valpo single-game record, previously accomplished 10 times – most recently by Alexis Johnson last season. Valpo scored 15 runs as a team in that win over the Flames, its largest output ever against UIC and the program’s highest single-game run total since plating 24 against Seton Hall in February 2014.
Walk It Off: Valpo closed its three-game series with Evansville with a bang, scoring four runs over the final two innings to walk off with an 8-7 win over the Purple Aces on March 29. It was the team’s first walk-off win of the season and its third in Valley play over the last two years, as the Beacons walked off Bradley and UNI last season. Prior to that Bradley game last season, it had been over four years since the program’s last walk-off win. It was also Valpo’s first walk-off win with two outs since a two-out, two-run single lifted Valpo over Western Michigan on April 17, 2019. The win was also notable for how the Beacons had to battle back to even get in a position to win the game, as they faced an early 5-0 deficit after surrendering five runs in the first inning. Valpo had not won a game after trailing by five or more runs since a Feb. 19, 2022 win over Lipscomb, when a 5-0 deficit after the top of the third inning turned into a 7-6 victory. It was the first time Valpo surrendered five or more runs in the opening inning and won since perhaps the craziest game in program history — April 14, 2012 against Youngstown State, when YSU scored 11 first-inning runs and Valpo fought all the way back to win 13-12.
Going to the Pen: Valpo has leaned on a trio of pitchers – junior Azalya Lopez, sophomore Sydney McDermott and freshman Erin Metz – for the vast majority of innings in the circle and hasn’t hesitated to use multiple arms in the same game, even when things are going well. The Beacons’ pitching staff has just three complete games this season, 46 games into the campaign – Valpo is one of just seven teams nationally with fewer than four complete games to its name this year, and the Beacons have the second-best team ERA among that group.
Winning Record Into Conference: The Beacons entered MVC play this season with an 11-9 overall record. It was the program’s best record at the start of conference play since 2018, when Valpo entered its first season of MVC play with a 12-8 mark.
A Big Sunday: It was a noteworthy day on many fronts on Sunday, Feb. 9 as the Beacons run-ruled Green Bay, 12-1, and followed with a 7-2 win over Detroit Mercy:
– Valpo won two games on the same day for the first time since March 4, 2023, when the Beacons defeated Bellarmine and Eastern Illinois.
– The Beacons’ 19 runs were the program’s highest single-day output since plating 22 runs in a doubleheader split at Northern Kentucky March 25, 2017.
– The 11-run win over the Phoenix in the opener was Valpo’s largest win since an identical 12-1 score in a victory at Stetson March 1, 2020.
– The Beacons racked up 16 hits in the win over Green Bay, their highest single-game hit total since a 16-hit effort against Holy Cross Feb. 19, 2022.
– Valpo’s win in the nightcap was its 36th win all-time against Detroit Mercy, the most in program history against a single opponent.
Who’s Back: Valpo returns 13 of 21 letterwinners from its 2024 squad for the 2025 campaign. The returnees accounted for 51.7% of the team’s plate appearances and 46.3% of the Beacons’ innings pitched last season.
Who’s New: Coach Armitage brought a pair of transfers with him from MSU Moorhead – junior infielder Mack Gallagher and junior pitcher/infielder Azalya Lopez, both of whom were All-Conference honorees. In addition, the program welcomes nine freshmen this season as well.
A Large Roster: Do the math from the above two notes, and you find that this year’s Valpo softball roster is comprised of 24 players. That is the largest roster in program history, topping the previous high of 21 players. Even more notable is that only two of this year’s 24 players are seniors.
Taking Advantage of the Numbers: Coach Armitage has shown a willingness to utilize his large roster as much as possible. 20 players saw action against Butler and Cleveland State, while 19 players apiece appeared in the wins over Green Bay and Detroit Mercy opening weekend and in the second game against Loyola at Marshall.
VALPO BASEBALL
SATURDAY’S ALUMNI TAILGATE HIGHLIGHTS WEEKEND VS. UIC
Valparaiso (8-31, 3-15 MVC)
vs. UIC (13-29, 9-9 MVC)
Friday, May 2, 3 p.m. CT – RHP Connor Lockwood
Saturday, May 3, 1 p.m. CT – RHP Harry Deliyannis
Sunday, May 4, 1 p.m. CT – RHP Spencer Boynton
Emory G. Bauer Field (500) | Valparaiso, Ind.
Next Up in Valpo Baseball: The Valparaiso University baseball team will play the penultimate home series of the season and begin a home-heavy final stretch that includes six of the final nine Missouri Valley Conference games and seven of the final 11 games overall played within the confines of Emory G. Bauer Field this weekend by hosting nearby foe UIC. Saturday will be the program’s annual alumni game featuring an alumni tailgate as Valpo baseball players of yesteryear return to campus.
Last Time Out: Valpo fell to 1-9 in one-run games this season and incurred its third straight setback by the slimmest of margins, falling 6-5 at Western Michigan on Tuesday. Kevin Denty accounted for three of the team’s six hits, while Thomas Cooper hit a go-ahead grand slam in the sixth inning. Western Michigan scored a run in the bottom of the eighth to snap a 5-5 deadlock.
Following the Beacons: All three games this weekend will air on ESPN+ with Todd Ickow (play-by-play) on the call alongside Leo Staudacher (Friday) and Brian Jennings (Saturday/Sunday). For links to live video and stats, visit ValpoAthletics.com. For in-game updates, follow @ValpoBaseball on X.
Head Coach Brian Schmack: Brian Schmack (210-363) is in his 12th season in charge of the program. He ranks third in program history in seasons coached and games coached as he coached his 500th game on March 17, 2024 at Campbell. On April 19 vs. Missouri State, he became the third head coach in program history to secure his 200th win. Schmack, a member of the 2003 Detroit Tigers, served as pitching coach/associate head coach at Valpo for seven seasons prior to his promotion.
Series Notes: Valpo holds a 66-79 mark in the longtime series that dates back to 1977. Last season, Valpo lost a pair of cliffhangers to start the set at Curtis Granderson Stadium in Chicago, falling 8-6 and 3-2, but then blitzed the Flames 20-0 in seven innings in the series finale behind eight home runs, the team’s most in a single game on record, as part of the team’s most lopsided win in 14 years. Bryce Konitzer pitched a gem and Alex Ryan robbed a grand slam on a day where everything went right for the Brown & Gold. The Beacons won the series in UIC’s first year in The Valley in 2023, taking two of three at Emory G. Bauer Field.
Notes Wrapping Up April 29: Western Michigan 6, Valpo 5
Liam Patton had the first triple of his five-year collegiate career.
Thomas Cooper lifted a grand slam, Valpo’s first of the season. It came a day after the exact one-year anniversary of the team’s last slam, which came off the bat of Carson Husmann on April 28, 2024 at UIC.
Cooper’s home run was the fourth of his collegiate career, all this season.
Kevin Denty accounted for half of the team’s six hits, his team-leading fifth three-hit game of the season and his 11th multi-hit effort, also tops on the team.
Valpo fell to 1-9 in one-run games this season, incurring the team’s third straight loss decided by a single tally.
In the Other Dugout – UIC
Picked to finish seventh of 10 in the MVC preseason poll.
Currently part of a three-way tie for fifth with a 9-9 league record.
Played a rare Monday afternoon game by hosting Washington as part of a wrap-around road trip for Washington, which played a three-game Big Ten series at Northwestern over the weekend. The Flames fell 15-8 in that contest at Curtis Granderson Stadium.
Won two of three at home against Bradley last week, battling back to win the final two games of the series including the finale in 12 innings.
Luke Nowak leads UIC with a .381 average, while Lucas Smith (.333) and James Harris (.327) are other offensive standouts.
Sean McDermott is in his fourth season as the head coach and 26th season on the coaching staff at UIC. Cam Johnson, who was briefly at Valpo this past fall, is the team’s hitting coach.
Among League Leaders
Spencer Warfield’s two triples are tied for fifth in the MVC.
Connor Giusti has been hit by a pitch 11 times, tied for the fourth most in the league.
Connor Lockwood is tied for the Missouri Valley Conference lead with 62 strikeouts, tied with Max McEwen of Indiana State. Lockwood is the league-leader with 76 2/3 innings pitched. He is well ahead of Belmont’s Joe Ruzicka, who is second with 59 innings.
Lockwood also ranks ninth in opposing batting average of .269.
INDIANA SMALL COLLEGE WEB SITES
UINDY ATHLETICS: https://athletics.uindy.edu/
MARIAN ATHLETICS: https://muknights.com/
INDIANA WESLEYAN ATHLETICS: https://iwuwildcats.com/
EARLHAM ATHLETICS: https://goearlham.com/
WABASH ATHLETICS: https://sports.wabash.edu/
FRANKLIN ATHLETICS: https://franklingrizzlies.com/
ROSE-HULMAN ATHLETICS: https://athletics.rose-hulman.edu/
ANDERSON ATHLETICS: https://athletics.anderson.edu/landing/index
TRINE ATHLETICS: https://trinethunder.com/landing/index
BETHEL ATHLETICS: https://bupilots.com/
DEPAUW ATHLETICS: https://depauwtigers.com/
HANOVER ATHLETICS: https://athletics.hanover.edu/
MANCHESTER ATHLETICS: https://muspartans.com/
HUNTINGTON ATHLETICS: https://www.huathletics.com/
OAKLAND CITY ATHLETICS: https://gomightyoaks.com/index.aspx
ST. FRANCIS ATHLETICS: https://www.saintfranciscougars.com/landing/index
IU KOKOMO ATHLETICS: https://iukcougars.com/
IU EAST ATHLETICS: https://www.iueredwolves.com/
IU SOUTH BEND ATHLETICS: https://iusbtitans.com/
PURDUE NORTHWEST ATHLETICS: https://pnwathletics.com/
INDIANA TECH ATHLETICS: https://indianatechwarriors.com/index.aspx
GRACE COLLEGE ATHLETICS: https://gclancers.com/
ST. MARY OF THE WOODS ATHLETICS: https://smwcathletics.com/
GOSHEN COLLEGE ATHLETICS: https://goleafs.net/
HOLY CROSS ATHLETICS: https://www.hcsaints.com/index.php
TAYLOR ATHLETICS: https://www.taylortrojans.com/
VINCENNES ATHLETICS: https://govutrailblazers.com/landing/index
“SPORTS EXTRA”
TODAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY
May 1
1884 — Toledo’s Moses Fleetwood Walker became the first black player in the pre-modern era of the major leagues. His Blue Stockings lost 5-1 to Louisville.
1891 — In front of almost 10,000 fans, Cy Young of the Cleveland Spiders defeats the Cincinnati Reds, 12 – 3, in the first game ever played in Cleveland’s League Park.
1901 — Chicago’s Herm McFarland hit the first grand slam in American League history and Dummy Hoy also homered in the Chicago White Sox’ 19-9 rout of the Detroit Tigers. The Tigers committed an AL record 12 errors, 10 by the infield, in the loss.
1906 — John Lush of the Philadelphia Phillies pitched a no-hitter at Brooklyn, beating the Dodgers 6-0.
1920 — Joe Oeschger of the Boston Braves and Leon Cadore of the Brooklyn Dodgers each pitched 26 innings in a 1-1 tie, the longest in major league history.
1920 — Babe Ruth hit his first home run as a Yankee, and 50th of his career, as New York beat Boston 6-0 at the Polo Grounds.
1925 — The Philadelphia Athletics introduce another future Hall of Famer, 17-year-old catcher Jimmie Foxx, who pinch-hits a single in the 9-4 loss to the Washington Senators.
1926 — Legendary pitcher Satchel Paige makes his debut in the Negro Southern League.
1944 — George Myatt of Washington went 6-for-6 and the Senators beat the Boston Braves 11-4.
1951 — New York’s Mickey Mantle hit his first major league home run in an 8-3 loss at Chicago. The first of Mantle’s 536 homers came in the sixth inning off Randy Gumpert.
1968 — Philadelphia Phillies pitcher John Boozer was ejected by umpire Ed Vargo at Shea Stadium for throwing spitballs during his warmup pitches. Boozer was the second major league pitcher to be ejected from a game for this.
1969 — Houston’s Don Wilson beat the Cincinnati Reds with a 4-0 no-hitter at Crosley Field, one day after the Reds’ Jim Maloney no-hit the Astros and nine days after Wilson absorbed a 14-0 pounding by Cincinnati.
1973 — The San Francisco Giants scored seven runs with two outs in the ninth inning to beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 8-7.
1975 — Hank Aaron collects four hits and two RBI in the Brewers’ 17-3 win over Detroit. This brings his career RBI total to 2,211, breaking Babe Ruth’s published record of 2,209.
1984 — Dwight Gooden became the first teenager to strike out a least ten batters in a game since Bert Blyleven did it in 1970. The Mets’ 19-year-old phenom would set a major league rookie record with 276 strikeouts.
1991 — Rickey Henderson surpassed Lou Brock as baseball’s career stolen base leader with his 939th steal as the Oakland Athletics beat the New York Yankees 7-4.
1991 — Nolan Ryan pitched his seventh no-hitter, struck out 16 and shut down the best-hitting team in the majors, as the Texas Rangers beat the Toronto Blue Jays 3-0.
1992 — The Dodgers postponed a three-game series against Montreal because of rioting in Los Angeles following the Rodney King verdict.
1992 — Rickey Henderson garners his 1,000th stolen base.
2000 — San Francisco Giants left fielder Barry Bonds becomes the first player to hit a ball into San Francisco Bay (McCovey’s Cove) as the first “splashdown” home run at Pacific Bell Park.
2002 — With a save against the Chicago Cubs, San Diego closer Trevor Hoffman set the major league record for the most saves with one team, 321. He broke Dennis Eckersley’s record of 320 with Oakland.
2012 — Orioles manager Buck Showalter wins his 1,000th game as a major league skipper when the O’s defeat the Yankees, 7-1.
2015 — Alex Rodriguez ties Willie Mays for fourth place on the all-time home run list when he hits number 660 against the Red Sox.
2020 — Even though there is no baseball being currently played, P Emmanuel Clase of the Indians manages to get himself suspended, as the results of a test are positive for Boldenone, an anabolic steroid. He will be suspended for 80 games from whenever the season eventually starts.
2022 — Kelsie Whitmore becomes the first woman to start a game in the Atlantic League, which is now part of Organized Baseball as a partner league of Major League Baseball, when she starts in left field for the Staten Island FerryHawks against the Gastonia Honey Hunters.
TODAY IN SPORTS HISTORY
May 1
1891 — Legendary pitcher Cy Young wins first game played at Cleveland’s League Park.
1920 — Legendary slugger Babe Ruth records his first HR for the New York Yankees.
1920 — Joe Oeschger of the Boston Braves and Leon Cadore of the Brooklyn Dodgers both pitch 26 innings in a 1-1 tie, the longest game in major league history.
1926 — Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Satchel Paige (19) debuts in the Negro Southern League.
1943 — Count Fleet, ridden by Johnny Longden, wins the Kentucky Derby by three lengths over Blue Swords.
1948 — Citation, ridden by Eddie Arcaro, wins the Kentucky Derby by 3½ lengths over Coaltown. It’s Citation’s toughest race in winning the Triple Crown.
1951 — Future Baseball Hall of Fame slugger Mickey Mantle hits first career home run.
1954 — 80th Kentucky Derby: Raymond York wins aboard Determine, his only Derby success.
1955 — American golfer Babe Didrikson-Zaharias wins the Peach Blossom LPGA Tournament in Spartanburg, South Carolina, her final victory before her death the following year.
1959 — Floyd Patterson scores 11th round KO of Englishman Brian London in Indianapolis; his 4th World Heavyweight Boxing title defence.
1965 — The Montreal Canadiens beat the Chicago Blackhawks 4-0 in Game 7 to capture the Stanley Cup.
1965 — 91st Kentucky Derby: Bill Shoemaker wins aboard Lucky Debonair, the third of his 4 Derby victories.
1969 — Leonard Tose buys NFL Philadelphia Eagles for a professional sports record $16.15m.
1976 — 102nd Kentucky Derby: Puerto Rican jockey Ángel Cordero Jr. wins aboard Bold Forbes, the second of 3 Derby successes.
1981 — Tennis player Billie Jean King acknowledges a lesbian relationship with Marilyn Barnett – becoming first prominent sportswoman to come out.
1982 — Gato del Sol, ridden by Ed Delahoussaye, comes from last place in a field of 19 to win the Kentucky Derby. Gato del Sol, finishes 2 1/2 lengths ahead of Laser Light, who beat Reinvested by a neck for second. He finishes in 2:02 2/5 and returns $44.40 for a $2 bet. Air Forbes Won, the 5-2 favorite of the crow of 141,009, finishes seventh.
1984 — NFL Draft: Nebraska wide receiver Irving Fryar first pick by New England Patriots.
1988 — After scoring 50 points in Game 1, NBA Eastern Conference playoff series, Michael Jordan has 55 in Chicago Bulls 106-101 win vs Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 2; first to score 50+ points in consecutive playoff games.
1991 — Nolan Ryan pitches his seventh no-hitter in a 3-0 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays. Ryan faces 29 batters, striking out 16 and walking two.
1991 — Rickey Henderson of the Oakland Athletics sets a major league record by stealing his 939th base, eclipsing Lou Brock’s career mark.
1992 — The Pittsburgh Penguins become the 11th NHL team to rebound from a 3-1 deficit and win a playoff series after beating the Washington Capitals 3-1.
1992 — Rickey Henderson, baseball’s career stolen base leader, steals his 1,000th base in the first inning of Oakland’s 7-6 win over Detroit.
1993 — Bruce Baumgartner wins his 11th straight national wrestling title by beating Joel Greenlee 6-0 in the 286-pound freestyle division at the U.S. championships in Las Vegas.
2002 — Padres closer Trevor Hoffman sets MLB record for saves for one team (321) in 4-3 win v Chicago Cubs in San Diego.
2003 — The three-time defending champion Lakers beat Minnesota 101-85 to win the series 4-2. It’s the 13th straight playoff series won under Phil Jackson, and Jackson-coached teams have an NBA-record 25 consecutive series wins.
2004 — Smarty Jones splashes his way past Lion Heart in the stretch to win the Kentucky Derby. Smarty Jones runs his record to 7 for 7 and becomes the first unbeaten Derby winner since Seattle Slew in 1977.
2005 — 17-year old Lionel Messi scores his 1st senior league goal for FC Barcelona in 2-0 win against Albacete Balompié, at the Spotify Camp Nou in Barcelona.
2006 — Detroit, winner of the President’s Trophy by leading the league in points (124) this season, is eliminated in the first round for the third time in five postseasons after a 4-3 loss to Edmonton in Game 6.
2008 — Johan Franzen records his second hat trick in three games with three more goals and helps Detroit complete a four-game sweep of Colorado with an e is 8-2 win. He is the first player with two hat tricks in one playoff series since Jari Kurri did it for Edmonton in 1985.
2010 — Jockey Calvin Borel steers Super Saver through the mud to win his third Kentucky Derby in four years, beating Lookin At Lucky by 2 1/2 lengths. The win ends trainer Todd Pletcher’s Derby drought. Pletcher, who had four horses in the race, came into the race 0 for 24 since 2000.
2019 — Argentine forward Lionel Messi scores twice for his 600th goal for FC Barcelona in a 3-0 home win over Liverpool in a Champions League semifinal.
2021 — 147th Kentucky Derby: Medina Spirit gives jockey John Velazquez his fourth Derby win and trainer Bob Baffert a record seventh victory in the race.
TV SPORTS THURSDAY
| MLB REGULAR SEASON | TIME ET | TV |
| Chicago Cubs vs Pittsburgh Pirates | 12:35pm | MARQ ATTSN-PIT |
| St. Louis Cardinals vs Cincinnati Reds | 12:40pm | FanDuel Sports MW FanDuel Sports Ohio |
| Minnesota Twins vs Cleveland Guardians | 1:10pm | MLBN CleGuardians.com Twins.com |
| Arizona Diamondbacks vs New York Mets | 1:10pm | MLBN DBacks.TV SNY |
| Kansas City Royals vs Tampa Bay Rays | 1:10pm | FanDuel Sports KC FanDuel Sports Sun |
| Milwaukee Brewers vs Chicago White Sox | 2:10pm | CHSN FanDuel Sports WI |
| Athletics vs Texas Rangers | 2:35pm | RSN NBCS-CA |
| Washington Nationals vs Philadelphia Phillies | 6:45pm | MASN2 NBCS-PHI |
| Boston Red Sox vs Toronto Blue Jays | 7:07pm | MLBN NESN Sportsnet |
| Detroit Tigers vs Los Angeles Angels | 9:38pm | FanDuel Sports DET FanDuel Sports West |
| Colorado Rockies vs San Francisco Giants | 9:45pm | Rockies.TV NBCS-BAY |
| NBA PLAYOFFS | TIME ET | TV |
| East Quarterfinals Game 6: New York Knicks at Detroit Pistons | 7:30pm | TNT truTV MAX |
| East Quarterfinals Game 6: Denver Nuggets at Los Angeles Clippers | 10:00pm | TNT truTV MAX |
| NHL PLAYOFFS | TIME ET | TV |
| East Quarterfinals Game 6: Toronto Maple Leafs vs Ottawa Senators | 7:00pm | TBS MAX |
| West Quarterfinals Game 6: Vegas Golden Knights vs Minnesota Wild | 7:30pm | ESPN |
| West Quarterfinals Game 6: Dallas Stars vs Colorado Avalanche | 9:30pm | TBS MAX |
| West Quarterfinals Game 6: Los Angeles Kings vs Edmonton Oilers | 10:00pm | ESPN |
| GOLF | TIME ET | TV |
| PGA Tour: Byron Nelson | 4:00pm | GOLF |
| LPGA Tour: Black Desert Championship | 7:00pm | GOLF |
| SOCCER | TIME ET | TV |
| EPL: Nottingham Forest vs Brentford | 2:30pm | USA Peacock fuboTV |
| UEFA Europa League: Athletic Club vs Manchester United | 3:00pm | Paramount+ UniMas |
| UEFA Europa League: Tottenham Hotspur vs Bodø / Glimt | 3:00pm | Paramount+ fuboTV |
| UEFA Conference League: Djurgården vs Chelsea | 3:00pm | Paramount+ VIX |
| UEFA Conference League: Real Betis vs Fiorentina | 3:00pm | Paramount+ VIX |
| CONCACAF Champions Cup:Cruz Azul vs Tigres UANL | 10:00pm | FS2 fuboTV |