THE INDIANA SRN “SPORTSPAGE” TUESDAY APRIL 11, 2023

INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL RANKINGS

1)CENTER GROVE H.S. 6-0 (182)

2)LAKE CENTRAL H.S. 5-1 (122)

3)CARROLL (FORT WAYNE H.S. 5-0 (118)

4)PENN H.S 2-3 (112)

5)CARMEL H.S. 4-0 (108)

6)NOBLESVILLE H.S. 7-1 (100)

7)ZIONSVILLE H.S. 1-2 (92)

8)EVANS. NORTH H.S. 4-1 (80)

9)FLOYD CENTRAL H.S. 5-2 (66)

10)FISHERS H.S. 5-4 (56)

Receiving Votes:

Bloomington South H.S., Crown Point H.S., Evans. Central H.S., F.W. Snider H.S., Homestead H.S., Indpls Cathedral H.S., Laporte H.S., Mooresville H.S., Mt. Vernon H.S. (Fortville), New Albany H.S., Roncalli H.S., Seymour H.S., Westfield H.S.,

1)JASPER H.S. 5-0 (210)

2)ANDREAN H.S. 3-1 (200)

3)WESTERN H.S. 3-1 (152)

4)NEW PRAIRIE H.S. 5-1 (100)

5)BATESVILLE H.S. 3-1 (96)

6)CRAWFORDSVILLE H.S. 5-2 (84)

7)GUERIN CATHOLIC H.S. 4-0 (78)

8)SILVER CREEK H.S. 3-2 (70)

9)GLENN H.S. (JOHN GLENN) 0-0 (58)

10)WEST VIGO H.S. 4-1 (52)

Receiving Votes:

Angola H.S., Beech Grove H.S., Evans. Memorial H.S., Hanover Central H.S., Indpls Chatard H.S., Lebanon H.S., Madison H.S., Mishawaka Marian H.S., Northwestern H.S., Norwell H.S., Princeton H.S., Scottsburg H.S, South Bend St.Joe H.S., Southridge H.S.,

1)ILLIANA CHRISTIAN HS 3-0 (218)

2)WAPAHANI H.S. 2-2 (130)

3)SOUTH CENTRAL H.S. (UNION MILLS) 4-2 (126)

4)DELPHI H.S. 2-1 (90)

5)UNIVERSITY HIGH SCHOOL 2-3 (84)

6)CARROLL (FLORA) H.S. 1-1 (76)

6)FOREST PARK H.S. 3-1 (76)

8)SEEGER H.S. 2-2 (72)

9)PROVIDENCE H.S. 0-1 (54)

10)MITCHELL H.S. 5-0 (50)

Receiving Votes:

Austin H.S., Cascade H.S., Eastern (Greene) H.S., Eastern (Greentown) H.S., Eastside H.S., F.W. Bishop Luers H.S., Frankton H.S., Hagerstown H.S., Heritage Christian School, Madison Grant H.S., North Posey H.S., Park Tudor H.S., Shenandoah H.S., Westview H.S.,

1)LAFAYETTE CENTRAL CATHOLIC H.S. 2-3 (162)

2)BORDEN H.S. 2-2 (118)

3)CLAY CITY H.S. 5-0 (86)

4)INDPLS Lutheran H.S. 0-0 (76)

5)TECUMSEH H.S. 1-2 (72)

6)DALEVILLE H.S. 3-0 (58)

6)LOOGOOTEE H.S. 3-2 (58)

8)RISING SUN H.S. 2-1 (56)

9)BARR-REEVE H.S. 1-3 (52)

10)SHAKAMAK H.S. 1-1 (48)

Receiving Votes:

Bloomfield H.S., F.W. Blackhawk Christian H.S., Greenwood Christian Academy, Kouts H.S., Madison Shawe H.S., Morgan Twp. H.S., Morristown H.S., North Daviess H.S., North Miami H.S., Northeast Dubois H.S., Oldenburg Academy, Oregon Davis H.S., Riverton Parke H.S., Rossville H.S., South Decatur H.S., Trinity Lutheran H.S., Union City H.S., Wes-Del H.S.,

INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL SCOREBOARD

CALUMET CHRISTIAN 19 WESTVILLE 3

ILLIANA CHRISTIAN 32 CALUMET TECH 0

KOUTS 5 N. JUDSON 1

HEBRON 14 HAST 2

KNOX 19 OREGON DAVIS 2

ANDREAN 12 MUNSTER 5

LOWELL 5 HOBART 4

GREENWOOD CHRISTIAN 5 IRVINGTON PREP 2

WEST CENTRAL 10 WINAMAC 0

MONROVIA 6 CLOVERDALE 1

SEEGER 8 SOUTHMONT 6

HANOVER CENTRAL 15 RIVER FOREST 2

HIGHLAND 2 KANKAKEE VALLEY 1

NORTHEAST DUBOIS 11 CRAWFORD COUNTY 0

DALEVILLE 10 MADISON GRANT 9

EVANSVILLE MATER DEI 8 TECUMSEH 4

ORLEANS 9 PAOLI 8

HAGERSTOWN 15 CAMBRIDGE CITY LINCOLN 4

SWITZERLAND COUNTY 14 S. RIPLEY 3

PIONEER 23 N. WHITE 4

WINCHESTER 7 MUNCIE CENTRAL 6

MORGAN TWP. 14 HAMMOND MORTON 6

UNION CITY 20 MISSISSINEWA VALLEY 0

MISSISSINEWA 18 SOUTHERN WELLS 2

COLDWATER 8 JAY COUNTY 3

TIPPECANOE VALLEY 16 TRITON 2

SOUTH BEND ST. JOSEPH 10 NEW PRAIRIE 4

COWAN 23 MUNCIE BURRIS 2

LAVILLE 13 ARGOS 1

BOONVILLE 8 EVANSVILLE HARRISON 6

EVANSVILLE CENTRAL 8 HENDERSON COUNTY 1

MITCHELL 14 EASTERN GREENE 0

EVANSVILLE NORTH 11 N. POSEY 3

BLOOMFIELD 6 N. KNOX 0

NORTH MIAMI 13 TAYLOR 12

WHEELER 11 HAMMOND NOLL 6

DELTA 6 ALEXANDRIA MONROE 5

LINTON STOCKTON 10 OWEN VALLEY 3

CASTLE 5 GIBSON SOUTHERN 0

SETON CATHOLIC 13 TRI 3

LAKEWOOD PARK CHRISTIAN 11 HAMILTON 1

SCECINA 6 EASTERN HANCOCK 2

COLUMBIA CITY 11 FORT WAYNE WAYNE 7

NEW PALESTINE 6 PERRY MERIDIAN 3

WARREN CENTRAL 14 INDIANAPOLIS TECH 1

FRANKLIN COUNTY 5 CONNERSVILLE 3

EVANSVILLE CHRISTIAN 11 WOOD MEMORIAL 3

SOUTHPORT 5 SHELBYVILLE 2

MOUNT VERNON 14 CARMI – WHITE COUNTY 13

GREENCASTLE 10 WHITE RIVER VALLEY 0

NORWELL 16 MARIAN 0

TWIN LAKES 17 W. LAFAYETTE 5

BEDFORD NORTH LAWRENCE 9 BLOOMINGTON SOUTH 4

BETHESDA CHRISTIAN 16 LIBERTY CHRISTIAN 2

CHARLESTOWN 14 EASTERN 5

NORTHEASTERN 6 MONROE CENTRAL 3

GREENSBURG 6 RUSHVILLE 5

SOUTH BEND ADAMS 15 GLENN 2

HAMILTON SOUTHEASTERN 5 CARMEL 4

NORTHWOOD 11 W. NOBLE 1

TRI – TOWNSHIP 11 SOUTH BEND CAREER 0

GARRETT 9 WOODLAN 3

HERITAGE 9 FORT WAYNE CONCORDIA 0

EAST CENTRAL 7 BATESVILLE 2

ADAMS CENTRAL 13 FORT WAYNE DWENGER 4

VINCENNES RIVET 9 EVANSVILLE BOSSE 3

EDINBURGH 10 INDY GENESIS 3

BENTON CENTRAL 15 CLINTON PRAIRIE 5

MISHAWAKA MARIAN 26 SOUTH BEND WASHINGTON 0

EASTSIDE 12 LEO 2

SILVER CREEK 10 SALEM 0

CENTER GROVE 8 COLUMBUS NORTH 2

MACONAQUAH 15 EASTBROOK 3

FORT WAYNE CARROLL 11 ANGOLA 1

CLAY CITY 6 N. DAVIES 4

WABASH 13 OAK HILL 7

DANVILLE 9 SPEEDWAY 2

BLACKFORD 11 LEWIS CASS 3

NORTH MONTGOMERY 8 PARKE HERITAGE 3

BROWNSBURG 7 UNIVERSITY 3

TRI – CENTRAL 6 WALDRON 4

CORYDON 2 AUSTIN 0

ZIONSVILLE 11 LAWRENCE CENTRAL 0

FRANKLIN 3 FRANKLIN CENTRAL 1

GREENFIELD CENTRAL 8 COLUMBUS EAST 0

INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL SOFTBALL RANKINGS

1.RONCALLI HIGH SCHOOL

2.CENTER GROVE HIGH SCHOOL

3.NEW PALESTINE HIGH SCHOOL

4.COLUMBUS NORTH HIGH SCHOOL

5.BEDFORD NORTH LAWRENCE HIGH SCHOOL

6.AVON HIGH SCHOOL

7.PENDLETON HEIGHTS HIGH SCHOOL

8.HAMILTON SOUTHEASTERN HIGH SCHOOL

9.PENN HIGH SCHOOL

10.LAKE CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL

1.TRI-WEST HENDRICKS HIGH SCHOOL

1.YORKTOWN HIGH SCHOOL

3.LEO HIGH SCHOOL

4.GIBSON SOUTHERN HIGH SCHOOL

5.NEW PRAIRIE HIGH SCHOOL

6.CONNERSVILLE HIGH SCHOOL

7.FRANKLIN COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL

8.KANKAKEE VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL

9.HANOVER CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL

9.SCOTTSBURG HIGH SCHOOL

1.NORTH POSEY HIGH SCHOOL

2.EASTSIDE HIGH SCHOOL

3.ANDREAN HIGH SCHOOL

4.UNION COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL

5.EASTERN HANCOCK HIGH SCHOOL

6.EASTERN (GREENTOWN) HIGH SCHOOL

7.NORTH NEWTON HIGH SCHOOL

8.MADISON-GRANT HIGH SCHOOL

9.CENTRAL NOBLE HIGH SCHOOL

10.SOUTH VERMILLION HIGH SCHOOL

1.BARR-REEVE HIGH SCHOOL

2.TECUMSEH HIGH SCHOOL

3.WEST CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL

4.CASTON HIGH SCHOOL

5.ROSSVILLE HIGH SCHOOL

6.CLAY CITY HIGH SCHOOL

7.COWAN HIGH SCHOOL

8.NORTHEAST DUBOIS HIGH SCHOOL

9.RISING SUN HIGH SCHOOL

10.LAFAYETTE CENTRAL CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL

10.WEST WASHINGTON HIGH SCHOOL

INDIANA SOFTBALL SCOREBOARD

WESTVILLE 6 CALUMET CHRISTIAN 2

SOUTH BEND ST. JOSEPH 4 NEW PRAIRIE 1

KNOX 16 OREGON DAVIS 2

HEBRON 2 ANDREAN 1

ILLIANA 24 CALUMET TECH 1

CENTRAL NOBLE 5 E. NOBLE 4

MISHAWAKA MARIAN 23 SOUTH BEND WASHINGTON 0

MUNSTER 16 KANKAKEE VALLEY 0

SILVER CREEK 13 CHARLESTOWN 0

ANGOLA 12 DEKALB 2

PIONEER 14 ARGOS 1

BOONVILLE 5 EVANSVILLE CENTRAL 4

CAMBRIDGE CITY LINCOLN 19 RANDOLPH SOUTHERN 0

EASTERN 4 ALEXANDRIA MONROE 0

CENTERVILLE 13 NATIONAL TRL. 2

SOUTH SPENCER 10 FOREST PARK 3

PARKWAY 8 S. ADAMS 7

ADAMS CENTRAL 6 BELLMONT 1

TRI 3 COWAN 2

HANOVER CENTRAL 15 RIVER FOREST 0

PRINCETON 11 S. KNOX 3

TELL CITY 13 PERRY CENTRAL 9

HERITAGE 5 WAYNE TRACE 3

BENTON CENTRAL 30 S. NEWTON 2

LOWELL 7 HIGHLAND 4

BARR REEVE 4 SPRINGS VALLEY 2

WHEELER 14 HAMMOND NOLL 2

SOUTH VERMILLION 8 FOUNTAIN CENTRAL 6

BROWNSTOWN CENTRAL 9 W. WASHINGTON 6

EVANSVILLE NORTH 4 GIBSON SOUTHERN 1

GRIFFITH 24 LAKE STATION 5

WEST VIGO 10 RIVERTON PARKE 7

UNION CITY 13 MISSISSINAWA 1

SWITZERLAND COUNTY 27 S. RIPLEY 7

NORTH POSEY 8 MOUNT VERNON 0

WINAMAC 8 RENSSELAER CENTRAL 1

CLINTON PRAIRIE 18 FAITH CHRISTIAN 13

PLYMOUTH 7 CULVER COMMUNITY 6

TIPPECANOE VALLEY 10 TRITON 0

SOUTH DECATUR 25 SOUTHWESTERN 2

SCOTTSBURG 12 HENRYVILLE 2

DANVILLE 8 PLAINFIELD 3

INDIANAPOLIS LUTHERAN 15 LAWRENCE CENTRAL 1

SOUTH BEND ADAMS 12 GLENN 2

NORTH CENTRAL 8 PERRY MERIDIAN 3

MILAN 10 AUSTIN 0

CATHEDRAL 11 LAFAYETTE CENTRAL CATHOLIC 1

COLUMBUS EAST 5 HAUSER 4

JENNINGS COUNTY 8 MADISON 0

CONNERSVILLE 13 RUSHVILLE 3

FRANKLIN 13 INDIAN CREEK 3

NORTHWOOD 10 W. NOBLE 7

LOOGOOTEE 12 ORLEANS 1

COLUMBUS NORTH 9 WHITELAND 1

TRI – COUNTY 8 COVINGTON 3

FRANKLIN COUNTY 15 LAWRENCEBURG 2

CASCADE 11 S. PUTNAM 0

WEST LAFAYETTE 19 CRAWFORDSVILLE 9

BROWNSBURG 7 WESTERN BOONE 1

LAPEL 18 SHERIDAN 0

HERITAGE CHRISTIAN 8 BETHESDA CHRISTIAN 5

PENN 10 SOUTH BEND RILEY 0

CORYDON CENTRAL 21 BORDEN 1

NEW CASTLE 10 DELTA 7

CENTER GROVE 12 MARTINSVILLE 2

CLAY CITY 10 SHAKAMAK 0

EAST CENTRAL 15 BATESVILLE 2

JAY COUNTY 4 HUNTINGTON NORTH 2

NORTHEAST DUBOIS 24 CRAWFORD COUNTY 0

ATTICA 14 FRONTIER 7

PRAIRIE HEIGHTS 12 LAKEWOOD PARK CHRISTIAN 1

FORT WAYNE CARROLL 16 GARRETT 5

BEECH GROVE 10 INDIANAPOLIS SCECINA 0

LEO 13 FORT WAYNE DWENGER 0

OAK HILL 10 BLUFFTON 10

RONCALLI 14 BISHOP CHATARD 0

COVENANT CHRISTIAN 24 RITTER 2

CHRISTEL HOUSE 19 RIVERSIDE 0

MOUNT VERNON 9 HAMILTON SOUTHEASTERN 8

BEDFORD NORTH LAWRENCE 9 LINTON STOCKTON 2

WESTERN 16 LAFAYETTE JEFF 2

BLACKFORD 8 WABASH 2

AVON 7 TERRE HAUTE SOUTH 1

MACONAQUAH 11 TRI-CENTRAL 2

SHELBYVILLE 1 PENDLETON HEIGHTS 0

SOUTHPORT 8 WARREN CENTRAL 7

GREENFIELD CENTRAL 12 NOBLESVILLE 7

GREENWOOD 4 BROWN COUNTY 2

FORT WAYNE CARROLL 5 NORTHWESTERN 0

FISHERS 9 KOKOMO 3

JEFFERSONVILLE 14 PROVIDENCE 3

INDIANA TENNIS POLL

1.CARMEL

2.FISHERS

3.JASPER

4.PARK TUDOR

5.ZIONSVILLE

6.CATHEDRAL

7.FRANKLIN COMMUNITY

8.COLUMBUS NORTH

9.WESTFIELD

10.CENTER GROVE

11.SB ST JOSEPH

12.NORTH CENTRAL

13.AVON

14T.PENN

14T.NOBLESVILLE

16.FLOYD CENTRAL

17.BREBEUF

18.DELTA

19.EVANSVILLE MEMORIAL

20.BROWNSBURG

21.HSE

22.CROWN POINT

23.HOMESTEAD

24.WL HARRISON

25T.LAWRENCE NORTH

25T.FW CARROLL

25T.BLOOMINGTON N

28.CASTLE

29.NEW ALBANY

30.WEST LAFAYETTE

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL SCOREBOARD

HOUSTON 8 PITTSBURGH 2

CHICAGO CUBS 3 SEATTLE 2 (10)

WASHINGTON 6 LA ANGELS 4

CHICAGO WHITE SOX 4 MINNESOTA 3

CLEVELAND 3 NY YANKEES 2

BALTIMORE 5 OAKLAND 1

TAMPA BAY 1 BOSTON 0

TEXAS 11 KANSAS CITY 2

PHILADELPHIA 15 MIAMI 3

NY METS 5 SAN DIEGO 0

ATLANTA 5 CINCINNATI 4 (10)

COLORADO 7 ST. LOUIS 4

ARIZONA 3 MILWAUKEE 0

LA DODGERS 9 SAN FRANCISCO 1

NBA PLAYOFFS

2023 AT&T NBA PLAY-IN TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE

TUESDAY, APRIL 11
GAME 1 — ATLANTA @ MIAMI | 7:30 ET (TNT)
GAME 2 — MINNESOTA @ LA LAKERS | 10 ET (TNT)

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 12
GAME 3 — CHICAGO @ TORONTO | 7 ET (ESPN)
GAME 4 — OKLAHOMA CITY @ NEW ORLEANS | 9:30 ET (ESPN)

FRIDAY, APRIL 14
GAME 5 — WINNER OF GAME 3 @ LOSER OF GAME 1 (TNT)
GAME 6 — WINNER OF GAME 4 @ LOSER OF GAME 2 (ESPN)

2023 NBA PLAYOFFS FIRST ROUND SCHEDULE FOR GAME 1S

SATURDAY, APRIL 15, 2023
BROOKLYN @ PHILADELPHIA | 1 ET (ESPN)
EAST #7 @ BOSTON | 3:30 ET (ESPN)
NEW YORK @ CLEVELAND | 6 ET (ESPN)
GOLDEN STATE @ SACRAMENTO | 8:30 (ABC)

SUNDAY, APRIL 16, 2023
EAST #8 @ MILWAUKEE | TBD
WEST # 8 @ DENVER | TBD
WEST #7 @ MEMPHIS | TBD
LA CLIPPERS @ PHOENIX | TBD

NHL SCOREBOARD

DALLAS 6 DETROIT 1

TORONTO 2 FLORIDA 1

BUFFALO 3 NY RANGERS 2

OTTAWA 3 CAROLINA 2

WASHINGTON 5 NY ISLANDERS 2

WINNIPEG 6 SAN JOSE 2

MINNESOTA 4 CHICAGO 2

NASHVILLE 3 CALVARY 2

SEATTLE 4 ARIZONA 1

LOS ANGELES 3 VANCOUVER 0

TOP NATIONAL HEADLINES

NBA NEWS

PLAY-IN TOURNAMENT STARTS TUESDAY, GIVING 8 TEAMS NEW LIFE

MIAMI (AP) — Getting to the play-in tournament probably wasn’t the goal of any team when training camps opened back in September.

It does, however, beat the alternative.

There are 12 teams with playoff spots right now, 10 teams whose seasons are over — and eight teams with a second chance. The play-in tournament starts Tuesday, with Atlanta going to Miami and Minnesota visiting the Los Angeles Lakers, with the winners going to the postseason.

Oklahoma City goes to New Orleans and Chicago visits Toronto on Wednesday for elimination games; loser goes home, winner moves on to face the loser of Tuesday’s games in another win-or-go-home contest.

“You have to embrace this new experience,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “To the old heads in our locker room, each of us have experienced long NBA careers and not have had this opportunity. I think it’s been great for the league. How harrowing this has been, the last six, eight weeks for 16 teams in the West and the East. It’s just been great for competition and overall. it’s been great for the league.”

The NBA added it to boost end-of-season excitement, give more teams playoff hope — and discourage tanking. Dallas still had a chance at the play-in until its 81st game of the season on Friday, when it held several rotation players out and lost. The NBA is investigating the Mavericks’ motivations there and if Dallas lost to protect its draft odds.

The Heat were the No. 1 seed in the East last season and now need the play-in just to get back to the playoffs. But they’re also playing perhaps their best basketball of the season — just like the Lakers, who went a West-best 16-7 after the All-Star break.

“We put ourselves in a position where we can move on,” Lakers star LeBron James said. “That’s all we could ask for, to put ourselves in a position to be able to move on. We had obviously a very, very slow start, starting 2-10 … to know where we are today, we can be happy about that, but not satisfied.”

No team that has used the play-in tournament — Portland in 2020 in the bubble under a slightly different format; Boston, Washington, the Lakers and Memphis in 2021; Brooklyn, Atlanta, Minnesota and New Orleans last year — to reach the actual playoffs has ever won a first-round series.

But it still provides hope, and perhaps a shot in the arm for those who survive and advance.

“We’re looking forward to it,” Spoelstra said. “Our guys love competition. And this has high stakes to it. And that’s ultimately where you find out about yourself — when there’s stakes to it, when there’s consequences to it.”

FORMAT

Even in Year 3 of this format, it still can be confusing. Here’s how it works:

— No. 7 plays No. 8. The winner is in and gets the No. 7 seed for the playoffs. The loser has a second chance.

— No. 9 plays No. 10. The loser’s season is over. The winner moves on to face the loser of the 7 vs. 8 game.

— The remaining teams (the 7-8 loser and the 9-10 winner) play at the higher seed, with the winner getting the No. 8 seed. The loser’s season ends.

— All six games either have a team qualifying for the playoffs, or getting eliminated, or both.

MATCHUPS

EASTERN CONFERENCE

NO. 8 ATLANTA (41-41) AT NO. 7 MIAMI (44-38)

Tuesday, 7:30 p.m., TNT

Season series: Miami, 3-1

Previous play-in appearances: Hawks went 2-0 to become No. 8 seed in 2022; Heat are in play-in for first time.

At stake: Winner plays Boston in Game 1 on Saturday; loser plays elimination game Friday.

Outlook: All four games ended up relatively close (Heat by 8, Hawks by 8, Heat by 8, Heat by 2). … Miami’s Jimmy Butler averaged 25 points and Bam Adebayo averaged 24.5 in the season series. … Trae Young averaged 19.8 points for the Hawks against the Heat, but was held to 36% shooting and 21% from 3-point range. … Hawks aiming to become first team in the play-in era to win three games after going 2-0 last year.

X-factor: Miami’s Caleb Martin shot 64% against the Hawks, averaging 15.8 points and going 8-for-11 on 3-pointers.

NO. 10 CHICAGO (40-42) AT NO. 9 TORONTO (41-41)

Wednesday, 7 p.m., ESPN

Season series: Toronto, 2-1

Previous play-in appearances: Both teams are in play-in for first time.

At stake: Winner plays elimination game Friday; loser is eliminated.

Outlook: Home teams went 3-0 in the season series. … Zach LaVine averaged 23.5 points vs. the Raptors this season, while Fred VanVleet averaged 20 points vs. the Bulls. … Toronto never led by more than 10 points in any of the three games vs. Chicago this season.

X-factor: Chicago’s DeMar DeRozan has played at Toronto seven times since leaving the Raptors, so he’s dealt with the emotions before — though never in an elimination game in his former home building.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

NO. 8 MINNESOTA (42-40) AT NO. 7 L.A. LAKERS (43-39)

Tuesday, 10 p.m., TNT

Season series: Minnesota, 2-1

Previous play-in appearances: Timberwolves went 1-0 to become No. 7 seed in 2022; Lakers went 1-0 to become No. 7 seed in 2021.

At stake: Winner plays Memphis in Game 1 on Sunday; loser plays elimination game Friday.

Outlook: Anthony Davis played against Minnesota twice, scored exactly 38 points in both of those games — the Lakers winning one of them, the Wolves winning the other. … LeBron James averaged 23 points in two games against Minnesota, shooting only 39.5%. … Anthony Edwards had 29 points in Minnesota’s win over the Lakers in October, then was held to a combined 30 points in two March meetings between the clubs.

X-factor: The dustup involving Rudy Gobert and Kyle Anderson on Sunday will either empower the Timberwolves — or fracture them. Gobert has been suspended for Tuesday’s game by the Wolves.

NO. 10 OKLAHOMA CITY (40-42) AT NO. 9 NEW ORLEANS (42-40)

Wednesday, 9:30 p.m., ESPN

Season series: New Orleans, 3-1

Previous play-in appearances: Pelicans went 2-0 to become No. 8 seed in 2022; Thunder are in play-in for first time.

At stake: Winner plays elimination game Friday; loser is eliminated.

Outlook: New Orleans’ three wins over the Thunder were by three, three and four points — but the Pelicans held leads of 21, 20 and 13 points in those games. … New Orleans’ Brandon Ingram played in just one of the four games, scoring 34 points in that outing. … Shai Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 33.5 points against the Pelicans this season, with high games of 44 and 35.

X-factor: Thunder have nothing to lose except lottery odds. Pelicans were in this exact spot last year and know what it takes.

SEASON OF NBA MOMENTS: LEBRON, LILLARD, MITCHELL AND MORE

Some moments from the 2022-23 NBA regular season:

Oct. 18: Boston defeats Philadelphia and Golden State beats the Los Angeles Lakers on opening night. The Warriors received their championship rings from last season in a ceremony preceding their game.

Oct. 20: NBA referee Tony Brown, 55, dies of pancreatic cancer. He worked more than 1,100 games in a two-decade career.

Nov. 4: Nike suspends its relationship with Kyrie Irving and canceled plans to release his next signature shoe, part of the massive fallout caused by the Brooklyn Nets’ guard tweeting a link to a film containing antisemitic material. Nike and Irving eventually part ways; Irving eventually apologizes and returns to the Nets.

Nov. 5: Sacramento’s De’Aaron Fox hits from just inside the midcourt stripe at the buzzer of overtime, giving the Kings a 126-123 win in Orlando.

Nov. 8: To commemorate Election Day, the NBA plays no games. The league encourages its teams and fans to spend the day participating in civic engagement.

Nov. 11: The arena where the Miami Heat play starts the process of getting a new name, after the cryptocurrency exchange FTX collapses. FTX was in the early stages of a 19-year, $135 million naming rights deal with Miami-Dade County.

Nov. 13: Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid scores a career-best 59 points in a win over Utah. He adds 11 rebounds, eight assists and seven blocked shots.

Nov. 28: Andrew Nembhard hits a 3-pointer at the buzzer and Indiana stuns the Los Angeles Lakers 116-115. The Pacers trailed by 17 with 9:27 remaining; it was the biggest fourth-quarter comeback in the NBA this season.

Dec. 13: The NBA announces a rebranding of its MVP award, revealing a new trophy and a new name — The Michael Jordan Trophy.

Dec. 17: In Mexico City, Miami defeated San Antonio 111-101. It was the NBA’s first game in Mexico City since 2019.

Dec. 20: Mortgage billionaire Mat Ishbia strikes a deal to purchase embattled Robert Sarver’s share of the Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury in a deal that values the franchise at $4 billion.

Dec. 25: Philadelphia tops New York, Dallas beats the Los Angeles Lakers, Boston beats Milwaukee, Golden State tops Memphis and Denver edges Phoenix in the NBA’s Christmas quintupleheader.

Dec. 27: Dallas’ Luka Doncic has a 60-point triple-double in the Mavericks’ 126-121 win over New York. He added 21 rebounds and 10 assists in the first 60-20-10 game in NBA history.

Jan. 2: Cleveland’s Donovan Mitchell scores 71 points in the Cavaliers’ 145-134 overtime win over Chicago. Mitchell was 22 of 34 from the field, 7 of 15 on 3-pointers and 20 for 25 from the foul line. He also had 11 assists, marking the first time anyone had more than 70 points and 10 assists in an NBA game.

Jan. 10: Miami goes 40 for 40 from the foul line in a one-point win over Oklahoma City. The 40-for-40 breaks the previous NBA record of 39-for-39 by Utah in 1982.

Jan. 13: At the Alamodome in San Antonio, the Spurs sell an NBA-record 68,323 tickets for a game against Golden State.

Jan. 19: With presumed 2023 No. 1 draft pick Victor Wembanyama sitting courtside, Zach LaVine scores 30 points and the Chicago Bulls ease past the Detroit Pistons 126-108 in Paris. France was the seventh different country to host an NBA practice or game this season.

Feb. 6: Brooklyn trades Kyrie Irving to Dallas, ending his up-and-down stint with the Nets that was more memorable for off-the-court challenges than actual play.

Feb. 7: LeBron James makes a 14-foot jumper late in the third quarter to break Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s career NBA scoring record. Abdul-Jabbar held the mark since 1984 and was in Los Angeles to watch James’ record-breaker.

Feb. 9: Brooklyn trades Kevin Durant to Phoenix, a blockbuster on NBA trade-deadline day.

Feb. 16: Boston removes the interim title from 34-year-old coach Joe Mazzulla, the former assistant who took over the Celtics in September after now-former coach Ime Udoka was suspended by the team for having an inappropriate relationship with a woman in the organization.

Feb. 18: Philadelphia’s Mac McClung puts on a scintillating show to win the dunk contest at All-Star weekend. Portland’s Damian Lillard wins the 3-point contest and Utah players Jordan Clarkson, Walker Kessler and Collin Sexton combined to win the Skills Challenge.

Feb. 19: Boston’s Jayson Tatum scores a record 55 points and Team Giannis tops Team LeBron 184-175 to win the All-Star Game in Salt Lake City.

Feb. 24: Sacramento defeats the Los Angeles Clippers 176-175. The 351 combined points are the second-most in NBA history, behind only Detroit’s 186-184 win over Denver on Dec. 13, 1983.

Feb. 26: Portland’s Damian Lillard scores 71 points in the Trail Blazers’ 131-114 win over Houston. Lillard made 22 of 38 shots from the field, 13 of 22 from 3-point range and all 14 of his free throws. He also led Portland in assists, with six.

Feb. 27: Atlanta introduces Quin Snyder as its new coach, after firing Nate McMillan about a week earlier.

March 4: Memphis guard Ja Morant live-streams himself holding a gun while inside a Denver-area strip club. He quickly announces he was taking “some time away to get help” and ultimately was suspended for eight games by the NBA for his personal conduct.

March 17 and 19: A tale of two comebacks. San Antonio blew a 29-point lead on March 17 and lost to Memphis 126-120; two nights later, the Spurs rallied from a 24-point second-half deficit and beat Atlanta 126-118. It was the biggest second-half comeback for the Spurs under coach Gregg Popovich.

March 29: Jrue Holiday has 51 points, eight assists and eight rebounds, while Giannis Antetokounmpo adds 38 points, 17 rebounds and 12 assists, and Milwaukee tops Indiana 149-136. It’s the first time in NBA history two teammates have had at least 38 points, eight assists and eight rebounds in the same game.

April 1: In the early morning hours, the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association strike a handshake deal on what, if approved by owners and players, will be a seven-year Collective Bargaining Agreement that will take effect in July and ensure labor peace in the league until at least 2029.

April 7: Dallas sits several regulars, including Kyrie Irving, and plays Luka Doncic for only about a quarter in a loss to Chicago. The loss eliminated the Mavericks from postseason contention and the team’s motivation for losing catches the eye of the NBA, which opens an investigation the next day.

April 9: Udonis Haslem scores 24 points in his final regular season game, as his 20-year career with the Miami Heat draws to an end. At 42, he’s nearly two years older than anyone else to have scored at least 24 points in an NBA game.

INSIDE THE NBA NUMBERS: A LOOK AT THE SEASON’S STATS

Scoring was up in the NBA this season, to a level not seen in more than a half-century.

NBA teams averaged 114.7 points per game. That’s the ninth-highest figure in the league’s 77 seasons and the most since teams averaged 116.7 per game in 1969-70.

It represents a jump of 3.7% over last season.

A record 282,127 points were scored this season, smashing the previous mark of 273,573 set in 2018-19.

FREE THROW RECORD

The NBA has never had a better season from the foul line. Again.

The league-wide record for accuracy fell for the third time in the last four seasons. Teams combined to shoot 78.2% from the line this season.

That topped the 77.8% mark from two seasons ago. And while that difference — a mere 0.4% — doesn’t look like much, it is. NBA teams could have combined to miss their first 200 free throws on Sunday when the regular season was ending and still have been on pace to set a season record.

A BOSTON FIRST

When you’ve done something that’s never been done before in Boston Celtics history, that’s impressive.

So, take a bow, Jayson Tatum.

The forward averaged 30.1 points per game this season — the most ever by a Celtics player. John Havlicek and Isaiah Thomas each averaged 28.9 in their best seasons in Boston, and Larry Bird averaged 29.9 in 1987-88, but Tatum is the first to average 30.

Bird technically averaged 29.93 points that season, and two more points would have given him 29.95, which many would have rounded up to 30.0. He was five points shy that season of averaging exactly 30 per game.

BRIDGES’ STREAK

Brooklyn’s Mikal Bridges technically missed a game this season, but his consecutive games-played streak — now 392 games and counting — lives on because he wasn’t eligible to play while the Nets were completing the process of acquiring him in a trade with the Phoenix Suns.

Regardless, he still played in a league-best 83 games this season. It’s quirky, since a season is 82 games, but the Nets had more games to play than the Suns did when the trade happened. And it lived on in Sunday’s season finale because Bridges appeared for the first 4 seconds to extend the streak, then checked out for the day.

Bridges didn’t miss a game at Villanova, either. His last missed game was in high school.

Bridges is the first player to appear in 83 games in a season since Josh Smith in 2014-15. Bridges was one of 10 players to not miss a game this season — Houston’s Tari Eason and Kenyon Martin Jr., Chicago’s Nikola Vucevic and Patrick Williams, Boston’s Derrick White, Golden State teammates Kevon Looney and Jordan Poole, New York’s Isaiah Hartenstein and Sacramento’s Harrison Barnes also played in all 82 for their clubs this season.

The NBA’s all-time record for games in a season probably is one of those records that’ll never be broken. Walt Bellamy played in 88 games in 1968-69 — 35 with New York, then 53 with Detroit.

SCORING MARGIN

San Antonio was outscored by just over 10 points per game this season — the worst margin in Spurs history.

It was the 20th time in NBA history that a team had been outscored, on average, by double digits for an entire season.

3’s DOWN

For nine straight seasons — 2012-13 through 2020-21 — the NBA saw a record set annually for 3-pointers made per game.

It seems the growth era from beyond the arc has plateaued.

For the second consecutive year, 3-pointers made dropped this season, albeit slightly. The league saw an average of 24.7 3s per game this season, down from 24.9 per game last season and the record 25.4 per game in 2020-21.

The league finished the regular season with 30,359 3s made — just off the record total of 30,598 last season. But teams also attempted, on average, about 3% fewer 3-pointers this season than they did a year ago.

3′s UP

That said, there were more highly prolific 3-point shooters this season than ever before. The league finished with 20 players with at least 200 3-pointers — the most ever, just ahead of the 18 who made at least 200 3s last season.

The 20 in the 200 Club this year: Golden State’s Klay Thompson, Indiana’s Buddy Hield, Golden State’s Stephen Curry, Cleveland’s Donovan Mitchell, Portland’s Damian Lillard, Boston’s Jayson Tatum, Brooklyn’s Malik Beasley, New York’s Julius Randle, Dallas’ Tim Hardaway Jr., Portland’s Anfernee Simons, New Orleans’ CJ McCollum, Golden State’s Jordan Poole, Toronto’s Fred VanVleet, Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards, Sacramento’s Keegan Murray, Miami’s Tyler Herro, Sacramento’s Kevin Huerter, Chicago’s Zach LaVine, New Orleans’ Trey Murphy III and Utah’s Lauri Markkanen.

AND 3′s RECORDS

The Warriors finished with 1,363 3-pointers as a team, the most by any team in an NBA season. The previous record was 1,323 by the 2018-19 Houston Rockets.

Four of the six most prolific 3-point seasons in NBA history happened this season: The Warriors broke the record for a team, Boston (1,315) finished eight behind Houston’s 2018-19 mark, Dallas (1,246) made the fifth-most in a season and Milwaukee (1,217) made the sixth-most in a season.

Golden State, Boston, Dallas and Milwaukee obviously also set their franchise single-season record for total 3s made. So did Brooklyn, Indiana, the Los Angeles Clippers, Memphis, Oklahoma City, Philadelphia, Phoenix and Sacramento.

BETTING STATS

Those who bet the Oklahoma City Thunder all season long probably did quite well.

The Thunder covered the spread a league-best 58.5% of the time this season, just ahead of Orlando and Philadelphia (57.3%).

The Los Angeles Lakers were a perfect 50% against the spread — 41 times covering, 41 times not.

Dallas and San Antonio bettors likely weren’t happy. Those clubs both covered only 39% of the time, just a bit worse than Miami and Detroit (both 40.5%).

ONE OF EACH

Golden State’s 56-point win over Portland on Sunday was the biggest of the season. The biggest rout going into the season’s final day was a 45-point win by New Orleans on Nov. 21 — against the Warriors.

That made the Warriors the first team since the 1997-98 Trail Blazers to win a game by at least 45, and lose a game by at least 45, in the same season.

Portland beat Dallas 120-75 on Nov. 17, 1998, a 45-point win. The Blazers lost to Indiana 124-59 on Feb. 27, 1998, a 65-point loss.

ATTENDANCE

As Commissioner Adam Silver suggested would be the case last month, attendance records were set this season.

The league announced Monday that the total attendance figure for the season was 22,234,502. That’s just a bit over the mark of 22,124,559 set in the 2017-18 season.

There were 791 games classified as sellouts, another record, topping the 760 in 2018-19. And average attendance per game — 18,077 — was another record, with the league playing to 97% capacity.

WOLVES SUSPEND GOBERT POST-PUNCH FOR PLAY-IN GAME VS. LAKERS

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Timberwolves suspended center Rudy Gobert for their play-in game against the Los Angeles Lakers, after the 10-year veteran threw a punch at teammate Kyle Anderson in an argument in the huddle during a timeout.

The Timberwolves announced on Monday that Gobert would serve his one-game punishment when they face the Lakers on Tuesday night. Gobert took a swing at Anderson and hit him in the upper chest in the second quarter of Minnesota’s game against New Orleans on Sunday, when the flustered Timberwolves were trailing by 12 points.

“It’s not something we condone. Veterans can get upset, too, so I don’t want to be too hard on him,” coach Chris Finch said after the game. ’But obviously it’s not something we’re going to be able to tolerate here.”

Gobert sent a group-text request for forgiveness to his teammates, according to point guard Mike Conley, and later posted a public apology on Twitter.

“It’s an emotional game,” Conley said. “You’re talking about two guys in Kyle and Rudy who are two of the biggest competitors you’ll meet. Stuff happens, honestly.”

Gobert was playing through back spasms that had him listed as questionable for the game.

“We’ve got to be mature, especially late in the season like this,” Conley said. “We can’t let our emotions get the best of us. He knows better than that. Kyle challenges everybody. We know how that works. We have to be able to accept it and move forward.”

Anderson said he didn’t think he and Gobert, who has struggled to find his groove in his first season with Minnesota, would have trouble getting along in the aftermath of their very public conflict.

“We’ll speak about it and move on,” Anderson said. “We’re grown men. It is what it is.”

The Timberwolves rallied to beat the Pelicans 113-108 and take eighth place in the Western Conference. That gives them two chances to win a play-in game to qualify for the playoffs.

If they beat the Lakers they’ll get the No. 7 seed and face Memphis in the first round. If they lose, they’ll host the winner of the New Orleans-Oklahoma City game on Friday night for the No. 8 seed and a first-round date with Denver.

The Wolves also lost forward Jaden McDaniels indefinitely to a broken right hand after he hit a wall in the tunnel that leads to the locker room after being called for his second foul in the first quarter on Sunday. Another key player, backup center Naz Reid, is done for the season with a broken left wrist from a fall on the court in the game on March 29 at Phoenix.

The Wolves announced on Monday that McDaniels has been placed in a cast with two fractures — the third and fourth metacarpals — in his hand. No timetable for his return was revealed.

This is far from the ideal way to face the surging Lakers, who overtook the Wolves with a rally for a 123-111 win in Minnesota on March 31. Gobert and McDaniels are the team’s two best defenders, a major setback for their ability to guard Anthony Davis and LeBron James.

That will only make third-year All-Star Anthony Edwards more important on both ends of the floor. Edwards had 26 points, 13 rebounds, four blocks and four steals against the Pelicans and figures to continue to pick up the assignment of covering the opponent’s best perimeter player.

“That’s what I’m here for,” Edwards said.

Said Anderson: “I know how good defensively he is. I think we’ve just got to challenge him on being better all the time defensively and not just pick his spots.”

WNBA NEWS

BOSTON HEADS TO FEVER AS NO. 1 PICK IN WNBA DRAFT

NEW YORK (AP) The Indiana Fever made the most of the first No. 1 draft pick in franchise history, selecting Aliyah Boston.

The South Carolina star had a stellar college career, leading the Gamecocks to a national championship her junior year, losing only nine games total and helping her team to three Final Four appearances. The 6-foot-5 Boston was a three-time Associated Press All-American and also the Player of the Year as a junior.

“It’s really special, I’m thankful to God for putting me in this position,” said the 21-year-old Boston, from the U.S. Virgin Islands. “Everyone in Indiana, they saw something in me, I’m ready to get there and get to work.”

The Fever had the worst record in the league last season, going 5-31.

“Aliyah Boston will have an immediate impact on our franchise on and off the court,” Fever GM Lin Dunn said. ‘We are excited to pair her with Kelsey (Mitchell) and NaLyssa (Smith) as we reload the Indiana Fever. We are very impressed with Aliyah’s post skills as well as her natural leadership skills. This a a great day for our franchise!”

Boston, like many other players, have had to choose whether to return to college for a fifth season because of the extra year granted for the COVID-19 virus or turn pro. She decided to enter the WNBA draft, joining 111 other players to declare.

“Everyone that has a COVID year has a tough choice,” Boston said. “You could be somewhere you know the system. … It took a lot of thought.”

She was one of three South Carolina players taken in the first round. Laeticia Amihere went eighth to Atlanta and Zia Cooke 10th to Los Angeles. It’s the 10th time that three players from the same team were drafted in the opening round, and the first since Oregon had three in 2020.

The Gamecocks also had two other players drafted, with Brea Beal going 24th to Minnesota and Victaria Saxton picked next by Indiana.

“It’s amazing experience really, because this group of girls have been through life together,” Amihere said. “These four years haven’t been only about basketball. Being able to be with them on one of our biggest nights is an amazing experience.”

Minnesota took Diamond Miller of Maryland with the No. 2 pick, and Dallas drafted Maddy Siegrist of Villanova with the third pick. Big East Commissioner Val Ackerman, who was the WNBA’s first president, sat with Siegrist.

The Wings also drafted UConn guard Lou Lopez Senechal two picks later. She had transferred to UConn after a stellar career at Fairfield.

“It feels surreal, really didn’t think I’d be here,” Senechal said. “I’ve come a long way, gone through a lot of challenges.”

Stephanie Soares of Iowa State went fourth to Washington. The Mystics quickly traded her to Dallas soon after selecting the 6-foot-7 center. Washington got back a first round pick in 2025 and second-round pick in 2024.

“It was a very interesting feeling,” Soares said. “Pure excitement going to Washington, but now getting to go to Dallas. It’s going to be a great next step to the journey.”

Soares tore her ACL in January and will miss the upcoming WNBA season.

Stanford guard Haley Jones went sixth to Atlanta. Indiana’s Grace Berger was drafted seventh by the Fever. She was the first Hoosiers player selected in the first round in school history.

Seattle took Tennessee’s Jordan Horston ninth. Dallas chose Maryland’s Abby Meyers with the 11th pick. Meyers started her career at Princeton before finishing with the Terrapins.

Minnesota closed out the first round taking French center Maïa Hirsch.

TIP-INS:

LSU guard Alexis Morris, who helped the Tigers win a national championship eight days ago, was taken 22nd by the Connecticut Sun. Her LSU teammate LaDazhia Williams was drafted six picks earlier by Indiana. … USC grad students Kadi Sissoko and Okako Adika were taken 29th and 30th by Phoenix and New York, respectively. It’s the first time since 2012 the school had two players chosen in the draft. … Illinois State graduate guard Paige Robinson was the first player drafted from the school when she was selected 31st by Dallas.

WNBA ADDING CHARTER FLIGHTS FOR PLAYOFFS, BACK-TO-BACK GAMES

NEW YORK (AP) — The WNBA is adding charter flights for the entire playoffs and back-to-back regular season games this year, the league announced Monday.

The league will pay for all of the flights.

“It’s significant dollars,” WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert told The Associated Press. “Now that we have best of three and five in the semifinals and finals. … You add it up it’s a lot of flights.”

The cost is expected to be around $4.5 million, according to a person familiar with the negotiations. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because details haven’t been publicly released.

Last year, the league chartered for the WNBA Finals as well as for the road team in the Commissioner’s Cup championship game. Since taking over in 2019, Engelbert has slowly added a few more charter opportunities for teams. She allowed playoff teams that were traveling for more than one time zone to fly charter if they only had a day between games in the past.

“It’s something I’ve been working on since I came into the league,” she said. “It was never coming up with money for one year, but creating a sustainable model for the charter program to continue in perpetuity. Once you do it, you have to do it every year.”

Engelbert said that there will be five charters needed during the regular season. Most of them are short trips between Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Phoenix. The longest one takes the Seattle Storm from Washington to Atlanta.

“As we continue to work on our growth as I’ve said we would chip away on this,” she said.

Engelbert also said that the league has had discussions with the Mercury and Brittney Griner about her travel arrangements.

Griner is back in the WNBA after her nine-month legal fight in Russia, during which she was detained when customs officials said they found vape canisters with cannabis oil in her luggage, then later arrested before being released in a high-level prisoner exchange between the U.S. and Russia.

“We’ve been working with Brittney and Phoenix since she signed and our security experts,” the commissioner said. “Working on a plan, but we want it to be confidential. She wants to travel with the team sometimes. Work as much as we can making sure we are following advice of our team. We have a very good plan, but I’m not going to share more specifics.”

Chartering flights for games on consecutive nights this season is easier then next year. With no Olympic break or condensed schedule for the World Cup this season there are less teams playing on consecutive nights. Next season that will change because of the 2024 Paris Olympics and Engelbert said that it will be more challenging.

“Next year we can’t do all of them,” she said.

The commissioner hopes that charters in the future can be funded in part by the next TV deal.

“Longer term, if we can get a really good media deal we can do something more fully for these players,” she said.

WNBA teams have flown commercially during the regular season since the league’s inception in 1997. The league typically doesn’t allow teams to charter because it could create a competitive advantage for teams who can afford to pay for them.

The WNBA has come down hard on teams in the past that have broken that rule and flown charter.

Engelbert has said in the past that it would cost the league about $25 million each season for each of its 12 teams to charter flights to every game. That number has increased about $5 million from previous estimates by the commissioner due to the new 40-game WNBA schedule this season, fuel costs and other factors.

To charter for the whole season the estimated cost per franchise would be approximately $2 million. Air travel expenses currently for each team is about $150,000, according to two people familiar with the costs. The people spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to publicly address the issue.

The playoffs are where there could be a major increase in spending with teams potentially flying across country pending the postseason seeding.

MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL NEWS

MICHIGAN STATE GUARD TYSON WALKER RETURNING FOR 5TH SEASON

EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan State standout Tyson Walker is returning for his fifth season.

Walker announced his decision Monday with an Instagram post, giving a boost to coach Tom Izzo’s chances of contending for a title.

The 6-foot-1 guard averaged a team-high 14.8 points and ranked second with nearly three assists per game.

Walker attended Northeastern for two years before transferring and playing for the Spartans the past two seasons. He is eligible for a fifth season because the NCAA granted college athletes an extra year if they were enrolled two years ago when the COVID-19 pandemic began.

DUKE’S ROACH TO ENTER NBA DRAFT, KEEP COLLEGE ELIGIBILITY

DURHAM, N.C. (AP) Duke guard Jeremy Roach is entering his name into the NBA draft but maintaining his college eligibility.

The 6-foot-2 junior announced his decision in a social-media post Monday, saying he was looking forward to getting feedback on his game during pre-draft workouts.

Roach was the team’s No. 2 scorer at 13.6 points per game for a team that won the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament. Roach was coming off a strong postseason performance in a Final Four run in 2022 and battled through a lingering toe injury that briefly sidelined him as a team captain last season.

Duke big man Dereck Lively II and wing Dariq Whitehead have declared for the NBA draft after one season in Durham, though fellow freshmen Tyrese Proctor and Mark Mitchell have announced his plans to return.

Kyle Filipowski, The Associated Press’ newcomer of the year in the Atlantic Coast Conference, hasn’t announced his plans for next season.

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL NEWS

MLB ROUNDUP: SOLO HR SENDS RAYS TO 10-0

Tampa Bay’s Brandon Lowe drove in the only run with a late homer to lead the Rays — the major league’s only unbeaten club — to their 10th consecutive win, beating the Boston Red Sox 1-0 on Monday night in St. Petersburg, Fla.

In the eighth inning, Lowe, who went 1-for-3 with a walk, stroked a one-out, 96-mph middle-in fastball from Chris Martin (0-1) to right-center field for the game-winning shot. Lowe’s heroics came on the 10th pitch of the at-bat.

One of five pitchers who combined on the three-hit shutout, reliever Josh Fleming crafted four shutout innings, striking out five and yielding one hit after entering in the third. Colin Poche (1-0), the Rays’ fourth pitcher, got the win with a scoreless eighth, which was Boston’s only inning putting runners in scoring position. Closer Pete Fairbanks pitched a perfect ninth for his first save as Rays pitching recorded its third consecutive shutout.

Boston starter Nick Pivetta spun five scoreless innings before turning the duties over to the bullpen. After outscoring the opposition 75-18 through the first nine victories, Tampa Bay’s high-powered offense mustered just three hits and two walks against the right-hander.

Dodgers 9, Giants 1

Max Muncy busted out of a season-long slump with a grand slam and a three-run home run, Julio Urias threw six sharp innings and Los Angeles opened a three-game road series by pounding rival San Francisco.

Muncy also singled, all after Mookie Betts had led off the game with his second homer of the season for the Dodgers, who snapped a three-game losing streak. Urias (3-0) limited the Giants to one run and four hits. He walked two and struck out eight.

Wilmer Flores homered for the Giants, his second of the year, but couldn’t prevent a third loss in the last four games for San Francisco. In six innings, Logan Webb (0-3) served up four runs on six hits. He walked one and struck out six.

Rangers 11, Royals 2

Adolis Garcia hit a grand slam in a seven-run sixth inning, Andrew Heaney broke a strikeout record set by Nolan Ryan and Texas rolled to a victory over Kansas City in Arlington, Texas.

The Rangers fell behind 1-0 early as Royals leadoff man Bobby Witt Jr. scored on an error in the first inning. After that, though, the night belonged to the Rangers. Heaney (1-1) settled in, striking out the final two batters of the first inning, which started a stretch of nine straight strikeouts to set a club record and tie an American League mark. Heaney finished with 10 total strikeouts on the night.

Heaney broke Ryan’s franchise single-game record when he fanned Vinnie Pasquantino for his eighth straight strikeout. Ryan whiffed seven in a row in 1991 against the then-California Angels. Texas extended its lead to 4-1 in the fourth on a solo homer by catcher Jonah Heim. The Rangers then broke it open in the sixth, highlighted by Garcia’s grand slam off Royals reliever Jose Cuas.

Braves 5, Reds 4 (10 innings)

Sean Murphy had three hits, including a two-run homer in the 10th inning, to help Atlanta beat visiting Cincinnati and end a three-game losing streak.

The Reds erased a two-run deficit in the ninth inning and Jonathan India drove in a run in the top of the 10th to give Cincinnati a 4-3 lead. Murphy then hit the first pitch he saw from Derek Law (0-2) for a two-run homer, his first with the Braves. Murphy also had two doubles and drove in three runs.

Braves starter Bryce Elder put together his second straight scoreless start, allowing six hits with seven strikeouts and one walk in 6 1/3 innings, before A.J. Minter blew the save. Reds starter Graham Ashcraft allowed two runs on six hits in six innings with seven strikeouts and three walks.

Cubs 3, Mariners 2 (10 innings)

Nico Hoerner’s third single of the night came in walk-off fashion in the 10th inning, and Chicago overcame blowing a late lead to beat visiting Seattle.

Down 2-1 with one out in the ninth, Seattle’s Jarred Kelenic — who came on as a pinch hitter in the seventh inning — sent a drive over the right field wall against Chicago reliever Michael Fulmer to tie the game. The Mariners failed to score with the bases loaded against the Cubs’ Keegan Thompson (1-0) in the 10th.

In the Chicago half of the 10th, automatic runner Nick Madrigal stole third base and Hoerner drove a pitch from Matt Brash (0-1) into right field for his first career walk-off. Eric Hosmer added two hits with an RBI and Cody Bellinger had a run-scoring double for the Cubs.

White Sox 4, Twins 3

Hanser Alberto hit a three-run homer and Chicago overcame three errors and two unearned runs to edge Minnesota in Minneapolis.

Yasmani Grandal went 2-for-4 with a double, an RBI and a run, and Andrew Vaughn also doubled for Chicago. White Sox starter Dylan Cease (2-0) allowed three runs (one earned) on three hits over five innings to pick up the win. He walked two and struck out six.

Twins starter Kenta Maeda (0-2), making his second start after missing the entire 2022 season following Tommy John surgery, gave up four runs on eight hits over six innings. Trevor Larnach had an RBI single.

Guardians 3, Yankees 2

Shane Bieber allowed two runs over seven innings and Josh Naylor hit a tiebreaking sacrifice fly in the seventh to lift host Cleveland over New York.

The Guardians mustered just four hits — three doubles by Mike Zunino and one single by Myles Straw — but drew nine walks, while Bieber (1-0) shut down the Yankees after giving up a pair of first-inning runs.

Torres went 2-for-3 with a double, a triple, a walk and a run for New York, but no other Yankee had more than one hit. Reliever Ian Hamilton (0-1), who gave up the decisive run in the seventh, allowed a hit with three strikeouts and three walks over two innings.

Orioles 5, Athletics 1

Adley Rutschman went deep for the second straight game, and Baltimore posted four of its runs on homers to beat visiting Oakland.

Ryan Mountcastle drilled a two-run homer in the first inning and Austin Hays added a solo shot in the sixth. Orioles starter Kyle Gibson (3-0) gave up one run and five hits in 6 1/3 innings. Two of his three walks came in the first inning, and he struck out four.

The Athletics lost their fifth game in a row, but unlike back-to-back 11-0 losses during the weekend at Tampa Bay, they were competitive in this one. Oakland finished with eight hits, including two by Jace Peterson.

Astros 8, Pirates 2

Yordan Alvarez had three of Houston’s 13 hits in a win over host Pittsburgh.

Framber Valdez (1-1) had the Pirates off balance for seven innings, allowing two runs on three hits with five walks and five strikeouts, and Mauricio Dubon singled three times, extending his hitting streak to six games in the opener of a three-game series.

Roansy Contreras (1-1) allowed seven runs, matching a career high, on nine hits with four walks, and the Pirates went to the bullpen after just 3 1/3 innings. Alvarez drove in two runs to boost his major-league-leading RBI total to 16, plating a pair in the second inning with a single. Ji Man Choi connected for his first home run of the season for the Pirates.

Phillies 15, Marlins 3

Alec Bohm homered, singled twice and drove in six runs to lift host Philadelphia to a resounding victory over Miami.

Bohm’s six RBIs tied his career high. Brandon Marsh added a home run among his three hits with three RBIs. Jake Cave hit a solo homer and double while Nick Castellanos added three hits and three RBIs. Trea Turner had three singles and an RBI.

Marlins starter Sandy Alcantara (1-1), the reigning National League Cy Young Award winner, struggled through four-plus innings, as he allowed 10 hits and nine runs to go along with four strikeouts and one walk. Yuli Gurriel hit a solo home run off McKinley Moore in the seventh inning to finally put the Marlins on the board, though they trailed 13-1. A wild pitch by Andrew Vasquez and an RBI single by Cooper closed the Marlins within 13-3, but that was the closest they would get.

Mets 5, Padres 0

Max Scherzer grinded through five innings and combined with four relievers on a two-hitter for host New York, which beat San Diego in the opener of a three-game series.

Jeff McNeil and Francisco Lindor each had two-run doubles for the Mets, who have won three of their last four. The Padres had their three-game winning streak snapped.

Scherzer surrendered 25 foul balls and walked three but gave up just one hit — a clean single to Ha-Seong Kim with one out in the fifth — and struck out six. Padres starter Yu Darvish (0-1) gave up the five runs on six hits and one walk while striking out five over 6 1/3 innings.

Rockies 7, Cardinals 4

Alan Trejo had three hits, Elehuris Montero and Ezequiel Tovar each had two and Colorado beat St. Louis.

Rockies starter German Marquez (2-1) left after five innings with an apparent injury to his pitching arm. Paul Goldschmidt had two hits for St. Louis, which has dropped six of its last seven.

Cardinals starter Steven Matz (0-2) allowed six runs on nine hits in 5 2/3 innings.

Nationals 6, Angels 4

Washington got at least one hit from everyone in the starting lineup while their pitching staff held Los Angeles hitless after the third inning.

Five hitters each had two of the Nationals’ 14 hits as they rallied from an early 4-1 deficit. Four Nationals relievers followed starter Patrick Corbin and combined to shut down the Angels’ offense over the final four innings. Kyle Finnegan pitched the ninth for his second save of the season.

Corbin (1-2) got the victory over Angels reliever Tucker Davidson (0-1). Angels third baseman Gio Urshela doubled home Luis Rengifo with one out in the third inning to give Los Angeles a 4-1 lead. But the Angels did not get another hit.

Diamondbacks 3, Brewers 0

Zac Gallen struck out 11 in seven scoreless innings and Christian Walker smacked a two-run homer as Arizona blanked Milwaukee in Phoenix for its fourth consecutive win.

Gallen (1-1) allowed three hits and one walk while facing two batters over the minimum. Josh Rojas added an RBI single and Ketel Marte had two hits and scored twice for Arizona. Nick Ahmed had three hits for the Diamondbacks.

Gallen and two relievers combined for 15 strikeouts against National League-leading Milwaukee, which lost for the second time in three games.

MLB BATTING AVERAGE UP 16 POINTS, GAME TIME DOWN 31 MINUTES

NEW YORK (AP) — Major League Baseball’s new rules designed to speed pace of play and encourage more action seem to be working through the first 1 1/2 weeks of the season.

Batting average is up 16 points, stolen bases have spiked 30% and the average game time is down 31 minutes, on track to be the sport’s lowest since 1984.

Limits on infield shifts, a pitch clock and larger bases were all implemented on opening day after testing in the minors and a dress rehearsal of sorts during this year’s big league spring training.

“I think they’re good for the game,” Cleveland Guardians manager Terry Francona said. “The goal was to not have them get in the way of how we play. That doesn’t guarantee you’re going to win or lose or play well or bad, but just not get in the way.

“And for the most part, we still have I think a couple pitchers that we’re trying to get a little more comfortable, but I think we’re doing OK.”

The league-wide batting average is .249, a rise from .233 during a comparable period at the start of last season, when cold and wet weather likely contributed to a pallid offensive start. Last year’s average rose to .243 by year’s end, the lowest since 1968.

Right-handed batters have a .253 average, up from .236 at the start of last year, and lefty batting average is .245, up from .228.

Toronto’s Matt Chapman, a right-handed batter, leads the major leagues with a .475 average and Miami’s Luis Arraez, a lefty who won the AL batting crown with Minnesota last year, is second at .471. Paul Goldschmidt and the St. Louis Cardinals lead all teams with a .294 mark.

Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani is tied with 15 others for the major league lead with two pitch clock violations — both in the same game, one as a hitter and one as a pitcher. The New York Mets have the most of any team with 10.

Two-thirds of pitch clock penalties have been imposed on pitchers. Clock violations were up slightly last week compared to opening weekend but averaged less than one per game.

Average time of nine-inning games dropped to 2 hours, 38 minutes from 3:09 in the first 11 days of last year, when the final average was 3:04. The average was unchanged from the first four days and is on track to the lowest since it was 2:35 in 1984.

“I’ve never experienced anything like this,” Colorado Rockies first baseman C.J. Cron said. “So I guess we’re still learning but yeah, it seems like there’s not much downtime, especially on defense. It feels like there’s always action going on.”

There have been 125 pitch clock violations in 141 games, an average of 0.89 per game. The average over the first four days had been 0.82.

Eighty-five violations have been on pitchers (68%), 32 on batters (25.6%) and four on catchers (3.2%). In addition, there were two violations for batter timeouts and two for pitcher disengagements.

“I knew the pitch clock and all that was going to work,” Atlanta Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “I’ve experienced it before. And too what I think you’re seeing is a resurrection of the singles. There’s more hits because we’re not flooding the sides of the diamond where a lot of these base hits were outs the last few years.”

There have not been any shift restriction penalties.

Stolen bases have averaged 1.3 per game, up from 1.0, and the success rate increased to 79.6% from 74%.

“I don’t know,” said Dusty Baker, manager of the World Series champion Houston Astros. “Some years they’re offensive years and some years there’s pitching years. We’ve only played a week. It’s hard to tell.”

MLB, over objections from players, adopted a pitch clock of 15 seconds with no runners on base and 20 seconds with runners. It also required two infielders to be on either side of second base and all infielders to be within the outer boundary of the infield when the pitcher is on the rubber. Players supported increasing bases to 18-inch squares from 15-by-15, proposed as a safety measure.

RED SOX SLUGGER ADAM DUVALL GOING ON IL WITH FRACTURED WRIST

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Boston Red Sox slugger Adam Duvall is going on the injured list with a fractured left wrist.

Boston manager Alex Cora announced the injury before Monday night’s game at Tampa Bay, saying the center fielder has a distal left wrist fracture.

Duvall was hurt while attempting a diving catch in the outfield in Sunday’s game with Detroit. He was hitting .455 with AL-tying best four homers and 14 RBIs in eight games through Sunday.

Duvall was undergoing additional tests Monday in Boston. Although Cora had no timetable for his return, Duvall will be out for an extended period. Cora didn’t know if surgery would be needed.

“The guy’s a good player,” Cora said. “It’s a big blow. But, at the same time, somebody has to step up. At one point we hope he comes back.”

Duvall had surgery last summer to repair a torn tendon sheath on the same wrist.

“It’s in the other side,” Cora said on the new injury. “From everything I hear with the procedure he had last year, nothing happened there but obviously there’s more testing going on just to make sure.”

The Red Sox recalled Bobby Dalbec from Triple-A Worcester. He was hitting .281 with one homer and five RBIs over seven minor league games. He can play at first, shortstop and third. Yu Chang will also play shortstop.

Kiké Hernández, Raimel Tapia and Rob Refsnyder will play in center field.

“We’ll mix and match, and see what we can do,” Cora said.

Cora said “there’s a good chance” that right-hander Garrett Whitlock, coming back from hip surgery, will make his season debut Tuesday night against the Rays.

HOSKINS HOPEFUL FOR POTENTIAL OCTOBER RETURN FOR PHILLIES

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Rhys Hoskins leaned on his left crutch as he helped injured teammate Bryce Harper raise the Phillies’ 2022 National League championship banner. He got a standing ovation as he hobbled to the field two days later to accept his championship ring.

Hoskins’ participation in Philadelphia’s opening weekend festivities was about all he could muster as the slugging first baseman recovers from a torn ACL in his left knee.

But should the Phillies make another run in October, Hoskins is ready to spike the seven- to nine-month rehab expectation and play in the postseason.

“I’m going to do everything in my power to give myself an opportunity that if and when we are playing in late October, I have a chance to contribute to that,” Hoskins said Monday.

The 30-year-old Hoskins — playing on a $12 million, one-year contract — spoke to reporters for the first time since he “felt a pop” and was injured in late March while fielding a grounder in a spring training game. Hoskins hit 30 homers with 79 RBIs last season for the reigning NL champions.

He hit six homers in Philadelphia’s playoff run last season. The Phillies lost to the Houston Astros in the World Series.

The second-longest tenured Phillies player behind Aaron Nola, Hoskins had a moment forever etched in Philly sports lore when he hit a three-run homer and slammed his bat in celebration in a Game 3 win against Atlanta in the NL Division Series. The moment is captured on a mural on a corridor inside Citizens Bank Park that leads from the clubhouse to the dugout.

Hoskins was in full uniform for the banner-raising and for his hug with owner John Middleton when he got his ring. But he wore a Phillies sweatshirt and his bulky leg brace was on display as he lumbered to the middle of the clubhouse Monday to talk about his injury and his comeback. While his playing future is uncertain, the championship weekend was one for him to remember.

“Just being able to be here but be part of it was something that I’ll cherish for the rest of my life,” he said. “Those pennants stay up there forever.”

Hoskins had surgery nearly two weeks ago in Texas on the same day the Phillies opened the season against the Rangers.

The Phillies’ contingency plans suffered a setback when replacement Darick Hall suffered a torn ligament in his right thumb. He will have surgery on Wednesday. The Phillies started regular third baseman Alec Bohm at first on Monday against the Marlins. Kody Clemens also will get starts at first base.

Hoskins said he needs about six weeks on crutches and then rehab to build strength in the leg before he hopefully can start to jog and eventually run at the three-month mark.

“I often find myself asking why, right? Trying to figure out the answer,” he said. “Sometimes there isn’t and that’s just kind of how it goes. I think being here with the guys, trying to be as engaged as I can about what’s going on in the field is best. Sure, hard, of course. I want to do everything that I can to be out there. We have big expectations for the talent that we have in the clubhouse.”

Hoskins has tried not to think about the fact that his last moment as a player in a Phillies uniform could be the one of him taken off the field on a cart.

“So much has to happen before I think of anything that has to do with my future or what a professional contract may or may not look like,” he said. “Of course I thought about it. Of course I’m disappointed. But right now, it’s about the small wins I have to focus on throughout this rehab.”

Hoskins said he found some encouragement that he can make a same-season comeback from teammate Kyle Schwarber.

Schwarber tore two ligaments in his left knee after a frightening collision with a Cubs teammate in 2016 while chasing down a flyball. It was only the third game of the season and Schwarber figured his year was over.

But 201 days later, and following months of relentless rehab, Schwarber returned to help the Cubs win the World Series. He batted .412 with seven hits, one double and two RBIs in five World Series games.

Hoskins stopped himself when talking about his recovery timeline and noted: “I’m going to lean on those people who have the experience with the next seven to nine months — well, six months — what I should expect.”

Hoskins said he planned to stick around the team as much as possible while he rehabs.

“I’ll pour myself into this team just like I always have and try to find a way to make a positive impact,” he said.

NFL NEWS

NFL DRAFT: TOP WIDE RECEIVERS

JAXON SMITH-NJIGBA, OHIO STATE

Smith-Njigba was a five-star recruit and Texas Class 6A State Player of the Year with over 2,000 yards and 35 touchdowns receiving as a senior at Rockwall High School. He played in seven games as a reserve (10-49-4.9, one TD receiving; 3-11-3.7 punt returns) as a true freshman before joining 2022 first-round draft picks Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson to form one of the best pass-catching trios in the country in 2021. He was a third-team Associated Press All-American and third-team Big Ten Conference selection as a sophomore, ranking third in the FBS with 1,606 receiving yards and tying for ninth with 95 receptions in 13 games. With Olave and Wilson opting out to prepare for the draft, Smith-Njigba caught 15 passes for 347 yards and three scores in the team’s 48-45 Rose Bowl comeback win over Utah. A hamstring injury limited him to just three games in 2022 (5-43-8.6).

Overview

Smith-Njigba is a possession slot receiver who lacks the shake to separate underneath and the speed to run past defenses. He’s tough in the middle of the defense and has proven he can make catches in congestion. Smith-Njigba will need to fine-tune his route running to give himself his best chance to succeed at the next level. It is impossible to ignore his monster finish to the 2021 season, and he has starting slot potential, but the speed concerns coupled with an injury-plagued 2022 season threaten to negatively impact his draft stock.

Strengths

Averaged 192 receiving yards per game in last five contests of 2021 season.
Plays tough in the teeth of the defense as a zone-beater.
Elevates his catch focus when contested.
Leverages his intermediate break points.
Softens and extends his hands to meet the throw.
Tracks deep throws with poise and accuracy.
Athletic and smooth catching on the move.
Plays to his top speed throughout the route.

Weaknesses

Vast majority of his production came in one season.
Rolls into his breaks with top-heavy momentum.
Lacks suddenness for separation in and out of breaks.
Below average top-end speed to win vertically.
Likely to be viewed as a slot-only option.
Lacks burst to elude after the catch.

ZAY FLOWERS BOSTON COLLEGE

Xavien “Zay” Flowers showed playmaking skills as a receiver and rusher his true freshman season with the Eagles, starting two of 13 appearances (22-341-15.5, three TDs receiving; 27-195-7.2, one TD rushing). The three-star recruit took a big step forward after teaming up with Notre Dame transfer and quarterback Phil Jurkovec, garnering first-team All-ACC recognition with team-highs 892 yards and nine scores on his 56 receptions (15.9 per, also 11-41-3.7, one TD rushing). An injured Jurkovec impacted Flowers’ decreased production in 2021, though he was still named third-team all-conference (44-746-17.0, five TDs receiving; 7-69-9.9 rushing in 12 starts). He set career marks with 78 receptions, 1,077 receiving yards (13.8 per) and tied for fifth in the FBS with 12 receiving touchdowns in 12 starts (also 12-40-3.3 rushing, 7-43-6.1 punt returns) in 2022.

Overview

Slot target who plays with unbridled energy and immense confidence. Flowers is slightly built but can side-step press and fly into action with above-average acceleration and an attacking demeanor. Flowers has a tendency to rush his routes, but his ability to play with speed and move with athleticism makes him hard to read for defenders. His ball skills will shine brightly at times, but frustrating drops come with the package. Flowers has the skill set to become a valuable playmaker as a pro.

Strengths

Sudden feet to slip press and race ahead of coverage.
Stair-steps man coverage out of leveraged positioning.
Routes are fast and maintain their momentum through turns.
Lower body flexion to corner tightly at break points.
Hands are average but overall ball skills impress.
Tracks and catches deep balls with above average poise.
Works back to the throw when needed.
Very slippery as an open-field runner.

Weaknesses

Shorter arms and smaller hands.
In too much of a hurry at times.
Routes need better salesmanship and attention to detail.
Needs to do a better job of finding optimal holes in zone coverage.
Might lack play strength to win contested catches as a pro.
Teams might have to live with more drops than they would like to see.

QUENTIN JOHNSTON TCU

Johnston was the second-highest rated recruit that long-time head coach Gary Patterson signed during his 20 years at TCU. The four-star prospect flipped his commitment from Texas before signing day and made an instant impact with the Horned Frogs, garnering honorable mention All-Big 12 platitudes, leading the team with 487 receiving yards and ranking fifth in the FBS averaging 22.1 yards per catch (22 receptions, two TDs; 3-3-1.0, two TDs rushing in nine games, six starts). Johnston missed three games with a knee injury as a sophomore but was still a first-team all-conference selection after again leading his squad with 634 receiving yards and six scores (33 receptions, 19.2 per). He topped TCU in receiving (60-1,069-17.8, six TDs) in 14 starts as a junior while the team made its run to the national title game, landing first-team All-Big 12 notice for the second straight season.

Overview

Height-weight-speed prospect with the physical traits and upside that might have teams willing to overlook some of his inconsistencies on tape. Johnston is a long-striding vertical threat who can open up and separate when allowed to keep his feet moving in space. His elevation and catch radius create an expansive target area down the field, but his overall success rate on contested catches is way lower than it should be for a receiver of his size. Johnston needs a specific route tree, but will improve in that area at the next level. He will benefit from a more accurate deep-ball quarterback, but still feels more like a good WR2 than a high-volume WR1.

Strengths

Desired blend of size, length and speed outside.
Consistent intensity in drive phase, regardless of route depth.
Long strides allow him to eat into coverage cushions quickly.
Separation speed shows up across the hashes.
Should see more touchdown opportunities with a more accurate quarterback.
Shows off athleticism once the ball is released.
Makes late adjustments to haul in deep throws.
Above average catch radius.

Weaknesses

Production was somewhat erratic.
Grabbed just 6 of Max Duggan’s 32 touchdown passes in 2022.
Long release steps allow press to tag him.
Struggles to create leverage and deception in his routes.
Listless getting out of breaks and presenting underneath.
Fails to stack and wall-off defenders on deep throws.
Doesn’t meet throws with desired arm extension.
Inconsistent finishing catches through contact.

JORDAN ADDISON USC

Addison signed with Pittsburgh out of Tuscarora High School in Maryland and was an honorable mention All-ACC pick on offense in 2020, leading the Panthers in receiving (60-666-11.1, four TDs; 9-58-6.4 rushing; 2-39-19.5 kick returns; 2-15-7.5 punt returns). Addison became a star in 2021, winning the Biletnikoff Award as the nation’s top receiver (joining former Pitt winners Antonio Bryant and Larry Fitzgerald) and garnering first-team Associated Press All-American and first-team All-ACC honors. He tied for the FBS lead with 17 receiving touchdowns, ranked sixth with 100 receptions and fourth with 1,593 receiving yards (15.9 per) in 14 games. Also, Addison was a third-team all-conference pick as an all-purpose player (7-56-8.0, one TD rushing; 12-185-15.4 punt returns). Transferring to USC for 2022 to play for head coach Lincoln Riley, Addison excelled. He was a first-team All-Pac-12 Conference selection as the Trojans’ leading receiver (59-875-14.8, eight TDs; also 4-33-8.3 rushing, 4-19-4.8 punt returns in 11 starts) despite missing three games due to injury.

Overview

Inside/outside wideout with the speed and agility to work confidently on all three levels of the field, but lacking the size and catch strength generally associated with high-impact performers on the next level. Addison’s route running features acceleration, dynamic steering and sudden turns at a moment’s notice. While he can get to the spot effectively, he has trouble consistently winning battles when he has coverage company beside him. While Addison failed to make the same impact he did in 2021, his usage at Pitt might be a better indicator of the type of role and production he could be capable of on the next level.

Strengths

Possesses athleticism and speed to work anywhere on the football field.
Early drive burst regardless of route depth.
Smart use of footwork defeats coverage leverage.
Accelerates through stems for separation to the post.
Good sink and foot agility getting in and out of breaks.
Ability to run complex routes with effectiveness.
Can be a slippery runner after the catch.
Punt return experience in all three seasons.

Weaknesses

Only two touchdown catches over last seven games.
Route timing can be disrupted by handsy corners.
Limited catch radius for off-target throws.
Needs better timing in working back to throws.
Deep-ball tracking can be a little inconsistent.
Unable to create catch space downfield against size.
Average hand strength to finish through contact.

JALIN HYATT TENNESSEE

Hyatt waited his turn to become a star receiver for the Vols even though he was a four-star recruit and left Dutch Fork High School in South Carolina as a four-time state champion and its all-time leader in career receiving yards and receiving touchdowns. He contributed as a true freshman (20-276-13.8, two TDs in 10 games) and sophomore (21-226-10.8, two TDs in 13 games) and started once each season. He broke out as a junior, earning first-team Associated Press All-American accolades by leading the Vols with 67 receptions, ranking fifth nationally with 1,267 receiving yards (18.9 per) and tying for second in the FBS with 15 touchdowns in 12 starts.

Overview

Long, slender wideout with deep speed that could force defensive coordinators to alter coverage considerations. Hyatt’s gliding gait disguises explosive acceleration that can lead to easy separation on deep throws. However, he does display inconsistency on contested catches comes. Hyatt is ordinary getting in and out of intermediate breaks and might be best with a limited route tree full of slants, crossers and a series of field-stretching patterns. Hyatt is an instantly credible WR2 with the ability to make a huge impact, but production could be erratic due to the limitations of his game.

Strengths

Top-end speed creates tension for defensive coordinators.
Run game will see lighter boxes out of defense’s respect for his explosiveness.
Tears into cushions and rockets past off-man coverage.
Maintains spacing from physical coverage getting into the route.
Runs focused vertical routes at crisp angles.
Glides into acceleration mode at route stems to separate.
Gets pitch-and-catch opportunities underneath against off-man.
Finished second in FBS with 15 receiving touchdowns.
Willing and effective as a perimeter blocker.

Weaknesses

Scheme created a variety of free releases for him.
Route tree somewhat limited.
Lean frame, lacking in play strength.
Knocked off course when press punch finds him.
Lacks deception in his short and intermediate routes.
Unsuccessful holding ground when catch is contested.

FAMILY: QB HASKINS WAS DRUGGED BEFORE HE WAS FATALLY STRUCK

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — The family of deceased Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Dwayne Haskins has filed a lawsuit against several people, businesses and the state of Florida, claiming he was drugged, robbed and extorted before he was fatally struck while standing drunk on a highway after running out of gas.

The lawsuit, filed recently in Fort Lauderdale, alleges the former Ohio State star was drugged and robbed by a man and three women in the hours before the April 9, 2022, accident. They say it happened at a Boca Raton hotel, at an upscale golf driving range, a bar and a nightclub. The lawsuit does not give any specifics. Haskins, 24, had been in South Florida for offseason workouts with Steelers teammates when the accident happened.

The lawsuit, filed on behalf of his widow and parents, also names the driver and owner of the dump truck that struck him, saying it was exceeding the speed limit, had worn tires and brakes and was overloaded.

It says the pickup truck Haskins had rented had a mechanical defect that caused it to run out of gas. The family also alleges that the state highway department didn’t properly maintain and light the road, or post a lower speed limit while construction work was being done. They say a temporary sign blocked visibility on the highway.

Family attorney Rick Ellsley said in a statement that the lawsuit will allow him to subpoena documents and question those who were with Haskins as part of “the process of uncovering the complete truth about this tragedy.”

“As to what occurred in the hours before Dwayne was killed, many questions remain unanswered. It is believed that Dwayne was targeted and drugged as part of a blackmail and robbery conspiracy. In fact, his highly-expensive watch was stolen from him shortly before his death,” Ellsley said in a statement. He declined to answer specific questions about the lawsuit’s allegations.

The Associated Press is not naming the individuals and businesses Haskins’ family are suing because no criminal charges have been filed against any of them and there is nothing yet filed in court substantiating any of the claims.

According to a death report issued in May by the Broward County Medical Examiner’s Office, a woman Haskins was with told investigators they had run out of gas on Interstate 595 near Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport shortly before dawn. She said he went out in the dark to get more fuel.

Witnesses told the Florida Highway Patrol that Haskins was trying to wave down cars and standing in the center lane when he was hit by the truck and then an SUV. The report said he died of blunt force trauma.

Haskins’ blood-alcohol content was 0.20, according to his autopsy. That’s 2.5 times the 0.08 legal limit for driving in the state.

According to the University of California, Davis, and other universities, someone of Haskins’ weight, 230 pounds (104 kilograms), would have needed at least 10 drinks in the hours before his death to reach that level. He also had the strong painkiller ketamine and its metabolite norketamine in his system. The drug can be prescribed by a doctor, but can also be abused recreationally. The report did not say whether drug had been prescribed.

Haskins starred at Ohio State in 2018, setting several school passing records and being named the MVP in both the Big Ten Championship game and in the Buckeyes’ Rose Bowl win over the Washington Huskies.

A 2019 first-round NFL draft pick by Washington, Haskins was released by the team after going 3-10 over two seasons. He was signed for the 2021 season by Pittsburgh as a backup quarterback, but he didn’t appear in a game.

REPORT: 6 TEAMS CALLING CARDINALS ABOUT NO. 3 PICK

At least six NFL teams have asked the Arizona Cardinals about acquiring their No. 3 overall pick in the 2023 draft, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

The Cardinals are undecided on whether to trade the coveted selection or keep it, Schefter adds.

The Tennessee Titans were previously reported to be exploring a trade up to the third overall pick.

Any team trading up to No. 3 would likely select one of the premier quarterback prospects in this year’s draft class. That team would also jump ahead of the Indianapolis Colts, who could target a signal-caller with their pick at No. 4.

The Carolina Panthers hold the first overall pick after making a trade with the Chicago Bears while the Houston Texans own the second selection. Both teams are strong candidates to select a quarterback.

The top signal-callers in this year’s draft are Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud, Anthony Richardson, and Will Levis.

COMMANDERS SETTLE WITH WASHINGTON, D.C., ON TICKET DEPOSITS

WASHINGTON (AP) The Washington Commanders have settled a lawsuit with the District of Columbia attorney general’s office over fans’ season-ticket deposit money.

Attorney general Brian L. Schwalb on Monday announced the agreement that returns $200,000 to fans and pay $425,000 to the district to resolve allegations related to the deposits. Predecessor Karl A. Racine filed the consumer protection lawsuit late last year before leaving office, and Schwalb picked up the case.

The district’s investigation showed the team deceptively kept fans’ deposits for years after ticket contracts expired, improperly used that money and in some cases made it difficult to reclaim the money.

“Rather than being transparent and upfront in their ticket sale practices, the Commanders unlawfully took advantage of their fan base, holding on to security deposits instead of returning them,” Schwalb said in a statement. “Under this settlement agreement, our office will maintain strict oversight over the Commanders to ensure all necessary steps are taken to reimburse fans for the refunds they are entitled to.”

The district still has a civil suit ongoing against the Commanders, owner Dan Snyder, the NFL and Commissioner Roger Goodell over what the attorney general’s office called collusion to deceive residents about the team’s toxic workplace culture. A league investigation into the team yielded a $10 million fine but no written report, which prompted outrage and a congressional review.

The Commanders previously settled with Maryland on season-ticket holder deposits by agreeing to return money and pay the state $250,000.

Under the terms of the settlement with the district, the Commanders must conduct a public records search for contact information for affected fans and attempt to notify them, disclose the refund process on their website and provide the attorney general’s office with regular reports documenting their progress.

“We have not accepted security deposits or seat licenses in more than a decade and have been actively working to return any remaining deposits since 2014,” a Commanders spokesperson said in an email to The Associated Press. “We are pleased to have reached an agreement on the matter with the D.C. attorney general and will work with the office to fulfill our obligations to our fans.”

The series of lawsuits in the Washington area were among the latest turns in the team’s tumultuous run under Snyder, who along with wife Tanya hired a firm in November to explore selling part or all of the team. That came amid multiple investigations and two weeks after Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay said there was “merit to remove” Snyder.

Two groups, one led by Josh Harris and Mitchell Rales that includes Magic Johnson and another by Canadian billionaire Steve Apostolopoulos, have submitted fully financed bids to buy the Commanders. It’s unclear how soon a sale could happen; Snyder must first choose his preferred bidder and send to the league for approval.

NHL NEWS

PAVELSKI RECORDS 1,000TH CAREER POINT AS STARS TROUNCE WINGS

DETROIT (AP) Joe Pavelski notched his 1,000th career point with a second-period goal, Roope Hintz had a goal and three assists and the Dallas Stars thumped the Detroit Red Wings 6-1 on Monday night.

Pavelski, playing in his 1,248th game, became the 10th American-born player to reach the milestone when he tipped Miro Heiskanen’s shot from the point.

“You kind of play it down as it’s happening because you really don’t want to think about it,” Pavelski said. “It takes you off your game a little bit. But when it went in, it was a good moment. You definitely feel that.”

Pavelski is a master at redirecting the puck for goals and reached the feat in typical fashion.

“What an appropriate goal to score for him,” Dallas coach Peter DeBoer said. “If you’re going to have a traditional Joe Pavelski goal, that’s what it would look like. It’s appropriate that was his 1,000th point.”

The Stars, who have won four straight, tied idle Colorado for the Central Division lead with two games remaining.

“We’ve got to win the rest of our games in order to have a chance in our division and lock up home ice. We’ve got a lot to play for,” DeBoer said. “I’ve been on the other side of these situations. Those aren’t easy games for them but we came in and took care of business.”

Jason Robertson supplied a goal and two assists. Esa Lindell, Ty Dellandrea and Jamie Benn also scored for the Stars.

Dallas goaltenders Jake Oettinger and Scott Wedgewood combined for 19 saves.

David Perron scored for the Red Wings, who were playing their home finale.

Detroit’s starting goaltender, Ville Husso, was replaced by Magnus Hellberg after giving up three goals in 12 minutes and 10 seconds.

Hintz tapped in his 36th goal through Husso’s pads off a feed from Thomas Harley. Hintz’s drop pass set up Lindell’s shot from the point. Lindell’s goal was his first in 18 games.

Max Domi’s pass from behind the net led to Dellandrea’s first goal in 23 games.

Robertson scored his 46th goal 55 seconds into the second period with a shot from the point during a power play.

Pavelski’s goal at 3:37 of the period made it 5-0. His teammates spilled off the bench to congratulate him on the milestone.

“As soon as I saw it go in, I was turning to Miro and the boys were already on the ice,” Pavelski said. “It was pretty fun.”

Pavelski didn’t have a point in the Stars’ previous game against Vegas.

“He was sitting on 999 for one game. We were hoping to do it the last game but it was a great night to do it,” Benn said. “Just a typical Joe Pavelski goal. I don’t think you could have drawn it up any better.”

Dallas led 6-1 when the period ended.

“We had them with two scoring chances in the first period and they scored three goals,” Detroit coach Derek Lalonde said. “That’s not entirely on our goalies, but it is hard to build much momentum in a situation like that. They had six goals on their seven scoring chances.”

GAME NOTES

Heiskanen, who had two assists, tied Sergei Lubov’s franchise single-season record of 71 points by a defenseman. … Robertson has 15 points in his last six games. … Ottawa’s Claude Giroux also earned his 1,000th point on Monday, marking the first time in NHL history that two players reached 1,000 points in the same day. … Detroit C Dylan Larkin recorded his 47th assist on Perron’s goal, tying his career high.

UP NEXT

Stars: Close out the regular season with a home-and-home set with St. Louis, beginning with a road game on Wednesday.

Red Wings: Visit Carolina on Tuesday.

JOHANSSON HELPS WILD RALLY FOR 4-2 VICTORY OVER BLACKHAWKS

CHICAGO (AP) The Minnesota Wild rested a couple key players, and then rallied for a dramatic victory.

It was one productive night for Marcus Johansson and company.

Johansson scored two goals late in the third period, and the short-handed Wild beat the Chicago Blackhawks 4-2 on Monday.

Matt Boldy and Gustav Nyquist also scored for Minnesota in its second consecutive win. Filip Gustavsson made 39 saves in his second straight start.

“It wasn’t pretty, but we got it done,” Johansson said.

Johansson’s 18th goal – a wrist shot on a 2-on-1 with 6 minutes left – tied it at 2. It was the Wild’s 14th short-handed goal of the season, breaking the franchise record.

Johansson then put Minnesota in front when he got a nice pass from Boldy and beat Alex Stalock on the glove side with 3:13 left.

Nyquist closed it out with an empty-netter with 1:01 remaining.

“We didn’t like the entire 60 minutes, but the third period was real good,” Wild coach Dean Evason said.

Marcus Foligno’s fight with Blackhawks defenseman Andreas Englund with 7:40 left sparked Minnesota’s comeback. Foligno held Englund’s helmet in the air when the skirmish was over.

“It got us going,” Johansson said.

Anders Bjork and Joey Anderson scored for Chicago in its 11th loss in 12 games. The Blackhawks (25-49-6) are in the mix with Columbus, Anaheim and San Jose for the worst record in the NHL this season.

“It was contagious, turning the puck over,” coach Luke Richardson said. “That’s been kind of an Achilles’ heel lately. We’ve played well, then get frustrated trying to win the game.”

Minnesota (46-24-10) moved within two points of Colorado (49-24-6) and Dallas (45-21-14) at the top of the Central Division. It also got some rest for a couple of its best players.

Kirill Kaprizov, Mats Zuccarello, Jared Spurgeon and Jonas Brodin stayed home, and Matt Dumba also got the night off.

The Wild host Winnipeg on Tuesday night, and Evason said the players could return to the lineup against the Jets.

Defenseman Brock Faber made his NHL debut, and forwards Marco Rossi and Nic Petan played after they were recalled from the minors on Sunday. Faber helped the University of Minnesota reach the Frozen Four and then signed with the Wild after the Golden Gophers lost to Quinnipiac in the NCAA championship on Saturday night.

The 20-year-old Faber was paired with 37-year-old Alex Goligoski, another former University of Minnesota star, for his first game.

“It was such a cool night,” Faber said. “Topped it off with a win, which was huge.”

The Wild scored first when Boldy knocked home his own rebound 12:32 into the first. It was Boldy’s 12th goal in his last 11 games and No. 31 in his second NHL season.

The Blackhawks tied it when Anderson jumped on a loose puck in front of Gustavsson with 1:49 left in the first. It was Anderson’s fourth goal in 22 games since he was acquired in a trade with Toronto in February.

Bjork then put Chicago in front with his first goal of the season 2:23 into the second. Buddy Robinson’s shot was stopped by Gustavsson, but the rebound went right to Bjork and the winger got just enough of the puck to score, despite largely whiffing on the shot.

Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews skated for 18 1/2 minutes in what could be one of his last home games with his only NHL team. The three-time Stanley Cup champion received a loud ovation when he was introduced with the starting lineup.

It looked as if the center had scored during a delayed penalty in the third, but the goal was waved off when the officials ruled Minnesota had controlled the puck before Toews put it in.

Toews, who turns 35 on April 29, is eligible for free agency after this season, and he isn’t sure of his plans after missing much of this year because of health issues.

“I don’t really have an answer right now,” he said. “I’m just trying to enjoy the last few days of the season here with this group and not thinking that far ahead.”

HONORED

Stalock and Wild forward Mason Shaw were nominated for the Bill Masterton Trophy, which is voted on by members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association and presented to the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.

MAKING MOVES

The Blackhawks assigned forward Lukas Reichel and defenseman Alex Vlasic to Rockford to help the IceHogs’ push for an AHL playoff spot. Robinson was recalled from Rockford.

UP NEXT

Wild: Host the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday night.

Blackhawks: At the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday night.

BRUINS’ DAVID PASTRNAK ACCOMPLISHES LOFTY GOAL OF SCORING 60

David Pastrnak followed Brad Marchand’s advice all the way to a career year.

Many years ago, not long after Pastrnak entered the NHL in 2014-15, Marchand told his Boston Bruins teammate, “You have to always aim 10 goals higher than you think you can get.”

Pastrnak did just that, shooting for 60 goals this season. He knew 50 was a possibility, then on Sunday racked up a hat trick to reach 60 for the first time — the latest highlight in a stretch that has seen him carry the Bruins to the top of the league and the single-season wins record.

“Wasn’t really thinking I would get there,” Pastrnak said, acknowledging it wasn’t for lack of belief. “I know what kind of player I am in this league right now, and I came really close before COVID, so I knew I could do it. That helps with your mindset.”

Three years after the pandemic halted his pursuit of 50 goals just shy at 48, Pastrnak joined Connor McDavid at the 60 mark. It’s the first time two players have reached 60 goals in the same season since Pittsburgh Penguins teammates Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr in 1995-96 — and it has been 30 years since two players on different teams have done it.

When Pastrnak finished off his three-goal game to get to 60, hats rained down in Philadelphia from the many Bruins fans in attendance who saluted the team for picking up its record-setting 63rd victory of the season.

It was only fitting that Pastrnak helped Boston make history while he was making his own.

“It’s been a lot of fun, I’m not going to lie,” he said. “It’s definitely special to hit it in a game like this.”

The Czech winger almost certainly will lose out to McDavid for the Hart Trophy as league MVP, but that’s not taking away the Bruins’ appreciation of what Pastrnak has accomplished so far. Coach Jim Montgomery said Pastrnak reached this milestone because of a combination of confidence, creativity and competitiveness.

“Those three C’s exude from him,” Montgomery said. “And then you combine that with an attitude of he’s a team-first guy and he cares about and loves (playing for the Bruins).”

Good thing, too, because he’s not going anywhere. Boston last month signed Pastrnak to a $90 million, eight-year contract through 2031 — the sixth-richest deal in NHL history.

Pastrnak during contract negotiations thought about how amazing it would be to play his career with one team, something that’s becoming increasingly rare in a salary cap league. With that and the 60-goal mark now behind him, he and the Bruins, who have led the NHL all season, are turning their attention to the playoffs and the pursuit of the franchise’s first Stanley Cup championship since 2011.

“Our focus each day is to get better each game and get prepared for playoffs,” Pastrnak said. “Obviously the record is amazing, but we’re building toward something bigger than the NHL record. That’s our focus.”

NASCAR NEWS

NASCAR SUSPENDS CODY WARE AFTER ARREST ON ASSAULT CHARGES

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (AP) — NASCAR suspended Cup Series driver Cody Ware indefinitely on Monday after he was arrested on charges of assault on a female and assault by strangulation inflicting serious injury.

The Iredell County Sheriff’s Office incident report indicated Ware was arrested Monday, one week after an incident that occurred at a residence in Mooresville. A spokesperson said Ware is no longer in custody after being released on $3,000 bond.

It was not clear if Ware had an attorney who could comment on his behalf.

The police report obtained by The Associated Press indicated the incident took place on April 3 just before midnight. There were no weapons involved. Because it is a domestic violence situation, no other details of the incident have been made available.

Ware didn’t participate in weekend events at Bristol Motor Speedway with Rick Ware Racing, which is owned by the driver’s father. Rick Ware Racing released a statement Saturday saying the 27-year-old driver had stepped away to focus on a personal matter.

He was replaced by Matt Crafton in the No. 51 Ford.

Ware currently is 31st in the Cup standings. He has raced in NASCAR’s top series since 2017 and his best finish in 97 career starts is sixth place last August at Daytona International Speedway.

HENDRICK WON’T APPEAL PENALTIES TO NO. 24, NO. 48 CARS

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Hendrick Motorsports said Monday it won’t appeal the latest penalties handed down by NASCAR on the race teams of drivers Alex Bowman and William Byron last week.

NASCAR took both the No. 48 and No. 24 cars to its R&D center following the race at Richmond and found illegal modifications in the greenhouse, or center, area of the car. NASCAR docked the team’s 60 points and five playoff points apiece last Thursday. Also, interim crew chiefs in Greg Ives for the No. 48 and Brian Campe for the No. 24 were fined $75,000 and suspended for two races.

A statement released by Hendrick Motorsports said the organization will be best served using its time and resources on competing each weekend.

“The area of the race cars NASCAR focused on is not related to our performance on the track,” the statement said.

Hendrick Motorsports had a successful appeal of penalties it incurred following the Phoenix race last month when its four race teams were assessed penalties of 100 points and 10 playoff points. All four crew chiefs were fined $100,000 and suspended four races.

But an appeals panel rescinded the points penalties for illegally modified radiator ducts, while letting the fines and suspensions stand.

An appeal last week by Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin was upheld by a three-person panel. Hamlin had hoped to rescind his 25-point penalty and $50,000 fine for acknowledging he intentionally hit Ross Chastain while fighting for track position at the end of the Phoenix race.

In response to driver and team calls for more clarity and openness in the process, NASCAR has modified its appeals process going forward. An appeals panel or final appeal officer may no longer rescind in full any part of the penalties assessed, a NASCAR spokesman said in an email to the AP.

It can lessen the fine, the length of a suspension or reduce the points that were docked, but not fully remove any of them.

NASCAR also has the right to publish the justification for any action taken by an appeals panel or final appeals officer.

In addition, NASCAR also plans to display illegally modified parts it has confiscated at race venues.

JGR’S CHRISTOPHER BELL OFF TO NEAR-HISTORIC NASCAR START

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Christopher Bell, fresh off his first victory of the season on the Bristol dirt, learned he was on a near-historic pace in NASCAR.

His five career wins in 116 starts is second most among active drivers, with only NASCAR champion Brad Keselowski winning more this early in his Cup Series career.

“That’s pretty cool,” said the 28-year-old Bell, who is in his third full season driving for powerhouse Joe Gibbs Racing.

“But I try to not look at the stats and focus on the task at hand,” Bell said Sunday night after leading the final 100 laps to win at Bristol Motor Speedway. “That is very rewarding to hear, and hopefully I’m not done here.”

Oh, Bell’s not done, and he’s rising as the cornerstone driver at JGR, whose racers include NASCAR champ Martin Truex Jr. and three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin.

Bell’s four victories the past two seasons are the most at Gibbs. Hamlin’s won twice in that span while Truex Jr., the 2017 series champ, has gone winless.

Kyle Busch, the longtime JGR centerpiece who left to join Richard Childress Racing this past offseason, won once in 2022. His replacement, Joe Gibbs’ grandson Ty Gibbs, is winless this season.

It’s obvious the Gibbs organization knows Bell’s upside. They agreed on a long-term contract last year to keep Bell driving the No. 20, with Joe Gibbs citing Bell’s easy-going, professional manner with sponsors.

“We think he’s a young guy that is going to be a star,” said Gibbs, who won three Super Bowls coaching Washington and five NASCAR championships in a two-sport career.

The Gibbs crew almost had another last season as Bell won a pair of playoff races (Charlotte’s Roval and Martinsville) and was among the final four to compete for a title. He took third in the points standings.

Bell is back in the playoffs after successfully navigating the Bristol dirt. He held off fellow dirt-ace Tyler Reddick at the end as a caution on the final lap with Bell in front gave him the victory.

“Well, he’s been so close so many times,” said Heather Gibbs, who was married to the late Coy Gibbs, is Ty’s mother and part of the JGR ownership group. “We’re thrilled to have the win. It mean so much to our family just being able to come here.”

And Bell could be in for more this season, much more.

He’s becoming a short track master, finishing fourth at Richmond before his Bristol win. Now, the Cup Series heads to Martinsville this week where Bell won last time out.

“We knew this was going to be a good stretch of races,” he said. “Obviously, wanted to capitalize on it.”

Bell’s rise is helping all JGR racers. There were three in the top 10 at Bristol (Truex was seventh and Gibbs 10th) and three in the playoff grid with about a third of the season complete.

Bell took over the points lead with his win Sunday and gained his third straight playoff trip since joining JGR. Truex sits in seventh in points and Hamlin 12th with plenty of races left to make an impact.

Toyota machines this year have lagged behind Chevrolet drivers, who’ve won five times. Bell believes the gap is closing and the chase is on.

“There was no doubt that we were behind them,” Bell said. “But we’re in a really good stretch of races for our cars.”

The test will come starting at Talladega in two weeks when driver for Gibbs will try to muscle up on the longer tracks.

“With that being said, we know there is room to improve,” Bell continued, “and hopefully that comes sooner rather than later.”

Count on sooner, the way Bell has performed.

“If we’re capable as a team to give him the balance (he) needs,” Bell’s crew chief Adam Stevens said, “with the equipment that we’re producing at Joe Gibbs Racing, he’ll take us through (to) the front, and he’s proven that.”

BIG 10 BASEBALL

MICHIGAN STATE AND NEBRASKA EARN BASEBALL WEEKLY HONORS

Player of the Week

Max Anderson, Nebraska

Jr. – 2B – Omaha, Neb. – Millard West

Helped Nebraska to a 3-1 record last week, which included two wins at Michigan and a victory at Kansas State

Compiled a slash line of .389/.400/.944 along with an OPS of 1.344

Recorded three home runs and seven RBI while extending his hitting streak to eight games

Fielded 1.000 on 11 chances (7 putouts, 4 assists) to remain errorless on the season

Receives Player of the Week accolade for the first time

Last Nebraska Player of the Week selection: Brice Matthews (March 20, 2023)

Pitcher of the Week

Emmett Olson, Nebraska

Jr. – LHP – Des Plaines, Ill. – Maine West

Took a no-hitter into the bottom of the seventh against first-place Michigan on April 7

Limited the Wolverines to two hits and one run over 7.2 innings in Nebraska’s 3-1 win

Registered eight strikeouts and four 1-2-3 innings while holding Michigan to an .080 batting average

First-time recipient of the Pitcher of the Week award

Last Nebraska Pitcher of the Week: Koty Frank (April 19, 2022)

Freshman of the Week

Joseph Dzierwa, Michigan State

Fr. – LHP – Haskins, Ohio – Otsego

Improved to 4-1 on the season with a three-hit decision over Ohio State on April 7

Held the Buckeyes to one run over 6.0 innings, striking out four

Produced three-up, three-down innings in the first and fourth frames

Earns his first Freshman of the Week honor

Last Michigan State Freshman of the Week: Ryan Szczepaniak (March 9, 2022)

BIG 10 SOFTBALL

Player of the Week

Nia Carter, Iowa

Sr. – OF – Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. – St. Paul – Major: Psychology

• Batted .667 with a .750 slugging percentage and .615 on-base percentage last week, pacing Iowa to a three-game road sweep at Big Ten foe Michigan State

• Collected multiple hits in all three games of the series (eight total), along with seven RBI and three runs scored

• Posted four hits and a career-high five RBI in the series opener at MSU on April 7

• Two-time Academic All-Big Ten selection (2021, 2022)

• Earns her second Big Ten Player of the Week award

• Last Iowa Player of the Week: Nia Carter (Feb. 24, 2020)

Pitcher of the Week

Maddie Schwartz, Wisconsin

Grad. – RHP – Chanhassen, Minn. – Chanhassen – Master’s Program: Sports Leadership

• Went 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA in 13.1 innings last week, amassing eight strikeouts and allowing just three hits and two walks as the Badgers swept a weekend conference series at Purdue

• Tossed her first career no-hitter on April 7, facing only two batters over the minimum (one walk, one error) while fanning three

• Secured the victory in Sunday’s series finale, working the first 6.1 innings and yielding only three hits and a walk while striking out five

• Has earned three Academic All-Big Ten citations (2020, 2021, 2022)

• Receives her second career Big Ten Pitcher of the Week award

• Last Wisconsin Pitcher of the Week: Maddie Schwartz (May 2, 2022)

Freshman of the Week

Kansas Robinson, Northwestern

2B – Indianapolis, Ind. – Ben Davis – Major: Biology

• Compiled a .455 batting average, 1.000 slugging percentage and .538 on-base percentage in helping Northwestern to a 4-0 week against Big Ten opponents Illinois and Penn State

• Tallied five hits (three for extra bases), six runs scored and two RBI last week

• Had at least one hit and one run in all four games, capped by scoring the game-winning run in Sunday’s series finale against PSU

• Captures her first Big Ten Freshman of the Week award

• Last Northwestern Freshman of the Week: Danielle Williams (April 8, 2019)

MAC BASEBALL

MAC ANNOUNCES BASEBALL PLAYER & PITCHER OF THE WEEK HONORS

MAC Baseball Co-Players of the Week

Luke Sefcik, Central Michigan, 2B

R-Freshman, Palos Heights, Ill. (Marist)

Central Michigan second baseman Luke Sefcik had 10 hits in 16 at-bats as the Chippewas went 3-1 on the week. Sefcik had two hits in a non league win over Oakland to open the week, and then had three hits in the Chippewas’ series opener at Northern Illinois and then five, along with four RBI, in game two of the series. The five hits and four RBI are both career highs. Sefcik saw his eight-game hit streak end in CMU’s loss in the series finale against the Huskies, but he still contributed by reaching base twice, once when he was hit by a pitch and again when he walked, stealing a base and driving in two runs on a pair of sacrifice flies.

Grady Mee, Western Michigan, 2B

Freshman, Toledo, Ohio (Whitmer)

Grady Mee was red-hot at the plate for the Broncos, going 7-for-15 (.467), reaching base at a .556 clip and slugging 1.133 for the week. Four of his seven hits went for extra bases, as he hit his first three career home runs and added a double. The freshman played a huge role in WMU’s series victory over Akron, homering in all three games, scoring eight runs and driving in seven.

MAC Baseball Co-Pitchers of the Week

Mitch Scott, Kent State, RP

GR, San Mateo, CA (CAL)

Scott slammed the door on a pair of victories this week for the Golden Flashes. Scott had two saves this weekend where he got six (Sunday) and eight (Friday) outs, respectfully. Scott struck out a pair in each outing. He got out of a bases loaded, nobody out inherited jam on Sunday, allowing only one run and preserving the lead. On Friday, he allowed only one base runner in his 2.2 innings of work, preserving the 1-0 shutout in the series opener. Scott now has 5 saves on the season and dropped his ERA to 0.74.

Luke Olson, Ohio, RHP

Junior, Granville, Ill. (Putnam County)

Olson led the Bobcats in their 6-0 win over the Toledo Rockets on Friday, April 7. The junior was lights out, retiring seven Rockets and pitching a complete game. He didn’t allow any runs and only gave up two hits in the 29 batters he faced.

HCAC BASEBALL NOTEBOOK

Athletes of the Week:

Hitting Athlete of the Week:

Jake Baumgartner (Toledo, Ohio) Bluffton University | Senior- Baumgartner led the Beavers to a 4-1 mark on the week, including a 4-0 record in Heartland Conference games. He hit .348 (8-of-23) with two homers, five RBI and four runs scored. Baumgartner smacked a game-tying home run in the 11th inning of Friday’s game with Earlham and then he followed that up with a walkoff two-run double in the 12th! He has helped Bluffton to a school-record tying seven straight HCAC wins.

Pitching Athlete of the Week:

Zach White (Logansport, Ind.) Manchester University | Graduate- White threw nine complete innings for the Spartans, allowing only three hits with seven strikeouts and no walks to lead MU to a 2-0 victory in what would be a series sweep for the Black and Gold.

Notable Performances:

Trent Murdock (Liberty Center, Ohio.) Defiance College | Junior- Murdock went 4-for-5 and drove in four of the five Defiance runs in a 10-5 loss to Manchester. He had two singles, one double, and one triple in the game.

Nathan Lancianese (Lexington, Ky.) Earlham College | Senior- Lancianese led the Quakers at the plate this week with a .429 batting average. The senior had six hits with two doubles and one home run in the weekend series against Bluffton.

Colter Couillard-Rodak (Lafayette, Colo.) Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology | Junior- Couillard-Rodak batted 6-13 at the plate (.462) with one double and one triple to lead the Rose-Hulman offense in a series win at Hanover. Couillard-Rodak scored two runs and had seven RBIs with two stolen bases, highlighted by a 3-for-4 game with three RBIs in Friday’s win.

Aidan Stevens (Rensselaer, Ind.) Manchester University | Senior- During Manchester’s three game sweep of Defiance over the weekend, Aidan Stevens hit .417 at the plate with two RBI, two runs scored, and a stolen base. Stevens had a single to shortstop to score the winning run during Saturday’s single game against the Yellow Jackets to complete the series sweep for the Spartans.

Eric Roudebush (New Palestine, Ind.) Hanover College | Junior- Roudebush led the Panthers in a three game series with Rose-Hulman. The junior right fielder went 5-of-13 at the dish with two extra base hits and seven RBI. He posted a .615 slugging percentage.

Trent Pahl (Louisville, Ky.) Transylvania University | Junior- Pahl led the Pioneers to a series sweep of MSJ (9-4, 9-1, 16-1). On the weekend he had a batting average of .583 (7-12) including a double, triple, and homerun with an on-base percentage of .667. He also added three RBI’s and scored six runs.

Jaden Jaques (New Palestine, Ind.) Bluffton University | Senior- Jaques went 2-0 in conference games, sporting a 2.25 ERA in 12 innings of work with 8 strikeouts. He walked just 3 and limited the opposition to a .261 opponent batting average. The senior improved to 4-1 with a dominating performance, allowing three runs with no walks in 7+ innings as Bluffton completed a sweep of Earlham on Saturday afternoon.

Sam Thombs (Commerce Township, Mich.) Defiance College | Sophomore- Thombs earned a no decision against Manchester. He pitched 8.0 innings, allowed one run and struck out eight.

Dillon Fischer (Cincinnati, Ohio.) Earlham College | Junior- Fischer delivered a quality start for the Quakers against Bluffton with 6.1 shutout innings. Fischer allowed just one hit in the first inning and tallied 10 strikeouts.

Michael Yager (Park Ridge, Ill.) Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology | Junior- Yager pitched six innings for Rose-Hulman in Saturday’s win at Hanover, allowing just three hits and one run. Yager struck out six and walked three to pick his first win of the 2023 season.

Wyatt Prather (Indianapolis, Ind.) Hanover College | Junior- Prather picked up a victory over Rose-Hulman on the mound pitching two complete innings surrendering just one hit with two strikeouts.

Jacob Moberly (Elizabethtown, Ky.) Transylvania University | Sophomore- Moberly went 7 1/3 IP in a 9-1 Pioneers victory over MSJ on Saturday afternoon. He struck out five and walked one while scattering just four hits on the day.

HCAC SOFTBALL NOTEBOOK

Athletes of the Week:

Hitting Athlete of the Week:

Kelsi Stevenson (Mooresville, Ind.) Mount St. Joseph University | Sophomore- Stevenson led the Lions offensively in an undefeated week including a sweep over Hanover. Stevenson finished the week hitting for a .750 average (6-8) including one double and five RBIs while drawing three total walks. Stevenson reached base in nine of her eleven at-bats and scored five runs in four total games.

Pitching Athlete of the Week:

Casey Kemp (Blanchester, Ohio.) Mount St. Joseph University | Junior- Kemp was dominant in the circle this week for the Lions helping them sweep Asbury and Hanover. In her two games Kemp pitched 12 innings allowing just one earned run while striking out 14 batters. Kemp also only allowed one walk over the pair of games. Kemp was also productive at the plate finishing the two games batting 3-5 with one RBI.

Notable Performances:

Kryshel Dales (Defiance, Ohio.) Bluffton University | Junior- Dales hit .438 (7-of-16) with a .550 on-base percentage. She scored three runs and drove in two as the Beavers went 1-5 on the week.

Destiny Coil (Middle Point, Ohio.) Defiance College | Sophomore- Coil went 4-for-6 over the weekend against Bluffton and launched her first home run of the season. She had three extra base hits combined in the two games and finished with five RBIs in the two games.

Phoebe Worstell (Bicknell, Ind.) Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology | Sophomore- Worstell led Rose-Hulman’s efforts in Saturday’s doubleheader loss to Manchester by going 6-of-8 at the plate with two doubles, two runs and two RBIs. Worstell batted .750 with a 1.000 slugging average for the doubleheader.

Sydnie Raisor (Campbellsburg, Ky.) Hanover College | First Year- Raisor led the Panthers to a 2-2 week as they swept Bluffton but fell to MSJ. The freshman played a key role in the sweep of the Beavers charting 12 RBI, including eight in game two against Bluffton. She went 5-for-12 at the dish with two extra base hits.

Brianna Morrow (Atlanta, Ill.) Manchester University | Sophomore- Morrow helped lead Manchester to a 3-1 week, including a swee of Rose-Hulman in HCAC play on Saturday. On the week, Morrow hit .545 with four runs scored and three RBI. Morrow also collected two stolen bases, a sacrifice fly, and a double. On the season, Morrow has a batting average of .400 and .444 slugging percentage.

Anika Craft (Radnor, Ohio.) Defiance College | Sophomore- Craft had another solid performance on the mound this week. She finished with a 1-1 record. She was a tough luck loser at Adrian and pitched 8.2 innings and struck out 10. Craft earned the win against Bluffton in a game ended early by run rule. She struck out 11 Beavers. Finished the week with four earned runs and 21 strikeouts, surpassing her two-game total of 18 the previous week.

Phoebe Worstell (Bicknell, Ind.) Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology | Sophomore- Worstell struck out 11 batters in 10.1 innings of work to lead the Rose-Hulman pitching performance last week.

Kaitlyn Carr (Valparaiso, Ind.) Manchester University | Sophomore- During game one of Manchester’s sweep at Rose-Hulman on Saturday, Carr earned her eighth win of the season on the mound for MU. Carr gave up 12 hits while striking out four batters in seven innings pitched.

Lauren Beaman (Indianapolis, Ind.) Hanover College | Sophomore- Beaman posted an impressive 1-1 week despite battling an injury in the series at MSJ. She pitched 10 complete innings allowing just four earned runs on nine hits. The sophomore also added five strikeouts.

Lexi Rankin (Greenfield, Ind.) Anderson University | Senior- Rankin went 3-0 in the circle for the Ravens on two starts and one relief appearance. She struck out 12 batters, issued six walks and allowed six runs (four earned) on 21 hits in 17 innings.

TOP INDIANA RELEASES/NEWS

INDIANA FEVER BASKETBALL

The Indiana Fever selected South Carolina’s Aliyah Boston with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 WNBA Draft on Monday night.

Boston comes into the league after a dominant four-year college run that saw her win a national championship and Player of the Year award in 2022. She was also a three-time SEC Defensive Player of the Year winner and four-time All-American.

The 6-foot-5 forward joins a Fever squad that went an abysmal 5-31 last season. The franchise hasn’t made the playoffs since 2016, going 45-147 over that stretch.

Round 1

PICK	TEAM	PLAYER	SCHOOL/COUNTRY
1	Fever	Aliyah Boston	South Carolina
2	Lynx	Diamond Miller	Maryland
3	Wings	Maddy Siegrist	Villanova
4	Mystics	Stephanie Soares	Iowa State
5	Wings	Lou Lopez Senechal	UConn
6	Dream	Haley Jones	Stanford
7	Fever	Grace Berger	Indiana
8	Dream	Laeticia Amihere	South Carolina
9	Storm	Jordan Horston	Tennessee
10	Sparks	Zia Cooke	South Carolina
11	Wings	Abby Meyers	Maryland
12	Lynx	Maia Hirsch	France

Round 2

PICK	TEAM	PLAYER	SCHOOL/COUNTRY
13	Fever	Taylor Mikesell	Ohio State
14	Sparks	Shaneice Swain	Australia
15	Dream	Leigha Brown	Michigan
16	Lynx	Dorka Juhasz	UConn
17	Fever	LaDazhia Williams	LSU
18	Storm	Madi Williams	Oklahoma
19	Wings	Ashley Joens	Iowa State
20	Mystics	Elena Tsineke	South Florida
21	Storm	Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu	South Florida
22	Sun	Alexis Morris	LSU
23	Sky	Kayana Traylor	Virginia Tech
24	Lynx	Brea Beal	South Carolina

Round 3

PICK	TEAM	PLAYER	SCHOOL/COUNTRY
25	Fever	Victaria Saxton	South Carolina
26	Sparks	Monika Czinano	Iowa
27	Mercury	Destiny Harden	Miami
28	Lynx	Taylor Soule	Virginia Tech
29	Mercury	Kadi Sissoko	USC
30	Liberty	Okako Askia	USC
31	Wings	Paige Robinson	Illinois State
32	Mystics	Txell Alarcon	Spain
33	Storm	Jade Loville	Arizona
34	Sun	Ashten Prechtel	Stanford
35	Sky	Kseniya Malashka	Middle Tennessee
36	Aces	Brittany Davis	Alabama

INDIANAPOLIS INDIANS BASEBALL

The Indianapolis Indians return home Tuesday, April 11 to begin a six-game series against the St. Paul Saints, Triple-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. The homestand includes popular daily deals like Tuesday Dollar Menu, Thirsty Thursday™ and Kids Eat Free Sunday along with the first Bark in the Park of the season. Additionally, University of Indianapolis ballplayer Brady Ware will throw the ceremonial first pitch ahead of the Thursday, April 13 contest. Ware made national headlines over the weekend after hitting for the cycle and throwing a no-hitter for UIndy in a 13-0 win over Drury University on April 7.

INDIANA MEN’S BASKETBALL

Oregon transfer Kel’el Ware has committed to Indiana. Ware was a top-10 recruit in the 2022 signing class.

A McDonald’s All American and ranked the No. 2 available transfer by 247Sports, Ware averaged 6.6 points and 4.1 rebounds per game as a freshman.

PURDUE MEN’S BASKETBALL

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Former Purdue All-American Jaden Ivey wrapped up his rookie season with the Detroit Pistons on Sunday, capping off an outstanding year for the South Bend, Indiana, native.

The 6-foot, 4-inch guard who earned All-America honors in 2022 as a Boilermaker, finished the year appearing in 74 games (73 starts) while averaging 16.3 points per game, 5.2 assists per game and 3.9 rebounds per game, while shooting 41.6 percent from the field, 34.3 percent from 3-point range and 74.7 percent from the free throw line.

He scored in double figures in each of his last 39 games, the longest streak for a Pistons’ rookie in team history. He posted three 30-point games and 13 more games of 20 or more points. Ivey had eight double-doubles on the season, including two games where he had at least 20 points and 10 assists.

Ivey was at his best late in the year, averaging 22.9 points, 7.7 assists and 4.0 rebounds per game over the last nine outings, while shooting 39.7 percent from deep in that span.

Ivey was third among the league rookies in scoring (16.3), first in assists (5.2), ninth in rebounding (3.9), fourth in steals (61) and second in 3-pointers made (120). His 266 made free throws were third by a rookie.

Ivey became just the fifth rookie in NBA history to score 1,200 points with 385 rebounds, 285 assists and 120 made 3-pointers, joining Steph Curry, Luka Doncic, Allen Iverson and Trae Young as players to reach those marks in their rookie seasons.

Ivey became the fourth Pistons’ rookie (Grant Hill, Cade Cunningham, Isiah Thomas) to average at least 16 points and five assists in his rookie season and his 120 made 3-pointers were the second most by a rookie in Pistons’ team history.

PURDUE WRESTLING

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue Wrestling head coach Tony Ersland announced the signing of high-level transfer Joey Milano on Monday morning. The former Pennsylvania state champion joins the Boilermakers from NC State with three more years of eligibility and plans to wrestle at 184 pounds in the old gold and black.

“We are very excited to welcome Joey into our family here at Purdue,” Ersland said. “He is a great athlete who has tremendous potential. We can’t wait to see what he will accomplish here.”

The Schwenksville, Pa., native made a splash while redshirting in his first season with the Wolfpack in 2021-22, going 23-6 in seven open tournaments with five of his six losses coming against opposing teams’ starters. He took first place at The Citadel Open, King Open and Patriot Open and had six podium finishes overall. In the offseason, he placed eighth in the 86 kg U20 Freestyle division at the 2022 U.S. Open. His efforts did not go unnoticed, as he was named FloWrestling’s top 184-pound redshirt and NC State’s Freshman of the Year. Additionally, his work in the classroom earned him a spot on the ACC Academic Honor Roll.

This past season he went 4-3 in two tournament appearances and one dual match. Highlight wins came in an 8-6 decision over Oklahoma starter Darrien Roberts in the Journeymen Classic and two tech falls on the opening day of the Appalachian Open.

Milano won the PIAA AAA state title at 189 pounds as a senior at Spring-Ford high school, going a perfect 18-0 in his final season for the Rams. He graduated with a 129-9 record and became only the second three-time state medalist in his school’s history. He has third and seventh place finishes at Super 32 on his resume in addition to a title at Escape the Rock.

MatScouts ranked him as the No. 24 overall recruit coming out of high school in 2021 and the seventh best at 195 pounds. He was tabbed as the No. 42 overall and No. 12 at 182 pounds by FloWrestling.

BUTLER BASKETBALL

Central Arkansas guard Camren Hunter, Michigan State guard Pierre Brooks and St. Francis (Pa.) guard Landon Moore are joining Thad Matta at Butler.

Brooks is a former four-star recruit from Detroit. The 6-6 guard was rated as the No. 61 player in the nation by 247Sports in the 2021 class.

Moore averaged 13.1 points, 3.6 assists and 2.8 rebounds per game.

BUTLER BASEBALL

INDIANAPOLIS – Butler and Michigan will square off for just the second time in program history on Tuesday afternoon. The game will stream on B1G+ at 4 PM.

Scouting Michigan

The Wolverines are 17-14 overall with a 6-3 mark in the Big Ten after dropping a weekend series at home to Nebraska. Head Coach Tracy Smith returned to the Midwest to coach at Michigan after spending seven seasons at Arizona State. The Sun Devils made four NCAA Regional appearances during that span and recorded over 200 wins from 2015-2021. This year’s Michigan team hits .253 as a group and is led from the plate by Ted Burton. The all-conference talent has started in all 31 games this year and holds a .295 average. He has six doubles and five home runs on the year to help post a team-high 26 RBIs. Mitch Voit is another big bat in the Michigan lineup. The freshman standout has five doubles and four home runs to rank second on the team with 21 RBI. On the mound, Connor O’Halloran serves as the UM ace. He is 5-1 in eight starts with a 1.92 ERA. A week ago, when Michigan hosted Western Michigan in a midweek matchup, Jacob Denner got the start and threw 3.2 innings.

Wilpon Complex – Ray Fisher Stadium

Baseball at the University of Michigan has been played on its current site since 1923! In 1967 the stadium was dedicated to Ray Fisher, head coach of the Wolverine baseball team from 1921-58, and a $9 million renovation to the stadium was completed in 2008: Fisher Stadium 1114 S. State St.

First Meeting

The first meeting between Butler and Michigan was played on March 21, 2003 with the Wolverines winning at home 11-5.

BIG EAST Standings

Xavier 3-0, 20-12

UConn 2-1, 22-8

Creighton 2-1, 14-11

Seton Hall 2-1, 14-14

Georgetown 3-3, 17-15

Villanova 2-4, 6-24

St. John’s 1-2, 17-12

Butler 0-3, 7-23

Upcoming BIG EAST Schedule

Villanova at Butler

Seton Hall at St. John’s

UConn at Xavier

Creighton at Georgetown

Butler at Xavier

The Bulldogs hit seven home runs at Hayden Field over the weekend, but were unable to record a win at Xavier. Joey Urban hit .333 for Butler in three starts with four hits in 12 at-bats. He had a first-pitch, leadoff home run against the Musketeers on Saturday. Garret Gray and Xavier Carter also homered in the getaway game. The series started with home runs from Carter Dorighi and Kollyn All on Thursday. All also homered on Friday along with Ryan O’Halloran.

Reached Base Streak

Kollyn All has reached base safely in six-straight games.

Multi-Hit Games

Joey Urban went 2-for-5 from the dish on Saturday to record this 10th multi-hit game of the season. Carter Dorighi matched his effort with two hits vs. the Musketeers while Xavier Carter led the team with three hits.

Bulldog Bits

– Urban and Dorighi are the only Bulldogs to start in every game this season

– Urban leads the team in average, at-bats, runs, hits, doubles, triples, home runs and RBI

– BU ranks second in the BIG EAST in sacrifice bunts (17) and third in triples (9)

– Cory Bosecker ranks fifth in the league with 47 strikeouts

– Bosecker threw a season-high six innings at Xavier

– Butler and Xavier combined for 18 RBI on April 8

– BU and XU set league-high totals with six home runs and 47 total bases in the contest

– Butler came up with 10 hits in their last game; it was the fifth time this year they reached double digits

– The ‘Dawgs have hit eight home runs over their last four games

– Kollyn All has an RBI in three-straight games

– Nine of Xavier Carter’s 22 hits have come this month

– The Bulldogs didn’t play a midweek game last week

– Butler is 3-17 on the road this year

Up Next

Butler will host Villanova this weekend in the BIG EAST home opener. Game one is set for Friday, April 14 at 3 PM.

BUTLER WLAX

The Bulldogs suffered a 26-3 defeat to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Monday afternoon. With the loss, Butler drops to 5-7 on the season and Notre Dame improves to a 9-4 record.

How it happened

Butler was met with a fast-paced attack by Notre Dame in the opening half. The Fighting Irish scored 12 goals in the first quarter while holding the Bulldogs scoreless and without a shot on goal.

In the second, Butler was able to apply more pressure on offense but was unable to get a shot by Notre Dame’s goalkeeper. Six goals by the Irish made the score 18-0 at halftime.

The third quarter saw more success for Notre Dame. They would score five more goals to increase their lead and make the score 23-0 heading into the fourth quarter.

Butler was able to get on the board with back-to-back goals in the final quarter. Leah Rubino put the Dawgs on the board with a goal off an assist from Emmie Ridgeway. Less than two minutes later, Hannah Dove scored her first goal of the season off an assist by Luci Selander. Another goal by Elise Latham with 31 seconds left in the game would give both teams three goals in the quarter and make the final score 26-3.

Notable Stats

The Bulldogs allowed a season-high 26 goals in the contest.

Four different players scored a hat-trick for the Fighting Irish.

Notre Dame won the ground ball battle 20-15.

Butler was 8-12 in clears for the game.

Caroline Smith, Aleigh Monroe and Lauren Buckley combined for seven saves.

Up Next

Butler will take on the Marquette Golden Eagles at home on April 19 at 2 p.m.

BALL STATE BASEBALL

MUNCIE, Ind. – The Ball State baseball team makes its first trip back to Bloomington since 2019 for a matchup with in-state foe Indiana on Tuesday. The Cardinals and Hoosiers are slated for a 6 p.m. start on the Big Ten Network+.

The Cardinals are coming off a 2-1 series win at The Citadel. Ball State enters Tuesday with a 23-8 record, while Indiana boasts a 22-10 mark.

Gold Glove Peltier

At the conclusion of last season, Ryan Peltier was honored as the best defensive third baseman in the NCAA and received an ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove. After being named the MAC Defensive Player of the Year and earning a spot on the All-MAC Second Team for back-to-back seasons, Peltier was awarded the first Gold Glove in BSU history. He was a 2023 Preseason All-American honoree from Collegiate Baseball Newspaper.

Peltier is second on the team with a .413 batting average, which is 28th in the NCAA and best in the MAC. He has pelted a team-best seven homers and has a team-high 29 RBIs. He has a slugging percentage of .711, which is tied for 75th in the country and second in the MAC. Peltier has scored 44 runs, which is tied for eighth in the NCAA and is first the MAC. He leads the team in doubles with 13 and he has added one triple. His 13 doubles are tied for 26th in the NCAA and are tied for second in the conference.

What Can Brown Do for You?

Ryan Brown was named the No. 49 prospect in college baseball by D1 Baseball. Brown was the only Mid-American Conference player selected to the top-100 list. He was also tabbed as one of the top mid-major prospects for the 2023 season. Brown also landed on the 2023 MLB Draft: Rising Righthanded Pitchers watch list. Last season, Brown earned recognition as a Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Freshman All-American along with the MAC Freshman Pitcher of the Year. He also earned a spot on the All-MAC Second Team.

Brown is currently tied for 92nd in the NCAA with 51 strikeouts. He his 4-1 on the year and has thrown 26 1/3 innings. Opponents are hitting just .169 against him for the season.

Don’t Mess with Tex

Trennor O’Donnell leads the team with a 2.51 ERA. His ERA is tied for the 52nd best in the country and is second in the MAC. His 47 strikeouts are tied for 143rd in the NCAA. He has a 2-1 record and has thrown 43 innings. Opponents are hitting just .228 against him.

Scouting the Cardinals

Decker Scheffler is second on the squad with .376 batting average, which is tied for 115th in the NCAA and sixth in the MAC. He has 24 RBIs, 22 runs scored, six doubles, three homers, and three triples. His three triples are tied for 36th in the country and tied for second in the conference. Scheffler is tied for the 77th as toughest player to strikeout in the NCAA and is second in the MAC. Adam Tellier is third on the team with a .350 average. He has 30 runs scored, 16 walks, 16 RBIs, nine doubles, three triples, and one home run. His three triples are tied for 36th in the NCAA and are tied for second in the MAC. Nick Gregory might only be hitting .228, but he leads the team with 28 walks. His 28 walks are tied for 42nd in the NCAA and are the most in the MAC. He has scored 25 runs and driven in eight runs.

Logan Schulfer is third on the team with 35 strikeouts. He as a 2-0 record with a 5.32 ERA. Ty Johnson is fourth on the team with 33 strikeouts in 26 2/3 innings of work. He has a 3-2 record with a 4.72 ERA. Ty Weatherly has 31 strikeouts on the season. He has a 6.14 ERA in 29 1/3 innings of work and a 1-1 record. Tanner Knapp has 26 strikeouts in 28 2/3 innings. He is 1-1 on the season with a 5.97 ERA. Jacob Hartlaub is the remaining pitcher with more that 20 strikeouts, with 24. He has a 3-2 record.

Ball State vs. Indiana: The Series

The Cardinals and Hoosiers will meet for the 61st time on Tuesday. Indiana holds a 34-26 record against Ball State. IU has won the last eight meetings, including a 9-3 win in Bloomington on April 23, 2019. BSU is 12-16 at IU.

Scouting the Hoosiers

Phillip Glasser leads Indiana with a .373 batting average. He has a team-best 13 doubles, which is tied for 26th in the NCAA and tied for second in the Big Ten. He paces the team with 31 runs scored. He has added 23 RBIs, 22 walks, three home runs, and one triple. Devin Taylor is second on the team with a .347 batting average. He has a team-best five home runs. He has scored 22 runs, 20 RBIs, 19 walks, five doubles, and one triple. Brock Tibbitts rounds out the hitters above .300 with a .336 average. He leads the team with 33 RBIs. He has 26 runs scored, 20 walks, nine doubles, three home runs, and two triples.

Luke Sinnard paces the IU pitching staff with 61 strikeouts and a 3.68 ERA. He has a 3-1 record in 44 innings. Ryan Kraft has a team-high five saves with 30 innings of work. He has 28 strikeouts and a 3-1 record. He boasts an ERA of 0.90. Craig Yoho is second on the staff with 34 strikeouts. He has an ERA of 1.40 in 23 2/3 innings.

BALL STATE SOFTBALL

THIS WEEK IN BALL STATE SOFTBALL: The Ball State softball team opens another busy week Tuesday at 3 p.m. with the first of three games at Western Michigan … The Cardinals and Broncos will also play a 1 p.m. doubleheader Wednesday at Ebert Field in Kalamazoo, Michigan … Ball State returns home over the weekend to host a three-game series versus Buffalo with the teams playing a 1 p.m. doubleheader Saturday and a Noon game Sunday at the Softball Field at First Merchants Ballpark Complex.

» A QUICK LOOK AT THE CARDINALS: Ball State enters the week with a 17-19 (7-7 MAC) record after going 1-3 last week … The Cardinals suffered a Tuesday loss at Notre Dame and dropped the first two games in a weekend series versus Toledo before closing the week with a 6-1 win over the Rockets in the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader … Senior Amaia Daniel leads the Ball State offense and ranks 77th nationally with her .397 batting average and is one of two Cardinals currently on a five-game hitting streak … In the circle, sophomore Angelina Russo leads the Ball State pitching staff with her 2.85 ERA and .232 batting average against over 86.0 innings of work.

» THE OVERALL RECORD: Ball State enters the week with a 1138-1135-4 (.501) overall record dating back to the 1975 season … The Cardinals have tallied 30-or-more wins in 16 seasons, most recently a 37-18 mark under current head coach Lacy Schurr in 2021 … Of the 16 seasons with 30-or-more wins, 11 have come in the past 15 seasons.

» ABOUT WESTERN MICHIGAN:

– The Broncos enter the week with an 11-16 overall record, including a 5-3 MAC mark, after dropping two of three to Akron last weekend … WMU opened the series with a 3-2 victory Friday before dropping both ends of a Saturday doubleheader by scores of 1-0 and 4-2.

– Addison Hudson leads the Broncos offense with a .392 batting average, while Courtney Farrish has a .315 average with team-highs of 13 RBI, 10 doubles, and three home runs.

– Rissa Bajusz has thrown a team-high 87.0 innings in the circle and owns a 2.82 ERA, a 7-6 record, and a .221 average against … She has also struck out 88 batters on the season.

– While Western Michigan holds a 66-65 edge in the all-time series, Ball State has won three straight and eight of the last 10 meetings … WMU has a 27-24 edge in games played in Kalamazoo, including a 4-3 (8) victory in the last meeting at Ebert Field on May 9, 2021 … Ball State had won four straight road games versus the Broncos prior to the loss.

BALL STATE NEWS & NOTES:

» GONE WITH THE WYNN: Senior infielder Haley Wynn opened the year with a bang, smashing a solo home run to center field for Ball State’s first hit of the 2023 season in the team’s 5-3 victory over Samford (Feb. 17) … Since then, she has added six more home runs and is tied for the team lead with seven on the year … Of those six additional home runs, four came in back-to-back two home run games starting with a three-run blast and solo homer in the 15-9 victory over Kent State (March 17) and followed by a pair of solo shots in the 8-4 victory over Central Michigan (March 25).

» MORE ON WYNN: Haley Wynn enters the WMU series as one of the most prolific batters in program history ranking 16th on Ball State’s career charts with a .331 career average, including her .380 mark this season … She is also 13th all-time in slugging percentage (.529) and 16th in on base percentage (.408) … In addition, her 118 career runs score are 10th in program history, while her 0.86 runs per game average this season is second in the MAC and 86th nationally.

» DRIVING THEM HOME: Senior shortstop Amaia Daniel enters the week with 23 RBI so far this season … With her final of four RBIs in Ball State’s 14-4 (6) victory over Bellarmine (Feb. 25), Daniel became just the 16th player in program history to reach 100 career RBI … The moment came on a bases loaded sacrifice fly in the sixth inning to make the score 12-4 … She is currently 13th in program history with 112 career RBI and needs two more to reach 12th.

» MORE ON DANIEL: Amaia Daniel, who has reached base safely in 32 of Ball State’s 36 games this season, enters the week ranked ninth in program history with a .424 career on base percentage … She is also 11th in career runs scored (116), tied for 11th in career doubles (38), and 16th in career home runs (17) … On defense, she has helped turn 45 career double plays, which is the second-most in program history.

» SPEAKING OF DOUBLE PLAYS: Ball State’s defense has registered 15 double plays over its first 36 games of the season and currently ranks second in the MAC and 35th nationally with a 0.42 double plays-per-game average … Junior infielder Samantha-Jo Mata has had a hand in 12 double plays, while Amaia Daniel at shortstop has factored in 10.

» ON THE BASE PATHS: Ball State picked up right where it left off last season, stealing a total of 43 bases over the first 36 games of the season … The Cardinals currently rank third in the MAC and 99th nationally with a 1.22 steals-per-game average … Junior outfielder Remington Ross leads the way, going a perfect 12-for-12 in stolen base attempts … With the mark, Ross remains first in program history with a .971 (34-for-35) stolen base percentage … In addition, her 34 career stolen bases are tied for 15th in program history.

» NEAR PERFECTION: Sophomore pitcher Angelina Russo, who threw the first perfect game in program history versus Western Michigan last season, added to her lore in the 10-1 (5) victory over Lindenwood (Feb. 19), collecting just the 18th recorded no-hitter for the Cardinals dating back to the 1980 season … The 2022 MAC Freshman Pitcher of the Year and a MAC All-Freshman Team selection, Russo retired 15 of the 17 batters she faced against the Lions with a walk and an error being the lone blemishes … She also struck out three batters in the contest … Russo enters the week with a team-low 2.85 ERA, including a 1.97 ERA in league play … She has allowed just four earned runs in her last 26.0 innings of work.

» MCKAYLA GOING STRONG: Redshirt sophomore catcher/infielder McKayla Timmons has reached base safely in 26 of the 34 games she has played for the Cardinals this season … In fact, she ranks third on the team with a .326 batting average and leads the squad with 30 RBI … She has also smashed seven home runs this season, including a walk-off blast to cap the CMU series … Timmons, who smashed four home runs in her debut season in 2022, enters the week ranked third among active Ball State players with 11 career home runs.

» WELCOME TO THE #BALLSTATESB BOMB SQUAD: Redshirt freshman utility player McKenna Mulholland made sure her first collegiate hit was a memorable one, as she blasted a solo home run in her first collegiate at bat to open the bottom of the second inning in the 10-1 (5) win over Lindenwood (Feb. 19) … Sophomore infielder Kaitlyn Gibson added her first collegiate round tripper in the 14-8 setback at No. 16 Georgia (March 3) … Overall, nine active Cardinals have at least one career home run heading into the Ohio series.

» TRIPLE THREAT: Ball State enters the week ranked 58th nationally with a 0.25 triples-per-game average … McKenna Mulholland and Haley Wynn lead the team with three triples apiece, while McKayla Timmons, Kaitlyn Mathews, and Remington Ross each have one … Overall, the Cardinals rank fourth in the MAC with nine triples, trailing only Northern Illinois (15), Ohio (12), and Miami (10).

» DOUBLING UP: The Cardinals are even better when it comes to doubles, ranking second in the MAC and 41st nationally with a 1.44 doubles-per-game average … Senior catcher/infielder Jazmyne Armendariz is tied for third in the MAC with nine doubles, while Amaia Daniel and Haley Wynn are tied for 13th with seven apiece … BSU has 52 doubles on the year, with at least one double in 27 games, including a season-high six versus Sacred Heart (March 10).

NOTRE DAME BASEBALL

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The Notre Dame Fighting Irish (17-12) are back at Frank Eck Stadium after a three-game road series at Pitt. The Irish host Michigan State (18-10) in their sixth midweek matchup of the season on Tuesday, April 11 at 6:00 p.m.

Michigan State Matchup at Frank Eck

This is the 141st matchup between the Irish and the Spartans as Notre Dame hosts Michigan State at Frank Eck Stadium on Tuesday.

The Irish trail the overall series 59-81, going 35-38 at home, 23-38 at MSU, and are 1-4 at neutral sites.

Notre Dame faced Michigan State three times last season, winning two of the three matchups.

The Irish had their most recent win over the Spartans in the last matchup between the two squads on May 10, 2022 in South Bend, as the Irish won 15-6.

Brooks Coetzee and Jack Zyska each had a team-high three hits in the win. Carter Putz and Coetzee had a team-high three runs that tied a career high.

Jack Findlay had one of the best starts of his young career against the Spartans. He set career highs at the time with 4.0 innings pitched and eight strikeouts. He only allowed two runners to reach base and did not allow a hit as he collected his fifth win of the season.

The Irish head into the matchup with Carter Putz leading the way with a team-high .303 battting average, recording a team-high 33 hits and 22 RBI for Notre Dame so far this year.

Zack Prajzner has tallied a team best 24 runs, while also batting .268 with 30 hits and 13 RBI. Prajzner and Putz are both leading the team with eight doubles a piece. Jack Penney is leading the Irish with seven home runs this season, followed by Putz with five homers.

Conference Play Resumes at Pitt

The Irish took the series at Pitt after winning games one and two on Thursday and Friday. After winning 10-8 in game one, the Irish took game two 11-2 after a big offensive frame in the ninth. The Irish fell short of the sweep as they dropped Sunday’s game 9-5 against the Panthers.

A six-run first inning gave the Irish an early advantage in game one as Danny Neri capped off the scoring frenzy with his fourth home run of the year in the top of the first.

Jack Penney led off the second with his seventh home run of the season as he homered to right center to tack on another run for Notre Dame and make it a score of 7-2.

The Panthers were able to close the gap to 10-8 with just one out in the bottom of the ninth as Sammy Cooper would come in to close for the Irish.

Pitt chopped a ground ball to Penney at third who turned a double play to preserve the Irish lead. Cooper picked up his second save of the season as Notre Dame took home the 10-8 victory to open the series.

Jackson Dennies started on the mound in game two and finished the day pitching 4.2 innings, recording six strikeouts, and allowing no runs and just one hit.

Leading 4-1 heading into the top of the ninth, the Irish offense dominated in the final inning scoring seven runs off of six hits in the frame to go on and take the 11-2 win.

Irish Take on Northwestern

The Irish are now five-for-five in midweek matchups as they defeated the Northwestern Wildcats 12-0 on Tuesday, April 4 at Frank Eck.

Notre Dame is now 6-3 after their second shutout win of the season.

Jack Penney recorded his sixth homerun of the year in the bottom of the seventh and Joey Spence would record his first career home run in the bottom of the eight for a two-run homerun to extend the Irish lead 12-0 heading into the ninth.

The Irish will face the Wildcats again on the road on Tuesday, May 16.

UNC Heads to South Bend for Another ACC Series

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish (14-11) dropped the three-game series at Frank Eck as they fell to No. 13 North Carolina (20-8) in games one and two of the series.

Looking for redemption after a tough loss to the Tar Heels on Friday night, the Irish fell 5-2 in the first game of day, but were able to take home the final game in a 9-1 victory on the home turf.

Jackson Dennies recorded a career-high seven strikeouts across 4.2 innings in the game three win. He also allowed just two hits, while giving up no runs and walking no batters.

Vinny Martinez had himself a weekend at the plate, recording five hits and five runs on the weekend, as well as three home runs and seven RBI.

Midweek Matchup at Frank Eck Against Butler

The Irish are 4-for-4 in their midweek matchups so far this season, with two neutral site wins over Saint Joseph’s in Holly Springs, a win over Valpo in the 2023 home opener, and a 4-0 win over Butler at Frank Eck.

Jackson Dennies started on the mound as he recorded a career-high six strikeouts across a career-high four innings pitched.

Irish Make History in Series Win Over No. 2 Louisville

The Notre Dame Fighting (12-9) Irish defeated the No. 2 Louisville Cardinals (19-4) in a historic fashion, taking the first game of the series on Friday, March 24 and the first game of the doubleheader on Sunday, March 26.

The 5-4 win on Sunday afternoon clinched the first-ever home series win over Louisville in program history. After falling 2-1 in the second game of the doubleheader, the Irish are now 4-5 in conference.

In game one, Notre Dame trailed 2-0 heading into the fifth.

The Irish held Louisville scoreless in the top of the inning, while the Irish offense really started to get hot in the bottom of the frame. The Irish led off with singles from DM Jefferson and TJ Williams, and a sac bunt from Jack Penney would put runners on second and third for Notre Dame.

Zack Prajzner scored both as he doubled down the left field line to add two Irish runs to the board and make it an even 2-2 ballgame. Zyska followed with a double of his own as he sent it to the wall in the left field gap to score Prajzner and take the lead 3-2.

The Cardinals would score another run in the top of the sixth to tie it up at 3-3.

The Irish immediately responded as Estevan Moreno ripped a home run to deep left, his second of the season, to put the Irish back on top at 4-3 and lead them to eventual 4-3 victory to take game one.

In Saturday’s doubleheader, the Cardinals would put their first run of the day on the board on the first pitch of the game as they opened up with a home run to right field to take an early 1-0 lead. And after leading off the top of the fifth with another home run, Louisville led 3-0.

Notre Dame wasn’t going anywhere, as the Irish bats started to get hot in the fifth. Notre Dame would score all five of their runs in the bottom of the inning. The Irish’s five runs would come off of just three three hits, all of which were home runs. Jack Penney would hit the first homer, followed by back-to-back home runs from Carter Putz and Brooks Coetzee.

The five-run inning lifted the Irish to a 5-4 win to clinch the series win over the Cardinals.

Notre Dame Opens up at Home Against Valparaiso

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish took down the Beacons in the 106th matchup between Valpo and Notre Dame as the Irish lead the overall series 86-21 with the very first game taking place on May 14, 1918.

The Irish defeated Valpo in a 8-4 victory in their home opener on Tuesday, March 21 at Frank Eck.

Both graduate students, Zack Prajzner and Jack Zyska both recorded their first home runs of the season in Tuesday’s win. Prajzner’s homer to left field came in the bottom of the third and Zyska followed with his left field home run in the bottom of the fourth.

David Lally Jr. made his second career start on the mound, throwing 2.1 innings before he was relieved in the third inning by Carter Bosch. Bosch recorded a season-high six strikeouts across 3.2 innings and gave up no runs while allowing only two hits. Sammy Cooper came in to close in the top of the seventh, taking home his second win of the season.

NOTRE DAME SOFTBALL

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The University of Notre Dame softball team is set for a pair of Big Ten Conference opponents this week. The Fighting Irish will head to Michigan State Tuesday evening, before taking on Indiana at Melissa Cook Stadium Wednesday night. The Irish enter the contests off of a 3-1 week, taking a series at Louisville.

Head coach Deanna Gumpf is on the cusp of history as she looks for career win 849. That win would pass Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame head coach Muffet McGraw for the most wins ever by a Notre Dame head coach.

Notre Dame enters the contest at 23-11-1, going 6-0 in midweek competition. These will be the fifth and sixth matchups against opponents from the Big Ten Conference, having gone 1-3 against Ohio State and Northwestern at the ACC/B1G Challenge hosted by Clemson in February.

Carlli Kloss leads the Irish offense with a .367 average, hitting 12 doubles and three triples. She adds 31 runs scored with five stolen bases. Joley Mitchell adds a mix of power and speed, hitting seven home runs, driving in 27 and leading the team with nine stolen bases. Karina Gaskins leads the team with 12 home runs, while being tied with Lexi Orozco with 32 RBI on the season.

Payton Tidd owns 21 appearances in the circle with 16 starts. She’s earned a 3.03 ERA in 104.0 innings of work, striking out 81 hitters. Shannon Becker adds a team-best 22 appearances with 65.2 innings of work to go with six wins. Micaela Kastor has 20 appearances with eight starts. She’s earned a 1.99 ERA in 56.1 innings, striking out 55 hitters.

Michigan State enters Tuesday’s contest with an 11-20 overall mark, and are currently on a three-game losing streak having been swept by Iowa last week.

The Spartan offense hits at a .251 clip, led by Jessica Mabrey. The senior outfielder owns a team-best .352 average with 17 runs scored, five home runs and 16 RBI. She adds five doubles and a pair of triples to go with four stolen bases. Macy Lee is the only other Spartan to hit over the .300 plateau at .328. Lee has three extra-base hits, six RBI and scored four times.

In the circle, Ashley Miller, Faith Guidry and Madison Taylor have logged the majority of innings. Miller leads the team with 19 appearances, 13 starts and 79.1 innings of work. She’s struck out 94 hitters, earning six wins, and equivalent of complete games and a save. Guidry has 17 appearances with 11 starts. She adds 33 strikeouts in 63.1 innings and four complete games. Taylor has three wins in 15 appearances and 45.1 innings.

Indiana comes into the week with a pair of ACC matchups. Before heading to Melissa Cook Stadium, the Hoosiers will host the Louisville Cardinals Tuesday evening. The Hoosiers, receiving votes in both the NFCA Coaches poll, and ESPN.com poll, are 30-11 overall and 9-2 in conference play. In true road games, IU has earned a 10-3 record.

The Hoosier offense is a formidable one, hitting at a .333 team average with six players over the .300 plateau. Taryn Kern and Taylor Minnick are each over the .400 mark, led by Kern’s .434 average. Kern adds a team-best 17 home runs and 47 RBI, while scoring 43 times. Minnick adds seven home runs and 11 doubles and ranks as one of the toughest players in the country to strikeout, punching out just five times in 95 at bats.

Three Hoosiers have made starts in the circle. Brianna Copeland is 14-0 on the season in 27 appearances. She owns a 2.67 ERA in 94.1 innings. She’s thrown four complete games and picked up a save to go with 94 strikeouts. Heather Johnson leads the team with 29 appearances and 74.0 innings of work. She’s struck out 38 hitters, picked up three saves and earned a 10-6 record. Macy Montgomery adds 20 appearances and seven starts. She struck out 28 hitters in 48.1 innings of work.

NOTRE DAME MEN’S SWIMMING

GREENSBORO, N.C. — Tommy Janton had an elite freshman season for the Irish, and now he has the hardware to show for it.

On Monday, the backstroker from outside of Philadelphia was named the ACC Rookie of the Year.

“I am extremely thrilled and excited for Tommy,” Peterson Family Head Swimming Coach Chris Lindauer said. “A lot of hard work and dedication went into this. It’s been great to watch Tommy grow this year. Obviously, he’s had significant time drops, but the biggest thing is seeing his mentality grow into someone that believes they can compete at the highest level.

“Super excited for where this can take him and the momentum this gives him for what lies ahead. The future is bright.”

Janton was a 2023 NCAA qualifier and broke three school records while competing at the meet in Minneapolis: 100-yard backstroke (45.12), 200-yard backstroke (1:39.45) and the 200-yard medley relay (1:23.35). He earned All-America Honorable Mention status in both individual events, finishing 14th in the 100 and 10th in the 200. In doing so, Janton was a major contributor to Notre Dame’s 18th-place finish at NCAAs, the highest mark in program history.

The rookie made the A final in the backstroke events at ACCs, finishing seventh in both (45.97/1:41.44). He was part of a freshman class that notched more points at the conference meet than any other team’s freshmen, and the Irish finished fifth overall.

In addition to his feats in the 25-yard pool, Janton also broke the school record in the 100-meter backstroke in December with a time of 54.96. He qualified for 2024 Olympic Trials in both the 100- and 200-meter backstroke. He competed at the meet in those events in 2021.

In addition to an impressive late-season performance, Janton was a consistent scorer for the Irish during early season meets. For example, he won the 200 back against Louisville (1:45.33), and he brought home fifth in the 100 back at the Ohio State Invitational (47.22). In his first collegiate meet ever, which took place in October against Pittsburgh and Penn State, Janton finished second in both the 100 and 200 back (48.25/1:47.37).

In winning ACC Freshman of the Year, Janton joins current Irish senior Jack Hoagland as the only two swimmers to earn the honor since the Irish joined the ACC a decade ago. Hoagland won the award in 2020.

INDIANA STATE BASEBALL

ST. LOUIS, Mo. – Indiana State right-hander Matt Jachec was named the Missouri Valley Conference Pitcher of the Week as announced by the conference office on Monday afternoon.

The Sycamore ace received the recognition for the second time in his collegiate career and first in the 2023 season following a dominant performance this past weekend against Illinois State. Jachec went the distance for the second time this season and posted his first collegiate shutout as the Sycamores topped Redbirds on Friday night, 2-0.

The Hampshire, Ill. native retired 11 in a row from the second to the sixth inning and allowed just one runner to reach second base. The redshirt junior was masterful scattering five singles and posting six strikeouts without surrendering a walk in the effort.

Jachec allowed multiple runners in just one inning (the sixth), but the shutout was never in doubt in his third win of the season. He utilized 119 pitches in the complete game effort. The nine-inning outing was the third game in the last four Jachec has gone at least eight innings.

The honor is the second of his collegiate career after receiving recognition last season on April 11 following his regular season performance last season at Valparaiso.

Jachec becomes the second ISU player to receive conference weekly honors in 2023 joining Seth Gergely (Player of the Week – March 13).

Up Next

Indiana State begins a five-game road trip this week as the Sycamores head to West Lafayette, Ind. for a Tuesday night contest against Purdue as the Sycamores and Boilermakers close out their 2023 home-and-home series. First pitch between the ISU and Purdue at Alexander Field is set for 6 p.m.

SYCAMORES START FIVE-GAME ROAD TRIP TUESDAY NIGHT AT PURDUE

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State begins a five-game road trip this week as the Sycamores head to West Lafayette, Ind. for a Tuesday night contest against Purdue as the Sycamores and Boilermakers close out their 2023 home-and-home series. First pitch between the ISU and Purdue at Alexander Field is set for 6 p.m.

Tuesday night’s game will be streamed live on the B1G+ and 105.5 The Legend. Live Stats will be provided on PurdueSports.com.

The Sycamores won the initial contest against Purdue, 8-2, this season back on March 28 behind a strong outing from right-hander Lane Miller. The ISU right-hander went eight innings in his first collegiate start since 2020 and posted a career-high five strikeouts in taking home the win.

Luis Hernandez sparked the offense with a pair of RBI doubles, while Miguel Rivera and Keegan Watson both had two RBIs in the game to provide Miller all the support he would need in taking the win. Randal Diaz (two hits) and Josue Urdaneta (two runs) also stood out in the first meeting between to the two teams this season.

The win over Purdue came in the middle of a stretch that has seen the Sycamores win 10 of their last 11 games dating back to the series sweep on March 25-26 against Valparaiso. Over the stretch ISU has swept Valpo (Mar. 25-26) and Illinois State (Apr. 7-9), as well as midweek wins over Purdue (Mar. 28) and Indiana (Apr. 4) and winning two of three games at UIC (Mar. 31-Apr. 2).

The 10-game stretch has been highlighted by strong play from both the ISU hitters and pitching staff. The Sycamores have combined to hit .290 from the plate over the last 10 games with six lineup regulars hitting .300 or better. The ISU pitching staff has also posted a 3.00 ERA over the stretch with a 73:27 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

The emergence of the big bats from Randal Diaz (.385, 3 HR) and Mike Sears (5 HR, 9 RBI, 12 R) has highlighted Indiana State during the stretch. Seth Gergely (.359), Luis Hernandez (.353), Josue Urdaneta (.341), Adam Pottinger (.320), and Keegan Watson (.303) have also been on fire at the plate recently. Hernandez and Gergely have both reached base safely in all 10 games over the stretch, while Josue Urdaneta boasts a nine-game hitting streak coming into Tuesday night.

More recently, the Sycamores put together a trio of complete game efforts this weekend against Illinois State to improve to 8-1 in Missouri Valley play. The record marks ISU’s best start to conference play since the 1998 season (12-1) and just the third time in program history the Sycamores have won their first three conference series (2023, 2012, 1998).

The ISU pitching staff turned in one of their best weekends to date this season against the Redbirds. Seven pitchers combined to post a 1.93 ERA over the 28.0 innings pitched on the mound. The Sycamores posted a 21:5 strikeout to walk ratio and allowed just one extra-base hit over the series in ISU’s first sweep over the Redbirds since 2017.

Indiana State enters the week leading the Missouri Valley teams in RPI as the Sycamores remained inside the top-35 for the fifth consecutive week. ISU (28) is one of three MVC teams inside the top 100 including Evansville (72) and Southern Illinois (86).

ISU also continues to boast the nation’s toughest non-conference strength of schedule through April 10. ISU has played or is scheduled to play against top-50 RPI opponents in Kentucky (1), Vanderbilt (7), Miami (16), Indiana (17), Missouri (24), and Northeastern (36). The Sycamores also have faced off against or will take on Florida Gulf Coast (56), Iowa (57), Michigan State (58), Evansville (72), Ball State (82), Southern Illinois (86), and Illinois (87) in the 2023 season.

Seth Gergely is Indiana State’s top batter coming into the week as the redshirt senior is hitting a team-best .340 on the season through the first 30 games. Luis Hernandez (.302) is also hitting above .300 on the season with a team-best eight doubles. Mike Sears (10) and Randal Diaz (6) have been the team’s power bats at the plate on the year, while Sears also boasts a team-best 26 RBI on the season.

Hernandez enters the week on a 23-game on-base streak equaling the mark set by teammate Mike Sears earlier this season. The duo became just the fourth ISU pair to post 20-plus game on-base streaks in the same season and first since 2018 (Romero Harris – 31, Jarrod Watson – 22).

Over the weekend, Sears and Gergely reached double-digits in two different statistical categories in 2023. Sears became the first Sycamore to post 10 home runs in a single season since Max Wright conneted on 16 in 2021. Gergely was the first Sycamore to reach 10 stolen bases in a single season since Jordan Schaffer swiped 11 also in the 2021 season.

Sixteen different Indiana State pitchers have seen time on the mound this year with the Sycamores boasting a team 4.96 ERA and a 264:117 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Matt Jachec, Connor Fenlong, Cameron Holycross, and Jared Spencer have all recorded three wins in the 2023 season to lead ISU’s staff, while Holycross (0.40 ERA) and Lane Miller (2.57 ERA) are the staff’s ERA leaders. Jachec (46) and Spencer (34) are the strikeout leaders.

The Sycamores continue to be elite defensively. Indiana State entered the week seventh in the NCAA and first in the MVC in fielding percentage. The Sycamores are fielding at a .984 clip on the season with three players posting perfect 1.000 percentages with at least 20 chances, while three others are fielding at .990 or higher.

Scouting the Opposition

Purdue Boilermakers

Purdue enters the midweek contest with a 14-16 overall record on the year following their weekend series win at Minnesota. The Boilermakers took the first two games of the series against the Golden Gophers before falling in Sunday’s finale. Purdue currently is 3-3 overall at home in 2023 with wins over Northern Illinois and Northwestern (twice), while falling to UIC, Evansville, and Northwestern at Alexander Field.

Evan Albrecht (.362), Paul Toetz (.313), and Jake Jarvis (.313) lead a Purdue offense that is explosive at the plate with a team batting average of .276 through their first 29 games. Albrecht is the team leader with 38 hits and seven doubles on the year, while Toetz (8 HR, 33 RBI) and Jarvis (8 HR, 27 RBI) are the team power threats so far. Couper Cornblum and Mike Bolton Jr. are the team’s base stealing threats with 15 stolen bases apiece.

Purdue’s pitching staff has posted a team 4.99 ERA on the season with 14 different arms making appearances on the mound in 2023. The Boilermakers feature seven different pitchers who have made starts on the mound this season. Purdue’s staff has posted a 214:127 strikeout-to-walk ratio on the year and allowed opponents to hit .261 from the plate.

Purdue was not ranked among the six teams picked in the Big Ten preseason poll. Albrecht, Mike Bolton Jr. (OF), and Cam Thompson (1B/OF) were all selected to the preseason Big Ten All-Conference team. Albrecht and Bolton teamed up for 50 stolen bases last season, helping Purdue lead the Big Ten (116) in 2022 while eclipsing a program record that had stood since 2000. Thompson was the team’s primary run producer in the heart of the lineup, leading the way with a 13 home runs and 56 RBI while producing a 1.031 OPS.

Purdue’s 2023 schedule features several Missouri Valley teams with the Boilermakers already traveling to Evansville (Mar. 17-19) and hosting UIC (Mar. 21) and Evansville (Apr. 4). In addition to the home-and-home series with Indiana State, the Boilermakers will host Valparaiso (Apr. 25) and travel to UIC (May 10) this season. So far in 2023 Purdue is 0-5 against MVC schools.

Indiana State – Purdue History

Indiana State leads the all-times series over Purdue 45-31-2 dating back to the inaugural contest between the teams back on April 26, 1902. Purdue won the initial contest played in West Lafayette, 7-0. ISU’s first win in the series came back in 1963 with an 8-3 win in Terre Haute on April 13 that year. The Sycamores are 19-13-1 all-time in West Lafayette. The Sycamores have won their last five contests against Purdue dating back to 2018.

Last Season at Purdue

Indiana State won its lone matchup at Purdue in the 2022 season taking the 10-6 win in 10 innings at Alexander Field. The Sycamores scored eight unanswered runs after the sixth inning, including four in the go-ahead 10th frame to top the Boilermakers. Seth Gergely was the key with the go-ahead RBI double in the 10th, while Joey Hurth went the final two innings in taking the win.

Sycamores against the Big Ten

The Sycamores enter the Tuesday night game with a 3-4 mark against the Big Ten this season. Indiana State topped Illinois (7-3) in extra innings in Champaign back on March 15. ISU added up with a pair of home wins over Purdue (Mar. 28) and Indiana (Apr. 4) and boast a two-game winning streak against the conference. The Sycamores still have a home game against Illinois on the schedule for May 2. ISU went 5-5 against the Big Ten last season with wins over Minnesota (twice), Illinois, Purdue, and Michigan.

INDIANA STATE MEN’S BASKETBALL

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State men’s basketball head coach Josh Schertz announced Monday the signing of transfer Isaiah Swope out of the University of Southern Indiana.

Swope is a 5-10 incoming junior guard from Newburgh, Ind. who capped his sophomore season at USI with First Team All-OVC honors and Second Team NABC All-District recognition. He put up a career-high 28 points on 8-of-9 shooting from three against the Sycamores on Dec. 11 this past season.

“Isaiah has a rare combination of quickness along with elite shooting and savvy, which allows him to excel both as a scorer and a shot creator for his teammates. His ability to get his own shot or get his shoulders by and touch paint at any time will give our offense a completely different dynamic,” said Coach Schertz. “Just as importantly, he’s a perfect cultural fit. Isaiah is obsessed with honing his craft and improving, loves competition, and prioritizes team success over anything individual.”

Swope played in all 33 games for the Eagles in 2022-23 with 31 starts, and he notched double-figure scoring in 25 of those contests. He led USI with 15.6 points and 3.5 assists per game while averaging 20.4 points per game in his last 10 outings.

He started 11 games in 26 appearances as a freshman with 8.2 points per game and dished out a career-high 10 assists against the University of Illinois Springfield that season.

He lettered in basketball and football at Castle High School in Newburgh, Ind. and earned the Southern Indiana Athletic Conference Player of the Year award in 2021. Swope was named All-State after averaging 22.2 points, 3.9 assists, and 3.8 rebounds per contest as a senior. He was named honorable mention All-State as a junior and became the seventh player all-time at Castle to score over 1,000 points during his career.

INDIANA STATE SOFTBALL

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State softball will welcome Evansville back to Price Field on Tuesday, April 11 for a midweek Missouri Valley Conference game with first pitch set for 4 p.m. ET.

The Sycamores (19-19, 8-5) dropped their recent series to UNI but handed the Panthers their first conference loss with a 6-4 victory on Saturday. Lauren Sackett threw a complete game and tied her career-high with 11 strikeouts in the contest.

The visiting Purple Aces (19-19, 5-8) took two out of three games from Southern Illinois over the weekend including a 2-0 shutout on Sunday to clinch the series.

Scouting Evansville

Jenna Nink leads Evansville with a .300 average at the plate and has 18 RBI on the year. Jess Willsey leads the Aces with five home runs as well as a team-high 30 hits. As a team, Evansville leads the MVC with 12 triples.

Purple Aces reliever Megan Brenton leads the MVC with a 1.11 ERA in 50.2 innings pitched. She’s recorded a league-best five saves and has 50 strikeouts on the year. Sydney Weatherford has a 2.68 ERA in 20 appearances. Weatherford started against the Sycamores on April 4 and allowed just one run in 4.1 innings of work.

Scouting the Sycamores

Isabella Henning has been the Sycamores top hitter, currently batting .409 which is second among all MVC players. Henning leads ISU with 45 hits including 10 doubles and four home runs. She hit a two-run walk-off home run to defeat Evansville 3-2 in extra innings on April 4.

Second on the team in hits and average is Kennedy Shade who has racked up 33 hits with a .351 average so far this season. Shade is a perfect 4-for-4 on stolen bases and has driven in 18 runs. Shade tied an Indiana State single-game record with three doubles against UIC on March 20.

Annie Tokarek leads the Sycamore offense with 25 RBI and is batting .280 on the season. She’s hit three home runs this season, giving her 25 for her career which is tied for second-most all time at ISU.

Olivia Patton is tied with Shade for the second-most hits with 33. Patton is batting .273 and has seven multi-hit games on the season. She also has five stolen bases on the season.

In the circle for ISU, Lexi Benko leads the pitching staff with a 2.43 ERA and a 8-6 record. She’s recorded four complete games and has 64 strikeouts this season.

Cassi Newbanks is 4-5 on the season with a 2.96 ERA, recording two complete games and 31 strikeouts.

Lauren Sackett has a 3.40 ERA on the year and leads the ISU staff with 79 strikeouts. Sackett has recorded seven or more strikeouts in five different appearances.

Hailey Griffin is 3-1 in 16 relief appearances with a 3.35 ERA. She’s recorded 24 strikeouts in 37.2 innings of work.

Up Next

Indiana State will travel to Belmont for a three-game road MVC series beginning Friday, April 14 at 6 p.m. ET at E.S. Rose Park in Nashville.

PURDUE FT. WAYNE SOFTBALL

FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The Horizon League-leading Purdue Fort Wayne softball team will look to extend its nine-game winning streak this week with Cleveland State coming to the Summit City on Tuesday and Wednesday (April 11-12).

Game Day Information

Who: Cleveland State Vikings

When: Tuesday, April 11-Wednesday April 10 | Single game at 3:30 PM on Tuesday, Doubleheader at 1 PM on Wednesday

Where: Fort Wayne, Ind. | Purdue Fort Wayne Softball Field

Know Your Foe

Cleveland State is 9-23 and 5-3 in the Horizon League this season and has won five of its last six games. The Vikings won the series against Northern Kentucky with 10-0 and 4-2 wins, then swept Detroit Mercy with a combined score of 18-0. Melissa Holzopfel won two games in 14.0 innings pitched and struck out 27 Titans in the series. Jenna Deang is batting a team-best .292.

Series History

The Vikings have an 11-7 edge over the Mastodons in the series history with a 5-3 edge in Fort Wayne. The series dates back to 2004, but had a 10-year hiatus between 2008 and 2018. The two teams split the series 2-2 in 2021 and CSU won last year’s edition 2-1.

On a Streak

Purdue Fort Wayne is currently on a nine-game winning streak for the first time since 2014, which saw the Mastodons win 11 in a row. This includes three-game series sweeps against Detroit Mercy and IUPUI, the former of which was the first series sweep for the Mastodons since 2014. The 11 wins in a row in 2014 stands as the longest winning streak in program history.

Notes From the Streak

In the last nine games…

• Tori Countryman is batting .550

• Taryn Jenkins is batting .469, slubbing .813 with 15 hits, five doubles and two home runs

• Grace Hollopeter is batting .464

• Sonia Solis has 12 RBIs

• Gracie Brinkerhoff has a 0.71 ERA with 18 strikeouts

• Alanah Jones has 45 strikeouts in 26.2 innings pitched and a 1.43 ERA

• The Mastodons are 30-for-32 in stolen bases

Leading the League

Purdue Fort Wayne is leading the Horizon League with…

• 0.50 home runs per game

• .355 slugging percentage

• 1.69 stolen bases per game

• 2.19 strikeout-to-walk ratio

Graced By Her Presence

Grace Hollopeter is the only freshman in the Horizon League to be named Player of the Week twice this year (Feb. 21, April 4). She is also the only Mastodon player in the program’s Division I history to be named Player of the Week twice as a freshman.

oK Queen!

Alanah Jones is leading the Horizon League with 110 strikeouts this season. This mark is also top-55 nationally. Her 7.5 strikeouts per seven innings is just outside the top-100 nationally.

Last Time Out

The Mastodons went 3-0 against IUPUI last weekend, picking up 3-1, 9-5 and 4-1 wins. Tori Countryman was 5-for-6 against the Jaguars in the last two games.

Next Time Up

The ‘Dons will hit the road to play Robert Morris this weekend (Friday-Saturday, April 14-15) for a three-game series.

PURDUE FT. WAYNE BASEBALL

FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The Mastodon baseball team will play the Beacons and Flyers this week in non-league play.

Game Day Information

Who: Purdue Fort Wayne (8-24) at Valparaiso (10-14)

When: Tuesday, April 11 | 3 p.m.

Where: Valparaiso, Ind. | Emory G. Bauer Field

Weather: 74 degrees, partly cloudy

Live Stats:Link

Watch: ESPN+

Series History: Valparaiso leads 20-16

Probable Starters:

Purdue Fort Wayne: RHP Rex Stills (0-4)

Valparaiso: RHP Kaleb Krier (0-0)

Scouting the Beacons: Nolan Tucker leads the team in hitting at a .358 mark. The Beacons have a 6.51 team ERA. Nathan Chasey has a team-best two saves on the year with a 2.83 ERA.

Who: Purdue Fort Wayne (8-24) at Dayton (9-21)

When: Wednesday, April 12 | 3 p.m.

Where: Dayton, Ohio | Woerner Field at AES Ohio Stadium

Weather: 76 degrees, partly cloudy

Live Stats:Link

Watch: ESPN+

Series History: Dayton leads 14-3.

Probable Starters:

Purdue Fort Wayne: RHP Enas Hayden (0-2)

Dayton: TBD

Scouting the Dayton: The Flyers are 4-2 in Atlantic 10 play. They have won a series at George Washington and a series at George Mason. Ben Jones has a team-best 1.072 OPS with six home runs on the season. They have a team ERA of 6.57.

Return of the SAC:Dylan Stewart is second in the league in sacrifice bunts with six.

Back in Black:Braedon Blackford owns a Horizon League-best 10 home runs. He is fourth in slugging (.588), fourth in runs (28) and fifth in RBIs (28).

Double-Digits:Braedon Blackford’s 10 home runs has him tied for seventh in program history for home runs in a season. The all-time single season record is Shaun VanDriessche’s 18 in 2010.

Cade Gets on Base:Cade Nelis is 10th in the league with a team-best .433 on-base percentage. He is tied for second in the league in walks with 23. He enters the week with a current 13-game on-base streak.

Strong Up The Middle:Cade Nelis has only two errors on the season, for a .985 fielding percentage. The starting second baseman has turned 16 double plays.

Masto-Slams:  The ‘Dons hit grand slams in back-to-back games against Northern Kentucky. On March 24 Ben Higgins hit a grand slam and then in game one on March 26 Jarrett Bickel hit a game-tying grand slam in the seventh inning of a 9-5 win.

Record Within Striking Distance:  The 2023 season is Justin Miller’s fifth as a Mastodon. Miller owns 194 career strikeouts, the second most in program history for a career. He will look to pass Jason Horvath (2001-04) for the most in program history this season. Horvath recorded 210 strikeouts.

Save X4: Four different Mastodons have recorded a save this season. Brody Fine, Mac Ayres, JD Deany and Justin Miller own saves for the ‘Dons.

‘Dons Dig The Long Ball: Eight different Mastodons have hit a home run this season.

Turn It!: The Mastodons are 16th in the nation in double plays turned with 28 this season.

Multi-verse: 13 different Mastodons have had a multi-hit game this season.

Hey Batter Batter (of the Week): Braedon Blackford hit .429 and slugged 1.357 with four home runs in 14 at bats over four games played in Winston-Salem, N.C. (March 3-5). He also recorded one double, seven RBIs, five runs scored, two walks and 19 total bases to earn the Horizon League Batter of the Week honor.

Hey Batter Batter (of the Week) X2: Ben HIggins was named the Horizon League Batter of the Week on April 4 for his play the prior weekend. His play was highlighted by his thee home run performance at Youngstown State on March 31). Higgins was the first Mastodon to hit three big flys in a game since 2016.

D1Baseball Top 30:Braedon Blackford was named a Top 30 Hitter of the day for his two-run home run game vs. Cornell. He was ranked No. 11. JD Deany was selected as a Top 30 pitcher for his five shutout innings vs. Cornell. Ben Higgins was named the No. 3 hitter of the day by DIBaseball.com for his three dinger day against Youngstown State.

EVANSVILLE SOFTBALL

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – One week after dropping a 3-2 extra-inning game at Indiana State, the University of Evansville softball team looks to even the season series with a 3 p.m. CT game on Tuesday in Terre Haute.

Last Tuesday, the Purple Aces and Sycamores went into extra innings with the game knotted at 1-1. In the top of the ninth, Jess Willsey hit a solo home run to give her squad the lead, but the bottom of the frame saw the Sycamores hit a 2-run shot to pick up the 3-2 win.

Friday’s series against Southern Illinois was a struggle for the Purple Aces as the Salukis took a 17-1 victory in five innings. In those five frames, SIU accumulated 17 runs on 14 hits. Following the performance, the Aces made sure it would not happen again. Over the ensuing 14 innings of the series, Evansville held the Salukis to just three runs on 16 hits. After averaging 3.4 runs per inning on Friday, SIU was held to just 0.21 runs/frame in the final two games. UE responded with two clutch performances to take the series and deal SIU just their sixth and seventh losses of 2023.

Highlighted by one of the most impressive performances of her career, Jess Willsey batted .444 over the last week while leading the Aces to a series victory over Southern Illinois. The freshman registered four hits in nine at-bats while picking up five RBI, two runs, two walks, two doubles and a home run. In the opener for the week at Indiana State, Willsey went 1-3 with a walk and home run. Her homer in the top of the ninth inning temporarily gave UE the lead.

Saturday’s game against the Salukis was arguably her top collegiate performance. She was a perfect 3-for-3 with four RBI and two doubles in a 4-3 win over SIU. Willsey drove in all four runs in the win. On Sunday, she reached on a walk and scored what would be the game-winning run to clinch the series.

The Missouri Valley Conference leader in saves and ERA put together another solid week as she made appearances in three of the Purple Aces’ four contests. Brenton tossed a total of eight innings and accumulated eight strike outs and two saves. Brenton opened the week with four innings of relief at Indiana State.

She allowed two earned runs. In the two victories over Southern Illinois, Brenton recorded a save in each one. Saturday saw her throw two frames while striking out two batters. She gave up just one hit. Sunday’s series-clinching victory saw Brenton throw two more scoreless innings while allowing one hit and fanning two batters.

Following their win last Tuesday, Indiana State dropped two out of three games in their home series versus Northern Iowa.

EVANSVILLE BASEBALL

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The University of Evansville baseball team will put the nation’s longest road winning streak on the line on Tuesday night, as the Purple Aces will travel to Bowling Green, Kentucky to take on the Western Kentucky University Hilltoppers. First-pitch is set for 6 p.m. and Tuesday’s game can be heard live in the Tri-State area on 107.1 FM-WJPS and the Old National Bank/Purple Aces Sports Network from Learfield.

Evansville will bring a 19-12 overall record into Tuesday night’s game. The Purple Aces have won eight-straight road contests dating back to a 2-0 loss at Middle Tennessee State on March 10. The eight-game road winning streak is the longest active road winning streak in Division I baseball.

Evansville will also be looking for its third-straight win overall, after the Purple Aces got a walk-off home run by graduate outfielder Eric Roberts in the bottom of the ninth inning on Sunday to post a 4-3 victory over Valparaiso. For Roberts, it was his Missouri Valley Conference-leading 13th home run of the year, as he continues to lead the Valley in both home runs (13) and RBI (38). It also marked the fourth-straight Sunday in which Roberts has homered, and overall, he has eight of his 13 home runs on Sundays this year.

Fifth-year first baseman Chase Hug continues to lead UE in hitting, as he will bring a .397 average into Tuesday night’s game. Hug has excelled in mid-week action this year, as he has hit a team-best .448, while posting a .600 on-base percentage in UE’s seven mid-week games this year. Junior shortstop Simon Scherry also bats above .300 this season for UE, as he will bring a .311 average into Tuesday’s game. He has reached base safely in 12-straight games.

Western Kentucky will bring a 16-17 overall record into Tuesday’s action, after getting swept in a three-game Conference USA series by Middle Tennessee State over the weekend. The Hilltoppers will be trying to snap an eight-game losing streak on Tuesday. Offensively, WKU ranks third in C-USA with a .290 team batting average, and they rank 20th in the country with 72 doubles. Grad transfer infielder Drew Reckart currently paces the WKU attack with a .360 average, 13 doubles and 24 RBI.

Roberts will actually make his first career start on the mound for UE on Tuesday. He has not pitched this year, after appearing in eight games on the mound last season. He is expected to be opposed by sophomore LHP Cal Higgins (0-1, 11.12 ERA) for WKU. Evansville won a wild 9-8 game in Bowling Green last March, as Hug capped a five-run ninth-inning rally by UE with a game-winning three-run home run.

SOUTHERN INDIANA BASEBALL

EVANSVILLE, Ind. — University of Southern Indiana Baseball finishes a four-game homestand Tuesday when it hosts Saint Louis University for a 6 p.m. contest at the USI Baseball Field. Links to follow USI versus Saint Louis Tuesday can be found on the Eagles’ baseball schedule at USIScreamingEagles.com.

USI Baseball Notes:

Eagles snap losing streak: The USI Screaming Eagles were 1-2 last week overall and in the OVC. USI lost the opener (13-4) and the series finale (14-2) with Southeast Missouri State University, while taking the middle game (9-6).

Leading at the plate last week: Junior outfielder Gavin McLarty led USI last week at the plate, hitting .571 (4-7) with a run scored, a double, and five RBIs.

Leading hitters: Sophomore outfielder Drew Taylor leads USI this season with a .349 batting average (15-43). Freshman infielder Caleb Niehaus follows with a .314 batting average (37-118), while junior first baseman Tucker Ebest has a team-best 26 RBIs and five home runs.

Three hitting .400 over the last 5: Junior infielder Jack Ellis (6-15), junior infielder Tucker Ebest (4-10), and junior outfielder Gavin McLarty (4-10) are the hottest Eagles over the last five games, hitting .400 each. Ellis also is hitting .385 over the last 10 games (10-26) with a home run and seven RBIs.

McNew climbing the USI All-Time charts: Senior catcher/infielder Lucas McNew is sixth all-time at USI in home runs (21); eighth in RBIs (146) and 10th in doubles (45).

In OVC Play: In the nine games of OVC action, junior infielder Jack Ellis leads USI with a .348 average (8-23) with three doubles, a triple, a home run, and five RBIs. Junior outfielder Gavin McLarty has knocked in a team-high eight RBIs.

Saint Louis in 2023: Saint Louis University enters Tuesday’s game with an 18-11 overall record, 5-1 in the Atlantic Conference. The Billikins are 9-7 since USI snapped their 10-game winning streak in March.

USI vs. SLU: USI won the only meeting in March, winning 10-2 in St. Louis.

VALPO SOFTBALL

Valparaiso (4-28, 1-12 MVC)

April 11 – at Northern Illinois (17-17, 8-6 MVC) – 2 p.m. DH

April 14 – at Bradley (10-31, 2-12 MVC) – 5 p.m. | April 15 – at Bradley – 2 p.m. | April 16 – at Bradley – noon

Next Up in Valpo Softball: Five games are on the docket this week for the Valpo softball program. The Beacons will step away from Valley play for the final time on Tuesday afternoon as they travel to Northern Illinois for a doubleheader, and return to MVC action this weekend with a road series at Bradley.

Previously: Valpo earned its first Valley win of the campaign in midweek action last week at UIC before dropping three games over the weekend at Murray State.

Looking Ahead: Valpo hosts four games next week, bringing in UIC next Wednesday and welcoming Drake for the weekend series April 21-23.

Following Valpo Softball: Tuesday’s doubleheader will have a live video stream through NIU All-Access. Only the Sunday game of the series at Bradley will be broadcast (ESPN+). All games will have live stats available.

Head Coach Meaggan Pettipiece: Meaggan Pettipiece was hired in September 2022 as head coach of the Valpo softball program. Pettipiece brings over a decade of experience as a collegiate head coach, most recently the last three seasons at the Division I level at Akron. Prior to her time at Akron, Pettipiece spent three seasons as an assistant coach at Kent State and was head coach at Northwood for 10 years. Pettipiece, who owns 254 career coaching victories, was an All-American on the diamond and helped California University of Pennsylvania to a D-II national title in 1998 collegiately before playing internationally for Team Canada, including at the 2000 Summer Olympics.

Series Notes: Northern Illinois – A series which dates back to 1985, NIU holds the 30-14 advantage in the all-time series with Valpo. The Huskies took the last meeting by a 9-3 final on April 14, 2021.

Bradley – Valpo is 6-11 all-time against the Braves, including a 5-7 mark since joining the Valley. The Braves swept three games in Valpo last season by scores of 4-2, 10-6 and 4-3. Lauren Kehlenbrink hit a home run in all three games of the series.

Scouting the Opposition: Northern Illinois – The Huskies enter Tuesday’s twinbill with a 17-17 overall record and are 8-6 in MAC play after taking two of three from Kent State last weekend. Three NIU hitters hit above .300, led by Kelly Walinski, who is hitting .370 and tied for team-high honors with 20 RBIs. In the circle, NIU is led by Danielle Stewart – younger sister of former Valpo standout Sam – who boasts a 7-8 record and a 3.30 ERA with 66 strikeouts in 89 innings.

Bradley – The Braves enter the week at 10-31 overall and 2-12 in Valley play, in search of their first win since March 19. Lauren DeRolf is hitting a team-best .345 and leads BU with 27 runs scored. Grace French has pitched nearly half the innings for the Braves and has a 4.60 ERA.

Sticking to the Schedule: It took nearly a month into Valley play for Valpo to play a weekend series as originally scheduled, with one game apiece Friday, Saturday and Sunday last weekend at Murray State. Each of the first three weekends of action were split between Friday and Sunday, with Valpo’s last game on Saturday prior to last weekend coming way back on March 11.

Big Early Hits: Senior Lauren Kehlenbrink came up with a pair of big early hits last week. On Tuesday at UIC, Kehlenbrink connected on a 2-run homer in the first inning which stood as Valpo’s lone runs of the game in a 2-1 win. The homer was the second of the season for Kehlenbrink and the ninth of her career. Then, in the series opener at Murray State on Friday, Kehlenbrink delivered a first-inning RBI triple – the first triple of her career. She is now just two RBIs shy of 50 for her career.

Seib Goes the Distance: Senior pitcher Easton Seib needed no more run support following Kehlenbrink’s two-run homer Tuesday at UIC, limiting the Flames to just a sole run and scattering six hits while walking none in earning the complete-game win. The 18th complete game of her career, it was the fourth time in the last two years she had gone the distance while not walking a single batter.

Strong Week: Seib’s performance against UIC started off a strong week for the senior. She appeared in all three games of the Murray State series, starting once, in addition to her victory at UIC. She posted a 2.44 ERA over 14.1 innings of work spanning those four appearances, walking just two batters on the week.

Reaching Base: Junior Alexis Johnson reached base a team-high five times last week in 12 plate appearances. She opened the week by going 2-for-4 in the victory at UIC, the sixth multi-hit game of her career. On the flip side, she ended the week by reaching base twice Sunday at Murray State after being moved to the leadoff spot in the order, picking up a base hit and being hit by a pitch. Johnson leads the team in batting average and slugging percentage in MVC-only play this season.

INDIANAPOLIS MEN’S LAX

BALTIMORE, Md. – The UIndy men’s lacrosse team held steady at No. 4 in the latest USILA national poll, announced on Monday afternoon.

It is the 29th consecutive week that the Hounds have been ranked in the organization’s top 10.

Last Saturday, UIndy earned a 15-11 league win over Maryville to end its regular-season home slate. Drew Billig was voted the GLVC Offensive Player of the Week earlier on Monday, totaling six points against the Saints.

Le Moyne topped the DII poll, with Adelphi and Mercyhurst rounding out the top three. The Greyhounds defeated Mercyhurst back on March 18.

INDIANAPOLIS WLAX

INDIANAPOLIS – UIndy junior attacker Megan Dunn has been named the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) Offensive Players of the Week in women’s lacrosse, it was announced by the league office Monday.

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Megan Dunn, #6 UIndy

Jr. | A | Highlands Ranch, Colo.

Major: Sport Management

Team Result: 19-4 W at McKendree (4/6) | 15-14 W at #19 Maryville (4/8)

Tallied 11 points on six goals and five assists in pair of GLVC wins

Had two goals and as many assists against 19th-ranked Maryville, including game-winning helper with 11.8 seconds left

Scored four times with three assists against McKendree

Added one ground ball

Earns first career Offensive Player of the Week Award

Last Greyhounds’ Offensive Player of the Week: Anna Ziemba (3/27/23)

NORTHBOROUGH, Ma. – The UIndy women’s lacrosse team (12-2, 3-0 GLVC) remains at No. 6 in the recently updated ILWomen/IWLCA rankings, officials announced on Monday.

The Hounds earned 382 points from coaches throughout the country and members of the media. West Chester holds the top spot while Pace, Regis (CO), Tampa, and Florida Southern sit in second through fifth, respectively.

In the USA Lacrosse Magazine rankings, the Greyhounds are up to No. 4.

UIndy returns to action on Friday to battle Rockhurst in Kansas City, Mo. Action is set for 4 p.m. ET.

*Rank*	*Institution*	*Points (FPV)*	*Last Poll*
1	West Chester (11 – 0)	496 (16)	1
2	Pace (10 – 1)	484 (4)	2
3	Regis (CO) (11 – 0)	451	3
4	Tampa (12 – 2)	439	5
5	Florida Southern (11 – 2)	425	4
6	*UIndy (12 – 2)*	*382*	6
7	Le Moyne (9 – 2)	371	8
8	Rollins (12 – 1)	369	7
9	Adelphi (8 – 3)	348	9
10	Wingate (12 – 2)	301	10
11	Flagler (12 – 1)	282	11
12	East Stroudsburg (10 – 2)	251	12
13	Embry-Riddle (11 – 2)	240	18
14	Maryville (13 – 1)	230	19
15	Mercy (6 – 5)	207	15
16	Lynn (10 – 4)	203	13
17	Bentley (7 – 4)	192	14
18	Grand Valley (7 – 4)	172	17
19	Saint Anselm (9 – 1)	162	21
20	Assumption (5 – 5)	114	16
21	Saint Leo (9 – 4)	106	20
22	New Haven (5 – 5)	66	22
23	Seton Hill (9 – 3)	65	23
24	Southern New Hampshire (7 – 4)	46	24
25	Mount Olive (8 – 4)	24	25

INDIANAPOLIS BASEBALL

INDIANAPOLIS – University of Indianapolis graduate pitcher Brady Ware has been named the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) pitcher of the week, it was announced by the league office Monday.

PITCHER OF THE WEEK

Brady Ware, Indianapolis

Gr. | LHP | Poway, Calif.

Major: Mathematics

Team Results: 9-1 W vs. Drury (4/6) | 8-7 W (7 inn.), 14-0 W (7) vs. Drury (4/7) | 3-6 L vs. Drury (4/8)

Made baseball history as the first player (professional and collegiate) ever to throw a no-hitter and hit for the cycle in the same game

Struck out 11 batters and walked five

Contributed six hits and seven RBIs on offense in series win over Drury

Hit for the cycle in reverse order (home run, triple, double, single)

Earns first career Pitcher of the Week Award

Last Greyhounds’ Pitcher of the Week: Xavier Rivas (3/28/22)

MARIAN SOFTBALL

INDIANAPOLIS – The Marian softball team split with Spring Arbor on Monday afternoon, falling 2-0 in game one before returning the favor in game two 4-0. The game one loss snapped the Knights’ 27-game win streak, making their record 28-2 overall and 17-1 in Crossroads League play.

Game 1 | Marian 0-2 Spring Arbor

Spring Arbor got out to a hot start with a double in left center to start the hitting. The Cougars would score their first one after a single to right field sent in Emmalee Hamp who hit the double previously. Olivia Stunkel stayed poised and struck out the next two batters to get out of the inning, trailing 1-0.

The Marian offense came out flat to start with Jenna Minnix registering the only hit in the bottom of the first inning. Minnix would then steal to reach second before Grace Meyer walked to put two runners on for the Knights. However, the Knights were unable to execute as they left two stranded.

Both pitchers worked quick in the next two innings as both Stunkel and Hamp went three up three down. Abby Madere gave the Knights a chance in the bottom of the fourth with her single to right field, advancing Hayley Greene on the play who walked before. Runners were left on once again for Marian to still trail 1-0.

A homerun by the Cougars increased their lead to 2-0 in the top of the sixth, before retiring the next three batters for the Knights in the bottom half to the inning to hold the two-run lead going into the final inning.

Stunkel put her team in a good position as she only faced three batters in the top half of the seventh to give her team a chance to get the bats going to tie or win the game. Back-to-back singles from Madere and Mackenzie Dalton, and a single by Brooke Knox put Marian in a good position with bases loaded. Spring Arbor was able to hold off the threat by the Knights as they put away the next batter to win 2-0.

Madere led the Knights with two hits, while Minnix, Dalton, and Knox each recorded one hit. Stunkel pitched all seven innings, giving up two runs and six hits.

Game 2 | Marian 4-0 Spring Arbor

Spring Arbor picked up their bats where they left off as they got bases loaded to start inning one, but Sydney Wilson and the Marian defense got out of the inning unharmed. The Knights got on the scoreboard first to start game two as Savannah Harweger singled to left center, before stealing second to get in a good position. Minnix hit the sacrifice bunt to advance Harweger to third, before a fielder’s choice allowed her to score to put the Knights up 1-0.

Greene and Madere continued Marian’s offense in the bottom of the second, while Knox hit the double to send both runners home. Wilson went one-two-three with the Cougars in the next two innings to allow the 3-0 Marian lead to hold.

Marian tacked on another run in the bottom half of the fourth inning with a Norman RBI single. The Knights registered two more hits in the game before Wilson finished off the Cougars in the top of the seventh by striking out the final two batters.

Wilson continued her success in the circle, recording her 12th win of the season after recording five strikeouts and gave up no runs in Marian’s 4-0 win. Harweger and Knox both posted two hits in the Knights’ eight total hits, while four others recorded one hit. Norman and Madere each picked up two RBI, while Harweger scored two runs for the Knights, and Madere and Greene each scored one.

Jackson, Mich. – Following the Knights undefeated week that drove their winning streak to 27 consecutive games, sports information directors in the Crossroads League voted on the CL Pitcher and Player of the Week, with Olivia Stunkel and Savannah Harweger bringing home the honors for the Knights softball team. Stunkel claimed her Pitcher of the Week honor this season, while Harweger was tabbed as the Player of the Week for the second time.

The Marian senior Harweger batted a whopping .682 on the week en route to winning Player of the Week, which included a 5-7 twin bill against No. 6 Indiana Wesleyan. The lead-off batter had 15 hits with one homer and five RBI, walking twice and stealing three bases. Harweger’s 25-game hitting streak was snapped in game one against Taylor, but the senior was able to extend her on-base streak to 29 consecutive games as the top team in the CL extended their win-streak to 27 straight.

Stunkel was practically untouchable on the week, as the sophomore earned Pitcher of the Week for a fourth time as she went 4-0 in the circle, going 3-0 as a starter and 1-0 out of the pen. Stunkel did not allow a single run on the week and just four total hits, matching four walks in four games. Striking out 20 total batters in 19.0 innings, Stunkel shutout then No. 6 IWU allowing two bunt singles, shutout Taylor in three innings, and one-hit St. Francis in a complete game before winning the second game in extras out of relief, entering the game with a go-ahead run standing on second and no outs.

After taking on Spring Arbor Monday afternoon, the Knights will be on the road for the remainder of the week, first traveling to Grace College on Tuesday for a 3 p.m. doubleheader.

MARIAN MEN’S TENNIS

JACKSON, Mich. – Marian Junior Mark Griffin earned Crossroads League Tennis Player of the Week honor as announced by the league earlier this afternoon.

Griffin went undefeated in his two matches to help Marian pick up the 6-1 win against Olivet Nazarene last Thursday. The junior won 6-2, 6-2 at No. 1 singles after winning at No. 3 doubles 6-1.

Marian will be action several times this week, kicking off the week on Thursday when they host Lindsey Wilson at 3 p.m.

MARIAN WOMEN’S GOLF

JACKSON, Mich. – For the second consecutive week the Marian women’s golf team has claimed player of the week honors. After taking home the individual medalist at the Midway Eagle Invitational, Sidney Parmer has been named the Crossroads League Golfer of the Week.

Parmer had herself quite the performance at the Midway Eagle Invitational last week, as she picked up her first collegiate win. The junior golfer carded a 76 to sit in a tie for third after day one of the invite, before coming back on day two with a 74 to finish with a 150.

Parmer’s 150 not only led her to the first-place finish, but it also helped guide her team to a first-place finish. The Knights set the 36-hole record, marking back-to-back weeks setting a record.

Marian is back in action on Monday in Noblesville at Indiana Wesleyan’s Sagamore Shootout, followed by IUPUI’s Jaguar Invitational on Saturday and Sunday.

SMALL COLLEGE ATHLETIC SITES:

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

NHL STANDINGS

*Eastern Conference*
	GP	W	L	*OTL*	*Pts*	*ROW*	GF	GA	*Home*	*Road*	*L10*
*1 xyz-Boston Bruins*	80	63	12	5	*131*	59	*295*	*171*	*33-4-3*	*30-8-2*	*9-1-0*
*2 x-Carolina Hurricanes*	80	50	21	9	*109*	46	*256*	*208*	*27-10-3*	*23-11-6*	*4-5-1*
*3 x-New Jersey Devils*	80	50	22	8	*108*	48	*280*	*220*	*23-13-4*	*27-9-4*	*5-4-1*
*4 x-Toronto Maple Leafs*	80	48	21	11	*107*	47	*272*	*217*	*27-8-6*	*21-13-5*	*6-2-2*
*5 x-New York Rangers*	81	47	21	13	*107*	43	*275*	*216*	*23-12-5*	*24-9-8*	*6-1-3*
*6 x-Tampa Bay Lightning*	80	45	29	6	96	42	*275*	*250*	*27-7-5*	*18-22-1*	*3-7-0*
*7 Florida Panthers*	81	42	31	8	92	40	*286*	*267*	*23-12-5*	*19-19-3*	*6-3-1*
*8 New York Islanders*	81	41	31	9	91	40	*239*	*220*	*24-13-3*	*17-18-6*	*5-4-1*

*9 Pittsburgh Penguins*	80	40	30	10	90	39	*258*	*256*	*23-12-5*	*17-18-5*	*6-4-0*
*10 Buffalo Sabres*	79	40	32	7	87	37	*285*	*289*	*16-20-4*	*24-12-3*	*7-2-1*
*11 Ottawa Senators*	81	39	35	7	85	37	*258*	*267*	*24-14-3*	*15-21-4*	*5-3-2*
*12 Detroit Red Wings*	80	35	35	10	80	32	*239*	*270*	*19-17-5*	*16-18-5*	*4-5-1*
*13 Washington Capitals*	80	35	36	9	79	33	*249*	*255*	*18-16-6*	*17-20-3*	*2-6-2*
*14 Philadelphia Flyers*	80	29	38	13	71	27	*213*	*270*	*17-18-5*	*12-20-8*	*3-6-1*
*15 Montreal Canadiens*	80	31	43	6	68	26	*226*	*298*	*17-20-3*	*14-23-3*	*4-6-0*
*16 Columbus Blue Jackets*	79	24	47	8	56	23	*206*	*319*	*15-22-2*	*9-25-6*	*3-6-1*

*Western Conference*
	GP	W	L	*OTL*	*Pts*	*ROW*	GF	GA	*Home*	*Road*	*L10*
*1 x-Vegas Golden Knights*	80	49	22	9	*107*	44	*265*	*227*	*24-15-1*	*25-7-8*	*6-1-3*
*2 x-Colorado Avalanche*	79	49	24	6	*104*	43	*271*	*219*	*21-13-5*	*28-11-1*	*8-2-0*
*3 x-Edmonton Oilers*	80	48	23	9	*105*	48	*318*	*257*	*22-12-6*	*26-11-3*	*9-0-1*
*4 x-Dallas Stars*	80	45	21	14	*104*	41	*279*	*216*	*21-10-9*	*24-11-5*	*7-2-1*
*5 x-Minnesota Wild*	80	46	24	10	*102*	39	*242*	*218*	*25-11-4*	*21-13-6*	*6-2-2*
*6 x-Los Angeles Kings*	81	46	25	10	*102*	40	*275*	*254*	*26-11-4*	*20-14-6*	*5-5-0*
*7 x-Seattle Kraken*	80	46	26	8	*100*	46	*287*	*249*	*20-16-4*	*26-10-4*	*7-2-1*
*8 Winnipeg Jets*	80	45	32	3	93	44	*242*	*220*	*26-13-2*	*19-19-1*	*6-4-0*

*9 Calgary Flames*	81	37	27	17	91	35	*257*	*251*	*19-16-5*	*18-11-12*	*6-2-2*
*10 Nashville Predators*	80	41	31	8	90	35	*222*	*231*	*21-14-4*	*20-17-4*	*5-5-0*
*11 St. Louis Blues*	80	37	36	7	81	34	*261*	*295*	*18-16-6*	*19-20-1*	*6-3-1*
*12 Vancouver Canucks*	80	36	37	7	79	30	*268*	*292*	*19-20-2*	*17-17-5*	*5-3-2*
*13 Arizona Coyotes*	81	28	40	13	69	25	*224*	*294*	*21-15-4*	*7-25-9*	*1-7-2*
*14 San Jose Sharks*	80	22	42	16	60	21	*231*	*313*	*8-22-11*	*14-20-5*	*3-5-2*
*15 Anaheim Ducks*	80	23	45	12	58	20	*204*	*330*	*12-23-4*	*11-22-8*	*0-8-2*
*16 Chicago Blackhawks*	80	25	49	6	56	23	*195*	*294*	*14-23-3*	*11-26-3*	*1-9-0*

Eight teams in each conference qualify for the divisional playoff format. The top three teams from each division make up the first six spots. The two remaining teams with the highest points, regardless of division, qualify for the final two wild card spots.

X – Clinched Playoff Spot, Y – Clinched Division, Z – Clinched Conference

MLB STANDINGS

*American League*
*East*
*Team*	W	L	*Pct*	GB	*Home*	*Road*	*East*	*Central*	*West*	*Last 10*	*Streak*
*Tampa Bay*	10	0	*1.000*	–	*7 – 0*	*3 – 0*	*1 – 0*	*3 – 0*	*3 – 0*	*10 – 0*	*W 10*
*NY Yankees*	6	4	*.600*	4	*4 – 2*	*2 – 2*	*2 – 1*	*0 – 1*	*0 – 0*	*6 – 4*	*L 1*
*Toronto*	6	4	*.600*	4	*0 – 0*	*6 – 4*	*0 – 0*	*3 – 1*	*2 – 1*	*6 – 4*	*W 1*
*Baltimore*	5	5	*.500*	5	*2 – 2*	*3 – 3*	*2 – 4*	*0 – 0*	*3 – 1*	*5 – 5*	*W 1*
*Boston*	5	5	*.500*	5	*2 – 4*	*3 – 1*	*2 – 2*	*3 – 0*	*0 – 0*	*5 – 5*	*L 1*
*Central*
*Team*	W	L	*Pct*	GB	*Home*	*Road*	*East*	*Central*	*West*	*Last 10*	*Streak*
*Cleveland*	7	4	*.636*	–	*2 – 2*	*5 – 2*	*1 – 0*	*0 – 0*	*6 – 4*	*7 – 3*	*W 2*
*Minnesota*	6	4	*.600*	*0.5*	*2 – 2*	*4 – 2*	*0 – 0*	*3 – 1*	*2 – 1*	*6 – 4*	*L 2*
*Chi White Sox*	5	6	*.455*	2	*1 – 2*	*4 – 4*	*0 – 0*	*1 – 0*	*2 – 2*	*4 – 6*	*W 1*
*Kansas City*	3	8	*.273*	4	*1 – 6*	*2 – 2*	*1 – 3*	*0 – 3*	*0 – 1*	*3 – 7*	*L 2*
*Detroit*	2	7	*.222*	4	*0 – 3*	*2 – 4*	*0 – 6*	*0 – 0*	*2 – 1*	*2 – 7*	*L 4*
*West*
*Team*	W	L	*Pct*	GB	*Home*	*Road*	*East*	*Central*	*West*	*Last 10*	*Streak*
*Texas*	6	4	*.600*	–	*5 – 2*	*1 – 2*	*1 – 2*	*1 – 0*	*0 – 0*	*6 – 4*	*W 2*
*LA Angels*	5	5	*.500*	1	*1 – 3*	*4 – 2*	*1 – 2*	*0 – 0*	*4 – 2*	*5 – 5*	*L 2*
*Houston*	5	6	*.455*	*1.5*	*3 – 4*	*2 – 2*	*0 – 0*	*4 – 6*	*0 – 0*	*5 – 5*	*W 2*
*Seattle*	4	7	*.364*	*2.5*	*2 – 5*	*2 – 2*	*0 – 0*	*3 – 4*	*1 – 2*	*3 – 7*	*L 2*
*Oakland*	2	8	*.200*	4	*2 – 4*	*0 – 4*	*0 – 4*	*1 – 2*	*1 – 2*	*2 – 8*	*L 5*

*National League*
*East*
*Team*	W	L	*Pct*	GB	*Home*	*Road*	*East*	*Central*	*West*	*Last 10*	*Streak*
*Atlanta*	7	4	*.636*	–	*2 – 3*	*5 – 1*	*2 – 1*	*4 – 0*	*1 – 3*	*6 – 4*	*W 1*
*NY Mets*	6	5	*.545*	1	*3 – 1*	*3 – 4*	*5 – 2*	*0 – 3*	*1 – 0*	*5 – 5*	*W 1*
*Philadelphia*	4	6	*.400*	*2.5*	*3 – 1*	*1 – 5*	*1 – 0*	*2 – 1*	*0 – 0*	*4 – 6*	*W 1*
*Miami*	4	7	*.364*	3	*3 – 4*	*1 – 3*	*2 – 6*	*0 – 0*	*0 – 0*	*4 – 6*	*L 1*
*Washington*	4	7	*.364*	3	*1 – 5*	*3 – 2*	*1 – 2*	*0 – 0*	*2 – 2*	*4 – 6*	*W 1*
*Central*
*Team*	W	L	*Pct*	GB	*Home*	*Road*	*East*	*Central*	*West*	*Last 10*	*Streak*
*Milwaukee*	7	3	*.700*	–	*5 – 1*	*2 – 2*	*3 – 0*	*4 – 2*	*0 – 1*	*7 – 3*	*L 1*
*Pittsburgh*	6	4	*.600*	1	*2 – 2*	*4 – 2*	*0 – 0*	*1 – 2*	*0 – 0*	*6 – 4*	*L 1*
*Chi Cubs*	5	4	*.556*	*1.5*	*4 – 3*	*1 – 1*	*0 – 0*	*2 – 3*	*0 – 0*	*5 – 4*	*W 1*
*Cincinnati*	4	5	*.444*	*2.5*	*3 – 2*	*1 – 3*	*1 – 3*	*3 – 2*	*0 – 0*	*4 – 5*	*L 1*
*St. Louis*	3	7	*.300*	4	*2 – 4*	*1 – 3*	*0 – 3*	*1 – 2*	*0 – 1*	*3 – 7*	*L 2*
*West*
*Team*	W	L	*Pct*	GB	*Home*	*Road*	*East*	*Central*	*West*	*Last 10*	*Streak*
*Arizona*	7	4	*.636*	–	*4 – 1*	*3 – 3*	*0 – 0*	*1 – 0*	*6 – 4*	*7 – 3*	*W 4*
*LA Dodgers*	6	5	*.545*	1	*4 – 2*	*2 – 3*	*0 – 0*	*0 – 0*	*6 – 5*	*5 – 5*	*W 1*
*San Diego*	6	5	*.545*	1	*3 – 3*	*3 – 2*	*3 – 2*	*0 – 0*	*3 – 3*	*6 – 4*	*L 1*
*Colorado*	5	6	*.455*	2	*3 – 2*	*2 – 4*	*2 – 2*	*1 – 0*	*2 – 4*	*4 – 6*	*W 2*
*San Francisco*	4	6	*.400*	*2.5*	*1 – 3*	*3 – 3*	*0 – 0*	*0 – 0*	*0 – 1*	*4 – 6*	*L 1*

TODAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY

1907 The Giants lose their home opener to the Phillies when some Polo Grounds fans flood onto the field, disrupting the game in the top of the ninth inning. After warning the growing crowd of over a thousand patrons, who continue to pour onto the field, home plate umpire Bill Klem decides enough is enough, forfeiting the game to the visiting team, 9-0.

1907 “Boy, they sure called me lots of names when I tried on those shin guards. They must have been a good idea at that, though, because they tell me catchers still wear them.” – ROGER BRESNAHAN, reflecting on being the first major league catcher to wear shin guards. On Opening Day, playing against the Phillies at the Polo Grounds, Giants catcher Roger Bresnahan becomes the first player to wear shin guards in a major league game. The future Hall of Fame receiver’s innovative protective device, fastened with straps and hooks, was made of leather.

1912 Rube Marquard begins a nineteen-game consecutive winning streak by beating the Dodgers, 18-3, in a game that features 13 ground-rule doubles hit by the visitors because of the overflow crowd placed in the outfield and along the foul lines. The future Hall of Fame southpaw’s streak will end in July when the Giants lose to Chicago at the West Side Grounds, 7-2.

1912 Redland Field, the steel and concrete ballpark named to match the team’s moniker and hue, debuts with the hometown Reds beating the Cubs, 10-6. In 1934, the Cincinnati ballpark will become known as Crosley Field in honor of the team owner Powel Crosley.

1928 Forty-year-old veteran Ty Cobb and 41-year-old Tris Speaker, who spent last season with the Senators, start in the outfield on Opening Day for the A’s, batting second and third, respectively. The 8-3 loss to the Yankees at Philadelphia’s Shibe Park marks the first time the future Hall of Famer players have played as teammates in a game.

1932 The Cardinals trade future Hall of Famer Chick Hafey to the Reds for outfielder/first baseman Harvey Hendrick, right-hander Benny Frey, and cash. The former Redbird outfielder led the National League in hitting last season, batting .349 for the World Series champs.

1954 The Yankees trade two minor leaguers and rookie right-hander Mel Wright to the Cardinals for 38-year-old right-fielder Enos Slaughter. The future Hall of Fame outfielder will hit only .239 in 79 games during his first tenure with the Bronx Bombers, but Bill Virdon, one of the prospects dealt to the Redbirds, will be named the National League’s Rookie of the Year in 1956.

1961 The upstart Angels, playing their first game in franchise history, defeat a strong Orioles team at Baltimore’s Memorial Stadium, 7-2. Ted Kluszewski homers twice, and Eli Grba tosses a complete game for Los Angeles.

1961 Red Sox rookie Carl Yastrzemski, in his major league debut, singles off Kansas City’s Ray Herbert in the team’s 5-2 Opening Day loss at Fenway Park. The 21-year-old left fielder from Bridgehampton, New York, will amass 3,419 hits during his 23-year Hall of Fame career with Boston.

1961 On Opening Day, the flag is hung at half-staff at Crosley Field to honor the memory of late owner Powel Crosley, Jr., who passed away two weeks earlier. The Reds, the eventual National League Champions, get off to a good start by beating Chicago, 7-1.

1961 Robin Roberts, in his twelfth-straight Opening Day start, is tagged with the loss when the Phillies lose to the Dodgers in the LA Memorial Coliseum, 6-2. The right-hander’s effort ties Grover Cleveland Alexander’s National League record for consecutive season openers.

1962 After being rained out the previous night and with some players getting stuck in an elevator, the Mets make their National League debut in St. Louis, losing to the Cardinals at Busch Stadium, 11-4. The defeat will be the first of a record-setting 120 losses the New York expansion team will suffer this season.

1963 Don Leppert, who went deep on the first pitch he saw in the major leagues playing for Pittsburgh, hits three homers in the Senators’ 8-0 victory over Boston at D.C. Stadium. The catcher’s solo shot in the fourth inning, three-run blast two frames later, and bases-empty blast in the eighth will account for twenty percent of his four-year career total of 15 round-trippers.

1964 A small plane privately scatters the ashes of former Houston right-hander Jim Umbricht over Colt Stadium, his home ballpark with the Colt .45’s for the past two seasons. The popular 33-year-old reliever, the only pitcher to post a winning record during the expansion team’s first two seasons, lost his well-publicized battle to a malignant melanoma three days ago.

1966 Twenty years after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier, Emmett Ashford becomes the first black major league umpire, working third base when the Senators host the Tigers on Opening Day at D.C. Stadium. The dapper Californian arbitrator will become well-known for his flashy style, which includes sprinting around the infield after foul balls, karate chop strike calls, and pirouetting while dusting off home plate.

1968 Detroit gets the first of the 103 victories of their World Champion campaign in a dramatic manner. Gates Brown, pinch-hitting for Jon Warden, hits a walk-off home run leading off the bottom of the ninth inning to beat Boston at Tiger Stadium, 4-3.

1969 The Pilots, who won on Opening Day in Los Angeles against the Angels, are victorious in their first home game in franchise history, blanking the White Sox, 7-0, at Seattle’s Sicks Stadium. Gary Bell, called ‘Ding Dong’ by his teammates, manages to keep Chicago from scoring, although the right-hander yields nine hits and walks four batters en route to the complete-game victory.

1971 Jerry Grote hits a walk-off homer in the 11th inning off Wayne Granger at Shea Stadium. The New York catcher’s game-ending round-tripper accounts for the only run scored in the Mets’ 1-0 victory over Cincinnati.

1985 Cal Ripken, nursing a sprained left ankle suffered while covering second base on a pickoff play in yesterday’s game against the Rangers, is ordered by the doctor not to play in today’s game against the Midshipmen at the U.S. Naval Academy. The Orioles shortstop’s streak of consecutive games, which would have ended if not for Annapolis’s exhibition contest, is in its infancy at 444 games.

1990 Mark Langston, tossing seven innings in his Angel debut, and Mike Witt, author of a perfect game in 1984, combine to pitch a 1-0 Opening Day no-hitter against the Mariners at Anaheim Stadium. Dante Bichette’s seventh-inning walk with the bases loaded accounts for the game’s only run.

1993 🇦🇺 When Brewer catcher Dave Nilsson catches for Graeme Lloyd, they become the first all-Australian battery in major league history. The 23-year-old backstop hails from Brisbane, Queensland, with his rookie batterymate calling Geelong, Victoria home.

1994 In the inaugural major league game at The Ballpark in Arlington, Holly Minter, posing for a picture, is seriously injured when she slips and falls 30 feet from the upper deck in right field to the lower section of the new $189-million stadium. The Rangers report a security guard was en route to tell the 26-year-old fan to move away from the railing.

1994 The Rangers play their first major league game in The Ballpark in Arlington, losing to Milwaukee, 4-3. Texas leadoff hitter David Hulse gets the stadium’s first hit, a first frame single, and Dave Nilsson hits the first home run in the $189-million facility, a solo shot leading off the bottom of the fifth inning.

1996 Greg Maddux’s major league record of road victories ends at 18 with a 2-1 loss to the Padres at Jack Murphy Stadium. The Braves right-hander was 18-0 with an ERA under one run per game in 20 regular-season road starts, dating back to July of 1994.

1997 To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the integration of baseball, Sharon Robinson, Jackie’s daughter, and Pumpsie Green each threw out the first pitch at Fenway Park. In 1959, Green became the first black to appear in a Red Sox uniform, making Boston the last major league team to integrate.

2000 On a cold and snowy afternoon in front of nearly 40,000 fans, the Tigers beat the Mariners, 5–2., in the first major league game at Comerica Park. Giving up two runs in six innings, Brian Moehler gets the ballpark’s first victory after being the winning pitcher in the final contest at Tiger Stadium last season.

2003 In the first of its ‘home’ games at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico, the Expos rout David Cone and the Mets, 10-0. The Montreal franchise, now owned by major league baseball, will play 22 games in the commonwealth this season while exploring possible new venues for the poorly-attended Canadian team.

2003 Although Dale Petroskey still would cancel the ‘Bull Durham celebration due to the anti-war criticism espoused by Tim Robbins and Susan Sarandon, the Hall of Fame president wishes he had called the co-stars rather than just sending a letter. The decision created a firestorm, with Cooperstown receiving over 5000 emails and noted author Roger Kahn canceling his planned August appearance to speak about his new book “October Men,” a work chronicling the 1978 World Champion Yankee team, as a protest. Bull Durham (Video Stream)

2006 At the home opener at RFK Stadium before the hometown team’s 7-1 loss to the Mets, Dick Cheney, wearing a red-and-blue Nationals jacket, becomes the eighth sitting vice president to throw out the ceremonial first pitch. After the veep hears a chorus of boos, he bounces the pitch in front of home plate when throwing the ball from the front of the pitching mound.

2006 Bob Sheppard misses his first Yankee Stadium home opener since 1951 after sustaining a hip injury at his home yesterday. The long-time public address announcer will return to the microphone during the team’s next homestand.

2006 Jeromy Burnitz, Ryan Doumit, Jack Wilson, and Craig Wilson hit solo home runs in the Pirates’ 7-6 victory over the Dodgers at PNC Park. The quartet of round-trippers blasted by the Buc sluggers is each player’s second homer of the season. (Ed. Note: Our thanks to L. Cole for suggesting this entry – LP)

2008 At Minute Maid Park, the Marlins set a club record, blasting six home runs en route to a 10-6 win against the Astros. Jeremy Hermida hit a pair of round-trippers, and teammates Mike Jacobs, Hanley Ramirez, Jorge Cantu, and Mike Rabelo contributed solo homers in Florida’s fourth straight victory, matching the team’s longest winning streak last season.

2010 Mike Leake becomes the first pitcher since Ariel Prieto in 1995 to make his big league debut without ever spending a day in the minor leagues. The 22-year-old Reds’ right-handed starter gives up four hits in 6.2 innings, getting a no-decision in the Reds’ eventual 3-1 victory over Chicago at the Great American Ball Park.

2010 The Diamondbacks score a team-record 13 runs in the fourth inning of a 15-6 victory over Pittsburgh at Chase Field. The infamous frame features eight hits, including a trio of home runs hit by Chris Young, Kelly Johnson, and starting pitcher Edwin Jackson, which also ties a franchise mark for a regular-season game.

2016 Rookie first baseman Tyler White, who set an Astro record for total hits in the first five games played with the team, is named the American League Player of the Week. The 25-year-old thirty-third-round pick out Western Carolina batted .556, scored three runs, blasted three home runs, and collected nine RBIs to cop the prestigious honor in the first week of his major league career.

2022 Taylor Rogers earns the save when he pitches a scoreless ninth inning in the Padres’ 4-2 victory over the Giants, and his twin brother, Tyler, gives up the decisive run in the seventh to get tagged with the San Francisco loss. The 31-year-old siblings, who exchanged lineup cards at home plate before the Oracle Park contest, become the tenth set of twins to play in the majors and the fifth to play in the same game.

BASEBALL HALL OF FAME

EDDIE COLLINS

“Eddie Collins is the best ballplayer I have seen during my career on the diamond.” – John McGraw

In the second decade of the 20th Century, Eddie Collins thrived in the “small ball” environment the game demanded.

In the third decade of the 20th Century, Collins starred in a “go for broke” hitters’ era as one of the game’s most productive catalysts.

In any baseball environment, Collins’ skills and savvy were nearly without peer.

Born May 2, 1887 in Millerton, N.Y., Collins graduated from Columbia University before establishing himself in the majors with manager Connie Mack’s Philadelphia A’s in 1908. The next year, Collins became the A’s regular second baseman – hitting .347 with 104 runs scored, 198 hits and 63 stolen bases. It would mark the first of 10 full seasons where Collins hit better than .340.

From 1911-14, Collins finished third, sixth, third and first in the Chalmers Award voting – the de facto Most Valuable Player Award – helping the Athletics win World Series titles in 1911 and 1913 and another American League pennant in 1914.

But following his team’s shocking 1914 Fall Classic loss to the Braves and in the face of a national recession, Mack broke up his A’s and their legendary “$100,000 infield.” Mack sold the 27-year-old Collins to the Chicago White Sox for a record $50,000.

Collins continued his outstanding all-around play in Chicago, leading the White Sox to the 1917 World Series title despite batting under .300 for a full season (at .289) for the first time in his career. In 1919, Collins hit .319 and stole a league-best 33 bases in leading the White Sox back to the World Series – a team known forever as the Black Sox after eight players were accused of throwing the Fall Classic. Collins was never implicated in the scandal.

Collins thrived with the introduction of the lively ball in 1920, recording career-bests of 228 hits and a .372 batting average. He continued to post batting averages well over .300 and managed the White Sox from the end of the 1924 season through the 1926 season – finishing with records better than .500 in each season. In 1923 and 1924, Collins finished second in the AL MVP voting.

In 1925, Collins became just the sixth person to join the 3,000-hit club – and the last for the next 17 seasons.

Collins is one of only five players in history with more than 500 steals and a .400 on-base percentage.

Collins was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1939. He passed away March 25, 1951.

JIMMY COLLINS

Jimmy Collins was a star as baseball entered the 20th century, acclaimed by many as the “king of the third basemen.” And while he was a good hitter, finishing with a .294 lifetime average, it was as a fielder he won the headlines.

“Collins was a model for all third basemen, the king of trappers and footworkers,” wrote 1978 J.G. Taylor Spink Award winner Tim Murnane. “Collins was always graceful. Bill Bradley, another great third baseman, would get twice the applause on the same play Collins made easy.”

“The two best third basemen I ever saw, defensively, until Ossie Bluege came along, were Collins and Bill Bradley of Cleveland,” said Washington Senators owner Clark Griffith, a former player and Hall of Fame executive. “But Collins, with the Red Sox, was a shade the better. He was a cat on bunts.”

As the toast of Boston, Collins, having spent the majority of his 14-year big league career with either the Braves or Red Sox, is credited with revolutionizing third base play, whether it was setting up defensively away from the bag or mastering the art of defense against the bunt.

“I came to the conclusion there was only one solution to this bunting game. A third baseman had to give himself a chance to get those fast guys,” Collins said. “Once around the circuit, you knew who would bunt and who wouldn’t. You knew (John) McGraw and (Willie) Keeler were bunters. So I played them on the edge of the grass.

“McGraw bunted and I came in as fast as I dared, picked up the ball one-handed and threw it underhanded to first base. He was out. Keeler tried it, and I nailed him by a step. I had to throw out four bunters in a row before the Orioles quit bunting that afternoon.”

Collins also spent a six-year stint (1901-06) as player-manager of the Red Sox in the fledging American League, skippering his team to two pennants and a triumph over the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first modern World Series in 1903.

At the time of his death, Collins was considered by many baseball observers as the best player at his position of all time.

“They say I was the greatest third baseman, and I would like to believe it,” Collins said. “But I don’t know. There were many great third basemen in my day.

“I gave baseball everything I had and when I quit, I was like the guy who died with his boots on.”

Collins passed away on March 6, 1943. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1945.

BASEBALL YEAR IN REVIEW

1941 AMERICAN LEAGUE

Off the field…

The American decision to impose sanctions on Japan, in response to the Japanese invasion of Indo-China, convinced Japanese leaders that war with the United States was inevitable. While the Japanese government continued to project peace under the disguise of negotiations in Washington, plans went ahead for a surprise military action that would catch the U.S. completely off-guard. One major vulnerability proposed for an attack was the U.S. Fleet’s Pearl Harbor base in Hawaii that was reachable by an aircraft carrier force. Taking advantage of this strategic “loop-hole” the Japanese Navy secretly sent a naval battle group across the Pacific with greater aerial striking power than had ever been seen on the World’s oceans. After sneaking almost undetected past the military’s radar, its planes hit the heart of the shipyard just before 8 a.m. killing over two-thousand four-hundred Americans and destroying five of eight battleships and most of the Hawaii-based combat planes.

The governments of American and Great Britain declared the “Atlantic Charter” in anticipation of the end of World War II. The joint agreement expressed certain common principles in their national policies to be followed in the postwar period. President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill signed the announcement aboard a warship in the North Atlantic off the coast of Newfoundland. It stated that neither country sought any territorial, or any other, sovereign enhancement from the war. It also proclaimed the right of all people to choose their own form of government and not to have boundary changes imposed on them. In addition, the charter expressed the hope that all countries would be able to feel secure from aggression and recognized the principle of freedom of the seas, expressed the conviction that humanity must renounce the use of force in international relations, and affirmed the need for military disarmament after the anticipated victory by Allied forces.

In the American League…

Taft Wright, an outfielder with the Chicago White Sox, set an American League record on May 20^th after driving in at least one run in thirteen consecutive games. During the streak, Wright recorded twenty-two runs batted in although in six of the games he knocked in a run without a hit.

On May 25^th, Boston Red Sox icon Ted Williams raised his record-setting batting average to over .400 for the first time. Over the remainder of the season, his quest to outdo Bill Terry (1930) played leapfrog on sports pages around the country with the New York Yankees Joe DiMaggio who was working on a hitting streak of his own.

Joe DiMaggio’s fifty-six game hitting streak finally ended on July 17^th thanks to solid pitching by Cleveland Indians pitchers Al Smith and Jim Bagby. Despite stopping the “Yankee Clipper”, the Tribe was unable to stop the rest of New York and lost 6-5 in front of 60,000 fans.

In the National League…

The Chicago Cubs became the first Major League Baseball franchise to install an organ for fan entertainment. It was one of the only innovations ever to be introduced at Wrigley Field, which later boasted a “backward” reputation as the last ballpark ever to install lights.

The New York Giants became the first team to use plastic batting helmets during a June 6^th double header against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Although the batters appeared comfortable in their new headgear at the plate, they still went on to lose both games 5-4 and 4-3.

Frankie Frisch, manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates, was ejected from the second game of an August 19^th doubleheader after appearing on the field waving an umbrella to protest the playing conditions at Brooklyn’s Ebbets Field. American artist Norman Rockwell later transformed the humorous argument into a famous oil painting titled “Bottom of the Sixth”.

Around the League…

Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Hugh Mulcahy became the first Major Leaguer drafted into the Armed Forces for WW II. An All-Star in 1940, Mulcahy would pitch less than one-hundred innings after he returned from the war. Over the next two years over one-hundred major leaguers were drafted and two (Elmer Gedeon and Harry O’Neill) were killed in action.

In response to the notorious “bean ball wars” of the 1940 season, the Brooklyn Dodgers inserted protective liners into their caps as a safety precaution. The rising aggressions between pitchers and batters had resulted in the serious injury and hospitalization of Joe Medwick, Billy Jurges, and others. Although the thin liners were hardly noticeable, many players around the league criticized them as a distraction.

Thirty-seven year-old New York Yankee Lou Gehrig, also known as “The Iron Horse” died of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (later renamed Lou Gehrig’s Disease) on June 2^nd. His legacy on the field included a lifetime batting average of .340, fifteenth all-time highest, and he amassed more than four-hundred total bases on five occasions. A player with few peers, Gehrig is still one of only seven players with more than one-hundred extra-base hits in one season. During his career he averaged one-hundred forty-seven RBIs a year and his one-hundred eighty-four RBIs in 1931 still remains the second highest single season total in Major League history – the most in American League history. Always at the top of his game, Gehrig won the Triple Crown in 1934, with a .363 average, forty-nine home runs, and one-hundred sixty-five RBIs, and was chosen Most Valuable player in both 1927 and 1936. Unbelievable for a man of his size, #4 stole home fifteen times, and he batted .361 in thirty-four World Series games with ten home runs, eight doubles, and thirty-five RBIs. He also holds the record for career grand slams with twenty-three. Gehrig hit seventy-three, three-run home runs, as well as one-hundred sixty-six two-run shots, giving him the highest average of RBIs (per homer) of any player with more than three-hundred home runs.

FOOTBALL HISTORY

THE HALL OF FAME

RAYMOND BERRY

The Raymond Berry story is one of determination, dedication and desire. Berry, who needed to wear special shoes because one leg was shorter than the other, didn’t become a starter on his high school football team until his senior year – even though his father was the coach.

As an end for Southern Methodist, he caught all of 33 passes in three seasons. Why the Baltimore Colts selected him, even as a “future choice” on the 20th round of the 1954 draft, is a mystery. A long shot to make the Colts, Berry was determined. He practiced and practiced, catching passes from anyone willing to throw to him. He concentrated on making the difficult catch and running perfect patterns.

Although he had just average speed, he developed, by his own count, 88 different moves to get open. He ran patterns within inches of how they were diagramed. In 1956, Johnny Unitas became the Colts’ quarterback and Raymond was ready to put all his hours of practice to use. Together the two gave the Baltimore Colts one of the greatest pass-catch teams of all time. Three straight times Raymond led the league in receptions and caught a then-record 631 passes for 9,275 yards and 68 touchdowns in his 13-year career.

A first- or second-team All-Pro choice in 1957 through 1961 and again in 1965, he was selected to play in six Pro Bowl games during his career. A sure-handed receiver, Raymond fumbled only once in 13 years. Perhaps his greatest moment came in the famous overtime 1958 NFL Championship Game. He set a then-record with 12 catches for 178 yards and a touchdown. Several of his grabs came in the Colts’ life-or-death, last-minute drive to the tying field goal. In the overtime period, two receptions good for 33 yards were the major gains in Baltimore’s drive for the winning score.

NUMBERS IN SPORTS

53 – 21 – 7 – 23 –

April 11, 1907 – Probably tired of nursing the bumps and bruises, New York Giants future Baseball Hall of Fame backstop Roger Bresnahan, became the first catcher to wear shin guards.

April 11, 1959 – Los Angeles Dodgers future Hall of Fame pitcher Don Drysdale, Number 53 hit an opening day homerun for the second time in his career. It gave the Dodgers their only scoring though as the home team Chicago Cubs won the game 6-1, scattering 6 runs off of the big right hander, damaging his stellar ERA.

April 11, 1963 – The Milwaukee Braves had a future Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher themselves that made history on this day. Warren Spahn, Number 21 gave the New York Mets fits all day as the Braves secured a 6-1 victory for his 328th win. It was the most “W”s by a left-hander in MLB history.

The website of NBA.com offers these nuggets of history for the day.

April 11, 1991 – Milwaukee Bucks Number 7, Adrian Dantley scored five points in the Bucks’ 111-92 win over Boston at the Bradley Center, moving him into what was then ninth place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list with 23,152 points.

April 11, 1998 – Michael Jordan, Number 23 of the Chicago Bulls handed out his 5,000th career assist in an 87-78 win over the Orlando Magic.

April 11, 1999 – The New Jersey Nets retired the Number 52 jersey of Buck Williams in ceremonies at New Jersey’s home game against New York. Williams accumulated 16,784 points and 13,017 rebounds during his standout 17-year NBA career with New Jersey, the Portland Trail Blazers and Knicks.

Here are a couple of items from the Vintage Hockey Jerseys website

April 11, 1936 – The Detroit Red Wings led by Head Coach Jack Adams, defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-2 to win the best of five series three games to one and win their first Stanley Cup championship.

April 11, 1964 – In game one of the Stanley Cup Finals the Leafs defeated the Detroit Red Wings 3-2 with Number 20, Bob Pulford getting the game winning goal by lighting the lamp with two seconds left in the third period, setting a record for the latest game winning goal in regulation time in Stanley Cup history.

TV TUESDAY

*COLLEGE BASEBALL*	*TIME ET*	TV
*CLEMSON AT GEORGIA*	*7:00PM*	*SECN*
*KENTUCKY AT LOUISVILLE*	*7:00PM*	*ACCN*
*COLLEGE SOFTBALL*	*TIME ET*	TV
*OHIO STATE AT PENN STATE*	*4:00PM*	*BTN*
*TENNESSEE AT VIRGINIA TECH*	*6:00PM*	*ESPNU*
*OKLAHOMA AT LSU*	*7:00PM*	*ESPN2*
*MLB REGULAR SEASON GAMES*	*TIME ET*	TV
*NY YANKEES AT CLEVELAND*	*6:10PM*	BALLY SPORTS YES
*OAKLAND AT BALTIMORE*	*6:35PM*	NBCS-CA MASN/2
*HOUSTON AT PITTSBURGH*	*6:35PM*	ATTSN-SW ATTSN-PIT
*BOSTON AT TAMPA BAY*	*6:40PM*	NESN BALLY SPORTS
*MIAMI AT PHILADELPHIA*	*6:40PM*	BALLY SPORTS NBCS-PHI
*DETROIT AT TORONTO*	*7:07PM*	SPORTSNET BALLY SPORTS
*SAN DIEGO AT NY METS*	*7:10PM*	TBS SNY BALLY SPORTS
*CINCINNATI AT ATLANTA*	*7:20PM*	*BALLY SPORTS*
*CHI. WHITE SOX AT MINNESOTA*	*7:40PM*	BALLY SPORTS NBCS-CHI
*SEATTLE AT CHI. CUBS*	*7:40PM*	ROOT SPORTS MARQ
*KANSAS CITY AT TEXAS*	*8:05PM*	*BALLY SPORTS*
*ST. LOUIS AT COLORADO*	*8:40PM*	BALLY SPORTS ATTNS-RM
*WASHINGTON AT LA ANGELS*	*9:38PM*	MASN/2 BALLY SPORTS
*MILWAUKEE AT ARIZONA*	*9:40PM*	MLBN BALLY SPORTS
*LA DODGERS AT SAN FRANCISCO*	*9:45PM*	MLBN NBCS-BAY SPECTRUM
*NBA PLAYOFFS*	*TIME ET*	TV
*ATLANTA AT MIAMI*	*7:30PM*	*TNT*
*MINNESOTA AT LA LAKERS*	*10:00PM*	*TNT*
*NHL REGULAR SEASON GAMES*	*TIME ET*	TV
*BUFFALO AT NEW JERSEY*	*7:00PM*	MSG-BUF MSGSN
*COLUMBUS AT PHILADELPHIA*	*7:00PM*	NBCS-PHI BALLY SPORTS
*DETROIT AT CAROLINA*	*7:00PM*	*BALLY SPORTS*
*TORONTO AT TAMPA BAY*	*7:00PM*	*ESPN*
*WASHINGTON AT BOSTON*	*7:00PM*	NBCS-WSH NBCS-BOS
*CHICAGO AT PITTSBURGH*	*7:30PM*	NBCS-CHI ATTSN-PIT
*WINNIPEG AT MINNESOTA*	*8:00PM*	SPORTSNET BALLY SPORTS
*EDMONTON AT COLORADO*	*9:30PM*	*ESPN*
*SEATTLE AT VEGAS*	*10:00PM*	ROOT SPORTS ATTSN-RM
*VANCOUVER AT ANAHEIM*	*10:00PM*	SPORTSNET BALLY SPORTS
*SOCCER*	*TIME ET*	TV
*ARGENTINA PRIMERA DIVISIÓN: BARRACAS CENTRAL VS PLATENSE*	*1:00PM*	*PARAMOUNT+*
*UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: MANCHESTER CITY VS BAYERN MÜNCHEN*	*3:00PM*	*PARAMOUNT+*
*UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: BENFICA VS INTERNAZIONALE*	*3:00PM*	*PARAMOUNT+*
*ARGENTINA PRIMERA DIVISIÓN: ARGENTINOS JUNIORS VS UNIÓN SANTA FE*	*6:00PM*	*PARAMOUNT+*
*WOMEN’S FRIENDLY: USA VS IRELAND REPUBLIC*	*7:30PM*	*PEACOCK*
*CONCACAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: VIOLETTE AC VS LEÓN*	*8:00PM*	*FS1*
*ARGENTINA PRIMERA DIVISIÓN: INSTITUTO VS VÉLEZ SARSFIELD*	*8:30PM*	*PARAMOUNT+*
*ARGENTINA PRIMERA DIVISIÓN: BANFIELD VS DEFENSA Y JUSTICIA*	*8:30PM*	*PARAMOUNT+*
*ARGENTINA PRIMERA DIVISIÓN: CENTRAL CÓRDOBA SDE VS LANÚS*	*8:30PM*	*PARAMOUNT+*
*CONCACAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: LOS ANGELES FC VS VANCOUVER WHITECAPS*	*10:15PM*	*FS1*