THE INDIANA SRN “SPORTSPAGE” TUESDAY APRIL 2, 2024

INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL SCORES

JAC-CEN-DEL 4 SOUTH DECATUR 1

BISHOP CHATARD 9 SCECINA 4

HERITAGE HILLS 5 SOUTH KNOX 3

BARR REEVE 12 EVANSVILLE CHRISTIAN 2

FOUNTAIN CENTRAL 13 RIVERTON PARKE 4

PARKE HERITAGE 2 SOUTHMONT 0

LOOGOOTEE 12 VINCENNES RIVET

NORTHEASTERN 16 SHENANDOAH 6

CONNERSVILLE 7 BATESVILLE 6

SALEM 11 WASHINGTON 2

INDIAN CREEK 14 MONROVIA 6

MITCHELL 4 LINTON STOCKTON 2

EAST CENTRAL 10 FRANKLIN COUNTY 3

LAWRENCEBURG 4 GREENSBURG 3

PURDUE POLY ENGLEWOOD 10 CRISPUS ATTUCKS 2

CORYDON CENTRAL 9 BORDEN 3

CENTERVILLE 11 MONROE CENTRAL 1

HAUSER 11 SOUTHWESTERN 1

CRAWFORD COUNTY 14 CANNELTON 0

FRANKLIN CENTRAL 2 MOUNT VERNON 1

SCOTTSBURG 8 COLUMBUS EAST 4

COLUMBUS NORTH 11 RONCALLI 1

WALDRON 12 RISING SUN 6

CHARLESTOWN 7 SOUTH CENTRAL 2

PARK TUDOR 11 MIDDLE TENNESSEE 1

INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL SOFTBALL POLLS

4A

1 PENN

2 FLOYD CENTRAL

3 CENTER GROVE

4 LAKE CENTRAL

5 MOORESVILLE

6 CASTLE

7 AVON

8 RONCALLI

9 NEW PALESTINE

10 PENDLETON HEIGHTS

3A

1 GIBSON SOUTHERN

2 TRI-WEST

3 NEW PRAIRIE

4 LEO

5 SILVER CREEK

6 WESTERN

7 HANOVER CENTRAL

8 YORKTOWN

9 SOUTH BEND RILEY

10 CONNERSVILLE

2A

1 ANDREAN

2 EASTSIDE

3 CASCADE

4 UNION COUNTY

5 NORTH POSEY

6 HEBRON

7 ILLIANA CHRISTIAN

8 HAUSER

9 MADISON GRANT

10 BREMEN

1A

1 TECUMSEH

2 ROSSVILLE

3 CASTON/BARR REEVE

5 CLAY CITY

6 RIVERTON PARKE

7 INDIANAPOLIS LUTHERAN

8 LANESVILLE

9 NORTH MIAMI

10 TRI 

INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL SOFTBALL SCORES

EVANSVILLE CENTRAL 22 EVANSVILLE BOSSE 2

CONNERSVILLE 2 NEW CASTLE 1

PRINCETON 18 WOOD MEMORIAL 4

BORDEN 8 PROVIDENCE 5

CLINTON CENTRAL 12 BETHESDA CHRISTIAN 0

RIVERTON PARKE 18 FOUNTAIN CENTRAL 8

WAPAHANI 4 NORTHEASTERN 3

HAGERSTOWN 11 MONROE CENTRAL 1

SULLIVAN 25 TERRE HAUTE NORTH 11

SOUTH RIPLEY 11 AUSTIN 1

NORTH HARRISON 6 NEW ALBANY 1

WEST WASHINGTON 12 CLARKSVILLE 1

PERRY MERIDIAN 15 WARREN CENTRAL 2

BEECH GROVE 14 PIKE 1

PERRY CENTRAL 8 SPRINGS VALLEY 4

CASCADE 10 NORTH PUTNAM 0

TRINITY LUTHERAN 1 ORLEANS 0

BROWNSTOWN CENTRAL 6 BEDFORD NORTH LAWRENCE 5

FRANKLIN COUNTY 12 EDINBURGH 1

ADAMS CENTRAL 6 SHENANDOAH 4

NORTH POSEY 7 FOREST PARK 0

GIBSON SOUTHERN 14 EVANSVILLE MATER DEI 9

SCOTTSBURG 22 JAC-CEN-DEL 2

SOUTH DEARBORN 16 SWITZERLAND COUNTY 2

GREENFIELD CENTRAL 11 TRITON CENTRAL 7

NORTHEAST DUBOIS 29 PAOLI 3

RUSHVILLE 9 BATESVILLE 0

HENDERSON COUNTY 5 EVANSVILLE REITZ 0

SEYMOUR 7 MADISON 0

OWEN VALLEY 9 NORTH CENTRAL 1

INDIAN CREEK 6 GREENWOOD 5

SOUTH VERMILLION 6 S. PUTNAM 2

FRANKLIN CENTRAL 7 WHITELAND 3

LINTON STOCKTON 4 MITCHELL 3

MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL

FINAL FOUR-APRIL 6

3:09 P.M.

SEMIFINAL GAME 1

(11) NC STATE VS. (1) PURDUE

STATE FARM STADIUM

5:39 P.M.

SEMIFINAL GAME 2

(4) ALABAMA VS. (1) UCONN

STATE FARM STADIUM

DAILY SCHEDULE: https://www.ncaa.com/mens-final-four/schedule

(NIT)

TUESDAY, APRIL 2

UTAH VS. INDIANA STATE 7 PM

GEORGIA VS. SETON HALL 9:30 PM

WOMEN’S NCAA TOURNAMENT

IOWA 94 LSU 87

CONNECTICUT 80 USC 73

NBA SCOREBOARD

INDIANA 133 BROOKLYN 111

BOSTON 118 CHARLOTTE 104

MEMPHIS 110 DETROIT 108

ORLANDO 104 PORTLAND 103

ATLANTA 113 CHICAGO 101

PHOENIX 124 NEW ORLEANS 111

NHL SCOREBOARD

DETROIT 4 TAMPA BAY 2

NY ISLANDERS 4 PHILADELPHIA 3 OT

COLUMBUS 4 COLORADO 1

PITTSBURGH 5 NY RANGERS 2

TORONTO 6 FLORIDA 4

ST. LOUIS 3 EDMONTON 2 OT

WINNIPEG 4 LOS ANGELES 3

SEATTLE 4 SAN JOSE 2

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

ATLANTA 9 CHICAGO WHITE SOX 8

CHICAGO CUBS 5 COLORADO 0

PITTSBURGH 8 WASHINGTON 4

BALTIMORE 6 KANSAS CITY 4

LA ANGELS 7 MIAMI 4

CINCINNATI 6 PHILADELPHIA 3 (10)

TEXAS 9 TAMPA BAY 3

DETROIT 5 NY METS 0 (10)

HOUSTON 10 TORONTO 0

SEATTLE 5 CLEVELAND 4

ST. LOUIS 6 SAN DIEGO 2

BOSTON 9 OAKLAND 0

NY YANKEES 5 ARIZONA 2

LA DODGERS 8 SAN FRANCISCO 3

MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER

NO GAMES SCHEDULED

COLLEGE BASEBALL SCORES

TOLEDO 3 OAKLAND 2

COLLEGE BASEBALL TOP 25 POLL

1. ARKANSAS
2. CLEMSON
3. TEXAS A&M
4. TENNESSEE
5. OREGON STATE
6. FLORIDA
7. VANDERBILT
8. DALLAS BAPTIST
9. DUKE
10. NORTH CAROLINA
11. VIRGINIA TECH
12. EAST CAROLINA
13. ALABAMA
14. FLORIDA STATE
15. VIRGINIA
16. UC IRVINE
17. KENTUCKY
18. LSU
19. NORTH CAROLINA STATE
20. COASTAL CAROLINA
21. WAKE FOREST
22. SOUTH CAROLINA
23. MISSISSIPPI STATE
24. NEBRASKA
25. CENTRAL FLORIDA

COLLEGE SOFTBALL SCORES

NO GAMES SCHEDULED

COLLEGE SOFTBALL POLL/RANKINGS

1. OKLAHOMA
2. TEXAS
3. GEORGIA
4. TENNESSEE
5. DUKE
6. STANFORD
7. LSU
8. WASHINGTON
9. FLORIDA
10. OKLAHOMA STATE
11. VIRGINIA TECH
12. TEXAS A&M
13. MISSOURI
14. ALABAMA
15. UCLA
16. LAMSON
17. MISSISSIPPI STATE
18. FLORIDA STATE
19. CALIFORNIA
20. ARKANSAS
21. BAYLOR
22. OREGON
23. TEXAS STATE
24. KANSAS
25. LOUISIANA

NATIONAL SPORTS RELEASES/HEADLINES

MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL

TALL FINAL FOUR TASK: BEATING REIGNING CHAMPION UCONN WILL NOT BE AN EASY TASK IN THE DESERT

The 2024 version of March Madness has apexed with a trio of streak busters in the desert.

N.C. State is in the Final Four for the first time since Jim Valvano ran around trying to find someone to hug after the 1983 national championship. Purdue and big man Zach Edey will make their first Final Four appearance since Joe Barry Carroll dominated the paint in 1980.

Alabama? Never been.

An angry pack of Huskies awaits them in the Valley of the Sun.

Dominating on its way to a fifth national championship a year ago, UConn has looked even more unbeatable so far in its run to become the first repeat champion since Florida in 2006-07.

“Our defense is elite. Our offense is elite. We rebound the ball,” UConn coach Dan Hurley said. “These guys play every possession like it’s the end of the world.”

The Huskies have done nothing but end opponents’ hopes through consecutive dominating March runs.

UConn steamrolled its way through the 2023 bracket, winning each game by at least 13 points. That was the best since Indiana in 1981.

These Huskies may be better.

With 7-foot-2 Donovan Clingan in the middle and talent across the roster, UConn won its first four NCAA Tournament games by an average of 27.7 points. The Huskies made Illinois look like a JV team in the Elite Eight, reeling off 30 — yes, 30 — straight points in a 77-52 victory to become the first reigning champion to reach the Final Four since Florida’s consecutive titles.

Knocking off UConn will be a monumental task in Glendale, Arizona, starting with Alabama in the semifinals Saturday.

“His (Hurley’s) formula is working out pretty well,” Alabama coach Nate Oats said. “I’m going to have to figure out that formula myself here soon.”

Oats already has sorted a few things figured out.

The Crimson Tide lost in the Sweet 16 last season, then most of its roster. Oats had three returning players and replaced three assistants who left for head coaching jobs.

Playing fast and letting 3s fly from all over, Alabama led the nation in scoring during the regular season and has kept up the pace in March. Led by heady, gritty point guard Mark Sears, the Crimson Tide scored at least 89 points in three of four NCAA Tournament games, including 109 in the opener against Charleston.

Alabama reached its first Final Four by making 16 3-pointers in an 89-82 win over Clemson in the Elite Eight.

“Guys bought in — we can make this run, other teams have done it,” Oats said. “We have the capability to do it.”

The first national semifinal on Saturday will be big — as in more than 14 feet and 575 pounds of men in the paint.

Purdue has college basketball’s most unstoppable force in Edey.

At 7-4, he didn’t need a ladder to cut down the nets in Detroit and has the skill to go with his size. Edey was the AP national player of the year last year and the front-runner to become the first player to repeat since Virginia’s Ralph Sampson earned it three straight years from 1980-83.

Edey has been nearly unguardable in the NCAA Tournament, becoming the first player since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (then known as Lew Alcindor) in 1968 to have at least 50 points and 35 rebounds while shooting 65% from the field the first two games of an NCAA Tournament.

Edey topped that with a career-high 40 points and 16 rebounds in a 72-66 win over Tennessee that sent the Boilermakers to the Final Four a year after making history by losing to a No. 16 seed.

“Zach’s got a competitive fight to him. He doesn’t back down,” Purdue coach Matt Painter said. “When you have that elite physical size and you have that competitive spirit with it, with some skill, it’s pretty dangerous. He’s pretty hard to handle.”

So is N.C. State’s DJ Burns Jr.

The 6-9, 275-pounder has a big-sized game and a personality to go with it. He’s the focal point of the Wolfpack offense and opponents have yet to find a way to stop him.

Burns has great footwork, a soft touch and vision to find the open man nearly every time. Combined with the team’s other DJ, Arizona State transfer DJ Horne, N.C. State won five games in five days just to get into the NCAA Tournament and kept rolling into the Final Four as a No. 11 seed.

“DJ Burns has been around for a long time, but his personality, his play has really opened eyes of a lot of folks around the country,” N.C. State coach Kevin Keatts said.

Now the Wolfpack get to play in the game’s biggest spotlight with two other teams who ended long droughts — and a fourth vying for a place in history.

ALABAMA LEANED ON ANALYTICS, TRADITION TO REACH FINAL FOUR

Nate Oats had the No. 1 team in the nation for a significant portion of the 2022-23 season before a letdown in the NCAA Tournament sent Alabama home from Louisville and San Diego State to a regional final.

This year, the Crimson Tide were cast as more of a rebuilding team, picked fifth in the Southeastern Conference in the preseason after NBA lottery pick Brandon Miller exited and Oats began the season with four transfers, five freshmen and three new starters.

With homegrown point guard Mark Sears as the on-court pilot, Oats, whose third contract at Alabama was approved in February, helped the team stay the course. While they lost 11 games along the way, Alabama found all the right ingredients to help the Crimson Tide advance to the Final Four for the first time in program history.

“They counted us out, really, from the very first game,” said guard Aaron Estrada, a Hofstra transfer who had 10 points, eight rebounds and five assists against Clemson in the regional final. “And like I said, I’ve been doubted like my whole life, under-recruited, looked upon. And I think that it just added more fuel to everybody really.”

Since Oats arrived in 2019 after a 32-win season at Buffalo, he wanted the cornerstones of the program foundation to include Alabama tradition — a football school through and through — by using now-retired coach Nick Saban as a resource.

“I went and watched practices. I sat in on staff meetings. I shadowed him for a day. I went on road trips with him to see how they operated. I tried to learn as much as I could. It never nagged me or bothered me that football was huge at Alabama. I loved it. It’s better for recruiting. It’s better for everything for us,” Oats said. “I tried to learn from it. And different people would make comments. Football, football. But only 18 national championships behind them. We have a few to catch up. Let’s just keep grinding. Let’s get to a Final Four first, and let’s put ourselves on a big stage.”

The big stage — State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. — awaits Saturday night. Oats and Alabama beat Clemson 89-82 in the regional final to set up a national semifinal meeting with defending champion UConn, and got there in what even some opponents considered “inefficient” or bizarre philosophical baselines on offense.

Oats’ teams always loved shooting 3s — from his high school successes in Detroit to the University of Buffalo — but he’s all but eliminated 2-point shot attempts that aren’t at the rim. It’s not traditional, but it’s effective.

“We’ve got some different options to get efficient shots. They don’t always have to come flying up and down taking quick 3s,” Oats said. “Quick 3s are efficient, if you get them from the right shooters. There’s other efficient shots too. We’ve got different packages to get efficient shots. Guys come in the summer. We teach them how to play efficient. We don’t eliminate inefficient shots from their arsenal right away. I don’t want guys second-guessing themselves. We gradually educate them as to how to be the most efficient player. Brandon Miller became pretty efficient (and) moved from, like, projected 23rd pick in the draft to the second pick in the draft.”

Oats hired and brought with him to the first four NCAA Tournament games an outside analytics firm, a third-party outfit he said studies game situations and results and helps the Crimson Tide understand the how and why of their system.

“I think you can win playing this way. They win playing this way in the NBA. We’ve just proven you can make a Final Four run,” Oats said, applauding Alabama’s 10-of-15 shooting from 3-point range in the second half against Clemson. “And you know what, UConn is a pretty good team and they play similar. They play through the post a lot, but Danny is big on offensive efficiency, playing the right way, getting the right shots. Their defense is a lot better than ours. We have to figure how to beat them. But I think more college teams are starting to play more efficient style basketball like we’ve been playing.”

SMU NAMES ANDY ENFIELD HEAD COACH

SMU named Andy Enfield its new basketball head coach Monday, luring him away from Southern California after 11 seasons.

Enfield replaces Rob Lanier, fired last month after a 20-win season, just his second in Dallas. SMU will play in the Atlantic Coast Conference beginning next season.

“We are excited to announce Andy Enfield as Head Men’s Basketball Coach at SMU,” athletics director Rick Hart said in a release. “Coach Enfield is enthusiastic about joining the Mustang family and the ACC. He has a strong track record of building winning teams on the court and in the classroom and pursuing championships with integrity. We believe he is a game changer for SMU Men’s Basketball.”

Enfield was reportedly the Mustangs’ sole target after they fired Lanier on March 21, a day after they lost a first-round game in the NIT to Indiana State.

He will be introduced on Tuesday.

“I am so excited to join the SMU family,” said Enfield. “It is an incredible time for the university as we enter the ACC. We will make Mustang fans and the city of Dallas proud and cannot wait to get started.”

Enfield, 54, just concluded his 11th season at USC. Several key players missed time with injuries as the Trojans finished the season 15-18.

Enfield went 220-147 at USC, with five NCAA Tournament appearances. The Trojans reached the Elite Eight in the 2020-21 season. He previously coached at Florida Gulf Coast, guiding the 15th-seeded Eagles to the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16 in 2013.

SMU, which finished 20-13 this season, reportedly wanted a high-profile hire for its move to the ACC. The Mustangs, who went just 10-22 in 2022-23, lost seven of their last eight games this season, and Lanier was let go after two seasons at the school.

The Mustangs have not made the NCAA Tournament since losing in the first round in 2016-17.

REPORTS: OKLAHOMA STATE TO HIRE WESTERN KENTUCKY’S STEVE LUTZ

Oklahoma State is hiring Western Kentucky’s Steve Lutz as its new men’s basketball coach, according to multiple media reports on Monday.

Lutz, 51, coached the Hilltoppers for one season, when they went 22-12, won the Conference USA tournament and advanced to the NCAA Tournament, where they lost to No. 2 seed Marquette in the first round on March 22.

He spent the previous two seasons in his first head coaching position, guiding Texas A&M-Corpus Christi to seasons of 23 and 24 wins, two Southland Conference tournament titles and berths in the NCAA Tournament.

Lutz has compiled a record of 69-35 in three seasons after gaining experience as an assistant at Incarnate Word (four seasons), SMU (four), Creighton (seven) and Purdue (four), where he helped recruit National Player of the Year Zach Edey.

Oklahoma State fired Mike Boynton after seven seasons. His teams went 119-109 overall, 51-75 in the Big 12 Conference. The Cowboys went 12-20 (4-14 Big 12) this season.

Lutz’s contract buyout from Western Kentucky is about $2 million before April 30, and his new contract is for five years, according to media reports.

EX-GATORS G RILEY KUGEL COMMITS TO KANSAS

Former Florida guard Riley Kugel has committed to Kansas, days after announcing his decision to transfer.

The 6-foot-5 sophomore announced his decision in a post to Instagram on Sunday.

Kugel averaged 9.2 points and 3.5 rebounds and shot 39.4 percent from the field in 33 games (11 starts) this past season but lost his starting job in December. He was on the bench for both the semifinals and final of the SEC tournament. The Gators beat Texas A&M in the semis but lost to Auburn in the final.

Kugel did play in Florida’s 102-100 loss to Colorado in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. He had 11 points, four rebounds and three steals in 21 minutes.

In 2022-23, Kugel averaged 9.9 points and 2.8 rebounds and shot 45.6 percent in 32 games (17 starts). He averaged 17.3 points over the final 10 games of the season and earned SEC All-Freshman honors.

DRAKE HIRES FOUR-TIME DII CHAMP BEN MCCOLLUM AS HEAD COACH

Drake hired four-time Division II national champion Ben McCollum as head coach on Monday.

McCollum agreed to a five-year deal and is scheduled to be introduced as the replacement for Darian DeVries, who left the Des Moines, Iowa, school to take over at West Virginia last week.

Drake won the Missouri Valley Conference tournament and the automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament. DeVries had a 150-55 record in six seasons, taking Drake to the NCAA Tournament three times.

McCollum won four Division II national titles in the past eight seasons at Northwest Missouri State, where he compiled a record of 394-91 in 15 total seasons.

McCollum, 42, was born in Iowa City and grew up in Storm Lake, Iowa, about 160 miles from Drake’s campus.

He’s a five-time NABC Division II coach of the year (2017, 2019-2022).

WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL

UCONN PULLS AWAY FROM USC IN SECOND HALF, ADVANCES TO FINAL FOUR

PORTLAND, Ore. — UConn broke open a tie game with an 8-0 run to start the third quarter and never looked back en route to an 80-73 victory over Southern California on Monday night in the Portland 3 Region final.

There was simply too much Paige Bueckers for the top-seeded Trojans (29-6) to deal with. Bueckers collected 28 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and three steals in a brilliant Elite Eight performance. She was named the Portland 3 Region’s Most Outstanding Player.

Aaliyah Edwards added 24 points and six rebounds for the third-seeded Huskies (33-5), who extended their winning streak to 13 games and will face No. 1 Iowa in the Final Four on Friday in Cleveland.

JuJu Watkins went for 29 points and 10 rebounds and McKenzie Forbes added 24 points for Southern California.

UConn connected on 28 of 58 shots from the field (48.3 percent), including 7 of 15 from 3-point range. The Trojans made only 23 of 70 attempts overall (32.9 percent) and were 9-for-29 from beyond the arc.

The Huskies came roaring out of the gates in the third quarter to take a 41-33 advantage. Ashlynn Shade hit a 3-pointer, and when Bueckers scored on a steal and layup, UConn’s edge was 52-40 with 4:14 left in the period.

Watkins answered with a three-point play, helping Southern California score 11 of the final 14 points of the frame to go into the fourth trailing by just four, 55-51.

Forbes canned a trey to tie things at 59-all with 7:32 left in the game, but the Trojans were never able to take a lead.

Southern California was within one, 65-64, following a Watkins layup with 4:38 remaining, but the Huskies proceeded to rattle off a decisive 11-0 run to go up 76-64 with 1:25 to go.

UConn led by at least five the rest of the way.

Bueckers scored 15 points before the break as the Huskies rallied from an early nine-point deficit to go into intermission tied at 33.

Forbes ended a 9-0 UConn spurt with a jumper to give Southern California a 17-15 advantage that it took into the second quarter.

CAITLIN CLARK (41) LIFTS IOWA TO REMATCH WIN OVER LSU

ALBANY, N.Y. — This year, Caitlin Clark and Iowa would not be denied by LSU.

Clark scored 41 points and had 12 assists as the top-seeded Hawkeyes defeated third-seeded LSU 94-87 in the Albany 2 Region final to advance to the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament.

The game was a rematch of the 2023 national final, won 102-85 by LSU.

At the Final Four in Cleveland on Friday, Iowa will take on the winner of Monday’s later game between UConn and Southern California in the Portland 3 Region.

The rematch between the Hawkeyes and Tigers was highly anticipated since the regional brackets were unveiled two weeks ago, and it didn’t disappoint. Clark and LSU star Angel Reese — the two memorably jawed at each other in the 2023 title game — each turned in standout performances, with Clark bolstered by a strong game from the whole Iowa lineup.

Kate Martin scored 21 for the Hawkeyes (33-4), and Sydney Affolter added 16.

Flau’jae Johnson had a team-high 23 points for LSU (31-6), and Reese finished with 17 points and a game-high 20 rebounds before fouling out with 1:45 left. Mikaylah Williams contributed 18 points, and Aneesah Morrow scored 14 and pulled down 14 boards.

Clark, the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer in Division I history (women’s and men’s), set another record in the win. With her 3-pointer at the 5:09 mark of the third quarter, her seventh of the game, Clark broke the record set by Oklahoma’s Taylor Robertson last year for most career 3s made (537).

The capacity crowd in Albany had a decidedly pro-Iowa flavor, cheering wildly for the Hawkeyes throughout.

The game was frenetic from the start, with the teams putting up points in a flurry. That’s no surprise: Iowa entered as the nation’s top-scoring team at 91.9 points per game, with LSU second at 85.9.

With Hailey Ban Lith guarding her, Clark scored five quick points as the Hawkeyes took a 9-4 lead. After Van Lith went out at the 7:28 mark, Clark scored a 3-pointer off a turnover to put Iowa up by eight.

But with Last-Tear Poa guarding her, Clark had fewer clean looks, allowing the Tigers to close the gap, and LSU ended the quarter on a 10-0 run — including three layups by Reese — to take a 31-26 lead.

A Van Lith 3-pointer to open the second period extended the lead to eight, but Clark then went to work, scoring eight points to help Iowa erase the deficit and sending the teams to the locker room tied at 45.

Iowa was relentless in the third quarter, with Clark scoring 12 points and the Hawkeyes outpacing the Tigers 24-13 to take control of the game, ending the period up 69-58.

Rebounding kept the Tigers in the game, as they outrebounded the Hawkeyes 54-36 and scored 44 points in the paint.

TENNESSEE FIRES LADY VOLS COACH KELLIE HARPER AFTER 5 SEASONS

Tennessee has fired Kellie Harper as the Lady Vols coach after five seasons.

Athletic director Danny White announced Monday that Harper would not return. White said he told Harper the university was making a change after a “thorough review” of the women’s basketball program.

“Decisions like these are never easy to make, especially with someone who has done so much for the Lady Vols as a three-time national champion student-athlete,” White said in a statement. “Her love and passion for Tennessee and the Lady Vols is second to none. She has invested so much heart and soul into our program and truly has given her all for Tennessee.”

Harper finishes her tenure coaching at her alma mater with a 108-52 record, including 53-24 in Southeastern Conference play. She had become one of only two coaches to take four different programs to the NCAA Tournament.

But that’s not the standard at Tennessee, where she helped win three straight national titles herself under the late Pat Summitt.

White said he talked with the Lady Vols and plans an aggressive search for the next leader of a program with eight national championships. Tennessee hasn’t won a national title since 2008 with Summitt. The Lady Vols have not reached a Final Four since then.

Harper coached the Lady Vols to consecutive Sweet 16s each of the past two seasons. But Tennessee lost to her former boss Wes Moore and North Carolina State in the second round 79-72 to end her fifth season.

NBA NEWS

REPORT: EMBIID COULD RETURN FROM KNEE INJURY TUESDAY

Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid is expected to return from a meniscus injury that’s sidelined him since Jan. 30 as soon as Tuesday night against the Oklahoma City Thunder, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

The reigning MVP has been competing in five-on-five scrimmages in recent days, sources told The Athletic’s Shams Charania.

Sixers head coach Nick Nurse said earlier in March that Embiid was likely to return before the playoffs.

Embiid suffered the meniscus injury when Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga fell on his leg. He’s missed the last 29 games, with the Sixers going 11-18 in his absence, dropping to eighth in the Eastern Conference.

Philadelphia has seven games remaining on its schedule, including four this week.

Embiid is averaging 35.3 points, 11.3 rebounds 5.7 assists, 1.8 blocks, and 1.1 steals in 34 games this season.

MITCHELL UNHAPPY WITH CAVS’ RECENT STRUGGLES: ‘IT’S F—–G APRIL’

Donovan Mitchell isn’t happy with the slumping Cleveland Cavaliers.

“I told you at the beginning of the season, if we had these struggles at this point, then it’s a problem,” Mitchell said, according to Chris Fedor of cleveland.com. “It can’t happen. … We have to find a way to figure it out.

“It’s not going to linger after tonight. Have to watch the film and get back to what we do. But it can’t happen. We can all point to shit. It’s April. It’s f—–g April. We’ve got to figure it out. And we will.”

The Cavs have dropped eight of their last 12 games, including Sunday’s 130-101 loss to the Denver Nuggets. They rank 18th in offensive rating (112) and 24th in defensive rating (118.5) over that span.

Cleveland has been plagued by injuries this campaign. Forward Evan Mobley has missed 32 games this season due to knee and ankle ailments, while former All-Star Darius Garland was sidelined for 19 contests with a jaw injury.

Mitchell has missed 13 of the Cavs’ past 15 games due to knee and nose injuries. He recorded 13 points and six assists in 31 minutes in the loss, making his first two shots but going 1-of-10 for the rest of the contest.

“I’m working back into it,” Mitchell said when asked if he was playing below full strength. “That’s natural. I’m not worried about it. Just continue to build the reps and build the mental confidence in it. At the end of the day, I’m fine. I have to play better.”

Cleveland ranks third in the Eastern Conference with a 45-30 record. The Cavs face Mitchell’s former team, the Utah Jazz, on Tuesday.

NBA ROUNDUP: SUNS RIDE DEVIN BOOKER’S 52 TO WIN

Devin Booker scored 52 points against the New Orleans Pelicans for the second time this season and the visiting Phoenix Suns tightened the Western Conference playoff race with a 124-111 victory on Monday night.

Kevin Durant added 20 points, Jusuf Nurkic had 19 points and 19 rebounds, and Bradley Beal scored 13 points as the Suns pulled within one game of the Pelicans for sixth place in the conference — the final guaranteed playoff spot.

The Suns, who defeated the host Pelicans 123-109 back when Booker first dropped 52 points on Jan. 19, clinched the season series with one game remaining. The teams will meet on Sunday in Phoenix.

Zion Williamson scored 30 points, Trey Murphy III had 21 and CJ McCollum had 15 for New Orleans.

Celtics 118, Hornets 104

Jayson Tatum scored 25 points and Sam Hauser sank seven 3-pointers off the bench to also score 25 as Boston completed a solid road trip with a win in Charlotte.

Kristaps Porzingis added 20 points for the NBA-leading Celtics, who went 4-2 on their last multi-game trip of the regular season. They outscored the Hornets 57-39 from beyond the arc.

Miles Bridges scored 26 points and Grant Williams, who was in the starting lineup, had 23 for Charlotte, which fell for the eighth time in nine games.

Magic 104, Trail Blazers 103

All five Orlando starters scored at least 14 points, led by Franz Wagner’s 20, and the Magic avoided a potentially major blow in their race for playoff positioning by holding off visiting Portland.

Portland came into Orlando on a nine-game losing streak, including a 60-point blowout its last time out at Miami. However, the Blazers had a shot at stunning the Magic as the buzzer sounded.

Deandre Ayton’s 12-foot jumper after a scramble for a loose ball fell short as time expired, and Orlando survived after coughing up a 15-point, second-half lead. Ayton led the Trail Blazers with 20 points and 12 rebounds.

Grizzlies 110, Pistons 108

Jaren Jackson Jr. poured in 40 points as visiting Memphis edged Detroit.

Jackson also contributed seven rebounds, three assists, three steals and two blocks for the Grizzlies, who had lost seven of their previous eight games. Luke Kennard added 19 points and eight assists.

Cade Cunningham had 36 points and eight assists for the Pistons, who took their ninth loss in 10 games. Jaden Ivey tossed in 20 points.

Hawks 113, Bulls 101

Visiting Atlanta got 20 points from Bogdan Bogdanovic to beat the Bulls and move to within a half-game of Chicago, which holds the No. 9 spot in the Eastern Conference playoff race.

The Hawks shot 47.5 percent on 3-point attempts, 19 of 40, and had six players score in double figures. Atlanta won for the fifth time in six games.

Chicago was led by DeMar DeRozan with 31 points, while Coby White added 22 points. Ayo Dosunmu scored 15 as the Bulls lost for the fifth time in seven games.

Pacers 133, Nets 111

Tyrese Haliburton posted a 27-point, 13-assist double-double to lead host Indiana past Brooklyn in Indianapolis.

After giving up a pair of Brooklyn baskets, the Pacers settled into the game with an 18-3 run that Haliburton finished with a three-point play to give Indiana an 18-7 lead with 7:41 left in the first quarter. The Pacers never looked back.

Pascal Siakam had 15 points and six rebounds, while Aaron Nesmith chipped in 11 points for Indiana. Cam Thomas paced the Nets with a team-high 22 points.

NHL NEWS

NHL ROUNDUP: WINGS DEFEAT LIGHTNING TO HALT ROAD SKID

David Perron backhanded in a late tiebreaking goal as the Detroit Red Wings won for the first time in 10 road games, beating the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-2 on Monday.

Tied 2-2, defenseman Moritz Seider sent a long shot on goal. Perron found the rebound and potted his 15th goal at 17:20.

With the net empty as the Lightning tried to tie the match for the third time, Lucas Raymond tallied his 25th for the Wings (37-30-8, 82 points) as they broke a four-game losing streak (0-2-2).

Patrick Kane and Robby Fabbri scored and Dylan Larkin and J.T. Compher each had two assists as Detroit swept the three-game season series from Tampa Bay (41-26-7, 89 points).

The Wings are 1-7-2 in their past 10 road matches. Goalie Alex Lyon had 34 saves and won for the first time in 11 decisions (1-8-2).

Maple Leafs 6, Panthers 4

Auston Matthews scored his league-leading 61st and 62nd goals of the season and Toronto defeated visiting Florida.

Toronto took a 5-1 lead into the third period but Florida cut it to 5-4 before Matthews scored into an empty net at 19:14. Matthews, who added an assist, established a career high with the two goals. Nicholas Robertson and Matthew Knies each had a goal and an assist for the Maple Leafs, who have won three in a row. Tyler Bertuzzi and David Kampf also scored for Toronto.

Vladimir Tarasenko had a goal and two assists and Sam Reinhart, Sam Bennett and Brandon Montour also scored for Florida. Sergei Bobrovsky allowed five goals on 16 shots in two periods for the Panthers, who have lost seven of nine. Anthony Stolarz took over in the third period and made six saves.

Blues 3, Oilers 2 (OT)

Brandon Saad scored in overtime to lift St. Louis past visiting Edmonton and move the team within three points of the Los Angeles Kings for the final Western Conference playoff spot.

Brayden Schenn scored twice in his 500th game for the Blues, who are 8-2-1 in their past 11 games.

Mattias Ekholm had a goal and an assist and Leon Draisaitl also scored. Connor McDavid assisted on Draisaitl’s goal, giving the Edmonton captain 20 points (four goals, 16 assists) during an eight-game point streak.

Kraken 4, Sharks 2

Oliver Bjorkstrand had a goal and an assist as Seattle scored three times in the first period en route to a road victory over San Jose.

Shane Wright’s goal 17:06 into the first period stood as the game-winning tally. Wright was just recalled from the AHL on Sunday, and it was Wright’s first goal in four NHL games this season and the second of his career. Matty Beniers and Jared McCann scored the Kraken’s other goals, and Eeli Tolvanen and Jaden Schwartz each had two assists.

The Sharks have the fewest points in the NHL and are 2-16-3 in their last 21 games. Fabian Zetterlund had a goal and an assist and Klim Kostin scored San Jose’s other goal. Goalie Mackenzie Blackwood stopped 28 of 31 shots.

Blue Jackets 4, Avalanche 1

Alexander Nylander scored two goals and rookie Daniil Tarasov made 45 saves to lead host Columbus past visiting — and struggling — Colorado.

Kirill Marchenko and Cole Sillinger also scored for the Blue Jackets, who have won two in a row following a six-game losing streak.

Chris Wagner scored and Justus Annunen made 21 saves for Colorado, which has lost three of four and remains three points behind the idle Dallas Stars for first place in the Central Division with seven games left for both teams.

Penguins 5, Rangers 2

Sidney Crosby and Bryan Rust scored two goals apiece to lead Pittsburgh past host New York.

Crosby helped the Penguins improve to 3-0-2 in their past five games by setting up Rust’s first tally on the game’s opening shift before scoring midway through the first. Crosby reached 80 points for the 13th time in his 19-year career and ended the night three shy of 1,000 career assists.

The Rangers saw a five-game winning streak stopped but remained three points ahead of the Carolina Hurricanes atop the Metropolitan Division.

Islanders 4, Flyers 3 (OT)

Brock Nelson scored at 1:24 of overtime to lift New York past host Philadelphia and move the Islanders to within three points of the second wild card and four points of the Flyers for third place in the Metropolitan Division.

Nelson capitalized following a turnover by Morgan Frost in the Flyers’ zone. Frost had forced overtime with a goal in the final seconds of regulation.

Matt Martin, Bo Horvat and Anders Lee each scored for the Islanders. Noah Cates and Travis Sanheim also tallied for the Flyers, who have lost five in a row.

Jets 4, Kings 3

Cole Perfetti scored two goals, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as host Winnipeg edged Los Angeles to end a six-game winless slide.

Josh Morrissey scored and added a helper, Sean Monahan also tallied and Kyle Connor had three assists for the Jets. Winnipeg goalie Laurent Brossoit made 25 saves.

Viktor Arvidsson, Kevin Fiala and Anze Kopitar were Los Angeles’ goal scorers for the Kings, who have lost three straight, all in regulation.

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

MLB ROUNDUP: ASTROS’ RONEL BLANCO NO-HITS JAYS

Ronel Blanco pitched the 17th no-hitter in Astros history while Kyle Tucker and Yainer Diaz recorded multi-homer games as Houston pounded out a 10-0 victory over the visiting Toronto Blue Jays on Monday.

Blanco (1-0) issued a leadoff walk to George Springer in the first inning before retiring 26 consecutive batters. Springer walked with two outs in the ninth, but Blanco recovered to induce a game-ending groundout from Vladimir Guerrero Jr., completing the first no-hitter in the majors this season.

Making just his eighth career start and 25th appearance, Blanco handcuffed the Blue Jays with a three-pitch mix of sliders, changeups and four-seam fastballs. He finished with seven strikeouts against the two walks to Springer.

The Astros last had two players record multi-homer games in the same contest on Sept. 5, 2023, at Texas when Altuve slugged three homers and Martin Maldonado went deep twice against the Rangers.

Orioles 6, Royals 4

Jordan Westburg hit a two-run, walk-off homer in the ninth inning to lift Baltimore to a win over visiting Kansas City.

Cedric Mullins singled with one out against Nick Anderson (0-1). Westburg followed with an opposite-field shot, sending an 0-2 fastball just beyond the scoreboard in right for his first career walk-off homer.

Ryan Mountcastle homered, singled and drove in three runs for the Orioles. Craig Kimbrel (1-0) gave up a run to blow a save in the top of the ninth, but he emerged with the win. Bobby Witt Jr. had two hits, including a homer, while Salvador Perez also went deep for the Royals.

Rangers 9, Rays 3

Josh Jung hit a three-run home run in the first inning and Adolis Garcia added a solo shot in the eighth — his 100th career homer — as Texas beat Tampa Bay in St. Petersburg, Fla.

After going 3-for-4 with four RBIs, Jung exited in the ninth inning after being hit in the hand with an 87 mph sinker on a swing attempt. Rangers manager Bruce Bochy told reporters after the game Jung sustained a broken right wrist.

Jose Siri and Richie Palacios each homered for Tampa Bay, which managed five hits and lost its sixth straight to Texas, including a two-game sweep in the wild-card round last season.

Tigers 5, Mets 0 (10 innings)

Spencer Torkelson scored the tiebreaking run on a 10th-inning fielder’s choice as Detroit continued its perfect start to the season with a win at New York.

The Tigers tacked on four more runs, getting a two-run homer from Carson Kelly, as they improved to 4-0 for the first time since 2015. Detroit starter Reese Olson threw 5 2/3 innings to begin a combined five-hitter, and Jason Foley (1-0) got the win.

Michael Tonkin (0-1) allowed the five 10th-inning runs, all of which were unearned. Sean Manaea, making his Mets debut, tossed six innings of one-hit ball. New York fell to 0-4 for the first time since 2005.

Mariners 5, Guardians 4

Emerson Hancock pitched 5 1/3 innings for his first major league victory as host Seattle defeated Cleveland.

Dominic Canzone hit a three-run homer for the Mariners, while Tyler Freeman and Josh Naylor had solo shots for the Guardians. Hancock (1-0) allowed three runs on four hits. Ryne Stanek pitched the ninth to earn his first save with Seattle.

Guardians right-hander Triston McKenzie (0-1) gave up five runs (four earned) on four hits in 3 1/3 innings.

Red Sox 9, Athletics 0

Tanner Houck continued Boston’s strong starting pitching, Trevor Story capped a five-run third inning with a two-run double and the visiting Red Sox scored early and often en route to a shellacking of Oakland.

Jarren Duran collected three hits and scored twice for the Red Sox, who won their second straight game. Houck (1-0) struck out 10 in six innings of three-hit ball, and Chase Anderson followed with three innings of one-hit ball to get a save.

JJ Bleday had a double and a single for the A’s, who hurt their own cause by committing five errors, all in the first three innings.

Dodgers 8, Giants 3

Teoscar Hernandez hit a three-run home run and Los Angeles registered a victory over visiting San Francisco in the first meeting of the season between the longtime rivals.

Freddie Freeman and Will Smith each drove in two runs and James Paxton (1-0) went five scoreless innings in his Dodgers debut.

Michael Conforto hit a home run and Jung Hoo Lee had two hits for the Giants. Keaton Winn (0-1) gave up three runs on four hits over five innings.

Reds 6, Phillies 3 (10 innings)

Spencer Steer drilled his first career grand slam to break a 10th-inning tie and lead visiting Cincinnati to a win over Philadelphia.

Steer’s home run came off reliever Connor Brogdon (0-1), who walked Will Benson and Jonathan India to open the 10th before serving up the homer on a 2-1 fastball. Brogdon threw 37 pitches and recorded just two outs.

Alexis Diaz (1-1) rebounded from a blown save on Saturday to record five outs and the win. He entered with two on and one out in the eighth and escaped the jam. Alec Bohm drove in two runs for Philadelphia, which lost for the third time in four games to open the season.

Angels 7, Marlins 4

Mike Trout hit two home runs, including a mammoth 473-foot blast, to lead Los Angeles to a win over host Miami.

Trout recorded the fifth-longest homer hit at Miami’s loanDepot Park since the Statcast era started in 2015. The Angels also got a home run from Nolan Schanuel. Five Angels relievers combined to pitch six scoreless innings as Los Angeles won its second straight game since an 0-2 start to the new season that triggered a team meeting.

The Marlins, off to an 0-5 start for the first time in franchise history, blew an early 4-0 lead. Miami’s Max Meyer, pitching in his first game since undergoing Tommy John surgery in August 2022, allowed two hits and two runs in five innings. He left with a 4-2 lead and was in line for his first major league win before the Angels rallied.

Pirates 8, Nationals 4

Bryan Reynolds collected two hits and drove in three runs, helping lead undefeated Pittsburgh to a win at Washington.

Michael Taylor went 3-for-4 with an RBI and two runs and Connor Joe added two hits and two RBIs for the Pirates, who are 5-0 to start the season for the first time since 1983.

Washington starter MacKenzie Gore pitched 5 1/3 innings, allowing five hits and three runs. Riley Adams hit a two-run homer for the Nationals.

Cubs 5, Rockies 0

Shota Imanaga struck out nine and didn’t walk a batter in his six-inning major league debut as host Chicago shut out Colorado.

Imanaga (1-0), who signed a four-year deal with the Cubs in January, didn’t allow a hit for the first 5 2/3 innings. Christopher Morel had two hits and Cody Bellinger had a two-run single to help Chicago win its home opener.

Dakota Hudson (0-1) was strong in his Rockies debut but was victimized by two errors on one play in the sixth inning. Hudson allowed three runs — all unearned — on four hits and struck out two. Colorado has lost four of five road games to begin the season.

Braves 9, White Sox 0 (8 innings)

Austin Riley went 2-for-4 with a three-run home run and four RBIs and Charlie Morton pitched shutout ball into the sixth inning to help visiting Atlanta defeat Chicago in a game shortened to eight innings due to rain.

Morton (1-0) scattered three hits and two walks with six strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings to improve to 5-0 against Chicago in five starts. The Braves saw each member of the starting lineup collect at least one hit. Ozzie Albies had two hits and an RBI.

Chris Flexen (0-1) took the loss in his White Sox debut, allowing four runs and six hits in 4 1/3 innings. Chicago managed just three hits, two from Yoan Moncada, while losing for the fourth time in as many games this season.

Yankees 5, Diamondbacks 2

Anthony Volpe went 4-for-4 with two runs and one RBI and New York started the season 5-0 for the first time in 32 years by beating Arizona at Phoenix.

Gleyber Torres and Oswaldo Cabrera also had run-scoring hits to help New York achieve its best start since the 1992 squad went 6-0. The Yankees’ Luis Gil gave up one run and one hit in 4 2/3 innings. Luke Weaver (2-0) replaced Gil and gave up one run and two hits in 2 1/3 innings.

Ketel Marte hit two sacrifice flies for Arizona, which had just four hits and finished hitless in seven at-bats with runners in scoring position.

Cardinals 6, Padres 2

Kyle Gibson pitched seven strong innings in his St. Louis debut and Brendan Donovan came within a triple of the cycle in a win over host San Diego.

Gibson (1-0) gave up just four hits and two runs while posting the first quality start for a St. Louis pitcher this season. Donovan paced St. Louis’ offense, going 3-for-4 with three runs and two RBIs.

Matt Waldron (0-1) became the third straight San Diego starter to fail to make it through five innings, lasting only four-plus. Waldron permitted nine hits and four runs. Fernando Tatis Jr. cracked a solo shot for the Padres.

NFL NEWS

FORMER PRO BOWL CB VONTAE DAVIS DIES AT 35

Former NFL cornerback Vontae Davis died Monday at the age of 35, police confirmed to ESPN.

Davis was found at a residence in South Florida by the house assistant, who contacted the authorities.

“Preliminary information suggests that foul play is not involved,” Davie police said in a statement, adding that the investigation remains active.

Davis spent 10 seasons in the NFL after the Miami Dolphins selected him in the first round of the 2009 draft. The team traded him to the Indianapolis Colts in 2012, and he made two Pro Bowls during his six-year stint with the AFC South club.

The cornerback joined the Buffalo Bills for the 2018 campaign, where he famously retired at halftime during the team’s Week 2 game against Miami.

“I went to the bench after that series and it just hit me,” Davis said at the time, according to John Breech of CBS Sports. “I don’t belong on that field anymore.”

Davis appeared in 121 games, producing 22 interceptions, 97 pass defenses, and 395 tackles.

REPORTS: CHIEFS ADD CARSON WENTZ AS BACKUP QB

Carson Wentz is headed to his fifth team in as many years, as the veteran quarterback agreed to a one-year deal to back up Patrick Mahomes with the Kansas City Chiefs, multiple media outlets reported Monday night.

Wentz, 31, takes the spot previously occupied by Blaine Gabbert, who is currently a free agent.

Selected second overall by the Eagles in the 2016 draft out of North Dakota State, Wentz spent five years in Philadelphia. He made the Pro Bowl in 2017 but missed the postseason that year due to a torn anterior cruciate ligament, and the Eagles went on to win the Super Bowl with Nick Foles at quarterback.

After producing a 35-32-1 record as Philadelphia’s starter, went on to one-year stints as a starter with the Indianapolis Colts in 2021 (9-8 record) and the Washington Commanders in 2022 (2-5 record).

Last year, he was unsigned until midseason before landing with the Los Angeles Rams. Wentz saw his only action of the year when he started the regular-season finale in place of Matthew Stafford as the Rams and the San Francisco 49ers rested players ahead of the postseason. Los Angeles emerged with a 21-20 win. Wentz threw for 163 yards and two touchdowns, and he was intercepted once.

In eight NFL seasons, Wentz owns a 47-45-1 mark as a starter. He has completed 62.7 percent of his passes for 22,292 yards and 153 TDs with 67 interceptions.

The Chiefs have two other quarterbacks under contract, both 26 years old: Chris Oladokun, who has yet to make his NFL debut; and Ian Book, whose lone NFL appearance was a start (and loss) for the New Orleans Saints in 2021.

BROCK PURDY GETS $739K PERFORMANCE-BASED BONUS

Brock Purdy went from Mr. Irrelevant to Super Bowl quarterback in less than two years.

On Monday, the San Francisco 49ers signal-caller was rewarded financially for his performance in 2023.

Purdy received a $739,795 bonus from the NFL’s performance-based pay program. The league handed out $393.8 million to players who outperformed their salary level based on their playing time.

The bonus check nearly equaled Purdy’s base pay last year, $889,253.

Purdy, 24, was a Pro Bowl selection last year after producing a 12-4 record as a starter, completing 69.4 percent of his passes and throwing for 4,280 yards. He threw for 31 touchdowns and was intercepted 11 times while leading the league in touchdown rate (7.0 percent), yards per attempt (9.6), passer rating (113.0) and QBR (72.8).

He subsequently guided the 49ers to two postseason wins before they fell 25-22 in overtime against the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl.

Purdy entered the NFL as the last pick (262nd overall) in the 2022 draft.

Topping the performance-based pay distribution list was Baltimore Ravens guard John Simpson, who received a $974,613 bonus.

Rounding out the top five were Philadelphia Eagles safety Reed Blankenship ($923,059), Buffalo Bills tackle Spencer Brown ($912,723), Cincinnati Bengals guard Cordell Volson ($905,972) and Miami Dolphins cornerback Kader Kohou ($878,167).

Among the top 25 on the list, Purdy was the lone offensive skill position player.

FORMER LIONS DEFENSIVE BACK CAMERON SUTTON TURNS HIMSELF IN AFTER WEEKS OF EVADING LAW ENFORCEMENT

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Cameron Sutton has turned himself in, ending a weekslong search for the former NFL defensive back who was wanted on a domestic violence warrant.

The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office announced the 29-year-old Sutton arrived at a jail in Tampa, Florida, on Sunday night, nearly a week after it said his attorney informed authorities that the former Detroit Lions and Pittsburgh Steelers standout would turn himself in.

“After weeks of evading law enforcement, this man has finally made the right choice to turn himself in,” Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister said. “Domestic violence has no place in our community, and no one is above the law here in Hillsborough County. My thoughts are with this woman as she continues to heal from this man’s gruesome actions.”

Sutton’s initial arrest warrant charged him with a felony, but prosecutors said Monday he was being formally charged with misdemeanor battery, which carries a maximum one-year jail sentence. Sutton was released from jail Monday on his own recognizance, the state attorney’s office said.

The sheriff’s department responded to a call about domestic violence in progress involving Sutton and a female around 5 a.m. on March 7. Nearly two weeks ago, the sheriff’s office asked for help in finding Sutton.

Soon thereafter, Lions President Rod Wood said Sutton had been at the team’s training facility just outside of Detroit.

“We learned about the warrant at the same time everybody else did on social media,” Wood told WJBK-TV Fox 2 last Monday. “We were able to speak to Cam because he was actually in our building. We found him. He was down with our strength staff. He kind of showed up unexpectedly to work out.”

The Lions released Sutton on March 21 after news of the warrant surfaced.

Detroit signed Sutton to a $33 million, three-year contract a year ago. He helped the franchise win a division title for the first time in three decades along with two playoff games in one postseason for the first time since 1957.

He started in all 17 regular-season games, making a career-high 65 tackles and one interception, and in each of Detroit’s three playoff games.

Sutton started 31 games for the Steelers during the 2021 and ’22 seasons with five interceptions with 95 tackles. Pittsburgh drafted the former Tennessee star, who is from Jonesboro, Georgia, in the third round in 2017. He has nine interceptions in 101 games over his career.

NFL DRAFT PROFILE: OT TROY FAUTANU

Fautanu is an explosive left tackle prospect for the Huskies. He has average height and a thick, square build with long arms. In pass pro, he is a very easy mover, bends well and has a sharp/jolting punch. He redirects smoothly and is a nasty helper when uncovered. His biggest issue is when he gets overaggressive and loses his balance trying to pummel pass rushers instead of playing with more patience. In the run game, he can get underneath defenders and uproot them at the point of attack. He is very explosive as a puller and on screens, with the ability to get all the way to the third level in a hurry. He does have some starting experience at guard, and some NFL teams will project him inside. Overall, I view Fautanu as a starting tackle with positional flexibility to play all five O-line spots if needed.

NFL DRAFT PROFILE: CB QUINYON MITCHELL

Mitchell has excellent size, speed and toughness for the position. He is at his best in off-man coverage, where he plays out of a side turn and eyes the quarterback through the wide receiver. He is very situationally aware, settling at the sticks before triggering on the ball. There’s a noticeable burst when he drives downhill. He has plenty of speed to turn and carry go routes. He also can quickly restart and recover versus double moves. Occasionally, there is a little tightness when he must flip his hips down the field. He has exceptional ball skills (SEE: his tape from 2022, when he had five interceptions, including a pair of pick-sixes), but he wasn’t challenged very often in 2023. I love his desire and physicality against the run. He never hangs on blocks, and he bursts to the ball-carrier before coming to balance and collecting tackles. Overall, Mitchell is a feisty competitor with outstanding speed and a history of ball production. 

NFL DRAFT PROFILE: DE JARED VERSE, FLORIDA STATE

Verse is a rugged, twitched-up edge rusher with a thick/powerful build. At Florida State, he moved around the defensive front. Against the pass, he explodes off the edge and tries to run right through offensive tackles, doing so in two different ways: 1) He will stutter to get OTs off balance and then charge right through with his hands; or 2) he’ll simply bury his head into the blocker’s chest and walk him right back to the quarterback. He has also been effective using a chop/swim move and occasional inside counter. He doesn’t have elite bend at the top of his rush. When aligned inside, he relies more on his quickness to work the edge of an offensive guard. Against the rush, he is stout at the point of attack. He closes the back door quickly on runs away from him with great speed and effort. Overall, Verse is not only a productive pass rusher — he’s a violent tempo setter for the defense.

NFL DRAFT PROFILE: OT OLUMUYIWA FASHANU, PENN STATE

Fashanu has ideal size, length and strength for the left tackle position. In pass pro, he explodes out of his stance, redirects easily and has strong hands to stab and steer defenders. He can bend his knees and anchor when his eyes are in the right place. However, there are times (SEE: Ohio State tape) where his eyes get him in trouble and he gets uprooted by power rushers. In the run game, he is effective shielding and staying attached, but he could improve his consistency to finish. He is very quick in getting up to the second level. There is a little ankle tightness when he has to adjust in space. Overall, Fashanu is still very young and developing. He has all the tools to be a solid starting left tackle once he cleans up some small areas of his game.

COLLEGE BASEBALL

ILLINOIS, INDIANA AND MICHIGAN AWARDED BASEBALL HONORS

Player of the Week
Jacob Schroeder, Illinois
Sr. – C — Homewood-Flossmoor — John A. Logan CC

• Helped Illinois to a 4-0 record, including a three-game sweep of Penn State in Champaign, Ill.
• Compiled a slash line of .533/.632/1.333 along with a 1.964 OPS
• Launched three home runs (including a grand slam), recorded nine RBI and crossed the plate nine times
• Currently riding an eight-game hitting streak, collects his first career Player of the Week award
• Last Illinois Player of the Week: Drake Westcott (March 25, 2024)
   

Pitcher of the Week
Jacob Denner, Michigan
5th – S-LHP — Closter, N.J. — Bergen Catholic

• Threw 7.2 innings of three-hit ball in a March 30 start against Maryland
• Allowed just six baserunners and struck out six batters in a 12-1 win, holding the Terrapins to a .125 batting average
• Moved into a fourth-place tie on Michigan’s career appearances list (76)
• The three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection earns his second career Big Ten Pitcher of the Week award, having previously been honored on May 8, 2023
• Last Michigan Pitcher of the Week: Kurt Barr (March 18, 2024)
   

Freshman of the Week
Jasen Oliver, Indiana
Fr. – 2B — Almont, Mich. — Orchard Lake St. Mary’s Prep

• Compiled a .550 batting average (11-for-20) with three multiple-hit games
• Recorded three home runs, seven RBI and a 1.150 slugging percentage
• Extended hitting streak to 11 games
• Receives his first Big Ten Freshman of the Year honor of the season
• Last Indiana Freshman of the Week: Tyler Cerny (April 24, 2023)

TOLEDO’S PIKE, BALL STATE’S BEEKER EARN WEEKLY HONORS

MAC Baseball Player of the Week
Garret Pike, Toledo, CF 
Junior, Waterville, Ohio (Anthony Wayne)          
Junior Garret Pike enjoyed a monster week at the plate with a .529 batting average, six home runs, and 10 RBIs in four games. The junior outfielder also scored nine runs and drew three walks while registering an eye-popping 1.588 slugging percentage to help Toledo post a 3-1 record and win its Mid-American Conference series vs. Northern Illinois. After opening the week with a homer and three RBIs vs. Youngstown State on Tuesday, Pike registered two homers in back-to-back contests to help the Rockets win the first two games of their series vs. the Huskies. He then homered for a fourth-straight game in Saturday’s series finale. Pike’s big week helped him take over the team lead in batting average (.352), runs (26), home runs (9), and RBIs (26).
 
MAC Baseball Pitcher of the Week
Merritt Beeker, Ball State, LHP 
Junior, Lexington, N.C. (North Davidson)              
Beeker (3-2) didn’t allow a hit and faced the minimum through the first five innings and struck out multiple Ohio batters in five innings to lead the Cardinals to a 12-3 win over the Bobcats on Friday. The lefty pitcher struck out the side in the fourth and increased his season strikeout total to 59 with the dominant performance. Beeker has struck out double digit batters in four games this year.

HCAC 2024 BASEBALL NOTEBOOK, WEEK 7

CARMEL, Ind. – The Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) baseball teams competed in week seven of the 2024 season.
 
Around the League:
HCAC Baseball Schedule
 
Athletes of the Week:
Hitter of the Week:
Austin Taylor (Louisville, Ky.) Transylvania University | First Base | Junior – Taylor had a phenomenal weekend at the plate. He batted 10-13 (.769) and had 9 RBI’s while leading the Pioneers to their first ever sweep over Rose-Hulman in program history. He was 4-4 in game one, 2-4 in game two, and 4-5 in game three. He had four RBI’s in game one, one in game two, and four in game three.
Pitching Athlete of the Week:
Ethan Mason (Cincinnati, Ohio) Mount St. Joseph University | Closer | Sophomore – MSJ sophomore closer Ethan Mason was dominant this weekend, helping the Lions secure a three-game sweep over Earlham. In game one on Friday night, he pitched a ninth inning allowing only a single hit to get the save in a two run game. Then came back to get a four out save in game one on Saturday. He entered with the tying run on second base and two-outs in the eighth inning. He struck out the Earlham hitter, then finished it off with a 1-2-3 ninth to secure his second save of the weekend.

Notable Performances:
Hitting Athletes:

• Jed Downham (Fort Wayne, Ind.) Anderson University | Catcher | Senior – Jed Downham went 4-for-7 with 2 homers, 3 RBI and 3 runs as Anderson split Saturday’s doubleheader with Hanover. He finished with a slashline of .571/.625/1.429 In Game 1, Downham went 2-for-3 with a homer, 2 RBI and a walk. He then went 2-for-4 with a solo homer in Game 2.
• Justin Maurer (Springfield, Ohio) Bluffton University | First Base | Junior – Justin blistered the ball to the tune of a .591 batting average with 13 hits in 22 at bats. He slugged 1.000 thanks to 6 doubles and a home run. His on-base percentage was .667 as the week included 3 free passes and 2 hit by pitches. Maurer led the Beavers to a 4-2 week, including a sweep of rival Defiance College. He scored 11 runs and drove in 7.
• Sean Jeffries (Gilbert, Ariz.) Earlham College | Infield | Sophomore – Sean Jeffries posted a .500 batting average this week with 11 hits, two doubles, two home runs and six RBI. Jeffries added eight runs and did not strike out in 22 at bats on the week.
• Tysen Lipscomb (Wapahani, Ind.) Franklin College | Outfield | Senior – Went 11-for-21 with five doubles, nine runs driven in and nine runs scored as Franklin went 4-1 in HCAC play for the week…went 3-for-4 with three runs scored and four driven in to open the week in a win over Defiance…closed out the week going 3-for-4 with two doubles, three runs scored and a run driven in as Franklin won their series with Manchester…has recorded at least one hit in all 20 games this season.
• Reid Douglas (Rossville, Ind.) Hanover College | Right Field | Junior – Douglas led the Panthers in a split with Anderson. Over the course of three games, the junior posted a 1.300 slugging percentage going 5-for-10 at the dish with seven RBI. He added two home runs, a pair of doubles, and drew five walks.
• Ian Nuckles (Martinsville, Ind.) Manchester University | Pitcher/Infield | First Year – Ian Knuckles hit.385 with 5 RBI and 7 runs scored with 3 homeruns and a double as the Spartans went 2-2 on the win against Franklin and Hope. The first-year currently has a .692 slugging percentage and a .367 on base percentage for the season.
• Andrew Harrison (Lebanon, Ohio) Mount St. Joseph University | Third Base | Junior – Lions junior third baseman Andrew Harrison continued his stellar run of play in the Lions sweep of Earlham. In game one of the series he was finally retired after reaching base in 15 consecutive plate appearances. For the week he was 7-for-14 with 2 doubles, a triple, 5 RBI and 5 runs scored adding a walk.
• Mark Serindak (Sagamore Hills, Ohio) Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology | Third Base/Outfield | Sophomore – Serdinak led the Fightin’ Engineers at the dish with a 4-11 hitting week with two extra-base knocks including his first home run of the season. Serdinak added four RBIs, two runs scored, and three walks en route to a .563 OBP, .727 SLG, and 1.290 OPS.

Pitching Athletes:

• Carter Knoblauch (New Haven, Ind.) Anderson University | Pitcher | Sophomore – Carter Knoblauch earned the win in Game 2 of Saturday’s doubleheader against Hanover after coming in for 4.1 innings of relief. He issued 2 walks and allowed 3 runs (2 earned) on 5 hits in 4.1 innings.
• Ben Eisenhauer (San Jose, Calif.) Bluffton University | Pitcher | Junior – Eisenhauer finished the week with a 0.00 ERA in 4.1 innings of relief. He struck out 3 and allowed just 3 hits while limiting the opposition to a .188 batting average, earning a Good Friday victory over Defiance.
• Phoenix Guzzi (Rockwood, Mich.) Earlham College | Pitcher | Senior – In two appearances this week, Phoenix Guzzi recorded eight strikeouts with a save and 10 innings pitched. The senior fanned five in a four-inning save at Bluffton. He then started against MSJ with three strikeouuts after going six complete innings. Guzzi left the mound in line for the win.
• Matt Johnson (Griffith, Ind.) Franklin College | Pitcher | Junior – Went the distance for Franklin in their series opening win over Manchester on Friday, giving up four earned runs on five hits with 10 strikeouts in an 8-5 win.
• Chris Hautman (Lawrenceburg, Ind.) Hanover College | Pitcher | Junior – Hautman led the Panthers to a split at Anderson as the junior claimed his third victory of the season sitting at 3-0 overall. He pitched four complete innings in the team’s 15-4 victory. He surrendered just two hits allowing no runs with three strikeouts.
• Rocco Hanes (Ossian, Ind.) Manchester University | Catcher/Utility | Junior – Rocco Hanes threw 4.2 innings, allowing just 4 hits while striking out 8 batters as Manchester earned a 14-4 victory over Franklin in game two of Friday’s doubleheader.
• Ian Kline (frederick, Md.) Rose-Hulman Insitute of Technology | Pitcher | Senior – Kline pitched six innings in the loss to Transylvania on Saturday, and he did not allow a run in the first five innings pitched before giving up four in the sixth. He struck out six batters in total on the day.
• Matt Armstrong (Louisville, Ky.) Transylvania University | Pitcher | Senior – Armstrong earned his 6th save of the season in the win over Rose-Hulman. He pitched 2 innings in relief, striking out 2 batters and allowing just 1 hit.

COLLEGE SOFTBALL

MINNESOTA, IOWA, MARYLAND AND MICHIGAN EARN BIG TEN SOFTBALL WEEKLY AWARDS

Player of the Week 

Jess Oakland, Minnesota  

So. – SS – San Jose, Calif. – Saint Francis – Major: Kinesiology 

• Hit four home runs in Minnesota’s series win vs. Illinois  
• Broke Minnesota’s single-game record with three home runs in game two of the series 
• Scored four runs in game three, matching Minnesota’s single game program record 
• Broke Minnesota’s single-game total bases record with 14 in game two vs. Illinois, a record that has stood since 2002 
• Led the Gophers at the plate, hitting .800 with six RBI and slugged 2.100 
• Had seven of Minnesota’s 35 total runs over the weekend, limiting the Illini to five total runs  
• Last Minnesota Player of the Week: Taylor Krapf (Feb. 27, 2023) 

Co-Pitcher of the Week  

Jalen Adams, Iowa 

So. – RHP – Fort Dodge, Iowa – Fort Dodge 

• Threw first career no-hitter in Friday’s win over Michigan State, marking the 19th no-hitter in Iowa program history  
• Threw a complete game shutout in Saturday’s second game of a doubleheader, securing the series victory over the Spartans 
• Held opposing batters to a .152 batting average, allowing zero runs in 14.0 innings of work  
• Threw her 12th and 13th complete games of the season  
• Last Iowa Pitcher of the Week: Allison Doocy (May 4, 2021) 

Co-Pitcher of the Week  

Courtney Wyche, Maryland 

Gr. – RHP – Silver Spring, Md. – Montgomery Blair– Master’s: Management 

• Struck out a career-best 19 batters in Maryland’s 2-0 win in game one of the Terrapins weekend series with Penn State. The 19 strikeouts are the most in the NCAA this season 
• Pitched the 12th shutout and 43rd complete game of her career, allowing just two hits as part of her 50th win of her career and ninth of the season 
• On Sunday, Wyche made her third appearance in the series, pitching her second complete game, striking out 17 batters and allowing one run and six hits 
• Tallied 38 strikeouts and allowed 11 hits and three runs throughout 22.1 innings of work in the series  
• Last Maryland Pitcher of the Week: Courtney Wyche (March 11, 2024) 

Freshman of the Week 

Ella Stephenson, Michigan 

OF – Algonac, Mich. – Algonac – Major: Movement Science 

• Posted a .429 batting average (6-for-14) last week with two doubles, two runs and six RBI 
• Hit two RBI doubles in the second game of the series at Indiana and went 3-for-4 in the finale with two RBI 
• Last Michigan Freshman of the Week: Jenissa Conway (March 18, 2024) 

HCAC 2024 SOFTBALL NOTEBOOK, WEEK 7

CARMEL, Ind. – The Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) softball teams competed in week seven of the 2024 season.
 
Around the League:
HCAC Softball ScheduleAthletes of the Week:
Hitting Athlete of the Week:
Emily Hope  (Enon, Ohio) Bluffton University | Pitcher | First Year – Hope hit .538 with 7 hits in 13 at bats as the Beavers went 3-3 for the week. She scored 4 runs and drove in 3. Her on-base percentage was .684 thanks to a walk and 5 hit by pitches.
Pitching Athlete of the Week:
Phoebe Wortsell (Bicknell, Ind.) Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology | Pitcher | Junior – Worstell picked up the win in the second game of the doubleheader against Greenville after throwing her third complete-game shutout of the season. It was just the third time this season that the 13-3 Panthers were held to fewer than three runs in a game. Worstell allowed just six hits, zero runs, and struck out five batters en route to picking up her fifth pitching win of the season.

Notable Performances:
Hitting Athletes:

• Bo Shelton  (Anderson, Ind.) Earlham College | Infield | First Year – Bo Shelton slashed .500/.571/.917 in four games for the Quakers this week. The freshman went 6-for-12 at the plate with two doubles, a home run, three runs scored and three RBI.
• Haley Kiefner (Indianapolis, Ind.) Hanover College | First Year – Kiefner led Hanover at Manchester as the freshman went 2-for-5 with two RBI. She added a triple and posted a .800 slugging percentage.
• Izzy Ditmar (Warsaw, Ind.) Manchester University | Catcher/Infield | Senior – Izzy Dittmar went 8-18 at the plate this week against Adrian, Albion, and Hanover. The senior finished with 3 RBI, 2 doubles, and 2 runs scored on the week.
• Phoebe Wortsell (Bicknell, Ind.) Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology | Third Base/Pitcher | Junior – Worstell led the Fightin’ Engineers at the plate going 5-6 in their Thursday doubleheader split against Greenville. Worstell added 4 singles and a double a well as one RBI on the day against two very good Greenville pitchers who entered Thursday with a combined ERA of just 1.73 on the season.

Pitching Athletes:

• Katie Fleshman  (Delaware, Ohio) Bluffton University | Pitcher | Senior – Fleshman went 2-1 for the week with a 2.67 ERA in 21 innings of work with 2 complete games. She struck out 12 batters and held opponents to a .282 batting average.
• Tatum Rickert (Muncie, Ind.) Earlham College | Pitcher | First Year – Tatum Rickert started two games this week with a 1-1 record in 11.2 innings. The freshman tossed a complete game shutout at Bluffton, and scored eight strikeouts with a 4.2 ERA.
• Lauren Beaman (Seymour, Ind.) Hanover College | Pitcher | Sophomore – Beaman entered the circle pitching a complete game at Manchester surrendering just two earned runs on 11 hits. She posted two strikeouts for a .324 batting average.
• Brionna Egold (Greencastle, Ind.) Manchester University | Pitcher/Utility | Junior – Brionna Egold gave up 13 hits with 6 strikeouts in 10.2 innings as the Spartans went 4-2 this week against Adrian, Alboin, and Hanover. Egold held Hanover to just 3 hits, striking out 5 batters in 4.0 innings pitched as Manchester earned their first conference win in 8 innings on Saturday. She followed with 1.2 innings of relief against Hanover in game two, allowing no hits and no runs as the Spartans improved to 2-0 in HCAC play with an 8-2 victory over the Panthers.

INDIANA SPORTS RELEASES/NEWS

INDIANA PACERS BASKETBALL

GAME REWIND: PACERS 133, NETS 111

The Indiana Pacers didn’t mess around on April Fools’ Day.

Kicking off a pivotal week of games, the Pacers (43-33) trailed for just 2 minutes and 10 seconds on Monday in a 133-111 blowout win over the Brooklyn Nets (29-47) at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

Indiana pounced early, leading by double digits in the first quarter before ballooning the lead to 28 at halftime. In the final 24 minutes, the Blue and Gold coasted to their second straight win.

With the win, the Pacers are now a game above the Miami Heat (41-33) for sixth place in the Eastern Conference. The top six teams in the East will automatically make the playoffs, while those finishing seven through 10 will make the Play-In Tournament.

Pacers coaches and players alike reached historical milestones on Monday.

By beating Brooklyn, Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle recorded his 939th career win, passing the legendary Red Auerbach for 12th place on the NBA’s all-time wins list. In 1984, Auerbach was president of the Boston Celtics when they drafted Carlisle with the 70th overall pick.

“Without Red, none of this probably happens,” Carlisle said. “It’s really hard to say how it would all have gone. That’s an amazing man, an amazing person in the history of the game.”

On the floor, Tyrese Haliburton now has 695 assists on the season after recording 13 against the Nets, passing Don Buse (685 assists in 1976-77) for second place in the franchise’s single-season record book. Mark Jackson holds the franchise record with 713 assists in 1997-98.

With the win, the Pacers secured their season series against the Nets for the first time since the 2019-20 season. Indiana and Brooklyn will meet again on Wednesday but at Barclays Center.

Six players recorded double-digit scoring for the Pacers, who finished at 51.5 percent shooting (41.9 percent from 3-point range) as a team.

Haliburton led the Blue & Gold with 27 points (9-for-15 shooting), 13 assists, and four rebounds in 27 minutes. After Haliburton, Jalen Smith logged 17 points and 10 rebounds, Pascal Siakam had 15 points and six boards, Obi Toppin scored 14 points, and Aaron Nesmith scored 11 points.

Cam Thomas topped the Nets with 22 points, Trendon Watford scored 21, and Mikal Bridges scored 19. Indiana limited the Nets to 47.7 percent shooting.

In the first half, the Pacers led 75-47 by shooting 57.7 percent from the field and holding the visitors to 38.3 percent.

Haliburton was sensational in the opening half, scoring 21 points on 7-for-12 shooting to go with seven assists and five rebounds. Siakam was also strong, scoring 13 points in the first half, and Smith had 10 off the bench for the Blue & Gold.

In the first quarter, the Pacers put on a dominant offensive display, shooting 66.7 percent to lead 43-27 at the end of the frame. Haliburton came out on fire, scoring 14 points on 5-for-7 (3-for-4 3-point) while recording five assists and three rebounds in the period.

Indiana went up by double-digits three minutes after the tip, using a 19-5 run — highlighted by a 13-0 spree in which Haliburton hit back-to-back 3-pointers – to lead 21-9 with 7:23 on the clock.

The Pacers kept their foot on the gas from there, as Haliburton’s third 3-pointer of the night and a trio of baskets by Siakam from close range extended the lead to 30-13 with just under five minutes remaining in the first quarter.

While the Nets got some offense rolling in the final minutes of the opening frame, the Pacers essentially went basket-for-basket as they took a 16-point lead into the second quarter.

Indiana’s bench kept the Nets at bay early in the second quarter, building the lead to as many as 22 points, before the starters came back in and used a 9-0 run to extend the lead to 69-40 with 4:03 left in the half.

Haliburton added three more points off free throws, Siakam hit a mid-range jumper, and Myles Turner hit a free throw with his left hand after injuring his right finger in the last 2:29 as the Pacers’ lead ballooned to 28 points by the break.

“I just felt like we were playing some good ball,” Haliburton said. “The ball was moving, it was hot. We understand that this is a team who has multiple elite defenders one-on-one. We just thought the best way to kind of attack them is random movement, get the ball moving, and not let the ball stick. …When the ball’s moving like that, we’re really hard to defend against anybody.”

Out of intermission, seven straight points by Smith and a 3-pointer by Haliburton kept the Pacers ahead 87-62 with six minutes on the clock.

The game got contentious midway through the third period, as Smith was ejected with a double technical after he confronted Nets guard Dennis Schroder after a hard offensive foul. Schroder was also issued a technical on the play.

Indiana responded with another flurry after the stoppage. From 5:15 to 1:20 in the third quarter, the Pacers went on an 18-4 run, during which Nesmith scored seven points, Haliburton threw down a thunderous breakaway dunk, and rookie Ben Sheppard converted an and-one to make it 106-70.

Heading into the final 12 minutes of action, the Pacers led 108-77.

The Pacers’ bench played the entirety of the fourth quarter. Of note, with 3:38 left in the game, Pacers rookie Isaiah Wong scored his first official NBA basket on a 16-foot jumper.

The Pacers won the rebounding margin 47-42 and outscored the Nets 70-52 in the paint/. Indiana dished out 35 assists as a team and finished with nine turnovers to the Nets’ 15 giveaways.

Indiana will conclude its regular season series with the Nets on Wednesday in Brooklyn before hosting the Western Conference first-place Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday.

Inside the Numbers

Tyrese Haliburton has recorded 43 double-doubles and Jalen Smith now has five for the season.

Indiana’s bench outscored the Brooklyn reserves 64-51.

The Pacers scored 43 points in the first quarter, which was one point short of tying the most for the season in the period (44 points on Nov. 6 against San Antonio).

In the first half, the Pacers scored 19 fastbreak points while the Nets had none.

The Pacers are 8-3 with two days rest and the Nets are 4-9 on the second leg of back-to-backs this season.

Myles Turner recorded five blocks against the Nets despite his injury-shortened game. He has recorded at least five blocks in five games this season.

Pacers guard T.J. McConnell has scored in double figures in 10 straight games, the longest double-digit streak of his career. He scored 10 points on Monday.

The Nets shot 19-for-28 from the free throw line and the Pacers went 14-for-17.

Haliburton had zero turnovers on Monday. He has recorded at least 10 assists with no turnovers eight times this season.

You Can Quote Me On That

“There were obviously a lot of good things in this game, but we have a real challenge on Wednesday. We’ll have to be ready. They’ll be ready. There were some emotions flying around and all that kind of stuff. It will be a very good test.” – Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle on Wednesday’s game against the Nets

“They played last night, and I thought we took advantage of that early. We pushed it, we got stops, the ball moved. … When we’re playing that fast and random, we can be tough to play against.” – Carlisle on the win

“I’m really grateful to Red for drafting me in the third round almost 40 years ago. When you get drafted into the NBA, you get a shot. I was very fortunate to be in the right place at the right time, and my playing career led to a coaching opportunity. The Celtics lineage has a lot to do with it.” – Carlisle on passing Red Auerbach on the all-time head coaching wins list

“He (was) a man of great wisdom, one of the great competitors in the history of the sport. … This is a great opportunity to remind people of the standards he set. No one should ever forget Red Auerbach.” – Carlisle on Auerbach

“I just thought we did a good job of finishing possessions. Myles did a great job of protecting the rim and kind of anchoring us defensively. We gave up a lot of rejects in the pick-and-roll and stuff and I thought Myles did a good job of kind of cleaning that up and finishing possessions with rebounds and getting quick outlets and allowing us to run.” – Tyrese Haliburton on the defense in the first half

“It’s very cool to be a part of something special. I think that the contributions that coach has made to the game will always be remembered. I think that when he’s done there’s going to be a lot more wins than what he’s at now. Just glad that I get to be a part of it and be with a brilliant basketball mind like that on a daily basis and get to pick his brain, ask questions, do all those things. That’s something I don’t take for granted being here in the NBA, being on the Pacers. I’m really thankful for him and happy for him, but hopefully I’m a part of many more (wins) moving forward.” –Haliburton on Carlisle passing Red Auerbach on the all-time wins list

“It’s pretty cool. I want to leave a lasting impact on this game and this organization specifically. I hope when I retire I have the record for one to 15 or something like that. That would be pretty cool. Just trying to leave my mark. All of that stuff doesn’t happen without coach trusting me with the ball in my hands and my teammates making shots. That’s a big part of it.” – Haliburton on nearing the franchise single-season assists record

“I’m happy for him. It’s a special moment. I think everybody remembers their first points, so really cool to see. He’s just been great at just being a sponge asking me questions, the guys that are playing in front of him asking (them) questions. And he’s doing a good job of just paying his dues and attacking every game the right way in the G League as well. Really happy for him. Hopefully there’s many more to come for him. Got a playoff game tomorrow, know he and the guys will take care of business there.” – Haliburton on Isaiah Wong making his NBA debut and scoring his first career points

“I felt like today was a big step in the right direction as a team. There’s still a lot of things we can clean up, but I feel like we’re definitely heading on the right rack. I feel like the coaches are doing a great job of helping us lock in on everything we need to do defensively and offensively. We know that defensively we’ve got to pick things up because those are going to win us a lot more games.” – Obi Toppin on the win

“We just can’t get satisfied. We just have to work on our brand of basketball. … We want to get better as a team, work on good habits, because everyone is going to have a chance to play in these playoffs coming up. We just want to play the right way.” – Toppin on looking ahead

“It’s amazing. Obviously, congrats to coach. It’s well-deserved. He’s an amazing coach, obviously. A player’s coach. I’m blessed to play under him and be a part of history. There’s going to be a lot more wins under his belt, but I’m glad I’m here today.” – Toppin on Carlisle passing Auerbach

“I think the thing we do well is moving the ball, continuing to attack the mismatches without kind of like stopping our offense. That’s going to be dangerous.” – Pascal Siakam on the Pacers’ offense

“These games left are important. We know what the standards are. At the end of the day, every game matters. There’s no way to take a different approach to these games. We have to come in ready. Every possession matters at this point.” – Siakam on the win and looking ahead

Stat of the Night

The Pacers outshot the Nets 58.8 percent to 38.3 percent in the first half to build a 28-point lead by the intermission.

Noteworthy

Myles Turner did not return to the game after injuring his finger in the second quarter. Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said postgame that Turner’s status for Wednesday is unknown.

Rookie Isaiah Wong made his official NBA debut on Monday. He played in the In-Season Tournament Championship game against the Los Angeles Lakers on Dec. 9, but those results didn’t count towards the season statistics.

Up Next

The Pacers and Nets will meet again in Brooklyn on Wednesday, April 3 at 7:30 PM ET.

Tickets

The Pacers return to Gainbridge Fieldhouse to host Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday, April 5 at 7:00 PM ET.

INDIANA SWIMMING

INDIANA DIVING’S JOHANSEN, TYLER REWARDED FOR NATIONAL EXCELLENCE

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) on Monday (April 1) rewarded two members of the Indiana swimming and diving program among its postseason awards.

For the third consecutive season, Indiana head diving coach Drew Johansen was named a CSCAA Diving Coach of the Year – his second-straight award in the men’s category. Junior Carson Tyler was named the CSCAA Men’s Diver of the Year.

Indiana showcased perhaps the greatest-ever diving performance at an NCAA Championships last week during the 2024 men’s national meet in Indianapolis. The Hoosiers totaled 121 points on the boards, 66 points better than the second-best diving team (Ohio State) and outscoring all but 10 combined swimming and diving programs. Indiana has eclipsed 100 points at back-to-back NCAA meets, earning 104 points last year.

Johansen was previously named the CSCAA Men’s Coach of the Year in 2018 and 2023, as well as the women’s coach of the year in 2022. His program has produced an NCAA Champion in five of the last six seasons and seven total titles in that span. The Hoosiers have won the 3-meter and platform championships in back-to-back seasons.

At the NCAA Championships, the trio of juniors Tyler and Quinn Henninger and sophomore Maxwell Weinrich collected two medals from each of the three diving events – two gold, two silver, two bronze – and eight All-America finishes.

Tyler won two NCAA titles last week, repeating as platform champion Saturday after earning his first-career 3-meter title Friday, which was won by now-graduated Hoosier Andrew Capobianco last season. Combining the championships and a bronze-medal finish on 1-meter, Tyler totaled 56 points over the week – a total that outscored every other diving program.

Tyler won on platform with a score of 515.75, IU’s best-ever mark at an NCAA Championships. He led a 1-2 finish for the second-straight night as Weinrich earned his first-career national medal. Weinrich totaled 19 points on the week. Henninger took silver on both springboards and finished seventh on platform – a total of 46 points.

INDIANA BASEBALL

OLIVER TABBED AS BIG TEN FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK

ROSEMONT, Ill.  –  After a prolific week at the plate, freshman second baseman Jasen Oliver was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week, as announced by the league office on Monday (April 1) afternoon.

Oliver, who was inserted into the starting lineup following the Troy series, has been on a tear to begin his college career. In five games this past week, Oliver hit .550 (11-20) with three home runs, seven runs and seven RBIs.

He was one of two freshmen with a four-hit game (Andrew Wiggins) this week and was the second Hoosier with a multi-home run game (Devin Taylor) in 2024.

One of the top recruits in the country last year, Oliver is hitting .388 across 13 starts this year and has 19 hits and 11 walks with just nine strikeouts. He’s riding a team-best 11-game hitting streak following this weekend’s action.

Since Jeff Mercer took over in 2019, Oliver is the eighth different IU freshman to earn Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors at least once. He’s the sixth on this year’s roster to have earned it during their career along with Morgan Colopy, Josh Pyne, Carter Mathison, Devin Taylor and Tyler Cerny.

IU has been awarded all three of the Big Ten weekly awards at some point in 2024 with Taylor (Player), Oliver (Freshman) and Connor Foley (Pitcher) earning honors so far this season.

Big Ten Weekly Awards – April 1

Player: Jacob Schroeder, Sr., C, ILL

Pitcher: Jacob Denner, Sr., LHP, MICH

Freshman: Jasen Oliver, Fr., INF, IND

BASEBALL CENTRAL: INDIANA STATE

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. –  The month of April begins for the Indiana Baseball team (15-14, 1-2 B1G) with a visit from in-state foe Indiana State. All four midweek games in the month of April will come against teams from the state of Indiana (Ball State; 2 and Evansville).

Indiana State, which is ranked as high as No. 17 in the Baseball America poll, is undefeated against Big Ten foes this year and boasts wins against Illinois, Purdue and Michigan State.

The Hoosiers struggled in the month of March but await a fresh start in the month of April with four Big Ten series on the weekends and four midweek contests.

Freshman second baseman Jasen Oliver, the reigning Big Ten Freshman of the Week, is riding a team best 11-game hitting streak into Tuesday’s contest. Junior catcher and infielder Brock Tibbitts is on schedule to make his 150th-straight start in Friday night’s game at Maryland.

Sixth-year senior Ty Rybarczyk will make a fourth-straight midweek start on Tuesday, hoping to hand IU a strong start. He picked up his first win for the Hoosiers last week against Middle Tennessee.

There is anticipated weather in the area ahead of Tuesday’s contest. Stay tuned to Indiana Baseball on X and Facebook (@IndianaBase) for schedule updates.

Gameday Info

Indiana State (Tuesday, April 2nd – 6:00 PM)

Live Video: t.ly/_fMBQ

Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio

Live Stats: t.ly/DSDfX

Probable Starters

Indiana vs. Indiana State

• Tuesday – Ty Rybarczyk (IU) (1-1, 4.26 ERA) vs. TBD (ISU)

Player and Stat Trends

Jolly Making a Difference

• A dynamic freshman for the Hoosiers, Jasen Oliver has given IU a strong offensive boost over the past three weeks. He’s riding an 11-game hitting streak and became the eighth freshman in the Mercer era to be named Big Ten Freshman of the Week at least once.

Closing in on 200

• Josh Pyne (181) and Brock Tibbitts (182) are neck-in-neck as they try to become the next members of the 200-hit club at IU. They would be the first pair of teammates from the same recruiting class to reach the plateau since Kyle Schwarber and Sam Travis (2012-14). 23 players in program history, which dates back to the 1890’s, have recorded 200-career hits.

200 of His Own

• Ty Bothwell is also searching for 200 … strikeouts. He is 18 away from becoming the 10th member of the 200-strikeout club at IU. He is currently second on the team with 33 punchies behind only Connor Foley’s 54.

Ironman Brock

• Brock Tibbitts is on a run of 148-straight starts without missing a contest. He is searching to become the third player since 2008 to have a stretch of at least 150-consecutive starts. Jerrud Sabourin made a 220-straight starts from 2008-11 while Craig Dedelow had 175-consecutive starts (2015-17).

Racking Up Hits

• Devin Taylor (42) and Tyler Cerny (41) are both top-7 in the Big Ten in hits this season and could be chasing special numbers in Bloomington this season. Only once at IU has a pair of teammates (Alex Dickerson and Jerrud Sabourin, 2010) each had 92+ hits respectively in the same campaign. Only one player ever (Alex Smith, 1985) has had 100+ hits in a season.

Notable

New Month, New Slate

• While the month of March didn’t go the favor of the Hoosiers, a new month brings 16 addition opportunities to flip the script of the season. It begins on a tough note as Indiana State, who is ranked in multiple polls, visits Bloomington on Tuesday. The Hoosiers then make the trip to College Park to visit Maryland in the year’s first Big Ten road trip.

Freshmen Production

• Needing a jolt of energy in the lineup, head coach Jeff Mercer has turned to some young talent to help boost the offense in the final half of the year. Jasen Oliver, Andrew Wiggins and Joey Brenczewski all figure to keep a prominent role in the lineup through the second half of the season.

• Oliver, the Big Ten Freshman of the Week on April 1st, and Wiggins both had four-hit games this past week. Oliver (3) and Wiggins each produced home runs while Brenczewski continues to hit the ball on a rope into the outfield. Oliver and Brenczewski each have 19 hits while Wiggins tallied five in the past week.

A Model of Consistency

• Brock Tibbitts has been a rock for the Indiana Baseball program these past three years. Despite not being one of the top recruits out of his home state of Ohio, Tibbitts has turned himself into a top-10 round pick in this summer’s MLB draft and a potential All-Big Ten player.

• He’s on a run of 148-straight starts without missing a game and has never missed a contest in his college career. On the season, he’s hitting .336 while sharing the team lead in RBI’s (32).

Ty and Foley Make a Dynamic Duo

• Despite the shared struggles by the pitching staff so far this year, sophomore Connor Foley and sixth-year senior Ty Bothwell have been more than outstanding for the Hoosiers.

• Bothwell went a career high eight innings last Friday night to beat Butler while Foley added 5.2 innings and nine strikeouts the next morning. The two have combined for a 6-2 record while pitching 70.2 innings and striking out 87 batters.

Big Ten Play Resumes

• The race to the Big Ten Tournament is officially on for Indiana. The Hoosiers will play seven Big Ten opponents over the next seven weekends in hopes of qualifying for a conference-best 11th-straight Big Ten Tournament.

• The conference figures to be wide open over the next seven weeks. There is only one undefeated team (Nebraska) and one winless team (Northwestern) through two weekends. IU will face Maryland, Minnesota, Purdue and Nebraska on the road. It still has Penn State, Rutgers and Michigan remaining on the home slate.

Scouting the Opponent

Indiana State (21-5, 5-1 MVC)

• A top-25 team in multiple major polls; Indiana State has been quite familiar with success over the past few years. The Sycamores made a NCAA Super Regional last year and is on their way to a tournament bid once again.

• The last time the two teams met, the Indiana State bats started slow but woke up late. Luis Hernandez is hitting .376 with seven home runs and 31 RBIs. Dominic Listi is the team leader with a .379 batting average.

• Cam Edmonson came on in relief in the first meeting and stifled the IU batters. He’s 3-0 with a 4.64 earned run average this season. Jared Spencer is one of the premier releivers in the NCAA and is 5-0 with a 3.86 earned run average.

Inside the Series

Indiana vs. Indiana State

• The Sycamores have won the past two matchups, both played in Terre Haute, but the Hoosiers have won five of the last seven overall. The matchup in Bloomington last season was won 15-5 by IU.

PURDUE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

PURDUE’S SEASON ENDS IN WNIT GREAT 8

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Purdue women’s basketball team saw its 2023-24 season come to a close in the WNIT Great 8 with a 67-59 loss to Vermont at Mackey Arena.

The Boilermakers were led by their two active seniors who left it all on the court in their career finales.

Abbey Ellis paced the Boilermakers (15-19) on the offensive end with 16 points. The Australian’s final made basket with 32 second left in the fourth gave her exactly 2,000 points for her career. Ellis etched her name in the Purdue record books with the second-highest career free throw percentage at 87.2%, while her 1,182 points ranks 29th most by a Boilermaker.

Jeanae Terry went for 11 points, five assists and five rebounds on Monday. The fifth-year senior set Purdue’s single-season assist record with 202 helpers. The first player in Big Ten men’s or women’s basketball history with 1,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and 700 assists, Terry closed her career with 575 assists in just three seasons as a Boilermaker, ranking third in program history.

Terry is the only player in Purdue history to record multiple triple-doubles, while also holding the record for non-point double-doubles with five.

Sixth-year senior Caitlyn Harper, whose season came to a close due to an injury on senior night, finished her time in West Lafayette ranked sixth in field goal percentage.

While the seniors stood out in their final games, Purdue’s freshmen showed off the future of the program. Rashunda Jones went 6-of-8 at the line to finish with 12 points, four rebounds, one assist and one steal.

Mary Ashley Stevenson finished three points shy of a double-double. The New York City native tallied seven points, while setting career highs with 13 rebounds and four assists. The Big Ten Freshman of the Year notched her 11th game with at least seven points and rebounds, the most in the Big Ten. She finished her freshman season with 174 rebounds, seventh most by a rookie in program history.

Ellis powered Purdue in the first half with a game-high 11 points. The Boilermakers shot 41.9% from the field, while holding Vermont (25-11) to just 32.3% shooting. Purdue led 29-23 at the break.

Vermont found its shooting touch in the final 20 minutes. The guests went 16-of-23 for a 70% clip. The Boilermakers got to the free throw line 20 times in the second half but managed 14 makes.

Purdue stayed within two possessions for much of the fourth quarter, before the guests went on a 10-2 run to put the game out of reach.

NOTES

• The series is now tied at 1-1.

• The Boilermakers committed just nine turnovers, their 10th game this season with 10 or fewer giveaways.

• Purdue shot just 1-of-8 from behind the arc.

• Vermont put four players in double figures.

• While forcing 14 turnovers, the Boilermakers managed nine points off the Vermont miscues.

• Purdue surrendered just six points off seven second-chance opportunities.

• Jones scored 10 of her 12 points in the second half.

• Stevenson recorded seven offensive rebounds, the most by a Boilermaker freshman since Sam Ostarello in 2010.

• Purdue’s freshman class finished the season averaging 23.5 points per game, the most in the Big Ten this season and the third highest mark in Purdue history.

NOTRE DAME SOFTBALL

IRISH HOST IUPUI AND MICHIGAN PRIOR TO STRIKEOUT CANCER WEEKEND

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The University of Notre Dame softball team begins one of its busiest weeks of the season Tuesday evening. The Fighting Irish will host the IUPUI Jaguars and the Michigan Wolverines Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, respectively, before hosting its annual Strikeout Cancer weekend with a three-game Atlantic Coast Conference series against the Virginia Cavaliers.

To begin the week’s schedule, the Irish will host IUPUI Tuesday with first pitch at 5 p.m. Notre Dame is 6-1 all-time against the Jaguars, with five of those wins being run-rule victories all at Melissa Cook Stadium. IUPUI last visited South Bend in 2023, with Notre Dame earning a 15-0 victory in five innings.

Wednesday’s contest will be the 29th in the series with Michigan, and the first meeting in South Bend since a doubleheader in 1994. Notre Dame is 8-20 all-time against the Wolverines, winning the last three-consecutive games. The two teams last met in 2018, playing in the NCAA Lexington Regionals, with the Irish eliminating Michigan by a 2-1 score. It is the first non-neutral site game between the programs since the 2016 season, when the Irish last visited Ann Arbor in the NCAA Regionals. The last true home/road meeting in the regular season was in the 1997 season.

Both games will be streamed live on the ACC Network Extra, with live stats available on FightingIrish.com/mediastats.

BUTLER BASEBALL

TUESDAY’S BASEBALL GAME MOVED TO EASTERN ILLINOIS

Due to impending weather and resulting field conditions, Tuesday’s midweek contest with Eastern Illinois has been moved to the EIU campus in Charleston, Illinois.

First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m. eastern time (3 p.m. central).

The Bulldogs, 12-14 on the season, are coming off a split of a four-game series with Indiana.

BUTLER MEN’S GOLF

BUTLER TIED FOR THE LEAD AFTER FIRST DAY OF BENBOW SPRING INVITATIONAL

The Bulldogs are tied for the lead after the opening day of the Don Benbow Butler Spring Invitational.

Butler and Purdue Fort Wayne both finished the opening 36 holes at two-under 558. That is one shot better than Indian Hills. There are 14 teams in the field.

Butler will look to claim the tournament title with a final 18 holes Tuesday. A shotgun start is scheduled for 9 a.m.

Leo Zurovac is the top Bulldog on the leaderboard, currently in eighth at two-under 138. Zurovac had rounds of 70 and 68 Monday on the 6,551-yard Highland Golf Club course.

Daniel Tanaka, after rounds of 69 and 70, is tied for ninth at one-under 139.

Nick Piesen of Indiana holds the 36-hole lead at seven-under 133. He has a two-shot advantage over Oakland’s Robert Burns.

THE BULLDOGS:

8) Leo Zurovac, 70-68—138 (-2)

T9) Daniel Tanaka, 69-70—169 (-1)

T16) Damon Dickey, 70-70—140 (E)

T22) Will Horne, 71-70—141 (+1)

T29) Kenny Leseur, 70-72—142 (+2)

T43) Jack Wilcox, 75-69—144 (+4)

T62) Derek Tabor, 72-74—146 (+6)

T81) Henry Quinn, 74-74—148 (+8)

T86) Weston Guili, 73-76—149 (+9)

The tournament is named in honor of the late Don Benbow, who was inducted into the Butler Athletics Hall of Fame for his contributions as a standout football student-athlete, golf and football coach, and his time at Butler as an athletics administrator.

IUPUI MEN’S GOLF

SCHIER SHINES ON OPENING DAY OF BUTLER’S BENBOW SPRING INVITE

INDIANAPOLIS – Freshman Brady Schier is tied for ninth overall as the IUPUI men’s golf team is sixth among 14 teams following day one of this week’s Don Benbow Butler Spring Invitational at Highland Golf & Country Club. IUPUI shot a first round, 3-under 277 and followed with 291 in the afternoon round.

Host Butler and Purdue Fort Wayne are tied for the lead at 2-under 558 while IUPUI is 10 shots back at 568 (277-291).

Schier is in striking distance at 1-under 139 (66-73) and is six shots off the lead. Schier was bogey free in a 4-under 66 in round one and fellow freshman Titus Boswell shot 1-under 69 with five birdies. Both Kevin Tillery and Morgan Tournemire shot 1-over 71 each and senior Taylor Gardner carded 3-over 73.

In round two, Tournemire led the way at 1-over 71 and both Gardner and Schier finished at 3-over 73. Boswell and Tillery each shot 4-over 74.

Sophomore Noah Kirsch led the Jaguars’ ‘B’ entry in the morning round with an even par 70 and Colten Girgis shot 2-over 72. Both Harry Ward and Brock Aten shot 3-over 73 and Josh Yoder closed at 6-over 76.

In round two, Ward shot 2-over 72 and both Girgis and Yoder closed at 73.

Behind Schier, Tournemire is tied for 29th overall at 2-over 142 (71-71) and Boswell is tied for 36th at 3-over 143 (69-74). Tillery, Girgis and Ward all sit at 5-over and Gardner is at 6-over.

Play will resume on Tuesday morning at Highland Country Club.

IUPUI WOMEN’S GOLF

PAPE POWERS JAGUARS ON DAY ONE OF EKU COLONEL CLASSIC

RICHMOND, Ky. – The IUPUI women’s golf team finished Monday’s action tied for ninth among 15 teams at 617 (304-313) at the EKU Colonel Classic. Senior Madeleine Pape is fifth overall at 3-over 147 (71-76) heading into Tuesday’s finale.

Pape and sophomore Yanah Rolston turned in a team-high five birdies apiece on Monday while Pape and senior Annaliese Fox had a team-high 24 pars.

Pape opened the tournament with a 1-under 71, making back-to-back birdies midway through her round to account for her scoring. Aside from a bogey on his fifth hole of the day, she was otherwise clean in the morning round. Rolston shot 2-over 74 with four birdies and Fox turned in 6-over 78, despite not making a birdie in round one. Junior Nerea Lancho was countable at 81 and Shelby Busker closed at 82. Sophomore Reagan Sohn shot an opening round 83 while playing as an individual.

IUPUI was sixth after the opening round 304, but tumbled three spots with a second round 313.

In round two, Fox and Pape led the way at 76 apiece and Busker carded a round of 80. Lancho shot 81 and Rolston carded an 83.

Sohn had a solid round of 79 in the afternoon.

Fox is tied for 35th overall at 154 (78-76) and Rolston is tied for 47th at 157 (74-83). The remaining trio is all tied at 162.

Morehead State leads the field at 592 and Bradley sits second at 600 going into the final round. MSU’s MacKenzie Neal tops the leaderboard at even par 144 (73-71) while three others are tied for second at 2-over par.

IUPUI will be paired with Butler and Eastern Michigan and tee off at 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday.

BALL STATE SOFTBALL

SOFTBALL HOSTS WESTERN MICHIGAN TUESDAY

THIS WEEK IN BALL STATE SOFTBALL: The Ball State softball team returns to action Tuesday when it hosts Western Michigan for a midweek #MACtion doubleheader … First pitch is currently scheduled for Noon at the Softball Field at First Merchants Ballpark Complex, weather permitting … Check BallStateSports.com or follow the team on X at @BallStateSB for any potential schedule updates.

» THE OVERALL RECORD: Ball State enters Tuesday’s doubleheader versus Western Michigan with a 1163-1162-4 (.500) overall record dating back to 1975 … The Cardinals have tallied 30-or-more wins in 16 seasons, most recently a 37-18 mark in 2021 … Of the 16 seasons with 30-or-more wins, 11 have come in the past 16 years.

» A QUICK LOOK AT THE CARDINALS: Led by first-year head coach Helen Peña, the Cardinals own a 15-20 overall record … Ball State maintains a .243 team batting average, led by redshirt junior utility player McKayla Timmons at .347 … Timmons ranks third both in the MAC and nationally with 15 home runs, while ranking fourth in the league with 37 RBIs … Graduate third baseman Haley Wynn is second on the squad in average (.300), home runs (6) and runs scored (25) … In the circle, the Cardinals own a 4.06 ERA led by senior Francys King who boasts an 8-8 record and a 3.63 ERA over 102.1 innings of work … King has also tallied three complete game shutouts this season and leads the team lead with 48 strikeouts … Sophomore Bridie Murphy has a team-best .274 average against over 83.0 innings, to go along with a 6-7 record, one save and 44 strikeouts … Murphy picked up her first complete game shutout of the season in the 5-0 victory over Ohio (March 16).

» CARDINALS VERSUS THE BRONCOS: Western Michigan holds a slim 68-66 edge in the all-time series versus Ball State after winning two of three games in Kalamazoo last season … WMU won the first two games, before the Cardinals battled back to take the series finale 11-2 … Ball State does hold a 36-32 edge in games played in Muncie, including sweeping a three-game home series in 2022 by scores of 4-3, 5-0, and 5-0.

» SCOUTING THE BRONCOS: Western Michigan enters Tuesday’s doubleheader with a 15-14 (4-4 MAC) record after opening its 2024 home slate with a three-game series sweep of Akron … Riley Dittmar leads the squad with a .390 average and has team-highs of 10 doubles, 19 runs scored and 22 RBI … Payton Kelly and Addison Hudson are right behind with .321 averages … Rissa Bajusz leads the Broncos in the circle with an 8-7 record and 1.92 ERA over 91.0 innings of work … She has limited opposing batters to a .195 average, owns four complete game shutouts and ranks 11th nationally with 126 strikeouts.

BALL STATE NEWS & NOTES:

» MAC PRESEASON PROGNOSTICATIONS: Ball State was picked to finish fourth among 11 teams in the Mid-American Conference’s annual preseason poll … The Cardinals, who finished fourth in the league last season with a 17-12 MAC record, are looking for a second consecutive  MAC Softball Championship berth, with the league’s top six teams advancing to Firestone Stadium in Akron, Ohio, for the three-day event which runs May 8-11.

» THE WYNN FACTOR: Graduate third baseman Haley Wynn has taken advantage of her extra year of eligibility, leading the team with 36 hits so far this season … That raises her career total to 217 which is seventh in program history … Wynn has registered at least one hit in 24 of first 35 games of the season, including six home runs to up her career long ball total to 25 which is tied for ninth in program history.

» MORE ON WYNN: Haley Wynn is one of the most prolific batters in program history ranking 19th on Ball State’s career charts with a .329 career average … She is also 12th all-time in slugging percentage (.538) and 16th in on base percentage (.406) … In addition, her 157 career runs scored are third in program history and 34th among all active NCAA Division I players … She also ranks 25th among active DI players with 43 career doubles which is eighth in program history.

» TIMMONS CLIMBING THE CHARTS TOO: After leading the Ball State offense with a .347 batting average, a .842 slugging percentage and a .470 on base percentage through the first 35 games of the season, McKayla Timmons continued her climb up BSU’s career charts … She currently ranks fourth in program history in slugging percentage (.687), fifth in on base percentage (.450) and ninth in batting average (.343) … Timmons, who has blasted a team-leading 15 home runs so far this season, including her first collegiate grand slam at Georgia State (Feb. 24), is also one of the program’s top home run hitters with her 31 career long balls tying for fifth on BSU’s all-time list.

» RBI LEADER: McKayla Timmons enters the WMU doubleheader ranked 28th nationally with her 37 RBIs this season … The effort included seven RBIs in the 9-5 (9) win over Georgia State (Feb. 24) and six in the 13-9 victory at Marshall (March 7) … The program record for RBIs in a single game is eight by Stacy Payton versus Oakland on May 4, 2019.

» BALL STATE’S BEST THIEF: Senior outfielder Remington Ross enters Tuesday’s doubleheader as the greatest base thief in program history with a .965 (55-for-57) career stolen base percentage at Ball State … Last season, she went a perfect 23-for-23 in stolen base attempts and ranked second in the MAC and 54th nationally with a 0.47 steals-per-game average … Ross, who is seventh in program history with 55 career stolen bases, had been successful in her previous 36 stolen base attempts before being caught stealing for just the second time in her Ball State career at Georgia State (Feb. 24) … She has stolen six straight bases since.

» SPEAKING OF STOLEN BASES: Ball State enters the week ranked second in the league and 26th nationally with 59 stolen bases this season … Haley Wynnand Remington Ross are tied for the team lead with 10 apiece, while McKayla Timmons and senior outfielder Kaitlyn Mathews are right behind with nine … Overall, 10 different Cardinals have stolen at least one base this season … Ball State’s 59 stolen bases in 2024 are already the 17th-most in a season in program history … The program record is 151 set by the 2008 squad.

» A SLAMMING FIRST HIT: Redshirt sophomore Jessica Hoffman had just two career at bats when she stepped up to the plate with bases loaded in the 10-8 win over Fordham (Feb. 11) … She proceeded to blast her first career hit over the fence in right center field for her first career home run and Ball State’s first grand slam since April 6, 2022 … A regular in the lineup since, Hoffman has 27 career hits and is third on the team with a .284 average this season … Of her 27 hits, 12 have driven in at least one RBI and she currently ranks second on the squad with 23 RBIs.

» WE’RE LOVING LOVETT: Sophomore Ashlee Lovett leads the Ball State offense with a .304 batting average in MAC play, registering seven hits in 23 at bats … She has three doubles, has tallied three RBI and scored a pair of runs … She is also tied for the team lead with three stolen bases in league play, while owning the second-best on base percentage at .414.

» KING OF THE PEN: Senior Francys King leads the Ball State pitching staff with a 3.63 ERA over 102.1 innings of work … She has earned the victory in eight of BSU’s 15 wins, including three of the team’s four complete game shutouts … King has 17 career collegiate pitching victories, with 11 coming at Ball State and six coming in her two seasons at Tennessee State (2021-22).

» TRIPLING UP: The Ball State defense owns one of the nation’s three triple plays this season, turning what was a squeeze bunt attempt into a triple killing in the fifth inning of the 5-4 win over Jacksonville State on Feb. 17 … The bunt was fielded by Haley Wynn at third base, who threw to McKayla Timmons to get the out at first … The play then went to catcher Jazmyne Armendariz to get the runner out trying to advance home, who in turn threw to shortstop Maia Pietrzak to get the final out … It was just the second recorded triple play in program history, with the first coming in 1985.

BALL STATE BASEBALL

BASEBALL NOW SET TO HOST BELLARMINE AT NOON ON TUESDAY

The Ball State baseball team rides a five-game winning streak into a noon home game on Tuesday against Bellarmine.

The game was originally scheduled for 3 p.m. in Louisville but was shifted to Muncie in anticipation of rain in the forecast at Bellarmine harming field conditions. Links to a video stream and live stats can be found above and on the schedule page.

The Cardinals (17-12) most recently swept Ohio after downing Southern Indiana and taking the final game of the series at Toledo. The Knights (4-23) swept North Florida last weekend as well for their second, third and fourth wins of the year.

Ball State’s offense leads the Mid-American Conference in total home runs (46, No. 24 in NCAA Division I), hits (285, No. 42) and doubles (52) while ranking second in slugging percentage (.499, No. 47 nationally) and runs scored (204). The Cardinals’ pitching staff paces the conference in strikeouts per nine innings pitched (10.4), which ranks 28th in Division I.

Senior infielder Michael Hallquist leads the MAC and ranks in the Top 30 nationally in hits (44, No. 21), total bases (88, No. 13) and home runs (11, No. 29), while senior outfielder Nick Gregory is the toughest hitter in the conference to strikeout (13.0 strikeout percentage which ranks No. 29 in NCAA Division I).

Junior left-handed pitcher Merritt Beeker was named the MAC Pitcher of the Week on Monday after punching out 13 in 7.0 innings of work against Ohio in Friday’s 12-3 win over the Bobcats. The transfer from Lexington, N.C., ranks No. 5 nationally in strikeouts per nine innings (16.1) and No. 10 in strikeouts (59) on the year.

SCOUTING BELLARMINE: The Knights went 13-42 (8-22 Atlantic Sun) last year in head coach Chris Dominguez’s first season leading the program. This is Bellarmine’s fourth year playing Division I baseball after being a member of the Great Lakes Valley Conference in NCAA Division II prior to 2021.

Graduate outfielder Will Aubel paces the Knight in batting average (.420) and steals (10), while junior outfielder Casey Sorg leads the team in home runs (seven), RBI (26), runs scored (25), slugging percentage (.657) and OPS (1.074).

Up Next

The Cardinals are scheduled for a three-game set at Miami (OH) starting at 3 p.m. on Friday.

BEEKER NAMED MAC PITCHER OF THE WEEK

Merritt Beeker has been named the Mid-American Conference Pitcher of the Week, the MAC office announced Monday morning.

The junior left-handed pitcher struck out 13 in 7.0 innings of two-run ball to earn the win in Friday afternoon’s 12-3 victory over Ohio. Beeker struck out multiple Bobcats in five innings and faced the minimum without allowing a hit through the game’s first five innings.

The Lexington, N.C., native struck out the side in the fourth and increased his season strikeout total to 59, which paces the MAC and ranks No. 10 in NCAA Division I. Beeker’s 16.1 strikeouts per nine innings pitched also leads the league and ranks No. 5 nationally.

This is Ball State’s second weekly honor of the year after Keegan Johnson was awarded a Co-Pitcher of the Week recognition on March 25.

Ball State (17-12) is riding a five-game winning streak into a 3 p.m. road game at Bellarmine on Tuesday.

BALL STATE WOMEN’S GOLF

DRISCOLL LEADS WOMEN’S GOLF ON OPENING DAY OF EKU COLONEL CLASSIC

RICHMOND, Kentucky – – Sophomore Jasmine Driscoll turned in a pair of +3 (75) rounds to lead the Ball State women’s golf team on the opening day of the EKU Colonel Classic Monday at the Gibson Bay Golf Course.

“Jasmine played some very solid golf in both rounds today,” head coach Cameron Andry said. “She hit a number of quality shots and managed her game really well.”

Shooting right at her season average, Driscoll is currently tied for ninth among the 90-golfer field at +6 (150) and is just six strokes behind tournament leader MacKenzie Neal who is E (144) after the first 36 holes on the 6108-yard, 72-par course.

Driscoll was steady throughout the day, tying for the tournament lead with 26 pars. She also added a birdie in each round while not shooting worse than a bogey in any of her holes.

Following a solid performance at the Puerto Rico Classic, sophomore Madelin Boyd is second on the squad and tied for 21st overall at +8 (152). She tied Driscoll for Ball State’s lowest round of the event, adding a +3 (75) of her own in her second tour of the course, while carding three total bridies.

Led by Driscoll and Boyd, the Cardinals are currently tied for seventh among the 15-team field with a score of +38 (614). Morehead State leads the event at +16 (592), while the Cardinals are just 14 strokes out of second which is currently held by Bradley at +24 (600).

“We battled today,” Andry added. “The greens were very firm, so some shots required a little guesswork. Overall, thought we handled things well.”

Ball State’s other three golfers, junior Sabrina Langerak, sophomore Sarah Gallagher and freshman JJ Gregston, are currently tied for 53rd at +14 (158). Gregston is tied for the team lead with three birdies, while Gallagher has two and Langerak tallied one.

Playing as an individual, freshman Jenna Estravillo is currently tied for 83rd at +22 (166), collecting a birdie of her own on the par-5, 485-yard 14th.

The Ball State women’s golf team is scheduled to close play in the EKU Colonel Classic Tuesday with an 8 a.m. shotgun start. The start time was move up half an hour with wet weather in the forecast.

The Cardinals will once again start on holes 7-9, with Estravillo once again teeing off from 16.

BALL STATE TEAM SCORES

T-11th – Jasmine Driscoll – +6 (150): 75-75

T-21st – Madelin Boyd – +8 (152): 77-75

T-53rd – JJ Gregston – +14 (158): 81-77

T-53rd – Sarah Gallagher – +14 (158): 78-80

T-53rd – Sabrina Langerak – +14 (158): 77-81

(I) T-83rd – Jenna Estravillo – +22 (166): 81-85

TEAM RANKINGS

1st – Morehead State +16 (592): 292-300

2nd – Bradley +24 (600): 298-302

3rd – Eastern Kentucky +25 (601): 303-298

4th – Illinois State +26 (602): 303-299

T-5th – Northern Illinois +27 (603): 306-297

           Belmont +27 (603): 300-303

T-7th – Ball State +38 (614): 307-307

            Western Michigan +38 (614): 312-302

T-9th – Georgia State +41 (617): 308-309

              IUPUI +41 (617): 304-313

11th – Butler +42 (618): 310-308

12th – Eastern Michigan +43 (619): 315-304

13th – Bellarmine +50 (626): 325-301

14th – Dayton +53 (629): 316-313

15th – Cleveland State +68 (644): 322-322

INDIANA STATE MEN’S BASKETBALL

INDIANA STATE HOPES NCAA SELECTION COMMITTEE IS STILL WATCHING

Each of the stages of grief came and went quickly for Indiana State.

Bonded by the pain of missing out of the NCAA Tournament, the Sycamores arrived at the NIT Final Four on Monday embracing an opportunity to prove themselves on a national stage.

“Excited to be playing in April,” Sycamores coach Josh Schertz said. “What a great opportunity. And certainly even added, too, the opportunity to play here in Hinkle Fieldhouse, one of the iconic venues in all of sports, not just college basketball.”

The MVC regular-season conference champions, Indiana State defeated SMU, Minnesota and Cincinnati to reach the NIT semifinals.

While attention and fanfare are at an all-time high, Indiana State is looking for more than respect.

“It would be just phenomenal for Indiana State,” Schertz said. “We talked about going in to our preparation that week where we had — between the Missouri Valley Tournament and the NCAA Selection Show — where we didn’t know if we were going to be in. We said we were going to be prepared to try to prove the committee right hopefully by being in the tournament and advancing or preparing to prove the committee wrong.

“Turns out we had to prepare to prove the committee wrong that we should have been a tournament team. I think we answered those questions. You talk about — what do they say, the best revenge is success? So it would be great to capstone this season, this journey, with an NIT championship.”

The star of the show for the Sycamores is Robbie Avila, a bespectacled 6-foot-10 forward averaging 17.3 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. He’s shooting 38.9 percent from 3-point range and weighing an NIL offer from an eyewear company.

“I’m just grateful to get all this attention. It’s been a lot of fun but I’m just able to kind of use that to also shine the light on our team,” Avila said. “Obviously I think they deserve it just as much as I do because I can’t do the things that I do without them. So just being able to enjoy this whole process is what I’ve been trying to do.”

SYCAMORES HEAD TO HISTORIC HINKLE FIELDHOUSE FOR NIT FINAL FOUR

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Indiana State men’s basketball heads to its first-ever NIT Final Four, this year hosted in Indianapolis at Hinkle Fieldhouse.

ISU NOTES:

» ISU has recorded the best season since 1978-79 (33-1). ISU’s 31 wins is second-most in program history (33). This team has more wins this season compared to total wins in all seasons since 1978- 79. The 17 league wins is the most in program history. » ISU on Senior Day broke the program record in total made threes in a season with 341. Last year’s team made set the record at 340 in 36 games. This year, ISU leads Division I in made three-pointers with 403 through 37 games. ISU is the only DI in the nation with 400+ three-pointers. » ISU for the first time since 1978-79 earned national rankings. In the Feb. 12 national polls, ISU was ranked #23 in the AP Top 25 and #24 in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll. In the Feb. 5 polls, ISU received 53 points in the AP Top 25 and 45 in the Coaches Poll. ISU received votes for four straight weeks in the AP poll and received votes in the Coaches Poll since the Week 9 polls, released on Jan. 2. » In the CollegeInsider.com mid-major poll this week, ISU was ranked No. 7 after the Sycamores were No. 1 for three straight weeks. The first poll with ISU at No. 1 was released on Jan. 29. The Sycamores’ highest ranking is 5th (originally on 12/26/23). » The Sycamores have consistently been ranked in the top five in the nation in field goal percentage and effective field goal percentage. *Per the NCAA, ISU has four team top-five rankings: 1. Team: 1st – Effective Field Goal Percentage (59.9%) 2. Team: 3rd – Field Goal Percentage (50.4%) 3. Team: 3rd – Free Throw Percentage (79.7) 4. Team: 4th – Three-pointers Per Game (10.9) » Team: 7th – Win Pct. (.838); 7th – Scoring Off. (84.6); 11th – AST/G (17.7); 11th – 3P% (38.3%)

» Per KenPom, ISU led the MVC in defensive efficiency at 100.3. Indiana State also led in the best defensive two-point and three-point percentage (48.8%, 32.0%). » *Through the season, ISU led the conference in Scoring Offense (84.41), Scoring Margin (+12.41), FG Percentage (50.5%), FT Percentage (79.7%), 3-Point FG Percentage (38.5%), 3-Point FG Made (373; 10.97 per-game), Assists (594), Assists-per-Game (17.47), and Defensive Rebounding (35.71). » Coach Schertz currently has the 8th-highest winning percentage out of all active college coaches at 78.8%. Out of coaches with at least 10 seasons has HC, Coach Schertz is 6th. » Jayson Kent is 2nd in most double-doubles with eight, and Robbie Avila is T-4th with five. Kent is 2nd in 10-rebound games with 10 total and is the only player in the league with a 20-rebound game. » Jayson Kent’s 35-point game vs. SMU is the ninth 30-point game by a player in the Schertz era.

NCAA NET RANKINGS » Indiana State, in the initial March Madness NET Rankings, landed at No. 22 in the rankings posted on Dec. 4. Going back to last season, ESPN had ISU ranked 8th in the MVC and 149th overall to begin the 2022-23 season. » Through games on March 17, Indiana State stands at No. 29. » The highest ranking for ISU this year is 20 on Feb. 12. » Seven MVC schools were in the initial Top 100, with ISU being the only school in the Top 50. Selected as No. 4 in the MVC preseason rankings, ISU led the preseason-ranked 1-through-3: » Other MVC Schools Initial Rankings (Top 100) Preseason 1 – Drake: No. 56 NET Ranking Preseason 2 – UNI: No 212 NET Ranking Preseason 3 – Bradley: No. 90 NET Ranking » Through games on March 17, Drake (47) and Bradley (57) are the other MVC schools in the Top 100.

THE SYCAMORE HOT STREAK » Indiana State snapped the 10-game win streak in the Dec. 30 loss at Michigan State. Prior to this season, the records were: » 13-0 start in 1977-78 » 16-1 start in 1976-77 (9-1 in first 10 games; longest streak was 12; head coach was Bob King) » 16-2 start in 1966-67 (9-1 in first 10 games; longest streak was 7; head coach was Duane Klueh) » 9-1 start in 2022-23 (longest streak was 7) » 8-2 start in 2011-12 » 8-2 start in 1979-80 » 7-3 start (four times – 2018-19, 2013-14, 2001-01, 1997-98) SYCAMORES IN THE SPOTLIGHT » Indiana State games on national television:

» 11/10/23 at #24/24 Alabama, L, 102-80 » 12/2/23 at Bradley, W, 85-77 » 12/16/23 vs Ball State, W, 83-72 (at Gainbridge Fieldhouse) » 12/30/23 at Michigan State, L, 87-75 » 1/21/24 at Murray State, W, 72-63 » 1/27/24 vs Bradley, W/OT, 95-85 » 2/3/24 vs Drake, W, 75-67 » 2/24/24 vs UIC, W, 88-73 » 3/3/24 vs Murray State, W, 75-59 » 3/9/24 vs UNI, W, 94-72 (St. Louis) » 3/10/24 vs Drake, L, 84-80 (St. Louis) » 3/24/24 vs Minnesota, W, 76-64 » 3/26/24 vs Cincinnati, W, 85-81

UTAH NOTES:

The Utah men’s basketball team is headed to Indianapolis to play Indiana State in the NIT semifinals in front of a sold out crowd inside Hinkle Fieldhouse on Tuesday, April 2. Mike Corey will have the call alongside former head coach Fran Fraschilla with Myron Medcalf roaming the sidelines on ESPN as the Runnin’ Utes and Sycamores duke it out for the first time in program history while vying for a spot in the NIT Championship game.

MADSEN MAKIN’ MOVES Utah guard Gabe Madsen had an electric night offensively, scoring a career-high 31 points on 7-of-15 shooting from 3-point range vs. Iowa. The Rochester, Minn., product scored 19 of his 31 in the first half and then 12 in the second frame – all from beyond the arc. ALL ALONE AT THE TOP With 6:01 left to play, Deivon Smith pierced through the air to grab his 10th rebound of the night to record his fifth tripledouble of the season, breaking a 30-year old record Pac-12 record set by Jason Kidd – who had four during the 1993-94 season at Cal. With it being the last season of the Pac-12 banner, Smith’s record could stand the test of time or be a long time before the conference is revitalized.

SEEING TRIPLE Deivon Smith joins a select group of players in Division I history to have record five-plus triple-doubles in a single season. The senior will get at least one more game to try and tie the NCAA single-season record set by Kyle Collinsworth twice.

NIT NOTES Through three games in the NIT, Deivon Smith has dished out a total of 2 assists with a double-double and two tripledoubles. He is 1-of-23 players since 1996-97 to record 30-plus assists through three games played in the NIT.

TOP NOTCH Through 26 games, Deivon Smith is averaging 12.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 7.1 assists and is the only player in NCAA Division I to average those numbers. Additionally, he is just 1-of-7 players to average at least 12.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 7.0 assists dating back to 1996-97 per Stats Perform.

GAMES PLAYED ALL-TIME Utah’s Gabe Madsen, Cole Bajema, Ben Carlson and Hunter Erickson are now tied with sven other players from two different seasons for the most games played in a singleseason (36) after Wednesday night’s contest vs. VCU. The quartet will break the program record for most games played in a single-season on Tuesday in Utah’s NIT semifinals match-up against (1) Indiana State. The 2023-24 season will also pass the 2015-16 and 1950-51 seasons for the most games played in a single year. by a team. POINTS OFF TURNOVERS Utah converted 13 VCU turnovers into 20 points on Wednesday, making it the fifth time this season the Utes have scored 20-plus points in that category.

30 BURGERS With 31 points on Sunday vs. Iowa in the second round of the NIT, Gabe Madsen became the second Runnin’ Ute this season to score 30-plus points in a game and the fifth instance this season – the other four belonging to Branden Carlson. Per Stats Perform, Madsen and Carlson are the only Utah duo to record 30-plus points in a single-season dating back to 1996-97. The five games with a player scoring 30-plus points is the first time since Keith Van Horn did it himself during the 1996-97 season.

UTES IN THE NIT Utah has had a lot of history with the NIT having won it back in 1947 to go along with five semifinal appearances in the program’s history (1947, 1974, 1992, 2018, 2024). Of those four previous semifinal appearances, the Runnin’ Utes are 3-1 in semifinal action and 1-2 all-time in the championship game. Last Tuesday’s NIT First Round game vs. UC Irvine marked Utah’s 15th appearance in the National Invitation Tournament all-time. The Utes are now 18-13 (.581) all-time with the quarterfinal round win over VCU this past Wednesday. Utah is now 7-2 (.778) all-time when playing in the NIT at home with two wins coming in 1992, two in 2018 and three wins in 2024. It’s two losses came in the first round back in 2001 vs. Memphis (71-62) and 2017 against Boise State (73-68). HISTORY REPEATING ITSELF The last time Utah played in the NIT? 2018. Utah’s first opponent? UC Davis, the two-time defending Big West Regular-Season Champions (2017, 2018). Utah’s first-round opponent in the 2024 NIT? UC Irvine, the two-time defending Big West Regular-Season Champions (2023, 2024).

HISTORY REWIND Utah has great history with the NIT, winning the championship back on March 24, 1947, when Vadal Peterson’s squad defeated Adolph Rupp’s Kentucky Wildcats 49-45 inside Madison Square Garden in front of 18,493 fans. The Runnin’ Utes were led by a pair of All-Americans and ABA draft selections in Vern Gardner and Arnie Ferrin, who had 15 points each, while Leon Watson chipped in with 13 points. Fred Weidner added 4 points while Wat Misaka had 2 points. “Undoubtedly, Coach [Vadal] Peterson had instructed his men to slow down the pace and stress possession at all times. The Utah plan of battle never deviated although the Wildcats tried to force the Utes into faster action. The Utes knew what they wanted to do and did it — handsomely.” – Louis Effrat, New York Times.

AGAINST THE VALLEY Utah is 17-10 all-time against the Missouri Valley Conference with its last two meetings coming against Wichita State. Both teams won on their respective floors with the 25th-ranked Utes taking the 69-68 victory in OT over the No. 8-ranked Shockers on a go-ahead jumper with 14 seconds left in overtime at the Huntsman Center. Wichita State then knocked off No. 25/24 Utah the following year inside Intrust Bank Arena, 67-50, by turning the Utes over 19 times and held Utah future Kareem Abdul-Jabbar recipient Jakob Poeltl to just 11 points and 9 rebounds on 4-of-5 shooting. The Shockers outshot Utah by a margin of 25 field-goal attempts as well.

INDIANA STATE BASEBALL

SYCAMORES RETURN TO PERFECT GAME NCAA BASEBALL DIVISION I POLL, MAKE 2024 DEBUT IN NCBWA POLL

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State returned to the Perfect Game NCAA Division I Top-25 poll and made their debut in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) as announced by the organizations on Monday.

The Sycamores returned to the Perfect Game poll after a five-week hiatus after being ranked No. 24 back on February 26 moving up to No. 17 in the poll following their most recent six-game winning streak. Indiana State also debuted for the first time in the NCBWA poll entering the top-25 as No. 25 according to the organization on Monday afternoon.

ISU also received votes for the sixth consecutive week in the USA Today poll finishing just outside the top-25 in the organization’s poll compiled by a panel of 31 head coaches at Division I schools.

The Sycamores (21-5) enter the polls following a six-game winning streak following a 4-0 week that featured a midweek win over Purdue before taking all three MVC games this weekend against UIC. Indiana State took the 8-7 Tuesday night win over the Boilermakers, before improving to 5-1 in MVC play by sweeping the Flames.

Indiana State’s six-game winning streak is their third streak of six-plus games in the 2024 season after winning seven in a row to start the year, while adding a seven-game streak from March 3-16 against Southern Miss, Florida A&M, Illinois, and Xavier.

The Sycamores’ success over the weekend raised Indiana State’s team batting average to .285 from the plate paced by Listi (.379) and Hernandez (.376), while Randal Diaz (.308) is also hitting above the .300 mark for the season. Parker Stinson (.280), Pottinger (.278), Josue Urdaneta (.263), and Sears (.256) have all seen their batting averages rise following the start of Missouri Valley play.

Indiana State has posted four double-digit hit games over their last five contests, while ISU has connected on 12 home runs over the last five contests. Mike Sears connected on four of those 12 home runs over this past weekend against UIC to raise his season-total to a Valley-leading 12 blasts on the year.

The Sycamore pitching staff continues to pace the Missouri Valley Conference and sit among the nation’s elite in multiple statistical categories. ISU leads the Valley in ERA (4.28), strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.55), strikeouts per nine innings (10.4), and WHIP (1.38), while also pacing the conference in total strikeouts (263) over 227.0 innings.

Indiana State heads back to the road for the first time in over two weeks as the Sycamores begin a five-game road trip on Tuesday evening in Bloomington, Ind. against Indiana. First pitch at Bart Kaufman Stadium is set for 6 p.m. ET with the game to be carried live on B1G+ and 105.5 The Legend.

SYCAMORES HEAD BACK ON THE ROAD STARTING WITH TUESDAY MIDWEEK CONTEST AT INDIANA

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State heads back to the road for the first time in over two weeks as the Sycamores begin a five-game road trip on Tuesday evening in Bloomington, Ind. against Indiana. First pitch at Bart Kaufman Stadium is set for 6 p.m. ET with the game to be carried live on B1G+ and 105.5 The Legend.

The Sycamores (21-5) enter the game on a six-game winning streak following a 4-0 week that featured a midweek win over Purdue before taking all three MVC games this weekend against UIC. Indiana State took the 8-7 Tuesday night win over the Boilermakers, before improving to 5-1 in MVC play by sweeping the Flames.

ISU took Friday’s game, 10-6, before outlasting the Flames with a walk-off in the 11th inning to secure their 12th consecutive conference series in the 9-8 Saturday afternoon win. The Sycamores secured the weekend series sweep with a 4-1 win on Sunday afternoon at Bob Warn Field.

Indiana State enters the Tuesday contest looking to extend their Big Ten winning streak dating back to March 28, 2023, against Purdue. ISU is 10-0 against the conference since that date with wins against Purdue (twice), Indiana (twice), Illinois (three times), Michigan State, and Iowa (twice). This season, the Sycamores are 4-0 against the Big Ten after topping Michigan State down in Port Charlotte, Fla., while defeating Illinois, Indiana, and Purdue at Bob Warn Field over the last three weeks.

The Big Ten winning streak was extended this past Tuesday against Purdue as the Sycamores rallied back from an early 5-1 deficit with a six-run fifth inning in taking the 8-7 victory. Connor Hicks and Grant Magill both homered during the rally, while Parker Stinson added a home run in the contest to secure the win.

Indiana State’s six-game winning streak is their third streak of six-plus games in the 2024 season after winning seven in a row to start the year, while adding a seven-game streak from March 3-16 against Southern Miss, Florida A&M, Illinois, and Xavier.

The streak was extended this weekend thanks to the slugging power of Mike Sears, while Dominic Listi, Grant Magill, and Adam Pottinger had their bats come to life against the Flames. ISU hit .330 as a team led by Magill (.455), Sears (.429), Pottinger (.417), and Listi (.417)’s averages over the series, while Sears homered four times over the three-game series.

ISU’s pitching staff combined for a 4.66 ERA over the series with nine pitchers combining to hold the UIC offense to just a .209 batting average in the sweep. The Sycamores posted a 36:13 strikeout-to-walk ratio over the three-game series against the Flames.

The Sycamores’ success over the weekend raised Indiana State’s team batting average to .285 from the plate paced by Listi (.379) and Hernandez (.376), while Randal Diaz (.308) is also hitting above the .300 mark for the season. Parker Stinson (.280), Pottinger (.278), Josue Urdaneta (.263), and Sears (.256) have all seen their batting averages rise following the start of Missouri Valley play.

Indiana State has posted four double-digit hit games over their last five contests, while ISU has connected on 12 home runs over the last five contests. Mike Sears connected on four of those 12 home runs over this past weekend against UIC to raise his season-total to a Valley-leading 12 blasts on the year.

Listi continued his on-base streak as the redshirt senior ran his stretch to 26 consecutive games on base over the three-game weekend against UIC. He boasts a .529 on-base percentage with 33 hits while adding an additional 16 walks and 14 hit-by-pitches to his credit. Hernandez’s 24-game hitting streak came to an end on Sunday afternoon, but the first baseman drew a walk in his final at-bat to run his on-base streak to 25 consecutive games.

Listi and Diaz lead the Sycamores with seven doubles apiece, while Parker Stinson connected on his second triple of the year to take the team lead in the category. Sears’ four home runs over the last three games included his second multi-homer game of the season, while Hernandez added his seventh blast of the year.

The Sycamore pitching staff continues to pace the Missouri Valley Conference and sit among the nation’s elite in multiple statistical categories. ISU leads the Valley in ERA (4.28), strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.55), strikeouts per nine innings (10.4), and WHIP (1.38), while also pacing the conference in total strikeouts (263) over 227.0 innings.

Fifteen different Sycamore pitchers have combined to see time on the mound this season with Zach Davidson (1-1, 3.13 ERA) and Simon Gregersen (0-0, 3.26 ERA) both posting double-digit appearances. Overall, the Sycamores have combined for a 263:103 strikeout-to-walk ratio, while limiting opponents to a .242 batting average on the year.

Scouting Indiana

Indiana enters the week with a 15-14 overall record on the season after splitting the weekend series against Butler. The Hoosiers fell in both the first and last game of the weekend series, while sweeping Saturday’s doubleheader against the Bulldogs.

IU spent several weeks ranked in the major Division I polls after playing an early challenging schedule featuring ranked contests against Duke, Coastal Carolina, Alabama, and Dallas Baptist over the first month. The Hoosiers picked up early wins over Coastal Carolina, a weekend sweep over Baylor, and Dallas Baptist, in addition to wins over Northern Kentucky and Troy.

Indiana is scheduled to take on several Missouri Valley teams in the 2024 season having already competed against Illinois State, Belmont, and Indiana State. The Hoosiers have posted a 2-3 record overall against the MVC this year falling to both Illinois State and Indiana State in the midweek, while taking two of three from Belmont over the March 15-17 weekend.

Devin Taylor (.382) and Nick Mitchell (.341) are Indiana’s top hitters in the 2024 season with Taylor pacing the Hoosiers with 42 hits, including a team-high six home runs. Tyler Cerny (.333) is second on IU with 41 hits while adding 11 doubles and tying for the team lead with 32 RBIs. Carter Mathison has added six home runs on the year.

Twenty-one different IU arms have seen time on the mound this season as the Hoosiers have posted a 7.05 ERA over 249.0 innings. Indiana has posted a 280:130 strikeout-to-walk ratio on the season while allowing opponents to hit .267 from the plate.

Series History

Indiana leads the all-time series 66-49-1 dating back to the inaugural contest back in 1895. The Sycamores have taken each of the last two contests against the Hoosiers with both coming in Terre Haute back last season and back on March 19. Four of the last five contests dating back to 2019 have occurred at Bob Warn Field.

The Sycamores’ pair of wins snapped a six-game Indiana winning streak in the series dating back to the 2017 season. Indiana State’s last win in Bloomington came back in the 2017 season on March 29 as ISU took the 7-3 win over the Hoosiers.

PURDUE FT. WAYNE MEN’S GOLF

RECORD-BREAKING SECOND ROUND PUTS MASTODONS IN LEAD AT BENBOW INVITATIONAL

INDIANAPOLIS – The Purdue Fort Wayne men’s golf team shot a 272 in the second round of the Don Benbow Butler Spring Invitational on Monday (April 1), which set a new program record for an 18-hole score.

The Mastodons finished day one with a 286-272-558 and are in a tie with Butler for first place in the 14-team field. The Mastodons’ 558 36-hole score is the second-best mark in program history, topped only by the same team earlier this season.

Kasey Lilly led the Mastodons with a 69-67-136, which is a top-10 score in program history. He is hunting an individual title after his 4-under day, as he is three shots back of the leader through 36 holes. In round one, Lilly had birdies fall on holes two, 12, 16 and 17 for an even front nine and 1-over back nine. In the afternoon, he had a bogey-free front nine of 32 with birdies on one, three and six, and an even back nine with birdies on 16 and 17 again.

Hunter Mefford shot 71-68-139 and is tied for ninth after day one. After birdies on holes five and 12 in round one, he had three more come in round two on holes six, 10 and 12. He was bogey-free on the front nine in the afternoon, finishing 1-under for the day.

One shot behind Mefford, Nick Holder had a 73-67-140. In the morning, he had birdies on holes one, five and seven for a 2-under front nine. In the afternoon, he was even better with three birdies on the front and two on the back. He was bogey-free on the front and even on the back in his 3-under effort.

Burke Pitz had his score taken in both rounds to tidy up the team score, shooting 73-70-143. He had a birdie on hole two in round one. He was the fourth Mastodon to go bogey-free on the front nine in round two, turning in a birdie on hole four. He added two more birdies on 16 and 17.

AJ Agnew competed for the team score, shooting 80-74-154. He had a birdie on hole 12 in round one, then holes three, six, 12 and 17 in round two.

Brock Reschly (70-69-139), Nick Bellush (68-76-144), Jadden Ousley (70-75-145), Reece Compton (75-71-146), Jacob Deakyne (74-82-156) and Jarred Bowser (84-82-166) competed as individuals.

The Mastodons finished ahead of all six Horizon League schools in the field. Oakland was the closest at 10 shots behind the ‘Dons.

The final round of the Don Benbow Butler Spring Invitational will fire off on Tuesday (April 2).

EVANSVILLE WOMEN’S GOLF

PETROVA IN TOP 10 AFTER FIRST ROUND IN THE GOLFWEEK INTERCOLLEGIATE

PAWLEY’S ISLAND, S.C. — After the opening round at the Golfweek Intercollegiate, the University of Evansville women’s golf team sits in 15th place with a team score of 312 at Caledonia Golf & Fish Club in Pawley’s Island, S.C. 
 

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Results

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Sophomore Kate Petrova leads the Aces women at a stroke over par to be tied for eighth place after the first 18 holes at the Golfweek Intercollegiate tournament. Petrova shot a 72 on Monday while being under par on holes 3, 14, and 17 for UE’s best finish of the opening round.

Freshman Jane Grankina is second for Evansville after the opening round at six above par with a score of 77 to be tied for 51st. She’s followed by graduate student Allison Enchelmayer who recorded an 80 through 18 holes at Caledonia Golf & Fish Club to be tied for 82nd. Rounding out the first round for the Aces were sophomore Destynie Sheridan and graduate student Carly Frazier with scores of 83 and 86 respectively. 

Cal Poly currently leads the 19-team pack following the opening round at five above par for a first-round score of 289. Closely behind in second is High Point with an opening round team score of 290. Rounding out the top three after the first round is USC Upstate with a team score of 293.

The second round of the Golfweek Intercollegiate is set to start at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, April 2. 

EVANSVILLE BASEBALL

BASEBALL WRAPS UP HOMESTAND TUESDAY AGAINST AUSTIN PEAY

EVANSVILLE, Ind. –  The University of Evansville baseball team will wrap up a season-long eight-game homestand on Tuesday night at German American Bank Field at Charles H. Braun Stadium, as the Purple Aces will host long-time rival Austin Peay State University at 6 p.m.  Tuesday’s game can be heard live in the Tri-State area on 107.1 FM-WJPS.

Evansville will bring an 11-16 overall record into Tuesday night’s game after winning two out of three games against Southern Illinois over the weekend.  Redshirt sophomore Kevin McCormick’s pinch-hit RBI single in the bottom of the tenth inning capped a three-run rally for UE in Saturday’s series finale, as the Purple Aces rallied for an 11-10 victory over SIU to win the series.  The win was career victory #400 for head coach Wes Carroll, as he is just the 11th head coach in Missouri Valley Conference history to reach the 400-win barrier with all 400 wins coming as a member of the Valley.

Evansville will bring a .298 team batting average into Tuesday’s contest.  The Purple Aces rank third in NCAA Division I baseball behind only Virginia (87) and Tennessee (80) in terms of doubles, as UE has knocked 76 doubles on the year.  Junior outfielder Harrison Taubert and graduate third baseman Brent Widder are currently tied for the team and MVC lead with 11 doubles each this year.  Taubert hit a team-best .500 last week in four games, with three doubles in four contests.  Overall, Taubert is second on the team in hitting with a .330 batting average to graduate outfielder Mark Shallenberger’s .380 team-leading average.

Austin Peay, meanwhile, will bring a 16-11 overall record into Tuesday’s game.  The Governors rank among the NCAA’s top 10 in six different offensive categories, including team batting average (8th-.329), doubles (6th-72), hits (9th-315), home runs (4th-60), scoring (9th-9.7) and slugging percentage (4th-.609).  Two-way standout Lyle Miller-Green paces the Austin Peay attack with a .388 batting average, 12 doubles, 15 home runs and 41 RBI.  He ranks third in NCAA Division I baseball in home runs and is ninth in RBI.

All-time, UE leads the series over Austin Peay, 43-26-2.  The two teams have not met since 2022, when Evansville won both ends of a home-and-home series by scores of 20-4 and 10-5.  UE leads the all-time series in Evansville, 21-9-1, and the Purple Aces have won five-straight meetings at home dating back to the 2010 season.  Freshman left-hander Kevin Reed (2-0, 7.62) is expected to the get the start on the mound for UE.

EVANSVILLE MEN’S GOLF

ROHLEDER LEADS ACES MEN’S GOLF AFTER FIRST DAY OF DON BENBOW BUTLER SPRING INVITATIONAL

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — The University of Evansville men’s golf team currently sits in seventh after two rounds at the Don Benbow Butler Spring Invitational with a team score of 572.

Graduate student Issac Rohleder leads the Purple Aces after 36 holes at Highland Golf and Country Club, hitting par following two rounds with a score of 141. Rohleder is tied for 22nd across all golfers after shooting one under par in the first round of 18 at 69 strokes on Monday morning while shooting two over par in the afternoon at 71 strokes. Just behind Rohleder is sophomore Daniil Romashkin with a total score of 142 after shooting one over par in both rounds at 71 strokes over 18 holes.

Senior Nick Gushrowski is tied for 38th following the first day of the Invitational with a combined score of 143. Gushrowski shot three over par in his first round of the day at 73 strokes but made up three strokes in the second round by hitting par at 70 strokes. Fifth-year Caleb Wassmer and senior Michael Ikejiani round out Evansville’s five at the Invitational both tied for 81st with total scores of 148. Wassmer shot six over par in the first round at 76 strokes but would end the day only behind par by eight after a 72-stroke second round. Ikejiani shot four above par in both rounds on Monday with 74 strokes through 18 holes in the morning and in the afternoon.

Purdue Fort Wayne currently leads the 14-team field at the Don Benbow Butler Spring Invitational at two under par with a team score of 558. Host Butler and Indian Hills are tied for second with team scores of 559 as both teams shot 280 in the first round and 279 in the second round on Monday. The final round of the Invitational is set to start on Tuesday at 8 a.m. CT.

EVANSVILLE WOMEN’S GOLF

PETROVA IN TOP 10 AFTER FIRST ROUND IN THE GOLFWEEK INTERCOLLEGIATE

PAWLEY’S ISLAND, S.C. — After the opening round at the Golfweek Intercollegiate, the University of Evansville women’s golf team sits in 15th place with a team score of 312 at Caledonia Golf & Fish Club in Pawley’s Island, S.C. 
 

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Results

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Sophomore Kate Petrova leads the Aces women at a stroke over par to be tied for eighth place after the first 18 holes at the Golfweek Intercollegiate tournament. Petrova shot a 72 on Monday while being under par on holes 3, 14, and 17 for UE’s best finish of the opening round.

Freshman Jane Grankina is second for Evansville after the opening round at six above par with a score of 77 to be tied for 51st. She’s followed by graduate student Allison Enchelmayer who recorded an 80 through 18 holes at Caledonia Golf & Fish Club to be tied for 82nd. Rounding out the first round for the Aces were sophomore Destynie Sheridan and graduate student Carly Frazier with scores of 83 and 86 respectively. 

Cal Poly currently leads the 19-team pack following the opening round at five above par for a first-round score of 289. Closely behind in second is High Point with an opening round team score of 290. Rounding out the top three after the first round is USC Upstate with a team score of 293.

The second round of the Golfweek Intercollegiate is set to start at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, April 2. 

SOUTHERN INDIANA BASEBALL

USI VISITS, HOSTS MURRAY STATE THIS WEEK

EVANSVILLE, Ind. — University of Southern Indiana Baseball concludes a five-game road swing this week with a visit to Murray State University Tuesday before starting a four-game homestand at the USI Baseball Field. The first pitch for the Screaming Eagles at Murray State Tuesday is set for 5 p.m.

USI will take on Murray State for a second time Wednesday at the USI Baseball Field when the Eagles start four-straight at home. The homestand concludes with a visit from Lindenwood University for a three-game Ohio Valley Conference series.

The USI-Lindenwood series starts Friday with a 6 p.m. first pitch before continuing Saturday at 3 p.m. and concluding Sunday at 1 p.m. 

Links to follow the Eagles during the opening weekend of 2024 can be found on USIScreamingEagles.com and on the USI Baseball Schedule.

USI Baseball Notes:

USI Eagles 1-3 road swing. The USI Screaming Eagles are 1-3 on the five-game road swing. USI lost to Ball State University last week before losing two of three with Morehead State University over the weekend. USI junior centerfielder Terrick Thompson-Allen leads the hitters during the trip with a .500 average (9-18) and is tied for the team-lead in home runs with three. Senior designated hitter Jack Ellis drove in a team-high eight RBI.

USI out homered by MSU. USI was out homered in the series with Morehead State, 11-8, in the three games.

Ellis leads Eagles in homers. Senior designated hitter Jack Ellis leads the USI Eagle with six this season. Ellis is followed by a pair of Eagles with three each.

The Last 10 Games for USI. USI, which is 4-6 in the last 10 games, is led by senior designated hitter Jack Ellis. Ellis is hitting .500 (19-38) with 10 runs scored, three doubles, five home runs and 15 RBI. Junior outfielder Adam Euler, who made his season debut at Morehead State, batted .400 (6-15) in four of the last 10 games. Junior right-hander Carson Seeman leads the Eagles on the bump with a 2.70 ERA (6.2 innings) and junior right-hander Gavin Morris has struck out 13 batters.

Leaders at the plate in 2024. Senior designated hitter Jack Ellis is hitting a team-high .462 and six home runs this season, while senior outfielder Ren Tachioka, who has been on the shelf for the last week, follows with a .403 mark. Senior infielder/designated hitter Tucker Ebest has driven in a team-best 20 RBI.

Leaders on the mound in 2024. USI junior right-hander Gavin Seebold and Gavin Morris lead the team with three victories each. Morris also has a team-high 36 strikeouts. Junior right-hander Tyler Hutson has a team-best four saves.

In the OVC. USI as a team is fourth in the OVC in pitching with a team 6.14 ERA and fifth in the league in hitting with a .276 team batting average. Junior right-hander Gavin Seebold is sixth in pitching with a 4.23 ERA, while freshman right-hander Grant Parson is ninth with a 4.67 ERA. Junior right-hander Gavin Morris is third in the OVC overall with 36 strikeouts.

Note: Senior Jack Ellis has not played in enough games to be eligible to be ranked in the overall league rankings (75 percent of games and 2.5 at-bats per game).

In OVC Games Only. In conference games only, senior designated hitter Jack Ellis is third in the OVC in batting average (.478) and second in hits (11).

Murray State in 2024. The Racers of Murray State University are 18-9 overall in 2023-24 after dropping three-straight over the weekend at home versus Belmont University.

USI vs. Murray State. Murray State leads the all-time series, 9-3-1, after sweeping a three-game series from USI last year in Murray, Kentucky.

Lindenwood in 2024. The Lions of Lindenwood University are 7-19 overall and 2-4 in the OVC this season. Lindenwood lost two of three at home versus the University of Arkansas at Little Rock over the weekend and is 3-13 in the last month.

USI vs. Lindenwood. The Screaming Eagles trail the all-time series with the Lions, 6-2, and lost two of three in the OVC last year in St. Charles.

VALPO BASEBALL

LOCKWOOD NAMED MVC PITCHER OF THE WEEK

After throwing a complete game in Saturday’s 9-2 win over Bradley, Valparaiso University baseball pitcher Connor Lockwood (Libertyville, Ill. / Libertyville) has been named the Missouri Valley Conference Pitcher of the Week.

Lockwood delivered the team’s first nine-inning complete game in five years, lifting Valpo to an important victory that helped the team win the series. He earned the win while scattering eight hits and allowing two runs. Lockwood did not issue a walk and struck out nine in the triumph. An extended outing was much needed after Valpo’s pitching staff was taxed in Friday’s series opener.

Lockwood is 2-1 with a 4.00 ERA while striking out 24 and walking nine over 27 innings of work in five starts this season.

This marks the program’s first weekly award of the season. Valpo’s last weekly award winners came on April 17 of last year when Jake Skrine (Player of the Week) and Bobby Nowak (Pitcher of the Week) swept the honors. This is Lockwood’s second career MVC Pitcher of the Week award, joining Colin Fields as the other Valpo pitchers to have won the award multiple times since Valpo joined the MVC.

VALPO MEN’S GOLF

VALPO LEADS GOLFWEEK/AGT INTERCOLLEGIATE AFTER OPENING ROUND

The Valparaiso University men’s golf team is off to a stellar start to the Golfweek/AGT Intercollegiate, a three-day, 54-hole tournament being held this week at the par-72, 6940-yard True Blue Golf Course in Pawleys Island, S.C. The Beacons are atop a strong 19-team field, and Caleb VanArragon (Blaine, Minn. / Blaine) is tied for the top spot individually.

How It Happened

VanArragon enjoyed a Round-1 score of 66 (-6) and is tied with Kansas City’s Lucas Dutartre for the top spot in a 100-player field.

Freshman Adam Melliere (Zionsville, Ind. / Zionsville) joined his fifth-year senior teammate in the top five by carding a 69 (-3). He is tied for fifth in the field.

A trio of Beacons in the top 10 on Day 1 also featured Anthony Delisanti (Sanborn, N.Y. / Niagara Wheatfield)¸ who stroked a 70 (-2). All four of the team’s countable scores were under par as Mason Bonn (Sherwood, Ore. / Sherwood) rounded out that group with a 71 (-1).

The team posted a 276 (-12), five strokes ahead of the next closest team in a solid 19-team field. Kansas City is second at 281 (-7) and North Alabama is third at 283 (-5).

Inside the Rounds

Melliere’s 69 tied the best round of his young collegiate career.

VanArragon’s 66 tied for the best round by a Beacon this season.

Valpo’s team score of 276 tied a season best from the second round of the Dorado Beach Collegiate on Feb. 26. This tied for the third best 18-hole team score in terms of overall score in modern program history, behind only the 2014 Golfweek Program Challenge (273, first round) and the 2023 Rutherford Intercollegiate (274, second round).

In relation to par, the -12 tied for the second-best 18-hole team score in program history behind only Sept. 7, 2014, -15 in the first round of the Golfweek Program Challenge.

The team led the tournament in par-3 scoring at 2.68 (-8) with VanArragon averaging 2.40 strokes on those holes, tying for the best mark in the event.

VanArragon birdied seven of the 18 holes, tying for the most in the field. He helped the Beacons drain 19 birdies on the day.

Bonn produced one of the day’s four eagles, turning the trick on the par-5 ninth hole.

Valpo is ahead of five teams in this tournament that are ranked in the top 150 nationally. Valpo is currently ranked No. 157.

Thoughts from Head Coach Dave Gring

“We had a terrific start to the tournament. We still have two rounds to play, so we’re not going to get ahead of ourselves. I was very pleased with our practice round yesterday and all of our preparation for the tournament. I’m not surprised that we started the three-day tourney well and the guys managed the course much like we discussed during the practice round. We still need to play the Par 5s better and get our wedge shots closer to the pin in regulation. These two areas are gradually improving for us this spring, but we still need to get better.”

“I was very pleased with our birdie production. We had 19 for the round and Caleb led the way with seven. We only had one double bogey over our five rounds. When we are able to finish around 20 birdies for a round and eliminate our doubles, the team score is going to be very solid. I was also very impressed with our Par-3 performance. The team played the five Par 3s at eight under, with eight birdies and not a single bogey. That’s a huge part of our success and led for the day, and we will need to get play those holes well the next two rounds.”

“It was a terrific team performance with all four of our players scores that counted under par. We had 10 of our birdies during the stretch of holes from 7-11. Caleb had a solid scorecard with seven birdies and one bogey. Adam also played very well for us with five birdies and two bogeys. We’re going to need to keep managing the course well tomorrow to keep the birdie production going.”

Up Next

The Beacons will play the second round of the Golfweek/AGT Intercollegiate on Tuesday. A link to live scoring via GolfStat is available on ValpoAthletics.com.

UINDY SOFTBALL

REES SECURES GLVC SOFTBALL WEEKLY AWARD

INDIANAPOLIS – University of Indianapolis senior catcher/infielder Lexy Rees was named Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) weekly Player of the Week in softball, it was announced by the league office Monday.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Lexy Rees, #5 Indianapolis

Sr. | C/IF | Greenwood, Ind.

Major: Psychology

Team Results: 2-3 L, 13-2 W (5 inn.) at Missouri-St. Louis (3/29) | 3-0 W, 4-2 W at McKendree (3/30)

Went 5-for-11 (.455) in four games, accumulating a .500 on-base percentage

Smacked two home runs and drove in team-high 10 runs, collecting a 1.364 slugging percentage

Added two runs scored

Did not strikeout in 12 plate appearances

Highlighted by 2-for-3 performance in second game against UMSL, notching two grand slams in the first two innings

First player in program history since at least 2001 to hit two grand slams in the same game

Eight RBIs matched the highest single-game total by a Greyhound in the same time span

Earns third career Player of the Week award (4/1/24, 4/24/23, 5/2/22)

Last Greyhounds’ Player of the Week: Emily O’Connor (3/18/24)

UINDY WOMEN’S LAX

GREYHOUNDS REMAIN IN IWLCA TOP 15

NORTHBOROUGH, Mass. – The UIndy women’s lacrosse team slipped back one spot to No. 14 in Monday’s newest IWLCA national coaches poll. The Greyhounds have now been ranked between 12th and 14th in all seven editions of the poll this season.

UIndy splits its pair of games last weekend, earning a 20-10 victory at Lewis on Saturday to begin GLVC action. The Greyhounds are now 7-4 this season.

Pace continues to top the poll, while GLVC foe Maryville (6) and in-region Regis (8) and Grand Valley (9) rank just ahead of UIndy. The Hounds host Rockhurst in league play this Friday at 5 p.m. from Key Stadium.

The poll marks the 79th consecutive edition in which UIndy has appeared, including its 78th straight time in the top 15. The complete poll can be found below.

IWLCA DII Poll

RK	SCHOOL (REC)	PTS (FPV)	PREV
1.	Pace (9 – 0)	550 (22)	1
2.	West Chester (8 – 0)	528	2
3.	Adelphi (7 – 1)	487	4
4.	Florida Southern (9 – 3)	463	7
5.	East Stroudsburg (6 – 2)	457	3
6.	Maryville (10 – 0)	452	6
7.	Tampa (8 – 3)	427	5
8.	Regis (CO) (9 – 1)	403	9
9.	Grand Valley (7 – 1)	366	10
10.	Lynn (10 – 1)	347	12
11.	Embry-Riddle (11 – 2)	336	8
12.	Flagler (12 – 2)	298	11
13.	Limestone (12 – 0)	265	14
14.	UIndy (7 – 4)	253	13
15.	Kutztown (7 – 1)	230	17
16.	Wingate (10 – 3)	224	16
17.	Rollins (10 – 3)	168	15
18.	Saint Leo (7 – 4)	159	23
19.	Bentley (4 – 4)	155	18
20.	Florida Tech (7 – 5)	145	19
21.	Saint Anselm (6 – 3)	112	21
22.	New Haven (3 – 3)	84	20
23.	Seton Hill (6 – 3)	68	24
24.	Assumption (4 – 4)	55	22
25.	Mount Olive (9 – 2)	49	NR

MARIAN BASEBALL

CHRIS ADAMS NAMED CROSSROADS LEAGUE PITCHER OF THE WEEK

Jackson, Mich. – For the first time in his career, Chris Adams of the Marian baseball team has been named the Crossroads League Pitcher of the Week. Adams is the second Marian pitcher to claim the honor this season, joining Seth Hogg who won the honor in early February.

Adams fired a two-hit shutout in a seven-inning game, leading Marian to an 8-0 victory against MVNU. Adams fanned 10 over the seven frames and did not allow a run. The complete game for Adams was the fourth this season, while he tossed his first career shutout.

Marian will next see the diamond on Friday, taking on St. Francis (Ind.) as they open a four-game series.

MARIAN MEN’S GOLF

AUGIE MANN EARNS SECOND CAREER CROSSROADS LEAGUE GOLFER OF THE WEEK

Jackson, Mich. – For the second time this spring, Marian men’s golfer Augie Mann has been named the Crossroads League Golfer of the Week. This is the third time a member of the Knights has earned the honor this season.

Mann led No. 24 Marian at the Garn Invitational, ending eighth out of 116 golfers on the individual leaderboard. Mann closed well, carding back-to-back rounds of 76 in the final two rounds.

Marian competes next Monday and Tuesday at the Midway Eagle Invite, hosted in Lexington, Kentucky.

MARIAN MEN’S TENNIS

MARC SORIANO EARNS THIRD CAREER CROSSROADS LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONOR

Jackson, Mich. – For the third time this season, Marian men’s tennis freshman Marc Soriano has been named the Crossroads League Tennis Player of the Week.

Soriano went unbeaten for Marian in two matches, going 2-0 at No. 4 singles and 2-0 at No. 2 doubles for the Knights. In MU’s loss to No. 22 Holy Cross, Soriano recorded the team’s lone singles victory and also won in doubles play.

Marian hosts a JV match on Thursday against Rose-Hulman, and finishes their regular season this weekend at Lindsey Wilson and Campbellsville.

MARIAN TRACK

ARRIANA BENJAMIN REPEATS AS CROSSROADS LEAGUE FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

Jackson, Mich. – For the second consecutive week, Marian women’s track and field senior Arriana Benjamin has been named the Crossroads League Field Athlete of the Week. Benajmin’s honor is her 14th in her illustrious career at Marian, and is her fifth of the 2023-24 indoor and outdoor seasons.

Benjamin won two of her events and finished third in another at the Marian Open, scoring wins and A-standards in the shot put and discus to pace the Knights. Benjamin would finish third in the hammer throw as her strong outdoor season continues.

The Knights will travel to the University of Tenneessee this weekend for their third meet of the 2024 outdoor season.

SMALL COLLEGE ATHLETICS

INDIANA WESLEYAN ATHLETICS: https://iwuwildcats.com/

EARLHAM ATHLETICS: https://goearlham.com/

WABASH ATHLETICS: https://sports.wabash.edu/

FRANKLIN ATHLETICS: https://franklingrizzlies.com/

ROSE-HULMAN ATHLETICS: https://athletics.rose-hulman.edu/

ANDERSON ATHLETICS: https://athletics.anderson.edu/landing/index

TRINE ATHLETICS: https://trinethunder.com/landing/index

BETHEL ATHLETICS: https://bupilots.com/

DEPAUW ATHLETICS: https://depauwtigers.com/

HANOVER ATHLETICS: https://athletics.hanover.edu/

MNCHESTER ATHLETICS: https://muspartans.com/

HUNTINGTON ATHLETICS: https://www.huathletics.com/

OAKLAND CITY ATHLETICS: https://gomightyoaks.com/index.aspx

ST. FRANCIS ATHLETICS: https://www.saintfranciscougars.com/landing/index

IU KOKOMO ATHLETICS: https://iukcougars.com/

IU EAST ATHLETICS: https://www.iueredwolves.com/

IU SOUTH BEND ATHLETICS: https://iusbtitans.com/

PURDUE NORTHWEST ATHLETICS: https://pnwathletics.com/

INDIANA TECH ATHLETICS: https://indianatechwarriors.com/index.aspx

GRACE COLLEGE ATHLETICS: https://gclancers.com/

ST. MARY OF THE WOODS ATHLETICS: https://smwcathletics.com/

GOSHEN COLLEGE ATHLETICS: https://goleafs.net/

HOY CROSS ATHLETICS: https://www.hcsaints.com/index.php

TAYLOR ATHLETICS: https://www.taylortrojans.com/

VINCENNES ATHLETICS: https://govutrailblazers.com/landing/index

“SPORTS EXTRA”

NUMBERS IN SPORTS

22 – 9 – 30 – 20 – 24 – 99

April 2, 1969 – Forbes Kennedy, Number 22 the center for the Toronto Maple Leafs set a very dubious Stanley Cup playoff record has he recorded the most penalties in one game with 8. You can tell it was mostly frustration as the Boston registered thei first playoff win in a decade as the Bruins cruised to a 10-0 lopsides victory. 

April 2, 1976 – There was a big trade in the MLB on this day, that changed the dynamics of the game. The defending World Series Champion Oakland A’s, traded away key players Reggie Jackson, Number 9 and pitcher  Number 30, Ken Holtzman to Baltimore Orioles in exchange for outfielder Don Baylor, Number 20 and pitchers Mike Torrez, Number 24 and Paul Mitchell, Number 36. It is ironic that after one season Torrez left the A’s and Mitchell who remained swapped his Number 36 in green and yellow for Torrrez’s vacated Number 24.

April 2, 1980 – Year one in the NHL, the Great One, Number 99, Wayne Gretzky scored a lamp lighter for Edmonton in a 1-1 tie with Minnesota North Stars to become the youngest player to reach 50 goals at 19 years and 2 months of age

FOOTBALL HISTORY

April 2 Birthdays of the HOF Football Players

April 2, 1871 – Clifton, New Jersey – The great tackle of Harvard University from 1890 to 1893 Marshall Newell was born.

April 2, 1880 – Oyster bay, New York – Harold Weekes Columbia University’s halfback from 1899 to 1902 arrived to celebrate his birth. The NFF says Weekes was like a bullet, as he took part in a very dangerous play called the “flying hurdle.” According to his bio from the NFF Weekes would get on the shoulders of his offensive teammates and they would launch him catapult -style, head-long across the line of scrimmage, landing on his feet and streaking away from the stunned defenders. That had to put defenders in shock to see something like that attempted! Harold was often credited with long gainers such as in his freshman season of 1899, he broke away from the pack and streaked 55 yards to a touchdown that proved the winning points in a 5-0 upset of previously unbeaten Yale. It was Columbia’s first win over the team from New Haven in 18 years.  Weekes befuddled opposing defenses for three more seasons, earning All-America honors each one. Walter Camp claimed Weekes “was powerful and fast, and had that certain burst of speed at just the right moment.” Harold Weekes was honored with induction into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1954 after the National Football Foundation tallied their votes.

April 2, 1910 – Arnie Herber the outstanding early quarterback of the Green Bay Packers franchise was born. The website Packer.com shares that Arnie was a Green Bay native who joined the Packers only two years after graduating from Green Bay West High School, Herber developed into pro football’s first great long-ball passer. He also was part of the game’s first famous passing combination: Herber to Hutson. It is interesting how the Herber-to-Don Hutson combination started. It  was unleashed like gang busters on Sept. 22, 1935, in a 7-0 victory over the Chicago Bears. On the first play from scrimmage, Herber hit Hutson, a rookie playing his second game, on an 83-yard bomb to account for the game’s only touchdown. He is credited with being the first NFL thrower to pass for more than 1000 yards in a season when he racked up 1239 yards in the 1936 season alone. Herber was the leader of the offense on the Green Bay Championship teams of 1932, 1934 and that special season of 1936. Arnie Herber was enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1972.

April 2, 1917 – Detroit, Michigan – The great Stanford Cardinal halfback  of 1938 to 1940, Hugh Gallarneau was born. His friends called him “Duke” and he was a very well rounded athlete according to the FootballFoundation.org but he never played football until he attended Stanford. The first two seasons that Hugh played for Stanford the team suffered through horrible losing seasons but that all changed in 1940. A new head coach, Clark Shaughnessy, joined the team and he brought with him the powerful T-formation offense. Stanford went 10-0 in 1940 and Gallarneau was co-captain and was selected as an All-American halfback. Gallarneau scored two touchdowns, on a 10-yard run and a 40-yard pass reception to aid Stanford in defeating Nebraska 21-13 in the Rose Bowl. Hugh Gallarneau received the great honor of being selected for inclusion into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1982. Gallarneau played with the Chicago Bears 1941-1942. He joined the Marines in World War II and rose to the rank of major. He was in 7 island invasions by Marines in the Pacific theater. He rejoined the Bears 1945-1947.

April 2, 1930 – San Diego, California – Another Stanford player, Bill McColl arrived into this life and he later went on to play end for the Cardinal football team from 1949 to 1951. Bill is described as being one of the top gridiron players ever to put on the Cardinal uniform as he finished fourth in the Heisman vote of 1941 and then signed a contract with the Chicago Bears so that he could pay his way through Graduate school at the University of Chicago to train to become a doctor. Bill McColl was honored with induction into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1973 after the National Football Foundation tallied their votes. He became an orthopedic surgeon and then soon decided to leave the comfort of the U.S. and serve as a missionary  physician in Korea serving the country’s leper and deformed children.

April 2, 1947 – Chicago, Illinois – Arizona State running back Ron Pritchard was born. Ron led the Sun Devils in tackles and interceptions in the season of 1968 and earned the team’s MVP award. The National Football Foundation selected Ron Pritchard for entrance into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2003. He was the 15th player selected in the 1969 NFL draft by the Houston Oilers. His nine-year pro career with the Oilers and Cincinnati Bengals was cut short by a knee injury.

April 2, 1965 – Brooklyn, New York – The great Syracuse QB Don McPherson arrived into this life. According to the National Football Foundation McPherson won over 18 national Player of the Year honors during his collegiate career. McPherson’s many honors included the Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award, the Maxwell Player of the Year and the inaugural Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award. He also garnered unanimous First Team All-America laurels and finished second in the 1987 Heisman balloting. Don McPherson received the great honor of being selected for inclusion into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2008. played four years in the NFL and three seasons in the Canadian Football League. He later founded the Sports Leadership Institute at Adelphi University and created the John Mackey Award, which annually recognizes college football’s most outstanding tight end.

TODAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY

April 2

1931 — Virne Beatrice “Jackie” Mitchell, the first woman in professional baseball, pitched against the New York Yankees in an exhibition game in Chattanooga. Babe Ruth waved wildly at the first two pitches and took a third strike. Lou Gehrig timed his swing to miss three straight pitches. Tony Lazzeri, after trying to bunt, walked and Mitchell left the game.

1952 — Hall of Fame outfielder Monte Irvin of the New York Giants broke his ankle in an exhibition game. Irvin played just 46 games that season.

1976 — The Oakland Athletics trade two key members from their recent World Series championship teams, sending OF Reggie Jackson and P Ken Holtzman to the Baltimore Orioles.

1984 — The New York Mets lost to the Cincinnati Reds 8-1 for their first opening-day defeat in 10 years.

1995 — The longest strike in major league history comes to an end. Having the first 23 days of this major league season canceled and 252 games of the last season lost, the owners accept the players’ March 31st unconditional offer to return to work. The players’ decision to return to work is made after a US District Court issued an injunction restoring terms and conditions of the expired agreement. Teams will play 144-game schedules. The strike had begun on August 12, 1994.

1996 — St. Francis of Illinois pummeled Robert Morris 71-1, with Robert Morris coach Gerald McNamara ending the after four innings.

1997 — For the first time, the salary of one player — Albert Belle — exceeded the payroll of an entire team — the Pittsburgh Pirates. Belle, the game’s highest-paid player for 1997 at $10 million, made $928,333 more than the whole Pirates payroll of $9,071,667.

1998 — By hitting a home run at Bank One Ballpark, Ellis Burks sets a major league record by having homered in 33 different stadiums.

2001 — For the first time in major league history, a Japanese position player participates in a regular season game. Seattle Mariners outfielder Ichiro Suzuki, hitless in his first three at-bats, singles in the 7th inning to ignite a two-run rally, and bunts for another single in the 8th in his debut at Safeco Field. He will go on the be both the American League Rookie of the Year and MVP this year.

2001 — Roger Clemens became the AL strikeout king, getting five to pass Walter Johnson as the Yankees beat Kansas City 7-3 in their season opener. Clemens fanned Joe Randa for his 3,509th career strikeout.

2003 — Alex Rodriguez became the youngest player to hit 300 home runs, connecting for a three-run drive in the Texas Rangers’ 11-5 loss to the Anaheim Angels. Rodriguez at 27 years, 249 days old, surpassed Hall of Famer Jimmie Foxx (27 years, 328 days).

2003 — The Detroit Tigers became the first team to have four pitchers make their major league debuts in the same game — Jeremy Bonderman, Wilfredo Ledezma, Chris Spurling and Matt Roney. The Tigers lost 8-1 to the Minnesota Twins.

2007 — Tampa Bay’s Elijah Dukes homered in his first big league at-bat in a 9-5 loss to the New York Yankees.

2008 — Kevin Youkilis plays his 194th consecutive error-free game at first base, breaking Steve Garvey’s 23-year-old major league record.

2010 — The Minnesota Twins open their new ballpark, Target Field, with an 8 – 4 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals in an exhibition game.

2011 — Ichiro Suzuki breaks the franchise hit record for the Seattle Mariners in the Mariners’ 6 – 2 win over Oakland. Ten years to the day after his first major league hit, Ichiro collects safety number 2,248, passing Edgar Martinez, with an infield single that drives in the winning run in the 9th.

2011 — Ian Kinsler of Texas became the first major leaguer with leadoff homers in each of his team’s first two games. Kinsler hit the first of four homers by the Rangers in a 12-5 victory over the Boston Red Sox.

2012 — Matt Cain and the San Francisco Giants agreed to a $127.5 million, six-year contract, the largest deal for a right-handed pitcher in baseball history.

2017 — Madison Bumgarner hit two homers but the Arizona Diamondbacks scored twice with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning off new San Francisco closer Mark Melancon to beat the Giants 6-5 in a wild season opener. Bumgarner retired his first 16 batters and became the first pitcher to hit two home runs on opening day. He struck out 11 with no walks in seven innings.

2019 — Returning to Washington, D.C. for the first time since signing a record free agent contract with the Phillies in the spring, Bryce Harper is back. He collects 3 hits, including a 458-foot two-run homer to lead the Phillies to an 8 – 2 win over the Nationals.

2021 — Commissioner Rob Manfred announces that the 2021 All-Star Game will not be staged in Atlanta, GA, as planned, but will be moved to another location to be determined, in response to the state of Georgia’s adoption of rules aimed at restricting the voting rights of African-Americans. This follows only two days after President Joe Biden stated he supported such a move, given the discriminatory nature of Georgia’s law.

_____

April 3

1923 — In Chicago, Ill., two Black Sox sue the White Sox. Swede Risberg and Happy Felsch seek $400,000 in damages and $6,750 in back salary for conspiracy and injury to their reputation in the aftermath of the scandalous 1919 World Series court case. Their suit will be unsuccessful.

1966 — The New York Mets sign University of Southern California star P Tom Seaver to his first contract.

1974 — The Cincinnati Reds defeated the Atlanta Braves 7-6 in 11 innings before a crowd of 52,000 at Riverfront Stadium. In his first at-bat, Hank Aaron hit a three-run homer off Jack Billingham. It was his 714th, tying Babe Ruth’s career record. The Braves had considered keeping Aaron on the bench for the season-opening series in Cincinnati so that he could attempt to tie the record four days later in Atlanta. But commissioner Bowie Kuhn would not allow it and ordered the Braves to put Aaron into the lineup for at least two of the three games.

1985 — A major league owners’ proposal is agreed to by the Players Association. The American and National leagues playoff formats are changed to best-of-sevens.

1987 — The Chicago Cubs trade starting pitcher Dennis Eckersley to the Oakland Athletics for three minor leaguers. Eckersley will emerge as the game’s dominant closer, saving 291 games over the next eight seasons.

1988 — George Bell became the first player to hit three home runs on opening day, leading the Toronto Blue Jays past the Kansas City Royals 5-3. Bell, bitter throughout spring training with his move to designated hitter, homered three times in that role off Bret Saberhagen.

1989 — Ken Griffey, Jr. of the Seattle Mariners makes his major league debut.

1994 — Chicago’s Karl Rhodes hit three solo home runs off Dwight Gooden in a 12-8 loss to the New York Mets on opening day at Wrigley Field. Rhodes became the second player to homer three times in an opener.

1998 — Mark McGwire tied Willie Mays’ National League record by hitting a home run in each of his first four games of the season. McGwire launched a towering three-run shot in the sixth inning of an 8-6 victory over the San Diego Padres.

1999 — America’s pastime opened in Mexico for the first time. The Colorado Rockies beat the Chicago Cubs 8-2 in baseball’s first season opener away from the United States and Canada.

2000 — A new major league record for Opening Day is set with five players having multiple home run games.

2001 — Hideo Nomo became the fourth pitcher in major-league history to throw a no-hitter in both leagues in Boston’s 3-0 victory over Baltimore. Nomo, who threw the first no-hitter in Colorado’s Coors Field on Sept. 17, 1996, for Los Angeles, walked three and struck out 11 in the first no-hitter in the 10-year history of Camden Yards. Nomo joined Cy Young, Jim Bunning and Nolan Ryan as the only pitchers with no-hitters in both leagues.

2003 — Sammy Sosa of the Chicago Cubs became the 18th player to hit 500 career homers, connecting for a solo shot in a 10-9 loss to Cincinnati. He became the fifth player to reach 500 homers before his 35th birthday. Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron, Willie Mays and Jimmie Foxx were the others.

2005 — Dmitri Young became the third player to hit three homers on opening day, and Jeremy Bonderman won as the youngest opening day starter in the major-leagues since 1986 to lead Detroit over the Royals 11-2.

2005 — In his first outing for the New York Yankees, Randy Johnson allows a run and five hits in six innings as New York open the major league season with a 9 – 2 win.

2006 — Seattle Mariners rookie Kenji Johjima, the first catcher from Japan to start a major league game, hits a home run for his first hit.

2015 — MLB suspends P Ervin Santana, who signed the largest free agent contract in Twins history this off-season, for 80 games for testing positive to the anabolic steroid stanozolol.

_____

April 4

1974 — The Cincinnati Reds defeated the Atlanta Braves 7-6 in 11 innings before a crowd of 52,000 at Riverfront Stadium. In his first at-bat, Hank Aaron hit a three-run homer off Jack Billingham. It was his 714th, tying Babe Ruth’s career record. The Braves had considered keeping Aaron on the bench for the season-opening series in Cincinnati so that he could attempt to tie the record four days later in Atlanta. But Commissioner Bowie Kuhn ordered the Braves to put Aaron into the lineup for at least two of the three games.

1988 — George Bell became the first player to hit three home runs on opening day, leading the Toronto Blue Jays past the Kansas City Royals 5-3. Bell, bitter throughout spring training with his move to designated hitter, homered three times in that role off Bret Saberhagen.

1993 — At Camden Yards, Bill Clinton becomes the first U.S. President to throw the first pitch of the season from the pitcher’s mound.

1994 — Chicago’s Karl Rhodes hit three solo home runs off Dwight Gooden in a 12-8 loss to the New York Mets on opening day at Wrigley Field. Rhodes became the second player to homer three times in an opener.

1994 — The Cleveland Indians open new stadium, Jacobs Field, with a 4 – 3 victory over the Seattle Mariners.

1998 — Mark McGwire tied Willie Mays’ National League record by hitting a home run in each of his first four games of the season. McGwire launched a towering three-run shot in the sixth inning of an 8-6 victory over the San Diego Padres.

1999 — America’s pastime opened in Mexico for the first time. The Colorado Rockies beat the Chicago Cubs 8-2 in baseball’s first season opener outside the United States and Canada.

2001 — Hideo Nomo became the fourth pitcher in major league history to throw a no-hitter in both leagues in Boston’s 3-0 victory over Baltimore. Nomo, who threw the first no-hitter in Colorado’s Coors Field on Sept. 17, 1996, for Los Angeles, walked three and struck out 11 in the first no-hitter in the 10-year history of Camden Yards. Nomo joined Cy Young, Jim Bunning and Nolan Ryan as the only pitchers with no-hitters in both leagues.

2003 — Sammy Sosa of the Chicago Cubs became the 18th player to hit 500 career homers, connecting for a solo shot in a 10-9 loss to Cincinnati. He became the fifth player to reach 500 homers before his 35th birthday. Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron, Willie Mays and Jimmie Foxx were the others.

2005 — Dmitri Young became the third player to hit three homers on opening day, and Jeremy Bonderman won as the youngest opening day starter in the major leagues since 1986 to lead Detroit over the Kansas City Royals 11-2.

2011 — Nelson Cruz of Texas became the third player in major league history to homer in the first four games of a season and the Rangers beat Seattle 6-4. Cruz joined Willie Mays (1971) and Mark McGwire (1998) as the only players to go deep in each of their first four games of a season.

2012 — The Miami Marlins open a new name and a new ballpark, Marlins Park, but lose to the St. Louis Cardinals.

2016 — Colorado Rockies SS Trevor Story becomes the first player to hit two homers in his debut on Opening Day.

2018 — MLB experiments with a new medium as today’s game between the Phillies and Mets is broadcast live exclusively on “Facebook Watch”.

2021 — For the first time since his debut in Major League Baseball in 2018, Shohei Ohtani is in the batting order in a game in which he is also the starting pitcher.

BASEBALL YEAR IN REVIEW: 1961 (BASEBALL ALMANAC)

Off the field…

A new American based humanitarian organization called the “Peace Corps” was started at the insistence President John F. Kennedy. The program encouraged young people, most just out of college, to volunteer a year of their time to work as teachers, health care providers or other advisors for poor nations in Africa, Asia and South America.

The United States government pledged to increase its military presence to aid South Vietnam in the fight against the Viet Cong rebels. Although not “officially engaged” in a formal state of war, the new agreement provided increased funding for the Vietnamese army and more U.S. advisors in the field.

An unsuccessful attempt to overthrow the government of Cuban premier Fidel Castro by United States-backed rebels took place in April. An invasion force consisting of approximately 1,500 Cuban exiles, armed with U.S. weapons, landed at the Bahia de Cochinos (Bay of Pigs) on the south coast hoping to find support from the local population. Within hours, most were wiped out by Castro’s own troops or taken prisoner for ransom. Acting President John F. Kennedy took full responsibility for the disaster, even though the plans had been put in place during the Eisenhower administration.

In the American League…

New York’s newly crowned single-season home run champion* Roger Maris beat out Yankee teammate Mickey Mantle by 4 votes for the American League Most Valuable Player Award.

On September 15, the New York Yankees also broke the all-time home run record (for a team) with 223 round-trippers. The combined franchise mark had been previously held by the 1947 New York Giants and the 1956 Cincinnati Reds.

Baltimore Orioles slugger Jim Gentile tied Ernie Banks’ Major League record for most grand slams in a season after hitting his 5th off of the Chicago White Sox’ Don Larsen.

In the National League…

On September 15, Los Angeles Dodgers ace Sandy Koufax set down 10 Milwaukee Braves bringing his season total to 243 — a National League record for left-handed pitchers. The New York Giants’ Rube Marquard had held the National League lefty record previously after fanning 237 in 1911.

The San Francisco Giants set a new precedent for Major League salaries after signing Willie Mays to an $85,000 contract — the highest in their history and the most paid to any player in 1961.

The National League’s newest franchise was officially christened as the “Mets” after New York fans were asked to vote on a list of finalists submitted by mail. Other names selected for the ballot included the “Burros”, “Skyliners”, “Rebels” and “Skyscrapers”.

Around the League…

Political tensions between the United States and Cuba initially prevented all Cuban players, including Minnie Minoso of the Chicago White Sox and Camilo Pascual and Pedro Ramos of the Minnesota Twins, from returning to the U.S. for the 1961 season. After several negotiations, a high-ranking foreign ministry official finally permitted their unconditional return.

“The M&M Boys” (Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris) became THE single most important story in the 1961 season as both New York Yankee teammates raced to beat Babe Ruth’s single-season homerun record of sixty. After going head-to-head for several months, Mantle fell out of the race due to a serious hip infection that required hospitalization. Maris pressed on and finally topped “The Bambino” during the final game of the season with number 61* off Tracy Stallard of the Boston Red Sox. Baseball Commissioner Ford Frick ruled that Maris’ record would be recorded with an asterisk in the books, making it a separate and distinctive record due to the new one-hundred sixty-two game schedule. Years later, acting Commissioner Fay Vincent reversed the ruling, “removing the asterisk” and recognizing Maris as an official record-breaker.

In response to the rash of home runs around the league, both American League President Joe Cronin and National League President Warren Giles agreed to order tests to determine if the “1961 baseball” was “livelier” than those of past seasons. The investigation conducted by technologists at Foster D. Snell Inc. concluded that the ball was slightly larger and several ounces lighter than the one used by Babe Ruth in the 1920’s.

After 9 innings, the season’s second All-Star Game was called at a 1-1 tie due to heavy rain at Boston’s Fenway Park.

BASEBALL’S GREAT PITCHERS

LEFTY GROVE

Lefty Grove may have been baseball’s greatest all-time pitcher. He was certainly its most dominant. No one matched his nine ERA titles, and his .680 winning percentage (300-141) is the highest among 300 game winners (eighth best overall). After winning 111 games in a minor-league career that delayed his major-league debut until he was 25, Grove led the American League in strikeouts his first seven years, pitched effectively in hitters’ parks (Shibe Park, Fenway Park) and starred in three World Series. Few if any pitchers threw tantrums on a par with the 6’3”, 190-pound Lefty, who did everything big. He even led all pitchers by striking out 593 times as a batter.

Robert Moses Grove was born to John and Emma Grove on March 6, 1900, in the bituminous-mining town of Lonaconing, Maryland. His father and older brothers preceded him into the mines, but Lefty quit after two weeks, saying, “Dad, I didn’t put that coal in here, and I hope I don’t have to take no more of her out.”

READ MORE: https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/lefty-grove/

TODAY IN NBA HISTORY

April 2, 1975

Buffalo’s Bob McAdoo was awarded MVP honors for the 1974-75 season. McAdoo led the NBA with 2,831 points (34.5 ppg).

April 2, 1993

Cleveland’s Mark Price had his consecutive free throw streak end at 77, during a 114-113 loss at Charlotte. That fell one short of Calvin Murphy’s NBA record of 78 straight free throws, which was later broken by Minnesota’s Micheal Williams, who put together a streak of 97 at the close of the 1992-93 season and the beginning of the 1993-94 season.

April 2, 1996

The Vancouver Grizzlies lost their 23rd consecutive game, setting an NBA single-season record for most consecutive losses. Denver tied the record when it lost its 23rd straight on January 23, 1998.

TODAY IN SPORTS HISTORY

TODAY IN SPORTS – CAITLIN CLARK SCORES 41 POINTS IN THE FINAL FOUR FOR IOWA WIN VS. SOUTH CAROLINA

1939 — Ralph Guldahl beats Sam Snead by one stroke to capture the Masters golf tournament.

1969 — Toronto center Forbes Kennedy sets a Stanley Cup playoff record for most penalties in one game with 8.

1978 — Czech tennis star Martina Navratilova wins her first WTA Tour Championship.

1980 — Wayne Gretzky becomes the youngest player to reach 50 goals at 19 years and 2 months of age.

1983 — New York Islander Mike Bossy becomes the first player to score 60 or more goals in three consecutive seasons.

1984 — Georgetown, led by junior center Patrick Ewing and freshman forward Reggie Williams, beats Houston 84-75 to win the NCAA championship in Seattle. Houston becomes the second team to lose in two consecutive finals.

1985 — Edmonton C Wayne Gretzky sets an NHL record with his 34th career hat trick.

1986 — The 3-point field goal, at 19 feet, 9 inches, is adopted by the NCAA.

1989 — 8th NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship: Tennessee beats Auburn, 76-60.

1990 — UNLV pounds Duke 103-73 to win its first NCAA championship and extend the Blue Devils’ streak to eight Final Four appearances without a title. The Runnin’ Rebels become the first team to score more than 100 points in a championship game and the 30-point margin is the largest ever.

1995 — Connecticut caps an unbeaten season by defeating Tennessee 70-64 for the NCAA women’s championship. The Huskies, 35-0, become the winningest basketball team for one season in Division I.

2000 — Connecticut wins its second women’s national championship with a 71-52 victory over Tennessee. The top-ranked Huskies beat No. 2 Tennessee for the second time in three meetings this season.

2001 — New York Yankees pitcher Roger Clemens becomes American League all-time strikeout leader.

2001 — Seattle outfielder Ichiro Suzuki has 2 hits and becomes first Japanese position player to play in a regular season MLB game.

2001 — 63rd NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship: Duke beats Arizona, 82-72.

2003 — At 27 years, 249 days Texas Rangers infielder Alex Rodriguez becomes the youngest MLB player to hit 300 home runs.

2005 — Bubba Stewart becomes first African-American to win a major motor sports event when he takes out the Monster Energy AMA Supercross C’ship event in Irving, Texas.

2007 — The Florida Gators keep their stranglehold on the college basketball world with an 84-75 victory over Ohio State for their second straight national championship. The Gators are the first team to repeat since Duke in 1991-92.

2010 — Basketball superstar Kobe Bryant signs a three-year contract extension with the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers worth $87 million.

2011 — The Detroit Red Wings clinch their 20th straight playoff berth with a 4-3 victory over Nashville. The Red Wings extend the longest active playoff streak among North America’s four major professional sports and extend their NHL record with 11 straight seasons with 100 points.

2012 — Doron Lamb scores 22 points as Kentucky wins its eighth men’s national championship, holding off Kansas for a 67-59 victory.

2013 — Shoni Schimmel scores 24 points and giant-slaying Louisville claims another big upset, beating second-seeded Tennessee 86-78 and earning the school’s second trip to the Women’s Final Four.

2014 — The Sacramento Kings beat the Los Angeles Lakers 107-102 to give the Lakers their 50th loss of the season. The last time the Lakers had 50 or more losses was 1974-75 (30-52).

2016 — Villanova advances to the national championship game with the biggest margin of victory in Final Four history, overwhelming Oklahoma in a resounding 95-51 victory. The margin topped 34-point Final Four wins by Cincinnati over Oregon State in 1962 and Michigan State over Penn in 1979.

2017 — 36th NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship: South Carolina defeats Mississippi State, 67-55.

2018 — Pernilla Lindberg makes a 30-foot birdie putt on the eighth extra hole to win the ANA Inspiration for her first professional victory. Lindberg finishes off Inbee Park on the par-4 10th, the fourth playoff hole at Mission Hills.

2018 — Villanova wins its second men’s national championship in three years after a 79-62 victory over Michigan. Donte DiVincenzo comes off the bench to score 31 points for the Wildcats. Villanova wins all six games by double digits over this tournament run, joining Michigan State (2000), Duke (2001) and North Carolina (2009) in that company.

2019 — OKC guard Russell Westbrook becomes 2nd player in NBA history to have 20+ points, rebounds and assists in a game; records 20-20-21 in 119-103 win over LA Lakers.

2023 — Caitlin Clark scores 41 points in the Final Four for Iowa against South Carolina.

TV SPORTS TUESDAY

COLLEGE BASEBALL

7 p.m.

SECN — Louisville at Kentucky

9 p.m.

PAC-12N — Gonzaga at Oregon St.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL (MEN’S)

7 p.m.

ESPN — NIT Tournament: Utah vs. Indiana St., Semifinal, Indianapolis

9:30 p.m.

ESPN2 — NIT Tournament: Georgia vs. Seton Hall, Semifinal, Indianapolis

COLLEGE SOFTBALL

5 p.m.

BTN — Penn St. at Ohio St.

6 p.m.

ACCN — Wofford at Virginia Tech

7:30 p.m.

BTN — Penn St. at Ohio St.

8 p.m.

ACCN — McNeese St. at Florida St.

HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL (BOY’S)

9 p.m.

ESPN — McDonald’s All-American Game: East vs. West, Houston

HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL (GIRL’S)

6:30 p.m.

ESPN2 — McDonald’s All-American Game: East vs. West, Houston

MLB BASEBALL

4 p.m.

MLBN — Minnesota at Milwaukee

6:30 p.m.

TBS — Cincinnati at Philadelphia

10 p.m.

TBS — San Francisco at LA Dodgers

NBA BASKETBALL

7:30 p.m.

TNT — Oklahoma City at Philadelphia

TRUTV — Oklahoma City at Philadelphia (BetCast)

10 p.m.

TNT — Dallas at Golden State

NBA G-LEAGUE BASKETBALL

9 p.m.

ESPNU — Eastern Conference Quarterfinals: Delaware at Indiana

11 p.m.

ESPNU — Western Conference Quarterfinals: Salt Lake City at Santa Cruz

SOCCER (MEN’S)

2:30 p.m.

ESPNU — The German Cup: FC Kaiserslautern at FC Saarbrücken, Semifinal

USA — Premier League: Everton at Newcastle United

2:35 p.m.

FS2 — The French Cup: Valenciennes at Lyon, Semifinal

7 p.m.

FS1 — CONCACAF Champions Cup: Tigres UANL at Columbus Crew, Quarterfinal – Leg 1

9 p.m.

FS1 — CONCACAF Champions Cup: Club América at New England Revolution, Quarterfinal – Leg 1

TENNIS

11 a.m. TENNIS — Charleston-WTA Early Rounds