INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL
KOUTS 8 KNOX 4
KANKAKEE VALLEY 6 SOUTH CENTRAL 5
YORKTOWN 6 DELTA 3
HOBART 9 WESTVILLE 2
NEW PRAIRIE 10 BOONE GROVE 0
ANDREAN 19 HEBRON 0
DEMOTTE CHRISTIAN 5 FAITH CHRISTIAN 4
MISSISSINEWA 7 ADAMS CENTRAL 1 TECUMSEH 2 EVANSVILLE MEMORIAL 1
NORTH NEWTON 4 M TWP. 3
WES DEL 11 MADISON GRANT 1
DALEVILLE 9 MUNCIE CENTRAL 2
CENTERVILLE 8 MONROE CENTRAL 2
PRINCETON 26 WOOD MEMORIAL 0
SOUTH KNOX 6 HERITAGE HILLS 1
BISHOP CHATARD 10 SCECINA 0
MORRISTOWN 11 TRI 10
WINCHESTER 18 LIBERTY CHRISTIAN 2
COOPER 9 HAMILTON HEIGHTS 5
ANDERSON 15 INDIANAPOLIS TECH 5
SOUTH DECATUR 14 JAC CEN DEL 4
RIVERTON PARKE 13 FOUNTAIN CENTRAL 10
OWEN VALLEY 8 N. DAVIESS 3
SOUTHWESTERN 5 FORT WAYNE NORTH 1
GREENSBURG 14 LAWRENCEBURG 4
BETHESDA CHRISTIAN 9 PURDUE POLY 7
WHITELAND 11 GREENWOOD 2
EAST NOBLE 9 ANGOLA 6
DEKALB 7 FREMONT 0
LAKELAND 12 LAKEWOOD PARK CHRISTIAN 3
WEST LAFAYETTE 10 FRANKFORT 3
RISING SUN 10 WALDRON 0
SOUTHWESTERN 14 EMINENCE 4
EAST CENTRAL 8 FRANKLIN COUNTY 0
EASTERN GREENE 24 NORTH CENTRAL 7
WAPAHANI 1 GREENFIELD CENTRAL 1
ATTICA 13 THRIVAL ACADEMY 0
SEYMOUR 15 BROWNSTOWN CENTRAL 2
HAUSER 3 SOUTHWESTERN 1
MITCHELL 2 LINTON STOCKTON 1
CRISPUS ATTUCKS 9 PURDUE POLY 7
BATESVILLE 2 CONNERSVILLE 1
LANESVILLE 14 ORLEANS 6
TERRE HAUTE SOUTH 9 CASEY WESTFIELD 5
NORTHEASTERN 9 SHENANDOAH 2
EASTERN 4 OAK HILL 3
BEDFORD NORTH LAWRENCE 12 AUSTIN 2
SOUTH DEARBORN 9 RUSHVILLE 3
RONCALLI 6 COLUMBUS NORTH 3
CHARLESTOWN 3 SOUTH CENTRAL 1
MOUNT VERNON 14 FRANKLIN CENTRAL 3
YORKTOWN 6 DELTA 3
ANDERSON 20 INDIANAPOLIS TECH 0
PARK TUDOR 11 MIDDLE TENNESSEE 9
INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL SOFTBALL
CLINTON CENTRAL 26 S. NEWTON 2
BOONE GROVE 7 ANDREAN 3
HOBART 15 MICHIGAN CITY 4
WES DEL 13 SOUTHERN WELLS 1
LAKE CENTRAL 6 LOWELL 1
EVANSVILLE CENTRAL 14 EVANSVILLE BOSSE 2
JAY COUNTY 13 BLACKFORD 3
HAMMOND NOLL 15 CALUMET TECH 1
GRIFFITH 13 WHITING 3
SULLIVAN 9 TERRE HAUTE NORTH 0
CLINTON CENTRAL 5 BETHESDA CHRISTIAN 1
RIVERTON PARKE 17 FOUNTAIN CENTRAL 0
SOUTH VERMILLION 6 SOUTH PUTNAM 0
CALUMET CHRISTIAN 9 HAMMOND MORTON 0
PROVIDENCE 8 BORDEN 6
ROSSVILLE 5 BENTON CENTRAL 4
ADAMS CENTRAL 12 SHENANDOAH 10
WEST WASHINGTON 21 CLARKSVILLE 1
CASCADE 9 NORTH PUTNAM 0
TRINITY LUTHERAN 3 ORLEANS 1
FRANKLIN 10 EDINBURGH 1
WEST CENTRAL 14 TRITON 1
NORTH HARRISON 7 NEW ALBANY 3
EASTSIDE 13 EDGERTON 4
BARR REEVE 11 SHAKAMAK
PERRY MERIDIAN 17 WARREN CENTRAL 0
ALEXANDRIA MONROE 4 DELTA 3
CONNERSVILLE 11 NEW CASTLE 0
BEDFORD NORTH LAWRENCE 11 BROWNSTOWN CENTRAL 1
SCOTTSBURG 8 JAC CEN DEL 2
CLAY CITY 4 GREENCASTLE 3
INDIAN CREEK 8 GREENWOOD 4
NORTHEASTERN 4 WAPAHANI 2
UNION COUNTY 4 COWAN 1
WES DEL 9 SOUTHERN WELLS 2
LAWRENCE NORTH 10 RICHMOND 0
HENDERSON COUNTY 8 EVANSVILLE REITZ 1
HAUSER 5 RISING SUN 1
BLOOMINGTON NORTH 4 EASTERN GREENE 0
INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL SOFTBALL POLLS
4A
1 RONCALLI
2 CENTER GROVE
3 BEDFORD NORTH LAWRENCE
4 NEW PALESTINE
5 LAKE CENTRAL
6 PENN
7 MOORESVILLE
8 PENDLETON HEIGHTS
9 COLUMBUS NORTH
10 FLOYD CENTRAL
3A
1 LEO
2 YORKTOWN
3 TRI WEST
4 GIBSON SOUTHERN
5 KANKAKEE VALLEY
6 CONNERSVILLE
7 NEW PRAIRIE
8 CORYDON CENTRAL
9 HANOVER
10 FRANKLIN COUNTY
2A
1 NORTH POSEY
2 EASTSIDE
3 N. NEWTON
4 MADISON GRANT
5 EASTERN HANCOCK
6 ANDREAN
7 BENTON CENTRAL
8 S. VERMILLION
9 WHITKO
10 ILLIANA CHRISTIAN
1A
1 TECUMSEH
2 BARR REEVE
3 CASTON
4 ROSSVILLE
5 RISING SUN
6 COWAN
7 CLAY CITY
8 N. MIAMI
9 LAFAYETTE CENTRAL CATHOLIC
10 NE. DUBOIS
MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
UCONN 76 SAN DIEGO STATE 59
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL SCOREBOARD
SAN FRANCISCO 12 CHICAGO WHITE SOX 3
MINNESOTA 11 MIAMI 1
NY YANKEES 8 PHILADELPHIA 1
TAMPA BAY 6 WASHINGTON 2
PITTSBURGH 7 BOSTON 6
KANSAS CITY 9 TORONTO 5
BALTIMORE 2 TEXAS 0
DETROIT 7 HOUSTON 6 (11)
CLEVELAND 12 OAKLAND 11 (10)
LA ANGELS 7 SEATTLE 3
MILWAUKEE 10 NY METS 0
CINCINNATI 7 CHICAGO CUBS 6
ATLANTA 8 ST. LOUIS 4
SAN DIEGO 5 ARIZONA 4
LA DODGERS 13 COLORADO 4
NBA SCOREBOARD
NO GAMES SCHEDULED
NHL SCOREBOARD
VEGAS 4 MINNESOTA 3
DALLAS 5 NASHVILLE 1
SEATTLE 8 ARIZONA 1
2023 NFL DRAFT ORDER: ALL SEVEN ROUNDS
THREE-ROUND 2023 NFL MOCK DRAFT FOR ALL 32 NFL TEAMS
WEAKEST NFL POSITION GROUPS PRIOR TO THE 2023 NFL DRAFT
TOP INDIANA (RELEASES)
COLTS FOOTBALL
COLTS ARRANGE DRAFT CLOSE-UPS WITH TOP QBS
Top quarterback prospects C.J. Stroud and Bryce Young worked out for the Indianapolis Colts on Monday as general manager Chris Ballard and head coach Shane Steichen ratchet up their focus on top-ranked passers.
Indianapolis is widely considered a prime candidate to select a quarterback after a carousel at the position since the retirement of Andrew Luck has caused distress and turnover with coaches.
Stroud and Young are from California and worked out recently in Huntington Beach with Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts. Hurts and Young, the 2021 Heisman Trophy winner, both attended Alabama.
The Colts have the No. 4 pick in the 2023 draft with expectations the No. 1 pick to the Carolina Panthers will be spent on Stroud or Young. Carolina sent more than a dozen people to both pro days in the final week of March.
Pro days are often scripted and rehearsed for weeks, limiting the risk and multiplying the comfort level for prospects.
The Houston Texans, who have the No. 2 pick, could also draft a quarterback. The Arizona Cardinals have the No. 3 pick and are reportedly open to trading the selection.
Colts owner Jim Irsay said at the press conference to introduce Steichen in February that he liked “the Alabama quarterback.” Irsay all but promised to select a quarterback, raising the eyebrows of Ballard and many others.
The Colts are scheduled to host Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson this week.
Ballard denied at the NFL Scouting Combine that Indianapolis was married to moving up via trade to select a quarterback despite moving on from Matt Ryan, who followed Carson Wentz. Philip Rivers, the starter in 2020, replaced Jacoby Brissett (2019) after Luck’s retirement.
Stroud starred at Ohio State but the Colts sent only a modest representation to his pro day workout in Columbus last month.
INDIANA ATHLETICS
INDIANA MEN’S BASKETBALL
(AP) — Former Indiana Hoosiers coach Bob Knight was released from a hospital in Bloomington, Indiana, and returned home after being admitted with an illness over the weekend, his son said Monday.
“On behalf of the Knight Family, we thank you for your thoughts and prayers. As many have heard, my dad was hospitalized over the weekend with an illness and has since been released from the hospital,” according to a statement from Pat Knight posted online. “We ask for your privacy as he is cared for and resting at home in good hands.”
An email from the university about Knight’s health was sent to former Indiana basketball players on Friday, asking for prayers and saying Knight hoped to return home soon after being hospitalized with an undisclosed illness.
The university did not have an update on Knight’s condition on Monday.
The 82-year-old Knight won three national championships, 11 Big Ten titles and 662 games at Indiana before being fired in September 2000 after he allegedly grabbed a student by the arm in a hallway. The incident violated a zero-tolerance policy instituted by the university following an investigation into accusations of physical and verbal abuse made by former player Neil Reed, who died of a heart attack in 2012.
Texas Tech hired Knight in 2001, and he stayed there until retiring in 2008 with a then-Division I record 902 career wins.
Pat Knight succeeded his father at Texas Tech and Bob Knight moved back to Bloomington in 2019. Then, after vowing never to return to an Indiana University event, he relented on that promise by attending the Hoosiers’ game against Purdue in February 2020, joined by dozens of his former players and former Purdue coach Gene Keady.
Knight has been in poor health for several years but still attended some Hoosiers practices this season, which were led by current coach and former Knight pupil Mike Woodson.
“Coach always taught us, and those that played for him, the importance of fighting through adversity and he and our family thank you for the tremendous amount of support you have shown and given during this time,” Pat Knight wrote. “We appreciate your continued thoughts and prayers.”
INDIANA SOFTBALL
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – No. 19 Indiana softball (28-9, 8-0 B1G) travels to Bowling Green, Kent., for a midweek match up against Western Kentucky (21-12, 6-3 C-USA) at the WKU Softball Complex on Tuesday evening.
LAST TIME OUT
The Indiana Hoosiers swept Ohio State in a three-game series at Andy Mohr Field as they set a new program record for the longest win streak (21).
Freshman Avery Parker had a team high .500 with three hits, one home run and two RBI. She scored three runs.
Sophomore Taylor Minnick hit a team high .750 against Ohio State with a 1.750 slugging percentage and a 2.555 OPS. She hit two home runs, four RBI with six hits and five runs scored against the Buckeyes.
Teammate Sarah Stone’s bat was on fire as she totaled four hits on three runs with one bomb and one double totaling five RBI.
The Hoosiers hit seven home runs in the series with five of those coming in game three.
Sophomore Heather Johnson added two wins against the Buckeyes with classmate Brianna Copeland picked up her 12th win inside the circle.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
Western Kentucky (15-8) is coming off a 2-1 series loss against Charlotte. The Hilltoppers won the first game in the double header on Saturday, 3-0, before falling 11-0 in five in the second game. On Sunday, WKU dropped the last game in the series, 6-3.
On the season, the Hilltoppers hold a .306 batting average with 267 hits, 156 RBIs and 15 home runs.
Taylor Sanders is leading the tops with 39 RBIs and nine home runs.
Fifth-year utility player Faith Hegh holds a team high batting average of .396 on 40 hits while teammate Taylor Davis totals 38 hits and 15 stolen bases on the season.
Senior Katie Gardner holds a 3.46 ERA and has made 23 appearances with 122.1 innings pitched. Freshman Maddy Wood holds a 4.82 ERA on 18 appearances.
SERIES NOTES
The Hilltoppers lead the series 3-1 against the Hoosiers. The two teams haven’t met in over 15 years with WKU winning the last match up on March 25, 2006, 4-3.
(W)INDIANA
The Hoosiers win 21 straight setting a new program record for the longest win streak.
SWEEP, SWEEP – HOOSIERS ARE CLEANIN’ UP
Indiana remains the only undefeated team in conference play as they swept the series against No. 22 Maryland, Purdue and Ohio State.
OUT OF THE PARK(ER)
Parker held a .500 batting average as the Hoosiers won 21 straight games setting a new program record, picking up wins against Butler and sweeping Purdue and Ohio State.
She held a 1.636 OPS with eight hits with two doubles and two home runs. Parker totaled seven RBI and scored eight runs on the week. Parker was perfect from the field and behind the plate with a 1.000 fielding percentage.
The Westfield, Ind., native had a team high .500 batting average scoring three runs on three hits and two RBI against archrival Purdue.
She ranks fourth in the Big Ten in slugging percentage (.721).
On the season, she holds a batting average of .378 with 34 hits. She has scored 29 runs, nine doubles, one triple, eight home runs and 30 RBI.
Parker hit her first career home run against Lipscomb. She added three more on the weekend, totaling eight RBI in Nashville, Tenn.
MONEY MINNICK
Minnick hit .500 on the week as the Hoosiers defeated Butler and swept Purdue and Ohio State as they made program history with 21 straight wins.
She totaled eight hits, two doubles, two home runs, six runs, eight free passes and seven RBI on the week.
The Bloomington, Ind., native hit a team high .750 against Ohio State with a 1.750 slugging percentage and a 2.555 OPS. She hit two home runs, four RBI with six hits and five runs scored against the Buckeyes.
In the Big Ten, she ranks second in OBS (.523), third in doubles (11), and fifth in batting average (.405).
TARYN IT UP
Teammate Taryn Kern collected two hits for two home runs with three RBI and two runs scored in her first games against archrival Purdue. The freshman also totaled four free passes and had a stellar performance in the field with five assists and six putouts.
Last weekend, Kern hit a team high batting average of .556 as they extended their win streak to 15 and swept the No. 22 ranked Maryland Terrapins earning herself Big Ten Freshman of the Week for the third straight week. She totaled five hits with two doubles, two home runs with three RBI with an outstanding 2.111 OPS.
The San Jose, Calif., native leads the Big Ten in seven categories, slugging percentage (1.011), OBS (.595), OPS (1.606), RBI (42), home runs (15) and walks (27) and hit by pitch (11).
The IU freshman is second in conference in batting average (.435) and runs scored (41).
HOME RUN HISTORY
Kern is on base to set a new single season record for most home runs in a season. She currently sits at 15 and is looking to pass IU Hall of Famer and Olympian Michelle Venturella who totaled 16 bombs in the 1994 season.
COPELAND IN THE CIRCLE
Sophomore pitcher Brianna Copeland is 12-0 inside the circle after earning wins against Purdue and Ohio State.
The Pelham, Ala., native holds a 2.81 ERA with 82.1 innings pitched and 82 strikeouts.
Offensively, Copeland is batting .350 on the season with 36 hits. She has 17 extra base hits and 31 RBI on the season.
HOOSIER BATS ON FIRE
Indiana leads the Big Ten in batting with a .335 average on the season. The cream and crimson have totaled 309 hits, 67 doubles, six triples, and 51 home runs.
They have tallied 251 RBI along with 128 free passes and 60 hit by pitch.
MINNICK, PARKER COLLECT BIG TEN WEEKLY AWARDS
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Sophomore Taylor Minnick and freshman Avery Parker have collected Big Ten Weekly Awards for the fourth straight week, the conference announced today.
Minnick was named Co-Player of the Week and Parker Freshman of the Week after a historic weekend for the Hoosiers as they extended their win streak to 21 straight games, defeating Butler and earning two conference sweeps against Purdue and Ohio State.
Minnick hit .500 on the week as she totaled eight hits, two doubles, two home runs, six runs, eight free passes and seven RBI on the week. The Bloomington, Ind., native hit a team high .750 against Ohio State with a 1.750 slugging percentage and a 2.555 OPS. She hit Minnick hit two home runs, four RBI with six hits and five runs scored against the Buckeyes.
In the Big Ten, Minnick ranks second in OBS (.523), third in doubles (11), and fifth in batting average (.405).
Parker picks up her first award batting .500 batting with a 1.636 OPS on eight hits including two doubles and two home runs on the weekend. She totaled seven RBI and scored eight runs in six games. Parker also had an outstanding defensive performance with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage from the field and behind the plate.
The Westfield, Ind., native had a team high .500 batting average scoring three runs on three hits and two RBI against archrival Purdue. The freshman ranks fourth in the Big Ten in slugging percentage (.721).
The No. 19 ranked Hoosiers have won the last 22 out of the last 23 games.
INDIANA BASEBALL
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – A second meeting between the Indiana baseball program and Indiana State will commence on Tuesday (April 4) on Bob Warn Field at 5 p.m. The Hoosiers and Sycamores will meet for the 115th time in series history with IU in search of its sixth midweek win in seven tries this season.
Indiana (20-8, 5-1 B1G) is fresh off its second straight Big Ten series win, winning two of three games at Penn State. Indiana State (14-12, 5-1 MVC) defeated Purdue in a midweek contest last week and won two of three games at UIC over the weekend.
Quick Hitter
Indiana and Indiana State will meet for the second time this season and 115th overall on Tuesday in Terre Haute. IU won the first meeting, 15-5, and owns a 67-46-1 edge on the all-time ledger.
The Hoosiers have won 16 straight games at home, including a 15-game winning streak in 2023. It marks the longest home winning streak in Bart Kaufman Field history and the second-longest streak in program history.
Over the last 10 games, sophomore Brock Tibbitts is hitting .488 with 16 RBIs, 16 runs scored and a .540 on-base percentage. Of his 20 hits, seven have gone for extra bases.
Sophomore Luke Sinnard struck out 13 Morehead State batters on March 17 to earn his third win of the season and earn national honors for his outing.
Senior Hunter Jessee carried a 34-game reached base streak between the 2022 and 2023 seasons, which marked a career long for the left-handed hitter and the second longest such streak since at least 2005.
Senior Phillip Glasser enters the weekend with a 28-game reached base and has 15 multi-hit games in that span.
Glasser is also among the top-50 active hitters in a bevy of categories, including No. 5 with 235 career hits.
After its first Big Ten series sweep since 2021, sophomore Brock Tibbitts and freshman Devin Taylor were honored by the Big Ten with Player and Co-Freshman of the Week accolades, respectively.
Head coach Jeff Mercer became the eighth IU skipper to reach 100 victories in the cream and crimson with a series finale win at Auburn on February 19, 2023.
Scouting the Opponent
Indiana State owns a 14-12 overall record and is 5-1 in Missouri Valley Conference play through two conference weekends. ISU sits at No. 27 in the latest RPI report.
The Sycamores have won six of seven games since dropping the March 21 contest at Indiana, with a 4-0 mark at Bob Warn Field that includes a series sweep of Valparaiso and a midweek win over Purdue.
Indiana State sits No. 8 nationally in fielding percentage at .984 on the season.
Seth Gergley has bounced around the batting order but continues to lead the team in batting average at .360 to go along with a team-best 20 runs scored.
Nine home runs from Mike Sears ranks No. 2 in the Missouri Valley Conference and his 24 RBIs lead the team and are among the top 10 in the conference.
The pitching staff has used 16 different arms this season, with Jared Spencer its top option out of the bullpen with a 4.08 ERA in 13 appearances. He has 28 strikeouts over 17 2/3 innings of work.
Inside the Series
Indiana will meet Indiana State for the second time in 2023 and 115th time in program history on Tuesday at Bob Warn Field.
The Hoosiers are 67-46-1 all-time against the Sycamores with a 25-23-1 record in games played in Terre Haute.
Over the last 25 meetings, the Hoosiers are 14-11 against the Sycamores, but have won five straight.
Four of the last five meetings have come at Bob Warn Field, with IU winning each of those games.
The Hoosiers own a five-game winning streak in road games versus Indiana State, with the Sycamores last winning at home during the 2015 season.
Five of the last eight meetings have been decided by two-or-fewer runs, including Indiana’s 6-5 come-from-behind win in Terra Haute in 2022.
Of the 113 meetings, IU and ISU have produced at least 10 runs combined in 71 of those, including a 15-5 Indiana win earlier this season.
PURDUE ATHLETICS
PURDUE MEN’S GOLF
NAPLES, Fla. – The Purdue men’s golf team shaved off 10 strokes from round one to round two and moved up one spot at the elite Calusa Cup held at the difficult Calusa Pines Golf Club.
The Boilermakers are in eighth place at 38-over par 614 (312-302), one shot ahead of Iowa in ninth place. No. 3-ranked North Carolina leads at even-par 576.
The Boilermakers are 10 shots out of seventh-place Ohio State, who sits at 28-over par 604 (288-316).
Four of the nation’s top-five teams are in the field and Calusa Pines is showing its teeth. The round two scoring average was a full shot worse than round one at 75.71, and through two rounds, the scoring average is 75.19. No golfer shot better than 71 in the second round and only six golfers shot even-par or better.
Herman Sekne moved up 11 spots into 15th place, sitting at 4-over par 148 (75-73). He is looking for his sixth top-10 finish in seven events in tomorrow’s final round.
Kent Hsiao is tied for 29th at 8-over par 152 (75-77), while Nels Surtani is tied for 34th at 9-over par 153 (78-75). Nick Dentino and Peyton Snoeberger are tied for 43rd at 17-over par 161 (84-77).
Purdue will tee off in the final round at 8 a.m. ET, off hole No. 10, being paired with Ohio State and Iowa.
PURDUE BASEBALL
GAMEDAY INFORMATION
Evansville (16-11, 3-3 MVC) at Purdue (12-14, 3-3 B1G)
Tuesday, March 4 at 6 p.m. ET / Watch B1G+
Alexander Field / West Lafayette, Indiana
Probable Starting Pitchers: Davis Pratt (Jr, RHP) vs. UE’s Max Hansmann (Fr, RHP)
$3 Midweek Deals: GA Tickets, Hot Dogs, Popcorn, Nachos, Beers
SERIES HISTORY
All-Time: Purdue leads 20-18
All-Time in West Lafayette: Tied 6-6
First Meetings of 2022: Evansville swept a 2-game set (March 17-19 in Evansville)
Purdue’s Last Wins vs. Evansville: Purdue won 2 of 3 (March 2013 in Evansville)
Last Meeting in West Lafayette: Purdue 6, Evansville 2 (May 2002)
First Meeting: Purdue 5, Evansville 4 (April 1947 in Evansville)
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue baseball’s busy stretch of 21 games in 31 days continues with Evansville’s first trip to West Lafayette since 2002 and thus first-ever appearance at Alexander Field.
First pitch is slated for 6 p.m. ET as another $3 midweek matchup at Alexander Field. The Boilermakers are planning to debut their new camouflage uniform (jerseys) Tuesday. The Purples Aces join Miami (Ohio) and South Dakota State as the scheduled first-time visitors to Alexander this spring.
Purdue is closing out their season series with UE after dropping both games of a weather-shortened weekend set in Evansville in mid-March. The Boilermakers are also scheduled to play the Aces’ Missouri Valley Conference rivals Indiana State and UIC home and home this season. For the back end of those series, the Sycamores visit Alexander next week and Purdue heads to the Windy City on May 10.
Davis Pratt is slated to get his first opportunity to start on the mound as a Boilermaker, becoming the seventh Purdue pitcher to start a game this season – five of the seven making their first starts for the program this season.
Pratt worked three innings of one-run relief as the first man out of the bullpen on St. Patrick’s Day at Evansville. The Aces are expected to counter with freshman righthander Max Hansmann, who was the first man out of the bullpen for UE in the Sunday game in Evansville.
WEEKEND ROTATION EMERGING AS A STRENGTH
• Starting pitching is a big reason why the Boilermakers have been able to open Big Ten play at 3-3 despite a 4-10 rough patch overall dating back to March 10. Khal Stephen, Jonathan Blackwell and Kyle Iwinski teamed up to surrender just five runs on 14 hits over 19 1/3 innings vs. Northwestern. The trio’s 14 strikeouts vs. two walks was among the most impressive accomplishments. They posted a combined 15 zeros.
• The 2.33 ERA for the starting pitchers vs. Northwestern ranked as their second-best showing in a weekend series this season, trailing only the four-game set vs. Akron (2.08). It was Purdue’s best starting pitcher ERA in a three-game series since 2022 vs. Illinois State (1.62) and the best mark in a three-game Big Ten series since 2018 vs. Michigan (1.65).
RECENT WEEKENDS OF NOTE FEATURING STRONG STARTING PITCHING
2023 vs. Northwestern – Team Record: 2-1
• 19 1/3 IP, 14 H, 5 R, 2 BB, 14 K, 2.33 ERA, .209 B/Avg
First 2 Weekends of Big Ten Play
• 35 IP, 34 H, 15 R, 6 BB, 29 K, 3.60 ERA, .258 B/Avg
• Starting Pitchers: Khal Stephen, Jonathan Blackwell, Kyle Iwinski
2023 vs. Akron (Holly Springs, N.C.) – Team Record: 3-1
• 21 2/3 IP, 17 H, 5 ER, 8 BB, 20 K, 2.08 ERA, .218 B/Avg
• Starting Pitchers: Khal Stephen, Jonathan Blackwell, Kyle Iwinski, Calvin Schapira
2022 vs. Illinois State (1 Road, 2 Home) – Team Record: 2-1
• 16 2/3 IP, 15 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 23 K, 1.62 ERA, .231 B/Avg
• Starting Pitchers: Jackson Smeltz, Wyatt Wendell, Troy Wansing
2022 vs. Longwood (Holly Springs, N.C.) – Team Record: 3-0
• 17 1/3 IP, 10 H, 4 ER, 6 BB, 23 K, 2.08 ERA, .175 B/Avg
• Starting Pitchers: Jackson Smeltz, Troy Wansing, Wyatt Wendell
2020 at Campbell Tournament – Team Record: 3-0
• 16 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 5 BB, 11 K, 1.12 ERA, .132 B/Avg
• Starting Pitchers: Trent Johnson, Cory Brooks, Jett Jackson
2018 vs. Michigan – Team Record: 3-0
• 16 1/3 IP, 15 H, 3 R, 8 BB, 15 K, 1.65 ERA, .259 B/Avg
• Starting Pitchers: Tanner Andrews, Gareth Stroh, Ryan Beard
WALK-OFF EXCITEMENT RETURNS WITH COOK’S HEROICS
• Lukas Cook’s walk-off home run in the 10th inning Sunday vs. Northwestern was the latest entry in the many chapters of walk-off thrillers the Boilermakers have authored in recent years. Cook joined Evan Albrecht (2), Cam Thompson (2), CJ Valdez, Jake Stadler and Jake Parr among active Boilermakers with a walk-off RBI. Thompson hit a walk-off home run vs. Longwood in March of last season and Purdue now has a walk-off homer in three straight years after going without one from 2007 to 2020.
PURDUE’S WALK-OFF WINS…
• In 2023: 2
• In the Last 2 Seasons: 8
• Under head coach Greg Goff: 11
• At Alexander Field: 11
SAY WHAT ABOUT RUBBER GAMES?
• The nightcap of the doubleheader with Northwestern was the rubber game of the series after NU won the first game Sunday. Purdue has now won the rubber game of a traditional three-game Big Ten series at home in consecutive years after going 11 seasons without such a win from 2010 to 2021. The program had lost 13 consecutive (traditional) Big Ten rubber games at home during that stretch. A rubber game win vs. Illinois at Lambert Field on the final day of the 2009 regular season stood as the program’s last such win at home for the longest time.
BUTLER ATHLETICS
BUTLER MEN’S BASKETBALL
Butler guard/forward Simas Lukosius becomes the latest Bulldog to enter the transfer portal.
The 6-7 Lithuania native averaged 11.6 points per game. Lukosius led the Dawgs in made 3-pointers (59) and assists (92).
Lukosius joins Jayden Taylor, Chuck Harris, Pierce Thomas, Myles Tate and Myles Wilmoth as players to enter the transfer portal
BUTLER WGOLF
Butler’s Katie Steinman is tied for 11th after the opening day of the 2023 Colonel Classic hosted by Eastern Kentucky University.
As a team, Butler stands in tenth entering the final round. There are 16 teams in the field.
The 54-hole event concludes Tuesday with a final round. A shotgun start is planned for 9 a.m. with live scoring available on GolfStat.
Steinman carded an even-par 72 in Monday’s morning round, capitalizing on three birdies on the 5,986-yard Arlington course in Richmond, Ky. She followed that up with a round of 75 (+3) in the afternoon. Steinman is at 147 (+3) through the two rounds.
Morehead State’s Ruth Toennessen and Austin Peay’s Taylor Dedmen share the 36-hole lead at two-under 142. They have a three-shot lead entering the final round.
The Bulldogs shot rounds of 301 and 303 Monday with their total of 604 (+28) placing them in tenth. Austin Peay holds the lead at 585 (+9), six shots better than Georgia State.
Alaina Bowie is tied for 41st after rounds of 78 and 74 gave her a total of 152 (+8). Freshmen Cybil Stillson (154) and Kelli Scheck (156) stand in ties for 53rd and 67th, respectively. Lily Celentano is tied for 88th at 161. Madalin Small, playing as an individual, shot rounds of 80 and 77, with her total of 157 placing her currently in a tie for 74th.
Monday’s play teed off a busy week for the Bulldogs, who will complete play in Kentucky Tuesday before traveling to Ohio for the Bowling Green Invitational Friday and Saturday.
BUTLER SB
The Butler softball hosts Dayton for a midweek, non-conference game on Tuesday, April 4. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. The Bulldogs (14-20, 8-1 BIG EAST) most recently won a series with Creighton, winning two of the three games. The Flyers (18-12, 5-1 Atlantic 10) are coming off a series sweep of George Washington.
Bulldog Bits
(as of 4/2/23)
Kieli Ryan has thrown out 10 runners attempting to steal. She sits atop the BIG EAST and is 13th nationally in that category. She also leads the conference with 2 pickoffs.
Monique Hoosen leads the BIG EAST (47th nationally) with 9 home runs. Her slugging percentage (.648) ranks fourth in the conference.
Ella White ranks fifth in the BIG EAST with 24 RBI.
Paige Dorsett ranks sixth in the BIG EAST with a .643 slugging percentage.
Kaylee Gross ranks first in the BIG EAST with 5 sacrifice bunts.
(only BIG EAST competition)
Ella White leads the BIG EAST with a 1.080 slugging percentage and 16 RBI.
Kaylee Gross leads the BIG EAST in batting average (.607) and hits (17).
Sydney Carter is second in the BIG EAST with a .538 batting average in conference games.
(vs. Creighton last weekend)
Paige Dorsett and Monique Hoosen each had a pair of home runs in the three-game series.
Ellie Boyer was 4-for-8 (.500) with two doubles, a stolen base, and four runs scored.
Olivia Moxley was 4-for-8 (.500) and led the team with 4 RBI. She had a stolen base and scored twice.
Cate Lehner was 3-for-7 (.429) with two stolen bases and three runs scored.
Six Bulldogs had at least two RBI for the series.
Sydney Cammon pitched a complete game shutout in game two. It was Butler’s first shutout of the season.
Kaylee Gross is 19-for-37 (.514) in the past 12 games, with three hits in three of them.
With nine home runs this season, Monique Hoosen is now tied for fifth on Butler’s all-time single-season list. With 22 in her career, she is now tied for fourth on Butler’s all-time list for career home runs.
An 8-1 start in conference play represents the best start for Butler since joining the BIG EAST in 2014.
SCOUTING DAYTON (18-12, 5-1 Atlantic 10)
Series: Butler leads, 40-24-1
Last game: 3/30/22 (Dayton) – Dayton 6, Butler 0
Butler’s last win: 4/14/21 (Indianapolis) – Butler 1, Dayton 0
Butler has won seven of the last ten, but Dayton has won three of the last four.
wins include: Providence, Villanova, Indiana State, UIC, Northern Kentucky, and George Washington
losses include: No. 16 Kentucky, No. 21 Auburn, Ohio State, Eastern Kentucky, and Ohio
DAYTON vs. (opponents)
runs: 134-115
hits: 227-166
RBI: 118-104
SB: 56-30
ERA: 2.97-4.11
Batting Leaders:
#19 Maddie Kapsimalis (.441) 9 2B, 3 HR, 11 RBI
#3 Emma Schutter (.408) 40 H, 3B, 20 SB
#27 Alyssa Cacini (.333) 3 2B, 5 HR, 24 RBI
Pitching Leaders:
#53 Izzy Kemp (8-4) 1.05 ERA, 120 K
#18 Haven Dwyer (8-3) 3.39 ERA, 31 K
#8 Kallie Jones (2-3) 3.97 ERA, 17 K
BUTLER WLAX
For her performance in the Bulldogs’ first BIG EAST win in program history, Butler freshman Kate Kaptrosky has been named BIG EAST Freshman of the Week. The conference office made the announcement Monday, April 3.
Kaptrosky filled up the stat sheet in the 19-12 win over Xavier on Saturday. She ended the game with two goals on two shots, two ground balls, two caused turnovers and two draw controls. Kaptrosky has scored at least one goal in seven of the team’s nine games.
Butler is now 5-4 on the season. The Bulldogs return to game action on Wednesday, traveling to Colorado to take on Denver.
BALL STATE ATHLETICS
BALL STATE GYMNASTICS
MARLBORO, N.J. – – The Ball State gymnastics coaching staff was heavily rewarded for its historic season Monday afternoon as the Women’s Collegiate Gymnastics Association (WCGA) announced its annual regional coaching awards.
Highlighting the list was Cardinals head coach Joanna Saleem who became the first coach in program history to be named a WCGA Regional Coach of the Year. Saleem earns the honor for the Central Region.
“It’s a tremendous honor to receive this award,” Saleem said. “When your peers recognize the hard work and historic success our student-athletes have accomplished this season, it means so much. I am humbled and immensely grateful for the amazing staff and student-athletes that work alongside me, who have made our success possible.”
In addition to Saleem’s honor, Ball State assistant coaches Scott Wilson and Cassandra Ringer were named WCGA Regional Co-Assistant Coaches of the Year, along with Kentucky’s Rachel Garrison and Chad West and Michigan State’s Nicole Curler Jones and Devin Wright.
“I am thrilled for Scott and Cass!” Saleem exclaimed. “They truly deserve this recognition, and I couldn’t be happier they get to share this award. Both are incredibly passionate about their work and dedicated to elevating our student-athletes and our program. I know the hours of work they put into our success, and I’m grateful they have been recognized for everything they have given Ball State.”
The award marks just the second time in program history Ball State has had a regional assistant coach of the year, as then-assistant Don Hanson was named the 2000 NCAA Region IV Assistant Coach of the Year.
Ball State’s coaching staff was rewarded after guiding the program to just the second NCAA team regional berth in program history. Ball State finished the 2023 regular season with a NQS score of 196.395 to rank 34th nationally.
The Cardinals broke the program record for team score twice in 2023, with the new standard being a score of 196.900 set versus Western Michigan (March 12). Overall, Ball State registered nine of the top 10 team scores in program history this season.
In addition to the overall team score mark, the Cardinals set the top four event scores on both vault and beam this season. Ball State’s student-athletes also set the individual program record on bars (9.950) and tied the individual marks on both floor (9.950) and beam (9.925).
The 2023 season also saw junior Suki Pfister become the first WCGA All-American in program history when she was selected to the WCGA All-America Second Team after finishing the regular season tied for 14th nationally with a vault NQS of 9.915.
In addition to Ball State, the WCGA Central Region includes LSU, Alabama, Kentucky, Michigan State, Auburn, Ohio State, Western Michigan, Central Michigan, Kent State, Bowling Green, Eastern Michigan, and Centenary College.
BALL STATE WGOLF
MUNCIE, Ind – The Ball State women’s golf team was back on the course for the first day of the Colonel Classic on Monday at the University Club at Arlington. Jasmine Driscoll led the Cardinals and is tied for 45th.
Driscoll opened the day with a 78 (+6). She eagled the par-5 13th and birdied the par-4 sixth in the first round. She recorded four birdies in the second round and posted a 75 (+3). Her two-round tally of 153 (+9) has her tied for 45th. She jumped up 10 spots on the leaderboard.
Payton Bennett got the tournament started with an 81 (+9). She birdied the par-5 second in the opening round. In the second round, she tallied five birdies and finished with a mark of 74 (+2). She rocketed up 23 spots on the leaderboard into a tie for 63rd with a two-round score of 155 (+11).
Madelin Boyd recorded two rounds of 78 (+6) and recorded three birdies on the day. She is tied for 67th with a 156 (+12).
Sarah Gallagher started the tournament with an 82 (+10). She improved in round two with a 78 (+6) and had two birdies. She moved up four spots and is tied for 83rd with a 160 (+16).
Peyton Broce recorded one birdie on the day and finished with an 82 (+10) and an 81 (+9). She is in 93rd after day one.
The University Club at Arlington is a 5,986-yard, par-72 course. The final round will be a shotgun start at 9 a.m. and the Cardinals will begin on holes 15-18. Live stats can be found on golfstat.com or by clicking here.
Team Standings
1. Austin Peay – 585 (+9)
2. Georgia State – 591 (+15)
T3. Bradley – 594 (+18)
T3. Dayton – 594 (+18)
T3. North Alabama – 594 (+18)
6. Illinois State – 595 (+19)
7. Belmont – 601 (+25)
T8. Morehead State – 602 (+26)
T8. Bellarmine – 602 (+26)
10. Butler – 604 (+28)
11. Eastern Kentucky – 606 (+28)
12. Akron – 607 (+31)
13. Marshall – 610 (+34)
14. Cleveland State – 619 (+43)
15. Ohio – 623 (+47)
16. Ball State – 624 (+48)
BALL STATE SB
» THIS WEEK IN BALL STATE SOFTBALL: The Ball State softball team opens another busy week Tuesday with a scheduled 8 p.m. first pitch versus Notre Dame at Melissa Cook Stadium … The Cardinals will then welcome Toledo to the Softball Field at First Merchants Ballpark Complex for a three-game set, starting with a single game Friday at 3 p.m. … The teams will also play a 1 p.m. doubleheader Saturday.
» A QUICK LOOK AT THE CARDINALS: Ball State enters the week with a 16-16 (6-5 MAC) record after dropping all three games in a weekend series at Ohio … The Bobcats, winners of nine straight, opened with a 13-3 (5) win on Saturday, before sweeping Sunday’s doubleheader by scores of 10-2 (6) and 4-2 … Despite the setbacks, the Cardinals still boast two of the nations’ top 64 batters with senior Haley Wynn ranking 41st among all NCAA Division I players with a .421 average, while senior Amaia Daniel is 64th with her .408 mark … As a team, the Cardinals rank 61st nationally with a .295 average … In the circle, sophomore Angelina Russo leads the Ball State pitching staff with her 2.80 ERA and .226 batting average against.
» THE OVERALL RECORD: Ball State enters the week with a 1137-1132-4 (.501) overall record dating back to the 1975 season … The Cardinals have tallied 30-or-more wins in 16 seasons, most recently a 37-18 mark under current head coach Lacy Schurr in 2021 … Of the 16 seasons with 30-or-more wins, 11 have come in the past 15 seasons.
» ABOUT NOTRE DAME:
– Notre Dame enters Tuesday’s game with a 20-10-1 overall record after closing a three-game weekend series versus Pitt with a 10-2 (5) win … However, the Irish dropped the first two games in the series by scores of 8-5 and 13-11.
– Carlli Kloss and Joley Mitchell are tied for the team lead with .371 batting averages … Kloss paces the team with 12 doubles and 28 runs scored, while Mitchell is second on the squad with 25 RBI and has scored 23 runs … UND ranks 16th nationally with a .322 team average
– Payton Tidd leads Notre Dame with 93.1 innings of work in the circle, boasting a 10-5 record, a 3.00 ERA, and a team-leading 78 strikeouts … Micaela Kastor owns a team-best 1.98 ERA over 46.0 innings and is limiting batters to a .216 average.
– The Cardinals and Irish have not played since the 2016 season, when Notre Dame picked up a 7-1 win on March 6 to close out play in the Florida Gulf Coast Tournament … The Cardinals’ last win in the series came one year earlier when Ball State picked up its first NCAA Regional victory in program history by topping the 16th-seeded Irish 6-3 on May 16 in the 2015 NCAA South Bend Regional … With the win, BSU became the first team to defeat a national seed in its opening game since the 2012 season.
BALL STATE NEWS & NOTES:
» GONE WITH THE WYNN: Senior infielder Haley Wynn opened the year with a bang, smashing a solo home run to center field for Ball State’s first hit of the 2023 season in the team’s 5-3 victory over Samford (Feb. 17) … In addition, she added back-to-back two home run games starting with three-run blast and solo homer in the 15-9 victory over Kent State (March 17) and followed by a pair of solo shots in the 8-4 victory over Central Michigan (March 25).
» MORE ON WYNN: Haley Wynn has only picked up speed after her season-opening performance, as she currently ranks second in the Mid-American Conference and 41st nationally with a .421 batting average … She has reached base safely in 29 of Ball State’s 32 games, including a career-best 12 game hitting streak … Wynn also leads the squad with 30 runs scored, with her 0.94 runs-per-game average ranking first in the MAC and 54th nationally.
» DRIVING THEM HOME: Senior shortstop Amaia Daniel enters Tuesday’s game with 20 RBI so far this season … With her final of four RBIs in Ball State’s 14-4 (6) victory over Bellarmine (Feb. 25), Daniel became just the 16th player in program history to reach 100 career RBI … The moment came on a bases loaded sacrifice fly in the sixth inning to make the score 12-4 … She is currently 13th in program history with 109 career RBI and needs five more to reach 12th.
» MORE ON DANIEL: Amaia Daniel, who has reached base safely in 28 of Ball State’s 32 games this season, enters the week ranked ninth in program history with a .425 career on base percentage … She is also 11th in career runs scored (114), tied for 11th in career doubles (38), and 16th in career home runs (16) … On defense, she has helped turn 43 career double plays, which is the second-most in program history.
» SPEAKING OF DOUBLE PLAYS: Ball State’s defense has registered 12 double plays over its first 32 games of the season and currently ranks second in the MAC and 58th nationally with a 0.38 double plays-per-game average … Junior infielder Samantha-Jo Mata has had a hand in 10 double plays, while Amaia Daniel at shortstop has factored in eight.
» ON THE BASE PATHS: Ball State picked up right where it left off last season, stealing a total of 37 bases over the first 32 games of the season … The Cardinals currently rank third in the MAC and 103rd nationally with a 1.19 steals-per-game average … Junior outfielder Remington Ross leads the way, going a perfect 10-for-10 in stolen base attempts … With the mark, Ross remains first in program history with a .970 (32-for-33) stolen base percentage … In addition, her 32 career stolen bases are 18th in program history.
» NEAR PERFECTION: Sophomore pitcher Angelina Russo, who threw the first perfect game in program history last season, added to her lore in the 10-1 (5) victory over Lindenwood (Feb. 19), collecting just the 18th recorded no-hitter in program history dating back to the 1980 season … The 2022 MAC Freshman Pitcher of the Year and a MAC All-Freshman Team selection, Russo retired 15 of the 17 batters she faced against the Lions with a walk and an error being the lone blemishes … She also struck out three batters on her way to her second win of the weekend … Russo enters Tuesday’s game with a team-low 2.80 ERA, including a 1.70 ERA in league play … She has allowed just one earned run in her last five outings.
» WELCOME BACK MCKAYLA: After missing the last 18 games of the 2022 season due to injury, minus a pair of pinch running appearances in the Akron series, redshirt sophomore catcher/infielder McKayla Timmons has reached base safely in 23 of the 30 games she has played for the Cardinals this season … In fact, she ranks third on the team with a .342 batting average and leads the squad with 30 RBI … She has also smashed seven home runs this season, including a walk-off blast to cap the CMU series … Timmons, who smashed four home runs in her debut season in 2022, enters the weekend ranked third among active Ball State players with 11 career home runs.
» WELCOME TO THE #BALLSTATESB BOMB SQUAD: Redshirt freshman utility player McKenna Mulholland made sure her first collegiate hit was a memorable one, as she blasted a solo home run in her first collegiate at bat to open the bottom of the second inning in the 10-1 (5) win over Lindenwood (Feb. 19) … Sophomore infielder Kaitlyn Gibson added her first collegiate round tripper in the 14-8 setback at No. 16 Georgia (March 3) … Overall, nine active Cardinals have at least one career home run heading into the Ohio series.
» TRIPLE THREAT: After collecting three more triples in the NIU series, Ball State enters the week ranked 42nd nationally with a 0.28 triples-per-game average … McKenna Mulholland and Haley Wynn lead the team with three triples apiece, while McKayla Timmons, Kaitlyn Mathews, and Remington Ross each have one … Overall, the Cardinals rank third in the MAC with nine triples, trailing only Northern Illinois (14) and Ohio (12).
» DOUBLING UP: The Cardinals are even better when it comes to doubles, ranking second in the MAC and 29th nationally with a 1.53 doubles-per-game average … Senior catcher/infielder Jazmyne Armendariz is tied for second in the MAC with nine doubles, while Amaia Daniel and Haley Wynn are tied for 12th with seven apiece … BSU has 49 doubles on the year, with at least one double in 25 games, including a season-high six versus Sacred Heart (March 10).
BALL STATE BASEBALL
MUNCIE, Ind. – The Ball State baseball team returns to the friendly confines of the Ball Diamond at First Merchants Ballpark for a non-conference matchup with Bellarmine on Tuesday, April 4. First pitch is slated for 3 p.m.
The Cardinals are coming off a 2-1 weekend at Akron. Ball State enters Tuesday with a 20-7 record, while Bellarmine is 8-20. The Cardinals remain at the No. 26 spot in the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper poll.
Gold Glove Peltier
At the conclusion of last season, Ryan Peltier was honored as the best defensive third baseman in the NCAA and received an ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove. After being named the MAC Defensive Player of the Year and earning a spot on the All-MAC Second Team for back-to-back seasons, Peltier was awarded the first Gold Glove in BSU history. He was a 2023 Preseason All-American honoree from Collegiate Baseball Newspaper.
Peltier leads the Cardinals with a .406 batting average. He has pelted a team-best seven homers and has a team-high 27 RBIs. He has a slugging percentage of .726, which is 73rd in the country and second in the MAC. Peltier has scored 39 runs, which is tied for fifth in the NCAA and is first the MAC. He leads the team in doubles with 11 and he has added one triple. His 11 doubles are tied for 44th in the NCAA and are tied for third in the conference.
What Can Brown Do for You?
Ryan Brown was named the No. 49 prospect in college baseball by D1 Baseball. Brown was the only Mid-American Conference player selected to the top-100 list. He was also tabbed as one of the top mid-major prospects for the 2023 season. Brown also landed on the 2023 MLB Draft: Rising Righthanded Pitchers watch list. Last season, Brown earned recognition as a Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Freshman All-American along with the MAC Freshman Pitcher of the Year. He also earned a spot on the All-MAC Second Team.
Brown is currently tied for 36th in the NCAA with 51 strikeouts. He his 4-1 on the year and has thrown 26 1/3 innings. Opponents are hitting just .169 against him for the season.
Don’t Mess with Tex
Trennor O’Donnell leads the team with a 1.82 ERA. His ERA is tied for the 24th best in the country and leads the MAC. His 45 strikeouts are tied for 87th in the NCAA and are tied for seventh in the conference. He has a 2-1 record and has thrown 39 2/3 innings. Opponents are hitting just .200 against him.
Scouting the Cardinals
Decker Scheffler is second on the squad with a .389 batting average. He has 22 RBIs,20 runs scored, five doubles, three homers, and two triples. Scheffler is tied for the 122nd toughest player to strikeout in the NCAA and is fourth in the MAC. Adam Tellier is third on the team with a .355 average. He has 27 runs scored, 14 walks, 14 RBIs, eight doubles, three triples, and one home run. His three triples are tied for 26th in the NCAA and are tied for the most in the MAC. Nick Gregory might only be hitting .200, but he leads the team with 23 walks. He has scored 22 runs and driven in seven runs.
Ty Johnson is third on the team with 28 strikeouts in 23 2/3 innings of work. He has a 3-1 record with a 5.32 ERA. Tanner Knapp, Logan Schulfer, and Ty Weatherly have each struck out 26 batters. Knapp and Weatherly are both 1-1 on the year. Jacob Hartlaub is the remaining pitcher with more that 20 strikeouts, with 24. He has a 3-2 record.
Ball State vs. Bellarmine: The Series
The Cardinals and Knights will meet for the third time, first since March 12, 1983. Ball State is 2-0 against Bellarmine. This will be the first meeting between the two programs in Muncie.
Scouting the Knights
Casey Sorg leads Bellarmine with a .337 batting average. He has scored 15 runs, 15 RBIs, six doubles, five home runs, and one triple. Reed Blaszcyk has a team-best eight home runs and a team-high 23 RBIs. He has a .291 batting average with seven doubles.
Nolan Pender leads the pitching with a 3.63 ERA and has a team-best 42 strikeouts. Drew Buhr is second on the team with 34 strikeouts and has an ERA of 8.03. Gavin Braunecker is third on the staff with 30 strikeouts.
NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS
NOTRE DAME BASEBALL
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — The Notre Dame Fighting Irish (14-11) are home for their fifth mid-week matchup of the season as they take on the Northwestern Wildcats (3-19) on Tuesday, April 4. The Irish will resume ACC play this weekend as they are finally back on the road to face Pitt for a three-game series starting on Thursday, April 6.
Irish Take on Northwestern
The Irish take on Northwestern at Frank Eck Stadium in their fifth midweek matchup of the year.
The Wildcats come into the midweek at 3-19 as this will be the 138th matchup between the two squads with Notre Dame leading the overall series 76-60-1. The Irish are 46-28 at home, 27-30-1 at Northwestern, and 3-2 at neutral sites.
Notre Dame has won seven of the last eight matchups against the Wildcats, with their last loss coming in 2018.
The Irish last faced Northwestern in the 2022 season, defeating the Wildcats on the road in a 14-4 (7) victory.
Jack Zyska led the Irish with three runs and Zack Prajzner recorded a team-high four RBI in the win over the Wildcats.
UNC Heads to South Bend for Another ACC Series
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish (14-11) dropped the three-game series at Frank Eck as they fell to No. 13 North Carolina (20-8) in games one and two of the series.
Looking for redemption after a tough loss to the Tar Heels on Friday night, the Irish fell 5-2 in the first game of day, but were able to take home the final game in a 9-1 victory on the home turf.
Jackson Dennies recorded a career-high seven strikeouts across 4.2 innings in the game three win. He also allowed just two hits, while giving up no runs and walking no batters.
Vinny Martinez had himself a weekend at the plate, recording five hits and five runs on the weekend, as well as three home runs and seven RBI.
Midweek Matchup at Frank Eck Against Butler
The Irish are 4-for-4 in their midweek matchups so far this season, with two neutral site wins over Saint Joseph’s in Holly Springs, a win over Valpo in the 2023 home opener, and a 4-0 win over Butler at Frank Eck.
Jackson Dennies started on the mound as he recorded a career-high six strikeouts across a career-high four innings pitched.
Irish Make History in Series Win Over No. 2 Louisville
The Notre Dame Fighting (12-9) Irish defeated the No. 2 Louisville Cardinals (19-4) in a historic fashion, taking the first game of the series on Friday, March 24 and the first game of the doubleheader on Sunday, March 26.
The 5-4 win on Sunday afternoon clinched the first-ever home series win over Louisville in program history. After falling 2-1 in the second game of the doubleheader, the Irish are now 4-5 in conference.
In game one, Notre Dame trailed 2-0 heading into the fifth.
The Irish held Louisville scoreless in the top of the inning, while the Irish offense really started to get hot in the bottom of the frame. The Irish led off with singles from DM Jefferson and TJ Williams, and a sac bunt from Jack Penney would put runners on second and third for Notre Dame.
Zack Prajzner scored both as he doubled down the left field line to add two Irish runs to the board and make it an even 2-2 ballgame. Zyska followed with a double of his own as he sent it to the wall in the left field gap to score Prajzner and take the lead 3-2.
The Cardinals would score another run in the top of the sixth to tie it up at 3-3.
The Irish immediately responded as Estevan Moreno ripped a home run to deep left, his second of the season, to put the Irish back on top at 4-3 and lead them to eventual 4-3 victory to take game one.
In Saturday’s doubleheader, the Cardinals would put their first run of the day on the board on the first pitch of the game as they opened up with a home run to right field to take an early 1-0 lead. And after leading off the top of the fifth with another home run, Louisville led 3-0.
Notre Dame wasn’t going anywhere, as the Irish bats started to get hot in the fifth. Notre Dame would score all five of their runs in the bottom of the inning. The Irish’s five runs would come off of just three three hits, all of which were home runs. Jack Penney would hit the first homer, followed by back-to-back home runs from Carter Putz and Brooks Coetzee.
The five-run inning lifted the Irish to a 5-4 win to clinch the series win over the Cardinals.
Notre Dame Opens up at Home Against Valparaiso
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish took down the Beacons in the 106th matchup between Valpo and Notre Dame as the Irish lead the overall series 86-21 with the very first game taking place on May 14, 1918.
The Irish defeated Valpo in a 8-4 victory in their home opener on Tuesday, March 21 at Frank Eck.
Both graduate students, Zack Prajzner and Jack Zyska both recorded their first home runs of the season in Tuesday’s win. Prajzner’s homer to left field came in the bottom of the third and Zyska followed with his left field home run in the bottom of the fourth.
David Lally Jr. made his second career start on the mound, throwing 2.1 innings before he was relieved in the third inning by Carter Bosch. Bosch recorded a season-high six strikeouts across 3.2 innings and gave up no runs while allowing only two hits. Sammy Cooper came in to close in the top of the seventh, taking home his second win of the season.
Irish Resume Conference Play at No. 4 Wake Forest
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish finished the series 2-1 at no. 4 Wake Forest last weekend after falling in both doubleheader games on Saturday, but taking home Sunday’s game in a 3-1 victory.
The Irish are now 9-8 on the year and 2-4 in the ACC after the road series.
Due to Friday’s game being postponed for inclement weather, the Irish and Demon Deacons played a doubleheader on Saturday, March 18.
Wake Forest took game one 4-1 and game two 12-3.
Jackson Dennies started on the mound for the Irish in game one, finishing the day with three strikeouts while allowing two runs and five hits across 3.2 innings pitched.
Aidan Tyrell came in relief with two outs in the bottom of the fourth, throwing 3.1 innings, recording four strikeouts, and giving up just one run and one hit.
Trailing 1-0 heading into the top of the third, Danny Neri led off for the Irish with a double down the left field line and advanced to third on a sac bunt from TJ Williams. Estevan Moreno followed with his first hit of the day as he singled through the left side to score Neri for Notre Dame’s only run of the game
The Irish struggled to score in game two on Saturday. Trailing 12-1 heading into the top of the ninth, Connor Hincks singled to center field for his first career hit and was sent home on a two-run home run from Tony Lindwedel. Lindwedel’s first career home run would close the gap to 12-3 as Wake Forest took home the second game of the series.
Wake Forest was undefeated 14-0 at home so far this season until Notre Dame took game three with a score of 3-1.
The Irish offense sparked in the top of the second with a double to right center from Carter Putz, who scored after Jack Zyska hit a single to left field.
The Irish posted an early 1-0 lead, while Findlay continued to shut down the Demon Deacons from the mound as he closed the first two innings with three strikeouts.
DM Jefferson started the third with a lead-off single to center field and advanced to second on a passed ball with TJ Williams up to bat. Jefferson was able to score and tack on another run for the Irish as an RBI single from Brooks Coetzee brought Jefferson home for the 2-0 lead.
Coetzee led off the sixth with a double to right center field, which was followed by a walk from Putz. With runners on first and second and Jack Penney up to bat, Coetzee was able to steal third on a wild pitch. Penney reached on a fielder’s choice, recording an RBI as Coetzee ran home to give the Irish a 3-0 edge heading into the bottom of the sixth.
Findlay recorded his 10th strikeout of the day before he was relieved by Blake Hely with two outs in the sixth. Findlay absolutely dominated from the mound, throwing 10 strikes across 5.2 innings and allowing just two hits and no runs.
Midweek matchup in Holly Springs
The Irish took down the Hawks on Tuesday, March 14, and Wednesday, March 15, in their first midweek matchup of the year.
Notre Dame defeated Saint Joseph’s 6-3 on Tuesday and 10-9 on Wednesday at Ting Stadium in Holly Springs, NC..
Matt Bedford made his first start of the year in game one and freshman David Lally Jr. made his first career start on the mound in game two.
Carter Putz recorded his second home run of the year in game one with a 440’ rocket to right field in the game one win.
The Irish took game two in a close 10-9 win, finishing the game with a bases loaded walk-off HBP as Coetzee was hit by the pitch for the fourth time that game for the walk-off win.
Putz, Penney, and Neri each recorded their third home runs of the year in game two against Saint Joseph’s.
Conference Play Opens Up at Georgia Tech
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish start the 2023 conference season 1-2 in the ACC after falling in games one and two, but taking home game three against the Yellow Jackets on the road.
The Irish fell in a close one on Friday night (March 10) at Russ Chandler Stadium. While the Irish trailed 2-0 early, a strong fifth inning that included five singles allowed Notre Dame to put four runs on the board to take the lead 4-3. However, the bottom of the seventh inning would lift the Yellow Jackets to the 7-4 victory in game one.
Due to Sunday’s weather, a double header was played on Saturday where the Yellow Jackets took the first game of the day 15-2.
While the Irish struggled to find the strike zone, the Yellow Jackets were hot from the plate, bringing in nine runs in the first three innings.
The Fighting Irish scored their first run of the day in the top of the third after Estevan Moreno singled up the middle and was sent home from an RBI double down the right field line from Jack Penney.
The Yellow Jackets would tack on another two runs in the bottom of the fourth to extend the lead 11-1 and wouldn’t score again until the bottom of the seventh.
Freshman Caden Spivey made his debut on the mound in the bottom of the fourth, striking out his very first batter faced. Spivey allowed only one hit and gave up no runs in his two innings pitched.
Norte Dame wasn’t going anywhere though, as they came out strong to start the second game of the day and went on to take the final game 17-4. The Irish finished with 16 hits, their best offensive outing of the season.
Zack Prajzner started the Irish offense with a double to left field, followed by a base hit from Brooks Coetzee. Nick Juaire reached first after being hit by a pitch and it was bases loaded for the Irish. Jack Zyska was walked in his first at bat of the game, which scored Prajzner and put Notre Dame on the board 1-0.
Jack Penney stepped up to the plate with bases loaded and two outs and crushed a ball down the right field line for a grand slam. Penney’s second home run of the season scored Coetzee, Juaire, and Zyska to give the Irish the 5-0 advantage after one.
Leading 5-2 heading into the third, Carter Putz led off and started the inning with his first home run of the season with a 418’ homer to deep center field. Juaire followed with a base hit to left field and scored on an RBI double from Penny, his fifth RBI of the game.
Jackson Dennies started on the mound for the Irish, pitching 2.2 innings, throwing three strikeouts, and giving up three runs.
Dennies would give up one run in the bottom of the third before he was relieved by Aidan Tyrell, who finished with a game-high five strikeouts. Tyrell allowed no runs and only gave two hits across four innings pitched.
Vinny Martinez kept the offense going with a 434’ rocket out to left field, his first home run of the season with the Irish in the top of the seventh. Notre Dame tacked on another five runs in the seventh to take home the 17-4 victory.
NOTRE DAME SOFTBALL
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The University of Notre Dame softball team is set to host the Ball State Cardinals in an 8 p.m. matchup at Melissa Cook Stadium with the action set to air on the ACC Network. The Fighting Irish enter the weekend with a 20-10-1 overall mark and are 5-0 in midweek competition this season. Ball State enters at 16-16, having dropped three-straight to Ohio over the weekend.
The Irish enter the weekend winning its last game in five innings against Pittsburgh. In the last 13 games, Notre Dame has gone 9-3-1, with six of those wins coming via the mercy rule. In midweek competition this season, the Irish have tallied wins over Elon, UNCG, East Carolina, Miami (Ohio) and IUPUI.
Carlli Kloss and Joley Mitchell lead the Irish offense, each hitting for a .371 average. Kloss leads the team with 12 doubles and 28 runs scored, while adding three home runs and five stolen bases. Mitchell owns six home runs and 25 RBI with a team-best seven stolen bases. The tandem of Lexi Orozco and Karina Gaskins each have hit 10 home runs on the year. Orozco leads the team with 30 runs driven in.
In the circle, Payton Tidd has been the work horse, throwing a team-high 93.1 innings with 78 strikeouts and a 3.00 ERA. Micaela Kastor adds a 1.98 ERA in 46.0 innings. She’s struck out 42 and holds opponents to a .216 average against. Shannon Becker earned the win in a complete game effort her last time out. This season she has 19 appearances, thrown 60.2 innings and struck out 48.
The Cardinals enter having dropped all three games at Ohio over the weekend. Previous to that, Ball State took a midweek series from Northern Illinois and swept Central Michigan.
As a team, Ball State hits for a .295 average, led by Haley Wynn’s .421 mark. Wynn adds 16 extra-base hits and 23 RBI. She’s second on the team with six home runs and has a .521 on-base percentage. Amaia Daniel adds a .408 average with seven doubles and a pair of home runs. McKayla Timmons leads the team with 30 RBI and seven home runs. She adds 17 runs scored with five doubles and a triple.
The Cardinal pitching staff owns a 4.26 ERA, led by Angelina Russo’s 2.80. Russo has worked 80.0 innings in 19 appearances, owning a 7-6 record. She’s limited opponents to a .226 average against and leads the team with 53 strikeouts. Francys King has appeared in 12 games with six starts. She’s throw in 41.2 innings, striking out 17 hitters. Brielle Murphy adds a 5.29 ERA in 39.2 innings
INDIANA STATE ATHLETICS
INDIANA STATE WGOLF
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – The Sycamore golf team closed out the regular season Monday afternoon with the final round of the Annual Indiana State Spring Invitational at Country Club of Terre Haute. The Sycamores improved by 20 strokes in the second round, shooting a 303 for the second-lowest team score of the day. ISU finished tied for third with a two-round score of 626.
Kristen Hobbs led the Sycamores with a second-round score of 73, which moved her up three spots for a seventh-place finish with a two-round score of 151. She birdied three of her first five holes and then birdied her 11th hole to be sitting at three under par at that point of the round. Hobbs improved her first-round score by five strokes and was one of four players who shot one over par or better in the second round.
Freshman Eliza Baker was top individual finisher in the tournament, shooting a 79 in the second round for a two-round score of 154 to place her 11th.
“We competed today after not really competing very well the last three tournaments prior to this. It’s easy to blame it on weather, but it was a matter of not having a good mental attitude because you can compete even when the weather is bad. A lot of it is just being prepared and doing your due diligence on each golf course,” said head coach Greg Towne. “Kristen [Hobbs] led the way and we need more of that out of our couple of seniors. The rest of the team doesn’t have much experience, so we have to rely on the two seniors up top and then have the freshmen play up to their skill level, and I think we’re getting there.”
Briana LeMaire improved her score from the first day, shooting a 74 for a two-round total of 153 which tied her for eighth place, six spots up from her first-round finish. Chelsea Morrow shot a second-round 79, three strokes better than the first round, to finish tied for 16th with a two-round total of 161.
Iyoun Chew and Molly Lee each finished tied for 19th with a two-round total of 163. Chew took five strokes off her first-round score for a 79 while Lee improved by nine strokes with a 77.
Yang Tai joined Chew and Lee tied for 19th as an individual, and Grace Welty, also playing as an individual, improved her score in the second round by one stroke.
Up next, the Sycamores will compete at the Missouri Valley Conference Championship in Waterloo, Ill. April 16-18.
“We’ve got a brand new course we’ve never seen before at the conference tournament, but so does everybody else,” said Coach Towne. “We just have to be better in our practice rounds and preparation for weather and take care of all the little details.”
INDIANA STATE BASEBALL
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State returns home to Bob Warn Field to start a four-game home stand this week starting Tuesday night with in-state rival Indiana University. First pitch in the rematch between the Sycamores and the Hoosiers is set for 5 p.m.
Tuesday afternoon’s contest will be streamed live on ESPN+ and 105.5 The Legend, while live stats will be provided on GoSycamores.com.
Game Day Promo: $2 Hot Dogs are back at Bob Warn Field as supplies last.
Ticket Promo: Tickets are still on sale as the chairback midweek ticket promo is now a 3-for-$15. Fans purchasing the ticket package will receive one chairback seat ticket for the remaining three midweek games against Indiana (Apr. 4), Illinois (May 2), and Ball State (May 9). Call Austin Bishop at 812-237-8972.
Indiana took the first contest between the two teams this season as the Hoosiers topped the Sycamores back on March 21 in Bloomington. IU utilized an 11-run seventh inning to break a 4-4 tie in topping ISU, 15-5.
The Sycamores tied the game up at 4-4 following a three-run rally in the top of the seventh inning. ISU loaded the bases with one out as Josue Urdaneta and Seth Gergely drew back-to-back walks and Randal Diaz singled to right field. Luis Hernandez was hit by a pitch from IU reliever Craig Yoho to bring home the first run, while Keegan Watson and Parker Stinson followed with walks to knot the score up.
IU responded in the bottom of the frame with the first four Hoosiers reaching base to spark the go-ahead 11-run rally. Bobby Whalen connected on a two-run single and Devin Taylor added a three-run double to highlight the scoring as the Sycamores dropped their sixth consecutive game to the Hoosiers.
Indiana State rebounded after the loss winning six of their last seven contests entering the week with the offense catching fire. The Sycamores are hitting .321 as a team over their last seven games with all nine lineup regulars hitting .275 or better from the plate. Seth Gergely has been the spark atop the Indiana State lineup and is hitting .467 from the plate over the last seven contests, while Miguel Rivera and Mike Sears have both driven in nine runs.
ISU also regained its power stroke over the seven-game stretch with the Sycamores connecting on 15 home runs including four homers in a single game against both Valparaiso and UIC. Mike Sears has been key to the power resurgence with five home runs, including a pair of two-homer games, while Randal Diaz has connected on three shots over the last two weeks.
The ISU pitching staff has also taken major strides forward over the last seven games with the Sycamores posting a 3.63 ERA over the last 62.0 innings and a 53:21 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Lane Miller (2-0) and Connor Fenlong (2-0) have each recorded a pair of wins on the mound, while Cameron Edmonson has posted a trio of scoreless appearances in relief.
Indiana State continues to boast the toughest non-conference schedule in the NCAA Division I rankings entering the week. ISU has played or is scheduled to play against eight teams currently ranked in the top 50 in the country in RPI including Kentucky (1), Vanderbilt (9), Miami (15), and Northeastern (17). The Sycamores’ non-conference schedule also includes Missouri (22), Indiana (25), Illinois (41), and Florida Gulf Coast (48) as the Sycamores currently sit 9-11 overall against non-conference competition.
ISU remains inside the NCAA RPI top 35 for the fourth consecutive week as the Sycamores sit as the top-ranked team in the Missouri Valley Conference. Indiana State (27) is one of three Valley schools ranked in the top 100 including Evansville (70) and Southern Illinois (93).
Following his recent hot streak, Seth Gergely remains the top hitter in the Sycamore lineup with a .360 batting average on the year. Gergely paces ISU with 32 hits and 20 runs scored while adding six doubles, three home runs, and 18 RBI. Luis Hernandez (.301) is also hitting above .300 on the year. Mike Sears and Randal Diaz have taken over as the power bats in the lineup with Sears leading the way with nine home runs among his team-leading 12 extra-base hits. Diaz has 11 extra-base hits and leads ISU with two triples on the season.
Sixteen different Indiana State pitchers have seen time on the mound this year with the Sycamores boasting a team 5.52 ERA and a 236:110 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Five different ISU pitchers have posted two wins in 2023, while Matt Jachec (40) and Connor Fenlong (31) are the team’s strikeout leaders. Cameron Holycross (0.61 ERA) and Lane Miller (1.69 ERA) are among the team’s ERA leaders on the year.
The Sycamores continue to be elite defensively. Indiana State entered the week eighth in the NCAA and first in the MVC in fielding percentage. The Sycamores are fielding at a .984 clip on the season with three players posting perfect 1.000 percentages with at least 20 chances.
Scouting the Opposition
Indiana Hoosiers
Indiana enters the midweek matchup with a 20-8 overall record on the year after taking two of three this past weekend at Penn State. The Hoosiers improved to 5-1 in Big Ten play on the season following the series win over the Nittany Lions. Indiana has won six of seven since their midweek win over the Sycamores in Bloomington. IU is currently 4-7 away from their home turf in the 2023 season.
Phillip Glasser (.395) leads an Indiana offense that is hitting .298 from the plate in the 2023 season. The senior infielder leads the Hoosiers with 45 hits, 31 runs, and 13 doubles, while driving in 23 RBI. Glasser is also the team leader with 10 stolen bases. Brock Tibbitts (.358), Tyler Cerny (.312), and Josh Pyne (.309) have also come on strong in the 2023 season to pace the IU offense. Tibbitts is the team’s RBI leader with 33, while Devin Taylor has connected on a team-high five home runs on the year. The Indiana pitching staff has posted a 4.81 ERA on the year with 19 different pitchers making appearances on the mound. Overall, the IU staff has posted a 265:119 strikeout-to-walk ratio including an 11:8 ratio earlier this season against the Sycamores.
Indiana was ranked sixth overall in the Big Ten preseason poll as announced by the conference office in the preseason. Catcher Matthew Ellis, infielder Phillip Glasser, and outfielder Carter Mathison were all honored on the preseason Big Ten All-Conference team. Mathison was a four-time Freshman All-American following his 2022 season that featured a .273 batting average with 19 home runs and 58 RBI.
Indiana State and Evansville (May 16) are the lone Missouri Valley school teams on Indiana’s schedule in the 2023 season.
Indiana State – IU History
Indiana leads the all-time series against Indiana State 66-46-1 dating back to the first contest in 1895. Indiana enters the game on a six-game winning streak against the Sycamores dating back to 2017.
The Sycamores and Hoosiers have lined up in Terre Haute 53 times throughout their respective program histories. Indiana State holds the 27-26 home advantage over the Hoosiers.
Indiana took the lone contest between the two teams last year in Terre Haute on April 12 as the Hoosiers utilized a five-run rally in the top of the ninth inning to win 6-5. Indiana State’s last win at home against IU came back on April 14, 2015, with the Sycamores topping the Hoosiers 6-2 at Bob Warn Field.
Streaking On-Base
Mike Sears became the 12th Indiana State player since the 2011 season to post a 20-game in-season on-base streak as the redshirt junior reached base safely in all three games against the Flames. Sears’ streak currently sits at 22 games entering the week and dates back to February 25 against Northeastern.
Sears’ 22 game streak made him the first player since Max Wright (21 games, 2021) to reach the 20-game plateau. His 22-game stretch is also tied for the seventh-longest stretch since 2011 equaling the 22-game streaks by both Jarrod Watkins (2018) and Hunter Owen (2016). Romero Harris (2018) posted the longest streak in recent history at 31 games, while Andy DeJesus (29, 2015) and Robby Ort (25, 2011) have also posted significant stretches. Andy Young is the lone player on the list to record multiple 20-game on-base streaks hitting the mark in both 2015 (21) and 2016 (26).
Luis Hernandez is one game away from joining Sears on the mark entering the midweek game against IU on a 19-game on-base streak. If Hernandez reaches safely against the Hoosiers, he’ll join Sears as just the fourth pair of ISU teammates to reach base safely in 20 consecutive games since the 2015 season and first since 2018 (Harris – 31, Watkins – 22).
Power Output in Conference
Indiana State’s bats have connected in conference play as the Sycamores have powered out 15 of their 33 home runs in Missouri Valley competition. The numbers were highlighted by nine home runs this past weekend against UIC, including two home runs each off the bats of Mike Sears and Randal Diaz.
Eight different Sycamores have homered in conference play highlighted by Sears’ five home runs, while both Diaz (3) and Seth Gergely (2) have also left the park multiple times in MVC action. Sears already has two two-homer games in conference play (Mar. 26 vs. Valparaiso & Apr. 2 at UIC), while Gergely added his first collegiate multi-homer game on March 25 against Valparaiso. ISU hit 45 home runs as a team in 2022 with 20 coming in conference action.
INDIANA STATE SB
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State softball will welcome Evansville to town on Tuesday for a midweek contest at Price Field set to begin at 4 p.m. ET.
The Sycamores (17-17, 6-3) dropped three close contests at Southern Illinois last weekend while Evansville (17-17, 3-6) won two of three in a home series against Belmont.
Indiana State holds a slight edge over the Purple Aces in the all-time series, leading 53-49. The Sycamores took two out of three in last year’s series with a pair of run-rule victories.
Scouting Evansville
Head coach Mat Mundell enters his eighth season at the helm for Evansville. He and his staff won MVC Coaching Staff of the Year honors in 2016 after a 16-win increase from the previous season.
Alexa Davis leads the Purple Aces offense with 29 hits including 13 extra-base hits. Jenna Nink has a team-high .315 average and 18 RBI. Evansville leads the MVC with 12 triples as well as a league-best 121 walks. The Purple Aces have also struck out the most in the conference with 246 punchouts.
The Evansville pitching staff is led by Mikayla Jolly who has a 2.69 ERA in 54.2 innings, recording 39 strikeouts. Megan Brenton has a team-best 0.98 ERA in 18 appearances, almost exclusively in relief. Brenton has a team-high 42 strikeouts. Sydney Weatherford has a 3.04 ERA in 48.1 innings of action.
Sycamore Standouts
Isabella Henning leads all MVC hitters with a .406 batting average and a .500 on-base percentage. Her 39 hits are second-most in the conference. She’s racked up eight doubles and three home runs to go along with 15 walks and 14 RBI.
Kennedy Shade has had a strong campaign at the plate, batting .365 which ranks seventh-best in the Valley. She has 31 hits on the year which featured a 16-game hitting streak. Shade has 7 doubles including a three-double game against UIC on March 20 which tied an Indiana State single-game record.
Leading the team with 24 RBI, Annie Tokarek is third on the Sycamores with a .290 average at the plate. She’s tied for the team lead with three home runs and sits at 25 for her career, which is tied for second-most all-time in program history.
Olivia Patton is third on ISU with 28 hits, currently batting .264 with two doubles and four RBI out of the leadoff spot. Patton is second on the team with four stolen bases.
Lexi Benko made two strong starts at Southern Illinois and currently owns a 2.06 ERA in 85 innings of work. She’s recorded four complete games and 62 strikeouts on the season.
Cassi Newbanks has a 3.02 ERA in 48.2 innings, striking out 29 hitters with two complete games in eight starts this year.
Lauren Sackett was strong in her start against the Salukis last weekend, throwing a complete game and striking out seven batters. She leads the MVC with four saves and has a team-high 64 strikeouts in 44 innings.
Up Next
Indiana State will host UNI for a three-game MVC series beginning Friday, April 7 at 3 p.m. ET at Price Field.
PURDUE FT. WAYNE ATHLETICS
PURDUE FT. WAYNE SB
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The Purdue Fort Wayne softball team will play for its sixth win in a row on Tuesday (April 4) when the Mastodons visit Western Michigan for a non-league contest.
Game Day Information
Who: Western Michigan Broncos
When: Tuesday, April 4 | 2:30 PM
Where: Kalamazoo, Mich. | Ebert Field
Live Stats: Link
Watch: Link
Know Your Foe
Western Michigan is 10-13 overall and 4-1 since they played the Mastodons just over a week ago. The Broncos took all three in their series against Bowling Green and one of two against Miami. Addison Hudson is leading the team with a .426 batting average.
Series History
Western Michigan leads the all-time series 5-4, but the two teams have met just once in Kalamazoo. The ‘Dons won that game 9-6. The Mastodons won the last meeting 4-0, which came on March 24. Taryn Jenkins had a two-run home run.
On a Streak
Purdue Fort Wayne is currently on a five-game winning streak for the first time since 2014. This includes a three-game series sweep against Detroit Mercy, which is the first series sweep for the Mastodons since 2014.
Felling the Titans
Purdue Fort Wayne out-scored Detroit Mercy 23-3 in the three-game series against Detroit Mercy.
On the Brink-erhoff of Greatness
In Horizon League play, Gracie Brinkerhoff has the second-best opposing batting average of .156 and an ERA of 0.00. She is one of just two pitchers in the league with a 0.00 ERA in league play. Her five hits allowed is also second in the league.
Long Ball
Purdue Fort Wayne is leading the Horizon League with 0.50 home runs per game.
oK Queen!
Alanah Jones is second in the Horizon League with 90 strikeouts this season. This mark is also top-60 nationally.
Last Time Out
The Mastodons picked up 10-0 and 8-1 wins over Detroit Mercy on Sunday (April 2). Alyson Quinlan and Gracie Brinkerhoff both threw complete games and struck out seven each.
Next Time Up
The Mastodons will head to Indianapolis to play a three-game Horizon League series against the IUPUI Jaguars this weekend (April 7-8).
EVANSVILLE ATHLETICS
EVANSVILLE MGOLF
SILVIS, Ill. – With two out of three rounds complete at the Western Illinois University Invite, Henry Kiel and Masatoyo Kato lead the University of Evansville men’s golf team.
Kiel and Kato completed Monday’s two rounds at TPC Deere Run with scores of 150. Kiel opened the day with a 1-over 73 before carding a 77 in the second 18. Kato started the day with a 78 before lowering his score by six strokes in round two. His even 72 was the low round of the day for the Purple Aces. Both are tied for 15th.
Nicholas Gushrowski and Michael Ikejiani rank in a tie for 18th place with scores of 151. Gushrowski opened play with a 77 before recording a 2-over 74 in the second round of the day. Ikejiani registered a 75 in the first round and followed that up with a 76. Caleb Wassmer completed the day with scores of 77 and 81. His 158 is tied for 41st place.
Luke Schneider is competing as an individual and wrapped up the afternoon with a 2-round score of 167.
Evansville is in sixth place on the team side with a 601. The Aces trail Western Illinois by three strokes while Omaha and Northern Iowa are tied for third with a 595. South Dakota and St. Thomas are tied for the3 lead with scores of 589.
Hunter Rebrovich (South Dakota), Matthew Armstrong (St. Thomas) and Carter Doose (Omaha – individual) are tied for the individual lead with tallies of 142.
The third and final round will get under way on Tuesday morning.
EVANSVILLE BASEBALL
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The University of Evansville baseball team will try to get back on the winning side of the ledger on Tuesday night, as the Purple Aces will travel north to West Lafayette, Indiana to close out a three-game home-and-home series with the Purdue Boilermakers. First-pitch is set for 5 p.m. and Tuesday’s game can be seen live on the Big Ten Network Plus, and heard live on 107.1 FM-WJPS and the Old National Bank/Purple Aces Sports Network from Learfield.
Evansville will bring a 16-11 overall record into Tuesday night’s game. After seeing a nine-game winning streak snapped last Wednesday against Southeast Missouri State, the Purple Aces were swept in a three-game home series by the Belmont Bruins over the weekend. The four-game home losing streak is the longest in the history of German American Bank Field, after the playing surface at Charles H. Braun Stadium was renovated in 2020.
Despite dropping four-straight, Evansville will enter Tuesday night’s game at Purdue (12-14) owning the nation’s longest road winning streak, as the Purple Aces have won seven-straight away from Evansville. UE is currently tied with Florida for the nation’s longest road winning streak, and the Purple Aces have not lost on the road since a 2-0 loss at Middle Tennessee State on March 10.
Fifth-year first baseman Chase Hug continues to lead the UE offense with a .396 average, but Hug saw a 32-game on-base streak snapped in Sunday’s series finale against Belmont. Junior shortstop Simon Scherry is second on the team in hitting at .311, after a four-hit effort in the finale against Belmont, and fifth-year outfielder Eric Roberts still leads the Missouri Valley Conference in both home runs and RBI with 12 and 35, respectively. Roberts is one of only three players in NCAA Division I baseball to currently have double-digit totals for home runs and stolen bases, as he joins North Carolina’s Mac Horvath and Maryland’s Matthew Shaw in that elite group.
Purdue will bring a 12-14 overall record into Tuesday night’s game after winning two out of three games from Northwestern over the weekend. The Boilermakers received a walk-off solo home run in the 10th inning by junior DH Lukas Cook to win the series finale, 4-3, on Sunday. Fifth-year infielder Evan Albrecht leads Purdue with a .362 average, while redshirt-junior infielder Paul Toetz boasts a .337 average and a team-leading eight home runs and 35 RBI.
Evansville won two games from Purdue by scores of 5-2 and 6-4 over St. Patrick’s Day weekend in Evansville. The third contest that was scheduled was canceled due to cold weather. UE has won six-straight games against Big Ten competition heading into Tuesday’s contest.
EVANSVILLE WGOLF
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – With an even score of 72 in the final round, University of Evansville freshman Kate Petrova was the individual tournament champion at the Indiana State Invitational.
After leading the field following Sunday’s opening round with a 1-under 71, Petrova continued to be locked in as she carded an even 72 in Monday’s final round at the Country Club of Terre Haute. Her final total of 143 came in four strokes ahead of the field. Petrova recorded the low round on both days of the tournament.
Petrova and her teammates combined for a score of 312 on Monday to come in second place with a 623. Green Bay pulled away to take the team victory, notching a tournament-low 297 in the second round to finish with a 601.
Allison Enchelmayer was second on the Purple Aces team. After opening play with a 77 on Sunday, Enchelmayer improved by a stroke in the last round. Her 76 gave her a total of 153, which tied her for the 8th position.
Also earning a top 15 finish was Mallory Russell. She was the second Evansville player to lower her score in round two. Following an 80 in the first 18, Russell completed Monday with a 79. Her 159 put her in 15th.
Alyssa McMinn carded an 85 in the second round. Her final tally of 168 saw her finish 30th while Caitlin O’Donnell was one stroke behind her. With a 169, O’Donnell tied for 31st.
Carly Frazier tied for 13th overall while matching Green Bay’s Ellie Frisch as the second-highest individual. Following a 79 to open the event, Frazier shot a 78 on Monday. Her 157 saw her pick up the top 15 finish.
UE looks to build on its recent success as they begin preparations for the Missouri Valley Conference Championship. The tournament is set for April 16-18 in Waterloo, Ill.
SOUTHERN INDIANA ATHLETICS
SOUTHERN INDIANA SOFTBALL
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Softball sophomore pitcher Josie Newman (Indianapolis, Indiana) has been named the Ohio Valley Conference Pitcher of the Week for the third time this season.
Southern Indiana won two of three games for a series win at home last weekend against the University of Tennessee at Martin, moving the Screaming Eagles to 6-5 and in fourth place in the OVC standings.
Newman was masterful once again this past weekend for the Screaming Eagles. She picked up two wins, tossed a pair of complete games, and struck out 16 batters in 14 innings of work.
On Saturday, Newman fanned 10 batters in seven innings, allowing just one earned run off only three hits in the series-opening win for USI against UT Martin. The right-hander concluded the weekend series in USI’s 8-2 win against UT Martin with six strikeouts in seven innings, giving up an earned run off only four hits.
The sophomore surpassed 100 strikeouts on the season, earned her 10th victory, and finished the weekend with her 10th complete game of the season. Newman is at the top of the OVC in strikeouts and complete games. Her 104 strikeouts are inside the top 50 in the nation.
This season, Newman is 10-6 with a team-best 2.56 ERA and team-high 104 strikeouts. Newman has pitched in 90.1 innings, making 14 starts in 17 appearances.
Newman and the Screaming Eagles (12-15) will host Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) for a midweek, nonconference matchup Tuesday. The meeting will be a single game at 3 p.m. from USI Softball Field. Admission to all 2023 USI Softball home spring games is free, courtesy of The Women’s Hospital Deaconess. Tuesday’s game can be heard on The Spin 95.7 FM. Tuesday’s matchup will be the second meeting this season between USI and IUPUI, as the Jaguars defeated USI 10-2 back on February 25 at the Samford University Bulldog Classic.
USI will return to conference play later this week with three road games at Eastern Illinois University.
Additional coverage links are on the USI Softball schedule page on usiscreamingeagles.com.
VALPO ATHLETICS
VALPO MGOLF
The Valparaiso University men’s golf team faced off with DePaul in match play on Monday in the Demons vs. Beacons Challenge, a 27-hole event at Prairie Bluff Golf Course in Crest Hill, Ill. The unique event served to foster friendship, sportsmanship and competition between the two programs.
How It Happened
The first nine holes of the day were four-ball matches. The Valpo tandem of Anthony Delisanti (Sanborn, N.Y. / Niagara Wheatfield) and Grant Norman (Fort Wayne, Ind. / Blackhawk) won their match, while the Mason Bonn (Sherwood, Ore. / Sherwood) / Padraic Sim (Spanish Fort, Ala. / Spanish Fort [Oregon]) and Caleb VanArragon (Blaine, Minn. / Blaine) / Owen Sander (Carmel, Ind. / Carmel) combos both halved their matches. The Beacons and Blue Demons were tied 2-2 through the four-ball matches.
The next nine holes were foursome matches. The VanArragon/Sander duo picked up a victory, while the Bonn/Sim team halved. However, DePaul won the other two matches to take the foursome portion 2.5-1.5 and grab a 4.5-3.5 lead in the match.
The final nine holes were singles matches with eight showdowns taking place. Each team earned four victories in singles with Sam Booth (Carmel, Ind. / Carmel), VanArragon, Sander and Bonn all picking up wins for the Beacons.
DePaul prevailed in the total team score by a slim margin of 8.5-7.5.
Thoughts from Head Coach Dave Gring
“This was the first head-to-head competition that we have had with DePaul, featuring just the two of our teams. We had a terrific day to enjoy some quality match play competition, and the Prairie Bluff Golf Course was in excellent shape for this time of the year. The entire 27-hole event was competitive within all three formats throughout the entire day. Congrats to DePaul for winning the tightly-contested event.”
“We saw a lot of birdies from the Kostouros/Booth team in their four-ball match, with them shooting five under and still losing the match. The VanArragon/Sander team got a birdie from Owen on the final hole to halve their match. The Delisanti/Norman team had a solid victory, collecting their point after shooting three under. The Bonn/Sim match was back and forth the entire nine holes, with our guys shooting four under on the front nine and halving the match.”
“In the foursomes matches, the Kostouros/Booth team again had a good amount of birdies, shooting three under, but it still wasn’t enough to beat their opponents, who shot four under. The alternate shot format is very challenging, and we were able to pick up a full point from the VanArragon/Sander team and a half point from the Bonn/Sim team. The Bonn/Sim team rallied from three down with three to play to halve their match.”
“The singles matches were tightly contested with Booth, Bonn, Sander and VanArragon winning by narrow margins. We didn’t quite have enough in the tank to finish the last four singles matches, losing three out of those four. The VanArragon/Sander team played the best for us today, adding a total of 1.5 points in the first two formats and winning their singles matches. Mason Bonn added two points on the day, halving the first two matches and winning his singles match. Despite the team loss, this was a great event for all of our players and there were a lot of quality shots and good golf being played the entire day.”
Up Next
Valpo will return to stroke play this weekend by heading to Bloomington, Ind. to compete in the Hoosier Collegiate at Pfau Course. The event will get underway on Saturday. A link to live scoring will be available on ValpoAthletics.com.
VALPO WGOLF
Valparaiso University women’s golf sophomore Madison Keil (LaGrange, Ind. / Lakeland) closed out a top-10 finish with a strong performance in Monday’s round at the Indiana State Spring Invitational. She helped the Beacons finish out the final regular-season event of the year, which was hosted by the Sycamores at the par-72, 6041-yard Country Club of Terre Haute.
How It Happened
Keil carded a 74 (+2) on Monday to finish the event at 153 (+9). She tied for eighth in a 41-player field.
The team’s second-best score of the day came courtesy of Kelsey Eichenauer (North Manchester, Ind. / Manchester), who posted an 80 to finish the event at t-26 with a 36-hole score of 165.
The second-best Beacon in terms of tournament score was Anna Fay (Ada, Mich. / Forest Hills), who tied for 16th with a 161.
The other Valpo player who finished in the top 20 was Roslyn Leitner (Dundee, Ill. / Harry Jacobs), who golfed as an individual and posted a 162 to place 18th.
As a team, Valpo’s 18-hole score of 318 on Monday was 12 strokes better than its Round-1 performance. The Beacons finished the tournament at 648 to place fifth in a six-team field, pulling away from Eastern Illinois (661) on Monday.
Inside the Round
Keil’s 36-hole score of 153 cracked the program record book at t-10 in program history for 36-hole tournament overall score. She tied her own 36-hole best that was established on Oct. 18-19, 2021 at the Dayton Fall Invitational.
In relation to par, Keil’s score of +9 is also tied for 10th in the 36-hole tournament program record book. Her performance this week was Valpo’s best 36-hole tournament in relation to par since Angie Kim in October 2016 at the Braun Intercollegiate.
Keil’s 74 was one stroke away from her career best and one stroke away from cracking the program’s single-round top 10.
Keil garnered her third top-10 finish of the season.
Valpo had nine birdies for the tournament, led by four from Keil.
Keil tied for the second-best par-5 scoring average in the entire field at 4.80 (-2).
Up Next
Valpo’s next action will come at the MVC Championships, which will be hosted by Bradley at Annbriar Golf Course in Waterloo, Ill. starting on Sunday, April 16. A link to live scoring via GolfStat will be available on ValpoAthletics.com.
VALPO BASEBALL
The Valparaiso University baseball team enjoyed a strong day on the mound from pitchers Bobby Nowak (Cedar Lake, Ind. / Hanover Central [Kankakee]) and Nathan Chasey (Ames, Iowa / Gilbert [Indian Hills CC]), while the offense got clutch hits from Matt Olive (Minneapolis, Minn. / Blake School) and Kyle Schmack (Wanatah, Ind. / South Central) in a 5-2 victory over Murray State at Emory G. Bauer Field on Monday.
How It Happened
Nowak started the day with a 1-2-3 opening inning, but Murray State got on the board when Taylor Howell ripped a solo shot down the left-field line in the second.
Nowak struck out six straight batters, striking out the side in both the fourth and fifth frames.
The Beacons manufactured a run in the fourth, when Nolan Tucker (Cedar Lake, Ind. / Hanover Central) stroked a leadoff single, went to third on a Brady Renfro (Antigo, Wis. / Antigo) base knock and crossed the dish on an Olive sacrifice fly to make it 1-1.
Murray State regained the lead but settled for one run while stranding two in the top of the sixth.
Valpo went right back in front in the bottom of the inning, when Olive ripped a two-run single to make it 3-2.
Chasey entered the game on the mound and put up a zero in the top of the seventh, then Schmack came through with a two-out single to right center to drive in a pair in the bottom of the seventh, expanding the lead to 5-2.
Chasey induced a double play to work around an error in the top of the eighth, then eventually heaved another zero in the ninth to preserve the triumph.
Inside the Game
Nowak’s nine strikeouts surpassed his previous career high of seven, which came in his last outing on March 28 vs. Milwaukee.
This marked the first start of Nowak’s Valpo career as his previous 25 appearances came out of the bullpen.
Nowak, who went six innings and allowed two runs on four hits while walking one and striking out nine, earned the win to improve to 3-0.
Chasey logged three scoreless innings while permitting just one hit to nail down his second save this season and the third of his career.
Over his last four outings, Nowak has thrown 11 1/3 innings and allowed two runs on five hits while striking out 18.
No Valpo player had a multi-hit output, but eight different Beacons lashed out a base hit.
Schmack’s two RBIs lifted his season total to a team-high 20, while Olive drove in three to bring his RBI total to five in just nine games.
Brady Nowicki (Big Bend, Wis. / Mukwonago [Indian Hills CC]) made his season debut after missing time due to an injury. He got the start at third base.
Valpo’s only extra-base knock of the day was a double by Kade Reinertson (Huxley, Iowa / Ballard Community).
Renfro extended his on-base streak to 21, becoming the first Valpo player with an on-base streak of more than 20 games since Sam Shaikin’s 23 gamer in 2017.
Up Next
Valpo (9-12, 1-5 MVC) and Milwaukee will face off at 3 p.m. on Tuesday in Franklin, Wis. The game will air on ESPN+.
INDIANAPOLIS ATHLETICS
U OF I MEN’S LAX
INDIANAPOLIS – UIndy junior attacker Wyatt Auyer and junior faceoff specialist Caleb Parker have been named the GLVC Players of the Week in men’s lacrosse, it was announced by the league office Monday.
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Wyatt Auyer
Jr. | A | Memphis, N.Y.
Major: Business
Team Result: 21-10 W vs. Davenport (4/1)
Recorded seven points on five goals and two assists in lone league victory
Took 15 shots with 11 on goal for a .733 shots-on-goal percentage
Added four ground balls
Earns fourth career Offensive Player of the Week Award (4/3/23, 3/27/23, 4/18/22, 2/28/22)
Last Greyhounds’ Offensive Player of the Week: Wyatt Auyer (3/27/23)
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Caleb Parker
Jr. | FOGO | Bixby, Okla.
Major: Business
Team Result: 21-10 W vs. Davenport (4/1)
Set new program record for faceoff wins with 30 in lone league victory
Went 30-for-35 at the faceoff ‘X’
Scooped up 17 ground balls
Earns second career Defensive Player of the Week Award (4/3/23, 4/11/22)
Last Greyhounds’ Defensive Player of the Week: KC Carlson (3/20/23)
BALTIMORE, Md. – The UIndy men’s lacrosse team jumped two spots to No. 4 in the latest USILA national poll, the organization announced on Monday afternoon. The Greyhounds have begun the spring with an 8-1 record and are currently riding a four-game winning streak.
The Hounds recently earned a 21-10 victory over Davenport this past Saturday, improving to 2-0 in GLVC play.
Le Moyne, which handed UIndy its lone loss of the season, collected all 22 first-place votes to top the latest set of rankings. Mercyhurst jumped past the Greyhounds to No. 2, despite the Crimson and Grey’s 9-6 victory in Erie on March 18.
Monday’s poll marks the first time since March 14, 2022, that UIndy has been inside the USILA top four. It is also the 28th consecutive week the Hounds have been ranked in the top 10.
UIndy hosts Maryville this Saturday at 12 p.m. from Key Stadium in the team’s final home game of the regular season.
U OF I SB
INDIANAPOLIS – Junior third baseman Emily O’Connor was named GLVC weekly award winners in softball, it was announced by the league office Monday. She garnered the third career weekly award from the conference after a red hot week at the plate.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Emily O’Connor
Jr. | 3B | New Palestine, Ind.
Major: Religion
Team Results: 3-2 W at Lewis (3/26) | 13-6 W, 6-1 W at Ohio Dominican (3/29) | 18-3 W (5 inn.), 12-4 W (6) vs. Truman State (4/1) | 9-2 W, 4-1 W vs. Quincy (4/2)
Went 13-for-24 (.542) in seven wins, driving in 17 runs and scoring 10
Hit six homers and three doubles for a slugging percentage of 1.417
Recorded hits and RBIs in all seven games
Highlighted by 2-for-4 performance in first game against Ohio Dominican, smacking one homer and one double and collecting five RBIs
Earns third career Player of the Week award (4/3/23, 3/14/22, 3/29/21)
Last Greyhounds’ Player of the Week: Shelby Cook (3/6/23)
MARIAN ATHLETICS
MARIAN SB
MARION, Ind. – The No. 17 Marian softball team extended its win streak to 23 games after picking up the huge sweep of No. 6 Indiana Wesleyan on Monday. The Knights improve their record to 23-1 overall and remain undefeated in Crossroads League play at 12-0.
Game 1 | Marian 2-0 Indiana Wesleyan
Game one started slow for the Marian offense, recording only two hits through the first five innings. The Wildcats picked up two hits in the bottom of the third off a pair of bunts, and would have scored the game’s first two runs. However, the Wildcats batter stepped out of the box early, resulting in the strike out and no runs being record.
The Knights offense struck in the top of the sixth when Abby Madere hit the two-run single to score the first runs of the game, giving Marian the 2-0 lead with one and half innings to play.
Although the Marian offense started slow, Olivia Stunkel was cooking as she only gave up three hits and struck out four in the first five innings of play to keep her team ahead 2-0.
After a scoreless top of the seventh inning and the two-run lead at hand, Stunkel and the Marian defense needed to hold the host to pick up game one. Stunkel did just that as she struck out three straight batters to guide Marian to the 2-0 victory.
Stunkel was flawless in game with the sophomore dealing seven strikeouts and giving up zero runs, improving her record to 11-0 inside the circle. In Marian’s four hits, Savannah Harweger led the way with three, while Madere had one huge hit and picking up the two RBI for the game’s only runs.
Game 2 | Marian 8-3 Indiana Wesleyan
Marian took no time to get going in game two with a single to left field from Hayley Greene sent in Harweger to put the Knights up 1-0. Sydney Wilson shut down the Wildcats in straight order preserving the lead.
It was a battle of the defenses in the next two innings as each team recorded only one hit each. In the top of the fourth, Madere picked up where she left off in game one as she hit the two-run homer to give her team the 3-0 advantage. IWU put out the next three batters before scoring their first run of the day.
The Wildcats continued their offensive attack in the bottom of the fifth where they tacked on two more runs to tie the game at 3-3. Wilson would get out of the inning, leaving one runner on base. Both teams went scoreless in the sixth, leaving the scored locked at 3-3 going into the final inning of play.
In top half of the seventh inning, Marian fired back in aggressive fashion. Brooke Knox kicked things off with a single before advancing to second on a wild pitch. Mackenzie Dalton and Anna Pritchett both walked to put bases loaded. Another walk and a single by Jenna Minnix put the Knights up 6-3, before a sac fly from Grace Meyer recorded another run for the Knights. Marian picked up one more run in the inning after executing on a wild pitch that saw Minnix score.
Holding the 8-3 lead going into the bottom half of the final inning, Wilson continued to do her thing as she went three up three down to help the Knights win game two and complete the sweep of the Wildcats.
Madere was excellent on the offensive end again, as she recorded a homerun, two RBI, and a hit. Harweger led with two hits, while Minnix, Greene, and Knox all registered a hit, while Minnix also added two RBI. Wilson pitched all seven innings, recording one strikeout, and allowing three runs as she improved to 10-0 on the year.
Marian will have a quick turnaround as they host Taylor tomorrow afternoon at 3 p.m. in a doubleheader.
MARIAN TRACK
Jackson, Mich. – After a record-setting performance at the Marian Knight Open, Christian Rios has been named as the Crossroads League Field Athlete of the Week. Rios’ honor is his second consecutive after claiming the award last week.
The sophomore had an outstanding effort at the Marian Knight Open, winning two of the four events he was entered in while placing second in another. Rios set the Marian school record in the hammer throw with a 60.24m mark to hit the NAIA A Standard. Rios also earned the A standard in the discus as he won the event, and would also finish second in the javelin. The sophomore just missed on a third standard, receiving no mark on his shot put, despite his top throw hitting the A standard on a fouled attempt.
Rios and the Knights will be back in action on April 14-15, competing in a split squad weekend with members competing at Ball State and Tiffin.
NATIONAL NEWS HEADLINES
MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
UCONN WINS MARCH MADNESS WITH 76-59 SMOTHERING OF SDSU
HOUSTON (AP) After six games and 240 minutes of pure dominance that ran through March, then part of April, it finally became clear there was only one thing that could stop the UConn Huskies.
The final buzzer.
The team from Storrs, Connecticut, topped off one of the most impressive March Madness runs in history Monday night, clamping down early, then breaking things open late to bring home its fifth national title with a 76-59 victory over San Diego State.
“We knew we were the best team in the tournament going in, and we just had to play to our level,” said Dan Hurley, who joined Jim Calhoun and Kevin Ollie as the third coach to lead UConn to a title.
UConn’s lanky star forward, Adama Sanogo, won Most Outstanding Player honors, finishing with 17 points and 10 rebounds in the final. Tristen Newton also had a double-double with 19 points and 10 boards.
The Huskies (31-8) became the fifth team since the bracket expanded in 1985 to win all six NCAA Tournament games by double-digits on the way to a championship. They won those six games by an average of an even 20 points, only a fraction less than what North Carolina did in sweeping to the title in 2009.
UConn built a 16-point lead late in the first half, only to see the Aztecs (32-7) trim it to five with 5:19 left. But Jordan Hawkins (16 points), – whose cousin, Angel Reese, won MOP honors the night before to help LSU take the women’s title – answered with a 3 to trigger a 9-0 run.
“It’s absolutely amazing that we both get this opportunity,” Hawkins said. “The family reunion is going to be crazy.”
Keshad Johnson scored 14 points for San Diego State, which came up one win shy in this, its first trip to the Final Four. Darrion Trammell and Lamont Butler, he of buzzer-beater fame in the semifinal against Florida Atlantic, had 13 apiece.
San Diego State coach Brian Dutcher was an assistant with Michigan back in the Fab Five days, when the Wolverines lost in the final two years in a row. One of the Fab Five, current Wolverines coach Juwan Howard, was there to console his former coach.
“We had to be at our best. We weren’t at our best,” Dutcher said. “A lot had to do with UConn.”
UConn, the favorite and best-seeded team at No. 4 for this Final Four full of underdogs, set the stage for this win over an 11:07 stretch in the first half during which the Aztecs didn’t make a basket. Unable to shoot over or go around this tall, long UConn team, they missed 14 straight shots from the floor.
They went from leading by four to trailing by 11, and when they weren’t getting shots blocked (Alex Karaban had three and Sanogo had one) or altered on the inside, they were coming up short – a telltale sign of a team that was out of hops after that 72-71 buzzer-beater win two nights earlier.
UConn fan Bill Murray, whose son is an assistant for the Huskies, was one of the few celebrities on hand to watch them make it five for five in title games. This one marked the last that Jim Nantz would call after 37 years behind the mic.
“The one thing I learned through all of this is, everybody has a dream and everybody has a story to tell. Just try to find that story. Be kind,” Nantz said as part of his final sign-off from the Final Four.
He’s had a lot of UConn stories to tell over the years, though this certainly wasn’t the most dramatic.
Even with that brief bout of uncertainty midway through the second half, UConn never truly let the fifth-seeded Aztecs, who overcame a 14-point deficit in the semifinal, start thinking about any more last-second dramatics.
This was a team built strictly for 2023 – replenished by Hurley, who went to the transfer portal to find more outside shooting after back-to-back first-round exits in the tournament. Despite the rebuild, UConn was in the “others receiving votes” category in Week 1 of the AP poll.
“We weren’t ranked going into the year, so we had the chip on our shoulder,” Hurley said. “We knew the level that we could play at, even through those dark times.”
Despite the new-age roster building, there was something decidedly old-school about the way the Huskies took care of business in the early going.
They didn’t even think much about 3-point shooting at the start – didn’t make one until more than 13 minutes into the game – instead skip passing into Sanogo on the post and wearing down SDSU while building the early lead two points at a time.
The Aztecs were too good a team to cave, and an over-pursuing defense is what triggered the late run to within five. But a team built on defense finished the game only shooting 32% from the floor.
“We cut it to five. I think there were people in the stands that thought, ‘Hey, they’re capable of doing it again,’ and we were,” Dutcher said. “But we ran into too good of a team.”
UConn’s latest coronation makes Hurley the third coach to bring a trophy home to Storrs. He joins Calhoun (1999, 2004, 2001) and Ollie (2014).
And Sanogo – make that Adama – adds himself to others on a first-name basis up on that campus – UConn legends like Kemba (Walker), Rip (Hamilton) and Emeka (Okafor). Sanogo averaged 19.7 points and 9.8 rebounds over UConn’s six-game cruise through the tournament.
Once the confetti stopped falling, Sanogo recalled a preseason visit the team received from Okafor.
“After he watched our practice, he was like, ‘I see that I can count on you guys, you guys are a special team,’” Sanogo said.
After UConn put on a March Madness clinic, everyone else can see that now, too.
WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
SHAQ SLAM DUNKS ON KEITH OLBERMANN, TELLS HIM TO ‘SHUT YOUR DUMB A** UP’ AFTER FORMER ESPN ANCHOR BLASTED CONDUCT OF LSU’S ANGEL REESE IN TITLE GAME
NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal slam dunked on Keith Olbermann early Monday, telling the outspoken former ESPN anchor to “shut your dumb a** up” after Olbermann ranted on Twitter about the behavior of LSU’s Angel Reese in her team’s title game win Sunday over Iowa.
What are the details?
Reese made headlines for taunting Iowa star Caitlin Clark with Clark’s own taunt of waving her hand in front her face — a way of saying “Can’t see me!” — and also by pointing at her ring finger to signify a championship.
Outkick said some were behind Reese for “giving Clark, a notorious trash talker, a taste of her own medicine. But others — like our favorite unhinged sports commentator — did not approve.”
In reference to Reese, Olbermann on Sunday evening tweeted, “What a f***ing idiot.”
He added, “Doesn’t matter the gender, the sport, the background — you’re seconds away from a championship, and you do something like this and overshadow all the good. Mindless, classless, and what kind of coach does this team have?”
Outkick said some were behind Reese for “giving Clark, a notorious trash talker, a taste of her own medicine. But others — like our favorite unhinged sports commentator — did not approve.”
In reference to Reese, Olbermann on Sunday evening tweeted, “What a f***ing idiot.”
He added, “Doesn’t matter the gender, the sport, the background — you’re seconds away from a championship, and you do something like this and overshadow all the good. Mindless, classless, and what kind of coach does this team have?”
MLB NEWS
MLB ROUNDUP: PADRES GO BACK-TO-BACK IN 9TH, EDGE D-BACKS
Pinch hitter David Dahl and Ha-Seong Kim hit back-to-back home runs to open the bottom of the ninth inning on Monday night, giving the San Diego Padres a 5-4 victory over the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks.
Evan Longoria hit a one-out homer off Padres reliever Steven Wilson in the top of the ninth to give the Diamondbacks a 4-3 lead before Scott McGough (0-1) allowed the tying and game-winning blasts.
Leading off the bottom of the inning, Dahl tied the game with a drive into the seats in left-center. Kim then homered to left on a 3-1 pitch from McGough, who earned a save Sunday against the Dodgers in Los Angeles.
Tim Hill (1-0), who needed a double play to get out of the top of the ninth, got the victory as the Padres won their third straight game.
Tigers 7, Astros 6 (11 innings)
Matt Vierling had four hits, including a two-run home run in the 11th inning, to lift Detroit over host Houston.
Vierling broke a 5-5 tie with a blast to center off Houston reliever Hector Neris (0-1). The Astros scored a run in the bottom of the 11th on a fielder’s choice groundout by Yordan Alvarez, but Detroit reliever Garrett Hill got Jose Abreu to pop out to end the game with a runner on first.
It was Hill’s first save of the season. Trey Wingenter (1-0) earned the win. Abreu have tied the game at 5-5 with an RBI double in the ninth.
Orioles 2, Rangers 0
Gunnar Henderson and Jorge Mateo delivered solo home runs, four pitchers combined to throw a one-hitter and Baltimore blanked Texas in the opener of a three-game series in Arlington, Texas.
Baltimore’s bullpen had to step up after starter Kyle Bradish exited in the second inning due to a foot injury. Tyler Wells, who was scheduled to start on Tuesday, pitched five innings and retired the final 11 batters he faced before Felix Bautista had a 1-2-3 ninth inning for his second save.
Baltimore turned to left-hander Danny Coulombe (1-0) to replace Bradish. Coulombe went 1 1/3 innings, although a scary moment unfolded when he hit Rangers left fielder Josh H. Smith in the face with an 88.5 mph pitch. Smith, who walked off under his own power, went to an area hospital for further scans and testing on his face and jaw, the Rangers announced.
Guardians 12, Athletics 11 (10 innings)
Jose Ramirez singled home Steven Kwan to ignite a two-run 10th inning as visiting Cleveland, after seeing a lead slip away in the bottom of the ninth, bounced back for a victory over Oakland.
The A’s were down 10-8 when Seth Brown followed a walk to Aledmys Diaz with a two-run homer off Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase in the last of the ninth. It was Brown’s first homer of the season. The win, as well as a blown save, went to Clase (1-0).
Josh Naylor hit his second home run of the season for the Guardians, while Jace Peterson and Ramon Laureano also homered for the A’s. Oakland knocked out Guardians starter Zach Plesac with a five-run second inning, which was capped by Peterson’s three-run shot.
Angels 7, Mariners 3
Shohei Ohtani and Taylor Ward hit two-run homers as Los Angeles defeated host Seattle.
The Angels won their third straight while handing the Mariners their fourth loss in a row. Ryan Tepera (1-0), Matt Moore, Jimmy Herget, Jose Quijada and Carlos Estevez combined for 4 1/3 innings of scoreless relief, allowing just one hit and one walk.
After Mike Trout led off the fifth with a walk, Ohtani broke a 2-2 tie with a two-run blast off George Kirby (0-1). The Mariners pulled within a run in the bottom of the inning when Eugenio Suarez lined a run-scoring single. The score remained 4-3 until the eighth, when Luis Rengifo drew a one-out walk off Seattle reliever Matt Festa and, an out later, Ward went deep.
Dodgers 13, Rockies 4
Jason Heyward hit a two-run home run during a seven-run fifth inning, Chris Taylor and Will Smith each added a two-run homer and Los Angeles rolled to a victory over visiting Colorado.
Rookie James Outman had two triples, including one to drive in two runs during the fifth-inning outburst, as the Dodgers had seven consecutive hitters reach base with two outs. Freddie Freeman finished with three hits. Yency Almonte (1-0) picked up the victory despite allowing a run in his lone inning.
Harold Castro had a two-run single for the Rockies. Colorado starter Ryan Feltner (0-1) was charged with five runs on four hits in 4 2/3 innings.
Giants 12, White Sox 3
David Villar had a grand slam among two home runs, and visiting San Francisco hit four of its seven homers during a five-batter span in the fifth inning to run away with a victory over host Chicago.
Michael Conforto, Thairo Estrada and Mike Yastrzemski joined Villar in the home run parade in the fifth against White Sox starter Michael Kopech (0-1). Joc Pederson and Bryce Johnson also went deep for the Giants, who overpowered the White Sox after totaling just two homers in their season-opening, three-game series at the New York Yankees.
Right-hander Anthony DeSclafani (1-0) was the beneficiary of the powerful support, coasting through six shutout innings and allowing three hits. He struck out four and did not walk a batter. Kopech was pulled two outs into the fifth, having allowed seven runs and eight hits. He walked three and struck out five.
Brewers 10, Mets 0
Rookie Brice Turang had a grand slam for his first career home run and a healthy Freddy Peralta tossed six scoreless innings to lead Milwaukee to a victory over visiting New York in the Brewers’ home opener.
Turang’s slam capped a seven-run fifth inning that put the Brewers in front 10-0 as Milwaukee won its third straight after a season-opening loss.
Turang has four hits and eight total bases plus three walks in his past eight plate appearances. The Mets’ Carlos Carrasco (0-1), a 15-game winner last season, allowed five runs on four hits in four innings, walking four and striking out four in his season debut.
Reds 7, Cubs 6
Jason Vosler, who began the night on the bench, delivered a clutch three-run homer and made a game-saving stab of a line drive to lead Cincinnati past visiting Chicago.
Alex Young (1-0) finished the fifth inning to earn the win. Derek Law pitched out of a two-out jam in the ninth to earn his first major league save since 2019.
Cody Bellinger hit a three-run homer for the Cubs. Drew Smyly (0-1) took his first loss in six career decisions against the Reds, allowing seven runs (six earned) over 4 2/3 innings.
Twins 11, Marlins 1
Joey Gallo slugged a three-run homer and Tyler Mahle struck out seven batters, leading Minnesota over host Miami.
Max Kepler also homered for the Twins, but he was removed in the fourth inning due to soreness in his right knee. Trevor Larnach also had a big game for the Twins, going 2-for-5 with a homer, a triple and three RBIs. Mahle (1-0) allowed five hits, one walk and one run in five innings, earning his first win since Aug. 12, 2022.
Johnny Cueto (0-1) made his Marlins debut, retiring just three batters and allowing three hits, one walk and four runs. He was removed three batters into the second inning due to tightness in his right biceps.
Yankees 8, Phillies 1
Anthony Rizzo ignited a five-run fifth inning with a two-run homer, and host New York cruised to victory over Philadelphia.
Gleyber Torres hit his 100th career homer and drove in a run with an infield single early in the game before the Yankees produced their biggest inning of the young season.
Rizzo’s drive off Yunior Marte stayed just fair and reached the second deck down the right field line. Franchy Cordero hit a two-run double, and Jose Trevino added an RBI single later in the inning as the Yankees sent the Phillies to their first 0-4 start since 2016. Edmundo Sosa drove in Philadelphia’s only run.
Rays 6, Nationals 2
Luke Raley homered twice, and Tampa Bay remained perfect through four games by defeating host Washington.
Drew Rasmussen threw six shutout innings in what became a combined four-hitter among four pitchers for the Rays, who have allowed a total of five runs this season. Both of Raley’s homers came with two outs, a two-run blast in the first inning off Washington starter Trevor Williams and a solo shot in the eighth off reliever Mason Thompson.
Williams (0-1) lasted five innings, dinged for four runs (three earned) on six hits. He walked one and struck out three. Rasmussen (1-0) fanned seven without a walk, delivering only 16 balls among 66 pitches. He yielded two hits. Washington’s Jeimer Candelario smacked a solo home run in the ninth inning.
Pirates 7, Red Sox 6
Center fielder Bryan Reynolds hit two home runs to help Pittsburgh end a two-game losing streak with a victory over host Boston.
Reynolds hit solo homers in the second and fourth innings. He collected three hits in the win. Rafael Devers, Masataka Yoshida and Triston Casas homered for the Red Sox.
Neither starting pitcher had much success. Boston’s Kutter Crawford (0-1) allowed eight hits and seven runs in four innings. He struck out six, walked two and allowed three home runs. Pittsburgh’s Johan Oviedo was pulled with two outs in the fifth after he gave up five runs (four earned) on six hits, walked four and struck out four.
Royals 9, Blue Jays 5
MJ Melendez had a double and a two-home run as Kansas City defeated visiting Toronto for its first win of the season.
Bo Bichette hit the first homer of the season for the Blue Jays, who have lost three straight after winning on Opening Day.
Royals starter Brady Singer (1-0) allowed one run, two hits and three walks while striking out three in five innings. His counterpart, Jose Berrios (0-1), allowed eight runs, nine hits and two walks while striking out seven in 5 2/3 innings.
Braves 8, Cardinals 4
Ronald Acuna Jr. went 3-for-4 with a three-run homer and two runs to power visiting Atlanta past St. Louis.
Ozzie Albies hit a two-run homer and Austin Riley had a solo shot for the Braves, who have won three of four games to start the season. Atlanta starter Charlie Morton (1-0) allowed three runs on nine hits and two walks in 5 1/3 innings. He struck out one.
St. Louis starter Jake Woodford (0-1) gave up six runs on seven hits, including three homers, in 4 1/3 innings. Paul Goldschmidt went 2-for-4 with a walk and a solo homer for the Cardinals.
RENDON SUSPENSION REDUCED TO 4 GAMES BY MLB, APPEAL DROPPED
SEATTLE (AP) Los Angeles Angels third baseman Anthony Rendon says he is dropping his appeal after his suspension was reduced to four games by Major League Baseball for his altercation with a fan last week.
Rendon spoke before the Angels opened a series in Seattle on Monday night and said the league had agreed to reduce his suspension from five games to four. The initial five-game suspension was handed down by MLB senior vice president Michael Hill earlier Monday and the appeal by Rendon was immediate.
Rendon’s suspension will begin with Monday’s game and he will sit the entire series against Seattle.
“It sucks. My emotions got the best of me. I’m usually pretty good about interacting with fans. Always like to chirp back at them, kind of have fun with it,” Rendon said in his first comments about the incident.
Rendon grabbed a fan by the shirt through the bleacher guardrails after Thursday night’s 2-1 loss at Oakland. Rendon looks to have grabbed the fan’s shirt near his chest through the bars of the railing and exchanged words with him before appearing to take a swipe at the bill of the man’s ballcap and walking into the tunnel.
A video showed the fan, dressed in A’s colors, approach the railing as Rendon turns toward him from the tunnel walkway below. Rendon grabs the man’s shirt and asks him what he just said, accusing the fan of calling him a derogatory term before swiping at his ballcap.
Rendon said he spoke with the fan on the phone earlier Monday.
“We both apologized about what had happened. We’re both ready to move forward,” Rendon said.
Rendon was initially listed in the lineup for the Angels on Monday night before deciding to begin his suspension once it was reduced. He’ll also miss the Angels home opener against Toronto.
Luis Rengifo moved into the starting lineup and Gio Urshela moved to third base with Rendon out.
“He’s a great leader on our team. He’s accepted responsibility as a good leader and person would and we move on from it,” Angels manager Phil Nevin said.
NFL NEWS
BRONCOS SIGN FREE AGENT CENTER KYLE FULLER
The Denver Broncos signed free agent center Kyle Fuller on Monday.
The 6-foot-5, 320-pound Fuller was selected by the Houston Texans in the seventh round of the 2017 NFL Draft. He has played in 51 career regular-season games (12 starts) with Houston (2017), Washington (2018) and Seattle (2020-22).
Last season with the Seahawks, the 29-year-old Fuller appeared in all 17 games.
49ERS QB BROCK PURDY EXPECTS TO BE THROWING IN TRAINING CAMP
Quarterback Brock Purdy expects to be throwing a football by June and could be on schedule to practice with few limitations when the San Francisco 49ers open training camp in late July.
Purdy, 23, had surgery to repair the torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right arm earlier this month, but 49ers general manager John Lynch said the second-year quarterback would be in line to start if the season began now.
But the trouble with assessing Purdy in April is the only real measure of his progress comes when throwing begins.
“The protocol is you start throwing at three months, but it all depends on how your therapy and your range of motion and everything goes up until that point,” Purdy told the San Jose Mercury-News. “There are definitely some boxes I have to check off first before I get to that point, but that’s the plan as of now.”
Purdy made a stunning rise from being the last pick in the 2022 NFL Draft to leading the 49ers into the NFC Championship Game.
He said the size of the elbow brace he’s wearing during the first part of his post-op rehab makes it appears as if he has a “bionic arm.”
“When you first get in it after surgery, you’re in it at 90 degrees. From there, you can start opening it up to help with your range of motion,” Purdy said. “It is just to keep your arm safe when you’re out walking around or doing therapy. But at night, I can take it off and just do some normal motions with just looking at my arm.”
When he gets back on the field, he’ll have company in the form of Trey Lance and Sam Darnold, a pair of former No. 3 overall picks. Lance, the third pick in 2021, began last season as San Francisco’s starter but sustained a season-ending ankle injury in Week 2.
Darnold signed as an unrestricted free agent after two seasons with the Carolina Panthers, who acquired him from the New York Jets. The Jets drafted Darnold with the third pick in the 2018 draft.
Purdy, selected with the 262nd and final pick in the 2022 draft, emerged as the No. 1 quarterback for the 49ers after Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo went down with injuries. He was undefeated in seven games before losing his eighth, the NFC Championship Game, after injuring his elbow in the first quarter against the Philadelphia Eagles.
JALEN CARTER ONLY VISITING TEAMS IN TOP 10 OF NFL DRAFT
Jalen Carter is only visiting teams with picks in the top 10 of this month’s NFL draft, as his agent is positive the former Georgia defensive tackle will be selected early despite his legal issues and shaky pro day.
Carter was a presumed lock to be one of the first two non-quarterbacks selected, along with Alabama’s Will Anderson Jr., but that was before his connection to a fatal car crash surfaced.
Carter pleaded no contest to misdemeanor charges of reckless driving and racing last month in the crash that killed Bulldogs teammate Devin Willock and Georgia recruiting staffer Chandler LeCroy. Carter first told police he wasn’t involved at all.
Further, Carter weighed in nine pounds heavier (323) at his pro day than his weigh-in at the scouting combine just days earlier. He was unable to finish the drills due to cramping and breathing heavily, per multiple reports.
“I’m confident Jalen will go in the top 10,” agent Drew Rosenhaus told ESPN. “He’s a good person, a family man, loves football and is a generational talent.”
Carter is visiting the Chicago Bears on Monday — his second with the team — after also visiting the Philadelphia Eagles. The Bears pick ninth and the Eagles 10th. Four QBs are expected to be taken with the first few picks.
Carter was arrested and booked during the week of the combine in connection with the Jan. 15 fatal crash. He was sentenced to 12 months of probation and 80 hours of community service.
The 6-foot-3 Carter was a unanimous All-American in 2022 and led the Bulldogs to back-to-back College Football Playoff championships.
REPORT: VETERAN LB DEION JONES VISITING WITH GIANTS
Pro Bowl linebacker Deion Jones is visiting with the New York Giants on Monday, NFL Network reported.
The 28-year-old free agent recorded 44 tackles and 2.5 sacks in 11 games (five starts) with Cleveland in 2022.
Jones played his first six seasons with Atlanta and topped 100 tackles in five of them, making the Pro Bowl in 2017.
A second-round pick by the Falcons in 2016, Jones has 696 tackles, 11 sacks and 12 interceptions in 96 games.
DOLPHINS RE-SIGN TE DURHAM SMYTHE FOR TWO MORE SEASONS
The Miami Dolphins re-signed tight end Durham Smythe to a two-year extension that runs through the 2025 season, with NFL Network reporting the value at $7.75 million with $5.5 million fully guaranteed.
The Notre Dame product signed a two-year, $7 million deal that runs through 2023 in advance of last season.
Smythe, 27, caught 15 passes for 129 yards and one touchdown in 2022, over 16 games (15 starts). The production was down from his career-best season in 2021 when he caught 34 passes for 357 yards in 17 games (12 starts).
In five seasons with the Dolphins, Smythe has 88 receptions for 809 yards and three TDs in 79 games. He was a fourth-round draft choice by Miami in 2018.
NHL NEWS
NHL ROUNDUP: MATT BOLDY’S HAT TRICK LEADS WILD OVER KRAKEN
GOLDEN KNIGHTS WIN 4-3 IN SO, BUT WILD CLINCH PLAYOFFS
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) Pavel Dorofeyev scored twice in regulation, including the tying goal with 34.2 seconds left to send it to overtime, and then had one of Vegas’ three shootout scores in the Golden Knights’ 4-3 victory Monday night that briefly kept the Minnesota Wild from earning a playoff spot.
Keegan Kolesar also scored in regulation, Jack Eichel and Reilly Smith also had shootout goals and Laurent Brossoit made 30 saves. The Knights, who beat Minnesota 4-1 in Las Vegas on Saturday, lead the Western Conference and Pacific Division with 103 points and already secured a postseason spot.
“It’s huge because these are important games for us,” Kolesar said. “For a team who wants to go the distance, we might be seeing these guys later on. So, for us, it’s taking care of business, home or away, whatever it may be.”
Matt Boldy had a goal and assist, reaching the 30-goal mark in his first full NHL season for the Wild, who clinched a postseason berth for the fourth straight season shortly after the game when Dallas beat Nashville 5-1. Minnesota is tied with Dallas atop the Central Division with 98 points.
“Listen, that’s our first step, right?” Wild coach Dean Evason said. “The way we played tonight as opposed to the other night, we were so happy with the way we played. Five-on-five, we were as good as we’ve been and we make a mistake at the end 5-on-6. We liked the way we came back from that game (in Vegas) and played a real strong hockey game.”
Brandon Duhaime and John Klingberg also scored in regulation, and Frederick Gaudreau and Joel Eriksson Ek had shootout scores for Minnesota. Filip Gustavsson stopped 23 shots in goal for the Wild.
Dorofeyev twice tied the game, with his first of the game coming in the second period before Boldy’s go-ahead goal late in the frame.
With Brossoit pulled and the Golden Knights trailing 3-2, the puck again found its way to Dorofeyev, who was wide open in front of Gustavsson and forced overtime. The Russian rookie has seven goals in 13 games this season.
“I just try to keep feeding him the puck because it seems like he’s got a lot of confidence right now,” said Smith, who assisted on Dorofeyev’s first goal. “He’s putting it in the back of the net.”
Minnesota’s surge up the standings, with points in 21 of 23 games, has come with leading scorer Kirill Kaprizov missing the past 12 games with a lower-body injury. Kaprizov has started skating on his own, and Boldy has filled the void.
The 21-year-old forward has six multipoint games in the 12 games without Kaprizov, scoring 13 goals during that span. He became the second player in franchise history with a 30-goal season at age 21 or younger, joining Marian Gaborik, the franchise’s first star who had two such seasons.
“Played a lot better than we played in Vegas, just staying above their guys and being smart with pinches and stuff like that,” Boldy said. “They didn’t generate too much off the rush, which is where their offense comes from. It’s a tough break to see them leave with two points.”
SMART CHOICE
Smith returned to the lineup after missing four games with a lower-body injury and the original plan was to scratch Dorofeyev for a second straight game. Instead, Dorofeyev was back in the lineup with Chandler Stephenson missing the game due to an illness.
“Sometimes you get lucky, right?” Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy said. “That’s the way it works. So, it wasn’t our intention to keep Pav out for a long stretch here. We’re just kind of going from game to game, especially with guys coming in and out. … Pav goes in, so Stevie might have been first star tonight, if you follow my logic.”
DOWN A MAN
The Wild announced rookie forward Mason Shaw tore the ACL in his right knee in Saturday’s game at Vegas and will miss the rest of the season. Shaw had seven goals and 10 assists in 59 games for Minnesota this season.
UP NEXT
Golden Knights: Finish a back-to-back Tuesday at Nashville.
Wild: Play at Pittsburgh on Thursday.
STARS WIN, ROBERTSON GETS 1ST 100-POINT SEASON IN DALLAS
DALLAS (AP) Jason Robertson became the first Dallas player with a 100-point season with another big-scoring night as the Stars clinched a playoff spot.
After being on the road when he broke Dallas’ single-season scoring record that had been held by Hall of Fame center Mike Modano, Robertson got to hear the chants of “Robo!, Robo!” at home when he scored his 100th point – and then his 101st – in a 5-1 win over the Nashville Predators on Monday. His 43rd goal accounted for the 100th point, and he also had three assists.
“Glad I have an easy nickname … it’s really special,” Robertson said.
The 23-year-old Robertson, who is in his third NHL season, makes scoring look so easy. He has 10 points (two goals, eight assists) in the last three games.
“He’s so gifted at producing and shooting and just making players around him better,” said Tyler Seguin, whose 20th goal of the season came on Robertson’s third assist against the Predators.
Joe Pavelski added a power-play goal and an assist, while backup Scott Wedgewood stopped 26 shots in his first game since Feb. 19 after being sidelined by a lower body injury.
Dallas is going to the playoffs for the fourth time in five years, with its third different coach in that span. First-year Stars coach Pete DeBoer previously took New Jersey and San Jose to the Stanley Cup Final in his first season with those clubs. The Stars have 98 points with five games left.
The Stars lost a first-round series in Game 7 overtime to Calgary last season under Rick Bowness, who was their interim coach when they went to the Stanley Cup final during the pandemic-impacted 2019-20 season was completed in the NHL bubble in Canada. Dallas made it to the second round of the 2019 playoffs with coach Jim Montgomery.
“That’s six, six months of hard work,” DeBoer said. “We got off to a great start, so everyone kind of assumed we were going to be a playoff team. But, you know, if you rewind to the beginning of the season, there weren’t a lot of people picking us as a bubble team. … I’m glad we’re in. It gives you a chance now.”
The Stars, with 98 points and five games left, matched Minnesota for the lead in the Central Division.
Dallas completed a four-game series sweep of the Predators, who with 84 points and six games remaining are five points behind Winnipeg for the Western Conference’s second wild-card berth. The Bowness-coached Jets and Calgary, which is also three points ahead of Nashville, both have five games left.
‘We had some opportunities early in the game to score, and we didn’t. I thought the third goal was a little bit of a killer for us,” Nashville coach John Hynes said. “Overall, I didn’t think it was an effort thing. I just thought that the special teams played a big part of it.”
Pavelski’s 25th goal came on a power play with about four minutes left in the second period to make it 3-0. He was in front of the crease to knock in a nifty pass from Miro Heiskanen, who had two assists.
Robertson had a nifty pass from behind the net to Roope Hintz for the game’s first goal, and his 35th.
Colin Miller made it 2-0 with 50-foot slap shot that came soon after Wyatt Johnston and Seguin had shots ricochet off the same right post behind All-Star goalie Juuse Saros only a minute apart.
Cal Foote had the lone goal for Nashville.
Modano’s single-season Dallas record of 93 points was set in 1993-94, the franchise’s first season after moving from Minnesota. Robertson broke that mark with a goal and three assists Friday at Arizona. Two more assists Saturday at Colorado got him to 97 points, and he had two assists against the Preds before his power-play goal 8 1/2 minutes into the third period to reach 100 points – then assisted Seguin after that.
“He’s still such a young player. … It’s a fantastic accomplishment,” DeBoer said.
UP NEXT
Predators: Host Vegas on Tuesday to wrap up a back-to-back against playoff contenders they were chasing.
Stars: Play the second of three home games in a row, Thursday against Philadelphia.
MCCANN HELPS KRAKEN CRUISE PAST COYOTES 8-1
SEATTLE (AP) Jared McCann scored two goals in his 500th NHL game, helping the high-powered Seattle Kraken rout the Arizona Coyotes 8-1 on Monday night.
Jordan Eberle, Carson Soucy, Will Borgen, Oliver Bjorkstrand, Morgan Geekie and Ryan Donato also scored for Seattle, which is three points up on Winnipeg and five on Calgary for the top wild-card playoff spot in the Western Conference. Philipp Grubauer made 21 saves.
Lawson Crouse scored for the Coyotes, who are winless in their last eight (0-6-2). Ivan Prosvetov, playing just his fifth game of the season for Arizona, had 24 saves.
It was the Kraken’s fourth game this season with eight goals, plus one game during which they scored nine.
Eberle gave Seattle a 1-0 lead 4:54 into the game on a power-play goal. The Coyotes had the man advantage later in the period when Kraken star rookie Matty Beniers gained control of the puck behind his own blue line, took it across center and passed it to McCann in the high slot. McCann sent a wrister into the net at 15:07 for a short-handed goal.
“Matty made a great play on the wall to create a turnover,” McCann said. “He made the pass and I tried to get to it as quick as I could.”
While scoring in his 500th game was special, McCann said he never really thought about playing that many after being drafted 24th overall by Vancouver in 2014. He’s the 10th player from that draft class to reach the milestone. McCann played with the Canucks, Pittsburgh and Florida before coming to the Kraken in the 2021 expansion draft.
“It has been a journey for me – definitely not your Cinderella career,” he said. “I’ve had to grind my way at some points, but I think I’m a better person for it.”
Kraken coach Dave Hakstol made McCann a bigger part of the team’s penalty kill after the Christmas break, and he has been pleased with the results.
“We changed the structure of our kills a little bit, and he fits that structure very well,” Hakstol said. “He has meshed very well with (Yanni Gourde), and that chemistry has been good.”
Crouse put Arizona on the scoreboard at 4:44 of the second with his 23rd goal.
Soucy restored Seattle’s two-goal lead at the 11:58 mark. Just three minutes later, McCann picked up the puck behind his blue line, took it all the way to the top of Prosvetov’s goal crease and drilled hit past him for his team-leading 37th goal and a 4-1 lead.
Borgen, Bjorkstrand, Geekie and Donato added third-period goals to complete the rout.
“You don’t look too far back and you don’t look too far ahead,” Hakstol said. “You just worry about working and doing what you have to (in order) to go get two points – the score doesn’t matter. “
Coyotes coach Andre Tourigny saw some positives during the first two periods, but not in the third.
“We had good pace, good pressure, did a lot of good things to generate good scoring chances,” he said. “We were in it. I was happy with the play for most of the game. Like I said, we were doing a lot of good things, then we started to force the play a little bit.
“We just have to learn to remain a little bit patient.”
NOTES: McCann has three of Seattle’s five short-handed goals this season. … Daniel Sprong, Vince Dunn and Adam Larsson each had two assists. Dunn’s pair gave him 200 career points. … It was the first meeting this season between the Kraken and Coyotes – the 76th game for Seattle and 78th for Arizona. They’ll play twice more in the next seven days: Thursday in Seattle, next Monday in Tempe.
UP NEXT
Coyotes: Visit Kraken on Thursday night.
Kraken: Visit Canucks on Tuesday night.
WWE/UFC NEWS
(AP) — WWE is saying goodbye to existing as a family-run business as it joins with the company that runs Ultimate Fighting Championship to create a $21.4 billion sports entertainment company.
The deal announced Monday between Endeavor and World Wrestling Entertainment, on the heels of its biggest event of the year, catapults WWE into a new era after spending decades under the control of the McMahon family.
Vince McMahon purchased Capitol Wrestling from his father in 1982, and took the regional wrestling business to a national audience with stars such as Andre the Giant, Hulk Hogan, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, John Cena and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. The company, which changed its name to World Wrestling Federation and later World Wrestling Entertainment, hosted its first WrestleMania in 1985.
McMahon, in an interview with CNBC, addressed doubts among some WWE fans and industry experts that he would ever make a deal for the business. “It’s the right time to do the right thing. And it’s the next evolution of WWE,” he said.
In a presentation after the deal was announced, the WWE and Endeavor said that they will cross promote to drive brand awareness and deepen penetration of their overlapping fan base, more than 700 million UFC fans and 1.2 billion WWE fans worldwide.
Ties already exist talent wise between WWE and UFC, with stars such as Brock Lesnar and Ronda Rousey crossing over between the two organizations.
A new publicly traded company will house the UFC and WWE brands, with Endeavor Group Holdings Inc. taking a 51% controlling interest in the new company. Existing WWE shareholders will hold a 49% stake.
The companies put the enterprise value of UFC at $12.1 billion and WWE’s value at $9.3 billion.
The new business, which does not yet have a name, will be lead by Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel. McMahon, executive chairman at WWE, will serve in the same role at the new company. Dana White will continue as president of UFC and Nick Khan will be president at WWE.
“Together, we will be a $21+ billion live sports and entertainment powerhouse with a collective fanbase of more than a billion people and an exciting growth opportunity,” McMahon said in a prepared statement Monday.
He also provided some idea of where the focus of the new company will be, saying that it will look to maximize the value of combined media rights, enhance sponsorship monetization, develop new forms of content and pursue other strategic mergers and acquisitions to further bolster their brands.
Confirmation that WWE is being sold comes after McMahon, a majority shareholder of WWE, returned to the company in January and said that it could be on the block with viewership continuing to rise.
Rumors swirled about who would possibly be interested in buying WWE, with Endeavor, Disney, Fox, Comcast, Amazon and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund all in the mix.
McMahon said on CNBC that there were several buyers interested in WWE, but that combining with Endeavor is the right move.
“It makes all the sense in the world for all these synergies that we have to extract all of the value that we can out of the marketplace,” he explained.
Media industry analysts viewed WWE as an attractive target given its global reach and loyal fanbase.
The company held its marquee event, WrestleMania, over the weekend. The two-day spectacular, held at SoFi Stadium in California, topped the existing global viewership record by 28% on the first night. On the second night, it beat the existing global viewership record by 33%. Merchandise sales for WrestleMania 39 climbed 20% from a year earlier. Last year, WWE booked revenue of $1.3 billion.
The company is also a social media powerhouse. It surpassed 16 billion social video views in the final quarter of last year. It has nearly 94 million YouTube subscribers and has more than 20 million followers on TikTok. Its female wrestlers comprise five out of the top 15 most followed female athletes in the world, across Facebook, Twitter & Instagram, led by Rousey with 36.1 million followers.
WWE had more than 7.5 billion digital and social media views in January and February of this year, up 15% from the same time frame a year ago. And WrestleMania 39 had more than 500 million views and 11 million hours of video consumed over the two days of the event, a 42% increase over last year.
The new company plans to trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the “TKO” ticker symbol. Its board will have 11 members, with six being appointed by Endeavor and five being appointed by WWE.
“We like the assets of UFC and also WWE in a world where linear TV is losing market share to streaming, thus live sport content is in high demand,” wrote Jeffries analyst Randal Konik said in a note to clients.
The transaction, which was approved by the boards of Endeavor and WWE, is targeted to close in the second half of the year. It still needs regulatory approval.
Shares of World Wrestling Entertainment Inc., based in Stamford, Connecticut, are up 33% this year, but fell nearly 4% in Monday afternoon trading. Shares of Endeavor, based in Beverly Hills, California, slipped more than 7%.
HCAC SPORTS NOTEBOOKS
BASEBALL
Hitting Athlete of the Week:
Harrison Pittsford (Ellettsville, Ind.) Manchester University | Junior- Pittsford went 3-4 at the plate with a homerun and six RBI. During Saturday’s doubleheader against Transylvania, Harrison Pittsford 3-8 at the plate with six RBI, two homeruns, a double, and a walk. Pittsford is currently hitting .333 on the season and leads the Black and Gold with six homeruns, 25 RBI, and a .667 slugging percentage.
Pitching Athlete of the Week:
Landen Southern (Lafayette, Ind.) Anderson University | Sophomore- Southern tossed eight scoreless innings in Anderson’s 5-0 win against Earlham. He struck out nine batters, issued five walks and allowed four hits.
Notable Performances:
- Jack Towell (Batavia, Ohio) Bluffton University | Senior- Towell went 7-of-14 for a .500 batting average with a homer and three doubles as the Beavers were a perfect 4-0 on the week, including 3-0 in the HCAC. He scored six runs and drove in three while slugging .929 with four walks.
- Colter Couillard-Rodak (Lafayette, Colo.) Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology | Junior- Couillard-Rodak batted .450 (9-20) with 3 doubles and 1 home run to lead the Rose-Hulman offense in a perfect 4-0 week. Couillard-Rodak slugged .750 for the week and scored 5 runs and had 6 RBIs, highlighted by 4 hits in a 10-9 win over Mount St. Joseph and 3 hits in a 6-0 win over Wabash.
- Max Fries (Cleves, Ohio) Earlham College | Senior- Fries led the Quakers at the plate this week with a .400 batting average. The senior had six hits with two doubles and a home run for four RBI on the week.
- Alex Christie (Greenwood, Ind.) Hanover College | Junior- Christie led the Panthers this past week as he tied the Hanover all-time career home run record despite being walked four times. The junior charted two home runs in the team’s second game against Franklin while posting a .300 batting average with a 1.000 slugging percentage. He currently is tied for first in the HCAC in home runs.
- Noah Wood (Indianapolis, Ind.) Franklin Coillege | Sophomore- Wood went 5-for-11 with a home run, four RBI and six runs scored as Franklin won all three of their games last week…had two hits and drove in two runs as part of a comeback win over Millikin on Tuesday…went 3-for-5 with a home run, two driven in and a pair of runs scored to cap a double-header sweep of Hanover on Sunday afternoon.
- Calvin Schubert (Louisville, Ky.) Transylvania University | Sophomore- Schubert went 6-10 with 3RBI, and scored six runs during a doubleheader sweep of Manchester on Saturday. Earlier in the week, he went 2-4 with an RBI against Otterbein. For the week he was 8-14, batting .571.
- Tyler Smitherman (Westfield, Ind.) Anderson University | Senior- Smitherman went 7-for-16 with a homer, 2 doubles and 5 RBI’s. He provided a .438 batting average, a .474 on-base percentage and a .750 slugging percentage.
- Ethan Mason (Cincinatti, Ohio) Mount St. Joseph University | First Year- Mason shined at the plate this week for the Lions. Mason finished the series batting .556 (5-9) including 1 home run and 1 double. Mason knocked in 5 runs while scoring 2 himself.
- Jacob Moberly (Elizabethtown, Ky.) Transylvania University | Sophomore- Moberly earned his second win on the season in the 9-0 win over Manchester Saturday night. He went 6 innings to earn the win, striking out 7 and walking 1 while only giving up 2 hits.
- Matthew Johnson (Griffith, Ind.) Franklin College | Sophomore- Johnson went 5.1 innings on Sunday against Hanover, giving up just one hit and no run with eight strikeouts to lower his ERA on the year to 1.48, tops among all HCAC starting pitchers.
- Jacob Renner (West Chester, Ohio) Earlham College | Senior- Renner threw 4.2 innings with no runs allowed, and four hits allowed across three appearances for the Quakers this week. He earned one save and had three strikeouts.
- Matthew Alter (Indianapolis, Ind.) Hanover College | Senior- Alter led the Panthers this past week pitching five complete innings as part of the game one with Franklin. The senior surrendered just one earned run on one hit while striking out three. He posted a strong 1.80 ERA.
- Zacheus Carr (Mahomet, Ill.) Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology | Sophomore- Carr pitched 3 scoreless innings in an 8-5 Rose-Hulman win over Mount St. Joseph, allowing just 1 hit with 4 strikeouts to pick up his first career save. Carr has pitched 6 scoreless innings over 2 weekends of conference play, allowing 1 hit with 5 strikeouts.
- Seth Altman (Hilliard, Ohio) Bluffton University | First Year- Altman worked five innings of scoreless relief for the win at Defiance, allowing just three hits with three punchouts. He was 1-0 and held the opposition to a miniscule .167 batting average on Sunday.
- Jared Holley (Wabash, Ind.) Manchester University | Junior- Holley picked up his first win of the season on the mound for the Spartans. Holley allowed one hit with two strikeouts in two innings of relief work for Manchester.
SOFTBALL
Athletes of the Week:
Hitting Athlete of the Week:
Nicole Lang (Fishers, Ind.) Rose-Hulman Insitute of Technology | Senior- Lang batted .467 (7-15) with a 1.067 slugging average and 3 home runs in 6 games last week to lead the Rose-Hulman offense. Lang scored 9 runs with 8 RBIs and had a .524 on-base percentage with 3 walks. Lang homered in both parts of a doubleheader against Defiance and also homered in an 8-7 win over Eureka.
Pitching Athlete of the Week:
Anika Craft (Radnor, Ohio) Defiance College | Sophomore- Craft went 2-0 this week for Defiance and both were complete games. She retired 13 in a row against Albion and only allowed one hit against the Britons. Against Rose-Hulman, she retired the first 10 batters she faced. She finished the week with 18 strikeouts, 10 against Albion and eight against Rose-Hulman.
Notable Performances:
- Casey Kemp (Blanchester, Ohio) Mount St. Joseph University | Junior- Kemp was dominant in the circle this week earning a pair of wins for the Lions. Kemp first went seven innings allowing just one run on four hits including six strikeouts in a victory over Denison. To open up HCAC play Kemp led the Lions to their first HCAC win of the season. Kemp shutout the Grizzlies of Franklin finishing with six innings pitched allowing just six hits while adding three strikeouts.
- Abby Frazier (Lascassas, Tenn.) Transylvania University | Senior- Frazier went 6-8 (.750) with 2RBI, two runs scored, including a homerun, and one stolen base in their doubleheader sweep of Anderson on Sunday (8-0, 5-4).
- Sydnie Raisor (Campbellsburg, Ky.) Hanover College | First Year- Raisor helped lead the Panthers to a 1-1 week as they claimed the nightcap against Manchester. The freshman went 6-of-8 at the dish with three runs scored. She posted a .750 batting average with three RBI and an extra base hit.
- Elizabeth Ivers (Shelbyville, Ky.) Mount St. Joseph University | Senior- Ivers was impressive at the plate this week for the Lions. Ivers led the Lions to a 3-1 record including a sweep of Franklin to open up HCAC play. Ivers finished the week with a batting average of .600 (6-10) while smashing a pair of home runs. Ivers added 4 RBIs while scoring a pair of runs herself.
- Lexi Goodman (Poplar, Ill.) Manchester University | First Year- Goodman hit .625 with five runs scored, one double and two RBI. During game one’s win against Hanover on Saturday, Goodmen went a perfect 4-4 from the plate. Goodman is currently hitting .202 on the season with one run scored and nine RBI’s.
- Brooke Silcox (Tipp City, Ohio) Defiance College | Junior- Silcox powered the Yellow Jackets to a sweep of Rose-Hulman on Saturday. She finished the day 6-for-7 at the plate with 4 RBIs. For the week, she batted .615 (8-for-13) as Defiance swept Albion earlier in the week.
- Molly Buck (Fortville, Ind.) Anderson University | Sophomore- Buck went 6-for-14 with 2 homers, one double and three RBI’s. Buck homered in each contest against No. 3 Trine. She finished the week with a .429 batting average, a .467 on-base percentage and a .929 slugging percentage.
- Kaylee Grant (Lima, Ohio) Bluffton University | First Year- Grant hit .385, going 5-of-13 with 3 RBI and one run scored. She had a double and finished the week with a .429 on-base percentage.
- Kaitlyn Carr (Valparaiso, Ind.) Manchester University | Sophomore- Carr helped lead Manchester to a 3-3 record this week. Against Adrian, Carr allowed 10 hits with four strikeouts in seven innings of work for MU. During Thursday’s 15-5 win against Olivet, Carr held the Comets to four hits and three innings pitched. On Sunday, Carr threw a complete seven innings during Manchester’s win in game one against Hanover. Carr gave up nine hits with two walks and five strikeouts in the circle for the Spartans. Carr currently leads Manchester with a 7-2 record and a 1.82 ERA.
- Courtney Chookie (Warsaw, Ind.) Hanover College | Senior- Chookie led the Panthers in the circle this past week getting the win in game two of an HCAC series with Manchester. The senior posted a 3.50 ERA with two strikeouts.
- Grace Filinger (Hinckley, Ohio) Senior- Fillinger went 1-2 with a 3.68 ERA in 19.0 innings across three games last week. She struck out 9 and tossed 3 complete games as the Beavers went 2-4 in Michigan.
- Phoebe Worstell (Bicknell, Ind.) Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology | Sophomore- Worstell recorded a 2-2 record with 3 complete games and 17 strikeouts in 19.1 innings of work last week for Rose-Hulman.
- Carlee Jeter (Lexington, Ky.) Transylvania University | Junior- Jeter pitched 9.1 innings on the day against the Anderson Ravens in the doubleheader sweep (8-0, 5-4). In the first game, she pitched six innings, giving up no runs and striking out two. In game two, she came in during the fifth inning in relief and earned the win in the eighth with 3.1 innings pitched, adding two more strikeouts for four total on the day.
MEN’S TENNIS
Athlete of the Week:
- Chris Kaufamnn (Louisville, Ky.) Transylvania University | First Year- Kaufmann won four matches this weekend with wins at #1 doubles with Arjun Gutpa and at #1 singles in both matches over Franklin and Anderson for the sweep. They won 8-2 in #1 doubles over Franklin and he won 6-1, 6-2 in #1 singles on Saturday. He added an 8-0 win at #1 doubles and a 6-1, 6-1 win at #1 singles against Anderson on Sunday.
Notable Performances:
- Owen Reynolds (Gilbert, Ariz.) Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology | Sophomore- Reynolds finished a perfect 2-0 at No. 1 singles and a perfect 2-0 at No. 1 doubles as Rose-Hulman defeated Earlham (9-0) and Manchester (9-0) last week. Reynolds won 7-5, 6-3 at No. 1 singles against Earlham and 7-5, 6-0 against Manchester. In doubles play with Rhian Seneviratne, Reynolds won 8-4 and 8-3.
- Austin Arnold (Coatesville, Ind.) Manchester University | Senior- Arnold put up a hard fought battle at no. 1 doubles and no. 1 singles. Arnold and his partner fell at no. 1 doubles 8-3. Arnold then battled at the no. singles spot, falling 7-5 and 6-0 against his opponent.
River States Conference Player of the Week selections for March 27-April 2
Williamson cards RSC Men’s Golfer of the Week
MIDDLETOWN, Ohio — Hayden Williamson from Indiana University Kokomo earned River States Conference Men’s Golfer of the Week presented by Brown & Brown Insurance for March 27-April 2.
Williamson, a freshman from Peru, Ind., led the Cougars to first place out of seven teams at the IUK Spring Invitational held at Wildcat Creek Golf Course. Williams battled the elements to place fourth individually with a score of 80. There were 44 competitors playing in the cold and windy conditions.
Jones goes three in a row for RSC Women’s Golfer of the Week
MIDDLETOWN, Ohio — Brandi Jones from Indiana University Kokomo continued her lock on River States Conference Women’s Golfer of the Week presented by Brown & Brown Insurance winning for the third week in a row March 27-April 2.
The grad student from Peru, Ind., won her third tournament in a row for her third RSC weekly honor consecutively this spring. Jones came out on top of a field of 22 golfers and beat the bad weather for first place at the IUK Spring Invitational. That was with a score of 81, which led the Cougars to the team title as well.
Marino snags RSC Women’s Tennis Player of the Week
MIDDLETOWN, Ohio — Linda Marino from Indiana University East earned River States Conference Women’s Tennis Player of the Week presented by Brown & Brown Insurance for March 27-April 2.
A junior from Bucaramanga, Colombia, Marino keyed an RSC victory over IU Southeast. Playing at No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles, Marino went 2-0 on the day to lead the Red Wolves to a 5-2 win, their first conference victory of the year. She won her singles match, 6-3, 6-3 and teamed up for a 6-2 doubles win.
Vivek nets RSC Men’s Tennis Player of the Week
MIDDLETOWN, Ohio — Lakshay Vivek from Midway (Ky.) University is the River States Conference Men’s Tennis Player of the Week presented by Brown & Brown Insurance for March 27-April 2.
A freshman from Haryana, India, Vivek was 3-1 on the week in two matches. He went 2-0 in his singles matches with victories of 6-1, 6-2 versus Asbury (Ky.) and 7-6, 6-2 versus Lewis-Clark State (Idaho). Vivek was also part of a 7-5 doubles victory versus Asbury that earned Midway its first program win versus the Eagles.
Miles picks up RSC Softball Pitcher of the Week
MIDDLETOWN, Ohio — Courtney Miles from WVU Tech is the River States Conference Softball Pitcher of the Week presented by Brown & Brown Insurance for March 27-April 2. It’s her second weekly honor of the year.
Miles, a senior from Winchester, Ky., was 1-1 with a save in three outings on the week. Covering 13.0 innings, Miles struck out 22, walked three and compiled a 2.15 ERA giving up just four earned runs.
Miles got the save in 1.0 inning of a 3-1 win over Oakland City (Ind.). She struck out the side for a scoreless frame. She was saddled with a 5-4 loss in the second game despite 7.0 innings, three earned runs and nine strikeouts. Miles came back for a complete game of 5.0 innings versus St. Mary of the Woods (Ind.), a 9-1 win. She allowed just two hits, struck out 10 and walked one.
Risner gets RSC Softball Player of the Week
MIDDLETOWN, Ohio — Christen Risner from University fo Rio Grande was named River States Conference Softball Player of the Week presented by Brown & Brown Insurance for March 27-April 2.
The center fielder from Wheelersburg, Ohio, hit .538 on the week to lift the RedStorm to a 4-0 record. Risner was 7 for 13 with six runs, four extra-base hits and eight RBIs.
A big game was 2 for 3 with two home runs — a grand slam and a three-run shot — for seven RBIs in a win over Carlow (Pa.). She also had two hits in the second game of that doubleheader. In an earlier win over Alice Lloyd (Ky.), Risner was 3 for 3 with a double, triple, three runs and an RBI.
Hazelwood collects RSC Baseball Player of the Week
MIDDLETOWN, Ohio — Brayden Hazelwood from Indiana University Southeast picked up River States Conference Baseball Player of the Week presented by Brown & Brown Insurance for March 27-April 2.
The junior from Camby, Ind., hit .500 for the week and had three home runs during a conference series sweep of Oakland City (Ind.). Hazelwood was 6 for 12 in four games on the week as the Grenadiers were 4-0. He scored five runs, drove in eight and had four extra-base hits.
Hazelwood was 2 for 3 with a double and two RBIs in a win over Lindsey Wilson (Ky.). He started off the RSC series going 2 for 4 with two homers and four RBIs in an 11-6 victory. He lifted IU Southeast to a 4-2 win in the second game going 1 for 3 with a homer and two RBIs.
Kincaid selected RSC Baseball Pitcher of the Week
MIDDLETOWN, Ohio — Blake Kincaid from Midway (Ky.) University was selected River States Conference Baseball Pitcher of the Week for March 27-April 2.
The junior right-hander from Columbia, Tenn., pitched a strong outing in a 3-1 victory over IU Kokomo. Kincaid went 7.0 innings allowing just the single run on five hits. He also struck out nine and walked just three to get the series sweep started.
Salaah earns RSC Men’s Outdoor Track Athlete of the Week
MIDDLETOWN, Ohio — Abdul Salaah from Midway (Ky.) University earned River States Conference Men’s Outdoor Track Athlete of the Week presented by Brown & Brown Insurance for March 27-April 2.
Salaah, from Covington, Ky., broke his own school record in the 100 meters to highlight the week at the Centre Invitational. His time of 10.93 placed fifth and is third in the RSC. He was also 11th in the 200 meters running 23.21 and was a part of the 4×400 relay that took 12th with a time of 3:47.05.
Stephens-Stewart named RSC Men’s Outdoor Field Athlete of the Week
MIDDLETOWN, Ohio — Daimere Stephens-Stewart from Point Park (Pa.) University claimed River States Conference Men’s Outdoor Field Athlete of the Week for March 27-April 3.
The junior from Pittsburgh, Pa., won the long jump at the West Liberty Invitational to garner the award. He jumped the No. 1 distance in the RSC with a winning mark of 6.79 meters. That beat the field of 22 competitors at the NCAA Division II meet. It was his only event before weather cancelled the rest of the meet.
Brown gets RSC Women’s Outdoor Field Athlete of the Week
MIDDLETOWN, Ohio — Nevaeh Brown is the River States Conference Women’s Outdoor Field Athlete of the Week presented by Brown & Brown Insurance for March 27-April 2.
A pole vaulter from Louisville, Ky., Brown improved on her already nationally qualified mark in the event to win the award. She moved up to sixth in the nation with a height of 3.75 meters achieved at the Centre Invitational. The top ranking in the RSC for pole vault gave her first place at the meet and another NAIA ‘A’ qualifying standard performance.
Belcher gets RSC Women’s Outdoor Track Athlete of the Week
MIDDLETOWN, Ohio — Autumn Belcher from Midway (Ky.) University is the River States Conference Women’s Outdoor Track Athlete of the Week presented by Brown & Brown Insurance for March 27-April 2.
The senior from Colorado Springs, Colo., had three top-10 finishes at the Centre Invitational. She took fourth place in the individual 400 meters with a time of 1:02.29. Belcher also led the 4×400 relay team to fifth place at 4:20.33. Finally, she was a part of the 4×100 relay that took fourth with a time of 50.70 seconds.
SPORTS EXTRA
MLB STANDINGS
| American League | |||||||||||
| East | |||||||||||
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB | Home | Road | East | Central | West | Last 10 | Streak |
| Tampa Bay | 4 | 0 | 1.000 | – | 3 – 0 | 1 – 0 | 0 – 0 | 3 – 0 | 0 – 0 | 4 – 0 | W 4 |
| NY Yankees | 3 | 1 | .750 | 1 | 3 – 1 | 0 – 0 | 0 – 0 | 0 – 0 | 0 – 0 | 3 – 1 | W 2 |
| Baltimore | 2 | 2 | .500 | 2 | 0 – 0 | 2 – 2 | 1 – 2 | 0 – 0 | 1 – 0 | 2 – 2 | W 1 |
| Boston | 2 | 2 | .500 | 2 | 2 – 2 | 0 – 0 | 2 – 1 | 0 – 0 | 0 – 0 | 2 – 2 | L 1 |
| Toronto | 1 | 3 | .250 | 3 | 0 – 0 | 1 – 3 | 0 – 0 | 0 – 1 | 0 – 0 | 1 – 3 | L 3 |
| Central | |||||||||||
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB | Home | Road | East | Central | West | Last 10 | Streak |
| Minnesota | 4 | 0 | 1.000 | – | 0 – 0 | 4 – 0 | 0 – 0 | 3 – 0 | 0 – 0 | 4 – 0 | W 4 |
| Cleveland | 4 | 1 | .800 | 0.5 | 0 – 0 | 4 – 1 | 0 – 0 | 0 – 0 | 4 – 1 | 4 – 1 | W 4 |
| Chi White Sox | 2 | 3 | .400 | 2.5 | 0 – 1 | 2 – 2 | 0 – 0 | 0 – 0 | 2 – 2 | 2 – 3 | L 1 |
| Detroit | 1 | 3 | .250 | 3 | 0 – 0 | 1 – 3 | 0 – 3 | 0 – 0 | 1 – 0 | 1 – 3 | W 1 |
| Kansas City | 1 | 3 | .250 | 3 | 1 – 3 | 0 – 0 | 1 – 0 | 0 – 3 | 0 – 0 | 1 – 3 | W 1 |
| West | |||||||||||
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB | Home | Road | East | Central | West | Last 10 | Streak |
| LA Angels | 3 | 1 | .750 | – | 0 – 0 | 3 – 1 | 0 – 0 | 0 – 0 | 3 – 1 | 3 – 1 | W 3 |
| Texas | 3 | 1 | .750 | – | 3 – 1 | 0 – 0 | 0 – 1 | 0 – 0 | 0 – 0 | 3 – 1 | L 1 |
| Houston | 2 | 3 | .400 | 1.5 | 2 – 3 | 0 – 0 | 0 – 0 | 2 – 3 | 0 – 0 | 2 – 3 | L 2 |
| Oakland | 1 | 3 | .250 | 2 | 1 – 3 | 0 – 0 | 0 – 0 | 0 – 1 | 1 – 2 | 1 – 3 | L 3 |
| Seattle | 1 | 4 | .200 | 2.5 | 1 – 4 | 0 – 0 | 0 – 0 | 1 – 3 | 0 – 1 | 1 – 4 | L 4 |
| National League | |||||||||||
| East | |||||||||||
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB | Home | Road | East | Central | West | Last 10 | Streak |
| Atlanta | 3 | 1 | .750 | – | 0 – 0 | 3 – 1 | 2 – 1 | 1 – 0 | 0 – 0 | 3 – 1 | W 1 |
| NY Mets | 3 | 2 | .600 | 0.5 | 0 – 0 | 3 – 2 | 3 – 1 | 0 – 1 | 0 – 0 | 3 – 2 | L 1 |
| Washington | 1 | 3 | .250 | 2 | 1 – 3 | 0 – 0 | 1 – 2 | 0 – 0 | 0 – 0 | 1 – 3 | L 1 |
| Miami | 1 | 4 | .200 | 2.5 | 1 – 4 | 0 – 0 | 1 – 3 | 0 – 0 | 0 – 0 | 1 – 4 | L 3 |
| Philadelphia | 0 | 4 | .000 | 3 | 0 – 0 | 0 – 4 | 0 – 0 | 0 – 0 | 0 – 0 | 0 – 4 | L 4 |
| Central | |||||||||||
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB | Home | Road | East | Central | West | Last 10 | Streak |
| Cincinnati | 3 | 1 | .750 | – | 3 – 1 | 0 – 0 | 0 – 0 | 3 – 1 | 0 – 0 | 3 – 1 | W 3 |
| Milwaukee | 3 | 1 | .750 | – | 1 – 0 | 2 – 1 | 1 – 0 | 2 – 1 | 0 – 0 | 3 – 1 | W 3 |
| Pittsburgh | 2 | 2 | .500 | 1 | 0 – 0 | 2 – 2 | 0 – 0 | 1 – 2 | 0 – 0 | 2 – 2 | W 1 |
| St. Louis | 2 | 2 | .500 | 1 | 2 – 2 | 0 – 0 | 0 – 1 | 0 – 0 | 0 – 0 | 2 – 2 | L 1 |
| Chi Cubs | 1 | 3 | .250 | 2 | 1 – 2 | 0 – 1 | 0 – 0 | 1 – 3 | 0 – 0 | 1 – 3 | L 3 |
| West | |||||||||||
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB | Home | Road | East | Central | West | Last 10 | Streak |
| LA Dodgers | 3 | 2 | .600 | – | 3 – 2 | 0 – 0 | 0 – 0 | 0 – 0 | 3 – 2 | 3 – 2 | W 1 |
| San Diego | 3 | 2 | .600 | – | 3 – 2 | 0 – 0 | 0 – 0 | 0 – 0 | 3 – 2 | 3 – 2 | W 3 |
| San Francisco | 2 | 2 | .500 | 0.5 | 0 – 0 | 2 – 2 | 0 – 0 | 0 – 0 | 0 – 0 | 2 – 2 | W 1 |
| Arizona | 2 | 3 | .400 | 1 | 0 – 0 | 2 – 3 | 0 – 0 | 0 – 0 | 2 – 3 | 2 – 3 | L 1 |
| Colorado | 2 | 3 | .400 | 1 | 0 – 0 | 2 – 3 | 0 – 0 | 0 – 0 | 2 – 3 | 2 – 3 | L 3 |
NBA STANDINGS
| Eastern Conference | ||||||||||||
| W | L | Pct | Conf GB | Home | Road | Div | Conf | Last 10 | Streak | |||
| 1 xy-Milwaukee | 56 | 22 | .718 | — | 31-8 | 25-14 | 10-5 | 33-16 | 7-3 | 1 W | ||
| 2 x-Boston | 54 | 24 | .692 | 2.0 | 29-9 | 25-15 | 9-4 | 31-17 | 7-3 | 2 W | ||
| 3 x-Philadelphia | 51 | 27 | .654 | 5.0 | 28-11 | 23-16 | 8-6 | 31-17 | 5-5 | 1 L | ||
| 4 x-Cleveland | 49 | 30 | .620 | 7.5 | 31-9 | 18-21 | 13-3 | 32-17 | 7-3 | 1 W | ||
| 5 x-New York | 46 | 33 | .582 | 10.5 | 23-17 | 23-16 | 8-8 | 31-19 | 7-3 | 4 W | ||
| 6 Brooklyn | 43 | 35 | .551 | 13.0 | 22-16 | 21-19 | 7-8 | 28-21 | 4-6 | 3 W | ||
| 7 Miami | 41 | 37 | .526 | 15.0 | 26-14 | 15-23 | 9-5 | 21-27 | 5-5 | 1 W | ||
| 8 Atlanta | 39 | 39 | .500 | 17.0 | 23-16 | 16-23 | 7-8 | 24-24 | 5-5 | 1 W | ||
| 9 Toronto | 39 | 39 | .500 | 17.0 | 26-14 | 13-25 | 4-10 | 24-24 | 7-3 | 1 W | ||
| 10 Chicago | 38 | 40 | .487 | 18.0 | 21-18 | 17-22 | 6-8 | 26-23 | 7-3 | 2 W | ||
| 11 Washington | 34 | 44 | .436 | 22.0 | 18-20 | 16-24 | 7-7 | 20-29 | 3-7 | 2 L | ||
| 12 Orlando | 34 | 44 | .436 | 22.0 | 20-19 | 14-25 | 7-8 | 20-28 | 6-4 | 2 W | ||
| 13 Indiana | 34 | 45 | .430 | 22.5 | 20-19 | 14-26 | 7-8 | 23-26 | 3-7 | 1 L | ||
| 14 Charlotte | 26 | 53 | .329 | 30.5 | 13-26 | 13-27 | 7-9 | 14-36 | 4-6 | 2 L | ||
| 15 Detroit | 16 | 62 | .205 | 40.0 | 9-30 | 7-32 | 1-13 | 7-41 | 1-9 | 9 L | ||
| Western Conference | ||||||||||||
| W | L | Pct | Conf GB | Home | Road | Div | Conf | Last 10 | Streak | |||
| 1 xy-Denver | 52 | 26 | .667 | — | 33-7 | 19-19 | 10-5 | 33-15 | 6-4 | 1 W | ||
| 2 xy-Memphis | 49 | 29 | .628 | 3.0 | 34-6 | 15-23 | 13-2 | 29-20 | 8-2 | 1 L | ||
| 3 x-Sacramento | 47 | 31 | .603 | 5.0 | 23-17 | 24-14 | 9-6 | 31-17 | 6-4 | 1 L | ||
| 4 Phoenix | 43 | 35 | .551 | 9.0 | 26-12 | 17-23 | 9-5 | 28-20 | 6-4 | 5 W | ||
| 5 LA Clippers | 41 | 38 | .519 | 11.5 | 21-18 | 20-20 | 7-7 | 24-25 | 5-5 | 2 L | ||
| 6 Golden State | 41 | 38 | .519 | 11.5 | 32-8 | 9-30 | 6-9 | 27-22 | 5-5 | 1 L | ||
| 7 LA Lakers | 40 | 38 | .513 | 12.0 | 21-18 | 19-20 | 5-9 | 24-24 | 7-3 | 3 W | ||
| 8 New Orleans | 40 | 38 | .513 | 12.0 | 25-13 | 15-25 | 10-5 | 28-21 | 7-3 | 2 W | ||
| 9 Minnesota | 39 | 40 | .494 | 13.5 | 21-19 | 18-21 | 8-8 | 27-23 | 4-6 | 3 L | ||
| 10 Oklahoma City | 38 | 41 | .481 | 14.5 | 23-17 | 15-24 | 8-7 | 23-26 | 4-6 | 2 L | ||
| 11 Dallas | 37 | 42 | .468 | 15.5 | 22-16 | 15-26 | 9-6 | 27-23 | 3-7 | 3 L | ||
| 12 Utah | 36 | 42 | .462 | 16.0 | 22-16 | 14-26 | 5-9 | 23-25 | 3-7 | 2 L | ||
| 13 Portland | 33 | 45 | .423 | 19.0 | 17-23 | 16-22 | 7-9 | 23-25 | 2-8 | 1 W | ||
| 14 San Antonio | 20 | 58 | .256 | 32.0 | 13-26 | 7-32 | 2-13 | 8-40 | 2-8 | 1 W | ||
| 15 Houston | 19 | 60 | .241 | 33.5 | 13-27 | 6-33 | 4-12 | 11-40 | 2-8 | 1 L | ||
Eight teams in each conference qualify for the playoffs.
X – Clinched Playoff Spot, Y – Clinched Division, Z – Clinched Conference
NHL STANDINGS
| Eastern Conference | ||||||||||||
| GP | W | L | OTL | Pts | ROW | GF | GA | Home | Road | L10 | ||
| 1 xyz-Boston Bruins | 77 | 60 | 12 | 5 | 125 | 56 | 286 | 166 | 31-4-3 | 29-8-2 | 9-1-0 | |
| 2 x-Carolina Hurricanes | 76 | 49 | 18 | 9 | 107 | 45 | 248 | 196 | 26-10-3 | 23-8-6 | 5-4-1 | |
| 3 x-New Jersey Devils | 77 | 48 | 21 | 8 | 104 | 46 | 266 | 216 | 21-13-4 | 27-8-4 | 4-4-2 | |
| 4 x-New York Rangers | 77 | 45 | 21 | 11 | 101 | 41 | 261 | 207 | 22-12-4 | 23-9-7 | 7-2-1 | |
| 5 x-Toronto Maple Leafs | 76 | 45 | 21 | 10 | 100 | 44 | 258 | 211 | 25-8-6 | 20-13-4 | 5-3-2 | |
| 6 x-Tampa Bay Lightning | 77 | 45 | 26 | 6 | 96 | 42 | 267 | 231 | 27-7-5 | 18-19-1 | 6-4-0 | |
| 7 New York Islanders | 78 | 39 | 30 | 9 | 87 | 38 | 227 | 214 | 22-13-3 | 17-17-6 | 5-4-1 | |
| 8 Pittsburgh Penguins | 77 | 38 | 29 | 10 | 86 | 37 | 248 | 249 | 22-12-5 | 16-17-5 | 4-6-0 | |
| 9 Florida Panthers | 77 | 39 | 31 | 7 | 85 | 37 | 272 | 260 | 21-12-4 | 18-19-3 | 6-4-0 | |
| 10 Buffalo Sabres | 75 | 37 | 31 | 7 | 81 | 36 | 270 | 276 | 15-20-4 | 22-11-3 | 5-3-2 | |
| 11 Ottawa Senators | 77 | 37 | 34 | 6 | 80 | 35 | 244 | 251 | 22-14-3 | 15-20-3 | 4-4-2 | |
| 12 Detroit Red Wings | 76 | 34 | 33 | 9 | 77 | 31 | 226 | 252 | 19-15-4 | 15-18-5 | 4-6-0 | |
| 13 Washington Capitals | 77 | 34 | 34 | 9 | 77 | 32 | 240 | 243 | 17-15-6 | 17-19-3 | 2-6-2 | |
| 14 Philadelphia Flyers | 76 | 29 | 34 | 13 | 71 | 27 | 207 | 253 | 17-17-5 | 12-17-8 | 5-3-2 | |
| 15 Montreal Canadiens | 77 | 30 | 41 | 6 | 66 | 25 | 219 | 284 | 16-19-3 | 14-22-3 | 4-6-0 | |
| 16 Columbus Blue Jackets | 76 | 24 | 44 | 8 | 56 | 23 | 203 | 303 | 15-21-2 | 9-23-6 | 3-6-1 | |
| Western Conference | ||||||||||||
| GP | W | L | OTL | Pts | ROW | GF | GA | Home | Road | L10 | ||
| 1 x-Vegas Golden Knights | 77 | 48 | 22 | 7 | 103 | 43 | 257 | 220 | 23-15-1 | 25-7-6 | 7-2-1 | |
| 2 x-Dallas Stars | 77 | 42 | 21 | 14 | 98 | 39 | 267 | 213 | 19-10-9 | 23-11-5 | 5-4-1 | |
| 3 x-Los Angeles Kings | 77 | 45 | 22 | 10 | 100 | 39 | 266 | 242 | 25-9-4 | 20-13-6 | 7-2-1 | |
| 4 x-Edmonton Oilers | 77 | 45 | 23 | 9 | 99 | 45 | 306 | 254 | 22-12-6 | 23-11-3 | 9-0-1 | |
| 5 x-Minnesota Wild | 77 | 44 | 23 | 10 | 98 | 37 | 232 | 209 | 24-11-4 | 20-12-6 | 6-2-2 | |
| 6 Colorado Avalanche | 75 | 45 | 24 | 6 | 96 | 39 | 252 | 207 | 21-13-5 | 24-11-1 | 8-2-0 | |
| 7 Seattle Kraken | 76 | 42 | 26 | 8 | 92 | 42 | 267 | 241 | 18-16-4 | 24-10-4 | 5-4-1 | |
| 8 Winnipeg Jets | 77 | 43 | 31 | 3 | 89 | 42 | 233 | 215 | 24-12-2 | 19-19-1 | 5-5-0 | |
| 9 Calgary Flames | 77 | 36 | 26 | 15 | 87 | 34 | 247 | 240 | 19-15-4 | 17-11-11 | 6-2-2 | |
| 10 Nashville Predators | 76 | 38 | 30 | 8 | 84 | 33 | 213 | 225 | 19-14-4 | 19-16-4 | 4-5-1 | |
| 11 St. Louis Blues | 77 | 35 | 35 | 7 | 77 | 32 | 251 | 286 | 16-16-6 | 19-19-1 | 6-2-2 | |
| 12 Vancouver Canucks | 76 | 34 | 35 | 7 | 75 | 29 | 260 | 282 | 17-19-2 | 17-16-5 | 5-3-2 | |
| 13 Arizona Coyotes | 78 | 27 | 38 | 13 | 67 | 24 | 216 | 282 | 20-14-4 | 7-24-9 | 2-6-2 | |
| 14 San Jose Sharks | 76 | 22 | 39 | 15 | 59 | 21 | 223 | 291 | 8-20-10 | 14-19-5 | 3-4-3 | |
| 15 Anaheim Ducks | 77 | 23 | 44 | 10 | 56 | 20 | 195 | 317 | 12-22-3 | 11-22-7 | 1-9-0 | |
| 16 Chicago Blackhawks | 76 | 24 | 46 | 6 | 54 | 22 | 186 | 277 | 14-22-3 | 10-24-3 | 2-8-0 | |
Eight teams in each conference qualify for the divisional playoff format. The top three teams from each division make up the first six spots. The two remaining teams with the highest points, regardless of division, qualify for the final two wild card spots.
X – Clinched Playoff Spot, Y – Clinched Division, Z – Clinched Conference
TODAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY
1913 In an exhibition game against the Yankees, 25,000 fans watch the Dodgers play their first game in Ebbets Field. Brooklyn beats New York, 3-2, with Casey Stengel hitting the park’s first home run, an inside-the-parker.
1925 Babe Ruth collapses at a railroad station in Asheville (NC). The “bellyache heard round the world,” so dubbed when a writer suggests that a hot dog and soda binge caused the illness, will require hospitalization and an operation, keeping the Yankees slugger out of the lineup for seven weeks.
1934 Babe Ruth, sponsored by Quaker Oats, agrees to do a weekly show on NBC radio. The Sultan of Swat’s broadcast salary for the 13-week series will be $4000 more than his reported Yankee contract of $35,000.
1934 Reds president Larry MacPhail hires 26-year-old Red Barber to broadcast the team games on WSAL. The not-so-old “Ol’ Redhead” will spend the first five years of his Hall of Fame career in Cincinnati, calling the contests from Crosley Field’s stands.
1935 The Braves, returning north from spring training, beat North Carolina State College, 6-2, in a contest that ends in the seventh inning because there are no baseballs to play with, having used the 100 put aside for the game. Olney Ray Freeman strikes out a 40-year-old Babe Ruth on a two-strike curveball, a feat the southpaw brags about until he died in 2008.
1957 The Phillies trade five players, Ron Negray, Tim Harkness, Elmer Valo, Mel Geho, Ben Flowers (the player to be named later), and send $75,000 to the Dodgers to obtain much-touted Cuban infielder Chico Fernandez. Philadelphia’s new shortstop plays three seasons in the City of Brotherly Love, batting just .242 before being traded to the Tigers.
1966 Don Larsen, the last active major leaguer who played for the Browns, is released by the Orioles. As a rookie in 1953, the Michigan City, Indiana native posted a 7-12 record for the hapless franchise, which lost 100 games in its final season in St. Louis.
1971 At RFK Stadium, 45,000 fans watch the last Opening Day game the Senators will play in the District of Columbia. Dick Bosman goes the distance, blanking the A’s on six hits in Washington’s 8-0 victory over Oakland.
1972 The player strike, which started on April 1st, cancels the season opener between the Astros and Reds. The work stoppage postpones Opening Day for the first time in major league history, with 86 games not played until both sides agree on increasing pension fund payments and the owners adding salary arbitration to the Collective Bargaining Agreement.
1972 The Expos trade a stunned All-Star right fielder Rusty Staub to the Mets for outfielder Ken Singleton and infielders Tim Foli and Mike Jorgensen. The 28-year-old ‘Le Grand Orange,’ a fan favorite in Montreal, will miss most of the season due to injuries but will play a significant role in New York’s 1973 ‘Ya Gotta Believe’ pennant-winning team.
1976 In a deal negotiated in the groundskeeper’s office under the third base stands at Fort Lauderdale Stadium, 31-year-old right-hander Tom Seaver agrees to a three-year contract with the Mets. The pact makes ‘Tom Terrific,’ who posted a 25-9 record last season while leading the league in strikeouts with 243, the first hurler in baseball history to earn $200,000 annually.
1979 At Memorial Stadium, Oriole manager Earl Weaver notches his 1,000th career victory when Baltimore beats Chicago on Opening Day, 5-3. The future Hall of Fame skipper will finish his 17-year managerial career, all with the Birds, with a 1480-1069 (.583) record.
1983 On Opening Day, Tom Seaver, making his first appearance with the Mets since 1977, combines with Doug Sisk to blank the Phillies at Shea Stadium, 2-0. ‘Tom Terrific,’ who will go on to extend the record to 16, ties Walter Johnson’s major league mark with his 14th Opening Day assignment.
1988 With a 6-3 Opening Day victory over the Padres, Houston wins its 2,000th game in franchise history. The Astros score five runs in the bottom of the eighth inning, making starter Mike Scott the winning pitcher.
1989 At Riverfront Stadium, Dodgers’ hurler Orel Hershiser’s scoreless-inning streak ends at 59. With two outs in the bottom of the first, Todd Benzinger’s single scores Barry Larkin, almost a pickoff victim after getting a base hit to lead off the game but was safe on the ‘Bulldog’s’ throwing error.
1993 William Jefferson Clinton becomes the first U.S. president to successfully throw the season’s first pitch from the pitcher’s mound. Orioles starter Rick Sutcliffe, giving up six runs in six innings, doesn’t fare as well when the Birds lose to the Rangers, 7-4 at Camden Yards.
1993 At Shea Stadium, the Rockies lose their National League debut, dropping a 3-0 decision to the Mets and Dwight Gooden, who pitches a four-hit complete game for the victory. Right-hander David Nied starts the contest for Colorado, and Andres Galarraga collects the franchise’s first hit with a second-inning single.
1993 In front of 42,334 fans at Joe Robbie Stadium in Miami, the Florida Marlins, making their major league debut, defeat the Dodgers, 6-3. Joe DiMaggio throws out the ceremonial first pitch, and the team retires uniform number 5 in tribute their late president Carl Barger, the number of his favorite player, fittingly Joe DiMaggio.
1993 On Opening Day, Greg Maddux, signed as a free agent in the offseason, allows no runs and scatters five hits to his former team over 8.1 innings. Mike Stanton gets the last two outs in the Braves’ 1-0 victory over the Cubs at Wrigley Field.
1993 Eric Fox, inserted into the game as a late-inning defensive replacement, hits a grand slam in the bottom of the eighth inning, giving the A’s an eventual 9-4 Opening Day victory before 43,370 fans at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. The round-tripper will be the outfielder’s only homer of the season.
1997 At Olympic Stadium, the Rockies set a franchise record with seven home runs, including three by Larry Walker, pulled from the game in the eighth inning by Rockies manager Don Baylor. The Colorado skipper doesn’t want to run up the score against the Expos with his team ahead 15-1.
1998 After five attempts, the Diamondbacks win their first game in franchise history when Andy Benes pitches seven strong innings, and Matt Williams paces the attack with three hits in the team’s 3-2 victory over San Francisco at Bank One Ballpark. Arizona’s 0-5 start is the second-longest season-opening losing streak for an expansion team in its first season, surpassed only by the 1962 Mets, who didn’t record a victory until their tenth game.
2003 The Royals become the first major league team to begin the season 5-0, en route to nine consecutive victories, after losing 100 games the prior year. Runelvys Hernandez, the winner of a coin toss, making him the Opening Day starter, gets his second victory, allowing two hits in seven innings to beat the Indians at Kauffman Stadium, 2-1.
2003 To show support for the U.S. troops in Iraq, the White Sox announce all active military members showing a military ID will be given free admission to most home games at U.S. Cellular Field. The free passes will not be available during the Cubs series scheduled for June.
2004 Braves’ general manager John Schuerholz announces the team has exercised the option to retain Bobby Cox as the team’s manager through the 2005 season. The 62-year-old skipper, ninth all-time in managerial wins with 1,906, has won a record 12-consecutive divisional titles.
2004 “This, I’m going to remember for the rest of my life. I’m going to live with this. Opening Day, a walk-off home run – it doesn’t get any better.” – CARLOS BELTRAN, reflecting on his game-winning home run on Opening Day. The Royals become the first team since 1901 to overcome a ninth-inning deficit of four runs on Opening Day when they rally to beat the White Sox at Kauffman Stadium, 9-7. Kansas City center fielder Carlos Beltran’s two-run walk-off homer that bounces off the top of the wall is the keynote hit in the team’s six-run final frame.
2005 The Nationals, formerly known as the Expos, lose their inaugural season opener, bowing to the Phillies, 8-4. The franchise, which played its initial 36 years in Montreal, becomes the first team to represent the nation’s capital since the Senators left Washington to become the Texas Rangers in 1971.
2005 Johan Santana gets credited for the win in the Twins’ 8-4 victory over Seattle at Safeco Field, but the southpaw’s streak of 22 straight starts of allowing three or fewer runs ends. Last season’s Cy Young Award winner has the second-longest span of giving fewer than four runs in consecutive outings, trailing only Dwight Gooden’s 24 in 1985.
2006 Sluggerrr, the Royals’ Mascot, celebrates his tenth birthday at Kauffman Stadium. In the offseason, the nearly seven-foot-tall lion with a crown built into his skull is very active in the Kansas City community, visiting local schools to encourage youngsters to excel in school and be good citizens.
2009 Jordan Schafer becomes the tenth Braves’ player in franchise history and the 99th overall to hit a home run in his first major league at-bat. The 22-year-old rookie center fielder, who never played in a level higher than Double-A, goes deep off Philadelphia’s Opening Day starter Brett Myers in the second inning at Citizens Bank Park.
2010 Mainly receiving cheers from the standing-room-only crowd at Nationals Stadium, President Barack Obama, wearing a White Sox cap and a Nats jacket, continues a 100-year tradition when he throws the ceremonial first pitch before Washington’s home opener against Philadelphia. The Commander-in-Chief’s toss is high and wide, but third baseman Ryan Zimmerman makes a lunging grab of the ball.
2010 Jason Heyward becomes the eleventh Braves player in franchise history to homer in his first major league at-bat. The much-touted 20-year-old rookie, with the hometown fans chanting, “Let’s go, Heyward!” hits a three-run homer in the first inning off Chicago’s Carlos Zambrano at Turner Field.
2010 The Red Sox and their ace, Josh Beckett, agree on a $68 million, four-year contract extension. The agreement keeps the team’s Opening Day starter in Boston, giving the club a potent 1-2 punch at the top of their rotation for the next five years with the recent free-agent acquisition of John Lackey.
2010 Matt Stairs plays for his twelfth major league organization when he flies out in a pinch-hitting role for the Padres in a 6-3 loss to Arizona at Chase Field, equaling Deacon McGuire’s record (1884 to 1912) for the most teams ever played with by a position player. The 18-year veteran also joins pitchers Mike Morgan and Ron Villone for being on a dozen different clubs.
2011 Nine different pitchers each contribute a hitless inning apiece when the High Desert Mavericks (Adelanto, California) no-hit the local Victor Valley Community College Rams, 12-0. Hurlers James Gillheeny, Tim Boyce, Nick Czyz, Austin Hudson, Johnathan Hesketh, Ogui Diaz, Jose Jimenez, John Housey, and Chris Kirkland share the equal workload for the California League’s Class A-Advanced affiliate of the Mariners.
2012 “In memory of Shannon Stone and dedicated to all fans who love the game,” -statue’s inscription, honoring a fan who died last season at the stadium while attending a game last season.
Six-year-old Cooper Stone helps to unveil the statue depicting him and his dad holding hands and having a conversation wearing their baseball caps in front of a gate at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. Bruce Greene’s sculpture pays tribute to his father, who died last season when he fell twenty feet onto the concrete behind the left-field scoreboard, reaching for a ball thrown into the stands by Texas outfielder Josh Hamilton while attending a game with him.
2012 J.P. Arencibia’s three-run homer in the 16th inning, giving the Blue Jays an eventual 7-4 victory over the Indians, ends the longest opening-day game in major league history. The Progressive Field marathon surpassed the 15-inning Opening Day contests between Cleveland and the Tigers in 1960 and the A’s and Senators in 1926.
2013 Joining Willie Mays (1971), Mark McGwire (1998), and Nelson Cruz (2011), Chris Davis, who collects a grand slam and five RBIs in the Orioles’ home opener, becomes the fourth player in major league history to homer in his first four games of the season. The 27-year-old Baltimore first baseman also breaks the RBI mark for the same span, driving in 16 runs, four more than the previous record shared by three players.
2014 Ike Davis becomes the second player in franchise history to deliver a pinch-hit walk-off grand slam when he goes deep off J.J. Hoover in New York’s 6-3 victory over Cincinnati at Citi Field. The only other Met who accomplished the feat is the team’s current third base coach Tim Teufel, who went yard off the bench with the bases loaded in 1986 against Philadelphia.
2015 A.J. Preller continues his makeover of the Padres, acquiring All-Star closer Craig Kimbrel and outfielder Melvin Upton Jr. from the Braves for outfielders Carlos Quentin and Cameron Maybin, minor league prospects, and the 41st overall draft pick. By pulling off the incredible deal the day before the season begins, the San Diego GM significantly increases the club’s payroll, with most of the cost involving taking on the remaining $46.35 million still owed Upton, who will now join his brother B.J. as a teammate.
2016 For the first time in more than six decades, the Cubs and White Sox start the same season with two victories and no losses. The last time both Chicago teams were undefeated after two games occurred in 1951, two seasons before Ernie Banks played his rookie year.
2019 Rays’ left fielder Tommy Pham, going 1-for-5 in the team’s 5-2 victory over the Giants at Oracle Park, extends his on-base streak to 40 games, setting a new franchise record.
BASEBALL’S BEST
ORLANDO CEPEDA
When a knee injury robbed Orlando Cepeda of most of the 1965 season, no one was sure he would ever return to his status as one of the game’s best players.
But by 1967, baseball fans had their answer – as Cepeda led the St. Louis Cardinals to the 1967 World Series title.
On Nov. 7, 1967, Cepeda was named the National League’s MVP in a unanimous vote – becoming the first unanimous NL MVP since Carl Hubbell in 1936. Cepeda hit .325 with 25 homers and an NL-best 111 RBI that season, batting cleanup in the Cardinals’ powerful lineup.
In the World Series, the Cardinals defeated the Red Sox in seven games to clinch their second title of the 1960s. It was the crowning achievement of a 10-year run that saw Cepeda become one of the most respected players in baseball.
Born Sept. 17, 1937, in Ponce, Puerto Rico, Cepeda burst on the scene in 1958 at the age of 20, batting .312 with 25 home runs and 96 RBI for the San Francisco Giants en route to being unanimously named the NL Rookie of the Year. In 1961, Cepeda led the league with 46 home runs and 142 RBI, finishing second in the MVP vote. He became the first foreign-born player in the modern era (post 1900) to lead his league in home runs.
“He is annoying every pitcher in the league,” said teammate Willie Mays during Cepeda’s rookie season of 1958. “He is strong, he hits to all fields and he makes all the plays. He’s the most relaxed first-year man I ever saw.”
After helping the Giants win the National League pennant in 1962 with 35 homers and 114 RBI, Cepeda continued to perform at an All-Star level – until 1965, when he injured his right knee diving for a ball in left field. Cepeda appeared in just 33 games that season – 27 of which came as pinch hitter – and eventually underwent surgery.
Then, on May 8, 1966 – after appearing in just 19 games for the Giants that year – San Francisco traded Cepeda to the Cardinals for pitcher Ray Sadecki. An invigorated Cepeda hit .303 with the Cardinals in 123 games after the trade, then powered St. Louis to the title the following year.
Knee injuries, which had plagued Cepeda since his youth, continued to hound the slugging first baseman through the final seven seasons of his big league career. He retired following the 1974 season with 379 home runs, 1,365 RBI and a .297 batting average – along with 11 All-Star Game selections.
Cepeda was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1999.
HENRY CHADWICK
An Englishman whose skill lay in his pen instead of a bat, Henry Chadwick was instrumental in cultivating interest in the new game of baseball among the American people.
As the preeminent writer on baseball for more than half a century, Chadwick developed many of the standards by which we evaluate players and teams today. Most importantly, he translated his passionate love for baseball to the working class population that would go on to play and watch the game.
Chadwick was born in Exeter, England, in 1824 and played ball games like rounders and cricket before moving to the United States in 1837. He was a cricket reporter for The New York Times in 1856 when he witnessed a spirited game of baseball between New York’s Gotham and Eagle clubs. Chadwick later recalled being dazzled by this new game, and recognized the way it reflected the aggressive, high-energy spirit of his adopted nation.
“Americans do not care to dawdle over a sleep-inspiring game, all through the heat of a June or July day,” Chadwick wrote. “What they do they want to do in a hurry. In baseball all is lightning; every action is as swift as a seabird’s flight.”
Chadwick quickly focused his attention to baseball and began writing regular columns on the sport for the nationally read New York Clipper and Sunday Mercury. In 1859, Chadwick formulated his first modern box score, in which he documented statistics like runs, hits, put outs, assists and errors for the dominant Brooklyn Excelsiors club. Additionally, Chadwick recorded the pitchers’ strikeouts, denoting them with the letter ‘K.’
“The box score was the only way of showing the game, there really was no photography,” said Chadwick biographer Andrew Schiff. “So the writer really was the person at the center between the fans and the player at the game.”
Chadwick’s box scores and detailed game descriptions helped Americans follow the sport from home. For the first time, a fan could compare the statistics of one player to another and form their own opinions without having to travel to the ballpark. Additionally, Chadwick introduced the concept of earned and unearned runs and invented the batting average statistic.
Soon, Chadwick’s widely-read columns made him an influential member of baseball’s early rules committees. Beginning in 1860, Chadwick edited The Beadle’s Dime Base Ball Player, in which he listed the first season totals for teams and players and instituted the original framework for how games should be scored.
As Chadwick’s prominence in baseball grew, he used his platform to advocate for dignity and civility among those who played the game. In his columns, Chadwick chastised players and managers who drank and gambled on games.
Chadwick went on to further acclaim as the editor of A.G. Spalding’s Official Base Ball Guide beginning in the 1890s. He later disagreed with Spalding’s claim that Abner Doubleday had invented baseball in 1839, maintaining that the game was a descendant of English ball games that he had played as a boy. Though Spalding’s story originally gained favor in the early 20th century, Chadwick’s version has since proven to hold more weight.
Chadwick continued covering baseball until his final days when a bout of pneumonia he contracted at an Opening Day game in Brooklyn contributed to his death on April 20, 1908.
“By the death of Mr. Henry Chadwick, the game of baseball loses its most prominent figure and staunchest supporter,” Spalding wrote.
Chadwick was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1938.
BASEBALL YEAR IN REVIEW
1931 AMERICAN LEAGUE
Off the field…
Organized Crime icon Al Capone was finally convicted by a grand jury and sentenced to eleven years in prison for tax evasion. The American gangster had repeatedly escaped prosecution even after being implicated in multiple murders and had received numerous accolades from businessmen and politicians. His crime syndicate, which terrorized Chicago in the 1920s while controlling gambling and prostitution, was estimated by the federal Bureau of Internal Revenue to have taken in $105 million in 1927 alone.
“The Star-Spangled Banner” was officially made the national anthem by Congress, although it already had been adopted as such by the U.S. Armed Forces. On Sept. 13, 1814, Francis Scott Key visited the British fleet in Chesapeake Bay to secure the release of Dr. William Beanes, who had been captured after the burning of Washington, DC. Key was forced to seek shelter onboard a ship overnight during the shelling of Fort McHenry in Baltimore. In the morning, he was so delighted to see the American flag still flying over the fort that he began a poem to commemorate the occasion.
In the American League…
The Major League record for catching fly balls was set during a June 29th doubleheader between Detroit and Philadelphia. On the way to both 9-1 and 5-1 victories, the Tiger’s outfielders boasted twenty-four putouts and the Athletics answered back with nineteen of their own for a two-team total of forty-three fly-outs in two games.
On July 7th, the St. Louis Browns and Chicago White Sox met for a twelve inning marathon in which not a single strikeout was recorded. The 10-8 decision still remains the longest game in Major League history not to record a single “K”.
Philadelphia Athletics ace Lefty Grove (25-2) recorded a 4-2 win over the Chicago White Sox on August 9th for his sixteenth consecutive victory to tie an American League record originally set by Walter Johnson and Joe Wood in 1912.
In the National League…
Chicago Cubs player / manager, Rogers Hornsby, inserted himself into the line-up on April 24th and hit three consecutive home runs to beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 10-6 at Forbes Field. Hornsby went on to lead the Cubs into third place (while batting .331), but was eventually fired due to a lifelong compulsion with gambling that had landed him in debt.
Wally Berger, the Boston Braves centerfielder who had established two National League rookie records with thirty-eight home runs and one-hundred nineteen runs batted in during 1930, tied a modern mark for the outfield by recording four assists during a Socks Seibold 2-0 shutout over the Philadelphia Phillies on April 27th.
Pittsburgh Pirates’ outfielder Adam Comorosky proved that lightning could strike twice after making an unassisted double play on May 31st against the Chicago Cubs and another double player on June 13th against the New York Giants.
Around the League…
On February 15th, the New York Yankees’ spring training facility in St. Petersburg, Florida was officially renamed “Miller Huggins Field” in honor of the team’s late manager.
The Chicago White Sox and New York Giants met for the first major league night game (at Buffs Stadium, Houston Texas) on February 21st. Both teams combined to collect twenty-three hits during the ten-inning exhibition.
On April 2nd, a seventeen-year-old female named Jackie Mitchell from the Double A “Chattanooga Lookouts” took the mound against the mighty New York Yankees in a spring training exhibition. Mitchell, mainly a “gate attraction”, boasted a single pitch, which was a wicked, dropping curve ball. The first two batters she faced from “Murderers Row” were Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. After seven pitches Mitchell fanned the “Sultan of Swat” AND the “Iron Horse,” back-to-back.
FOOTBALL HISTORY
THE BEST
CLIFF BATTLES
Cliff Battles, a sensational running back from West Virginia Wesleyan College won the National Football League rushing title in 1932 as a rookie with the Boston Braves. The next year the Braves were renamed the Redskins and Battles became the first player ever to rush for more than 200 yards in a game. He accomplished in the feat on October 8, 1933 in a game against the New York Giants as he rushed 16 times for 215 yards, and scored one touchdown.
In 1937 Redskins George Preston Marshall moved his team from Boston to Washington. He brought Battles, the NFL’s premier running back, with him and quickly added a sensational rookie passer, Sammy Baugh. It didn’t seem out of the question that the Battles-Baugh ground and air threat would make the Redskins championship contenders for years to come. For the 1937 season, Baugh and Battles combined their talents just as everyone had anticipated. On the season’s final day, Battles scored three touchdowns to power the Redskins to a 49-14 win over the New York Giants for the Eastern Division title. Against the Chicago Bears a week later, Battles scored the first touchdown in a 28-21 victory that gave the Redskins their first NFL championship.
Battles was again the league’s leading rusher and he won all-league honors for the fifth time in six years. In just six seasons, Battles totaled 3,511 yards rushing – really big numbers for that era – and Redskins fans looked forward to more of the same in the upcoming seasons. With Battles carrying the ball and Baugh tossing it, championships seemed assured.
But it was not to be. Inexplicably, Marshall, who had paid Battles $3,000 a year, starting with his rookie campaign, refused to consider a raise, even though Cliff clearly was a star player with much fan appeal. After the season, the exasperated Battles accepted a $4,000 job as an assistant coach at Columbia University. The Redskins won only one more championship during Baugh’s long and storied career. Loyal Redskins fans were left to wonder, “what might have been” if Marshall had only given Battles a raise.
HISTORY
April 4, 1998 – NFL Europe the Former World League of American Football or WLAF, kicks off season. 1998 was the first season the league was known as NFL Europe. In that important season a guy that played for the Amsterdam franchise named Kurt Warner set the overseas League on fire tossing for over 2100 yards. The League schedule would come to a peak at the 1998 World Bowlplayed on June 14, 1998 when the Rhine Fire would defeat the Frankfurt Galaxy 34-10 according to the FootballDB.com website.
APRIL 4 FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME BIRTHDAYS
April 4, 1891 – Alpena, Michigan – The University of Wisconsin’s brilliant tackle from 1911 to 1913, Bob “Butts” Butler claimed his birthday. Butts was a stout two way tackle that knew how to hit opponents low and drive them to whatever location he wanted. The Badgers were considered by many to be the top team in the country in 1912 and Butler was the anchor of the lines for Wisconsin. Many wanted to test the waters of how good the Badgers were by challenging Yale, but the Wisconsin faculty gave the idea the thumbs down preventing the 1912 game to take place. The Badgers nevertheless according to the NFF went undefeated blowing out rivals like Northwestern, Purdue, Minnesota and even Arkansas. Nine players from the 1912 U of W squad were awarded All- American honors in 1912 including Bob Butler. The National Football Foundation inducted Bob Butler into their College Football Hall of Fame in 1972.
April 4,1907 – Lake Charles, Louisiana – Bill Banker the great Tulane halfback of the 1927 to 1929 teams, arrived into this world. Bill was known as the “Blonde Blizzard” according to his biography sketch on the footballfoundation.org website. This moniker came about because when the speedy light haired back ran on the field without a helmet most people saw a vanilla blur go across the field! Banker was voted as a 1929 All-American and he established the Tulane school records for career scoring with 263 points, 37 career touchdowns, 4 touchdowns in a game, 515 most rushing attempts in a career, most rushes in a game with 43 and a atounding 93.2 yards rushing average per game. In his senior year he led Tulane to an undefeated season. Bill Banker’s collegiate football records are celebrated in the College Football Hall of Fame after his induction in 1977. After school he acted in some Hollywood movies for Warner Brothers and later played pro ball for the Memphis Tigers.
April 4, 1917 – Bridgeport, Connecticut – The solid center of Boston College from 1938 through the 1940 season, Chet Gladchuk celebrated his day of birth. Chet was a well rounded athlete who really was cemented in the position of center, not only on the Gridiron but he was also the starting center on the BC hoops team. The 1940 Golden Eagle football team was pretty solid too as Gladchuk was one of five College Football Hall of Fame inductees from that team. The Football Foundation website says that Gladchuk was associated with yet another Hall of Famer as Frank Leahy was his head coach. Boston College posted a 9-1 regular season mark and played Clemson in the Cotton Bowl. Despite losing 6-3, Gladchuk was part of a Boston College defense that forced Clemson to punt 11 times, a Cotton Bowl record. The 11-0, 1940 squad was unquestionably Boston College’s all-time best team. Boston College finished with a 19-13 Sugar Bowl victory over the Tennessee Vols. The NFF voters selected Chet Gladchuk for induction into their College Football Hall of Fame in 1975.
April 4, 1947 – La Mesa, California – The impactful defensive tackle from Cal, Ed White was born. The NFF tells us that White was a player who lettered three years at California, made all-Pac 10 Conference three times, and made All-America in 1968. In 1968, he anchored a California defense that allowed only five rushing touchdowns in 11 games. His legend lives on in his hometown of San Diego where a local high school even named their field after him.The College Football Hall of Fame proudly placed a display in honor of Ed White into their legendary museum in 1999.In 1997 Ed rejoined his connection to the Cal football programs when he became an assistant coach with the team.
April 4, 1951 – Canton, Georgia – The Alabama Crimson Tide standout offensive lineman from 1970 to 1972, John Hannah celebrates his birthday. The National Football Foundation shares that John Hannah was perhaps the greatest offensive lineman in the history of the game as many different credible experts offer great testimonials of this. His head coach at Alabama, Bear Bryant, said, “In over 30 years with the game, he’s the finest offensive lineman I’ve ever been around.” Sports Illustrated in 1981 called him the best offensive lineman of all time. He made All-America in 1971 and was a unanimous selection 1972. In 1972 he also won the Jacobs Award as the nation’s best blocker at his position, offensive guard. He was named Lineman of the Year by the Birmingham Quarterback Club, Atlanta Touchdown Club, and Miami Touchdown Club. Alabama had a 27-8-1 record in his three years and won two conference championships. Hannah was named to Alabama’a all-century team and the Southeastern Conference all-50-year team (1933-1982).The National Football Foundation tallied the votes in favor of John Hannah entering the College Football Hall of Fame in 1999. At the 1973 NFL Draft the New England Patriots used their first round pick to select Hannah. John had a brilliant 13 year career with the Pats in the NFL and was equally proficient at blowing open big holes for the run game was well as being a solid pass protector. According to the Pro HOF site Hannah was selected as an All-Pro in 10 of the 13 seasons he played professionally as well as being a four-time NFLPA Offensive Lineman of the Year which are even more accredited of how special a player he was. John Hannah was enshrined for his great NFL play into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1991.
April 4, 1965 – Griffin, Georgia – Jessie Tuggle the fine linebacker from Valdosta State University was born. Tuggle according to the so called experts did not have the size or the footspeed to play linebacker position at a high level in college football. Therefore Jessie was not offered any incentives to play in the Division I level so he played at Division II Valdosta State. At VSU, according to the NFF’s bio on him, Jessie lettered all four years and made the All-Gulf South conference team for three consecutive years. He gained All-America status as a senior. After his career, Valdosta retired his # 88 and named its athletic workout facility the Jessie Tuggle Strength and Fitness complex. The collegiate legend of Jessie Tuggle was memorialized in the College Football Hall of Fame in 2007. Even with all of the accomplishments he had in college even the NFL teams didn;t recognize how good he was as he went undrafted. He tried out with the Atlanta Falcons and was 17th on their depth chart before he worked his way up the ranks to make it to five Pro Bowls and have a great 14 year NFL career.
NUMBERS IN SPORTS
44 – 43 – 25 – 99
April 4, 1974 – A great moment in sports here. Hank Aaron, Number 44 of the Atlanta Braves tied Babe Ruth’s All-time career home-run record by hitting the 714th of Aaron’s career off of Cincinnati Reds pitcher Jack Billingham, Number 43. It was the 40 year old sluggers first plate appearance of the young season, and he watched four pitches before Hammerin’ Hank did what he did best, knocked the ball over the wall.
April 4, 1983 – What a memory this piece is! At the final of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship we had a last second shot that has gone down in history. North Carolina State defeated Houston, 54-52 as the Wolfpack won with buzzer-beating rebound and dunk by Number 43, Lorenzo Charles when the a desperation 30 foot shot from Number 25, Dereck Whittenburg missed the mark. The NC State squad if you remember was coached by the late Jim Valvano who gained noteriety after the famous tournament run by his team.
April 4, 1986 – The Great One, Wayne Gretzky, Number 99 set yet another NHL record by cashing in his 213th point of the season. Gretzky broke is own previously set record by tallying two assists in the Edmonton loss to the Calgary Flames 9-3.
TV TUESDAY
| MLB REGULAR SEASON GAMES | TIME ET | TV |
| Arizona at San Diego | 4:10pm | MLBN Bally Sports |
| Chi. Cubs at Cincinnati | 6:40pm | MARQ Bally Sports |
| Minnesota at Miami | 6:40pm | Bally Sports |
| Philadelphia at NY Yankees | 7:05pm | TBS NBCS-PHI YES |
| Tampa Bay at Washington | 7:05pm | MASN/2 Bally Sports |
| Pittsburgh at Boston | 7:10pm | NESN ATTSN-PIT |
| NY Mets at Milwaukee | 7:40pm | SNY Bally Sports |
| Toronto at Kansas City | 7:40pm | Sportsnet Bally Sports |
| Atlanta at St. Louis | 7:45pm | Bally Sports |
| Baltimore at Texas | 8:05pm | MASN/2 Bally Sports |
| Detroit at Houston | 8:10pm | Bally Sports ATTSN-SW |
| LA Angels at Seattle | 9:40pm | Root Sports Bally Sports |
| Cleveland at Oakland | 9:40pm | MLBN Bally Sports NBCS-CA |
| Colorado at LA Dodgers | 10:10pm | MLBN ATTSN-RM Spectrum |
| NBA REGULAR SEASON GAMES | TIME ET | TV |
| Toronto at Charlotte | 7:00pm | Sportsnet Bally Sports |
| Miami at Detroit | 7:00pm | Bally Sports |
| Cleveland at Orlando | 7:00pm | Bally Sports |
| Milwaukee at Washington | 7:00pm | NBCS-WSH Bally Sports |
| Minnesota at Brooklyn | 7:30pm | Bally Sports YES |
| Boston at Philadelphia | 8:00pm | TNT |
| Atlanta at Chicago | 8:00pm | NBCS-CHI Bally Sports |
| Sacramento at New Orleans | 8:00pm | NBCS-CA Bally Sports |
| Portland at Memphis | 8:00pm | Root Sports Bally Sports |
| Denver at Houston | 8:00pm | ALT ATTSN-SW |
| LA Lakers at Utah | 9:00pm | Spectrum ATTSN-RM |
| Oklahoma City at Golden State | 10:00pm | NBCS-BAY Bally Sports |
| San Antonio at Phoenix | 10:00pm | Bally Sports |
| NHL REGULAR SEASON GAMES | TIME ET | TV |
| Buffalo at Florida | 7:00pm | Bally Sports MSG-BUF |
| Columbus at Toronto | 7:00pm | Bally Sports Sportsnet |
| Pittsburgh at New Jersey | 7:00pm | ATTSN-PIT MSGSN |
| Ottawa at Carolina | 7:00pm | Bally Sports Sportsnet |
| Detroit at Montréal | 7:00pm | Bally Sports Sportsnet |
| Vegas at Nashville | 8:00pm | ESPN |
| Philadelphia at St. Louis | 8:00pm | NBCS-PHI Bally Sports |
| Chicago at Calgary | 9:00pm | NBCS-PHI Bally Sports |
| Seattle at Vancouver | 10:00pm | Root Sports Sportsnet |
| Edmonton at Los Angeles | 10:30pm | ESPN |
| Colorado at San Jose | 10:30pm | ALT NBCS-CA |
| SOCCER | TIME ET | TV |
| DFB Pokal: Eintracht Frankfurt vs Union Berlin | 12:00pm | ESPN+ |
| DFB Pokal: Bayern München vs Freiburg | 2:45pm | ESPN2 |
| English Premier League: Leeds United vs Nottingham Forest | 2:45pm | USA |
| English Premier League: AFC Bournemouth vs Brighton & Hove Albion | 2:45pm | Peacock |
| English Premier League: Leicester City vs Aston Villa | 2:45pm | Peacock |
| English Premier League: Chelsea vs Liverpool | 3:00pm | Peacock |
| Copa del Rey: Athletic Club vs Osasuna | 3:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Coppa Italia: Juventus vs Internazionale | 3:00pm | Paramount+ |
| CONCACAF Champions League: Philadelphia Union vs Atlas | 8:00pm | FS1 |
| CONCACAF Champions League: León vs Violette AC | 10:00pm | FS1 |