THE INDIANA SRN “SPORTSPAGE” TUESDAY MARCH 26, 2024

INDIANA BOYS BASKETBALL

STATE FINALS-SATURDAY MARCH 30

 SESSION 1

PUBLIC GATES OPEN AT 9:30 AM ET 

10:30 AM ET | CLASS 1A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP 
BETHESDA CHRISTIAN (23-7) VS. FORT WAYNE CANTERBURY (18-9) 

APPROX. 12:45 PM ET | CLASS 2A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP 
BROWNSTOWN CENTRAL (27-4) VS. WAPAHANI (26-2) 

FIELDHOUSE CLEARED 

SESSION 2

PUBLIC GATES OPEN AT 5 PM ET 

6 PM ET | CLASS 3A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP 
SCOTTSBURG (24-5) VS. SOUTH BEND ST. JOSEPH (20-9)

APPROX. 8:15 PM ET | CLASS 4A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP 
BEN DAVIS (23-5) VS. FISHERS (28-1) 

STATE FINALS PREVIEW: https://www.ihsaa.org/sites/default/files/documents/2023-24%20Boys%20Basketball%20Preview.pdf

INDIANA JUNIOR ALL-STARS

THE RED GROUP: JEFFERSONVILLE 6-3 GUARD MICHAEL COOPER; NEW PALESTINE 6-3 GUARD JULIUS GIZZI; FISHERS’ 6-1 GUARD JONANTHONY HALL; RICHMOND 6-5 GUARD CEDRIC HORTON; JEFFERSONVILLE 6-8 FORWARD TRE SINGLETON; AND EVANSVILLE HARRISON 6-3 GUARD SHANE SIMS.

THE BLUE GROUP: FORT WAYNE WAYNE 6-1 GUARD CHASE BARNES; ANDERSON 6-4 GUARD DAMIEN KING; SOUTH BEND ST. JOSEPH 6-4 GUARD CHASE KONIECZNY; EAST CHICAGO CENTRAL 6-5 GUARD DOMINQUE MURPHY; FORT WAYNE BLACKHAWK CHRISTIAN 6-9 FORWARD KELLEN PICKETT; AND 6-2 VALPARAISO GUARD JACK SMILEY.

CORE GROUP

DEZMON BRISCOE, CRISPUS ATTUCKS

BRADY KOEHLER, CATHEDRAL

BRAYLON MULLINS, GREENFIELD-CENTRAL

AZAVIER ROBINSON, LAWRENCE NORTH

TRENT SISLEY, HERITAGE HILLS

MARK ZACKERY IV, BEN DAVIS

RED GROUP

MICHAEL COOPER, JEFFERSONVILLE

JULIUS GIZZI, NEW PALESTINE

JONANTHONY HALL, FISHERS

CEDRIC HORTON, RICHMOND

TRE SINGLETON, JEFFERSONVILLE

SHANE SIMS, EVANSVILLE HARRISON

BLUE GROUP

CHASE BARNES, FORT WAYNE WAYNE

DAMIEN KING, ANDERSON

CHASE KONIECZNY, SOUTH BEND ST. JOSEPH

DOMINQUE MURPHY, EAST CHICAGO CENTRAL

KELLEN PICKETT, FORT WAYNE BLACKHAWK CHRISTIAN

JACK SMILEY, VALPARAISO

INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL SOFTBALL SCORES-REPORTED

DUNDEE-CROWN 7 DEKALB 5

STUART SCREETON 5 MUNSTER 4

MUNSTER 14 WAUCONDA 1

WEST LIMESTONE 12 GIBSON SOUTHERN 7

WAUCONDA 10 DEKALB 1

SMYRNA 8 GIBSON SOUTHERN 6

KANKAKEE VALLEY 13 KOUTS 2

NORTHWOOD 3 TIPPECANOE VALLEY 0

SOUTHWOOD 15 NORTHFIELD 5

SULLIVAN 4 VINCENNES LINCOLN 0

NORTH POSEY 8 EVANSVILLE REITZ 1

INDIANA DEAF 9 SHERIDAN 7

FAIRFIELD 11 NORTHRIDGE 5

COLUMBIA CITY 8 WHITKO 1

HOMESTEAD 23 NEW HAVEN 2

WEST NOBLE 18 FORT WAYNE WAYNE 2

TRINITY LUTHERAN 8 MADISON 6

EASTSIDE 7 WOODLAN 1

SEYMOUR 12 BROWN COUNTY 1

WAWASEE 13 LAKELAND 10

JIMTOWN 10 GOSHEN 2

LAPEL 7 GREENFIELD CENTRAL 4

LEO 18 FORT WAYNE CONCORDIA 0

PRAIRIE HEIGHTS 7 FORT WAYNE DWENGER 3

CATHEDRAL 3 TERRE HAUTE SOUTH 2

CHARLESTOWN 16 SOUTH-CENTRAL 0

JENNINGS COUNTY 9 HAUSER 1

CENTER GROVE 6 FISHERS 3

MEADE COUNTY 7 CORYDON CENTRAL 4

PLAINFIELD 10 CARMEL 1

INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL SCORES-REPORTED

MUNSTER 19 HAMMOND NOLL 9

BARTLETT 11 LIBERTY CHRISTIAN 0

NEW ALBANY 4 GLENBARD EAST 1

HOBART 10 MERRILLVILLE 0

EVANSVILLE REITZ 7 GIBSON SOUTHERN 0

EDINBURGH 11 PURDUE BROAD RIPPLE 1

SOUTHWESTERN 21 HENRYVILLE 1

PRINCETON 15 VINCENNES RIVET 0

SOUTH BEND ST. JOSEPH 8 WARSAW 6

EVANSVILLE MEMORIAL 6 HENDERSON COUNTY 0

WESTVIEW 13 NORTHWOOD 0

FORT WAYNE LUERS 8 CHRUBUSCO 2

TIPPECANOE VALLEY 8 NORTHFIELD 6

LAFAYETTE CENTRAL CATHOLIC 23 TIPTON 3

WOODLAN 7 FORT WAYNE CONCORDIA 6

SOUTH KNOX 8 SULLIVAN 2

LAPEL 10 SHERIDAN 0

WHITKO 16 FORT WAYNE NORTH 3

NEW PRAIRIE 5 GOSHEN 1

CARROLL 13 LEO 5

FORT WAYNE BLACKHAWK 6 PRAIRIE HEIGHTS 4

RONCALLI  8 HERITAGE CHRISTIAN 1

PLAINFIELD 10 HIGHLAND 3

RIVERTON PARKE 7 CRAWFORDSVILLE 5

BETHANY CHRISTIAN 7 FORT WAYNE CRUSADERS 5

HAMILTON SOUTHEASTERN 6 CHESTERTON 5

BOONVILLE 8 CORYDON CENTRAL 4

FISHERS 7 HOMESTEAD 3

NOBLESVILLE 11 ST. XAVIER 7

LANESVILLE 8 CHARLESTOWN 4

NORTH HARRISON 12 MADISON 5

WESTFIELD 14 N. CENTRAL 2

MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL SCHEDULE

THURSDAY, MARCH 28 (SWEET 16)

(2) ARIZONA VS. (6) CLEMSON | 7:09 P.M. | CBS

(1) UCONN VS. (5) SAN DIEGO STATE | 7:39 P.M. | TBS/TRUTV

(1) NORTH CAROLINA VS. (4) ALABAMA | 9:39 P.M. | CBS

(2) IOWA STATE VS. (3) ILLINOIS | 10:09 P.M. | TBS/TRUTV

FRIDAY, MARCH 29 (SWEET 16)

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

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

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

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

(NIT)

NO GAMES SCHEDULED

WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL SCORES

(NCAA TOURNAMENT)

NOTRE DAME 71 OLE MISS 56

NORTH CAROLINA STATE 79 TENNESSEE 72

CONNECTICUT 72 SYRACUSE 64

INDIANA 75 OKLAHOMA 68

IOWA 64 WEST VIRGINIA 54

UCLA 67 CREIGHTON 63

USC 73 KANSAS 55

GONZAGA 77 UTAH 66

WOMEN’S NCAA TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE

MARCH 29 – SWEET 16

2:30 P.M. – ALBANY 1 REGIONAL – SWEET 16 GAME 1, ESPN

5 P.M. – ALBANY 1 REGIONAL – SWEET 16 GAME 2, ESPN

7:30 P.M. – PORTLAND 4 REGIONAL – SWEET 16 GAME 1, ESPN

10 P.M. – PORTLAND 4 REGIONAL – SWEET 16 GAME 1, ESPN

MARCH 30 – SWEET 16

1 P.M. – ALBANY 2 REGIONAL – SWEET 16 GAME 1, ABC

3:30 P.M. – ALBANY 2 REGIONAL – SWEET 16 GAME 2, ABC

5:30 P.M. – PORTLAND 3 REGIONAL – SWEET 16 GAME 1, ESPN

8 P.M. – PORTLAND 3 REGIONAL – SWEET 16 GAME 2, ESPN

MARCH 31 – ELITE 8

1 P.M. – ALBANY 1 REGIONAL – ELITE 8, ABC

3 P.M. – PORTLAND 4 REGIONAL – ELITE 8, ABC

APRIL 1 – ELITE 8

7:15 P.M. – ALBANY 2 REGIONAL – ELITE 8, ESPN

9:15 P.M. – PORTLAND 3 REGIONAL – ELITE 8, ESPN

APRIL 5 – FINAL FOUR

7 P.M. – SEMIFINAL 1, ESPN/ESPN+

9:30 P.M. – SEMIFINAL 2, ESPN/ESPN+

APRIL 7 – CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

NBA SCOREBOARD

CLEVELAND 115 CHARLOTTE 92

ATLANTA 120 BOSTON 118

NEW YORK 124 DETROIT 99

BROOKLYN 96 TORONTO 88

SAN ANTONIO 104 PHOENIX 102

HOUSTON 110 PORTLAND 92

WASHINGTON 107 CHICAGO 105

DENVER 128 MEMPHIS 103

DALLAS 115 UTAH 105

SACRAMENTO 108 PHILADELPHIA 96

INDIANA 133 LA CLIPPERS 116

NHL SCOREBOARD

VEGAS 2 ST. LOUIS 1 OT

LOS ANGELES 3 VANCOUVER 2

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

SPRING TRAINING

TAMPA BAY 6 PHILADELPHIA 3

NY YANKEES 3 NY METS 0

PITTSBURGH 4 TORONTO 3

ATLANTA 4 MINNESOTA 0

ST. LOUIS 6 CHICAGO CUBS 3

MILWAUKEE 10 COLORADO 1

KANSAS CITY 7 NW. ARKANSAS 1

MEXICO DIABLOS ROJOS   NY YANKEES 5

BOSTON 9 TEXAS 2

SUGAR LAND 3 HOUSTON 1

LA ANGELS 6 LA DODGERS 0

ARIZONA 6 CLEVELAND 0

SAN FRANCISCO 4 OAKLAND 1

SEATTLE 4 SAN DIEGO 1

MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER

NO GAMES SCHEDULED

COLLEGE BASEBALL SCORES

NO GAMES SCHEDULED

COLLEGE BASEBALL TOP 25 POLL

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

COLLEGE SOFTBALL SCORES

MICHIGAN 6 PURDUE 2

MONDAY’S TRANSACTIONS

BASEBALL

Major League Baseball

American League

TORTONTO BLUE JAYS — Optioned CF Nathan Lukes to Buffalo (IL).

National League

ATLANTA BRAVES — Agreed to terms with RHP Jesse Chavez on a minor league contract.

COLORADO ROCKIES — Released OF Bradley Zimmer.

LOS ANGELES DODGERS — Assigned INF Andre Lipcius outright to Oklahoma City (PCL).

NEW YORK METS — Optioned SS Mark Vientos and DH J.D. Martinez to Syracuse (IL).

PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES — Optioned INF Kody Clemens to Lehigh Valley (IL).

SAN DIEGO PADRES — Optioned RHP Jeremiah Estrada to El Pasa (PCL).

WASHINGTON NATIONALS — Selected the contracts of RHP Matt Barnes and OFs Eddie Rosario and Jesse Winker. Placed RHP Mason Thompson and LHP Jose A. Ferrer on the 60-day IL. Optioned CF Alex Call, OF Jacob Young and C Drew Millas to Rochester (IL).

FOOTBALL

National Football League

PITTSBURGH STEELERS — Signed QB Kyle Allen and DL Dean Lowry to contracts.

WASHINGTON COMMANDERS — Signed C Michael Deiter to a contract.

HOCKEY

National Hockey League

ARIZONA COYOTES — Recalled F Josh Doan from Tucson (AHL).

NEW JERSERY DEVILS — Assigned G Isaac Poulter to Utica (AHL).

NATIONAL SPORTS RELEASES/HEADLINES

MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL

THE NCAA TOURNAMENT WANTS TO EXPAND WITHOUT LOSING ITS SOUL. IT WILL BE A DELICATE NEEDLE TO THREAD

Kevin Keatts and North Carolina State reached the NCAA Tournament the old-fashioned way.

The way that existed before the bubble. Before bracketology. Before NET rankings, KenPom, the transfer portal, name, image and likeness and all the rest. Before the tournament field grew (and grew some more), when the only way to punch your ticket into March Madness was by winning your conference tournament.

N.C. State earned the Atlantic Coast Conference’s automatic bid by ripping off five victories in five days to capture the conference tournament title. The 11th-seeded Wolfpack pushed their postseason winning streak to seven and are now in the Sweet 16 for the first time in nearly a decade.

It’s been a thrilling if exhausting ride, the kind of run that saves jobs. It has also done little to alter Keatts’ view about whether the tournament should expand beyond its current 68-team format:

In an era where more than half the 133 Division I football programs qualify for a bowl game (while acknoledging this is not the purview of the NCAA), forcing 80% of the 350-plus Division I basketball schools to watch March Madness from their dorms seems outdated and unnecessarily punitive.

“We talk about the student-athlete experience, and the only thing that really, in my opinion, that has not changed is expanding the tournament,” Keatts said. “And I don’t have a number. I don’t know what that should be. But I do think we should give more schools opportunities to be able to get in the tournament.”

Keatts is hardly alone. The chorus for expansion is growing ever louder.

MORE TEAMS, MORE PROBLEMS?

The NCAA committee has discussed all of this at length in the wake of the organization’s transformation committee suggesting that NCAA-sanctioned championships in larger sports be open to a quarter of the teams participating in it.

In Division I men’s basketball, that breaks down to around an 88-team field, which would make for an unwieldy option to the (nearly) perfect 68-school bracket that’s been an office pool staple the morning after Selection Sunday since 2011.

Going that large seems unlikely. CBS and Warner Brothers Discovery have no interest in moving the Final Four past its current end day the first weekend in April. And beginning the tournament earlier to accommodate massive expansion would cause a ripple effect that would force the regular season to start even earlier at a time when attention is focused squarely on football in most places.

While Big East Commissioner Val Ackerman believes most of her colleagues are more open to a “modest” bump to 72 or 76 teams, the real sticking point is over money and access.

The NCAA’s $8.8 billion TV contract runs through 2032 and will not change regardless of the field size. Though adding more games would provide a small boost through ticket sales and merchandise, the reality is the pool of money the NCAA uses to pay out conferences and member schools would essentially stay the same whether the field expands or not.

What could change, however, is how that money would be divided up if the tournament broadens.

Every team that reaches the NCAA Tournament currently receives the same amount of revenue (called a “ unit ” in NCAA parlance) for making the tournament. The longer a school’s tournament run — through the regional final anyway — the more units the school’s conference receives.

For leagues that typically garner one or two bids, the windfall can make a serious impact. Loyola Chicago’s memorable run to the Final Four in 2018 gave the Missouri Valley Conference a significant boost.

What could shift if the field expands is how those units are allotted. One option could be to weigh the units, meaning having them grow exponentially through each round, thereby decreasing the value of simply making the field.

It’s a setup that could further exacerbate the already widening fiscal gap between super-sized conferences like the Big Ten and SEC and everyone else.

Ackerman stressed “none of us would like to see our unit value diminish,” and that the Big East — which had three teams advance to the Sweet 16 — would have a “point of view if it was going to be undercut in any way.”

Atlantic 10 Commissioner Bernadette McGlade, who spent 10 years on the men’s tournament selection committee, has become a strong advocate for expansion if it’s done the right way. That means not predicating expansion on the idea that the extra 4-8 at-large bids automatically go to mid-tier schools from a power conference.

“I do think the (NCAA) has to keep the (big conferences’) feet to the fire to maintain some semblance of fairness for the student-athletes,” she said. “They can’t just keep taking more and more and more.”

And therein lies an issue harder to define: Who and what is March Madness designed for?

“WE’RE WHAT MAKE THIS TOURNAMENT”

The most memorable moments from the opening weekend weren’t the chalky blowouts but Yale’s stunner over Auburn, Oakland taking down the bluest of bluebloods in an electrifying upset of Kentucky and the Middle Tennessee State women knocking off Louisville before giving Angel Reese and LSU all it could handle before falling in the second round.

“We’ve got a pretty good game here,” MTSU coach Rick Insell said. “You’ve got some of those automatic qualifiers putting some of those (at-large) teams out that really probably shouldn’t have been in the NCAA Tournament, to be honest with you.”

Oakland coach Greg Kampe, who will begin his 41st season with the Golden Grizzlies next fall, is actually against expansion even though Oakland competes in the Horizon League, which hasn’t received multiple NCAA bids since 2009. Still, he understands the landscape is changing. Kampe is hopeful amid all this change that the powers that be won’t forget what — or more importantly who — brings the madness to March.

“We’re what make this tournament,” Kampe said, “the little guy.”

Zoom out, however, and bigger has always seemed to be better for the NCAAs. What started as an eight-team curiosity in Philadelphia, San Francisco and Chicago in 1939 has mushroomed to a 68-team behemoth spread across the country that stakes its claim to an entire month on the sports calendar.

TV ratings for the opening two rounds to the 2024 edition were the highest in five years. The presence of programs like North Carolina, Duke and defending national champion UConn in the Sweet 16 likely means interest figures only to spike as the tournament barrels toward the Final Four.

No matter how big the tournament gets, there will always be some schools left on the outside looking in.

Pitt forward Blake Hinson would know. Six days after calling the current tournament size “perfect,” Hinson and the Panthers — who finished fourth in the ACC during the regular season — saw their bubble burst when the Wolfpack ran off with the tournament title.

“You know, some people get missed,” Hinson said before the 22-win Panthers were left out. “And that’s part of it.”

That part of the process will never change. The question for the NCAA going forward is how to find the right balance between who gets in and who doesn’t, an increasingly thorny proposition.

“I think this thing is so great and so big, I think cooler heads will prevail and will do everything and anything to keep this thing as close as we can to what makes it special,” Gonzaga coach Mark Few said. “If we have to make some tweaks, we have to make some tweaks.”

To survive and advance in a sport where the tectonic plates are in perpetual shift, the tournament may have no choice.

STANFORD HIRES WASHINGTON STATE’S SMITH AS HEAD COACH

Stanford is hiring Washington State bench boss Kyle Smith as the program’s new head coach, athletic director Bernard Muir announced Monday.

“The opportunity to serve as the head men’s basketball coach at Stanford is a dream come true. … From my perspective, Stanford has the resources and reputation to attract the ideal student-athlete who is seeking the character development aspects of what our basketball program will offer,” Smith said in a statement. “Stanford has the capacity to provide a place where student-athletes can hone their leadership skills and intellect through hard work and team building. I am thrilled to try to provide that type of culture for an institution that prides itself on excellence in all areas.”

Smith led Washington State to a 25-10 record and the school’s first March Madness appearance since 2008. He won Pac-12 Coach of the Year for his efforts in the regular season, helping the Cougars go 14-6 in conference play.

The 7-seed Cougars were eliminated in the second round of the NCAA tourney by No. 2 seed Iowa State on Saturday.

Smith spent five seasons at Washington State, leading the school to above .500 finishes for the last three campaigns. He previously spent time as the head coach at San Francisco and Columbia.

Stanford parted ways with Jerod Haase earlier in March after eight seasons as head coach. The Cardinal have only made the Big Dance once since 2009, going to the Sweet 16 in 2014.

Three major players from Stanford’s team this season have entered the transfer portal: junior forward Maxine Raynaud, freshman guard Kanaan Carlyle, and freshman forward Andrej Stojakovic, son of former NBA All-Star Peja Stojakovic.

REPORTS: WASHINGTON HIRING DANNY SPRINKLE AS HEAD COACH

Washington is finalizing a deal to lure Danny Sprinkle away from Utah State to be the new coach of the Huskies, multiple outlets reported Monday.

Sprinkle would replace Mike Hopkins, who was fired by Washington earlier this month with one year remaining on his contract.

Sprinkle, 47, is on the move less than 24 hours after Utah State was eliminated from the NCAA Tournament by top-seeded Purdue.

Sprinkle leaves Utah State after just one season. He went 81-43 in four seasons at his alma mater Montana State before leaving to join the Aggies in April 2023. He has qualified for three consecutive NCAA tournaments, his final two seasons at Montana State and this year.

Hopkins went 118-106 record in his seven seasons at Washington, leading the Huskies to just one NCAA berth.

The Huskies are joining the Big Ten Conference for the 2024-25 season.

Utah State got walloped by Purdue, 106-67 on Sunday. The eighth-seeded Aggies opened with a win over No. 9 TCU on Friday in the first round of the Midwest Region.

USC UPSTATE MEN’S BASKETBALL COACH DICKERSON RESIGNS TO RETURN TO OHIO STATE

SPARTANBURG, S.C. (AP) — USC Upstate men’s basketball coach Dave Dickerson has resigned to become associate head coach at Ohio State.

USC Upstate announced Monday that Dickerson was leaving after six seasons to pursue other coaching opportunities. A short time later, Ohio State said Dickerson was being hired for Jake Diebler’s staff.

Dickerson was 65-117 during his tenure at USC Upstate. He twice reach the Big South Conference Tournament semifinals.

USC Upstate said Dickerson’s associate head coach, Andrew Garcia, would take over the program as interim coach during the search for Dickerson’s replacement.

Dickerson previously served as an Ohio State assistant coach for seven seasons before coming to USC Upstate.

REPORTS: VANDY HIRING MARK BYINGTON AS NEW COACH

Vanderbilt is set to hire James Madison’s Mark Byington as its next head coach, multiple outlets reported Monday.

The report comes less than 24 hours after JMU was eliminated from the NCAA Tournament by Duke in the second round. Byington led the 12th-seeded Dukes to their first tournament win since 1983, beating No. 5 Wisconsin in a South Region opener on Friday.

Byington, 47, will replace Jerry Stackhouse, who was fired by Vanderbilt on March 15.

Byington went 82-36 in his four seasons at the Harrisonburg, Va., school, the first two in the Colonial Athletic Association and the last two in the Sun Belt. He is 213-133 overall, having also coached seven seasons at Georgia Southern (2013-20).

The Dukes (32-4) set a program record for wins this season.

Stackhouse compiled a record of 70-92 (28-60 SEC) in five seasons at Vanderbilt, with two appearances in the NIT (2022, 2023). The Commodores have not been to the NCAA Tournament since 2017.

ESPN was the first to report the move.

REPORT: MISSOURI STATE, COACH CUONZO MARTIN WORKING ON DEAL

Cuonzo Martin is expected to return to Missouri State as its head men’s basketball coach.

ESPN reported Monday that the school and Martin were negotiating a deal that would put him back on the Bears’ bench. Missouri State was the first head-coaching job for Martin.

He held the post from 2008-11 before moving on to Tennessee (2011-14), Cal (2014-17) and Missouri (2017-22).

In Martin’s final season at Missouri State, the Bears won the school’s first regular season Missouri Valley Conference championship, earning Martin the conference’s coach of the year award after a 26-9 season.

Martin, 52, was 61-41 in his stint at Missouri State and has a 264-198 coaching record. He has taken his teams to the NCAA Tournament four times.

In the 2023-24 season, the Bears finished 17-16 (8-12 MVC) under Dana Ford, who was dismissed earlier this month after six seasons and a 106-82 overall record.

WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL

WOMEN’S NCAA TOURNAMENT ROUNDUP: CAITLIN CLARK MAKES HISTORY IN IOWA’S WIN

Caitlin Clark scored 32 points while breaking the single-season NCAA scoring record and No. 1 seed Iowa escaped with a 64-54 win over No. 8 seed West Virginia in the second round of the Women’s NCAA Tournament on Monday in Iowa City.

The Hawkeyes (31-4) advance to play No. 5 seed Colorado in the Sweet 16 on Saturday in a Region 2 semifinal at Albany, N.Y. Iowa closed the game on a 12-2 run to secure the victory.

JJ Quinerly scored 15 points to lead West Virginia (25-8). Kyah Watson added 13 points and a team-high seven rebounds.

Clark made history in the final home game of her collegiate career. She needed 29 points to surpass Kelsey Plum, who scored 1,109 points during her senior season with Washington during the 2016-17 campaign.

With 21.3 seconds remaining, Clark set the record by knocking down a free throw. She made three more free throws in the closing seconds to give her 1,113 points for the season entering this weekend’s matchup against Colorado.

No. 2 UCLA 67, No. 7 Creighton 63

Kiki Rice scored 24 points on 7-for-13 shooting and the Bruins rallied for a win over the Bluejays in the second round of the Women’s NCAA Tournament in Los Angeles.

Lauren Betts added 20 points and 10 rebounds for UCLA (27-6). The Bruins advanced to Region 2 semifinals, where they will tip off against No. 3 seed LSU — the defending national champion — on Saturday in Albany, N.Y.

Lauren Jensen scored 20 points to lead Creighton (26-6). Morgan Maly finished with 18 points, and Emma Ronsiek chipped in 14.

ALBANY 1 REGION

No. 2 Notre Dame 71, No. 7 Ole Miss 56

Maddy Westbeld scored a game-high 20 points as the Fighting Irish defeated the Rebels in South Bend, Ind., to punch their ticket to the Albany Region 1 semifinals.

It’s the third consecutive season that Notre Dame (28-6) has made the Sweet 16 under fourth-year coach Niele Ivey. Sonia Citron added 17 points and game highs of 10 rebounds and six assists for the Irish, and Hannah Hidalgo contributed 19 points and four steals.

Kennedy Todd-Williams and Madison Scott each scored 15 for Ole Miss (24-9).

No. 4 Indiana 75, No. 5 Oklahoma 68

Mackenzie Holmes poured in 29 points to help the Hoosiers beat the Sooners in Bloomington, Ind., in an Albany Region 1 second-round game.

The Hoosiers (26-5) are in the Sweet 16 for the third time in four seasons and will face undefeated No. 1 South Carolina on Friday in Albany, N.Y.

Also key for Indiana was the play of Sydney Parrish, who had 17 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Sara Scalia added 12 points.

Skylar Vann scored 20 points for Oklahoma (23-10) while Aubrey Joens scored 16 off the bench.

PORTLAND 3 REGION

No. 3 UConn 72, No. 6 Syracuse 64

Paige Bueckers scored 32 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, Ashlynn Shade shot 5 of 9 from 3-point range en route to 19 points and the Huskies clinched their 30th consecutive Sweet 16 with a home defeat of the Orange in the Women’s NCAA Tournament Portland 3 region in Storrs, Conn.

KK Arnold made both of her attempts from beyond the arc on the night on the way to 10 points for UConn (31-5). Bueckers also made a game-high four steals. Aaliyah Edwards posted 11 points and 11 rebounds in the win.

Dyaisha Fair led Syracuse with 20 points, dished six assists and made three steals. Sophie Burrows and Georgia Woolley each netted 18 points for Syracuse (24-8).

No. 1 USC 73, No. 8 Kansas 55

The Trojans rode a key run into the fourth quarter and pushed past the Jayhawks in Los Angeles, sending USC to its first Sweet 16 since 1994.

The Trojans’ JuJu Watkins, who scored a game-high 28 points, put up five straight points late in the third quarter after Kansas pulled to within one point. The burst ignited a 17-3 run that extended deep into the fourth period for the Trojans (28-5), who will face fifth-seeded Baylor in the Sweet 16 on Saturday in Portland, Ore.

Kansas (20-13) shot just 3 of 10 from long distance and 20 of 56 (35.7 percent) from the floor in total. The Trojans made 25 of their 67 field-goal attempts (37.3 percent).

PORTLAND 4 REGION

No. 3 North Carolina State 79, No. 6 Tennessee 72

Aziaha James poured in 22 points as the Wolfpack outlasted the Lady Volunteers in a second-round game at Raleigh, N.C.

Saniya Rivers added 20 points for NC State while Zoe Brooks hit for 16 and River Baldwin scored 11. The Wolfpack (29-6) advance to the Sweet 16 and will face second-seeded Stanford on Friday at Portland, Ore.

Rickea Jackson racked up a season-high 33 points and took 10 rebounds for the Lady Vols (20-13).

No. 4 Gonzaga 77, No. 5 Utah 66

Kayleigh Truong scored 21 points and Yvonne Ejim racked up 17 points and 13 rebounds as the Bulldogs defeated the Utes in Spokane, Wash.

The Bulldogs (32-3) advance to the Sweet 16 where they will face No. 1-seeded Texas on Friday in Portland, Ore. The 32 wins are an all-time high for the Gonzaga program, which will make its first appearance in a regional semifinal since 2015.

Alissa Pili led all scorers with 35 points while Kennady McQueen added 12 for Utah (23-11).

NBA NEWS

NBA INVESTIGATING RAPTORS’ JONTAY PORTER FOR BETTING IRREGULARITIES

The NBA is investigating Toronto Raptors forward Jontay Porter for his role in betting irregularities this season, ESPN reported Monday.

Sources told ESPN that Porter, brother of Denver Nuggets’ forward Michael Porter Jr., is under the league’s microscope for prop betting markets in games played Jan. 26 and March 20.

In the first instance, Jan. 26 against the Clippers, sportsbooks had Porter’s props set at over/under 5.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 0.5 3-pointers. At the time, Porter had per game averages of 4.9 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 0.7 3-pointers.

Prior to the game, there was a heightened level of betting interest on the under for Porter’s props. He played four minutes before leaving because, according to the team, Porter aggravated an eye injury suffered Jan. 22.

Porter’s final numbers from the Jan. 26 game: no points, three rebounds and one assist, thus hitting the under on all of his prop markets. DraftKings reported the next day that Porter’s 3-pointers “under” bet was the public’s biggest winner that night among all NBA props.

The March 20 game in question, against the Sacramento Kings, saw Porter again depart – this time after only three minutes – because of what the team said was an illness.

Porter’s totals were set at 7.5 points and 5.5 rebounds. He took – and missed – one shot and had two rebounds.

Once again, the DraftKings day-after report said Porter’s under wagers were the night’s biggest money-earners for sports bettors.

Porter’s two-contract with Toronto this season pays him $415,000.

After missing Saturday’s matchup with the Washington Wizards because of personal reasons, Porter was listed as “out” for Monday’s game against the Brooklyn Nets.

As part of the injury report, Porter’s estimated return date is April 14, the final day of the NBA’s regular season, possibly indicating he might not return at all this season.

In 26 games this season, Porter, 24, carries averages of 14 minutes per game, 4.4 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists.

NBA ROUNDUP: HAWKS SHED 30-POINT DEFICIT TO EDGE CELTICS

Dejounte Murray scored 19 points, dished out 15 assists and made the go-ahead basket with one minute left to help the Atlanta Hawks overcome a 30-point deficit and stun the visiting Boston Celtics 120-118 on Monday.

De’Andre Hunter followed with a 3-pointer to up Atlanta’s lead to four points with 10.1 seconds remaining. Jayson Tatum scored on a tip-in with 1.2 seconds left for Boston, but Atlanta was able to inbound the ball after a timeout to run out the clock.

No team had successfully come back from a 30-point deficit against the team with the best record in the NBA since the Los Angeles Lakers did so against the Dallas Mavericks on Dec. 6, 2002.

Monday also marked the Hawks’ largest come-from-behind win of the play-by-play era, which began in 1997-98. The Celtics led 68-38 in the second quarter, but Atlanta went on an 18-6 run to cut the lead to 74-56 at halftime.

Hunter led the Hawks with 24 points, and Bogdan Bogdanovic contributed 22. Boston got 37 points and eight rebounds from Tatum and 24 points from Jaylen Brown.

Knicks 124, Pistons 99

Donte DiVincenzo hit a franchise-record 11 3-pointers, scoring a career-high 40 points to lead host New York to a rout of Detroit.

DiVincenzo broke the mark set by J.R. Smith on April 6, 2014, and matched by Evan Fournier on Jan. 6, 2022. Fournier, who was traded by the Knicks to the Pistons on Feb. 8, played for Detroit on Monday night and spent much of the second half covering DiVincenzo.

Josh Hart (11 points, 14 rebounds, 10 assists) posted his sixth triple-double of the season while Jalen Brunson had 28 points for the Knicks. James Wiseman (14 points, 11 rebounds) posted a double-double and Marcus Sasser had 24 points for the Pistons, who have lost seven in a row.

Spurs 104, Suns 102

Jeremy Sochan hit for 26 points, including the game-winning 3-pointer in the final minute, as San Antonio hung on to defeat visiting Phoenix in the second game of a two-game set in three days between the teams.

The Spurs played without star rookie Victor Wembanyama, who was ruled out just before game time with a sprained left ankle. Sochan also grabbed a career-high 18 rebounds for San Antonio. Devin Vassell added 26 points while Zach Collins had 18.

Devin Booker finished with 36 points, Kevin Durant had 29 and Royce O’Neale added 12 for the Suns in the loss.

Cavaliers 115, Hornets 92

Jarrett Allen, Georges Niang and Evan Mobley each scored 17 points and Cleveland pulled away to clobber visiting Charlotte and end a three-game losing streak.

It was a solid turnaround after the Cavaliers lost by 37 points on Sunday night at Miami, as Cleveland shot 53.5 percent from the field and owned a 47-33 rebounding edge.

Brandon Miller racked up 24 points for the Hornets, who were blown out by 41 two nights earlier at Atlanta and finished winless on a four-game road stretch, leaving their overall losing streak at five games.

Nets 96, Raptors 88

Trendon Watford scored 19 points off the bench and visiting Brooklyn ended a six-game losing streak with a win over Toronto.

It was the 11th consecutive loss for the Raptors. Dennis Schroder, who started the season with Toronto, also had 19 points for Brooklyn.

Gary Trent Jr. led Toronto with 18 points. Kelly Olynyk had 10 points and nine assists for the undermanned Raptors, who last won on March 3.

Wizards 107, Bulls 105

Jordan Poole scored a team-high 23 points to lead Washington past host Chicago, giving the Wizards their third straight win.

Corey Kispert added 19 points and 12 rebounds for Washington, while Marvin Bagley III scored 16 points off the bench. DeMar DeRozan led Chicago with 27 points, while Coby White scored 22. The Bulls lost their third straight.

After White made a pair of free throws to cut the Wizards’ lead to one, Justin Champagnie split two foul shots to make it a two-point game with 5.3 seconds left. DeRozan had a chance to win it but missed a 3-point shot at the buzzer.

Rockets 110, Trail Blazers 92

Jalen Green scored 27 points, including 12 during a decisive third-quarter run, to help Houston overcome a sluggish start and defeat visiting Portland.

The Rockets extended their winning streak to nine games and improved to 11-1 in March. Green and Fred VanVleet shot a combined 14-for-44, including 6-for-20 from behind the arc. Jock Landale posted 17 points and nine rebounds for the Rockets, while rookie Amen Thompson added 12 points and nine boards.

Dalano Banton paced the Trail Blazers with 28 points and 11 rebounds. Scoot Henderson added 15 points while Toumani Camara chipped in 12 points and five boards as Portland suffered its seventh loss in a row.

Nuggets 128, Grizzlies 103

Nikola Jokic produced 29 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists in his return from a one-game absence and host Denver handed struggling Memphis its fifth loss in six games.

Christian Braun scored 17 points and Reggie Jackson had 15 points for Denver, which is 15-2 since the All-Star break. The Nuggets lead the Oklahoma City Thunder by one game in the race for first place in the Western Conference.

Lamar Stevens scored 19 points off the bench and Scotty Pippen Jr. supplied 17 for the Grizzlies.

Mavericks 115, Jazz 105

Luka Doncic scored 29 points and notched his 19th triple-double of the season to lead Dallas past Utah in Salt Lake City.

Doncic, who finished with 13 assists and 12 rebounds, also scored six points during a decisive 12-0 run in the fourth quarter. Kyrie Irving added 27 points for the Mavericks, who have won four straight games and eight of their past nine.

Lauri Markkanen led all scorers with 34 points for the struggling Jazz, who have lost six consecutive games and 17 of 20. Utah only scored 17 points in the final quarter and 39 in the second half after a strong offensive showing in the first half.

Kings 108, 76ers 96

Keegan Murray and De’Aaron Fox each scored 23 points, Domantas Sabonis added to his NBA triple-double lead and host Sacramento gradually pulled away from road-weary Philadelphia.

Sabonis finished with 11 points and game highs of 13 rebounds and 10 assists for the Kings, who opened a key five-game homestand with their sixth win in the past eight games.

Tyrese Maxey had a game-high 29 points for the 76ers, who completed their six-day, Western Conference road trip with a 1-3 mark.

Pacers 133, Clippers 116

Pascal Siakam scored 31 points and Myles Turner added 24 as Indiana turned improved defense into a victory over host Los Angeles.

Tyrese Haliburton scored 21 points and handed out nine assists and T.J. McConnell added 15 points as the Pacers won for the third time in four games. Indiana held the Clippers in check after allowing 150 points to the Los Angeles Lakers in a defeat on Sunday.

Kawhi Leonard and Paul George each scored 26 points as the Clippers dropped their second home game in a row and fell into a tie for fourth place in the Western Conference. Russell Westbrook added 14 points and seven assists in 18 minutes in his first game following surgery for a fractured left hand.

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

SHOHEI OHTANI SAYS HE NEVER BET ON SPORTS, INTERPRETER STOLE FROM HIM

Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani said Monday in his first comments on a gambling investigation that he never bet on sports and his fired interpreter Ippei Mizuhara stole money from him to cover “a massive debt” and lied about it.

“I never bet on baseball or any other sports or never have asked somebody to do it on my behalf, and I have never went through a bookmaker to bet on sports,” Ohtani said through Will Ireton, the Dodgers’ manager of performance operations, who translated. “Up until a couple of days ago, I didn’t know this was happening.”

Mizuhara was accused of “massive theft” on Wednesday by Ohtani’s lawyers after it was learned that at least $4.5 million of Ohtani’s money had been sent through wire transfers to a bookmaking operation under federal investigation. Mizuhara was fired by the Dodgers on Wednesday.

Major League Baseball announced Friday that it has opened an investigation into the allegations involving Ohtani and Mizuhara.

“To summarize how I’m feeling right now, I’m just beyond shocked and it’s really hard to verbalize how I’m feeling at this point,” Ohtani said at a news conference in Los Angeles, after which he did not take questions.

He explained that he is limited in what he can talk about during the investigation, he is letting his lawyers handle matters and he is cooperating with authorities.

Ohtani said that Mizuhara didn’t tell him that media had contacted his representatives about a gambling investigation but told them that he had paid off debts for “a friend.”

“Upon further questioning, it was revealed that it was actually in fact Ippei who was in debt and told my representatives that I was paying off this debt,” Ohtani said. “All of this has been a complete lie.”

The IRS said Thursday that Mizuhara and the alleged illegal bookmaker, Mathew Bowyer, are being investigated by the agency’s Los Angeles field office.

Ohtani said the first time he knew about what he called Mizuhara’s “gambling addiction” and debt was after the team’s first game of the season, played in South Korea on March 20 against the San Diego Padres.

“During the team meeting, Ippei was speaking in English and I didn’t have a translator on my side. But even with that, I kind of understood what was going on and started to feel there was something amiss,” Ohtani said.

Mizuhara had asked that they talk one-on-one after the team meeting, so Ohtani waited at the hotel, he said. That’s when he learned about the “massive debt” and that Mizuhara was sending money from his account to a bookmaker.

“Obviously, I never agreed to pay off the debt or make payments to the bookmaker,” Ohtani said. “At that moment, it was an absurd thing that was happening and I contacted my representatives.”

His lawyers and the Dodgers had been lied to as well, Ohtani said. His lawyers advised him that this was a case of theft and fraud, and to let the proper authorities handle it.

“I am very saddened and shocked someone whom I trusted has done this,” Ohtani said.

Mizuhara has been interpreting for Ohtani since the two-way superstar debuted with the Los Angeles Angels in 2017.

Ohtani signed a record-setting 10-year, $700 million deal with the Dodgers in December after batting .304 with an American League-leading 44 homers and 95 RBIs in 2023, when he earned his second AL MVP.

MLB BASERUNNERS WENT WILD LAST SUMMER. IN YEAR 2 WITH NEW RULES, STEALS COULD KEEP PILING UP

CLEARWATER, Fla. (AP) — Trea Turner’s speed and instincts helped him go perfect on the bases.

The Philadelphia Phillies’ star shortstop set a major league record for most steals in a season without getting caught, going 30-for-30 on the basepaths last year.

He wasn’t the only player who had a lot of success.

Thanks to several rules changes, runners swiped bags more proficiently and stolen bases across the majors increased 41% from 2,486 in 2022 to 3,503 in 2023. That was the most in a season since 1987.

Overall, basestealers had a success rate of 80.2%, up from 75.4% in 2022. Turner is one of only six players in MLB history to steal at least 20 bases in a season at a 100% rate.

National League MVP Ronald Acuña Jr. led the major with 73 steals, the most since Jose Reyes had 78 in 2007. Esteury Ruiz swiped 67 and Corbin Carroll stole 54.

“There’s a lot that goes into it, the count, how many outs, the score, who’s hitting behind you, knowing the pitcher, how well do you read him, the catcher’s tendencies,” Turner said earlier this month about the art of stealing bases. “You just gotta be comfortable making it. I think it’s a lot of rhythm. I look at it as hitting or fielding where it’s like, sometimes I feel stuck and I can’t see it. And then sometimes you’re seeing everything so quick, you know I got this easy.”

The main reason stolen bases went up was the new rule limiting pitchers to two disengagements per batter. Pitchers can only disengage from the pitching rubber — either to call timeout or to attempt a pickoff throw — twice per plate appearance. If a runner advances during a plate appearance, the limit on disengagements is reset.

“When you limit pickoff attempts, that makes it so much easier,” Turner said.

Bryson Stott, Turner’s teammate and double-play partner, swiped 31 bags in 34 tries last season. He said the disengagement rule allowed him to be more aggressive on the bases.

“I still have to get a jump off the pitcher and still have to beat the catcher’s throw and it’s still the same catchers who were throwing out 50 guys a season ago,” Stott said. “But I think you’re more comfortable in knowing that they don’t want to waste a pickoff in certain spots so your leads can be a little bigger, you can take more chances.

“If Bryce Harper is at the plate and I’m on first base and the pitcher has two stepoffs, is he going to waste a stepoff on me or does he want to step off, gather his thoughts and see what he wants to throw Bryce? So it’s just certain things throughout the game that kind of affect that.”

Other rule changes also contributed to some degree to the rise in steals. A pitch clock implemented to speed up games forced pitchers to start their delivery in 20 seconds if there was a baserunner. The time is decreasing to 18 seconds this season.

“I actually thought the clock would be a little bit more important than it was,” Turner said. “I didn’t think it was as easy to time it up with the clock as I thought at first.”

Larger bases were introduced to improve player safety and encourage more steals. Bases went up to 18-square inches from 15-square inches.

“Maybe it made a difference on a handful of plays that were bang-bang but limiting pickoffs was the important factor,” Turner said.

The big question: what happens in Year 2 with the new rules? Baserunners and their coaches are bracing for pitchers and catchers to make adjustments.

“Teams are going to find ways to try to eliminate them,” said Paco Figueroa, the Phillies’ first base/baserunning/outfield coach. “Maybe pitchers will use the second or third pickoff more, or maybe pitchers need to start being quicker to the plate.”

Pitchers are permitted a third pickoff try, but it’s a balk if the runner returns safely. Holding runners on base was a point of emphasis this spring for Chicago White Sox right-hander Michael Kopech, who gave up 32 stolen bases, second-most in the majors last season.

“We’ve worked on the slide-step a little bit,” said Kopech, who gave up 15 steals in 2022. “But for me, there’s more of a comfort zone with the modified leg lift than a true slide step. It’s just being quick to the plate without being rushed.”

Cubs right-hander Kyle Hendricks also needed to address how to hold runners better after his steals allowed went up from nine in 2022 to 23 in last season.

“Big-time focus on it at all times,” Kendricks said. “Throwing my bullpens, there’s a focus on it, of looking the same in the stretch every time, not giving a different look or anything that could tip off the runner to get an early jump, and just making sure you’re quick to the plate.

“It’s gonna be really tough. We know there’s going to be a lot of running in the game, so it’s definitely a focus of ours. Just going to have to really be hyper aware of it, and hyper aware of yourself if you’re tipping anything to give them a chance to get off early, and then making sure you’re quick enough to the plate to give our guys a chance.”

Some players are taking a different approach on the basepaths. New York Yankees rookie shortstop Anthony Volpe uses a vault or momentum lead, which is more widely used in college ball. Instead of the typical three-to-four step lead, Volpe takes a small, two-step lead and then shuffles before taking off.

He led the Yankees with 24 steals but also was caught five times.

“I personally can’t do it,” Stott said. “I worry that the second I take a jump, they’re going to pick me off. That is an art, and he’s really good at it. He’s under control with it. You see a lot of guys who are doing the jump lead and they accidentally jump seven feet and then the pitcher is still holding the ball.

“But his leads aren’t very big and he takes the jump step and he knows the pitchers. I think a lot of guys are starting to pick up on that and seeing how he was kind of running wild.”

New rules. Different ideas. More running. It all adds excitement to baseball.

BLUE JAYS CLOSER JORDAN ROMANO (ELBOW) LIKELY HEADED TO IL

Toronto Blue Jays closer Jordan Romano is likely to start the season on the injured list with an elbow issue.

Manager John Schneider said Monday it is “reasonable to say” Toronto will open the season Thursday at Tampa Bay without the two-time All-Star right-hander.

Romano, 30, made five appearances this spring and allowed one run on two hits in 4 1/3 innings, fanning six batters.

He finished 5-7 with a 2.90 ERA and tied his career high with 36 saves in 59 appearances last season.

Romano is 19-15 with 97 saves and a 2.67 ERA in 216 games (no starts) since making his debut with Toronto in 2019.

Fellow reliever Erik Swanson is dealing with a forearm injury, leaving Yimi Garcia and Chad Green as candidates for closing duties until Romano returns.

YANKEES 3B DJ LEMAHIEU (FOOT) TO START SEASON ON IL

New York Yankees third baseman DJ LeMahieu will miss the start of the season with a foot injury.

General manager Brian Cashman confirmed Monday that the two-time batting champ is headed to the injured list with a bone bruise in his right foot.

The injury has been “a slow go on the recovery side,” Cashman said, per the Bergen Record.

LeMahieu, 35, is batting .222 with one double and three RBIs in 10 games in spring training.

New York opens the regular season on the road Thursday against the Houston Astros.

LeMahieu batted a career-worst .243 with 15 homers and 44 RBIs in 136 games with the Yankees last season.

A three-time All-Star and four-time Gold Glove winner, LeMahieu is a career .292 hitter with 122 homers and 625 RBIs in 1,561 games with the Chicago Cubs (2011), Colorado Rockies (2012-18) and Yankees.

PIRATES PITCHING PROSPECT JARED JONES FINISHES OFF IMPRESSIVE SPRING BY MAKING BIG-LEAGUE ROSTER

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Jared Jones’ impressive spring training has earned him a spot on the Pittsburgh Pirates opening-day roster.

The team announced Monday that the 22-year-old right-handed pitcher made the club, giving the starting rotation a dash of youth.

Jones, a second-round pick by the Pirates in the 2020 amateur draft, will be part of Pittsburgh’s starting rotation when the team opens in Miami on Thursday. Jones, who did not allow a run across 16 1/3 innings of Grapefruit League play, is scheduled to make his first major league start on Sunday.

Jones joins a rotation that includes All-Star Mitch Keller, World Series champion Martín Pérez, Marco Gonzales and Luis Ortiz.

The Pirates also will be placing right-handed relievers Ryder Ryan and Hunter Stratton on the roster. Jones, Ryan and Stratton were all non-roster invitees to spring training.

Pittsburgh will start the season with right-handed pitchers Carmen Mlodzinski and Colin Holderman, catcher Yasmani Grandal and infielder/outfielder Ji Hwan Bae on the injured list.

The Pirates optioned right-handed starter Quinn Priester, who made eight starts in the majors last season, to Triple-A Indianapolis.

Pittsburgh also reassigned several players to minor league camp, including former New York Yankees pitcher Domingo Germán, who pitched a perfect game last season, and former Detroit Tigers pitcher Wily Peralta.

SPRING TRAINING ROUNDUP: YANKEES BLANK METS TO CLOSE SPRING

Clarke Schmidt allowed only one hit over five sharp innings as the host New York Yankees posted a two-hit shutout of the New York Mets, winning 3-0 to close their spring training schedule Monday in Tampa, Fla.

Schmidt (1-0) struck out six batters and gave up two walks and a hit batter, and relievers Clay Holmes, Caleb Ferguson and Luke Weaver held the Mets to one hit, two hit batters and no walks over the next four innings.

Benjamin Cowles went 2-for-3 with a two-run double for the Yankees, and Alex Verdugo brought in the other run on a fielder’s choice grounder.

Sean Manaea (2-2) went five innings for the Mets and struck out seven without a walk, giving up two runs on five hits. Pete Alonso’s double off Holmes was the Mets’ only extra-base hit.

Rays 6, Phillies 3

Visiting Tampa Bay scored three runs in the top of the ninth to break a tie and defeat Philadelphia in Clearwater, Fla.

Elis Barreat singled and Ricardo Gonzalez scored the go-ahead run on Johan Rojas’ throwing error from center field. Alex Jackson — who tied the game with a solo homer in the sixth — scored on a wild pitch by Efrain Contreras (0-1), and Tanner Murray added a single to score Barreat.

The rally made a winner out of Rays reliever Pete Fairbanks (2-0), who pitched a perfect bottom of the eighth with one strikeout. J.T. Realmuto had a two-run homer to open the scoring for the Phillies.

Braves 4, Twins 0

Chris Sale struck out six batters and scattered a walk and three hits over three innings as Atlanta blanked visiting Minnesota in North Port, Fla.

Sale (1-2) was followed by six relievers who pitched an inning apiece and kept the Twins’ hit total to six. Marcell Ozuna bashed a three-run home run in the first inning and Austin Riley added a shot to left in the third for Sale’s run support.

Bailey Ober (1-2) threw 4 1/3 innings and gave up four runs on four hits and two walks, fanning six.

Pirates 4, Blue Jays 3

Jake Lamb’s two-run single in the fifth inning was enough for host Pittsburgh to fend off Toronto in Bradenton, Fla.

Lamb’s hit broke a 2-2 tie after Henry Davis hit an RBI double and Rowdy Tellez added a run-scoring infield single in the fourth for the Pirates. Reliever Ryder Ryan (1-2) was credited with the win after pitching one-third of an inning.

Damiano Palmegiani had a solo homer for the Blue Jays to tie the game in the top of the fifth, and Daniel Vogelbach scored Palmegiani on a single in the eighth for the final margin. Zach Pop (0-1) gave up two runs (one earned) on two hits and a walk while getting the first out of the fifth.

NFL NEWS

NFL OWNERS UNANIMOUSLY APPROVE A RULE THAT BANS THE HIP-DROP TACKLE

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — The NFL is eliminating the hip-drop tackle.

NFL team owners on Monday unanimously approved a rule that bans players from using a swivel technique to tackle an opponent.

A violation will result in a 15-yard penalty and could ultimately result in fines for players.

NFL executive Jeff Miller said the hip-drop tackle was used 230 times last season and resulted in 15 players missing time with injuries.

The NFL Players Association has adamantly opposed the rule.

“It doesn’t get used very often, but when it is used, it’s incredibly injurious to the runner,” NFL Competition Committee chairman Rich McKay said. “The runner is purely defenseless. And I have heard defenders say it before, and I hear them, ‘Hey, you’re putting me in a really tough spot. You’re saying I can’t hit here. What do I do?’ And my response has always been, ‘Well, you can’t do that, and that’s just because the guy you’re hitting is defenseless and has no way to protect himself.’ So we’ve got to protect him and you’ve got to come up with other ways, and you know what, they do.”

The league played a video during a news conference to show six specific plays in which the hip-drop tackle was used in games, with Bengals tight end Drew Sample, Cowboys running back Tony Pollard, Bengals receiver Tyler Boyd, Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith and Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill all being on the receiving end of the now-illegal hit.

NFL teams will continue to receive videos showing illegal hits and ways to make tackles within the rules.

“It’s a new rule, so they’ll not have seen it,” McKay said about officiating the penalty. “This is never practiced; nobody does this in practice. There’s never a player that’s going to use this tactic on a player on his own team in a practice so they’re never going to see it. They’re only going to see it in the game. We will tell them, ’Listen, this a penalty on the books. You can call it. You got to see all three elements of what’s going on here. You got to see him grab him. You got to see him control them. You got to see him swivel himself up in the air and you got to see him go unweighted. You don’t see it, don’t call it.

“We’re going to take all these tapes that you’ve seen. … we’re going to take them all to the clubs and show them: this is what we don’t want. This is what a foul looks like.”

A significant change to kickoffs wasn’t presented for a vote but McKay said it’s possible owners will consider it on Tuesday instead of waiting for the league meetings in May.

All rules proposals require 24 out of 32 votes for approval.

Only two other proposals were approved by owners.

Teams will now receive a third challenge following one successful challenge. Previously, teams had to be successful on two challenges to receive a third.

Also, if there is a double foul during a down in which there is a change or changes of possession, including if one of the fouls is a post-possession foul by a team during a scrimmage kick, the team last gaining possession will keep the ball after enforcement for its foul, provided it did not foul prior to last gaining possession.

McKay said there’s urgency to vote on the complicated new kickoff rule this week because it could impact the way teams select players next month in the NFL draft.

“I like voting on it sooner rather than later because there’s no question that bringing the play back, we had 1,970 touchbacks last season, so if you bring the play back in, let’s just say that 1,200 of those become returns, the person you’re going to have as a returner is going to matter more,” McKay said. “And we do have a draft coming up. And we do have college free agency coming up. So I think personnel people need to know is this play going to be in or out, and that would lead me to want to have the vote sooner.”

The new rule proposal takes elements of the kickoff rules used in spring leagues such as the XFL.

For a standard kickoff, the ball would be kicked from the 35-yard line with the 10 kick coverage players lined up at the opposing 40, with five on each side of the field.

The return team would have at least nine blockers lined up in the “set up zone” between the 30- and 35-yard line with at least seven of those players touching the 35. There would be up two returners allowed inside the 20.

Only the kicker and two returners would be allowed to move until the ball hits the ground or was touched by a returner inside the 20.

Any kick that reaches the end zone in the air can be returned, or the receiving team can opt for a touchback and possession at the 30. Any kick that reaches the end zone in the air and goes out of bounds or out of the end zone also would result in a touchback at the 30.

If a ball hits a returner or the ground before the end zone and goes into the end zone, a touchback would be at the 20 or the play could be returned. Any kick received in the field of play would have be returned.

Under current rules, any touchback — or if a returner calls for a fair catch in the field of play — results in the receiving team getting the ball at its 25.

“This is our chance to keep special teams in the game,” McKay said. “Special teams has been a part of the game forever. And, if you lose the kickoff, in our mind, you really pretty much eliminated special teams and put it on a punt play. And so that’s what we’re trying to, get through and and figure out if we can get to 24 votes.”

FLAG FOOTBALL

Three-time All-Pro wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, who came to the meetings to promote flag football, hopes to play the sport in the Olympics after he retires.

Flag Football was approved for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles last year. Several NFL players have expressed excitement about possibly competing in the sport.

“We’ve heard the players speak out about it,” NFL executive Troy Vincent said. “We have good models in other sports on participation. … The way the schedule is, it may not conflict with, let’s say training camp or potentially regular season, but we are working with the (NFL) Players Association. We’ve had really, really productive, conversations about it. And who really wants to get in the way? Just to be frank, who wants to get in the way of stopping the player from (representing) his country or her country? So we believe that will take place. But these guys, they talk about it, we hear them talk about it all the time. So we think that process will take its course.”

GLOBAL EXPANSION

The NFL announced an expansion of its Global Markets Program, adding four new teams and five new markets set to participate. The program, which launched in 2022, awards NFL clubs international marketing rights to build brand awareness and fandom beyond the United States, through fan engagement, events and commercial opportunities. Overall, 25 clubs will participate in the program across 19 international markets, as the NFL continues to prioritize global growth.

The Cleveland Browns (Nigeria), Detroit Lions (Austria, Canada, Germany and Switzerland), Indianapolis Colts (Austria and Germany) and New York Giants (Germany) joined the program.

Argentina (Miami Dolphins), Colombia (Dolphins), Japan (Los Angeles Rams), Nigeria and South Korea (Rams) are the new markets.

In addition to expansion by the Rams and Dolphins, the New England Patriots (Brazil), the New York Jets (Ireland), Pittsburgh Steelers (Germany) and Seattle Seahawks (Austria, Germany and Switzerland) expanded into new markets.

49ERS’ LYNCH: NO TRADE TALKS ABOUT AIYUK, IN EXTENSION NEGOTIATIONS

San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch said Monday that his team hasn’t engaged in trade discussions involving Brandon Aiyuk and is “actively talking” with the star receiver about an extension.

“There are a number of different directions it can go,” Lynch said, according to David Lombardi and Matt Barrows of The Athletic. “But we appreciate the heck out of Brandon and who he is as a player. We want him to be a part of the Niners, so we’re going to work towards making that a reality.”

Aiyuk has been the subject of trade rumors ever since his girlfriend and friend both posted on social media about a potential exit from San Francisco shortly after the Super Bowl loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

The wideout fueled speculation further last week when he posted on X about Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin.

MCDANIEL: DOLPHINS MADE OFFER TO BECKHAM, TALKS ONGOING

Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel said Monday that his team made an offer to Odell Beckham Jr. after the receiver visited Thursday.

“Things went great with him,” McDaniel said, according to the Miami Herald’s Daniel Oyefusi. “We did make him an offer, and business takes time, especially with players such as Odell, who’s had a phenomenal career, still has really good football in front of him, and has options. So, I think those conversations will be ongoing. We’ll see where they go.”

Beckham spent the 2023 season with the Baltimore Ravens but struggled to return to his Pro Bowl form, finishing with 35 catches for 565 yards and three touchdowns.

The 31-year-old wideout missed all of the 2022 campaign after tearing his ACL while playing for the Los Angeles Rams in the Super Bowl.

While Miami boasts one of the NFL’s best receiver duos in Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, the club lacks a legitimate third pass-catching option after Cedrick Wilson Jr. signed with the New Orleans Saints. Braxton Berrios and River Cracraft are the Dolphins’ other receivers.

REPORT: STEELERS SIGNING EX-EAGLES WR QUEZ WATKINS

Wide receiver Quez Watkins is crossing Pennsylvania to join the Pittsburgh Steelers, ESPN reported Monday.

He played his first four NFL seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles, who drafted him in the sixth round in 2020.

Watkins, 25, caught 15 passes for 142 yards and one touchdown in nine games (five starts) last season.

He leaves Philly with 98 grabs for 1,249 yards and six TDs in 49 games (25 starts). He also returned 14 kickoffs for 200 yards.

NFL DRAFT PROFILE: QB DRAKE MAYE, NORTH CAROLINA

Overview

Challenging evaluation with top-flight measurables and tools but inconsistencies that create a lower floor. Maye’s size and arm talent jump off the tape immediately. He can make every throw, but he will try to make throws that he shouldn’t have attempted. The gunslinger mentality creates a fearlessness that can turn into interceptions, but it will also allow him to win in tight windows and make splash throws that get crowds (and evaluators) on their feet. He leaves too many throws on the back shoulder or hip and needs to learn when to take some sauce off the throw to make it more catchable. There is an undeniable energy to Maye’s game that can create momentum or turn chaotic when plays come off-schedule for him. The combination of traits and tape make him a boom/bust prospect who might need patient management and coaching to help shepherd him toward his potential.

Strengths

• Two years of starting experience and still very moldable.
• Two-time team captain with prototypical size and frame.
• Ball comes off his hand with tight spiral and good velocity.
• Can expedite operation time and release when pressure closes in.
• Unquestionable arm talent to connect from challenging angles.
• Fearless passer with the guts and arm to whip the ball into tight windows.
• Quick pocket climber with discipline to continue searching for targets.
• Mobility to slide free of pocket traffic and toughness to go get needed yards.
• Showed flashes of the clutch gene during his career.

Weaknesses

• Struggles with the chess match against pressure looks.
• Inefficient throwing motion creates inconsistencies in accuracy.
• Receivers had to chase too many intermediate throws into the turf.
• Leaves the ball behind crossing routes and RPO targets.
• Can get uncomfortable when initial reads aren’t clear and clean.
• Sixteen career interceptions were mostly earned with poor decisions or throws.

Sources Tell Us

“He’s big and mobile and can sling it around but he didn’t play consistent football (in 2023). I thought his processing was a problem but it was hard to tell sometimes because of how his line played in front of him.” – AFC personnel director

PLAYER BIO

• 2021: Redshirted. Played in four games as a reserve (7-10-70.0, 89 yards, TD passing; 6-62-10.3 rushing).
• 2022: ACC Player of the Year, Offensive Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year, Offensive Rookie of the Year (joined Jameis Winston as the only players to win all four awards in the same season). First-team All-ACC. Ranked top five in the FBS with 4,321 passing yards (342-517-66.2) and 38 passing TDs (7 INTs). Won Shaun Alexander Award (top freshman in the nation) and was finalist for the Manning Award (nation’s top QB). Led the team with 698 rushing yards (184 carries, 3.8 per, 7 TDs). Started all 14 games.
• 2023: Second-team All-ACC. Started 12 games (269-425-63.3, 3,608 yards, 24 TDs, 9 INTs passing; 112-449-4.0, 9 rushing TDs).
• Father, Mark, played football at North Carolina. Brother, Luke, played basketball at North Carolina. Brother, Cole, won an NCAA baseball title at Florida. Brother, Beau, plays basketball for North Carolina. Mother, Aimee, attended UNC.

NFL DRAFT PROFILE: QB JAYDEN DANIELS, LSU

Overview

With five seasons of starting experience under his belt, Daniels possesses a rare blend of playmaking talent and command from the pocket. He’s tall but slender, so there will be concerns about durability, considering how often he ran in college. However, teams must also recognize that he has no issues sitting in the pocket and working through progressions as a platform thrower with good mechanics and footwork. Daniels possesses the football intelligence to get himself protected and take care of the football with quality decision-making. He’s an accurate passer over the first two levels and throws with anticipation to slice and dice zone coverages. He had noticeable issues putting deep throws on faster receivers in stride, though. He lacks ideal size and arm talent, but he’s much more capable as a runner and passer than most of the quarterbacks who have moved on to the next level lately. Daniels is positioned to become a very good NFL starter in a spread-based passing attack.

Strengths

• Game is marked by command of the field and football intelligence.
• Recognizes pre-snap pressure and has a plan to counter it.
• Gets everyone on the same page when setting up protection.
• Full-field reader with good rhythm through his progressions.
• Willing to plant his flag and attack defenses from the pocket.
• Maintains passing platform when sliding around the pocket.
• Has made footwork as a passer a priority during his career.
• Anticipatory thrower with accuracy and feel for attacking zone windows.
• Has the running talent to turn scrambles into back-breaking plays.
• Has the speed to keep defenses honest with zone-read concepts.

Weaknesses

• Slender frame will lead to durability concerns.
• Lack of zip creates danger for him outside the numbers.
• Will drop his eyes in the pocket to scan for exits.
• Below-average push and placement on deep throws.
• Substantially more accurate on rollouts than as a scrambling passer.
• Has a tendency to fall off of fade throws, leaving them short.

PLAYER BIO

• 2019 (Arizona State): Started 12 games (205-338-60.7, 2,943 yards, 17 TDs, 2 INTs passing; 125-355-2.8, 3 TDs rushing). Did not throw an INT in his final 157 passes of the season.
• 2020 (Arizona State): Started all four games (49-84-58.3, 701 yards, 5 TDs, INT passing; 33-223-6.8, 4 TDs rushing).
• 2021 (Arizona State): Started all 13 games (197-301-65.5, 2,380 yards, 10 TDs, 10 INTs passing); 138-710-5.1, 6 TDs). 
• 2022: Ranked ninth in the FBS in completion percentage. Led the team in rushing (186-885-4.8, 11 TDs). Started all 14 games (266-388-68.6, 2,913 yards, 17 TDs, 3 INTs). 
• 2023: Won the Heisman Trophy (nation’s top player), Walter Camp Player of the Year, Davey O’Brien Award (nation’s top QB), Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award (nation’s top QB). Finalist for the Maxwell Award (nation’s top player). First-team Associated Press All-American. SEC Offensive Player of the Year. First-team All-SEC. Led FBS with 11.7 yards per pass attempt and 8.4 yards per rush (only player to lead FBS in both in same season since at least 1996). Ranked second in FBS with 40 passing TDs (4 INTs), fifth with 3,812 passing yards, seventh with 72.2 completion percentage (236-327). Led all QBs with school-QB record 1,134 rushing yards (135 carries, 8.4 per) and had 10 rushing TDs. Started 12 games. Only player in FBS history to throw for 12,000 yards and rush for 3,000 yards in a career. Team captain.

NFL PLAYER DRAFT PROFILE: TE BROCK BOWERS, GEORGIA

Overview

Prolific pass-catching tight end with a rare blend of acceleration, speed, body control and hands that could breathe new life into a stale NFL offense. Bowers was a high-volume target at Georgia and led the team in receiving yards in all three of his college seasons. He plays with relentless pacing as a route runner, allowing him to beat man coverage. Also, he’s highly effective at exploiting zone pockets for first downs and chunk plays. Bowers’ secret sauce might be his ability to rip through tacklers and pile on yardage after the catch. He’ll be an adequate move blocker and give effort at the point of attack, but that is the one area where his game falls short of George Kittle’s, for comparison purposes. Bowers is an explosive athlete but lacks the premium measurables typically associated with early first-rounders. It might take a year for him to acclimate to defenders who are bigger, faster and longer, but he appears destined to become a highly productive NFL player with Pro Bowl upside.

Strengths

• Gets off the snap with good lean and early acceleration.
• Capable of getting to his top speed very quickly.
• Runs routes with controlled strides and cut-ready footwork.
• Preserves play speed and begins to separate when turning routes.
• Talent to beat man-cover linebackers on the next level.
• Hands-catcher operating with good coordination and technique.
• Exceptional toughness and contact balance with the ball in his hands.
• Gets hands into proper positioning as a run blocker.

Weaknesses

• Needs to become more forceful when fitting up his blocks.
• Inconsistent sustaining run blocks in space.
• Will need to improve route savvy underneath.
• Limited catch radius.
• Came out on the wrong side of contested catches in 2023.

Sources Tell Us

“He doesn’t have (Kyle) Pitts’ freaky measurables, so he may not carry the same grade, but he’s going to keep doing what he’s doing now because the way he plays translates.” – NFL scouting director

PLAYER BIO

• 2021: Second-team Associated Press All-American. Won the Shaun Alexander Award (nation’s top freshman). First-team All-SEC, SEC Freshman of the Year. Led the team with 56 receptions, 882 receiving yards (15.8 per), school-record 13 receiving TDs. Played in all 15 games with 13 starts for the national champions. 
• 2022: Second-team Associated Press All-American. First-team All-SEC. Won the John Mackey Award (nation’s top TE). Finalist for the Lombardi Award as the nation’s top lineman (as a TE). Led the team with 63 receptions, 942 receiving yards (15.0 per), 7 receiving TDs. Played in all 15 games with 14 starts for the national champions. 
• 2023: Won the John Mackey Award again (nation’s top TE) as first player ever to win in back-to-back seasons. First-team Associated Press All-American. First-team All-SEC. Finalist for the Lombardi Award again. Led the team with 56 receptions, 714 receiving yards (12.8 per), 6 receiving TDs. Started 10 games (6-28-4.7, TD rushing). Missed four games with an ankle injury, had tightrope surgery to return at the end of the year.
• Father, Warren, was a two-time All-Big West Conference center at Utah State. Mother, DeAnna, was an All-American softball player at Utah State.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL NEWS

GEORGIA TRANSFER TREVOR ETIENNE’S BID FOR STARTING RB JOB COULD BE AT RISK FOLLOWING DUI CHARGE

An arrest on drunken driving and other charges could endanger Trevor Etienne’s projected role as Georgia’s new starting running back only months after his transfer from Florida.

If convicted of the DUI charge, Etienne faces a suspension of at least one game.

Athens-Clarke County police arrested Etienne early Sunday on charges of drunken driving, failure to maintain a lane or improper driving as well as affixing materials that reduce visibility through the windows or windshield, jail records show.

According to a statement released Monday by Athens-Clarke County police, an officer “observed a vehicle driving recklessly” at approximately 1:50 a.m. Sunday near the University of Georgia. Police stopped the grey sedan, driven by Etienne, 19.

Etienne was booked into the Athens-Clarke County Jail at 4:35 a.m. and released less than an hour later on bonds totaling about $1,800. It was not clear if Etienne had obtained a lawyer.

According to Georgia’s team policy, athletes convicted of DUI face a suspension of at least one game. Georgia’s season-opening game will be against Clemson on Aug. 31.

“We are aware of the charges and are currently in the process of gathering additional information,” Steven Drummond, Georgia’s executive associate athletic director for strategic communications, said in a statement provided to The Associated Press. “This is a pending legal matter and we will not have further comment at this time.”

At the start of spring football practice on March 12, coach Kirby Smart said Etienne had made a strong first impression as he learned the Bulldogs’ offense while preparing to compete for a starting job. Smart said there are similarities in the Georgia and Florida offenses and Etienne has adjusted quickly to the new playbook.

“Getting comfortable in the offense, there are nuances,” Smart said. “I have met with him about it. There are differences in the way we do things offensively that he is picking up on. He is very bright. That is not going to be a problem for him.”

Etienne is a midyear transfer from Florida. As a sophomore, he led the Gators with nine touchdowns. Etienne is the younger brother of former Clemson star and Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne.

Smart acknowledged last year he has struggled to find ways to get his players to drive safely. In January 2023 — hours after Georgia celebrated its second straight national title — offensive lineman Devin Willock and recruiting staffer Chandler LeCroy were killed in a crash while LeCroy and defensive tackle Jalen Carter were racing.

There were at least 15 traffic stops involving members of the Bulldogs’ football program driving excessive speeds in 2023, including three instances of driving under the influence, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

COLLEGE BASEBALL NEWS

COLLEGE BASEBALL NOTEBOOK: OREGON STATE’S TRAVIS BAZZANA HOMERS LEADING OFF 4 STRAIGHT GAMES

Travis Bazzana has been the ultimate leadoff man lately.

The Oregon State star will enter this week’s road series against Southern California having opened the last four games with home runs.

The Australian second baseman has 14 homers, ranking third in the nation and more than his 2023 total of 11. Eight of his homers have come in the last five games.

“I’m seeing it well, I’ve got a good feel for it right now,” Bazzana told reporters Friday. “If they’re going to pitch to me then I’ll swing. If they don’t, I’ll take the walks and run on them.”

The NCAA does not track consecutive games with a leadoff homer. Brady Anderson, in 1996, is the only major leaguer to have opened four games with home runs.

Bazzana’s overall offensive game is among the reasons he’s rated the No. 3 overall prospect for the 2024 Major League Baseball draft, according to MLB.com. His .581 on-base percentage, 43 hits, 23 walks and 36 RBIs lead the Pac-12. He also has six steals after setting a school record with 36 last season.

Bazzana homered to right to start a win over Portland on Tuesday and continued his streak in a three-game sweep of Washington. The leadoff homers against the Huskies went out to right Friday, to left on the first pitch Saturday and to right on Sunday.

Tyler Malone, in 2018, was the last Oregon State player to go deep in five straight games.

IN THE POLLS

Arkansas (19-3) won two of three at Auburn and remains No. 1 in the D1Baseball.com and Baseball America polls. The Razorbacks had won 15 straight before losing 8-6 Saturday.

Oregon State (21-2) is No. 2 by D1Baseball and No. 3 by Baseball America after outscoring Washington 31-3 in its sweep.

Clemson is flip-flopped with Oregon State after taking three in dramatic fashion against previously unbeaten Florida State. The Tigers won the first game 15-5, overcame a seven-run ninth-inning deficit to win the second 9-8 and a nine-run six-inning deficit to win the third 14-12.

HOT HAGEN

Arkansas lefty Hagen Smith continues to be dominant. He struck out 12 in six innings in Friday’s 1-0 win over Auburn and is now 4-0 with a 1.24 ERA and 62 strikeouts in 29 innings, and he has held opposing hitters to a .116 batting average. In his last five starts, he has an 0.32 ERA with 60 strikeouts.

SOONERS NO-HITTER

Braden Davis and Reid Hensley pitched Oklahoma’s first combined no-hitter since 2005 in a 13-0 home win over West Virginia on Friday. The two combined for 15 strikeouts with Davis striking out a career-high 12 over seven innings and Hensley fanning three.

West Virginia bounced back to sweep a Saturday doubleheader and win the series.

GAMECOCKS SWEEP VANDY

South Carolina bounced back from a series loss to Mississippi with its first sweep of Vanderbilt since 2009. The Gamecocks won 10-2 Sunday after freshman Tyler Pitzer struck out nine without allowing an earned run over 6 1/3 innings in his first start. The Gamecocks took a Saturday doubleheader 8-3 and 8-4.

Vanderbilt had entered the series on a 14-game win streak and a top-three ranking. South Carolina was rewarded with a No. 10 ranking by D1Baseball.

CLEANUP SPOT

Louisiana Tech’s Cole McConnell homered four times in a doubleheader sweep of Jackson State on Saturday, three times in the second game. McConnell was suspended for all but the first four games last season for violating team rules. He leads the team with a .376 batting average, 10 homers and 39 RBIs. … Rhode Island’s Michael Anderson drove in a national season-high 12 runs against Stonehill last Wednesday. He hit a grand slam and three-run homer to go with a triple and two doubles. … Appalachian State won a series against a top-15 opponent for the first time since 2012 by taking two of three from Coastal Carolina.

ILLINOIS, MARYLAND AND RUTGERS COLLECT BASEBALL HONORS

Player of the Week
Drake Westcott, Illinois
Jr. – 1B — Edwardsville, Ill. — Louisville

• Batted .400 (6-for-15) with a home run and 6 RBI to help Illinois to a 3-1 record
• Scored five runs, drew five walks and handled 33 chances without an error at first base
• Compiled a slash of .400/.600/.800 and a 1.400 OPS as Illinois took its first series at Indiana since the 2008 season
• Earns his third career player of the week award and second of the season
• Last Illinois Player of the Week: Drake Westcott (March 4, 2024)
   

Pitcher of the Week
Justin Sinibaldi, Rutgers
Sr. – S-LHP — Bridgewater, N.J. — Bridgewater-Raritan

• Recorded a complete game, 3-0 shutout win against UConn on March 22 in Piscataway
• Held the 2023 NCAA Regional participants to four hits (all singles) and a .133 batting average.
• Retired the side in the eighth inning on just six pitches; threw 110 pitches for the game
• Struck out nine Huskie batters and produced 11 ground outs
• The two-time Academic All-Big Ten selection receives his first Big Ten Pitcher award
• Last Rutgers Pitcher of the Week: Christian Coppola (Feb. 26, 2024)
   

Freshman of the Week
Brayden Martin, Maryland
Fr. – UTL — Bowie, Md. — St. John’s College

• Posted a team-best .600 batting average (6-for-10) along with a .667 on-base percentage and .600 slugging percentage over four games last week
• Produced not one, but two walk-off singles, helping Maryland to a pair of 10-inning wins against Michigan State on Friday and Sunday
• Saw action in left field, as a designated hitter and a pinch hitter in helping Maryland to its 23rd-consecutive Big Ten series win
• Collects the first Big Ten Freshman award of his career
• Last Maryland Freshman of the Week: Kyle McCoy (May 1, 2023)

MAC ANNOUNCES BASEBALL PLAYERS & PITCHERS OF THE WEEK

MAC Baseball Co-Players of the Week
Kyle Schroedle, Eastern Michigan, Outfield
Graduate Student, Redding, Calif. (University Prep)         
Kyle Schroedle had a big week as he led the Eagles offense to a 3-1 week.  In 15 at-bats, the Redding, Calif., native notched a .400 batting average, 1.067 slugging percentage, .471 on-base percentage, and a blistering 1.538 OPS. The graduate student knocked 6 hits, four of which went for extra bases (three home runs, one double), equaling out to 16 total bases on the week, while driving in seven runs, walking twice, and stealing one base in his lone attempt of the week. Schroedle also tabbed homers in consecutive games against Western Michigan, March 24 (DH), all while playing a perfect outfield with a 1.000 fielding percentage, seven putouts, and an assist as he caught a runner attempting to advance to third. 
 
Tyler Ross, Bowling Green, Second Base               
Senior, Lewis Center, Ohio (Olentangy Orange)
Tyler Ross had a monstrous weekend at the plate for the Falcons, logging a batting average of .455 and a slugging percentage of 1.273. Ross erupted for a total of two doubles, two triples and a home run over the course of the three-game series sweep over Akron while registering four RBI and scoring four times himself.  Ross’ best game of the series came on Saturday (March 23) when he went 3-for-4 with a double and two triples, tying the program record for triples in a game as just the 10th Falcon ever with two in the same contest. He added a walk, an RBI and two runs scored in the game. Ross’ other double came in Friday’s (March 22) game. As for his home run, Ross saved the best for last with a three-run, go-ahead blast in the series finale on Sunday (March 24), tallying three-RBI with the home run.
 
MAC Baseball Co-Pitchers of the Week
Nick Chittum, Eastern Michigan, RHP      
Senior, Grosse Ile, Mich. (Grosse Ile)       
Senior Nick Chittum excelled in Eastern’s 3-0 win over the Western Michigan University Broncos, March 24. The right-hander went the distance, pitching the entire nine innings, allowing three hits, two walks, and striking out a season-high six batters. Chittum’s complete game marks his second of the season. Additionally, he became the first EMU pitcher to throw a complete game shutout since Luke McGuire at Bowling Green, May 7, 2021. However, that was only a seven-inning affair. The last time an EMU hurler tossed 9.0 innings without allowing a run was Brent Mattson versus Butler, April 2, 2017. Furthermore, it was the first time an Eastern starter blanked a conference foe in a nine-inning contest since Brad Allen notched a 3-0 complete-game triumph over Bowling Green, March 25, 2017.

Keegan Johnson, Ball State, LHP               
Freshman, Frederick, Md.            
Johnson struck out a season-high 11 Toledo batters in 7.0 innings of work while allowing only one run on four hits to claim the win in Ball State’s 4-2 triumph over the Rockets in Sunday’s series finale. The freshman previously struck out six in 3.0 scoreless innings at Valpo on Tuesday afternoon. Johnson finished the week leading Ball State in ERA (4.44) and batting average against (.186) while ranking second in season strikeouts (36).

HCAC 2024 BASEBALL NOTEBOOK, WEEK 6

CARMEL, Ind. – The Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) baseball teams competed in week six of the 2024 season.
 
Around the League:
HCAC Baseball Schedule
 
Athletes of the Week:
Hitter of the Week:
Eric Roudebush (New Palestine, Ind.) Hanover College | Right Field | Senior – Roudebush was a key member of the Panthers 3-1 record earning a split at Transylvania and a sweep of Defiance. The senior finished with a .917 slugging percentage going 6-of-12 with six runs a homerun and three RBI.
Pitching Athlete of the Week:
Landen Southern (Lafayette, Ind.) Anderson University | Pitcher | Junior – Landen Southern totaled 10 innings, 12 strikeouts and a 9-inning complete-game win, while allowing only two runs on the week. He retired each of the three batters he faced against Alma and struck out one. Against Manchester, Southern recorded the win, throwing 9 innings, striking out 11 batters, issuing 3 walks and allowing two runs on four hits in 9 innings. In total, Southern struck out 12 batters, conceded three walks and yielded 2 runs on 4 hits in 10 innings for a 1.80 ERA and a 0.70 WHIP.

Notable Performances:

• Griffin Wolf (Carmel, Ind.) Anderson University | Outfield | Sophomore – Griffin Wolf went 9-for-17 with 3 doubles, 6 RBI, 3 runs as Anderson went 4-2 overall on the week and 3-1 in HCAC play. Wolf turned in a .529 AVG, a .529 OBP and a .706 SLG.
• Jack Towell (Batavia, Ohio) Bluffton University | Shortstop | Graduate – Towell went 5-of-12 for a pert .417 bating average with 3 doubles, a homer and 8 RBI. He slugged a whopping .917 and scored two runs. Against Otterbein on Tuesday, Towell went 3-of-6 with six RBI. He smashed a homer and tacked on a pair of doubles against the Cardinals.
• Ben Eisenhauer (San Jose, Calif.) Bluffton University | Pitcher | Junior – Eisenhauer tossed 5.2 innings of scoreless relief at MSJ on Sunday, allowing just two hits with four strikeouts and one walk. He limited the opposition to a paltry .125 batting average.
• Ian Bulls (Batavia, Ohio) Earlham College | Utility | Sophomore – Ian Bullis led the Quakers at the plate in a doubleheader against Anderson with a .333 batting average. Bullis scored three hits with five RBI and one run scored.
• Hayden Scalf (Richmond, Ind.) Earlham College | Pitcher | Sophomore – Hayden Scalf threw 7.2 innings in a win over Anderson on Sunday. The sophomore allowed just one hit after the first inning, and finished the outing with two earned runs on four hits with five strikeouts and one walk.
• Matthew Alter (Indianapolis, Ind.) Hanover College | Pitcher | Senior – Alter got the win in the Panthers 10-4 victory at Transylvania. The senior got the start throwing six complete innings allowing just one earned run with seven strikeouts, posting a 1.50 ERA. As a staff, Hanover surrendered just five earned runs over the course of the week posting a 1.80 ERA.
• Rocco Hanes (Ossian, Ind.) Manchester University | Catcher/Utility | Junior – Rocco Hanes hit .353 as the Spartans opened conference play against Anderson and Transylvania this weekend. The junior finished the weekend finished with 4 RBI, a double, and a home run.
• Jackson Todor (Fort Wayne, Ind.) Manchester University | Pitcher/Infield | Sophomore – Jackson Todor threw a complete 9 innings against, earning his first win of the season against Transylvania on Sunday. The sophomore scattered 6 hits while striking out 3 batters and giving up 2 runs.
• Andrew Harrison (Lebanon, Ohio) Mount St. Joseph University | Third Base | Junior – Junior third baseman Andrew Harrison led the Lions to a 3-1 weekend, earning a split on the road at Rose-Hulman and sweeping Bluffton at home. For the week Andrew hit .571 (4 for 7), with 3 RBI, 3 stolen bases and 5 walks for a stagger .813 On Base Percentage. On Sunday vs. Bluffton Harrison reached base in all 8 of his plate appearances.
• Matt Frye (Mount Orab, Ohio) Mount St. Joseph University | Pitcher | First Year – Mount St. Joseph freshman pitcher entered game two against Bluffton with the Lions trailing 3-0 and slammed the door on the Beavers. He would pitch the final 5.0 innings of the game, allowing only a pair of hits while keeping Bluffton scoreless. His final line was 5.0 innings, 2 hits, 0 walks and 5 strikeouts, earning his first collegiate win as the Lions came back to take the lead late.
• Colter Couillard-Rodak (Lafayette, Colo.) Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology | Second Base | Senior – Couillard-Rodak finished the week 9-23 hitting with 3 extra-base hits, 7 runs scored, and 9 RBIs to held the Fightin’ Engineers to a 4-1 week. He finished with a 0.391 batting average, .400 on-base percentage, 0.609 slugging percentage, and an OPS over 1.000. In Saturday’s win over Mount St. Joseph, he finished 3-5 with 2 runs scored and 2 RBIs, and he also tallied a multi-hit game in the first win over Franklin on Sunday.
• Camden Judson (Terre haute, Ind.) Rose-Hulman Insitute of Technology | Pitcher | First Year – Judson was lights out in the bullpen for Rose-Hulman this week, picking up a win and a save in his two appearances. Overall for the week, Judson pitched 5.2 innings and gave up just four hits and one earned run for an ERA of 1.59 and a WHIP of 0.88. In Sunday’s win over Franklin, Judson closed out the game with 3.2 innings pitched and a career-high 7 strikeouts in relief. He allowed just one unearned run to help Rose-Hulman hang on to their first of two wins on the day.
• Trent Youngblood (Louisville, Ky.) Transylvania University | Short Stop/Outfield | Senior – Youngblood finished the week with six hits, while becoming the program’s all time leader in doubles and runs.
• Jacob Moberly (Elizabethtown, Ky.) Transylvania University | Pitcher | Junior – Moberly improved to 3-0 on the season after going 7 innings strong and allowing only 1 run in the 3-2 win over Hanover.

COLLEGE SOFTBALL NEWS

HCAC 2024 SOFTBALL NOTEBOOK, WEEK 6

CARMEL, Ind. – The Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) softball teams competed in week six of the 2024 season.
 
Around the League:
HCAC Softball Schedule
 
Athletes of the Week:
Hitting Athlete of the Week:
Kaylee Grant  (Lima, Ohio) Bluffton University | Shortstop | Sophomore – Grant was mashing on Friday night as the sophomore went 6-of-8 in a home doubleheader split against Asbury University. She smashed a home run and two doubles while slugging at an astronomical 1.375 clip! Grant drove in four runs, scored four times and had a.750 on base percentage with a stolen base thrown in for good measure.
Pitching Athlete of the Week:
Brionna Egold (Greencastle, Ind.) Manchester University | Pitcher/Utility | Junior – Brionna Egold threw a total of 19 innings, giving up 9 hits while striking out 7 batters and earning 3 wins in the circle as Manchester competed against 7 non-conference opponents at the Spring Games in Florida this week.

Notable Performances:

• Bo Shelton  (Anderson, Ind.) Earlham College | Infield | First Year – Bo Shelton hit .429 in four games this week with six hits, three doubles, one triple and one RBI. The freshman was just a home run shy of the cycle in game one against Wittenberg on a windy Saturday. She also recorded one steal.
• Tatum Rickert (Muncie, Ind.) Earlham College | Pitcher | First Year – In two starts this week, Tatum Rickert pitched 13.2 innings with two earned runs and 11 strikeouts for a 1.02 ERA. The freshman surrendered just three walks and 13 hits on the week.
• Lauren Beaman (Seymour, Ind.) Hanover College | Pitcher | Sophomore – Beaman led the Panthers as they took on Centre and Wilmington. The junior tallied six RBI on six hits. She recorded one double and a triple scoring three runs. She also got two starts in the circle adding seven strikeouts.
• Lexie Goodman (Poplar, Ill.) Manchester University | Outfield | Sophomore – Lexi Goodman hit .421 (8-19) with 2 stolen bases, a sac bunt, and 4 runs scored as Manchester faced 7 non-conference opponents in the Spring Games in Florida.
• Kennedy Michnewicz (Greeley, Colo.) Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology | First Base | Senior – Michnewicz stepped up big this weekend with a .400 batting average, .500 on-base percentage, and .800 slugging percentage in four games. She added four runs scored and four RBIs as well as a pair of extra-base hits including her first career home run in one of Sunday’s wins over Eureka.
• Aubrey Smith (Lebanon, Ohio) Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology | Pitcher | First Year – Smith dominated with a pair of complete games this weekend en route to a 1-1 record on the mound. She pitched 13 innings with just 3 earned runs allowed and 1 walk. She also struck out 10 batters in the two games. Overall for the weekend, Smith finished with a 1.62 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP.
• Izzy Story (Paducah, Ky.) Transylvania University | Third base/Utility | First Year – In the doubleheader vs Maryville, Story finished 4-7 with a home run and two doubles.

COLLEGE HOCKEY NEWS

FOUR BIG TEN TEAMS HEADED TO NCAA HOCKEY TOURNAMENT

ROSEMONT, Ill. – Four Big Ten teams have been selected to participate in the 2024 NCAA Division I Men’s Ice Hockey Championship which begins Thursday.

The four bids are tied for the most among conferences and matches a Big Ten record that occurred in 2018, 2021 and 2023.

Michigan State (24-9-3), which captured the Big Ten regular season and tournament titles, is a No. 1 seed (and No. 4 seed overall) and will host No. 4 seed Western Michigan (21-15-1) of the National Collegiate Hockey Conference on Friday, March 29, at 5 p.m. ET on ESPNU at the Centene Community Ice Center in the Maryland Heights (Mo.) Regional Semifinals. The No. 5/5-ranked Spartans, who received the Big Ten’s automatic berth, are making their 28th NCAA Tournament appearance and their first since 2012.

Michigan (21-14-3) is the No. 3 seed in the Maryland Heights Regional and will face No. 2 seed North Dakota (26-11-2) of the NCHC in a semifinal on Friday, March 29, at 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPNU. The No. 10/10-ranked Wolverines are making their 41st NCAA Tournament appearance and fourth-straight trip to the postseason.
 
Minnesota (22-10-5) is the No. 2 seed at the Sioux Falls (S.D.) Regional and will take on No. 3 seed Omaha (23-12-4) of the NCHC in a semifinal on Thursday, March 28, at 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPNU at the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center. The No. 8/8-ranked Golden Gophers are making their 41st overall appearance in the NCAA Tournament, having earned a berth for the fourth-consecutive year.
 
Wisconsin (26-11-2), a No. 2 seed, landed in the Providence (R.I.) Regional and squares off against No. 3 seed and defending NCAA champion Quinnipiac (26-9-2) of ECAC Hockey in a semifinal on Friday, March 29, at 5:30 p.m. ET on ESPNews at Amica Mutual Pavilion. The No. 9/9-ranked Badgers are making their 27th appearance in the NCAA postseason and first since 2021.

Regional winners will advance to the NCAA Frozen Four, to be held April 11 and 13, at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn.

INDIANA SPORTS RELEASES/NEWS

INDIANA PACERS GAME REWIND: PACERS 133, CLIPPERS 116

With under a minute left in the second quarter on Tuesday night in Los Angeles, the Pacers and Clippers were tied at 62. Pacers All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton went right off of a screen, then pulled up from the right wing, draining his fifth three in as many attempts in the first half.

Those were the last three points of the half and proved to be the decisive shot, as Indiana (41-32) never relinquished the lead after halftime, pulling away over the final two quarters for a 133-116 victory over the Clippers (44-27) on the second night of a back-to-back.

Pascal Siakam led all scorers with 31 points on 12-of-20 shooting as the Pacers bounced back after the Lakers ended their five-game road winning streak on Sunday night. Myles Turner added 24 points and seven rebounds in the victory, while Haliburton tallied 21 points and nine assists and went 6-for-9 from 3-point range.

With the win, the Pacers remain in sixth place in the Eastern Conference with nine games remaining in the regular season, moving a game ahead of idle Miami and a game and a half up on Philadelphia, which lost in Sacramento. The top six teams at the end of the regular season advance directly to the playoffs, while the teams that finish seventh through 10th must compete in the Play-In Tournament for the final two playoff spots.

After scoring 145 on Sunday against the Lakers, the Pacers’ offense was still clicking in the first quarter on Monday. Indiana shot 11-for-19 (57.9 percent) in the first quarter, with Turner scoring eight points and Haliburton, Siakam, and T.J. McConnell each adding six in the opening frame.

But the Clippers were even better, going 13-for-19 (68.4 percent), with Kawhi Leonard scoring nine points and Norman Powell adding eight. Los Angeles led 34-29 after the first 12 minutes.

With starting small forward Aaron Nesmith out with a bruised right knee, rookie forward Jarace Walker was thrust into the rotation on Monday. The eighth overall pick produced early in the second quarter, knocking down a three and throwing down a dunk in transition.

With Walker on the floor, the Pacers tied the score four times over the first four minutes of the second quarter, but never managed to take the lead. They finally surged ahead on Haliburton’s third 3-pointer of the half with 5:22 remaining in the quarter.

The two teams traded the lead five times over the ensuing two minutes before Haliburton provided some cushion with another three at 3:08 that put Indiana up 59-55.

The Clippers moved back in front briefly thanks to a Terance Mann three and Ivica Zubac putback before Turner’s trey put Indiana back in front. Leonard’s hook shot tied the game at 62 with 1:09 to play, but Haliburton answered yet again, hitting a three from the right wing to give Indiana a three-point cushion at the break.

Turner helped the Blue & Gold pad that cushion at the start of the third quarter, scoring Indiana’s first eight points of the second half on two threes and a layup. Walker’s three from the left corner off a crosscourt inbounds pass from Haliburton put the Pacers up 78-68 three minutes into the third quarter.

Indiana remained in front for the remainder of the frame. The Clippers got within three after Russell Westbrook’s free throw with 2:53 remaining in the quarter cut the lead to 87-84, but the Pacers reeled off six unanswered points in response, four from rookie guard Ben Sheppard.

The Pacers led 97-89 entering the fourth quarter, then opened the final frame with an 8-0 run that included a vicious right hand slam by Siakam.

The visitors continued to add to their lead, pushing the margin to 20 on Sheppard’s 3-pointer with 8:05 remaining. Indiana cruised to victory, with both teams emptying their benches down the stretch.

McConnell finished with 15 points and six assists in 23 minutes off the bench. Walker also had a strong night, tallying eight points, four rebounds, and seven assists while hitting all three of his shots.

Leonard and former Pacer Paul George shared leading scorer honors for the Clippers, finishing with 26 points apiece. Powell added 22 points off the bench, while Westbrook tallied 14 points and seven assists.

The Pacers will wrap up a five-game road trip on Wednesday night in Chicago before returning to Indianapolis to host the Lakers on Friday and Brooklyn on Monday.

Inside the Numbers

After scoring 36 points in Sunday’s loss to the Lakers, Siakam surpassed 30 points for the second straight game and his third game overall since joining the Pacers via trade on Jan. 17.

Haliburton has been in a shooting slump for the past month and entered the night shooting just 22 percent from 3-point range over 12 games in March, but went 6-for-9 from beyond the arc on Sunday. Haliburton’s six 3-pointers were his most in a game since he went 6-for-13 on Dec. 28 in Chicago.

Turner recorded his 26th 20-point game of the season, going 4-for-6 from 3-point range.

McConnell has scored in double figures off the bench in seven straight games and 10 of his last 12 contests.

Walker set a new career high with seven assists. The Pacers outscored the Clippers by 23 points in the 29 minutes he was on the floor, the best plus/minus of any player in Monday’s game.

The Pacers committed just eight turnovers on Monday.

Stat of the Night

The Pacers had a distinct advantage from the 3-point line, where they outscored the Clippers by 33 points. Indiana went 17-for-28 (60.7 percent) from beyond the arc, while the Clippers were just 6-for-20 (30 percent).

Noteworthy

Monday’s game concluded the Pacers’ 13th and final back-to-back of the season. The Blue & Gold struggled all year when playing on the second night of a back-to-back, but ended on a high note, with Monday’s win bringing their record to 3-10 when playing with no rest.

With Nesmith out, Indiana was forced to change its starting lineup for the first time since Feb. 28. Sheppard got his first career start, though Walker took his spot to start the second half.

With Monday’s win, Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle now has 937 career wins and needs one more to tie the legendary Red Auerbach for 12th place on the all-time list.

Westbrook returned for his first game since March 1. The former MVP missed the last three weeks after undergoing surgery to repair a left hand fracture.

Tickets

After a five-game road trip, the Pacers will return to Gainbridge Fieldhouse to host LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday, March 29 at 7:00 PM ET.

NBA PLAYOFF PICTURE: HTTPS://WWW.NBA.COM/PACERS/PLAYOFF-PICTURE

INDIANA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

TO THE SWEET SIXTEEN! 4-SEED HOOSIERS GRIT OUT NCAA TOURNAMENT WIN OVER 5-SEED OKLAHOMA

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Graduate student forward Mackenzie Holmes scored a 12 of her 29 points in the fourth quarter as 4-seed Indiana outlasted 5-seed Oklahoma, 75-68, to advance to its third Sweet Sixteen in four years on Monday night at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.

KEY MOMENTS

It was an even battle through the first, with four ties and three lead changes. Holmes and senior guard Parrish combined for 16 of the Hoosiers’ 19 points in the opening quarter as the game was knotted at 19. No team shot over 37 percent in the opening half, as the lead never grew to larger than four on other side in the second.

Indiana took its first lead in the second on a senior guard Sara Scalia triple with 1:14 to go before the half, but the Sooners provided answers as they got off the final bucket of the half to take a 30-29 lead at the break.

Parrish scored 12 of her 17 points in the first half as Indiana opened up the third with a bucket from Holmes. Oklahoma, however, broke its lead to as many as seven in the quarter. A baseline jumper from senior guard Chloe Moore-McNeil and a finish at the rim from Holmes pulled IU back within two with just under two minutes in the frame.

It would stay a two-point Oklahoma edge, 48-46, going into the fourth. Going back and forth for the first seven-plus minutes and facing a four-point deficit, Indiana got four-straight points from Holmes on a bucket and two at the line to tie the game at 64-all. Holmes scored again on IU’s next possession with 1:17 remaining.

A pull-up elbow jumper from sophomore guard Yarden Garzon pushed IU to a seven-point advantage with 39 seconds to play as free throws in the bonus helped seal the win

NOTABLE

Indiana advances to its third Sweet Sixteen in five years and fourth overall in program history. It has made NCAA Regional appearances in 2021, 2022 and 2024 under the modern format while also appearing in the Sweet Sixteen in a 36-team field in 1983.

Holmes set a new IU NCAA Tournament record with her game-high 29 points in the win. Her 12 field goals and 23 attempts also set an IU NCAA Tournament records. She also added four blocks, a steal and an assist.

Parrish added 17 points, including 12 in the first half, along with eight rebounds and five assists.

Moore-McNeil added nine points, a team-high nine rebounds and tied a team-high five assists.

IU assisted on 18 of its 25 made field goals.

The Hoosiers win the first ever meeting between the two schools.

UP NEXT

Indiana advances to the NCAA Regional in Albany, N.Y. against top seeded South Carolina on Friday, March 29 at MVP Arena. Time and TV designation will be announced at a later time.

INDIANA SOFTBALL

INDIANA SOFTBALL TO PLAY MIDWEEK GAME AT LOUISVILLE

LOUISVILLE, Ky. –––– After opening Big Ten play at Penn State over the weekend, Indiana is already back in action for a midweek game on Tuesday at Louisville.

This will be Indiana’s second time facing an ACC opponent in 2024 after playing No. 5 Clemson in the second game of the season. It will also be Indiana’s first matchup against Louisville since the 2023 NCAA Tournament when the two squads played twice with Indiana winning both times.

The Hoosiers enter the game with a 22-9 record while Louisville is 20-12.

QUICK HITTERS:

The matchup with Louisville will be the first official meeting between the Hoosiers and Cardinals since last year’s NCAA Tournament. Both teams were slotted in the Knoxville Regional with Indiana getting the No. 2 seed and Louisville taking the No. 3 seed.

Indiana won in close games both times, defeating Louisville 4-3 and 4-2 in those games. The Hoosiers also won in the regular season in Bloomington, 10-5.

Indiana opened the conference portion of the schedule when it faced Penn State last weekend in Happy Valley. Penn State won all three games in the Big Ten opening series.

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

LAST TIME OUT:

In their opening Big Ten series, Indiana got swept at Penn State. The Hoosiers will look to bounce back at Louisville on Tuesday and in their home-opening Big Ten series against Michigan in Bloomington this weekend.

In the Penn State series, Indiana sophomore Avery Parker hit .300 for the weekend, including going yard for a two-run home run in the top of the first inning in the Saturday game at Penn State. Parker is having a stellar sophomore season, serving as the starting catcher and hitting .329 for the season with seven home runs and 21 RBI, as well.

Redshirt senior Cora Bassett also hit a home run in the Penn State series. She launched a ball over the left field fence in the Sunday game against the Nittany Lions for the Hoosiers to go up 1-0 in the top of the third.

Junior Brianna Copeland pitched in all three games against Penn State, charting a combined 13 strikeouts against them. After that weekend’s performance, Copeland has 96 strikeouts on the season.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENT:

Louisville enters the midweek game with a 20-12 record and have lost three of their last four. Over the weekend, Louisville hosted No. 6 Duke. The Blue Devils won the series, but Louisville took an impressive win on Saturday, winning in eight innings, 2-1.

The Cardinals have played one other conference series, dropping three games to No. 20 Virginia Tech at home during the weekend of March 8-10.

Louisville has played at home for one other weekend when it hosted the Cardinal Classic and went 3-1 in the event. Louisville’s best win of the season was against No. 21 Arizona in a midweek game.

Alyssa Zabala leads the way in the circle, throwing 85.2 innings with a 13-6 record, 2.70 ERA and 66 strikeouts.

Daisy Hess and Riley Frizell are two of the Cards’ best bats as Hess leads the team in batting average (.356) and Frizell leads in home runs (8). Chelsea Mack is also hitting for a .351 batting average on the season.

SERIES NOTES:

Louisville leads the all-time series record against Indiana, 6-20.

Indiana has won three in a row against Louisville, with all three of those games coming in 2023.

INDIANA BASEBALL

BASEBALL CENTRAL: MIDDLE TENNESSEE STATE

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. –  The Indiana Baseball team (12-12, 1-2) will step back out of conference this week, beginning with a midweek contest against Middle Tennessee State on Tuesday (March 26th) afternoon at Bart Kaufman Field.

Heading into the final week of March, the Hoosiers will look to close the month on a high note with five games this week. A weekend four-game slate with Butler will be the final out-of-conference series of the season.

Sixth-year senior pitcher Ty Rybarczyk will take the mound in hopes of turning in a similar start as his outing last Tuesday at Indiana State (2 IP, 0 R). The bullpen will be busy with five games on the schedule but most, if-not-all, arms will be available.

The Hoosier offense will look to continue stacking quality at-bats and begin to drive in runs in bulk this year. Middle Tennessee is allowing opposing batters to hit .316 this year. Butler is letting teams hit .333 this season.

Gameday Info
Middle Tennessee State (Tuesday, March 26th)
Live Video: t.ly/_fMBQ
Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio
Live Stats: t.ly/DSDfX

Probable Starters

Indiana vs. Middle Tennessee State

• Tuesday – Ty Rybarczyk (IU) (0-1, 3.00 ERA) vs. TBD (MTSU)

Player and Stat Trends

Closing in on 200

• Josh Pyne (178) and Brock Tibbitts (176) are neck-in-neck as they try to become the next members of the 200-hit club at IU. They would be the first pair of teammates from the same recruiting class to reach the plateau since Kyle Schwarber and Sam Travis (2012-14). 23 players in program history, which dates back to the 1890’s, have recorded 200-career hits.

200 of His Own

• Ty Bothwell is also searching for 200 … strikeouts. He is 28 away from becoming the 10th member of the 200-strikeout club at IU. He is currently tied for second on the team (Risedorph) with 23 punchies this season behind only Connor Foley’s 45.

Ironman Brock

• Brock Tibbitts is on a run of 143-straight starts without missing a contest. He is searching to become the third player since 2008 to have a stretch of at least 150-consecutive starts. Jerrud Sabourin made a 220-straight starts from 2008-11 while Craig Dedelow had 175-consecutive starts (2015-17).

Racking Up Hits

• Devin Taylor (34), Tyler Cerny (35) and Brock Tibbitts (32) are all top-15 in the Big Ten in hits this season and could be chasing special numbers in Bloomington this season. Only once at IU has a pair of teammates (Alex Dickerson and Jerrud Sabourin, 2010) each had 92+ hits respectively in the same campaign. Only one player ever (Alex Smith, 1985) has had 100+ hits in a season.

Notable

Stepping Out of Conference

• Under the Big Ten’s current scheduling format, each team in the conference plays eight Big Ten series across a nine-weekend timeframe. IU’s slotted non-conference series in that stretch comes this weekend against Butler. The two teams will play four games with one at Butler and three at IU.

• IU swept Ohio in its non-conference gap weekend in 2023 and played Evansville in 2022. After the series against Butler, IU will head back into Big Ten play for the final seven weekends of the year. During the midweek, IU will play Middle Tennessee for the first time since 2017.

Mitchell Takes His Bases

• Nick Mitchell, a transfer from Western Illinois, has been phenomenal for IU since returning from a hand injury in the Baylor series. He’s got 24 hits in18 games with 24 runs in that period. He’s hitting .353 (24-68) while reaching with 18 additional walks.

• The junior has seven multi-hit and seven multi-run games and matched a career high with four RBI’s against Illinois (March 24). Heading into the Middle Tennessee contest, Mitchell is riding an eight-game hitting streak.

Cerny Swinging a Big Bat

• Despite going hitless in the first three games last week, sophomore shortstop Tyler Cerny responded with a massive three-hit, two-run day in the weekend finale against Illinois. He’s got hits in eight of his last 11 games.

• He shares the team lead in multi-hit games (11) and has sole possession of the team lead in base hits (35) this season. He’s scored 21 times and has 24 RBI’s and nine doubles this year.

Foley Shoves Against Illinois

• Sophomore right-hander Connor Foley turned in the best performance of his young career against Illinois to pick up the team’s first Big Ten win of the year.

• He provided seven scoreless innings with a career-high 10 strikeouts, scattering just two hits in the outing. Foley turned up the intensity after junior Josh Pyne provided him a two-run lead in the third inning.

Waiting for Breakout Game

• Since the Baylor series ended, IU is just 6-11 in its last 17 games. There have been few games where the program was firing on all cylinders (offense, defense and pitching). This week might provide one the final chances to kick start an at-large push. Five games (four at home) provided a big offensive and pitching opportunity before returning to Big Ten play at Maryland.

Scouting the Opponent

Middle Tennessee State (10-12, 2-4 CUSA)

• Led by Briggs Rutter and his .446 batting average (37-83), Middle Tennessee boasts a very strong offense. The Blue Raiders hit a collective .315 on the season and have mashed 25 home runs. Seven starters have 24 or more hits including Rutter (37) and Gabe Jennings (37) who share the team lead.

• The Hoosiers and Blue Raiders have each played Alabama and Miami (Ohio) this season. Middle Tennessee lost a mid-week to Alabama but lose a three-game set against Miami (Ohio). IU split its two contests against the same opponents.

Inside the Series

Indiana vs. Middle Tennessee State

• The two teams have split the all-time series 4-4. They played a three-game set in back-to-back years in 2016 (Murfreesboro) and 2017 (Bloomington). IU won the three-game series in 2017 with Middle Tennessee winning two of three in 2016.

PURDUE BASEBALL

PURDUE BEGINS ROAD-HEAVY FORTNIGHT WITH FIRST OF 2 VS. ISU

GAMEDAY INFORMATION

Purdue (16-9, 1-2 B1G) at Indiana State (17-5), 2-1 MVC)

Tuesday, March 26 at 4 p.m. ET / ESPN+

Bob Warn Field / Terre Haute, Indiana

Probable Starting Pitchers: Cole Van Assen (Fr, RHP) vs. ISU’s Brayden Lybarger (R-So, RHP)

SERIES HISTORY

All-Time: ISU leads 46-30-2

All-Time in Terre Haute: ISU leads 22-15-1

2023 in Terre Haute: ISU 8, Purdue 2 (March 28)

2023 in West Lafayette: ISU 4, Purdue 1 (April 11)

Purdue’s Last Win vs. ISU: Purdue 3, ISU 1 – 10 Innings (April 2018 in Terre Haute)

First Meeting: Purdue 7, ISU 0 (April 1902 in West Lafayette)

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – With its season-long 13-game homestand complete, Purdue Baseball plays seven of its next eight games on the road, beginning Tuesday with the front end of a home-and-home midweek series with Indiana State.

First pitch at Bob Warn Field in Terre Haute is slated for 4 p.m. ET. The Boilermakers play at Ohio State this weekend and Rutgers next weekend. Purdue and ISU are also scheduled to play April 9 at Alexander Field.

The Boilermakers and Sycamores are a combined 33-14 this season. They both opened conference play at home this past weekend and the team that lost the opening game came back to win the series – Iowa at Alexander Field and ISU vs. Missouri State in Terre Haute. Indiana State went 24-3 while winning the Missouri Valley Conference last season, with all three losses coming in series openers.

The series loss to Iowa marked the 18th time since the Big Ten went to three-game conference series in 2009 that Purdue dropped a league weekend after winning the opening game. The Boilermakers have also lost seven consecutive rubber games against Iowa since 2012.

Indiana State is 3-0 against Big Ten teams this year, defeating Michigan State in Florida to open the second weekend of the season and besting Illinois and Indiana at home in midweek action earlier this month.

Camden Gasser continues to lead the Big Ten with 24 walks and a .554 on-base percentage. Those elements are a primary reason why the shortstop is currently riding a 23-game on-base streak to open the season. It represents Purdue’s fifth-longest on-base streak to begin a campaign.

ACTIVE STREAKS

• Camden Gasser – 23-game on-base streak (every game he’s played in 2024)

• Jo Stevens – 11-game on-base streak

• Jackson Dannelley – 12 consecutive inherited runners stranded (since 5/20/23)

Meanwhile, Gasser is one of three Boilermakers with a hit streak of at least 10 games this season, joining Jo Stevens and Luke Gaffney. Purdue has three players with a 10-game hit streak for the second year in a row, achieving the feat in back-to-back seasons for the seventh time dating back to 2001.

Stevens has been part of the trio the last two years, becoming the first Boilermaker with a 10-game hit streak in consecutive seasons since Skyler Hunter did it three years in a row from 2017 to 2019.

Purdue is 36-35 away from West Lafayette since the start of the 2022 season, but just 9-27 in true road games. The Boilermakers are off to a 1-2 start on their 10-game midweek schedule. Last week’s 14-inning marathon with UIC was the longest game in he history of Alexander Field.

THREE BOILERMAKERS WITH HIT STREAKS OF 10+ GAMES IN SAME SEASON (Since 2001)

• 2024: Camden Gasser (12, March 2-17), Jo Stevens (10, March 10-23), Luke Gaffney (10, Feb. 16-March 3)

• 2023: Connor Caskenette (18), Couper Cornblum (13), Jo Stevens (12)

• 2019: Zac Fascia (15), Skyler Hunter (14), Cole McKenzie (11)

• 2018: Skyler Hunter (13), Nick Dalesandro (11), Ben Nisle (10), Alec Olund (10)

• 2011: Cameron Perkins (20), Eric Charles (15), Kevin Plawecki (11), Stephen Talbott (10), Tyler Spillner (10)

• 2010: Ryan Bridges (13), Barret Arthur (11), Jon Moore (11), Cameron Perkins (10), Eric Charles (10)

• 2009: Brandon Haveman (20), Eric Charles (14), Drew Madia (11)

• 2008: Jon Moore (14), Ryne White (14), Brandon Haveman (13), Ben Wolgamot (13)

• 2007: Ryne White (24), Jordan Comadena (14), John Cummins (10)

• 2005: John Hunter (14), Mitch Hilligoss (13), Andy Dahl (11)

• 2004: Mitch Hilligoss (12), Mike Coles (11), John Hunter (11)

• 2001: David Blomberg (19), Nate Sickler (14), Daniel Underwood (12), David Harrell (12), Nick McIntyre (10)

LONGEST SEASON-OPENING ON-BASE STREAKS

Since 2001, Single Season Only

• Cameron Perkins – 50 in 2011

• Cam Thompson – 44 in 2022

• CJ Valdez – 34 in 2022

• Mitch Hilligoss – 27 in 2006

• Camden Gasser – 23 in 2024

• Brandon Haveman – 22 in 2009

• Evan Albrecht – 20 in 2023

• Mike Bolton Jr. – 20 in 2022

• Jordan Comadena – 20 in 2007

PURDUE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

BOILERMAKERS ROLL TO WNIT WIN AT BUTLER

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – A career-high 15 points from Mila Reynolds and two 20-point quarters in middle periods guided the Purdue women’s basketball team to a 62-51 win over Butler on Monday night in the second round of the WNIT.

The win marked the 50th for head coach Katie Gearlds back at her alma mater.

Reynolds entered the night with just three career made 3-poitners. On Monday, the South Bend native connected four times from the outside on a 5-of-8 shooting night in just 17 minutes of action.

Jayla Smith reached double figures for the first time since November with 11 points to go with five rebounds and a steal over 20 minutes on the floor. Abbey Ellis tallied 10 points for her ninth straight game in double figures.

With her second rebound of the night in the first quarter, Jeanae Terry crossed the 1,000-rebound mark for her career. She became the first player in the history of Big Ten men’s or women’s basketball to record 1,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and 700 assists in a career.

Terry posted her typical stat line of four points, 12 rebounds, five assists, four steals and one block. The Detroit native passed herself for second in Purdue’s single-season assists with 192 on the year.

The Boilermakers shot 46.6% from the field and went 6-of-15 from distance. A trio of Boilermakers finished with four or more assists, topped by Terry’s five. Mary Ashley Stevenson set a career high with four times as she finished with eight points and four rebounds.

Terry gave Purdue an early start with four points in the first quarter. Both sides traded blows in the opening 10 minutes with five different Boilermakers scoring. Butler held a 13-11 lead after the first.

 After back-to-back baskets from Stevenson and Smith to start the second, Butler (15-17) built up a seven-point gap with 3:56 to play in the opening half. Reynolds connected twice from behind the arc to start a 12-2 run to close the half. Sophie Swanson tallied the Boilermakers’ final four points to give Purdue a 31-28 lead at the break.

Two minutes into the third after Butler leveled the score at 33-33, Purdue rolled off 10 straight points. Stevenson bookended the run with a pair of contested layups to give Purdue a 10-point lead with 5:37 to play. Purdue made four of its six 3-point attempts in the third with a pair from Reynolds to give the Boilermakers a 51-39 lead with 10 minutes to play.

Alaina Harper finished inside to start the fourth to open a 14-point gap. Butler responded with a 12-2 run that cut the gap down to four points with 4:52 to play, before Ellis sank a floater in the lane. The Boilermakers closed the game out on a seven-point swing. The Boilermakers held Butler to 0-of-5 from the field to close the game and forced five turnovers in the final period.

NOTES

• The Boilermakers lead the all-time series with Butler 7-0.

• Purdue outscored Butler 40-30 in the paint.

• Four Boilermakers combined for six blocks, topped by Sophie Swanson’s career-high two.

• Terry posted her sixth straight game in double-figure rebounding, the longest stretch since Whitney Bays in 2014-15.

• Purdue dropped 20 points in the second and third quarters. 

• The Boilermakers are 9-2 this season when holding an opponent to 60 or fewer points.

UP NEXT

Purdue will host Duquesne in the Super 16 of the WNIT on Thursday night at 7 p.m. Ticket information will be available on Tuesday.

NOTRE DAME WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

IRISH DOWN REBELS TO ADVANCE TO THIRD STRAIGHT SWEET 16

Make that three consecutive Sweet 16 appearances for Notre Dame.

On Monday, No. 2 Notre Dame (28-6) used a stifling defensive performance and 50 perfect shooting performance from the floor to shut down No. 7 Ole Miss (24-9), 71-56. In doing so, The Irish advanced to the program’s third Sweet 16 in as many years and 20th overall in program history.

The “Big 3” led the way for Karen and Kevin Keyes Family Head Coach Niele Ivey. Maddy Westbeld went 8-13 from the floor and dropped 20 points in an NCAA Tournament game for the second time in her career. Hannah Hidalgo had 19 points, and Sonia Citron put up her first double-double of the season with 17 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists. Hidalgo and Citron were a combined 13-15 from the charity stripe.

As far as game flow goes, the Irish set the tone early and didn’t allow Ole Miss to crawl back within single-digits.

Notre Dame started hot, going 3-4 from the floor and putting together an 8-0 run against a stout Ole Miss defense. They made the Rebels uncomfortable on the other end of the floor and held them to a 2-7 start. Also of note, Ole Miss starting center Rita Igbokwe had a pair of fouls less than 5 minutes into the game.

The Irish kept their foot on the pedal to close out the first frame, going on an 11-3 run capped off by a Westbeld 3-pointer. She also had 2 blocks and 2 steals in the first 10. Ole Miss shot just 23.5 percent in Q1 and had 7 turnovers.

Ole Miss struggled to score to start the second quarter, as the Irish held them scoreless for 4 minutes. The Rebels started to see shots fall, but Notre Dame always had an answer. It was 43-26 in favor of the home team at the half, and the Irish made 16 of 27 shot attempts. Westbeld led all players with 14 points, while Citron and Hidalgo had 9 each. The nation’s steal leader, Hidalgo had 3 swipes at the break and had drawn 4 Ole Miss fouls. Three of the Rebels’ starters had 2 first half fouls.

The momentum carried out of the locker room as Citron drained a long 2-pointer on Notre Dame’s first possession. Notre Dame opened up the half 4-6 from the floor while holding Ole Miss to just two field goals in the first 5 minutes of play. The Notre Dame lead stretched as big as 23 before Ole Miss went on an 8-0 run of its own.

Back-to-back fast break layups with near-coast-to-coast passes from Citron to Hidalgo got the crowd on their feet as they erupted for Notre Dame’s 19-point lead with 1:30 left in the third. The Irish took a 61-42 advantage into the final frame.

Despite some late foul trouble, Notre Dame ran the clock in the fourth quarter and held on for the 15-point victory, 71-56.

The Irish will head to Albany later this week for a Sweet 16 clash against No. 3 Oregon State (26-7). The game will be Friday and the time is TBA.

BUTLER SOFTBALL

BUTLERSOFTBALL HEADS TO BALL STATE FOR MID-WEEK CONTEST

Game Information – at Ball State

DATE:                                    Tuesday, Mar. 26

LOCATION:                         Muncie, Ind. / Softball Field at First Merchants Ballpark Complex

LIVE STATS:                      ballstatesports.com

LIVE VIDEO:                      N/A

Full Notes

The Butler softball team heads to Ball State on Tuesday for a mid-week, non-conference matchup. The Bulldogs (14-17, 3-6 BIG EAST) are coming off a conference series with UConn in which they went 1-2, winning the third game in walk-off fashion. The Cardinals (15-17, 2-4 MAC) were most recently swept by Kent State in a three-game conference series.

Bulldog Bits                                                                                       

           (as of 3-24-24)

Ella White leads the BIG EAST with four sacrifice flies. Addition conference (national) rankings include: 10 doubles-2nd (37th), 30 RBI-2nd (64th), .693 slugging %-3rd, and 6 HR-4th.

Paige Dorsett leads the BIG EAST (79th nationally) with 38 hits.

Monique Hoosen is second in the BIG EAST (89th nationally) with 7 home runs.

Kieli Ryan leads the BIG EAST (8th nationally) with 10 base runners caught stealing.

Katie Petran is second in the BIG EAST (56th nationally) with 9 wins in the circle and is seventh with 65 strikeouts.

Cate Lehner leads the BIG EAST (46th nationally) with 0.23 sacrifice bunts per game and is second in the conference (33rd nationally) with 15 stolen bases.

vs. UConn (Mar. 22-24)

Paige Dorsett and Cate Lehner each had 4 hits in the series, and Olivia Moxley and Hailey Conger each had 3. Dorsett and Ella White each had 3 RBI.

Dorsett’s two doubles gave her six for the season and 18 for her career.

Moxley’s home run was her first of the season and fourth of her career.

Sydney Cammon led the pitching staff with 7.2 innings pitched and a 4.70 ERA.

Katie Petran’s win vs. UConn was her second BIG EAST win of the season (Providence).

SCOUTING Ball State (15-17, 2-4 MAC)

Series- Ball State leads, 21-6

Butler won the most recent contest (2021), a 5-4 final in Indianapolis

Butler’s most recent win in Muncie (6-4, 11 innings) was in 2015.

Ball State has a 6-5 edge in the last eleven meetings, beginning with a doubleheader in 2008.

Wins for the Cardinals this season include: Notre Dame, Marshall, Georgia State, and Indiana State.

Losses include: Kent State, Georgia Tech, JMU, and Western Kentucky.

Ball State vs. (opponents)                                                Butler

runs:       159-162                                                                         137

hits:         204-255                                                                          235

RBI:         143-145                                                                         123

SB:           57-24                                                                             33

ERA:       4.04-3.97                                                                      5.04

Batting leaders:

#4 McKayla Timmons (.359) 5-2B, 15HR, 37RBI

#15 Haley Wynn (.318) 35H, 6-2B, 6HR, 10SB

#24 Jessica Hoffman (.282) 6-2B, 5HR, 21RBI

Pitching leaders:

#6 Francys King (8-7) 3.49 ERA, 47K

#34 Bridie Murphy (6-6) 3.94 ERA, 41K

BUTLER WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

BUTLER ENDS SEASON WITH 62-51 SETBACK TO PURDUE

INDIANAPOLIS – Butler and Purdue went head-to-head in the Second Round of the WNIT on Monday night at Hinkle Fieldhouse. The two evenly matched teams were separated by just three points at the half. Purdue outscored Butler by nine in the third to build a lead and they would hang on for the win in front of nearly 2,000 fans.

Purdue closed out each half on significant scoring runs to earn the 62-51 victory. Just before halftime, Purdue used a 9-0 run to take a 31-28 advantage and late in the action it was a 7-0 PU scoring run to help the Boilers pull away from the Bulldogs.

BU led 13-11 after the first quarter and went up 26-19 in the second quarter after scoring seven-straight points. Their largest lead of the game was short lived after Purdue’s 9-0 run put the Boilers back in front. Each team shot 2-for-7 from 3 in the first half. There were nine ties and six lead changes as the two teams battled it out over the opening 20 minutes.

The third quarter had a promising start for BU fans as Karsyn Norman provided the team with an elbow jumper followed by a 3-pointer to knot the score at 33-33. Momentum quickly shifted after those shots as Purdue scored the next 10 points to earn a 10-point lead.

The visitors led 51-39 heading into the fourth, but the Bulldogs continued to fight and got within four of Purdue with less than five to play. The late comeback charge fell short as Purdue regained their composure and ended the game on the 7-0 run.

Butler ends the year at 15-17 overall, improving from 11-19 a year ago.

Inside the Box Score

– Riley Makalusky led Butler with 14 points on Monday night

– Sydney Jaynes scored 10 points and led BU with seven rebounds

– Karsyn Norman had five points and a team-high six assists

– Butler shot 4-for-22 from 3-point range and Purdue made 40% of their attempts (6-15)

– Butler made all seven of their free throw attempts

– PU shot 46% from the field

– Mila Reynolds led PU with a game-high 15 points

– Purdue scored 40 points in the paint

BUTLER WOMEN’S LAX

CAROLINE SMITH RECEIVES BIG EAST DEFENDER OF THE WEEK HONORS

Goalie Caroline Smith named BIG EAST Defender of the Week honors announced by the conference on Monday afternoon. This is Smith’s first time receiving this BIG EAST honor.

The St. Joseph, Mich. native accounted for 16 saves in the Bulldog’s 16-10 win over Xavier on Saturday. Heading into Saturday’s matchup, Smith led the conference with 85 saves.

Sophomore attack Luci Selander was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll after her performance in Saturday’s matchup at Xavier.

The Butler women’s lacrosse team will be back home on Saturday, March 30 to take on Villanova in Indianapolis, Ind. The first draw is set for 12 p.m.

BUTLER MEN’S TENNIS

PATRICK JOSS RECEIVES BIG EAST SINGLES PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORS

The BIG EAST conference announced Monday afternoon that Patrick Joss was chosen as the BIG EAST Men’s Singles Player of the Week. Joss received the honors for the first time in his collegiate career.

Joss had a successful weekend of BIG EAST play for the Bulldogs. On Friday Joss clinched a 6-2, 7-5 victory over Zachary Kuo from Creighton, in the Bulldog’s loss. On Saturday, Joss helped the Bulldogs bounce back to claim a 7-0 win over Villanova. Joss defeated Eitan Khromchenki, 6-0, 6-2 win at No. 3 singles. The Wellington, New Zealand native has played a crucial role in helping the Bulldogs to a 3-1 record in conference play this season.

Joss received BIG EAST Doubles Team of the week honors earlier this season along with Nicholas Shirley.

The Butler men’s tennis team will be back in action on Friday, March 29 to take on Saint Louis in Saint Louis, Mo.

IU INDY MEN’S BASKETBALL

IU INDIANAPOLIS NAMES PAUL CORSARO HEAD MEN’S BASKETBALL COACH

INDIANAPOLIS – The IU Indianapolis Athletics Department and Director of Athletics Luke Bosso have announced that Paul Corsaro will be next head coach of the men’s basketball program. Corsaro, an Indianapolis-native, spent the last four seasons as head coach at nearby University of Indianapolis. The past three years, UIndy has gone 68-25 with back-to-back NCAA Division II Tournament appearances and consecutive Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) regular season titles.

Corsaro becomes the 11th head coach in the history of the program.

“I’m honored to be the head men’s basketball coach at IU Indianapolis,” Corsaro said. “I want to thank President Whitten, Chancellor Ramchand and our Athletic Director, Luke Bosso, for their belief in me and my vision for this program. My wife, Brooke, and my son, Greg, are equally excited to be Jaguars and cannot wait to hit the ground running and get integrated with the entire IU Indianapolis community.”

Corsaro began his coaching career as an assistant coach and associate head coach at UIndy (2012-18), helping the Greyhounds to a winning record for six straight winning seasons and four years of 20 wins or better. He later spent two years as assistant coach at Fort Wayne (2018-20), helping the Mastodons to an 18-15 mark his first season. After an 11-12 record in his first season at UIndy, he followed up with three straight impressive seasons, including a 26-5 mark in 2022-23.

“We are delighted to welcome Coach Paul Corsaro as the next coach of the Jaguars men’s basketball team,” IU Indianapolis Chancellor Latha Ramchand said. “He brings the perfect balance of team-building, coaching expertise, and high expectations for student success, all of which will help our student-athletes shine in competition and in the classroom.”

“At every turn during our search, Paul Corsaro’s name came up. He’s been wildly successful as a head coach at UIndy, he’s a tireless recruiter and proven developer of talent. He graduates his student-athletes, he wins the right way and his student-athletes have been strong ambassadors for their program,” Bosso said. “He has deep Indianapolis ties in the basketball community, in the corporate community and in the media, which is only going to help him be successful here. Today is a great day for our university, our athletic department and our men’s basketball program.”

Corsaro was the 2023 NABC Midwest Coach of the Year and GLVC Coach of the Year as his team set program records for wins in a season (26) and GLVC (17) victories. The program ranked as high as No. 4 in the NABC national polls and was the top seed in the Midwest Regional of the NCAA Tournament. This past season, the Greyhounds went 23-9 and once again earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

“To be a Division I head coach in Indianapolis – my hometown – I cannot think of anything better,” Corsaro said. “I’m excited about the future of our basketball program and athletic department, especially due to the new leadership of Chancellor Ramchand and direction of Luke, as well as the commitment shown by President Whitten.

“We will win. We will win quickly. We will win the right way – the ethical way. And we will make the city of Indianapolis proud of the Jaguar basketball program.”

Corsaro graduated from UIndy in 2012 with a degree in communications and completed his MBA from the school in 2014. He was a two-sport star at UIndy, competing in both basketball and football, playing in both the NCAA Tournament and NCAA DII football playoffs. He starred at nearby Roncalli High School where he finished as the program’s all-time leader in career points.

IU INDY WOMEN’S GOLF

JAGUARS LEAD NKU’S THE JULIE AFTER DAY ONE

BATAVIA, Ohio – The IUPUI women’s golf team carded an opening round 303 and leads the 13-team field at The Julie, hosted by Northern Kentucky at Elks Run Golf Course. The 13-team field includes six Horizon League foes as host NKU is second at 304 and Purdue Fort Wayne is third at 306. Green Bay is fourth overall at 307.

The Jaguars were solid throughout, staying at or near the top of the leaderboard throughout day one, which started in cold, windy temperatures, but ended under pleasant conditions.

Pape started well, making birdie on her first hole and getting to 2-under after a birdie on No. 5. She also made a pair of birdies on the back nine, tying atop the field with four for the day. Both she and sophomore Yanah Rolston ended the day at 3-over 75 and are tied for fourth-place among the 82-player field.

Senior Annaliese Fox shot 4-over 76 and was at 1-under 35 at the turn. Classmate Shelby Busker shook off a slow start to end her round at 5-over 77, including a birdie on her final hole of the day. Junior Nerea Lancho rounded out the lineup at 8-over 80.

Freshman Nina Wojtczak also shot 80 while playing as an individual and sophomore Reagan Sohn ended her day at 81. Sohn made eagle on her final hole of the round to make amends for a slow start.

A pair of players are tied atop the leaderboard at 1-over 73 heading into Tuesday’s finale.

Tuesday’s final round is slated to begin at 8:30 a.m.

BALL STATE BASEBALL

BASEBALL SET FOR REMATCH WITH USI ON TUESDAY

The Ball State baseball team returns home to host Southern Indiana at 3 p.m. on Tuesday in a rematch of a late February BSU win in Evansville.

The Cardinals (13-12) enter the week riding momentum from a 4-2 triumph on Sunday at Toledo in the series finale. Corey Miley and Nick Husovsky hit their first home runs as Cardinals, and starting pitcher Keegan Johnson struck out 11 in 7.0 inning to earn the win. Johnson was named the Mid-American Conference Co-Pitcher of the Week for his efforts.

The Screaming Eagles (11-12) won the final 2 of 3 over the weekend against Tennessee Tech to begin Ohio Valley Conference play. Southern Indiana has gone 3-3 against common opponents with Ball State as they won a series over Eastern Michigan in late February and won 1 of 3 at Illinois a couple weekends ago.

Ball State rallied for seven runs in the seventh inning back on Feb. 27 at USI to claim a 10-4 win in the first midweek game of the year. Decker Scheffler went 3-for-5 with four RBI including a 3-run home run in the seventh to lead the Cardinals to victory.

The Ball State offense leads the MAC in total hits (231), doubles (46) and home runs (32), while the pitching staff leads the league and ranks No. 22 nationally in strikeouts per nine innings (10.6).

SCOUTING SOUTHERN INDIANA: The Screaming Eagles went 17-38 (8-15) last year in head coach Tracy Archuleta’s 17th leading the program. USI is now in its second year playing in NCAA Division I. The Screaming Eagles won Division II national championships in 2010 and 2014.

Sophomore infielder Caleb Niehaus paces the club in batting average (.323), doubles (seven) and runs scored (19), while junior outfielder Terrick Thompson-Allen is second on the Screaming

Eagles in average (.299) while leading the squad in stolen bases (10).

Up Next

The Cardinals are scheduled to host Ohio for a three-game series beginning at 3 p.m. on Thursday for Easter weekend.

JOHNSON NAMED MAC CO-PITCHER OF THE WEEK

Keegan Johnson has been named the Mid-American Conference Co-Player of the Week, the MAC office announced Monday morning.

The freshman left-handed pitcher out of Frederick, Md., racked up 17 strikeouts in 10.0 innings on the week, allowing only one run on five hits for a 0.90 ERA.

Johnson’s highlight performance came in Sunday’s 4-2 win at Toledo when he tallied 11 punchouts in 7.0 innings of one-run ball to improve his record to 3-0 on the year. On Tuesday, the lefty struck out six in 3.0 scoreless innings at Valparaiso.

Johnson now leads the Ball State pitching staff in wins, ERA (4.44) and batting average against (.186) while ranking second in strikeouts (36) and third in innings pitched (24.1) in 2024. Back in early February, he was tabbed by D1Baseball.com as the MAC Preseason Freshman of the Year.

Eastern Michigan’s Nick Chittum shared the recognition with Johnson. The MAC press release can be found at the link above.

This is Johnson’s first career weekly honor and the first of the year for the Cardinals. Ball State (13-12) is scheduled to host Southern Indiana at 3 p.m. on Tuesday.

BALL STATE GYMNASTICS

GYMNASTICS TO BATTLE ILLINOIS IN NCAA OPENING ROUND

MUNCIE, Ind. – – The Ball State gymnastics team learned its NCAA Regional fate Monday afternoon and the Cardinals will not have to fly far, as the team is set to battle Illinois in the opening round next Wednesday (April 3) at 2 p.m. in the Ann Arbor Regional hosted by Michigan.

It marks the second straight season head coach Joanna Saleem has guided the Cardinals to a team berth in the NCAA Regionals as BSU finished the 2024 regular season with a National Qualifying Score of 196.600.

The Illini earned its spot in the NCAA Regionals with an NQS of 196.690 and are led by former Ball State head coach Nadalie Walsh.

Other teams selected for the Ann Arbor Regional at the Crisler Center include host and ninth-seeded Michigan, No. 1 Oklahoma, No. 8 Alabama, No. 16. NC State, Kent State, Penn State and Ohio State.

The winner of the Ball State vs. Illinois match-up will take on No. 1 Oklahoma, No. 16. NC State and Ohio State in the second round on Thursday (April 4) at 7 p.m.

In addition to qualifying as a team, the Cardinals had five individuals selected to compete in three events and the all-around were the team not to advance out of the opening round.

Highlighting the list is three-time Mid-American Conference Champion Zoe Middleton who was selected to compete in the all-around.

Senior Suki Pfister earned her third consecutive individual appearance on vault, while also earning her first career nod on floor after claiming the MAC Championship in the event on Saturday.

Senior Victoria Henry also earned her third career qualifying spot on vault, after qualifying in both 2021 and 2023.

Graduate Megan Teter qualified on bars the third time in her career as well, after earning berths in 2021 and 2023. She also competed as an individual on floor for the Cardinals last season.

Rounding out Ball State’s individual qualifiers was freshman and MAC Champion Ashley Szymanski who earned a bid for her effort on bars.

BALL STATE MEN’S BASKETBALL

PAYTON SPARKS RETURNS TO BALL STATE

MUNCIE, Ind. – Ball State head basketball coach Michael Lewis has announced the transfer signing of Payton Sparks, a two-time All-Mid-American Conference star for the Cardinals who transferred last season from Ball State to Indiana.

“I’m very excited about adding somebody of his caliber into our basketball program,” said Lewis. “He is not only a good basketball player, but he exemplifies everything you want in a student-athlete.”

Sparks started all 62 games he played at Ball State as a freshman and sophomore during the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons. A Freshman All-America pick and the MAC Freshman of the Year in 2022, Sparks’ 418 points in his first season rank No. 3 in Ball State history for scoring by a freshman. He shot 58.8 percent from the floor while being named a second-team All-MAC honoree the following year, before transferring to play with the Hoosiers.

The 6-foot-9 center produced 22 double-doubles for the Cardinals over two seasons. He averaged 13.3 points per game and was fourth in the MAC with 8.7 rebounds as a sophomore. Last year with IU, he appeared in 24 games with two starts, averaging 2.1 points and 1.8 rebounds.

BALL STATE SOFTBALL

SOFTBALL HOSTS BUTLER FOR IN-STATE RIVALRY GAME TUESDAY

THIS WEEK IN BALL STATE SOFTBALL: The Ball State softball team steps out of league play Tuesday when it hosts Butler for a 4 p.m. first pitch at the Softball Field at First Merchants Ballpark Complex … From there, the Cardinals travel to Toledo for a three-game weekend series with a single game at 3 p.m. Friday and a doubleheader at 1 p.m. Saturday.

» HOME SWEET HOME: After playing its first 26 games of the season on the road, Ball State closes its season-long seven-game homestand Tuesday versus Butler … It is slated to be BSU’s longest homestand since the COVID adjusted 2021 season which saw Ball State play 12 straight at home from April 23 to May 4 … Looking at the road numbers, the program record for consecutive road games to start a season is 33 games set in 2018.

» THE OVERALL RECORD: Ball State enters Tuesday’s game versus Butler with a 1163-1159-4 (.501) overall record dating back to 1975 … The Cardinals have tallied 30-or-more wins in 16 seasons, most recently a 37-18 mark in 2021 … Of the 16 seasons with 30-or-more wins, 11 have come in the past 16 years.

» A QUICK LOOK AT THE CARDINALS: Led by first-year head coach Helen Peña, the Cardinals own a 15-17 overall record … Ball State maintains a .245 team batting average, led by redshirt junior utility player McKayla Timmons who ranks 14th in the MAC at .359 … Timmons ranks third both in the MAC and nationally with 15 home runs, while ranking third in the league and 16th nationally with 37 RBIs … Graduate third baseman Haley Wynn is second on the squad in average (.318), home runs (6) and runs scored (24) … In the circle, the Cardinals own a 4.04 ERA led by senior Francys King who boasts an 8-7 record and a 3.49 ERA over 100.1 innings of work … King has also tallied three complete game shutouts this season and leads the team lead with 47 strikeouts … Sophomore Bridie Murphy has a team-best .273 average against over 69.1 innings, to go along with a 6-6 record, one save and 41 strikeouts … Murphy picked up her first complete game shutout of the season in last Saturday’s 5-0 victory over Ohio.

» CARDINALS VERSUS THE BULLDOGS:

– Ball State owns a 21-6 lead in the all-time series versus Butler, including a 10-3 edge in games played in Muncie … The Cardinals have won the last two games played on its home field, with a 3-2 victory on April 23, 2019, and a 10-2 (6) win on March 22, 2017, … The last time the teams met; however, the Bulldogs scored a 5-4 on its home field April 13, 2021.

» SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS: Butler enters the week with a 14-17 overall record after snapping a five-game losing streak with a 2-1 win over UConn Sunday … Ella White currently leads the team in average (.375), RBI (30), home runs (6) and doubles (10) … Paige Dorsett, who started her collegiate career as a redshirt for the Cardinals in 2021 before transferring to Butler, is right behind with a .373 average, four home runs and 17 RBI … Katie Petran leads the Bulldogs in the circle with a 9-4 record and 3.32 ERA over 97.0 innings of work … She has limited opposing batters to a .265 average, has a team-high 65 strikeouts and has also earned a pair of saves.

BALL STATE NEWS & NOTES:

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

» THE WYNN FACTOR: Graduate third baseman Haley Wynn has taken advantage of her extra year of eligibility, leading the team with 35 hits so far this season … That raises her career total to 216 which is seventh in program history … Wynn has registered at least one hit in 23 of first 32 games of the season, including six home runs to up her career long ball total to 25 which is tied for ninth in program history.

» MORE ON WYNN: Haley Wynn is one of the most prolific batters in program history ranking 15th on Ball State’s career charts with a .332 career average … She is also 12th all-time in slugging percentage (.545) and 16th in on base percentage (.410) … In addition, her 156 career runs scored are third in program history and 31st among all active NCAA Division I players … She also ranks 24th among active DI players with 43 career doubles which is eighth in program history.

» TIMMONS CLIMBING THE CHARTS TOO: After leading the Ball State offense with a .359 batting average, a .902 slugging percentage and a .484 on base percentage through the first 32 games of the season, McKayla Timmons continued her climb up BSU’s career charts … She currently ranks fourth in program history in slugging percentage (.700), fourth in on base percentage (.454) and eighth in batting average (.347) … Timmons, who has blasted a team-leading 15 home runs so far this season, including her first collegiate grand slam at Georgia State (Feb. 24), is also one of the program’s top home run hitters with her 31 career long balls tying for fifth on BSU’s all-time list.

» RBI LEADER: McKayla Timmons enters Tuesday’s game ranked 16th nationally with her 37 RBIs this season … The effort included seven RBIs in the 9-5 (9) win over Georgia State (Feb. 24) and six in the 13-9 victory at Marshall (March 7) … The program record for RBIs in a single game is eight by Stacy Paytonversus Oakland on May 4, 2019.

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

» SPEAKING OF STOLEN BASES: Ball State enters Tuesday’s game ranked second in the league and 22nd nationally with 57 stolen bases this season … Haley Wynn and Remington Ross are tied for the team lead with 10 apiece, while McKayla Timmons and senior outfielder Kaitlyn Mathews are right behind with nine … Overall, 10 different Cardinals have stolen at least one base this season … Ball State’s 57 stolen bases in 2024 are already tied as the 17th-most in a season in program history … The program record is 151 set by the 2008 squad.

» A SLAMMING FIRST HIT: Redshirt sophomore Jessica Hoffman had just two career at bats when she stepped up to the plate with bases loaded in the 10-8 win over Fordham (Feb. 11) … She proceeded to blast her first career hit over the fence in right center field for her first career home run and Ball State’s first grand slam since April 6, 2022 … A regular in the lineup since, Hoffman has 24 career hits and is third on the team with a .282 average this season … Of her 24 hits, 11 have driven in at least one RBI and she currently ranks second on the squad with 21 RBIs.

» KING OF THE PEN: Senior Francys King leads the Ball State pitching staff with a 3.49 ERA over 100.1 innings of work … She has earned the victory in eight of BSU’s 15 wins, including three of the team’s four complete game shutouts … King has 17 career collegiate pitching victories, with 11 coming at Ball State and six coming in her two seasons at Tennessee State (2021-22).

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

INDIANA STATE MEN’S BASKETBALL

INDIANA STATE SQUARES OFF AGAINST CINCINNATI IN NIT MATCHUP

Cincinnati Bearcats (22-14, 9-12 Big 12) at Indiana State Sycamores (30-6, 19-4 MVC)

Terre Haute, Indiana; Tuesday, 9 p.m. EDT

BOTTOM LINE: Indiana State and Cincinnati meet in the National Invitation Tournament.

The Sycamores’ record in MVC play is 19-4, and their record is 11-2 against non-conference opponents. Indiana State is second in the MVC with 26.7 defensive rebounds per game led by Jayson Kent averaging 6.1.

The Bearcats are 9-12 in Big 12 play. Cincinnati is third in the Big 12 scoring 34.4 points per game in the paint led by Dan Skillings Jr. averaging 7.1.

Indiana State makes 50.6% of its shots from the field this season, which is 8.8 percentage points higher than Cincinnati has allowed to its opponents (41.8%). Cincinnati has shot at a 44.1% clip from the field this season, 0.7 percentage points greater than the 43.4% shooting opponents of Indiana State have averaged.

TOP PERFORMERS: Robbie Avila is averaging 17.1 points, 6.6 rebounds and four assists for the Sycamores. Ryan Conwell is averaging 18.9 points over the last 10 games.

Day Day Thomas is averaging 10.3 points, 3.3 assists and 1.7 steals for the Bearcats. Simas Lukosius is averaging 14.6 points over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Sycamores: 8-2, averaging 84.0 points, 34.5 rebounds, 19.1 assists, 5.9 steals and 1.6 blocks per game while shooting 51.8% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 72.6 points per game.

Bearcats: 6-4, averaging 71.8 points, 36.5 rebounds, 14.4 assists, 7.3 steals and 4.6 blocks per game while shooting 43.6% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 67.8 points.

Series History

The Sycamores have not been successful against the Bearcats, as Cincinnati boasts an 11-1 record over ISU. Although, the two teams have not met since the 1986-87 season, where Cincinnati beat ISU 70-60 in Terre Haute.

Last Time Out – Indiana State

Indiana State men’s basketball reaches the 30-win mark with a 76-64 victory over Big Ten’s Minnesota in the second round of the National Invitational Tournament (NIT). This season’s 30 wins is only the second time in program history ISU has reached 30 wins. Ryan Conwell paced the Sycamore offense with 23 points, tying his career-high with six three-pointers. Conwell shot 7-for-11 from the floor and added five assists to his stat line, all with zero turnovers. Jayson Kent and Julian Larry each scored 16 points. Kent recorded a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds, while Larry scored 16 converting on 7-of-9 field goal attempts. Robbie Avila finished with 11 points to round out four Sycamores in double figures, adding a game-high seven assists. Isaiah Swope scored eight points and four rebounds, while Xavier Bledson chipped in two points and two rebounds.

Last Time Out – Cincinnati

The Cincinnati men’s basketball team rolled to a 74-57 victory over Bradley on Saturday in the second round of the National Invitation Tournament at Fifth Third Arena. Making his first career start, freshman guard Jizzle James led all scorers, posting a career-high 25 points that marked the most by a Cincinnati freshman since Jarron Cumberland in 2017 versus South Florida.  He scored 14 and went 6-of-7 from the floor in the first half alone. James added 11 points down the stretch of the second and shot 11-of-15 from the floor for the game.

John Newman III surpassed the 1,000-point milestone for his career with a free-throw late in the first half. A louder-than-normal cheer for the shot coincided with his point to the sky and crowd, in addition to congratulations from his teammates already in the game.

Dan Skillings Jr. erupted in the second half, scoring 17 of his 20 points which kept the Braves at bay.

Simas Lukosius scored 17 points on the heels of his heroic 28-point performance and game-winning trey on Wednesday night.

Gameday Information

Indiana State season ticket holders will have first option to purchase their seats from this season. The number of tickets and the seat locations will be the same as they were for the regular season. All tickets have been automatically added to your ISU Ticketmaster Account.

Tickets may be purchased by accessing your ISU Ticketmaster Account, or in the Sycamores March On App, by logging in and selecting “Invoices” to view your total payment required. ISU season ticket holders may also purchase their tickets in person by visiting the Hulman Center Ticket Office.

Season ticket holders will have until Monday, March 25 at 5 p.m. ET to access their account and process payment for the tickets they wish to purchase. General public sale of tickets will begin Monday, March 25 at Noon ET.

In order to allow the ticket office time to process payments, season tickets purchased over the phone on Monday, March 25, will be available on Tuesday, March 26, after 8 a.m.

Tickets can be purchased on the ISU Ticketmaster site, at ticketmaster.com or at the Hulman Center ticket office during normal business hours.

Additional tickets not claimed by season ticket holders will be released on Tuesday, March 26 at 3 p.m. ET.

INDIANA STATE BASEBALL

SYCAMORES CONTINUE HOME STAND WITH TUESDAY AFTERNOON GAME AGAINST PURDUE

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State continues the eight-game home stand on Tuesday afternoon as the Sycamores host Purdue University for a non-conference midweek matchup. First pitch between ISU and Purdue is set for 4 p.m. ET with the game to be carried live on ESPN+ and 105.5 The Legend.

The Sycamores (17-5) enter the midweek after a 3-1 week with all four games played at Bob Warn Field. ISU topped Indiana 15-7 in the midweek contest and bounced back from a Friday afternoon 6-5 defeat to Missouri State before coming back to take the Saturday (3-0) and Sunday (8-5) games to secure their 11th consecutive Missouri Valley Conference series win.

Indiana State is 3-0 against the Big Ten continuing a stretch of nine consecutive wins against the conference dating back to March 28, 2023, against Purdue. Since then, Indiana State has topped Purdue (again), Indiana (twice), Illinois (twice), Iowa (twice), and Michigan State over the last year.

The 2024 season has seen the Sycamores top Michigan State, Illinois, and Indiana over the first month. The Sycamores topped the Spartans down in Port Charlotte, Fla. courtesy of an extra-inning passed ball to take the 7-6 win. Indiana State utilized a six-run seventh inning against Illinois on March 12 highlighted by Grant Magill and Mike Sears home runs in the 7-6 victory.

The winning streak was extended this past Tuesday as ISU rallied back from an early 6-0 deficit to outscore the Hoosiers, 15-1, over the final six innings. Five ISU players homered in the contest with Mike Sears driving in six RBIs, while Parker Stinson (4) and Luis Hernandez (3) combined to score seven runs in the win.

Indiana State improved to 4-1 overall at Bob Warn Field this season after taking two of three from Missouri State this past weekend with the start of MVC play. Hernandez (.500) and Dominic Listi (.500) were ISU’s hitting leaders over the conference’s opening weekend with Hernandez and Randal Diaz both homering.

The Sycamores’ pitching staff shined on the mound again as nine Indiana State pitchers combined to post a 3.00 ERA over the 27.0 innings. ISU limited Missouri State to a .186 batting average on the weekend and a 31:21 strikeout-to-walk ratio with Brennyn Cutts and Cam Edmonson recording wins, while Jared Spencer and Simon Gregersen both recorded saves out of the bullpen.

Hernandez continues to be one of the top hitters in the country with a .396 batting average and a 21-game hitting streak entering the midweek. He leads the Sycamores in hits (36) and runs (23), while sitting second in home runs (6), RBIs (26), slugging percentage (.637), and on-base percentage (.451).

Listi is also one of the top performers at the plate for ISU over the early part of the season reaching base safely in all 22 games of his Sycamore career in posting a .366 batting average. He leads ISU with a .525 on-base percentage with 26 hits, while reaching base 26 more times on walks (14) and hit-by-pitches (12).

The pitching staff remains elite this season with a 4.10 ERA over the first 22 games of the season. Fifteen different pitchers have combined to throw 189.0 innings on the mound while posting a 218:84 strikeout-to-walk ratio. The Sycamores have also limited opponents to a .246 batting average on the year.

Scouting Purdue

Purdue enters the midweek matchup with a 16-9 overall record on the year but have fallen in four of their past five games dating back to March 17’s series finale loss to Samford. Since then, the Boilermakers have dropped an extra-inning midweek contest to UIC, and fell in two of the three games this weekend against Iowa in the start of Big Ten play.

The Boilermakers started the season strong winning three of their first four games on opening weekend against Stony Brook, as well as three of four against George Mason. Additional series wins for Purdue include taking three of four against Albany, as well as a midweek win over Northern Illinois.

Purdue is scheduled to take on UIC (again), Valparaiso, Indiana State (again), and Evansville later this season playing six total games against Valley competition this year.

Camden Gasser (.405) is Purdue’s hitting leader on the season with a .554 on-base percentage, while Luke Gaffney (.385) is the team’s leader in hits (37) and runs (28), while sitting second in RBIs (30) and doubles (9). Logan Sutter (.341) and Jo Stevens (.318) are also hitting above .300 for Purdue as the Boilermakers have connected at a .290 clip from the plate this season.

Sixteen different Purdue pitchers have seen time on the mound this year with right-hander Cole Van Assen expected to make the start on Tuesday afternoon. Van Assen has posted a 2-0 record with a 2.76 ERA over 16.1 innings while allowing opponents to hit .254 from the plate. Overall, Purdue’s staff has posted a 4.52 ERA with a 211:87 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 223.0 total innings.

Series History

Indiana State holds the all-time 46-31-2 edge over Purdue dating back to the first game in the series in 1902. The Sycamores are 23-16-1 in the series in Terre Haute including winning their last two in the series dating back to 2018.

Last season, ISU swept the season series against the Boilermakers taking the 8-2 win over Purdue on March 28, 2023, while taking the 4-1 win in West Lafayette on April 2, 2023.

ISU ran their win streak against the Big Ten to nine consecutive games dating back to March 28, 2023, with the Sycamores’ 8-2 win over Purdue. Since then, Indiana State has topped Purdue (again), Indiana (twice), Illinois (twice), Iowa (twice), and Michigan State over the last year.

HERNANDEZ, EDMONSON SWEEP VALLEY WEEKLY BASEBALL HONORS

ST. LOUIS, Mo. – Indiana State’s Luis Hernandez (Player) and Cam Edmonson (Pitcher) swept the Missouri Valley Conference Baseball weekly honors as announced by the conference office on Monday afternoon.

Hernandez claims the weekly honor for the first time in the 2024 season, while Edmonson joins Jacob Pruitt (Feb. 19) and Brennyn Cutts (Mar. 11) as the third Sycamore pitcher to claim the conference’s weekly honor this year.

Luis Hernandez kept the longest hitting streak in the Mitch Hannahs coaching era alive hitting safely in all four games and drove in RBI in all four contests as the Sycamores topped Indiana and Missouri State on the week. Hernandez hit .533 from the plate with eight hits, seven RBIs, and six runs scored, while homering twice as the Sycamores secured their 11th consecutive conference series win. He added a .632 on-base percentage and 1.067 slugging percentage at the plate to highlight an ISU offense that hit .290 as a team over the week.

Hernandez opened the week starting Indiana State’s comeback win over Indiana with a two-run home run in the bottom of the third inning on his way to reaching base in four of his five plate appearances against the Hoosiers. He scored three runs and was hit by two pitches to consistently find his way on base in the key midweek win.

He followed up with an RBI single in Indiana State’s five-run rally against Missouri State in the opener, before single-handedly beating the Bears at the plate on Saturday. Hernandez connected on RBI doubles in both the fourth and fifth innings and drove in all three runs in Indiana State’s 3-0 win to even the series on Saturday. Sunday, Hernandez answered an early Missouri State rally with a solo home run in the first inning and scored a game-high three runs as the Sycamores topped Missouri State 8-5.

For the season, Hernandez is hitting a team-high .396 with a 21-game hitting streak.

Edmonson became the first Indiana State pitcher to post two wins in the same week since Lane Miller accomplished the feat last season as the redshirt senior left-hander shut down both Indiana and Missouri State over the past week. Entering the game on Tuesday in the third inning with ISU trailing the Hoosiers 6-0 early, Edmonson got a key double play and a fly ball to end the Hoosiers rally. He went 4.0 innings against the Hoosiers retiring six of seven batters at one point and shut down Indiana with a 1-2-3 frame in the sixth as ISU built a 13-7 lead in the eventual 15-7 win.

Edmonson followed up on Sunday afternoon in the series finale against Missouri State as the redshirt junior entered the game with ISU holding the 7-4 lead over the Bears, but MSU was rallying after Caden Bogenpohl’s two-run home run with none out. The Rochester, Ill. native proceeded to strike out five of the next seven hitters faced to shut down the Bears’ offense and finished the day with seven strikeouts over a 3.0-inning relief stint as Indiana State secured the MVC series with the win.

Edmonson finished the week with a 2-0 record and 1.29 ERA, throwing 136 pitches out of the bullpen over 7.0-innings of work. He posted a 10:3 strikeout-to-walk ratio with all six hits recorded against him going for singles.

ISU continues the 2024 season on Tuesday afternoon as the Sycamores welcome Purdue University for a midweek non-conference matchup. First pitch is set for 4 p.m. ET with the game set to be carried live on ESPN+ and 105.5 The Legend.

PURDUE FT. WAYNE MEN’S BASKETBALL

‘DONS ADVANCE TO CIT CHAMPIONSHIP GAME AFTER WIN AT TARLETON STATE

STEPHENVILLE, Texas – Eric Mulder’s layup with 15 seconds left gave the Purdue Fort Wayne men’s basketball team a 73-72 victory at Tarleton State on Monday (March 25) in the semifinals of The 2024 CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament, presented by BSN SPORTS.

The win advances the Mastodons to the championship game of the CIT. The ‘Dons will play at Norfolk State on Wednesday (March 27) for the title.

The ‘Dons trailed by as many as 11 in the first half before cutting the deficit to five at 41-36 at halftime.

Rasheed Bello tied the game at 50 with 10:19 left in the second half on a 3-pointer. It was tied at 58 when the ‘Dons scored nine straight to take a 67-58 lead. Four Mastodons scored in the run. The game wasn’t over yet. Tarleton State scored 14 of the next 20 points to grab a 72-71 lead with 30 seconds left. On the other end, Anthony Roberts drove to the lane and dished the ball to Mulder underneath. The sophomore finished inside for his second game-winning basket in as many games. 

Roberts finished with 13 points. He entered the game needing three points to reach 2,000 for his NCAA career. He reached that mark in the first half. He now has 2,010 points between his time at Purdue Fort Wayne and St. Cloud State.

Quinton Morton-Robertson entered the game with 99 3-pointers on the season, he made two to bring his season total to 101. He now ranks second in program history in 3-pointers in a season, passing Mo Evans’ 100 3-pointers in 2016-17.

All five starters finished with double-digit points. Bello had 21 points while Jalen Jackson, Morton-Robertson and Mulder each had 10. Mulder added a career-high 15 rebounds to earn a double-double.

Johnathan DeJurnett had a pair of key hoops in the second half after the ‘Dons tied the game. Corey Hadnot II gave the Mastodons their first lead of the second half at 60-58.

The ‘Dons shot 47.6 percent (30-of-63). Tarleton State shot 39.3 percent (24-of-61). Adam Moussa led the Texans with 16 points.

Purdue Fort Wayne improves to 23-12. The Texans end their season 25-10.

EVANSVILLE BASEBALL

BASEBALL CONTINUES HOMESTAND TUESDAY AGAINST SIUE

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The University of Evansville baseball team will continue a season-long eight-game homestand on Tuesday night, as the Purple Aces will welcome the SIUE Cougars to German American Bank Field at Charles H. Braun Stadium for a non-conference contest.  First-pitch is set for 6 p.m.

Evansville will bring a 9-13 overall record into Tuesday night’s game.  The Purple Aces are trying to snap a season-long five-game losing streak, as UE has dropped three one-run decisions in the last five contests.  UE is led offensively by graduate outfielder Mark Shallenberger, who will bring a team-best .398 batting average into Tuesday’s contest.  Shallenberger currently ranks third in NCAA Division I baseball with 15 hit-by-pitches this season, as he is just one HBP shy of the national lead.  Career-wise, Shallenberger ranks fifth among active Division I players with 47 career HBPs, and he is just four shy of UE’s career mark of 51, set by Troy Beilsmith in 2021.  He currently ranks 11th among Division I players in on-base percentage this year at .561.

SIUE will bring a 7-17 overall record into Tuesday’s game after winning two out of three games against Lindenwood to open Ohio Valley Conference play over the weekend.  Junior outfielder Lucas Spencer currently paces the SIUE offense with a .398 batting average.  Spencer has collected eight doubles, two triples, and a home run offensively for SIUE, and he has been red-hot as of late, as he will ride a nine-game hitting streak into Tuesday’s contest.

Evansville out-lasted SIUE, 11-7, last March in Edwardsville, Illinois to win the only season meeting a year ago.  UE launched four home runs in the contest, led by current graduate catcher Brendan Hord, who went 4-for-6 with two home runs and four RBI.  All-time, UE leads the series 18-8.

Due to the UE men’s basketball team advancing on in the CBI Tournament, there will be no radio coverage of Tuesday night’s game.  Live stats will be available on GoPurpleAces.com.

EVANSVILLE MEN’S BASKETBALL

SEASON ENDS IN SECOND ROUND OF RO CBI

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Kenny Strawbridge Jr. scored a team-high 11 points but it was a 22-point game from Alex Schumacher that paced Seattle to a 71-57 win over the University of Evansville men’s basketball team in the second round of the Ro CBI at the Ocean Center.

It was a banner season for the Purple Aces who made their first postseason appearance since 2015.  UE completed the season with 17 wins, its highest tally since 2017-18.  In its Arch Madness opener, the Aces grabbed their first win in St. Louis since 2017 as they took down Illinois State.  In November, Evansville won its first six games of the season, the best start since the 1964-65 NCAA National Championship squad.

Those are just a few of the accomplishments for head coach David Ragland and his program as they complete the 2023-24 season.

Chuck Bailey III and Cam Haffner each recorded eight points while Tanner Cuff added six points and a team-high 5 boards.

Seattle took the early 2-0 lead as Evansville fought back to tie the score each time.  With the Redhawks holding an 8-6 lead, Tanner Cuff knocked down a triple to give the Purple Aces their first lead at 9-8 at the 15:26 mark.

After Seattle tied it up at 9-9, Sekou Kalle converted back-to-back buckets to make it a 13-9 game.  Evansville continued to add to the lead as a layup by Antonio Thomas extended the advantage to 20-12 as the half entered its final eight minutes.  The Redhawks clawed their way back, getting within two with 2:39 left in the period.

Kenny Strawbridge Jr. hit a layup before a turnover led to another Cuff 3-pointer that made it a 31-24 game entering the final minute.  Following a 4-0 run by Seattle, Gage Bobe drilled a triple in the final seconds to send the Aces to the break with a 34-28 lead.  The Aces shot 50% in the opening period.

Through the opening two minutes of the second half, the 6-point lead held strong as two Strawbridge free throws pushed the lead to 36-30.  Over the next four minutes, Seattle scored seven in a row to go back up by one, but at the 13:56 mark, Bobe knocked down another triple to put Evansville back in front.

The Redhawks wrestled away a 43-40 lead as the game moved into the last 12 minutes as Josh Hughes made a nice move at the basket to make it a 1-point game.  Unfortunately, Seattle responded in a big way.  Over the next seven minutes, the Redhawks outscored UE by an 18-2 margin to put things out of reach, going up 61-44 with 4:04 remaining.

Evansville’s relentless attitude showed in the final minutes as they never gave up.  Cam Haffner and Antonio Thomas each connected on triples to cut the deficit to nine points with just under two minutes on the clock, but that was as close as they would get with Seattle clinching the win.

It was a tale of two halves for both teams.  UE shot 50% in the first, but a 31.8% second half saw them finish the game at 42.3%.  Seattle shot 40.9% in the opening 20 minutes before finishing the second half at 48.3%.  Their final tally finished at 45.1%.

SOUTHERN INDIANA SOFTBALL

USI SOFTBALL’S NEWMAN TAKES HOME OVC PITCHER OF THE WEEK

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Softball junior pitcher Josie Newman (Indianapolis, Indiana) has been named Ohio Valley Conference Pitcher of the Week. The OVC’s weekly accolades are voted upon by the league’s communications directors.

The pitcher of the week award is the first this season for Newman and the fourth of her career after earning the accolade three times in 2023. It is the first OVC weekly award this season for USI Softball. Newman also represented USI on the 2024 OVC Preseason Players to Watch List.

In earning the honor, Newman went 2-0 in Southern Indiana’s three-game series at Lindenwood University. The right-hander tossed two complete games, posting a 1.31 ERA. Newman struck out 21 batters in 16 innings of work. Plus, the junior walked only one batter toward a 0.63 WHIP.

Newman started the weekend on Saturday with a gusty performance in USI’s 3-2, extra-inning win. In a low-scoring affair with neither side wanting to give any ground, Newman pitched all nine innings and struck out 11. In another pitcher’s duel in Sunday’s 2-1 win in the series rubber match, Newman once again was in a rhythm. Newman struck out 10 toward her 10th victory of the season.

The weekend outings by Newman helped USI get back to .500 on the season at 12-12 overall and tied for second in the OVC at 6-3. The Screaming Eagles are 6-1 in their last seven games.

On the season, Newman is 10-5 with a sub-2.00 ERA and 118 strikeouts in 105 innings pitched. Additionally, out of 16 starts, Newman has gone the distance 15 times with three shutouts. The junior pitcher has held opposing hitters to a .194 batting average.

Newman and the Screaming Eagles are back home at USI Softball Field Friday and Saturday for three games against Southeast Missouri State University in Ohio Valley Conference play. Friday is a doubleheader starting at 1 p.m., while Saturday’s series finale is at Noon. All three games can be seen with a subscription to ESPN+ and heard on The Spin 95.7 FM. Additional coverage links can be found on the USI Softball schedule page on usiscreamingeagles.com.

SOUTHERN INDIANA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

USI WOMEN’S BASKETBALL’S CHAMPIONSHIP-WINNING SEASON ENDS IN WNIT BOUT AGAINST WISCONSIN

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Women’s Basketball had its 2023-24 championship-winning season come to an end Monday night in the second round of the Women’s National Invitation Tournament (WNIT) at Screaming Eagles Arena, as the University of Wisconsin came from behind to defeat the Screaming Eagles, 67-62.

The bout on the court generated a lot of excitement and energy throughout the evening as 3,283 fans packed Screaming Eagles Arena to watch Southern Indiana (25-7, 17-1 OVC) host the first-ever Big Ten Conference team to visit USI with Wisconsin (14-16, 6-12 Big Ten) in town. The 3,283 fans also set a new Screaming Eagles Arena record for a women’s basketball game.

Southern Indiana made a strong start out of the gate, as senior forward Meredith Raley (Haubstadt, Indiana) canned a straightaway three in USI’s first possession. Under the seven-minute mark of the first quarter, Raley made another bucket to put the Screaming Eagles ahead 10-4. Late in the first quarter, USI extended its lead to double figures and led 24-12 after the first 10 minutes of action. Raley and senior forward Madi Webb (Bedford, Indiana) combined for 14 points in the first.

Early in the second quarter, sophomore guard Ali Saunders (Depauw, Indiana) lit it up from beyond the arc, connecting on two three-pointers to give Southern Indiana a 30-12 advantage nearly two minutes into the second stanza. After Wisconsin tried to chip away, USI had the response to keep the Badgers at bay. With a minute remaining until halftime, Saunders chucked up a long-range bomb with the shot clock winding down and stuck it through the bottom of the net. Before the second-quarter buzzer, freshman forward Chloe Gannon (Manchester, Tennessee) made a second-chance layup, leading USI into the intermission with a 44-25 lead.

The second half began with a sluggish start on the offensive end with much credit to both defenses. Wisconsin held USI without points for the first five minutes of the third period, allowing the Badgers to climb back to within 13, 44-31. Southern Indiana broke the field-goal drought with three minutes left in the third, as Saunders buried two three-pointers within 30 seconds to expand USI’s lead to 52-33. Wisconsin continued to fight back, pulling to within 13 once again, 55-42, by the end of the quarter.

Wisconsin continued its charge into the fourth quarter, relying heavily on sophomore forward Serah Williams to narrow Southern Indiana’s lead down to single digits. While a layup by Gannon put USI back up by nine just over three minutes into the fourth, the offensive struggles lingered for USI. The Badgers tied the game at 57 after two threes and a pair of free throws before taking the lead for the first time at the 4:25 mark. Williams put the Badgers on her shoulders on both ends of the court down the stretch, helping to not relinquish the lead back to Southern Indiana.

For the game, the Screaming Eagles shot just under 34 percent (19-56) overall and 9-17 for over 52 percent from beyond the arc. USI went 15-20 for 75 percent at the foul line. Saunders led Southern Indiana with 18 points with all five of her makes from the field coming from three-point range at a 5-5 mark. Raley recorded 13 points and Gannon tallied 11 points to round out the USI players that scored double digits.

Wisconsin ended the game at over 40 percent (20-49) shooting after an inefficient start to the contest. The Badgers knocked five threes and went 22-27 for over 81 percent at the charity stripe. Wisconsin won the battle on the glass, 35-34, and scored 26 transition points. Williams posted her 17th consecutive double-double with a game-high 24 points and 11 boards. Two other Badgers scored 10-plus in the game.

The 2023-24 campaign came to a close following another round of firsts for the USI Women’s Basketball program. The second year in the Ohio Valley Conference and at the Division I level saw USI capture the first-ever D-I team conference championships for USI Athletics with the 2023-24 OVC regular season and 2024 OVC Championship Tournament titles, which also placed USI among rare companies in reclassifying teams to win a conference title. The strong run culminated with USI’s first D-I national postseason tournament appearance and first-round win in the WNIT.

Southern Indiana had its best winning streaks and the most wins in seven years. The Screaming Eagles had their best conference record since near the turn of the century and were only the fifth OVC team to win at least 17 conference games. Southern Indiana also surpassed 750 victories in program history. Plus, just within the last couple of weeks, USI received its first-ever ranking in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 poll at No. 22.

Now the program will turn its attention to preparing and defending its championship titles in 2024-25.

VALPO BASEBALL

VALPO TO VISIT NO. 7 VANDY ON TUESDAY

Valparaiso (8-14, 0-3 MVC)

at #7 Vanderbilt (19-6, 3-3 SEC)

Hawkins Field (3,802) | Nashville, Tenn.

Tuesday, March 26, 6 p.m. CT – RHP Kaleb Krier

Next Up in Valpo Baseball: The Valparaiso University baseball team will wrap up a four-game, six-day road trip on Tuesday evening as the Beacons take the field at No. 7 Vanderbilt for a midweek tilt. After playing three Missouri Valley Conference games at Southern Illinois in Carbondale, Ill. over the weekend, Valpo traveled directly to Nashville to close out the road swing with the team’s seventh game this season against top-25 competition. 

Last Time Out: Valpo dropped all three games of a road series at Southern Illinois to open Missouri Valley Conference play this past weekend. They fell 6-4 in Friday’s series opener despite creating numerous scoring chances and stranding a dozen aboard. After a 13-1, eight-inning victory for the hosts on Saturday, Valpo fell despite outhitting the opposition for the second time in the series on Sunday, dropping the game 9-5 in spite of a 10-7 edge in the hit column.

Following the Beacons: Tuesday’s game will air on SEC Network Plus. For in-game updates, follow @ValpoBaseball on Twitter. Links to live coverage are available on ValpoAthletics.com.

Head Coach Brian Schmack: Brian Schmack (196-308) is in his 11th season in charge of the program. He ranks third in program history in seasons coached and games coached as he coached his 500th game on March 17, 2024 at Campbell. He entered the season with 188 victories, the third most in program history. Schmack, a member of the 2003 Detroit Tigers, served as pitching coach/associate head coach at Valpo for seven seasons prior to his promotion.

Series Notes: Valpo and Vandy will collide on the diamond for the first time since the year 2000, but the two teams have met on eight prior occasions with the Commodores coming away victorious on each occasion. Most recently, Valpo fell 12-1 on March 15, 2000 in Nashville under head coach Paul Twenge. 

In The Other Dugout: Vanderbilt

Ranked No. 6 nationally in the preseason poll and reached No. 3 last week.

Went 42-20 last season.

2021 College World Series runner-up and won the national title as recently as 2019.

Under the direction of legendary head coach Tim Corbin.

Have played several other Missouri Valley Conference opponents this season, winning single games against Indiana State, Evansville and Belmont while sweeping a weekend series against Illinois State for a 6-0 record against MVC competition entering Tuesday’s contest.

Will attempt to bounce back from getting swept in a three-game series at South Carolina this past weekend.

Valpo vs. Ranked Adversaries

Valpo will play its third top-25 opponent and its seventh game against nationally-ranked competition on Tuesday after playing at No. 17 Alabama on Feb. 23-25 and at No. 21 Campbell on March 15-17.

The Beacons are 0-6 in those games against Top-25 teams this year. The closest call was a 10-9 loss at No. 21 Campbell on March 15, a game Valpo led 5-1 and 9-5.

Valpo’s only three games against a top-25 team last season were a three-game series at No. 22 Southern Miss in March. Valpo won the series opener 6-1, snapping a streak of 15 straight losses to Top-25 teams that dated back to a win over No. 25 Illinois on April 17, 2018.

The win over No. 22 Southern Miss was Valpo’s best win in terms of national ranking since beating No. 9 Arizona State on April 21, 2013.

Since 2012, Valpo has Top-25 wins over No. 22 Southern Miss (March 10, 2023), No. 25 Illinois (April 17, 2018), No. 25 DBU (March 11, 2016), No. 9 Arizona State (April 21, 2013) and No. 4 Arkansas (Feb. 26, 2012).

Notes Wrapping Up Southern Illinois (March 22-24)

Valpo dropped the opening game of the series 6-4 on Friday, March 22 after the Salukis got off to a fast start with a 5-0 lead through two innings. Valpo had single tallies in four of the final five frames to creep back into the game.

The Beacons flashed the leather on Friday, making several nifty plays while playing errorless ball.

Alex Thurston homered for the second straight game on Friday after previously leaving the yard in the midweek win over Ball State. Friday’s blast was his third of the season.

Carson Husmann extended his hitting streak to 10 games on Friday, but was sidelined for each of the final two games of the series. Husmann became the first Beacon with a double-figure hitting streak since Ryan Maka hit safely in 13 straight last year.

Speaking of streaks, Kaleb Hannahs reached safely in all three games this weekend to push his on-base streak to 22. This marks the program’s longest such streak since Maka’s 25-game streak last season.

Valpo stranded 12 on Friday, its seventh time in 10 games stranding a dozen or more.

Going into this weekend, Valpo was 5-0 this season when owning the edge in the hit column. However, the Beacons dropped two such contests over the weekend as they outhit the Salukis 9-8 on Friday and 10-7 on Sunday.

Southern Illinois won Saturday’s game 13-1 in eight innings. Alex Ryan’s third home run of the season and sixth of his Valpo career accounted for the team’s lone run. Four of Valpo’s five hits came from the first name Alex as Ryan and Thurston had two hits apiece.

The Salukis won the series finale 9-5 despite the Beacons owning the aforementioned 10-7 in the hit column on Sunday. Free bases were crucial as a Valpo error led to four unearned runs and Valpo pitching issued nine walks to SIU’s none. This was just the second time this season (March 3 vs. Binghamton) that Valpo batters did not draw at least one walk.

Chaise Maifield had his second home run of the season and the 11th of his collegiate career in the series finale, while Kevin Denty delivered his third home run of the season and his first since a two-homer game on March 1 at Elon.

VALPO MEN’S GOLF

VANARRAGON RISES ON LEADERBOARD ON DAY 2 IN MOBILE

Valparaiso University men’s golf senior Caleb VanArragon (Blaine, Minn. / Blaine) rose to the top spot on the player leaderboard by the end of play on Monday as the teams played the second round and began the third round at the Mobile Bay Intercollegiate, hosted by South Alabama at the RTJ Magnolia Grove in Mobile, Ala. The teams began Round 3 to get out in front of potential inclement weather on Tuesday, golfing nine more holes and leaving nine remaining for Tuesday.

How It Happened

VanArragon posted a 68 in Round 2 to finish the second round with a 36-hole score of 137, at that point tied for second in the 80-player field. By the time play was halted for the day, VanArragon had risen into the top spot on the player leaderboard at six strokes under par. He is two strokes ahead of Oral Roberts’ Rocco Repetto Taylor, who is second at four under.

Thanks in part to a Round-2 score of 70, Anthony Delisanti (Sanborn, N.Y. / Niagara Wheatfield) is tied for 12th in the field at even par for the tournament. He is one stroke outside of a top-10 finish entering Tuesday’s completion of play.

Freshman Adam Melliere (Zionsville, Ind. / Zionsville) once again turned in a countable score out of the No. 5 position in the lineup, carding a 74, third best on the team. He finished the day at four over for the tournament, tied for 26th.

As a team, Valpo golfed a 289 in Round 2. The Beacons finished the day at +12 for the tournament, fifth in a competitive, 14-team field. Illinois State holds the top spot at six under par.

Thoughts from Head Coach Dave Gring

“We had sustained 20 mile per hour winds today with gusts up to 30 mph. The entire field played in the same conditions, and we lost too many shots to the field in our second round. We struggled with the windy conditions, especially since we haven’t played or practiced in them since last fall. We knew that we were going to play in some more challenging conditions and we simply needed to execute our shots better and manage the course better. We had five double bogeys in Round 2 after making two in Round 1, and those need to be eliminated for us to be more competitive.”

“I was very pleased with our Par-3 scoring in the second round. We played all four of the Par 3s even par as a team, and that’s really strong for us. This is an area we can pick up strokes on the field, and that was a bright spot for us today. Also, Caleb played terrific for us in the second round, making five birdies and having a strong finish at the end of the front nine and the back nine. His ball-striking was better in the second round versus the first round, and he managed the windy conditions very well. He is in a great position to finish the tournament well.”

Up Next

The Beacons will finish out the event on Tuesday. A link to live scoring is available on ValpoAthletics.com.

VALPO WOMEN’S GOLF

SCHREINER LEADS VALPO ON DAY 1 AT NKU

The Valparaiso University women’s golf team began Northern Kentucky’s The Julie at Elks Run Golf Course in Batavia, Ohio on Monday. Katie Schreiner (Fenton, Mo. / Summit) posted the top Round-1 score by a Beacon.

How It Happened

Schreiner finished Day 1 of competition with an 81, highlighted by a birdie on the 18th hole. She is tied for 40th in the 81-player field.

Schreiner was followed by Anna Fay (Ada, Mich. / Forest Hills), who carded an 83 in Round 1. She drained a pair of birdies, doing so on the fifth and 13th holes.

Joining Fay at t-51 was Madison Keil (LaGrange, Ind. / Lakeland), who also stroked an 83. She had birdies that came on Hole 5 and Hole 9.

As a team, Valpo finished the day at 335, 13th on the team leaderboard. The Beacons are ahead of Thomas Moore and narrowly behind Southern Indiana. IUPUI holds the top spot at 303, while Kaitlin Kormuth of Cleveland State and Caylie Kotlowski of Green Bay are tied atop the player leaderboard at 73.

Thoughts from Head Coach Jill McCoy

“We are making small strides as a team. Hopefully we can all put it together on the same day.”

Up Next

The tournament concludes on Tuesday. A link to live scoring is available on ValpoAthletics.com.

UINDY MEN’S BASKETBALL

CORSARO STEPS DOWN TO LEAD CROSSTOWN IU INDIANAPOLIS

INDIANAPOLIS – The University of Indianapolis announced on Monday the resignation of men’s basketball head coach Paul Corsaro, effective immediately. The Indianapolis native and UIndy alum was named head coach of Division I IU Indianapolis on Monday morning.

“We salute Paul in this unique opportunity to lead IU Indianapolis Men’s Basketball,” said UIndy Interim Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Dr. D. Scott Gines. “He’s passionately invested nearly half his life in UIndy – as a two-sport athlete, double alumnus, assistant and head coach – and we extend both our gratitude and best wishes in this new season of the Corsaro family’s life.”

Corsaro, a two-time graduate of UIndy, was named the 12th head coach in program history in April 2020. He led the Greyhounds to a 79-37 (.681) record the last four seasons, including back-to-back GLVC regular season titles and twice earning the No. 1 seed in the NCAA DII Midwest Regional.

Corsaro guided 14 All-GLVC selections, including 2023 GLVC Player of the Year Kendrick Tchoua. This past season, Tchoua joined Jesse Bingham on the league’s all-first team and all-defensive squad, while Paul Zilinskas was voted to the second team. He was named the GLVC Coach of the Year following the 2022-23 campaign, as well as the NABC Midwest Coach of the Year as the team matched the program record for wins (26) and GLVC victories (17).

“It’s hard to find the words to fully express what the University of Indianapolis has meant to me,” shared Corsaro. “I have spent 14 years of my life at this wonderful place; four years as a two-sport student-athlete, six years as an assistant coach for basketball, and four years as head men’s basketball coach. I have two degrees from UIndy, a bachelor’s and a master’s. Most importantly, I’ve established great relationships with so many awesome people.

“I’m very proud of the many accomplishments our basketball program has achieved in my four years as head coach. We’ve had an unbelievable run in a short time, achieving a large amount of program firsts.  The credit goes to the amazing student-athletes I’ve been blessed to coach and the most loyal and hardworking group of assistants I could ask for. UIndy and all people associated with this institution will forever hold a special place in my heart and will always be FAMILY. UIndy, THANK YOU! It has been an honor and my pleasure.”

Prior to taking over as the Greyhound head man, Corsaro spent two seasons as an assistant coach at Purdue Fort Wayne after six years as an assistant for the Greyhounds from 2012 to 2018. During his first span on the UIndy bench, he helped lead the program to six winning seasons, four 20-plus win campaigns, and four NCAA Tournament berths, including the only Sweet 16 appearance in program history in 2015.

As a two-sport student-athlete at UIndy, Corsaro earned three letters as a member of the Greyhound football team and three more on the hardwood under Head Coach Stan Gouard, often given the toughest defensive assignment for the opposing team. He was a part of Gouard’s first NCAA Tournament team in 2010-11 and a member of UIndy’s first NCAA DII football playoff team in 2012. He still holds the modern program record for most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback with eight in 2010.

Corsaro graduated from UIndy with a bachelor’s degree in Communications in 2012 and a master’s in Business Administration in 2014. A product of local Roncalli High School, he is the all-time leading scorer in school history with 1,156 career points. Corsaro married his wife, Brooke, in the summer of 2022, and welcomed a baby boy in February of 2024.

BINGHAM, TCHOUA ADD TO POSTSEASON ACCOLADES

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – After finishing their storied careers on the hardwood, UIndy men’s basketball seniors Jesse Bingham and Kendrick Tchoua were named NABC All-District for the second straight season, announced Monday afternoon.

Bingham earned his way on the first team, while Tchoua was voted to the second team.

Four of the top 10 honorees are members of GLVC programs. GLVC Player of the Year Jake Hilmer of Upper Iowa and Milos Vicentic of McKendree joined Bingham on the top team. .

Bingham and Tchoua add to their awards collections after both earning All-GLVC First Team and GLVC All-Defensive Team distinction earlier this offseason, as well as D2CCA All-Region. In addition, both were members of the past three UIndy teams to earn the top seed in the Midwest Regional (2020, 23, 24).

Bingham averaging 15.8 points per game this season, while adding 3.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists per contest as a senior. The Indy local scored a career-high 33 points in the GLVC semifinals against William Jewell, shooting 12-of-18 from the field. Bingham also recorded one double-double this season, posting 20 points and 10 boards at Pitt-Johnstown in December.

The 6-6 guard-forward finishes his career ranked 11th in program history with 1,720 points and second with 136 blocks.

Tchoua had an impressive five-year career as a member of the Greyhounds. A native of Silver Spring, Md., Tchoua tops the program record book in games played (144), third in field-goal percentage (.666), fifth in rebounding (906), and 15th in scoring (1,530). This season, Tchoua averaged 12.7 points and 7.7 rebounds per game, while leading all of NCAA Division II in offensive rebounding (103, 4.06 per game).

He was also voted the GLVC Player of the Year and D2CCA Midwest Player of the Year in March 2023.

UINDY MEN’S LAX

INDIANAPOLIS – University of Indianapolis graduate attacker Justin Williams and senior face-off specialist Caleb Parker have been named the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) Players of the Week in men’s lacrosse, it was announced by the league office Monday. 
 
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Justin Williams, #8 Indianapolis
Gr. | A | Clermont, Fla.
Major: Anatomical Science
Team Result: 17-8 W at Davenport (3/20)

• Recorded seven points on five goals and two assists in GLVC road win
• Took 13 shots with 11 on goal for a .846 shots-on-goal percentage
• Added two ground balls
• Earns first career Offensive Player of the Week
• Last Greyhounds’ Offensive Player of the Week: Triston Schaffer (2/26/24)

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Caleb Parker, #8 Indianapolis
Sr. | FOGO | Bixby, Okla.
Major: Business
Team Result: 17-8 W at Davenport (3/20)

• Went 21-for-25 (.840) on the face-off dot in a GLVC road win
• Was 9-of-12 at the “X” in second half to limit Davenport to just one goal
• Collected 12 ground balls
• Earns fifth career Defensive Player of the Week Award (3/25/24, 3/4/24, 2/26/24, 4/3/23, 4/11/22)
• Last Greyhounds’ Defensive Player of the Week: KC Carlson (3/18/24)

GREYHOUNDS MOVE UP ONE SPOT FOLLOWING LEAGUE ROAD WIN

BALTIMORE – The UIndy men’s lacrosse team rose one spot to No. 7 in the latest USILA national coaches poll, announced Monday afternoon.

The Greyhounds opened GLVC action with a 17-8 road win at Davenport last Wednesday.

UIndy is 3-2 this season against top-13 teams, most recently claiming an 11-7 win over now-6th Rollins on Mar. 16. Winners of six of their last seven, the Hounds host Rockhurst this Saturday for a 12 p.m. contest from Key Stadium.

Triston Schaffer leads UIndy with 30 points, while Owain Braddock has netted a team-high 21 goals. In goal, netminder KC Carlson has been on fire the past two games, racking up 26 saves and a .634 save percentage.

UINDY WOMEN’S LAX

HOUNDS BACK AT #13 IN LATEST IWLCA POLL

NORTHBOROUGH, Mass. – The UIndy women’s lacrosse team slipped back one spot to No. 13 in Monday’s newest IWLCA national coaches poll. The Greyhounds have now been ranked 12th or 13th in all six editions this season.

UIndy went 1-1 in the state of Colorado last weekend, dropping a Friday bout at now-9th Regis before returning to the win column on Sunday at Colorado Mesa.

Pace continues to top the poll, while GLVC foe Maryville (6) and in-region Regis (9) and Grand Valley (10) rank just ahead of UIndy. The Hounds host Grand Valley on Thursday at 3 p.m. from Key Stadium.

The poll marks the 78th consecutive edition in which UIndy has appeared, including its 77th straight time in the top 15. The complete poll can be found below.

IWLCA DII Poll

RK	SCHOOL (REC)	PTS (FPV)	PREV
1.	Pace (7 – 0)	550 (22)	1
2.	West Chester (6 – 0)	519	2
3.	East Stroudsburg (5 – 1)	489	4
4.	Adelphi (6 – 1)	468	3
5.	Tampa (8 – 2)	459	5
6.	Maryville (9 – 0)	451	6
7.	Florida Southern (8 – 3)	423	7
8.	Embry-Riddle (10 – 1)	387	9
9.	Regis (CO) (7 – 1)	375	10
10.	Grand Valley (6 – 1)	338	11
11.	Flagler (11 – 2)	311	8
12.	Lynn (8 – 1)	294	16
13.	UIndy (6 – 3)	292	12
14.	Limestone (10 – 0)	287	14
15.	Rollins (10 – 2)	276	13
16.	Wingate (8 – 3)	209	15
17.	Kutztown (5 – 1)	192	17
18.	Bentley (2 – 4)	148	20
19.	Florida Tech (6 – 4)	134	19
20.	New Haven (3 – 2)	128	18
21.	Saint Anselm (4 – 3)	94	21
22.	Assumption (3 – 3)	79	22
23.	Saint Leo (6 – 4)	76	24
24.	Seton Hill (4 – 3)	51	25
25.	Roberts Wesleyan (4 – 5)	39	NR

MARIAN WOMEN’S GOLF

EMMA WEILER EARNS CROSSROADS LEAGUE WOMEN’S GOLFER OF THE WEEK

Jackson, Mich. – For the first time in her career, Emma Weiler of the Marian women’s golf team has been named the Crossroads League Women’s Golfer of the Week. Weiler’s honor comes after her first collegiate victory this past weekend.

Weiler topped the field at the Heritage Hills Invite for No. 10 Marian, helping the Knights to their second victory of the spring season. The freshman shot rounds of 72, 74 and 75 over the 54 holes to lead the field of 44.

Marian will next play April 8 and 9, competing in Nashville, Tennessee, at the Cumberland University Music City Classic.

MARIAN TRACK

ISAIAH TIPPING EARNS CL FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

Jackson, Mich. – For the fifth time in his career, Marian senior Isaiah Tipping has been named the Crossroads League Field Athlete of the Week. Tipping’s honor comes after a big weekend at the Montreat Open, and is the third time in 2023-24 that he has been honored with the award.

Tipping opened his outdoor campaign with wins and A-standard performances in the discus and hammer for Marian at the Montreat Open. Tipping posted marks of 52.58 meters in the discus and 60.81 meters in the hammer. The senior also finished fifth overall in the shot put, setting a new personal best in outdoor season.

Marian will host their annual Knight Open on Thursday, March 28. The meet begins around 11:00 a.m.

MARIAN SOFTBALL

OLIVIA STUNKEL EARNS CROSSROADS LEAGUE PITCHER OF THE WEEK

Jackson, Mich. – For the seventh time in her career, Marian softball pitcher Olivia Stunkel has been named the Crossroads League Pitcher of the Week. Stunkel’s honor is the first of the season, and comes off of a perfect 2-0 week.

The Knights junior tossed a pair of complete game outings, as Marian run-ruled No. 17 IWU and SAU in her outings on the week. Stunkel’s two 6-inning complete games saw only five total hits, and three runs with two earned, as her 10 strikeouts helped her post a 1.17 ERA on the week.

Marian is scheduled to host Bethel University on Tuesday, March 26, at 3:00 p.m. from the Marian softball diamond.

MARIAN WOMEN’S TENNIS

THE KNIGHTS CONTINUE HOME STREAK WITH A 7-0 WIN

INDIANAPOLIS – The Marian women’s tennis team continues home stretch with a 7-0 win over Roosevelt University Monday afternoon. The Knights are now 13-5 overall on the season.

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

After claiming the point at doubles Marian went on to sweep singles claiming all six points in the win. Irigoyen finished first with a back-to-back 6-2 wins at No. 3. Barbosa Fernandez finished up quickly after with 6-3 and 6-2 wins at No. 2. Bopst finished third at No. 4 with a score 6-4 and 6-2.

Imamniyazova finished fourth at No.1 with a 5-7 and 7-3 win in a tie breaker. Next up Caceres Villalba finished fifth at No. 5 with 6-2 and 6-4. Muller finished it up at No. 6 with a 7-3 win in a tie breaker and 6-2.

Marian will play their next match at home Wednesday, March 27th against Holy Cross starting at 2:00 p.m.

MARIAN MEN’S TENNIS

MARIAN MEN’S TENNIS SWEPT ROOSEVELT UNIVERSITY LAKERS 7-0

INDIANAPOLIS – The Marian men’s tennis team continues home stretch with a 7-0 win over Roosevelt University Monday afternoon. The Knights are now 12-7 overall on the season.

Jan Bartolome and Jones McNamar won the first doubles match finishing first at No. 3 with a 6-1 final score to put the Knights in the lead early on. Jona Henze and Marc Soriano continued to increase the lead finishing second at No. 2 winning the tiebreaker 9-7. Andrew Ilett and James Ashworth’s match went unfinished at No. 1.

Going into singles after claiming the doubles point the Knights swept the board gaining all six points to claim the win. Ashworth finished his match up first at No. 1 with 6-0 and 6-2. No. 2 was finished next with Luis Sobanski winning 6-2 consecutively. Henze finished third at No. 3, 6-1 and winning in a tie breaker 7-5.

Soriano was the next to finish at No. 4 , 6-1 and 7-4 in a tiebreaker. Bartolome finished fifth at No. 5, 6-2 and 6-0. McNamar finished up the matches at No. 6, 6-2 and 6-1.

Marian will play their next match at home Thursday, March 28th against Holy Cross starting at 2:00 p.m.

GRACE MEN’S BASKETBALL

NO. 1 GRACE’S SEASON ENDS IN NAIA FAB FOUR

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A storybook season for Grace’s men’s basketball team came to an end on Monday in the NAIA Fab Four.

The Lancers (34-2) fell to fellow No. 1 seed Freed-Hardeman 86-81 in the thrilling, physical semifinal clash.

The Lions (31-4) found revenge after being ousted by Grace in last year’s NAIA Sweet Sixteen.

The loss ends one of the most memorable seasons in Grace history. The Lancers broke new ground in several areas.

Grace set a program record for most wins in a season (34). The Lancers were also ranked No. 1 for most of the season and were awarded with the NAIA tournament’s overall No. 1 seed – both first-time accomplishments for the program.

Monday’s game saw Grace commit 19 turnovers, the team’s third-most all season and most since Jan. 11. The Lancers also shot just 43 percent from the floor, its fourth-lowest rate of the season.

Grace led for most of the first half in a physical opening 20 minutes. Jake Wadding scored four quick points, and Brycen Graber and Cade Gibbs each hit a 3-pointer.

FHU struggled with Grace’s size, resulting in five fouls before four minutes had expired.

The Lancers’ lead grew to 17-9 with 11 minutes remaining, but FHU refused to let the game get out of hand. A 9-2 run sliced Grace’s lead down to one.

Jakob Gibbs responded with five points in less than two minutes to give Grace a little breathing room, but the Lions continued to pressure.

An and-1 was followed by a 3-pointer for the Lions, and FHU took its first lead of the contest at 34-33 with 2:40 left in the half.

The Lions scored seven unanswered points in the closing minutes and claimed momentum at halftime with a 38-35 lead.

Grace struggled on offense, making just 42 percent from the floor with 12 turnovers. FHU shot 47 percent and had five fewer turnovers than Grace. The Lions scored 14 points off Grace’s turnovers and also had a 19-5 edge in bench points before halftime.

To stat the second half, the Lancers found success from the perimeter. Jakob Gibbs canned two 3s, and Graber hit another as Grace tied the game at 45-45.

A minute later, Gibbs scored again to push the Lancers on top 49-48. Ian Scott, who rejoined the game after receiving a bloody nose that knocked him out of the first half, also buried a triple to give Grace a two-point edge.

But the Lions scored on their next four possessions, enjoying a 10-0 run to pull ahead 60-52 with 12 minutes left.

The Lancers threw the next haymaker. Over the next six minutes, Grace produced a 17-7 run. Brett Sickafoose swished two 3-pointers in a minute, and Wadding scored four points in the paint.

The Lancers endured a three-minute dry spell, however, and the untimely scoring drought put Grace in a difficult spot. FHU took advantage to lead 74-67 with just 3:22 to play.

The Lancers did their best to rally, using two free throws from Elijah Malone and a 3-pointer from Jakob Gibbs to pull within two with 1:50 on the clock.

But FHU executed perfectly down the stretch. The Lions hit a timely 3-pointer with less than a minute to play, and Grace had a pair of shots roll off the rim.

Grace tried to pull off a miraculous comeback over the last minute, hitting a trio of 3-pointers with two coming from Malone. But FHU made nine free throws over the last 1:26 to keep Grace at a distance.

For the game, Grace shot only 12 free throws, the team’s fewest in a game since Jan. 31.

The Lancers were led by 23 points from Jakob Gibbs, a game-high. He shot 5 of 10 from the 3-point line and passed out four assists.

Malone finished with 12 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 blocked shots, and Wadding had a double-double of 10 points, 11 boards, 4 assists, 2 steals and 1 block.

Cade Gibbs finished with 8 points, 4 boards and 2 assists, and Graber had nine points with three assists.

Sickafoose shot 3 of 4 from the 3-point line for his nine points, and Scott amassed 5 points, 3 rebounds, 2 blocks and 2 assists in 12 minutes.

SMALL COLLEGE ATHLETICS

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

EARLHAM ATHLETICS: https://goearlham.com/

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

FRANKLIN ATHLETICS: https://franklingrizzlies.com/

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

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

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

BETHEL ATHLETICS: https://bupilots.com/

DEPAUW ATHLETICS: https://depauwtigers.com/

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

MNCHESTER ATHLETICS: https://muspartans.com/

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

NUMBERS IN SPORTS

99 – 32 – 33

March 26, 1915 – In the Stanley Cup Final played at Denman Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia. Right winger Barney Stanley netted 5 goals as the Vancouver Millionaires defeated Ottawa Senators, 12-3 and completed a 3-0 sweep for the first Cup series that was non-challenged.  Vancouver became the first PCHA champions.

March 26, 1945 – Big George Mikan, Number 99 scored 34 points to lead DePaul to the NIT championship title.

March 26, 1973 – UCLA Center Bill Walton, Number 32 won the Most Outstandinag player award at the NCAA men’s tourney for the second consecutive year. He and his Bruins teammates coached by John Wooden won the tournament again, the seventh time in a row, by lknocking out Memphis 81-76.

March 26, 1979 – The NCAA basketball game with the highest television ratings of all time is played when Magic Johnson, Number 33 and the Michigan State Spartans were pitted against Larry Bird, Number 33 and the Indiana State Sycamores in the NCAA Men’s Baseketball Championship game. The Spartans took the title 75-64.

FOOTBALL HISTORY

March 26 Football History Headlines

March 26, 1887 – A convention of Football Rules makers convened and focused on rules of the game and empowered the referee with even more clout. A resolution was passed that stated “rules should be enforced rigidly by referees, and that captains should instruct their men against holding, roughing, and all other objectionable features.” The group even went as far as making all varsity captains sign a resolution there by swearing to coach their respective teams to play fairly and by the rules. Also the position of Umpire was created to help the Referee.  Other major rules changes from this conference were to make it a must for teams to try for a goal after a touchdown. See more in our 1887 see part 10 of history series.

March 26, 2001 – The NFL announced that for the 3rd straight year it reached a record average paid attendance mark. It was the first time that paid attendance went over 66,000 fans per game. Also the NFL announced  the Washington Redskins set a league record for attendance in 8 games of 656,599 surpassing the Detroit Lions record of 634,204 set in 1980.

March 26 Football Hall of Fame Birthdays

March 26, 1870 – Knoxville, Tennessee – The standout Yale halfback from 1888-91, Lee McLung, also known as “Bum,” arrived into this life. Learn more about this College Football Hall of Fame inductee by clicking his name.

March 26, 1899 – Sumter, South Carolina – The Ramblin’ Georgia Tech halfback of the 1918 through 1920 seasons Buck Flowers was born. Buck actually started his collegiate football at Davidson College for the seasons of 1916 and 1917. As a member of the Davidson eleven he scampered for a 68 yard gain in the 1917 game against Navy per the Football Foundation’s website. As a member of the Ramblin’ Wreck Flowers became a triple threat as he scored on the Auburn Tigers with punt returns of 65 and 82 yards in 1920 as well as a 33 yard offensive rush and tossed a 25 yard TD pass for good measure! Those weren’t Buck’s only skills on the football field, no sir, he is credited with an 82 yard punt versus Georgetown as well as an 85 yard punt return against his former school, Davidson.The National Football Foundation selected Buck Flowers for entrance into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1955.

On March 26, 1899 in Lansing, Michigan a baby boy was born to two German immigrants Charles and Minnie Kipke. Charles emigrated to the US in 1872 and Minnie in 1888. They named the child Harry and he ended up being the middle child in a family of 7 total children. Charles worked as a motor assembler in Lansing to support the group but in 1920 he passed away leaving Harry and his three younger siblings to live with their widowed mother. Harry had the opportunity to attend the University of Michigan and Harry Kipke punted and played halfback for the Wolverines from 1921 through 1923. The NFF says that Kipke was considered the finest punter in the nation as a junior All- America in 1922 but was even more respected by opposing Big Ten coaches for his excellence as a ball carrier, passer and blocker.  Harry was a star player for the Wolverines and even became the team captain in his senior year.  During Kipke’s presence on the squad Michigan tallied a three-year mark of 19-1-2. The Doors of the College Football Hall of Fame swung open wide to accept Harry Kipke in 1958. Harry went into coaching at rival Michigan State in 1928 after serving as an Assistant Coach at the University of Missouri for four seasons. Then in 1929 he returned to head up the program of his alma mater and served as the head coach of Michigan for 9 seasons compiling a total coaching record of 49-30-5.

March 26, 1960 – Marcus Allen the stud running back from Southern Cal was born. Marcus Allen received the great honor of being selected for inclusion into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2000.  The LosAngeles Raiders used their first round pick to take Marcus in the first round of the 1982 NFL Draft.  Allen was a 2 time All-Pro and played in 6 Pro Bowls. The Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrined  the great Marcus Allen in 2003.

TODAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY

1936      Two future Hall of Famers sign modest contracts with their respective teams. The Tigers ink 25-year-old first baseman Hank Greenberg, who will miss most of the season with an injured wrist, for $20,000, and 31-year-old right-hander Red Ruffing, who will post a 20-12 record, comes to terms with the Yankees for $12,000.

1951      During a spring exhibition game against the University of Southern California at Bovard Field, Mickey Mantle, batting left-handed, hit a home run off Tom Lovrich, estimated to have traveled 650 feet. The 19-year-old rookie’s performance, which includes a single, triple, and another homer, is one of the highlights of the Yankees’ first-ever West Coast trip.

1957      The police arrest Yankee manager Casey Stengel and then released him on $50 bail after allegedly kicking newspaper photographer Branan Sanders of the St. Petersburg Independent. The alleged altercation occurred in the first inning when the former World War II Associated Press photojournalist came into the Yankee dugout after being told he was obstructing the team’s view of their opponents.

1960      Due to Cuba’s political unrest, Miami becomes the new venue for the Orioles-Reds series, initially scheduled for Havana. Having a farm team on the island, Cincinnati wanted to play the exhibition games as planned, but Baltimore’s team president, Lee MacPhail, feared for his players’ safety.

1974      “I said that there’d come a time when somebody would take my job away and the time came. That’s the way the ball bounces. I was the same way when I broke in with the White Sox. If I came, someone had to go. Baseball is like life; it goes on no matter what.” – LUIS APARICIO, commenting on his unconditional release by the Red Sox. After playing well for the team last season, the Red Sox drop two future Hall of Famers, releasing designated hitter Orlando Cepeda (1999) and infielder Luis Aparicio (1984). Cepeda was considered one of the best DHs in the American League with 86 RBIs, 20 home runs, and a .289 average, with Aparicio hitting a respectable .271 in 132 games, the best mark among shortstops in the league.

1976      The American League votes to expand to Toronto, awarding the franchise to a group led by Labatt’s Breweries (45%) that eventually purchases the team for $7 million. At first, the decision appears in peril when President Gerald Ford attempts to pressure MLB to give the expansion franchise to Washington, D.C., a city without a major league team since the expansion Senators moved to Arlington (TX) to become the Rangers following the 1972 season.

1977      The Red Sox releases fan-favorite Rico Petrocelli, a future inductee to the club’s Hall of Fame in 1997 who batted .251 and hit 210 home runs during his 13 seasons with Boston. The two-time All-Star infielder calls it quits, spending his career entirely with Boston, playing a vital role in the team’s 1967 and 1975 American League pennants.

1984      In a spring training deal, the Phillies trade outfielders Gary Matthews, Bob Dernier, and right-handed reliever Porfi Altamirano to the Cubs for right-hander Bill Campbell and Mike Diaz, a utility player. The former Philadelphia fly chasers, who will each receive consideration for the MVP award, play a pivotal role in Chicago’s first-place finish this season in the National League Eastern Division.

1984      President Ronald Reagan awards Jackie Robinson, who broke baseball’s color line playing for the Dodgers in 1947, the Presidential Medal of Freedom posthumously. On behalf of her late husband, Rachel Robinson accepts the award, the highest civilian honor given in the United States.

1997      The Expos trade Cliff Floyd to Marlins for right-hander Dustin Hermanson and outfielder Joe Orsulak. The presence of Montreal’s highly-touted prospect Vladimir Guerrero made their former fly-catcher expendable after he spent the first four major league seasons with the Canadian team.

2000      The demolition of Kingdome takes less than 20 seconds, thanks to 5,800 holes filled with gelatin dynamite ignited by 21.6 miles of detonation cord. The former home of the Mariners, the venue of no-hitters by Randy Johnson (1990 vs. Tigers) and Chris Bosio (1993 vs. Red Sox), is now a 65-foot mound of rubble.

BASEBALL YEAR IN REVIEW: 1954 (BASEBALL ALMANAC)

Off the field…

The United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) backed a coup by Colonel Carlos Armas to overthrow the Guatemalan Government. The government, ruled under Jacobo Arbenz Guzman, supported a Communist-authored land reform bill that expropriated most of the land holdings of United Fruit Company. The Guatemalan actions had led to a U.S. arms embargo, but they later purchased arms from Czechoslovakia providing an excuse for the uprising.

After hearing the case of Brown versus the Board of Education, Chief Justice Earl Warren (United States Supreme Court) formally ruled that all forms of segregation were unconstitutional. The landmark case was a first step in mandating racial equality and initiated the desegregation of all public institutions in the United States of America.

In the American League…

The Boston Red Sox managed to pull off a rare triple play, but still lost to the Baltimore Orioles during a seventeen-inning game that set a new American League record for time consumed at four hours and fifty-eight minutes, and tied the Major League mark (set seven weeks earlier) for the most players used in a single game (forty-two).

On August 30^th, the Cleveland Indians completed an embarrassing eleven home-game sweep of the visiting Boston Red Sox. It was the first such sweep since the New York Yankees, led by “Murderers Row”, had blanked the laughable St. Louis Browns back in 1927.

Mickey Vernon of the Washington Senators tallied his 2,000^th career hit on September 2^nd. He also notched his nineteenth home run of the season for a franchise record for left-handers.

In the National League…

Stan Musial of the St. Louis Cardinals hit five home runs during a May 2^nd doubleheader against the New York Giants. In a strange coincidence, eight-year-old Nate Colbert (who would grow up to play for the Houston Astros, San Diego Padres, Montreal Expos, Detroit Tigers and Oakland Athletics) was in attendance and would become the only other player in Major League history to tie Musial’s mark. Both teams split for the day as the Cards won the first game 10-6 and the Giants took the second 9-7.

On May 4^th, the Phillies and Cardinals set a Major League record (later broken) by using a staggering forty-two combined players during an eleven-inning, 14-10 Philly victory. Philadelphia used seven pitchers throughout the effort and the St. Louis topped them with eight men on the mound.

At Ebbets Field, Milwaukee Brave Joe Adcock hit four home runs and added a double for a total of eighteen total bases during a 15-7 massacre over the Brooklyn Dodgers on July 31^st. Adcock’s eighteen bases set a Major League record and when combined with the seven bases from the day before, gave him a two-day tally of twenty-five. The combined total tied the slugger with Ty Cobb for most bases in two consecutive games.

Around the League…

“The Yankee Clipper” Joe DiMaggio married Hollywood starlet Marilyn Monroe in San Francisco. Nine months later the two were divorced, but continued to maintain an on-again, off-again relationship. DiMaggio had reportedly told friends that the two were going to be re-married shortly before her death from a drug overdose eight years later. In the years that followed, he rarely spoke of her and had roses delivered to her gravesite twice a week for the next two decades. He never married again.

Rightfielder Stan Musial of the St. Louis Cardinals outpolled every other National League player in the 1954 All-Star balloting.

In Game 1 of the Fall Classic, New York Giants outfielder Willie Mays made what many consider to be the greatest catch in World Series history. “Say Hey” managed to hold the game to a 2-2 tie in the eighth inning after racing back to deep centerfield and making an awkward “over-the-head” snatch of Cleveland Indian Vic Wertz’s 462-foot drive.

The Major League owners association voted down the sale of the Athletics to a syndicate representing the city of Philadelphia. One week later, Arnold Johnson emerged to buy a controlling interest in the franchise from the Mack family for a reported $3.5 million dollars. He later decided to move the team to Kansas City amidst mixed emotions from the rest of the league.

BASEBALL’S GREAT PITCHERS

PUD GALVIN

Reflecting on the life and career of Pud Galvin, a writer commented that a proper accounting of Galvin’s achievements “would be a task of time and would … require a volume in size almost equal to the dictionary.”1 Galvin pitched for 16 years during a career that spanned three decades, four major leagues, and countless changes to the rules governing pitchers. He threw the first perfect game on record and was the first pitcher to reach 300 career wins in the major leagues; but his accomplishments came before the existence of the term “perfect game,” and in an age that had no sense of the meaning of 300 career victories.

READ MORE: https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/pud-galvin/

TODAY IN NBA HISTORY

March 26, 1972

The Los Angeles Lakers beat Seattle 124-98 to finish the season at 69-13 (.841), at the time the best record in NBA history. More than 24 years later, the Chicago Bulls posted a 72-10 season (.878) in the 1995-96 season to break the record. That mark was then supplanted by the Golden State Warriors in 2015-16 when they went 73-9 (.890).

March 26, 1974

Rick Barry of the Golden State Warriors scored 64 points in a 143-120 victory over Portland at home. At the time only Wilt Chamberlain and Elgin Baylor had ever scored more points in an NBA game.

March 26, 1993

A group of 22 investors purchased the San Antonio Spurs from Red McCombs for $75 million.

March 26, 1994

After notching a pair of steals during Utah’s 98-83 setback at Houston, John Stockton became just the second player in NBA history (along with Maurice Cheeks) to collect 2,000 career steals.

March 26, 1996

Phoenix’s A.C. Green plays in his 800th consecutive NBA game — the third-longest streak in NBA history — scoring seven points and grabbing nine rebounds during the Suns’ 102-98 win over visiting Sacramento.

March 26, 1996

Seattle’s Gary Payton become the ninth player in NBA history to record 2,000 career steals. Payton reached the mark in a triumph over the Jazz.

TODAY IN SPORTS HISTORY

1944 — St. John’s, coached by Joe Lapchick, cruises by DePaul 47-39 to become the first back-to-back winner of the National Invitation Tournament.

1946 — Hank Iba’s Oklahoma A&M Aggies beat North Carolina 43-40 for their second straight NCAA men’s basketball title. Bob Kurland scores 23 points, including the first two dunks in NCAA tournament history.

1949 — Alex Groza leads Kentucky to a 46-36 victory over Oklahoma State for the NCAA championship.

1952 — Kansas’ Clyde Lovelette scores 33 points to lead the Jayhawks to a 80-63 win over St. John’s for the NCAA basketball title.

1972 — The Los Angeles Lakers beat Seattle 124-98 to finish the season at 69-13, the best record in NBA history, until the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls finish at 72-10.

1973 — Bill Walton scores 44 points to help UCLA win its record seventh NCAA basketball championship with an 87-66 triumph over Memphis State.

1974 — George Foreman knocks out Ken Norton in the second round in Caracas, Venezuela, to retain the world heavyweight title.

1979 — 41st NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship: Michigan State beats Indiana State, 75-64; marks start of rivalry between future Hall of Famers Magic Johnson and Larry Bird; highest-rated game in history of televised college basketball.

1994 — Utah’s John Stockton becomes the second player in NBA history to collect 2,000 career steals. Stockton gets a pair of steals during a 98-83 loss at Houston to join Maurice Cheeks, who finished his career with 2,310 steals.

2005 — In the NCAA men’s basketball regional finals, Louisville and Illinois make tremendous comebacks to force overtime and advance. Louisville, trailing by 20 to a West Virginia, complete an amazing come-from-behind 93-85 win. Illinois, trailing by 15 with just four minutes to play, went on a dazzling 20-5 run to send Arizona to a crushing 90-89 defeat.

2006 — George Mason stuns No. 1 seed Connecticut 86-84 in overtime to become the first No. 11 seed to reach the men’s Final Four since LSU in 1986.

2011 — Shelvin Mack scores 27 points, including five in overtime, as Butler returns to the Final Four with a 74-71 victory over Florida in the Southeast regional.

2012 — Jaime Alas scores in stoppage time and El Salvador forges a 3-3 tie that ousts the United States from Olympic qualifying. The Americans miss the Olympics for the second time since 1976.

2016 — Breanna Stewart has 22 points, 14 rebounds and five blocks to lead No. 1 UConn to a 98-38 record rout of fifth-seeded Mississippi State in the Bridgeport regional semifinals. The victory supplants the record 51-point win the Huskies had over Texas in the regional semifinals last year that set the NCAA record for margin of victory in the regional rounds and beyond.

2017 — Luke Maye hits a jumper with 0.3 seconds left, and top-seeded North Carolina holds off Kentucky 75-73 in the South Regional to earn a second straight trip to the Final Four and 20th all-time.

TV SPORTS TUESDAY

COLLEGE BASEBALL

7 p.m.

SECN — Illinois at Missouri

COLLEGE BASKETBALL (MEN’S)

7 p.m.

ESPN: NIT Tournament: Georgia at Ohio St., Quarterfinal

ESPN2 — CBI Tournament: TBD, Semifinal, Daytona Beach, Fla.

9 p.m.

ESPN: NIT Tournament: Cincinnati at Indiana St., Quarterfinal

9:30 p.m.

ESPN2 — CBI Tournament: TBD, Semifinal, Daytona Beach, Fla.

COLLEGE SOFTBALL

6 p.m.

ACCN — Indiana at Louisville

7 p.m.

PAC-12N — S. Utah at Utah

8 p.m.

ACCN — Charlotte at NC State

MLB BASEBALL

1 p.m.

MLBN — Spring Training: Boston at Texas

9 p.m.

MLBN — LA Dodgers at LA Angels

NBA BASKETBALL

7:30 p.m.

TNT — LA Lakers at Milwaukee

10 p.m.

TNT — Dallas at Sacramento

TRUTV — Dallas at Sacramento

SOCCER (MEN’S)

12:50 p.m.

FS2 — EUFA Euro Qualifier: Georgia vs. Greece, Frankfurt, Germany

2:30 p.m.

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

3:30 p.m.

FS1 — EUFA Euro Qualifier: Wales vs. Poland, Cardiff, Wales

FS2 — International Friendly: Germany vs. Netherlands, Tbilisi, Georgia

11 p.m.

CBSSN — International Friendly: Argentina vs. Costa Rica, Los Angeles

TENNIS

11 a.m.

TENNIS — Miami-WTA Round of 16; Miami-ATP Early Rounds