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 HIGH SCHOOL SOFTBALL SCORES-REPORTED
HAMMOND NOLL 17 HAMMOND CENTRAL 0
HOBART 9 CHESTERTON 4
BARR REEVE 6 MITCHELL 3
FORT WAYNE CONCORDIA 8 EASTSIDE 7
FAIRFIELD 15 NORTHWOOD 9
NORTHRIDGE 9 LAKELAND 8
NORTH KNOX 17 VINCENNES LINCOLN 4
MILAN 17 OLDENBURG ACADEMY 0
BOONVILLE 11 EVANSVILLE NORTH 4
BREBEUF 15 SCECINA 2
CHRUBUSCO 15 FORT WAYNE SNIDER 5
CATHEDRAL 13 LAFAYETTE CENTRAL CATHOLIC 0
WOODLAN 15 FORT WAYNE DWENGER 10
COLUMBUS EAST 2 EDINBURGH 1
HAUSER 3 BROWNSTOWN CENTRAL 1
BREMEN 5 CENTRAL NOBLE 2
OWENSBORO CATHOLIC 8 EVANSVILLE MATER DEI 3
SPRINGS VALLEY 4 EASTERN GREENE 3
JEFFERSONVILLE 5 BORDEN 2
TRINITY LUTHERAN 23 S. DECATUR 5
EDGEWOOD 13 BLOOMINGTON NORTH 2
SULLIVAN 23 PARKE HERITAGE 5
FRANKTON 8 LAPEL 7
HERITAGE CHRISTIAN 29 SHERIDAN 2
SHELBYVILLE 6 SEYMOUR 0
BEECH GROVE 12 GUERIN CATHOLIC 2
NOBLESVILLE 14 AVON 4
ZIONSVILLE 11 MOUNT VERNON 5
FLOYD CENTRAL 11 CORYDON CENTRAL 0
HAMILTON SOUTHEASTERN 10 GREENFIELD CENTRAL 4
SOUTH BEND RILEY 18 ELKHART CHRISTIAN 2
INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL SCORES-REPORTED
PENN 10 LAPORTE 7
SOUTH-CENTRAL 12 WHEELER 5
MCCRACKEN COUNTY 13 MUNSTER 1
CROWN POINT 7 HANOVER CENTRAL 5
EVANSVILLE NORTH 11 TAFT 1
BOONE GROVE 6 PORTAGE 3
NORTH POSEY 8 S. KNOX 7
FAIRFIELD 15 GOSHEN 7
HOMESTEAD 15 FORT WAYNE LUERS 4
BREBEUF 10 HIGHLAND 2
SHERIDAN 23 INDIANAPOLIS KINGS 16
MISHAWAKA 5 JIMTOWN 4
NORTHEASTERN 11 TRI-VILLAGE 1
CASTLE 14 DAVIESS COUNTY 0
HERITAGE 10 NEW HAVEN 1
CARMEL 5 CHESTERTON 0
NORTHRIDGE 18 W. NOBLE 4
GUERIN CATHOLIC 10 FRANKTON 0
WAUBONSIE 6 COLUMBUS EAST 2
NORTHWOOD 14 MISHAWAKA MARIAN 13
RONCALLI 9 HERITAGE CHRISTIAN 5
BREMEN 14 CENTRAL NOBLE 4
NORTHFIELD 6 FORT WAYNE SOUTH 5
BISHOP CHATARD 7 LAFAYETTE CENTRAL CATHOLIC 6
SEYMOUR 5 SILVER CREEK 0
DUPONT MANUAL 4 JEFFERSONVILLE 3
CARROLL 7 COLUMBIA CITY 6
EVANSVILLE MATER DEI 3 UNION COUNTY 0
TERRE HAUTE NORTH 13 RIVERTON PARKE 0
SOUTH-CENTRAL 6 PERRY CENTRAL 5
BREBEUF 9 HIGHLAND 1
MUNSTER 12 MARSHALL COUNTY 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)
INDIANA STATE 85 CINCINNATI 81
GEORGIA 79 OHIO STATE 77
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
GOLDEN STATE 113 MIAMI 92
LA LAKERS 128 MILWAUKEE 124 2OT
OKLAHOMA CITY 119 NEW ORLEANS 112
DALLAS 132 SACRAMENTO 96
NHL SCOREBOARD
WASHINGTON 4 DETROIT 3 OT
BOSTON 4 FLORIDA 3
NY RANGERS 6 PHILADELPHIA 5 OT
PITTSBURGH 4 CAROLINA 1
NEW JERSEY 6 TORONTO 3
EDMONTON 4 WINNIPEG 3 OT
NASHVILLE 5 VEGAS 4 OT
CHICAGO 3 CALGARY 1
MONTRÉAL 2 COLORADO 1
SEATTLE 4 ANAHEIM 0
ARIZONA 6 COLUMBUS 2
DALLAS 6 SAN JOSE 3
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
SPRING TRAINING
WASHINGTON 13 WASHINGTON NATIONALS FUTURES 1
DETROIT 3 TAMPA BAY 3
MINNESOTA 9 ATLANTA 6
BOSTON 4 TEXAS 1
ST. LOUIS 7 CHICAGO CUBS 2
COLORADO 6 MILWAUKEE 1
ARIZONA 6 CLEVELAND 1
SEATTLE 7 SAN DIEGO 6
OAKLAND 3 SAN FRANCISCO 1
HOUSTON 7 SUGAR LAND 3
LA ANGELS 4 LA DODGERS 3
MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER
NO GAMES SCHEDULED
COLLEGE BASEBALL SCORES
NEBRASKA AT KANSAS STATE CANCELED
RUTGERS 8 NEW JERSEY TECH 3
PENN STATE 10 PITTSBURGH 1
BOWLING GREEN AT NOTRE DAME CANCELED
INDIANA 12 MIDDLE TENNESSEE 5
MARYLAND 11 GEORGETOWN 4
MICHIGAN STATE 16 MICHIGAN 6
INDIANA STATE 8 PURDUE 7
NORTHERN ILLINOIS 17 NORTHWESTERN 8
ILLINOIS 11 MISSOURI 3
KENT STATE AT OHIO STATE CANCELED
IOWA AT ILLINOIS STATE CANCELED
PURDUE FORT WAYNE AT WESTERN MICHIGAN POSTPONED
CENTRAL MICHIGAN 11 SAGINAW VALLEY STATE 1
BALL STATE 12 SOUTHERN INDIANA 5
TOLEDO 19 YOUNGSTOWN STATE 6
KENTUCKY 9 MIAMI OHIO 5
WEST VIRGINIA 6 AKRON 2
DAYTON AT OHIO CANCELED
SOUTHERN ILLINOIS EDWARDSVILLE 14 EVANSVILLE 6
COLLEGE SOFTBALL SCORES
NORTHWESTERN 7 LOYALIST CHICAGO 3
NORTHERN IOWA 9 ILLINOIS 0
PENN STATE 10 BUCKNELL 2
INDIANA 11 LOUISVILLE 6
CENTRAL MICHIGAN AT NOTRE DAME POSTPONED
NATIONAL SPORTS RELEASES/HEADLINES
NFL OWNERS APPROVE A RADICAL OVERHAUL TO KICKOFF RULES, ADOPTING SETUP USED IN XFL
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Kickoff returns are returning to the NFL.
Team owners on Tuesday approved a new rule that will take what essentially had become “a dead play” and make it an integral part of the game again.
“We feel this is a great day for the NFL,” said Saints special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi, who was heavily involved in creating the framework for the new hybrid kickoff.
The major overhaul to special teams — which has been in the works for years — takes elements of the kickoff rules used in the XFL and tweaks them for use in the NFL beginning in 2024. The rule will be in play for one season on a trial basis and then be subject to renewal in 2025.
NFL Competition Committee chairman Rich McKay said the new rule passed by a 29-3 to vote.
“There was a little fear of the unknown,” McKay said. “I think the optics are definitely the most drastic (rule change) we’ve seen. The thing that gives us all the comfort is we have the tape, we’ve seen it. We can show you the plays and you can see how this can play out.”
McKay said there was urgency to vote on this rule before the draft because it could impact the way teams structure rosters. There were 1,970 touchbacks on kickoffs last season that now could be returns. There were 92 fair catches last season that are no longer allowed. Any ball caught in the field of play must be returned.
“The kickoff returners’ value is gonna skyrocket,” Cowboys special teams coach John Fassel said.
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 to 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.
“It’s a drastic kind of move that’s going to be way different,” said Ravens coach John Harbaugh, a former special teams coordinator. “Is that the right move at this time? I don’t know. I think that’s to be determined.”
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.
The proposal needed 24 of 32 votes to pass.
“I’m all for it,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “You have 2,000 dead plays. Nobody wants to see that. It’ll add excitement and newness.”
In other rule changes, the owners voted to make two tweaks to instant replay. Replay can now be used to review whether the game clock expired before the snap and also can correct an obvious error when a passer was ruled down by contact or out of bounds before throwing the ball.
Previously, those plays had been ruled dead at the spot but now can be changed with clear evidence. If the pass is caught or intercepted, it would be down at that spot with no advancement. If the pass was incomplete, that would stand.
There were several other changes, including allowing teams in the playoffs to have unlimited returns from injured reserve if they have missed four games. Teams also can place up to two players on IR, the physically unable to perform list or non-football injury list before cutting the roster to 53 players and have them still be eligible to return.
Owners also voted to move the trade deadline back one week to the Tuesday following the end of Week 9 and will allow a team to elevate a “bona fide” quarterback from the practice squad an unlimited amount of times to be the emergency third quarterback.
REPORT: TITANS CB L’JARIUS SNEED AGREES TO 4-YEAR, $76M DEAL
Newly acquired Tennessee Titans cornerback L’Jarius Sneed agreed to terms on a four-year, $76.4 million contract, NFL Network reported Tuesday.
Sneed arrived in a weekend trade with Kansas City that netted a 2025 third-round pick for the Chiefs plus a 2024 seventh-round pick swap.
At $19.1 million per season, Sneed’s new deal ranks seventh in average annual value among NFL cornerbacks, per Spotrac. NFL Network reported that the terms include $55 million in guaranteed money and a $20 million signing bonus.
Sneed, 27, was a starter for the Chiefs’ back-to-back Super Bowl-winning squads in the 2022 and 2023 campaigns. The 2020 fourth-round pick out of Louisiana Tech had 10 interceptions, 40 passes defensed, 6.5 sacks and 303 tackles in 57 career games (54 starts) with Kansas City.
In 2023, Sneed had 78 tackles, two interceptions, 14 passes defensed and one fumble recovery in 16 games, all starts. He added 17 tackles and three passes defensed in the playoffs, including three tackles in Kansas City’s 25-22 overtime win over the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII.
REPORT: NFL TO PLAY ON CHRISTMAS DAY, A WEDNESDAY, THIS YEAR
The NFL is scheduling at least one game for Christmas Day 2024, even though it falls on a Wednesday, The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday.
Hans Schroeder, the NFL’s executive vice president of media distribution, told the publication that the league will play on Wednesday because the “fans clearly spoke” through their viewership. The three Christmas Day games in 2023, played on a Monday, each were among the top 10 in ratings in the regular season, per the report.
“There’s a big demand,” he said.
Wednesday games are rare. The last time a game was played on a Wednesday came in 2021, when a COVID-19 outbreak forced the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers to delay their planned Thanksgiving game until the following Wednesday.
This will be the fifth straight season the NFL has played on Christmas, encroaching on a sports day typically dominated by the NBA.
In 2024, the NFL schedule calls for the league to be idle only on Tuesdays.
The league holds games every week on Sunday, Monday and Thursday, with some late-season contests held on Saturday. A Black Friday game was introduced last year and will continue in 2024, and a Week 1 game in Brazil also will occur on Friday.
NFL MOVES TRADE DEADLINE TO AFTER GAMES IN WEEK 9
NFL owners voted Tuesday at the annual league meeting in Orlando, Fla., to move the trade deadline to the Tuesday after the games in Week 9.
That represents a full week later than the previous deadline, which was the Tuesday following the games in Week 8. The move of the trade deadline allows teams to better prepare for a playoff push during the 17-game season.
The 2024 NFL trade deadline is Nov. 5.
When the league expanded to a 17-game schedule in 2021, the trade deadline was not moved. This shift puts the deadline back to a more traditional alignment in the league calendar.
The Pittsburgh Steelers initially proposed for the deadline to be pushed to after the games in Week 9, while the Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, New York Jets, Philadelphia Eagles, San Francisco 49ers and Washington Commanders proposed for the deadline to be extended after the contests in Week 10.
NFL GRANTS AMAZON, PEACOCK RIGHTS TO TWO MARQUEE GAMES
Two more NFL games will be distributed exclusively via a streaming service in the 2024 season.
The league announced Tuesday that Peacock will have the rights to stream the Week 1 game from Sao Paulo, Brazil, which will be the first NFL contest in South America. The Philadelphia Eagles already are booked for that game against an opponent still to be announced.
Amazon Prime Video has been granted an NFL wild-card game, which will represent the second time a playoff game has been streamed exclusively. Last season, Peacock streamed the Kansas City Chiefs’ 26-7 AFC wild-card win over the Miami Dolphins, memorable as the fourth-coldest game in league history.
Amazon Prime already has the rights to the league’s Thursday night package.
“As media consumption habits evolve, the NFL continues to work with our partners to put our games on digital platforms where our fans are increasingly spending their time,” Hans Schroeder, NFL executive vice president of media distribution, said in a news release. “The viewership success of both Thursday Night Football on Prime Video and the historic Wild Card game on Peacock last season are strong indicators our streaming distribution is resonating with our fans.”
Both the Week 1 Brazil game on Peacock and the wild-card game on Prime Video will be available for free on broadcast television in the local markets of the competing teams as well as on the NFL+ mobile app.
The wild-card game between the Chiefs and Dolphins on Peacock averaged approximately 23 million viewers, which the NFL said set a record for the most-streamed live event in U.S. history.
REPORT: PACKERS SIGNING K GREG JOSEPH
Former Minnesota Vikings kicker Greg Joseph will stay in the NFC North and sign with the Green Bay Packers, his agent announced on social media Tuesday.
The one-year contract is worth up to $1.295 million, NFL Network reported.
Joseph, 29, “had other interest but liked this opportunity,” agent Brett Tessler wrote on Twitter.
Green Bay will have a kicking competition with Joseph, recently signed Jack Podlesny and incumbent Anders Carlson, who was inconsistent as a rookie in 2023.
Joseph is the Vikings’ record holder for longest field goal (61 yards, in 2022) and most game-winning field goals (five in 2022). He made 24 of 30 field-goal attempts (80 percent) and 36 of 38 extra-point attempts (94.7 percent) last season, with a long kick of 54 yards.
Joseph has played for the Cleveland Browns (2018), Tennessee Titans (2019) and Vikings (2021-23). He has made 100 of 121 field-goal tries (82.6 percent) and 146 of 162 point-after tries (90.1 percent). He has delivered touchbacks on 71.3 percent of his kickoffs, including 80.9 percent in 2021.
BEARS, TEXANS TO MEET IN HALL OF FAME GAME
The Chicago Bears and Houston Texans will meet in the 2024 Pro Football Hall of Fame Game.
The Hall of Fame announced the participants on Tuesday, and the teams were natural selections. Three former members of the Bears — Devin Hester, Steve McMichael and Julius Peppers — and Andre Johnson from the Texans are among the members of the organization’s 2024 class.
The game is set for Aug. 1 in Canton, Ohio, with the Hall of Fame enshrinement following Aug. 3.
Dwight Freeney, Randy Gradishar and Patrick Willis also will be inducted during ceremonies.
Johnson will be the first player who played the majority of his career with the Texans to have a bust in Canton. With the three additions, 32 former Bears will be in the Hall of Fame.
REPORT: CB TRE’DAVIOUS WHITE TO SIGN 1-YEAR DEAL WITH RAMS
Working his way back from a torn Achilles, former Buffalo Bills All-Pro cornerback Tre’Davious White agreed to a one-year, $8.5 million deal with the Los Angeles Rams on Tuesday, ESPN reported.
Per the report, the deal could reach $10 million with incentives.
White, 29, suffered the injury to his right Achilles in October, limiting him to just four games last season. Over the last three seasons, the two-time Pro Bowl selection has missed 30 games due to various injuries.
The Bills had released White, saving the team $10.2 million in cap space.
White was drafted in the first round in 2017 out of LSU and spent his first seven seasons in Buffalo, highlighted by his 2019 All-Pro season when he tied for the NFL lead with six interceptions.
White had 18 interceptions, 311 tackles, 68 passes defended and five forced fumbles with the Bills.
He tore his left ACL on Thanksgiving in 2021 and returned late in the 2022 season for six regular-season games and two playoff games.
BASEBALL NEWS
NEW FACES, NEW PLACES: OHTANI, SOTO HEADLINE MLB PLAYERS WITH NEW TEAMS IN 2024
PHOENIX (AP) — Shohei Ohtani’s 31-mile journey north on Interstate 5 during free agency was the highlight of Major League Baseball’s offseason, even if recent off-the-field developments have clouded his first season with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
But the Japanese superstar will be far from the only All-Star-caliber player in a new uniform when MLB’s regular season opens Thursday for 28 of 30 teams. The Dodgers and San Diego Padres got the season started last week in Seoul, South Korea, with the teams splitting a two-game series.
Young slugger Juan Soto was dealt to the New York Yankees while the Baltimore Orioles added hard-throwing righty Corbin Burnes as they try to win back-to-back titles in the AL East.
The San Francisco Giants made several moves — including a few recent ones — adding four-time Gold Glove third baseman Matt Chapman and two-time Cy Young winner Blake Snell.
Here’s a look at some of the biggest names who will be playing for new teams in 2024.
Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers
The two-way star is just a hitter in 2024 after elbow surgery, but Ohtani’s move to the Dodgers on a $700 million, 10-year contract was still one of the biggest moves in several years. Ohtani, 29, was brilliant during spring training with a .500 batting average and two homers, and he started the regular season with three hits in 10 at-bats in Korea. Ohtani’s first season hit turbulence recently when his translator Ippei Mizuhara was fired by the Dodgers last week amid accusations of gambling and theft, but big things are still expected.
Juan Soto, Yankees
Soto seems like he’s been around forever, but he’s just 25. After being dealt from the Padres to the Yankees, the three-time All-Star could form a power-hitting juggernaut in the Bronx when paired with Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton. He’s coming off a 35-homer season with the Padres last season.
Blake Snell, Giants
The Scott Boras client finally signed with the Giants last week on a $62 million, two-year contract, potentially giving San Francisco a bonafide ace as it competes in the NL West with the Padres, Dodgers and Diamondbacks. Snell has never thrown more than 181 innings in a season, but he’s dominant when he’s on the mound. He won his second Cy Young in 2023 with the Padres, striking out 234 and giving up just 115 hits in 180 innings.
Corbin Burnes, Orioles
The 2021 NL Cy Young winner has been among the game’s most dominant pitchers the past three seasons while playing for the Brewers. Milwaukee dealt him to the Orioles on Feb. 1 in exchange for a package of prospects. The 29-year-old Burnes has struck out at least 200 batters in each of the past three seasons.
Josh Hader, Astros
Houston bulked up the back end of its bullpen by signing the five-time All-Star in January. Hader’s been one of the most dominant relievers in the game since he debuted with the Brewers in 2017, striking out an incredible 648 batters over 388 2/3 career innings. The Astros already had a very good closer in Ryan Pressly, who now moves to a setup role.
Sonny Gray, Cardinals
The rebuilding Cardinals signed Gray on a $75 million, three-year deal, hoping that the right-hander can help solidfy a rotation that was a sore spot last season. The 34-year-old Gray will start the season on the injured list because of a hamstring ailment, but the Cardinals hope he eventually provides a season like 2023, when he had a 2.79 ERA over 32 starts with the Twins.
Matt Chapman, Giants
Chapman’s been one of the best defensive third baseman in baseball over the past seven years with the A’s and Blue Jays. Now he moves to the Giants on a $54 million, three-year deal, where he’s reunited with former manager Bob Melvin. Chapman’s defense is the headliner, but he can also provide significant power and had a career-high 36 homers with Oakland in 2019.
Chris Sale, Braves
The seven-time All-Star hasn’t been able to stay healthy since 2018, but the Braves rolled the dice by acquiring the left-hander in a trade with the Red Sox during the offseason. Sale had some good moments in 2023 and had 125 strikeouts in 102 2/3 innings.
Eduardo Rodriguez, Diamondbacks
The D-backs — fresh off their surprise run to the World Series in 2023 — signed the lefty on an $80 million, four-year deal during the offseason. He’ll start the season on the injured list with a strained muscle in his left side, but the D-backs hope he can return quickly and provide a solid presence in the No. 3 spot in the rotation behind Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly.
Rhys Hoskins, Brewers
The 31-year-old Hoskins was a consistent slugger for the Phillies from 2017-22 but missed the 2023 season because of a knee injury suffered in a spring training. The Phillies decided to move Bryce Harper to first base during the offseason, which made Hoskins expendale, and he signed with the Brewers. The right-hander has hit 148 homers over six big-league seasons.
Kenta Maeda, Tigers
The 35-year-old missed the entire 2022 season after Tommy John but bounced back in 2023 with solid work over 20 starts. The Tigers saw enough from the righty to invest $24 million over two years. Maeda finished second in AL Cy Young voting for the Twins during the shortened 2020 season.
REPORT: D-BACKS, MONTGOMERY AGREE TO 1-YEAR, $25M DEAL
The Arizona Diamondbacks agreed to a one-year, $25-million deal with free-agent left-hander Jordan Montgomery, sources told ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
Montgomery’s deal, which is pending a physical, pays him $25 million in 2024 and includes an opt-out and vesting player option for 2025 that pays him $20 million next season if he makes 10 starts, $22.5 million if he reaches 18 starts, and $25 million at 23 starts, Passan adds.
Montgomery isn’t expected to be included on the D-Backs’ Opening Day roster and agreed to accept a minor-league assignment to ramp up, a source told The Arizona Republic’s Nick Piecoro. He won’t be eligible to receive a qualifying offer after the season because he isn’t beginning the campaign on a big-league roster.
The 31-year-old reportedly sought a lucrative free-agent deal in the neighborhood of seven years and $172 million – like Aaron Nola received from the Philadelphia Phillies last November – after a terrific 2023 season that included 188 2/3 innings pitched for the St. Louis Cardinals and Texas Rangers.
Montgomery played especially well for the Rangers following a trade deadline deal, authoring a 2.79 ERA and 3.27 FIP in 11 regular-season starts before posting a 2.90 ERA in 31 postseason frames for the World Series champions.
Signing Montgomery caps off an excellent offseason for the NL champion D-Backs. The club added fellow southpaw Eduardo Rodriguez to the rotation, re-signed outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr., and brought in Eugenio Suárez, Joc Pederson, and Randal Grichuk.
ROBERTS: OHTANI MORE ENGAGED WITHOUT EX-INTERPRETER
Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts believes the dismissal of Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter might wind up being a good thing for the star’s relationship with his new teammates and coaching staff.
“The last couple of days, I think Shohei has been even more engaging with his teammates,” Roberts said Tuesday, according to Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times. “I think there is only upside with that.”
Roberts added that it might be easier for Dodgers coaches and staff to communicate directly to Ohtani without Mizuhara acting as a “buffer.” The manager described the previous communication between him and the pair as “difficult.”
The Dodgers dismissed Mizuhara last week after he was accused of stealing roughly $4.5 million from Ohtani to cover a gambling debt.
Ohtani spoke through interpreter Will Ireton about the accusations for the first time Monday, claiming Mizuhara stole his money and “told lies.” He added that he’s never “bet on baseball or any other sports.”
Ireton will work with Ohtani for at least the immediate future, a Dodgers spokesperson told The Athletic’s Andy McCullough. Ireton is a long-serving member of the organization who previously interpreted for Kenta Maeda when he played for the team.
NBA NEWS
NBA ROUNDUP: LAKERS STORM BACK, BEST BUCKS IN 2OT
Anthony Davis scored 34 points and grabbed 23 rebounds as the visiting Los Angeles Lakers pulled off a 128-124 double-overtime victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday after trailing by 10 points with 3:26 remaining in regulation.
Los Angeles’ Austin Reaves amassed 29 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists, and he hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with 38.6 seconds remaining in the second overtime. D’Angelo Russell added 29 points and 12 assists for the Lakers.
Giannis Antetokounmpo delivered a triple-double with 29 points, 21 rebounds and 11 assists for the Bucks. However, he missed two free throws with 24.2 seconds remaining in the second overtime after Reaves made his 3-pointer that gave Los Angeles a 124-121 lead.
Milwaukee’s Damian Lillard amassed 27 points and eight assists. The Lakers were down 94-75 with 8:25 remaining in regulation before they began their comeback.
Warriors 113, Heat 92
Klay Thompson scored 28 points on 11-of-20 shooting and Golden State delivered one of its best defensive performances of the season en route to a win over host Miami.
The Warriors, who came into Tuesday’s contest on a two-game skid, led much of the way and took control in the fourth quarter. Golden State held the Heat to just 6-of-22 shooting in the period, growing its lead to 22 points in the process.
Bam Adebayo scored a team-high 24 points on 10-of-21 shooting for Miami, and Haywood Highsmith added 15 points off the bench. Jonathan Kuminga chipped in 18 points for the Warriors.
Thunder 119, Pelicans 112
Jalen Williams scored 26 points and visiting Oklahoma City used a balanced scoring effort to defeat New Orleans.
The Thunder scored the final 12 points of the game over the last three minutes to escape with a victory. Josh Giddey added a season-high 25 points, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 24 and Chet Holmgren had 16 for the Thunder, who won for the fifth time in six games.
Zion Williamson had 29 points and 10 assists, CJ McCollum scored 23 points and Trey Murphy III and Herbert Jones supplied 16 apiece for the Pelicans.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL NEWS
GEORGIA FENDS OFF OHIO STATE TO PUNCH TICKET TO NIT SEMIS
Noah Thomasson scored 21 points, including the go-ahead basket, and No. 4 seed Georgia downed No. 2 Ohio State 79-77 in the quarterfinals of the NIT on Tuesday in Columbus, Ohio.
Jamison Battle’s 3-pointer at the buzzer to give the Buckeyes the win hit the rim.
Georgia (20-16) will play the winner of the game Wednesday between Seton Hall and UNLV. The semifinal is April 2 at Butler’s Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The final is there on April 4.
Ohio State (22-14) used 17-0 run to leap ahead 70-64 after trailing by 13 points midway in the second half.
After Thomasson made it 77-76 for the Bulldogs, Battle missed a 3-pointer and Georgia’s Blue Cain made two foul shots for a three-point lead with 25 seconds left.
Thornton made one of two from the line for the Buckeyes to make it 79-77 with 19 seconds remaining, and a steal by Dale Bonner set Ohio State up for a shot with 10 seconds left coming out of a timeout.
Thornton missed a 3-pointer but after a scramble for the rebound, the ball went to Ohio State with 1.2 seconds left for the final try by Battle.
Cain had 17 points and Frank Anselem-Ibe scored 10 for the Bulldogs.
Battle led the Buckeyes with 22 points, Thornton scored 13, Felix Okpara added 12 and Roddy Gayle Jr. had 11.
The game had five ties and 13 lead changes.
Georgia played its third NIT quarterfinal and first since 1998. The Bulldogs’ best finish was advancing to the semifinals in 1982 and 1998.
This was Ohio State’s first quarterfinal since winning the tournament in 2008. The Buckeyes were also champions in 1986.
Ohio State finished 8-3 for head coach Jake Diebler since Chris Holtmann was fired on Feb. 14.
Georgia led 36-35 after an entertaining first half that had runs for both teams and plenty of dunks, especially for the Buckeyes.
Okpara led all scorers with 10 points. Of his five dunks, the first three were off alley-oops. He added another slam unassisted to give the Buckeyes a 33-32 advantage.
Gayle dunked for a 35-34 lead before Silas Demary Jr. scored on the rebound of his own shot with three seconds left to put the Bulldogs ahead going to the locker room.
INDIANA STATE GETS BY CINCINNATI TO NIT SEMIFINALS
Robbie Avila broke a tie with a deep 3-pointer with 59.7 seconds remaining and finished with 22 points to rally the top-seeded and host Indiana State Sycamores to an 85-81 win over the No. 2 Cincinnati Bearcats in the NIT quarterfinals on Tuesday night.
Indiana State (31-6), shunned by the NCAA Tournament selection committee, will get to travel 70 miles and stay in Indiana to play in the NIT semifinal April 2 against the winner of VCU and Utah on Wednesday night.
Simas Lukosius had a game-high 26 points to lead Cincinnati (22-15), which saw its season end in the NIT quarterfinals for a second straight season.
Lukosius banked in a 3-pointer with 6.9 seconds left to draw Cincinnati within two. Isaiah Swope drained one of two free throws with 5.7 seconds left to increase the lead to three.
Lukosius was immediately fouled and made the first free throw with 3 seconds to go and then intentionally missed the second, but Xavier Bledson grabbed the rebound and hit two free throws to seal the win.
With Cincinnati starting point guard Day Day Thomas out due to a broken foot suffered in the first round, Jizzle James was again forced to play nearly all 40 minutes.
James, the son of former star NFL running back Edgerrin James, again responded in his second career start, finishing with 21 points.
Cincinnati took full advantage of six Indiana State miscues in the first half, outscoring the Sycamores 11-0 off turnovers. But Indiana State returned the favor in the second half, outscoring UC 19-2 off turnovers.
The Bearcats took a pair of eight-point leads, 48-40 and 50-42, on layups by Dan Skillings Jr.
But Indiana State exploded with a 3-point barrage, drilling seven of its first 11 attempts in the second half to spark a 32-15 run that featured a controversial call.
Julian Larry’s traditional three-point play with 8:01 left gave Indiana State a 69-65 lead. On the ensuing possession, Cincinnati’s Aziz Bandaogo was pushed from behind on a missed layup, but no foul was called.
ISU took full advantage when Xavier Bledson answered with a 3 that put the Sycamores ahead 72-65. Bearcats coach Wes Miller called a timeout and then raced onto the court and was immediately hit with a technical foul.
Ryan Conwell converted both free throws to give Indiana State its biggest lead, 74-65, with 7:17 left.
Cincinnati rallied to tie the game 77-77 on Lukosius’ 3 with 2:54 left.
NHL NEWS
NHL ROUNDUP: RANGERS EDGE FLYERS IN OT, CLINCH PLAYOFF BERTH
Adam Fox scored 36 seconds into overtime as the New York Rangers clinched a playoff spot with a wild 6-5 victory over the visiting Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday.
Fox gave the Rangers their eighth win in 10 games when he got a pass from Vincent Trocheck and lifted a shot from the middle of the slot over Philadelphia goaltender Samuel Ersson’s right arm for his 15th goal of the season.
The Rangers also moved three points ahead of the Carolina Hurricanes atop the Metropolitan Division and gave coach Peter Laviolette his 800th career regular-season win.
Mika Zibanejad and Jonny Brodzinski scored New York’s first two goals. Alexis Lafreniere scored twice while Trocheck added a short-handed goal and Artemi Panarin collected three assists to become the first Ranger to reach 100 points since Jaromir Jagr in 2005-06.
Philadelphia’s Scott Laughton and Ryan Poehling scored in the second. Travis Konecny, Owen Tippett and Tyson Foerster tallied in the third for the Flyers.
Predators 5, Golden Knights 4 (OT)
Roman Josi scored 40 seconds into overtime and Nashville rallied from a three-goal, third-period deficit to extend its franchise-record point streak to 18 games with a victory over visiting Vegas.
Forsberg and Ryan O’Reilly had a goal and two assists and Mark Jankowski and Gustav Nyquist each added a goal and an assist for the Predators, who improved to 16-0-2 since getting blown out by visiting Dallas 9-2 on Feb. 15. Juuse Saros finished with 31 saves.
William Karlsson had a goal and an assist, Anthony Mantha had two assists and Ivan Barbashev, Brett Howden and Shea Theodore also scored goals for the Golden Knights, whose three-game winning streak ended. Jiri Patera stopped 30 shots.
Canadiens 2, Avalanche 1
Nick Suzuki and Joel Armia scored goals, Sam Montembeault made 27 saves and visiting Montreal ended Colorado’s nine-game winning streak.
Montreal coach Martin St. Louis returned to the bench after a four-game leave due to a family medical emergency.
Nathan MacKinnon scored and Justus Annunen turned away 25 shots after signing a two-year contract extension with Colorado earlier in the day. MacKinnon has registered a point in 35 straight home games, second longest in NHL history to Wayne Gretzky’s 40-game streak in 1988-89. He also has a 19-game point streak overall, making him the first player in NHL history to have two point streaks of 19 or more games in one season.
Capitals 4, Red Wings 3 (OT)
Dylan Strome scored two goals, including the game-winner at 1:55 of overtime, and host Washington edged Detroit.
Strome, who has 25 goals on the season, scored in front of the net off a John Carlson feed. Nic Dowd and Connor McMichael also scored for the Capitals, who have won six of their past seven games. Charlie Lindgren made 30 saves.
Detroit fell two points behind Washington for the Eastern Conference’s second and final wild-card spot. Alex DeBrincat, David Perron and Patrick Kane scored the Red Wings’ goals. Alex Lyon made 26 saves.
Penguins 4, Hurricanes 1
Bryan Rust scored the go-ahead goal in the second period and Sidney Crosby had a goal and two assists as Pittsburgh snapped a three-game losing streak by beating visiting Carolina.
Jesse Puljujarvi and Drew O’Connor also scored for the Penguins, who were 0-2-1 in their previous three games and 3-9-2 in their previous 14. Alex Nedeljkovic made 38 saves.
Dmitry Orlov scored for the Hurricanes, who were 9-1-1 in their previous 11. Pytor Kochetkov made 18 saves.
Bruins 4, Panthers 3
Pavel Zacha’s go-ahead goal with 2:21 left in the third period helped Boston rally past Florida in Sunrise, Fla.
Charlie McAvoy, Zacha and Pastrnak each had a goal and an assist for Boston. Pastrnak’s goal was his 45th of the season as he reached the 100-point mark for the second season in a row. His assist on the game-winner gave him 101 points. Jeremy Swayman recorded the win, making 18 saves.
Florida’s Carter Verhaeghe scored at 9:53 of the third, giving the Panthers a 3-2 lead. Of Verhaeghe’s 33 goals this season, 19 have come in the third period. Evan Rodrigues and Sam Reinhart also scored for the Panthers.
Devils 6, Maple Leafs 3
Jack Hughes scored two goals late in the third period to clinch New Jersey’s victory over host Toronto.
Hughes took advantage of a turnover to score his 25th goal of the season on a breakaway at 16:47 of the third. He added an empty-net tally at 18:51. Nico Hischier had a goal and two assists and Timo Meier had a goal and an assist. Luke Hughes and Max Willman also scored for the Devils.
Auston Matthews scored his league-leading 59th goal for the Maple Leafs. Toronto also got a goal apiece from Tyler Bertuzzi and William Nylander, two assists from TJ Brodie and 19 saves from Joseph Woll.
Blackhawks 3, Flames 1
Jason Dickinson scored twice to help Chicago earn a win against visiting Calgary.
Landon Slaggert and Joey Anderson each had two assists for the Blackhawks, who have won three of their past five games. Seth Jones added a goal and Petr Mrazek made 38 saves as Chicago posted its second consecutive victory.
MacKenzie Weegar scored and Jacob Markstrom made 24 saves for the Flames, who have lost four in a row.
Oilers 4, Jets 3 (OT)
Zach Hyman scored his 200th career goal 1:22 into overtime, giving Edmonton a victory over host Winnipeg.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins also scored, and Connor McDavid recorded two assists to reach 93 on the season as the Oilers regrouped after blowing a two-goal, third-period lead.
Winnipeg trailed 3-1 with less than 14 minutes left in regulation before rallying. Brenden Dillon sent a knuckleball shot past Edmonton goaltender Stuart Skinner (22 saves) with 10:21 to go, pulling the Jets within one. Winnipeg tied it one minute later when a well-positioned Sean Monahan deflected in Nikolaj Ehlers’ attempt.
Stars 6, Sharks 3
Wyatt Johnston had two goals and an assist and visiting Dallas retook sole possession of first place in the Central Division with a win against San Jose.
Jason Robertson also scored two goals, Jamie Benn had a goal and two assists, Mason Marchment scored and Scott Wedgewood made 17 saves for Dallas, which won its fifth game in a row.
William Eklund had a goal and an assist, Alexander Barabanov and Klim Kostin also scored, Mikael Granlund added two assists and Mackenzie Blackwood stopped 35 shots for the Sharks, who have lost eight in a row (0-7-1).
Coyotes 6, Blue Jackets 2
Josh Doan scored two goals in his NHL debut to lead Arizona to a win over Columbus in Tempe, Ariz.
The son of longtime Coyotes captain Shane Doan, the younger Doan became the first player in Arizona franchise history to score multiple goals in his first career game. Matias Maccelli and Nick Schmaltz each had a goal and an assist, and Sean Durzi had two assists for the Coyotes. Nick Bjugstad and Dylan Guenther scored Arizona’s other goals.
The Blue Jackets are 1-6-2 in their past nine games and are winless (0-4-1) in their past five. Zach Werenski and Boone Jenner each had a power-play goal and an assist, and Johnny Gaudreau had two assists for the Blue Jackets.
Kraken 4, Ducks 0
Matty Beniers and Eeli Tolvanen each had a goal and two assists as Seattle snapped an eight-game winless streak with a victory against visiting Anaheim.
Jordan Eberle and Oliver Bjorkstrand added power-play goals for Seattle and goaltender Joey Daccord was forced to make just 12 saves for his third career NHL shutout, all of which have come this season.
Goalie John Gibson stopped 32 of 36 shots for the Ducks, who have lost nine of their past 10 games (1-8-1).
INDIANA SPORTS RELEASES/NEWS
INDIANA PACERS BASKETBALL
GAME PREVIEW: PACERS AT BULLS
Just nine games remain on the Indiana Pacers’ regular season schedule, and next up is a midweek matchup in the Windy City.
On Wednesday, the Pacers (41-32) will wrap up a five-game road trip when they take on the Chicago Bulls (34-37) at United Center. The Pacers are 3-1 on their current road trip, and have won six of their last seven away games overall.
Both Central Division teams need wins as the Eastern Conference standings tighten.
As of Tuesday morning, the Pacers remained in sixth place in the East, while the Bulls sat in ninth. The Blue & Gold were one game above the Miami Heat for the final automatic playoff spot and two behind the fifth-place Orlando Magic (42-29).
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 last two playoff spots.
The first three matchups between the Bulls and Pacers have all been decided by four points or fewer, including a 132-129 overtime win by Chicago on March 13 in Indianapolis. In three games played between them, the Bulls own a 2-1 season series lead over the Pacers.
Indiana enters the matchup after splitting back-to-back games in Los Angeles against the Lakers and Clippers. Against the Clippers on Monday, the Pacers posted a 133-116 win at Crypto.com Arena, bouncing back from a five-point loss to the Lakers on Sunday.
Indiana never trailed in the second half against the Clippers, and the Blue & Gold shot an outstanding 58.1 percent (60.7 from 3-point range) in the game. Pascal Siakam scored 31 points to lead the Pacers, Myles Turner finished with 24 points and seven rebounds, and Tyrese Haliburton logged 21 points and nine assists.
Siakam has recently played some of his best basketball since joining the team. He has posted at least 25 points in five of his last six outings, including 36- and 31-point performances in Los Angeles.
The Bulls come into Wednesday night losers of three straight games, including dropping a 107-105 contest to the Washington Wizards (14-58) on Monday.
DeMar DeRozan led the Bulls with 27 points, and fellow guard Coby White chipped in 22 as the team shot just 41.4 percent from the field and were out rebounded 52-46.
DeRozan has scored at least 20 points in his last three games against the Pacers, including a 46-point outing on March 13.
Indiana will host the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday after taking on Chicago. The Pacers have five home games remaining on their schedule.
Projected Starters
Pacers: G – Tyrese Haliburton, G – Andrew Nembhard, F – Ben Sheppard, F – Pascal Siakam, C – Myles Turner
Bulls: G – Coby White, G – Ayo Dosunmu, F – Alex Caruso, F – DeMar DeRozan, C – Nikola Vucevic
Injury Report
Pacers: Aaron Nesmith – questionable (bruised right knee), Bennedict Mathurin – out (right shoulder labral tear)
Bulls: TBA
Last Meeting
March 13, 2024: Chicago Bulls guard DeMar DeRozan scored a season-high 46 points on 15-for-24 shooting in a 132-129 overtime win over the Indiana Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
With the Bulls trailing by three points with 3.8 seconds left in regulation, DeRozan split free throw attempts – but Chicago got possession after the Pacers swatted the loose ball out of bounds. Off the inbound, DeRozan swished a 19-foot baseline fadeaway at the buzzer to send the game into extra minutes.
DeRozan then scored his team’s first eight points in the period before the visitors hung on for the win. Indiana had an opportunity to tie the game in the waning seconds but couldn’t convert a three before the buzzer in extra time.
Six players scored in double figures for the Bulls, with Alex Caruso (23 points) and Ayo Dosunmu (20 points) following up DeRozan.
Pacers center Myles Turner led the Blue & Gold with 27 points, including five 3-pointers, Tyrese Haliburton logged 17 points and 14 assists, and Pascal Sikaam notched 17 points and nine rebounds.
Chicago outshot Indiana 52.2 to 46.5 percent but made 10 threes to the Pacers’ 14 treys. The Bulls won the rebounding margin 48-47 but had 12 turnovers to the Pacers’ nine giveaways.
Noteworthy
Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle has 937 career wins, one behind the legendary Red Auerbach for 12th place on the NBA’s all-time list.
Chicago has won two of their last three season series against Indiana.
Pacers rookie Ben Sheppard earned the first start of his career on Monday after Aaron Nesmith was ruled out due to a right knee bruise.
Broadcast Information (TV and Radio Listings >>)
TV: Bally Sports Indiana – Chris Denari (play-by-play), Quinn Buckner (analyst), Jeremiah Johnson (sideline reporter/host)
Radio: 93.5/107.5 The Fan – Mark Boyle (play-by-play), Eddie Gill (analyst), Pat Boylan (studio host)
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.
INDY FUEL HOCKEY
FUEL HOST WALLEYE ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT
GAME DAY TIMING:
6:00 P.M.: Doors open
7:00 P.M.: Puck drop
WEDNESDAY NIGHT HOCKEY:
Hockey on a school night? The Fuel take on the Wheeling Nailers on Wednesday, March 27 and you don’t want to miss it!
Stick around after the game for postgame autographs with select players in the lobby!
PARKING: Parking at Indiana State Fairgrounds is $10. Fans are encouraged to arrive early to park due to anticipated large crowds at the Fairgrounds.
TICKETS: Tickets for today’s game can be purchased at the Indiana Farmers Coliseum Box Office or online HERE. Kids two and under do not need a ticket as long as they sit on the lap of a ticketed patron.
BAG POLICY: The Indy Fuel now follow the same bag policy as all Indiana State Fairgrounds events. All bags are subject to search upon entering the arena. All bags larger than 14” x 14” x 6” (backpacks, suitcases, duffel bags, etc.) are prohibited. Please plan accordingly to help facilitate a quick and efficient entry process. Please report suspicious bags to an Indiana Farmers Coliseum team member.
You can view the entire Game Day Guide with everything you’ll need to know by clicking HERE.
INDIANA SWIMMING
NCAA MEN’S SWIMMING AND DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS BEGIN WEDNESDAY IN INDIANAPOLIS
INDIANAPOLIS – “The fastest meet in the world” returns to Indianapolis for the first time since 2017, essentially a home meet for Big Ten Champion Indiana men’s swimming and diving. The 2024 NCAA Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships will be held at the IU Natatorium Wednesday (March 27) through Saturday (March 30) in the Hoosier state capital.
Final sessions will start at 6 p.m. ET each evening. Preliminary heats will begin at 10 a.m. every morning beginning Thursday. Fans can buy tickets here or stream the event via the ESPN+ digital platform.
Fifteen Hoosiers qualified for the national meet – 12 swimmers and three divers. Indiana also qualified all five relays.
IU finished fourth at last year’s championships with 376 points, its fourth top-five finish of the last five years. In those five years, only four team have consistently finished top six nationally: Cal, Texas, Florida and Indiana.
Last year Indiana scored 104 points from diving alone, 32.5 points more than any program. That total would have finished 12th in the team standings by itself. The Hoosiers return three divers from the 2023 roster: juniors Quinn Henninger and Carson Tyler and sophomore Maxwell Weinrich.
Tyler is the defending NCAA platform champion and placed fourth on the 3-meter board a year ago. He also comes into this year’s championships as a four-time Big Ten Champion, winning his second-straight conference platform title as well as his first-career 3-meter title. The junior was the nation’s top scorer from the NCAA Zone Championships on 3-meter and platform and the No. 5 scorer on 1-meter.
Henninger earned bronze on both the 3-meter board and platform as a sophomore and is a four-time All-American. Both Henninger and Tyler competed at the 2024 World Aquatics Championships in February.
Indiana also returns its swimming national champion of the last two seasons, senior Brendan Burns, for his fourth and final NCAA meet – the fifth-year’s first championships in 2020 were canceled due to COVID-19. Since then, Burns became a national champion in the 200-yard butterfly (2022) and 100-yard backstroke (2023). Burns will race both again, this time taking on the 200 back as his third event for the first time at a national meet – matching his annual Big Ten program, which he swept every season from 2021-23. He’s the No. 7-seeded swimmer in the 100 back (44.62) Friday and No. 13 seed (1:39.50) in the 200 back and No. 7 seed in the 200 fly (1:40.24) on Saturday.
Senior Tomer Frankel is again a medal contender in the butterfly events Friday and Saturday as the No. 5 seed in the 100 fly (44.32) and No. 6 seed in the 200 fly (1:39.80). The 2020 Olympian was the only swimmer at last year’s meet to finish top five in both events and earned bronze in the 100-yard event with a program record 44.04.
IU will look to harvest a bounty from the breaststroke events with four competitors qualified in each of the two races. Junior Finn Brooks (51.30), senior Jassen Yep (51.49), junior Josh Matheny (51.69) and Maxwell Reich (51.87) all have top-26 times in the country in the 100-yard race. Indiana is an even greater threat in the 200 breast with Yep (1:50.40), Matheny (1:51.13), Reich (1:51.89) and freshman Toby Barnett (1:51.95) all having top-15 seeds after taking the top four podium spots at the Big Ten Championships.
Indiana again qualified all five relays for the championships, and each earned a top-16 seed – within scoring territory. The Hoosiers come in as the No. 5 seed in the 400-yard medley relay (3:01.61), an event they’ve finished runner-up each of the last two seasons with the quartet of Burns, Matheny, Frankel and junior Rafael Miroslaw – all still with the team. IU also has the No. 6 time in the 200 medley relay (1:22.17) and the No. 8 time in the 800 freestyle relay (6:10.86), the two events that will open the meet Wednesday night.
MEET INFO
Wednesday, March 27 – Saturday, March 30 • 10 a.m. ET (prelims), 6 p.m. ET (finals)
IU Natatorium • Indianapolis, Ind.
Tickets: bit.ly/3Tv25Vz
Live Results (Swim): bit.ly/3vsuiUO/Meet Mobile App
Live Results (Dive): divemeets.com
Live Stream: espn.com/watch
SCHEDULED EVENTS (Finals)
Wednesday (6 p.m. ET) – 200 Medley Relay, 800 Freestyle Relay
Thursday (6 p.m. ET) – 500 Freestyle, 200 IM, 50 Freestyle, 1-Meter Dive, 200 Freestyle Relay
Friday (6 p.m. ET) – 100 Butterfly, 400 IM, 200 Freestyle, 100 Breaststroke, 100 Backstroke, 3-Meter Dive, 400 Medley Relay
Saturday (6 p.m. ET) – 1,650 Freestyle, 200 Backstroke, 100 Freestyle, 200 Breaststroke, 200 Butterfly, Platform Dive, 400 Freestyle Relay
INDIANA SWIMMING AND DIVING QUALIFIERS
2024 NCAA Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships
Toby Barnett – 200 breaststroke, 200 IM, 400 IM
Luke Barr – 200 IM, 100 freestyle, 100 backstroke
Finn Brooks – 50 freestyle, 100 breaststroke, 100 butterfly
Brendan Burns – 100 backstroke, 200 backstroke, 200 butterfly
Tristan DeWitt – 500 freestyle, 1,650 freestyle
Tomer Frankel – 100 butterfly, 200 butterfly
Quinn Henninger – 1-meter, 3-meter, platform
Rafael Miroslaw – 100 freestyle, 200 freestyle, 500 freestyle
Josh Matheny – 100 breaststroke, 200 breaststroke
Maxwell Reich – 100 breaststroke, 200 breaststroke
Carson Tyler – 1-meter, 3-meter, platform
Armando Vegas – 200 butterfly
Maxwell Weinrich – 1-meter, 3-meter, platform
Kai van Westering – 100 backstroke, 200 backstroke
Jassen Yep – 100 breaststroke, 200 breaststroke
Relays: 200-yard freestyle relay, 400-yard freestyle relay, 800-yard freestyle relay, 200-yard medley relay, 400-yard medley relay
INDIANA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
HOLMES, SCALIA NAMED WBCA ALL-REGIONAL FINALIST FOR COACHES’ ALL-AMERICA
ATLANTA – Indiana’s Mackenzie Holmes and Sara Scalia have been named region finalist for the 2024 WBCA NCAA Division I Coaches’ All-America, announced by the organization on Wednesday.
Holmes is now a three-time honoree from the committee and is a two-time All-American from the organization, placing on the First Team in 2023. Scalia appears on the list for the first time in her career. The duo will advance to All-American voting, which will be announced later this month.
A unanimous All-Big Ten First Team, All-Big Ten Defensive team, USWBA and Associated Press All-American selection this season, Holmes leads Indiana (and second in the Big Ten) in scoring with 20.0 points, 6.8 rebounds and shooting 65.7 percent from the floor in 31 games. She has scored in double figures in 29 of those 31 outings including 17 20-point games and two 30-point efforts along with a team-high six double-doubles. Nationally, Holmes also ranks 14th in field goals made (255) and 24th in points per game. She also leads the Hoosiers with 1.5 blocks per game (48).
Scalia, who earned All-Big Ten First Team honors in her final season of college eligibility, averages 16.4 points per game and is one of the nation’s top 3-point shooters. The Stillwater, Minn. native is shooting a 43.0 percent clip from beyond the arc this season and has made 101 made triples, setting IU’s single season record. Scalia is fourth nationally in 3-pointers made, 3-pointers per game and 12th in 3-point field goal percentage. She has scored in double figures in 29 of 31 games this season including the last 15-straight while also averaging 3.7 rebounds, 2.5 assists and a +2.5 assist-to-turnover ratio.
The duo has helped 4-seed Indiana (26-5) to its third Sweet Sixteen in four years with a 75-68 win over 5-seed Oklahoma on Monday night. It advances to the NCAA Albany Region where it faces top seeded South Carolina on Friday at 5 p.m. ET on ESPN at MVP Arena.
INDIANA SOFTBALL
INDIANA EARNS ROAD WIN AT LOUISVILLE
LOUISVILLE, Ky. –––––– Indiana came out on top in an offensive battle at Louisville, winning 11-6 on Tuesday night.
The Hoosiers posted a season-high 16 hits in the team’s 23rd win of the season. Indiana’s season record now stands at 23-9.
INDIANA 11, LOUISVILLE 6
KEY MOMENTS
• Indiana got off to a hot start, scoring six runs in the top of the second to go up 6-0.
• The second inning featured four different Indiana batters recording an RBI (Cassidy Kettleman, Taylor Minnick, Avery Parker). Parker and Kettleman each hit a double, as well.
• Indiana added two more runs in the top of the fourth inning when Minnick doubled down the left field line to score Brianna Copeland and Sarah Stone singled to center field to score Minnick.
• In the top the fifth inning, Copeland singled through the left side with Brooke Benson scoring on the play to extend Indiana’s lead to 9-0.
• Copeland’s work in the circle through five innings was instrumental to keeping Louisville’s bats at bay as she only allowed two hits. Sophie Kleiman and Alex Cooper continued Copeland’s momentum with each getting to pitch down the stretch of the game.
• Louisville made up a chunk of the deficit when scoring five runs in the bottom of the fifth to make it a 9-5 game.
• The Hoosiers would tack on their final two runs in the top of the sixth inning as Kettleman had an RBI single to the pitcher with her later scoring on a single from Alex Cooper.
• In the bottom of the sixth, Indiana recorded its second double play of the game. Benson caught a lineout at shortstop and threw Louisville’s Kiley Goff out at first.
NOTABLES
• Indiana’s 16 hits were a season high.
• Indiana outhit Louisville, 16-9.
• Junior Brianna Copeland and sophomores Avery Parker and Cassidy Kettleman all had three hits on the night.
• Copeland, Parker and junior Taylor Minnick each had two RBI.
• Minnick, Parker, Kettleman and Brooke Benson each had a double, with Parker recording two.
• Dating back to the 2023 season, Indiana has won four games in a row over Louisville.
• Indiana scored six runs in the sixth inning.
UP NEXT
Indiana will play its second Big Ten series of the year when it hosts Michigan this weekend from March 29-31 at Andy Mohr Field.
INDIANA STATE BASEBALL
OLIVER HOMERS TWICE, PITCHING DELIVERS IN 12-5 MIDWEEK VICTORY
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Freshman second baseman Jasen Oliver delivered the game of his life on Tuesday (March 26) evening as the Indiana Baseball team stormed to a 12-5 win over Middle Tennessee State at Bart Kaufman Field.
Oliver hit his first career home run in the third inning and followed that up with a two-run blast in the eighth to put the game on ice. He recorded a career high in hits (4), runs (3), RBIs (3) and home runs (2) as the Hoosiers mashed their way to 12 runs on 15 hits. Oliver kick-started a run of back-to-back-to-back home runs along with senior outfielder Sam Murrison and junior outfielder Carter Mathison in the eighth inning.
Faced with a challenge from the coaching staff, IU’s pitchers were fantastic on Tuesday evening. Sixth-year senior Ty Rybarczyk (W, 1-1) set the tone with 3.1 innings of work with four strikeouts. He held the visitors without a hit for the first three innings. IU’s pitching staff combined for 18 punchouts, the most this season and most as a team in a nine-inning game since March 13, 2021 (18 – Penn State).
Oliver (4), Mathison (3), junior infielder Brock Tibbitts (3) and redshirt freshman infielder Joey Brenczewski (2) all had multi-hit days in the victory. Tibbitts now has 179 hits for his career. Mathison (35 career home runs) is just one away from moving into top-10 in program history.
The Hoosiers head to Indianapolis on Thursday (March 28) to begin a four-game slate with Butler. The final three contests of the series will be in Bloomington on Friday and Saturday.
Scoring Recap
Bottom First
Nick Mitchell began the IU account on Tuesday afternoon, doubling into the gap in right-center to score Devin Taylor.
Indiana 1, Middle Tennessee 0
Bottom Second
Taylor walked with the bases loaded to drive in one run before Brock Tibbitts scored two on a single into centerfield.
Indiana 4, Middle Tennessee 0
Bottom Third
Jasen Oliver hit his first-career home run with an opposite-field shot into the bullpen in right field.
Indiana 5, Middle Tennessee 0
Top Fourth
Middle Tennessee got a pair back in the fourth. Briggs Rutter hit a line drive through the right side to score Gabe Jennings. Trace Phillips followed that up with a chopper to the third baseman to score Rutter.
Indiana 5, Middle Tennessee 2
Bottom Fourth
Tibbitts answered the call once more, sending a double off the wall in left field to score Taylor all the way from first.
Indiana 6, Middle Tennessee 2
Top Sixth
Jared Vetetoe cut the deficit in half in the sixth with a no-doubt 432-foot home run into right field.
Indiana 6, Middle Tennessee 4
Bottom Sixth
The Hoosiers added a pair in the bottom of the frame to extend the lead again. Mitchell hit a line drive on a rope to the right fielder that resulted in a sacrifice fly. Joey Brenczewski took an 0-2 fastball up the middle with two outs to score Taylor.
Indiana 8, Middle Tennessee 4
Top Seventh
After a dropped fly ball by Oliver at second base, Eston Snider singled to right field to bring around Jennings.
Indiana 8, Middle Tennessee 5
Bottom Eighth
IU opened the floodgates in the eighth with three-straight home runs. Oliver hit a two-run shot into right-center field. Sam Murrison followed with a moonshot over the scoreboard. Carter Mathison added a third on an opposite field solo home run.
Indiana 12, Middle Tennessee 5
Top Hoosier Performers
#2 Oliver, Jasen
4-5, 3 R, 3 RBI, 2 HR
#9 Tibbitts, Brock
3-4, 3 RBI
#51 Risedorph, Brayden
2.0 IP, 1 H, 6 K
Notes to Know
• Nick Mitchell extended his team-best hitting streak to nine games. Jasen Oliver follows closely behind, extending his to a career-long seven games.
• Oliver’s four-hit day was the first by an IU freshman since Tyler Cerny did so on April 15, 2023 (at Illinois). It was the first multi-home run game of the season for any IU player and the first freshman to do so since Devin Taylor on May 20th, 2023 (at Michigan State).
• The Hoosiers’ pitching staff struck out a season-best 18 batters on Tuesday evening. It was the most strikeouts by an IU staff in a nine-inning game since March 13, 2021 (vs. Penn State). IU struck out 18 against Maryland on May 26th, 2022 (Big Ten Tournament) in a contest that went extra-innings.
• Behind Oliver, Sam Murrison and Carter Mathison, IU hit back-to-back-to-back home runs in the eighth inning. It was the first run of three-straight long balls since April 5, 2014 at Iowa (Kyle Schwarber, Sam Travis, Scott Donley).
Up Next
IU continues its week of non-conference play with a four-game set against Butler. Thursday’s game will be in Indianapolis with the final three in Bloomington (Friday-Saturday). Thursday’s contest will be streamed on FloBaseball or can be heard on the Indiana Sports Radio Network viaIUHoosiers.com/Audio.
PURDUE BASEBALL
PURDUE DROPS 1-RUN MIDWEEK THRILLER AT INDIANA STATE
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Purdue Baseball responded from a six-run inning with tallies in the sixth and eighth innings to pull even, but Indiana State scored the go-ahead run in the bottom half of the eighth and then escaped a bases-load jam in the ninth to take the midweek thriller 8-7 Tuesday.
Luke Gaffney hit a three-run homer in the first inning and reached base safely in all five of his plate appearances. He walked to load the bases in the ninth inning. But ISU closer Simon Gregersen saved the game with a strikeout and game-ending 6-4-3 double play to keep the tying run from scoring.
The Boilermakers (16-10) led 5-1 when the home team awoke with six consecutive productive plate appearances in its six-run fifth inning, sending 10 men to plate with a game-changing rally. Connor Hicks and Grant Magill accounted for five of the runs with homers to right field on a day in which the wind was howling out to right.
Keenan Taylor drove in the game-tying run with a sac fly as a pinch hitter in the top of the eighth. Connor Caskenette’s leadoff double set the stage.
Indiana State (18=5) loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom half of the frame. Dominic Listi scored the go-ahead run on a wild pitch, sliding into pitcher Jackson Dannelley on the play at the plate. Dannelley took the worst of the collision but was able to stay in the game and retired the next three batters – two via strikeouts – to keep it a one-run affair.
Mike Bolton Jr. reached on an error to begin the ninth and consecutive walks to Camden Gasser and Gaffney followed to load the bases. But ISU went to the bullpen in time for Gregersen to record three outs on nine pitches. Gasser and Gaffney both walked three times Tuesday.
Keenan Spence connected for a pair of doubles to the wall, both extra-base hits helping Purdue score a run. Logan Sutter’s double into the right field corner plated Gaffney from first base in the third inning as Sutter’s Big Ten-leading 14th double of the season. Gasser continues to lead the Big Ten in walks (27) and on-base percentage (.557) as well.
STREAKS EXTENDED
• Camden Gasser – 24-game on-base streak (every game he’s played in 2024)
• Jo Stevens – 12-game on-base streak
Cole Van Assen and Aaron Suval both pitched well for Purdue on a hitter-friendly day. Van Assen stranded six runners on base over 3 1/3 innings of one-run ball in his third start of the season. Suval worked 2 1/3 innings of no-hit relief, highlighted by the lone 1-2-3 frame for either team in the bottom of the seventh.
Couper Cornblum’s full-extension diving catch in center field helped make the 1-2-3 inning possible. He also delivered a two-out RBI single in top of the sixth. Bolton made two diving catches in left field, the most important coming in foul territory to end the third inning with the bases loaded.
Purdue lost for the fifth time in the last six games, with four of those five defeats coming in one-run affairs.
The Boilermakers are back in action Friday when they open a three-game Big Ten series at Ohio State. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. ET live on Big Ten Network.
PURDUE MEN’S BASKETBALL
EDEY NAMED FINALIST FOR NAISMITH TROPHY
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. –Zach Edey was named one of four finalists for the Naismith Trophy, one of the top awards handed out in college basketball.
Edey is looking to become the first repeat winner of the Naismith Trophy since Virginia’s Ralph Sampson won it three times in 1981, 1982 and 1983.
Edey is joined by North Carolina’s R.J. Davis, Tennessee’s Dalton Knecht and Houston’s Jamal Shead as finalists.
Last week, Edey was named a first-team All-American by both the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) and United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) this afternoon, earning the senior center consensus first-team All-America accolades for the second straight season.
Edey has now been named a first-team All-America selection by the four organizations that make up the All-America teams: The Sporting News, The Associated Press, the NABC and the USBWA.
He is the first Purdue player to earn back-to-back consensus first-team honors since Rick Mount in 1969 and 1970. Edey, Mount and Terry Dischinger (1961, 1962) are the only two-time consensus first-team All-Americans in school history.
Earlier this month, he was named a repeat winner of The Sporting News’ National Player of the Year, the eighth player since 1943 to accomplish that.
Dating to last year, Edey has now won all seven major National Player of the Year accolades that have been handed out as he has a chance to become the first unanimous (winning all of them) back-to-back National Player of the Year honoree since Bill Walton in 1972 and 1973. The five remaining National Player of the Year awards come from the Associated Press, the Naismith Award, the Wooden Award, the National Association of Basketball Coaches and the United States Basketball Writers Association.
Edey has dominated all season long, currently averaging 24.5 points, 12.1 rebounds, 2.3 blocks and 2.2 assists per game in all games played, but increasing his numbers to 25.4 points, 12.9 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 2.2 blocks per game in Big Ten play. On Monday, March 11, he set a Big Ten record with 12 Big Ten Player of the Week honors during his career.
Edey is the only player in NCAA history to record at least 800 points, 400 rebounds, 50 assists and 50 blocks in a season, and needs just three rebounds to become the fourth player in NCAA history with two seasons of at least 750 points and 425 rebounds (Elvin Hayes, Oscar Robertson, Rick Barry).
Edey has produced against the nation’s best teams, averaging a combined 40.2 points, rebounds and assists against high-major opposition, currently the first player in at least the last 15 years to average a combined 40 points, rebounds and assists against high-major opposition. Edey Leads the country in 30-10 games with seven (next closest is 3) and 20-10 games with 18 (next closest is 16).
Edey is off to a dominant start in the NCAA Tournament, becoming the first player in almost 50 years (Memphis’ Larry Kenon in 1975) to have at least 30 points, 20 rebounds, three blocks and two assists in a game, doing so against Grambling in the opening round.
He then became the first player since Lew Alcindor in 1968 to have at least 50 points and 35 rebounds and shoot at least 65.0 percent from the field in the first two rounds.
In the Big Ten Tournament semifinal game against Wisconsin, Edey became the school’s all-time scoring leader, now with 2,339 points, passing Rick Mount’s 54-year old record of 2,323 points. Edey is now the school’s all-time leader in points, rebounds and double-doubles.
Edey’s eight career 30-15 games are the most for a high-major player in the last 15 years (Marvin Bagley, Blake Griffin – 4) by three games. His 11 career games of at least 25 points and 15 rebounds are also the most nationally in that span (Blake Griffin – 9) and his 16 career 30-10 games are the second most for any player in the last 15 years (South Dakota State’s Mike Daum – 21).
Edey is the first player in Big Ten history with 2,200 career points and 1,200 career rebounds, and has joined David Robinson (Navy, 1984-87) as the only players in NCAA history with 2,200 career points, 1,200 career rebounds, 200 career blocks and to shoot over 60.0 percent from the field.
The Boilermakers take on Gonzaga in Friday’s Sweet 16 in Detroit, tipping off at 7:39 p.m. ET.
PURDUE MEN’S GOLF
NO. 33-RANKED BOILERMAKERS FINISH 3RD AT HOOTIE AT BULLS BAY
AWENDAW, S.C. – The No. 33-ranked Purdue men’s golf team put the finishing touches on a strong performance at the Hootie at Bulls Bay, finishing third out of 15 teams.
The Boilermakers put some pressure on the leaders midway through the round, but couldn’t narrow the gap and finished third, eight shots behind LSU and two shots behind No. 19-ranked New Mexico. Purdue totaled a 7-under par 857 with rounds of 298-272-287.
Purdue did score big head-to-head wins over No. 16-ranked East Tennessee State, No. 35-ranked Missouri, and No. 59-ranked South Carolina.
Leading the attack was senior Nick Dentino, who finished tied for fourth at 5-under par 211 (72-67-72). It marked his second career top-five finish and his first top-20 finish of the season. Dentino finished one shot off medalist honors.
Herman Sekne continued his strong season with another top-20 finish, placing tied for 12th at 2-under par 214 (76-66-72). Fourteen of Sekne’s 20 rounds this season have been even- or under-par, and he owns five top-20 finishes in seven events.
Nels Surtani was the third Boilermaker on the counting team in the top 20, finishing tied for 19th at even-par 216 (75-70-71). The performance was Surtani’s third top-20 showing of the season.
Freshman Sam Easterbrook finished tied for 34th at 3-over par 219 (75-69-75), while Kent Hsiao was tied for 45th at 6-over par 222 (76-74-72).
Playing as an individual, Peyton Snoeberger tied for 12th at 2-under par 214 (71-74-69).
The Boilermakers’ next action will come in two weeks, when it heads to Naples, Florida, for the elite Calusa Cup.
NOTRE DAME WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
HIDALGO, WESTBELD NAMED WBCA REGION 1 ALL-AMERICA FINALISTS
ATLANTA — Hannah Hidalgo and Maddy Westbeld have been named Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Region 1 finalists for this season’s WBCA NCAA Division I Coaches All-America Team.
Hidalgo has shattered nearly every freshman record in the books by this point, including the ACC freshman scoring and steals records. With 157 steals on the year, Hidalgo now also owns Notre Dame’s program single-season steals record.
The New Jersey native is averaging 22.9 points per game, which ranks fifth nationally, and she leads the nation with 4.6 swipes per contest. A do-it-all point guard, Hidalgo is also averaging 6.2 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game.
Westbeld enters the Sweet 16 averaging 14.2 points and 8.9 rebounds per game this season. The latter mark is a career-high. She has 12 double-doubles on the year after starting this season with just nine over her first three years. During Notre Dame’s 10-game win streak, the senior forward is posting 15.1 points and 8.1 rebounds per game with a 46.4 percent mark from behind the arc. She also has 14 blocks in that span.
Hidalgo and Westbeld will be back in action on Friday, as the No. 2 Irish (28-6) face No. 3 Oregon State (26-7) in the Sweet 16. The game will tip off on ESPN from Albany, N.Y. at 2:30 p.m.
NOTRE DAME SWIMMING
NO. 11 IRISH EYE HISTORIC FINISH AT NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS
The No. 11 Notre Dame men’s swimming and diving program will head just a couple of hours south this week to compete at the 2024 Men’s NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships. The meet runs from March 27-30 at the IU Natatorium at IUPUI.
The crew is headlined by Chris Guiliano, the junior freestyler who swept the sprint free events at ACCs. Ahead of NCAAs, Guiliano is the No. 3 seed in the 50 (18.57), No. 1 seed in the 100 (40.62) and No. 3 seed in the 200 (1:31.16). He broke his own school records in all three of those events at ACCs, and he broke the conference’s 100 free record while tying it in the 200.
Fellow sprinter Abdelrahman Elaraby will be heading to NCAAs for the third time in his storied career, this time swimming the 50 freestyle (18.82), 100 freestyle (42.19) and 100 butterfly (45.03). He set the school record in the 100 fly at ACC Championships, but his best chance to make the A final, according to the psych sheet, is the 50; he is seeded 10th overall.
Tommy Janton made the field in the 100 and 200 backstroke, and he will also swim the 100 fly (46.36). His best chance at the A final is in the 200, an event that he won at ACC Championships with a time of 1:39.21. That mark broke his own school record. Janton is also seeded 21st in the 100 backstroke (45.17).
Fellow sophomore and backstroke specialist Marcus Gentry is seeded 20th in the 100 backstroke (45.12) and is making his first appearance at NCAA Championships after narrowly missing the cut last year. Gentry is also the 25th seed in the 200 back (1:40.35) and will swim the 100 fly (46.07).
Graduate transfer Tanner Filion has had a heck of a victory lap for Notre Dame, setting the program record and becoming the first ever Irish swimmer to break 45 seconds in the 100 backstroke (44.99). He is seeded 15th in the event at NCAAs and will also swim 200 backstroke (1:41.51) and 100 fly (45.47).
Finally, Tate Bacon will make his NCAA debut after making the field at 23rd in the 200 butterfly (1:41.76). That time is just 0.06 off the school record. Bacon will also swim the 100 butterfly (45.41) and 100 backstroke (47.16) after earning B cuts in both events.
In addition to those swimming individual events, Notre Dame will bring Tyler Christianson, Luka Cvetko, Dillion Edge and Cason Wilburn to Indianapolis as relay alternates. The Irish set four new relay records at ACCs in the 200 free relay, 400 free relay, 200 medley relay and 400 medley relay.
BALL STATE BASEBALL
THREE CONSECUTIVE FIRST INNING HOMERS PROPELS BASEBALL TO WIN OVER USI
MUNCIE, Ind. – The Ball State baseball team hit three straight home runs in a 4-run first inning and cruised to a 12-5 win over Southern Indiana on Tuesday afternoon at Ball Diamond.
The Cardinals (14-12) got back-to-back-to-back shots off the bats of Blake Bevis, Clay Jacobs and Hunter Dobbins to left field off USI starter Trent Robinson for the early 4-0 advantage. Bevis’ blast was a two-run homer.
Ball State extended the lead with a 2-run double from Decker Scheffler in the second inning and an inside-the-pack home run by Nick Husovsky in the third. After the Screaming Eagles (11-13) scored twice in the fourth to cut their deficit to 7-2, the Cardinals responded with a trio of tallies in the bottom half of the inning highlighted by a two-run blast from Jacobs to Center Field.
Michael Hallquist and Scheffler drew bases loaded walks in the fifth inning for Ball State’s final scoring of the day to put the hosts ahead 12-2.
Jacobs reached base five times on the day, taking three walks in addition to the two home runs that netted the senior three RBI. Bevis and Scheffler also had a trio of runs batted in each, while Husovsky and Max Kalk collected a pair of hits.
Lucas Letsinger (2-1) struck out three in 3.0 scoreless innings while allowing one hit to earn the win for the Cardinals, while Robinson (0-2) gave up six runs in 1.2 innings to suffer the loss.
“Good to see our boys swing the bats with authority,” head coach Rich Maloney said. “Glad to see some pitchers gaining confidence.”
Ball State is scheduled to host Ohio for three games starting at 3 p.m. on Thursday.
INDIANA STATE MEN’S BASKETBALL
INDIANA STATE EARNS TRIP TO HINKLE FOR NIT FINAL FOUR WITH VICTORY AGAINST BEARCATS
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Robbie Avila connected on a three-pointer from the top of the key with 1:01 remaining to break a 77-77 tie and Indiana State closed out the game from the free throw line as the Sycamores topped visiting Cincinnati in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) Quarterfinal Round, 85-81.
Ticket Information for NIT Final Four: Indiana State advances to the 2024 NIT final four and will play the winner of tomorrow night’s contest between VCU and Utah. The NIT Final Four is hosted by Butler University at Hinkle Fieldhouse with tickets available for purchase online by visiting the Butler Athletics Ticketmaster page or the NCAA NIT site. The NIT Semifinal is scheduled to play on Tuesday, April 2 and the Championship on Thursday, April 4. There is no designated ISU fan block as tickets are only being sold and managed by Butler University and the NCAA.
In a game that featured eight lead changes and nine ties, neither team was able to secure more than a two-possession lead throughout a majority of the contest.
Cincinnati (22-15) built their largest lead of the game at eight points with 16:31 following a Dan Skillings Jr. layup to give the Bearcats the 48-40 lead. The Sycamores (31-6) steadily chipped away at the lead with a 16-8 run capped by back-to-back three-pointers from Ryan Conwell and Jayson Kent to tie the game up at 56-56 with 11:56 to play and setting the stage for an exciting 12 minutes of play inside Hulman Center.
As has been their M.O. this season, the Sycamores went on a second-half run turning a 63-61 deficit into a 74-65 lead with Isaiah Swope and Xavier Bledson both hitting three-pointers to spark a 13-2 run. Jayson Kent turned a fastbreak pass from Bledson into a dunk as ISU built their largest lead of the game with 7:17 to play.
Cincinnati fought their way back into the game behind Simas Lukosius’ three-point shooting as the junior guard connected on a pair of three-pointers, including a big shot from the right wing with 2:54 remaining to tie the game up at 77-77.
Defense took over for the next minute before the Sycamores took advantage of a pair of offensive rebounds, the second which Conwell sent to a wide-open Avila at the top of the key and the sophomore center buried the shot to give Indiana State the 80-77 lead.
ISU took over from the free throw line with Kent and Swope converting 3-of-4 in an attempt to make it a two-possession game. Lukosius gave the Bearcats a last gasp hitting a three-pointer with nine seconds remaining and added a free throw with six seconds left to cut the Indiana State lead down to 83-81.
Bledson secured the late defensive rebound on Lukosius’ missed second free throw and converted two free throws on the other end of the court to secure the Indiana State win.
It was a back-and-forth first half with both teams trading baskets throughout a majority of the opening 20 minutes. Cincinnati went up by five with 7:19 to play on a Skillings Jr. dunk to take the 25-20 lead and the Bearcats pushed the lead to seven at 29-22 on Jizzle James’ layup at the 6:13 mark for the largest lead by either team in the first half.
The Sycamores answered on the other end with Kent and Conwell converting three-pointers on back-to-back possessions, and Conwell added a layup to cut the lead down to 31-30 with 4:28 to play in the first half.
Jamille Reynolds scored the Bearcats’ final five points of the half, while Swope drove in for a layup as Cincinnati went into the break with the 36-32 lead.
Avila led the Sycamores with 22 points on 7-of-15 shooting, including 4-of-8 from the three-point line. The Sycamore center added six assists, primarily on back cuts to Ryan Conwell (18 points, six rebounds) as the Sycamores shot 44.8% (26-of-58) from the floor as a team. Kent did not miss from the floor going 5-of-5 from the floor, 2-of-2 from the three-point line, and 4-of-4 from the free throw line on his way to scoring 16 points and pulling down seven rebounds. Swope was the fourth Sycamore in double-digits with 12 points.
Lukosius scored a game-high 26 points aided by 6-of-14 from the three-point line, while Skillings Jr. posted a 12-point, 12-rebound double-double. James added 21 points on 10-of-23 shooting from the floor to go with a team-high five assists.
News & Notes
Indiana State advances to the NIT Final Four for the first time in program history. The Sycamores improve to 31-6 on the year.
The Sycamores capped the 2023-24 home schedule with a 16-1 record. The 16 home wins ties for the third-most home wins in program history (1976-77: 17-0, 1977-78: 17-1, 1978-79: 16-0). It is just the fifth time in program history with 15+ home wins (1949-50: 15-5).
ISU scored 19 points off 13 Cincinnati turnovers, all coming in the second half.
Indiana State scored 22 fastbreak points, scoring 19 of 22 in the second half.
For the first time this season, the Sycamores recorded a three-game stretch with 10 or fewer turnovers (10, 10, 8).
Tuesday’s victory marked the second time this season Indiana State has won while shooting worse than the opponent (ISU 44.8%, Cincinnati 50.0%; last time: vs. Toledo 11/24/23).
Ryan Conwell recorded his second-straight game with no turnovers, his first time this season with back-to-back clean games.
Jayson Kent in the NIT is shooting 21-for-26 in the NIT 80.8% (three games).
Robbie Avila has recorded at least six assists in each of the three NIT games (7, 7, 6).
INDIANA STATE BASEBALL
SYCAMORES SCORE GO-AHEAD RUN LATE, GREGERSEN SHUTS PURDUE DOWN IN THE NINTH IN 8-7 WIN
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Dominic Listi scored the go-ahead run on an eighth-inning wild pitch and Simon Gregersen pitched Indiana State out of a bases-loaded, none-out jam in the top of the ninth inning as the Sycamores topped visiting Purdue, 8-7, on Tuesday afternoon at Bob Warn Field.
The Sycamores (18-5) loaded the bases with none out in the bottom of the eighth inning after Purdue (16-10) evened the game up in the top of the frame on Keenan Taylor’s sacrifice fly scoring Connor Caskenette. Listi drew a leadoff walk to set the table, while back-to-back singles from Luis Hernandez and Joe Kido loaded the bases against Purdue reliever Jackson Dannelley (0-2).
Dannelley’s first pitch to Parker Stinson went to the backstop and Listi beat the relay home to give the Sycamores the 8-7 lead. Stinson would go on to be issued the intentional walk before Dannelley settled in to retire the next three batters to keep it a one-run game.
Purdue rallied in the top of the ninth against ISU reliever Jared Spencer (4-0) as Mike Bolton Jr. reached on a throwing error, while Camden Gasser and Luke Gaffney drew back-to-back walks to load the bases. Simon Gregersen (S, 4) took the mound and proceeded to strike out Logan Sutter for the first out, before getting Caskenette to roll over on a pitch for the game-inning ground ball double play to secure the one-run win for the Sycamores.
Indiana State rallied back from an early 5-1 deficit in the bottom of the fifth inning thanks to a six-run frame highlighted by Connor Hicks and Grant Magill home runs. Hicks put one off the scoreboard to make it a 5-4 game bringing home Mike Sears and Stinson, while Magill followed a Josue Urdaneta single with a home run over the right field wall to give the Sycamores their first lead of the game. ISU added a sixth run on Hernandez’s RBI single to left scoring Pottinger as all nine ISU batters came to the plate in the inning.
Purdue built the early lead thanks to Luke Gaffney’s three-run home run in the top of the first inning. Sutter added an RBI double in the third and Ty Gill brought home Jo Stevens with an RBI groundout to give the Boilermakers the 5-1 lead midway through the game.
Parker Stinson provided the early fireworks for the Sycamores with a solo home run over the right field wall in the bottom of the second inning.
Listi, Hernandez, and Hicks all posted multi-hit games on Tuesday afternoon as the Sycamores connected on 12 hits in the win over the Boilermakers. Listi doubled, while Magill, Stinson, and Hicks homered to highlight the offense on the day.
Brayden Lybarger went the first 3.0-innings in his first start of the season. The redshirt sophomore allowed four hits and five runs while striking out four. Adam Berghorst posted a shutout frame in relief, while Cole Gilley highlighted a 3.0-inning relief stint with a trio of strikeouts.
Spencer picked up his team-leading fourth win of the season as the Sycamores took the lead during his time on the mound. The junior left-hander allowed two hits and a run while striking out one before turning the ball over to Gregersen for the save opportunity.
Gaffney paced the Purdue offense going 2-for-2 with a trio of RBIs, while also walking three times in the midweek matchup. Keenan Spence added a pair of doubles in the loss.
Cole Van Assen went the first 3.1-innings on the mound in the no-decision allowing six hits and one run while striking out one. Avery Cook, Carter Doorn, Aaron Suval, and Dannelley went the final 4.2 frames on the mound.
How They Scored
Purdue took the 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning on Luke Gaffney’s three-run home run over the left center wall scoring Mike Bolton Jr. and Camden Gasser to stake the Boilermakers to early edge.
Indiana State took one back in the bottom of the second inning as Parker Stinson led off the inning with a solo home run over the tree line in right field to cut the lead down to 3-1.
Purdue extended the lead in the top of the third inning as Gaffney scored on Logan Sutter’s double down the right field line, but the rally stalled as Sutter was thrown out at third trying to extend the play into a triple to keep it at 4-1.
Purdue added another to the lead in the top of the fourth as Ty Gill’s groundout to second scored Jo Stevens to make it a 5-1 ballgame.
Connor Hicks (three-run) and Grant Magill (two-run) homered as ISU sent nine batters to the plate in the bottom of the fifth inning, while Luis Hernandez added an RBI single to extend his 22-game hitting streak as the Sycamores took the 7-5 lead following the six-run frame.
Purdue cut the lead down to 7-6 in the top of the sixth inning as Couper Cornblum’s two-out single brought home Keenan Spence.
The Boilermakers tied the game up 7-7 in the top of the eighth as Keenan Taylor connected on a sacrifice fly to center field scoring Connor Caskenette.
The Sycamores retook the lead in the bottom of the eighth as Dominic Listi scored on a wild pitch to put ISU back on top with the 8-7 lead.
News & Notes
Dominic Listi extended his on-base streak to 23 games on Tuesday afternoon after doubling in the bottom of the first inning. He finished the game 2-for-4 from the plate with a walk over five plate appearances.
Connor Hicks connected on his first home run of the 2024 season becoming the eighth Sycamore to homer this year with his three-run shot in the fifth inning. It marked his first home run since going deep in the 2023 season finale series at Missouri State on May 20.
Hicks and Grant Magill both homered during Indiana State’s sixth inning marking the second time the Sycamores have had multiple players homer in the same inning. Mike Sears and Magill both homered in the six-run seventh inning back on March 12 against Illinois in ISU’s 7-6 win over the Fighting Illini.
Luis Hernandez extended his hitting streak to 22 consecutive games following his RBI single in the bottom of the fifth inning. He continues the longest hitting streak in the Mitch Hannahs coaching era dating back to the 2014 season and finished the day 2-for-5 from the plate with an RBI.
Parker Stinson reached base in all five plate appearances on Tuesday afternoon as the outfielder homered in the first, before drawing four consecutive walks to finish 1-for-1 on the day.
Adam Pottinger was hit by two pitches on Tuesday afternoon raising his season marking the eighth time in 2024 an ISU player has been hit by two or more pitches in the same game.
At least one Sycamore player has been hit by a pitch in all 23 games in 2024.
Indiana State improves to 4-0 against the Big Ten this season and has won 10 consecutive games against the Big Ten in the last calendar year dating back to March 28, 2023, against Purdue.
Up Next
Indiana State remains at Bob Warn Field this weekend as the Sycamores continued Missouri Valley play with a three-game series against UIC over March 29-31. First pitch in Friday’s opener is set for 3 p.m. ET with the game to be carried live on ESPN+ and 105.5 The Legend.
INDIANA STATE WOMEN’S GOLF
SYCAMORES STAND TIED FOR EIGHTH IN MISSOURI; ROUND THREE ON WEDNESDAY
HOLLISTER, Mo. – Indiana State women’s golf’s third tournament of the spring has been limited due to weather, but after Tuesday’s first round at the Ozarks National Invitational the Sycamores sit tied for eighth place.
The opening round of the three-day event at the Ozarks National Golf Course was canceled due to weather and play was reduced to only 18 holes instead of 36 on day two. Wednesday’s 18 holes will conclude the event.
Indiana State sits tied for eighth place with Middle Tennessee with a team score of 328 (+40). Kristen Hobbs leads the scoring for ISU, shooting a 79 in the first round (+7), tying for 12th place. Hobbs finished 12 holes with pars and five with bogeys.
A trio of Sycamores are tied for 32nd place, each recording a score of 83: Sophia Florek, Briana LeMaire and Chelsea Morrow. Florek shot one-over on the front nine, including recording a birdie on hole five. Morrow used nine pars to shoot +11 and LeMaire tallied seven pars and added a birdie on hole 17.
Yang Tai rounds out the starting five tied for 62nd place with a round one score of 88 (+16). On hole 17, Tai also recorded a birdie as did LeMaire.
Eliza Baker entered the tournament as an individual and is tied with Hobbs for 12th place. After recording a triple bogey on hole four, she flipped and birdied the very next hole (hole five, the same hole Florek recorded a birdie). Baker tallied 11 pars in the round.
Up Next
The Sycamores wrap up the Ozarks National Invitational Wednesday with a 9:30 a.m. ET start time.
PURDUE FT. WAYNE WOMEN’S GOLF
MASTODONS WIN THE JULIE FOR SECOND ALL-TIME TOURNAMENT WIN
BATAVIA, Ohio – The Purdue Fort Wayne women’s golf team won Northern Kentucky’s The Julie on Tuesday (March 26) for the program’s second tournament victory in its history.
The Mastodons finished with a team score of 306-300-606 to edge IUPUI by one shot. The Mastodons’ 606 is also a top-10 mark in the program’s 20 years of Division I. To further illustrate the positive changes in the program, the last time the Mastodons won a tournament in 2014, the team score was 659.
The Mastodons topped all five Horizon League schools in the field, three of which were picked tied or higher than the Mastodons in the preseason poll. The only team picked above the ‘Dons in the preseason that they did not beat (Oakland) was not in the field.
Freshman Hunar Mittal was the Mastodons’ best player in Northern Kentucky’s event, turning in a 75-75-149 to tie for third. It was her first top-five finish as a collegian. On Tuesday, She had two birdies on holes three and five to turn in a scorecard with a 74 written on it. She was 1-under on the front nine with a 35, and finished with 12 pars.
Playing from the No. 4 spot, Natalie Papa tied for the Mastodons’ best in round two. She finished with an 81-74-155 and tied for 22nd. She had back-to-back birdies on holes four and five, then another on 15. She pitched in 11 pars.
Adrienne Rohwedder tied for ninth in the 82-player field, shooting 76-76-152. She had nothing worse than a bogey in round two and got birdies to fall on holes three and 16. This is the fourth time this season that Rohwedder has finished in the top-10 of an event.
Olivia Jang shot 77-76-153 and tied for 13th. She was even on the back nine on Tuesday, with a birdie on 18 to make up for a bogey on 11. She wrapped up the event with 13 pars in her final round.
Anna Olafsdottir rounded out the lineup with a 78-79-157. She recorded a birdie on hole 12 along with 11 pars tie for 26th.
Lillie Cone competed as an individual, shooting 86-81-167 to tie for 59th.
Purdue Fort Wayne will be back in action on April 7-8 at the Indiana State Invitational before gearing up for the Horizon League Championship on April 20-22.
PURDUE FT. WAYNE MEN’S BASKETBALL
MASTODONS PLAY AT NORFOLK STATE ON WEDNESDAY IN CIT TITLE GAME
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The Mastodons play at Norfolk State in the championship of The 2024 CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament, presented by BSN SPORTS.
Game Day Information
Who: Purdue Fort Wayne (23-12) at Norfolk State (23-11)
When: Wednesday, March 27 | 7 PM ET
Where: Norfolk, Va. | Joseph G. Echols Memorial Hall
Live Stats: Link
Video: https://nsuspartans.com/
Radio: 1380 The Fan
Series Record: First meeting
Game Notes: Purdue Fort Wayne (PDF) | Norfolk State (PDF)
KNOW YOUR FOE
// Norfolk State went 11-3 in the MEAC and were the top seed in the MEAC Tournament before falling to Howard in the semifinals
// The Spartans carry a 14-0 home record into Wednesday’s matchup, aiming to become the first NSU men’s basketball team to win 15 home games in a single season.
// The Spartans defeated Alabama A&M 81-66 to advance to the CIT title game.
‘DONS AND ENDS
// A win for the ‘Dons would be the program’s first postseason tournament title since 1992-93 when the ‘Dons won the Great Lakes Valley Conference Championship 62-60 over Indianapolis on March 6, 1993.
// The CIT Championship game against Norfolk State is the latest in a calendar year Purdue Fort Wayne has ever played a game. The previous latest game was a loss to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on March 26, 2017 in the CIT.
// The Mastodons’ 23 wins are tied for the third most in a season in program history. Most wins in a season: 25 (2013-14), 24 (2015-16) and 23 (1992-93 & 2023-24).
// In the CIT Semifinal win at Tarleton State, Eric Mulder had a career high in rebounds (15) and tied a career high in steals (3). He also had a double-double with 10 points. He scored the game winning basket with 15 seconds left.
// Anthony Roberts scored his 2,000th career NCAA point in the last game against Tarleton State.
// The ‘Dons were one of only three teams in the Horizon League in postseason play. Oakland (NCAA Tournament) and Cleveland State (CBI) were the others.
// Only three times this season have the ‘Dons committed more turnovers than their opponent. The games came against Oakland twice and Tarleton State. Only twice this season have the ‘Dons had equal turnovers to their opponent (13 at Pittsburgh and 20 at Northern Kentucky).
// The ‘Dons have single-digit turnovers in 15 games this season. Six times they have had six or fewer in a game.
// The ‘Dons have six games this season in which they never trailed.
// The ‘Dons have held a lead in every game this season, except for two: at Pitt (Dec. 20) and vs. Wright State (Jan. 6).
// Quinton Morton-Robertson made his 100th 3-pointer this season on Monday against Tarleton State. He now owns 101 3-pointers, second in program history.
1. 125 – Max Landis (2015-16)
2. 101 – Quinton Morton-Robertson (2023-24)
2. 100 – Mo Evans (2016-17)
// Quinton Morton-Robertson’s 101 made 3-pointers ranks him 23rd in the nation.
// This is the Mastodons’ seventh postseason appearance. The ‘Dons are 4-6 all-time in postseason games.
– In 2014, the ‘Dons defeated Akron at home 97-91 and fell on the road at VMI 106-95 in the CIT.
– In 2015, the ‘Dons lost 82-77 at Evansville in the CIT.
– In 2016, the ‘Dons earned a berth in the NIT, falling 79-55 at San Diego State.
– In 2017, the ‘Dons defeated Ball State at home 88-80 on March 15, received a bye in the second round and then fell in the quarterfinals at Texas A&M Corpus Christi 78-62 in the CIT.
– In 2018, the ‘Dons fell to Central Michigan 94-89 in the CIT
– In 2022, the ‘Dons fell to Drake 87-65 in the CBI.
– On Mar. 20, the ‘Dons won at Bowling Green 77-75 in the CIT for the first road postseason win in program history. On Monday, the ‘Dons beat Tarleton State. 73-72 in the CIT to go to the CIT Championship.
// Rasheed Bello has 64 steals this season, making him fifth in the program’s Division I era for single-season steals and Anthony Roberts has 62 steals, making him seventh.
// In league play only, all five starters ranked in the top-25 in steals per game in the League. Jalen Jackson was 3rd (2.0), Rasheed Bello was 4th (1.9), Anthony Roberts was 7th (1.5), Quinton Morton-Robertson was T-10th (1.3) and Eric Mulder was 23rd (1.1).
// Per Kenpom, Eric Mulder is 12th in 2-point field goal percentage (70.6 percent) in the nation.
// Jalen Jackson is third in the Horizon League in fouls drawn with 5.4 per 40 minutes.
// The ‘Dons finished the regular season with wins over each of the top five teams in the postseason and a 7-3 record against the five teams (Oakland, Youngstown State, Green Bay, Wright State and Northern Kentucky).
// The ‘Dons have recorded double-digit steals in 17 games. They have had more steals than their opponent in 24-of-32 games and eight of the last 12 games.
// The ‘Dons have made at least eight 3-pointers in 26-of-34 games and double digit treys in 11 games.
// The ‘Dons have double-digit offensive rebounds in 12 games.
// Quinton Morton-Robertson is 29th in the nation in 3-point field goal percentage at 40.9 percent.
TOP 30 NATIONAL RANKINGS:
// 4th in turnover margin (+5.8)
// 10th in steals per game (9.3)
// 11th in turnovers forced per game (16.23)
// 26th in 3-pointers per game (9.4)
// 27th in fast break points per game (13.74)
EVANSVILLE BASEBALL
SIUE EXPLODES LATE TO TOP BASEBALL ACES
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The visiting SIUE baseball team erupted for 10 runs in the final three innings on Tuesday night to secure a 14-6 victory over the University of Evansville Purple Aces at German American Bank Field at Charles H. Braun Stadium in Evansville.
The Cougars scored two unearned runs in the seventh inning to grab a one-run lead, before scoring three runs in the eighth inning and five more in the ninth inning to blow things open. Outfielder Lucas Spence led the way for SIUE, going 4-for-6 with a triple, four runs scored and four RBI. All four RBI, three of his hits and three of his runs came in the final three innings of the game.
SIUE struck first in the third inning on a solo home run by second baseman Mack Mitchell and the first run of the game by Spence, who singled and eventually scored on a wild pitch.
The score would remain 2-0 in favor of SIUE until the fourth inning, when UE graduate designated hitter Chase Hug launched a three-run home run to right field to give UE a 3-2 lead.
The Cougars would tie the game at 3-3 in the fifth inning, before UE opened up a 5-3 lead with two runs in the bottom half of the frame. Graduate third baseman Brent Widder roped his second double of the game to score the inning’s first run, before junior outfielder Harrison Taubert came through with an RBI ground out to give UE a 5-3 lead.
SIUE scored a run in the sixth inning to trim the UE lead to 5-4, before taking the lead with two unearned runs in the seventh inning. Spence started the rally with a one-out single. Then, after a strikeout and a hit-by-pitch put runners on first and second, Spence raced home on a fielding error to tie the game and a throwing error put two men in scoring position with two outs. Then, a controversial balk call on a 3-2 count brought in the go-ahead run for SIUE and gave the Cougars a 6-5 lead. Spence then broke things open in the eighth inning with a two-run triple as SIUE went on to win.
Spence and first baseman Ryan Niedzwiedz both had four hits and four RBI each to lead SIUE. Hug drove in three runs for UE, while Widder and senior first baseman Kip Fougerousse had two hits each. For Widder, it came in his 200th career collegiate game.
With the victory, SIUE improves to 8-17 overall. Evansville, meanwhile, falls to 9-15 overall with the loss. Evansville will return to action next on Thursday night, as the Purple Aces will host Southern Illinois in a three-game Missouri Valley Conference series. First-pitch is set for 6 p.m. and Thursday’s game can be heard live on 107.1 FM-WJPS and seen live on ESPN+.
SOUTHERN INDIANA WOMEN’S GOLF
WOMEN’S GOLF FINISHES 12TH AT THE JULIE
BATAVIA, Ohio- The University of Southern Indiana Women’s Golf team competed in The Julie hosted by Northern Kentucky University against 12 other teams on Monday and Tuesday. USI finished 12th among 13 teams.
The Eagles finished with a two-round score of 660. Senior Katelyn Sayyalinh (Rockford, Illinois) led USI with a two-round score of 159 (81,78) at 15 over in addition to having the best individual single-round score of 78 on Tuesday.
Rounding out the scoring for the Eagles junior Baileigh Schneider (Huntingburg, Indiana) at 21 over, freshman Alexis Wymer (Bridgeport, Illinois) and senior Halle Gutwein (DeMotte, Indiana) at 24 over, and sophomore Sydni Thurlow (Belleville, Illinois) at 33 over. Freshman Ashlynn Weir (Evansville, Indiana) competed as an individual finishing with a score of 167 (83, 84).
NEXT UP FOR THE EAGLES:
USI Women’s Golf will compete on Friday against the University of Evansville at Fendrich Golf Course beginning at 11 a.m.
SOUTHERN INDIANA BASEBALL
EAGLES FALL 12-5 AT BALL STATE
MUNCIE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Baseball lost the opening contest of a four-game road swing at Ball State University, 12-5, Tuesday afternoon in Muncie, Indiana. USI is 11-13 overall, while BSU goes to 14-12.
The Cardinals took the lead early, scoring in each of the first five frames. BSU had a 4-0 lead after the first inning and sealed its win with two more in the second for the 6-0 advantage.
After BSU scored another run in the third, the Screaming Eagles got onto the scoreboard with a pair of tallies in the top of the fourth to narrow the gap to 7-2. Senior designated hitter Jack Ellis (Jeffersonville, Indiana) produced the first two USI runs with one swing of the bat, hitting a two-run blast to right center. The homer was his team-high fourth of the season.
BSU re-extended its lead and pushed the run differential to 12-2 after scoring three more in the bottom of the fourth and two more in the fifth.
The Eagles would get the final two runs of the game scoring once in the sixth and two more in the eighth. USI freshman leftfielder Ethan Rothschild (Evansville, Indiana) pushed the Eagles’ tally across in the sixth with a RBI-single to center, while junior centerfielder Terrick Thompson-Allen (Sioux City, Iowa) and senior catcher Tyler Kapust (Sellersburg, Indiana) hit back-to-back home runs in the eighth to finish the scoring in the 12-5 game.
USI senior right-hander Trent Robinson (Louisville, Kentucky) took the loss for the Eagles. Robinson (0-2) allowed four runs on four hits and two walks in 1.2 innings of work.
Up Next for the Eagles:
The Screaming Eagles stay on the road to re-start OVC action with a visit to Morehead State University March 28-30.
MSU is 14-11 after defeating Bellarmine University this evening in Morehead, Kentucky, and are 6-4 in the last 10 games. The MSU Eagles took all three games from the Screaming Eagles last spring at the USI Baseball Field.
SOUTHERN INDIANA WOMEN’S TENNIS
HEAD TENNIS COACH CHRIS CRAWFORD REACHES 200 CAREER WINS
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Sunday’s Women’s Tennis Ohio Valley Conference victory over Lindenwood University was not only a monstrous moment for the season, but also marked career win number 200 for head coach Chris Crawford.
Crawford has coached the Eagles in both the Division I and II levels with numerous accolades along the way. This season marks his 15th season at the helm and his second season at the Division I level coaching both the men’s and the women’s squads.
In 2009, Crawford became head coach of the men’s tennis program directing the Eagles 13 years before being promoted to men’s and women’s head coach in 2022. In the Division II Great Lakes Valley Conference era, Crawford’s squad went 46-20 since he took over appearing in 13 straight GLVC tournaments.
In his first season in 2009-10, USI won 20 matches which was the most by a first-year men’s tennis coach. The 20-5 record along with a second-place finish in the GLVC tournament earned him conference Coach of the Year. Crawford was named conference Coach of the Year for a second time in 2012-13 after leading USI to its sixth GLVC Tournament championship and its first NCAA II Midwest Preliminary Round title.
USI reached 15-or-more wins for the eighth-straight season in 2016-17. Crawford has guided the Eagles to eight NCAA Division II Tournaments berths and is the all-time winningest coach in men’s tennis history. In the second year of division I play, the women are 2-0 in conference this season looking to make a run as the men are currently 0-1.
USI congratulates coach Crawford on his 200th career victory.
SOUTHERN INDIANA MEN’S TENNIS
MEN’S TENNIS OVERWHELMS KENTUCKY WESLEYAN 7-0
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The University of Southern Indiana Men’s Tennis (2-10) are back in the win column after a dominant performance over Kentucky Wesleyan (2-7), 7-0 at the Evansville Tennis Center yesterday. The Screaming Eagles won all doubles and singles matches to boast momentum going into a three-game Horizon League stretch.
Doubles: In convincing fashion, sophomore Mathys Bove (Lyon, France) and sophomore Axel Sabourin (Marseille, France) won the doubles one matchup, 6-0. Senior Dylan Brown (Evansville, Indiana) and junior Quinten Gillespie (Whiteland, Indiana) collect their second victory as a doubles team this season winning 6-2. Freshman Eytan Michaeli (Beer Sheva, Israel) and Guy Finkelstein (Lehavim, Israel) teamed up to win the doubles three match, 6-1.
Singles: Bove has won four of his last five singles matches as he dominated Monday afternoon, 6-0. Eytan followed him up with a strong showing winning 6-3, 6-2. Sabourin and Gillespie won the singles three and four matchups. Brown and junior Blake Deaton (Indianapolis, Indiana) took care of their opponents each winning, 6-3, 6-2.
What’s Next
The Eagles start a three-game Horizon stretch on Saturday against Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, Illinois at 3 p.m. Then, the Eagles return home on April 6 to take on Tennessee Tech University.
VALPO MEN’S TENNIS
VANARRAGON WINS MEDALIST HONORS IN DRAMATIC FASHION AT MOBILE BAY INTERCOLLEGIATE
Valparaiso University men’s golf fifth-year senior Caleb VanArragon (Blaine, Minn. / Blaine) added another feat to his ever-growing legacy on Tuesday, winning medalist honors in the 80-player Mobile Bay Intercollegiate, hosted by South Alabama this week at RTJ Magnolia Grove in Mobile, Ala. VanArragon drained a 12-foot birdie on the last hole to edge Oral Roberts’ Rocco Repetto Taylor by one stroke for the tournament title.
How It Happened
VanArragon closed out Round 3 with an 18-hole score of 68 (-3), matching his performance from Monday’s second round. He finished with a 54-hole score of 205 (-8), one ahead of Repetto Taylor, who made a run with a 66 in Round 3 to close the tournament at 206 (-7).
Also enjoying a top-10 finish was Anthony Delisanti, who carded a 212 (-1) to tie for seventh. He went par or better in all three rounds including a 71 (E) over the final 18.
The third-best Valpo score in Round 3 came from Sam Booth (Carmel, Ind. / Carmel) at 76, while freshman Adam Melliere (Zionsville, Ind. / Zionsville) was third on the team for the tournament at 220 (+7).
As a team, Valpo finished fifth of 14 at 865 (+13) including a Round-3 score of 292 (+8). Texas State took the team title at 843 (-9).
Inside the Rounds
VanArragon’s win represented his 15th career top-2 finish and his 23rd career top-5 finish. This was his 33rd career top-10 finish.
This marked VanArragon’s third medalist trophy in 2023-24 and first this spring. He won each of the first two tournaments of the fall docket. He won medalist honors for the fifth time in his collegiate career.
VanArragon posted his fourth tournament score of eight under or better out of six 54-hole tournaments this season and the team’s sixth such showing (two from Delisanti). Prior to this season, there had only been six 54-hole tournaments in modern program history (since 2009) of eight under or better.
Delisanti turned in his fourth top-10 finish of the season.
VanArragon drained 14 birdies, the second most in the tournament field.
Delisanti had the best par-4 scoring in the tournament at 3.91, while VanArragon led all players in par-5 scoring at 4.22 and tied for the best par-3 average at 2.83.
Up Next
The Beacons will participate in the Golfweek/AGT Intercollegiate beginning on Monday, April 1 at True Blue Golf Course in Myrtle Beach, S.C.
UINDY MEN’S GOLF
GREYHOUNDS BATTLE MIDWEST RIVALS AT FINDLAY SPRING INVITE
RICHMOND, Ky.—The UIndy men’s golf team faced an all-Midwest field this week at the Findlay Spring Invite. The Greyhounds placed fifth among 18 teams, led by a pair of top-20 finishers in Alexander Nestun and Simon Engman. The two-day, 54-hole event has held Monday and Tuesday at Boone’s Trace National Golf Club in Richmond, Ky.
INS & OUTS
Once again fielding an all-freshman lineup, the Greyhounds combined for back-to-back 291s in the final two rounds, climbing from 12th after 18 holes into the top five.
Nestun shot one-under golf for the final 36 holes to tie for 15th place. He highlighted his tournament with a second-round 71 and finished with 10 birdies on the week.
He was also one of three Hounds to shoot even-par in Tuesday’s final round, helping fuel UIndy’s climb up the leaderboard. Joining him were Engman (+3) and Cameron Young (+5), who finished at T-20 and T-25, respectively.
Maverick Conaway and Ben Keil rounded out the scoring for the Hounds, with Conaway at T-38 and Keil at T-58.
UP NEXT
UIndy next heads to Laconia, Ind., on April 1-2 for the FIndianapolis Intercollegiate. The event will be co-hosted by UIndy and Findlay at Chariot Run Golf Club and will feature both a men’s and women’s tournament.
UINDY SOFTBALL
SOFTBALL CRACKS TOP 5 IN LATEST COACHES POLL
LOUISVILLE, Ky.—The red-hot UIndy softball team continued its climb up the NFCA Division II Poll, coming in at No. 5 this week. The Greyhounds have won 20 consecutive games, good for the fifth-longest win streak in program history.
NFCA DII COACHES POLL
| RK | TEAM (1st-place votes) | PTS | REC | PREV |
| 1. | North Georgia (8) | 392 | 32-4 | 1 |
| West Texas A&M (8) | 392 | 30-3 | 2 | |
| 3. | Rogers State | 366 | 26-4 | 3 |
| 4. | Tampa | 354 | 28-4 | 4 |
| 5. | UIndy | 336 | 29-2 | 6 |
| 6. | UT Tyler | 310 | 28-7 | 5 |
| 7. | Grand Valley State | 301 | 18-5 | 7 |
| 8. | Colorado Christian | 283 | 29-4 | 8 |
| 9. | Central Oklahoma | 266 | 26-6 | 9 |
| 10. | Mississippi College | 246 | 24-5 | 10 |
| 11. | Pittsburg State | 231 | 32-4 | 11 |
| 12. | Wingate | 221 | 31-6 | 12 |
| 13. | Western Washington | 215 | 22-4 | 14 |
| 14. | East Stroudsburg | 214 | 22-6 | 13 |
| 15. | Charleston | 173 | 22-1 | 15 |
| 16. | AUM | 137 | 24-9 | 17 |
| 17. | Concordia | 133 | 26-6 | 20 |
| 18. | Lenoir-Rhyne | 119 | 29-7 | 18 |
| 19. | Cal State San Marcos | 104 | 18-11 | 19 |
| 20. | Angelo State | 85 | 27-10 | 21 |
| 21. | Rollins | 74 | 27-7 | 22 |
| 22. | Northwest Nazarene | 67 | 21-6 | 16 |
| 23. | Wilmington | 65 | 17-10 | 24 |
| 24. | Washburn | 51 | 26-10 | 23 |
| 25. | Nova Southeastern | 21 | 21-8 | 25 |
Others receiving votes: Francis Marion (17), Kutztown (9), Missouri Southern (6), Ohio Dominican (6), Metropolitan State University of Denver (3), Oklahoma Baptist (2), UAH (1).
MARIAN MEN’S GOLF
MARIAN PLACES THIRD AT GARN CHAMPIONSHIP
Nicholasville, Ky. – The Marian men’s golf team finished third place in their third outing of the spring season on Tuesday afternoon, completing play at the Garn Championship hosted by Spring Arbor. Campbellsville won the event, with the Knights placing 16 strokes behind the Tigers. Augie Mann led the Knights at the event, finishing seventh overall.
Campbellsville won the event scoring a 924, moving into first place in the final two rounds of the tournament, passing Cumberlands and finishing in front of their Mid-South Conference foe by five shots. Marian finished third overall, carding a 940 for the three rounds of the tournament. Marian shot a 315 in round one, followed by a 308 and 317. Marian held off Lawrence Tech and Spring Arbor, who finished fourth and fifth, respectively.
The Knights defeated four Crossroads League teams in the tournament, defeating Spring Arbor by 17 strokes and Indiana Wesleyan by 23 shots. Marian also had sizable margins of victory against the second SAU team, as well as St. Francis and Huntington.
Individually, Augie Mann led the Knights putting up a 233 to finish in a tie for seventh overall. Weston Ogden joined his teammate in the top-10 with a score of 234. The Knights final member in the top 15 was Lane Zedrick, who scored a 235 for the three rounds in the tournament. Brandon Heffner finished 20th overall with a 238 score, and Nolan Potter finished with a 256 score.
Marian will next compete on April 8 and 9 at the Midway Invite, traveling to Kentucky for the tournament.
MARIAN SOFTBALL
COMBINED NO-HITTER HIGHLIGHTS MARIAN’S HOME SWEEP OVER BETHEL
INDIANAPOLIS – The Marian softball team eclipsed the 20-win threshold on Tuesday afternoon as they continued their season-long 14-game homestand, sweeping Bethel University on their home diamond behind a combined no-hitter and come-from-behind victory. Marian’s pair of wins improves the team to 21-3 overall on the season, while jumping to 10-2 in Crossroads League play.
Game 1 | Marian 12-0 Bethel | 5 Innings
Marian’s pitching dominated the first game of the twin bill against the Pilots, as Olivia Stunkel and Jaylah Guilliam pitched their best games of the season. Stunkel started out the first inning on the wrong end of a 3-2 count as she walked lead-off hitter Alyssa Forys, but rebounded quickly to strikeout the side. The Knights offense rode their pitcher’s momentum at the plate in the bottom of the first, with a lead-off triple by Savannah Harweger charging the offense. Brooke Knox drove in Harweger with an RBI error on a sacrifice fly attempt, and was followed to second base with Abby Madere’s RBI double. Sierra Norman capped the first inning scoring with a two-run home run, capping a four-run frame.
The 4-0 lead more than did Bethel in, as the Pilots were unable to keep up with Stunkel’s pitching. The junior struckout the side to bring her ‘K’ total to six for the game, and in the home half of the second the Knights added six more to the board, scoring all six runs with two outs. Knox, Madere, and Norman loaded the bases on a pair of hits and walk, setting up Abbey Hofmann who delivered a three RBI double. Lily Wendt followed up with an RBI single to score the team’s eighth run, and following Grace Meyer’s base hit, RBI singles from Hayley Greene and Jenna Minnix pushed Marian’s lead to 10.
Stunkel finished her outing with a perfect third inning, striking out the side for the third time in the game, getting a pair of victims to go down swinging. Marian would add another run to their lead as Brenna Fink recorded an RBI groundout, and in the fourth inning they called on Jaylah Guilliam in the circle, who kept the strikeout train going with a first-batter punchout. Marian’s defense was utilized for the first time with one out in the fourth as Brooke Knox threw out a ground ball out, while Jenna Minnix made a diving catch in center field to protect the no-hitter.
Marian made the game a 12-0 contest in the home half of the fourth on Mackenzie Dalton’s RBI triple, and in the top of the fifth the no-hit bid was completed, as Guilliam opened the final inning with a strikeout. The senior then entrusted her defense two more times, as Minnix made a play in center field and Anna Pritchett ended the game with a catch in left, capping the run-rule no-hitter.
The no-hitter is the first for Marian since 2022, when Sydney Wilson threw a five-inning no-hitter against Judson University. Stunkel earned the win for Marian in the no-hitter, leading the charge with nine strikeouts in three innings, facing 10 batters. Guilliam tossed two strikeouts in her two innings, facing seven batters total as she closed out the team’s third no-hitter since 2019. The 10 consecutive strikeouts thrown by Stunkel and Guilliam set a school record for consecutive outs via strikeout.
At the plate, Marian had 15 hits in the win, with Norman, Madere, and Meyer each putting up a pair. Hofmann led the team in RBI with three in the game, and Norman scored a team-best three runs. The Knights had 11 different players record a hit in the win.
Game 2 | Marian 8-3 Bethel
Unlike game one, Bethel was able to post offensive numbers in the second, as starting pitcher Macy Coan gave up a hit in each of the first four innings of the game. Coan would allow a single in the first but got a double play effort from her defense to limit the runners, while in the second her defense helped her escape runners in scoring position unharmed.
The Knights were unable to get their bats rolling in game two as they managed just one base runner in the first three innings, which put the Knights in a deficit in game two after three complete frames. Bethel posted a one-out single from their shortstop Alyssa Forys to lead their charge, while an error allowed Maggie Robbins to reach base. The uncharacteristic mistake allowed Kate Cooper to drive in three runs off the freshman Coan, as the Pilots third baseman delivered a three-run home run to put Marian behind 3-0.
Marian’s offense continued to struggle from the plate in innings three and four after the Pilots home run, but in the fifth were finally able to break through after Coan delivered a three-up, three-down frame. Grace Meyer led the rally with a one-out double, while Hayley Greene followed with a single. Jenna Minnix reached safely on a bunt single, and helped score a run as the throw to first ricocheted off of the outfielder’s arm, allowing Meyer to waltz home. Savannah Harweger delivered an RBI groundout to keep the scoring going, while Brooke Knox followed with an RBI base hit. Three batters later, Lily Wendt drew a bases-loaded walk to put Marian in front 4-3.
With a lead for the first time in the game, Marian turned the ball over to Lauren Mayer, but the sophomore struggled after recording the first out, allowing three consecutive singles that loaded the bases. The Knights again made a pitching change, bringing Olivia Stunkel back on to pitch, who quickly got a ground ball out. Stunkel went on to finish the inning with a strikeout, escaping harm to keep the lead.
In the bottom of the sixth, Marian added insurance runs to their lead, as a Meyer and Minnix singled to put a pair of runners on. The Knights would load the bases as Harweger was walked, and Abby Madere drew an RBI walk two batters later. Norman capped the scoring with a towering double to center field, driving home three runs to give her team an 8-3 lead. With the lead secured, Stunkel made quick work of the Pilots in the seventh, retiring the side in order to close Marian’s home victory.
Meyer led Marian at the plate with two hits as she started the rally charge in both the fifth and sixth innings, and Minnix also had two hits. Norman led the team in RBI with three, as five Knights in total had at least one RBI. Coan recorded her fourth win on the season with five innings completed, giving up two earned runs out of three and seven hits. Stunkel earned the save in her first relief appearance, making five outs with one strikeout in her closing role.
Marian will turn around and host Indiana Tech in their final non-conference games of the season on Wednesday, hosting the Warriors at 3:00 p.m.
VINCENNES GOLF
VU GOLF CONTINUES TO BATTLE IN POOR CONDITIONS
NICHOLASVILLE, Ky. – The Vincennes University Golf team had another tough tournament this week at the 2024 Garn Championships hosted at the Keene Trace Golf Club Monday and Tuesday.
The Blazers battled through wind and rain to place 21st on a very challenging golf course, which hosts the PGA’s Barbasol Championship each July.
The first two rounds of this 54-hole tournament were scheduled to be played on Monday, but round two ultimately needed to be finished Tuesday morning due to darkness.
The Trailblazers were led by freshman Alex Nealis (Olney, Ill.) who had a team-best 82 in round one, an 88 in round two and finished strong with an 83 in round three to place 66th overall.
Freshman Andy Clark followed Nealis with a solid bounce back tournament, with a first round 94 followed by an 86 and an 85 in the final two rounds to finish 96th on the leaderboard.
The next VU scorer was freshman Trejan Morrison (Ferdinand, Ind.) who made his Spring season debut with a first round 105, followed by a 99 and a 97 in the final two rounds to place 107th overall.
The Vincennes finishers were rounded out by freshman Jackson Stone (Vincennes, Ind.) who shot a 97 in round one, a 106 in round two and a 109 in the final round to place 108th.
Sophomore Aaron Brink (Nashville, Ill.) began the tournament, with a first round 86 and a second round 88 before withdrawing from the tournament due to injury.
VU as a team shot a first round 359, 361 in round two and a final round team score of 376 to place 21st overall as a team.
“Just when I thought things were tough with having to play without my number one player, Preston, my number two hurt his wrist and had to withdraw after two holes Tuesday,” VU Hall of Fame Golf Coach Dennis Chattin said. “We were battered by really strong winds and rain throughout the day and had to finish with only four players, so we couldn’t throw out our high score.”
“Scores were really up this year in the tournament because of the winds yesterday and both wind and rain today,” Chattin added. “I always like to point out a highlight but can only say that we had some guys who battled through the conditions. Hopefully after some time off before our next tournament we can get healthy again.”
The Trailblazers will look to bounce back and hopefully continue to improve, along with some better weather, in their next tournament, when VU heads to Hulman Links in Terre Haute for the Battle of the Woods tournament Saturday, April 6 and Sunday, April 7.
TOURNAMENT RESULTS
TEAM RESULTS
VU (21) – 359, 361, 376 – 1096
VINCENNES RESULTS
Alex Nealis (66) – 82, 88, 83 – 253
Andy Clark (96) – 94, 86, 85 – 265
Trejan Morrison (107) – 105, 99, 97 – 301
Jackson Stone (108) – 97, 106, 109 – 312
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
8 – 90 – 1 – 21
March 27, 1939 – The inaugural NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship commenced finding the University of Oregon defeating Ohio State, 46-33. Ohio State’s Number 8, forward Jimmy Hull is named tournament Most Outstanding Player.
March 27, 1945 – Oklahoma State beats NYU, 49-44 at the annual NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship. Number 90, Bob Kurland the center of the Cowboys team is named tournament Most Outstanding Player.
March 27, 1962 – Montreal Canadiens goaltender Jacques Plante, Number 1, tied an NHL record by winning his sixth NHL Vezina trophy. The award was given to the goalie that was judged to be the best in the League at his position for the season. Quite prestigious indeed. Oh by the was Jacques would go on to win it a seventh time in later years as well!
March 27, 1978 – At the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship it was Kentucky dumping Duke, 94-88. The Wildcats recorded their fifth overall title. The star of the game was ‘Cats forward Jack Givens, Number 21 who scored 41 points in the contest.
FOOTBALL HISTORY
March 27 Football History Headlines
March 27, 1991 – NCAA bans University of Minnesota Golden Gophers football program from postseason play in 1992. Ed Sherman in an article he did for the Chicago Tribune tells the tale of the incident quite well. A former University of Minnesota administrator, Luther Darville started the practice way back in 1982 of handing out cash to football players. Others in the Minnesota program caught him red handed in 1988 and stopped the practice with consequences. Therefore the NCAA felt obligated to do their own investigation and in its aftermath they laid the hammer down on the program in 1991 not allowing the team to participate in a bowl game for the 1991 postseason. Mr. Sherman brings up some great points to people that did crime both in Darville’s handing out the funds and the 1982 era players that accepted them did not suffer much at all from the NCAA penalty. But the legacy players and coaches in the Golden Gophers program almost a decade later served the penance for what their predecessors did so long ago. D. Alan Williams, chairman of the NCAA’s infraction committee in 1991, had a different opinion according to the article. First, he said, the NCAA isn’t penalizing individuals. ”The penalties are to the institution. It’s always unfortunate , but the committee has before it what it is required to do .” The matter comes down that there has to be a better solution of punishment of violating institutions, perhaps a more efficient and timely investigation, rather than one three years in length would be a good place to start.
March 27, 2000 – It was announced by the NFL officials that the 1999 season was the first time that paid attendance reached an average of over 65,000 fans per game. It was also the first time in the League’s history that paid attendance reached over 20 million for all games in a single season.
March 27 Football Hall of Fame Birthdays
March 27, 1898 – Warren, Ohio – The prolific University of Pittsburgh interior lineman, Herb Stein was born.
March 27, 1921 – Dallas, Texas – Malcolm Kutner the tough University of Texas end from 1939 to 1941 arrived into life. The NFF tells us that as a college athlete Kutner had it all going on. He was big at 6’2” weighing in at 190 pounds and was very mobile as shown as he starred in not only football but basketball and track as well. His leaping ability was off the charts making for an extremely big catch radius for QB’s to launch passes to. Once he caught the ball he was often off to the races because most DB’s could not compare with his great foot speed. Kutner led the Longhorns in receiving as a junior, hauling in 16 aerials for 237 yards while helping the Burnt Orange and White to an 8-2-0 record in 1940. The following year, Kutner was named All- Southwest Conference and All-America as the ‘Horns finished 8-1-1. Malcolm Kutner was honored with induction into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1974 after the National Football Foundation tallied their votes. Malcolm served his country during World War II and even got a chance to play ball with the Navy Pre-Flight School. He picked up in the pro ranks just where he left off in college before the war as he earned Rookie of the Year honors with the Chicago Cardinals in 1946. The next year, Kutner led the Cardinals to the World Championship and, in 1948, was the NFL’s Most Valuable Player.
March 27, 1922 – Chicago, Illinois – The stalwart Purdue guard of the seasons of 1941-1943 and 1946, Alex Agase was born. The FootballFoundation.org tells us that though he was the starting right guard in the line up he had stats that running backs would be proud of. Playing for Illinois against Minnesota in 1942, he scored two touchdowns. On the first, he stole the ball from Bill Daley and ran 38 yards to the goal line. On the second, he recovered Vic Kulbitski’s fumble. This was only the second time in history a guard scored two touchdowns in a game. He was a defensive stud as he was credited with 22 tackles against Great lakes in 1942. Alex earned All- America status in 1942. He played at Purdue as a Marine Trainee in 1943 and again made All-America. He returned to play at Illinois in 1946, was All- America a third time and the Big 10’s Most Valuable Player. Alex Agase received the great honor of being selected for inclusion into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1963. Agase played pro football 1947-53 and was on three championship teams with the Cleveland Browns. He then went on to be the Northwestern head coach from 1964-72 and the Purdue head coach 1973-76. The Football Writers Association named him national coach of the year, 1970.
March 27, 1963 – Santa Barbara, California – Randall Cunnigham the Nevada las Vegas quarterback with the great moves and an arm to go with it was born. The NFF says that Randall Cunningham left Las Vegas as the most accomplished player in school history as not only was he the career best passer and punter at UNLV ever but he became the first Rebel player to enter the College Football Hall of Fame in 2016. First Team All-America punter in 1983, Cunningham received second team honors as a senior while also garnering honorable mention as a quarterback. The two-position star broke 18 UNLV records, including career marks for 8020 passing yards , 59 touchdown passes and a stellar punting average of 45.6 yards. Randall is only the third quarterback in the history of collegiate football to pass for at least 2,500 yards in three consecutive seasons, and he finished his career with 142 punts for 6,471 yards. After college Randall was picked in round number 2 of the 1985 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles, Cunningham went on to play for 17 years in the NFL for the Eagles, Minnesota Vikings, Dallas Cowboys and Baltimore Ravens. The four-time Pro Bowl player also finished second in NFL history for yardage rushing by a QB.
TODAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY
1902 A Chicago Daily News headline reads, ‘Manager of the Cubs is in Doubt Only on Two Positions,’ marking the first time the team’s nickname has appeared in print. Although the moniker has existed since 1890, the Orphans, also known as the Colts and White Stockings, will not officially adopt the Cubs as its new name until 1907.
1935 In the bottom of the ninth inning, Russell Hinaga singles off future Hall of Fame Russian-born pitcher Victor Starffin, giving the San Jose Asahi, a hometown Japanese American semi-pro team, a 3-2 victory over the powerful Tokyo Giants. The visitors, who will avenge their loss to the ‘Morning Suns,’ next year, are touring the United States to promote the formation of a Japanese professional league, which they plan to establish in the Land of the Rising Sun next season.
1967 Giants’ right-hander Juan Marichal ends his 29-day holdout when he becomes the third $100,000 major league pitcher in history, joining Dodger hurlers Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale. The ‘Dominican Dandy’ also reported to spring training late last season but proceeded to win his first ten games en route to a 25-6 record.
1973 Twins’ right-hander Jim Perry becomes the first player to use the ’10 and 5 rule’ when he okays his trade to the Tigers for minor league pitcher Dan Fife and cash. During his one season with Detroit, Gaylord’s brother will post a 14-13 (.519) record and an ERA of 4.03 in 35 appearances.
1973 Hoping to make the team in spring training, right-hander Denny McLain is released by the Braves, ending his career two days before his 29th birthday. During his ten-year major league tenure, the former 30-game winner compiled a 131-92 career record with an ERA of 3.39.
1981 Boston’s Gold Glove catcher Carlton Fisk is declared a free agent by major league baseball, much to the chagrin of the Fenway Faithful. The 33-year-old backstop can now negotiate with other teams for his services because he received his contract from the Red Sox two days after the deadline.
1987 The Mets trade backup catcher Ed Hearn, right-hander Rick A. Anderson, and pitching prospect Mauro Gozzo to the Royals for David Cone and minor leaguer Chris Jelic. The 24-year-old right-hander, who will compile an 80-48 (.625) record during his first six seasons in New York, posts a 5-6 mark this season, with Hearn appearing in only 15 games for Kansas City.
1989 The April 3 issue of Sports Illustrated, available on newsstands today, features a six-page article by Craig Neff and Lieber that exposes Pete Rose’s gambling activities. The piece entitled Rose’s Grim Vigil alleges ‘Charlie Hustle’ bet from the Riverfront Stadium dugout using hand gestures with an associate.
1992 The Brewers deal Gary Sheffield to the Padres for pitcher Ricky Bones and minor leaguers Jose Valentin and Matt Mieske. Sheffield, Milwaukee’s first-round pick (sixth overall) in the 1986 draft, will hit .330 for his new team this season, winning the National League batting crown.
2002 After being told he would not be an everyday player, the Expos give 37-year-old Jose Canseco his unconditional release. The 1986 Rookie of the Year and 1988 MVP of the American League ends his 17-year career with 462 home runs while batting .266, playing with five clubs in the Junior Circuit.
2002 The Cubs, in need of a closer due to Tom Gordon’s muscle tear, trade righties Julian Tavarez (10-9, 4.52) and Jose Cueto, southpaw Dontrelle Willis, and catcher Ryan Jorgensen to the Marlins for Antonio Alfonseca (4-4, 28 saves) and right-hander Matt Clement (9-10, 5.05). Willis, next season’s National League Rookie of the Year, will become a 20-game winner for the Fish in 2005.
2008 At the start of spring training, Hideki Matsui, planning to wed in a few weeks, a fact unknown to the Bronx Bombers, makes a wager with some of his teammates about who would be the first to get married. A surprised Derek Jeter and Bobby Abreu agree to pay off the bet after learning the Yankee slugger pulled a fast one on them by getting ‘hitched’ in New York on the club’s off-day yesterday.
2009 In a Kansai Independent League game played at the Osaka Dome, knuckleballer Eri Yoshida makes her debut, becoming Japan’s first female professional baseball player. On Opening Day, the 17-year-old faces two batters, walking one and striking out the other, in the ninth inning of the Kobe 9 Cruise’s 5-0 victory over the hometown Gold Villicanes.
2011 Boston starter Daisuke Matsuzaka will make a $1 million contribution to the Red Sox Foundation for earthquake and tsunami victims in his native Japan. The team’s official charity has raised more than $1.3 million in response to the March 11 disaster, including personal donations from other Japanese players, Hideki Okajima, Junichi Tazawa, and Itsuki Shoda.
2011 The Nationals deal Nyjer Morgan to the Brewers for minor league infielder Cutter Dykstra and cash. Washington sends the light-hitting, fleet-footed outfielder to Milwaukee to obtain the Class A minor league third baseman, the son of former major leaguer Lenny Dykstra.
2012 Embattled owner Frank McCourt agrees to sell the Dodgers to a group that includes former LA Lakers star Magic Johnson and former baseball executive Stan Kasten for $2 billion, the highest amount ever paid for a team in the history of professional sports. The sale price far exceeds the $1.47 billion Malcolm Glazer paid for the English soccer team Manchester United in 2005.
BASEBALL YEAR IN REVIEW: 1955 (BASEBALL ALMANAC)
Off the field…
Entrepreneur Ray Kroc opened the first McDonalds restaurant in Des Plains, Illinois, initiating the world’s largest and most successful “fast-food” chain. Even after McDonald’s was well established, Kroc still attempted to move forward with German-tavern restaurants, pie shops and even theme parks, like Disneyland. No endeavor however, would match the success of the “Golden Arches”.
After racing in Bakersfield, Palm Springs, and Santa Barbara, up-and-coming actor James Dean traded in his Porsche Speedster for a Porsche Spyder 550 called “Little Bastard”. Later that year he was killed in a bizarre auto accident on his way to race in Salinas, California. “Rebel Without a Cause” (considered to be his greatest work) was released less than a month later to rave reviews.
America’s greatest theme park, Disneyland, opened in Anaheim California with eighteen cutting-edge attractions, including the Jungle Cruise, Tomorrowland Autopia, Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride and the Mark Twain Adventure. After years of construction, the ground-breaking visions of animation tycoon Walt Disney evolved into the creation of a Magical Kingdom that drew one million visitors in six months.
In the American League…
Eight years after Jackie Robinson broke the color-barrier, Elston Howard became the first African-American to don the Yankees pinstripes. The twenty-six year-old catcher, debuted with a clutch single in his first at-bat as New York went on to defeat the Boston Red Sox 8-4 at Fenway Park.
Cleveland Indians’ ace Bob Feller one-hit the Boston Red Sox for a 2-0 victory on May 1st setting a Major League record with twelve career one-hitters. Later that season, teammate Herb Score broke Grover Cleveland Alexander’s rookie season strikeout record after fanning his two-hundred thirty-fifth of the year.
On June 21st, Mickey Mantle became the first New York Yankee ever to hit a home run to straight-away center at Yankee Stadium. The epic blast traveled well over the thirty-foot hitter’s backdrop and landed in the ninth row of bleachers for an estimated total of four-hundred eighty-six feet.
In the National League…
In his first Major League start, Pittsburgh Pirates’ pitcher Al Grunwald threw “for the cycle” after surrendering a single, a double, a triple, and a home run (for four runs) all in a single inning during a 12-3 loss to the New York Giants.
Brooklyn Dodgers’ pitcher Don Newcombe became the only National League pitcher of the decade to steal home (after he hit a clutch triple) in the ninth inning en route to a 6-2 win over the struggling Pittsburgh Pirates on May 26th. Later in the season he would win twenty games and set another National League record with seven home runs, the most ever by a pitcher.
New York Giant Willie Mays became only the seventh player ever to hit fifty home runs in a single season after knocking two-run homers in each game of a double header against the Pittsburgh Pirates at the Polo Grounds. Mays joined fellow sluggers Babe Ruth, Ralph Kiner, Jimmie Foxx, Hank Greenberg, Hack Wilson and Johnny Mize as a member of baseball’s prestigious “50 Club”.
Around the League…
At the beginning of the 1955 season only three teams, out of sixteen, still had yet to field a black ballplayer (Boston Red Sox, Detroit Tigers and Philadelphia Phillies).
On July 9th, Chicago newspaperman Arch Ward, the originator of the All-Star Game, died suddenly at the age of fifty-eight on the way to cover his twenty-second Midsummer Classic. Ward was the sports editor of the Chicago Tribune and was also credited with initiating the All-Star College Football Game and the All-America Football Conference.
One of the game’s greatest, Hall of Fame shortstop Honus Wagner died at the age of eighty-one on December 6th. Wagner had played twenty-one years of outstanding baseball with eighteen of them as a Pittsburgh Pirate. He completed his career with a .327 career batting average, six-hundred forty-three doubles, two-hundred fifty-two triples and seven-hundred twenty-two stolen bases. He also hit one-hundred one home runs (with never more than ten a season), won the National League Batting Champion title eight times and batted .300 (or better) sixteen times — including fifteen seasons in a row.
The 1955 season debuted such rookie talents as Sandy Koufax, Brooks Robinson, Roberto Clemente and Harmon Killebrew. All now have plaques hanging in the hallowed halls of Cooperstown.
BASEBALL’S GREAT PITCHERS
GAYLORD PERRY
Gaylord Perry, one of the premier pitchers of his generation, won 314 games and struck out 3,534 batters, but his place in baseball history rests mainly with his notorious use of the spitball, or greaseball, which defied batters, humiliated umpires, and infuriated opposing managers for two decades. But make no mistake: he was also a brilliant craftsman with several excellent pitches in his repertoire, a hurler whose mastery of the spitter provided the batter yet another thing to think about as the pitch sailed toward the plate. After the game, he sheepishly denied any wrongdoing, slyly grinning like a poker player who knows he’s one step ahead of everyone else.
READ MORE: https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/gaylord-perry/
TODAY IN NBA HISTORY
March 27, 1994
Magic Johnson returned to the Los Angeles Lakers as head coach and led them to a 110-101 victory over Milwaukee. Johnson coached the Lakers for the last 16 games of the 1993-94 season, posting a 5-11 record.
March 27, 1994
Moses Malone of Philadelphia moved past Elvin Hayes into third place on the NBA’s all-time games played list, with 1,304, during the 76ers’ 124-122 OT loss against Boston at Hartford.
March 27, 1998
An NBA record 62,046 fans witnessed Chicago’s 89-74 win over Atlanta in the Georgia Dome.
March 27, 1998
Karl Malone tied Moses Malone (27,409) for fourth place on the all-time scoring list.
March 27, 1998
Orlando’s Chuck Daly recorded his 600th career NBA victory with a 100-75 win over Houston.
March 27, 1999
Utah’s Karl Malone and John Stockton are both held under 10 points in a game against the Los Angeles Clippers. This marks the first time since November 21, 1987 that both Malone and Stockton did not reach double figures in scoring in the same game.
March 27, 2001
Alonzo Mourning of the Miami Heat returned to action after missing the first 69 games of the season after being diagnosed with the kidney ailment focal glomerulosclerosis. Mourning recorded nine points and seven rebounds in 18 minutes of playing time.
March 27, 2015
Longtime voice of the Utah Jazz and former two-time All-Star Hot Rod Hundley dies at 80. Hundley was a Hall of Fame broadcaster who followed the Jazz from their inception in 1974 in New Orleans through 35 seasons before retiring from that post in 2009.
March 27, 2021
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich guides San Antonio to a 120-104 win against the Chicago Bulls to secure career win No. 1,300. In doing so, he joined Hall of Fame coaches Don Nelson (1,335 wins) and Lenny Wilkins (1,332) as the only ones in NBA history with 1,300 or more career wins.
TODAY IN SPORTS HISTORY
1939 — Oregon beats Ohio State 46-33 in the NCAA’s first national basketball tournament.
1942 — Joe Louis knocks out Abe Simon in the sixth round at Madison Square Garden to retain his world heavyweight title.
1945 — Oklahoma A&M beats New York University 49-45 for the NCAA basketball championship.
1951 — Bill Spivey scores 22 points to lead Kentucky to a 68-58 win over Kansas State for the NCAA basketball title.
1960 — The Boston Celtics score a then NBA Finals record 76 points in the first half a 140-122 win over the St. Louis Hawks. Tom Heinsohn (24), Bill Sharman (23), Frank Ramsey (22) and Bob Cousy (20) each score 20-or-more points to win the series opener.
1971 — UCLA beats Villanova 68-62 for its fifth NCAA basketball title.
1978 — Jack Givens scores 41 points to lead Kentucky to a 94-88 victory over Duke for the NCAA basketball title.
1983 — Larry Holmes wins a unanimous 12-round decision over Lucien Rodriguez to retain his world heavyweight title in his hometown of Scranton, Pa.
2005 — Annika Sorenstam shoots a final-round 68 to finish at 15-under to win the Nabisco Championship by eight shots over Rosie Jones. It’s he 59th victory of the Swedish star’s LPGA Tour career — and her eighth major championship win.
2010 — Long shot Al Shemali wins the $5 million Dubai Duty Free, pulling away from a crowded field to pull off a surprisingly easy win in the Dubai World Cup. Al Shemali, at 40-1, starts slow then duels it out with Bankable before taking the lead for good.
2011 — Jamie Skeen scores 26 points as Virginia Commonwealth delivers the biggest upset of the NCAA tournament, a 71-61 win over No. 1 seed Kansas in the Southwest Regional final.
2014 — The Philadelphia 76ers tie the NBA record for futility with their 26th straight loss, falling 120-98 to the Houston Rockets. Philadelphia matches the 2010-11 Cleveland Cavaliers for the NBA’s worst skid.
2017 — UConn’s women’s basketball team advance to its 10th consecutive Final Four with a 90-52 victory against Oregon. The victory moves coach Geno Auriemma past Pat Summitt for the most NCAA Tournament victories at 113.
TV SPORTS WEDNESDAY
AMERICAN HOCKEY LEAGUE
8 p.m.
NHLN — Rockford at Chicago
AUSTRALIAN RULES FOOTBALL
4:30 a.m. (Thursday)
FS2 — AFL: Collingwood at Brisbane
COLLEGE BASEBALL
8 p.m.
PAC-12N — Seattle at Oregon
COLLEGE BASKETBALL (MEN’S)
5 p.m.
ESPN2 — CBI Tournament: TBD, Championship, Daytona Beach, Fla.
7 p.m.
ESPN2 — NIT Tournament: UNLV at Seton Hall, Quarterfinal, St. Joseph, Mo.
9 p.m.
ESPN2 — NIT Tournament: VCU at Utah, Quarterfinal, St. Joseph, Mo.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL (WOMEN’S)
7 p.m.
CBSSN — NCAA Division II Tournament: TBD, Semfinal
9:30 p.m.
CBSSN — NCAA Division II Tournament: TBD, Semfinal
COLLEGE LACROSSE (WOMEN’S)
4 p.m.
ESPNU — Loyola (Md.) at Syracuse
6 p.m.
BTN — Penn St. at Maryland
7 p.m.
ACCN — Xavier at Louisville
GOLF
3:30 a.m. (Thursday)
GOLF — DP World Tour: The Hero Indian Open, First Round, DLF Golf & Country Club – The Gary Player Course, New Delhi, India
HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL (BOY’S)
10 a.m.
NBATV — The Throne National Championship: Kell (Ga.) vs. Vikings (N.C.), First Round, East Rutherford, N.J.
11:45 a.m.
NBATV — The Throne National Championship: Panthers (Texas) vs. Eagles (Ill.), First Round, East Rutherford, N.J.
1:15 p.m.
NBATV — The Throne National Championship: Grayson (Ga.) vs. Jackson Redd (Washington), First Round, East Rutherford, N.J.
3 p.m.
NBATV — The Throne National Championship: Ridge View (S.C.) vs. Camden (N.J.), First Round, East Rutherford, N.J.
4:30 p.m.
NBATV — The Throne National Championship: TBD, First Round, East Rutherford, N.J.
NBA BASKETBALL
7:40 p.m.
ESPN — LA Clippers at Philadelphia
10:05 p.m.
ESPN — Phoenix at Denver
NHL HOKCEY
7:30 p.m.
TNT — Boston at Tampa Bay
TENNIS
1 p.m.
TENNIS — Miami-ATP/WTA Quarterfinals
7 p.m. TENNIS — Miami-ATP/WTA Quarterfinals