“THE SCOREBOARD”
INDIANA BOYS REGIONAL PAIRINGS
NORTHERN HOSTS
MICHIGAN CITY
CLASS 3A | 1 PM CT | EAST CHICAGO CENTRAL (19-8) VS. HANOVER CENTRAL (15-11)
CLASS 4A | 4 PM CT | PORTAGE (20-5) VS. CROWN POINT (21-2)
LOGANSPORT
CLASS 2A | 4 PM ET | MANCHESTER (22-2) VS. TIPTON (19-6)
CLASS 4A | 7 PM ET | HOMESTEAD (21-5) VS. CARROLL (FORT WAYNE) (11-15)
SOUTH BEND WASHINGTON
CLASS 3A | 1 PM ET | SOUTH BEND SAINT JOSEPH (23-3) VS. COLUMBIA CITY (17-9)
CLASS 4A | 4 PM ET | SOUTH BEND RILEY (21-4) VS. WARSAW COMMUNITY (25-4)
NEW CASTLE
CLASS 1A | 4 PM ET | DALEVILLE (9-15) VS. MONROE CENTRAL (18-6)
CLASS 3A | 7 PM ET | DELTA (16-7) VS. FORT WAYNE BLACKHAWK CHRISTIAN (24-3)
NORTH JUDSON-SAN PIERRE
CLASS 1A | 1 PM CT | KOUTS (22-4) VS. TRI-COUNTY (14-11)
CLASS 2A | 4 PM CT | FORT WAYNE BISHOP LUERS (21-6) VS. GARY 21ST CENTURY (19-6)
LAPEL
CLASS 2A | 4 PM ET | WESTERN BOONE (11-14) VS. WAPAHANI (25-1)
CLASS 3A | 7 PM ET | MACONAQUAH (20-5) VS. MARION (14-11)
TRITON
CLASS 1A | 1 PM ET | TRITON (22-4) VS. LAKEWOOD PARK CHRISTIAN (7-16)
CLASS 2A | 4 PM ET | JIMTOWN (15-10) VS. WESTVIEW (18-7)
FRANKFORT
CLASS 1A | 4 PM ET | CLINTON PRAIRIE (23-2) VS. LAFAYETTE CENTRAL CATHOLIC (12-14)
CLASS 4A | 7 PM ET | FISHERS (27-0) VS. HARRISON (WEST LAFAYETTE) (19-6)
SOUTHERN HOSTS
SOUTHPORT
CLASS 4A | 1 PM ET | MT. VERNON (FORTVILLE) (20-) VS. BROWNSBURG (13-12)
CLASS 4A | 4 PM ET | MOORESVILLE (14-11) VS. LAWRENCE NORTH (20-6)
SEYMOUR
CLASS 1A | 4 PM ET | CHRISTIAN ACADEMY (18-8) VS. ORLEANS (21-4)
CLASS 2A | 7 PM ET | SOUTH RIPLEY (23-1) VS. FOREST PARK (18-6)
LEBANON
CLASS 2A | 1 PM ET | TRITON CENTRAL (16-9) VS. UNIVERSITY (17-9)
CLASS 3A | 4 PM ET | INDIANAPOLIS CRISPUS ATTUCKS (19-6) VS. NORTHVIEW (24-2)
WASHINGTON
CLASS 3A | 4 PM ET | BROWNSTOWN CENTRAL (23-2) VS. EVANSVILLE MEMORIAL (18-6)
CLASS 4A | 7 PM ET | TERRE HAUTE NORTH VIGO (20-5) VS. WHITELAND COMMUNITY (15-11)
GREENFIELD-CENTRAL
CLASS 1A | 1 PM ET | NORTH DECATUR (14-13) VS. LIBERTY CHRISTIAN (17-8)
CLASS 3A | 4 PM ET | GUERIN CATHOLIC (23-4) VS. NEW PALESTINE (24-3)
SOUTHRIDGE
CLASS 3A | 4 PM ET | JENNINGS COUNTY (12-14) VS. PRINCETON COMMUNITY (23-2)
CLASS 4A | 7 PM ET | JEFFERSONVILLE (20-5) VS. EVANSVILLE HARRISON (17-7)
MARTINSVILLE
CLASS 1A | 1 PM ET | INDIANAPOLIS LUTHERAN (8-15) VS. HAUSER (23-3)
CLASS 2A | 4 PM ET | PARKE HERITAGE (23-4) VS. CENTERVILLE (20-7)
LOOGOOTEE
CLASS 1A | 4 PM ET | NORTHEAST DUBOIS (16-9) VS. CLAY CITY (24-1)
CLASS 2A | 7 PM ET | LINTON-STOCKTON (20-6) VS. PROVIDENCE (17-4)
MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
TOP 25 POLL
- DUKE 28 – 3
- HOUSTON 27 – 4
- AUBURN 27 – 4
- FLORIDA 27 – 4
- ALABAMA 24 – 7
- ST. JOHN’S 27 – 4
- MICHIGAN STATE 26 – 5
- TENNESSEE 25 – 6
- TEXAS TECH 24 – 7
- CLEMSON 26 – 5
- MARYLAND 24 – 7
- IOWA STATE 23 – 8
- LOUISVILLE 25 – 6
- TEXAS A&M 22 – 9
- KENTUCKY 21 – 10
- MEMPHIS 26 – 5
- BYU 23 – 8
- WISCONSIN 23 – 8
- ST. MARY’S 27 – 4
- PURDUE 21 – 10
- MISSOURI 21 – 10
- MICHIGAN 22 – 9
- OREGON 23 – 8
- ILLINOIS 20 – 11
- MARQUETTE 22 – 9
OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES:
DRAKE 103, ARIZONA 82, UCLA 52, UC SAN DIEGO 39, UCONN 38, GONZAGA 28, NEW MEXICO 20, CREIGHTON 18, MISSISSIPPI 17, VCU 6, HIGH POINT 4, KANSAS 3, AKRON 2, MCNEESE ST. 1, XAVIER 1.
USA TODAY MEN’S TOP 25 POLL
THE USA TODAY SPORTS TOP 25 MEN’S BASKETBALL POLL, WITH TEAM’S RECORDS THROUGH SUNDAY IN PARENTHESES, TOTAL POINTS BASED ON 25 FOR FIRST PLACE THROUGH ONE POINT FOR 25TH, RANKING IN LAST WEEK’S POLL AND FIRST-PLACE VOTES RECEIVED.
| RANK | SCHOOL (RECORD) | POINTS | LAST WEEK’S RANK | FIRST-PLACE VOTES |
| 1 | DUKE (28-3) | 770 | 2 | 26 |
| 2 | HOUSTON (27-4) | 729 | 3 | 2 |
| 3 | AUBURN (27-4) | 704 | 1 | 2 |
| 4 | FLORIDA (27-4) | 688 | 5 | 1 |
| 5 | ST. JOHN’S (27-4) | 618 | 6 | 0 |
| 6 | TENNESSEE (25-6) | 603 | 4 | 0 |
| 6 | MICHIGAN STATE (26-5) | 603 | 7 | 0 |
| 8 | ALABAMA (24-7) | 588 | 8 | 0 |
| 9 | TEXAS TECH (24-7) | 539 | 9 | 0 |
| 10 | CLEMSON (26-5) | 466 | 11 | 0 |
| 11 | MARYLAND (24-7) | 424 | 14 | 0 |
| 12 | IOWA STATE (23-8) | 415 | 10 | 0 |
| 13 | LOUISVILLE (25-6) | 414 | 13 | 0 |
| 14 | WISCONSIN (23-8) | 309 | 12 | 0 |
| 15 | SAINT MARY’S (27-4) | 286 | 17 | 0 |
| 16 | TEXAS A&M (22-9) | 281 | 21 | 0 |
| 17 | MEMPHIS (26-5) | 278 | 16 | 0 |
| 18 | BRIGHAM YOUNG (23-8) | 266 | 22 | 0 |
| 19 | KENTUCKY (21-10) | 205 | 24 | 0 |
| 20 | PURDUE (21-10) | 195 | 18 | 0 |
| 21 | MICHIGAN (22-9) | 114 | 15 | 0 |
| 22 | MISSOURI (21-10) | 95 | 19 | 0 |
| 23 | MARQUETTE (22-9) | 80 | 20 | 0 |
| 24 | ARIZONA (20-11) | 73 | 23 | 0 |
| 25 | ILLINOIS (20-11) | 55 | NR | 0 |
OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES: OREGON (23-8) 48; NEW MEXICO (25-6) 41; DRAKE (30-3) 39; CREIGHTON (22-9) 38; UC SAN DIEGO (28-4) 32; UCLA (22-9) 19; GONZAGA (23-8) 18; VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH (25-6) 13; MISSISSIPPI (21-10) 9; CONNECTICUT (22-9) 9; KANSAS (20-11) 6; MISSISSIPPI STATE (20-11) 4; HIGH POINT (29-5) 1.
MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL NET RANKINGS
THROUGH SUNDAY, MARCH 9
| TEAM | RECORD | CURRENT | PREVIOUS |
| DUKE | 28-3 | 1 | 1 |
| AUBURN | 27-4 | 2 | 2 |
| HOUSTON | 27-4 | 3 | 3 |
| FLORIDA | 27-4 | 4 | 4 |
| TENNESSEE | 25-6 | 5 | 5 |
| ALABAMA | 24-7 | 6 | 6 |
| TEXAS TECH | 24-7 | 7 | 7 |
| GONZAGA | 23-8 | 8 | 8 |
| IOWA ST. | 23-8 | 9 | 9 |
| MICHIGAN ST. | 26-5 | 10 | 11 |
| MARYLAND | 24-7 | 11 | 10 |
| KENTUCKY | 21-10 | 12 | 12 |
| ARIZONA | 20-11 | 13 | 13 |
| PURDUE | 21-10 | 14 | 14 |
| ILLINOIS | 20-11 | 15 | 15 |
| TEXAS A&M | 22-9 | 16 | 16 |
| ST. JOHN’S (NY) | 27-4 | 17 | 17 |
| KANSAS | 20-11 | 18 | 18 |
| SAINT MARY’S (CA) | 26-4 | 19 | 19 |
| WISCONSIN | 23-8 | 20 | 20 |
| MISSOURI | 21-10 | 21 | 21 |
| CLEMSON | 26-5 | 22 | 22 |
| LOUISVILLE | 25-6 | 23 | 23 |
| UCLA | 22-9 | 24 | 24 |
| MARQUETTE | 22-9 | 25 | 25 |
MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL SCOREBOARD MONDAY
#21 ST. MARY’S 74 PEPPERDINE 59
GONZAGA 85 SAN FRANCISCO 76
WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
TOP 25 AP POLL
- UCLA 30 – 2
- SOUTH CAROLINA 30 – 3
- CONNECTICUT 30 – 3
- USC 28 – 3
- TEXAS 31 – 3
- TCU 31 – 3
- DUKE 26 – 7
- NOTRE DAME 26 – 5
- NORTH CAROLINA STATE 26 – 6
- LSU 28 – 5
- OKLAHOMA 25 – 7
- NORTH CAROLINA 27 – 7
- KENTUCKY 22 – 7
- BAYLOR 27 – 7
- OHIO STATE 25 – 6
- WEST VIRGINIA 24 – 7
- OKLAHOMA STATE 25 – 6
- MARYLAND 23 – 7
- KANSAS STATE 26 – 7
- TENNESSEE 22 – 9
- ALABAMA 23 – 8
- CREIGHTON 26 – 5
- FLORIDA STATE 23 – 8
- SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 29 – 3
- OLE MISS 20 – 10
OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES:
VANDERBILT 41, MICHIGAN 31, MICHIGAN ST. 24, IOWA 15, LOUISVILLE 14, JAMES MADISON 13, GEORGIA TECH 8, CALIFORNIA 3, FAIRFIELD 2, UTSA 1.
WOMEN’S NET RANKINGS
THROUGH SUNDAY, MARCH 9
| TEAM | RECORD | CURRENT | PREVIOUS |
| UCONN | 30-3 | 1 | 1 |
| SOUTH CAROLINA | 30-3 | 2 | 2 |
| TEXAS | 31-3 | 3 | 3 |
| UCLA | 30-2 | 4 | 4 |
| NOTRE DAME | 26-5 | 5 | 5 |
| SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA | 28-3 | 6 | 6 |
| DUKE | 26-7 | 7 | 7 |
| TCU | 31-3 | 8 | 8 |
| KANSAS ST. | 26-7 | 9 | 9 |
| LSU | 28-5 | 10 | 10 |
| WEST VIRGINIA | 24-7 | 11 | 12 |
| OLE MISS | 20-10 | 12 | 11 |
| OKLAHOMA | 25-7 | 13 | 13 |
| TENNESSEE | 22-9 | 14 | 14 |
| BAYLOR | 27-7 | 15 | 15 |
| NC STATE | 26-6 | 16 | 16 |
| ALABAMA | 23-8 | 17 | 17 |
| KENTUCKY | 22-7 | 18 | 18 |
| OHIO ST. | 24-6 | 19 | 19 |
| NORTH CAROLINA | 27-7 | 20 | 20 |
| MICHIGAN ST. | 21-9 | 21 | 21 |
| VANDERBILT | 22-10 | 22 | 22 |
| MICHIGAN | 22-10 | 23 | 23 |
| IOWA | 22-10 | 24 | 24 |
| FLORIDA ST. | 23-8 | 25 | 25 |
WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL SCOREBOARD
#3 UCONN 70 #23 CREIGHTON 50
PURDUE FT. WAYNE 83 CLEVELAND STATE 65
OREGON STATE 63 GONZAGA 61
UNLV 80 BOISE STATE 70
SAN DIEGO STATE 63 NEW MEXICO 53
PORTLAND 72 WASHINGTON STATE 57
WYOMING 77 AIR FORCE 64
FRESNO STATE 54 COLORADO STATE 52
INDIANA COLLEGE BASEBALL
USA TODAY BASEBALL COACHES POLL
THE USA TODAY SPORTS TOP 25 BASEBALL POLL, WITH TEAM’S RECORDS THROUGH SUNDAY IN PARENTHESES, TOTAL POINTS BASED ON 25 FOR FIRST PLACE THROUGH ONE POINT FOR 25TH, RANKING IN LAST WEEK’S POLL AND FIRST-PLACE VOTES RECEIVED.
| RANK | SCHOOL (RECORD) | POINTS | LAST YEAR’S RANKINGS | FIRST-PLACE VOTES |
| 1 | TENNESSEE (16-0) | 721 | 1 | 25 |
| 2 | LSU (16-1) | 688 | 2 | 3 |
| 3 | ARKANSAS (15-1) | 652 | 3 | 0 |
| 4 | FLORIDA ST. (15-0) | 632 | 5 | 1 |
| 5 | GEORGIA (18-1) | 593 | 7 | 0 |
| 6 | CLEMSON (15-1) | 561 | 7 | 0 |
| 7 | FLORIDA (15-2) | 560 | 6 | 0 |
| 8 | NORTH CAROLINA (14-2) | 492 | 4 | 0 |
| 9 | TEXAS (13-1) | 460 | 9 | 0 |
| 10 | OREGON (14-2) | 453 | 13 | 0 |
| 11 | OREGON ST. (10-3) | 425 | 10 | 0 |
| 12 | OKLAHOMA (14-1) | 407 | 12 | 0 |
| 13 | WAKE FOREST (14-3) | 343 | 16 | 0 |
| 14 | VANDERBILT (13-3) | 310 | 18 | 0 |
| 15 | MISSISSIPPI (14-1) | 305 | 19 | 0 |
| 16 | ALABAMA (16-1) | 289 | 17 | 0 |
| 17 | UC SANTA BARBARA (13-2) | 275 | 15 | 0 |
| 18 | STANFORD (12-3) | 180 | NR | 0 |
| 19 | DALLAS BAPTIST (11-4) | 157 | 23 | 0 |
| 20 | VIRGINIA (9-5) | 147 | 11 | 0 |
| 21 | TEXAS A&M (9-6) | 110 | 14 | 0 |
| 22 | TROY (13-3) | 99 | 21 | 0 |
| 23 | AUBURN (13-3) | 98 | 20 | 0 |
| 24 | WEST VIRGINIA (14-1) | 79 | 24 | 0 |
| 25 | SOUTHERN MISS. (11-5) | 75 | 22 | 0 |
OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES: UC IRVINE (11-4) 61; COASTAL CAROLINA (12-4) 58; KENTUCKY (12-2) 35; MISSISSIPPI ST. (11-4) 29; KANSAS (14-1) 19; GEORGIA TECH (13-3) 16; UCLA (12-4) 15; OKLAHOMA ST. (9-6) 14; LOUISVILLE (12-2) 13; PURDUE (14-2) 12; TCU (12-4) 11; ARIZONA (11-4) 8; W. KENTUCKY (15-1) 7; DUKE (10-6) 4; FAU (12-3) 4; PENN STATE (11-2) 3; SOUTH CAROLINA (14-3) 2; UCF (12-3) 1; HAWAII (11-4) 1; TEXAS-RIO GRANDE VALLEY (11-2) 1.
COLLEGE BASEBALL SCOREBOARD
NO GAMES SCHEDULED
INDIANA COLLEGE SOFTBALL
NO GAMES SCHEDULED
INDIANA MEN’S LAX
NO GAMES SCHEDULED
INDIANA WOMEN’S LAX
NO GAMES SCHEDULED
NBA
ATLANTA 132 PHILADELPHIA 123
TORONTO 119 WASHINGTON 104
BOSTON 114 UTAH 108
CHARLOTTE 105 MIAMI 102
BROOKLYN 111 LA LAKERS 108
DENVER 140 OKLAHOMA CITY 127
CHICAGO 121 INDIANA 103
HOUSTON 97 ORLANDO 84
MEMPHIS 120 PHOENIX 118
DALLAS 133 SAN ANTONIO 129
GOLDEN STATE 130 PORTLAND 120
NEW YORK 133 SACRAMENTO 104
NHL
BUFFALO 3 EDMONTON 2
OTTAWA 2 DETROIT 1
COLORADO 3 CHICAGO 0
TORONTO 4 UTAH 3
MLB
NY YANKEES 10 DETROIT 2
PHILADELPHIA 4 MINNESOTA 1
TAMPA BAY 4 ATLANTA 3
TORONTO 8 HOUSTON 3
MIAMI 9 WASHINGTON 9
CLEVELAND 5 KANSAS CITY 2
CHICAGO WHITE SOX 10 LAS VEGAS 3
CHICAGO CUBS 7 CLEVELAND 4
LA DODGERS 6 ARIZONA 2
CINCINNATI 9 SAN DIEGO 3
SAN FRANCISCO 8 COLORADO 2
MILWAUKEE 7 SEATTLE 5
LA ANGELS 12 COLORADO 3
BALTIMORE 6 PITTSBURGH 3
MIAMI 10 WASHINGTON 5
NY METS 8 ST. LOUIS 0
MLS
NOTE GAMES SCHEDULED
TOP NATIONAL HEADLINES
NFL NEWS
**Khalil Mack will remain with the Los Angeles Chargers after agreeing to a one-year deal on Monday.
Mack’s $18 million salary for the 2025 season will be fully guaranteed according to two people familiar with the negotiations. The people spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because the Chargers did not release the contract terms.
Mack was selected to his ninth Pro Bowl in 2024 after being the only player in the league with at least six sacks and nine passes defensed.
Re-signing Mack was one of the top priorities for general manager Joe Hortiz and coach Jim Harbaugh before the new league year starts on Wednesday. It became more imperative after the team released fellow edge rusher Joey Bosa last Wednesday.
This was the first time that Mack was eligible to become an unrestricted free agent. He entered the league in 2014 when the Oakland Raiders made him the fifth overall pick in the draft. He was the 2016 AP Defensive Player of the Year before being traded to the Chicago Bears the week before the 2018 season after he and the Raiders could not agree on a contract extension.
Mack signed a six-year deal with the Bears that kicked in with the 2019 season before being dealt to the Chargers in 2022.
***The Jacksonville Jaguars have reached agreement on a three-year deal with free agent slot cornerback Jourdan Lewis, multiple outlets reported Monday.
The deal is reportedly for $30 million and includes $20 million guaranteed. Lewis will make $12.5 million in 2025, per NFL Network. The deal will become official Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET, the official start of the new league year.
He played last season on a one-year deal worth $2.82 million.
Lewis, 29, has spent his entire eight-year career with the Dallas Cowboys.
He has recorded 10 interceptions, 9.5 sacks and 44 passes defensed in 115 career games (64 starts) since the Cowboys selected him in the third round of the 2017 draft.
***The New York Giants agreed to a deal with unrestricted free agent cornerback Paulson Adebo, according to multiple reports Monday.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but reports pegged the value of the three-year deal at $30 million.
The move helps fill one of the Giants’ biggest offseason needs, finding someone to start alongside 2023 first-round pick Deonte Banks.
Adebo, 25, played four seasons with the New Orleans Saints but arrives with questions.
He missed the last 10 games of last season after undergoing surgery to repair a broken right femur suffered during a home loss to the Denver Broncos in October. Adebo said at the end of the season that he expects to be ready for training camp and recently posted a training video showing his progress, complete with sticking the landing on a backflip.
Adebo had three interceptions, 10 passes defensed and 52 tackles in seven starts on the season.
He has 254 tackles and 10 picks in 52 games (51 starts) since New Orleans drafted him in the third round in 2021.
***The New Orleans Saints are re-signing edge rusher Chase Young to a three-year, $51 million contract, NFL Network reported Monday. It could reach up to $57 million with incentives.
Young was selected by the Washington Commanders with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. He had a big rookie campaign in D.C. with 7.5 sacks, 10 tackles for loss and four forced fumbles. He won NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year and was selected to the Pro Bowl.
However, Young was limited to only 12 total games across the next two seasons due to injuries. In his limited action, his production declined, posting a combined 1.5 sacks.
In 2023, Young got off to a stronger start with five sacks and 18 quarterback pressures in seven games, then the Commanders dealt him to the San Francisco 49ers. In San Francisco, he had 2.5 sacks and seven quarterback pressures in nine games. He came up with a sack in Super Bowl LVIII.
Last offseason, the Saints signed him to a one-year, $13 million contract. The bet paid off, as Young played all 17 games, recording 5.5 sacks and eight tackles for loss.
The 25-year-old generated constant pressure, racking up a career-high 34 quarterback pressures and 21 quarterback hits, per Pro Football Reference.
****The Dallas Cowboys are signing running back Javonte Williams to a one-year, $3 million contract, according to multiple reports Monday. The deal can reach up to $3.5 million with incentives.
Williams was selected by the Denver Broncos in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft. He had a dynamic rookie season, rushing for 903 yards and four touchdowns. That included a 111-yard performance against the Cowboys in Week 9.
Williams was a menace after contact, leading the NFL with 31 broken tackles. As a receiver, he recorded 43 receptions for 316 yards and three touchdowns.
Four weeks into the 2022 campaign, Williams suffered a torn ACL, LCL and posterolateral corner and missed the rest of the season.
Despite the devastating injuries, Williams was able to return to the field. Last season, he rushed for 513 yards and four touchdowns, while hauling in 52 receptions for 346 yards. However, his 3.7 yards per carry underwhelmed.
The 24-year-old will look rebound in Dallas. The Cowboys are not planning to re-sign running back Rico Dowdle, an unrestricted free agent, per The Dallas Morning News. In 2024, Dowdle led the team in carries (235) and rushing yards (1,079).
It would mark the third consecutive season that the Cowboys lost their primary rusher. In 2022, Ezekiel Elliott led the team in carries (231) and was released. In 2023, Tony Pollard was the leader in both carries (252) and rushing yards (1,005), and he departed in free agency, signing with the Tennessee Titans.
****Kyle Juszczyk, coming off his ninth consecutive Pro Bowl season, will be released by the San Francisco 49ers, multiple media outlets reported on Monday.
The move will save the 49ers more than $2.9 million toward this year’s salary cap. Juszczyk was set to make a $4.1 million base salary in 2025 with a $6.5 million cap figure in the final season of a five-year contract.
Juszczyk, 33, is coming off his second All-Pro season — each in the past two years. The fullback produced 26 yards and a touchdown on five carries, and he had 200 yards and two TDs on 19 receptions.
He said following the season finale, according to ESPN, “I know I’m not done. I’m definitely not done playing. I’ve seen zero regression. I think especially, I mean, you can turn on the last two games and please show me where I’ve regressed, so I have no plans of stopping.”
Niners teammate George Kittle reacted to the news Friday by tweeting two emojis, a broken heart and a juice box.
In eight seasons with the 49ers, Juszczyk had 60 carries for 212 yards and five touchdowns plus 184 catches for 1,895 yards and 13 scores.
The Baltimore Ravens selected Juszczyk in the fourth round of the 2013 draft out of Harvard, and he spent four seasons with the franchise.
Overall, in 189 NFL games (142 starts), he has 67 carries for 237 yards and six touchdowns to go with 281 receptions for 2,664 yards and 18 TDs.
***Free agent cornerback DJ Reed agreed to a three-year, $48 million contract with the Detroit Lions, according to multiple reports Monday.
Reed spent the past three seasons with the New York Jets and details of his deal with the Lions came soon after news of the Patriots signing away Carlton Davis, who played with Detroit in 2024.
Reed, 28, was a fifth-round pick of the 49ers in 2018 and was claimed off waivers by the Seahawks in 2020 before signing a three-year, $33 million contract with the Jets as an unrestricted free agent in 2022.
Reed has six career interceptions and 51 passes defensed.
The 5-9, 195-pound corner can play inside for the Lions, who employ a significant number of nickel packages to maximize the versatility of their safety tandem of Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch.
The cornerback room in Detroit is green behind Reed and Amik Robertson, 26, who emerged as the top cover corner after Davis broke his jaw in December.
A pair of 2024 draft picks, Terrion Arnold (first round) and Ennis Rakestraw Jr. (second), are also on the current CB depth chart. Arnold is projected as a starter again after making 15 starts in 16 games as a rookie. Rakestraw was never fully healthy because of a hamstring injury.
***The Los Angeles Rams re-signed quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to a one-year, $11 million deal to be their primary backup again in 2025, ESPN and NFL Network reported Monday.
Garoppolo, 33, played the 2024 season on a one-year deal worth $3.1 million. He started the regular season finale in place of a resting Matthew Stafford, throwing for 334 yards in a meaningless 30-25 loss to Seattle.
Garoppolo was receiving interest from other teams, per ESPN.
Garoppolo is 43-21 as a starter in his career, throwing for 15,828 yards, 96 touchdowns and 52 interceptions for the New England patriots (2014-16), San Francisco 49ers (2017-22), Las Vegas Raiders (2023) and Rams.
He was selected in the second round of the 2014 draft by the Patriots and started for the 49ers in a Super Bowl LIV loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
**CHARLOTTE N.C. (AP) — Jaycee Horn has agreed to a four-year contract extension with the Carolina Panthers worth $100 million, including $70 million in guaranteed money, making him the highest-paid cornerback in the NFL, according to a person familiar with the situation.
The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Monday because the team has not released the terms of the contract.
The Panthers announced on their website that Horn has agreed to terms, but did not release his compensation.
The No. 8 pick in the 2021 draft, Horn is coming off his first Pro Bowl after having 68 tackles, two sacks and one interception.
Horn has battled through injuries throughout his career, but Panthers GM Dan Morgan said recently at the NFL combine he views him as the centerpiece of the defense.
Horn has played the past four seasons for Carolina, and when healthy has been a shutdown cornerback.
But keeping him on the field has been an issue. This past season Horn played in a career-high 15 games for Carolina, which failed to make the playoffs for the seventh straight season. In the three years prior to the 2024 season, Horn was limited to 25 games because of injuries.
Horn had one year left on his rookie contract with the Panthers.
***The Seattle Seahawks have found the replacement for Geno Smith, agreeing to a three-year, $100.5 million contract with Sam Darnold, a person with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press on Monday.
The person, speaking to the AP on condition of anonymity because teams can’t sign free agents until Wednesday, said $55 million of the contract is guaranteed. Darnold will earn $37.5 million in 2025.
Darnold had a breakthrough season in his only year in Minnesota, throwing for 4,319 yards and 35 TDs while posting a 102.5 passer rating and leading the Vikings to 14 wins.
Darnold was drafted third overall by the New York Jets in 2018, but struggled mightily during three seasons with the Jets and two with Carolina. His 78.2 passer rating during that time ranked third worst among 53 QBs with at least 500 attempts.
But the 27-year-old Darnold has revitalized his career since then.
After spending the 2023 season as a backup in San Francisco, Darnold finally played to his potential for most of the season. His 12 games with multiple TD passes and a passer rating of at least 100 ranking tied for the fourth most ever in a season, trailing only MVP seasons from Aaron Rodgers (2011 and 2020) and Patrick Mahomes (2018).
***After parting ways with quarterback Aaron Rodgers last month, the New York Jets are bringing in Justin Fields, coming to terms on a two-year, $40 million deal with the former first-round pick, multiple media outlets reported Monday.
Per the reports, $30 million of the contract is guaranteed.
Rodgers, whom the Jets plan to release Wednesday when the new league year opens, is rumored to join Fields’ former team, the Pittsburgh Steelers, per an ESPN report on Monday.
With the Jets, the 26-year-old Fields already has a built-in rapport with wide receiver Garrett Wilson, who played with Fields at Ohio State.
Sharing QB duties with Russell Wilson in Pittsburgh last season, Fields threw five touchdowns and one interception in 10 games (six starts), completing 106 passes for 1,106 yards with a career-high completion percentage of 65.8.
The Steelers acquired Fields from the Chicago Bears, who last March traded their 2021 first-round pick in exchange for a 2025 sixth-round selection.
With the Bears (2021-23) and Steelers, Fields — the No. 11 pick in 2021 — has 45 touchdowns and 31 interceptions while completing 61.1 percent of his passes in 50 games (44 starts). He’s also rushed for 19 scores and 2,509 yards.
***Cornerback Isaiah Rodgers is leaving the reigning Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles, agreeing to a two-year, $15 million contract with the Minnesota Vikings, ESPN reported on Monday.
Per the report, Rodgers’ deal includes a guaranteed $8 million.
Rodgers, 27, finished his lone season in Philadelphia with 26 tackles, four passes defended and a forced fumble in 15 games (three starts).
Vikings No. 1 cornerback Byron Murphy is expected to explore free agency.
In four postseason games, he notched six tackles, four passes defended and a fumble recovery, which came in the NFC divisional-round win over the Los Angeles Rams.
A sixth-round pick of the Indianapolis Colts in the 2020 draft, Rodgers played three seasons with the Colts before sitting out the 2023 season for a violation of the NFL’s gambling policy.
In 60 games (13) over four seasons, Rodgers has 116 tackles, three interceptions, 14 passes defended, two forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries.
***PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Saquon Barkley won the Super Bowl with the Philadelphia Eagles, set the NFL record for the most single-season rushing yards including the playoffs and raised the bar for running back contracts.
Now he’s focused on cementing his legacy and place in football history.
Addressing reporters Monday to discuss his two-year, $41.2 million contract extension with $36 million guaranteed that made him league’s highest-paid player at the position, Barkley already has turned his attention to building the best season of his career so far.
“I want to be, if not the greatest running back of all time, one of the greatest running backs of all time,” Barkley said. “I hope I’m able to do that in an Eagle uniform.”
Barkley celebrated his 28th birthday by helping Philadelphia beat the Kansas City Chiefs 40-22 to win the second Super Bowl championship in franchise history.
“The parade was cool, winning a Super Bowl on your birthday was cool,” Barkley said. “It comes back to you that you’re a Super Bowl champion. But you kind of lose focus on that already because you start thinking about how you’re going to be able to do it again. That’s just the nature of the sport. You have your time to celebrate it, but you win and you move on.”
Barkley fell 101 yards short of breaking Eric Dickerson’s regular-season record because he was rested rather than playing in a meaningless Week 18 game against his former team, the New York Giants. He rushed for 2,504 yards from the start of the season through the Super Bowl to top Terrell Davis’ mark of 2,476.
While he is only doing light workouts now with a plan to ramp things up in April, Barkley said he already has spoken with running backs coach Jemal Singleton about improvements moving forward. He would like to be better at running while carrying the ball in his left hand, among other things.
“You’ve got a whole new year and everything that you did last year happened last year,” Barkley said. “You’ve got find new ways to create that again.”
After a recent trend of teams devaluing running backs, Barkley hopes his contract helps James Cook, Bijan Robinson, Jahmyr Gibbs and others get paid their worth in the coming days, weeks, months and years. His goal is for his deal not to be the most lucrative at the position for too long.
“I hope they beat it,” Barkley said. “That’s what this sport is about and building the position up and all those young guys that’s underneath me right now when they get when it’s their time, hopefully they beat it and max it out even more and in five and 10 years, it’s the same thing for those running backs that are playing in high school and college right now. That’s the goal. It’s happening for every other position, and I think it should happen for our position, too.”
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (AP) — Bowling Green hired former NFL running back and Tennessee State coach Eddie George on Sunday as the Falcons’ head coach.
George was a four-time NFL Pro Bowl running back and an All-Pro, and was the 1996 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year after winning the 1995 Heisman Trophy at Ohio State.
George was the head coach the last four years at Tennessee State, where he was named the Big South-Ohio Valley Conference Coach of the Year last season. George led the Tigers to a share of the league championship and a berth in the Football Championship Series playoffs. He also was a runner-up for the Eddie Robinson National Coach of the Year award.
He’s the 21st head coach in Falcons’ history and replaces Scot Loeffler, who left Bowling Green after six seasons to become the Philadelphia Eagles’ quarterbacks coach.
Bowling Green President Rodney K. Rogers said George has embraced innovation and growth throughought his career, both in and out of football.
“Eddie is uniquely positioned to bring this mindset to our football program, leveraging our momentum and generating excitement in this shifting landscape of collegiate sports,” Rogers said in a statement. “In addition to his experience as a successful DI head coach, Eddie brings a deep understanding of holistic student-athlete development both in sport and in life, and we are excited for his leadership of this program.”
MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Duke ended Auburn’s eight-week stay at No. 1 in the AP Top 25 men’s college basketball poll on Monday, while the Tigers dropped to third behind Houston as all three programs began preparing for their conference tournaments.
The Blue Devils took advantage of back-to-back losses by Auburn to ascend to the top spot for the first time since November 2021, when Duke spent a week there in Hall of Fame coach Mike Krzyzewski’s farewell season. The Blue Devils received 52 of 61 votes from the national media panel, while the Cougars picked up five and the Tigers held onto the other four.
“Just my luck to be No. 1 going into the postseason when it really doesn’t matter,” Duke coach Jon Scheyer said with a laugh. “We haven’t talked about it one time. We have talked about being No. 1 when this thing is all said and done.”
The Blue Devils, who will be the No. 1 seed in the ACC Tournament when they begin play in Thursday’s quarterfinals, beat Wake Forest in a rout last week before topping rival North Carolina on Saturday in Chapel Hill.
The Cougars, the top seed in the Big 12 Tournament, climbed to their highest ranking of the season. Auburn fell three spots but will still be the No. 1 seed in the SEC Tournament, despite its close losses to then-No. 23 Texas A&M and then-No. 7 Alabama.
“Those are two teams capable of getting to the Final Four,” Tigers coach Bruce Pearl said after watching the Crimson Tide’s Mark Sears hit a buzzer-beater for a 93-91 overtime win in Auburn’s home finale Saturday.
Florida, which beat Alabama earlier in the week, moved up one spot to fourth while the Crimson Tide climbed two spots to fifth in Monday’s poll. St. John’s remained sixth after its overtime win over then-No. 20 Marquette on Saturday. Michigan State was seventh, Tennessee dropped four spots to eighth, Texas Tech was ninth and Clemson rounded out the top 10.
While some conferences are already crowning champions and awarding NCAA Tournament berths, the ACC and Big 12 are among the power leagues that begin play Tuesday. The Big Ten and SEC tournaments open on Wednesday.
“My standards are probably a little bit different. I think there’s areas we need to continue to get better in,” said Houston coach Kelvin Sampson, whose team rolls into the Big 12 quarterfinals on Thursday riding a 10-game winning streak.
“I’m never going to say we’re playing our best ball because I prefer to think our best ball’s ahead of us,” Sampson said, “so we’ve just got to continue to work. That’s the bottom line. Stay humble and just keep working.”
In and out
Oregon, the eighth seed in the Big Ten Tournament, returned to the poll at No. 23 while Illinois — the seventh seed — is back in at No. 24. Their spots came at the expense of Arizona, which lost at Kansas, and Mississippi State, which did not receive a single vote after losing close games to Texas and Arkansas last week.
Rising and falling
Texas A&M made the biggest move in the poll, climbing eight spots to No. 14 after wins over then-No. 1 Auburn and LSU. BYU jumped six spots to No. 17 after a double-overtime win over then-No. 10 Iowa State and a victory over Utah.
Wisconsin and Missouri tumbled six spots apiece this week. The Badgers fell to No. 18 after losing to Penn State on Saturday while the Tigers fell to No. 21 after losing to Oklahoma and then-No. 19 Kentucky.
Conference watch
The SEC and Big Ten led the way with seven teams apiece in the Top 25, though the SEC had three of the top 5 and six in the top 15, while the Big Ten had one in the top 10. The Big 12 had four ranked teams, the ACC three, the Big East two and the American Athletic and West Coast conferences one each.
***KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The new-look Big 12 Tournament begins with the first of three straight quadruple-headers Tuesday, and the addition of four new programs and the departure of Texas and Oklahoma aren’t the only things that promise to make it look a bit different.
Kansas as the No. 6 seed for a second straight year? Cincinnati playing on the opening day as the No. 13 seed?
Nobody would have expected that at the start of the season.
But after the first run through the expanded 16-team league crowned Houston the regular-season champion and No. 1 seed, and set up the rest of the bracket for the T-Mobile Center, that is exactly what the Big 12 is looking at this week.
“I still think there’s enough gas in the tank that we can play our best moving forward,” said Kansas coach Bill Self, whose team was preseason No. 1 in the AP Top 25 but will now play No. 11 seed Utah or No. 14 seed UCF in Wednesday’s second round.
“We needed confidence,” Self said after a win over Arizona on Saturday, “from the way the game went, from playing well, from an energy standpoint, from falling behind, from losing all momentum, from players making plays on their own to rallying together.
“This game from a team standpoint had a lot of good things in it that should give us confidence moving forward.”
Meanwhile, the Bearcats were ranked as high as No. 14 in early December before collapsing in conference play. They went just 7-13 against Big 12 teams to fall into a tie with UCF and ahead of only Arizona State and Colorado. Now, Wes Miller’s team is in the position of needing a big run — perhaps at least to the title game — to reach the NCAA Tournament.
The Bearcats have played in the NIT each of the past two seasons.
As for the best of the league’s newcomers, Arizona tied for third in the standings but earned the No. 3 seed ahead of BYU due to tiebreaker procedures. That means the Wildcats could face Kansas again in Thursday’s quarterfinal round.
“We’ve got a couple of days to recover and get our minds right and build, build for this postseason,” Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd said. “Obviously I got really high standards for myself and the program and I wish we were higher than third, but it’s where we ended up. I don’t think there’s anything to be ashamed of being third in the Big 12. So now we got to prepare for the conference tournament and see what we can do. I’m looking forward to the Big 12 Tournament and experiencing that.”
More new faces
Utah earned the No. 11 seed for its first Big 12 tourney, despite firing coach Craig Smith a few weeks ago, and will play UCF on Tuesday. Arizona State landed the No. 15 seed and will play No. 10 seed Kansas State. And Colorado, which returned to the Big 12 after a foray in the Pac-12, is seeded last and will open against No. 9 seed TCU on Tuesday.
Tournament favorites
Houston rolls into town having won 10 straight, including victories over No. 2 seed Texas Tech and fifth-seeded Iowa State. In fact, the Cougars have lost just once since November — an 82-81 overtime loss to the Red Raiders on Feb. 1.
The Cougars, who were beset by injuries at the time, lost to Iowa State in the Big 12 title game last season.
“There’s a winning DNA that this program has had for a long time that all the new players have to buy into, and it can’t be one foot in, one foot out. You have to surrender to this crazy culture that we have,” Cougars coach Kelvin Sampson said. “I don’t think by any stretch of the imagination are we a great team, (but) we are a good team.”
Defending champions
Iowa State will play the Cincinnati-Oklahoma State winner in Wednesday’s second round. The Cyclones were ranked as high as No. 2 in the AP Top 25 earlier this season before injuries and illnesses set in. They wound up losing three of their last five in the regular season, including a loss to the Cowboys in Stillwater late last month.
Curious coaching case
The Utes will be led by interim coach Josh Eilert in Kansas City, despite announcing last week the hiring of former star Alex Jensen as their next head coach. Jensen had been serving as an assistant with the Dallas Mavericks.
“I had a great talk with him,” Eilert said. “We had a great conversation and he’s leaning on me to lead the program.”
Other coaching situations
There could be more Big 12 vacancies after the Tournament. Arizona State’s Bobby Hurley has made only three NCAA tourneys in 10 seasons, while UCF coach Johnny Dawkins has qualified just once in nine seasons.
***Kon Knueppel and Duke had just beaten rival North Carolina to clinch the outright Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season title, holding off Louisville and Clemson.
“It’s great not to share it with anybody, either,” the freshman said. “And we want two more.”
The Blue Devils — who climbed to No. 1 in the AP Top 25 on Monday for the first time in the Jon Scheyer era — have been a Final Four favorite all year. Now they’re headed into the madness of March, starting as the top seed in this week’s ACC Tournament in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The tournament opens Tuesday, with the Blue Devils, 10th-ranked Tigers and 13th-ranked Cardinals opening play Thursday as the headliners with a double-round bye to the quarterfinals.
Duke (28-3) closed out UNC down the stretch on Saturday night to complete the first 19-1 league season since the ACC went to a 20-game slate for the 2019-20 season. That completed a dominant run through the league by averaging a nearly 22-point margin of victory, though the Blue Devils blew a 15-point first-half lead and had to rally from seven down early in the second half to turn back the Tar Heels.
After a schedule full of blowouts, it was a perfectly timed test for Scheyer, who told his team at halftime that it was “incredible to go through.”
“It’s not smooth sailing going forward,” Scheyer said.
And had the Blue Devils lost, they would’ve ended up in a three-way tie for the regular-season crown with Louisville and Clemson — then slid all the way to the 3-seed. That despite being the nation’s only team in the top five of KenPom’s adjusted efficiency both offensively (129.1 points per 100 possessions) and defensively (89.4).
Rapid rise
Louisville (25-6) is the 2-seed, a remarkably fast rise from despair since the hiring of Pat Kelsey.
The Cardinals hadn’t reached 20 wins since the COVID-19 pandemic, winning just 12 games over the past two seasons under Kenny Payne while losing 35 of 40 league regular-season games. But Kelsey’s arrival and a retooled roster changed that trajectory.
Wisconsin transfer Chucky Hepburn (16.3 points) has been at the forefront of a season that has seen Louisville lose just once since mid-December. That included beating the Tigers, earning a head-to-head tiebreaker among teams that went 18-2 in league play.
Steady winners
Clemson (26-5) is the 3-seed, the latest strong season in Brad Brownell’s sustained success coming after last year’s trip to the NCAA Elite Eight.
This is Clemson’s third straight season with at least 23 wins, including Duke’s lone league loss in this year’s list. The Tigers have lost just once since falling at Louisville on Jan. 7, a triple-overtime home loss to Georgia Tech.
“To be consistent in your performance is challenging,” coach Brad Brownell said after Saturday’s win against Virginia Tech. “It takes a mature group. We have that.”
Bubble watch
North Carolina is the top name to watch in terms of bubble teams entering the week.
The Tar Heels (20-12, No. 40 NET) played their way back into contention for a bid to the NCAA Tournament by winning six straight with more confidence and cohesion before the weekend loss to Duke. That was the last assured chance for a resume-boosting win for a team that is just 1-11 in Quadrant 1 games.
Fifth-seeded UNC will face the Pittsburgh-Notre Dame winner in Wednesday’s second round. A win there would earn a matchup with another team trying to play its way in with fourth-seeded Wake Forest (21-10, 69th NET) — with the Blue Devils waiting in that half of the bracket.
Rookies
Westward expansion brought three new teams into the fold this year and this will be their debut in the tournament. SMU is the 6-seed, while Stanford is the 7-seed and both have a bye into the second round.
California is the 15-seed, facing 10th-seeded Virginia Tech in Tuesday’s second first-round game.
The schedule
It’s a 15-team bracket for the expanded 18-team league in a departure from the days of full-participation formats.
Reigning champion N.C. State didn’t make the cut, a remarkable crashout after last year’s improbable run that included winning five games in five days to claim its first ACC title since 1987, followed by the program reaching its first Final four since 1983. And that collapse ultimately cost coach Kevin Keatts his job.
Boston College and Miami were the other teams to miss the tournament.
The winners of Tuesday’s three first-round games play again Wednesday in a round that includes a matchup between eighth-seeded Georgia Tech and ninth-seeded Virginia.
The semifinals are Friday night, followed by the championship on Saturday night — less than 24 hours before the NCAA selection committee announces the 68-team field for March Madness.
****Paulius Murauskas and Augustas Marciulionis scored 15 points apiece to help No. 19 Saint Mary’s roll to a 74-59 victory over Pepperdine on Monday night in Las Vegas to reach the West Coast Conference championship game.
Luke Barrett added 13 points and eight rebounds in the semifinal clash as the top-seeded Gaels (28-4) won their eighth consecutive game. Saint Mary’s will face either second-seeded Gonzaga or third-seeded San Francisco in the title contest.
Murauskas collected 10 rebounds for his 13th double-double of the season while Marciulionis added seven rebounds and five assists for the Gaels. Mitchell Saxen had nine points and eight rebounds for Saint Mary’s, which is the defending tournament champion.
Moe Odum scored 19 points for the ninth-seeded Waves (13-22) to wrap up a stellar four-game tournament run in which he averaged 21.5 points and 9.3 assists. Odum had three straight double-doubles to lead Pepperdine to three upset victories.
Stefan Todorovic added 10 points for the Waves.
Saint Mary’s went 3-0 against Pepperdine this season, winning by an average of 23 points.
The Gaels shot 50 percent from the field but was a shaky 2 of 13 from 3-point range. Saint Mary’s held a commanding 45-22 rebounding advantage.
The Waves made 39.3 percent of their attempts and were 5 of 18 from behind the arc.
Pepperdine started strong while playing for the fourth straight day and led 18-13 less than eight minutes into the game.
Saint Mary’s answered with 10 straight points to take the lead for good. The margin reached 13 on two free throws by Harry Wessels with 2:15 remaining before the Gaels settled for a 39-29 lead at the break.
Odum scored 12 first-half points for Pepperdine, while Barrett, Marciulionis and Saxen had nine points apiece for Saint Mary’s.
Back-to-back putbacks by Barrett and Murauskas increased the Gaels’ lead to 48-33 with 15:48 left in the game.
Saint Mary’s made it a one-sided affair with a 16-2 burst.
Murauskas capped a string of seven straight points with a basket to make it 59-38 with 12:10 remaining.
After Boubacar Coulibaly’s dunk for Pepperdine, the Gaels scored nine straight points — the last four by Wessels — to make it 68-40 with 7:39 left in the game.
The Waves finished the game with a 14-2 surge to trim the margin of defeat.
WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
UCLA vaulted back up to No. 1 in The Associated Press women’s basketball Top 25 on Monday after beating USC for the Big Ten title over the weekend.
The Bruins, who spent 12 weeks atop the poll before losing to the rival Trojans in early February, received 16 first-place votes from a national panel to jump from fourth to first. It was the second time this season that the Bruins leaped over a few teams to move up to No. 1. UCLA topped then-No. 1 South Carolina before Thanksgiving to move up four places to claim the top ranking.
South Carolina knocked off previous No. 1 Texas in the Southeastern Conference Tournament championship game and moved up to second from fifth in the poll. The Gamecocks garnered nine first-place ballots.
UConn remained third going into Monday night’s game against No. 22 Creighton for the Big East title. The Huskies received the other seven first-place votes.
USC, which beat UCLA twice in the regular season, fell two spots to fourth and Texas dropped to fifth.
TCU climbed up two spots to sixth for the highest ranking in school history after topping Baylor for the Big Ten championship Sunday. The Horned Frogs last won a tournament title in 2005 when they were a member of Conference USA.
Duke moved up four places to seventh after it beat N.C. State for the ACC championship. It was the Blue Devils’ first tournament title in 12 years. It’s also the team’s best ranking since it was also seventh on Nov. 17, 2014.
Notre Dame fell to eighth, with N.C. State and LSU rounding out the top 10.
Ins and outs
Mississippi joined the poll at No. 25 after reaching the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament. Ole Miss was ranked for the first nine weeks of the season. Michigan State fell out of the poll.
Getting recognition
UTSA received a vote in the poll for the first time in school history. The Roadrunners finished off the regular season with a school record 26 wins, including a 17-1 mark in the American Athletic Conference. The 17 conference victories match the school mark set in 2002-03 when the team was in the Southland Conference.
The team is led by conference player of the year Jordyn Jenkins and is coached by Karen Aston.
Conference breakdown
The Southeastern Conference has eight ranked teams. The ACC and Big 12 each have five while the Big Ten has four. The Big East has two and the Summit League one.
Games of the week
With the power conference tournaments finished, attention turns to the mid-major showdowns. The MAAC, NEC and Ivy League all have their championships this weekend.
NBA NEWS
Cameron Johnson scored 18 points, including a clutch foul-line jumper over Luka Doncic with 59.6 seconds remaining as the Brooklyn Nets snapped a seven-game losing streak by holding on for a 111-108 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday in New York.
Johnson made 6 of 14 shots, none bigger than the 14-footer he hit over Doncic to put the Nets ahead 106-100. Johnson’s shot gave Brooklyn some breathing room when Doncic sank an open 35-foot 3-pointer off an inbounds play with 11.5 seconds left to bring the Lakers within 108-106.
Following a three-point play by the Nets’ Noah Clowney, the Lakers’ Austin Reaves hit a layup with 3.2 seconds remaining, cutting the gap to three. Johnson then missed two free throws with 2.3 seconds left. The game ended when Doncic was well short on a 77-foot desperation 3-point heave.
Doncic recorded his second triple-double as a Laker by totaling 22 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists but shot 8-for-26. Gabe Vincent scored a season-high 24 as Los Angeles fell in the first game since LeBron James injured his left groin.
Nuggets 140, Thunder 127
Nikola Jokic scored 35 and Jamal Murray added 34 to lift Denver to a win at Oklahoma City.
The result snapped a seven-game winning streak for the Thunder and gave Denver a tie in the season series, with each team winning two games each. On Sunday, the Thunder earned a 127-103 home win over Denver.
Jokic added finished with 18 rebounds and eight assists. Luguentz Dort scored 26 points while Shai Gilgeous-ALeander added 25 points and seven assists for the Thunder, who saw Jalen Williams exit with a right hip strain.
Raptors 119, Wizards 104
Reserve A.J. Lawson set career bests with 32 points and 12 rebounds as Toronto defeated visiting Washington.
Immanuel Quickley added 15 points for the Raptors, who have won four of their past five games. Scottie Barnes had 14 points and 13 rebounds, RJ Barrett added 14 points and 10 rebounds and Orlando Robinson posted season highs of 13 points and 11 rebounds. Toronto had a 73-54 advantage in rebounds.
Jordan Poole and Alex Sarr each scored 16 points for the Wizards, who had won two straight. Sarr added 11 rebounds. Tristan Vukcevic contributed 15 points, Kyshawn George had 13 points and five blocks and Corey Kispert also finished with 13 points.
Celtics 114, Jazz 108
Sam Hauser made nine 3-pointers and scored a game-high 33 points as host Boston extended its winning streak to five games by beating Utah.
Jaylen Brown had 26 points, eight rebounds and seven assists for the Celtics, who also received 18 points, 10 assists and five rebounds from Derrick White. Jayson Tatum (knee), Kristaps Porzingis (illness) and Al Horford (toe) were out.
John Collins amassed 28 points and 10 rebounds for the Jazz, who have lost six in a row and 12 straight on the road. Brice Sensabaugh added 22 points.
Hawks 132, 76ers 123
Dyson Daniels scored 25 points to pace six double-figure scorers and help Atlanta defeat visiting Philadelphia. It was the third straight win for the Hawks, and the 13th loss in 15 games for the 76ers.
The Hawks, who were without Trae Young (quad) and Caris LeVert (finger) also got 22 points and eight rebounds from Zaccharie Risacher plus a season-high 19 points from Terance Mann.
Philadelphia was led by Quentin Grimes with 35 points, seven rebounds, five assists and three steals. Ricky Council IV scored 19.
Knicks 133, Kings 104
Karl-Anthony Towns recorded 26 points and nine rebounds and OG Anunoby added 24 points, eight assists, seven rebounds and five steals to help New York roll over host Sacramento.
Miles “Deuce” McBride was 4 of 5 from 3-point range while recording 21 points and seven assists as New York snapped a three-game slide. Jalen Brunson (ankle) was out for the second straight game.
Malik Monk scored 21 points for the Kings after missing the previous three games with a sprained right toe. Sacramento lost for the third time in four games as Domantas Sabonis (hamstring) remained out.
Hornets 105, Heat 102
Miles Bridges scored a game-high 35 points as Charlotte prevailed at Miami, overcoming a 17-point second-quarter deficit.
Mark Williams logged 24 points and 10 rebounds and LaMelo Ball added 15 points and 10 assists as the Hornets won their second game in a row after dropping nine straight.
The Heat took their fourth loss in a row and fell to 15-15 at home. Bam Adebayo led Miami with 23 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists, but he and Tyler Herro missed 3-point shots in the last seconds that would have tied the score.
Rockets 97, Magic 84
Jabari Smith Jr. scored a team-high 20 points, Alperen Sengun and Steven Adams recorded double-doubles and Houston turned a stifling defensive performance into a victory over visiting Orlando.
Sengun produced 14 points and 14 rebounds while Adams had 11 points with a season-high 17 rebounds, who have won three in a row.
Paolo Banchero scored a game-high 25 points for the Magic, who shot just 32.6 percent and were unable to fully capitalize on forcing 20 turnovers.
Mavericks 133, Spurs 129
Spencer Dinwiddie scored 28 points off the bench as undermanned Dallas outlasted host San Antonio in the first of two games in three nights between the Lone Star State rivals.
Despite being short-handed, Dallas snapped a season-worst five game losing streak. Klay Thompson added 26 points for Dallas, while Naji Marshall hit for 23, Kessler and Edwards racked up 22 points and 11 rebounds.
Harrison Barnes led the Spurs with a season-high 29 points and Keldon Johnson tied his season best with 28. Devin Vassell added 24 points for San Antonio, which has dropped three straight and four of its past five games.
Warriors 130, Trail Blazers 120
Gary Payton II and Buddy Hield combined for 10 3-pointers, Jimmy Butler III recorded a triple-double and Golden State used superior depth to outlast Portland in San Francisco.
Stephen Curry had five 3-pointers for Golden State, increasing his career total to 3,998 in his quest to become the first NBA player to reach 4,000. Payton equaled his career high with the four treys, and while he didn’t add another in the second half, he did manage a career-best 26 points.
Deni Avdija poured in a game-high 34 points, his season high, to complement a game-high 16 rebounds and six assists for the Trail Blazers, who lost their fourth straight.
Grizzlies 120, Suns 118
Ja Morant scored 29 points and added 12 assists to lead injury-depleted Memphis past visiting Phoenix.
The Grizzlies won their third straight and swept the season series against the Suns. Reserve guard Cam Spencer scored 16 points for the Grizzlies. GG Jackson and Jay Huff scored 14 each while Lamar Stevens and Scotty Pippen Jr. chipped in 13 apiece.
Kevin Durant had an opportunity to win the game at the buzzer, but missed a deep 3-pointer. Durant scored a game-high 35 for the Suns, who also got 26 points, nine rebounds and six assists from Devin Booker. Tyus Jones added 12 points plus seven assists and Nick Richards contributed 10 points and 12 boards.
Bulls 121, Pacers 103
Josh Giddey scored a season-high 29 points to go with 10 rebounds and Coby White added 29 points to lift host Chicago to a victory against slumping Indiana.
Giddey and White sparked the team’s 50 percent shooting effort from the field, going a combined 22-for-38 in the game while teaming for 25 points during Chicago’s 40-point second quarter. Giddey finished two points shy of matching his career best before leaving the game with a right ankle injury midway through the fourth quarter.
Indiana, which has lost three in a row, fell into a tie with the Detroit Pistons for fifth place in the Eastern Conference, one game behind the fourth-place Milwaukee Bucks. Myles Turner scored 15 points to top Indiana. Pascal Siakam (13 points), Ben Sheppard (12) and Obi Toppin (10) followed.
NHL NEWS
Nathan MacKinnon had two assists to reach 1,000 points for his career and the Colorado Avalanche scored twice early in the third period to beat the Chicago Blackhawks 3-0 on Monday in Denver.
Scott Wedgewood made 20 saves for his second shutout of the season and the eighth of his career as the Avalanche completed a 6-0-0 homestand.
Martin Necas, Artturi Lehkonen and Joel Kiviranta scored.
Spencer Knight turned away 18 shots and 19-year-old defenseman Artyom Levshunov made his NHL debut for Chicago.
Senators 2, Red Wings 1
Linus Ullmark made 48 saves and Dylan Cozens’ power-play goal with 5:04 remaining broke a tie to give host Ottawa a win over Detroit.
David Perron also scored for the Senators, who have won four of their last five games.
Dylan Larkin provided the lone goal for the Red Wings. Six straight losses have pushed Detroit outside of the Eastern Conference playoff picture. Cam Talbot stopped 21 shots in the defeat.
Sabres 3, Oilers 2
Tage Thompson scored twice as Buffalo ended its six-game losing streak with a victory over visiting Edmonton.
Alex Tuch also tallied for Buffalo, and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 32 saves in the victory that snapped an 0-5-1 skid.
Evan Bouchard and Darnell Nurse scored for the Oilers, both off assists from Leon Draisaitl, who extended his point streak to a career-best 15 games. Stuart Skinner stopped 20 shots. Edmonton had won three of its previous four games.
Maple Leafs 4, Utah Hockey Club 3 (SO)
Mitch Marner scored the shootout winner as Toronto edged Utah in Salt Lake City.
William Nylander, Calle Jarnkrok and Simon Benoit scored in regulation for Toronto, which squandered a 3-0 lead but still snapped a three-game losing streak (0-2-1). Joseph Woll made 29 saves for the Leafs, who improved to 9-3-1 over the past 13 games and 19-11-2 on the road this season.
Michael Carcone, Nick Schmaltz and Barrett Hayton responded for Utah, which has dropped back-to-back games, both of which went beyond regulation. Karel Vejmelka stopped 23 shots in the loss.
COLLEGE BASEBALL
Three of the four West Coast schools came out of their inaugural Big Ten series happy. Southern California, not so much.
Oregon ran its win streak to 11 games with a road sweep of USC, which has lost five straight since it knocked off nationally ranked Vanderbilt.
UCLA made the 2,300-mile trip to Maryland and won two of three. Washington went to Nebraska and also won two of three.
Oregon’s Mason Neville hit his eighth homer of the season on the second pitch of Friday’s 7-2 victory over the Trojans and went deep again in Sunday’s 5-3 win.
UCLA, after losing 13-3 on the run rule Saturday, scored all of its runs in the second inning in an 11-5 win Sunday. The Bruins had nine hits in the 11-run inning, with Mulivai Levu homering for the second time in the series.
Washington swept a doubleheader over the Cornhuskers on Saturday. Braeden Terry hit a three-run homer in a five-run first inning in the 11-5 win, and Malakhi Knight and Blake Wilson went deep in a 6-3 win.
In the polls
The top three teams in the D1Baseball.com and Baseball America polls remained the same Monday. All went 5-0 last week.
LSU (16-1), Tennessee (16-0) and Arkansas (15-1) are 1-2-3 by D1Baseball. Tennessee, LSU and Arkansas are 1-2-3 by Baseball America.
Vols off to best start
Defending national champion Tennessee heads into SEC play with a three-game home series against Florida after sweeping St. Bonaventure, which was picked to finish last in the Atlantic 10.
The Volunteers’ 16-0 start is the best in program history, and their considerable talent on the mound and at the plate were on full display against the Bonnies.
Liam Doyle and four relievers combined on a no-hitter — the program’s first since 2002 — in Friday’s 12-0 win. Manny Marin’s grand slam Saturday ended an 11-1 win in the seventh on the run rule. It was the Vols’ eighth slam of the season. The Vols hit five home runs in a 13-2 win Sunday and finished with 11 in the three games to increase their nation-leading total to 49.
Stanford’s smashing debut
Stanford finished its inaugural ACC road trip in impressive fashion Sunday with Joey Volchko, Aidan Keenan and Toran O’Harran combining to allow six hits and strike out 14 in a 7-0 series-clinching win over North Carolina.
The Cardinal won a series over a top-five opponent for the first time since taking two of three from Oregon State in April 2022. Stanford was the first team to shut out North Carolina in Chapel Hill since 2020 and the first ACC opponent to do it since 2019.
California, the other West Coast ACC newcomer, dropped two of three games at Duke.
With a vengeance
Oklahoma State responded with a vengeance after losing the first game of its home series with Illinois State. The Redbirds’ 12-6 win Friday marked their first victory over a ranked opponent in two years. Saturday’s game was postponed because of weather concerns. The Cowboys came back Sunday to sweep a doubleheader 16-1 and 18-1. Colin Brueggemann was 5 for 6 with two homers and seven RBIs in the two games and Nolan Schubart had four hits and seven RBIs.
Cleanup spot
Arizona, coming off a sweep of Pepperdine, has won 11 of its last 12 games and its 8-0 home record is its best since the 2018 team won its first 10 home games. … LSU’s sweep of North Alabama ran the Tigers’ win streak to 11 games, their longest since winning 13 straight in 2023. … TCU has had to come from behind in nine of its 12 wins. The Horned Frogs erased four-run deficits in wins over Fresno State Saturday and Sunday. … Kennesaw State’s 13-9 win over West Virginia on Saturday marked the first loss of the season for the Mountaineers, whose 13-0 start was their best since 1964. … Arkansas has won 11 straight and is 15-1 for its best 16-game start since 2006. … Penn State posted its first series win over Indiana since 2008 and won its opening Big Ten series for the first time since 2014.
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
Former big league slugger Mo Vaughn has confirmed he used human growth hormone to recover from a nagging knee injury late in his career.
The 1995 American League MVP told The Athletic in a recent interview that he had HGH injected in his knee to extend his career.
“I was trying to do everything I could,” Vaughn told The Athletic. “I knew I had a bad, degenerative knee. I was shooting HGH in my knee. Whatever I could do to help the process.”
Vaughn was one of baseball’s most feared hitters during his prime while with the Boston Red Sox in the late 1990s, hitting 39 homers with 126 RBIs during his MVP season. He began having injury issues later in his career, including his left knee and a ruptured biceps tendon that cost him the entire 2001 season.
Vaughn was among the players named in 2007 in the Mitchell Report, which looked into the use of steroids and performance-enhancing drugs in baseball. The report offered evidence that Vaughn made three separate purchases of HGH in 2001. Major League Baseball didn’t ban HGH until 2005, nearly two years after Vaughn’s last game.
Vaughn played eight seasons with the Red Sox before two-year stints with both the Anaheim Angels and New York Mets.
**MESA, Ariz. (AP) — Lawrence Butler walked into the bright Arizona sunshine and sat down at a table and chairs on the field at Hohokam Stadium, grinning from ear to ear now over his $65.5 million, seven-year deal with the Athletics.
The exact location of Butler’s seat was no accident: in the middle of right field.
The goal is that the 24-year-old standout will be a mainstay at the position through at least 2031 as the A’s franchise embarks on a three-year stretch at a minor league park in the Sacramento area before moving to Las Vegas.
“It’s amazing,” Butler said. “I’ve played with a lot of these guys on my team since Low-A ball. For a lot of us to come through the system together, make it to the big leagues, have success in the big leagues, it’s huge for us and the organization.
“It shows the A’s don’t just draft players and put them on the shelf. We love to develop players.”
Butler’s deal includes a team option for 2032 that could make the contract worth $81.5 million and escalators that could increase the value to $87.5 million.
A Georgia native who was a sixth-round pick in the 2018 amateur draft, Butler was on Oakland’s opening-day roster last year before being demoted to Triple-A Las Vegas on May 14 after hitting .179 with seven RBIs in his first 41 games.
****New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole is set to undergo Tommy John surgery on his right elbow on Tuesday and will miss the 2025 season.
Cole, 34, was in Los Angeles on Monday to meet with Dr. Neal ElAttrache, who will perform the surgery.
The typical recovery for Tommy John surgery is 12-18 months. In a statement on Monday, the Yankees said further updates on Cole’s status will be released following the procedure.
Cole, a six-time All-Star, has four years and $144 million left on his nine-year, $324 million contract.
He reported discomfort following his most recent spring outing on Thursday, in which he permitted six runs over 2 2/3 innings against the Twins.
Last March, Cole was diagnosed with right elbow inflammation and edema in his pitching elbow, an injury that delayed his season debut until June. He went 8-5 in 17 starts with 3.41 ERA, 1.126 WHIP and 99 strikeouts over 95 innings. He made five postseason starts, going 1-0 with 2.17 ERA over 29 innings.
The Yankees’ rotation will now enter the season without Cole or reigning AL Rookie of the Year Luis Gil, who is expected to miss at least three months with a lat strain.
Max Fried, who signed an eight-year, $218 million deal in the offseason, is expected to get the Opening Day start, joined in the rotation by Carlos Rodon, Clarke Schmidt and Marcus Stroman. Rookie Will Warren, Carlos Carrasco and Allan Winans are among the candidates for the fifth spot in the rotation.
In five seasons with the Yankees, Cole finished fourth (2020), second (2021) and ninth (2022) in American League Cy Young Award voting before taking home the coveted honor in 2023, when he finished 15-4 with 222 strikeouts and an AL-best 2.63 ERA in 209 innings.
Over 12 seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates (2013-17), Houston Astros (2018-19) and Yankees, the six-time All-Star is 153-80 over 317 starts (1,954 innings) with 2,251 strikeouts and 500 walks. In 22 career playoff starts, he is 11-6 with a 2.77 ERA.
****Michael Snyder hit a solo home run deep to left with one out in the bottom of the ninth, allowing the Miami Marlins to come back from six runs down to tie the visiting Washington Nationals 9-9 in a spring training shootout Monday in Jupiter, Fla.
Stone Garrett hit a pinch-hit grand slam in the fourth inning for the Nationals to break out to a 7-1 lead. Jesus Sanchez homered in the bottom half before Miami scored four in the fifth on a throwing error, a sacrifice fly, a single by Dane Meyers and a wild pitch.
Mitchell Parker went four innings in his start for Washington, yielding two runs on four hits with four strikeouts. Matt Mervis and Sanchez homered off Parker.
Sandy Alcantara pitched 2 2/3 innings for the Marlins, giving up two unearned runs on four hits with three strikeouts. Washington’s Keibert Ruiz homered off Miami’s first reliever, William Kempner.
Yankees 10, Tigers 2
Austin Wells, Paul Goldschmidt and Trent Grisham smacked solo homers off Kenta Maeda in the first inning and New York rolled past visiting Detroit in Tampa, Fla.
Reserves Jacob Morales and Alexander Vargas added home runs later to pile on. Will Warren (3-0) allowed two runs (one earned) on two hits and a walk in 3 2/3 innings.
Gleyber Torres had a two-run double against his former team to provide the Tigers’ only scoring. Maeda (0-2) was dinged for five runs on seven hits over four innings. He fanned five without a walk.
Rays 4, Braves 3
Brandon Lowe hit a two-run shot and Tampa Bay held off host Atlanta in North Port, Fla.
Joe Boyle (1-0) gave up two runs on two hits and two walks, striking out four in his three-inning start for the Rays. Carson Williams and Jose Caballero drove in runs in the fourth to make it 4-2.
Bryan De La Cruz cut it to 4-3 in the sixth on a run-scoring groundout, but the Braves could not get closer. Matt Olson also had an RBI. Chris Sale (0-1) was charged with four runs on five hits and two walks in 3 1/3 innings.
Blue Jays 8, Astros 3
Bo Bichette (solo) and Addison Barger (two-run HR) went deep for Toronto as it rallied from a 3-0 deficit to defeat visiting Houston in Dunedin, Fla.
The key to the Blue Jays’ four-run sixth was Ernie Clement’s two-run double that put the Jays in front. Reliever Nick Sandlin (1-0) was credited with the win for a two-strikeout inning and Jake Bloss struck out five in a three-inning save.
Jake Meyers hit a solo shot for the Astros, who scored all their runs in the third. Nick Hernandez (0-1) earned all four runs in the sixth on a walk and three hits.
Phillies 4, Twins 1
Kody Clemens had a triple among his two hits as visiting Philadelphia scored all of its runs in the second inning and held on to beat Minnesota in Fort Myers, Fla.
Clemens’ triple was the Phillies’ only extra-base hit, but they had nine singles, including by Cal Stevenson (one RBI), Rafael Lantigua (two) and Bryson Stott (one) in the second. Starter Seth Johnson (1-0) threw two innings with a hit and a walk.
The Twins ended the shutout bid in the ninth on Anthony Prato’s run-scoring flyout. Starter Pablo Lopez (0-3) gave up four runs on eight hits and three walks in three innings, striking out two.
****After guiding the Los Angeles Dodgers to their second World Series title in five seasons last fall, Dave Roberts agreed to a four-year extension that will make him the game’s highest-paid manager, multiple media outlets reported on Monday.
Per the New York Post, Roberts’ new deal will pay him $32.4 million through 2028 and surpasses the average annual value of Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell’s five-year, $40 million contract.
Roberts, 52, is entering his 10th season at the helm of the Dodgers, who have won two World Series (2020, 2024), four National League pennants and eight division titles in nine consecutive playoff appearances under his leadership.
“We’re at the 1-yard line. … Things are looking good,” Roberts said on Friday about his extension, which the two sides have reportedly discussed since early February. “I’m optimistic. You guys all know, this is where I want to be. I’m excited that things are getting done.”
With an 851-507 record, Roberts has the highest winning percentage (.627) in major league history among those who have managed at least 1,000 games.
The Dodgers open the 2025 season in Tokyo with games against the Cubs on March 18 and 19.
TOP INDIANA HEADLINES
COLTS NEWS
Safety Camryn Bynum has agreed on a four-year, $60 million contract with the Indianapolis Colts, a person with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press on Monday.
The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because teams can’t sign free agents until Wednesday.
Bynum started 54 games in four seasons with the Minnesota Vikings. He had eight interceptions, three forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries and averaged 89 tackles per season.
*** The Colts added 49ers cornerback Charvarius Ward on a three-year deal worth $35 million in guaranteed money and up to $60 million overall. Ward had 72 tackles, five interceptions and a league-leading 23 passes defended last season and was named a Pro Bowler.
INDIANA PACERS
A rough second quarter doomed the Indiana Pacers during the final leg of their three-game road trip.
The Chicago Bulls (27-38) led by 19 points at halftime and never trailed the rest of the way as they posted a 121-103 victory over the Pacers (35-28) on Monday at United Center.
Indiana now turns its attention to an important, TNT-televised with the Milwaukee Bucks (36-27) on Tuesday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. The Bucks and Pacers are currently the fourth and fifth seeds in the Eastern Conference, with just one game separating the teams in the standings.
The Pacers shot 39.6 percent in the loss, while the Bulls made 50 percent of their attempts. The Bulls also won the rebounding battle 56-39 and points in the paint margin 68-48.
Chicago guard Josh Giddey scored a season-high 29 points while pulling down 10 rebounds, Coby White also dropped 29 points, and Nikola Vucevic added 11 points and 11 rebounds off the bench for the Bulls. Myles Turner topped the Pacers with 15 points, Pascal Siakam logged 13, and Ben Sheppard chipped in 12.
The Pacers were without starting point guard Tyrese Haliburton on Monday, as he missed a third straight game due to a left hip flexor strain. Veteran T.J. McConnell returned to the rotation in a limited role after spraining his ankle 19 seconds into Saturday’s game in Atlanta and missing the rest of that game.
Chicago led Indiana 67-48 at halftime after outscoring the Pacers 40-21 in the second quarter. Giddey was hot from the start, scoring 21 points on 8-for-10 shooting in the first half.
Little separated the teams in the opening frame, as there were seven lead changes and six ties as the sides knotted at 27-27.
After a back-and-forth start to the game, the Bulls mustered a 16-4 scoring stretch, where Giddey recorded five points and Tre Jones scored four, to lead 25-19 with 2:41 left in the first quarter. A layup from Siakam out of a timeout spurred an 8-2 Blue & Gold run in the final 2:21 of the period to re-tie the game.
The Bulls used a 20-8 run midway through the second quarter to build their large lead.
Indiana’s offense sputtered midway through the second quarter, and the Bulls took advantage as they constructed a 12-0 scoring streak to go up 46-35 with 5:26 on the clock.
A 3-pointer by Turner momentarily stopped the Blue & Gold bleeding, but the Bulls closed the first half on a 13-3 run, with Giddey and White continuing to dictate the game, pushing the Chicago lead to 19 points at intermission.
Indiana came out of the half hot, as two 3-pointers by Aaron Nesmith and a pair of buckets by Siakam cut it to 69-58, but that’s where the rally largely ended.
The Bulls responded right away with two 3-pointers and back-to-back baskets by Giddey to go back in front 82-62 with 5:54 remaining in the third quarter before Indiana emptied its bench to try and inject some new life into the game.
Going into the fourth quarter, the Bulls led 94-75.
The Pacers never cut their deficit to single digits in the final frame, and none of the Pacers starters played in the fourth quarter as their losing streak extended to three straight.
After hosting the Bucks on Tuesday, the Pacers will embark on another three-game road trip starting with the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday.
Inside the Numbers
Chicago had 18 turnovers to Indiana’s nine giveaways.
Indiana made 10 3-pointers and Chicago drained 12.
The Bulls led by as many as 24 points in the game.
Indiana’s bench outscored Chicago’s reserves 53-40.
Tony Bradley, who is currently on a 10-day contract, scored six points in seven minutes off the bench for the Pacers.
Johnny Furphy pulled down a career-high eight rebounds
INDIANA SWIMMING
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Six Hoosiers punched their tickets to the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships Monday (March 10) on the first day of the NCAA Zone C Diving Championships inside the McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion on the campus of the Ohio State University.
Three men qualified on the 1-meter springboard, and three women advanced from the 3-meter springboard – tying Purdue for the most in each competition.
Seniors Quinn Henninger – the Big Ten Champion on 1-meter – and Carson Tyler led the way in the men’s event, taking the top two spots with scores of 752.30 and 736.00, respectively. The pairing finished second and third in the event at the NCAA Championships last season. Junior Maxwell Weinrich was the fourth and final diver to eclipse 700 points Monday, also qualifying on 1-meter.
Placing 11th and 12th, Junior Dash Glasberg and freshman Joshua Sollenberger just missed out on the 10 qualifying spots available on 1-meter. However, as top-12 finishers, both can still qualify in this event if they meet the qualifying standards in another event.
With another 10 bids available in the women’s 3-meter event, the Hoosier trio of senior Skyler Liu and sophomores Ella Roselli and Lily Witte were among the upper-echelon that secured NCAA berths. All three Hoosiers return from last season’s NCAA Championships roster. Freshman Mary Kate Cavanaugh placed 14th in the event, missing out by 14.35 points, as nine Hoosiers competed in finals Monday.
With the three additions to the roster, Indiana’s NCAA Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships expands to 13 after 10 swimmers locked in their spots last week.
RESULTS
Women’s 3-Meter
4. Skyler Liu – 645.45 (NCAA Qualifier)
5. Ella Roselli – 638.50 (NCAA Qualifier)
8. Lily Witte – 634.25 (NCAA Qualifier)
14. Mary Kate Cavanaugh – 563.30 (Finalist)
43. Morgan Casey – 209.90
Men’s 1-Meter
1. Quinn Henninger – 752.30 (NCAA Qualifier)
2. Carson Tyler – 736.00 (NCAA Qualifier)
4. Maxwell Weinrich – 700.25 (NCAA Qualifier)
11. Dash Glasberg – 644.05 (Finalist)
12. Joshua Sollenberger – 637.40 (Finalist)
36. William Jansen – 245.35
INDIANA BASEBALL
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Following four-consecutive weekends away from home, the Indiana Baseball team (7-9, 1-2 B1G) is set to play five-straight games in the Hoosier state. Tuesday’s (March 11) midweek tilt at Indiana State will lead directly into the first home weekend (Ohio State) of the season at Bart Kaufman Field.
The Hoosiers are still below .500 but find themselves up into the top-125 of the RPI. IU could use a big run of form before heading on a west coast swing to face UCLA in Los Angeles in two weeks. After the weekend in California, the Hoosiers will be at home for three of the next four Big Ten series.
IU’s true freshmen played a big role in a productive weekend at the plate in State College. Third baseman Cooper Malamazian, who was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week today (March 10), provided five hits – all doubles – in the three-game set with Penn State. His counterpart, first baseman Jake Hanley, went 5-for-12 with a pair of doubles. Infielder Will Moore also made two starts and reached base four times.
While its bullpen struggled at times, IU found productive outings from freshman southpaw Brayton Thomas and redshirt junior right-hander Pete Haas. The two combined to throw 3.2 scoreless frames at the back end of each game in Friday’s (March 7) doubleheader. Veteran starters Ben Grable and Cole Gilley continued to prove that they will be reliable weekend arms going forward.
IU is looking for its first win in Terre Haute since the 2022 season. The two programs have played twice in each of the last two years. On each occasion, the home team won on its own field. IU is searching for its first midweek win of the season after losses to Xavier (4-8) and Northern Kentucky (11-13).
Senior left-handed pitcher Deron Swanson will get the start and make his IU debut on Tuesday afternoon at Bob Warn Field. Expect a large contingent of arms to see action in the midweek contest. This game will be carried on ESPN+ with a first pitch at 4:00 p.m. Austin Render will have the radio call on whcc105.com/iuhoosiers.com.
Gameday Info
at Indiana State (Tuesday, March 11th – 4:00 PM ET)
Live Video: bit.ly/3DpNTco
Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio
Live Stats: bit.ly/3Fcz6SK
Probable Starters
Indiana State
• Tuesday: LHP Deron Swanson, Sr., (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
Leading Off
LOVES TO LEADOFF: Sophomore outfielder Andrew Wiggins found himself in the leadoff role due to some team illnesses but has thrived in the top of the order. He is hitting .429 (9-21) in his last five games with five walks and four hit-by-pitches. He also has seven RBIs in that span. The Indianapolis native is fourth in the Big Ten in on-base percentage (.589).
SPLITTING DUTIES: Catchers Jake Stadler and T.J. Schuyler have split catching responsibilities over the last few weeks due to illnesses and injuries. But both have been great when called upon. The two have combined for 16 hits in the last 10 games and are each hitting above .360 in that stretch.
HISTORIC DAY: Freshman third baseman Cooper Malamazian put together a performance for the ages in the second game of last Friday’s doubleheader against Penn State. He matched a Big Ten record with four doubles in one game. The rookie also set a single game program record at IU.
For his week’s performance, he was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week. He is the 10th player in the Jeff Mercer era (since 2019) to earn Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors. Both Jasen Oliver and Joey Brenczewski were recipients last season and went on to make the conference’s All-Freshman team at the end of the season.
BACK HOME: After playing 14 of the first 16 games away from home, Indiana will stay in the state for the next five games. After this midweek against Indiana State, the Hoosiers will play four-consecutive games at Bart Kaufman Field before the west coast swing to UCLA.
FREE PASSES: IU has been one of the more disciplined teams in the Big Ten at times this season. The Hoosiers have worked a league-best 119 walks in 16 games (7.4 per game). On top of that, IU has struck out just two more times (121) on the year. It has the best strikeout-to-walk ratio in the league (1.02)
Six different players have at least 10 walks on the season. Wiggins leads the Big Ten at 19 walks with junior outfielder Devin Taylor not far behind at 17. Freshman infielder Will Moore has 10 walks despite making just eight starts this season.
DON’T COUNT ‘EM OUT: IU struggled in March last year but used a big win over Indiana State to kick start five-consecutive conference series wins. After dropping the opening league weekend at Penn State, the Hoosiers will want a victory in Terre Haute before a big three-game set with Ohio State.
The Hoosiers still have 25 games left against teams in the top-150 of this week’s RPI. There are also still 20 games left to be played inside the friendly confines of Bart Kaufman Field.
Scouting the Opponent
Indiana State
• After over a decade of success with former head coach Mitch Hannahs, the Sycamores move into a new era under skipper Tracy Archuleta. They are coming off a four-game split on the road with Southeast Missouri State. The only midweek game for Indiana so far was a loss at home to Purdue.
• It’s a completely new look side in Terre Haute after the departure of Hannahs. Senior utilityman, and Missouri transfer, Carlos Pena leads the way with a .364 batting average and 20 base knocks. Redshirt senior outfielder Keegan Garis is the only other qualified hitter above .300.
• Indiana State has done well on the mound through one month this season. Six different pitchers have already thrown over 10.0 innings this year. After a four-game weekend on the road, the Sycamores will likely rotate through a number of arms on Tuesday.
• The lone connection between the two teams is through graduate student right-handed pitcher Cole Gilley. IU’s Sunday starter was a four-year pitcher for the Sycamores and was part of the Super Regional team in 2023.
Inside the Series
Indiana State
• Indiana holds a 68-48-1 record in one of the most commonly played non-conference series in program history. The Hoosiers have lost two-straight games in Terre Haute but are 7-3 in the last 10 games played in the all-time series. The two teams have split each of the last two seasons, winning on their home field on each occasion.
***ROSEMONT, Ill. – A tremendous week at the plate earned freshman third baseman Cooper Malamazian his first Big Ten Freshman of the Week award, as announced by the conference office on Monday (March 10) afternoon. It is Indiana’s first weekly honor of any kind this season.
Malamazian started all four games at third base last week and finished the four-game stretch hitting 7-for-16 (.438) with five runs scored and five RBIs. He picked up his first career four-hit game in the second contest of a doubleheader at Penn State last Friday (March 7).
In that game, Malamazian broke a program single-game record and single-game freshman record with four doubles. He became just the fourth player in Big Ten history with four doubles in a single game. Malamazian is just the second player in conference history to do it against a fellow league opponent.
On top of his offensive performance, Malamazian played flawless defense at the hot corner. He had three putouts and nine defensive assists while making zero errors. He effectively earned the starting nod at third base going forward in head coach Jeff Mercer’s lineup.
Since Mercer took over the program in 2019, Malamazian is the 10th different IU player to earn a Big Ten Freshman of the Week honor. Both Jasen Oliver and Joey Brenczewski earned Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors last season and went on to make the league’s All-Freshman Team at the end of the season.
True freshmen have been responsible for 47 base hits this season. Fellow first-year player Jake Hanley leads all Big Ten and NCAA freshmen with 26 base knocks. Hogan Denny has already hit a pair of home runs for the Hoosiers while Will Moore has walked 10 times.
Big Ten Weekly Awards (March 10)
Player of the Week: Aaron Manias, Jr., DH/2B, PUR
Pitcher of the Week: Aaron Savary, Jr., RHP, IOWA
Freshman of the Week: Cooper Malamazian, Fr., 3B, IND
INDIANA SOFTBALL
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. –––– Just two days after going 5-0 in the Hoosier Classic, Indiana is set to continue their homestretch at Andy Mohr Field with a Tuesday evening game against Butler and a Wednesday afternoon game against Southern Indiana.
QUICK HITTERS:
Team 52 enters the weekend on a five-game winning streak after going 5-0 at the Hoosier Classic with five run rules to put the season record at 17-5.
Indiana returns six of its nine starters in the field from 2024 with a plethora of new talent coming in, including eight new freshmen and two transfer from Power-4 schools.
Melina Wilkison, a redshirt junior outfielder from Greensburg, Ind. joins the Hoosiers after spending three seasons at Ohio State. Wilkison was a two-year starter for the Buckeyes, including being an NFCA All-Region and All-Big Ten performer in 2023. She missed almost all of 2024 due to injury.
The eight freshmen make up the No. 28 ranked recruiting class on Extra Innings Softball for the class of 2024.
Brianna Copeland, Taylor Minnick and Avery Parker were all named to the Big Ten’s preseason Players to Watch List.
LAST TIME OUT:
Indiana had an excellent showing in last weekend’s Hoosier Classic, going 5-0 with two wins over Bowling Green and a win over IU Indy, Western Michigan and UIC.
The Hoosiers won each game by run rule to bring their season count up to 11 wins by run rule.
In the weekend opening win over IU Indy, freshman Jasmine Reyes had a standout performance in the 14-0 Indiana win. Reyes threw a complete game no-hitter as she had four strikeouts and two walks in 5.0 innings of work.
Brianna Copeland was excellent in the circle for the Hoosiers all weekend, picking up a win, charting 15 strikeouts, a 1.75 ERA in her two appearances and only allowing five hits and two earned runs in 8.0 innings.
Avery Parker had a standout weekend at the plate, hitting .667 with two doubles, two home runs (including a grand slam) and 14 RBI.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS:
Butler’s season is off to a strong start as the Bulldogs own a 14-5 record and have won three games in a row. The Bulldogs opened Big East play with a sweep over DePaul this past weekend at home.
Outside of a 2-4 weekend in the Make It Happen Games (Madeira Beach), Butler has been really strong all season. They opened with a 4-1 showing at the Rosemont Dome Tournament and then went undefeated at Evansville’s Aces Tournament and Murry State’s Velvet Milkman Classic.
Southern Indiana owns a 4-13 record to start the 2025 campaign with a 1-2 mark in the Ohio Valley Conference. The Screaming Eagles went 1-2 at home in their OVC opening series against Western Illinois at home this last weekend.
Southern Indiana and Butler were originally scheduled to play each other in Evansville’s Softball Classic on Feb. 15, but the game got canceled due to inclement weather.
SERIES HISTORY NOTES:
Indiana owns a 13-3-1 record against Butler with two-straight wins over the Bulldogs in 2023 and 2024. The Hoosiers have never played against Southern Indiana before in its program history.
PURDUE BASEBALL
ROSEMONT, Ill. – Purdue Baseball’s Aaron Manias manhandled pitchers from Terre Haute to the Twin Cities to the tune of a 13-RBI eruption, earning Big Ten Player of the Week as the Boilermakers won three of their four games in their first week of action in the Midwest.
Manias finished the week 10-for-17 with seven extra-base hits and 21 total bases, good for a 1.235 slugging percentage. He reached base safely in 11 of his 19 plate appearances while leading Purdue to a victory at Indiana State on Tuesday and a series win at Minnesota to open Big Ten play.
Manias hit the go-ahead grand slam in the seventh inning of Saturday’s series-clinching victory inside U.S. Bank Stadium as part of his second four-hit game of the week.
In Tuesday’s win at Indiana State, Manias was 4-for-5 with three doubles, a three-run homer and eight RBI – the most by a Boilermaker since 2006. He collected six of those RBI over the first two innings as Purdue raced out to an 8-1 lead in its first win vs. ISU since 2018.
Manias has joined Logan Sutter as Boilermakers to record three doubles and 10 total bases in a game this year. Sutter was also named the Big Ten Player of the Week on Feb. 17. Purdue has two Big Ten Players of the Week in a season for the first time since 2018 and two over the first month of the campaign for the first time since the 2012 conference championship season.
Manias finished the week 4-for-4 with runners in scoring position and was a perfect 4 of 4 driving home a runner from third base with less than two outs.
After starting the first three games of the week at designated hitter, Manias moved to second base Sunday and made a nice pick to start a 4-6-3 double play in the second inning.
In Friday’s series-opening win in Minneapolis, his second-inning double was Purdue’s first hit of the game and led to the first run of the night. His sacrifice fly in the fifth inning extended the lead to 6-1.
The Boilermakers open a 13-game homestand Wednesday at 4 p.m. vs. Butler. The home opener is the first $3 midweek matchup of the season, with general admission tickets, hot dogs, beers, popcorn and nachos specially priced at $3.
MANIAS GAME-BY-GAME FOR THE WEEK OF MARCH 4-9
• Tuesday: 4-for-5, 3 2B, HR, 8 RBI, 3 R
• Friday: 1-for-3, 2B, RBI, Sac Fly, R
• Saturday: 4-for-5, 2B, HR, 4 RBI, 2 R
• Sunday: 1-for-4, HBP
NOTRE DAME MEN’S BASKETBALL
CHARLOTTE – Notre Dame sophomore guard Markus Burton, who is the second-leading scorer in the country, plus the top scorer in the ACC, has been named to the All-ACC Second Team. A step up from last year’s Third Team honors, Burton is now a two-time All-ACC award-winner. However, it did mark the first time since 2017 that the league’s top scorer didn’t receive First Team honors.
Since coming back from injury on Jan. 4, Burton has produced 15 (out of a possible 18) games with 20+ points. He ultimately averaged a league-best 23.5 ppg in ACC play, beating out Miami’s Matthew Cleveland (21.3), Duke’s Cooper Flagg (21.2) and Stanford’s Maxime Raynaud (19.3).
Burton finished the regular season on another level. Since Feb. 26 (last four games), no one in the country has a higher scoring average than Burton. The Mishawaka native is averaging 31.5 ppg in that span on 46.9 percent shooting from the floor, 11-22 from beyond the arc and 39-46 from the free-throw line, all while also averaging 4.3 rpg, 3.8 apg and 1.3 spg.
Get this, as a sophomore, Burton has already surpassed Bonzie Colson for most 30+ point career games in ACC play with four.
***NOTRE DAME GAME NOTES VS. PITTSBURGH TUESDAY ACC TOURNAMENT
https://fightingirish.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Game-32-Pitt-ACCs.pdf
NOTRE DAME WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Hannah Hidalgo and Olivia Miles added another line to their list of accomplishments on Sunday, as the guards were named to the 2025 Women’s National Ballot for the John R. Wooden Award. The 15 student-athletes who made the cut are candidates for the Wooden Award All-America Team and the Wooden Award Trophy, which is presented annually to the top women’s college basketball player in the country.
Notre Dame is one of four schools with multiple players on the list.
Hidalgo is pacing the Irish this season on both ends of the court. She leads the team with 24.2 points and 3.7 steals per game, marks that both rank fourth in the nation. Hidalgo also ranks fourth in the ACC with a 40.7 success rate from beyond the arc and is averaging a pair of triples per game.
The 5-6 guard has already re-written portions of the Irish record book, too. At the ACC Tournament, Hidalgo joined Irish legend Arike Ogunbowale as the only players in Notre Dame history to post multiple 700-point seasons. She also has 108 steals this year, the sophomore record. It is just the fourth time in program history a Notre Dame player has had a 100-steal season. Hidalgo did it last year as well (160).
To date, Miles is averaging 16.2 points, 5.9 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game. She is one of four players nationally averaging 16, 5 and 5. The New Jersey native leads the ACC in assists per game (14th nationally) and ranks ninth in the conference in scoring. She is shooting 49.6 percent from the floor (ninth in the ACC) and 40.9 percent from deep (third in the ACC).
Additionally, Miles leads the nation with three triple-doubles this season and became the first player in ACC history with back-to-back triple-doubles (Loyola and Virginia). Her 20-point triple-double in Notre Dame’s opener against Mercyhurst came on the heels of a year off while rehabbing a torn ACL, making her the first player in NBA, WNBA or college basketball player in history to sit out for a year due to injury and post a 20-point triple-double in their first game back.
BUTLER SOFTBALL
DATE: Tuesday, March 11
LOCATION: Bloomington, Ind. / Andy Mohr Field
LIVE STATS: butlersports.com
LIVE VIDEO: Big Ten Plus
LIVE AUDIO: iuhoosiers.com
The Butler softball team travels to (rv) Indiana for a midweek non-conference game on Tuesday. The Bulldogs (14-5, 3-0 BIG EAST) are coming off a three-game series sweep vs. DePaul. The Hoosiers (17-5, 0-0 Big Ten), who are receiving votes in the current ESPN.com/USA Softball rankings, most recently went 5-0 in their own Hoosier Classic.
Bulldog Bits
(through games 3/9/25)
Cate Lehner leads the BIG EAST (47th nationally) with a .458 batting average, and she is third (45th) with 33 hits. Her 16 stolen bases also lead the conference (15th).
Ella White leads the BIG EAST (31st nationally) with a .565 on base percentage, and she is first (31st) with 1.26 RBI per game. She is third with a .412 batting average, with a .765 slugging percentage.
Makena Alexander is atop the BIG EAST (83rd nationally) with six home runs. She is second in the BIG EAST (71st) with a .789 slugging percentage and fourth with 23 RBI.
Gwen Baker ranks third in the BIG EAST (85th nationally) with 6 victories and is fourth (78th) with a 1.76 ERA.
vs. DePaul
Makena Alexander was 7-for-10 (.700) with two doubles, two home runs, and ten RBI.
Sydney Carter and Ella White were both 6-for-9 (.667). White had 7RBI.
Gwen Baker picked up two wins in two starts. She produced a 1.56 ERA over 9.0 innings.
Butler’s 21 runs in game one was a program record vs. DI opponents. The previous high was 15 runs.
In the game three, 14-1, win, the Bulldogs had 14 hits which were all singles.
Makena Alexander was named BIG EAST Player of the Week after dominating the series sweep over DePaul, going 7-for-10 with two doubles, two home runs, and 10 RBI.
Gwen Baker has been chosen Freshman of the Week for the second straight week. She picked up two wins in two starts in the circle with a combined ERA of 1.56. Over 9.0 innings, she allowed three runs (two earned) on six hits and four walks with three strikeouts.
Butler’s 2025 schedule includes five teams that qualified for the 2024 NCAA Tournament. The Bulldogs will face UAlbany (2/28), Indiana (3/11), Dayton (3/25), and Miami (OH) (4/9) on the road and will host Villanova for a BIG EAST series Apr. 17-19.
SCOUTING INDIANA (17-5, 0-0 Big Ten)
Series- Indiana leads, 13-3-1
Indiana won the most recent two contests, in 2024 and 2023.
Indiana has won eight of the most recent ten games, dating back to 2000.
Butler and Indiana split a doubleheader in 2018 and in 2000.
Wins for the Hoosiers this season include: Iowa State, Illinois State, BYU, Boise St., Bowling Green, and UIC.
Losses include: #12 Texas Tech, Clemson, and FIU.
Indiana vs. (opponents) Butler
runs: 180-71 124
hits: 217-123 180
RBI: 159-65 111
SB: 43-12 38
ERA: 3.32-9.57 2.62
Batting Leaders:
#8 Madalyn Strader (.500) 2B, 2-3B, 4SB
#3 Taylor Minnick (.492) 30H, 8-2B, 5HR, 30RBI
#24 Kinsey Mitchell (.444) 24H, 5-2B, 17RBI
#18 Avery Parker (.400) 26H, 8-2B, 5HR, 29RBI
Pitching Leaders:
#11 Jenae Berry (8-1) 1.89 ERA, 20K
#9 Jasmine Reyes (6-2) 3.28 ERA, 19K
#16 Brianna Copeland (2-2) 4.91 ERA, 42K
***Butler infielder Makena Alexander has been selected by the BIG EAST as Player of the Week, and teammate Gwen Baker has been chosen Freshman of the Week as announced by the conference on Monday. Each student-athlete was chosen for her performance during last weekend’s three-game series with DePaul.
Alexander led Butler to a perfect conference-opening weekend, hitting a massive .700 with two home runs, two doubles, and ten RBI as the Bulldogs swept DePaul. In the series opener, the sophomore went 3-for-4 with a home run, double, two runs scored and five RBI, helping Butler log 21 runs – an all-time program high in BIG EAST competition. In Saturday’s 7-4 victory, Alexander registered three hits including a two-run homer, helping the Bulldogs out of a four-run deficit. She concluded the weekend with one hit and three RBI in the game-three win.
Baker, who earned the same honor the previous week, boasted a 2-0 record against BIG EAST competitor DePaul, owning a 1.56 ERA over nine innings of work. In the Bulldogs’ BIG EAST opener, the freshman tossed a five-inning complete-game victory with one strikeout while allowing just four hits and two runs. In her second appearance, Baker allowed just one run (unearned) on two hits and struck out a pair of batters for the win.
The Bulldogs have opened the 2025 season with a 14-5 record and are coming off a three-game series sweep over the Blue Demons. Butler plays (RV) Indiana on Tuesday, in a mid-week non-conference contest, and then travels to Providence for a BIG EAST series from March 14-16.
IU INDY WOMEN’S GOLF
OLDSMAR, Fla. – The IU Indianapolis women’s golf team carded an opening round of 337 and is currently tied for 11th among the 15-team field at this week’s Butler Don Benbow Spring Invitational, being played at Ardea Country Club, just outside Tampa. A trio of Jaguars, Yanah Rolston, Reagan Sohn and Sydni Zebrauskas, all carded rounds of 84 to pace the Jaguars after play was delayed by rain to start the day.
Zebrauskas opened her round with a birdie and was the lone Jaguar to have multiple birdies during the opening 18 holes. Both Rolston and sophomore Nina Wojtczak accounted for the team’s other two birdies, each doing so on the long par-5, No. 18.
Sohn had the team’s most steady round of the day, making a team-high 10 pars, including three straight to start the day.
Freshman Cassidy Ayres ended her day at 85 as the team’s fourth countable score and Wojtczak shot 88. Senior Nerea Lancho also carded a round of 88 while playing as an individual and freshman Alexandra Chiew closed at 92.
Western Michigan leads the field at 310 and FDU is second at 312. FDU’s Anete Adul is atop the leaderboard at even par 72 and Belmont’s Chloe Tarkany is second at 1-over 73.
Play will resume with a 9:15 a.m. shotgun start on Tuesday (Mar. 11).
BALL STATE BASEBALL
The Ball State baseball team looks to continue the momentum of its five-game winning streak when it hosts Purdue Fort Wayne at 3 p.m. on Tuesday.
The game will be streamed on ESPN+, and links to the broadcast and live stats can be found above and on the schedule page.
Ball State head coach Rich Maloney is one win away from 1,000 as a collegiate head coach. Maloney is in his 20th season leading the Cardinals and 30th season in charge of a program overall.
Ball State (11-5) took all five games last week, first taking both ends of a doubleheader at Florida A&M before sweeping Western Michigan over the weekend at Shebek Stadium. Tuesday’s game will be the fourth contest of a nine-game homestand for the Cardinals.
Purdue Fort Wayne (1-13) is in the sixth season under the direction of head coach Doug Schreiber. The Mastodons were picked sixth in the six-team Horizon League preseason poll a year after going 19-37 (11-19 Horizon) for a fifth-place finish.
Purdue Fort Wayne leads the league in ERA (7.35) and fewest hit allowed per nine innings (10.38). Senior Camden Karczewski has the most hits (13) for the Mastodons and is tied with fellow senior Jackson Micheels for the most RBI (five) on the team, while Micheels has a team-best two home runs.
Next up for Ball State is a three-game set with Toledo starting at 3 p.m. on Friday in Muncie.
GREGO HITS THE GONG: Junior shortstop Dylan Grego hit a walkoff solo home run in the ninth inning of Ball State’s 10-9 win over Western Michigan on Sunday.
Grego led off the inning with a moonshot on the second pitch he saw that went a projected 431 feet. The junior also had the most recent walkoff knock for the Cardinals when he hit a game-winning single in the ninth inning on Feb. 17, 2024 to seal a 2-1 win over Merrimack in Charleston, S.C.
K’S FOR KEEGAN: Sophomore Keegan Johnson was named the Mid-American Conference Pitcher of the Week after striking out eight and allowing a run on four hits in 7.1 innings of work in Ball State’s 3-1 win over Western Michigan on Friday.
The left-handed pitcher didn’t allow a run until the eighth on his way to his third career weekly honor from the MAC office.
CLOSING IN ON NO. 1,000: Head coach Rich Maloney is one win away from 1,000 in his career as a collegiate head coach, which is in the early stages of his 30th season.
Maloney (999) is 10th on the career wins leaderboard among active NCAA Division I coaches. The group consists of Paul Mainieri (South Carolina, 1,519 wins), Danny Hall (Georgia Tech, 1,424), Elliott Avent (NC State, 1,271), Dave Van Horn (Arkansas, 1,269), Rich Hill (Hawaii, 1,184), Steve Owens (Rutgers, 1,052), Rick Heller (Iowa, 1,048), Tim Corbin (Vanderbilt, 1,040), and Mike Bianco (Ole Miss, 1,020). Of the nine ahead of Maloney, only Hall, Mainieri, Avent, Van Horn and Bianco have more wins at the Division I level.
Another milestone primed to be reached in the coming games for Maloney is 500 conference wins. The skipper is currently at 499, with 359 of those being in the MAC and 140 in the Big Ten.
HIGH EXPECTATIONS: The 2025 Cardinals were picked to finish first in the recently released Mid-American Conference preseason poll. Ball State got six first place votes for the regular season and five to win the MAC Tournament.
The Ball State baseball program boasts the best winning percentage both overall (.636) and in conference play (.647) among MAC teams since 2019 entering the 2025 campaign.
QUICK CARDINALS: Ball State leads the MAC and ranks No. 66 nationally in stolen bases with 27.
Seven different Cardinals have swiped a bag this year, led by Gavin Balius who is 10-for-11 on steal attempts. The 10 steals are the most in the league and 26th in NCAA Division I.
BEATING THE BIG BOYS: The Cardinals beat Maryland 5-3 on Feb. 15 at the Swig & Swine Classic in Charleston, S.C., to extend the Ball State baseball program’s streak of winning against at least one
Power Four conference opponent to 14 seasons in a row.
Ball State has notched such a triumph in every season since 2012, with nine of those seasons featuring wins against multiple opponents from the Power Four.
CLEAN FIELDING: The Cardinals begin the week leading ranking sixth in NCAA Division I in fielding percentage with a .988 average.
Ball State has committed seven errors in 566 opportunities this year through the first 16 games. The Cardinals were at the top of the national leaderboard in fielding percentage entering last weekend’s series against Western Michigan. Ball State also paces the Mid-American Conference in double plays turned (16), which is No. 8 nationally.
MIX OF NEW AND OLD: Ball State’s 2025 roster features 17 returning players from last year’s team, seven true freshmen and 13 incoming transfers.
INDIANA STATE TRACK
INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana State Cross Country and Track and Field Program Director and Head Coach Angela Martin was selected as the 2025 MVC Women’s Indoor Track and Field Coach of the Year, as announced Monday by the conference office.
Martin led the Sycamores to their second straight conference title and their third MVC Women’s Indoor Track and Field Championship in the last four years (2022, 2024, 2025). It was the program’s fifth women’s indoor title under Martin’s leadership (2014, 2015, 2022, 2024, 2025). Indiana State’s 123 points were its most since 2022 and the eighth-most for the Sycamores at an MVC Women’s Indoor Track and Field Championship in program history.
Under Martin’s watch, Rachel Mehringer set the school, conference and championship record in the 60m hurdles with a time of 8.19, a mark she accomplished twice during the season. Jahnel Bowman was named the MVC Freshman of the Year after winning the triple jump and contributing to the Sycamores’ distance medley and 4x400m relay teams.
Mehringer (60 hurdles), Janiya Bowman (long jump), Jahnel Bowman (triple jump) and Niesha Anderson (weight throw) earned individual conference titles in their respective events, while Indiana State had 11 student-athletes earn all-conference honors for top-three finishes. 22 different athletes scored points for the Blue and White as part of their MVC title defense, while 17 Sycamore women’s track and field student-athletes set 17 program top-10 marks during the 2024-25 season.
Monday’s announcement marks Martin’s eighth MVC Indoor Track and Field Coach of the Year honor (five women’s – 2014, 2015, 2022, 2024, 2025, three men’s – 2022, 2023, 2024).
INDIANA STATE SOFTBALL
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – The Sycamores will face off against Illinois at Eichelberger Field on Wednesday at 6 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. CT, with the game streamed live on Big Ten Plus.
Last Time Out:
Indiana State faced a challenging weekend in Richmond, Ky., dropping all four games against Purdue Fort Wayne and Eastern Kentucky.
On Saturday, the Sycamores were shut out 4-0 by Purdue Fort Wayne despite two hits from Livi Colip.
In their second game, they suffered a heartbreaking 6-5 walk-off loss to Eastern Kentucky after rallying to take a 5-3 lead in the sixth, with Lauren Marsicek driving in three runs.
Sunday’s matchups saw Purdue Fort Wayne dominate 12-3 behind a powerful offensive performance from Manos, who recorded two home runs and seven RBIs.
Indiana State’s late push included an RBI single from Whitley Wischmeier, but it wasn’t enough to close the gap.
In their final game, Eastern Kentucky beat the Sycamores 6-4, taking advantage of defensive errors by ISU to regain the lead late. Lauren Marsicek and Kenzie Cornwell each drove in two runs, but Indiana State’s rally came up short.
Sycamore Standouts:
Brailey Mills leads the Sycamores with a .324 batting average and a .444 on-base percentage, collecting 12 hits and two RBIs while going a perfect 2-for-2 in stolen bases.
Abby Widmar has showcased power with a .576 slugging percentage, tallying two home runs, three doubles, and 11 RBIs.
Whitley Wischmeier has been productive at the plate with a .310 average, while driving in seven runs, including a home run.
Lauren Marsicek has been a key contributor, hitting .280 with six doubles and six RBIs while maintaining a .400 slugging percentage.
Hannah Welch leads the team in runs scored (12) and stolen bases (7-for-7), adding 16 hits, including a home run and three doubles.
Sophie Esposito has provided power with a home run and 10 runs scored, while Madison Poulson has recorded 15 hits and three stolen bases.
Livi Colip has added 11 hits and six RBIs, playing a consistent role in the lineup.
In the Circle:
Hailey Griffin is leading the team with a 2.84 ERA across 49.1 innings. She has a 3-5 record with 42 strikeouts while holding opponents to a .191 batting average.
Lauren Sackett has pitched the most innings (51.1) and leads the team with 43 strikeouts, posting a 3.27 ERA.
Cassi Newbanks has contributed two wins and 13 strikeouts over 21.2 innings.
Annie Waggoner and Megan Asher have combined for 17.2 innings of work. As a staff, the Sycamores have a 4.10 ERA, while opponents have posted a 2.40 ERA against them.
Scouting Illinois:
Illinois enters Tuesday’s matchup with a 10-9 record and is coming off a 5-0 victory over Saint Louis on Friday in their home opener.
Ava Moore has been a key performer for Illinois, posting a .333 batting average across 19 games. She leads the team with 15 hits, including two home runs, and has a .412 on-base percentage.
Karley Yergler holds a 2.81 ERA and a 4-2 record through 9 appearances this season, including three starts. In 32.1 innings pitched, she has allowed 25 hits and 16 runs, striking out 16 batters. She also earned a shutout victory over SLU on Friday, surrendering only three hits and no runs.
Matchup History:
The Sycamores hold a 2-13 record against Illinois, a series that dates back to March 26, 2000. The most recent meeting occurred on March 29, 2023, where Indiana State was defeated 6-0 in Urbana.
Up Next: The Sycamores will kick off their home schedule this weekend, facing Valparaiso at 3 p.m. on Friday, 2 p.m. on Saturday, and 12 p.m. on Sunday.
PURDUE FT. WAYNE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The Purdue Fort Wayne women’s basketball team will play for its first Division I NCAA Tournament berth on Tuesday (March 11). The Mastodons will play Green Bay at noon in the Barbasol Horizon League Championship at the Corteva Coliseum with a trip to March Madness on the line.
Game Day Information
Who: Green Bay Phoenix
When: Tuesday, March 11 | Noon
Where: Indianapolis, Ind. | Corteva Coliseum
Live Stats: Sidearm | Statbroadcast
Watch: ESPN2 – Link
Tickets: Link
Radio:1380 The Fan
Game Notes: Purdue Fort Wayne | Green Bay | Horizon League
Know Your Foe
The Horizon League regular season champions, Green Bay is 28-5 and advanced to the Horizon League Championship with a 67-53 victory over Robert Morris in the semifinal. Natalie McNeal finished that game with 20 points, 12 rebounds and three assists.
On the Semifinal…
Purdue Fort Wayne beat Cleveland State 83-65 in the semifinal round of the Barbasol Horizon League Championship to move on to the championship game. The Mastodons had 26 assists, which is a season-high and top-10 mark in program history. They hit 15 3-pointers, one shy of the Horizon League Championship record. It was also the fourth time this season with 15 or more 3-pointers, all of which are top-10 marks in program history. Lauren Ross had six of the Mastodons’ 15 3-pointers.
First Come, First Served
Purdue Fort Wayne is seeking its first league championship of any level. The Mastodons have never made a league championship game in any conference, so they have a chance to be 1-0 in league tournament title games.
All-League Accolades
Purdue Fort Wayne raked in All-League awards on March 3. Lauren Ross was named the Newcomer of the Year and was an All-League First Team selection, Jordan Reid was the Sixth Player of the Year, Jazzlyn Linbo earned the Sportsmanship Award, Amellia Bromenschenkel and Sydney Freeman were selected to the All-League Second Team and Maria Marchesano was named the Coach of the Year. Marchesano was the first Coach of the Year in program history.
Championship Outlook
This is the first time Purdue Fort Wayne has made the final of the Horizon League Championship. In each of the last two seasons, the ‘Dons played Green Bay in the semifinal. The two teams split the regular season, both winning their home games.
Regular Season Highlights
Purdue Fort Wayne finished second in the Horizon League regular season, which was the second runner-up finish in the program’s Division I history. The Mastodons’ 18 Horizon League wins are the most in a league season in program history, besting the 16 in 1995-96 in the Division II Great Lakes Valley Conference season. The previous most at the Division I level was 13, set in 2010-11 and matched in 2023-24./
Swipe, Swipe, Swipe!
Purdue Fort Wayne has 314 steals as a team this season, needing three more to match the program record of 317, which was set in 1990-91.
Finishing Strong
In the last nine games, Audra Emmerson averaged 10.7 points per game while shooting 44.3 percent (35-of-79) from the floor and 41.7 percent (20-of-48) from beyond the arc.
She’s Not Done Yet!
Amellia Bromenschenkel recorded double-digit scoring performances in each of the last six games. She averaged 14.8 points per game in that stretch.
Fort Wayne’s Own
Over her last eight games played, Sydney Graber is shooting 70.3 percent (26-of-37) from the floor.
She Can Reid The Defense
Over the last eight games, Jordan Reid averaged 9.4 points per game while shooting 45-of-83 (54.2 percent). In the Cleveland State game on February 15, she scored 10 points in the fourth quarter, and scored or assisted on the final 18 Mastodon points.
Shooters Shoot
Lauren Ross’ 48.1 percent clip from 3-point range is the best in the country. Her 3.19 triples per game rank fifth nationally and 94.4 percent from the free throw line is second-best.
Road Warriors
Purdue Fort Wayne is 11-4 on the road this season and owns a 9-1 record in Horizon League road games. The Mastodons’ 11 road wins is the best mark in program history.
Ross Has the Sauce
Through 32 games, Lauren Ross is shooting 46.9 percent from the floor, 48.1 percent from 3-point range and 94.4 percent from the line. If those percentages hold, she would be one of 18 players to shoot 45/45/90 since the 3-point line was added to college basketball.
Amellia BromenDubayoo
Amellia Bromenschenkel has 72 wins in her career which is the most of any Mastodon women’s basketball player at the Division I level. Audra Emmerson and Jazzlyn Linbo have 71 each, right behind the graduate student.
****INDIANAPOLIS – For the first time in program history, the Purdue Fort Wayne women’s basketball team will play for a league championship.
Behind 15 3-pointers, No. 2 seed Purdue Fort Wayne defeated No. 3 seed Cleveland State 83-65 to advance to the Barbasol Horizon League Championship game. The Mastodons will play No. 1 seed Green Bay on Tuesday (March 11) at noon.
The Mastodons’ 15 3-pointers are the second-most in a Horizon League tournament game by any team in tournament history.
All five Mastodon starters scored in double-figures for the first time this season. Amellia Bromenschenkel (23), Lauren Ross (18), Audra Emmerson (14), Sydney Freeman (11) and Jazzlyn Linbo (10) were all offensive threats for the ‘Dons.
Purdue Fort Wayne poured 10 first-half 3-pointers, which matched the program record for 3-pointers in a half.
Both the Mastodons and Vikings used the first three minutes of the game testing the waters, each team only scoring twice (5-5). Purdue Fort Wayne found its rhythm by scoring 10 unanswered points and held Cleveland State scoreless over a 4:30 stretch.
Ross sparked a triple flurry for Purdue Fort Wayne in the second quarter, as the team hit seven shots from behind the arc on 11 attempts. The Mastodons led by as many as 18 after the hot shooting stretch. Horizon League Player of the Year Mickayla Perdue carried the Vikings through the remainder of the half, scoring 15 points in the second after being held scoreless in quarter one. Despite this, Perdue finished with 33 points for CSU.
To Cleveland State’s advantage, the Mastodons’ scoring came to a halt after the teams exited the locker room. After a 6-0 run from the Vikings, the ‘Dons minimized the damage by only giving up seven points in the final five minutes of the quarter. Even after Cleveland State outscored Purdue Fort Wayne 13-12 in the third, the ‘Dons held a 12-point lead entering the final frame.
Ross opened the fourth quarter by hitting her sixth 3-pointer of the contest, matching her season-best. The Mastodons began to pull away after a 13-7 push, jumping up to a game-high 19-point lead. From there, the ‘Dons coasted.
Cleveland State only led for 60 seconds. Purdue Fort Wayne led for 37:14.
The Mastodons shot 53.6 percent from 3-point range, matching their season-best mark. The ‘Dons also shot 52.4 percent from the floor.
Cleveland State shot 40.4 percent from the floor and 42.3 percent from 3-point range. The Vikings fell to 24-9 and will await their postseason futures.
Purdue Fort Wayne improved on the best season in program history to a 25-7 mark. The ‘Dons will play Green Bay at noon on Tuesday (March 11) for the championship.
EVANSVILLE BASEBALL
EVANSVILLE, Ind. — After a successful weekend in Arkansas the University of Evansville baseball team will play two midweek games back-to-back.
| Evansville at Southeast Missouri | Tuesday, March 11 | 4 PM CT | |
| Site | Location | Capaha Field | Cape Girardeau, Mo. |
| Links | Tuesday, 4 PM: Live Stats | TV: None | Radio: None Expected Pitching Matchup: UE RHP RJ James (0-2, 14.73 ERA) vs. SEMO TBA |
| Follow the Aces | Baseball Site | Twitter | Instagram |
| Evansville at SIUE | Wednesday, March 12 | 4 PM CT | |
| Site | Location | Roy E. Lee Field at Simmons Baseball Complex | Edwardsville, Ill. |
| Links | Wednesday, 4 PM: Live Stats | TV: ESPN+ | Radio: None |
| Follow the Aces | Baseball Site | Twitter | Instagram |
The Purple Aces picked up their first series win of the season over the weekend. UE evened the program series with the Central Arkansas Bears 3-3 after taking the Saturday and Sunday games. The two wins were also Evansville’s first back-to-back victories of 2025. The Aces will look to continue their win streak with two midweek stops, first at Southeast Missouri for the program’s third meeting in two years on Tuesday and at SIUE on Wednesday.
Last season UE played a home-and-home with the Redhawks and took both games by a single run. In the game hosted by Evansville the Aces won in extra innings finding the winning run when outfielder Harrison Taubert laced a one-out RBI single down the left-field line in the bottom of the 10th. The second game of the year at Capaha Field saw UE rally in the ninth inning to take the one run victory with two home runs. Evansville initially led the game on the road but had to battle back after a four run inning by SEMO in the eighth. The Redhawks currently lead the series with the Aces, but UE is catching up taking the last three of four games.
Evansville’s second midweek will take place at Roy E. Lee Field with the SIUE Cougars. The Aces have a strong advantage in the series with the Cougars having 18 victories since the series began in 1976. But last season UE struggled with SIUE’s explosive offense dropping the team’s lone midweek match up 14-6 at German American Bank Field at Charles H. Braun Stadium. Evansville will look to get another series victory in Edwardsville as the Cougars come into Wednesday’s game with a 4-10 record. SIUE’s four wins on the season are against Eastern Kentucky, Kent State, and two at Omaha this past weekend.
UE’s offense began to heat up over the past week, putting together three straight games with 10+ hits. Evansville was close to having four such games, but did come a hit shy at Missouri on Sunday March, 2. Over the weekend the Aces had a total of 42 hits compared to 26 hits in the three games prior. Evansville’s offense resurgence over the weekend was led by right fielder Harrison Taubert and first baseman Kevin McCormick. Taubert led the team in Conway with a .500 batting average as he went 7-for-14 with three extra base hits and five RBIs. McCormick was shortly behind Taubert despite a slightly better batting average of .600 as he went 6-for-10 with one extra base hit.
The Aces currently lead the Missouri Valley Conference in two categories, including a more uncommon one in hit-by-pitches. As a team UE has taken 28 bases thanks to being plunked by pitchers. Currently center fielder Ty Rumsey leads the team with 7 HBP, but is still a ways off from Mark Shallenberger’s program high 28 HBP last season. The other category UE leads the Valley in comes on the mound as they are the only team with multiple shutouts on the year. Evansville picked up its second shutout of the year on Sunday afternoon, keeping UCA scoreless in a dominant 8-0 victory. Starting pitcher Kevin Reed earned his 3rd win of the year going 7 innings allowing only 3 hits, striking out six batters, and not allowing a single walk.
SOUTHERN INDIANA SOFTBALL
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Softball makes a midweek trip up I-69 Wednesday for a battle against Indiana University. The game is slated for first pitch at 3 p.m. CT from Bloomington, Indiana.
The road game against Indiana is the first midweek contest of the season for Southern Indiana, who heads into the matchup 4-13 (1-2 OVC) on the campaign. IU is the second Big Ten Conference team USI has faced this season. USI fell to Purdue University at the University of Alabama Birmingham Green and Gold Classic on February 22, 12-0, in six innings.
The Screaming Eagles are coming off opening weekend in the Ohio Valley Conference season. USI went 1-2 in a three-game series against Western Illinois University to open USI’s home schedule. It is the second straight season Southern Indiana has started OVC play with a 1-2 mark.
Freshman first baseman Lilly Brown and senior third baseman Whitley Hunter led USI over the weekend against Western Illinois with a .429 batting average and a double for each corner infielder. Brown tallied two RBIs and Hunter had one. In the pitching circle, senior pitcher Josie Newman and freshman hurler Kylie Witthaus each recorded a complete game during the series. Witthaus earned her first career win on Saturday against the Leathernecks. Newman totaled 18 strikeouts in two appearances.
With her 18 strikeouts during the weekend, Newman is now second on USI Softball’s career strikeouts list with 658 strikeouts entering the week. Newman passed Brooke Harmening (2012-15, 642) on the list.
On the season, junior outfielder Caroline Stapleton is USI’s top hitter with a .327 batting average. Stapleton has also scored a team-high 10 runs. Sophomore infielder Sydney Long leads the team with seven RBIs and is tied with sophomore outfielder Kate Satkoski for a team-best two home runs.
On the pitching side, Newman (3-7) has a 4.11 ERA. Newman has thrown the most innings with 59.2 innings pitched, including six complete games. Newman has an OVC-high 98 strikeouts.
Indiana enters the week with a 17-5 overall record. The Hoosiers host Butler University on Tuesday evening before welcoming in the Screaming Eagles on Wednesday in IU’s final games before the start of Big Ten play this coming weekend against the University of Iowa.
Freshman infielder Madalyn Strader paces the Hoosiers with a .500 batting average. Senior outfielder Taylor Minnick is the top run producer with 30 RBIs and is tied for a team-high five home runs with junior catcher Avery Parker. Parker has 29 RBIs this season. Minnick and Parker are hitting .492 and .400, respectively.
On the pitching staff, freshman pitcher Jenae Berry tops the squad with an 8-1 record and a 1.89 ERA in 37 innings of work. Senior pitcher Brianna Copeland has a team-best 42 strikeouts in 35.2 innings pitched.
Indiana is 3-0 all time against USI, winning all three games when USI was still known as Indiana State University-Evansville. The two programs first met in 1979 and last met in 1981.
Wednesday’s game can be seen with a subscription to Big Ten+ and heard on The Spin 95.7 FM. Additional coverage can be found at usiscreamingeagles.com.
SOUTHERN INDIANA BASEBALL
EVANSVILLE, Ind. — University of Southern Indiana Baseball returns home for the first time in two weeks when it hosts Austin Peay State University Tuesday at the USI Baseball Field. First pitch is slated for 5 p.m.
The USI-APSU game is an “812 Taco Tuesday Game” for the Screaming Eagles. Tickets are $8 Tuesday, while popcorn is $1 and tacos are $2. The promotion is sponsored by Sodexo.
The Eagles will briefly return to the road Wednesday with a trip to play former GLVC-rival Bellarmine University in Louisville, Kentucky. The road game is scheduled for a 1 p.m. (CDT) start.
Following the trip to Louisville, USI comes back home to host its first three-game series of the spring when Murray State University visits the USI Baseball Field. The series is slated to start Friday at 6 p.m.; continues Saturday at 3 p.m.; and concludes Sunday at 1 p.m.
The first game of the USI-Murray State series is “Free Custard Friday” at the USI Baseball Field. Fans will receive a free custard coupon at each Friday USI home game when the Eagles win.
Due to the ever-changing weather in March, USI encourages fans to watch for potential schedule changes on USIScreamingEagles.com, X, and Facebook.
Links to follow the Eagles all season can be found on USIScreamingEagles.com and the USI Baseball Schedule.
USI Baseball Notes:
USI had tough week at ORU. The USI Screaming Eagles went 0-3 last week at Oral Roberts University. USI had an early lead in game one, but lost, 9-7; could not get the bats going until the ninth in game two before losing, 4-2; and rallied late in game three before falling, 7-6.
Kitchens has the hot stick. Junior designated hitter Cole Kitchens was on fire against Oral Roberts, hitting .727 (8-11) with two runs scored, two doubles, one home run, and three RBIs. He also had a slugging percentage of 1.182.
Kitchens leads the Eagles at the plate. USI junior designated hitter Cole Kitchens is the top hitter at USI and third in the OVC. Coakley leads USI in hitting with a .410 batting average (16-39). He also is tied for first in home runs (2) and second on the team in RBIs (10) and doubles (5).
USI hoping to get on track at home. After starting hot, the Eagles have lost their last six games and were 1-6 away from the USI Baseball Field the previous two weeks.
On the mound: Junior right-hander Blake Kimball led the USI starters in the opening weeks with a 2-2 record and a team-best 2.55 ERA. Sophomore right-hander Aaron Rubio was the best out of the bullpen, earning a pair of saves.
USI in the OVC. USI ranks third in the OVC with a .287 team batting average and fifth with 73 runs scored. On the bump, the Eagles are eighth in the league with a 7.15 ERA.
USI at home this week. USI is at home this week, playing four of five at the USI Baseball Field.
USI hosts APSU. USI hosts Austin Peay State University Tuesday at the USI Baseball Field. APSU is 11-5 in 2025 after taking a three-game series with the University of St. Thomas this weekend. The Governors lead the all-time series with USI, 9-0, and won the last meeting in 2023, 10-6.
USI visits Bellarmine. USI visits Bellarmine University Wednesday in Louisville, Kentucky. The Knights are 2-12 after being swept by Southern Illinois University in a three-game series over the weekend. The Eagles hold an 88-77 all-time series lead over the Knights after sweeping a three-game series last year, 3-0.
VALPO WOMEN’S GOLF
Senior Madison Keil (LaGrange, Ind. / Lakeland) led the Valparaiso University women’s golf team in the first round of the two-day, 36-hole Benbow Spring Invitational at the par-72, 6119-yard Ardea Country Club south course in Oldsmar, Fla. Keil is tied for third in a 95-player field.
How It Happened
Keil carded a 76 (+4) to join four others in a tie for third through one day of action. She is four strokes back of FDU’s Anete Adul, who leads the way with a 72. Keil had a great start to the round as she began on Hole 12 and subsequently birdied three consecutive holes – the par-5 13th, the par-3 14th and the par-4 15th.
Sophomore Bella Campos (Honolulu, Hawaii / IMG Academy) is second on the team and 14th overall through one round. She turned in a 78 highlighted by a birdie on Hole 9.
Valpo is 11th on the team leaderboard at 337 (+49). The Beacons are tied with IU Indy and lead Longwood, Quinnipiac (B) and Southern Indiana.
Thoughts from Head Coach Jill McCoy
“Maddie played very well in some very difficult conditions today. She made some birdie putts early that really helped her gain momentum. I’m confident tomorrow will be a better day overall.”
Up Next
The Beacons will compete in the second and final round of the event on Tuesday with an 8:15 a.m. CT / 9:15 a.m. ET shotgun start. A link to live scoring via Clippd is available on ValpoAthletics.com.
VALPO SOFTBALL
Valparaiso (10-9, 0-0 MVC)
March 11 – at Northern Kentucky (7-12, 0-0 Horizon) – noon CT
March 14-16 – at Indiana State (5-17, 0-0 MVC) – 2 p.m. CT, 1 p.m. CT, 11 a.m. CT
Next Up in Valpo Softball: The Valpo softball team closes out preconference play with a stop on its way back from last weekend’s tournament, playing a single game at Northern Kentucky Tuesday afternoon. The Beacons then open Valley play with a three-game set at Indiana State starting on Friday afternoon.
Previously: The Beacons posted a 3-3 record last weekend at Marshall March Madness – defeating Buffalo twice, splitting two games with Loyola and falling twice to the host Thundering Herd. All three of Valpo’s wins came by a single run.
Looking Ahead: The home slate is scheduled to get off to its earliest start since 2015, as the Beacons are poised to host Southern Illinois for a three-game MVC series March 21-23.
Following Valpo Softball: The entirety of the Indiana State series is scheduled to be broadcast live on ESPN+, while all of this week’s games will have live stats available via ValpoAthletics.com. All home games and most MVC road games will be broadcast on ESPN+, while select nonconference games will have video streams depending on the host.
Head Coach Mike Armitage: Mike Armitage (79-76) is in his first season as head coach of the Valpo softball program after being hired as head coach on June 6, 2024. Armitage came to Valpo following a successful stretch as head coach at Minnesota State University Moorhead, turning around the Dragons’ program, and brings familiarity with the Missouri Valley Conference with a stint on staff at Illinois State. Armitage spent the last three seasons as head coach at MSUM, posting the first back-to-back 30-win seasons in MSUM program history in 2023 and 2024 after inheriting a Dragons program which had not finished above .500 since 2007.
Series Notes: Northern Kentucky – Valpo holds a 4-2 record all-time against the Norse, most recently winning two of three games in a series in Highland Heights in 2017.
Indiana State – The Sycamores own a 23-6 advantage in the all-time series over Valpo. The two squads did not meet up last season, with the last matchups coming in 2023 as ISU closed the regular season with a three-game sweep of the Beacons and then earned a first-round win over Valpo at the MVC Tournament.
Another Old, But Brief, Friend: In what has been a theme early this season, Valpo will be squaring up against a former conference foe in its final preconference game. This time, however, it was but a short time that there was shared affiliation, as Valpo and NKU overlapped in the Horizon League for just two seasons (2016 & 2017).
Double-Digit Wins: Valpo’s win over Buffalo on Sunday was the Beacons’ 10th of the season, already more victories than the program has had in four of the last five seasons. Coming in its 18th game of the year, it is the quickest the program has reached double figures in wins since the 2018 squad hit 10 wins in its 16th game.
Pulling Out the Close Ones: All three of the Beacons’ wins last weekend came by a single run, improving Valpo’s record this year to 5-2 in one-run contests. Valpo was just 8-11 in one-run games over the last two seasons. Notably, the Beacons earned a 1-0 shutout in eight innings over Green Bay at Presbyterian – the program’s first 1-0 win in extra inning since prevailing 1-0 in eight innings over Cleveland State May 4, 2008.
V Stands For Very Good: Another weekend of softball means another standout stat line for freshman Madison Vrastil. Over Valpo’s six games last weekend, Vrastil tallied at least one base hit in every contest and finishing the weekend 9-for-19 with three doubles, posting a slash line of .474/.500/.632. She now owns 11 multi-hit games on the year, one shy of Regi Hecker’s total of 12 last season which was the most by a Valpo player since 2017. Four of those multi-hit games have been three-hit efforts, the most by a Valpo player since Jaymee Lawton had four such games in 2018.
Going Streaking: Vrastil has been on base at least once in each of the first 19 games of her collegiate career, the longest on-base streak by a Valpo player since Sam Stewart reached in 29 consecutive contests in 2017. Vrastil is also carrying an active 10-game hitting streak into this week, the program’s longest hitting streak since Carly Trepanier reeled off at least one hit in 16 straight games in 2017.
Among the Best: Vrastil leads the MVC in batting average (.485) and hits (32); ranks second in on-base percentage (.541), OPS (1.193), stolen bases (8) and doubles (7); ranks fourth in runs scored (15) and ranks sixth in slugging percentage (.652). Nationally, she ranks among the top-50 in batting average (23rd) and doubles/game (48th).
Going to the Pen: Valpo has leaned on a trio of pitchers – junior Azalya Lopez, sophomore Sydney McDermott and freshman Erin Metz (all of whom rank among the top-nine in the MVC in strikeouts) – for the vast majority of innings in the circle and hasn’t hesitated to use multiple arms in the same game, even when things are going well. In fact, the Beacons have just one complete game through 19 games this season. Last weekend, Lopez picked up her save of the year with the final four outs of the win over Loyola, while Metz earned a save by tossing the seventh inning of the first win over Buffalo, her third save of the year – already tied for eighth in a single season in program history and tied for ninth on the career chart.
Gallagher Gone: Junior Mack Gallagher connected on her first two home runs in the Valpo uniform last weekend, going deep with a three-run shot in the win over Loyola and hitting a two-run bomb to account for all the Beacons’ runs in their Sunday win over Buffalo. Gallagher’s first two Valpo homers come after she hit 17 round-trippers in her two seasons at MSU Moorhead. The junior has racked up a team-best 18 RBIs to date, tied for sixth-most among MVC players.
W5: While Valpo saw a winning streak came to an end at the hands of Cleveland State to close the Scotsman Invitational, the Beacons did reel off five consecutive victories dating back to opening weekend. It was the program’s first five-game winning streak since the 2022 team won five in a row in early-season action.
Snowmen: Valpo posted eight runs in each of its two games on Saturday at Presbyterian, the first time the program has scored eight or more runs in consecutive games since plating nine and 10 runs in back-to-back outings against Detroit in April 2017.
A Big Sunday: It was a noteworthy day on many fronts on Sunday, Feb. 9 as the Beacons run-ruled Green Bay, 12-1, and followed with a 7-2 win over Detroit Mercy:
– Valpo won two games on the same day for the first time since March 4, 2023, when the Beacons defeated Bellarmine and Eastern Illinois.
– The Beacons’ 19 runs were the program’s highest single-day output since plating 22 runs in a doubleheader split at Northern Kentucky March 25, 2017.
– The 11-run win over the Phoenix in the opener was Valpo’s largest win since an identical 12-1 score in a victory at Stetson March 1, 2020.
– The Beacons racked up 16 hits in the win over Green Bay, their highest single-game hit total since a 16-hit effort against Holy Cross Feb. 19, 2022.
– Valpo’s win in the nightcap was its 36th win all-time against Detroit Mercy, the most in program history against a single opponent.
Four For 44: Sophomore Kayden Krug was locked in at the plate in the win over Green Bay on opening weekend, picking up base hits in four consecutive innings from the second through the fifth as she went 4-for-4 with two RBIs. It was the first four-hit game by a Valpo player since Feb. 19, 2022, when Ryan Milkowski tallied four base hits against Holy Cross. It also was the first time a Valpo player has recorded a base hit in four consecutive innings since April 2, 2010, when KC Boldt did so at Detroit.
Hitting the Road: This week’s games conclude a long and winding road for the Beacons before they finally get the chance to play at the Valpo Softball Complex. Valpo played in early-season tournaments at DePaul, Presybertian, Lindenwood and Marshall to open the 2025 campaign and play four games on the road this week before coming home to host Southern Illinois March 21-23. In all, Valpo is slated to play its first 23 games of the season away from home.
Who’s Back: Valpo returns 13 of 21 letterwinners from its 2024 squad for the 2025 campaign. The returnees accounted for 51.7% of the team’s plate appearances and 46.3% of the Beacons’ innings pitched last season.
Who’s New: Coach Armitage brought a pair of transfers with him from MSU Moorhead – junior infielder Mack Gallagher and junior pitcher/infielder Azalya Lopez, both of whom were All-Conference honorees. In addition, the program welcomes nine freshmen this season as well.
A Large Roster: Do the math from the above two notes, and you find that this year’s Valpo softball roster is comprised of 24 players. That is the largest roster in program history, topping the previous high of 21 players. Even more notable is that only two of this year’s 24 players are seniors.
Taking Advantage of the Numbers: Coach Armitage has shown a willingness to utilize his large roster as much as possible. 20 players saw action against Butler and Cleveland State, while 19 players apiece appeared in the wins over Green Bay and Detroit Mercy opening weekend and in the second game against Loyola last weekend.
Making Debuts: Eight of Valpo’s 11 newcomers made their first appearance in the Beacons uniform in the season opener against Butler. Gallagher started at first base and Lopez in the circle in their first game at Valpo. Six of Valpo’s freshmen made their collegiate debut against the Bulldogs as well: Madison Vrastil (started at DP), Marissa Jackson (started in CF), Erin Metz (pitched in relief), Sophia Leitzen (pinch-hitter), Brooklynn Couch (pinch-runner) and Kyndal Shively (pinch-runner). One of the three freshmen who didn’t appear on opening weekend, Caitlyn Quickle debuted with two innings of relief in the circle against Cleveland State Feb. 22.
Workhorse in the Circle: Sophomore pitcher Sydney McDermott is the lone returning pitcher for the Beacons in the circle, coming off a freshman campaign where she tossed nearly half the team’s innings. McDermott, who had seven starts last year where she gave up two or fewer runs while pitching at least six innings, became the first Valpo pitcher since 2008 to throw a complete game in three straight starts and give up three hits or fewer in all three with an early-season trio of games. She also carried shutouts into extra innings twice in MVC play and earned victories in the circle over UNI (second place) and Belmont (third place).
VALPO BASEBALL
Valparaiso (3-8, 0-0 MVC)
at No. 16 Vanderbilt (13-3, 0-0 SEC)
Tuesday, March 11, 4:30 p.m. CT – RHP Josh Cottrill
Hawkins Field (3,700) | Nashville, Tenn.
Next Up in Valpo Baseball: The Valparaiso University baseball team will face off with the country’s No. 16 team on Tuesday evening as the Beacons battle Vanderbilt in Nashville, Tenn. The team will close out a four-game road trip as the squad arrived in Nashville on Sunday night after finishing a three-game series with Ohio State in Columbus on Sunday afternoon. This is the fourth in a stretch of 15 straight road games with the first seven games in that stretch all against power-conference opponents.
Last Time Out: Valpo picked up a series-opening victory against Big Ten Conference foe Ohio State on Friday in Columbus, beating the Buckeyes 10-7 before the hosts battled back to win the series with 14-4 and 8-3 victories on Saturday and Sunday. The Beacons used a five-run seventh inning and had four players with multiple hits in the series-opening victory, which was Valpo’s first win against a Big Ten opponent since 2018.
Following the Beacons: Tuesday’s game will air on SEC Network+. For links to live video and stats, visit ValpoAthletics.com. For in-game updates, follow @ValpoBaseball on X.
Head Coach Brian Schmack: Brian Schmack (205-340) is in his 11th season in charge of the program. He ranks third in program history in seasons coached and games coached as he coached his 500th game on March 17, 2024 at Campbell. On April 19 vs. Missouri State, he became the third head coach in program history to secure his 200th win. Schmack, a member of the 2003 Detroit Tigers, served as pitching coach/associate head coach at Valpo for seven seasons prior to his promotion.
A Look Back at 2024: Valpo finished 14-38 overall and 6-21 in Missouri Valley Conference play last season and hopes to return to the MVC Tournament field in 2025. Kaleb Hannahs earned Second Team All-Missouri Valley Conference honors last season, while Kyle Schmack finished one home run shy of tying the program’s career and single-season records. The team launched 71 home runs, the second most in program history and most since 2001. Alex Ryan made an incredible leaping catch that was featured at No. 4 on SportsCenter’s Top 10 plays, robbing a grand slam as part of a 20-0 victory at UIC on April 28. The 2024 campaign also saw Valpo post a fielding percentage of .970 that ranked fourth in program history. The season also saw head coach Brian Schmack reach the 200-win threshold.
Series Notes: Valpo is 0-9 all-time against Vanderbilt in a series that dates back to 1988. Last season, Valpo and Vandy played for the first time since 2000 and Valpo was within a run for the first time ever against the Commodores, who were ranked seventh nationally at the time of the 3-2 win. The Valpo pitching staff racked up 12 strikeouts including six in 2 2/3 innings from then-freshman lefty Lucas Foley.
Beating a B1G Foe
Valpo enjoyed a 10-7 series-opening win on March 7 at Ohio State, the program’s second power-conference win in the last three seasons after beating Kansas 11-3 on Feb. 18, 2023.
The win over the Buckeyes snapped a 10-game skid against power-conference competition.
The Beacons earned their first Big Ten win since 2018, when they prevailed 11-7 at No. 25 Illinois.
The win came against an Ohio State club that won 29 games last season.
Since Brian Schmack took over as head coach, Valpo has wins over four different Big Ten opponents – Ohio State, Michigan State, Illinois and Purdue.
Notes Wrapping Up Ohio State March 7-9 (W 10-7, L 14-4, L 8-3)
Liam Patton had four RBIs in the series opener, making it seven RBIs in a two-game span after recording three in the final game against Niagara the previous weekend.
Friday’s opener saw Kade Reinertson collect three hits as well, tying a career high from May 10, 2024 at Murray State.
Case Sullivan enjoyed his fourth multi-hit game of the season in the series-opening victory.
Connor Lockwood picked up his first victory of the season, allowing five runs on seven hits while walking none and striking out four in the Friday game. He went walk-free for the third time in his first four starts this season.
The series-opening win gave Valpo its first set of back-to-back wins this season and first since March 30-31, 2024 vs. Bradley.
The Beacons outhit the Buckeyes 13-9 and drew nine walks while issuing just three in the series opener.
In the second game of the series, Austin Amburgey and Connor Giusti hit back-to-back home runs. Amburgey’s was his first in a Valpo uniform, while Giusti hit his eighth total and first of the season.
In Sunday’s finale, Valpo turned an unusual 8-4-2-5 double play.
Kevin Denty had Valpo’s only multi-hit game in the series finale and accounted for one of the team’s three doubles.
Ryan Kruse had the best pitching line of the day for Valpo in the series finale with one inning, no hits or walks allowed and two strikeouts.
Among League and National Leaders
Starting pitcher Connor Lockwood leads the Missouri Valley Conference and ranks 28th nationally in walks allowed per nine innings at 0.98.
Lockwood’s strikeout-to-walk ratio of 8.00 ranks first in the MVC and 45th nationally.
Lockwood ranks second in the MVC in total strikeouts with 24. Missouri State’s Michael Yusypchuk leads with 27.
Case Sullivan is the league-leader in walks per game at 1.09. He has drawn the 39th most bases on balls per game nationally this season thus far.
In the Other Dugout – Vandy
Ranked eighth nationally in RPI, 16th by D1Baseball and 14th in the USA Today Coaches’ Poll.
On a four-game winning streak including a sweep of Xavier this past weekend in Nashville.
Won national championships in 2014 and 2019.
Pitching Probable – RHP Josh Cottrill
Set to make his first appearance since March 2, 2024 after missing the rest of the 2024 season and undergoing Tommy John surgery.
Redshirted in 2021 during his first season on campus, then logged 8 2/3 innings in seven games out of the bullpen in 2022.
Two-time all-conference performer in high school… Set his school’s record for highest batting average by a freshman at .531 in 2017.
Hobbies include Guitar Hero… Can juggle… Loves to travel.
Posted a 5.63 ERA while making 14 appearances including one start in 2023… Made his first collegiate start and logged four innings on May 19, 2023 vs. Illinois State… Matched the longest outing of his career and earned his second collegiate win in his Feb. 17 season debut in Game 1 of a doubleheader at Alabama State. He allowed just one run on four hits in six innings while walking two and striking out seven.
Posted a 3.75 ERA while striking out 12 and walking four in 12 innings over three starts in 2024 – at Alabama State, at Alabama and at Elon – before going down with an injury.
Notes Wrapping Up Niagara: Feb. 28 (L 11-1, W 16-11)
Senior Ryan Maka was the primary bright spot of Game 1, accounting for four of the team’s seven hits and going 4-for-4.
Redshirt freshman Deuce Musial tossed a scoreless inning in his Valpo debut, a highlight for the pitching staff.
In Game 2, senior Harry Deliyannis picked up the victory with four innings of five-run, four-hit relief while striking out four and walking one. He retired the side in order in the fourth and fifth innings.
Patrick Ilitch’s home run was the second of his collegiate career and first since 2023 at Missouri State. Spencer Warfield’s home run was the third of his career and also his first since the 2023 campaign.
Spencer Warfield had the tough half of the cycle as he also tripled in the nightcap, his first career triple.
Bryan Hatch had three hits, leading six Beacons who had multi-hit games. Valpo got production from the lower half of the order, as the four through nine batters in the lineup all produced multiple hits.
Redshirt freshman Case Sullivan walked four times and scored three runs. He became the first Beacon with four walks in a game since Kyle Schmack on April 30, 2023 at Missouri State.
Valpo’s 16 runs marked the team’s highest total since beating UIC 20-0 on April 28 of last season, Valpo’s previous game at Curtis Granderson Stadium prior to Friday.
Early Opener
This year marked the earliest Valpo has ever opened the home portion of the season.
Valpo did not play a home game until March 19 in 2024 and March 28 in 2023 but started the home docket on Feb. 28 this season.
That was Valpo’s first nonconference home weekend series since hosting St. Bonaventure in March 2022 and just the third nonconference home weekend in Brian Schmack’s 11 years as head coach. Valpo hosted Butler for a nonconference home weekend in 2019.
Maka Pushing the Home Run List
Ryan Maka slugged a home run in both games of the Feb. 14 season-opening doubleheader at Samford.
Maka moved his career home-run total to 18, moving to within three of cracking the program’s all-time top 10.
On the first day of the season, Maka already had half as many home runs as he had all of last season, when he slugged four.
Three more home runs would put Maka in a tie for 10th in career program history, joining Dan Schrum (1999-2002), Jamie Sykes (1994-1997), Dale Polonus (1986-1988), Marc Boggio (1999-2003) and Sam Shaikin (2016-2019).
Inside the Schedule
Valpo will once again face a competitive schedule, which started against a Samford program that won 36 games last season.
Valpo hosted the earliest home games in program history against a Niagara team that went 38-17 overall and 20-4 in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference en route to a league title and NCAA Regional appearance last year.
After the early-season home weekend, Valpo is back on the road for 15 straight, starting with a set at Ohio State (March 7-9), a 29-win Big Ten Conference club in 2024. That trip will continues with a visit to national baseball powerhouse Vanderbilt (March 11) of the Southeastern Conference, a 38-win NCAA Regional team last year against whom Valpo played a competitive, one-run game.
The Beacons head to Illinois (March 14-16) for the final nonconference weekend series. The Illini went 35-21 overall and 18-6 in Big Ten Conference play last season on their way to the NCAA Regional.
Valpo begins MVC play against instate foe Indiana State (March 21-23), the defending Valley regular-season champions and a team that won two NCAA Regional games as part of a 44-win season in 2024.
The league docket features a visit to Evansville, the defending MVC Tournament champion and a team that won 39 games including a regional title and made an NCAA Super Regional appearance last season.
Valpo will play 10 of its first 24 games against NCAA Regional teams from a year ago.
Beacon Blasts
Valpo launched 71 home runs last season, surpassing the 1985 season (64) to climb into second in program history.
Valpo held its highest single-season home run total during the BBCOR bat era that began in 2011.
The 71 bombs marked the program’s most since 2001, a year where the team launched a program-record 81 long balls.
This marked the first time ever that Valpo has hit at least 50 home runs in back-to-back years, as the Beacons hit 50 long balls in 2023, the fifth most in program history.
Valpo Single-Season Top 5 – Team Home Runs
Rank Year HR
1 2001 81
2 2024 71
3 1985 64
4 1999 55
5 2023 50
Other Record Book Updates from 2024
The team had a .970 fielding percentage that ranks fourth in program history, the squad’s second straight season at .970 or better.
Kyle Schmack finished his career with 794 at-bats, third in program history behind Chris Manning (2011-2014, 896) and Michael Arensdorff (2003-2007, 833). He scored 146 runs (sixth in program history), had 223 hits (sixth), 45 doubles (t-sixth), 35 home runs (second), 131 RBIs (fifth) and 98 walks (t-sixth).
Schmack finished 2024 with 17 home runs, one shy of tying the single-season record as well.
Brady Renfro finished eighth in program history in career fielding percentage (.989), eighth in putouts (845) and fourth in walks (103).
Alex Thurston finished fourth in program history in career assists (431).
Kaleb Hannahs finished tied for sixth in program history in career doubles (45).
Pitching Profiles – Bullpen Bits
#6 LHP Kaden Kiser, So. (Columbus, Ohio / Hamilton Township) – Played at Bryant & Stratton College in 2024, where he made nine appearances including five starts in his lone JUCO season… Is ambidextrous, writing with his right hand and playing sports with his left (except golf, which he does with his right)… Favorite MLB players are Chris Sale and Elly De La Cruz… Favorite MLB team is the Cincinnati Reds.
#20 RHP Hunter Frost, Jr. (Farmington, Minn. / Farmington) – Went 4-2 with a 4.50 ERA while appearing in 14 games and making 11 starts for Iowa Central Community College in 2024… 2021 4A Minnesota state champion and 2022 4A Minnesota state runner-up…. Also competed in wrestling in high school… Majoring in elementary education… Favorite pro baseball team is the Minnesota Twins… Favorite food is steak stir fry.
#24 Adam Guazzo, R-Fr. (Huntley, Ill. / Huntley) – Was sidelined and did not see action during his first season on campus in 2023… Two-time all-conference performer in basketball in addition to earning all-conference on the diamond as a senior in high school… Set his high school’s record for rebounds in a single season on the hardwood with 320 in 2021-22… Favorite TV shows are Breaking Bad and Ozarks… Made his first collegiate appearance and start by pitching four innings on Feb. 18, 2024 at Alabama State, allowing three runs (one earned)… Made his second start of the season on March 8, 2024 in Game 2 of a doubleheader at The Citadel, logging six innings of two-run (one earned), two-hit ball while striking out six and walking none in a game that Valpo won in extra innings… Started and worked four solid innings, allowing two runs on four hits and one walk while striking out five on April 30, 2024 at Western Michigan… Nailed down his first collegiate save with 1 2/3 scoreless inning on Feb. 23 at Memphis… Tossed a shutout frame on March 7 at Ohio State to earn his second save.
#26 RHP Ryan Kruse, R-So. (Detroit, Mich. / U of D Jesuit) – In his second season in the program after redshirting at Northern Kentucky in 2023… Made two appearances – both against nationally-ranked competition – and was not charged with any earned runs in 2024… Enjoys golfing, swimming, snowboarding, working out and tennis… Favorite movie is The Dark Knight… Worked a scoreless inning in the series finale at Samford on Feb. 16, 2025, his first action of the season… Did not allow a run in an inning of work on March 9 at Ohio State.
#27 RHP Kolt Davis, Gr. (Johnson, Neb. / Johnson-Brock) – Played at Wayne State from 2021-2024, where he was a three-time all-conference honoree… Made 31 career appearances and had a 4-2 record while starting twice and nailing down two saves… Favorite MLB team is the New York Yankees and player is Derek Jeter… Hopes to become a human trafficking investigator.
#31 RHP Joe Seiber, R-Jr. (Homer Glen, Ill. / Lockport) – Third team junior college All-American at Collee of DuPage… Favorite MLB team is the Chicago White Sox… Favorite movie is Billy Madison… Joined the program prior to the 2024 season as a junior college transfer… Earned his first Valpo save with two shutout innings of one-hit ball while allowing no walks to close out a 3-2 win at The Citadel in Game 1 of a doubleheader on March 8, 2024… Tossed three shutout innings while allowing one hit and walking none on March 29, 2024 vs. Bradley… Tossed two scoreless innings of relief on April 9, 2024 at Milwaukee… Earned the victory in relief on April 19, 2024 vs. Missouri State… Flipped two shutout innings on April 30, 2024 at Western Michigan… Pitched two shutout innings on May 14, 2024 at Northwestern… Is the primary returning reliever from 2024 back in 2025.
#35 RHP Bryce Richter, Gr. (Minneapolis, Minn. / Holy Family Catholic) – Has joined Valpo’s program after playing four years at North Alabama, where he graduated magna cum laude and was on the dean’s list all four years… Appeared in 20 games out of the bullpen during his four-year career at North Alabama… Threw a no-hitter as a sophomore in high school… Also played four years of soccer and holds the school record for shutouts by a goalkeeper with 19… Pursuing an MBA at Valpo… Favorite food is ground bison and rice with a little Chick-Fil-A sauce.
#37 Alexander Morrison, Jr. (Pasadena, Calif. / Canyon) – Spent two years at Los Angeles Mission College before arriving at Valpo… Hobbies include fishing and going to the beach… Grew up in Bonney Lake, Wash. riding BMX and snowboarding… Allowed one run and no earned runs while logging an inning of relief in his Valpo debut on Feb. 16, 2025 at Samford.
#42 LHP Lucas Foley, Fr. (Deer Park, Ill. / Lake Zurich) – 2023 IHSBCA 4A First Team All-State and PBR Third Team All-State… Conference Pitcher of the Year as a senior in high school in 2023… Enjoys water and snow skiing… Has broken his collarbone four times… Favorite musical group is Cold Play… Went seven innings and allowed just one run on five hits while walking none and striking out 11 on Feb. 17, 2024 at Alabama State, getting the start in the second game of a doubleheader and making his collegiate debut. He was one of two freshmen in the country with 11 or more strikeouts in a game over the opening weekend of the season… Allowed one run on five hits and one walk in four innings of a start on March 3, 2024 vs. Binghamton, receiving no decision… Moved to the bullpen and tossed two scoreless innings on March 22, 2024 at Southern Illinois… Struck out the side in his first inning of work and racked up six strikeouts in just 2 2/3 frames of relief on March 26, 2024 at No. 7 Vanderbilt. He was charged with one unearned run on three hits and one walk… Worked three shutout innings while striking out four, issuing no walks and permitting two hits to help Valpo beat Bradley on March 31, 2024… Made his first 2025 start on Feb. 14 at Samford and took the loss after allowing eight runs (seven earned) on six hits and three walks in two innings.
Position Player Profiles – Projected Lineup (based on recent games)
#34 Case Sullivan, SS, R-Fr. (Carmel, Ind. / Carmel) – Joined the program after redshirting at Marshall in 2024, where he was a member of the president’s list with a perfect 4.0 GPA… Is a triplet with his two siblings, Colin and Lily… Lily plays softball at the University of Akron and Colin is an engineering student at Purdue… Favorite pro baseball team is the Boston Red Sox and player is Mookie Betts… Had four hits on his first day in a Valpo uniform on Feb. 14 at Samford, going 3-for-3 with a walk in Game 2 of the season-opening doubleheader… Homered in the first game of the series at Memphis on Feb. 22, the first of his collegiate career… Played solid shortstop in addition to going 3-for-5 with two doubles on Feb. 23 at Memphis… Walked four times and scored three runs on Feb. 28 in Game 2 of a doubleheader vs. Niagara. He became the first Beacon with four walks in a game since Kyle Schmack on April 30, 2023 at Missouri State.
#22 Ryan Maka, RF, Sr. (Oak Forest, Ill. / Oak Forest) – Also competed in golf in high school… Other hobbies include investing and going to the gym… Favorite TV Show is Stranger Things… Became the first Valpo player since 2018 and second since 2008 to notch a three-homer game on May 13, 2022 vs. Bradley. Had four home runs in that series and five extra-base hits en route to earning Collegiate Baseball Newspaper National Player of the Week recognition… Ranked third on the team in MVC-only batting average at .286 and tied for the team lead with four home runs in Valley play in 2022… 2023 All-MVC First Team and 2024 Preseason All-MVC honors… Posted a .345 batting average in 2023, jumping his average nearly 100 points from the previous season… Hit two grand slams in 2023, becoming the first Valpo player since at least 2006 with two career grand slams… Played in 36 games (all starts) in 2024, hitting .277 with nine doubles, four homers, 20 RBIs and 17 runs scored including a .301 average in 23 league games… Homered in both games of the season-opening doubleheader at Samford on Feb. 14, 2025… Closed out the Samford series by reaching base three times via two hits and a walk on Feb. 16 in Birmingham… Was the primary bright spot of Game 1, accounting for four of the team’s seven hits and going 4-for-4.
#33 Liam Patton, 1B, Gr. (Barrington, Ill. / Warsaw) – Spent his first three seasons at Wabash College, where he hit .384 with six home runs, 50 RBIs and a .582 slugging percentage in 2023… Had a go-ahead, two-run single with two outs in the ninth inning on March 5, 2024 vs. Jacksonville, a game Valpo eventually dropped 6-5 on a walk-off in the bottom of the ninth… Came up clutch again in the second game of a doubleheader on March 8, 2024 at The Citadel, when his bases-clearing double in the top of the 10th spurred a 10-5 victory… Hit his first Valpo home run on April 19, 2024 vs. Missouri State… Totaled 28 appearances and 26 starts in 2024… Doubled in Game 2 of a season-opening doubleheader on Feb. 14, 2025 at Samford, part of a two-hit output… Had four RBIs in the March 7 series opener at Ohio State, making it seven RBIs in a two-game span after recording three in the final game against Niagara the previous weekend.
#21 Austin Amburgey, 1B, Jr. (Miamisburg, Ohio / Miamisburg) – Posted a .391 batting average at Marietta College in 2024, ranking third in the league in hitting… Posted a .311 batting average as a freshman in 2023… Has been to three of the top four golf majors and to 14 Major League Baseball stadiums… Favorite TV show is Survivor… Hit his first Valpo home run as part of back-to-back home runs with Connor Giusti on March 8 at Ohio State.
#9 Connor Giusti, 3B, Gr. (Hoffman Estates, Ill. / Fremd) – Played in 117 games over four seasons at Wisconsin Oshkosh before transferring to Valpo for the 2024 campaign… Named to the all-defensive team and all-conference honorable mention at Oshkosh… Big Chicago Bears fan and loves football… Hit his 11th collegiate home run and first at Valpo on Opening Night on Feb. 16, 2024 at Alabama State… Homered in consecutive games – April 28, 2024 at UIC and April 30, 2024 at Western Michigan… Had a dramatic, game-tying, three-run homer with two outs in the top of the ninth on May 10, 2024 at Murray State, completing a six-run rally to force extras… Hit his fifth home run in a nine-game span on May 14, 2024 at Northwestern…. Finished the 2024 season with a .252 average and seven dingers while appearing in 46 games and making 44 starts… Hit his first home run of the season as part of back-to-back jacks with Austin Amburgey on March 8 at Ohio State.
#4 Spencer Warfield, CF, R-Jr. (Fullerton, Calif. / Servite) – Played in five games in 2024 before being shut down for the season with an injury… Appeared in 21 games and made 15 starts in 2023 after seeing action in 18 games and making 13 starts as a rookie in 2022… Favorite pro baseball team is the Los Angeles Angels and MLB Player is Mike Trout… Favorite food is cheeseburgers… Enjoyed a multi-hit game and reached base three times with a single, double and walk on Feb. 23 at Memphis… Had the tough half of the cycle in Game 2 of the Feb. 28 doubleheader vs. Niagara, recording his first career triple and third career home run. He had three hits and reached base six times in the doubleheader.
#5 Kevin Denty, LF, So. (Tinley Park, Ill. / Marian Catholic) – Played in 29 games and made 27 starts as a freshman in 2024, ranking fourth on the team in batting average at .278… Hit .300 in 10 league games including eight starts in 2024… Had a season-high four hits including two home runs on March 1, 2024 at Elon… Eats Chipotle three times per week… Favorite MLB team is the Chicago White Sox.
#19 Kade Reinertson, C, R-Sr. (Huxley, Iowa / Ballard Community) – Played in 18 games before suffering a season-ending injury in 2023 after playing in 22 games and making 17 starts in 2022… Did not see game action as a rookie in 2021… Named second team all-state in high school in 2019… Also played football and basketball in high school… Kicks with his left foot but does everything else right-handed… Enjoys golfing and disc golfing… Played in 30 games and made 25 starts in 2024… Drilled his third career home run and first of the season on Feb. 22, 2025 in Game 2 of a doubleheader at Memphis.
#2 Aidan Thaxton, 2B, R-Fr. – Did not see action last season, retaining four years of eligibility… Part of Elite Baseball training academy (2020-2023)… Won a regional and sectional championship as a junior in high school and another regional crown as a senior… Two-time All-Conference honoree in Chicago Catholic League in high school… Enjoyed his first collegiate multi-hit game on March 7 at Ohio State.
Inside the Assistants: Adam Brian is back for a second season on staff, while Brady Nowicki and Kyle Schmack have joined the coaching staff after playing for the Beacons last season.
Adam Brian is in his second season on Valpo’s staff after graduating from Bradley. He works with the team’s catchers, assists with pitching and leads recruiting efforts. Brian’s father Braden Brian played college baseball at Eastern Kentucky and was selected in the 30th round of the 1986 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft by the Montreal Expos.
Brady Nowicki has joined the coaching staff after playing for the team each of the last three seasons. He will coach the squad’s hitters and infielders.
Kyle Schmack played for Valpo each of the last five seasons. The son of head coach Brian Schmack, Kyle will coach first base and assist Nowicki in coaching the team’s hitters.
INDIANA SMALL COLLEGE WEB SITES
UINDY ATHLETICS: https://athletics.uindy.edu/
MARIAN ATHLETICS: https://muknights.com/
INDIANA WESLEYAN ATHLETICS: https://iwuwildcats.com/
EARLHAM ATHLETICS: https://goearlham.com/
WABASH ATHLETICS: https://sports.wabash.edu/
FRANKLIN ATHLETICS: https://franklingrizzlies.com/
ROSE-HULMAN ATHLETICS: https://athletics.rose-hulman.edu/
ANDERSON ATHLETICS: https://athletics.anderson.edu/landing/index
TRINE ATHLETICS: https://trinethunder.com/landing/index
BETHEL ATHLETICS: https://bupilots.com/
DEPAUW ATHLETICS: https://depauwtigers.com/
HANOVER ATHLETICS: https://athletics.hanover.edu/
MANCHESTER ATHLETICS: https://muspartans.com/
HUNTINGTON ATHLETICS: https://www.huathletics.com/
OAKLAND CITY ATHLETICS: https://gomightyoaks.com/index.aspx
ST. FRANCIS ATHLETICS: https://www.saintfranciscougars.com/landing/index
IU KOKOMO ATHLETICS: https://iukcougars.com/
IU EAST ATHLETICS: https://www.iueredwolves.com/
IU SOUTH BEND ATHLETICS: https://iusbtitans.com/
PURDUE NORTHWEST ATHLETICS: https://pnwathletics.com/
INDIANA TECH ATHLETICS: https://indianatechwarriors.com/index.aspx
GRACE COLLEGE ATHLETICS: https://gclancers.com/
ST. MARY OF THE WOODS ATHLETICS: https://smwcathletics.com/
GOSHEN COLLEGE ATHLETICS: https://goleafs.net/
HOLY CROSS ATHLETICS: https://www.hcsaints.com/index.php
TAYLOR ATHLETICS: https://www.taylortrojans.com/
VINCENNES ATHLETICS: https://govutrailblazers.com/landing/index
“SPORTS EXTRA”
TODAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY
1901 John McGraw, manager of the new American League’s Orioles, signs Charlie Grant, trying to pass off the black infielder as a Cherokee Indian named Tokohoma. The skipper’s scheme to secretly integrate the major leagues unravels in Chicago when White Sox president Charles Comiskey objects to Baltimore’s new player after recognizing the team’s second baseman’s true identity.
1933 A significant earthquake during an exhibition game in L.A. sends the Cubs and Giants scurrying to second base until the tremors stop. The seismic event, which takes place along the 46-mile-long Newport-Inglewood Fault, is estimated at a magnitude of 6.3.
1933 Rogers Hornsby returns to the Cardinals as a player after being fired as the Cubs’ manager last August. After a six-year absence, the ‘Rajah’s’ return to the Redbirds will be short-lived when he is claimed on waivers in July by the crosstown AL’s Browns, who make him the skipper of the last-place club, replacing the recently-resigned Bill Killefer.
1953 Braves’ owner Lou Perini proposes a ban on any major league franchise shift to an existing minor league city until October 1st. Boston, who owns the Milwaukee minor league franchise, had invoked its territorial privilege last week to block the Browns’ attempt to shift their franchise to Milwaukee.
1953 The Dodgers defeat the A’s, 4-2, in the first game played in Holman Stadium, their Grapefruit League ballpark at the team’s spring training complex in Vero Beach, better known as Dodgertown. Fifty-five years later, Carl Erskine, the game’s starting pitcher, will return to play the national anthem on his harmonica as an 81-year-old at the club’s last game at the storied facility.
1957 Representative Emanuel Celler, chair of a congressional committee investigating baseball, calls Commissioner Ford Frick a czar. The New York congressman takes exception when the baseball boss cautions the major league owners about commenting on the Supreme Court’s recent decision concerning pro football coming under antitrust rules.
1958 American League president Will Harridge informs the circuit’s umpires that wearing a helmet is mandatory for batters this season, reinforcing the mandate passed by the owners’ 7-1 vote at their December meeting in Colorado Springs. The Red Sox dissent, knowing their slugger Ted Williams adamantly opposes wearing headgear, asserting the protective equipment will interfere with their hitters’ timing.
1961 At Palm Springs, former president Dwight Eisenhower is a no-show at the Angels’ first-ever exhibition game, an 8-3 victory over the Cubs. Ike had been scheduled to throw out the ceremonial first pitch but decided to go fishing instead.
1973 “I didn’t think I’d have to tell them every time I cross the street. He made his point and he was right. I made a mistake. I should have told him.” – WILLIE MAYS, commenting on his fine for leaving the Mets during spring training. Mets manager Yogi Berra fines Willie Mays $500 for leaving the club without permission and missing the Saturday’s workout. The aging superstar left the team for two days during spring training without notice and flew to California to be with his wife.
1988 California Angels manager Gene Mauch, citing health issues, takes a leave of absence and is replaced by Cookie Rojas. The Halos’ skipper will officially announce his retirement in two weeks, leaving the game with a managerial record of 1,902 wins and 2,037 losses during his 26-year tenure in the dugout with the Phillies, Expos, Twins, and California.
2001 Preston Wilson, the franchise’s first 30-30 player, signs a $32 million five-year contract with Florida. The 26-year-old Marlin center fielder, the stepson and nephew of former major leaguer Mookie Wilson, was obtained from the Mets in the Mike Piazza deal in 1998.
2002 The Boston replaces Joe Kerrigan, the once-popular skipper fired last week, with Grady Little, who will manage the team for two years, compiling a 188-136 (.580) record and making one appearance in the postseason as the AL wild card. The Red Sox do not renew their new manager’s contract when he becomes the target of fans’ angst for not replacing Pedro Martinez in the eighth inning of Game 7 of the ALCS, a contest the team loses in the eleventh on Aaron Boone’s walk-off home run.
2004 The first contest played at Petco Park, the Padres’ new home, establishes the record for the best-attended game in college baseball history when 40,106 fans watch Tony Gwynn’s San Diego State Aztecs beat the University of Hawaii, 4-0. The previous mark of 27,673 was established in 2002 when state rivals LSU and Tulane met in New Orleans’s Superdome.
2006 First baseman Nick Johnson (.289, 15, 74) and the Nationals agree to a $16.5 million, three-year contract extension. The 27-year-old first baseman, who signed a $3.2 million, one-year deal in January to avoid arbitration, has often been injured since making his big league debut with the Yankees five years ago.
2010 Todd Helton and the Rockies agree to a $9.9 million contract extension that takes the first baseman through the 2013 season. The 38-year-old fan favorite, who has played his entire career in Colorado, hit .325 with 15 home runs, driving in 86 runs last season after undergoing back surgery at the end of the 2008 season.
2018 Taking a significant pay cut, unsigned free-agent Mike Moustakas signs a one-year contract to stay with the Royals, the team he set a franchise record for home runs (38) last season. The 28-year-old All-Star third baseman agrees to 6.5 million, having turned down a qualifying offer of $17.4 million at the start of the off-season.
TV SPORTS TUESDAY
| MLB SPRING TRAINING | TIME ET | TV |
| NY Mets vs Houston | 1:05pm | MLBN |
| Milwaukee vs Chi. Cubs | 4:05pm | MLBN |
| Athletics vs San Francisco | 9:05pm | MLBN |
| NBA REGULAR SEASON | TIME ET | TV |
| Washington Wizards vs Detroit Pistons | 7:00pm | MNMT FanDuel Sports DET |
| Brooklyn Nets vs Cleveland Cavaliers | 7:00pm | YES FanDuel Sports Ohio |
| Milwaukee Bucks vs Indiana Pacers | 7:30pm | TNT MAX |
| Los Angeles Clippers vs New Orleans Pelicans | 8:00pm | GCSN FanDuel Sports West |
| NHL REGULAR SEASON | TIME ET | TV |
| Vegas Golden Knights vs Pittsburgh Penguins | 7:00 pm | ESPN+ Scripps ATTSN-PIT |
| Ottawa Senators vs Philadelphia Flyers | 7:00pm | ESPN+ NBCS-PHI Sportsnet |
| Columbus Blue Jackets vs New Jersey Devils | 7:00pm | ESPN+ FanDuel Sports Ohio MSGSN |
| Florida Panthers vs Boston Bruins | 7:00pm | ESPN+ Scripps NESN |
| Tampa Bay Lightning vs Carolina Hurricanes | 7:00pm | ESPN+ FanDuel Sports Sun FanDuel Sports South |
| New York Rangers vs Winnipeg Jets | 8:00pm | ESPN+ Sportsnet MSG |
| Colorado Avalanche vs Minnesota Wild | 8:00pm | ESPN+ Hulu |
| Washington Capitals vs Anaheim Ducks | 10:00pm | ESPN+ MNMT Victory+ |
| Montreal Canadiens vs Vancouver Canucks | 10:00pm | ESPN+ Sportsnet |
| New York Islanders vs Los Angeles Kings | 10:30pm | ESPN+ MSGSN FanDuel Sports West |
| Nashville Predators vs San Jose Sharks | 10:30pm | ESPN+ Hulu |
| MEN’S NCAA BASKETBALL | TIME ET | TV |
| Big 12 First Round | 12:30pm | ESPN+ |
| ACC First Round | 2:00pm | ACCN |
| SWAC First Round | 2:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Big 12 First Round | 3:00pm | ESPN+ |
| ACC First Round | 4:30pm | ACCN |
| WAC First Round | 4:30pm | ESPN+ |
| America East Semifinal | 6:00pm | ESPN+ |
| MAAC First Round | 6:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Conference USA First Round | 6:30pm | ESPN+ |
| Horizon League Championship | 7:00pm | ESPN |
| NEC Championship | 7:00pm | ESPN2 |
| Southland Semifinal | 7:00pm | ESPNU |
| ACC First Round | 7:00pm | ACCN |
| CAA Championship | 7:00pm | CBSSN |
| Big 12 First Round | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| SWAC First Round | 8:30pm | ESPN+ |
| MAAC First Round | 8:30pm | ESPN+ |
| WCC Championship | 9:00pm | ESPN |
| America East Semifinal | 9:00pm | ESPN2 |
| Big Sky Semifinal | 9:00pm | ESPNU |
| Conference USA First Round | 9:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Big 12 First Round | 9:30pm | ESPN+ |
| Southland Semifinal | 9:30pm | ESPN+ |
| Big Sky Semifinal | 11:30pm | ESPN2 |
| SOCCER | TIME ET | TV |
| UEFA Champions League: Barcelona vs Benfica | 12:45pm | Paramount+ VIX |
| UEFA Champions League: Bayer Leverkusen vs Bayern München | 3:00pm | Paramount+ VIX |
| UEFA Champions League: Liverpool vs PSG | 3:00pm | Paramount+ VIX |
| UEFA Champions League: Internazionale vs Feyenoord | 3:00pm | Paramount+ VIX |
| CONCACAF Champions Cup: Internazionale vs Feyenoord | 8:30pm | Tubi VIX |
| CONCACAF Champions Cup: Columbus Crew vs Los Angeles FC | 8:30pm | FS1 VIX fuboTV |
| CONCACAF Champions Cup: Tigres UANL vs Cincinnati | 10:30pm | FS1 VIX fuboTV |
TV SPORTS WEDNESDAY
| MLB SPRING TRAINING | TIME ET | TV |
| Tampa Bay vs Detroit | 1:05pm | MLBN |
| LA Angels vs Chi. White Sox | 4:05pm | MLBN |
| NBA REGULAR SEASON | TIME ET | TV |
| Philadelphia 76ers vs Toronto Raptors | 7:30 pm | NBCS-PHI Sportsnet |
| Charlotte Hornets vs Atlanta Hawks | 7:30pm | FanDuel Sports ATL FanDuel Sports CHA |
| Oklahoma City Thunder vs Boston Celtics | 7:30pm | ESPN NESN FanDuel Sports OKC |
| Dallas Mavericks vs San Antonio Spurs | 8:00pm | KFAA FanDuel Sports SW |
| Utah Jazz vs Memphis Grizzlies | 8:00pm | KJZZ FanDuel Sports MEM |
| Phoenix Suns vs Houston Rockets | 8:00pm | AFSN SCHN |
| Los Angeles Clippers vs Miami Heat | 8:00pm | FanDuel Sports Sun FanDuel Sports SoCal |
| New York Knicks vs Portland Trail Blazers | 10:00pm | MSG Rip City |
| Minnesota Timberwolves vs Denver Nuggets | 10:00pm | ESPN ALT FanDuel Sports North |
| NHL REGULAR SEASON | TIME ET | TV |
| Buffalo Sabres vs Detroit Red Wings | 7:30pm | TNT truTV MAX |
| Vancouver Canucks vs Calgary Flames | 7:30pm | ESPN+ Sportsnet |
| Anaheim Ducks vs Utah Hockey Club | 10:00pm | TNT truTV MAX |
| Montreal Canadiens vs Seattle Kraken | 10:30pm | ESPN+ Sportsnet KONG |
| MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL | TIME ET | TV |
| Atlantic 10 First Round | 11:30am | USA |
| ACC Second Round | 12:00pm | ESPN |
| Big 12 Second Round | 12:30pm | ESPN2 |
| SEC First Round | 1:00pm | SECN |
| American First Round | 1:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Atlantic 10 First Round | 2:00pm | USA |
| Mountain West First Round | 2:00pm | MWN |
| SWAC Quarterfinal | 2:00pm | ESPN+ |
| ACC Second Round | 2:30pm | ESPN |
| SEC First Round | 3:00pm | SECN |
| Big 12 Second Round | 3:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Big Ten First Round | 3:30pm | Peacock |
| Big East First Round | 4:00pm | Peacock |
| Atlantic 10 First Round | 4:30pm | USA |
| Mountain West First Round | 4:30pm | MWN |
| Southland Championship | 5:00pm | ESPN2 |
| MEAC Quarterfinal | 6:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Big Ten First Round | 6:00pm | Peacock |
| MAAC Quarterfinal | 6:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Big East First Round | 6:30pm | Peacock |
| Conference USA Quarterfinal | 6:30pm | ESPN+ |
| ACC Second Round | 7:00pm | ESPN2 |
| SEC First Round | 7:00pm | SECN |
| Patriot League Championship | 7:00pm | CBSSN |
| Mountain West First Round | 7:00pm | MWN |
| Big 12 Second Round | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Big Ten First Round | 8:30pm | Peacock |
| MEAC Quarterfinal | 8:30pm | ESPN+ |
| MAAC Quarterfinal | 8:30pm | ESPN+ |
| SWAC Quarterfinal | 8:30pm | ESPN+ |
| SEC First Round | 9:00pm | SECN |
| Big East First Round | 9:00pm | Peacock |
| Conference USA Quarterfinal | 9:00pm | ESPN+ |
| WAC Second Round | 9:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Big West First Round | 9:00pm | ESPN+ |
| ACC Second Round | 9:30pm | ESPN2 |
| Big 12 Second Round | 9:30pm | ESPNU |
| WAC Second Round | 11:30pm | ESPN+ |
| Big Sky Championship | 11:30pm | ESPN2 |
| Big West First Round | 11:30pm | ESPN+ |
| SOCCER | TIME ET | TV |
| UEFA Champions League: Lille vs Borussia Dortmund | 12:45pm | Paramount+ VIX |
| UEFA Champions League: Arsenal vs PSV | 3:00pm | Paramount+ VIX |
| UEFA Champions League: Atlético Madrid vs Real Madrid | 3:00pm | Paramount+ VIX |
| UEFA Champions League: Aston Villa vs Club Brugge | 3:00pm | Paramount+ VIX |
| CONCACAF Champions Cup: Monterrey vs Vancouver Whitecaps | 8:30pm | FS1 VIX fuboTV |
| CONCACAF Champions Cup: LA Galaxy vs Herediano | 10:30pm | FS1 VIX fuboTV |
| CONCACAF Champions Cup: América vs Guadalajara | 10:30pm | Tubi |