“THE SCOREBOARD”
CENTRAL INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL SCORES
SHENANDOAH 14 WAPAHANI 8
WES DEL 10 MONROE CENTRAL 0
NORTH DECATUR 2 TRI 0
BLACKFORD 4 ALEXANDRIA MONROE 3
CLOVERDALE 7 PARKE HERITAGE 1
MOORESVILLE 8 FRANKLIN 5
DALEVILLE 3 BLUE RIVER 0
BETHESDA CHRISTIAN 23 LIBERTY CHRISTIAN 1
KNIGHTSTOWN 22 COWAN 4
FRANKLIN COUNTY 7 S. DEARBORN 3
LAWRENCE NORTH 4 PARK TUDOR 3
JENNINGS COUNTY 16 COLUMBUS EAST 10
RITTER 15 IRVINGTON PREP 5
GREENCASTLE 3 N. PUTNAM 2
NORTH CENTRAL 17 PIKE 7
LAPEL 20 TIPTON 0
NORTH JUDSON 6 TRITON 3
CONNERSVILLE 6 LAWRENCEBURG 0
INDIANAPOLIS KINGS 11 GREENWOOD CHRISTIAN ACADEMY 10
ANDERSON 4 WINCHESTER 0
FRANKTON 7 ELWOOD 3
HAGERSTOWN 1 UNION COUNTY 0
BATESVILLE 8 GREENSBURG 1
JAY COUNTY 7 ADAMS CENTRAL 1
RONCALLI 2 CATHEDRAL 1
EASTERN HANCOCK 11 RANDOLPH SOUTHERN 1
YORKTOWN 3 NORTHEASTERN 0
SOUTHPORT 6 WARREN CENTRAL 3
NOBLESVILLE 4 WESTFIELD 2
FISHERS 7 HAMILTON SOUTHEASTERN 6
COLUMBUS NORTH 4 SEYMOUR 3
DANVILLE 7 WESTERN BOONE 5
HARRISON 4 LAFAYETTE JEFF 0
SHELBYVILLE 6 DELTA 1
INDIAN CREEK 4 NORTHVIEW 3
PURDUE POLY 15 INDIANAPOLIS SHORTRIDGE 1
ZIONSVILLE 9 FRANKLIN CENTRAL 5
AVON 13 BROWNSBURG 3
EAST CENTRAL 15 RUSHVILLE 1
MOUNT VERNON 2 PENDLETON HEIGHTS 1
BLOOMINGTON SOUTH 4 BLOOMINGTON NORTH 3
RICHMOND 4 CAMBRIDGE CITY LINCOLN 0
BROWNSTOWN CENTRAL 5 SCOTTSBURG 3
STATE SCOREBOARD: HTTPS://WWW.MAXPREPS.COM/IN/BASEBALL/SCORES/?DATE=4/25/2024
CENTRAL INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL SOFTBALL
RIVERTON PARKE 8 N. CENTRAL 0
NORTHEASTERN 4 CAMBRIDGE CITY LINCOLN 1
PARKE HERITAGE 6 CLOVERDALE 5
CLINTON PRAIRIE 8 TAYLOR 4
CLINTON CENTRAL 15 HORIZON CHRISTIAN 0
SOUTH-CENTRAL 8 CHRISTIAN ACADEMY 7
CONNERSVILLE 11 KNIGHTSTOWN 2
TERRE HAUTE SOUTH 3 TERRE HAUTE NORTH 2
TRI-CENTRAL 10 SHERIDAN 1
JAC CEN DEL 22 OLDENBURG ACADEMY 21
WES DEL 16 MONROE CENTRAL 11
SHENANDOAH 17 WAPAHANI 16
HAGERSTOWN 13 TRI 3
BETHESDA CHRISTIAN 19 GREENWOOD CHRISTIAN 2
EDINBURGH 11 MORRISTOWN 8
LAWRENCE NORTH 12 N. CENTRAL 11
FRANKLIN COUNTY 3 RUSHVILLE 2
GREENSBURG 11 BATESVILLE 2
PIONEER 13 N. JUDSON 11
CASCADE 6 S. PUTNAM 1
TRINITY LUTHERAN 12 WASHINGTON 2
SCOTTSBURG 2 EASTERN 1
ALEXANDRIA MONROE 11 BLACKFORD 1
LEBANON 5 PIKE 1
RONCALLI 6 MARTINSVILLE 5
RONCALLI 6 HERITAGE CHRISTIAN 1
EASTERN HANCOCK 16 RANDOLPH SOUTHERN 0
DALEVILLE 11 NEW CASTLE 5
NEW PALESTINE 4 SHELBYVILLE 1
SOUTH ADAMS 11 UNION CITY 1
HERITAGE HILLS 4 PRINCETON 0
BREBEUF 13 LAWRENCE CENTRAL 2
PERRY MERIDIAN 18 GREENWOOD 14
HERITAGE 15 SOUTHERN WELLS 3
FISHERS 6 MOUNT VERNON 5
NORTH DECATUR 11 S. RIPLEY 2
TRI-WEST 4 CARMEL 3
CATHEDRAL 4 AVON 0
NOBLESVILLE 6 PENDLETON HEIGHTS 4
LIVING WATER HOMESCHOOL 9 COLUMBUS NORTH 1
HAMILTON HEIGHTS 6 NORTHWESTERN 5
INDIAN CREEK 3 NORTHVIEW 2
CENTERVILLE 12 COWAN 8
FRANKLIN CENTRAL 20 SOUTHPORT 1
YORKTOWN 3 WESTFIELD 2
KOKOMO 12 LAFAYETTE JEFF 0
SILVER CREEK 7 N. HARRISON 5
BROWNSBURG 17 BEN DAVIS 0
MOORESVILLE 11 FRANKLIN 0
HENDERSON COUNTY 9 GIBSON SOUTHERN 6
WESTERN 14 TIPTON 0
STATE SCOREBOARD: HTTPS://WWW.MAXPREPS.COM/IN/SOFTBALL/SCORES/?DATE=4/25/2024
INDIANA BOYS GOLF
SCOTTSBURG 167, AUSTIN 207, EASTERN 211
TRI-WEST 161, FRANKFORT 187, CRAWFORDSVILLE 192
INDIANA GIRLS TENNIS
WESTERN BOONE 5 TRI-WEST 0
ALEXANDRIA 4 FRANKTON 1
PERRY MERIDIAN 5 SOUTHPORT 0
INDIANA BOYS VOLLEYBALL
WHITELAND 3 NEW PALESTINE 1
HARRISON 3 LAFAYETTE JEFF 0
INDIANA TRACK RESULTS: HTTPS://IN.MILESPLIT.COM/RESULTS
HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS LAX
BISHOP CHATARD 9 BREBEUF 7
NBA PLAYOFFS
EASTERN CONFERENCE
ALL TIMES EASTERN STANDARD TIME
• GAME 1: CELTICS 114, HEAT 94
• GAME 2: HEAT 111, CELTICS 101
• GAME 3: CELTICS VS. HEAT; SATURDAY, APRIL 27 (6 ET, TNT)
• GAME 4: CELTICS VS. HEAT; MONDAY, APRIL 29 (TBD, TNT)
• GAME 5: HEAT VS. CELTICS; WEDNESDAY, MAY 1 (7:30 ET, TNT)
• GAME 6: CELTICS VS. HEAT; FRIDAY, MAY 3 (TBD, TBD)*
• GAME 7: HEAT VS. CELTICS; SUNDAY, MAY 5 (TBD, TBD)*
SERIES TIED 1-1
* = IF NECESSARY
(2) NEW YORK VS. (7) PHILADELPHIA
• GAME 1: KNICKS 111, 76ERS 104
• GAME 2: KNICKS 104, 76ERS 101
• GAME 3: 76ERS 125, KNICKS 114
• GAME 4: KNICKS VS. 76ERS; SUNDAY, APRIL 28 (1 ET, ABC)
• GAME 5: 76ERS VS. KNICKS; TUESDAY, APRIL 30 (TBD, TNT)
• GAME 6: KNICKS VS. 76ERS; THURSDAY, MAY 2 (TBD, TBD)*
• GAME 7: 76ERS VS. KNICKS; SATURDAY, MAY 4 (TBD, TNT)*
NEW YORK LEADS SERIES 2-1
* = IF NECESSARY
• GAME 1: BUCKS 109, PACERS 94
• GAME 2: PACERS 125, BUCKS 108
• GAME 3: BUCKS VS. PACERS; FRIDAY, APRIL 26 (5:30 ET, ESPN)
• GAME 4: BUCKS VS. PACERS; SUNDAY, APRIL 28 (7 ET, TNT)
• GAME 5: PACERS VS. BUCKS; TUESDAY, APRIL 30 (TBD, TBD)
• GAME 6: BUCKS VS. PACERS; THURSDAY, MAY 2 (TBD, TBD)*
• GAME 7: PACERS VS. BUCKS; SATURDAY, MAY 4 (TBD, TNT)*
SERIES TIED 1-1
* = IF NECESSARY
• GAME 1: CAVALIERS 97, MAGIC 83
• GAME 2: CAVALIERS 96, MAGIC 86
• GAME 3: MAGIC 121, CAVALIERS 83
• GAME 4: CAVALIERS VS. MAGIC; SATURDAY, APRIL 27 (1 ET, TNT)
• GAME 5: MAGIC VS. CAVALIERS; TUESDAY, APRIL 30 (TBD, TBD)
• GAME 6: CAVALIERS VS. MAGIC; FRIDAY, MAY 3 (TBD, TBD)*
• GAME 7: MAGIC VS. CAVALIERS; SUNDAY, MAY 5 (TBD, TBD)*
CLEVELAND LEADS SERIES 2-1
* = IF NECESSARY
WESTERN CONFERENCE
ALL TIMES EASTERN STANDARD TIME
(1) OKLAHOMA CITY VS. (8) NEW ORLEANS
• GAME 1: THUNDER 94, PELICANS 92
• GAME 2: THUNDER 124, PELICANS 92
• GAME 3: THUNDER VS. PELICANS; SATURDAY, APRIL 27 (3:30 ET TNT)
• GAME 4: THUNDER VS. PELICANS; MONDAY, APRIL 29 (TBD, TBD)
• GAME 5: PELICANS VS. THUNDER; WEDNESDAY, MAY 1 (8:30 ET, NBA TV)*
• GAME 6: THUNDER VS. PELICANS; FRIDAY, MAY 3 (TBD, TBD)*
• GAME 7: PELICANS VS. THUNDER; SUNDAY, MAY 5 (TBD, TBD)*
OKLAHOMA CITY LEADS SERIES 2-0
* = IF NECESSARY
(2) DENVER VS. (7) L.A. LAKERS
• GAME 1: NUGGETS 114, LAKERS 103
• GAME 2: NUGGETS 101, LAKERS 99
• GAME 3: NUGGETS VS. LAKERS; THURSDAY, APRIL 25 (10 ET, TNT)
• GAME 4: NUGGETS VS. LAKERS; SATURDAY, APRIL 27 (8:30 ET, ABC)
• GAME 5: LAKERS VS. NUGGETS; MONDAY, APRIL 29 (TBD, TBD)*
• GAME 6: NUGGETS VS. LAKERS; THURSDAY, MAY 2 (TBD, TBD)*
• GAME 7: LAKERS VS. NUGGETS; SATURDAY, MAY 4 (TBD, TNT)*
DENVER LEADS SERIES 2-0
* = IF NECESSARY
• GAME 1: TIMBERWOLVES 120, SUNS 95
• GAME 2: TIMBERWOLVES 105, SUNS 93
• GAME 3: TIMBERWOLVES VS. SUNS; FRIDAY, APRIL 26 (10:30 ET, ESPN)
• GAME 4: TIMBERWOLVES VS. SUNS; SUNDAY, APRIL 28 (9:30 ET, TNT)
• GAME 5: SUNS VS. TIMBERWOLVES; TUESDAY, APRIL 30 (TBD, TNT)*
• GAME 6: TIMBERWOLVES VS. SUNS; THURSDAY, MAY 2 (TBD, TBD)*
• GAME 7: SUNS VS. TIMBERWOLVES; SATURDAY, MAY 4 (TBD, TNT)*
MINNESOTA LEADS SERIES 2-0
* = IF NECESSARY
(4) LA CLIPPERS VS. (5) DALLAS
• GAME 1: CLIPPERS 109, MAVERICKS 97
• GAME 2: MAVERICKS 96, CLIPPERS 93
• GAME 3: CLIPPERS VS. MAVERICKS; FRIDAY, APRIL 26 (8 ET, ESPN)
• GAME 4: CLIPPERS VS. MAVERICKS; SUNDAY, APRIL 28 (3:30 ET, ABC)
• GAME 5: MAVERICKS VS. CLIPPERS; WEDNESDAY, MAY 1 (10 ET, TNT)
• GAME 6: CLIPPERS VS. MAVERICKS; FRIDAY, MAY 3 (TBD, TBD)*
• GAME 7: MAVERICKS VS. CLIPPERS; SUNDAY, MAY 5 (TBD, TBD)*
SERIES TIED 1-1
* = IF NECESSARY
NHL PLAYOFFS
EASTERN CONFERENCE
FLORIDA PANTHERS (1A) VS. TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING (WC1)
FLORIDA LEADS SERIES 3-0
GAME 1: PANTHERS 3, LIGHTNING 2
GAME 2: PANTHERS 3, LIGHTNING 2 (OT)
GAME 3: PANTHERS 5, LIGHTNING 3
GAME 4: PANTHERS AT LIGHTNING — APRIL 27, 5 P.M. ET (TBS, TRUTV, MAX, TVAS, SNE, SNW, SNP)
GAME 5: LIGHTNING AT PANTHERS — APRIL 29, 7 P.M. ET (ESPN, SN, TVAS)
GAME 6: PANTHERS AT LIGHTNING — MAY 1, TBD
GAME 7: LIGHTNING AT PANTHERS — MAY 4, TBD
COMPLETE PANTHERS-LIGHTNING SERIES COVERAGE
BOSTON BRUINS (2A) VS. TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS (3A)
BOSTON LEADS SERIES 2-1
GAME 1: BRUINS 5, MAPLE LEAFS 1
GAME 2: MAPLE LEAFS 3, BRUINS 2
GAME 3: BRUINS 4, MAPLE LEAFS 2
GAME 4: BRUINS AT MAPLE LEAFS — APRIL 27, 8 P.M. ET (TBS, TRUTV, MAX, SN, TVAS, CBC)
GAME 5: MAPLE LEAFS AT BRUINS — APRIL 30, 7 P.M. ET (ESPN)
GAME 6: BRUINS AT MAPLE LEAFS — MAY 2, TBD
GAME 7: MAPLE LEAFS AT BRUINS — MAY 4, TBD
COMPLETE BRUINS-MAPLE LEAFS SERIES COVERAGE
NEW YORK RANGERS (1M) VS. WASHINGTON CAPITALS (WC2)
NEW YORK LEADS SERIES 2-0
GAME 1: RANGERS 4, CAPITALS 1
GAME 2: RANGERS 4, CAPITALS 3
GAME 3: RANGERS AT CAPITALS — APRIL 26, 7 P.M. ET (TNT, TRUTV, MAX, SN360, TVAS)
GAME 4: RANGERS AT CAPITALS — APRIL 28, 8 P.M. ET (TBS, TRUTV, MAX, SN360, TVAS, SNE, SNO, SNP)
GAME 5: CAPITALS AT RANGERS — MAY 1, TBD
GAME 6: RANGERS AT CAPITALS — MAY 3, TBD
GAME 7: CAPITALS AT RANGERS — MAY 5, TBD
COMPLETE RANGERS-CAPITALS SERIES COVERAGE
CAROLINA HURRICANES (2M) VS. NEW YORK ISLANDERS (3M)
CAROLINA LEADS SERIES 3-0
GAME 1: HURRICANES 3, ISLANDERS 1
GAME 2: HURRICANES 5, ISLANDERS 3
GAME 3: HURRICANES 3, ISLANDERS 2
GAME 4: HURRICANES AT ISLANDERS — APRIL 27, 2 P.M. ET (TBS, TRUTV, MAX, SN, TVAS)
GAME 5: ISLANDERS AT HURRICANES — APRIL 30, 7:30 P.M. ET (TBS, MAX)
GAME 6: HURRICANES AT ISLANDERS — MAY 2, TBD
GAME 7: ISLANDERS AT HURRICANES — MAY 4, TBD
COMPLETE HURRICANES-ISLANDERS SERIES COVERAGE
WESTERN CONFERENCE
DALLAS STARS (1C) VS. VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS (WC2)
VEGAS LEADS SERIES 2-0
GAME 1: GOLDEN KNIGHTS 4, STARS 3
GAME 2: GOLDEN KNIGHTS 3, STARS 1
GAME 3: STARS AT GOLDEN KNIGHTS — APRIL 27, 10:30 P.M. ET (TBS, TRUTV, MAX, SN, SN360, TVAS)
GAME 4: STARS AT GOLDEN KNIGHTS — APRIL 29, TBD (ESPN, SN, TVAS)
GAME 5: GOLDEN KNIGHTS AT STARS — MAY 1, TBD
GAME 6: STARS AT GOLDEN KNIGHTS — MAY 3, TBD
GAME 7: GOLDEN KNIGHTS AT STARS — MAY 5, TBD
COMPLETE STARS-GOLDEN KNIGHTS SERIES COVERAGE
WINNIPEG JETS (2C) VS. COLORADO AVALANCHE (3C)
SERIES TIED 1-1
GAME 1: JETS 7, AVALANCHE 6
GAME 2: AVALANCHE 5, JETS 2
GAME 3: JETS AT AVALANCHE — APRIL 26, 10 P.M. ET (TNT, TRUTV, MAX, CBC, TVAS)
GAME 4: JETS AT AVALANCHE — APRIL 28, 2:30 P.M. ET (TNT, TRUTV, MAX, SN, TVAS)
GAME 5: AVALANCHE AT JETS — APRIL 30, TBD
GAME 6: JETS AT AVALANCHE — MAY 2, TBD
GAME 7: AVALANCHE AT JETS — MAY 4, TBD
COMPLETE JETS-AVALANCHE SERIES COVERAGE
VANCOUVER CANUCKS (1P) VS. NASHVILLE PREDATORS (WC1)
SERIES TIED 1-1
GAME 1: CANUCKS 4, PREDATORS 2
GAME 2: PREDATORS 4, CANUCKS 1
GAME 3: CANUCKS AT PREDATORS — APRIL 26, 7:30 P.M. ET (TBS, MAX, SN, TVAS)
GAME 4: CANUCKS AT PREDATORS — APRIL 28, 5 P.M. ET (TBS, TRUTV, MAX, SN, TVAS)
GAME 5: PREDATORS AT CANUCKS — APRIL 30, 10 P.M. ET
GAME 6: CANUCKS AT PREDATORS — MAY 3, TBD
GAME 7: PREDATORS AT CANUCKS — MAY 5, TBD
COMPLETE CANUCKS-PREDATORS SERIES COVERAGE
EDMONTON OILERS (2P) VS. LOS ANGELES KINGS (3P)
SERIES TIED 1-1
GAME 1: OILERS 7, KINGS 4
GAME 2: KINGS 5, OILERS 4 (OT)
GAME 3: OILERS AT KINGS — APRIL 26, 10:30 P.M. ET (TBS, MAX, SN, TVAS)
GAME 4: OILERS AT KINGS — APRIL 28, 10:30 P.M. ET (TBS, TRUTV, MAX, SN, SN1, TVAS)
GAME 5: KINGS AT OILERS — MAY 1, TBD
GAME 6: OILERS AT KINGS — MAY 3, TBD
GAME 7: KINGS AT OILERS — MAY 5, TBD
COMPLETE OILERS-KINGS SERIES COVERAGE
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
MILWAUKEE 7 PITTSBURGH 5
CLEVELAND 6 BOSTON 4
PHILADELPHIA 5 CINCINNATI 0
MINNESOTA 6 CHICAGO WHITE SOX 3
KANSAS CITY 2 TORONTO 1 (5)
CHICAGO CUBS 3 HOUSTON 1
SEATTLE 4 TEXAS 3
COLORADO 10 SAN DIEGO 9
LA DODGERS 2 WASHINGTON 1
OAKLAND 3 NY YANKEES 1
MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
OMAHA 5 INDIANAPOLIS 4
GREAT LAKES 5 FT. WAYNE 1
SOUTH BEND 6 QUAD CITIES 0
COLLEGE BASEBALL SCORES
EASTERN ILLINOIS 4 SOUTHERN INDIANA 2
SOUTHERN INDIANA 8 EASTERN ILLINOIS 1
COLLEGE SOFTBALL SCORES
NO GAMES SCHEDULED
UFL
NO GAMES SCHEDULED
MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER
NO GAMES SCHEDULED
TOP NATIONAL SPORTS RELEASES AND NEWS REPORTS
NFL NEWS
FIRST ROUND
1. Chicago Bears (via trade with Carolina) – Caleb Williams, QB, 6-foot-1, 214 pounds, USC.
Scouting report: Mahomes-esque traits with the instincts, mobility and arm talent to breakdown a defense even when it does everything right. The only questions about the 2022 Heisman Trophy winner are playing within structure because the structure so often broke down at USC.
2. Washington Commanders – Jayden Daniels, QB, 6-3, 210, LSU
Scouting report: Accurate deep passer and explosive runner with a slender frame. The 2023 Heisman Trophy winner scrambles to run, not necessarily to create opportunities to pass.
3. New England Patriots – Drake Maye, QB, 6-4, 223, North Carolina
Scouting report: Size, arm strength and athleticism are ideal. Can make a variety of throws with accuracy, but can be erratic and reckless at times, trying too hard to be a playmaker.
4. Arizona Cardinals – Marvin Harrison Jr., WR, 6-3, 209, Ohio State
Scouting report: Precise route-runner with superb body control. Strong and explosive. Not elusive after the catch and blocking could use more consistent effort, but one of the most polished receiver prospects to enter the NFL in years.
5. Los Angeles Chargers – Joe Alt, OT, 6-8, 321, Notre Dame
Scouting report: Technically sound, huge and strong. Not an exceptional athlete, but the three-year starter’s worst-case scenario seems to be solid NFL starter.
6. New York Giants – Malik Nabers, WR, 6-2, 199, LSU
Scouting report: Smooth deep threat with breakaway acceleration was LSU’s career leader in receiving yards and receptions. Will be challenged to play with more power at the next level.
7. Tennessee Titans – JC Latham, OT, 6-5, 342, Alabama
Scouting report: Massive and dominant run blocking right tackle who at times struggled to recognize blitzes and recover.
8. Atlanta Falcons – Michael Penix Jr., QB, 6-2, 216, Washington
Scouting report: Prolific left-handed passer with accuracy and arm strength to attack the whole field. His injury history (knee and shoulders), age (24) and questions about his ability deliver consistently when pressured made him a polarizing prospect.
9. Chicago Bears – Rome Odunze, WR, 6-2, 212, Washington
Scouting report: Exceptional ball skills and reliable hands. Not quite as explosive as Harrison and Nabers but Penix’s top target was probably more consistent.
10. Minnesota Vikings (via trade with New York Jets) – J.J. McCarthy, QB, 6-2, 219, Michigan
Scouting report: A difficult prospect to evaluate. Has all the physical tools plus scores well on intangibles such as leadership and maturity, but Michigan’s run-heavy scheme did not ask much of him compared to other top quarterbacks.
11. New York Jets (via trade with Minnesota) – Olu Fashanu, OT, 6-6, 312, Penn State
Scouting report: Checks all the boxes for size, athleticism and character. Was not as consistently dominant as tools suggest he should have been, but he’s also a relatively young (turns 22 in December) and inexperienced player (started playing in high school) for someone who spent four years in college.
12. Denver Broncos – Bo Nix, QB, 6-2, 215, Oregon
Scouting report: One of the most experienced quarterbacks to ever come out of college with a record 61 career starts. The 24-year-old Auburn transfer has good mobility and solid arm strength, but misses some makeable downfield throws. Has he already peaked?
13. Las Vegas Raiders – Brock Bowers, TE, 6-3, 243, Georgia
Scouting report: Elite athlete, with excellent hands and the speed and toughness to turn routine plays into huge gains after the catch. In today’s NFL, he’s a bit undersized, which could limit how he’s used as a blocker.
14. New Orleans Saints – Taliese Fuaga, OT, 6-5, 324, Oregon State
Scouting report: Powerful run blocker who plays with excellent balance. There is some concern his average athleticism and wingspan could push him to guard.
15. Indianapolis Colts – Laiatu Latu, DE, 6-4, 259, UCLA
Scouting report: Skilled and technically proficient pass rusher with good size. Neither his burst nor power are elite, but the whole package works. A neck injury forced him to medically retire in 2020 at Washington, but transferred to UCLA and became a star.
16. Seattle Seahawks – Byron Murphy II, DT, 6-0, 297, Texas
Scouting report: Plays low and explosive and often ends up in the backfield, but needs to finish more plays when he gets there.
17. Minnesota Vikings (via trade from Jacksonville) – Dallas Turner, OLB, 6-2, 247, Alabama
Scouting report: Long and twitchy athlete who bursts off the edge. Wiry frame is unlikely to hold much more bulk.
18. Cincinnati Bengals – Amarius Mims, OT, 6-7, 340, Georgia
Scouting report: If an NFL offensive tackle could be designed in a lab, that player would have Mims’ combination of size and athleticism. He just hasn’t played a lot of ball compared to the other tackles, with just eight career starts.
19. Los Angeles Rams – Jared Verse, DE, 6-3, 254, Florida State
Scouting report: Nonstop in pass rush and run pursuit, but could use to refine his technique and tackling after starting is college career at UAlbany in New York.
20. Pittsburgh Steelers – Troy Fautanu, OT, 6-4, 317, Washington
Scouting report: Maybe the most athletic of the tackles and plays with an edge. Less than ideal length could push him off left tackle and inside.
21. Miami Dolphins – Chop Robinson, DE, 6-2, 254, Penn State
Scouting report: Freaky quickness off the line, but was more disruptive than dominant as he failed to finish plays. Ran a 4.48-second 40-yard dash at the combine.
22. Philadelphia Eagles – Quinyon Mitchell, CB, 6-0, 195, Toledo
Scouting report: The best size, strength, speed combo among the cornerback class, but how much was he tested in the MAC? He looked just fine at the Senior Bowl, though.
23. Jacksonville Jaguars (via trade with Minnesota through Cleveland from Houston) – Brian Thomas, WR, 6-2, 209, LSU
Scouting report: Top-end speed is elite and with a bigger frame than his teammate Nabers, but could use more polish as a route-runner. Led the nation with 17 TD catches.
24. Detroit Lions (via trade with Dallas) – Terrion Arnold, CB, 5-11, 189, Alabama
Scouting report: Sound and aggressive cover corner who has a less than top-end speed. He ran a 4.5 in the 40-yard dash at the combine.
25. Green Bay Packers – Jordan Morgan, OT, 6-5, 311, Arizona
Scouting report: Athletic and strong run blocker who recovered from a torn ACL in 2022 to return to top form by the end of 2023 season. Short arms could move him inside.
26. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Graham Barton, OT, 6-5, 313, Duke
Scouting report: Controls opponents with strong, quick hands, but seems most likely among the top tackle prospects to move inside. likely to center.
27. Arizona Cardinals (from Houston) – Darius Robinson, DE, 6-5, 285, Missouri
Scouting report: Powerful player who is stout against the run but might project as a ’tweener in the NFL, not quite big enough to play inside and not quite quick enough for the edge.
28. Kansas City Chiefs (via trade with Buffalo) – Xavier Worthy, WR, 5-11, 165, Texas
Scouting report: Blazing fast, but very small. Ran the 40 in 4.21 seconds to set an NFL combine record.
29. Dallas Cowboys (via trade from Detroit) – Tyler Guyton, OT, 6-7, 322, Oklahoma
Scouting report: Similar to Mims in terms of limited experience (15 college starts), but ideal size-athleticism combo. Technically raw.
30. Baltimore Ravens – Nate Wiggins, CB, 6-1, 173, Clemson
Scouting report: Long and very fast, but also thin and not much of a presence against the run.
31. San Francisco 49ers – Ricky Pearsall, WR, 6-1, 189, Florida
Scouting report: Great hands and good burst though his routes, but can get outmuscled by physical cornerbacks.
32. Carolina Panthers (via trade with Buffalo through Kansas City) – Xavier Legette, WR, 6-1, 221, South Carolina
Scouting report: Big, fast and physical receiver, though he didn’t breakout until his fifth college season.
WINNERS, LOSERS IN FIRST ROUND OF 2024 NFL DRAFT
Instant reaction to NFL draft selections is dangerous territory, but we’re running with the Bears while we have the chance.
Chicago comes out of Thursday with two of the top seven players in the Field Level Media Top 100 rankings. The Bears drafted quarterback Caleb Williams first overall and paired him with polished pass catcher Rome Odunze, the Washington wide receiver picked ninth overall.
Not every team was blessed with the same great fortune on Thursday night but have a chance to shift the narrative around the following flash reactions Friday and Saturday.
WINNERS
Minnesota Vikings
–Drafted QB J.J. McCarthy 10th, DE Dallas Turner 17th
When the offseason began with Kirk Cousins waving goodbye, the Vikings were left reeling for only a moment. Minnesota struck early and often in free agency and acquired a second first-round pick from the Houston Texans to be in position to attempt a 1-2 punch in the first round capable of setting the foundation for the franchise for years to come.
“As excited as our fans are, they can know that J.J. McCarthy really wanted to be a Minnesota Viking and he can’t wait to get here and get to work,” head coach Kevin O’Connell said.
Seattle Seahawks
–Drafted DT Byron Murphy II 16th overall
As Aaron Donald is ushered out of the NFC West, the Seahawks sit tight and let one of the top players on their draft board fall into their laps. Murphy is a freakish athlete and fits at multiple positions in the varied fronts of new head coach Mike Macdonald.
“It’s a dream come true. I don’t know too much about Seattle, but I heard it rains a lot,” Murphy said Thursday night from his draft party in Dallas.
Arizona Cardinals
–Drafted Ohio State WR Marvin Harrison Jr. 4th, Missouri DE Darius Robinson 27th
Twenty years and a day since Arizona selected Larry Fitzgerald Jr. No. 3 overall, they hit it big again.
Harrison Jr. might be the best player in the draft — he was ranked No. 1 by multiple teams — but QB need was undeniable for the teams at the top in 2024. Harrison Jr. is bigger and faster than most expect, and Ohio State felt he was elite in other areas — work ethic and leadership.
Robinson was a defensive end but his skill set projects well to multiple positions on the defensive line, a major need for the Cardinals. He’ll help the overall defense and upgrade the pass rush.
Jacksonville Jaguars
–Drafted LSU WR Brian Thomas Jr. 23rd
Thomas runs pristine routes and led the nation in touchdowns, representing a well-played mulligan for Jacksonville following the botched free agency negotiations with Calvin Ridley.
Detroit Lions
–Drafted CB Terrion Arnold 24th
One of the most maligned draft picks of the first round last year? Easily the Lions selecting Alabama running back Jahmyr Gibbs, who turned into an ideal playmaker after a slow start. And second-round safety Brian Branch was described as the “heartbeat of the defense” by Dan Campbell. So why not take a swing for a No. 1 corner from the Crimson Tide? It took a trade up in a swap with the Cowboys. But Arnold is legit, ranked as high as No. 10 and projected to be the first cornerback off the board far earlier than this point in the draft.
LOSERS
Atlanta Falcons
–Drafted Washington QB Michael Penix Jr. 8th
Penix was a fringe first-round pick and the Falcons spent serious capital — $180 million over four years — to lure Kirk Cousins in free agency and fix their QB concerns. Now they’ve created friction without addressing major needs on the roster, including almost every defensive position.
“I feel like there’s definitely something special going on over there in Atlanta,” Penix said.
Cousins leaned on Aaron Rodgers for advice and benchmarks to check in his recovery from a torn Achilles this season. Now Cousins finds himself in a situation eerily similar to the position Rodgers was in when the Packers drafted Jordan Love 26th overall in 2020.
Denver Broncos
–Drafted Oregon QB Bo Nix 12th
The sixth of six first-round quarterbacks selected, Denver bought the end of the run rather than taking better value with their choice of the top edge, cornerback, safety, linebacker and one remaining blue-chip talent — Georgia tight end Brock Bowers — a boom-or-bust roll of the dice brings Nix to a QB room in Denver that includes Zach Wilson and Jarrett Stidham.
2024 NFL DRAFT: BEST AVAILABLE ENTERING SECOND ROUND
With 32 picks in the books, the Buffalo Bills are on the clock to start the second round with the 33rd pick in the draft on Friday.
Six of the first 12 picks Thursday were quarterbacks while seven wide receivers and 23 offensive players total were chosen in the first round. Defense is about to have a day — or two — in the second and third round on Friday night.
Here are the top remaining prospects in the 2024 NFL Draft based on a consensus of Field Level Media draft analysts.
FLM Rank Pos Name School
15. OT Kingsley Suamataia, BYU
17. CB Cooper DeJean, Iowa
18. DT Jer’Zhan Newton, Illinois
20. DT Kris Jenkins, Michigan
21. CB Kool-Aid McKinstry, Alabama
30. ILB Cedric Gray, North Carolina
35. ILB Payton Wilson, NC State
36. OG Christian Haynes, Connecticut
37. CB Kamari Lassiter, Georgia
38. DE Adisa Isaac, Penn State
39. WR Troy Franklin, Oregon
41. DE Austin Booker, Kansas
42. S Tyler Nubin, Minnesota
43. OLB Junior Colson, Michigan
45. DT Maason Smith, LSU
46. DT McKinnley Jackson, Texas A&M
47. C Jackson Powers-Johnson, Oregon
48. S Kamren Kinchens, Miami
49. WR Keon Coleman, Florida State
50. WR Ja’Lynn Polk, Washington
51. ILB Trevin Wallace, Kentucky
52. WR Adonai Mitchell, Texas
53. OG Layden Robinson, Texas A&M
54. CB Ennis Rakestraw Jr., Missouri
55. CB Kalen King, Penn State
56. RB Jaylen Wright, Tennessee
57. ILB Edgerrin Cooper, Texas A&M
58. RB Jonathon Brooks, Texas
59. RB Will Shipley, Clemson
60. C Sedrick Van Pran, Georgia
61. DE Marshawn Kneeland, Western Michigan
62. S Calen Bullock, USC
63. OLB Chris Braswell, Alabama
64. RB Trey Benson, Florida State
65. S Javon Bullard, Georgia
66. DE Braiden McGregor, Michigan
67. C Zach Frazier, West Virginia
68. CB Kris Abrams-Draine, Missouri
69. WR Roman Wilson, Michigan
70. WR Malachi Corley, Western Kentucky
71. OG Isaiah Adams, Illinois
72. DT Ruke Orhorhoro, Clemson
73. DT T’Vondre Sweat, Texas
74. RB Blake Corum, Michigan
75. CB Khyree Jackson, Oregon
76. S Jaden Hicks, Washington State
77. S Cole Bishop, Utah
78. WR Devontez Walker, North Carolina
79. WR Ladd McConkey, Georgia
80. DE Brandon Dorlus, Oregon
81. OLB Ty’Ron Hopper, Missouri
82. OG Tanor Bortolini, Wisconsin
83. TE Brevyn Spann-Ford, Minnesota
84. RB Braelon Allen, Wisconsin
85. DE Bralen Trice, Washington
86. TE Ja’Tavion Sanders, Texas
87. OT Delmar Glaze, Maryland
88. CB T.J. Tampa, Iowa State
89. TE Cade Stover, Ohio State
90. CB Josh Newton, TCU
91. OG Brandon Coleman, TCU
92. S Beau Brade, Maryland
93. S James Williams, Miami
94. DT Braden Fiske, Florida State
95. RB Jase McClellan, Alabama
96. TE Jaheim Bell, Florida State
97. RB MarShawn Lloyd, USC
98. TE Jared Wiley, TCU
99. ILB Jeremiah Trotter Jr., Clemson
100. ILB Tommy Eichenberg, Ohio State
COLLEGE FOOTBALL NEWS
MICHIGAN’S QB BATTLE AMONG MANY IN BIG TEN THAT STARTED IN SPRING AND WILL RAMP UP AGAIN IN THE FALL
Quarterback discussions always dominate spring football, never more than this year in the Big Ten with transfers coming and going and only a handful of starters returning.
Just four of the 14 teams — and two of the four from the Pac-12 that join the conference in August — appear set at the position.
Defending national champion Michigan will go into preseason practice with a three-man competition to replace J.J. McCarthy. Alex Orji and Davis Warren were the starters in the spring game last Saturday. Jack Tuttle, granted a seventh year of eligibility, missed the spring while recovering from an injury.
“He’ll be in it,” first-year coach Sherrone Moore said. “We talked about this as a team, as a staff — the dudes that he backed up are Michael Penix (at Indiana) and J.J. McCarthy. So he’s got talent and we’ll see what happens when he gets in fall camp.”
Kansas State transfer Will Howard and Devin Brown are the front-runners to take over at Ohio State for Kyle McCord, who transferred to Syracuse.
Iowa and Northwestern face major challenges. The Hawkeyes’ Cade McNamara continues to recover from a knee injury and was extremely limited in the spring, and the man who replaced him in October, Deacon Hill, entered the transfer portal Monday. The Wildcats also took a hit when 2023 starter Brendan Sullivan entered the portal on the same day.
At Michigan State, the assumption was that Aidan Chiles would be the guy when he transferred from Oregon State, the previous stop for first-year Spartans coach Jonathan Smith. But North Dakota transfer Tommy Schuster was sharp in the spring game and is making a push.
Maryland will decide between North Carolina State transfer MJ Morris and Billy Edwards Jr., who was the backup to the prolific Taulia Tagovailoa. Rutgers’ battle is between 2023 starter Gavin Wimsatt and Minnesota transfer Athan Kaliakmanis, who played for offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca when Ciarrocca held same job with the Gophers.
Tyler Van Dyke, who started 28 games for Miami, and Braedyn Locke are dueling at Wisconsin. At Indiana, first-year coach Curt Cignetti will decide between Ohio transfer Kurtis Rourke and Tayven Jackson.
Nebraska coach Matt Rhule said he won’t name a starter until the fall, but it would be a major surprise if it’s not five-star freshman Dylan Raiola. He was the top national recruit among quarterbacks and has had a solid spring. Heinrich Haarberg is back, but the Cornhuskers put up the program’s worst offensive numbers since the 1960s under his direction.
Illinois (Luke Altmyer), Minnesota (New Hampshire transfer Max Brosmer), Penn State (Drew Allar) and Purdue (Hudson Card) have their quarterback situations settled.
PLAYERS ON MOVE
Notable moves in the transfer portal:
WR Jahmal Banks (Wake Forest to Nebraska), LB Jaishawn Barham (Maryland to Michigan), Brosmer (New Hampshire to Minnesota), Chiles (Oregon State to Michigan State), Julian Fleming (Ohio State to Penn State), Hill (Iowa to TBD), Howard (Kansas State to Ohio State), RB Quinshon Judkins (Mississippi to Ohio State), Kaliakmanis (Minnesota to Rutgers), WR KeAndre Lambert-Smith (Penn State to Auburn), RB Reggie Love (Illinois to Purdue), McCord (Ohio State to Syracuse), C Seth McLaughlin (Alabama to Ohio State), WR Tanner Miller (Oregon State to Michigan State), OL Kadyn Proctor (Iowa to Alabama), DE Nic Scourton (Purdue to Texas A&M), Sullivan (Northwestern to TBD), Chip Trayanum (Ohio State to Kentucky), TE Cael Vanderbush (Iowa to TBD).
INJURY ROUNDUP
The most significant injury of the spring was to Michigan S Rod Moore, who tore his ACL in practice March 25. He has started 27 games and made a late interception to seal the Wolverines’ win over Ohio State in November. … Iowa tight end Luke Lachey was full-go in spring and looked good, offensive coordinator Tim Lester said. Lachey, one of the top offensive players in the conference, broke his ankle in the third game and missed the rest of the season. … RBs Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen didn’t play in Penn State’s spring game because of what coach James Franklin called “bumps and bruises.” … RB Kyle Monangai and CB Robert Longerbeam missed the last week of Rutgers’ spring practice with minor injuries. … Wisconsin LB Aaron Witt will be out until fall after suffering an upper-body injury last week.
SEASON OPENERS
Minnesota once again will open with a Thursday night game, hosting North Carolina on Aug. 29. Eastern Illinois also visits Illinois that night.
Aug. 31: Fresno State at Michigan; Akron at Ohio State; Penn State at West Virginia; UConn at Maryland; Howard at Rutgers; Florida Atlantic at Michigan State; FIorida International at Indiana; Illinois State at Iowa; UTEP at Nebraska; Miami (Ohio) at Northwestern; Western Michigan at Wisconsin; Indiana State at Purdue.
Openers for Pac-12 teams entering the Big Ten, on Aug. 31: UCLA at Hawaii; Idaho at Oregon; Weber State at Washington. Sept. 1: Southern California vs. LSU, at Las Vegas.
HERE ARE 14 PLAYERS TO WATCH NEXT SEASON ACROSS THE ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE
A look at football players in the Atlantic Coast Conference this spring who are poised to have breakout seasons this fall, when the league will also add SMU, Cal and Stanford:
BOSTON COLLEGE: DB Ryan Turner came to the Eagles from Ohio State, where he played very little in two seasons. The 5-foot-11, 189 pound third-year sophomore has made an early impression with his new team. He broke up a pass and had the hit of the spring game in disrupting a screen pass.
CLEMSON: WR Bryant Wesco is a five-star freshman who enrolled early and is drawing comparisons to some of the program’s top wideouts like Sammy Watkins and Tee Higgins. Wesco, at 6-2, could be the stretch-the-field receiver Clemson’s been seeking the past few seasons.
DUKE: QB Maalik Murphy, the Texas transfer, got the start at the spring game and knows he’s got work ahead if he hopes to make a winning impression with the Blue Devils. He connected with Jordan Moore on a touchdown and said the game was a good way to help his timing with his new receivers.
FLORIDA STATE: RB Roydell Williams is an Alabama transfer who ran for 560 yards and five touchdowns last season. He has looked good in the spring for a team that saw its leading rusher, Trey Benson, head to the NFL this season.
GEORGIA TECH: WR Chris Elko is a redshirt freshman who had two touchdown catches to highlight a five-reception, 143-yard performance in the spring game. Elko, at 6-1, was redshirted last season. He has shown confidence to be a strong target for returning passer Haynes King.
LOUISVILLE: QB Tyler Shough looks like he will get a chance to take over for Jack Plummer, who helped the surprising Cardinals to their first-ever ACC title game berth. Slough is a grad transfer who threw for 2,922 yards and 20 touchdowns in three seasons at Texas Tech.
MIAMI: LB Raul Aguirre Jr. enters his second season with a chance for more playing time after a strong spring, according to coach Mario Cristobal. Aguirre saw action in all 13 games as a freshman and will look to work his way into the rotation this season.
NORTH CAROLINA: WR Jordan Shipp is the Tar Heels’ highest-ranked recruit and played like someone who can make an immediate impact this season. He had a 16-yard TD catch in the final spring scrimmage.
NORTH CAROLINA STATE: TE Justin Joly should be a big help to new quarterback Grayson McCall this season. Joly is a 6-3, 235-pound junior transfer from UConn, who has not yet played up to expectations. Coach Dave Doeren is confident Joly can do that in this offense.
PITTSBURGH: LB Rasheem Biles tied a program record with three blocked kicks as a freshman last year. This season, Biles is hoping to get into the defensive mix and showed that with a spring game-best seven tackles, two for loss including a sack and a pass breakup.
SYRACUSE: QB Kyle McCord is an Ohio State transfer who figures to have the chance to light things up in the offense of first-year coach Fran Brown. McCord went 11-1 as a starter with the Buckeyes and has looked polished throughout the spring.
VIRGINIA: DE Chico Bennett Jr. enters his sixth year as healthy as he was two years ago when he led the Cavaliers with seven sacks. Bennett was slowed last season by shoulder problems, but was dominant in the spring game with seven tackles and three tackles for loss, including two sacks.
VIRGINIA TECH : DL Keyshawn Burgos is a 6-5 junior who took some steps forward as he made six starts. The Hokies believe he can be better this season and was a disrupter throughout spring. He forced an interception in the spring scrimmage.
WAKE FOREST: WR Horatio Fields could finally be ready for a breakout season as a fourth-year junior. The 6-3 Fields led the Demon Deacons with three catches including a 46-yard TD catch.
ACC SPRING WRAP: LEAGUE CHAMP FLORIDA STATE AND ACC DEAL WITH QUARTERBACK CHANGES
Florida State coach Mike Norvell, like most every other coach in the Atlantic Coast Conference and across the sport, has spent the spring handling change.
He hopes it can lead to another league title and a spot in the 12-team College Football Playoff.
The biggest new addition for the Seminoles is at quarterback, where one-time Clemson starter D.J. Uiagalelei takes over for Jordan Travis, who helped Florida State to its first ACC championship in nine years before a late, season-ending injury.
Uiagalelei, a backup behind Trevor Lawrence when the Tigers last went to the national playoffs in 2020, looks to keep the Seminoles near the top.
“All in all, it’s just been a really good spring that we’ve been able to put together,” Norvell said following the team’s spring game this past weekend.
Uiagalelei, who twice defeated Florida State as a Clemson starter, spent last season at Oregon State. Uiagalelei said he joined the Seminoles because expectations are high after last season’s success.
“That’s what you want. You want to be able to be able to be able to play at a place where the expectations are high and it’s ACC championship, national championship or bust,” said Uiagalelei, playing his fifth season.
SIGNAL CALLERS
The Seminoles are not the only program navigating change this offseason. Louisville is without Jack Plummer, who led Jeff Brohm’s first-year program to its first ACC title game berth.
North Carolina State broke in Coastal Carolina transfer Grayson McCall this spring. North Carolina, Duke, Pitt, Syracuse and Wake Forest will all have quarterbacks getting their first extensive action with their teams.
Brohm liked what he saw out of Texas Tech transfer Tyler Shough this spring. “Once we get into game planning and ways to move the chains, he’ll be very efficient because he’s an accurate passer,” Brohm said.
Accuracy is what new Wolfpack passer McCall is all about. He set the NCAA record with a 207.6 passer efficiency rating in 2021, a mark that was surpassed by LSU’s Jayden Daniels (208) this past season.
North Carolina State coach Dave Doeren saw McCall’s poise and confidence all spring. “He’s got a lot of grit. He’s a really tough kid, couldn’t be happier with what he’s doing,” he said.
COACHING CHANGES
Three ACC teams had new leaders in charge this spring in Boston College’s Bill O’Brien, Duke’s Manny Diaz and Syracuse’s Fran Brown.
O’Brien took over when Jeff Hafley left to become Green Bay’s defensive coordinator. O’Brien had success as head coach at Penn State before going to Houston. He also was on Nick Saban’s Alabama staff and helped develop quarterbacks Mac Jones and Bryce Young
Diaz, the former Miami coach, was hired after Mike Elko left to become Texas A&M’s choice to replace the fired Jimbo Fisher.
BIGGER CHANGES
The ACC, like all other Power Five leagues except the Pac-12, will add to their membership with SMU of the American Athletic Conference joining officially on July 1 and Cal and Stanford the Pac-12 joining on Aug. 2.
The moves mean additional travel for college football coaches that don’t generally like change. Florida State will play at SMU next season and host Cal.
Louisville goes to Stanford next season a week before facing Pitt at home. Another contender, North Carolina State, heads to Cal in mid-October.
CLEMSON’S SPRING
The Tigers, picked last summer to repeat as ACC champions, instead lost four league games before November and missed the CFP for a third straight season.
Clemson finished with a flourish — five straight victories including over ranked opponents in Notre Dame and North Carolina — and took plenty of confidence into spring drills. Coach Dabo Swinney anticipates a huge step forward for quarterback Cade Klubnik in his second full season as starter.
“We had to learn the hard way sometimes and I had to learn the hard way,” Klubnik said. “That’s just how it is.”
QB JADEN RASHADA TRANSFERRING TO GEORGIA
Former Arizona State quarterback Jaden Rashada has decided to transfer to Georgia.
He announced his transfer Thursday on Instagram with a photo of himself in a Georgia uniform and the message, “Compete with the BEST.”
Rashada, from Pittsburg, Calif., will have four years of eligibility remaining. 247Sports ranked him as the No. 6 quarterback in the 2023 class.
He initially was set to enroll at Florida in 2023 but when his $13 million name, image and likeness deal with the school’s collective went awry, he landed at Arizona State. His father, Harlen, played for the Sun Devils from 1992-94.
The younger Rashada announced plans to transfer last week.
As a freshman, he appeared in three games, passing for 485 yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions. He missed spring practice at Arizona State because of thumb surgery.
At Georgia, Rashada will join a quarterback room that includes incumbent starter Carson Beck, who led the Bulldogs to a 13-1 finish in 2023, and Gunner Stockton, ranked by 247Sports as the No. 7 QB in the 2022 class.
NBA NEWS
NBA ROUNDUP: SIXERS TRIP KNICKS BEHIND JOEL EMBIID’S 50
Joel Embiid set a playoff career high with 50 points to lift host Philadelphia past the New York Knicks 125-114 on Thursday, cutting the 76ers’ deficit in the Eastern Conference first-round playoff series to 2-1.
Embiid shot 13 of 19 from the field and 19 of 21 from the free-throw line.
Tyrese Maxey added 25 points, Kelly Oubre Jr. scored 15 and Cameron Payne had 11 for the Sixers, who dropped two close games in New York to start the best-of-seven series.
Jalen Brunson led the Knicks with 39 points and 13 assists. Josh Hart added 20 points and OG Anunoby had 17. Isaiah Hartenstein chipped in with 14.
Magic 121, Cavaliers 83
Paolo Banchero collected 31 points and 14 rebounds to fuel host Orlando past Cleveland in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference first-round series.
Banchero sank four 3-pointers and had seven rebounds on the offensive glass for the fifth-seeded Magic, who trail 2-1 in the best-of-seven series. After scoring just 83 and 86 points in the first two games of the series, the Magic had 96 at the end of three quarters.
Jarrett Allen collected 15 points and eight rebounds and Caris LeVert added 15 points off the bench for Cleveland, whose 38-point loss is the worst in the club’s postseason history.
Nuggets 112, Lakers 105
Nikola Jokic compiled 24 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists as Denver moved one win away from the Western Conference semifinals with a victory at Los Angeles.
Aaron Gordon added 29 points with 15 rebounds as the Nuggets grabbed a 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven series. Jamal Murray scored 22 points and Michael Porter Jr. added 20 points and 10 rebounds to help the Nuggets extend their winning streak over the Lakers to 11 games.
Los Angeles’ Anthony Davis logged 33 points and 15 rebounds, while LeBron James produced 26 points and nine assists. The Lakers are on their first losing streak of at least three games since the start of the new year, when they were in the midst of a four-game skid.
NHL NEWS
BLACKHAWKS AGREE TO A 6-YEAR CONTRACT WITH DEFENSEMAN ALEX VLASIC
CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Blackhawks have agreed to a six-year contract with defenseman Alex Vlasic, rewarding one of their best young players with a long-term deal.
The team announced the move on Thursday. The contract runs through the 2029-30 season with a $4.6 million salary-cap hit.
“Alex made enormous strides this year and proved he is a legitimate top-four defenseman in the NHL,” general manager Kyle Davidson said in a release. “In his first full season in the NHL, Alex established himself as an important piece of our young core, and we’re excited to have him with us for the next six years.”
Chicago went 23-53-6 this year, setting a franchise record for losses. But it is hoping for a turnaround as soon as next season, and the contract for Vlasic stamps the Wilmette, Illinois, native as part of the team’s young core.
The 6-foot-6 Vlasic, who turns 23 in June, had two goals and 14 assists in 76 games this season. He averaged almost 21 1/2 minutes of ice time, ranking second on the team behind fellow defenseman Seth Jones.
Vlasic and Jones are on the U.S. roster for the world championships in Czechia next month.
Vlasic was selected by Chicago in the second round of the 2019 draft, and he made his NHL debut with the Blackhawks in March 2022. He has three goals and 16 assists in 97 career NHL games.
SERGEI BOBROVSKY MAKES 26 SAVES, PANTHERS BEAT LIGHTNING 5-3 TO TAKE 3-0 SERIES LEAD
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Sergei Bobrovsky made 26 saves, Matthew Tkachuk scored twice and the Florida Panthers beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 5-3 on Thursday night to take a 3-0 lead in the first-round playoff series.
Brandon Montour, Sam Reinhart and Steven Lorentz also scored for the Panthers, who will seek a sweep Saturday night in Tampa.
Tkachuk had a first-period goal and added an empty-netter with 32 seconds left.
Steven Stamkos, Tyler Motte and Nicholas Paul scored for Tampa Bay, with Paul cutting it to 4-3 with 5:10 left. Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 26 shots.
Montour gave Florida a 3-2 lead on a blue-line shot with 3:30 left in the second, with Lorentz making it a two-goal game from the slot at 9:41 of the third.
After withstanding several minutes of sustained pressure at the defensive end, Florida tied it at 2 on Reinhart’s goal at 9:58 of the second.
Stamkos scored 44 seconds into the second before Motte put Tampa Bay up 2-1 just 2:12 later. The 34-year-old Stamkos is the ninth player 34 or older to score in each of his team’s first three playoff games, and the first since San Jose’s Patrick Marleau in 2014.
Thirty-two seconds after the Panthers killed off Tampa Bay’s second power play, Tkachuk opened the scoring midway through the first.
Tkachuk became the 12th US-born player to have 20 postseason goals in 50 or games or fewer. The list also includes his father, Keith Tkachuk.
Tampa Bay appeared to tie it with 18 seconds left in the first, but Anthony Cirelli’s goal on the Lightning’s third power play was disallowed following a video review found the play was offside.
The Lightning, with the NHL’s top regular-season power play, went 0 for 4. Florida did not have a power play.
With Florida forwards Sam Bennett (shot off hand) and Ryan Lomberg (illness) out, right wing Kyle Okposo was inserted into the lineup and had an assist in his first playoff game since 2016.
BRENT BURNS, DMITRY ORLOV HELP HURRICANES HOLD ON TO BEAT ISLANDERS 3-2 FOR 3-0 SERIES LEAD
NEW YORK (AP) — Defensemen Brent Burns and Dmitry Orlov got Carolina off to a fast start and the Hurricanes held on to beat the New York Islanders 3-2 on Thursday night for a 3-0 lead in the first-round series.
Sebastian Aho also scored for the Hurricanes and Andrei Svechnikov had two assists. Frederik Andersen stopped 29 shots. Carolina won for eighth time in nine games at UBS Arena, which opened for the 2021-22 season.
Brock Nelson and Pierre Engvall scored for the Islanders. They are a loss away from being eliminated by Carolina in the first round for the second straight year.
Ilya Sorokin, getting the start after Semyon Varlamov went in the first two games, was pulled in the second period after giving up three goals on 14 shots. Varlamov came on and stopped all eight shots he faced.
Game 4 is Saturday in New York.
With the Hurricanes leading 3-2, Andersen made a nice save falling backward on a shot by Alexander Romanov about 6 1/2 minutes in the third period. The puck lay in the paint briefly before the goalie covered it up.
Andersen made another stellar save while sitting on the ice, reaching up to grab a shot by Romanov with 5:48 left.
The Islanders pulled Varlamov for an extra skater with 1:55 to go, but could not get the equalizer.
Trailing 2-0 after one period, the Islanders got on the scoreboard early in the second when Engvall took a pass in front from Anders Lee and fired a shot between Andersen’s legs.
Aho restored the two-goal lead at 7:14 as he got a pass from Svechnikov and fired a shot from the high slot past Sorokin for his second goal of the series. That ended Sorokin’s night.
Nelson brought the Islanders back within one late in the middle period. Ryan Pulock’s shot was deflected off teammate Kyle Palmieri in front and Nelson came in and quickly put it past Andersen on the right side with 2:21 to go.
The Islanders had a 15-9 advantage on shots in the first period, but trailed 2-0 after 20 minutes. New York’s shot total in the period exceeded their total in all of Game 2 when they managed only 12.
Burns got the Hurricanes on the scoreboard first as he fired a shot from the top of the right circle that deflected off the stick of Islanders defenseman Mike Reilly and past Sorokin at 4:46.
Andersen made a stellar glove save reaching to his left on Noah Dobson’s attempt from the right side at 9:23 on the rebound of a shot by Mathew Barzal to preserve the lead.
Orlov then beat Sorokin on the stick side from the left circle just over a minute later to increase Carolina’s lead to 2-0. It was the second straight goal by a defenseman after forwards had scored all the goals in the first two games.
The Hurricanes were without defenseman Brett Pesce because of a lower-body injury suffered on a noncontact sequence during the second period of Game 2 on Monday night. Tony DeAngelo started in his place in a pairing with Brady Skjei.
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
MLB ROUNDUP: BRYCE HARPER BACK, HOMERS IN PHILLIES’ WIN
Bryce Harper returned from a three-day paternity leave and belted a two-run homer to lead the visiting Philadelphia Phillies past the Cincinnati Reds 5-0 on Thursday.
Starter Zack Wheeler (2-3) allowed one hit over six shutout innings to record the win for the Phillies, who earned a split of the four-game series with their second shutout in four days. Wheeler struck out eight and walked four in recording his second straight win.
Wheeler extended his scoreless streak to 13 1/3 innings in posting his second straight scoreless start, and third this season. Trea Turner had three hits, while Harper and Bryson Stott had two hits. Stott drove in two with a two-out, third-inning triple that put Philadelphia on top, 2-0.
Cincinnati starter Nick Martinez (0-1) took the loss, allowing five runs on a career-high tying 11 hits over six innings. Martinez returned to the rotation after Frankie Montas went on the injured list with a bruised forearm.
Dodgers 2, Nationals 1
Yoshinobu Yamamoto pitched six shutout innings and Teoscar Hernandez homered as Los Angeles completed a three-game sweep of host Washington. Yamamoto, a rookie right-hander, gave up four hits and one walk and struck out seven while throwing 97 pitches.
Alex Vesia worked a scoreless seventh with three strikeouts before Daniel Hudson gave up a run in the eighth. Evan Phillips worked a perfect ninth with two strikeouts for his seventh save. Mookie Betts, Enrique Hernandez and Freddie Freeman all had two hits as the Dodgers won their fourth consecutive game.
Nationals starter MacKenzie Gore (2-2) gave up only the home run among his seven hits allowed. He walked two and struck out four. Joey Meneses had three of Washington’s seven hits. The Nationals, who left seven runners on base, only scored four runs in the series and closed a 2-4 homestand.
Brewers 7, Pirates 5
Gary Sanchez socked a pinch-hit, two-run homer in the top of the eighth inning to lift visiting Milwaukee over Pittsburgh.
Rhys Hoskins went 3-for-5 with two RBIs and William Contreras went 2-for-4 with a home run to help the Brewers split the four-game series. Jared Koenig (1-0) gave up two hits in the seventh inning for the win and Trevor Megill pitched a clean ninth for his first save.
Joey Bart hit a three-run home run for the Pirates. Aroldis Chapman (0-2) allowed two runs on two hits in the eighth inning.
Guardians 6, Red Sox 4
Jose Ramirez hit a second-inning grand slam and added an important insurance run in the seventh as host Cleveland beat Boston for its ninth win in 11 games.
In the seventh, after the Red Sox clawed back to make it 5-4, Ramirez singled for his third hit, stole second, went to third on catcher Reese McGuire’s throwing error and scored on a passed ball.
Rafael Devers posted his second straight three-hit game and Rob Refsnyder had two hits with an RBI for Boston, which completed a 4-2 road trip despite the loss.
Cubs 3, Astros 1
Pete Crow-Armstrong slugged a go-ahead two-run homer in the sixth for his first major league hit to lift host Chicago to a sweep of Houston.
With the game tied at 1, Bryan Abreu entered the game out of the Houston bullpen to oppose the Cubs’ top prospect. Crow-Armstrong greeted him with a deep fly to right to give Chicago the two-run advantage and saddle Houston’s Rafael Montero with his first loss of the season.
Right-hander Justin Verlander started for Houston and got one out in the fifth before exiting the game. Verlander allowed three hits — all to Nico Hoerner.
Mariners 4, Rangers 3
Ty France and Luis Urias hit two-run home runs as Seattle defeated Texas in Arlington, Texas, to move past the hosts into first place in the American League West.
Mariners ace Luis Castillo (2-4) won his second straight start, pitching six innings and allowing two runs on four hits, with two walks and six strikeouts. Seattle closer Andres Munoz retired the side in order in the ninth to record his third save of the season.
Nathaniel Lowe and Josh Smith hit solo homers for Texas, which lost for the fourth time in its past six games. Rangers left-hander Andrew Heaney (0-3) took the loss. He gave up four runs on five hits over six innings, with no walks and seven strikeouts.
Athletics 3, Yankees 1
Nick Allen and Tyler Nevin homered in the third inning, Alex Wood pitched 5 2/3 gritty innings and Oakland beat host New York.
The A’s earned a split of the four-game series despite scoring three runs or fewer for the seventh straight game and 17th time overall. Oakland also homered for the 10th straight game when Allen and Nevin connected in a four-batter span.
Wood (1-2) allowed one run and eight hits. He struck out five, walked two and put runners on base in every inning but the third. For New York, Jose Trevino went deep and Nestor Cortes (1-2) allowed three runs and five hits in seven innings.
Rockies 10, Padres 9
Hunter Goodman hit a three-run homer to ignite a six-run eighth inning and Colorado rallied to beat San Diego in Denver.
Colorado trailed 9-4 entering the eighth but rallied against San Diego’s bullpen. Goodman started the comeback with a three-run homer off Wandy Peralta (1-1). Ezequiel Tovar eventually scored the tying run on a passed ball and Elias Diaz broke the tie with an RBI single.
Tyler Kinley (1-0) tossed an inning of relief to pick up the win for Colorado and Justin Lawrence struck out Ha-Seong Kim to end the game and pick up his second save.
Royals 2, Blue Jays 1 (5 innings)
Salvador Perez homered as host Kansas City outlasted the weather and Toronto to win a rain-shortened contest. The five-inning contest marked their third straight victory by one run and gave the Royals their first series win against the Blue Jays since April 15-18, 2021.
Perez lined a first-pitch, two-run homer down the left-field line in the first inning. His seventh home run of the year gave him 837 career RBIs, tying him with Mike Sweeney for fifth all-time in franchise history.
Perez’s home run snapped a career-best 21 2/3 scoreless innings streak by Toronto starter Jose Berrios (4-1). Berrios surrendered two runs on three hits and three walks with one strikeout in five innings. Four of the five runs allowed by Berrios in his six starts this year have scored via home runs.
Twins 6, White Sox 3
Edouard Julien homered twice as Minnesota belted five home runs and completed a four-game series sweep of Chicago with a victory in Minneapolis.
It was the second multi-homer game of the season for Julien. Ryan Jeffers, Carlos Santana and Jose Miranda also homered and Trevor Larnach went 2-for-4 with a run scored for Minnesota which won for the fifth time in its last six games.
Andrew Vaughn doubled and had two hits and a run scored and Korey Lee also had two hits for Chicago which lost its seventh straight game overall and ninth in a row at Target Field.
GOLF NEWS
CHARLIE WOODS COMPETES IN FIRST U.S. OPEN QUALIFIER
Charlie Woods fell short in his first-ever attempt to qualify for a U.S. Open on Thursday.
The 15-year-old, whose father is three-time U.S. Open winner Tiger Woods, shot a 9-over 81 at the qualifier at The Legacy Golf & Tennis Club in Port St. Lucie, Fla., Golfweek reported.
The U.S. Open is scheduled for June 13-16 at Pinehurst Resort & Country Club No. 2 in North Carolina. Players who aren’t tour pros can attempt to enter the tournament through local qualifiers, as Charlie Woods did.
The teen’s scorecard included one birdie, four bogeys and three double bogeys, per Golfweek. He shot a 40 on the front side and 41 on the back nine.
It’s been a busy stretch of golf for the younger Woods. He won a state high school championship with his team in Florida last fall, and in February, he played in a qualifying event for the PGA Tour’s Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches, a tournament formerly known as the Honda Classic.
He shot a 16-over 86 at Lost Lake Golf Club in Hobe Sound, Fla., and did not qualify.
GRACE KIM GRABS FIRST-ROUND LA CHAMPIONSHIP LEAD
Grace Kim, looking for her second LPGA victory in her fourth season, holds the lead after the first round of the JM Eagle LA Championship on Thursday in Los Angeles.
Grace Kim shot a 7-under-par 64 at Wilshire Country Club, leaving her one shot ahead of Sweden’s Maja Stark, Thailand’s Chanettee Wannasaen and South Korea’s Sei Young Kim.
Auston Kim, South Korea’s Haeran Ryu and Russia’s Nataliya Guseva are tied for fifth at 5 under. Defending champion Hannah Green of Australia, Amy Yang of South Korea and Bianca Pagdanganan of the Philippines share eighth place at 4 under.
The tour’s hottest player, Nelly Korda, is taking the week off after winning the Chevron Championship last week for her fifth victory in five starts.
Grace Kim produced a bogey-free round, capped by a birdie at the par-3 18th hole.
“I think if I was to compare my round today compared to last week, I really focused on just not having too much in my mind,” she said. “I think I overthought a lot of things through my first and second round last week and struggled a little bit mentally.
“So just that self-belief, not forcing anything, and trusting that my muscle memory of a golf swing would work. Yeah, I guess that kind of worked out well.”
Grace Kim, 23, earned her lone tour victory last summer at the Lotte Championship. Looking ahead to her chances of adding another win this week, she said, “Obviously I had a good day today, but it’s a fresh day tomorrow and the weekend.
“So hopefully just another nice, easy round tomorrow. Not too hard on myself. Just accept mistakes if they do come and just take the birdies as they come.”
Stark began her bogey-free round on the back nine and was 2 under through 10 holes before making four birdies the rest of the way. She is coming off a second-place finish behind Korda last week.
“(I am) much more confident in my game,” Stark said. “I still like chickened out on a couple shots today which is just like me. I feel like I’ve been better at not chickening out as much.
“Then just knowing I can be patient and not have to chase birdies to actually make them, because I think when I’m chasing birdies, that’s when I make my mistakes. Didn’t feel like I did that today. I was just kind of bobbing along, and then the putts start falling in.”
Wannasaen was 7 under for the round before finishing bogey-par-par on the back nine.
Sei Young Kim climbed into contention with four consecutive birdies on the back nine, and she ended her day without a bogey.
RORY MCILROY, SHANE LOWRY MAKE 11 BIRDIES FOR SHARE OF ZURICH LEAD
Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry are enjoying their first taste of the Big Easy.
The friends and former Ryder Cup teammates are tied for first after one round of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans on Thursday in Avondale, La.
After hitting Bourbon Street for a steak dinner before the tournament, McIlroy and Lowry shot an 11-under 61 in Thursday’s four-ball (best ball) action, racking up 11 birdies without a bogey. It was a stellar showing from the Ulsterman and Irishman, who have five major titles between them, in their Zurich debuts.
McIlroy and Lowry ripped off four straight birdies en route to a 6-under 30 on the front nine, then came home in 5-under 31. They’re tied with the teams of Ryan Brehm and Mark Hubbard, Ben Kohles and Patton Kizzire, and David Lipsky and Englishman Aaron Rai.
One stroke behind that quartet of teams are Davis Thompson and Andrew Novak, Cameron Champ and South Africa’s MJ Daffue, and Belgian Thomas Detry and Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre.
The teams will play foursomes (alternate shot) — considered the more difficult of the two formats — on Friday before the 36-hole cut. The field will proceed to play four-balls on Saturday and foursomes on Sunday.
Eric Cole and Russ Cochran find themselves tied for 74th following a 3-under 69, but Cole got to enjoy a hole-in-one at the 207-yard, par-3 14th hole.
TENNIS NEWS
NADAL CRUISES TO STRAIGHT-SET WIN OVER AMERICAN TEENAGER IN FIRST ROUND OF MADRID OPEN
MADRID (AP) — Rafael Nadal didn’t need much effort as he cruised to a 6-1, 6-0 victory over American teenager Darwin Blanch in the first round of the Madrid Open on Thursday.
Nadal looked in good form for just his third competitive match since returning from his latest injury layoff. He had made his return in Barcelona last week, losing in the second round to Alex De Minaur, who will also be his second-round opponent in Madrid on Saturday.
“I hope I can give my best and be competitive against De Minaur,” Nadal said. “Every time I have the chance to be on court in this amazing stadium with an unconditional supportive crowd, it means a lot to me. Just trying to enjoy every moment. Tomorrow, one more day of practice here and then after tomorrow, on court again. That makes me feel great.”
The 37-year-old Nadal was in control from the start against the 16-year-old wild-card entry, closing the match in just over one hour at the Caja Magica center court in the Spanish capital.
The encounter marked the largest age gap (21 years, 117 days) between two opponents at an ATP 1000 tournament.
Blanch, playing only in his second ATP tour match, made 27 unforced errors. Nadal never faced a break point.
“I think today I played against an opponent with a great future,” Nadal said. “But today, still making mistakes. I just tried to be there, be solid all the time without taking a lot of risks. It worked well. I’m happy to be through and I wish him all the very best for the future.”
Nadal had arrived in Madrid saying he was not 100% fit, and that he was only going to play because the clay-court tournament was at home.
On Wednesday, the record five-time champion in Madrid said that in his current condition he would not play if this was the French Open, a tournament he has won a record 14 times.
The Spaniard is trying to get back in shape for the tournament in Paris for what will likely be his last Roland Garros appearance. The French Open begins next month.
A 22-time Grand Slam champion, Nadal had hip surgery last summer and said 2024 would probably be his last year on tour. He had skipped Monte Carlo, and his last tournament had been in Brisbane in January, when he played three matches.
TOP INDIANA SPORTS RELEASES AND NEWS REPORTS
COLTS FOOTBALL
CHRIS BALLARD: COLTS LANDED BEST DEFENSIVE PLAYER IN 2024 NFL DRAFT IN UCLA DE LAIATU LATU
Fourteen offensive players went off the board before the Colts went on the clock with the No. 15 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. The unprecedented run on offense included a record-setting six quarterbacks selected in the first dozen picks.
And that left the Colts with an opportunity to take, quite literally, whichever defensive player they had highest on their draft board. Let’s emphasize this again: With the 15th overall pick.
So when general manager Chris Ballard said Thursday night he believes the Colts “got the best defensive player in the draft,” in UCLA defensive end Laiatu Latu, it wasn’t the kind of hyperbolic statement you’ll hear in press conferences at this time of year.
Latu, undisputedly, was actually the guy the Colts believed was the best defensive player in the 2024 NFL Draft.
“I thought we got a little lucky on it,” Ballard said. “We thought there were four or five really elite players, and he was one of them. We felt fortunate to get him.”
Latu totaled 24 sacks and 126 total pressures over his final two seasons with UCLA, and joins the Colts not only with standout athletic traits – he ran a 4.62-second 40-yard dash at 6-foot-5 and 265 pounds at the NFL Combine in February – but with established collegiate production. The Colts believe dropping him into a defensive line that set an Indianapolis-era franchise record with 51 sacks in 2023 gives them a strong chance to consistently get after opposing quarterbacks moving forward.
“I think he’s gonna produce pretty quickly as a rusher,” Ballard said. “I think he knows how to rush. Of course there’s going to be an adjustment period, as there is with any rookie rusher. He’s pretty polished. This guy’s a pretty polished product in terms of rushing. Of course you’re going to have to learn, especially against (NFL) tackles that are so good, and the protection schemes are so good. So that’ll be an adjustment for him. But he’s a smart kid. He’ll figure it out.”
2024 NFL DRAFT: TOP PLAYERS AVAILABLE FOR COLTS IN SECOND, THIRD ROUND
The first (and as the Colts see it, best) defensive player off the board in the 2024 NFL Draft went to the Colts with the 15th overall pick, with UCLA defensive end Laiatu Latu ending a historic run of offensive selections that ran deep into Thursday night.
Now the Colts’ focus firmly turns to Friday’s pair of top-85 selections. The Colts hold the Nos. 46 and 82 overall picks in the second and third round, respectively, and will have plenty of talented players to choose from when they go on the clock later tonight.
A quick scan of a pair of respected big boards – from NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah and The Athletic’s Dane Brugler – gives us a quick peek at who the Colts may choose from on Friday night. Here’s a list of all the players both Jeremiah and Brugler rank among their top 85 prospects in this year’s draft:
Top-32 players
Iowa CB Cooper DeJean (Jeremiah #24, Brugler #25)
Illinois DT Jer’Zhan Newton (Jeremiah #25, Brugler #28)
Texas WR Adonai Mitchell (Jeremiah #27, Brugler #33)
Alabama CB Kool-Aid McKinstry (Jeremiah #28, Brugler #30)
Texas A&M LB Edgerrin Cooper (Jeremiah #29, Brugler #46)
Georgia WR Ladd McConkey (Jeremiah #30, Brugler #31)
Missouri CB Ennis Rakestraw Jr. (Jeremiah #32, Brugler #49)
Oregon iOL Jackson Powers-Johnson (Brugler #23, Jeremiah #34)
Western Michigan DE Marshawn Kneeland (Brugler #32, Jeremiah #45)
Top-50 players
West Virginia iOL Zach Frazier (Jeremiah #37, Brugler #34)
Florida State DT Braden Fiske (Jeremiah #38, Brugler #71)
Florida State WR Keon Coleman (Jeremiah #42, Brugler #37)
Michigan LB Junior Colson (Jeremiah #43, Brugler #42)
Western Kentucky WR Malachi Corley (Jeremiah #44, Brugler #54)
Rutgers CB Max Melton (Jeremiah #46, Brugler #63)
Michigan DT Kris Jenkins (Jeremiah #48, Brugler #36)
Michigan CB Mike Sainristil (Jeremiah #50, Brugler #43)
Kansas State iOL Cooper Beebe (Brugler #38, Jeremiah #80)
Washington S Jaden Hicks (Brugler #39, Jeremiah #78)
Michigan S Roman Wilson (Brugler #41, Jeremiah #58)
UConn iOL Christian Haynes (Brugler #47, Jeremiah #77)
Texas RB Jonathan Brooks (Brugler #48, Jeremiah #57)
Top-85 players
Kentucky CB Andru Phillips (Jeremiah #51, Brugler #62)
Minnesota S Tyler Nubin (Jeremiah #52, Brugler #68)
Alabama DE Chris Braswell (Jeremiah #53, Brugler #67)
Notre Dame T Blake Fisher (Jeremiah #54, Brugler #73)
Washington WR Ja’Lynn Polk (Jeremiah #59, Brugler #74)
Georgia S Javon Bullard (Jeremiah #60, Brugler #53)
Utah S Cole Bishop (Jeremiah #61, Brugler #70)
Clemson DT Ruke Orhorhoro (Jeremiah #62, Brugler #51)
LSU DT Maason Smith (Jeremiah #63, Brugler #64)
Oregon DT Brandon Dorlus (Jeremiah #65, Brugler #75)
Kansas iOL Dominic Puni (Jeremiah #66, Brugler #56)
Washington OT Roger Rosengarten (Jeremiah #67, Brugler #69)
Georgia CB Kamari Lassiter (Jeremiah #69, Brugler #62)
Penn State DE Adisa Isaac (Jeremiah #73, Brugler #65)
Oregon WR Troy Franklin (Jeremiah #76, Brugler #58)
Penn State TE Theo Johnson (Jeremiah #82, Brugler #80)
Iowa State CB T.J. Tampa (Jeremiah #84, Brugler #55)
INDIANAPOLIS INDIANS
INDIANS WALKED OFF BY STORM CHASERS IN NINTH, 5-4
PAPILLION, Neb. – A two-run rally sparked by a go-ahead triple from Matt Gorski in the top of the ninth inning was not enough as the Omaha Storm Chasers defeated the Indianapolis Indians in walk-off fashion at Werner Park on Thursday evening, 5-4.
Down by two runs in the bottom of the ninth, Omaha (14-10) led off with a single from Nick Loftin. Following a one-out walk, CJ Alexander singled against Geronimo Franzua (L, 1-1) to score Loftin. A sacrifice bunt from Devin Mann tied the game at four runs apiece, and Tyler Gentry sealed the win for the Storm Chasers with an RBI single.
Ji Hwan Bae hit a leadoff home run off Omaha starter Luis Cessa to open the scoring for Indianapolis (12-12) in the first inning. Omaha then knotted the game in the second inning with an RBI single from Gentry.
Leading off the bottom of the fourth, Jake Lamb sent a long ball over the left-field wall to give the Indians their second lead of the game, but Gentry countered once again with another RBI single in the bottom of the sixth.
With two outs in the top of the ninth, Matt Gorski sent his second triple of the year to right field to plate Canaan Smith-Njigba and set up a game-winning opportunity. In the following at-bat, Gorski reached home on a fielding error by shortstop Tyler Tolbert before Omaha answered with the three-run ninth.
Indianapolis starter Wily Peralta surrendered one run on two hits in 3.0 innings of work. Sam Long (W, 1-1) closed the game for Omaha, yielding two runs (one earned) on two hits with a strikeout in 1.1 innings on the mound.
Indianapolis and Omaha will face off in the fourth game of the six-game set tomorrow at 7:35 PM ET. RHP Jonathan Bowlan (3-1, 2.57) gets the nod for the Storm Chasers while the Indians have yet to name a starter.
INDIANA BASEBALL
BASEBALL CENTRAL: RUTGERS
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The Indiana Baseball team (22-18-1, 7-5 B1G) will begin the final four weeks of Big Ten play this weekend with a crucial, season-defining series against Rutgers. IU has just seven games at Bart Kaufman Field remaining including these three, a midweek vs. Cincinnati (5/7) and a series against Michigan (5/16-18).
Jeff Mercer’s squad played an unusual contest on Wednesday night, strange for even midweek standards. Scheduled to play Tuesday at Victory Field, the Hoosiers’ game against Ball State was moved to Muncie at 3:00 PM on Wednesday afternoon.
The two teams played a 4.5-hour game that lasted 12 innings and saw 19 pitchers. The final result: a tie. Without lights at the field in Muncie, it was determined that a new inning couldn’t begin after the 12th. The two teams settled for a 7-7 draw, the first for the Hoosiers since 2017. IU scored six combined runs in the eighth and ninth innings to head to extras but couldn’t find a winning run.
Focus now turns to this weekend as Rutgers arrives in Bloomington. The Hoosiers are still well in the Big Ten title race but could use another winning weekend and some help from the likes of Maryland (vs. Illinois) to keep pace heading into the month of May.
The first two games of the series will be broadcasted on BTN+ but Sunday’s finale will be an 11:00 AM first pitch on Big Ten Network. The game was originally scheduled for 12:00 PM due to travel accommodations but moved an hour earlier for television purposes.
Gameday Info
vs. Rutgers (Friday, April 26th – 6:00 PM)
Live Video: t.ly/_fMBQ
Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio
Live Stats: t.ly/DSDfX
vs. Rutgers (Saturday, April 27th – 2:00 PM)
Live Video: t.ly/_fMBQ
Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio
Live Stats: t.ly/DSDfX
vs. Rutgers (Sunday, April 28th – 11:00 AM)
Live Video: t.ly/sIEx8
Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio
Live Stats: t.ly/DSDfX
Probable Starters
Indiana vs. Rutgers
• Friday – TBD (IU) vs. Justin Sinibaldi, LHP (RU)
• Saturday – Ty Bothwell, LHP (IU) vs. TBD (RU)
• Sunday – TBD (IU) vs. TBD (RU)
Player and Stat Trends
Two Reach 200
• Ty Bothwell (strikeouts) and Josh Pyne (hits) both became the newest members of their respective clubs this past weekend, passing 200 strikeouts and hits, respectively, in their IU careers. Bothwell used 13 punchies at Minnesota (4/20) to achieve the mark while Pyne went 2-for-6 at Ball State (4/24) to cross his barrier.
Notable
Raise the Jolly Roger
• Jasen Oliver, commonly known as Jolly in the clubhouse, provided one of the best games by a freshman in program history on Sunday at Minnesota. He came into the day struggling and was moved to the nine hole to turn the lineup over.
• Needing a win, Oliver provided a 3-5 day with a freshman single-game record eight RBIs. The record was set by Joey Brenczewski just last week with seven but Oliver made quick work of it with a two-run single, a three-run home run and a three-run double in the 18-8, series-clinching win.
Bothwell Delivers
• After a disappointing outing last week against Penn State, Ty Bothwell righted the ship with a seven inning, 13-strikeout effort against Minnesota. His 13 strikeouts were a career high as he helped IU to a 7-1 victory in the series opener.
• In his career against Minnesota, he has an 8-1 strikeout to hit (!) ratio with 32 punchies and just four hits allowed. He also passed the 200-strikeout threshold and moved into 8th in program history with 205 career punchouts.
Keeping Pace in the Big Ten Race
• The Big Ten race is as open as it has been in the last five years. The top six teams are separated by three-or-fewer games with Illinois (10-2) pacing the leaderboard. IU (7-5) has won three-straight series to remain in contention. Illinois faces a tough backstretch with Maryland, Ohio State, Iowa and Purdue on the docket.
• The Hoosiers still have to face Rutgers (H), Purdue (A), Nebraska (A) and Michigan (H). Three of those teams are above IU in the standings, giving Jeff Mercer’s squad some opportunities to rise up the leaderboard.
Pyne Passes 200
• In the midweek tie with Ball State, junior third baseman Josh Pyne became the 24th member of the 200-hit club at Indiana. He doubled down the right-field line in the sixth inning for 200 and got 201 to begin the rally in the ninth.
• He is just the 10th person to reach 200 hits in three-or-fewer years. If he comes back for his senior season, he will aim to be just the fourth player at IU to reach 300 career hits.
Massive Weekend in the Big Ten
• As mentioned before, the final four weeks in the Big Ten are expected to be wild as seven teams chase the Big Ten title. The final weekend in April could be the deciding factor in the race with a trio of massive series.
• IU (7-5) will host a Rutgers team (3-9) in desperate search of some wins to make the Big Ten Tourney. The Hoosiers will be hoping to keep pace with the leaders and win a fourth series in the month of April.
• Big Ten leaders Illinois (10-2) head to Maryland (6-9), another team looking to stay alive for a trip to Omaha in late-May. Iowa (9-6), who swept Rutgers last weekend, goes to Nebraska (8-4) who is sandwiched in the thick of the title race. Michigan (10-5) plays its non-conference weekend against Long Beach State and will have a better understanding of where it stands this week.
Scouting the Opponent
Rutgers (24-16, 3-9 B1G)
• Rutgers is well known as one of the best offenses in the entire conference. Josh Kuroda-Grauer is perhaps the best all-around player in the league. He leads the Big Ten with a .440 batting average and an OPS of 1.133. He already has 74 hits in 40 games and has 105 total bases in as many contests.
• Much like Indiana, the heart of Rutgers’ order is hitting well above .300. Trevor Cohen (.347), Tony Santa Maria (.333) and Cameron Love (.333) have been the anchors for the Scarlet Knights. Those three, and Kuroda-Grauer, have started all 40 games.
• Justin Sinibaldi, Rutgers’ Friday night starter, has been outstanding this season. He’s 4-1 with a 2.55 earned run average across 67 innings pitched. The bullpen has been a sore sport at times. Four pitchers with at least 10 appearances have an earned run average above 6.00. The Scarlet Knights have only used 14 pitchers to cover 352.2 innings this year.
Inside the Series
Indiana vs. Rutgers
• This will be the final season that Rutgers, and Maryland, can be considered the newest members of the league. It’s the 10th season with the Scarlet Knights in the Big Ten. Since Jeff Mercer became head coach, the two teams have played 11 times.
• Since the last time Rutgers and IU played in Bloomington (2019), the teams have met in three different cities. Five of those games were played in Piscataway with contests in Omaha, Neb. (Big Ten Tournament) and Minneapolis, Minn. (COVID-19 pod) also hosting matchups.
• Rutgers has won four straight in the series but IU won 13 of the first 16 matchups all-time. IU swept Rutgers in the last matchup in Bloomington (2019) which helped secure Mercer a Big Ten title in his first season with the Hoosiers.
INDIANA WRESTLING
MAGNUS KUOKKANEN EARNS ALL-AMERICAN STATUS AT U20 U.S. OPEN
LAS VEGAS, Nev. –––– Indiana has five current wrestlers and one signee competing at the 2024 U.S. Open in Greco-Roman and Freestyle competition in the U20 age group.
Redshirt freshmen Magnus Kuokkanen and Mason Alley competed in the U20 Greco-Roman division. Freshmen Joey Buttler and Aidan Torres along with redshirt freshman Cole Rhemrev and incoming Hoosier Sam Goin will all wrestle in the Freestyle Division.
All Greco-Roman competition was completed on Wednesday (April 24) with U20 Freestyle matches taking place on Friday and Saturday (April 26-27).
At 77 kg, Magnus Kuokkanen finished in eighth place in the U20 Greco-Roman division to become an All-American.
Kuokkanen won four matches in his time in Vegas to claim his spot on the podium.
Alley competed at 72 kg and won two matches in his bracket.
FULL RESULTS
Mason Alley (72 kg):
R64: Mason Alley (Indiana RTC) advanced on bye.
R32: No. 7 TJ Schierl (Ohio RTC) def. Mason Alley (Indiana RTC): VSU, 8-0 (1:57)
Cons. 32 #2: Mason Alley (Indiana RTC) def. Grayson Williams (Western Colorado WC): VSU, 8-0 (0:27)
Cons. 16 #1: Mason Alley (Indiana RTC) def. Chase Fiser (Dubuque WC): VSU, 9-0 (2:25)
Cons. 16 #2: Will Scherer (Combat WC School of Wrestling) def. Mason Alley (Indiana RTC): VPO1, 5-1
Magnus Kuokkanen (77 kg):
R32: Magnus Kuokkanen (Indiana RTC) def. Sam Duling (Cardinal WC): VPO1, 5-3
R16: No. 3 Benjamin Smith (Lancaster Alliance WC) def. Magnus Kuokkanen (Indiana RTC): VPO, 6-0
Cons. 16 #2: Magnus Kuokkanen (Indiana RTC) def. Chase Bisel (Backyard Bullies WC): VSU1, 10-1 (2:54)
Cons. 8 #1: Magnus Kuokkanen (Indiana RTC) def. Jonathan Foster (Ironclad WC): VPO1, 10-7
Cons. 8 #2: Magnus Kuokkanen (Indiana RTC) def. No. 8 Sean Coughlin (Patriot Elite WC): VPO1, 6-6
Cons. 4: No. 5 Caden Young (Mustang WC) def. Magnus Kuokkanen (Indiana RTC): VSU 9-0 (1:39)
7th Place: No. 3 Benajmin Smith (Lancaster Alliance WC) def. Magnus Kuokkanen (Indiana RTC): VPO1, 5-1
Magnus Kuokkanen took 8th place at 77 kg in Greco-Roman
INDIANA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
KAROLINE STRIPLIN JOINS INDIANA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana women’s basketball has announced the addition of Karoline Striplin to its 2024-25 roster. Striplin, a 6-3 forward, arrives in Bloomington after three seasons at Tennessee and will have one year of eligibility with the Hoosiers.
“Karoline is a tough post player who can score inside and out while also establishing herself as a great post defender,” Indiana head coach Teri Moren said. “She is a player who we’ve faced a couple of times and have been familiar with since high school, so we know her skill set and work ethic will be the perfect fit for us. We are excited for Karoline and her family to be Hoosiers.”
The Hartford, Alabama native played in 91 games for the Lady Vols, making 39 starts and playing in three NCAA Tournaments including a pair of trips to the Sweet Sixteen. In her three seasons, she shot 48.8 percent from the floor, 32.3 percent from the 3-point line and 73.3 percent at the free throw line. In 2023-24, Striplin played in all 33 games and made 11 appearances in the starting lineup where she averaged a career-best 7.2 points and 3.1 rebounds per game. She scored in double figures eight times with one double-double and set a new career-high 29 points versus Middle Tennessee. As a sophomore, Striplin appeared in the starting lineup on 28 occasions and shot 50 percent from the field.
Striplin also excels in the classroom, as a two-time SEC Academic Honor Roll selection and two-time CSC Academic All-District holds a 3.88 GPA. She will graduate in May with a degree in journalism and electronic media and will pursue a master’s degree at Indiana.
Out of high school, Striplin was ranked as a four-star recruit and a top 45 player by both ProspectsNation.com (No. 39) and espnW (No. 45) and the 2021 Alabama Sports Writers Association Miss Basketball. She averaged 28.6 points, 16.8 rebounds, 6.2 blocks, 5.6 assists and 4.2 steals per game while shooting 59 percent from the floor as a senior at Geneva County High School.
PURDUE TRACK
THREE RECORD-BOOK TIMES AND DRAKE RELAYS TITLE BEGIN WEEKEND
DES MOINES, Iowa – The Purdue track & field team opened the Drake Relays with three top-10 times in school history and a victory at Drake Stadium on Thursday night in Des Moines, Iowa.
A pair of record-book marks in the steeplechase, by senior Caleb Williams and junior Jaelyn Burgos, was followed by a top-10 time in the 10,000-meters from senior Caroline Jordan. Junior Jason Polydoris won the 10,000m to conclude the night.
The Boilermakers earned four top-five finishes and registered five personal-best times on the first of three days at the nationally-renowned Drake Relays. In the final weekend of the regular season, Purdue’s distance runners, throwers and jumpers are competing at the Drake Relays from April 25-27 and the sprinters and jumpers are at the Desert Heat Classic in Tucson, Arizona, on April 27.
One of the team’s first events of the meet in Des Moines was the women’s 3,000m steeplechase, where Burgos etched her name in the record book. In her third collegiate steeplechase race, Burgos posted a time of 10:29.86, ninth-fastest in school history. She was seventh overall with a time that is a PR by more than five seconds. In a tightly contested finish, Burgos was one of three runners to finish within one second of each other
The men’s 3,000m steeplechase was the very next event at Drake Stadium, and Williams moved up on Purdue’s top-10 list. With a PR by almost seven seconds, he finished in 8:49.99 to climb two spots to No. 5 all-time. It’s the best time by a Boilermaker since the record was set in 2021. Williams was third in the race and now has a time that is No. 26 in the NCAA East Region.
Jordan also wrote her name into the record book at No. 7 in the women’s 10,000m. She crossed the finish line in 34:56.43, a personal-best by more than one minute, and was fifth overall in the event. Jordan boasts the best 10,000m time by a Boilermaker in three seasons.
To conclude the night, Polydoris won the men’s edition of the 10,000m. He also ran a collegiate-best, with a mark of 29:46.03, and won by almost a 20-second margin. It’s Polydoris’ second win of his collegiate career, along with a victory in the 5,000m just two weeks ago.
Also on Thursday night, junior Brady Yoder was fourth in the unseeded 5,000m, as he notched a PR of 14:17.12. Graduate students Meredith Bloss (10,000m, 36:14.28) and Nathaniel Getachew (3,000m steeplechase, 9:09.11) earned season-best times.
The Drake Relays continue on Friday before the final day on the Blue Oval on Saturday. The one and only day of the Desert Heat Classic is set for Saturday night.
Fans unable to cheer on the Boilermakers in person can follow along with live results (Drake | Arizona) and the meet schedules (Drake | Arizona). There also will be a live stream of the Drake Relays. Additional updates can be found by following and connecting with the Boilermakers on Twitter/X, Instagram and Facebook, while direct links are available on the schedule page at PurdueSports.com/TrackField.
Hosted at Drake Stadium, the Drake Relays features throwing and jumping events for the Boilermakers on Friday, April 26, with the team’s first event at 12:15 p.m. ET / 11:15 a.m. CT. On Saturday, April 27, two field events are on the schedule for Purdue, beginning at 11 a.m. ET / 10 a.m. CT.
Arizona’s Drachman Stadium will host the Desert Heat Classic on Saturday, April 27. The Boilermakers are scheduled to begin competition at 7:30 p.m. ET / 4:30 p.m. MT, and the one-day event will wrap up shortly after 1 a.m. ET / 10 p.m. MT.
PURDUE BASEBALL
BOILERMAKERS RIDE B1G WIN STREAK INTO WRIGLEY, SERIES AT NORTHWESTERN
GAMEDAY INFORMATION
Purdue (26-15, 8-4 Big Ten) at Northwestern (13-23, 2-10 Big Ten)
Friday to Sunday, April 25-27
Series Opener at Wrigley Field: Friday, April 26 at 8 p.m. ET / Big Ten Network
Middle Game in Evanston: Saturday, April 27 at 2 p.m. ET / B1G+
Series Finale in Evanston: Sunday, April 28 at 2 p.m. ET / B1G+
Rocky & Berenice Miller Park / Evanston, Illinois
PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS
Friday: Jordan Morales (Grad, LHP) vs. NU’s Kyle Potthoff (Grad, RHP)
Saturday: Luke Wagner (Sr, LHP) vs. TBA for Northwestern
Sunday: Jonathan Blackwell (Sr, LHP) vs. TBA for Northwestern
SERIES HISTORY
All-Time: Purdue leads 120-97-2
All-Time in Evanston: Purdue leads 55-50-1
2023: Purdue won 2 of 3 (March 31-April 2 in West Lafayette)
Last Series in Evanston: Purdue won 2 of 3 (May 2022)
First Meeting: Northwestern 10, Purdue 3 (May 1900 in Evanston)
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – As Purdue Baseball resumes Big Ten play and the second half of the conference schedule begins, the Boilermakers ride a seven-game win streak vs. league rivals into Wrigley Field for the opener of their three-game series at Northwestern.
First pitch Friday on Chicago’s North Side is set for 8 p.m. ET live on Big Ten Network. Parking is available for purchase ($10) in the Camry Lot (1126 W. Grace St) on a first come, first serve basis. Purdue has not played in a Major League Baseball stadium since April 2011 at Target Field in Minneapolis.
The series shifts 10 miles north to Northwestern’s Rocky and Berenice Miller Park for the final two games, with the first pitch set for 2 p.m. ET on Saturday and Sunday.
The Boilermakers have won four straight weekend series vs. Northwestern dating back to 2018. But the Wildcats have won both of their two previous games at Wrigley (2013 vs. Michigan, 2023 vs. Notre Dame) and took two of three vs. two-time defending conference champion Maryland in their last home series on campus at Miller Park.
Purdue’s seven-game Big Ten win streak is its longest since 2018 when the Boilers swept three consecutive conference series, punctuating that hot stretch by bringing out the brooms vs. Northwestern at Alexander Field. Coach Greg Goff’s team is in a three-way tie for second place in the standings with 12 conference games to go. Purdue plays Indiana, Michigan and Illinois over the final three weekends.
WEEKEND #6 OF BIG TEN PLAY
• Purdue (8-4) at Northwestern (2-10)
• Iowa (9-6) at Nebraska (8-4)
• Illinois (10-2) at Maryland (6-9)
• Michigan State (5-7) at Ohio State (6-6)
• Rutgers (3-9) at Indiana (7-5)
• Minnesota (4-8) at Penn State (6-9)
• Long Beach State at Michigan (10-5) – Non-Conference
Mike Bolton Jr. headlines the Boilermakers’ four Chicagoland area natives and the South Side product will have the honor of leading off Friday’s game at the Friendly Confines. Breck Nowik (Lake Forest) also returns home this weekend, playing his high school games only 20 miles from Northwestern’s campus. Freshmen Cole Van Assen (Tinley Park) and Amir Gray (South Holland) are also back in their home state.
Jordan Morales has started the opening game of every weekend for Purdue this season and he’ll have another opportunity to pitch in a big league stadium this weekend. Morales was the first man out of the bullpen for Penn State in in a May 2022 game vs. Pitt at PNC Park, the home of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
As fifth-year student-athletes, Bolton and Morales have helped power the Boilermakers’ recent surge in Big Ten play. Bolton is riding the second 20-game on-base streak of his career and been on base safely in 18 consecutive conference games dating back nearly a year. Morales gave Purdue consecutive quality starts in Friday wins vs. Rutgers and Michigan State, registering 11 strikeouts vs. 10 hits allowed over 14 2/3 innings.
The Boilermakers ride into Wrigley Field with the Big Ten leaders in RBI, runs scored, triples, total bases, walks, on-base percentage. Luke Gaffney’s breakout season as a redshirt freshman has boosted a lineup that is on pace to set program records in runs per game, RBI and on-base percentage.
LEADERS DURING PURDUE’S 7-GAME BIG TEN WIN STREAK
• Mike Bolton Jr. – .450/.645/.550, 2 2B, 4 BB, 7 HBP, 6 RBI, 9 R, 2 SB
• Luke Gaffney – .448/.500/.759, 3 2B, 2 HR, 3 BB, 12 RBI, 10 R
• Keenan Taylor – .389/.500/.500, 2 2B, 3 BB, HBP, 5 RBI, 5 R, SB
• Thomas Green – .350/.435/.550, 2B, HR, 3 BB, 3 RBI, 5 R, Sac, 2 SB
• Connor Caskenette – .333/.438/.481, 2B, HR, 5 BB, 6 RBI, 6 R
• Jo Stevens – .320/.433/.640, 3B, 2 HR, 3 BB, 2 HBP, 10 RBI, 6 R, Sac
• Carter Doorn – 3 App, 12 IP, 5 H, 0 R, BB, 9 K, .128 B/Avg
• Jordan Morales – 2 GS, 14 2/3 IP, 10 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 11 K, .182 B/Avg
• Jonathan Blackwell – 3 GS, 12 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 5 BB, 8 K, .146 B/Avg
ACTIVE STREAKS
• Mike Bolton Jr. – 20-game on-base streak; 18-game on-base streak in Big Ten play (since 4/29/23)
• Keenan Spence – 11-game on-base streak; 8-game hit streak in Big Ten play
• Luke Gaffney – 12-game on-base streak in Big Ten play
• Connor Caskenette – 10-game on-base streak in Big Ten play
• Couper Cornblum – 94 consecutive games started (since start of 2023)
• Carter Doorn – 15 consecutive scoreless innings in Big Ten play
• Jackson Dannelley – 15 consecutive inherited runners stranded (since 5/20/23)
TOP 10 IN THE BIG TEN ENTERING THE WEEKEND
• Luke Gaffney – 1st in RBI (56), 1st in Runs (51), 1st in Total Bases (112), T-1st in Triples (3), T-2nd in Hits (63), 3rd in Batting Avg (.399), 3rd in OPS (1.198), 3rd in Slugging (.709), 6th in OBP (.489), T-6th in HR (10), T-7th in Doubles (13)
• Camden Gasser – 1st in Walks (42), 1st in OBP (.524), 7th in Steals (14), 8th in Runs (42), 10th in Batting Avg (.355)
• Couper Cornblum – T-1st in Triples (3), 8th in At-Bats (163)
• Jackson Dannelley – T-2nd in Saves (5)
• Connor Caskenette – 3rd in RBI (48)
• Luke Wagner – T-3rd in Wins (6)
• Logan Sutter – T-4th in Doubles (15), 4th in Slugging (.657), 5th in OPS (1.117)
• Jordan Morales – T-5th in Wins (5), 8th in Innings (56), 9th in Walks per 9 IP (2.1)
• Mike Bolton Jr. – T-5th in Steals (15)
• Jo Stevens – T-5th in Triples (2), 9th in OBP (.467)
PURDUE WRESTLING
PURDUE SENDS 4 TO 2024 US OPEN
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue Wrestling is headed back out to Las Vegas for the annual U.S. Open Championships with four student-athletes set to compete in the U20 Nationals tournament. Matches in the South Point Hotel & Casino will start on Friday at 1:00 p.m. ET with medal matches coming on Saturday night at 7:00 p.m. Coverage for the tournament will be provided by FloWrestling.
The Boilermakers send a quartet of freshmen to the tournament as Ashton Jackson (57 kg), Cole Solomey (65 kg), Isaac Ruble (70 kg), and Joey Blaze (74 kg) look to earn a spot at the U20 World Team Trials upcoming in late May. A top-seven finish in Las Vegas will be required to punch their ticket to the trials with the winners of each bracket automatically earning a spot in the finals. Fellow freshmen Orlando Cruz and James Rowley have already qualified.
Blaze is coming off a fantastic debut campaign that saw him take sixth at the Big Ten tournament and qualify for the NCAA Championships as the No. 23 seed as a true freshman. He is the first true freshman under head coach Tony Ersland to earn three top-five upsets in his first season and he finished the season tied for the most dual wins of anyone in his class in the Big Ten.
The Decatur, Ind., native Ruble took advantage of his opportunities throughout the season, racking up a 13-4 record and going 3-0 in dual competition for the Boilermakers. He also finished the year with the largest riding time advantage on the team with a +23:25 margin. His last match of the year was the highlight as five points in the third gave him a comeback win over Illinois’ Logan Swaw.
Jackson and Solomey competed mostly unattached in their first seasons with the program, but showed plenty of promise of what could be to come. Jackson earned podium finishes the Purple Raider Open (5th) and Greyhound Open (3rd) with an impressive bonus points tally. Six pins on the year gave him the most on the team. In high school while wrestling for LaPorte, he won the ISWA Freestyle State Finals in the Junior USA 1 division.
Solomey took second at the Purple Raider Open in his most recent action, going 3-1 with a pin and a major. He also got experience with Las Vegas wrestling early in the season when he competed in the Cliff Keen Invitational.
PURDUE WOMEN’S TENNIS
PURDUE DEFEAT MINNESOTA TO ADVANCE TO BIG TEN QUARTERFINALS
ANN ARBOR, Mich. – The eighth-seeded Purdue women’s tennis team bested the ninth-seeded Minnesota Golden Gophers 4-2 to advance the Boilermakers to the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals.
At No. 3, Ashlie Wilson/Juana Larranaga bested Minnesota’s Aiva Schmitz/Zeyneb Sarioglan 6-4. Kennedy Gibbs/Csilla Fodor earned the 1-0 lead for Purdue after a 7-5 victory over Emma Belluomini/Anali Kocevar.
Sophomore Kennedy Gibbs dominated at No. 3, defeating Aiva Schmitz in two straight sets. Gibbs ended the match 6-4, 6-3. Following Gibbs was Carmen Gallardo Guevara with another two-set victory at No. 1. Gallardo Guevara, who was recently named All-Big Ten this season, bested Minnesota’s Mia Liepert for the second time this campaign, finishing the match 6-3, 6-4. The final singles point for the Boilermakers came from Tara Katarina Milic at No. 5. Milic clinched the Purdue 6-4, 6-2 victory with a win over Zeyneb Sarioglan.
UP NEXT
The Boilermakers will compete against the top-seeded Michigan Wolverines in the quarterfinals Friday, April 26 at 10 a.m.
Purdue (13-9)- 4, Minnesota (11-13)- 2
SINGLES
1. Carmen Gallardo Guevara (PUR) def. Mia Liepert (MIN)- 6-3, 6-4
2. Csilla Fodor (PUR) vs. Anali Kocevar (MIN)- 3-6, 4-5 (Unfinished)
3. Kennedy Gibbs (PUR) def. Aiva Schmitz (MIN)- 6-4, 6-3
4. Emma Belluomini (MIN) def. Juana Larranaga (PUR)- 6-3, 6-2
5. Tara Katarina Milic (PUR) def. Zeyneb Sarioglan (MIN)- 6-4, 6-2
6. Sofia Pinto (MIN) def. Ashlie Wilson (PUR)- 7-5, 6-3
DOUBLES
1. Mia Liepert/Sofia Pinto (MIN) def. Carmen Gallardo Guevara/Tara Katarina Milic (PUR)- 6-1
2. Kennedy Gibbs/Csilla Fodor (PUR) def. Emma Belluomini/Anali Kocevar (MIN)- 7-5
3. Ashlie Wilson/Juana Larranaga (PUR) def. Aiva Schmitz/Zeyneb Sarioglan (MIN)- 6-4
ORDER OF FINISH
Singles- 3, 1, 4, 6, 5, 2 (Unfinished)
Doubles- 1, 3, 2
NOTRE DAME MEN’S LAX
GAME 11 PREVIEW: #6/5 VIRGINIA
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – No. 1 Notre Dame travels to Charlottesville to renew its rivalry with Virginia in the regular-season finale at Klockner Stadium at 2 p.m. ET on Saturday, April 27. The game will air on ESPNU.
GAME DETAILS
Location: Charlottesville, Virginia | Klockner Stadium
Schedule: April 27 — 2 p.m. ET
TV: ESPNU
Live Stats: FightingIrish.com
Twitter Updates: @NDlacrosse
For a more in-depth look at the matchup – Game Notes: Notre Dame
THE VIRGINIA SERIES
• Saturday will be the 21st meeting all-time between Notre Dame and Virginia. The Irish trail the Cavaliers in the series by a narrow margin of 9-11.
• The two sides faced off three times last season with Virginia winning both regular season matchups before the Irish won a 13-12 overtime thriller in the NCAA Championship semifinals.
• Brian Tevlin was the hero in the win, scoring on the first possession of overtime to send the Irish to the championship game on Memorial Day.
• Eric Dobson had arguably the best performance of his career, scoring four goals and adding an assist to carry the ND attack.
• Will Lynch went 13-of-22 from the faceoff dot and Liam Entenmann finished with 11 saves.
VIDEO GAME NUMBERS
• The Irish enter Saturday’s matchup leading the ACC and second in the country in scoring offense (16.3 goals per game), first in points per game (25.7) and fourth in assists per game (9.4).
• Notre Dame has reached double-digit scoring in every game this season.
• Five of ND’s nine opponents have allowed their most goals in a game this season to the Irish (Cleveland St., Marquette, Maryland, Michigan, Duke).
• The 22-goal win over Cleveland State, the 13-goal victory at Marquette and the five-goal win over Maryland represent the largest margin of victory for the Irish in the respective all-time series.
• The Irish have also played fairly clean games thus far, as they are averaging just 13.6 turnovers per game which is the fourth best mark in the country.
PICK YOUR POISON
• The Irish starting attack has combined for 128 points this season.
• Pat Kavanagh (17G, 32A), Chris Kavanagh (25G, 22A) and Jake Taylor (29G, 3A) are each having great seasons.
• The three attackman have a combined 507 points in their career off 283 goals and 224 assists.
• The Irish starting midfield also presents headaches for the opposition with Eric Dobson, Jordan Faison and Devon McLane each presenting different challenges to try to stop.
• McLane leads the unit with 25 points (18G, 7A) while Faison has 20 (16G, 4A) and Dobson has added 20 (13G, 7A).
CASHING IN ON THE EMO
• For the third-straight season, Notre Dame’s man-up offense is among the nation’s best, scoring on 74.1 percent of its opportunities.
• Notre Dame comes into the weekend 20-of-27 on man-up situations.
• The mark of 74.1 percent is on pace to be the best single-season percentage in NCAA history.
• Jeffery Ricciardelli leads the unit with six goals while Chris Kavanagh and Devon McLane have each scored four goals for the Irish when having the player advantage this season.
• The Irish finished the 2023 season going 22-for-41 (.537) on the EMO ranking fifth in the country.
• The Irish EMO unit cashed in on 21-of-31 chances (.677) during the 2022 season.
DOMINATING DEFENSE
• The Irish have allowed just 97 total goals over the course of the season, giving up 9.7 goals per game despite playing some of the top attacks in the country.
• Not only has the Irish defense been stingy but they have also been disruptive, averaging 9.4 caused turnovers per game, which is the 13th best mark in the country.
• Dating back to last season, which includes an NCAA Championship run, the Irish have held 10 of their last 15 opponents to 10 or fewer goals.
• The unit allowed just three goals in the win over Cleveland State, which is tied for the second fewest given up by ND in a season opener in program history.
• The Irish finished 2023 allowing just 9.69 goals per game, leading the ACC and ranking sixth in the country, despite playing nine games against opponents that ranked in the top 10 in goals scored per game.
• Notre Dame led the ACC and ranked ninth in the country in caused turnovers per game last season, averaging 9.69.
THREES ARE WILD
• The Irish have faced the No. 3 ranked team in the country on three occasions this season, going 3-0 in the matchups.
• Notre Dame racked up wins over No. 3 Maryland, No. 3 Syracuse and No. 3 Duke.
• The Irish have scored at least 14 goals in each of the three contests.
THE CONDUCTOR
• Pat Kavanagh became the first Notre Dame player to be named a Tewaaraton Trophy finalist two times, earning the honor in 2021 and 2023.
• The attackman is the current NCAA DI active career leader in assists per game (3.04) and is second for total career assists (167).
• Kavanagh is closing in on the Notre Dame all-time career points record, as he is currently four shy of breaking the record held by Randy Colley ‘95 (see table on left).
• The Rockville, New York, native broke the program record for points in a season in 2023 with 77 points off 25 goals and 52 assists.
• Kavanagh became the program record holder for career assists during the 2023 season and has 161 in his illustrious career.
• The attackman also shattered his own single-season program assists record in 2023, totaling 52 on the season. Kavanagh now holds the top three marks for assists in a season.
• Kavanagh is also the only player in program history to record 10 points in a single game, a feat which he has achieved three times in his career.
• Kavanagh has recorded three or more points in every game this season.
• The grad student is one of three attackmen currently averaging 1.0 or more caused turnovers per game this season.
THE STOPPER
• Grad student Liam Entenmann cemented his status as the top goalie in the country with his play in 2023, being named the Ensign C. Markland Kelly Jr. Outstanding Goalie by the USILA, ACC Defensive Player of the Year, ACC Goalie of the Year and NCAA Championships Most Valuable Player.
• Entenmann became the all-time program saves leader in the win over Cornell, surpassing Joey Kemp (633 saves) for the top spot. The shot stopper enters the weekend with 659 saves.
• As the weather is heating up, so is Entenmann. He was named the ACC Defensive Player of the Week after making 13 saves against UNC while allowing just six goals.
• The goalie had a big game against No. 3 Maryland this season, making 13 saves while limiting the Terrapins to just nine goals and made a season-high 15 saves in the win over No. 18 Michigan.
• Entenmann led the ACC and ranked sixth in the country in goals against average, allowing just 9.55 goals per game in 2023.
• Entenmann had a save percentage of .570 (196 saves, 148 goals allowed), ranking fourth in the country last season.
• Entenmann made double-digit saves in each of the final 13 games in 2023, including a season-high 18 in the win over No. 1 Duke to win the national title.
LYNCH LEVELING UP
• Junior FOGO Will Lynch is having the best season of his career in 2024, winning 60.1 percent of the faceoffs he has taken, ranking eighth in the country.
• Lynch is 104-for-173 on the season at the dot, scooping up 56 ground balls.
• To make this number even more impressive, Lynch has faced seven of the top 25 FOGOs in the country by faceoff winning percentage and won over 50 percent against six of the seven.
• Lynch had one of the best games of his career in the victory over No. 3 Syracuse, finishing 19-of-26 while adding 11 ground balls and a goal.
• The junior had a remarkable performance in the win over No. 3 Maryland, winning 12-of-18 faceoffs against Luke Weirman, a 2024 preseason All-American.
• The FOGO also has added two goals this season, scoring in wins over Marquette and Syracuse.
THE SCORER
• Chris Kavanagh had one of the most prolific goal scoring seasons in program history in 2023, recording a career-high 46 goals to lead the Irish attack.
• Kavanagh hasn’t missed a beat so far in 2024, as the junior is second on the team in points (47) with 25 goals and 22 assists
•The junior not only paced Notre Dame’s offense in 2023 but his 46 goals ranked third all-time in program history for a single season, just three behind Randy Colley’s record of 49 goals set in 1995.
• The attackman also added 16 assists to total 62 points, which ranks 10th all-time in Notre Dame men’s lacrosse history.
• Chris finished with 10 hat tricks during the 2023 campaign and has 15 in his career.
• The Rockville Centre, New York, native has 93 career goals.
THE FINISHER
• Jake Taylor has been one of the best crease finishers at the collegiate level this season, ranking fourth in the country with 2.9 goals per game.
• Taylor has recorded hat tricks in five of 10 games and has scored multiple goals in eight outings.
• The attackman nearly tied his own program record for goals in a game in the win over Michigan, scoring seven goals in the contest to garner ACC Offensive Player of the Week, Inside Lacrosse Player of the Week and USILA Team of the Week honors.
• Taylor is canning 45.3 percent of his shot attempts and is 12th in the country in shooting percentage.
• The grad student has 87 career goals, despite battling injury setbacks over the first four seasons in South Bend.
• Taylor came up clutch for the Irish in one of the biggest moments in program history, sending the 2023 NCAA Championship semifinal into overtime with a twister goal with under a minute left in regulation against Virginia.
BEATING THE BEST
• Notre Dame has never shied away from putting together a challenging schedule and the 2024 slate is no different.
• Of Notre Dame’s 11 regular-season opponents, seven are currently ranked in the top 11 in the USILA or Inside Lacrosse Top 20 Polls.
• Five of Notre Dame’s 2024 opponents are currently ranked in the top 10 in the country.
• The Irish have three wins against teams ranked No. 3 in the country at the time of the matchup (Maryland, Syracuse and Duke).
• Notre Dame is 5-1 against teams currently ranked.
FAISON’S FIRST IMPRESSION
• Jordan Faison has had an impressive start to his ND lacrosse career, as he ranks fifth on the team in goals (16) and points (20).
• The freshman has three hat tricks, including a five-point effort (3G, 2A) in the win over No. 3 Maryland.
• The midfielder has scored in nine of 10 games this season.
• The freshman made a huge play at the end of the Cornell game, causing a turnover around midfield with a wrap check to give the Irish the final possession of the game which set up the game-winning goal.
• Faison wasted no time introducing himself to the college lacrosse world, scoring 38 seconds into the 2024 season for the first Notre Dame goal of the season in his debut.
• The freshman finished with a three-goal hat trick and an assist in the win over Cleveland State. The three goals in his first career game are the most by a Notre Dame midfielder in their debut since at least the 2000 season.
• Faison also had an electric start to his Notre Dame football career, finishing with 19 catches for 322 yards and was second on the team with four touchdowns receptions despite playing in just seven games.
• The WR was named the 2023 Sun Bowl C.M. Hendricks Most Valuable Player after recording five catches for 115 yards and a touchdown in the win over Oregon State.
CORRIGAN ALL-TIME DI PROGRAM WINS LEADER
• With the win over No. 1 Duke on April 10, 2021, Baumer Family Head Men’s Lacrosse Coach Kevin Corrigan broke the NCAA record for most wins at a DI program with 311, passing Bob Shillinglaw (Delaware).
• Corrigan became just the third coach in NCAA Division I men’s lacrosse history to reach the 300-win mark at a single school with the win over Marquette on April 10, 2019.
• Corrigan is one of just four active Division I coaches to reach the 300-win mark in his career.
• Corrigan has an overall record of 354-175 in his 38 seasons of coaching.
• The head coach is 344-160 in his 36 seasons at Notre Dame.
NOTRE DAME SOFTBALL
IRISH HOST BOSTON COLLEGE FOR SENIOR WEEKEND
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The University of Notre Dame softball team hosts the Boston College Eagles this weekend in the final home series of the 2024 season. The Fighting Irish and Eagles will play Friday at 3 p.m., Saturday at 1 p.m. and the series will conclude Sunday at 2 p.m. on the ACC Network.
This weekend will also be senior weekend as the academic senior class of Cassidy Grimm, Bryn Boznanski, Karina Gaskins, Mac Vasquez, Carlli Kloss and Mikayla LaPlaca will be recognized prior to the start of Saturday’s contest.
The Irish enter the weekend winning back-to-back games by one run each. Notre Dame battled back to earn the walkoff win over Clemson Sunday night before getting a shutout, 1-0 win over UIC Wednesday evening at Melissa Cook Stadium. The win over Clemson snapped a six-game losing skid, the longest for the program since 2007, when the Irish lost seven straight.
Boston College enters having dropped seven consecutive games leading into this weekend. The Eagles are 25-20 overall and 5-13 in the ACC, dropping six-straight to Virginia Tech and Florida State. In their midweek with UConn, the Eagles narrowly dropped the matchup 5-4, allowing three runs in the fifth inning.
This weekend’s series will have live stats available for all three games. Friday and Saturday’s games will be streamed on ACC Network Extra, with Sunday’s finale being on ACC Network. Carol Bruggeman and Mark Neely will be on the call Sunday.
BUTLER MEN’S BASKETBALL
BIG 12-BIG EAST BATTLE SENDS @BUTLERMBB TO HOUSTON DEC. 7
Butler will travel to Houston as part of the 2024 Big 12-BIG EAST Battle. The match-up is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 7.
The BIG EAST and Big 12 Conferences announced the complete 2024 schedule for the Big 12-BIG EAST Battle on Thursday, April 25. The men’s basketball non-conference scheduling alliance is in its sixth year. Games for the upcoming season will be played December 3-8.
Butler is 3-1 in Big 12-BIG EAST Battle contests, including a 103-95 overtime win over Texas Tech at Hinkle Fieldhouse in the most recent Battle. The Bulldogs also won at home against Kansas State in 2022, won at Oklahoma in 2021 and lost at Baylor in 2019.
Butler and Houston have only met once previously with the Cougars taking a win in the 2021 Maui Invitational, which was played in Las Vegas due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2023-24 version of the Houston Cougars went 32-5 and were awarded a No. 1 seed in the 2024 NCAA Tournament; Houston advanced to the Sweet 16 before falling to Duke.
Each conference has added member schools since the start of the original agreement. The Battle will include 11 matchups for the second straight season. The BIG EAST will host six games in 2024-25 while the Big 12 will host five. The 2024 matchups will feature seven teams ranked in the final AP poll of the 2023-24 season, including defending national champion Connecticut. Five of the 11 participant teams made it to the Sweet 16 in the 2024 NCAA Tournament.
The Battle matchups are jointly determined by the two conferences, with the home team choosing the venue of its game. Broadcast arrangements for the contests will be determined by the national television rights holder of the home team, which is FOX Sports for the BIG EAST and ESPN for the Big 12.
Game times and television networks will be announced when available.
This is the first game to be officially placed on Butler’s 2024-25 schedule. Additional non-conference games and events will be announced soon. The home portion of Butler’s schedule will include 18 games, featuring all 10 BIG EAST opponents visiting Hinkle Fieldhouse. Men’s basketball season tickets will go on sale beginning this week.
Coach Thad Matta returns for his third season in his second stint leading the Butler program. The Bulldogs returned to the postseason in 2024 with an NIT berth.
Big 12-BIG EAST Battle Schedule
Tuesday, Dec. 3
Cincinnati at Villanova
BYU at Providence
Wednesday, Dec. 4
Baylor at Connecticut
Kansas at Creighton
DePaul at Texas Tech
Marquette at Iowa State
Friday, Dec. 6
Georgetown at West Virginia
Xavier at TCU
Saturday, Dec. 7
Kansas State at St. John’s
Butler at Houston
Sunday, Dec. 8
Oklahoma State at Seton Hall
BUTLER BASEBALL
WEEKEND SERIES SENDS SETON HALL TO BULLDOG PARK
INDIANAPOLIS – Butler will host Seton Hall this weekend at Bulldog Park. The first game of the three-game series will stream on FloSports.com at 3 PM on Friday. Butler has won two of three against Seton Hall over the last two years. These two teams head into the weekend with identical BIG EAST records.
Weekend Series
Friday, April 26 – 3 PM
Saturday, April 27 – 2 PM
Sunday, April 28 – 1 PM
Scouting Seton Hall
The Pirates are 19-22 overall with a 2-7 mark against BIG EAST opponents. They took two losses this week with a 5-4 setback to Rider on Tuesday followed by a 31-0 shutout loss to Columbia on Wednesday.
Seton Hall went to Georgetown to open up BIG EAST action. All three games were close with the Hoyas taking two of three. GU won 3-0 and 1-0. SHU’s game two win was a 1-0 decision. Seton Hall hosted Villanova the following weekend and the Wildcats would sweep the Pirates in South Orange. SHU most recently hosted Xavier in conference play. They lost games one and two, but dominated the third to claim a 10-1 win.
The Pirates had the best team ERA in the BIG EAST before Wednesday night’s loss to Columbia. They moved from 4.57 to 5.21. That jump also moved them nationally from 34th to 80th. They still rank second in the BIG EAST in strikeouts per nine innings and are third in both strikeout-to-walk ratio and WHIP. Solid pitching and small ball seems to be a recipe the Pirates like to use in 2024. The Pirates lead the league and rank 36th in the NCAA in sac bunts (25).
Ryan Reich and Jay Allmer are two Pirates that will definitely see some action in Indy. Reich was a preseason All-BIG EAST selection that leads the conference in total strikeouts (63), and strikeouts per nine innings (12.3). Jay Allmer will be used in the back end of the bullpen. He leads the club with four saves.
At the plate, the Pirates are led by Zack Sylvester and Danny Melnick. Sylvester is batting .298 over 39 starts and is also the team leader in walks (23) and stolen bases (9). Melnick leads the team with 46 hits and is the BIG EAST leader in both doubles (14) and triples (4). Shortstop Max Viera and OF Devin Hack were preseason all-conference selections for SHU and Jonathan Luders is one of the toughest players to strike out in the entire country.
Last Year vs. the Pirates
Butler won the series at Seton Hall last year two games to one. The Bulldogs won the opener 6-2 and would come out on top in game two 12-10. The series finale went to the Pirates 9-2.
Nick Miketinac and Cole Graverson each touched the rubber in Butler’s game one win at Seton Hall. Offense was provided by Joey Urban as he went 2-for-5 in the two-hole with an RBI and a run scored. Graverson returned to the hill to earn the win in game two. Butler would out dual SHU in a contest that featured 28 total hits. Graverson locked down the final four outs, two of which were strikeouts. The Pirates stayed hot in the finale to outhit Butler 16-5. They opened up a 7-0 lead at the midway point and cruised to a 9-2 victory.
All-Time Series
Butler is 13-17 against Seton Hall as conference rivals. The Bulldogs have won the weekend series over the Pirates five times (2023, 2022, 2017, 2015, 2014) and their only BIG EAST Tournament win was a 2-1 thriller in 13 innings back in 2018. The Pirates swept BU in 2016 and in 2018.
BIG EAST Standings
UConn 7-2, 22-18
St. John’s 6-3, 25-10-1
Georgetown 8-4, 27-13
Xavier 5-4, 21-20
Creighton 4-5, 30-9
Villanova 5-7, 14-24
Seton Hall 2-7, 19-22
Butler 2-7, 16-23
About Last Night
Butler scored nine runs in the first inning to help claim a 10-6 win at Eastern Illinois on Wednesday night. Billy Wurch hit a grand slam while Carter Dorighi went 2-for-4 with a homer and a double. The starter was Gage Vota and the win went to Simon Linde.
Parking Update
Fans may park in the Hinkle Fieldhouse parking lot or along the north side of 52nd Street for the games this weekend.
Full 40
Carter Dorighi and Jack Moroknek are the only Bulldogs on the roster to start in all 40 games this season. Dorighi leads the team with 176 at-bats and Moroknek is second at 154. The duo combines for 116 hits, 20 doubles, 15 home runs, 77 RBIs,73 runs, and 189 total bases.
Inning Eaters
Tyler Banks, Ben Whiteside and Cole Graverson have thrown the most innings for BU this season. A starter in 10 games, Banks has 34 strikeouts over his 45 innings of action. Whiteside joins him as the only other player to toss over 40 innings this season and Graverson serves as the team’s strikeout leader (40) as well as a team captain.
Bulldog Bits
– Carter Dorighi ranks 20th in the nation in hits (66) and 22nd in hits per game (1.6)
– Kade Lewis leads the league in total bases (98) and slugging percentage (.690)
– Lewis and Dorighi rank third and fourth among BIG EAST players in batting average
– Dorighi leads the team with 22 multi-hit games
– Lewis takes a 10-game hitting streak into the Seton Hall series
– Joey Urban leads the conference in sac flies with four
– Urban has reached base safely in 15-straight games
– Butler ranks second in the BIG EAST in hits (394)
– BU has hit a double in 15-straight games, a streak that began on March 30
– Cole Graverson ranks second in the BIG EAST in saves with five
– Andrew Crumbley has the best record on the mound for BU at 3-2
– Crumbley has not allowed a home run this season and has 24 K’s in 18.2 innings
– Tyler Banks has only walked 13 batters over 45 innings
– Christian Finnigan spent his freshman season at SHU in 2022
– Seton Hall was picked third in the BIG EAST Coaches Preseason Poll
Up Next
The Bulldogs will host Saint Louis next Tuesday at 4 PM and stay in town for a three-game weekend series vs. Xavier. The month of May will get underway with the Musketeers battling Butler at Bulldog Park. Game one of the series is set for Friday at 3 PM.
IUPUI MEN’S GOLF
FOX, GARDNER EARN FIRST TEAM ALL-HORIZON LEAGUE HONORS
INDIANAPOLIS – Members of the IUPUI men’s and women’s golf teams were honored by the league office on Thursday (Apr. 25) as the Horizon League announced its postseason award winners. On the women’s side, senior Annaliese Fox was voted First Team All-League while fellow senior Shelby Busker was named Second Team All-League. On the men’s side, senior Taylor Gardner was voted First Team All-League and senior Kevin Tillery was co-recipient of the Men’s Golf Sportsmanship Award.
Fox earned First Team All-League honors for the second straight year after closing the season with a 75.58 stroke average – the sixth-best single-season mark in program history. She earned five top-10 finishes this past season, including winning medalist honors at the Lady Jaguar Invitational on Apr. 13-14 with a 2-over 146 (72-74). She carded a season-low single round of 69 at the Butler Fall Invitational on Oct. 3 and had four rounds of par or better this season. For her career, she has a 76.97 scoring average in 88 rounds with 12 top-10 finishes.
Busker earned Second Team All-League honors for the second time in her career and is a three-time Horizon League All-Tournament Team performer. She finished the season with a 76.19 scoring average – the tenth-best single-season mark in program history. She also had three top-10 finishes, including tying for third at the Horizon League Championships with a 54-hole 233 (77-76-80). She carded a season-best 3-over 219 (71-73-75) at the Brittany Kelly Classic on Sept. 18-19 during the fall. Busker closes her career with a 77.67 scoring average in 94 rounds with 11 career top-10 finishes.
Gardner was voted First Team All-League after setting a new single-season record with a 72.21 stroke average this past season. He recorded three top-10 finishes and 13 rounds of par or better this season with a .766 winning percentage. He placed third at the Tom Tontimonia Invitational with an 8-under 205 (63-72-70) on Oct. 2-3. He carded a 10-under 206 (66-71-69) at the World Golf Village Collegiate on Feb. 19-20 in a fourth-place finish. For his career, he owns the second-lowest stroke average in program history at 73.93 in 100 rounds played. He earned nine top-10 finishes and 26 career rounds of par or better.
Tillery was selected as co-recipient of the league’s Sportsmanship Award, sharing the honor with Purdue Fort Wayne’s Hunter Mefford. Tillery, widely known as one of the most likable and affable student-athletes in the league, closed the year with a 73.66 scoring average in 29 rounds. He collected a pair of top-10 finishes and .634 winning percentage for the year with five rounds of par or better. Senior Ally Stuckey was a finalist for the women’s honor, as nominated by the coaching staff.
2024 #HLGOLF Awards
Men’s Golfer of the Year: Mikkel Mathiesen, Wright State
Women’s Golfer of the Year: Bridget Boczar, Oakland
Men’s Golf Freshman of the Year: Timmy Hollenbeck, Wright State
Women’s Golf Freshman of the Year: Neeranuch Prajunpanich, Youngstown State
Men’s Golf Coach of the Year: Conner Lash, Wright State
Women’s Golf Coach of the Year: Sarah Burnham, Oakland
Men’s Golf Sportsmanship Awards: Kevin Tillery, IUPUI & Hunter Mefford, Purdue Fort Wayne
Women’s Golf Sportsmanship Award: Anna Olafsdottir, Purdue Fort Wayne
Men’s Golf All-League First Team
Taylor Gardner, IUPUI
Kasey Lilly, Purdue Fort Wayne
Andrew Flynn, Wright State
Mikkel Mathiesen, Wright State
Shane Ochs, Wright State
Women’s Golf All-League First Team
Annaliese Fox, IUPUI
Bridget Boczar, Oakland
Hannah Kono, Oakland
Neeranuch Prajunpanich, Youngstown State
Madie Smithco, Youngstown State
Men’s Golf All-League Second Team
Brody Simms, Cleveland State
Robert Burns, Oakland
Josh Nagy, RMU
Adam Horn, Wright State
Justin Atkinson, Youngstown State
Women’s Golf All-League Second Team
Ariel Chang, Detroit Mercy
Shelby Busker, IUPUI
Olivia Hemmila, Oakland
Olivia Jang, Purdue Fort Wayne
Anna Olafsdottir, Purdue Fort Wayne
Lizzie Saur, Youngstown State
Men’s Golf Sportsmanship Award Finalists
Andrew Kaye, Cleveland State
Kevin Tillery, IUPUI*
Mitch Lowney, Oakland
Hunter Mefford, Purdue Fort Wayne*
Logan Hess, RMU
Andrew Flynn, Wright State
Women’s Golf Sportsmanship Award Finalists
Olivia Swain, Cleveland State
Taylor Kondel, Detroit Mercy
Allyson Stuckey, IUPUI
Lily Bargamian, Oakland
Anna Olafsdottir, Purdue Fort Wayne*
Titita Loudtragulngam, Youngstown State
IUPUI WOMEN’S BB
KATE BRUCE SIGNS KENDALL WINGLER TO 2024-25 ROSTER
INDIANAPOLIS – Head coach Kate Bruce adds transfer Kendall Wingler to the 2024-25 women’s basketball roster. Wingler joins the Jags after spending the last three seasons at Butler.
The 5-10 guard from Ekron, Kentucky played across town with the Bulldogs for three seasons. She played in 26 games for the Bulldogs this past year as a senior, scoring a season-high 18 points against Horizon League foe, Detroit Mercy. Wingler averaged 3.9 points and 1.5 rebounds per game with 42 steals and 57 assists during her career at Butler.
Wingler played four years at Meade County High School averaging a state-best 30.8 points and 6.5 rebounds per game during her senior season. She was named Co-Third Region Player of the Year by the Kentucky Association of Basketball Coaches and Kentucky All-State girls basketball team by the Courier Journal and Herald-Leader.
“We are thrilled to add Kendall to our Jaguar family,” said Bruce. “Kendall brings experience and depth to the guard position. She is a dynamic guard who can score in a variety of ways. She is a great student and a great person and will be an incredible addition to our team.”
Wingler will join transfer Neveah Foster and the rest of the women’s basketball team for the 2024-25 season.
IUPUI MEN’S BASKETBALL
CORSARO INKS TWO LOCAL PRODUCTS FOR 2024-2025
INDIANAPOLIS – IU Indianapolis head basketball coach Paul Corsaro announced a pair of local signees to National Letters of Intent to join the Jaguar program, beginning this fall. Both Keenan Garner (Fishers, Ind./Fishers) and Ron Rutland III (Indianapolis, Ind./Crispus Attucks) recently signed with the Jaguars, bringing the incoming recruiting class to nine newcomers. Both will be true freshmen beginning with the 2024-2025 campaign.
“We’re excited to keep both of these young men close to home. They’re two of the best high school players from the state of Indiana and are going to make a major impact in our program,” Corsaro said. “We want to recruit the city and these guys want to be part of that. They’re quality young men and excited to be here to make their impact on the program.
Rutland, a 6-foot-2 guard, starred at nearby Crispus Attucks High School and is ranked among the top-10 prospects from the state of Indiana. He averaged 12.7 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game as a senior after averaging 18.0 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game as a junior. He helped Attucks to a 19-7 record this past season and a second straight City Tournament title. In addition, Attucks won the Hall of Fame Classic in New Castle this past season. He scored his 1,000th career point in the IHSAA State Tournament his senior year and set the school record with nine threes in a game his junior year. He shot nearly 37 percent from three-point range his senior year.
Rutland originally signed for Corsaro at UIndy before being released from his NLI and committing to IU Indianapolis this spring.
Garner, a 6-foot-6 forward, was recently chosen to the Indiana All-Star Team and as one of six finalists for the Indiana Mr. Basketball Award. He averaged 15.9 points, 8.2 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game while shooting 58 percent from the floor for Fishers Class 4A state championship team. He averaged 8.3 points and 6.2 rebounds per game his junior year. Garner grew up on a U.S. Army base in Germany, playing primarily against other schools from nearby military bases. He played in the 2022 FIBA U16 European Championships for FC Kaiserslautern, averaging 11.8 points and 5.8 rebounds per game while shooting 57.1 percent from the field over seven games. He recorded double-doubles against teams from Romania and Ukraine in the event and had 16 points on a perfect 7-of-7 shooting in the finals against Finland.
BALL STATE MEN’S GOLF
CARDINALS TARGET MAC CHAMPIONSHIPS AT CHATHAM HILLS IN WESTFIELD THIS WEEKEND
WESTFIELD, Ind. – The Ball State men’s golf team has sights set on the Mid-American Conference Championships this weekend, hoping to capture an elusive league title after a second-place finish last season.
The Cardinals need only travel an hour to compete in the annual tournament this year, conducted at The Club at Chatham Hills in nearby Westfield. Under 26th-year head coach Mike Fleck, the Cardinals have become annual contenders for the MAC crown, posting top-3 finishes nine times since 2005, including back-to-back runner-up finishes in 2017 and 2019. Fleck’s 2023 contingent was his fifth squad to finish as MAC runners-up. Last year’s team qualified for the first-ever National Golf Invitational, finishing fourth as a team with then-sophomore Kash Bellar claiming the title as the inaugural NGI champion.
This year, Bellar leads a stellar junior class into contention at the MAC Championships, with sophomore Carter Smith playing in the Cardinals’ No. 1 position and freshman Alec Cesare holding down the No. 5 slot. Bellar competes at No. 2 in this week’s lineup, followed by fellow juniors Braxton Kuntz and Ali Khan. Grad transfer Jensen Klondike will serve as the Cardinals’ additional travel player.
Ball State enters the championship weekend following a fifth-place finish at last week’s Fighting Illini Spring Collegiate which featured a track of more than 7,500 yards – Ball State’s longest of the season. The Cardinals’ 7-over par 291 last Sunday was the second-best score of the final round, enough to catapult Ball State past MAC rival Toledo, who finished sixth. Kuntz finished 12th in the event, Smith was 15th, and Cesare and Khan each were tied in 22nd place. Cesare, a Westfield native, will compete in his hometown this weekend after shooting 18 consecutive holes of par last Sunday.
Played on the par-72, 7,334-yard course at Chatham Hills, Toledo is the host of this weekend’s MAC tournament, in accordance with the league’s annual rotation. Besides topping the Rockets last weekend, Ball State bettered Toledo by two strokes in last year’s MAC Championships to finish in second place. Northern Illinois (869) won last year’s title with a four-stroke advantage over Ball State (873). Toledo (875) was third, Kent State was fourth (877), Miami (882) fifth and Central Michigan (890) sixth. Eastern Michigan (894), Ohio (900) and Bowling Green (904) rounded out last year’s field.
Ball State Lineup at 2024 MAC Men’s Golf Championships | The Club at Chatham Hills (par-72, 7,334 yards)
No. 1 – Carter Smith, So., Sellersburg, Ind. | 72.62 average, 26 rounds
No. 2 – Kash Bellar, Jr., Peru, Ind. | 73.42 average, 26 rounds
No. 3 – Braxton Kuntz, Jr., Winnepeg, Manitoba | 73.39 average, 28 rounds
No. 4 – Ali Khan, Jr., Columbus, Ohio | 73.69 average, 26 rounds
No. 5 – Alec Cesare, Fr., Westfield, Ind. | 74.46 average, 26 rounds
Additional – Jensen Klondike, Grad, Louisville, Ky. | 74.43 average, 14 rounds
BALL STATE MEN’S GOLF NOTEBOOK: MAC CHAMPIONSHIPS
PROGRAM IN GOOD HANDS THROUGH 26 YEARS: Cardinals coach Mike Fleck is one of 21 Division I coaches nationally to lead their respective institutions for 26 seasons or longer … a former Ball State player (1988-92), Fleck has guided the Cardinals to top-3 finishes in the MAC Championships nine times, with five runner-up finishes … he is hoping he can capture his first MAC title with his 2024 contingent … his lone trip to the NCAA Nationals came in 2013, 10 years ahead of last year’s fourth-place national postseason finish at the National Golf Invitational … Fleck took over the reigns of the Ball State program in August 1998, replacing his own lengendary mentor, Earl Yestingsmeier, who guided Cardinal golfers for 36 years in his own right … as a player, Fleck earned five Top-15 finishes as a senior in 1992 … he graduated from Ball State in 1993 and served as an assistant coach with the Cardinals during the 1993-94 season … he was the head pro at Hickory Hills Club in Farmland, Indiana, for four years before returning to take over for his former coach.
FIVE TOP-5, EIGHT TOP-10 FINISHES: Out of 10 tournaments since September, the Cardinals have collected five Top-5 finishes and eight Top-10 outings, including last week’s fifth-place finish at the Fighting Illini Spring Collegiate where Ball State finished behind Big Ten powers Illinois, Michigan State, Michigan and Northwestern. In addition to ten stroke-play events, the Cardinals earned top honors at the MAC/A-10 Challenge, conducted in South Florida, in early February. Other Top-5 finishes included a fourth-place result at the Golfweek Invitational in September and a champion finish at the Cardinals’ Earl Yestingsmeier Invitational just a week later. Ball State used a record-setting first- and second-round at the Dorado Beach Collegiate in Puerto Rico, in late February, to earn a second-place finish behind UNC Greensboro.
PROGRAM RECORDS AT DORADO: The Cardinals’ 28-under-par 36-hole score at the Dorado Beach Collegiate set a program record for the lowest 36-hole score, relative to par … before the final round was washed out by rain, Ball State shot a 12-under 276 in the first round, followed by a 16-under 272 in the second round … that 16-under score was also a program record for a single round … the Cardinals finished second to Top-40 ranked UNC Greensboro, with all five golfers finishing 36 holes at -2 or better.
YOUNG BUT EXPERIENCED: Ball State’s roster is both young and experienced … its only seniors aren’t regularly in the lineup at top events, and this week’s lineup is led by a sophomore, three juniors and a freshman … the Cardinals’ clear goal this year has been to win the MAC title and return to the NCAA championships for the first time since 2013 … last year’s NGI appearance was a precursor to this year’s success, and the addition of transfer Braxton Kuntz has given the Cardinals a deeper lineup … Carter Smith has been a steady leader atop the lineup at No. 1 or No. 2 in every lineup this season, and “gamer” Kash Bellar returns after winning the NGI last May … Kuntz has been the Cards’ top scorer over the past month … Ali Khan has been steady at No. 3 or No. 4 all year … freshman Cesare has helped deepen the Ball State roster this year, adding a Top-10 and two Top-25 finishes in his first college season.
MAC GOLFERS OF THE WEEK: For the first time in Mike Fleck’s coaching tenure, four different Ball State players have earned MAC Golfer of the Week accolades … in total, the Cardinals have captured the conference honor six times since September with Carter Smith garnering the award three times: Carter Smith (Sept. 7 & 13, Feb. 8), Kash Bellar (Oct. 5), Jensen Klondike (Oct. 26) and Braxton Kuntz (April 3).
ALL-TOURNAMENT RETURNEES: The Cardinals finished second at the 2023 MAC Championships behind the play of all-tournament golfers Kash Bellar and Carter Smith … Bellar (76-68-71—215) finished fourth at last year’s event at 1-under par and just one stroke ahead of teammate Smith (76-70-70—216) who tied for fifth.
PLAYER NOTES
1. CARTER SMITH … sophomore has shown signs of consistently being Ball State’s top golfer; he or Kash Bellar have played at No. 1 in every tournament, and he, Bellar or Braxton Kuntz has led the Cardinals in every event … in Ball State’s opening tournament of the spring, a match play event at the MAC/A-10 Challenge in South Florida, he needed only 46 of 54 holes to complete his rounds … he was the No. 1 golfer on the top rated team who started each round on the first hole … he never played the 17th or 18th holes in any of three rounds, beating his opponent by the 16th hole each time … he has earned MAC Golfer of the Week three times since last fall … he boasts a pair of Top-5 finishes and four Top-25 finishes … he has twice shot a low round of 68 this year – in the third round of the Earl Yestingsmeier Invitational and again in the second round at Dorado Beach. Stroke average: 72.62 over 26 rounds
2. KASH BELLAR … junior who’s biggest “fame” was winning the National Golf Invitational event last year, becoming the first champion of the inaugural event … Fleck calls him a gamer and he usually navigates his way toward the top of the leaderboard in any event … he’s got three top-five finishes since last fall, including a fourth-place finish at the Dorado Beach Collegiate in Puerto Rico in February … his second-round 65 at Dorado Beach was Ball State’s lowest round of the year – by three strokes! … he leads Ball State with three rounds of 4-under-par or better, and four at 3-under or better … the runner-up to Smith at the E.Y. Invitational in September, he owns three MAC Golfer of the Week honors over the past two seasons … he corralled a share of the weekly honor last fall after a fourth-place finish at the Badger Invitational. Stroke average: 73.42 over 26 rounds
3. BRAXTON KUNTZ … Cardinals’ best scorer since April 1, with a 71.87 average over his last eight rounds … he was Ball State’s top finisher in each of the Cardinals’ last two events … on a difficult course at Auburn last month, Kuntz opened the tournament as the team’s best golfer in a rugged first round … he struggled over the final two rounds and was chosen to play in an individual event at Butler University’s Don Benbow Invitational just days before Vanderbilt’s Mason Rudolph Championship (April 5-7) … rain washed out the final round of the Benbow Invite, but through two rounds on April 1, Kuntz finished in a tie for third place with a pair of 2-under 68s … they were his lowest rounds of the year, and the third-place finish was his first top-10 finish since joining the Ball State team as a transfer from Nicholls State … he has typically played out of the team’s No. 4 position, but he played at No. 5 in Vandy’s MRC and he emerged at No. 3 last week … Canadian lefty is believed to the be first Canadian and the first left-handed golfer in Mike Flecks’ lengthy tenure as Ball State’s head coach … his dad, Danny, was a hockey player and Braxton grew up honing his golf stroke as a youngster with his dad. Stroke average: 73.39 over 28 rounds
4. ALI KHAN (first name pronounced ALL-ee; last name pronounced KONN) … another junior who has become one of the Cardinals’ steadiest golfers … he routinely finishes among Ball State’s top three golfers … he boasts three Top-20 finishes, five Top-25 finishes and six in 26th place or better this year … he has twice turned a low round of 68 this year – in the second round of the Badger Invitational in October and again in the second round at Dorado Beach in late February … he has shot at least 3-under-par in four rounds this year … perhaps most impressive is his status on the Ball State campus where the Ball State University Foundation annually presents its Top 100 Students award based on academics, community and extracurricular accomplishment … the Top 100 Students award is voted upon by alumni around the country and Khan was voted among the University’s Top 50 during the 2023-24 academic calendar. Stroke average: 73.69 over 26 rounds
5. ALEC CESARE (last name pronounced suh-ZARR-ay) … Cesare is a true freshman getting his first taste of Division I golf, and so far excelling … the Westfield native turned in one of his most impressive rounds of the year last Sunday, shooting par over 18 consecutive rounds at the Fighting Illini Spring Collegiate to post Ball State’s best round (71) of the tournament … he shot a low-round of 68 at the Purdue Fall Invite, and again in the opening round at Dorado Beach in February while helping Ball State to a program-record 26-under-par showing as a team … he got his first Top-10 finish with a ninth-place result at the Badger Invitational in October … he owns two Top-20 finishes and three in the Top-25 … he has been in the Cardinals’ starting lineup at each event this spring. Stroke average: 74.46 over 26 rounds
Additional Golfer JENSEN KLONDIKE … since his transfer from Bellarmine in September, the grad transfer has played in six events and 14 rounds for the Cardinals … he was Ball State’s No. 5 golfer in the Fighting Illini Spring Collegiate last weekend, shooting 76-78-79—233 and finishing in 50th out of 59 participants … he has been steady in his 14 rounds and owns a low round of 67 while participating in The Cardinal Indy, an individual event last October … in fact, he shot 67-70—137 in that event conducted on Ball State’s home course at Delaware Country Club, and after finishing second out of 24 participants he earned MAC Golfer of the Week accolades … Fleck refers to Klondike as “a quiet leader,” whose maturity has helped many of Ball State’s younger players, even in his short time with the program … no stranger to conference championship events, he competed the past four seasons in the Atlantic Sun Conference. Stroke average: 74.43 over 14 rounds
BALL STATE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
BALL STATE WELCOMES TEXAS A&M TRANSFER MALIYAH JOHNSON TO THE 2024-25 ROSTER
MUNCIE, Ind. – Ball State head coach Brady Sallee has signed another transfer from a Power Five program when he announced that Texas A&M transfer Maliyah Johnson will join the Cardinals’ roster for the 2024-25 season.
“No doubt we got better today,” Sallee said. “Maliyah was a highly touted prospect coming out of high school and has only gotten better. Her experience playing day in and day out in the SEC will undoubtedly have her in a great position to impact our squad early and often. We love her versatility; we love the edge she plays with and we look forward to coaching Maliyah.”
The 6-3 forward from Chicago, Ill., returns to the Midwest after spending four seasons with the Aggies. In four seasons, Johnson played in 67 games for Texas A&M scoring a career best 13 points gainst Florida on Jan. 9, 2022.
In 2022-23, Johnson sat out due to a season ending injury but would return to the court this year appearing in 29 games with one start, averaging 14.2 minutes per contest while scoring 86 points along with pulling down 91 total rebounds. Johnson helped the Aggies punch their ticket to the NCAA Tournament for the 18th time in program history this season.
Prior to Texas A&M, Johnson attended Summer Creek High School where she was a four-star recruit by espnW HoopGurlz, which ranked her No. 76 overall and No. 18 among all forwards.
She was also elected to the TABC UIL 6A All-State First Team in 2020 after a stellar senior season. Johnson earned All-District First Team honors each year of her high school career while helping lead the Lady Bulldogs to a 31-5 overall record during her senior year, as well as a 15-1 record in district play. As a team, Johnson helped guide Summer Creek to two-straight regional semifinal appearances in 2019 and 2020, as well as the school’s first state tournament appearance in program history.
Johnson joins Ball State Michigan transfer Elise Stuck who signed last week along with early signees Grace Kingery (North Ridgeville, Ohio/North Ridgeville) and Zuri Ransom (Evanston, Ill./Evanston) for the 2024-25 season.
BALL STATE BASEBALL
BASEBALL TO FACE NO. 24 NC STATE IN RALEIGH THIS WEEKEND
The Ball State baseball team takes a break from Mid-American Conference play for a road series at No. 24 NC State starting on Friday at 6 p.m.
Subsequent games are scheduled for 3 p.m. on Saturday and 1 p.m. on Sunday, with each being streamed on ACCNX (ESPN+). Links to the video streams and live stats can be found above and on the schedule page.
The Cardinals (25-15-1, 12-9 MAC) are coming off a 7-7 draw with Indiana on Wednesday evening after 12 innings, while the Wolfpack (22-16, 12-9 ACC) most recently fell 10-6 at No. 7 East Carolina on Tuesday night.
NC State boasts recent series wins over No. 11 North Carolina, No. 2 Clemson and No. 9 Duke, with the set triumph against the Tigers being on the road. The Wolfpack returned this week to the Top 25 in both the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Asscoiation poll (No. 24) and D1Baseball.com rankings (No. 21).
Ball State senior infielder Michael Hallquist leads the league in total bases (118, No. 29 in NCAA Division I), hits (60, No. 47) and doubles (14) while ranking third in home runs (14) and fourth in RBI (43) and runs scored (42).
SCOUTING NC STATE: The Wolfpack went 36-21, (13-16 ACC) last year in head coach Elliott Avent’s 27th leading the program. NC State qualified for the NCAA Tournament but bowed out in the Columbia, S.C., regional after winning one game.
The Wolfpack rank No. 13 in the ACC in scoring (7.3 runs per game) and No. 13 in ERA (6.83) in the 14-team league.
Graduate infielder Garrett Pennington paces the conference with 17 doubles to rank No. 14 nationally while ranking eighth in the ACC with 58 total hits. Fellow graduate infielder Alec Makarewicz ranks fifth in the league with 16 homers (No. 26 nationally), sixth in RBI (51, No. 38), fourth in total bases (118, No. 29) and sixth in slugging percentage (.756, No. 45).
FIRST TIE, LONG TIME: Ball State’s game against Indiana on Wednesday evening ended in a 7-7 tie after 12 innings for the program’s first stalemate since March 17, 1996 in Rich Maloney’s ninth game as a head coach.
Ball State baseball played 1,568 games between draws. Coincidentally, the last tie game for the Cardinals was also against a Big Ten Conference team in Purdue.
MOVING ON UP: Ball State has won four straight weekend series on its way to moving up from tenth place in the Mid-American Conference standings to a tie for third place in the span of a month.
The Cardinals have taken 11 of their last 13 conference tilts, with the last series setback being in late March at Toledo, who they are now tied with.
STORIED CAREERS: This weekend features a matchup of two of the winningest active head coaches in NCAA baseball, as NC State skipper Elliott Avent (1,244 career wins) ranks No. 6 among active Division I head coaches and Ball State manager Maloney (978) ranks No. 13.
The Cardinals have also faced off with Coastal Carolina’s Gary Gilmore (1,362 wins, No. 4) and Iowa’s Rick Heller (1,033, No. 10) earlier this year among coaches on the leaderboard currently at Division I schools.
SERIES HISTORY: The Cardinals have played the Wolfpack three times, each in Raleigh, with NC State holding the 3-0 series edge.
The Wolfpack took a pair of games in early March of 2001 after claiming the inaugural game in the series history on March 8, 1999.
LEAGUE LEADERS: The Ball State pitching staff’s 10.0 strikeouts per nine innings paces the MAC and ranks No. 34 in NCAA Division I, while its 5.84 ERA also leads the league.
The Cardinals’ bats rank second in the MAC in doubles (75) and slugging percentage (.487) and third with 395 hits and 62 home runs.
BEVIS BLASTS INDIANA: Sophomore first baseman Blake Bevis hit three doubles and drew a walk while driving in two runs on Wednesday against Indiana to continue his offensive onslaught vs the Hoosiers.
Bevis hit home runs in both games last year against Indiana as a freshman and boasts a .400 batting average (6-for-15) with seven RBI and four runs scored in three career games against IU pitching.
BEEKER BALL IS BACK: Junior left-handed pitcher Merritt Beeker hails from nearby Lexington, N.C., and expects to have 10-15 family members and friends watch him pitch this weekend.
The East Carolina transfer has emerged as Ball State’s ace and leads the MAC in strikeouts (82) and strikeouts per nine innings pitched (14.7), ranking No. 10 and No. 8 in those categories nationally, respectively.
Up Next
The Cardinals take a week off for Final Exams week and return to MAC play on Friday, May 3 at Northern Illinois.
INDIANA STATE SOFTBALL
SYCAMORES TO HOST SOUTHERN ILLINOIS FOR SENIOR WEEKEND
TERRE HAUTE, Ind.- Indiana State will host Southern Illinois this weekend, for a three-game MVC series, where play begins on Friday, April 26 at 5 p.m ET. Game times are listed below with all three being streamed on ESPN+.
Friday, April 26 @ 5 p.m ET
Saturday, April 27 @ 2 p.m ET
Sunday, April 28 @ 12 p.m ET (Senior Day)
The Sycamores (18-25, 6-12) hosted Evansville on Wednesday afternoon for the series finale, where they were defeated, with a score of 3-0. The Purple Aces claimed the series 2-1. Indiana State is fourth in the conference with a .266 batting average.
The Salukis (33-9, 17-4) swept Belmont last weekend 3-0 and were defeated in their most recent matchup against Missouri State University with a score of 4-2. Southern Illinois leads the MVC with a .278 batting average, and a 1.74 ERA.
Southern Illinois leads the all time series 50-13, which dates back to 2001. Last matchup between these two teams was last season, in the MVC tournament championship, where the Salukis won with a score of 10-2.
Sycamore Standouts:
Abi Chipps leads the Sycamores offensively, with a .350 batting average, where she is second in the MVC in hits, with 50. Chipps recorded her 12th stolen base on Wednesday’s game against Evansville.
Isabella Henning is second in the MVC in doubles, with 14. Henning has a .340 batting average, and a .563 slugging percentage.
Kennedy Shade leads the Sycamores in RBIs, and is tied for first in the conference, with 40. Shade has six home runs this season, with 40 hits, eight doubles, and 20 runs scored.
In the Circle:
Hailey Griffin (6-5) leads the Sycamores pitching staff with a 3.55 ERA in 96.1 innings of work. Griffin has struck out 71 batters this season and has an opposing batting average of .193.
Lauren Sackett (8-12) has one save under her belt, where she leads the Sycamores pitching staff in strikeouts, with 78 in 25 appearances.
Scouting Southern Illinois:
Maddia Grof (23-3) leads the MVC with a 0.8 ERA in 165.2 innings of work, where she has struck out 196 batters this season. Grof has an opposing batting average of .166 and two saves under her belt.
Jackie Lis leads the Salukis offensively, where she has a .347 batting average, which consists of 43 hits, six doubles, one triple, 14 home runs, 29 RBIs, and 39 runs scored.
Up Next:
Indiana State will travel to Springfield, Missouri next weekend to compete in their final three-game MVC series against Missouri State. Game times are listed below.
Friday, May 3 @ 6 p.m ET
Saturday, May 4 @ 3 p.m ET
Sunday, May 5 @ 1 p.m ET
INDIANA STATE BASEBALL
SYCAMORES CONTINUE VALLEY ROAD TRIP WITH WEEKEND SERIES AT SOUTHERN ILLINOIS
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State continues its seven-game road trip this weekend with a three-game Missouri Valley series at Southern Illinois as the Sycamores make the trek to Carbondale and Itchy Jones Stadium over April 26-28.
Game times for the weekend start include 7 p.m. ET first pitches on each of the three game dates. Friday and Saturday’s contests will be carried live on ESPN+, while Sunday’s series finale will be featured on ESPNU. All three contests will also be carried live on 105.5 The Legend.
The Sycamores (29-8, 12-3) head into the weekend series looking to keep a 15-series conference winning streak alive dating back to the 2022 season. The last time Indiana State lost a Valley series came in Carbondale back over May 13-15, 2022, when the Salukis swept all three games in the series. Since then, the Sycamores have posted a 38-6-1 overall record in Valley competition including a 12-3 mark in the 2024 season to hold a two-game lead in the conference standings through the first five weekends.
Indiana State has built the two-game lead in the Valley after taking two of three games this past weekend in Normal, Ill. against Illinois State. The Sycamores bounced back from a 4-3 defeat on Friday night to win by scores of 10-1 and 11-1 (7) to secure the series against the Redbirds. Indiana State leads Evansville (10-5) and UIC (9-6) heading into the weekend, while SIU (8-7) and Illinois State (8-7) are also in the top five in the conference standings.
The Redbirds took the series opener against the Sycamores utilizing a late rally to secure the 4-3 win at Duffy Bass Field. ISU took the lead early thanks to a trio of solo home runs in the top of the fourth inning as Dominic Listi, Parker Stinson, and Mike Sears all went deep. Illinois State rallied back with Daniel Pacella providing the walk-off solo homer in the bottom of the ninth.
The Sycamores responded early to even the series with a 10-1 win on Saturday afternoon as Parker Stinson and Randal Diaz both homered to pace a 10-hit Indiana State offensive attack, while Grant Magill drove in three runs as the Sycamores kept the Redbirds off-balance throughout the contest. Brennyn Cutts was masterful for Indiana State as the junior turned in his third consecutive quality start posting a 7.0-inning, two-hit, six-strikeout game on the mound.
Magill and Diaz both homered again on Sunday to pace the Indiana State offense on Sunday afternoon, while Luke Hayden recorded his first complete-game on the mound in the 11-1 run-rule win over the Redbirds. The Sycamores scored five runs in the fifth inning to take control of the game, while Hayden allowed just one runner in scoring position after the third inning and struck out a career-high 11 batters to secure his fifth win of the season.
The Sycamores hit .274 as a team over the series against the Redbirds paced by Magill (.417), Stinson (.375), Listi (.333), and Hernandez (.308) highlighting an offense that outscored Illinois State 24-6 over the three-game series. Diaz added a pair of home runs as the Sycamores connected on 26 hits and 12 extra-base hits, including seven home runs.
The ISU pitching staff was also on point throughout the weekend thanks to Hayden and Cutts as the unit recorded a 1.85 ERA over 24.1 innings. ISU posted 32 strikeouts in the three games while limiting Illinois State to a .214 batting average over the series.
Indiana State was ranked in five different NCAA Division I polls for the first time in the 2024 season this week as the Sycamores made their debut in both the D1Baseball (No. 25) and Baseball America (No. 24) polls as announced by the organizations on Monday. ISU remained in the Perfect Game (No. 14), NCBWA (No. 22) and USA Today (No. 25) polls marking the first time the Sycamores were ranked in the top 25 in all five polls since May 29, 2023.
The Sycamores also remained inside the top-10 in the NCAA Rating Percentage Index (RPI) standings sitting at No. 10 overall boasting the No. 29 non-conference strength of schedule and No. 65 overall strength of schedule through 37 games. The Sycamores boast an 18-7 record in road or neutral site games with their 18 wins away from Terre Haute tying with Northeastern (18-8) for the most in the NCAA Division I through April 22.
Indiana State’s pitching staff added to its season accolades this weekend with Hayden claiming the Missouri Valley Pitcher of the Week, while Simon Gregersen was named to the National Collegiate Baseball Writer’s Association’s (NCBWA) Midseason Stopper of the Year Watch List.
Hayden became the fourth pitcher on the ISU staff to claim the conference’s weekly recognition joining Jacob Pruitt (Feb. 19), Brennyn Cutts (Mar. 11 & Apr. 15), and Cam Edmonson (Mar. 25) to receive the award presented by the conference office. Gregersen was one of three pitchers in the Missouri Valley to be named to the NCBWA Watch List.
Dominic Listi continues to find a way to get on base this season and leads the Indiana State offense with a .373 batting average and a .532 on-base percentage of the year. The redshirt senior is tied for the ISU lead with 11 doubles on the season while sitting second on the team with 26 walks, while leading the Valley with 19 hit-by-pitches.
Luis Hernandez (.357) and Randal Diaz (.327) are also hitting above .300 on the season to pace a Sycamore offense that is one of the best in the Valley this year. Hernandez paces ISU with 56 hits and 35 runs scored, while leading the conference with 48 RBIs. Diaz is tied for the team lead with 11 doubles among his 51 hits and homered in the final two games of the series against Illinois State.
Mike Sears (15), Hernandez (11), and Parker Stinson (11) all have connected on double-digit home runs in the 2024 season to lead a Sycamore offense that has hit 60 through the first 37 games. Diaz (9) sits one home run away from giving Indiana State four players in double-digits for the first time since the 1987 season.
Sixteen different Indiana State pitchers have combined to post a Valley-best 4.09 team ERA over 321.1 innings in the 2024 season. Jared Spencer (5-0, 3.34 ERA), Cutts (5-1, 2.39 ERA), and Hayden (5-1, 2.84 ERA) have comprised the weekend rotation over the last two weeks, while Cameron Edmonson (5-1, 4.11 ERA), Zach Davidson (1-1, 4.13 ERA), and Simon Gregersen (0-0, 3.20 ERA) have been among the top options out of the bullpen this year. Jacob Pruitt (1-0, 1.40 ERA) is also lurking out of the pen with 35 strikeouts over 19.1 innings on the year.
The Sycamores have combined to post a 384:159 strikeout-to-walk ratio on the season paced by Hayden (59) and Cutts (54). Jared Spencer (44) is also among the strikeout leaders as Indiana State’s staff features 10 different pitchers with 20-plus strikeouts on the season, while allowing opponents to hit just .235 from the plate on the season.
Scouting Southern Illinois
Southern Illinois has posted a 24–17 overall record heading into the weekend with an 8-7 overall record in Missouri Valley Conference play. The Salukis picked up a conference sweep this past weekend in Nashville, Tenn. taking all three games against Belmont, before falling in their midweek contest on Tuesday at SEMO.
The Salukis went back above .500 in conference play with the key series win against the Bruins winning by scores of 7-6, 7-3, and 11-1, at E.S. Rose Park. SIU scored a pair of runs in the ninth inning in the opener on Trey Cutchen’s two-run single to take the win. Ben Riffe went 5.0 innings in the second game in a strong start to highlight the 7-3 series clincher, while Aidan Foeller was aided by a five-run third inning on their way to the 11-1 finale win.
The Salukis currently sit tied with Illinois State for fourth in the MVC standings with an 8-7 record on the year. SIU has posted series sweeps over Valparaiso and Belmont, while falling in series to UIC, Murray State, and Evansville. The Salukis still have series at Illinois State (May 3-5), home against Bradley (May 10-12), and at Missouri State (Mary 16-18) in conference play.
Southern Illinois was selected fifth overall in the MVC preseason poll receiving 63 total points after a 2023 season that featured a 30-27 record, 15-12 in conference play to finish tied for third overall in the conference standings. SIU’s Jake Combs was named to the MVC Preseason All-Conference team.
The Salukis enter the weekend series hitting .285 as a team from the plate while leading the Valley in hits (412) and sitting second in doubles (85) and RBIs (286). SIU is a team that will challenge on the base paths posting a Valley-leading 62 stolen bases on 71 attempts on the year.
Cole Christman (.341) and Matthieu Vallee (.340) pace the Salukis in a majority of the offensive categories on the season. Christman is the power threat with a team-high eight home runs and 39 RBIs, while Vallee leads the team in hits (53), doubles (12), and stolen bases (13).
SIU sits second in the Valley in a majority of the major pitching categories on the season with a 5.41 ERA over 41 games, while posting 355 strikeouts. The Salukis have allowed opponents to hit .278 from the plate over 364.1 innings.
Foeller leads the Salukis with 10 starts on the mound to go with a 4.34 ERA and a team-high 67 strikeouts. Al Holguin (3-2, 3.86 ERA) and Alec Nigut (4-1, 5.65 ERA) have also been among the team’s primary starting arms, while Mike Hansell (3-3, 6.05 ERA) has also made six starts on the year. Anthony Pron was one of three MVC pitchers to be named to the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Midseason Watch List and has made 20 appearances with a 3.54 ERA and seven saves on the season.
Series History
Southern Illinois leads the all-time series against the Sycamores with a 103-95 overall mark dating back to the inaugural meeting between the programs in 1967. The Sycamores swept the season series last year in Terre Haute taking all three contests by scores of 6-5 (10), 10-0 (7), and 7-2, over the April 22-24, 2023, weekend.
SIU handed Indiana State its last Missouri Valley series loss back in the 2022 season when the Salukis took all three games at Itchy Jones Stadium over May 13-15, 2022. ISU’s last series win in Carbondale came back in the 2018 season when the Sycamores battled back from dropping the opener, 3-2, by taking the final two games of the series by scores of 8-2 and 11-3 over the May 4-6 series. Prior to that, the Sycamores swept the 2016 series in Carbondale winning 6-7, 3-0, and 5-1 over the April 8-10 weekend.
In last season’s sweep against the Salukis, Adam Pottinger (.667) and Keegan Watson (.667) combined for 12 hits, four doubles, two home runs, and 11 RBIs over 18 at-bats in the series as the outfield duo consistently got on base. Seth Gergely (.545) and Josue Urdaneta (.364) were also among the team’s hitting leaders over the series, while Henry Brown and Luis Hernandez both homered.
The Indiana State pitching staff combined to post a 2.42 ERA over the 26.0 innings on the mound. The Sycamores posted a 24:6 strikeout-to-walk ratio, while allowing Southern Illinois to hit just .144 from the plate with Connor Fenlong posting a complete-game one-hitter in the 10-0 game two win to clinch the series.
PURDUE FT. WAYNE BASEBALL
MASTODONS TRAVEL TO WRIGHT STATE FOR #HLBASE SERIES
FORT WAYNE, Ind. - Purdue Fort Wayne (15-25, 8-10 Horizon League) takes on Wright State (22-18, 11-7 Horizon League) this weekend in a Horizon League series from Dayton, Ohio. The ‘Dons enter the weekend in fourth place in the league with Wright State and Oakland tied for second directly above the ‘Dons.
Game Day Information
When:
Friday, April 26 | 3:00 p.m. ET
Saturday, April 27 | 2:00 p.m. ET
Sunday, April 28 | 1:00 p.m. ET
Where: Nischwitz Stadium | Fairborn, Ohio
Live Stats:Link
Weather:
Friday: High of 72/low of 61, 70% chance of rain
Saturday: High of 81/low of 61, 40% chance of rain
Sunday: High of 84/low of 61, 9% chance of rain
Series History: Purdue Fort Wayne took one of three games last month when they hosted Wright State. Carter Sabol struck out 10 to bring the ‘Dons’ record against the Raiders to 7-15 all time.
Probable Starters:
Purdue Fort Wayne: RHP Mac Ayres, RHP Carter Sabol, RHP Brody Fine
Wright State: RHP Jake Shirk, RHP Garret Simpson, LHP Chet Lax
Scouting the Raiders: The Raiders are coming off a walk off win over Ohio State. Wright State boasts two batters hitting above .400 in Sammy Sass and Julian Greenwell and have Jake Shirk on the mound, who has allowed a league low nine walks this season.
‘Dons & Ends:
– Jacob Walker leads the team with 53 hits and 14 doubles.
– Kevin Fee (3.12) is one of only two pitchers in the Horizon League with an ERA under 4.00. Carter Sabol joins Fee as one of four pitchers with an ERA under 5.00 and one of nine in the league holding opposing hitters below a .300 average.
– Kevin Fee picked up his fifth win on Wednesday and is now tied for the league lead with five wins.
– Jacob Walker leads the ‘Dons with 17 multi-hit games.
– Ben Higgins has reached base in nine straight games.
– The ‘Dons are 50-of-58 in stolen base attempts this season.
– Eight Mastodons have thrown 20 or more innings this season.
Wild Win: The Mastodons took down Toledo in 13 innings on a walk off wild pitch. The last time the ‘Dons played a game of 13 innings or more was back on May 5, 2017 when the ‘Dons lost to Omaha. The last Mastodon win in a game that long was a 9-8 win over Butler on April 16, 2005 in 13 innings.
Nine Times: In last weekend’s series against Youngstown State, Ben Higgins reached base nine times in three games. In total, Higgins had five hits and four walks while driving in two runs and scoring three himself.
Answering the Call:Kevin Fee has set the program record for career pitching appearances at 81. Fee moved ahead of Adam Feris (2002-05) on the pitching appearance leaderboard. Feris finished his career with 78 visits to the mound.
Up Next: The ‘Dons will host Milwaukee next weekend in Fort Wayne.
PURDUE FT. WAYNE SOFTBALL
MASTODON SOFTBALL VISITS GREEN BAY FOR KEY HORIZON LEAGUE SERIES
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – Purdue Fort Wayne softball will visit Green Bay this weekend for a three-game series.
Game Day Information
Who: Green Bay Phoenix
When: Friday, April 26, Noon ET (DH) | Saturday, April 27, 1 PM ET
Where: Green Bay Wis. | King Park
Live Stats:Link
Watch:Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3
Know Your Foe
Green Bay is 7-34 and 3-15 in the Horizon League. The Phoenix are on an 11-game losing streak, with their last win coming on April 6 against Cleveland State. Bella Herman is batting .309 to lead the team, while Samantha Saloun’s .461 slugging is a team-best. Ava Schill leads the pitching staff with a 5.12 ERA and a 4-11 record.
Series History
Green Bay leads the series 10-4 and is 5-0 at home against the Mastodons. The Phoenix were 3-0 against the ‘Dons in 2022 in Green Bay when GB was 25-25.
Hollopeter Hoopla
Grace Hollopeter has 13 doubles this season, the second-most in the Horizon League and nine home runs, the most in the league. Hollopeter is slugging .634, which is best in the HL.
Rudd Light, Green Light
In league play, Aglaia Rudd has a .458 batting average and is slugging .695 with eight doubles and 17 RBIs. All of those marks are top-five in the Horizon League and the most among freshmen.
A Lineup Not Out of Left Field
Three Mastodons have started all 41 games this season in the same field position: McKenna Minton (left field), Gwen McMenemy (right field), Bailey Manos (center field).
Perfect Play
McKenna Minton and Epiphany Hang both hold a 1.000 fielding percentage, the only two in the Horizon League still perfect this season.
You’re Out
Alanah Jones is third in the Horizon League with 119 strikeouts this season.
Last Time Out
The Mastodons swept Detroit Mercy last weekend, including two run-rule wins.
Up Next
The Mastodons will welcome Oakland for its final weekend of the season on Friday-Saturday (May 3-4).
EVANSVILLE BASEBALL
BASEBALL HOPES TO BOUNCE BACK THIS WEEKEND AGAINST MISSOURI STATE
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – After seeing its eight-game winning streak snapped on Wednesday night at Purdue, the University of Evansville baseball team will try to begin a new winning streak this weekend by hosting the Missouri State Bears in a three-game Missouri Valley Conference series at German American Bank Field at Charles H. Braun Stadium in Evansville. The series will begin Friday night at 6 p.m.
Evansville will bring a 22-18 overall record and 10-5 MVC mark into this weekend’s series. The Purple Aces are currently in second place in the MVC, just two games behind league-leading and nationally-ranked Indiana State entering Friday’s action. UE has swept back-to-back Valley series over Illinois State and Bradley, and the Purple Aces have won the last four Valley series overall.
Graduate outfielder Mark Shallenberger continues to pace the UE offense, as he will bring a team-best .370 batting average into this weekend’s series. Shallenberger also ranks 19th in Division I baseball in on-base percentage at .520, and he has reached base safely in six-straight plate appearances entering Friday’s contest. Graduate first baseman Chase Hug has been UE’s best hitter career-wise against Missouri State, as he has hit .405 (15-for-37) with three doubles, three home runs and 13 RBI in eight career games against the Bears. Hug went 3-for-5 Wednesday night at Purdue and has hit .400 over his last four games to raise his season batting average to .295.
Missouri State will bring a 17-22 overall record and 6-9 MVC mark into this weekend’s series. The Bears currently sit in eighth place in the MVC standings, but they are also only three games back of third-place UIC entering the weekend. Missouri State once again leads the MVC and ranks among the national leaders in home runs this year with 69 as a team. Sophomore outfielder Zack Stewart currently leads the MVC in home runs with 16, and he paces the Missouri State offense overall with a .333 batting average.
All-time, Missouri State leads the series over Evansville, 62-50. Last year, Evansville won all four meetings over Missouri State, including posting an 11-3 victory over MSU in an elimination game at the 2023 MVC Baseball Tournament in Terre Haute. Evansville will send freshman left-hander Kenton Deverman (5-1, 4.33 ERA) to the mound in Friday night’s opener. He is scheduled to be opposed by Missouri State ace Brandt Thompson (5-0, 2.41 ERA). Friday’s series opener can be heard live in the Tri-State area on 107.1 FM-WJPS and seen live on ESPN+.
EVANSVILLE SOFTBALL
SENIOR WEEKEND ON TAP FOR UE SOFTBALL
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Home action comes to a close for the 2024 season this weekend when the University of Evansville softball team plays host to Missouri State at Tri-State Orthopaedics Field at Cooper Stadium. The series runs Friday through Sunday and ESPN+ will have the coverage of the final two contests.
Senior Day
– Saturday’s game against the Bears will mark Senior Day as seven Purple Aces players will be recognized
– The 2024 senior class includes Megan Brenton, Alexa Davis, Hannah Hood, Mikayla Jolly, Brooke McCorkle, Jenna Nink and Marah Wood
Win #300
– UE head coach Mat Mundell picked up the 300th win of his career on April 24 as UE earned a 3-0 win at Indiana State
– Mundell won 117 games as the head coach at Illinois-Springfield with the remainder of his victories coming at Evansville
Last Time Out
– Wednesday’s game at Indiana State was a pitcher’s duel as the Aces clinched the season series with a 3-0 win
– A dropped third strike and error led to the Aces first run in the 5th before Niki Bode had a 2-run single in the 7th to add some insurance
– In the circle, Sydney Weatherford allowed just three hits in the shutout win
Locked In
– Over her last three starts, Sydney Weatherford has been lights out, allowing four earned runs on 18 hits in 22 innings of work
– That translates to a 1.27 ERA over the three contests
– She is coming off one of her top performances of the season, throwing a 3-hit shutout on Wednesday against the Sycamores
– Last Friday’s 8-inning win saw her go the entire distance allowing three runs on six hits; in Sunday’s win, she allowed two runs, just one being earned
Locked In
– Over her last three starts, Sydney Weatherford has been lights out, allowing four earned runs on 18 hits in 22 innings of work
– That translates to a 1.27 ERA over the three contests
– She is coming off one of her top performances of the season, throwing a 3-hit shutout on Wednesday against the Sycamores
– Last Friday’s 8-inning win saw her go the entire distance allowing three runs on six hits; in Sunday’s win, she allowed two runs, just one being earned
At Her Best
– Taylor Howe has gone 4-for-6 in the last two games for the Aces
– Following a 2-3 effort in the series finale against Murray State, Howe went 2-3 with two runs scored in victory at Indiana State
– Howe has recorded a hit in five of the last eight games and is batting .381 over that time with 8 hits in 21 at-bats
SOUTHERN INDIANA BASEBALL
USI RALLIES IN NIGHTCAP TO SPLIT WITH EIU
CHARLESTON, Ill. – University of Southern Indiana Baseball scored eight times in the nightcap and earned a doubleheader split at Eastern Illinois University Thursday afternoon in Charleston, Illinois. USI lost the opening game, 4-2, but took the nightcap, 8-1. The Screaming Eagles are 18-25 and 7-10 OVC, while Panthers goes to 14-25, 8-9 OVC.
Game 1:
The Screaming Eagles and the Panthers battle back and forth, but EIU came out on top, 4-2, in the opening game of the doubleheader.
USI opened up the game with a 1-0 lead in the first inning when senior rightfielder Ren Tachioka (Japan) scored after sophomore second baseman Caleb Niehaus (Newburgh, Indiana) reached on an error. EIU knotted the score at 1-1 with a tally in the bottom of the first, USI regained the lead briefly when junior first baseman Thomas Emerich (Ava, Missouri) scored on a ground out by Tachioka in the top of the fourth.
The Panther put together a run in the fifth and sixth to take command of the game, 3-2, and sealed the game with a run in the bottom of the eighth for the 4-2 decision.
USI freshman right-hander Grant Parson (Owensboro, Kentucky) started and took the loss for the Eagles. Parson (3-3) allowed three runs on six hits and a walk, while striking out four in seven innings of work.
Freshman right-hander Clayton Weisheit (Ferdinand, Indiana) followed and finished the game for the Eagles. Weisheit gave up one run on a home run and struck out one in two innings.
Game 2:
USI scored five times in the top of the first and cruised to an 8-1 victory in the night cap.
In the opening frame, USI scored five times on four hits and was highlighted by a two-run single up the middle by junior centerfielder Terrick Thompson-Allen (Sioux City, Iowa) and a RBI-single by Niehaus. The Eagles increased the lead to 6-0 on a sacrifice fly by Thompson-Allen, who finished game two with a pair of hits and a team-high three RBIs.
After EIU pushed a run across in the third, USI re-extend its lead to 8-1 with a pair of tallies in the fifth. Emerich knocked in the first run of the frame with a RBI-single up the middle, while junior second baseman Lane Crowden (Jackson, Missouri) scored on a Tachioka sacrifice fly for the seven-run advantage.
On the mound, junior right-hander Carson Seeman (Auburn, California) picked up the win with a dominating relief performance. Seeman (3-2) blanked the Panthers through six innings, allowing four hits and striking out four.
USI junior right-hander Peyton Brown (Clemmons, North Carolina) started and got a no-decision. Brown went the first three frames and permitted EIU’s lone second game run on two hits, while striking out four.
Up Next for the Eagles:
The Eagles and the Panthers finish the series Saturday in Evansville, Indiana, when the pair square off at the USI Baseball Field at 3 p.m. USI returns to the road April 30 when it travels to Southern Illinois University for a 6 p.m. single game.
SOUTHERN INDIANA SOFTBALL
USI SOFTBALL HOSTS TENNESSEE STATE FOR SENIOR WEEKEND
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Softball concludes its 2024 home schedule at USI Softball Field Saturday and Sunday when the Screaming Eagles host Tennessee State University.
The Screaming Eagles and Tigers open the series with Saturday doubleheader at 1 p.m. before Sunday’s series finale at Noon.
USI Softball will be celebrating its 2024 senior class this weekend, which includes catcher Sammie Kihega (Greenfield, Indiana), first baseman Lexi Fair (Greenwood, Indiana), and outfielder Mackenzie Bedrick (Brownsburg, Indiana). The three will be recognized with Senior Day ceremonies taking place following Sunday’s game.
At Saturday’s doubleheader, USI students and faculty can take a break before finals week with free admission. There will also be stress management resources, tips for finals, and a free gift at a table upon entry. Plus, three (3) $100 Amazon gift cards will be given away throughout the day to USI students who attend the doubleheader at USI Softball Field.
Entering the weekend, Southern Indiana (18-18, 12-9 OVC) sits in a tie for fourth place with Lindenwood University in the Ohio Valley Conference standings. Tennessee State (23-20, 14-7 OVC) comes in at third, sitting two games ahead of USI and only two games back of first-place Eastern Illinois University. The weekend is the penultimate series in conference play.
The Screaming Eagles are coming off a series win last weekend at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, taking the last two games of the three-game set. USI suffered a heartbreaking 2-1 loss in the series opener that went 16 innings before capturing a 4-2 and 2-1 victory for the series win. By winning the road series, USI made its way back to .500 on the season and snapped a season-long four-game losing skid.
The 16-inning contest was three innings shy of the longest game in USI Softball history against Columbus State University in March 1999. The last time a USI Softball game went at least 15 innings was a 16-inning affair in April 2005 against the University of Missouri-St. Louis. Not only did the 16 innings mark the longest game for USI in its Division I era, but they were also the most innings played in a single game this season across the D-I ranks. The previous high was 14 innings in two separate competitions.
Heading into the series against Tennessee State, sophomore outfielder Caroline Stapleton (Shirley, Indiana) and Fair lead the team with a .314 batting average. Stapleton tops the squad with 18 runs scored and Fair paces the team with 20 RBIs. Kihega is first with three home runs and second with 19 runs driven in.
In recent games, freshman infielder Sydney Long (Haubstadt, Indiana) returned to the starting lineup and has been on a nice roll, hitting .353 with a pair of RBIs in the last week. Long has a hit in the last four games while reaching base in the last five. Junior infielder Hailey Gotshall (Lucerne, Indiana) is currently riding the best streaks on the team with a seven-game hitting streak and an eight-game on-base streak.
Junior pitcher Josie Newman leads the USI pitching staff with a 15-8 record and a 1.69 ERA. Newman’s 190 strikeouts and 169.2 innings pitched top the OVC and would rank top five in the nation, but USI does not qualify officially for NCAA stat rankings as a reclassifying program. The right-hander set a career high by pitching the entire 16-inning contest at SIUE last Saturday, officially registering 15.2 innings in the outing. Newman has already set new career marks this season in complete games (23) in addition to strikeouts and innings. The junior has won OVC Pitcher of the Week twice this season. Newman has also done well for herself at the plate this season, and in recent games, is batting .348.
For Tennessee State, the Tigers suffered a 4-3 setback during the week in a non-conference game that went nine innings against the University of Chattanooga. In the last OVC series last weekend, Tennessee State swept Western Illinois University at home, outscoring the Leathernecks 13-4 in the series.
Tennessee State junior pitcher Reina Castillo tossed a 1-0 no-hitter in the series opener against Western Illinois on only 56 pitches. Castillo was rewarded for her no-hit bid with OVC Pitcher of the Week honors earlier this week. On the season, Castillo is 7-5 with a team-leading 3.20 ERA. Castillo has made 13 starts, striking out 42 batters in 96.1 innings of work. Junior pitcher Caitlyn Manus is second on the Tigers with a 3.93 ERA with a team-high 94 strikeouts. Manus is 10-10 in 17 starts and 117.2 innings pitched.
Offensively, graduate infielder Nahtali Simpson and sophomore Onnika Spencer top the squad with a .364 and .333 batting average, respectively. Spencer is just ahead of Simpson with six home runs and 28 RBIs. Simpson has five long balls and 25 runs brought in. As a team, Tennessee State is hitting .277 in 2024.
Southern Indiana and Tennessee State met for the first time last season down in Nashville, Tennessee. The Tigers took the series opener, 3-0, before USI won the last two games, 3-2 and 5-1. Fair went 4-9 with a double and an RBI in the series, and Newman went 1-1 in two complete-game starts.
The two teams also met in a second-round game at the 2023 Ohio Valley Conference Tournament. USI captured its first-ever OVC Tournament win by a score of 9-1 in six innings. The game started on May 10 but had to finish on May 11 due to significant amounts of rain during the middle of the contest in Oxford, Alabama. Fair and Gotshall each had two hits while Kihega had a home run and two RBIs for USI. Newman hurled the first five innings before the rain suspension.
This weekend’s series can be seen with a subscription to ESPN+ and heard on The Spin 95.7 FM. Additional coverage links can be found on the USI Softball schedule page on usiscreamingeagles.com.
VALPO BASEBALL
BASEBALL BEACONS FACE OFF WITH ALL-TIME MOST FREQUENT OPPONENT THIS WEEKEND
Valparaiso (12-26, 4-11 MVC)
at UIC (25-12, 9-6 MVC)
Curtis Granderson Stadium (1,000) | Chicago, Ill.
Friday, April 26, 6 p.m. CT – RHP Kaleb Krier
Saturday, April 27, 2 p.m. CT – RHP Connor Lockwood
Sunday, April 28, 1 p.m. CT – RHP Bryce Konitzer
Next Up in Valpo Baseball: The Valparaiso University baseball team will return to the road after back-to-back home weekends with the short journey to UIC for a three-game weekend series that is scheduled to begin under the lights on Friday night in Chicago. Every game is big for the Beacons as they need to make up ground in the race to qualify for the conference tournament, but there is still plenty of baseball to be played with four regular-season series remaining.
Last Time Out: Valpo rallied for a dramatic 7-6, 12-inning victory over Missouri State on Friday thanks to a two-run, walk-off home run by Brady Renfro that came with two outs in the bottom of the 12th. Missouri State rebounded to win 8-6 on Saturday and 14-3 on Sunday to take the weekend series at Emory G. Bauer Field. Valpo was on the wrong end of a walk-off homer on Tuesday at Northern Illinois, as the host Huskies took advantage of last hacks in a back-and-forth affair to win 10-9 in the nonconference midweek matchup.
Following the Beacons: All three games this weekend will air on ESPN+. For in-game updates, follow @ValpoBaseball on X. Links to live video and stats are available on ValpoAthletics.com.
Head Coach Brian Schmack: Brian Schmack (200-320) 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.
Series Notes: Valpo is 65-77 all-time against UIC, the most common opponent in program history, as the two teams have faced off 142 times on the baseball diamond. Valpo took two of three last season at Emory G. Bauer Field in the first Missouri Valley Conference series between the two longtime foes. Last year, UIC surpassed Butler (140) for the program’s most frequent all-time opponent. The Beacons went to UIC for a nonconference series in 2022 and won two of three, but this will mark the first visit to UIC as a Valley member. After this weekend, the team’s last three trips to UIC will have been once for a Missouri Valley Conference series (2024), once for a nonconference series (2022) and once for a Horizon League series (2017).
In The Other Dugout: UIC
Both teams are coming off midweek games against Northern Illinois, as Valpo visited NIU on Tuesday and UIC hosted the Huskies on Wednesday.
UIC dropped the opener but battled back to take two of three from Murray State last weekend at Curtis Granderson Stadium.
The Flames are led by Zane Zielinski, who is hitting .396 with seven home runs and 33 RBIs. Kendal Ewell holds a .375 batting average with 12 dingers and 44 runs driven in. From a pitching perspective, Brandon Bak is 3-2 with a 4.75 ERA in 10 starts.
Currently in third place in the MVC standings behind only Indiana State and Evansville after being picked eighth in the MVC preseason poll.
Beacon Bombs
Last season, Valpo drilled 50 home runs, the program’s most since 2001 and the fourth most in program history.
With 14 regular-season games left on the docket, Valpo is well positioned to once again climb into the all-time top five for single-season home runs.
The Beacons have launched 44 home runs this year, five away from writing an entry in the program record book.
UINDY SOFTBALL
SOFTBALL DOWNS HAWKS IN THURSDAY MATCHUP
INDIANAPOLIS – The No. 2 UIndy softball team swept Quincy on Thursday in their conference doubleheader. The game was moved up from Saturday, April 27 due to weather predictions. The Hounds continue to make waves with their 19-game win streak.
GAME 1 | UIndy 3, Quincy 0
Kenzee Smith earned her 17th shutout win this season during game one and is now 28-1 on the season. The Indianapolis native struck out nine batters while only allowing one walk, tying the school record for most shutouts in a season (Jennifer DeMotte, 2012).
Braxton Downs grabbed two ribbies with SAC flies in the first and third innings, respectively. Grace Mosele earned the last run of the day on a double steal.
Megan Nichols also stole a base during the contest. Shelby Cook coaxed two of the eight Greyhound walks.
GAME 2 | UIndy 8, Quincy 2
Entering the bottom of the sixth the Hounds held the lead, 3-1. UIndy went on a five-run rally in the frame to cement their sweep over the Hawks. With the bases loaded, Nichols hit a two-RBI single into left center. Lexy Rees grabbed one ribbie on a single as well but a throwing error by Quincy during the play brought another runner home. Downs grabbed her third RBI with a single.
During game two, Downs also hit her third SAC fly of the day. Nichols earned an RBI earlier in the game, finishing with a team-high of three overall. Rees notched a stolen base as well. As a team, the Hounds had a stellar performance at the plate by not striking out a single time against two pitchers.
Jayden Casebolt started in the circle for the Greyhounds. In 6 1/3 innings pitched, Casebolt struck out seven batters and only walked one. Kaitlyn Brown made her 11th appearance this season with wrapping up the final two outs.
UP NEXT
UIndy will conclude the 2024 regular season with a matchup against Illinois Springfield on Sunday. Prior to the start of the game, the Greyhounds will celebrate Senior Day. The first pitch is slated for noon on April 28 at Baumgartner Field.
MARIAN BASEBALL
MARIAN’S COME-FROM-BEHIND GAME ONE WIN HIGHLIGHTS THURSDAY SPLIT AT HUNTINGTON
Huntington, Ind. – The Marian baseball team played to a split against Huntington on Thursday, taking game one from the Foresters in a comeback effort before tripping up in a game two defeat. Marian enters the final two games of the regular season with a 22-23 overall record and a 17-17 record in the Crossroads League.
Game 1 | Marian 6-4 Huntington
The scoring started early for both teams in Thursday’s doubleheader, with the Knights driving home a run their first trip to the plate. Josh Lamb doubled in the opening at bat of the game, and after Kameron Salazar reached on an error, a Bryce Davenport sacrifice fly would bring home the first score on the day. Huntington retaliated in the home half of the frame, as Davis Enfield surrendered three consecutive base hits to open the game, with a triple and single delivering the Foresters’ first scores. The Marian pitcher would gain composure and end the inning with two men on base, picking up back to back strikeouts to keep the score 2-1.
Enfield recovered after his first inning of work as he tossed back-to-back scoreless innings, picking up a pair of strikeouts in the second as he stranded a runner, while in the third a swing and a miss ended a three-up, three-down frame. Marian would get a runner on base in the second and fourth inning but came up dry in tying the game, allowing Huntington to pad their lead as a solo home run from Dylan Rost pushed the home score to three. Enfield settled allowing the home run and recorded the three outs in four batters to clean the fourth, while the starter stranded a two-out single in the fifth inning to keep the game a 3-1 contest.
The Knights threatened again in the sixth inning as Rylan Huntley singled and stole a base to get into scoring position, and moved up another 90 feet as Pierson Barnes reached on a dropped third strike. A groundout would end the opportunity as Marian left two runners on, and in the home half Huntington expanded their lead by a run as an unearned run crossed the plate to make it a 4-1 game.
Trailing by three, Marian started to mount a comeback in the seventh, as a lead-off double from Jacob Dill came in to score on an RBI single from Josh Lamb. Jayson Cottrell held the Foresters to just a three-batter appearance in the bottom of the inning, and in the top of the eighth the bats charged up two runs on three hits, as a two-out double from the catcher Dill brought home Johnny Roeder and Pierson Barnes, leveling the score at 4-4.
Cottrell would pitch another scoreless inning in the eighth, and in the top of the ninth Marian managed to load the bases. Caden Mason was hit by a pitch to start the frame and was followed on the base paths by Josh Lamb’s single. A balk would move the runners into scoring position, and after a pair of groundouts Bryce Davenport was intentionally walked, setting up Barnes who dropped a two-RBI base hit to left to take the lead. The inning would end with the Knights on top 6-4, and in the Foresters’ final trip to the plate, Cottrell shut down the home team, allowing a soft single as Marian completed the comeback win.
In the win the Knights put up 10 base hits, with Lamb leading the way going 3-4 with two runs and an RBI. Huntley, Roeder, and Dill each had two hits, while Barnes had the 10th and final hit, delivering the game-winning RBI. Enfield took his second no-decision in as many starts, allowing four runs on eight hits with a season-high 11 strikeouts. Cottrell recorded his sixth win of the year, all in relief, throwing the final three innings with two strikeouts and one hit allowed. Cottrell is now 6-1, leading all Crossroads League pitchers with wins in relief.
Game 2 | Marian 1-6 Huntington
Game two went in favor of Huntington, as they managed to score the game’s first run in the opening inning as a pair of stolen bases and an error allowed Greg Berroa to score, as he singled to record the first hit off starter Chris Adams. Adams would see two more runners reach base before the inning concluded, but got a flyout to hold the contest at 1-0.
It would take Marian until the third inning to get their offense started, doing so with a bang as Dawson Estep doubled to lead the inning. Josh Lamb poked a single up the middle to move the infielder to third, setting up Kameron Salazar who recorded an RBI sacrifice fly to tie the game. The draw did not stick long though, as Huntington responded with three runs in the bottom of the third, roughing up the Marian pitcher for three hits, two of which were doubles. Both sides were retired in order in the fourth inning, as the score held at 4-1 after four complete.
In the top of the fifth Marian threatened as they brought three different runners on base, as Max Steffen reached on a single and Caden Mason and Josh Lamb touched first after getting hit by a pitch and an error. To the Knights despise, Steffen’s courtesy runner Nathan Pinarski was caught stealing, and the inning ended with runners on the corners as Salazar grounded out to second base. Huntington tacked two more to their lead in bottom of the fifth, as Justin Johnson allowed two inherited runs from Adams to score, making it a 6-1 game.
The Knights would manage three base hits in their final two trips to the plate, but came up short of scoring as they would fall 6-1. In the sixth Rylan Huntley’s single was left by the wayside, while in the seventh hits from Dawson Estep and Caden Mason weren’t enough to keep the run alive.
Adams took the loss on the mound, throwing four-plus innings as he allowed six runs and five hits. Adams managed eight strikeouts in the game. Johnson gave up two hits in two innings of relief work. At the plate, Estep led the team going 2-3, while five other players had one base hit.
Marian and Huntington will wrap up their series on Saturday afternoon, playing game one of the doubleheader at 1:00 p.m.
SMALL COLLEGE ATHLETICS
INDIANA WESLEYAN ATHLETICS: https://iwuwildcats.com/
EARLHAM ATHLETICS: https://goearlham.com/
WABASH ATHLETICS: https://sports.wabash.edu/
FRANKLIN ATHLETICS: https://franklingrizzlies.com/
ROSE-HULMAN ATHLETICS: https://athletics.rose-hulman.edu/
ANDERSON ATHLETICS: https://athletics.anderson.edu/landing/index
TRINE ATHLETICS: https://trinethunder.com/landing/index
BETHEL ATHLETICS: https://bupilots.com/
DEPAUW ATHLETICS: https://depauwtigers.com/
HANOVER ATHLETICS: https://athletics.hanover.edu/
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/
HOY CROSS ATHLETICS: https://www.hcsaints.com/index.php
TAYLOR ATHLETICS: https://www.taylortrojans.com/
VINCENNES ATHLETICS: https://govutrailblazers.com/landing/index
“SPORTS EXTRA”
NUMBERS IN SPORTS
4 – 53 – 34 – 24 – 53
April 26, 1905 – Chicago Cubs left fielder, Jack McCarthy becomes only major league player to throw out 3 Pittsburgh Pirates runners at plate in 1 game, all were ends of a double play. The Cubs win the game 2-1.
April 26, 1912 – It was the first homerun ever hit out of Fenway Park! Hugh Bradley of the Red Sox knocked the game winner over the fence against Philadelphia’s Athletics.
April 26, 1931 – Yankees star, Lou Gehrig hit a Home Run but wass called out for passing a runner. This mistake ends up costing him the AL home run crown at the end of the season as Gehrig and teammate Babe Ruth tied for season in HRs.
FOOTBALL HISTORY
Football History made on April 26
April 26, 1976 – The first 4 strap chin strap is introduced to further the player head protection. According to an NCAA.org post the college game adopted a safety rule to ensure all players would be securing the four point chin straps to their helmets to try and keep helmets in the optimum position to protect players.In fact the NCAA made it mandatory equipment. https://www.ncaa.org/sport-science-institute/concussion-timeline
April 26, 1983 – The famous 1983 NFL Draft took place as Stanford University quarterback John Elway was the first pick by the Baltimore Colts. This set up the Newspaper.com Football History Headline top billing by the Associated Press the following day in the Easton, Maryland Star-Democrat as it read “Elway’s Vow Not to Play for Colts Ignored.” The Colts were not able to work out a deal with their player of choice prior to the Draft and allegedly turned down multiple trade offers for the spot and still decided to choose Elway. Elway touted as the best quarterback prospect since Joe Namath turned around after the pick was made to say he would forgo the NFL and sign a lucrative baseball contract with the New York Yankees. The former Stanford signal caller said he would change his mind if he was traded to a West Coast team though. Elway made it no secret that he did not want to play for Baltimore. The article goes on to quote the QB as saying, “I don’t want to be a jerk but I told Mr. Kush, you’ve been offered three ones and a quarterback and now you have nothing.” Then he hung up the phone. The Mr. Kush he was referring to was Colts then head coach Frank Kush. SMU running back Eric Dickerson was the second overall pick by the Los Angeles Rams, Curt Warner another back from Penn State went third to the Seahawks.
Going back to Elway the article gave him three options, he would sit out a year and then get redrafted in 1984, play MLB for the Yankees or get traded to the Cowboys or a West Coast team. The Colts kept trying to work out a deal with Elway and then finally on May 2nd, over a week after the Draft this headline came out in the St. Joseph News-Press via the New York Times News Service, “Colts send Elway to Broncos.” Next week in our May 2 edition we will go more in depth on the rest of this story.
If you want to be able to be able to read through some old articles like Star-Democrat or the St. Joseph News-Press, you need to check out Newspapers.com. At Newspapers.com, you can get access to over 640 million pages’ worth of news from the US, Canada, England, Scotland, Ireland and more dating back from 1798 to yesterday. Get a free one week subscription to Newspapers.com by visiting SportsHistoryNetwork.com/newspapers. And with a paid subscription, you’ll also be helping to support the production of this and other Sports History Network shows. Besides Elway and Dickerson other Pro Football Hall of Fame players from this Draft class incluse Jimbo Covert, Bruce Matthews, Jim Kelly, Dan Marino, Darrell Green and Richard Dent.
April 26, 1992 – The 1992 NFL Draft commenced with the Indianapolis Colts selecting Steve Emtman the defensive end from Washington. So far we do not see anyone from this class that has been enshrined into Canton. The Pro Football Reference does share the top ten picks with us though.
Pick Tm Player Pos College/Univ
1 IND Steve Emtman DE Washington
2 IND Quentin Coryatt LB Texas A&M
3 RAM Sean Gilbert DT Pittsburgh
4 WAS Desmond Howard WR Michigan
5 GNB Terrell Buckley DB Florida St.
6 CIN David Klingler QB Houston
7 MIA Troy Vincent DB Wisconsin
8 ATL Bob Whitfield T Stanford
9 CLE Tommy Vardell RB Stanford
10 SEA Ray Roberts T Virginia
The 1992 NFL Draft was the last of the NFL Drafts that went 12 rounds.
April 26, 2003 – For the 2003 NFL Draft the Cincinnati Bengals were the first on the clock and they chose USC quarterback Carson Palmer as the first overall first pick. The only player so far from this class to be fitted for a gold jacket is Troy Polamalu, the Safety teammate of Palmer at Southern Cal who the Steelers took with the 16th selection. Here is the top ten according to Pro Football Reference.com
Pick Tm Player Pos College/Univ
1 CIN Carson Palmer QB USC
2 DET Charles Rogers WR Michigan St.
3 HOU Andre Johnson WR Miami (FL)
4 NYJ Dewayne Robertson DT Kentucky
5 DAL Terence Newman DB Kansas St.
6 NOR Johnathan Sullivan DT Georgia
7 JAX Byron Leftwich QB Marshall
8 CAR Jordan Gross T Utah
9 MIN Kevin Williams DT Oklahoma St.
10 BAL Terrell Suggs LB Arizona
April 26, 2008 – The 2008 NFL Draft had the University of Michigan offensive tackle Jake Long going as the first pick by the Miami Dolphins. Our friends at the Pro Football Reference once again share the top ten selections of this draft class.
Pick Tm Player Pos College/Univ
1 MIA Jake Long T Michigan
2 STL Chris Long DE Virginia
3 ATL Matt Ryan QB Boston Col.
4 OAK Darren McFadden RB Arkansas
5 KAN Glenn Dorsey DT LSU
6 NYJ Vernon Gholston DE Ohio St.
7 NOR Sedrick Ellis DT USC
8 JAX Derrick Harvey DE Florida
9 CIN Keith Rivers LB USC
10 NWE Jerod Mayo LB Tennessee
April 26, 2012 – The 2012 NFL Draft at the time was thought to be a rare franchise quarterback goldmine. It started off that way too as three in the top ten were promising starting young QBs in the League. Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck first pick by Indianapolis Colts and here is how the top ten rounded into shape per the Pro Football Reference.
Pick Tm Player Pos College/Univ
1 IND Andrew Luck QB Stanford
2 WAS Robert Griffin III QB Baylor
3 CLE Trent Richardson RB Alabama
4 MIN Matt Kalil T USC
5 JAX Justin Blackmon WR Oklahoma St.
6 DAL Morris Claiborne DB LSU
7 TAM Mark Barron DB Alabama
8 MIA Ryan Tannehill QB Texas A&M
9 CAR Luke Kuechly LB Boston Col.
10 BUF Stephon Gilmore DB South Carolina
April 26, 2018 – Another good looking batch of quarterback prospects were on hand for the 2018 NFL Draft. The Cleveland Browns used the first overall pick to choose Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield. It was the first time in history that four signal callers were taken in top 10 selections. Here is how the Pro Football Reference saw the first ten picks come off of the board.
Pick Tm Player Pos College/Univ
1 CLE Baker Mayfield QB Oklahoma
2 NYG Saquon Barkley RB Penn St.
3 NYJ Sam Darnold QB USC
4 CLE Denzel Ward CB Ohio St.
5 DEN Bradley Chubb DE North Carolina St.
6 IND Quenton Nelson G Notre Dame
7 BUF Josh Allen QB Wyoming
8 CHI Roquan Smith ILB Georgia
9 SFO Mike McGlinchey T Notre Dame
10 ARI Josh Rosen QB UCLA
Hall of Fame Birthday for April 26
April 26, 1953 – Spiro, Oklahoma – The Oklahoma Sooners stud linebacker of the seasons of 1972 to 1974, Rod Shoate was born. The NFF’s bio tells how Rod had it all, size, strength and foot speed to play the position of backer at a high level. Shoate helped the juggernaut Sooners to a 10-0-1 record in 1973 as he earned consensus All-America honors and then in 1974 he was an unanimous All-American therefore guiding OU to a perfect 11-0 season and the National Championship! The overall Oklahoma record with this great linebacker in uniform was 29-4-1 and they were never worse than number 3 in the national rankings. He was twice named the Big Eight Defensive Player of the Year as the Sooners claimed the conference crown in each of those seasons. As a freshman, he led Oklahoma to a 14-0 shutout of Penn State in the 1972 Sugar Bowl. Shoate led the Sooners in tackles for three straight seasons and currently ranks sixth in school history with 420 career tackles. The National Football Foundation selected Rod Shoate for entrance into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2013. After such a brilliant collegiate career the next step was the Pros and Rod became the choice pick by the New England Patriots in the second round of the 1975 NFL Draft. Shoate enjoyed a six year career with the Patriots before playing two seasons in the USFL.
TODAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY
April 26
1902 — Cleveland’s Addie Joss pitched a one-hitter in his major league debut. Joss allowed a scratch single to Jessie Burkett as the Indians beat the St. Louis Browns 3-0.
1904 — Ty Cobb, making his pro baseball debut at the age of seventeen, hits a home run and double for the Augusta Tourists in the South Atlantic League.
1905 — Jack McCarthy of the Cubs threw out three runners at the plate, each of whom became the second out of a double play. McCarthy’s defense preserved a 2-1 win over the Pirates.
1907 — Johnny Bates of the Boston Doves hit for the cycle against the Brooklyn Superbas.
1941 — The Chicago Cubs became the first major league team to install an organ at their ballpark. Roy Nelson took to the keyboard and played a pregame program.
1952 — Detroit’s Art Houtteman’s had his no-hit bid broken up on a two-out ninth-inning hit by Harry Simpson but the Tigers routed the Indians 13-0.
1961 — Roger Maris of the New York Yankees began his successful run at Babe Ruth’s single-season home run record with the first of his 61 homers, connecting in the fifth inning against Detroit right-hander Paul Foytack.
1969 — The Baseball Records Committee decides to give Babe Ruth credit for one more home run during his career for a total of 715.
1970 — Willie McCovey and Dick Dietz each hit grand slams as the San Francisco beat Montreal 11-1 in the first game of a doubleheader.
1980 — Steve Carlton of Philadelphia pitched the sixth one-hitter of his career against St. Louis for a National League record. The Phillies beat the Cardinals 7-0. Ted Simmons singled to lead off the second inning. Carlton walked one batter and struck out five.
1982 — Boston Red Sox rookie Wade Boggs collects his first major league hit when he singles against Rich Dotson of the Chicago White Sox.
1988 — New York Mets first baseman Keith Hernandez hits a pair of home runs and drives in seven runs during a 13-4 rout of the Atlanta Braves. The seven RBI give Hernandez 1,000 for his major league career.
1990 — Nolan Ryan tied Bob Feller’s major league record of 12 one-hitters as the Texas Rangers beat the Chicago White Sox 1-0. Ryan struck out 16 as he allowed only Ron Kittle’s check-swing single in the second inning.
1994 — Baltimore’s Brady Anderson has four extra-base hits in the Orioles’ 10-4 win over Oakland. Anderson’s two doubles and two homers came while leading off an inning.
1995 — The Colorado Rockies posted an 11-9 victory over the New York Mets in 14 innings, tying the NL record for innings played in a season opener.
1997 — Ryne Sandberg of the Chicago Cubs breaks the major league record for most home runs by a second baseman.
2000 — Vladimir Guerrero of the Montreal Expos hits his 100th career home run.
2006 — Mike Piazza hits his 400th career home run.
2016 — Andrew McCutchen hit three homers and drove in five runs to help the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Colorado Rockies 9-4.
2019 — All eyes are turned on Vladimir Guerrero Jr. who makes his major league debut with the Blue Jays.
BASEBALL YEAR IN REVIEW: 1986 (BASEBALL ALMANAC)..
Off the field…
After a Libyan-sponsored terrorist attack against Americans in West Germany, U.S. military warplanes attacked various targets in Libya. As a result, the Libyans scaled back their support for terrorist activities against all Western targets.
The Reagan Administration confirmed that it had been selling arms to Iran in an effort to obtain the release of American hostages in Lebanon as part of the “Iran-Contra Deal”. Money from the sales was used to help the Contras fighting the Sandinista regime in Nicaragua.
Tragedy struck the NASA Space Program after the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded seventy-three seconds after take-off, killing all seven astronauts on board. The crew included the first “civilian” ever accepted into the astronaut program, a teacher named Christa McAuliffe. The accident was later blamed on faulty o-rings in the shuttles main booster rocket.
In the American League…
On April 29th, Red Sox ace Roger Clemens struck out twenty Seattle Mariners setting a Major League record for most strikeouts in a single game.
Vincent “Bo” Jackson, a Heisman Trophy winner who chose baseball over football, played twenty-five games for the Kansas City Royals as an outfielder and designated hitter, batting .207 with two home runs. The Auburn All-American turned down a $7 million dollar deal from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for a much smaller $1 million dollar contract with the Royals because he said he liked baseball best.
The “Curse of the Bambino” remained in effect as the Boston Red Sox fell victim to the “Amazin’ Mets”. In Game 6, the Red Sox had a two-run, 10th-inning lead with two outs and no runners on base. Then, after the Mets hit three consecutive singles, a passed ball erased the Red Sox lead, setting up one of the most improbable comebacks in post-season history. When the Mets’ Mookie Wilson tapped a grounder down the first base line that somehow found its way between Bill Buckner’s legs, the game ended; the costly error gave New York a 6-5 victory, and extended the Series to a Game 7.
In the National League…
On May 31st, a young rookie outfielder for the Pittsburgh Pirates named Barry Bonds tapped a double off the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Rick Honeycutt for his first official Major League hit.
Bob Horner, of the Atlanta Braves, hit four homeruns in a single game against the Montreal Expos. Despite tying the Major League record for solo blasts, Horner’s team lost 11-8 to the visiting Canadian franchise.
Forty-five year-old Pete Rose banged out five hits for the tenth time in his career (setting a National League record) as the Cincinnati Reds took on the San Francisco Giants on August 11th. “Charlie Hustle” also reached a record 4,256 career at-bats during his last appearance in a Major League line-up.
Around the league…
In an effort to set an example, Commissioner Peter Ueberoth suspended seven players for drug abuse. All seven decided to contribute ten percent of their seasonal salary to drug abuse programs, serve one-hundred hours of community service and be subjected to random drug testing. The seven include Keith Hernandez of the New York Mets, Dale Berra of the New York Yankees, Joaquin Andujar of the Oakland Athletics, Jeffrey Leonard of the San Francisco Giants, Lonnie Smith of the Kansas City Royals, Enos Cabell of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Dave Parker of the Cincinnati Reds.
Bret Saberhagen sued Rawlings over a misrepresented endorsement deal. As many other players were being paid $50,000+ as part of their compensation, the Kansas City Royal pitcher was given two free gloves per season as his contract.
A free baseball promotion night at Arlington Stadium backfired as hundreds of fans targeted the Texas Rangers and umpires after the visiting Milwaukee Brewers rallied for a 10-2 win.
The Chicago Cubs were forced to fire their twenty-eight year old ball girl, Marla Collins, after she posed nude for Playboy. Despite fan support the young lady was terminated for “behavior unbecoming an employee” of the franchise.
HISTORY OF THE CLEVELAND GUARDIANS (BASEBALL ALMANAC)
When baseball teams go through interminably long periods of losing, fans tend to soothe their distressed psyches by ascribing the poor play or lack of luck to paranormal curses (“Curse of the Bambino” in Boston, the “Billy Goat Curse” in Chicago).
Not in Cleveland. Having seen only two consistently competitive teams (the late 1940’s and late 1990’s), losing has been too much a regular way of life for Indians’ fans to blame it on something supernatural.
Cleveland was a charter member of the American League, winning its first home game 4-3 against Milwaukee on April 29, 1901. They were originally dubbed the Blues, a name once used by Cleveland’s National League entry in the 1880’s.
The Indians first star was Napoleon Lajoie, one of the greatest hitters in history. Lajoie came to the Indians in 1902 from Philadelphia, and although he hit a robust .368, it represented a 54 point drop in his batting average from the previous season, when he hit an American League record .422.
The Indians contested for only one pennant (unsuccessfully) in the Lajoie era, but the second baseman was so popular the team changed its name to the Naps in his honor. After he departed in 1914, a newspaper contest led to fans renaming the team “Indians” in honor of the “Miracle” run that Boston’s Braves made to that year’s world championship.
The Tribe made it to the top in 1920, even with the stunning on-field death of their sparkplug shortstop Ray Chapman. He took a direct hit in the head on a fast ball launched by New York’s Carl Mays on August 16. Chapman collapsed at home plate, never regained consciousness and died the following morning.
If the shocked Indians stumbled after Chapman’s death, the rival White Sox, toppled like Humpty Dumpty. Revelations about the Sox intentionally losing the 1919 World Series exploded in August and eight White Sox players were immediately suspended. The Indians squeaked by the Sox to win their first pennant by two games and then beat Brooklyn in the World Series.
The Indians got a new home in 1932 with the opening of the 70,000 seat Municipal Stadium. For the next 15 years, the Indians split their home schedule between this new park on the shores of Lake Erie and their original home, ancient League Park built in 1891.
Municipal Stadium had a positive effect on the franchise. Not long after it opened, the seeds of the great 1940’s teams were planted. First to blossom was 17-year-old Bob Feller, who won five game in his debut season of 1936, then went on to win 261 more games in the next 18 years. He was followed by a shortstop with a rare combination of skill and smarts named Lou Boudreau. By 1942, at the ripe age of 24, he was the team’s player-manager.
New owner Bill Veeck made the Indians ultra-competitive by surrounding Feller and Boudreau with first class talent, including Larry Doby, the first black player in the American League, and hard hitting veterans Joe Gordon and Ken Keltner.
The Tribe won it all in 1948 and had a record setting pennant winning team in 1954. Feller was the bridge connecting these two best teams. He and Bob Lemon each won 20 games in 1948 as the Indians finished in a first-place tie with the Red Sox, won the playoff game in Fenway Park, and then dispatched Boston’s other team, the Braves, in a six game World Series. The Indians drew 2,620,627 to massive Municipal Stadium that year, a record attendance that stood until the Dodgers broke it in 1962.
The 35-year-old Feller went 13-3 for the 1954 team, which won a then-American League record 111. Lemon and Early Wynn (23 wins each) and Mike Garcia (19 wins) provided stellar pitching. Boudreau was gone to Boston, but new manager Al Lopez had regenerated the Indians’ offense with League MVP Al Rosen (24 home runs and 102 runs-batted- in) and batting champion Bobby Avila (.341). Despite their record setting regular season, the Tribe lost the World Series in four straight to Willie Mays and the New York Giants.
After dueling the Yankees for American League prominence in the 1950s, the Indians mostly sailed the gloomy waters of the second division for the next three decades. Their grindingly miserable quality of play, coupled with the low turnout of a disinterested city transformed the cavernous Municipal Stadium into a morgue. The Stadium became known as the “Mistake by the Lake.”
A new Indians era began with the opening of Jacobs’ Field — the “Jake by the Lake” in 1994. It was a bright, more intimate and friendly ballpark, and in the same way as a new Municipal Stadium rejuvenated the Indians in the 1940’s, Jacobs’ Field hosted a revitalized team in 1995. They sledge hammered their way to a Central Division record of 100-44 behind Albert Belle, Jim Thome, Carlos Baerga, Eddie Murray, Dave Winfield and Manny Ramirez. The Indians won the Central in 1996-97-98-99-01, while cultivating or trading for sluggers such as Jeromy Burnitz, Richie Sexson, Matt Williams, David Justice and Roberto Alomar.
The team’s Achilles heel was a lack of pitching depth in the postseason. They were able to advance to the World Series only twice, losing to the Atlanta Braves (1995) and Florida Marlins (1997). They came close to another Series appearance in 2007, but collapsed after taking a 3-1 lead in the ALCS against Boston.
Although Cleveland enjoyed its renaissance in the 1990’s, they still have a record of meager success (five pennants and two world titles). It’s just possible fans in Cleveland might consider conjuring up the “Overstaying Your Welcome Curse,” since the two times the franchise has fielded good teams, it was shortly after moving from their existing stadium to a new one.
The Indians missed the playoffs for five consecutive seasons from 2008 to 2012. That streak ended in 2013 when Terry Francona helped his team reach the postseason. The Indians lost to the Tampa Bay Rays in the AL Wild Card game.
For two consecutive seasons, Cleveland missed the playoffs, but they found success in 2016. After beating the Boston Red Sox in the ALDS and the Toronto Blue Jays in the ALCS, the Indians were matched up against the Chicago Cubs in the 2016 World Series. The Indians squandered a 3-1 series lead and lost to the Cubs in 7 games.
The pain from losing in the World Series carried over into the next few seasons as they failed to make it past the ALDS in 2017 and 2018. Despite a 93-69 record in 2019, Cleveland missed the playoffs with a second-place finish in the AL Central. In a shortened season in 2020, the Indians made the playoffs and faced the New York Yankees in the AL Wild Card Series. They lost in two games.
CLEVELAND GUARDIANS HISTORY
On December 18, 2020, the franchise confirmed that the Indians name would be dropped after the 2021 season, and then announced on July 23, 2021, that their new name will be the Cleveland Guardians. They played their last game under the Indians name on October 3, 2021, a 6-0 win over the Texas Rangers. They officially became the Guardians on November 19, 2021, and played their first regular season game on April 7, 2022.
BASEBALL GREATS
JEFF BAGWELL
In 1997, Bagwell became the first full-time first baseman to hit 30 home runs and steal 30 bases, leading the Astros into the playoffs for the first time since 1986. (Joe Carter reached the 30-30 plateau with Cleveland in 1987, but he split his time between first base and the outfield.) But Bagwell didn’t need the 30-30 feat to establish himself as the league’s premier first baseman, one of the game’s best clutch hitters, and probably the best player in Astro history. In 1994 he became only the fourth National Leaguer to be named unanimous MVP; Carl Hubbell (1936), Orlando Cepeda (1967), and Mike Schmidt (1980) were the others. And all this despite suffering from bad eyesight (Bagwell wears contacts during games) and broken hands in three consecutive seasons.
Bagwell accomplishes his feats with one of the most unusual batting styles in baseball history. The vast majority of batters step into a pitch — toward the pitcher with their front foot — as the pitch is thrown. Bagwell, with his exaggerated wide stance, actually steps back with his front foot as he makes contact.
Being selected by his hometown Boston Red Sox in the fourth round of the 1989 free-agent draft was a thrill for Bagwell, who had idolized Carl Yastrzemski growing up. But he was devastated a year later, when he was traded to the Astros for pitcher Larry Andersen after winning the Eastern League MVP award at Double-A.
The young slugger was an immediate sensation at the Astrodome in 1991. After switching from his natural third base position to first base to accommodate Ken Caminiti, Bagwell hit .294 (second only to Craig Biggio‘s .295) and led the Astros in home runs (15), RBI (82), walks (75), slugging (.437), and on-base percentage (.387). After the season he was named club MVP and also became the first Houston player to win the NL Rookie of the Year Award, capturing all but one of the 24 first-place votes.
Despite a short sophomore slump in 1992 that saw his average lingering at .227 in late June, Bagwell continued to improve, raising his average, cutting down his strikeouts, steadying his defense, and hitting for more power. This progress culminated in his MVP year in 1994 when he won a Gold Glove and became the first player in the NL to finish first or second in the league in average, runs, RBI, and homers since Willie Mays in 1955. He also set club records and career highs with 39 homers — 23 in the spacious Astrodome — 116 RBI, 300 total bases, and a league-leading 104 runs scored, all despite having the season cut short due to the strike and a broken hand after he was hit by an Andy Benes pitch on Aug. 10.
Bagwell broke his hand for the third straight season in July 1995, cutting short another fine campaign. Bagwell’s unusual stance was responsible for his strange string of injuries. “I just don’t turn my shoulder into the ball,” Bagwell explained. “I’m up there, and they throw that fastball at my shoulder and I just don’t turn my shoulder in. I kinda just lean back and it forces my hand up and that’s where I get hit.” Rather than change his stance, Bagwell now wears a protective glove on his left hand while batting.
The slugger returned in 1996 with career highs in runs (111) and RBI (120) and a league-leading 48 doubles. In the process, Bagwell eclipsed the .300-30-100 barrier for the second time in his career. He also became only the second player (Willie Stargell was the first) to hit two balls into the upper deck at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh and, two weeks later, tied a major-league record with four doubles in a game. With second baseman Craig Biggio and rightfielder Derek Bell, Bagwell was the core of Houston’s “Killer Bs.” He made a run at a second MVP, but he and the Astros both faded down the stretch.
Bagwell’s 43 homers and 135 RBI in 1997 were new career highs, but another MVP run was thwarted by Larry Walker’s near-.400 season for the Rockies. Bagwell drew 27 intentional walks during the season, including three consecutive free passes issued by the Cincinnati Reds during a fourteen-inning marathon late May. After Reds coach Dennis Menke (subbing for suspended manager Ray Knight) ordered the final walk with two outs and nobody on in the fourteenth, Bagwell promptly stole second, scoring the winning run minutes later when Luis Gonzalez singled to left. “I knew Bagwell wasn’t going to beat us with his bat,” Menke said after the game. “He didn’t. It just didn’t work out like I’d hoped.” The key steal was one of Bagwell’s career-high 31. He had swiped 21 the year before.
Despite his early mishaps, Bagwell shrugged off concerns about his health and by the turn of the century had become one of the most durable players in the league. “So long as I can put my uniform on with both hands, I’ll be out there,” he asserted, and his consistent excellence backed him up. Bagwell’s streak of 389 consecutive games played through May 1998 was the third-longest in the majors behind those of Cal Ripken, Jr. and teammate Craig Biggio until he injured his knee in a collision with Florida catcher Charles Johnson on May 12. Bagwell finished the game but missed the next two weeks in his first trip to the DL since 1995.
TODAY IN SPORTS HISTORY
April 26
1905 — Jack McCarthy of the Cubs became the only outfielder in major league history to throw out three runners at the plate, each of whom became the second out of a double play. The victims were the Pittsburgh Pirates in a 2-1 loss.
1912 — 1st homerun hit at Fenway Park (Hugh Bradley, Red Sox).
1931 — Lou Gehrig hits a HR but is called out for passing a runner, mistake costs him AL home run crown; he & Babe Ruth tie for season.
1950 — The University of Miami ends the longest winning streak in collegiate tennis by defeating William & Mary 8-1. William & Mary, unbeaten in five years, had won 82 consecutive meets.
1952 — Patty Berg scores 64, best competitive round of golf by a woman.
1961 — Roger Maris hits 1st of 61 homers in 1961.
1964 — The Boston Celtics capture their sixth consecutive NBA title with a 105-99 victory over the San Francisco Warriors in Game 5 of the finals.
1966 — Red Auerbach retires as Boston Celtic’s coach.
1983 — NFL Draft: Stanford quarterback John Elway first pick by Baltimore Colts.
1992 — NFL Draft: University of Washington defensive end Steve Emtman from first pick by Indianapolis Colts.
1995 — The Colorado Rockies post an 11-9 victory over the New York Mets in 14 innings, tying the NL record for innings played in a season opener.
2002 — Odalis Perez of Los Angeles faces the minimum 27 batters in his first career shutout. Perez was perfect for six innings in a 10-0 win over the Cubs at Chicago’s Wrigley Field.
2003 — NFL Draft: USC quarterback Carson Palmer first pick by Cincinnati Bengals.
2008 — NFL Draft: University of Michigan offensive tackle Jake Long first pick by Miami Dolphins.
2009 — French swimmer Frederick Bousquet sets a world record in the 50-meter freestyle, becoming the first person to break the 21-second barrier. Bousquet breaks the record at the French championships finishing in 20.94 seconds.
2012 — Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck is selected first overall in the NFL draft by the Indianapolis Colts, followed by Baylor QB Robert Griffin III, who is taken by the Washington Redskins.
2012 — The Charlotte Bobcats finish with the worst winning percentage in NBA history after a 104-84 loss to the New York Knicks. The Bobcats’ 23rd consecutive loss leaves them with a winning percentage of .106 (7-59) in the lockout-shortened season. The record was set 39 years ago, when the 1972-73 Philadelphia 76ers finished 9-73 (.110) in a full regular season.
2014 — Wladimir Klitschko toys with Alex Leapai and knocks him out in the fifth round to retain his four heavyweight belts in Oberhausen, Germany.
2015 — FC Bayern Munich wins the 2014–15 Bundesliga for a 25th time.
2018 — Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield first pick by Cleveland Browns; 4 QBs taken in top 10 selections for first time in history.
TV SPORTS FRIDAY
AUSTRALIAN RULES FOOTBALL (MEN’S)
2:30 a.m. (Saturday)
FS2 — AFL: Carlton at Geelong
AUTO RACING
3 p.m.
FS2 — NASCAR Xfinity Series: Qualifying, Dover Motor Speedway, Dover, Del.
7 p.m.
FS1 — ARCA Menards Series: The General Tire 150, Dover Motor Speedway, Dover, Del.
BASKETBALL AFRICA LEAGUE
10 a.m.
NBATV — Bangui SC vs. City Oilers, Cairo
1 p.m.
NBATV — Al Ahly vs. Al Ahly Ly, Cairo
COLLEGE BASEBALL
5 p.m.
BTN — Illinois at Maryland
8 p.m.
BTN — Purdue vs. Northwestern, Chicago
SECN — Florida at Arkansas
COLLEGE BEACH VOLLEYBALL (WOMEN’S)
Noon
PAC-12N — Pac-12 Tournament: TBD, Semifinal, Tempe, Ariz.
1:45 p.m.
PAC-12N — Pac-12 Tournament: TBD, Contender’s Bracket Semifinal, Tempe, Ariz.
4 p.m.
PAC-12N — Pac-12 Tournament: TBD, Contender’s Bracket Championship, Tempe, Ariz.
4:30 p.m.
ESPNU — West Coast Tournament: TBD, Championship, Santa Monica, Calif.
7 p.m.
PAC-12N — Pac-12 Tournament: TBD, Championship, Tempe, Ariz.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
9 p.m.
PAC-12N — Arizona St. Spring Game: From Tempe, Ariz.
COLLEGE LACROSSE (MEN’S)
7 p.m.
CBSSN — Army at Loyola (Md.)
COLLEGE LACROSSE (WOMEN’S)
5 p.m.
ACCN — Atlantic Coast Tournament: Virginia vs. Syracuse, Semifinal, Charlotte, N.C.
8 p.m.
ACCN — Atlantic Coast Tournament: Boston College vs. Notre Dame, Semifinal, Charlotte, N.C.
COLLEGE SOFTBALL
6 p.m.
SECN — Auburn at Mississippi
11 p.m.
PAC-12N — Stanford at Washington
GOLF
Noon
GOLF — PGA Tour Champions: The Mitsubishi Electric Classic, First Round, TPC Sugarloaf, Duluth, Ga.
3:30 p.m.
GOLF — PGA Tour: The Zurich Classic Of New Orleans, Second Round, TPC Louisiana, Avondale, La.
6:30 p.m.
GOLF — LPGA Tour: The JM Eagle LA Championship, Second Round, Wilshire Country Club, Los Angeles
11 p.m.
GOLF — DP World Tour: The ISPS Handa Championship, Third Round, Taiheiyo Club Minori Course, Omitama, Japan
HORSE RACING
1 p.m.
FS2 — NYRA: America’s Day at the Races
4 p.m.
FS2 — NYRA: America’s Day at the Races
IIHF HOCKEY (MEN’S)
Noon
NHLN — IIHF U-18 World Championship Group Stage: Canada vs. Czech Republic, Group B, Vantaa, Finland
MLB BASEBALL
1 p.m.
MLBN — Kansas City at Detroit
7:10 p.m.
APPLETV+ — St. Louis at NY Mets
7:40 p.m.
APPLETV+ — Tampa Bay at Chicago White Sox
8 p.m.
MLBN — Regional Coverage: NY Yankees at Milwaukee OR Cincinnati at Texas
11 p.m.
MLBN — Regional Coverage: Philadelphia at San Diego (9:40 p.m.) OR Arizona at Seattle (9:40 p.m.)
NBA BASKETBALL
5:30 p.m.
ESPN — Eastern Conference First Round Playoff: Milwaukee at Indiana, Game 3
8 p.m.
ESPN — Western Conference First Round Playoff: LA Clippers at Dallas, Game 3
10:30 p.m.
ESPN — Western Conference First Round Playoff: Minnesota at Phoenix, Game 3
NFL FOOTBALL
7 p.m.
ABC — 2024 NFL Draft: Rounds 2-3, Detroit
ESPN2 — 2024 NFL Draft: Rounds 2-3, Detroit
NFLN — 2024 NFL Draft: Rounds 2-3, Detroit
NHL HOCKEY
7 p.m.
TNT — Eastern Conference First Round Playoff: NY Rangers at Washington, Game 3
TRUTV — Eastern Conference First Round Playoff: NY Rangers at Washington, Game 3 (BetCast)
7:30 p.m.
TBS — Western Conference First Round Playoff: Vancouver at Nashville, Game 3
10 p.m.
TNT — Western Conference First Round Playoff: Winnipeg at Colorado, Game 3
TRUTV — Western Conference First Round Playoff: Winnipeg at Colorado, Game 3 (BetCast)
10:30 p.m.
TBS — Western Conference First Round Playoff: Edmonton at Los Angeles, Game 3
RUGBY (MEN’S)
5:55 a.m.
FS2 — NRL: Parramatta at Manly-Warringah
9 p.m.
FS1 — MLR: Old Glory DC at Utah
SOCCER (MEN’S)
11 a.m.
FS2 — Saudi Pro League: Al-Fateh at Al-Hilal
TENNIS
5 a.m.
TENNIS — Madrid-ATP/WTA Early Rounds
6 a.m.
TENNIS — Madrid-ATP/WTA Early Rounds
5 a.m. (Saturday)
TENNIS — Madrid-ATP/WTA Early Rounds
6 a.m. (Saturday)
TENNIS — Madrid-ATP/WTA Early Rounds
VOLLEYBALL (WOMEN’S)
9:30 p.m. CBSSN — Pro Volleyball Federation: Grand Rapids at Omaha