CENTRAL INDIANA BASEBALL SCORES
DALEVILLE 12 MUNCIE BURRIS 1
YORKTOWN 5 WES DEL 3
KNIGHTSTOWN 4 HAGERSTOWN 2
INDIANA DEAF 7 CARUTHERSVILLE 4
DELTA 1 WAPAHANI 0
SHENANDOAH 15 CENTERVILLE 5
GREENSBURG 9 FRANKLIN COUNTY 2
COWAN 10 RANDOLPH SOUTHERN 3
MUNCIE CENTRAL 6 ANDERSON 4
IRVINGTON PREP 21 PROVIDENCE CR 1
BREBEUF 6 GREENWOOD CHRISTIAN 1
SCECINA 7 BEECH GROVE 2
PURDUE POLY NORTH 12 SHORTRIDGE 2
CATHEDRAL 4 UNIVERSITY 0
NORTH PUTNAM 8 CLOVERDALE 3
BATESVILLE 6 LAWRENCEBURG 3
GUERIN CATHOLIC 14 LAPEL 0
GREENWOOD 4 COLUMBUS NORTH 3
CONNERSVILLE 11 RUSHVILLE 1
CARMEL 3 MCCUTCHEON 0
FRANKLIN CENTRAL 4 BROWNSBURG 3
ZIONSVILLE 12 WESTFIELD 2
DANVILLE 3 SOUTHMONT 1
PLAINFIELD 7 NORTHVIEW 7
KOKOMO 5 WESTERN 3
AVON 4 FISHERS 1
HAMILTON SOUTHEASTERN 5 NOBLESVILLE 0
COMPLETE SCOREBOARD: HTTPS://WWW.MAXPREPS.COM/IN/BASEBALL/SCORES/?DATE=5/4/2023
CENTRAL INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL SOFTBALL SCORES
GREENWOOD CHRISTIAN 11 INDIANA DEAF 6
YORKTOWN 4 SHENANDOAH 1
DALEVILLE 23 HORIZON CHRISTIAN 7
COLUMBUS EAST 5 TRINITY LUTHERAN 0
NORTH PUTNAM 11 CLOVERDALE 0
TIPTON 14 TAYLOR 3
WAPAHANI 13 WINCHESTER 2
CENTERVILLE 13 MONROE CENTRAL 2
HAGERSTOWN 6 LINCOLN 5
NEW CASTLE 22 ANDERSON 8
HERITAGE CHRISTIAN 14 IRVINGTON PREP 5
PENDLETON HEIGHTS 18 MOUNT VERNON 7
CONNERSVILLE 5 FRANKLIN COUNTY 2
HAMILTON HEIGHTS 23 LEWIS CASS 13
COLUMBUS NORTH 11 GREENWOOD 0
COWAN 7 UNION CITY 3
NOBLESVILLE 3 KOKOMO 0
SHELBYVILLE 19 DELTA 0
DANVILLE 16 SOUTHMONT 5
RUSHVILLE 11 TRITON CENTRAL 1
GREENFIELD CENTRAL 9 NEW PALESTINE 7
COVENANT CHRISTIAN 16 GUERIN CATHOLIC 9
EASTERN HANCOCK 10 UNION COUNTY 8
BROWNSBURG 3 PLAINFIELD 2
AVON 11 MCCUTCHEON 1
FISHERS 12 LEBANON 0
CENTER GROVE 10 WESTFIELD 0
COMPLETE SCOREBOARD: HTTPS://WWW.MAXPREPS.COM/IN/SOFTBALL/SCORES/?DATE=5/4/2023
NBA PLAYOFFS
GOLDEN STATE 127 LA LAKERS 100
NHL PLAYOFFS
FLORIDA 3 TORONTO 2
DALLAS 4 SEATTLE 2
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL SCOREBOARD
DETROIT 2 NY METS 0
TAMPA BAY 3 PITTSBURGH 2
LA ANGELS 11 ST. LOUIS 7
MINNESOTA 7 CHICAGO WHITE SOX 3 (12)
BALTIMORE 13 KANSAS CITY 10
SEATTLE 5 OAKLAND 3
BOSTON 11 TORONTO 5
WASHINGTON 4 CHICAGO CUBS 3
COLORADO 9 THE WALKING 6
ATLANTA 6 MIAMI 3
MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL SCORES
INDIANAPOLIS 5 TOLEDO 2
LAKE COUNTY 3 FORT WAYNE 2
FORT WAYNE 13 LAKE COUNTY 5
CEDAR RAPIDS 8 SOUTH BEND 1
COLLEGE BASEBALL SCORES
NOTRE DAME 9 NORTH CAROLINA STATE 7
TOP NATIONAL HEADLINES
NBA NEWS
THOMPSON SCORES 30, WARRIORS ADJUST TO BEAT LAKERS 127-100
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) After yet another big basket, Klay Thompson scurried toward the fans sitting courtside opposite the Warriors bench and raised his arms in the air to ignite an entire arena behind him. It didn’t take much the way his shots were falling.
He has been waiting his entire life to shine against his father’s Los Angeles Lakers on the big stage.
Thompson scored 30 points with eight 3-pointers, Golden State limited Anthony Davis while allowing LeBron James 23 points, and the defending champion Warriors evened their Western Conference semifinal with the Lakers at one game apiece with a 127-100 win Thursday night.
“I was just trying to get the crowd going,” Thompson said. “It’s always fun when you shoot the ball well, it’s even better when you couple that win a win.”
Stephen Curry added 20 points and 12 assists as Splash Brother Thompson got hot to help Golden State make 21 more 3-pointers – giving the Warriors an NBA record for most in the first two games of a playoff series at 42. James’ Cavaliers hit 40 against Atlanta in the 2016 second round.
“They made their adjustments. We knew they were going to do that, that’s what a championship team does,” James said. “They held serve on their home court tonight.”
Coach Steve Kerr switched things up and inserted JaMychal Green into the starting lineup for Kevon Looney, who had a career-high 23 rebounds in Game 1 but has been dealing with an illness. Kerr aimed to give a different look with scoring options and more free-throw chances by going hard with a physical presence against Davis in the paint – where Golden State got thoroughly outplayed in a 117-112 loss in the opener.
Thompson’s basket with 7:48 left in the third gave Golden State its biggest lead at 82-64 and the Warriors rolled from there.
“Klay got it going and our defense was kind of fueling our offense,” Kerr said.
The Warriors had more fast-break points and points in the paint. JaMychal Green matched his playoff career high with 15 points, while Draymond Green contributed 11 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists after insisting he had to get more aggressive.
“I’ve been waiting on this moment, just wanted to show that I could help,” JaMychal Green said. “They always tell me to stay ready, my time will come.”
The best-of-seven series shifts to Los Angeles for Game 3 on Saturday. Back home in Southern California, Thompson said he would play in the memory of “my biggest inspiration” Kobe Bryant and daughter, Gigi.
“I have so much respect for just the opportunity ahead for me,” Thompson said.
James shot 6 for 8 in the first with a pair of 3s for 14 points as the Lakers led 33-26. He retrieved a loose ball and let it fly for a pretty 3 with 7:47 before halftime but the Warriors were too much.
Davis followed up his brilliant Game 1 performance – 30 points, 23 rebounds, five assists and four blocked shots and 11-for-19 shooting – with 11 points while shooting 5 for 11, seven rebounds, four assists and three blocks.
“We played with more force,” Draymond Green said.
Golden State outscored the Lakers 84-47 over the second and third quarters – recording two 40-point quarters in the same playoff game for the first time in franchise history.
“It was hard for us to guard four shooters,” Lakers forward Rui Hachimura said. “Defensively they were more aggressive I feel like. They had all the loose balls and the rebounds and everything.”
Looney received huge roars as he came off the bench for his first action with 3:41 left in the first. He grabbed eight rebounds and scored six points playing just less than 12 minutes – and the Warriors still outboarded the Lakers 55-40 without its best rebounder.
“We’re capable of playing a lot of different ways, I’m capable of playing a lot of different ways,” Curry said.
Kerr was hardly worried ahead of Game 2, pointing to how Golden State lost Game 1 of the NBA Finals at home to Boston last year before winning it all.
The Warriors also rallied from a 2-0 deficit in their first-round series to beat Sacramento, the first defending champion to do so.
“You could tell, they came out just ready to try to secure a game,” Lakers coach Darvin Ham said, “and again not go back to our place down 0-2.”
KLAY’S DAY
Thompson shot 11 for 18 and 8 of 11 from deep. His 19 points in the first half were his most in a postseason contest since he scored 21 in Game 6 against the Rockets in 2019.
KEY SEQUENCE
The Warriors challenged an offensive foul call on Andrew Wiggins with James defending at the 2:50 mark of the second quarter. The call was overturned and a block assessed to James, and a Lakers assistant received a technical during the review process – and the Warriors converted all three free throws to lead 60-50 before Thompson’s 3 the next time down.
TIP-INS
Lakers: James was -27 through three quarters. The only time he had a worse plus-minus through three in a playoff game was Game 1 of a second-round series against the Pistons in 2006. … In a big change from Game 1, the Lakers didn’t take their first free throws until 1:03 before halftime and their four attempts matched their second-fewest in a first half this season.
Warriors: Moses Moody added 10 points and seven rebounds off the bench and Gary Payton II seven points and five boards as Golden State controlled the glass all game. … JaMychal Green earned his first playoff start since April 26, 2019, for the Clippers against the Warriors in Game 6 of the first round. “Two hours before game time Loon came down pretty ill,” Kerr said. … Golden State improved to 20-6 in Game 2s dating to the 2014-15 title run.
BUCKS FIRE BUDENHOLZER AS COACH AFTER EARLY PLAYOFF EXIT
MILWAUKEE (AP) The Milwaukee Bucks have fired coach Mike Budenholzer just over a week after their stunning first-round playoff loss to the Miami Heat spoiled a season in which they owned the NBA’s best record.
Budenholzer’s ouster comes just two years after he directed the Bucks to their first NBA title in half a century. The move also comes three weeks after the NBA finalized Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam’s purchase of a 25% stake in the team.
“The decision to make this change was very difficult,” Bucks general manager Jon Horst said Thursday in a statement announcing the move. “Bud helped lead our team for five incredible seasons, to the Bucks’ first title in 50 years, and into an era of sustained success. We are grateful for the culture of winning and leadership that Bud helped create in Milwaukee.
“This is an opportunity for us to refocus and re-energize our efforts as we continue building toward our next championship season.”
The Bucks posted the most combined regular-season and playoff wins of any team during Budenholzer’s tenure and had the league’s best regular-season record in three of his five seasons on the job. He posted a 271-120 regular-season record and 39-26 playoff mark in Milwaukee.
With a roster featuring two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, Budenholzer’s Bucks soared to heights the franchise hadn’t reached since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was wearing a Milwaukee uniform in the early 1970s.
But with the notable exception of that 2021 championship season, the Bucks couldn’t match their regular-season success in the postseason.
The Bucks didn’t reach the NBA Finals during any of the three seasons in which they had the league’s No. 1 playoff seed. They had a 2-0 lead over Toronto in the 2019 Eastern Conference finals before losing four straight. They lost 4-1 in the second round to the Miami Heat in the 2020 East semifinals at the Walt Disney World playoff bubble.
This year’s playoff exit was particularly devastating.
The Bucks suffered fourth-quarter collapses in each of their last two games and lost 4-1 to the eighth-seeded Heat. They were just the sixth No. 1 seed to lose to a No. 8 seed in the opening round, and the only No. 1 seed that failed to win more than one playoff game.
“There’s a ton of disappointment when your season ends, no matter how it happens,” Budenholzer said afterward. “It’s a hard feeling. It’s a disappointing feeling.”
Milwaukee owned a 12-point lead at Miami in Game 4 before getting outscored 30-13 over the last six minutes of a 119-114 loss in which the Heat’s Jimmy Butler scored 56 points. They were up 16 at home to start the fourth quarter of Game 5, but lost 128-126 in overtime after Butler made a tying basket with half a second left in regulation.
Budenholzer, 53, acknowledged the Bucks should have called a timeout after Butler’s tying basket, giving them a chance to make a buzzer beater that could have prevented overtime. The Bucks also declined to call a timeout when they got the ball back while trailing by two points in the closing seconds of overtime, and they weren’t able to attempt a shot before the game ended.
Antetokounmpo said after the game the Bucks didn’t make enough adjustments in how they defended Butler, who averaged 37.6 points in the series.
Antetokounmpo, who was playing with a bruised lower back, said he would have liked more opportunities to guard Butler.
The removal of Budenholzer comes as the Bucks enter a critical offseason. Brook Lopez, a finalist for the NBA defensive player of the year award this season, is a free agent. Three-time All-Star Khris Middleton could become a free agent as well if he doesn’t pick up his $40.4 million player option for 2023-24.
Budenholzer’s exit means that three of the last four NBA champions have since fired their coaches.
Nick Nurse led Toronto to the 2019 title but was ousted last month after the Raptors’ season ended with a loss to the Chicago Bulls in a play-in game. Frank Vogel coached the Los Angeles Lakers to the 2020 championship and was fired after missing the playoffs last season. The exception is Steve Kerr, coach of the defending champion Golden State Warriors.
“On the one hand, we all know what we’re getting into when we get into this business,” Kerr said Thursday when he was asked about Budenholzer’s firing. “So my first response is not necessarily shock, it’s more disappointment because Bud is a fantastic coach… just won a championship and has been wildly successful in his coaching career. But this is the business we’re in.”
Budenholzer’s teams had some bad luck with injuries during the postseason.
Middleton sprained his left medial collateral ligament in Game 2 of an opening-round series with the Chicago Bulls last year and missed the rest of the playoffs as the Bucks ended up losing their second-round matchup with the Boston Celtics in seven games.
Antetokounmpo sprained his ankle in Game 4 against Miami in 2020 and missed the rest of that series, though the Bucks already trailed 3-0 when he got hurt. Antetokounmpo exited Game 1 of this year’s Heat series with the back issue that caused him to miss Games 2 and 3. The Bucks won the 2021 title even though a hyperextended knee prevented Antetokounmpo from playing the final two games of the Eastern Conference finals with the Atlanta Hawks..
Budenholzer came to Milwaukee after going 213-197 in five seasons with Atlanta. He was an assistant coach with the San Antonio Spurs from 1996-2013 and was on Gregg Popovich’s staff for four championship seasons (1999, 2003, 2005, 2007).
HEAT STILL WAITING TO SEE IF BUTLER CAN PLAY IN GAME 3
MIAMI (AP) NBA playoff scoring leader Jimmy Butler was with the Miami Heat for their film session Thursday, without any clarity yet if his sprained ankle will be healed enough for him to play in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series against the New York Knicks on Saturday.
And if Heat coach Erik Spoelstra has an answer, he’s not tipping his hand.
“No update. … I’m not going to get into all the minutiae of it,” Spoelstra said. “When we find out how he is feeling on Saturday, we’ll let you know. That’s what the deal is.”
Butler missed Game 2 of the series – a 111-105 win for the Knicks – because of the ankle, which he sprained with about 5 minutes left in Miami’s Game 1 victory at Madison Square Garden.
It was only the fourth game Butler has missed since the last week of January, and two of those were the final two games of the regular season with the Heat locked into the play-in tournament at that point.
Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau, after Game 2, made clear that his team will be ready for a Butler comeback.
“You already know the answer to that,” Thibodeau said. “We will. That’s sort of the nature of the beast right now for everyone. You go in, you know guys are nicked-up this time of the year and so there’s always possibilities that guys could be in or out. … If Jimmy’s available, then we’ll have a plan for him.”
The training room has been a busy place this week for Miami, which has already lost shooting guard Victor Oladipo (knee) for the remainder of the season and shooting guard Tyler Herro (hand) for several more weeks. Wing players Max Strus and Caleb Martin both were dealing with some back pain at times in Game 2, though were able to finish the game.
“I’m good,” Strus said Thursday. “Nothing’s wrong with me.”
Having Wednesday, Thursday and Friday with no games sounds like a needed breather for both sides. New York’s Julius Randle returned in Game 2 from an ankle sprain, and point guard Jalen Brunson has been playing through an ankle issue.
Brunson “didn’t do much” in practice on Thursday, Thibodeau said, noting his status is day-to-day.
“I think the time off does us well, does us justice,” Heat guard Kyle Lowry said. “We’re not complaining about it at all. I think it’s good for our team. I think it’s good for our brains to kind of get a little bit of a break from it, but we still can get the mental reps and all that stuff, so it’s good from that aspect.”
Lowry indicated that he wouldn’t be surprised if Butler tries to play.
“I know how competitive he is,” Lowry said. “I would be optimistic, but who knows. Honestly, we’ve got to go day by day with Jimmy, so we’ll see what happens on Saturday at 3:30.”
Going back to the final two games of last season’s Eastern Conference finals, Butler has been on a playoff tear. He’s averaged 36.9 points – and 40.5 minutes – in his last eight postseason games, on 57% shooting from the field while averaging 7.4 rebounds and 4.6 assists.
In the six playoff games so far this season, he’s averaging the league-best 35.5 points on 59% shooting, with 6.8 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game. Included in that: a career-high 56-point effort against Milwaukee in Game 4 of Round 1, followed by a 42-point outburst two nights later as the Heat became the first No. 8 seed in NBA history to lose no more than one game on the way to beating a No. 1 seed.
Butler’s 35.5-point average is just ahead of Phoenix’s Devin Booker, who will take a 35.4-point-per-game average in these playoffs into Game 3 of the Suns’ Western Conference semifinal series against Denver on Friday.
CELTICS LOOK TO WREST HOMECOURT ADVANTAGE BACK FROM 76ERS
The Philadelphia 76ers overcame the absence of Joel Embiid to win the opener of their Eastern Conference semifinal series before failing to show up in his return for Game 2.
The third-seeded 76ers bid for a better all-around effort with the newly minted NBA MVP in tow for Game 3 on Friday when they host the second-seeded Boston Celtics.
Sporting a brace over his sprained right knee, Embiid battled rust before finishing with 15 points and five blocks in 27 minutes during the 76ers’ 121-87 setback on Wednesday.
Embiid was playing in his first contest since sustaining the injury in Game 3 of the first-round series versus the Brooklyn Nets. He sat out the clinching contest of the series sweep as well as Game 1 of this set, a 119-115 victory for the 76ers on Monday.
“I felt pretty good to play and I felt like I could help the team,” said Embiid, who averaged a league-best 33.1 points in the regular season.
“I feel like I just got this out the way. Disappointed by the loss. But that’s a step toward getting back to myself.”
The 76ers didn’t look like themselves in terms of their 3-point shooting on Wednesday. After making 17 shots from beyond the arc in the series opener, they converted just 1 of 13 attempts in the first half of Game 2 and finished 6 of 30 for the contest.
James Harden made just 2 of 14 shots from the floor and misfired on all six attempts from 3-point range to finish with 12 points. By comparison, Harden sank 7 of 14 attempts from beyond the arc to highlight his 45-point outburst in the series opener.
“Our spacing wasn’t right and this is a make-or-miss league,” Harden said, per the Philadelphia Inquirer. “… For us, we’ve just got to do a better job of knowing where we are on the floor and just allowing each other to have space and to generate shots — easier shots.”
Jaylen Brown appeared to have no issue finding his shot. He scored 13 of Boston’s first 18 points and finished with 25 for the game on Wednesday.
NBA Sixth Man of the Year recipient Malcolm Brogdon sank six 3-pointers to highlight his 23-point performance off the bench for the Celtics.
Boston seized control of Wednesday’s game by outscoring Philadelphia 35-16 in the third quarter. The Celtics made 46.7 percent of their shots from the floor and 39.2 percent from 3-point range to even the series.
“They came in here and they got one on us on our home court,” Marcus Smart told the Boston Herald. “We definitely want to send a message going back to Philly.”
Part of that message was limiting their mistakes. The Celtics followed up their 16-turnover performance in the series opener by committing just seven in Game 2.
“Hostile environment. But it should be fun,” Brown said. “We should all be excited to embrace that challenge.”
Jayson Tatum likely will be up for the challenge after turning in a lackluster performance in Game 2.
Tatum found himself in early foul trouble and finished with just seven points in 19 minutes. He recorded career-high averages in points (30.1), rebounds (8.8) and assists (4.6) during the regular season.
NHL PLAYOFFS
PANTHERS BEAT MAPLE LEAFS 3-2, TAKE 2-GAME LEAD IN SERIES
TORONTO (AP) The Florida Panthers took advantage of crucial mistakes by the Toronto Maple Leafs, and now lead their second-round playoff series 2-0.
Sergei Bobrovsky made 35 saves and the Panthers defeated the Maple Leafs 3-2 on Thursday night.
“Disappointing, baffling,” Toronto coach Sheldon Keefe said. “We didn’t make those mistakes one time in the last series.”
Anton Lundell had a goal and an assist, and Aleksander Barkov and Gustav Forsling also scored for Florida.
Ryan O’Reilly and Alexander Kerfoot scored for Toronto, which blew an early 2-0 lead. Ilya Samsonov stopped 26 shots.
″(Go) back home, look in the mirror,” Samsonov added. “And ask what I need to do more? This is what we need to do – everybody.”
The best-of-seven series shifts to Sunrise, Florida, for Game 3 on Sunday. Game 4 is scheduled for Wednesday.
The Panthers are in the midst of an impressive run, taking a two-game lead in the series after eliminating the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Boston Bruins in seven games, including three times on the road.
“It’s perspective,” Panthers head coach Paul Maurice said. “That’s five games in nine nights of as intense, emotional pressure you can put on a hockey team. We’ve been on an airplane for a while. We didn’t think we had much in our legs.
“It was just about character and it was just about fighting through it and battling.”
Toronto led 2-1 following a spirited, chippy first period. Trouble found the Maple Leafs in the second.
Barkov tied the game 19 seconds into the period on a long shot for his second goal of the postseason. Less than a minute later, there was some sloppy play by Toronto in the defensive zone when Mitch Marner flipped an ill-advised pass to Auston Matthews, who couldn’t get it out of the zone.
Florida quickly countered as Forsling finished off a setup by Matthew Tkachuk – his fourth of the series – for his second and a 3-2 lead.
“We’re not just running around like animals,” Panthers winger Matthew Tkachuk said. “We’re just trying to play our identity.”
The Maple Leafs took a while to recover before Nylander hit the post with a shot that also hit Bobrovsky in the back and stayed out. Florida defenseman Brandon Montour then hit the post at the other end.
Toronto captain John Tavares had a great chance in front before Josh Mahura took a Nylander shot off the visor that left a trail of blood on the ice as he exited for the locker room. The Panthers defenseman returned for the third period.
Toronto came out for the third with plenty of urgency, but couldn’t solve Bobrovsky, who has started to rediscover his Vezina Trophy-winning form in these playoffs after losing the starting job late in the regular season to third-stringer Alex Lyon.
Tavares was stopped in alone and Nylander hit another post. The Maple Leafs winger was also denied in tight with five minutes left in regulation.
Toronto continued to press with Samsonov on the bench for an extra attacker, but couldn’t beat Bobrovsky.
“Not an ideal spot,” Tavares said of his team’s predicament. “A chance to regroup here and look forward to getting on the road. Going to be a tough test, but one we’ve got to raise our level.”
Toronto dropped the series opener 4-2 at Scotiabank Arena, but got off to a fast start Thursday when Kerfoot scored on the rebound of a Luke Schenn point shot for his second at 2:20 of the first.
Unable to connect on two early power plays in Game 1, the Maple Leafs made it 2-0 on a man advantage at 5:10 when Marner found O’Reilly, who scored his third on a one-timer.
The Panthers, who beat the record-setting Boston Bruins in seven games to make the second round, started to push back as the period wore on.
Florida responded at 11:13 when Lundell scored his first after linemate Eetu Luostarinen crushed Leafs defenseman Timothy Liljegren behind Samsonov’s net and Tavares fell.
TORONTO’S KNIES HURT The Maple Leafs lost forward Matthew Knies to injury after he was roughed up behind the net by Florida’s Sam Bennett midway through the first period and did not return to the game after the break.
Bennett bodychecked Knies into the boards and used his right arm to drive him downward as both players fell to the ice. Knies appeared dazed after the play and was slow to get to his feet.
“I don’t have an update on his status,” Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe said. “Obviously he didn’t complete the game so that’s not positive. In terms of the hit, I’m not going to comment on that.”
The team announced early in the second period that Knies would not return. Specifics on the injury were not revealed.
MATTHEWS ON THE MARK
Matthews assisted on O’Reilly’s first-period goal, giving him points in eight straight games and matching a franchise record previously shared by Gary Roberts (2002), Doug Gilmour (1993) and Gary Leeman (1986).
GET KRAKEN
Toronto defenseman Mark Giordano – the first captain in Seattle Kraken history – has been keeping tabs on his old team’s run in the playoffs.
The second-year franchise finished 30th in last year’s standings, but secured the Western Conference’s first wild-card spot this spring before upsetting the defending Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche in seven games in the first round.
“The foundation was laid in place last year,” said Giordano, acquired by Toronto prior to the 2022 trade deadline. “They also made some huge additions and really helped their team.”
PAVELSKI SCORES AGAIN, STARS BEAT KRAKEN 4-2 TO EVEN SERIES
DALLAS (AP) Joe Pavelski wasn’t alone scoring in his second game back, and the Dallas Stars got even in their first-round series against Seattle.
“Everybody was good,” coach Pete DeBoer said. “In Game 1, Joe Pavelski was great. Tonight, we didn’t have any passengers.”
Pavelski scored his fifth goal in two games since returning from concussion protocol, getting an assist from Wyatt Johnston, his 19-year-old rookie housemate who also scored a goal. Evgenii Dadonov added a nifty wraparound goal and Tyler Seguin also scored and had an assist for the Stars in their 4-2 win over the Kraken on Thursday night.
“It’s been a weird few weeks at the Pavelski household,” Johnston said. “I’m just trying to do my best to learn off of Joe. I mean, just kind of seeing what he’s done in these these two games. It’s pretty unbelievable.”
In the Stars’ 5-4 overtime loss in Game 1, Pavelski scored all four of their goals. That was the 38-year-old forward’s first game since banging his head hard on the ice after a big hit in the opener of the Minnesota series April. 17.
But just as they did in the first round against Minnesota – this time with Pavelski – the Stars bounced back from an overtime loss at home in the series opener and got even before hitting the road.
Game 3 is Sunday night in Seattle.
“We didn’t get to our game long enough tonight at any point in time,” Kraken coach Dave Hakstol said. “We had a couple of spurts. We were fine in the first period, you knew the first couple of shifts were going to be a momentum push by them.. … We didn’t generate a whole lot.”
Jake Oettinger had 25 saves for the Stars. Philipp Grubauer stopped 33 shots.
Before Pavelski’s latest goal, Tye Kartye got the Kraken within 2-1 on a break when he took a long pass off the boards from Vince Dunn and got the shot around defenseman Miro Heiskanen to score.
Jordan Eberle also scored for the Kraken.
Johnston, who has lived with Pavelski’s family this season, set up his mentor’s power-play goal when he initially whiffed at the puck before whipping around and sending it into the laid-out stick of Grubauer. Pavelski was there for the rebound and put the Stars up 3-1 with 3:03 left in the middle period.
“It was pretty cool to be able to have an assist on his goal,” Johnston said. “Just a cool moment.”
Johnston’s second career playoff goal came right after the end of a power play earlier in the second period for 1-0 lead. His 24 goals in the regular season tied for the NHL rookie lead.
Colin Miller had taken the shot from the top of the circle to the right of the net after he had gotten a cross-ice pass from Max Domi from the opposite circle. Johnston initially got his blade on the puck, knocking in his own rebound after it ricocheted off Grubauer’s chest.
Dadonov, a trade deadline addition, got his fourth goal of the playoffs when he skated around the net and sent the puck sliding across the line – and finally over it – for a 2-0 lead and the middle of their three goals in the second period.
“They pressed hard. I think they played a lot more together than we did, and that’s where we saw ourselves get exposed,” Dunn said. “I think we made the game a lot harder than it needs to be on each other.”
Seguin put the Stars up 4-1 with his fifth goal this postseason, the first at even strength, midway through the third period. The veteran center is the only Dallas player who has won a Stanley Cup – as a 19-year-old rookie for Boston in 2011.
NOTES: Pavelski extended his record for U.S.-born players to 69 career playoff goals. That is third among active players, trailing on Alex Ovechkin’s 72 and Sidney Crosby’s 71. … Stars captain Jamie Dixon and Kraken defenseman Jamie Oleksiak both got holding penalties in the game’s opening minute after the former teammates were tangled together on the ice in the corner. Oleksiak, the Stars’ first-round pick in the 2011 who played parts of nine seasons in Dallas, was selected by the Kraken in the expansion draft two years ago.
MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
MICHIGAN TRANSFER DICKINSON HEADED TO KANSAS NEXT SEASON
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) All-American forward Hunter Dickinson, arguably the top player in the transfer portal after deciding to leave Michigan, said in a social media post Thursday that he was headed to Kansas for the upcoming season.
Dickinson chose the Jayhawks after visits to Villanova, Kentucky, Maryland and Georgetown.
The 7-foot-1 center led the Wolverines to a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament and a trip to the Elite Eight as a freshman during the 2020-21 season. Dickinson averaged 18.6 points in helping them reach the Sweet 16 two years ago and 18.5 points and a career-best 9.0 rebounds last season, when he was voted an honorable mention All-American.
“The initial decision for me to enter the portal was the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make,” Dickinson said in confirming Wednesday night that he would not return to Michigan, which had been a possibility. “The thought of potentially leaving the place I love and called home for three years was and is extraordinarily difficult to process. After conversations with my family and a lot of time in thought, I realized entering the portal was the best decision for myself and my future.”
Dickinson had been quiet throughout his closely watched recruitment, though he did say on the “RoundBall” podcast this week that deciding where he would play next season had been weighing heavily on him.
“If I knew where I was going, I would have happily made the decision sooner,” he said. “I really am struggling trying to pick a school. The good thing about all this is, all my options, I feel like if I went there, I would succeed. But it’s just trying to figure out which one out of them is the best and the one I’m most comfortable at, stuff like that.”
Turns out that answer was Kansas.
With him in the fold, the Jayhawks suddenly become one of the national title favorites heading into next season. They return starting point guard Dajuan Harris Jr., versatile forward KJ Adams and have added former five-star guard Arterio Morris from Texas and Towson sharp-shooter Nick Timberlake to go with one of the nation’s best freshman classes.
Elmarko Jackson and Jamari McDowell are 6-foot-3 guards capable of running the point or playing off the ball, Chris Johnson is a touted 6-6 wing and Markus Adams Jr. is a 6-8 inside-outside forward. Jackson and Johnson are both top-10 prospects.
NFL NEWS
NEW YORK, CALIFORNIA PROBING WORKPLACE DISCRIMINATION AT NFL
NEW YORK (AP) The attorneys general of New York and California announced Thursday that they are investigating allegations of workplace discrimination at the NFL, citing lawsuits filed by employees that describe sex, racial and age bias, sexual harassment, and a hostile work environment.
Attorneys General Letitia James, of New York, and Rob Bonta, of California, said they have issued subpoenas to NFL executives as part of an examination into the workplace culture at the the league’s corporate offices in both states.
The officials, both Democrats, said they are exercising their legal authority to seek information from the NFL regarding allegations of gender pay disparities, harassment, and gender and racial discrimination.
The investigation focuses on the league’s corporate offices, not specific teams or players.
“No person should ever have to endure harassment, discrimination, or objectification in the workplace,” James said in a statement. Bonta said he and James have “serious concerns about the NFL’s role in creating an extremely hostile and detrimental work environment.”
The league said it would cooperate with the investigation but called the allegations “entirely inconsistent with the NFL’s values and practices.”
“The NFL offices are places where employees of all genders, races and backgrounds thrive. We do not tolerate discrimination in any form,” league officials said in a statement.
James and Bonta cited a 2022 New York Times story that detailed allegations of gender discrimination by more than 30 former female NFL employees.
The women described a sexist culture at the NFL that they said persisted despite promises of reform that Commissioner Roger Goodell made after the 2014 release of a video that showed Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice punching his fiancee.
One former NFL executive, Theresa Locklear, who held the position of director of business intelligence and optimization, told the Times that after the Rice video became public, managers were told to speak to their staffs about the video and the league’s response to it.
Locklear said that when she met with her team, a male employee, Aaron Jones, argued that Rice’s fiancée was partly at fault because she had egged Rice on, and other men on the call seemed to agree.
Jones told the Times that he had never spoken to Locklear about Rice and would never have argued that a woman was to blame for her assault.
The attorneys general also cited a lawsuit filed this year in Los Angeles Superior Court by Jennifer Love, a former director for NFL Enterprises, who attributed her 2022 layoff to retaliation for her complaints of “pervasive sexism” and a “boys’ club” mentality.
NFL spokesperson Alex Riethmiller said the league had no comment on the Love’s lawsuit.
The wide-ranging investigation by New York and California officials into employment practices at the NFL appears to be unprecedented, although complaints of race and sex discrimination have dogged the league and individual teams.
The Washington Commanders, owner Dan Snyder, the NFL and Goodell were sued by the attorney general for the District of Columbia in November for colluding to deceive fans by lying about an inquiry into “sexual misconduct and a persistently hostile work environment” within the team. D.C. and Maryland also investigated and settled with the team over withholding fans’ season-ticket deposit money.
Fired Miami Dolphins coach Brian Flores filed a federal lawsuit against the NFL and three teams last year over alleged racist hiring practices for coaches and general managers, saying the league remains “rife with racism.”
The NFL has said Flores’ claims are without merit.
AP SOURCE: GIANTS, LAWRENCE AGREE ON $90 MILLION EXTENSION
(AP) — The New York Giants and defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence have agreed to terms on a four-year, $90 million contract extension, according to a person with knowledge of the deal.
Lawrence, who had not participated in the team’s voluntary offseason workouts while waiting for the deal, agreed Thursday to the massive contract, the person told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the Giants had not announced the extension.
The deal averages $22.5 million per year, tying Lawrence with Washington’s Daron Payne as the third-highest paid defensive tackle in the league based on annual salary, behind only the Los Angeles Rams’ Aaron Donald ($31.7 million per year) and Tennessee’s Jeffery Simmons ($23.5 million per year).
The Giants picked up the fifth-year option on Lawrence’s rookie contract last offseason, and the big D-lineman had a breakout season that included a career-high 7 1/2 sacks. He was selected a second-team All-Pro and made his first Pro Bowl.
Lawrence was the 17th overall pick out of Clemson by the Giants in 2019. He has 16 1/2 career sacks, 58 quarterback hits, 21 tackles for loss and four forced fumbles in four seasons.
MLB
MLB ROUNDUP: ORIOLES SCORE 13, TAKE ANOTHER SERIES
The Baltimore Orioles took the rubber game from the host Kansas City Royals 13-10 on Thursday afternoon to collect their seventh straight series victory.
After mounting an 8-1 advantage in the third, the Orioles surrendered the lead on eight straight Royals runs. Baltimore’s Ramon Urias, who came on as a pinch hitter, made the most of his two at-bats, driving in four runs on hits in the eighth and ninth.
Anthony Santander and Gunnar Henderson hit two-run home runs and Cedric Mullins added a bases-clearing double in Baltimore’s attack. Yennier Cano (1-0) earned the win with two innings of scoreless relief.
The Royals rallied against Orioles rookie starter Grayson Rodriguez as Freddy Fermin hit his first career homer and Salvador Perez added a two-run shot. In the fourth, Kyle Isbel connected for his first homer, knocking Rodriguez out after 3 2/3 innings. The Royals grabbed a 9-8 lead in the seventh as Isbel tied the game on a bunt single and Bobby Witt followed with his third hit, an RBI single.
Braves 6, Marlins 3
Marcell Ozuna homered for the third time in two games against his former team as Atlanta completed a three-game sweep of host Miami.
Braves star Ronald Acuna Jr. left the game in the seventh inning due to an apparent sore knee. He fouled a ball off his left knee in the sixth and finished the inning. Jorge Soler, a former Brave, belted a two-run homer for the Marlins.
Braves left-hander Dylan Dodd (2-1), who had a 7.71 ERA entering Thursday, gave Atlanta a quality start by allowing eight hits, three walks and three runs in six innings. Dodd filled in for Max Fried, who was moved one day back in the rotation. Marlins left-hander Jesus Luzardo (2-2) allowed seven hits, three walks and four runs (three earned). He struck out five.
Nationals 4, Cubs 3
Alex Call led off the bottom of the ninth inning with a home run on the first pitch to give Washington a walk-off victory against visiting Chicago in the finale of a four-game series.
It was a dramatic ending after a splendid pitching performance from Washington starter Patrick Corbin nearly went for naught. Call hit the only pitch thrown by Brad Boxberger (0-1).
Lane Thomas hit a three-run home in the second inning for the Nationals, who have their first three-game winning streak of the season by winning the final three games of the series.
Angels 11, Cardinals 7
Luis Rengifo drove in four runs on three hits, including a three-run homer, as Los Angeles outslugged host St. Louis to complete a three-game sweep.
Matt Thaiss and Zach Neto each drove in two runs for the Angels, who won their fourth straight game and the seventh in their last nine. Rengifo also scored twice. Every Angels starting position player collected at least one hit as the team totaled 16.
Tommy Edman hit a three-run homer, and Willson Contreras and Paul Goldschmidt drove in two runs each for the Cardinals, who lost their sixth straight game and ninth in 10 games.
Tigers 2, Mets 0
Eduardo Rodriguez outdueled Justin Verlander in the latter’s New York season debut and host Detroit completed a three-game series sweep.
Rodriguez (3-2) allowed just two singles and a walk while striking out nine in eight innings. The left-hander has allowed just two runs in his last five starts, spanning 34 2/3 innings. Riley Greene and Javier Baez hit back-to-back homers in the first inning, and that was all the support Rodriguez needed.
Verlander (0-1) opened the season on the injured list with a teres major muscle strain. He signed a two-year contract with the Mets as a free agent this offseason. After the first inning, he settled in and wound up allowing five hits in five innings while recording five strikeouts.
Rays 3, Pirates 2
Zach Eflin threw seven shutout innings to help host Tampa Bay complete a three-game sweep of Pittsburgh. Eflin (4-0) allowed three hits, struck out 10, including seven looking, and didn’t walk a batter.
Taylor Walls, Randy Arozarena and Yandy Diaz provided all the run support with solo home runs for the Rays, who have won six of seven and held the Pirates to four runs in the series.
Vince Velasquez (4-3) pitched three innings for Pittsburgh before departing with soreness in his throwing elbow. He allowed one run and two hits, striking out two and walking one. The Pirates have lost a season-high four in a row.
Twins 7, White Sox 3 (12 innings)
Nick Gordon had an RBI double and Jorge Polanco added a two-run single to highlight a five-run 12th inning and lead Minnesota over host Chicago.
Byron Buxton and Carlos Correa each homered for the Twins, who snapped a two-game losing streak. Emilio Pagan (2-0) struck out two during a hitless inning of relief to pick up the win.
Eloy Jimenez went 3-for-5 with a home run and three RBIs and Luis Robert Jr. and Hanser Alberto each doubled for Chicago, which had a three-game winning streak snapped and finished 1-for-16 with runners in scoring position.
Red Sox 11, Blue Jays 5
Masataka Yoshida went 3-for-5 with a first-inning home run, three RBIs and three runs while Rafael Devers also went deep to help Boston complete a four-game sweep of visiting Toronto.
The Red Sox put up a series-high 16 hits — delivering one more hit in each successive game of the series after 13 on Monday. Justin Turner, Devers and Jarren Duran added three apiece as the Nos. 2 through 5 spots in Boston’s lineup went a combined 12-for-20 with nine RBIs. Devers hit his 150th career homer and American League-leading 11th this season to highlight the team’s three-run eighth
Bo Bichette, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (double, home run, two RBIs) and Daulton Varsho had two hits apiece for the Blue Jays.
Rockies 9, Brewers 6
Kris Bryant, Charlie Blackmon and Mike Moustakas had two hits apiece, and Colorado beat Milwaukee in Denver to sweep the three-game series and win its fourth straight.
Brad Hand (1-1) pitched the eighth to get the win for the Rockies, who rallied from down four runs with four runs in the seventh and five in the eighth.
Christian Yelich homered among his three hits, and Rowdy Tellez and Tyrone Taylor also went deep for the Brewers. Brian Anderson had three hits and Victor Caratini and Jesse Winker had two hits apiece for Milwaukee.
Mariners 5, Athletics 3
Kolten Wong broke a tie with a two-run single, George Kirby overcame a shaky start to throw seven effective innings, and Seattle completed a three-game road sweep over Oakland.
Taylor Trammell drove in three runs — two on a third-inning home run — for the Mariners, who trailed 1-0, then 3-2 before a decisive three-run fourth inning. George Kirby (3-2) allowed three runs and seven hits in his seven-inning start.
JJ Bleday homered for Oakland and Esteury Ruiz smacked an RBI triple as the A’s bullpen gave its team a shot with 5 1/3 innings of three-hit, no run relief. Bleday and Ramon Laureano had two hits apiece for the A’s, who completed a 1-5 homestand.
TOP INDIANA RELEASES
INDIANS BASEBALL
TOLEDO, Ohio – Behind top pitching prospect Quinn Priester’s six shutout innings, the Indianapolis Indians beat the Toledo Mud Hens for their second win in a row at Fifth Third Field on Thursday night, 5-2.
Priester (W, 2-3) strung together the best start he’s had since joining the Indians rotation during the final month of the 2022 season. The 22-year-old right-hander allowed just two hits across his six shutout frames, striking out four and not walking a single Mud Hen. Priester was also effectively efficient, getting through six innings on just 74 pitches.
The Indians (12-17) jumped ahead on back-to-back pitches in the second inning against Mud Hens starter Ashton Goudeau (L, 1-2). In an 0-1 count, left fielder Cal Mitchell turned on an inside fastball and hit a solo home run to straight-away right field for his second homer of the year. On the very next pitch, second baseman Aaron Shackelford took a belt-high fastball and parked it 438 feet from home plate for his second home run of the year as well. Shackelford’s home run left his bat at 110 miles-per-hour.
In the fourth, the Indians supplied even more cushion for Priester thanks to a two-run double down the right field line from center fielder Chavez Young and a sacrifice fly from shortstop Vinny Capra. Toledo (18-11) struck for two late runs against the Indians bullpen in the eighth inning, but left-hander Angel Perdomo slammed the door on the threat to get the Indians out of the inning. Indianapolis reliever Colin Selby (S, 1) put the Mud Hens down in a hitless ninth collect his first save of the season.
With a dribbling ground ball on the left side of the infield in the middle innings, Indians right fielder Josh Palacios extended his hitting streak to nine games. Palacios’ streak is the second-longest active hitting streak in the International League, just one game behind Nashville’s Keston Hiura. Shackelford’s second inning home run was just one of his three hits on the night, as he finished a triple shy of the cycle.
The Indians and Mud Hens play the fourth of their six-game series at Fifth Third Field on Friday night at 7:05 PM ET. Luis Ortiz (2-1, 2.45), the Indians’ Player of the Month for April, gets the ball for Indianapolis, while right-hander Brenan Hanifee (0-0, 4.13) opposes for Toledo.
INDIANA BASEBALL
EVANSTON, Ill. – A road series at Northwestern awaits the Indiana baseball program in week seven of the nine-week Big Ten slate. The three-game series will open at 4 p.m. ET on Friday (May 5) at Rocky and Berenice Miller Park.
Indiana (31-14, 9-6 B1G) was swept last weekend by conference-leading Maryland, while Northwestern (8-31, 3-12 B1G) dropped all three games at Michigan State before a 17-7 win over UIC on the road in midweek action.
Quick Hitter
Indiana and Northwestern will meet for the third straight season and 196th time overall on Friday in Evanston. IU owns a 115-77-3 edge on the all-time ledger.
The Hoosiers have won 22 of 26 home games in 2023. Its 15-straight wins to open the season marks the longest home winning streak in Bart Kaufman Field history and the second-longest streak in program history.
Senior Phillip Glasser enters the week with a 45-game reached base and has 23 multi-hit games in that span. The 45-game reached base streak is tied for the longest by a Hoosier since at least 2005.
Glasser is also among the top-50 active hitters in a bevy of categories, including No. 6 with 259 career hits.
Fellow freshmen Tyler Cerny (freshman) and Ethan Phillips (pitcher) each earned B1G “of the week” honors after their roles in a five-win week from April 17-23.
Freshman Devin Taylor carried a 32-game reached base streak that spanned Feb. 25-April 28, which is the longest streak for an IU freshman since at least 2005.
Taylor earned his third B1G Freshman of the Week award on April 17 and joined some exclusive company at IU and the Big Ten in the process.
Sophomore Luke Sinnard struck out 12 Iowa batters over six scoreless innings for his second career double-digit strikeout game of the season.
Sinnard owns the top two strikeout games in the Big Ten in 2023 and has five of the top seven punchout games in the conference.
Head coach Jeff Mercer became the eighth IU skipper to reach 100 victories in the cream and crimson with a series finale win at Auburn on February 19, 2023. He then won his 200th career game as a head coach at Illinois on April 15.
Scouting the Opponents
Northwestern enters the weekend with an 8-31 overall record and a 3-12 mark in Big Ten play. The Wildcats have lost the last three Big Ten series but have won a midweek game each of the last three weeks.
Offensively, Northwestern has 13 players with at least 16 starts on the season, with just five starting 30-or-more games.
Senior Stephen Hrustich leads the team in RBIs (26) and walks (22). He is the lone every day starter hitting over .300 with a .317 batting average.
Graduate Griffin Arnone leads the team with seven home runs and has 21 RBIs to go along with that. Sophomore Alex Calarco paces the team with 16 doubles and 42 hits.
Graduate Michael Farinelli has started 10 games and owns a 2-7 record and 9.31 ERA. Over 38 2/3 innings, he has allowed 10 home runs and a near 3-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
Junior Matt McClure leads the team with 53 innings of work over 11 starts. He also owns a team-high 35 strikeouts.
Inside the Series
Northwestern won the season series in 2022, but Indiana continues to lead the all-time series with a 115-77-3 edge in 195 meetings between the two teams.
The Hoosiers own the three longest unbeaten streaks in the series, including a series-best 11-game streak from 2013-21. IU also has a 10-game unbeaten streak (9-0-1; 1928-44) and a 10-game winning streak (1995-2000).
Three of Indiana’s highest-scoring Big Ten games have come against Northwestern. Of the 15 conference games with 19-plus runs scored, IU has games of 22, 20 and 19 versus the Wildcats.
In the series, 71 of the games have been decided by one run (or tied). IU is 42-28-3 in those contests, including two of three games in 2022.
Since 1940, Indiana has posted a 40-33 record in games played in Evanston. The Hoosiers have won each of the last four series at Northwestern (2021, 2017, 2012 and 2010).
INDIANA SOFTBALL
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana softball (37-15, 15-5 B1G) travels to Michigan (24-18, 10-7 B1G) to compete in their final road match up of the regular season at Carol Hutchins Stadium this weekend in Ann Arbor, Mich.
LAST TIME OUT
Indiana (37-15, 15-5) earned their fifth conference sweep against Michigan.
Freshman Taryn Kern earned Big Ten Freshman of the Week after hitting .500 on the weekend with a 1.250 slugging percentage and a 1.583 OPS with two hits, five walks and three hit by pitch.
Redshirt-Junior Cora Bassett hit .500, recording six hits including one triple and one home run for two RBI, highlighted by her third leadoff homer of the season in the series finale. She held a .917 slugging percentage with a .538 on-base percentage for a 1.455 OPS.
Sophomore pitcher Brianna Copeland picked up two wins against the Wolverines and holds an 18-2 record inside the circle.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
Michigan State (14-29, 4-16 B1G) won the series against Purdue last weekend (9-8, 4-0, and 2-4).
Sophomore pitcher Faith Guidry tossed the Spartans’ 24th no-hitter against the Boilermakers. She leads MSU inside the circle with 101 innings pitched, with a 4.44 ERA and has tallied 55 strikeouts with a 5-11 record on the season.
Guidry tossed a one-hit shutout against Northwestern and two no-hitters against Purdue on the season.
Senior outfielder Jessica Mabrey is hitting a .325 on the season on 41 hits and 21 RBI. She holds a 1.013 OPS.
The Spartans are batting .247 on the season with 262 hits for 262 runs. They have tallied 47 doubles, 10 triples and 16 home runs with 125 RBI.
SERIES NOTES
The Hoosiers lead the series 73-57 against the Spartans.
IU won the series in 2021, 2-1, with two shutouts (3-0, 4-0) before falling 2-0 in game three.
TEAM 50 IN THE BOOKS
Team 50 is etching itself in the record book after setting new single-season records for most home runs, RBI and runs scored.
Indiana is on pace to set season records in four additional categories: hits, doubles, stolen bases and batting average.
RECORD TRACKER (Current Standing)
RBI (336)
1. 278 (1994)
Home Runs (69)
1. 56 (2022)
Runs Scored (357)
1. 328 (1994)
Hits (422)
1. 466 (1994)
2. 462 (1987)
Doubles (90)
1. 95 (1994)
Stolen Bases (98)
1. 141 (2019)
2. 120 (1987)
3. 114 (2022)
4. 112 (2018)
5. 96 (2020)
Batting average (.321)
.293 (1997)
SWEEP, SWEEP – HOOSIERS ARE CLEANIN’ UP
Indiana won its first three series going 9-0 to start conference play sweeping No. 22 Maryland, Purdue and Ohio State.
They earned their fifth sweep with back-to-back weekend wins against Rutgers and Michigan.
BASSETT WITH A B1G PERFORMANCE
Bassett was named Big Ten Player of the Week after she hit a .500 batting average in the series sweep over Michigan. She recorded six hits including one triple and one home run for two RBI, highlighted by her third leadoff homer of the season in the series finale.
The Newburgh, Ind., native held a .917 slugging percentage with a .538 on-base percentage for a 1.455 OPS.
She scored five runs in the series for a season total of 62. Bassett currently leads the Big Ten ahead of Kern in addition to breaking the record for most runs in a single season that she set in 2022.
She surpassed her own school record for most runs scored in a single season (62). In 2022, she set the record with 57.
TARYN IT UP
Indiana freshman Taryn Kern earned her fifth Big Ten honor after she was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week for the second consecutive week, while teammate and redshirt-junior Cora Bassett earned Big Ten Player of the Week, the league announced on Monday.
Kern hit .455 on the weekend in the series sweep over Michigan, with a 1.091 slugging percentage and a 1.629 OPS. On the weekend, she totaled five hits, one double, two home runs and five RBI with five runs scored.
In game two of the series, Kern hit a couple of two-run homers recording four RBI for the Hoosiers. She has totaled 21 long balls on the season and is tied with Louisville’s Taylor Roby to lead the NCAA.
She also got it done in the field this weekend coming up with some big defensive plays for the Hoosiers, totaling 12 assists with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage.
The San Jose, Calif., native leads the Big Ten in seven categories: slugging percentage (.992), OBS (.595), OPS (1.587), RBI (62), home runs (21), walks (39), and hit by pitch (19). The Indiana freshman is second in runs scored (59) and third in conference in batting average (.423).
Kern has reached base in 44 consecutive games and has 10 multi-RBI games on the season as the leader of Indiana’s offense.
B1G RECORDS
Freshman Taryn Kern leads the nation with 21 home runs this season for the second-most by a Big Ten freshman (23 by Michigan’s Sierra Romero in 2013). She is also tied for seventh-most in conference history.
The Big Ten record is 24 by Illinois’ Angelena Mexicano in 2008)
Kern also captured her fifth Big Ten Freshman of the Week award, tying for third-most in conference history (most since Michigan pitcher Meghan Beaubien was a five-time honoree in 2018).
BASSETT WITH A B1G PERFORMANCE
Bassett was named Big Ten Player of the Week after she hit a .500 batting average in the series sweep over Michigan. She recorded six hits including one triple and one home run for two RBI, highlighted by her third leadoff homer of the season in the series finale.
The Newburgh, Ind., native held a .917 slugging percentage with a .538 on-base percentage for a 1.455 OPS.
She scored five runs in the series for a season total of 62. Bassett currently leads the Big Ten ahead of Kern in addition to breaking the record for most runs in a single season that she set in 2022.
She surpassed her own school record for most runs scored in a single season (62). In 2022, she set the record with 57.
PURDUE SOFTBALL
Friday, May 5
vs. Penn State | 5 p.m. ET | B1G+
Space Day Flag Giveaway
Saturday, May 6
vs. Penn State | 2 p.m. ET | B1G+
Mental Health Awareness Game
Sunday, May 7
vs. Penn State | 1 p.m. ET | B1G+
Senior Day & Trading Card Giveaway
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – In the final weekend of the regular season, the Purdue softball team (22-28, 5-15) is set to host Penn State (28-14, 9-10) in a three-game series.
SCOUTING THE NITTANY LIONS
Penn State enters the weekend on a 8-2 record over its last 10 games.
Although the team checks in at 8th in the conference standings, the Nittany Lions have the top pitching staff in the Big Ten, with a league-leading 2.20 ERA, a mark that also is good for 27th in the nation. Meanwhile, they rank 17th in the nation in strike-to-walkout ratio.
Multiple Nittany Lions check in on the national stage, including pitcher Bailey Parshall, who is the Big Ten leader and 11th in the nation in shutouts (7) and 30th in the nation with hits allowed per 7-innings (4.29).
Offensively, Emily Maddock and Lexi Black are among the top batters in the Big Ten. Maddock is second in the league with a .475 batting average, while also ranking in the top-10 in on-base % and OPS. Meanwhile, Black is #1 in the Big Ten and #13 in the nation in doubles per game and fifth in slugging %.
MO WIMPEE ANNOUNCES ONE MORE YEAR
Wimpee announced her intent to return for a fifth year.
Having her breakout season as a senior, Wimpee owns a team-leading 2.91 ERA after 24 appearances in the circle.
The Ojai, California native pitched three complete game shutouts this season, including a career-best six strikeout performance in the Boilermakers’ 7-0 win vs. Syracuse (2/18).
ALEX ECHAZARRETA AT THE PLATE
The fifth year enters the final weekend of conference play just one run, one RBI and three hits away from tying her season-bests, all set last year.
Echazarreta leads the team with 9 homers this year, which is also the most by a Boilermaker in a single season since 2019’s Jenny Behan.
SHORTSTOP TYRINA JONES
Jones leads the team in batting avg. (.329), runs (34), hits (55) and doubles (10). She ranks second in the league in assists (120), ninth in the league in hits and fifth in at-bats.
QUICK HITS: SERIES HISTORY VS. PENN STATE
Purdue is 6-4 over its last 10 games vs. Penn State.
It is the first meeting between the two teams in West Lafayette since 2019, when Purdue took the series, 2-1 (W 8-7, W 9-1 in 5 innings, L, 4-7).
The Boilermakers were swept last season in University Park (3-11 in five innings, 1-8 and 1-7).
PURDUE BASEBALL
GAMEDAY INFORMATION
South Dakota State (18-20, 10-8 Summit) at Purdue (21-22, 10-8 Big Ten)
Friday, May 5 to Monday, May 8 / Watch B1G+
Series Opener: Friday, May 5 at 6 p.m. ET
Game 2: Saturday, May 6 at 2 p.m. ET
Game 3: Sunday, May 7 at 1 p.m. ET
Series Finale: Monday, May 8 at 11:30 a.m. ET
PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS
Friday: Khal Stephen (So, RHP) vs. SDSU’s Reece Arbogast (So, LHP)
Saturday: Jonathan Blackwell (Jr, LHP) vs. SDSU’s Blake Kunz (Sr, RHP)
Sunday: Kyle Iwinski (Jr, RHP) vs. SDSU’s Jake Goble (So, RHP)
Monday: TBA for Purdue vs. SDSU’s Will Kent (Fr, RHP)
SERIES HISTORY
All-Time: Purdue leads 4-0
All-Time in West Lafayette: First Meetings
2022: Purdue swept a 4-game set (Feb. 18-20 in Sugar Land, Texas)
First Meeting: Purdue 5, SDSU 4 (2022 Season Opener in Sugar Land, Texas)
WEEKEND PROMOTIONS
Friday: Craft Beer Night; Purdue Koozie Giveaway (First 200 Fans); Postgame Fireworks
Sunday: Purdue Dance Marathon/Riley Family Day; Purdue BP Jersey Silent Auction; Bark in the Park Dog Day
Monday: Free Admission for School Day; $3 hot dogs, popcorn, nachos, beers
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue baseball closes out its season-long eight-game homestand with just the second four-game series in the history of Alexander Field, hosting South Dakota State for the Boilermakers’ open weekend in Big Ten play.
First pitch is slated for 6 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. Saturday, 1 p.m. Sunday and 11:30 a.m. Monday. Purdue has not played a Monday home game since May 2010 vs. Michigan State.
The Boilermakers won three of four vs. Cal State Northridge in the only other four-game series in the history of Alexander Field. The Boilermakers also won three of four at Minnesota in May 2021, their last four-game series played over four days. However, this weekend marks Purdue’s 10th traditional four-game series since the start of the 2020 campaign, including a sweep of South Dakota State in Sugar Land, Texas to open the 2022 season.
The Jackrabbits recently enjoyed an 11-game win streak from April 7-26, punctuated by a midweek win at Nebraska. SDSU was also very competitive in a three-game sweep at the hands of Iowa in mid-March, dropping the opener 5-4 and finale 5-3.
Both Purdue and South Dakota State have compiled identical 10-8 records in conference play with two league weekends remaining in the season.
Catcher Ryan McDonald headlines the SDSU lineup, enjoying a big senior season as the leadoff man. He’s slashing .417/.575/.929 with 17 home runs, 11 stolen bases and more walks (37) than strikeouts (33). He was 1-for-9 with four walks against Purdue in Texas last year but went on to lead the team with a .329/.446/.630 slash line and 10 home runs.
The relief due to Ryan Bourassa (5 saves, 51 K in 31 1/3 innings) and Eli Sundquist (37 strikeouts vs. 8 hits allowed in 22 1/3 innings) are the Jackrabbits to watch on the mound. They’ve combined for 88 strikeouts vs. 40 hits allowed in 53 2/3 innings. Bourassa struck out seven over four innings of two-hit relief against Purdue last season.
WEEKEND #7 OF BIG TEN PLAY
• Nebraska (9-6) at Maryland (11-4)
• Michigan State (10-5) at Illinois (8-10)
• Penn State (6-8) at Rutgers (8-7)
• Indiana (9-6) at Northwestern (3-12)
• Michigan (9-6) at Minnesota (5-10)
• Ohio State (5-13) at Iowa (8-6)
• South Dakota State at Purdue (10-8) – Non-conference
OPEN WEEKENDS IN BIG TEN PLAY
Non-conference series during Big Ten season since league expanded before 2011-12 school year
• 2012: Lost 2 of 3 at No. 11 UCLA (May 5-6)
• 2013: Swept a 3-get set vs. Southern Illinois (May 3-5)
• 2014: Lost 2 of 3 at Southern Illinois (March 21-23)
• 2015: Lost all 3 games of a split-site series with Butler (March 28-29)
• 2016: Won 3 of 4 vs Cal State Northridge (May 19-22)
• 2017: Swept a 2-game set vs. Saint Louis (April 28-29)
• 2018: Split a doubleheader vs. Lipscomb (March 23)
• 2019: Won 2 of 3 vs. Southeast Missouri State (April 26-28)
• 2020: Was scheduled to play home series vs. Samford (April 17-19)
• 2021: N/A – conference-only season featured 3-team pod weekends
• 2022: Lost all 3 game vs. Belmont (April 22-24)
ACTIVE NOTABLE STREAKS
• Connor Caskenette – 21-game on-base streak; 14-game hit streak; 13-game hit streak at Alexander
• Jake Parr – 17-game on-base streak; 11-game on-base streak at Alexander
• Paul Toetz – 15-game on-base streak; 11-game on-base streak at Alexander
• Couper Cornblum – 10-game hit streak, 7-game hit streak at Alexander
CASKENETTE’S 21-GAME ON-BASE STREAK (Since March 26)
• 23-for-79 (.291/.364/.557), 6 2B, 5 HR, 22 RBI, 5 BB, 4 HBP, 13 R
PARR’S 17-GAME ON-BASE STREAK (Since April 2)
• 24-for-57 (.421/.515/.702), 5 2B, 3B, 3 HR, 12 RBI, 7 BB, 16 R, SB
TOETZ’S 15-GAME ON-BASE STREAK (Since April 8)
• 18-for-53 (.340/.444/.453), 6 2B, 9 RBI, 8 BB, 2 HBP, 11 R
CASKENETTE’S 14-GAME HIT STREAK (Since April 8)
• 16-for-56 (.286/.344/.518), 4 2B, 3 HR, 12 RBI, 3 BB, 2 HBP, 9 R
CORNBLUM’S 10-GAME HIT STREAK (Since April 15)
• 15-for-42 (.357/.426/.452), 4 2B, 10 RBI, 5 BB, 8 R, 6 SB
THREE BOILERMAKERS WITH HIT STREAKS OF 10+ GAMES IN SAME SEASON (Since 2001)
• 2023: Connor Caskenette (14), Jo Stevens (12), Couper Cornblum (10)
• 2019: Zac Fascia (15), Skyler Hunter (14), Cole McKenzie (11)
• 2018: Skyler Hunter (13), Nick Dalesandro (11), Ben Nisle (10), Alec Olund (10)
• 2011: Cameron Perkins (20), Eric Charles (15), Kevin Plawecki (11), Stephen Talbott (10), Tyler Spillner (10)
• 2010: Ryan Bridges (13), Barret Arthur (11), Jon Moore (11), Cameron Perkins (10), Eric Charles (10)
• 2009: Brandon Haveman (20), Eric Charles (14), Drew Madia (11)
• 2008: Jon Moore (14), Ryne White (14), Brandon Haveman (13), Ben Wolgamot (13)
• 2007: Ryne White (24), Jordan Comadena (14), John Cummins (10)
• 2005: John Hunter (14), Mitch Hilligoss (13), Andy Dahl (11)
• 2004: Mitch Hilligoss (12), Mike Coles (11), John Hunter (11)
• 2001: David Blomberg (19), Nate Sickler (14), Daniel Underwood (12), David Harrell (12), Nick McIntyre (10)
STARTING ROTATION LEADING THE WAY IN BIG TEN PLAY
• The Boilermakers won four of their five Big Ten series in April and have avoided being swept over the first six weekends of league play thanks in part to the consistency of the starting rotation. Khal Stephen, Jonathan Blackwell and Kyle Iwinski are also a big reason why Purdue has already surpassed last year’s win total in Big Ten play (9) with six conference games remaining.
• The unique conference-only 2021 season marked the last time the Boilermakers used the same three starting pitchers in the same 1-2-3 order over six consecutive weekends (the final six). But the final weekend of that season featured a suspended game and the game 2 starter took over and “started” when the game resumed Saturday. In 2018, Purdue used the same trio (in the same order) over the first six conference series but a Sunday game was rained out in weekend No. 3. In 2017, there was no cancellations and Purdue used the same trio (in the same order) over the first six weekends of Big Ten play. The 2009 season marked the last time only three pitchers started games in Big Ten play (and in the same 1-2-3 order), a feat this year’s rotation has a chance to duplicate. The 2009 campaign was also the first year of three-game conference weekends.
• 2021 Rotation (April 17-May 30): Calvin Schapira, Trent Johnson, Cory Brooks
• 2018 Rotation (March 30-May 6): Tanner Andrews, Gareth Stroh, Trent Johnson
• 2017 Rotation (March 24-May 7): Tanner Andrews, Gareth Stroh, Mike Kornacker
• 2009 Rotation (Made All 23 Big Ten Starts): Matt Bischoff, Matt Jansen, Matt Morgan
• 2004 Rotation (Made All 31 Big Ten Starts): Scott Byrnes, Dan Sattler, Brian Karpel, Chris Toneguzzi
• 2001 Rotation (Made All 26 Big Ten Starts): Ben Quick, Chadd Blasko, Dave Gassner, Sean O’Neil,
PURDUE’S STARTING PITCHERS IN BIG TEN PLAY (First 6 Weekends)
• Stephen (G1): 4-1, 38 IP, 29 H, 15 BB, 37 K, 3.32 ERA, .207 B/Avg
• Blackwell (G2): 3-2, 32 2/3 IP, 38 H, 9 BB, 22 K, 5.23 ERA, .295 B/Avg
• Iwinski (G3): 1-3, 30 IP, 36 H, 6 BB, 14 K, 4.80 ERA, .303 B/Avg
KYLE IWINSKI’S FIRST 3 STARTS AT ALEXANDER FIELD
• March 2 vs. Northwestern: ND, 6 2/3 IP, 3 H, R, 0 BB, 5 K
• April 15 vs. Penn State: W, 8 IP, 6 H, R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
• April 30 vs. Rutgers: ND, 6 1/3 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
• Combined at Home: 21 IP, 13 H, 5 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 10 K, 1.29 ERA, .181 B/Avg
KHAL STEPHEN SINCE THE HOME SEASON BEGAN (March 15)
• 5-1, 7 GS, 41 IP, 30 H, 15 BB, 40 K, 3.07 ERA, .200 B/Avg
MOST COMBINED STEALS BY TEAMMATES
• Curtis Washington Jr. (31) & Mike Bolton Jr. (28) – 59 in 2022
• Dave Scheitlin (30) & Craig Robertshaw (22) – 52 in 1991
• Mike Bolton Jr. (28) & Couper Cornblum (21) – 49 in 2023
• Jeff Allison (33) & Jose Rossy (13) – 46 in 1987
• Nick Dalesandro (27) & Harry Shipley (16) – 43 in 2018
• Dave Scheitlin (26) & Craig Robertshaw (17) – 43 in 1990
• Erik Frei (21) & David Blomberg (19) – 40 in 2000
BUTLER BASEBALL
INDIANAPOLIS – The Bulldogs will begin an eight-game road trip this weekend with a three-game series at Georgetown. All three contests will be played at the Washington Nationals Youth Academy. Friday’s tilt will start at 6:30 PM and Saturday’s game has also been adjusted to 6:30 PM. The getaway game will be pushed up to 1 PM.
Weekend Schedule
Friday, May 5 – 6:30 PM
Saturday, May 6 – 6:30 PM
Sunday, May 7 – 1:00 PM
Scouting Georgetown
The Hoyas lost at Towson Wednesday night to move their overall record to 24-21. The team is 7-7 in BIG EAST play with weekend wins over Villanova (2-1) and Creighton (2-1). GU most recently split a pair of games at home vs. St. John’s. The third game of the series was canceled due to weather. No BIG EAST team has been able to sweep the Hoyas in 2023. They took game two at Seton Hall and avoided a sweep at UConn by winning game three. Head Coach Edwin Thompson took over the program in the fall of 2020. He guided the Hoyas to the BIG EAST Tournament in 2022 and claimed conference Coaching Staff of the Year honors. The 2023 club is led by Jake Hyde, Ubaldo Lopez and Preseason All-BIG EAST selection Owen Carapellotti. Hyde is the hit leader with 59 in 45 starts. Lopez leads Georgetown in doubles (12), home runs (15) and walks (29). Carapellotti is great behind the plate defensively and bats .281 for the Hoyas. He has 50 hits this season and is second on the team in runs scored (42). As a team, Georgetown ranks second in the BIG EAST in home runs (66) and third in slugging percentage (.476). Defensively they rank second in both strikeouts per nine innings (9.0) and double plays (37).
Recent History vs. the Hoyas
Georgetown and Butler are evenly matched conference foes. Since joining the BIG EAST in 2014, Butler is 13-12 against the Hoyas and 7-6 when playing in D.C. Neither team has ever swept a full three-game series.
BIG EAST Standings
Creighton 9-3, 22-15
UConn 8-3, 32-11
Xavier 8-4, 27-17
Seton Hall 7-5, 25-19
Georgetown 7-7, 24-21
Villanova 5-9, 11-30
St. John’s 3-8, 20-21
Butler 2-10, 9-35
Upcoming BIG EAST Schedule
Butler at Georgetown
Villanova at St. John’s
Xavier at Creighton
Seton Hall at UConn
Last Week
Jake DeFries led Butler from the plate last week with a .429 batting average. Carter Dorighi, Keegan Connors and Garret Gray also batted over .300 for BU during the four-game stretch. Eight different Bulldogs had at least one RBI, but no player had more than two (Urban). Scott Jones and Xavier Carter hit solo home runs while Dorighi and Ryan O’Halloran each came up with a triple. On the mound, Shane Kilfoyle led BU in strikeouts (5) and Cory Bosecker led the team in innings pitched (6.0).
Bulldog Bits
– Butler leads the BIG EAST and ranks 10th in the NCAA in triples (18)
– 186 of Butler’s 332 hits this season are from newcomers (56.0%)
– The Bulldogs had 10 hits in two of three games vs. Creighton
– Butler’s lone win in a night game came April 21st at Seton Hall
– Butler hit seven home runs in the Xavier series and had four triples vs. Villanova
– Joey Urban (49) and Carter Dorighi (49) are battling for the team lead in hits
– Dorighi has reached base safely in five-straight games
– Dorighi has six hits over Butler’s last five games
– Urban has a team-best 14 multi-hit games this year
– Cory Bosecker leads the club in strikeouts (55) and innings pitched (57.2)
– Bosecker only allowed two hits in his last start vs. Creighton (83 pitches / 6.0 IP)
– Lukas Galdoni earned a save against Georgetown last year by tossing two innings
– Scott Jones hit a three-run home run vs. the Hoyas last year
– Dominic Milano homered and had a double in Butler’s win over GU last year
– Kollyn All homered in game one of the GU series a year ago
Up Next
Butler’s final two midweek games will be played on the road. The Bulldogs will face Northern Kentucky in Highland Heights on Tuesday at 4 PM. BU will head to Dayton the following day to face the Flyers at 11 AM.
BUTLER SOFTBALL
Series Information – Butler at Seton Hall
DATE: Friday, May 5 – Sunday, May 7
LOCATION: South Orange, N.J. / Essex County Mike Sheppard, Sr. Field
LIVE STATS: shupirates.com
LIVE VIDEO: PSN / FloSports
Full Notes
The Butler softball team will play its final BIG EAST series of the season on the road at Seton Hall. Games are scheduled from Friday, May 5, through Sunday, May 7. The Bulldogs (17-30, 11-7 BIG EAST) are coming off a 2-1 series win over Georgetown and a midweek, extra-inning loss at UIC. The Pirates (36-15, 16-5 BIG EAST) most recently won one of three games in a series with third-place Villanova. Seton Hall currently sits in second place in the conference standings, behind UConn, while Butler is holding down the fourth spot.
Bulldog Bits
(as of 4/30/23, stats/rankings do not include UIC game)
Kieli Ryan has thrown out 12 runners attempting to steal. She sits atop the BIG EAST and is 25th nationally in that category. She is the only player in the conference who has picked off three baserunners.
Monique Hoosen leads the BIG EAST (38th nationally) with 13 (now 14) home runs. Her slugging percentage (.639) ranks sixth in the conference.
Paige Dorsett ranks fifth in the BIG EAST with a .641 slugging percentage.
Cate Lehner ranks third in the BIG EAST as toughest to strike out. (1 per 16.5 at bats).
Ella White has 28 walks this season, ranking seventh in the conference in walks per game.
With 14 home runs this season, Monique Hoosen is now Butler’s record holder for single-season home runs. With 27 in her career, she is second on Butler’s all-time list for career home runs.
The current Butler squad ranks in the top ten on three of Butler’s single-season lists: T2nd-drawn walks (150), T3rd-home runs (34), and T5th-conference wins (11).
(vs. Georgetown)
Four Bulldogs, Monique Hoosen, Paige Dorsett, Ella White, and Olivia Moxley, hit a home run in last weekend’s series with Georgetown.
Teagan O’Rilley led Butler at the plate in the three-game series. She was 4-for-7 (.571), with two doubles and three RBI. She received Weekly Honor Roll recognition from the BIG EAST.
SCOUTING SETON HALL (36-15, 16-5 BIG EAST)
Series: Butler leads, 15-10
Butler has won two-of-three games in four of the previous five series, including 2022, 2021, 2018, and 2017.
Seton Hall won the 2019 series, in South Orange, 2-1.
BIG EAST series: UConn L, 1-2 | Georgetown W, 2-1 | Creighton W, 3-0 | St. John’s W, 3-0
DePaul W, 3-0 | Providence W, 3-0 | Villanova L, 1-2
The Pirates defeated IUPUI twice and split doubleheaders with Appalachian St., Army, Texas Tech, Marist, and Lehigh.
SETON HALL vs. (opponents) Butler
runs: 293-163 179
hits: 427-322 314
RBI: 270-145 165
SB: 42-56 35
ERA: 2.69-5.08 5.39
Batting Leaders:
#19 Abby Wingo (.414) 63-H, 11-2B, 34-RBI
#4 Kelsey Carr (.348) 10-2B, 11-HR, 42-RBI
#33 Taylor Hill (.342) 13-2B, 7-HR, 29-RBI
Pitching Leaders:
#4 Kelsey Carr (9-4) 1.94-ERA, 82-K
#23 Shelby Smith (12-6) 2.57-ERA, 123-K
#5 Sydney Babik (11-3) 3.97-ERA, 40-K
BIG EAST Standings
BIG EAST Overall
UConn 19-5 .792 32-13 .711
Seton Hall 16-5 .762 36-15 .706
Villanova 15-6 .714 32-20 .615
BUTLER 11-7 .611 17-31 .354
Georgetown 9-12 .429 16-29 .356
St. John’s 6-12 .333 20-26 .435
Providence 6-15 .286 15-29 .341
DePaul 6-15 .286 14-30 .318
Creighton 5-16 .238 21-29 .420
IUPUI WOMEN’S TRACK
INDIANAPOLIS – IUPUI freshman standout Modupe Awosanya has been voted the 2023 #HLTF Alfreeda Goff Outdoor Athlete of the Year by the league’s coaches, as announced on Thursday (May 4).
Awosanya has been nothing short of spectacular during the outdoor season, ranking in the league’s top-5 in three different individual events heading into the Horizon League Championships. She owns the league’s best long jump at 6.22m, which easily broke the IUPUI school record and ranks No. 30 in the NCAA East Regional. In addition, she ranks second in the league in the 200m (24.26) and fifth in the 100m (11.92).
This outdoor season, she’s set new IUPUI school records in the long jump, 100m dash and 4×100 relay. She’s gone under the 200m record on multiple occasions, but has yet to notch a permittable mark because of wind conditions.
She is IUPUI’s first-ever recipient of the Goff Outdoor Athlete of the Year Award.
For 16 years, Alfreeda Goff was a member of the Horizon League team serving as Senior Associate Commissioner before retiring in 2015. She later served as IUPUI’s Interim Director of Athletics and worked tirelessly to enhance the student-athlete championship experience, including track and field athletes. Prior to entering athletic administration, Alfreeda was the track and field coach at the University of Pittsburgh.
BALL STATE MEN’S GOLF
Maricopa, Arizona — For the first time since advancing to the 2013 National Championship, the Ball State men’s golf program is headed back to the postseason at the National Golf Invitational (NGI) May 18-21 at Ak-Chin Southern Dunes Golf Club.
The Cardinals qualified with a successful spring season (two tournament titles) along with a winning head to head record and a strong national ranking. Ball State moved up in the rankings this spring nearly 30 spots to gain the attention of the NGI selection committee. In addition, the Cardinals were just one of two MAC programs to qualify for an NGI bid.
The inaugural NGI is an 18-team, 54-hole tournament and is the first of its kind in college golf.
The Cardinals just finished play this week at the Mid-American Conference championships in Athens, Alabama, where they finished second out of the nine MAC programs.
“I’m so excited for our program getting the opportunity to compete in the National Golf Invitational,” said head coach Mike Fleck. “Our goals through the finishing month of the season were to have an overall winning head to head record, compete for a MAC Championship and put ourselves in a position to extend our season. Our guys earned this and now will be playing in the post season! They are excited and will be ready to compete!”
BALL STATE BASEBALL
MUNCIE, Ind. – The Ball State baseball team returns to the road for another Mid-American Conference matchup. The Cardinals are scheduled for a three-game series with the Ohio Bobcats beginning on Friday. First pitch is slated for 6 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, while Sunday’s contest is scheduled for 1 p.m.
The Cardinals are coming off a 2-1 series win against Bowling Green last weekend. Ball State enters the weekend series with an overall record of 28-15 and a MAC mark of 15-6. Ohio boasts a 16-23 overall record and is 13-8 in conference play.
Earlier this week, Ty Johnson was named MAC Players of the Week after he led the Ball State pitching staff last week. He threw a scoreless inning with one strikeout against Indiana and picked up the victory in Sunday’s 6-4 win at Bowling Green. He went five innings in relief with nine strikeouts. In his six total innings, he did not walk a batter and only gave up one run on just two hits. He produced a WHIP of 0.33 for the week and held opponents to a .095 batting average.
Gold Glove Peltier
At the conclusion of last season, Ryan Peltier was honored as the best defensive third baseman in the NCAA and received an ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove. After being named the MAC Defensive Player of the Year and earning a spot on the All-MAC Second Team for back-to-back seasons, Peltier was awarded the first Gold Glove in BSU history. He was a 2023 Preseason All-American honoree from Collegiate Baseball Newspaper.
Peltier is first on the team with a .391 batting average, which is tied for 46th in the NCAA and third in the MAC. He has pelted a team-best 14 homers and has a team-high 50 RBIs. His 14 home runs are tied for 64th in the NCAA and are tied for fifth in the conference. He has a slugging percentage of .741, which is 41st in the country and first in the MAC. Peltier has scored 57 runs, which is tied for 18th in the NCAA and is first in the MAC. He leads the team in doubles with 15 and he has added two triples. His 15 doubles are tied for 83rd in the NCAA and are tied for sixth in the conference.
What Can Brown Do for You?
Ryan Brown was named the No. 49 prospect in college baseball by D1 Baseball. Brown was the only Mid-American Conference player selected to the top-100 list. He was also tabbed as one of the top mid-major prospects for the 2023 season. Brown also landed on the 2023 MLB Draft: Rising Righthanded Pitchers watch list. Last season, Brown earned recognition as a Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Freshman All-American along with the MAC Freshman Pitcher of the Year. He also earned a spot on the All-MAC Second Team.
Brown currently has 54 strikeouts, which is second on the team. He his 4-1 on the year and has thrown 27 2/3 innings. Opponents are hitting just .170 against him for the season. He has a 4.88 ERA.
Don’t Mess with Tex
Trennor O’Donnell leads the team with a 3.39 ERA. His ERA is tied for the 111th best in the country and is fourth in the MAC. His 68 strikeouts are tied for 92nd in the NCAA and seventh in the MAC. He has a 4-2 record and has thrown 61 innings. Opponents are hitting just .237 against him.
Scouting the Cardinals
Decker Scheffler is second on the squad with .366 batting average, which is tied for 148th in the NCAA and is sixth in the MAC. He has 34 RBIs, 31 runs scored, 10 doubles, four homers, and three triples. His three triples are tied for 92nd in the country and tied for second in the conference. Scheffler is tied for 99th as the toughest player to strikeout in the NCAA and is second in the MAC. Adam Tellier is fourth on the team with a .324 average. He has 42 runs scored, 28 RBIs, 22 walks, 10 doubles, five home runs, and three triples. His three triples are tied for 92nd in the NCAA and are tied for second in the MAC. Justin Conant rounds out the .300 hitters with a .328 average. He has 21 runs scored, 17 walks, 15 RBIs, five doubles, two triples, and one home run. Nick Gregory might only be hitting .262, but he leads the team with 39 walks. His 39 walks are tied for 28th in the NCAA and are third in the MAC. He has scored 37 runs and driven in 17 runs. Blake Bevis is second on the team with 10 home runs and is hitting .271 for the year.
Logan Schulfer is fifth on the team with 48 strikeouts. He as a 2-2 record with a 6.82 ERA. Ty Weatherly has 50 strikeouts on the season and is tied for third on the staff. He has a 7.16 ERA in 44 innings of work and a 1-2 record. Ty Johnson is also tied for third on the team with 50 strikeouts in 38 2/3 innings of work. He has a 4-2 record with a 3.49 ERA and has two saves. Tanner Knapp has 41 strikeouts in 43 2/3 innings. He is 2-2 on the season with a 5.77 ERA. Sam Klein has 30 strikeouts. He is 4-1 on the season with a 4.38 ERA. Jacob Hartlaub is the remaining pitcher with more that 20 strikeouts, with 25. He has a 3-2 record with a 6.45 ERA.
Ball State vs. Ohio: The Series
The Cardinals and the Bobcats will meet for the 126th time on Friday. Ohio holds the series advantage 68-57. BSU won all four meetings last season. The two squads split the four-game series last season, with the Cardinals winning the last game 6-4. BSU is 23-32 at OU. The Cardinals are 18-23 against the Bobcats under Head Coach Rich Maloney.
Scouting the Falcons
Alec Patino leads Ohio with a .333 batting average. He has scored 30 runs, driven in 43 runs, has 16 doubles, and six home runs. Cole Williams is the only other player above .300 with a .323 average. He has 23 runs scored, 21 RBIs, six doubles, and three home runs. Mason Minzey and Will Sturek are both tied atop the Bobcat lineup with a team leading nine home runs apiece.
Luke Olson leads the pitching staff with 41 strikeouts. He has a 3-3 record with 6.91 ERA. Jacob Tate is second on the squad with 30 strikeouts. He has a 3-1 record with a 73.93 ERA. Dillon Masters has a team-best ERA of 2.78 in 22 2/3 innings. He has 17 strikeouts.
MAC Standings
1. Kent State – 31-13, 16-5
2. Central Michigan – 29-14, 15-6
3. Ball State – 28-15, 15-6
4. Western Michigan – 16-24, 13-7
5. Ohio – 16-23, 13-8
6. Miami – 16-31, 10-14
7. Toledo – 20-24, 8-13
8. Akron – 17-27, 9-15
9. Bowling Green – 15-25, 9-15
10. Eastern Michigan – 21-21, 7-14
11. Northern Illinois – 8-35, 4-16
BALL STATE FOOTBALL
MUNCIE, Indiana – – Senior defensive backs Amechi Uzodinma II and Jaquan Amos signed as undrafted free agents with the Los Angeles Chargers and Baltimore Ravens, respectively, following last weekend’s NFL Draft as the Ball State University football program sent three starters from last year’s secondary into the NFL all on Saturday evening.
Junior Nic Jones, a second-team All-MAC selection beside Uzodinma, was drafted in the seventh round (250th overall) by the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs.
Uzodinma, a five-year contributor from Orlando, Florida, was a two-time all-conference selection and tied a Ball State record with 41 career pass deflections. He led the Cardinals with three interceptions in his senior season, to go with nine deflections and 46 tackles. He forced a fumble in a narrow defeat to Toledo and picked off a pass in the endzone in the same game. Uzodinma also led the Cardinals with 24.2 yards per kickoff return last season, with a long return of 64 yards against Kent State.
Amos, in contrast, played just a single season with Ball State, competing as a grad transfer last season and recording 96 tackles, tied with Malcolm Lee for tops in the secondary and second on the team. His lone interception, a 31-yarder against Northern Illinois, was the Cardinals’ longest interception return of the season. The Philadelphia native transferred to Ball State last year after stints at Villanova and Iowa State.
NOTRE DAME BASEBALL
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The Notre Dame Fighting Irish advanced to 26-17 on the season and 14-11 in the ACC after defeating NC State 9-7 on Thursday, May 4. The Irish recorded 14 hits in the game one win at Frank Eck, taking the lead in the bottom of the eighth inning to secure to the 9-7 win.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Carter Putz started the Irish offense with a double to left center field, followed by a bunt from Jack Penney to put runners on first and third. An RBI single to right field from Vinny Martinez scored Putz and put the Irish on the board.
The Irish held NC State scoreless in the second as Notre Dame would score two runs in the bottom frame. DM Jefferson led off with a base hit as he was followed by Brady Gumpf with a double to left center. The Irish took a 3-0 lead as TJ Williams sent home Jefferson on a sac bunt, followed by a Zack Prajzner RBI single to center field to score Gumpf.
A four-run inning from the Wolfpack in the top of the third put NC State on top at 4-3.It didn’t take long for the Irish to tie it up in the fourth, as Williams sent it to center field for a three bagger and was scored on a sac fly from Prajzner to make it an even 4-4 going into the fifth.
NC State sent home two more runs in the fifth, taking the 6-4 advantage over the Irish. Notre Dame’s offense was sparked in the bottom of the sixth, with base hits from Moreno, Williams, and Prajzner, as well as a double from Putz. The Irish recorded three runs in the frame to retake the lead at 7-6.
The Wolfpack wasn’t going anywhere as they responded right away with a home run in the seventh to make it an even game yet again at 7-7.
While the Irish followed with a scoreless frame, Notre Dame’s offense in the eighth inning would lift them to a two-run lead. Putz led off and reached via a walk, but to no one’s surprise, was scored by another Martinez home run. This was Martinez’s third game in a row where he recorded a home run as his 10th homer of the season gave the Irish the 9-7 lead and eventual game one victory. The Irish defense would go three up, three down in the ninth to secure the win.
Aidan Tyrell started on the mound for the Irish, pitching 4.2 innings, striking out three batters, and finishing with six earned runs on eight hits. He was relieved by Radek Birkholz, who recorded his first win of the season. Birkholz threw 3.1 innings, recording two strikeouts and allowing just one run and one hit. Will Mercer closed for the Irish, pitching just 1.0 inning as he took home his third save of the season.
UP NEXT
The Irish are back at Frank Eck Stadium at 5 PM on Friday, May 5, for game two of the three-game series against the Wolfpack.
NOTRE DAME WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — After adding a guard a few weeks back, Notre Dame women’s basketball has picked up its first transfer forward of this cycle.
Graduate student Becky Obinma will join the Irish after three years at Pepperdine and two at TCU. The 6-2 big hails from Menifee, Calif., and is a welcomed addition to a guard-heavy Notre Dame roster.
“I’m thrilled to officially welcome Becky to our Notre Dame family!” Karen and Kevin Keyes Family Head Coach Niele Ivey said. “Becky brings experience, athleticism and depth to the post position. She has a great motor and contagious energy on and off the court that will fit perfectly with our team. I’m looking forward to adding her post presence and speed in the open court to enhance our offensive capabilities.”
Obinma averaged 19.7 minutes per contest last year in 20 games started and eight more in which she played. She posted 6.5 points and made 43.6 percent of her attempts. But where the California native really made an impact for the Waves was on the boards. Her 6.5 rebounds per game led the team and was tied for sixth in the West Coast Conference. She also posted 23 blocks last year and 40 the year prior. Her block numbers last season ranked second for the Waves.
The graduate transfer joins three forwards currently donning the blue and gold: Kylee Watson, Maddy Westbeld and Nat Marshall. The former two women started all 33 games for Notre Dame last season. Obinma will help replace departed center Lauren Ebo, who averaged 7 rebounds per game last season.
INDIANA STATE TRACK
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State track and field competes in its final meet before the MVC Outdoor Championships Friday when it makes the short trek to Bloomington for the Billy Hayes Invitational.
Field events start at 1 p.m., with the first events on the track slated to begin at 4 p.m.
Last Time Out
Indiana State won a pair of relay titles at the 113th Drake Relays while also seeing six top-10 program marks set at America’s Athletic Classic, capping a strong weekend for the Sycamore contingent at Drake Stadium.
The Sycamore quartet of Luigi Rivas, Quincy Armstrong, Daryl Black and Collin Forrest teamed up to win the shuttle hurdle relay, an event Indiana State has found plenty of success in at the Drake Relays over the years, while Alysha Bradford, Riley Tuerff, Sierra Long and Iyanla Hunter teamed up to run ISU’s fastest 4x400m relay of the season to take top spot on the Blue Oval. In addition to the pair of relay wins, six top-10 program marks were set by the Blue and White at the Drake Relays. Erica Barker, the men’s 4x100m, 4x1600m and distance medley relay teams, and the women’s 4x200m and shuttle hurdle relay teams all moved up in the Indiana State record books over the course of the weekend.
Indiana State also competed in its final home meet of the 2022-23 season last weekend, posting 13 wins at the Sycamore Open at the Gibson Track and Field Complex.
Included in those 13 wins were first-place finishes in five of the six men’s field events the Sycamores took part in. Women’s field events also accounted for four wins, with the Trees taking the top spots in the men’s and women’s long jump, triple jump and pole vault. A pair of Sycamore athletes also set top-10 program marks at home, with William Staggs moving up to second all-time in the pole vault and Brandon Peck cracking the top 10 in program history in the hammer throw.
Vaulting Up The Charts
Indiana State sophomore pole vaulter William Staggs has had a season to remember for the Blue and White. After breaking the program indoor pole vault record at the MVC Indoor Championships, Staggs has continued his strong form into the outdoor season.
Staggs cleared an outdoor career-best 5.28m (17-03.75) in his last meet, the Sycamore Open, moving up to second in program history outdoors. It marked the fourth consecutive week that Staggs set an outdoor PR.
Staggs isn’t the only current Sycamore pole vaulter in the program record books. Selene Weaver, Landis Brandon and Brooklyn Giertz are all ranked in the top 10 in outdoor program history in the women’s pole vault.
Relays to Remember
The Sycamores’ time at the Drake Relays last weekend saw nearly every relay team for the Blue and White either set a program top-10 mark or place first. The men’s shuttle hurdle relay and women’s 4x400m relay teams were the winners for the Sycamores, with five other relay teams for Indiana State finding their way into the record book.
Indiana State’s men’s 4x100m (second, 39.77), distance medley (second, 9:51.00) and 4x1600m (second, 16:45.61) relay teams all put together top-three marks in program history on the Blue Oval. Ethan Breen and Jackson Krieg were on both the distance medley and 4x1600m teams for the Trees. JaVaughn Moore, Daunte Majors, Isiah Thomas and Terrance O’Bannon were the 4x100m team, which ran a time under 40 seconds for the second time this season.
ISU also had top-10 marks from its women’s shuttle hurdle (fourth, 58.01) and 4x200m (ninth, 1:40.55) relay teams. Riley Tuerff was part of the shuttle hurdle and 4x400m relay teams, while Iyanla Hunter and Alysha Bradford ran the 4×200 and 4x200m relays.
Top-10 Trees
Indiana State held firm for a third straight week in the USTFCCCA regional rankings, making it six straight weeks to begin the outdoor season that the Sycamores were ranked in the top 10 in the Great Lakes region on both the men’s and women’s side.
The Sycamore men remained at fifth fifth in this week’s rankings, marking the 11th consecutive rankings index with the Sycamores in the top five in the region (indoor and outdoor). The 11 consecutive top-five region rankings mark the longest streak in program history since regional rankings were first made available prior to the 2010 season.
Indiana State stayed at ninth in the women’s rankings, marking the ninth time this season the Sycamore women are in the top 10 in the region. Included in those nine weeks in the top-10 are all six outdoor season polls.
Indiana State’s throws group also produced a pair top-10 national #EventSquad ranking, as the men’s shot put group is ranked seventh in the nation, while the men’s discus group is ranked 10th in the nation.
Topping the Conference
Indiana State continues to hold firm in the USTFCCCA conference ratings index, with the Sycamores ranked first on the men’s side and second on the women’s side in the MVC.
Indiana State has six marks that rank first in the MVC at the midway point of the 2023 outdoor season. Four of those marks come on the men’s side, while two are on the women’s side. Five of the Sycamores’ top marks in the conference come in field events, with track events accounting for one.
Despite only having seven marks ranked first in the conference, Indiana State’s depth is what keeps the Sycamores rooted to the top of the conference rankings. The Trees have 25 marks that rank in the top five of the MVC on the men’s side and 14 top-five conference marks on the women’s side.
Indiana State’s athletes with top marks in the conference are:
JaVaughn Moore, Daunte Majors, Isiah Thomas, Noah Malone – 4x100m relay (39.77)
Trevor Thompson – high jump (2.11m/6-11.00)
William Staggs – pole vault (5.28m/17-03.75)
Selene Weaver – pole vault (4.02m/13-02.25)
Shomari Rogers-Walton – long jump (7.32m/24-00.25)
Ryann Porter – triple jump (12.84m/42-01.50)
In addition to the top conference marks, the men’s 4x100m relay team also ranks first in the Great Lakes region with the only time in the region under 40 seconds. Puff and Thompson also rank in the top three of the region in their respective events.
Up Next
Indiana State competes in the 2023 MVC Outdoor Track and Field Championships May 12-14 in Normal, Illinois.
INDIANA STATE BASEBALL
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State is back on the road this weekend as the No. 15-ranked Sycamores make the trip to Peoria, Ill. for a three-game Missouri Valley series with the Bradley Braves over the May 5-7 weekend.
Friday and Saturday’s games are scheduled to start at Noon ET/11 a.m. CT at Dozer Park. Sunday’s contest has been moved up to 11 a.m. ET/10 a.m. CT. The games are not scheduled to be televised, but all three will be carried live on 105.5 The Legend.
The Sycamores enter the weekend remaining one of the hottest teams in the nation as winners of 17 of their last 18 games. Indiana State posted a 16-1 overall mark in April and added a 5-4 extra-inning win on Tuesday night to complete the season sweep over Illinois.
ISU won in dramatic fashion on Tuesday night to pick up their second win of the season over the Fighting Illini. Miguel Rivera made his return to the diamond in epic fashion as the redshirt senior first baseman launched the walk-off home run to the left of the scoreboard in right center to secure the 13-inning win over Illinois on Bob Warn Field.
Zach Davidson put on one of the most dominant pitching displays all-time in a Sycamore uniform as the junior left-hander struck out eight hitters over 3.1-innings of work, including an immaculate 11th frame where he struck out Jacob Schroeder, Danny Doligale, and Cal Hejza on nine pitches. The Sycamore staff combined to strike out 23 Illinois batters in the contest in what is believed to be an Indiana State school record.
The Sycamores remain in the national postseason conversation heading into the first weekend in May. ISU was recently mentioned as a potential regional host site by both D1Baseball and Baseball America over the last week. ISU is also sitting among the top 25 in two major polls for the second consecutive week clocking in at No. 15 according to Collegiate Baseball and No. 20 on Perfect Game (20). ISU continues to receive votes in the USA Today Coaches Poll and the NCBWA poll.
ISU also boasts one of the nation’s top RPI sitting in the top-10 for the second consecutive week as the Sycamores clocked in at No. 10 according to WarrenNolan.com and the NCAA. The Sycamores have been in the top-35 in the rankings over the last two months and remains the MVC leader in RPI. Evansville (69), Missouri State (80), and Valparaiso (95) are all among the top-100 in the rankings after the weekend.
Key to ISU’s high RPI mark has been the strength of schedule for the Sycamores. ISU fell to second in the non-conference strength of schedule behind Liberty this week snapping a three-week stretch where the Sycamores boasted the top overall mark in the nation. ISU has played or is scheduled to play against top-50 RPI opponents in Kentucky (4), Vanderbilt (5), Miami (12), Indiana (30), Iowa (37), Northeastern (38), and Missouri (40). Additional top-100 schools on the schedule include Florida Gulf Coast (61), Michigan State (64), and Ball State.
ISU enters the conference weekend sitting atop the MVC standings with a 16-2 mark overall in Missouri Valley play. ISU has won their first six conference series in 2023 equaling the best mark in school history set back in the 2012 season. The Sycamores enter the weekend with a two-game lead over Missouri State (14-4) with three series to play in the regular season.
The Sycamores boast a perfect 9-0 mark at home in conference play and a 7-2 record on the road. ISU lost in both the first games of the series at both UIC (Mar. 31) and Evansville (Apr. 28), before rallying to take the next two contests and the series.
The Sycamore hitters continue to sit among the MVC leaders in multiple offensive categories in conference games. ISU is second overall in team batting average (.306) and slugging percentage (.494), while leading the MVC in hits (193), doubles (38), and hit by pitch (24).
On the mound, ISU’s pitching staff paces the Missouri Valley sitting tops in ERA (2.81), opposing batting average (.219), saves (5), pickoffs (5), hits allowed (128), and walks allowed (43). Individually, the entire weekend rotation for ISU sits on the leaderboard in nearly every statistical category. Lane Miller is the conference leader in ERA (2.23) and is second in opponent batting average (.188). Connor Fenlong is the conference leader in innings pitched (42.2) and wins (5). Matt Jachec leads the Valley in strikeouts (43) and is second in innings (39.2).
Overall on the season, Seth Gergely remains ISU’s top hitter. The redshirt senior entering the week hitting a team-best .333 from the plate and is currently on his third double-digit on-base streak of the 2023 season having reached safely in 40 of the 42 games this season. He leads the Sycamores in hits (51), runs (33), and walks (23).
Keegan Watson (.301), Luis Hernandez (.299), and Adam Pottinger (.297) are also among the team’s leading hitters on the year heading into the final month of the season. Hernandez (11) and Watson (10) are 1-2 on the team in doubles this season, while Pottinger leads the team in slugging percentage (.534) and is second with 30 runs scored.
Sixteen different Indiana State pitchers have seen time on the mound this year with the Sycamores boasting a team 4.19 ERA and a 376:147 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Connor Fenlong became the first Sycamore to six wins on the mound this weekend, while Lane Miller improved to 5-0 this past weekend. Cameron Holycross (1.34 ERA) continues to be a name to watch out of the bullpen on the year while Matt Jachec (71 strikeouts) is among the Valley leaders in strikeouts.
The Sycamores boast one of the nation’s top defenses this season sitting second overall in the NCAA with a .984 fielding percentage in 2023. Two players boast perfect 1.000 percentages with at least 20 chances, while four more players are fielding at a .990 clip or better on the year.
Scouting the Opposition
Bradley Braves
Bradley enters the weekend series with a 14-25 overall record on the year with a 5-13 mark in Missouri Valley play. The Braves have posted a 5-8 mark at Dozer Park this season with wins over Eastern Illinois, Southern Illinois, SIU Edwardsville, Illinois State, and Illinois. Bradley has taken at least one win in their MVC home series this year with the exception of the weekend against Valparaiso.
Bradley’s offense has been by Ryan Vogel’s .382 mark from the plate, while Logan Delgado (.364) has been among the team’s and conference’s leading hitters this year. Delgado leads the Braves with 14 doubles, while Connor O’Brien is back as the power threat in the middle of the lineup with 10 home runs and 32 RBI. Vogel is the team’s leader with 15 stolen bases.
Fifteen different Bradley pitchers have combined for a 6.89 ERA in the 2023 season. Noah Edders has been the bright spot for the Braves with a 5-1 record over 14 appearances with a 4.50 ERA. Jacob Kisting has been one of the primary arms in the rotation with a 5.65 ERA over 57.1 innings of work. Bradley as a team has posted a 297:219 strikeout-to-walk ratio and is allowing opponents to hit .291 from the plate.
The Braves currently sit 10th overall in the conference standings through the first 18 games of the season. Bradley was selected fifth in the preseason MVC Coaches poll with 58 points with O’Brien earning a spot on the MVC Preseason All-Conference squad.
Bradley and Indiana State have faced off against two common opponents this season. Bradley has faced both Illinois (1-1) and Iowa (0-2) in 2023 with home-and-homes against both teams.
Indiana State – Bradley History
Indiana State leads the all-time series between the two teams with a 93-66 mark over the Braves dating back to the first record competition in 1907. Bradley has the edge in Peoria with a 38-37 mark against the Sycamores including taking two of three from ISU last season in Dozer Park. The Sycamores last took the series at Bradley back in the 2016 season falling in the May 13 opener, before rallying to take the final two contests.
INDIANA STATE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State head women’s basketball coach Chad Killinger announced the addition of guard Deja Jones to the program Thursday.
“We’re excited to add Deja to our program. She’s an athletic guard and will provide depth at the point guard position. Her experience this past season will help us continue to build a winning mentality and her speed, along with her ability to attack the basket, will allow us to increase our offensive pace,” Killinger said. “She played for a coach, Misty Opat, at Cochise that I have a lot of respect for and I know that coming from a program that required discipline will help in her transition to this level. She has a chance to be a dynamic player in our system at both ends of the floor and we are looking forward to begin working with her this summer.”
Jones, a 5-9 point guard from San Antonio, Texas, comes to Terre Haute after playing at Cochise College in Douglas, Arizona, where she earned second team all-region honors. She helped lead Coachise to a 28-6 record in 2022-23 and an at-large berth to the NJCAA Division I National Tournament, reaching the second round. Jones is ranked as the No. 6 point guard and No. 24 overall junior college prospect by the Collegiate Girls Basketball Report.
A dynamic player at the point, Jones averaged 11.1 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 2.3 steals per game for a 28-win Cochise team last season. She scored in double-figures 18 times in the 2022-23 campaign, including four 20-pount outings with a season-high 22 against Scottsdale CC. In addition to her scoring prowess, she also grabbed five or more rebounds in 14 games, including seven games with seven-plus rebounds. Jones was a strong defensive player, recording three or more steals on 14 occasions last season, with five-plus steals in five games. Among her notable games last season was a 20-point, 12-rebound double-double against Phoenix College.
Jones also played one season at Grayson College in Denison, Texas, where she averaged 6.2 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game for a 19-win team. She had five games with double-figure scoring, including a season-high 18 against Hill College, while pulling down five or more rebounds in 11 games. Jones began her collegiate career at UTSA, appearing in 11 games for the Roadrunners in the 2020-21 season and averaging 2.4 points and 0.9 rebounds per game while compiling an assist-turnover ratio of 1.5. She had a season-high 11 points in a C-USA contest at Florida Atlantic.
Jones, who played her high school career at East Central HS, becomes the second college transfer to sign with the Sycamores this season after Olivia Medford signed earlier this week. The two junior college standouts join four incoming freshmen who signed with Indiana State in November as part of this season’s signing class.
Indiana State Women’s Basketball 2023-24 Newcomers
Asia Donald // 5-9 // G // Hobart, Ind. // Hobart HS
Deja Jones // 5-9 // G // San Antonio, Texas // East Centra HS/Cochise College
Olivia Medford // 5-11 // G // Rockville Centre, N.Y. // Long Island Lutheran HS/Monroe College
Jailah Pelly // 5-9 // G // Belleville, Ill. // O’Fallon Township HS
Keslyn Secrist // 5-10 // G // Draper, Va. // Pulaski County HS
Saige Stahl // 6-1 // F // Seymour, Ind. // Columbus East HS
INDIANA STATE SOFTBALL
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State softball will close out their regular season this weekend with a three-game MVC series at Valparaiso with action set to begin at 4 p.m. ET on Friday at the Valpo Softball Complex.
The Sycamores (26-24, 14-10) took two of three games from Missouri State last weekend to clinch their first series win over the Bears since 2014. Sunday’s victory gave ISU 14 MVC victories on the year which is the most Valley wins in a single season in program history.
Valpo (8-37, 4-20) took on MVC Regular Season Champion UNI last weekend and dropped all three contests on the road.
Indiana State has won two-straight series against the Beacons as well as eliminating Valparaiso from the MVC Tournament in consecutive seasons. The Sycamores have a 19-6 lead in the all-time series.
Scouting the Beacons
Meaggan Pettipiece is in her first season as the head coach at Valpo after spending the past three seasons as the head coach at the University of Akron.
The Beacon offense is led by Regi Hecker who is batting .296 and 34 hits, driving in 13 runs and stealing five bases. Lauren Kehlenbrink leads Valpo with two home runs and has 11 RBIs on the year. Taylor Herschbach leads the Beacons with eight doubles and four triples, entering the weekend batting .273 on the year.
In the circle for Valparaiso, Easton Seib has logged 138 innings, striking out 56 hitters in her 34 appearances. Caitlyn Kowalski leads the Beacon pitching staff with 67 strikeouts in 92 innings of work.
Sycamore Stats & Notes
Isabella Henning enters the final weekend of the regular season hitting a team-best .392, which is good for third-highest in the MVC. Her 58 hits are second-most among Valley players. Henning is also second in the Valley with a .489 on-base percentage. She leads the Sycamores with seven home runs, 37 runs scored and 12 doubles and is second on the team with 31 runs batted in. She now ranks fourth all-time at ISU in home runs (22), fifth in doubles (37), fifth in walks (60), sixth in RBI (95) and eighth in runs (92).
Kennedy Shade is batting .331 which puts her at 12th in the conference. She has 45 hits on the year including 10 doubles and four home runs. Shade has driven in 28 runs on the season while scoring 23.
Hitting .303 on the season, Annie Tokarek leads the Sycamore offense with 32 RBIs. She has four home runs on the season with her most recent, a solo shot on April 30 against Missouri State, putting her into second all-time at Indiana State for career home runs with 26. She also now has 101 RBIs in her time in the Blue & White which is good for fourth-most in program history.
Olivia Patton is batting .290 with 47 hits, starting all 50 games in center field for the Sycamores. Patton has scored 21 runs and leads the team with nine stolen bases. With her appearance in the April 30 contest, she played in her 210th game which moved her into third place all-time for games played at ISU.
Danielle Henning is hitting .288 on the year with 46 hits including seven doubles, one triple and one home run while driving in 22 runs. She has scored 24 times which is second-best on the team.
Abi Chipps is second on the team with seven steals and ranks first in the country for being toughest to strike out, punching out just once this season in 94 at-bats.
Lexi Benko leads the ISU pitching staff with a 2.50 ERA, owning a 12-8 record with 88 strikeouts. She has logged 123 innings, making 27 appearances (26 starts). Benko has five complete games on the year and four shutouts. She has started 77 games in her career which is fourth-most in program history. Her 260 career strikeouts are eighth-most all-time.
Cassi Newbanks is second on ISU with a 2.68 ERA in the circle. She is 4-5 on the year as well as recording a save. In 75.2 innings, Newbanks has struck out 38 hitters.
Lauren Sackett enters the weekend at 7-8 with a 3.06 ERA. She has a team-high 110 strikeouts in 84.2 innings and has notched four saves this season which is the third-most in a single season by a Sycamore pitcher.
PURDUE FT. WAYNE BASEBALL
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – Youngstown State arrives in Fort Wayne this weekend for a three-game Horizon League baseball series against the Mastodons.
Game Day Information
Who: Purdue Fort Wayne (10-35, 6-15 Horizon) vs. Youngstown State (11-32, 6-14 Horizon)
When:
Friday, May 5 | 3 p.m.
Saturday, May 6 | 2 p.m.
Sunday, May 7 | 1 p.m.
Where: Mastodon Field
Weather: 74, clear | 76, clear | 78, chance of rain
Live Stats: Link
Series History: Youngstown State leads 14-7. The ‘Dons took 2-of-3 in Youngstown earlier this season.
Probable Pitchers:
Purdue Fort Wayne: RHP Mac Ayres (2-2), RHP Brody Fine (1-4), TBD
Youngstown State: RHP Travis Perry (4-4), LHP Braden Gebhardt (0-3), LHP Cam Marshalwitz (1-2)
Scouting the Penguins: Youngstown is coming off of a series sweep of Milwaukee at home. Steven D’Eusanio recorded a total of seven RBIs in the series, including five in the last game against the Panthers (April 30). Trey Law leads the Horizon League in hits with 64, and Turner Grau leads the league in triples with four.
Miller is the Strikeout King:Justin Miller owns 218 career strikeouts, passing Jason Horvath (2001-2005) for most career strikeouts earlier this season. Horvath recorded 210. Miller broke the record against Dayton on April 26. Additionally, Miller is averaging 10.5 strikeouts per nine innings, the best for a career in program history during the Division I era.
Down Goes Sparty: The Mastodons defeated Michigan State on April 19 3-2. It is the Mastodons’ second straight season with a win over a Big 10 opponent. Last season the ‘Dons defeated eventual league champion Michigan.
Return of the SAC: Dylan Stewart is tied for the league lead with seven sacrifice bunts.
Put His Name in Ink: Jarrett Bickel has started all 45 games at shortstop.
Grant is Fly: In league play only, Grant Thoroman is tied for second in the Horizon League in sacrifice flies with four.
Back in Black: Braedon Blackford is second in the league with 12 home runs. He is in fourth in RBIs (46), fourth in slugging (.596), fifth in runs (41) and fifth in hits (52).
Double-Digits: Braedon Blackford’s 12 home runs has him tied for fifth in program history for home runs in a season. The all-time single season record is Shaun VanDriessche’s 18 in 2010.
Cade Gets on Base: Cade Nelis has a current 26 game on-base streak. It is the longest for a Mastodon since Jackson Boyce reached base in 37 consecutive games in 2017. Nelis owns 31 walks, second best in the league.
HL is BH Time: In league play only, Ben Higgins is second in the league slugging (.893), OPS (1.339) and RBIs (30). Higgins also has a 10 game hitting streak.
Masto-Slams: The ‘Dons hit grand slams in back-to-back games against Northern Kentucky. On March 24 Ben Higgins hit a grand slam and then in game one on March 26 Jarrett Bickel hit a game-tying grand slam in the seventh inning of a 9-5 win.
Save X4: Four different Mastodons have recorded a save this season. Brody Fine, Mac Ayres, JD Deany, and Justin Miller own saves for the ‘Dons.
Closing Time: Justin Miller owns eight career saves, fourth most in Mastodon history for career saves.
‘Dons Dig The Long Ball: 11 different Mastodons have hit a home run this season, it is the most since 2013 when 11 different ‘Dons hit a home run. The 2003 season saw 13 Mastodons hit a home run, the most during the Mastodon Division I era.
Multi-verse: 14 different Mastodons have had a multi-hit game this season.
Hey Batter Batter (of the Week):Braedon Blackford hit .429 and slugged 1.357 with four home runs in 14 at bats over four games played in Winston-Salem, N.C. (March 3-5). He also recorded one double, seven RBIs, five runs scored, two walks and 19 total bases to earn the Horizon League Batter of the Week honor.
Hey Batter Batter (of the Week) X2: Ben Higgins was named the Horizon League Batter of the Week on April 4 for his play the prior weekend. His play was highlighted by his thee home run performance at Youngstown State on March 31). Higgins was the first Mastodon to hit three big flys in a game since 2016.
D1Baseball Top 30: Braedon Blackfordwas named a Top 30 Hitter of the day for his two-run home run game vs. Cornell. He was ranked No. 11. He also earned the No. 12 spot on the list after his five-hit, six-RBI doubleheader against Milwaukee (April 15). JD Deany was selected as a Top 30 pitcher for his five shutout innings vs. Cornell. Ben Higgins was named the No. 3 hitter of the day by DIBaseball.com for his three dinger day against Youngstown State. Jacob Walker (21st) and Caileb Johnson (25th) earned spots on the daily top 30 list for their performances at Northern Kentucky. Walker drove in seven runs with a home run. Johnson had four hits, four RBIs and two home runs.
Up Next: The ‘Dons will host Oakland May 12-14 in Horizon League play.
RECORD WATCH: Multiple Mastodons are lurking around the top 10 in program history in several stats this season.
Individual Records:
RBIs
Single Season Record: 54 Jared Davis (2007)
10th place: 44 (multiple times)
Braedon Blackford: 46 (currently 8th)
Ben Higgins: 42
Runs
Single Season Record: 53 Brandon Soat (2015) and Terry Johnson (1997)
10th place: 44 (multiple times)
Braedon Blackford: 41
Total Bases
Single Season Record: 150 Greg Kaiser (2016)
10th place: 107 (twice)
Braedon Blackford: 102
Home Runs
Single Season Record: 18 Shaun VanDriessche (2010)
10th place: 10 (multiple times)
Braeadon Blackford: 12 (currently tied for 5th)
Caileb Johnson: 11 (currently tied for 8th)
Ben Higgins: 10 (currently tied for 9th)
Walks
Single Season Record: 54 Malcolm White (2012)
Cade Nelis: 31 (currently tied for 10th)
Team Records:
Doubles
Single Season Record: 99 (2016)
Currently: 89 (5th)
Home Runs
Single Season Record: 55 (2010)
Currently: 47 (4th)
Hit By Pitch
Single Season Record: 79 (1999 & 2002)
Currently: 58 (9th)
Hits
Single Season Record: 539 (2014)
10th place: 444 (2009)
Currently: 410
Slugging %
Single Season Record: .494 (1998 & 1997)
Division I era Record: .435 (2005)
10th place: .420 (1989 & 2015)
Currently: .419
Runs Batted In
Single Season Record: 325 (2015)
10th place: 250 (1995)
Currently: 240
Runs
Single Season Record: 355 (1997)
Division I era Record: 353 (2015)
10th place: 277 (1999)
Currently: 258
Walks
Single Season Record: 230 (2016)
10th place: 194 (2005)
Currently: 177
OBP
Single Season Record: .415 (1997)
Division I era Record: .409 (2005)
10th place: .377 (1989)
Currently: .360
Double Plays
Single Season Record: 70 (1998)
Division I era Record: 48 (2010)
10th place: 40 (multiple times)
Currently: 31
Runners Picked Off
Single Season Record: 25 (2009)
10th place: 11 (multiple times)
Currently: 10
Strikeouts
Single Season Record: 398 (2015)
Currently: 320 (6th)
~ Feel the Rumble ~
PURDUE FT. WAYNE SOFTBALL
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – Purdue Fort Wayne softball will north to Michigan to take on the Oakland Golden Grizzlies for its last regular season series.
Game Day Information
Who: Oakland Golden Grizzlies
When: Friday, May 5 – Saturday, May 6 | Single game on Friday at 3 PM, Doubleheader on Saturday at 1 PM
Where: Rochester, Mich. | Oakland Softball Field
Live Stats: Link
Watch:Game 2 | Game 3
Know Your Foe
Oakland is 16-18 overall and 12-6 in the Horizon League. The Golden Grizzlies are coming off a 13-0 loss against Big Ten foe, Michigan. Before that matchup, the Golden Grizzlies won their Horizon League series against Robert Morris with an eighth inning win to claim the series. Reese Ruhlman ranks second in the Horizon League in on-base percentage (0.470). Reigning Horizon League Pitcher of the Year has a 1.59 ERA this season.
Series History
The Golden Grizzlies hold a 20-15 edge over the Mastodons in the all-time series. Oakland took the last matchup with a 4-1 win over the ‘Dons in 2022. Brayden Lickey scored off an RBI from Epiphany Hang.
League-Only Batters
Four Purdue Fort Wayne players are batting over .300 in Horizon League play: Epiphany Hang (.302), Sonia Solis (.361), Taryn Jenkins (.389) and Bailey Manos (.373).
Safe!
Taryn Jenkins had an on-base streak of 25 games earlier this season. This was the longest streak for a Mastodon since 2013 when Larissa Franklin had a streak of 37 games.
And She’s Fast Too!
Taryn Jenkins is the Horizon League leader with 21 stolen bases this season. That is a top-70 mark in the country.
And a Slugger!
Taryn Jenkins is in the top-100 in the country with 0.28 doubles per game, which is second in the Horizon League. Her .611 slugging percentage is in the top-200 in the country and first in the HL. Her batting average of .375 is second in the league.
Leading the League
Purdue Fort Wayne is leading the Horizon League with 1.59 stolen bases per game and 18 home runs.
oK Queen!
Alanah Jones is leading the Horizon League with 167 strikeouts this season. This mark is also top-30 nationally. Her 7.6 strikeouts per seven innings is also in the top-75 in the country.
Last Time Out
Green Bay took three games from the Mastodons in a Horizon League series.
Next Time Up
The Mastodons need three wins and some help to qualify for the Horizon League Championship, which kicks off on May 10 at the highest available seed.
EVANSVILLE SOFTBALL
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Looking to finish the regular season on a high note, the University of Evansville softball team travels to Cedar Falls, Iowa for a 3-game series against Northern Iowa. Friday’s opener begins at 5 p.m. while game two on Saturday starts at 2 p.m. and Sunday’s finale will be a 12 p.m. first pitch with all three games on ESPN+ and ESPN3.
Looking at the Match-up
– Last season, the Purple Aces and Panthers met at Cooper Stadium with UNI taking two out of three games
– In Cedar Falls, the Aces have dropped the last eight games versus the Panthers with the last win coming on March 30, 2014 by a 7-0 final
– The last road series versus UNI in 2021 saw the Panthers outscore UE by a 45-8 margin on their way to the 3-game sweep
Last Time Out
– Sunday’s rubber match against Illinois State saw the Redbirds score three in the second inning before winning by a final of 7-3 to clinch the series
– Alexa Davis hit her team-leading 7th home run in the game while Hannah Hood hit her third of 2023
Wood’s Hit Streak
– Recording at least one hit in all four games over the last week, Marah Wood extended her hit streak to 12 games
– It is the longest streak for the Purple Aces since Eryn Gould had a 12-game streak of her own in 2019
– Should she extend it to a 13th game, it would match Chandra Parr’s mark from 2015
– For Wood, it is her longest streak in her college career as she registered a hit in eight consecutive games in 2022.
Back at #1
– With one earned run scoring in her last seven innings, Megan Brenton lowered her ERA to 1.43 and retook the Missouri Valley Conference lead
– On April 29, Brenton picked up her league-leading 6th save of the season versus Illinois State and her .197 opponent batting average remains 5th in the league
– Brenton registered the save in both wins over the Salukis, combining to toss four shutout frames while giving up two hits and one walk while striking out four batters
– In 68 2/3 innings of work in 2023, Brenton has allowed 20 runs, just 14 of which have been earned; she has struck out 71 batters while walking 38
– On April 26, Brenton was named the Comeback Player of the Year at the Acespys, which is the annual UE Athletics awards show
– Brenton overcame a setback while battling an injury prior to the 2022 season but has returned to top form in 2023
Putting a Streak Together
– Jess Willsey has put together her longest hitting streak of the season, registering a hit in eight consecutive games
– Over that time, she is hitting .464 with 13 hits in 28 at-bats and her season average stands at a team-best .293
– Since March 19, Willsey is batting .355 with 27 hits in 76 at-bats
– Willsey finished the Illinois State series with five hits in seven trips to the plate
– In game two against Southern Illinois, Willsey was a perfect 3-3 with four RBI in a 4-0 win for the Aces; the win came less than a day after SIU opened the series with a 17-1 victory
– Willsey has six home runs on the season, which is second on the team
EVANSVILLE BASEBALL
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – With only three weeks and nine conference games remaining before the 2023 Missouri Valley Conference Tournament, the University of Evansville baseball team will hit the road this weekend for an important Valley series against Illinois State in Normal, Illinois.
Evansville will enter the weekend series at 26-18 overall and 9-9 in the MVC. The Purple Aces are currently in fifth place in the Valley standings, just two games out of third place, but only four games up on last-place entering this weekend’s series.
Evansville knocked off Butler, 4-1, on Wednesday night behind strong pitching from senior Tyler Denu, grad student John MacCauley, freshman Max Hansmann and junior closer Nate Hardman. Hardman is a Normal, Illinois native and attended University High School in the shadows of Illinois State. Hardman earned his sixth save of the year on Wednesday night with a scoreless ninth inning, and he has not allowed an earned run in his last four appearances, while earning three saves for UE. Overall, he ranks second in the Valley with the six saves, and in eight Valley appearances this year, Hardman is 1-0 with three saves and a 0.87 ERA spanning 10.1 innings of work.
Illinois State will enter this weekend’s series at 17-24 overall and 6-12 in the MVC. Despite being in a three-team tie for seventh place in the league standings, the Redbirds have won each of the last two MVC series, including taking two out of three games at Southern Illinois last weekend. Junior outfielder Auggie Rasmussen leads a balanced Illinois State attack with a .309 batting average, 12 doubles, nine home runs, and a league-best 19 stolen bases. Overall, the Redbirds feature a lineup with seven regular starters hitting above .280 on the year, and they are tied for the MVC lead in stolen bases with 56 as a team.
The same two teams faced each other on the same weekend last year in Evansville, with the Purple Aces sweeping a three-game series at German American Bank Field at Charles H. Braun Stadium. Overall, Illinois State leads the all-time series, 67-56-1.
SOUTHERN INDIANA BASEBALL
EVANSVILLE, Ind. — University of Southern Indiana Baseball celebrates Alumni Weekend when it host the University of Arkansas at Little Rock for a three-game Ohio Valley Conference series. First pitch of the series at the USI Baseball Field is Friday at 6 p.m. before continuing Saturday at 2 p.m. and concluding Sunday at noon.
The Screaming Eagles will honor its 2023 senior class Sunday prior to the series finale. Senior Day ceremonies are slated for 11:30 a.m.
Links to follow all of the action during the homestand can be found on the Eagles’ baseball schedule at USIScreamingEagles.com.
Weekend Schedule Note: With rain in the forecast this weekend, fans can track any weather-related schedule changes on Twitter (@USIAthletics), Facebook (USI Athletics), and USIScreamingEagles.com.
USI Baseball Notes:
USI is 0-2 to start the week: The USI Screaming Eagles are 0-2 to start the week, falling 14-3 to Southern Illinois University and 12-2 to Miami (OH) University. Senior infielder/catcher Lucas McNew leads the USI hitters with a .600 average and two RBIs.
USI went 2-2 last week. The Eagles were 2-2 last week after posting a 17-7 win over McKendree University and going 1-2 in Ohio Valley Conference play at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville last weekend (L, 3-10; W, 12-5; L, 4-14). Junior first baseman Tucker Ebest had a team-best .571 average with nine RBIs and four home runs. Junior outfielder Ren Tachioka followed with a .529 mark in the four games.
USI averaging double-digit runs: USI has the offense going over the last 10 games, averaging 10.9 runs per game. Senior infielder/catcher Lucas McNew is hitting a team-best .526 (20-38), while junior first baseman Tucker Ebest has five home runs and 18 RBIs.
Eagles in the OVC standings: The Eagles are tied for seventh in the OVC standings with a 6-12 record and a .333 winning percentage. USI has six conference games left and must finish amongst the top eight to earn a trip to the OVC Tournament May 24-26.
Last 10 vs. Previous 10: USI has improved over the last 10 games, going 5-5 with a .357 team batting average and 10.9 runs per game. The Eagles, in the previous 10 games, were 3-7 with a .258 team batting average and averaged 5.7 runs per contest.
Leading hitters: Junior catcher Parker Stroh leads USI this season with a .333 batting average, raising his average over 228 points over the last 10 games. Junior first baseman Tucker Ebest follows with a .331 batting average, while posting a team-best 48 RBIs and 11 home runs.
Versus the OVC: Junior catcher Parker Stroh leads USI in OVC play with a .419 average (13-31), playing in 10 of the 18 games. Junior first baseman Tucker Ebest follows with a .411 average (23-56) with 17 RBIs and five home runs, while senior infielder/catcher Lucas McNew has a team-high 18 RBIs.
McNew climbing the USI All-Time charts: Senior catcher/infielder Lucas McNew is fifth all-time at USI in home runs (24); fifth in RBIs (165) and sixth in doubles (51).
Little Rock this spring: The University of Arkansas at Little Rock Trojans come to the USI Baseball Field with a 25-17 overall record this spring and are 6-4 in their last 10 games.
First meetings with Little Rock: USI will be playing Little Rock for the first time in the history of both baseball programs.
SOUTHERN INDIANA SOFTBALL
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Softball concludes the regular season this weekend, hosting Tennessee Tech University in an Ohio Valley Conference series Saturday and Sunday at USI Softball Field. First pitches for Saturday’s doubleheader and Sunday’s series finale are at 12 p.m.
Admission to all 2023 USI Softball home spring games is free, courtesy of The Women’s Hospital Deaconess.
USI Softball will celebrate the 2023 senior class this weekend with Senior Day ceremonies taking place after Sunday’s game. USI will recognize four seniors – outfielder Emma Tucher (New Palestine, Indiana), infielder Rachel Martinez (Chicago, Illinois), utility Allie Goodin (Evansville, Indiana), and infielder Jordan Rager (Fishers, Indiana). The 2023 seniors have led the program from the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 all the way through the program’s first season at the NCAA Division I level in 2023.
The Screaming Eagles (18-21, 11-9) head into the OVC’s final weekend in fourth place in the league standings. USI can finish as high as third by the end of the weekend, as Southeast Missouri State University and Eastern Illinois University have locked up the first and second seeds, respectively. The University of Tennessee at Martin is idle this weekend and sits just ahead of USI in third with a 13-10 conference record. Southern Indiana won two of three games against UT Martin earlier this season. Below USI in the league table, a lot of jockeying for position to determine the final seed order can take place this weekend around the OVC. However, Tennessee Tech (6-42, 2-19) is mathematically out of contention for a conference tournament berth in ninth place in the standings. The OVC championship tournament begins Wednesday, May 10 from Oxford, Alabama.
Southern Indiana is coming off a midweek matchup against Austin Peay State University, falling 8-0 to the Governors on Tuesday. Austin Peay grabbed an early 3-0 lead off a home run in the top of the first inning and never looked back. The Governors increased their lead in the top of the fifth inning with three consecutive RBI hits.
In the non-conference game against Austin Peay, Goodin hit her OVC-leading 15th double for USI, while freshman Lavin Osborne (New Albany, Indiana) tallied her first career hit on Tuesday.
Goodin has carried a hot bat in the conference season. In OVC play, Goodin is batting .464 with eight doubles, five home runs, and 27 RBIs. In conference action, the senior leads the OVC in batting average and RBIs and is top-five in doubles, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage. In Southern Indiana’s last conference game on April 23, Goodin led USI to a 5-1 win and a series win against Tennessee State University after hitting two home runs with five RBIs in the series finale. Her multi-home run game was the first by a USI player this season and the fourth such game in Goodin’s USI career.
Overall, this season, Goodin paces the Screaming Eagles with a .417 batting average, 15 doubles, five home runs, and 34 RBIs. Her batting average, doubles, and RBI numbers rank among the top-three of the OVC, and her batting average and doubles total are top-35, respectively, in the nation. Junior first baseman Lexi Fair (Greenwood, Indiana) is second on the team with four home runs and 22 RBIs. Junior outfielder Mackenzie Bedrick (Brownsburg, Indiana) is hitting .305, leading the squad with 27 runs scored. Southern Indiana is batting .249 as a team with 59 extra-base hits.
Sophomore pitcher Josie Newman (Indianapolis, Indiana) leads the pitching rotation with a 14-10 record, 2.40 ERA, 135 strikeouts, and 16 complete games. She has tossed five shutouts this season. Newman is at the top of the OVC, overall and in conference-only games, for wins, strikeouts, and complete games. During the conference season, the right-hander has worked the most innings in the OVC with 90.1 innings pitched. Newman is a three-time OVC Pitcher of the Week honoree this season. USI’s pitching staff has a 3.41 ERA with over 200 strikeouts and a .237 opposing batting average.
Heading into the final weekend of the regular season, a few USI players are climbing USI’s all-time ranks. Fair has been hit by a pitch five times this season and 37 times in her USI career, which ties the all-time mark previously set by Mena Fulton. Fair is also tied for eighth all-time with 19 career home runs, needing two home runs to enter a tie for fifth. Goodin has 17 career home runs, sitting a home run shy of entering the top-10 in USI’s all-time history. Junior Sammie Kihega (Greenfield, Indiana) is third all-time in USI history with 79 career walks. She is three walks away from second.
It’s been a tough season for Tennessee Tech, who was projected third in the OVC’s preseason poll. The Golden Eagles are coming off a series loss last weekend against Tennessee State but have won three of their last seven contests. Graduate senior Haeli Bryson leads the offense for Tennessee Tech with a .317 batting average. Bryson has a pair of home runs and a team-best 10 doubles and 25 RBIs. The Golden Eagles are hitting .235 as a team with 62 extra-base hits and 28 stolen bases. Tennessee Tech’s pitching staff has an ERA above eight and opposing hitters are batting .350.
The weekend series will be the first all-time meeting between the two programs.
All three games can be seen with a subscription to ESPN+ and heard on The Spin 95.7 FM. Additional coverage links are on the USI Softball schedule page on usiscreamingeagles.com.
VALPO MEN’S GOLF
The good news just keeps coming for the Valparaiso University men’s golf team.
A day after Anthony Delisanti (Sanborn, N.Y. / Niagara Wheatfield) and Caleb VanArragon (Blaine, Minn. / Blaine) were both announced as part of the NCAA Bath Regional field, the program has revealed that the team’s season is not done yet.
The Beacons have earned a place in the inaugural National Golf Invitational (NGI), a postseason tournament similar to the NIT in basketball. The 18-team, 54-hole event will be held from May 18-21 at Ak-Chin Southern Dunes Golf Club in Maricopa, Ariz.
Invitations for the postseason tournament are extended to top teams that did not secure automatic or at-large bids into the NCAA Regional field. The committee used a cumulative average of Golfweek/Sagarin and GolfStat rankings along with a committee decision on teams that have strong resumes.
Valpo leads the Missouri Valley Conference with a 289.48 season scoring average. The Beacons finished as the team runner-up at the MVC Championship with Delisanti winning individual medalist honors for the second straight season. Valpo owns a season winning percentage of .754 (107-35) during a historic year for the program. Delisanti earned MVC Golfer of the Year status, while VanArragon garnered the MVC Elite 17 Award and both were named to the All-MVC team.
This will mark the first time that the program has advanced to postseason play as a team since competing in the NCAA Columbus Regional in 2013.
U OF I TRACK
ROLLA, Mo. – Zoe Pentecost claimed first place and nearly broke the school record in the women’s hammer throw on Thursday afternoon to headline action for the UIndy outdoor track & field teams at the 2023 GLVC Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
After day one, the women’s team leads the team standings with 22 points while the men hold the top spot with 21 points.
Pentecost, who easily dominated the rest of the hammer throw field, smashed her previous outdoor personal record (57.92 meters) and threw a provisional mark of 59.21 meters on Thursday. This nearly took down the standing school record of 59.31 meters set back in 2015 by Farin Hickman. Along with Pentecost, the Hounds also saw Emily Bonser collect the runner-up spot in the event (provo of 54.85) while MaKenna Maschino and Claire Tabit went fifth and ninth, respectively.
Lucas Liard was the lone Greyhound to take the track in the men’s 10,000-meter run which saw him grab second place at 30:29.81
Over in the men’s hammer throw, Keeton Adams collect a bronze medal after tossing a throw of 56.03 meters. Jacob Brouse and Cameron Smith ended in fifth and sixth, respectively, while Dylan Mayhew and Noah Mattson collect 10th and 12th, respectively.
In the final event of the day, Mariah Davis and Hanna Stamm led UIndy in the women’s 10,000-meter run with finishes of 11th and 12th, respectively. Gabrielle Harrell and Emma Gaston would finish in 16th and 18th, respectively.
UP NEXT
Day two of action will begin tomorrow at 10 a.m. ET.
U OF I SOFTBALL
EAST PEORIA, Ill.—The top-seeded UIndy softball team opened the 2023 GLVC Championship Tournament with a 2-0 victory over the eighth-seeded Drury Panthers Thursday. On a near-perfect spring afternoon, the Greyhounds sprinkled in a pair of runs to support ace Kenzee Smith during her complete-game shutout.
Along the way, senior outfielder Maddy Stout set an impressive (if not painful) school record with her 18th hit-by-pitch of the season.
UIndy moves on to face four-seed Maryville tomorrow in a winners’ bracket matchup at 4 p.m. ET. The eight-team, double-elimination tournament is being held Thursday through Sunday at the EastSide Centre in East Peoria, Ill.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Offense was at a premium Thursday, as a pair of All-GLVC First Team pitchers – Smith and DU’s Kristina Bettis – went head-to-head. But the Greyhounds struck first with some timely pop in the bottom of third. Stout coaxed her record-breaking HBP to lead off the frame and came around to score on Jocelyn Calvin’s double to the left-center gap.
That proved sufficient for Smith, as the freshly-crown GLVC Pitcher of the Year continued to miss bats in the postseason opener. The Indy native went the distance, notching her 11th shutout of the year to move to 29-3. She has not allowed a run in her last 28 2/3 consecutive innings of work.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
-UIndy added an insurance run in the sixth when Megan Nichols scored from first base on an Emily O’Connor single and a Panther error.
-Nichols finished the day as the only Hound with more than one hit, going 2-for-3 to bump her team-high batting average back over .400.
-Stout’s single-season HBP record of 18 topped the former mark shared by two of her former teammates; Taylor Danielson and Brooke Montgomery both reached 17 HBPs in 2021.
-Thursday’s result marked the second time in as many seasons that Smith bested Bettis in the GLVC Tournament. Last year, Smith got the win in a 1-0 extra-inning victory in the semifinals.
U OF I MEN’S LAX
INDIANAPOLIS – The UIndy men’s lacrosse team earned the right to stay home this weekend, as the top-seeded Greyhounds host the 2023 GLVC Championship Tournament from Key Stadium on May 5-7. UIndy, also ranked third nationally and fifth in the South Region, sports an 11-2 record, including an unblemished 5-0 mark in league play to win its second straight regular-season title.
The Hounds battle Lewis in the first semifinal on Friday at 4 p.m. UIndy squeaked by the Flyers back on March 25, earning a comeback 13-12 victory in Romeoville, Ill. Last season, the Hounds knocked the Flyers from the GLVC semis with a 16-11 win at Key Stadium. The winner will head to Sunday’s title bout against either 2-seed Maryville or 3-seed Rockhurst at 12 p.m.
UIndy has won three GLVC titles since the league began sponsoring the sport in 2018, including a three-peat from 2018-2021*. The Greyhounds advanced to last season’s championship game, but lost to former-league member Lindenwood.
*2020 season canceled due to pandemic*
HOUND BYTES
Head coach Greg Stocks on the target the team faces…
“We’re excited to be hosting and know that it comes with high expectations and a target on our back. But with the experience and leadership we have at both ends of the field, we will be prepared going into it.”
SMALL COLLEGE ATHLETIC SITES:
INDIANA WESLEYAN ATHLETICS: https://iwuwildcats.com/
EARLHAM ATHLETICS: https://goearlham.com/
WABASH ATHLETICS: https://sports.wabash.edu/
FRANKLIN ATHLETICS: https://franklingrizzlies.com/
ROSE-HULMAN ATHLETICS: https://athletics.rose-hulman.edu/
ANDERSON ATHLETICS: https://athletics.anderson.edu/landing/index
TRINE ATHLETICS: https://trinethunder.com/landing/index
BETHEL ATHLETICS: https://bupilots.com/
DEPAUW ATHLETICS: https://depauwtigers.com/
HANOVER ATHLETICS: https://athletics.hanover.edu/
MANCHESTER ATHLETICS: https://muspartans.com/
HUNTINGTON ATHLETICS: https://www.huathletics.com/
OAKLAND CITY ATHLETICS: https://gomightyoaks.com/index.aspx
ST. FRANCIS ATHLETICS: https://www.saintfranciscougars.com/landing/index
IU KOKOMO ATHLETICS: https://iukcougars.com/
IU EAST ATHLETICS: https://www.iueredwolves.com/
IU SOUTH BEND ATHLETICS: https://iusbtitans.com/
PURDUE NORTHWEST ATHLETICS: https://pnwathletics.com/
INDIANA TECH ATHLETICS: https://indianatechwarriors.com/index.aspx
GRACE COLLEGE ATHLETICS: https://gclancers.com/
ST. MARY OF THE WOODS ATHLETICS: https://smwcathletics.com/
GOSHEN COLLEGE ATHLETICS: https://goleafs.net/
HOLY CROSS ATHLETICS: https://www.hcsaints.com/index.php
TAYLOR ATHLETICS: https://www.taylortrojans.com/
VINCENNES ATHLETICS: https://govutrailblazers.com/landing/index
SPORTS EXTRA
MLB STANDINGS
| American League | |||||||||||
| East | |||||||||||
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB | Home | Road | East | Central | West | Last 10 | Streak |
| Tampa Bay | 26 | 6 | .813 | – | 17 – 2 | 9 – 4 | 5 – 2 | 9 – 1 | 4 – 2 | 7 – 3 | W 3 |
| Baltimore | 21 | 10 | .677 | 4.5 | 9 – 4 | 12 – 6 | 4 – 5 | 10 – 3 | 5 – 2 | 7 – 3 | W 1 |
| Boston | 19 | 14 | .576 | 7.5 | 13 – 7 | 6 – 7 | 7 – 7 | 7 – 2 | 3 – 1 | 7 – 3 | W 6 |
| Toronto | 18 | 14 | .563 | 8 | 9 – 3 | 9 – 11 | 4 – 6 | 8 – 2 | 5 – 4 | 5 – 5 | L 5 |
| NY Yankees | 17 | 15 | .531 | 9 | 11 – 8 | 6 – 7 | 3 – 3 | 7 – 6 | 3 – 4 | 4 – 6 | W 2 |
| Central | |||||||||||
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB | Home | Road | East | Central | West | Last 10 | Streak |
| Minnesota | 18 | 14 | .563 | – | 10 – 6 | 8 – 8 | 5 – 5 | 9 – 4 | 2 – 1 | 6 – 4 | W 1 |
| Cleveland | 14 | 17 | .452 | 3.5 | 4 – 8 | 10 – 9 | 3 – 6 | 1 – 2 | 6 – 4 | 4 – 6 | L 2 |
| Detroit | 13 | 17 | .433 | 4 | 8 – 7 | 5 – 10 | 2 – 14 | 2 – 1 | 2 – 1 | 6 – 4 | W 3 |
| Chi White Sox | 10 | 22 | .313 | 8 | 6 – 10 | 4 – 12 | 2 – 11 | 3 – 3 | 2 – 2 | 3 – 7 | L 1 |
| Kansas City | 8 | 24 | .250 | 10 | 2 – 14 | 6 – 10 | 2 – 5 | 1 – 6 | 2 – 7 | 3 – 7 | L 1 |
| West | |||||||||||
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB | Home | Road | East | Central | West | Last 10 | Streak |
| Texas | 18 | 12 | .600 | – | 12 – 6 | 6 – 6 | 4 – 3 | 5 – 1 | 4 – 2 | 5 – 5 | L 1 |
| LA Angels | 18 | 14 | .563 | 1 | 8 – 5 | 10 – 9 | 3 – 7 | 2 – 1 | 7 – 3 | 7 – 3 | W 4 |
| Houston | 16 | 15 | .516 | 2.5 | 8 – 11 | 8 – 4 | 4 – 2 | 4 – 6 | 1 – 2 | 5 – 5 | L 2 |
| Seattle | 15 | 16 | .484 | 3.5 | 7 – 9 | 8 – 7 | 1 – 2 | 3 – 4 | 4 – 2 | 5 – 5 | W 4 |
| Oakland | 6 | 26 | .188 | 13 | 3 – 15 | 3 – 11 | 1 – 6 | 1 – 2 | 3 – 10 | 2 – 8 | L 3 |
| National League | |||||||||||
| East | |||||||||||
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB | Home | Road | East | Central | West | Last 10 | Streak |
| Atlanta | 22 | 10 | .688 | – | 7 – 7 | 15 – 3 | 10 – 3 | 6 – 0 | 3 – 4 | 8 – 2 | W 3 |
| Miami | 16 | 16 | .500 | 6 | 10 – 9 | 6 – 7 | 5 – 12 | 3 – 0 | 4 – 2 | 4 – 6 | L 3 |
| NY Mets | 16 | 16 | .500 | 6 | 6 – 6 | 10 – 10 | 7 – 6 | 0 – 3 | 6 – 4 | 2 – 8 | L 3 |
| Philadelphia | 15 | 17 | .469 | 7 | 8 – 5 | 7 – 12 | 1 – 2 | 4 – 3 | 3 – 4 | 5 – 5 | L 4 |
| Washington | 13 | 18 | .419 | 8.5 | 6 – 12 | 7 – 6 | 3 – 3 | 4 – 3 | 2 – 2 | 6 – 4 | W 3 |
| Central | |||||||||||
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB | Home | Road | East | Central | West | Last 10 | Streak |
| Pittsburgh | 20 | 12 | .625 | – | 9 – 4 | 11 – 8 | 2 – 1 | 7 – 4 | 5 – 1 | 5 – 5 | L 4 |
| Milwaukee | 18 | 13 | .581 | 1.5 | 9 – 6 | 9 – 7 | 3 – 0 | 4 – 2 | 4 – 6 | 3 – 7 | L 4 |
| Chi Cubs | 15 | 16 | .484 | 4.5 | 8 – 8 | 7 – 8 | 1 – 6 | 2 – 3 | 5 – 5 | 3 – 7 | L 3 |
| Cincinnati | 13 | 18 | .419 | 6.5 | 9 – 6 | 4 – 12 | 3 – 7 | 3 – 6 | 1 – 2 | 6 – 4 | L 1 |
| St. Louis | 10 | 22 | .313 | 10 | 5 – 11 | 5 – 11 | 0 – 3 | 3 – 4 | 4 – 9 | 1 – 9 | L 6 |
| West | |||||||||||
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB | Home | Road | East | Central | West | Last 10 | Streak |
| LA Dodgers | 19 | 13 | .594 | – | 12 – 6 | 7 – 7 | 4 – 2 | 8 – 5 | 7 – 6 | 8 – 2 | W 6 |
| Arizona | 17 | 14 | .548 | 1.5 | 8 – 6 | 9 – 8 | 1 – 2 | 4 – 2 | 9 – 8 | 5 – 5 | W 1 |
| San Diego | 17 | 15 | .531 | 2 | 9 – 9 | 8 – 6 | 5 – 5 | 4 – 6 | 8 – 4 | 7 – 3 | W 1 |
| San Francisco | 13 | 17 | .433 | 5 | 7 – 7 | 6 – 10 | 3 – 4 | 3 – 1 | 1 – 4 | 6 – 4 | W 2 |
| Colorado | 12 | 20 | .375 | 7 | 7 – 9 | 5 – 11 | 3 – 5 | 4 – 5 | 3 – 6 | 6 – 4 | W 4 |
TODAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY
1904 Cy Young tosses the first perfect game in American League history, defeating Rube Waddell and the Philadelphia A’s, 3-0. The Red Sox right-hander’s gem is the first perfect game thrown in the majors since the decision to increase the distance between the mound and plate from 45 feet to 60 feet, six inches in 1893.
1913 American League president Ban Johnson suspends George Stovall indefinitely due to the Browns’ manager spitting tobacco juice into Charlie Ferguson’s face after being ejected by the umpire two days ago in the team’s 11-8 loss to the Naps at Sportsman’s Park. The banishment will last 17 days, ending on the condition the controversial skipper sends the arbitrator a letter of apology.
1917 Thanks to the St. Louis scorer’s decision to turn Buck Weaver’s first-inning questionable hit into an error, Browns’ hurler Ernie Koob throws a no-hitter at Sportsman’s Park. The southpaw beats Ed Cicotte and the White Sox, 1-0.
1925 At Sportsman’s Park in St. Louis, Ty Cobb compiles 16 total bases by stroking three homers, two singles, and a double. The Georgia Peach’s 6-for-6 performance helps the Tigers defeat the hometown Browns, 14-8.
1929 In the first Sunday home game the Braves ever play, Milt Gaston, with his brother Alex behind the plate, relieves Red Ruffing in the seventh inning to become the second pair of siblings in American League history to be batterymates. Tommy and Homer Thompson appeared in one game together for the Yankees in 1912 and were the first.
1930 The Red Sox trade Red Ruffing to the Yankees for $50,000 and Cedric Durst, who will hit .245 in 102 games during his only season in Boston. New York’s new right-hander, a future Hall of Famer, will post a 231-124 (.651) record and an ERA of 3.47 during his 15 seasons with the Bronx ball club.
1953 In the second game of a twin bill at Milwaukee’s County Stadium, Braves’ hurler Max Surkont strikes out the hitter for the third out of the second inning and will continue to fan batters until there is one out in the fifth inning en route to a 10-3 victory over the Reds. The eight consecutive strikeouts establish a new major league record, surpassing the seven straight shared by Dazzy Vance (Robins/Dodgers, 1924) and Van Mungo (Dodgers, 1936).
1955 In his first major league start, Dodger rookie starter Tommy Lasorda ties a record, throwing three wild pitches in the first inning of the team’s 4-3 victory over St. Louis at Ebbets Field. During his one inning of work, the future Dodgers’ Hall of Fame skipper will be spiked by Wally Moon, covering a play at home plate after uncorking one of his errant pitches.
1955 When your luck is battin’ zero
Get your chin up off the floor
Mister you can be a hero
You can open any door, there’s nothin’ to it but to do it
You’ve gotta have heart
– ‘You Gotta to Have Heart’ lyrics from Damn Yankees
The musical Damn Yankees, based on Douglass Wallop’s novel The Year the Yankees Lost the Pennant, opens on Broadway. The comedy, set in Washington, DC, during the Bronx Bombers’ dominance in baseball in the 1950s, tells the tale of an aging Washington Senators fan’s bargain with the devil to help his hapless team.
1958 Behind ten runs entering the final frame, the Giants score nine times in an unforgettable 11-10 loss to Pittsburgh. With the bases loaded, pinch-hitter Don Taussig pops out to end the game and San Francisco’s remarkable comeback attempt at Seals Stadium.
1962 In his fourth big league start, Bo Belinsky throws the first hitless game in Angels history and the first one ever tossed at Dodger Stadium, beating the Orioles, 2-0. The 25-year-old southpaw is only the tenth rookie to throw a no-hitter.
1965 In a match-up of eventual Hall of Famers at Shea Stadium, Phillies’ right-hander Jim Bunning beats the Mets, 1-0, for his sixth straight complete-game victory over the New Yorkers. The Philadelphia starter provides the game’s lone run with a sixth-inning lead-off solo homer run off southpaw Warren Spahn, who also goes the distance, giving up just four hits.
1978 At Riverfront Stadium, Pete Rose becomes the 13th player in major league history to collect his 3000th hit, a single to left field off Montreal right-hander Steve Rogers. The Reds’ legend reaches the milestone in his 16th major league season, quicker than any of the other dozen players who have accomplished the feat.
1980 For pushing his glove in the face of umpire Jerry Crawford, Bill Madlock is suspended for 15 days and fined $5,000 by National League president Chub Feeney. The fiery Pirates’ infielder, called Mad Dog by his teammates, became upset after being called out on strikes with the bases loaded in the fifth inning of the Bucs’ 2-1 victory over Montreal four days ago.
1995 Thirty-three years after Don Zimmer played third base in the franchise’s first contest, Edgardo Alfonzo becomes the 100th player in Mets history to cover the ‘hot corner.’ Howard Johnson played the most games at the position, appearing in 835 games for New York in eight seasons.
1999 Beating the Cubs, 13-6, the Rockies become only the third team in the 1900s to score a run in every inning. The 1964 Cardinals accomplished the feat against the Cubs, and the Giants scored in every frame against the Phillies in 1923.
2000 Cardinals’ first baseman Mark McGwire hits the longest home run in the 30-year history of Riverfront Stadium/Cinergy Field, but the 473-foot shot isn’t enough as Ken Griffey Jr.’s homer leads the Reds past St. Louis, 3-2.
2000 For the first time in team history, the Rangers overcome an eight-run deficit, beating Oakland, 17-16. The teams tie an American League record when 18 different players scored, including every starter, first accomplished during a Reds/A’s contest on June 29, 1950.
2000 “We came for the gold, and we got it.” – TOMMY LASORDA, manager of U.S. Olympic team.
Former big-league skipper Tommy Lasorda, 72, is named manager of the United States Olympic baseball team. The Hall of Fame pilot, who won four National League pennants and two World Series titles with the Dodgers, will add a Gold Medal to his accomplishments when Team USA beats heavily-favored Cuba in the contest known as the Miracle on Grass.
2004 Major League Baseball announces each team, based on the comfort level of the franchise, will promote the movie Spider-Man 2 during the first weekend of interleague play, June 11th to 13. The promotion, seen as an opportunity to market the game to younger fans, will include placing a Spider-Man logo on all the bases.
(Ed. Note: MLB reverses its decision to have red-and-yellow ads appear on bases due to adverse fan reaction and the Yankees’ lack of enthusiasm for the promotion, allowing the ads only during batting practice for just one game. -LP)
2004 Mets backstop Mike Piazza passes Carlton Fisk for most home runs hit by a catcher when he hits his 352nd round-tripper as a catcher. The Morristown (PA) native’s 405-foot opposite-field historic homer comes off Jerome Williams’ 3-1 fastball during the first inning of the Mets’ 8-2 victory at Shea Stadium.
2004 Roger Clemens moves ahead of Steve Carlton (4,136) into second place on the career strikeouts list when he gets Raul Mondesi swinging in the fifth inning of the Astros’ 9-2 victory over Pittsburgh at Minute Maid Park. Nolan Ryan’s all-time mark of 5,714 whiffs appears out of reach for the 41-year-old ‘Rocket,’ who would still need over 1500 to challenge the record.
2008 At Coors Field, Derek Lowe throws 43 pitches before he retires the first Rockies batter of the game. The Dodgers starting pitcher never recovers from the 50-pitch, three-run first inning, leaving after the fifth of a 7-2 eventual loss to Colorado.
2008 In the 4,000th game played at Dodger Stadium, Joe Torre’s Dodgers beat the Mets, 5-1. The Los Angeles skipper also managed the 1,000th game at the Astrodome (Mets – 1977) and Coors Field (Yankees – 2007), the 2,000th at Busch Stadium (Cardinals – 1991), the 3,000th at Angel Stadium (Yankees – 2003), and the 6,000th at Yankee Stadium (Yankees -2001).
2009 The Dodgers tie the major league record of 12 consecutive wins at home to start the season with their 3-1 victory over Arizona. L.A.’s 12-0 start at home equals the mark set by the Tigers in 1911.
2010 Satellite provider DirecTV and the Yes Network announce their plans to televise the first major league baseball game in three dimensions. The July 10th Safeco Field telecast between the Yankees and Mariners will be available to viewers with 3-D television sets in New York, Connecticut, Washington, Oregon, Alaska, and parts of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Montana, and Idaho.
2010 Boston honors their former All-Star shortstop Nomar Garciaparra with a special day before the Red Sox-Angels game at Fenway Park. During spring training, the two-time batting champ had signed a one-day contract to retire as a member of his original team.
2015 Mitch Harris becomes the first graduate of any military academy to earn a major league victory when the Cardinals beat the Cubs at Busch Stadium, 7-4. The 29-year-old Redbird rookie right-hander, the first Naval Academy midshipman in 94 years to appear in a big-league game, sails through a scoreless fourth inning in relief to notch the historic decision.
2021 John Means becomes the first individual Oriole hurler to throw a no-hitter since Jim Palmer accomplished the feat on Aug. 13, 1969. The lefty’s gem, where he retires all 27 Mariners he faces, marks the first time a pitcher does not get credit for a perfect game due to the dropped-third-strike rule.
(Ed. Note: On July 13, 1991, Bob Milacki, Mike Flanagan, Mark Williamson, and Gregg Olson threw a combined no-hitter in Baltimore. -LP)
FOOTBALL HISTORY
May 5, 1886 – Football Rules Convention at New York’s 5th Avenue Hotel on football organizing. Adopted a rule where the defense could not rush until a ball was snapped. The predecessor of the scrimmage.
May 5, 1888 – Rules Convention created a Rule that No player shall lay his hands on or interfere with another player with his hands or arms with an opponent unless he has the ball. According to the The Evening World Newspaper , May 9, 1888.
May 5, 1922 – Construction begins on Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York. Here are ten notable gridiron games that the MLB.com shares with us played at the original House that Ruth Built:
10. Last Gridiron Game: Sept. 12, 1987, was final football game ever played at the old Yankee Stadium. The game had Central State University of Ohio edging out Grambling University, 37-21. Grambling coach Eddie Robinson was still on the sideline for this one and showed disappointment in the loss.
9. Last Gotham Bowl: Before the Pin Stripe Bowl there used to be another Holiday Bowl game played in the Big Apple, the Gotham Bowl. Nebraska defeated Miami, 36-34, on Dec. 15, 1962 in the final edition of this Bowl, as MVP George Mira’s tossed for 321 yards and two scores. The turn out of fans was so poor due to a 14 degree temperature at kick off as only 6,166 attended Yankee Stadium.
8. Kicking Kramer: Green Bay’s Guard Jerry Kramer’s knocked through three field goals to lead the Packers to a 16-7 win over the Giants in what proved to be Yankee Stadium’s final NFL Championship Game on Dec. 30, 1962.
7. Tarnished Granite: We talked about back on April 24 in the Ed Franco bio that another member of the famed Fordham’s Seven Blocks of Granite was future Hall of Fame coach Vince Lombardi. In the 1936 season Lombardi endured what he proclaimed as “the most devastating loss of my life.” The Rams needed one win for a Rose Bowl berth, but alas they fell to New York University, 7-6, on a muddy Yankee Stadium field on Thanksgiving Day, dropping from No. 3 to No. 15 in the final AP rankings.
6. Tittle Meant Title: In 1961 the Giants acquired quarterback Y.A. Tittle from the San Francisco 49ers in exchange for guard Lou Cordileone. Tittle who led the G-men to three straight Eastern Division Title lofted seven touchdown passes to lead the Giants to a 49-34 victory over the Washington Redskins on October 28, 1962.
5. Ice Ice Baby: At the 1956 NFL championship game The New York Giants stomped the Chicago Bears, 47-7, on Dec. 30, 1956 to compliment their first season as using Yankee Stadium as their home field. The game is famous for being played on an icy field in which the Giants wore sneakers instead of cleats, reminiscent of 22 years earlier when those same NY Giants also wore tennis shoes to play on an icy Polo Grounds turf in what famously became known as “The Sneakers Game.”
4. Summerall’s boot: Pat Summerall’s voice had spent many Sunday’s echoing through all of our living rooms but it was Summerall’s 49-yard field goal as a player for New York in a swirling snowstorm on Dec. 14, 1958, that gave the Giants a 13-10 win over the Cleveland Browns to force a playoff for the NFL East crown. He missed a 31 yarder earlier but made up for it with this clutch kick! The following week, New York defeated Cleveland, 10-0, to advance to the 1958 NFL Championship Game.
3. What a tackle!: Second-ranked Notre Dame and top-ranked Army played perhaps the most thrilling contest of their historic rivalry on Nov. 9, 1946, at Yankee Stadium, a 0-0 tie made legendary by John Lujack’s well-chronicled saving tackle of Army’s star running back “Mr. Inside“ Doc Blanchard late in the game.
2. The Gipper Game: George “The Gipper” Gipp was a first-team All-American at Notre Dame before dying at the age of 25 of deadly throat infection just days after leading Notre Dame to a win over Northwestern. Allegedly while on his hospital bed, he received a visit from coach Knute Rockne. Some time in the future at halftime of a scoreless game, Rockne found the opportunity to use the wishes of his dying player as an inspirational speech and urged his squad to win it for Gipp, inspiring the Irish to a 12-6 win at Yankee Stadium over Army.
1. Greatest game: The NFL Championship Game on Dec. 28, 1958, between the New York Giants and Baltimore Colts was the first NFL game to go into sudden death overtime. The Colts won, 23-17, in what is widely-regarded as “The Greatest Game Ever Played.” A national television audience saw Colts receiver Raymond Berry catch 12 passes which set a championship game record, for 178 yards and a score in a game that signaled the beginning of the NFL’s surge in popularity.
HALL OF FAME BIRTHDAYS FOR MAY 5
May 5, 1919 – Hamtramck, Michigan – Michigan’s great tackle from 1939 to 1941 Bob Westfall was born. Westfall received the great honor of being selected for inclusion into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1987.
May 5, 1919 – Chicago, Illinois -The Swift halfback from Gonzaga, Tony Canadeo was born. The Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrined Tony Canadeo in 1974.
May 5, 1927 – Newark, New Jersey – Al DeRogatis the Center/Tackle that played for Duke University from 1945 to 1948 arrived into this life. DeRogatis was honored with induction into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1986 after the National Football Foundation tallied their votes.
May 5, 1941 – Pine River, Minnesota – Oregon State’s quarterback from 1960 to 1962, Terry Baker was born. Terry Baker’s collegiate football records are celebrated in the College Football Hall of Fame after his induction in 1982.
May 5, 1947 – Youngstown, Ohio – Bob Babich the Miami of Ohio linebacker from 1966 to 1968 arrived for his date of birth. Per the NFF Babich was a standout backer for Miami as in 1968 was named to the All- America teams picked by the American Football Coaches Association, the Sporting News, and Time Magazine. The College Football Hall of Fame proudly placed a display in honor of Bob Babich into their legendary museum in 1994 and was the first such player from his school to gain entrance. He played nine years in the pros with San Diego and Cleveland.
NUMBERS IN SPORTS
May 5, 1904 – Did you ever wonder how you get your name on an iconic award? This next story is a great step towards doing just that. The Legendary pitcher, Cy Young tossed the first perfect game in “modern” baseball history as he and the Boston Americans blanked the Philadelphia Athletics, 3-0.
May 5, 1917 – St Louis Browns pitcher Ernie Koob tossed a no-hitter against his opponent the Chicago White Sox, in a 1-0 whitewash at Sportsman’s Park in Illinois.
May 5, 1925 – Detroit Tigers, Mr Everything and center fielder, Ty Cobb went an astounding 6 for 6 at the plate with 4 runs, 5 RBI and 16 TBs in Tigers’ 14-8 win over the Browns at Sportsman’s Park III, St. Louis
TOP FIVE HOCKEY MOMENTS
May 5, 1966 – The Montreal Canadiens beat the Detroit Red Wings in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final to win their second straight championship and 15th in franchise history.
May 5, 1977 – Bob Gainey scored twice to lead the Canadiens to a 2-1 win over the New York Islanders in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Semifinals. With the win, they advanced to the Final against the Boston Bruins, which they won in four games.
May 5, 1966 – Henri Richard’s only playoff overtime goal of his career is a Stanley Cup winner.
BASKETBALL HALL OF FAME MOMENTS
May 5, 1969 – Hall of Famers Bill Russell and Sam Jones, two of Boston’s all-time greats, ended their Celtic careers with a 108-106 Game 7 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers, giving Boston its 11th NBA championship in 13 years.May 5, 1986 – NBA legends Rick Barry, Walt Frazier and Pete Maravich were among five men inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.