THE INDIANA SRN “SPORTSPAGE” TUESDAY MAY 2, 2023

INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL RANKINGS

4A

1)CENTER GROVE H.S. 13-2 (242)

2)CARROLL (FORT WAYNE H.S. 15-0 (234)

3)NOBLESVILLE H.S. 14-4 (170)

4)INDPLS CATHEDRAL H.S. 11-2 (136)

5)LAKE CENTRAL H.S. 14-3 (130)

6)MT. VERNON H.S. (FORTVILLE) 13-2 (116)

7)EVANS. NORTH H.S. 14-3 (106)

8)CASTLE H.S. 15-3 (74)

9)CARMEL H.S. 8-5 (64)

10)MOORESVILLE H.S. 12-3 (50)

RECEIVING VOTES:

BEDFORD N.L. H.S., BLOOMINGTON NORTH H.S., BLOOMINGTON SOUTH H.S., FISHERS H.S., FLOYD CENTRAL H.S., MISHAWAKA H.S., PENN H.S, RONCALLI H.S.,

3A

1)ANDREAN H.S. 12-3 (236)

2)WESTERN H.S. 13-1 (208)

3)GUERIN CATHOLIC H.S. 14-1 (206)

4)JASPER H.S. 13-1 (182)

5)WEST VIGO H.S. 12-3 (114)

6)HANOVER CENTRAL H.S. 13-2 (102)

7)NEW PRAIRIE H.S. 12-4 (86)

8)CRAWFORDSVILLE H.S. 13-5 (74)

9)CHARLESTOWN H.S. 11-3 (42)

10)MISHAWAKA MARIAN H.S. 10-3 (36)

RECEIVING VOTES:

EVANS. MEMORIAL H.S., GLENN H.S. (JOHN GLENN), INDPLS CHATARD H.S., NORTH MONTGOMERY H.S., SCOTTSBURG H.S, SILVER CREEK H.S., SOUTHRIDGE H.S., TRI-WEST H.S., YORKTOWN H.S.,

2A

1)FOREST PARK H.S. 12-1 (226)

2)PROVIDENCE H.S. 13-2 (186)

3)HAGERSTOWN H.S. 15-2 (156)

4)MITCHELL H.S. 14-2 (150)

5)PARK TUDOR H.S. 12-1 (140)

6)LAPEL H.S. 14-2 (122)

7)ILLIANA CHRISTIAN HS 12-4 (94)

8)ROCHESTER H.S. 11-3 (54)

9)SOUTH CENTRAL H.S. (UNION MILLS) 12-4 (46)

10)SHENANDOAH H.S. 10-2 (36)

RECEIVING VOTES:

AUSTIN H.S., BLACKFORD H.S., BROWNSTOWN CENTRAL H.S., CASCADE H.S., DELPHI H.S., EASTERN (GREENE) H.S., EASTERN (GREENTOWN) H.S., NORTH POSEY H.S., SOUTH KNOX H.S, UNIVERSITY HIGH SCHOOL,

1A

1)LAFAYETTE CENTRAL CATHOLIC H.S. 13-5 (210)

2)CLAY CITY H.S. 11-3 (194)

3)BARR-REEVE H.S. 10-3 (148)

4)WES-DEL H.S. 11-2 (128)

5)TECUMSEH H.S. 8-5 (106)

6)INDPLS LUTHERAN HS 10-5 (96)

7)BORDEN H.S. 8-5 (66)

8)SHAKAMAK H.S. 6-4 (56)

8)LOOGOOTEE H.S. 7-6 (56)

10)NORTH DAVIESS H.S. 8-5 (40)

RECEIVING VOTES:

BETHESDA CHRISTIAN SCHOOL, BLOOMFIELD H.S., DALEVILLE H.S., MORGAN TWP. H.S., NORTHEAST DUBOIS H.S., RISING SUN H.S., SOUTH DECATUR H.S., TRINITY LUTHERAN H.S., UNION CITY H.S.,

CENTRAL INDIANA BASEBALL SCORES

COLUMBUS NORTH 13 SHELBYVILLE 4

COMPLETE SCOREBOARD: HTTPS://WWW.MAXPREPS.COM/IN/BASEBALL/SCORES/?DATE=5/1/2023

INDIANA HS SOFTBALL RANKINGS

4A

COLUMBUS NORTH HIGH SCHOOL                          198

RONCALLI HIGH SCHOOL                                            194

BEDFORD NORTH LAWRENCE HIGH SCHOOL       159

CENTER GROVE HIGH SCHOOL                                 139

PENN HIGH SCHOOL                                                    137

NEW PALESTINE HIGH SCHOOL                                127

AVON HIGH SCHOOL                                                   124

PENDLETON HEIGHTS HIGH SCHOOL                      103

SOUTH BEND ST. JOSEPH’S HIGH SCHOOL            102

HAMILTON SOUTHEASTERN HIGH SCHOOL          91

3A

LEO HIGH SCHOOL                                                       117

WESTERN HIGH SCHOOL                                            105

GIBSON SOUTHERN HIGH SCHOOL                         97

NEW PRAIRIE HIGH SCHOOL                                     95

YORKTOWN HIGH SCHOOL                                        87

PIKE CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL                                    82

TRI-WEST HENDRICKS HIGH SCHOOL                     82

HANOVER CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL                         70

CONNERSVILLE HIGH SCHOOL                                  48

BOONE GROVE HIGH SCHOOL                                  38

2A

NORTH POSEY HIGH SCHOOL                                   104

HEBRON                                                                          93

EASTSIDE HIGH SCHOOL                                             85

EASTERN HANCOCK HIGH SCHOOL                         65

ANDREAN HIGH SCHOOL                                           63

SULLIVAN HIGH SCHOOL                                            59

CENTRAL NOBLE HIGH SCHOOL                               53

CASCADE HIGH SCHOOL                                             50

ILLIANA CHRISTIAN                                                      41

EASTERN (GREENTOWN) HIGH SCHOOL 39

1A

BARR-REEVE HIGH SCHOOL                                       97

TECUMSEH HIGH SCHOOL                                         95

MORGAN TOWNSHIP HIGH SCHOOL                      81

NORTH MIAMI HIGH SCHOOL                                  78

LANESVILLE HIGH SCHOOL                                         64

ROSSVILLE HIGH SCHOOL                                           59

WEST CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL                                  51

INDIANAPOLIS LUTHERAN HIGH SCHOOL             46

CASTON HIGH SCHOOL                                               40

CLAY CITY HIGH SCHOOL                                            39

CENTRAL INDIANA SOFTBALL SCORES

MOORESVILLE 20 BLOOMINGTON NORTH 1

COMPLETE SCOREBOARD: HTTPS://WWW.MAXPREPS.COM/IN/SOFTBALL/SCORES/?DATE=5/1/2023

NBA PLAYOFF SCOREBOARD

PHILADELPHIA 119 BOSTON 115

DENVER 97 PHOENIX 87

NHL PLAYOFF SCOREBOARD

NEW JERSEY 4 NY RANGERS 0

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

HOUSTON 7 SAN FRANCISCO 3

CLEVELAND 3 NY YANKEES 2

BOSTON 6 TORONTO 5

NY METS 5 ATLANTA 3

ATLANTA 9 NY METS 8

CHICAGO CUBS 5 WASHINGTON 1

SAN DIEGO 8 CINCINNATI 3

LA DODGERS 13 PHILADELPHIA 4

COLLEGE BASEBALL RANKINGS

1             LSU                                      35-8      

2             WAKE FOREST                   37-6      

3             SOUTH CAROLINA           35-8      

4             FLORIDA                             35-10    

5             VANDERBILT                      32-11    

6             ARKANSAS                         33-11    

7             STANFORD                         28-13    

8             COASTAL CAROLINA       28-14   

9             CONNECTICUT                  32-11    

10           DUKE                                   31-13    

11           MIAMI                                28-16    

12           WEST VIRGINIA                33-11    

13           CAMPBELL                         31-10    

14           EAST CAROLINA               31-13    

15           OREGON STATE                30-13    

16           DALLAS BAPTIST              34-10    

17           OREGON                             30-13    

18           TENNESSEE                       30-14    

19           BOSTON COLLEGE            29-14    

20           ARIZONA STATE                29-15    

21           VIRGINIA                            35-11    

22           UTSA                                   33-11    

23           MARYLAND                       30-15    

24           CAL STATE FULLERTON   26-13   

25           NORTHEASTERN               35-7      

COLLEGE SOFTBALL POLLS

1             OKLAHOMA (25)             42-1       625        1

2             UCLA                                   43-4       598        2

3             TENNESSEE                       37-5       571        4

4             FLORIDA STATE                 39-8       548        5

5             TEXAS                                 39-9-1   517        7

6             CLEMSON                          44-5       491        6

7             OKLAHOMA STATE          39-8       483        3

8             STANFORD                         34-10     415        8

9             DUKE                                   40-8       414        10

10           WASHINGTON                   33-10     411        9

11           GEORGIA                            37-10     386        11

12           ARKANSAS                         34-13     347        12

13           OREGON                             31-11     281        16

14           LSU                                      37-11     277        15

15           FLORIDA                             32-12     247        14

16           ALABAMA                          34-15     242        13

17           AUBURN                            35-14     239        21

18           NORTHWESTERN             30-10     216        17

19           UTAH                                   30-10     196        18

20           BAYLOR                               34-13     156        19

21           WICHITA STATE                 40-8       132        23

22           KENTUCKY                         27-15-1 111        20

23           TEXAS A&M                      29-17     58           24

24           VIRGINIA TECH                 33-15     49           22

25           LOUISIANA                        36-13     47           25

TOP NATIONAL HEADLINES

NBA PLAYOFFS

NIKOLA JOKIC’S 39 POINTS LEADS NUGGETS PAST SUNS 97-87

DENVER (AP) Nikola Jokic scored 39 points and pulled down 16 rebounds on the eve of the NBA MVP announcement to rally the Denver Nuggets to a 97-87 win over Phoenix on Monday night, giving them a 2-0 lead over the Suns in the Western Conference semifinals.

“I love an aggressive Nikola Jokic,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said after Jokic knocked down 17 shots to offset an off-night by Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr., who combined to make miss 17 of 22 shots.

“Nikola’s an MVP for a reason,” Malone said. “He can take over a game. He can beat you in a lot of ways. … I love a guy who’s getting to the basket, imposing his will upon the other team. And that fourth quarter, man, 14 points for that team, 28% from the field, 0-for-9 from 3?”

Devin Booker led Phoenix with 35 points and Kevin Durant added 24 but they combined to miss a whopping 32 shots, including 14 from long range.

Jokic shined a night before he learns if he’s edged Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo for his third consecutive NBA MVP award, recently renamed for Michael Jordan.

“I can’t think about that,” Jokic said.

Malone said that’s because Jokic isn’t motivated by winning more MVPs but by leading the Nuggets to their first NBA title.

“If he wins, it, we will be celebrating and very happy for him because it’d be a huge accomplishment – three years in a row. Only a few guys in NBA history have done that,” Malone said. “If he doesn’t win it, I’m still gonna give him a hug and tell him he’s the MVP in my eyes.”

He sure showed why Monday night when 26 of his points and 12 of his rebounds came after halftime, when he dominated at both ends of the floor, denyng the Suns a shot at tying the series that shifts to Phoenix for Game 3 Friday night.

“It was that kind of game,” Jokic said. “My team needed me to be aggressive.”

The Suns have been outscored by 30 points from long range this series.

“You’ve got to believe that it’s going to come our way here soon,” Suns coach Monty Williams said. “We’ve got to go home and take care of business. That’s where we are right now.”

The Suns held Murray to 10 points 48 hours after he went off for 34 but they had no answers for Jokic.

“Slowed down Murray a bit,” Durant said. “He obviously got it going in the first game. But Jokic was doing a little bit too much. I think we held them to 97 points total. Usually that’s a win for us.”

Jokic’s big night was necessary as Murray shot 3 for 15 and missed all nine of his 3-pointers after sinking six of 10 in the opener, and Porter scored five points on 2-for-7 shooting.

Aaron Gordon added 16 points and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope added 14 points and went 4 for 4 from beyond the arc, including back-to-back swishes that erased the 73-70 deficit and put the Nuggets ahead for good early in the fourth quarter.

PAUL INJURY

The Suns lost Chris Paul to a tight left groin late in the third quarter and he finished with 8 points.

“He just looked like he was boxing out,” Williams said. “He just came up where he couldn’t push off of it or anything. So we’re not quite sure what it is right now, but it seems to be something in the groin area. So we’ll find out more tomorrow.”

TIP-INS

Suns: Phoenix held the Nuggets to their lowest-scoring first quarter all season, limiting them to 18 points. … The Suns didn’t shoot a single free throw in the first half. … Paul finished with 8 points.

Nuggets: Jokic scored 11 of Denver’s first 14 points but only had 13 by halftime. … The Nuggets had 68 points by halftime in the series opener but made just 16 first-half shots Monday night.

HARDEN SCORES 45, HITS LATE 3 AS 76ERS DOWN CELTICS 119-115

BOSTON (AP) James Harden was asked for most of this season to be a facilitator for a 76ers team built around big man Joel Embiid.

With the MVP finalist sidelined for the opener of his team’s second-round playoff series with the Celtics, Philadelphia called on a vintage version of Harden.

He happily obliged.

Harden matched his playoff career high with 45 points and hit a go-ahead, step-back 3-pointer over Al Horford with 8.7 seconds left as the 76ers rallied without Embiid to beat Boston 119-115 in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals on Monday night.

“We didn’t come into the game expecting to lose. We came in here to win,” Harden said. “Whether Jo comes back or not, we’re going to be ready to go.”

Tyrese Maxey added 26 points and Tobias Harris finished with 18 for the Sixers, who made 17 3-pointers with Embiid watching from the bench. He sprained his right knee in Game 3 of Philadelphia’s first-round sweep of the Brooklyn Nets.

After the Sixers endured an early scoring onslaught from the Celtics, 76ers coach Doc Rivers said Harden was patient and knew when to attack and when to pass.

Rivers said having a week to prepare for the likelihood Embiid would be out was key.

“That’s the difference between this year’s team and last year’s team. We have a bunch of street fighters,” Rivers said. “If we could get to the fourth quarter, we were going to win the game. That’s how we felt.”

Jayson Tatum led the Celtics with 39 points and 11 rebounds. Jaylen Brown added 23 points and Malcolm Brogdon finished with 20.

“They hit big shots and I think they were just in a rhythm throughout the whole game,” Tatum said.

Boston hosts Game 2 on Wednesday night.

Harden previously scored 45 points for the Houston Rockets in a Western Conference Finals win over Golden State on May 25, 2015.

Trailing 117-115, the Celtics had one final chance and got the ball to Tatum, but he lost the ball to Paul Reed, who was fouled and hit a pair of free throws.

The game was tied at 87-all entering the back-and-forth final period.

Tatum gave the Celtics their final lead, 115-114, on a pair of free throws with 26.1 seconds left.

Before that, Boston took the shot clock down before Maxey intercepted a pass by Brogdon and drove in for a layup to put the 76ers in front, 114-113.

“I was about to pick the ball up, but I’m glad I kept running,” Maxey said.

Boston led 108-107 when Harden was called for an offensive foul on Horford. On the ensuing possession, Horford found Marcus Smart, who was fouled on a layup. He completed the three-point play to make it 111-107.

Maxey responded with a three-point play of his own.

The game was knotted at 102 when Brogdon got free on a fast break, took a pass from Tatum and dropped in a layup with 5:04 remaining.

After the play, P.J. Tucker appeared to swing wildly in frustration and made contact with Tatum. It led to a brief scrum that was broken up by officials.

Reed took Embiid’s place in the starting lineup, like he did with Embiid out for the final game of the Nets series. As expected, Embiid’s absence in the middle contributed to a faster pace.

Both teams used it to their advantage.

The Celtics attacked the paint, connecting on 13 of their first 14 shots. The 76ers made eight of their first 10 attempts, spacing the floor and spreading out Boston’s defense.

Harden led the attack early for Philadelphia, hitting his first five attempts, including two 3s. Brown started 6 for 6 from the field for a Boston team that thrived without Embiid protecting the rim, going on an 11-0 run at one point.

Boston shot 74% for the half but took only a 66-63 lead into halftime after the 76ers went 11 for 19 (55%) from the 3-point line.

“It was a dogfight,” Maxey said. “Everybody that stepped on the court for us was a fighter and we came out on top.”

TIP-INS

76ers: De’Anthony Melton had 17 first-half points, making each of his five 3-point attempts. According to Stathead, he joins Maxey (May 6, 2022 vs. Miami) as the only 76ers to make at least five 3s without a miss in a playoff half, since at least the 1997 playoffs. Melton was scoreless in the second half, however. … Harden scored 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting in the first quarter.

Celtics: Brown scored 14 points in the first quarter and had Tatum 20 points in the second, his highest total in a quarter of a playoff game. … Boston shot 85% (17 of 20) in the first quarter, outscoring the 76ers 26-8 in the paint.

STEPHEN CURRY, LEBRON JAMES MEET AGAIN AS WARRIORS, LAKERS CLASH

The Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors, two highly successful franchises that have combined for seven of the past eight Western Conference championships and five of the last eight NBA titles, go head-to-head in the postseason for the first time since 1991 when they tip off a second-round playoff series Tuesday night in San Francisco.

The sixth-seeded Warriors have the home-court advantage in the best-of-seven set. However, the Lakers will be better rested when the heavyweights wrestle for the right to take on either the top-seeded Denver Nuggets or fourth-seeded Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference finals.

Despite struggling through much of the regular season, the Lakers earned a 3-1 win over the Warriors in the season series. One of the wins came Feb. 23 in San Francisco, a game Golden State star Stephen Curry missed due to a leg injury.

The Lakers beat the Warriors to the second round by needing just six games to knock off the second-seeded Memphis Grizzlies. That series ended Friday in a 125-85 Lakers romp, with D’Angelo Russell pouring in 31 points while LeBron James and Anthony Davis combined for 38 points and 19 rebounds.

Los Angeles has had three days off since its clinching win, while the Warriors are being rushed right back into action after securing their spot with a 120-100 road win over the third-seeded Sacramento Kings on Sunday afternoon. In that contest, Curry set an NBA record for a Game 7 with 50 points.

The Lakers and Warriors might be postseason strangers, but surely James and Curry are not. They’ve gone head-to-head 22 times in the playoffs, all over the course of four consecutive meetings between the Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals from 2015-18.

Curry earned championship rings on three of the four occasions, all while losing the personal scoring duel to James, who put up 33 points per game in those matchups, while Curry went for 25.4.

James insists he’s learned the secret of Golden State’s success over the years.

“You can’t make a mistake. They’ll make you pay,” James said. “You can’t make a mistake. It’s that simple.”

The Warriors also have a successful postseason history against Davis, who led the New Orleans Pelicans up against Golden State in the 2015 and 2018 playoffs. Golden State won eight of those nine games, with Davis and rival Draymond Green each averaging a double-double in those meetings.

Davis is more likely to match up in this series with emerging Warriors interior force Kevon Looney, who led all rebounders leaguewide in the first round at 15.1 boards per game.

“Just keeps doing it, every game,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said about Looney’s production. “I think Loon is one of the best centers in the league. And people don’t recognize it because he’s not dunking and shooting threes and all that stuff. This guy is a flat-out winner and he’s a machine and we wouldn’t be here without him.”

The Warriors earned the home-court edge in the series by finishing one game ahead of the Lakers in the regular season. Had the clubs wound up in a tie, Los Angeles would be hosting Game 1 by virtue of the head-to-head tiebreaker.

NHL PLAYOFFS

DEVILS BLANK RANGERS IN GAME 7, FACE CANES IN SECOND ROUND

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) The New Jersey Devils surprised a lot of hockey experts this past season in going from an NHL also-ran to one of the top teams in the league.

The Devils unleashed another stunner to open the playoffs against their river-rival New York Rangers – 22-year-old Swiss goaltender Akira Schmid.

Schmid rebounded from his only bad game and made 31 saves in Game 7 to lead the Devils to a 4-0 victory over the Rangers on Monday night in an wildly entertaining series.

“We believe in each other,” Devils captain Nico Hischier said. “We knew even last year didn’t go our way, lots of injuries, we have a good group here. We got a lot of good characters here. We’re a team that plays with a lot of speed and it’s hard to handle if you do that.”

Coming off a franchise best 52-win season, the Devils will open the Eastern Conference semifinals on Wednesday against the Metropolitan Division-winning Hurricanes in Raleigh, North Carolina. Game 2 in the best-of-seven series is on Friday night.

The major reason the Devils advanced was Schmid, who had had played in a total of 24 regular season games over the last two seasons.

After New York had a pair of 5-1 wins in the opening two games in New Jersey against starter Vitek Vanecek, Devils coach Lindy Ruff switched to Schmid and the youngster was unbelievable.

Over the next five games, Schmid went 4-1, allowing a total of two goals in his wins. He was driven from the net in Game 6 of a 5-2 loss in Madison Square Garden after giving up all five goals, but the Devils went with him in Game 7 and he delivered his second 4-0 shutout of the series.

“You’ve got to be ready if you get the chance, you know,” Schmid said. “And then you’ve got to take the opportunity and play well. Obviously the team helped me out a lot, making the transition a lot easier for me.”

Schmid admitted he surprised himself a little with how well he played.

Michael McLeod and Tomas Tatar scored second-period goals in the series decider and Erik Haula and Jesper Bratt added insurance goals in the third in the game between the long-time Hudson River rivals.

“Outstanding! Stone cold,” Tatar said of Schmid. “He just seems so patient in his crease, playing so well. He was a big part of this series. Coming in as a young goalie it’s not easy but he stood tall.”

Schmid stopped a pair of Mike Zibanejad power-play blasts in the first period and made a great glove save on Vincent Trocheck with the score still 2-0 in the third period.

Igor Shesterkin was outstanding in defeat, stopping 20 shots, including Jack Hughes’ breakaway late in a scoreless first period.

Rangers coach Gerard Gallant, who led New York to the Eastern Conference finals last year, said the team had a ton of talent and the goaltender played well. However, they generated two goals in the four losses.

“I love to have talent but I love to have a work ethic and more forecheck and stuff like that and we just didn’t get it done,” Gallant said.

New Jersey broke things open midway through the second period on plays set up by playoff veteran Ondrej Palat and defenseman John Marino.

With the Rangers about to go on a power play, Palat, who won two Stanley Cups with Tampa Bay, outworked a slipping Chris Kreider and star defenseman Adam Fox along the boards for a loose puck. He skated toward the net, slid a pass under a sliding Zibanejad and found McLeod, who patiently skated around Shesterkin and deposited a backhander into an empty net at 9:53 for a short-handed goal. It was his first goal since January.

Marino took a cross-ice pass from Hischier at the Rangers’ right point later in the period, swept in on Shesterkin and had the puck slide off his stick to the corner. He retrieved it, and threw a blind pass toward the crease that found Tatar for quick shot into the net at 15:39.

Haula scored his fourth goal of the series with 5:33 left in the third period to send the send the crowd into a frenzy. Bratt added an empty-net goal with 3:19 to go and the series was all but over.

RIVER RIVALRY

This was the seventh time the two rivals had met in the playoffs and the Devils cut the Rangers’ lead to 4-3. Two other series also went seven games with the Rangers taking both at Madison Square Garden. They posted a 2-1 win in the 1994 Eastern Conference final on Stephane Matteau’s wrap-around goal in double overtime and 8-4 in the 1992 conference semifinal.

NOTES: Hall of Fame goaltender Martin Brodeur waved a white towel just before the opening faceoff to rev up Devils fans. … For a home game, there were a lot of Blueshirts in the crowd. … Hughes took a major fall late in the first period when his feet went out from under him with no one near him. … Home teams are 112-81 in 193 Game 7s in the Stanley Cup playoff history, and 1-2 this year. Boston and Colorado lost at home on Sunday night.

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

MLB ROUNDUP: GUARDIANS RALLY IN 9TH TO STUN YANKEES

Josh Naylor hit a tying two-run single off a struggling Clay Holmes and Mike Zunino followed with a tiebreaking walk against Wandy Peralta as the Cleveland Guardians rallied in the ninth inning for a 3-2 victory over the host New York Yankees.

Cleveland was two outs away from being one-hit but started its rally when Steven Kwan singled to center to chase New York starter Domingo German.

Amed Rosario reached when Holmes (0-2) misplayed his chopper for an error on the third base side of the mound. Jose Ramirez lined a 2-0 pitch to left field to load the bases and Naylor lined a single to right and took second on right fielder Oswaldo Cabrera’s throwing error. Holmes was removed without recording an out.

Josh Bell kept the rally going with a walk to load the bases. After Peralta struck out Andres Gimenez, Zunino fouled off three straight pitches before drawing a walk on a low pitch.

German allowed two singles in a career-high 8 1/3 innings and was in line for his third win in four starts until Holmes and Peralta faltered. Jose Trevino homered and DJ LeMahieu hit an RBI single in the third inning as the Yankees lost their fourth straight game hours after placing slugger Aaron Judge on the injured list with a strained right hip.

Braves 9, Mets 8 (Game 1)

Sean Murphy hit a pair of three-run homers and visiting Atlanta hung on to beat New York in the first game of a doubleheader.

Murphy went deep in the first and seventh innings, giving him eight for the season. It was his third career multi-home run game. He was 2-for-4 and matched his career high with six RBIs. Atlanta starter Spencer Strider (4-0) pitched five innings and allowed four runs on five hits, three walks and eight strikeouts.

Pete Alonso hit a three-run shot in the third inning. It was Alonso’s first homer since April 21, moving him into a tie for the league lead (11).

Mets 5, Braves 3 (Game 2)

Catcher Francisco Alvarez delivered a go-ahead two-run double with two outs and Jeff McNeil added a solo home run for insurance to help New York defeat visiting Atlanta.

Alvarez, who was 2-for-4, produced the big hit against reliever Michael Tonkin after Atlanta starter Charlie Morton was removed with one out in the sixth after walking two batters. Tonkin got Brett Baty for the second out of the inning before Alvarez poked Tonkin’s second pitch of the at-bat into left field to score Daniel Vogelbach and Mark Canha.

Atlanta right fielder Ronald Acuna Jr. had to leave the second game with a left shoulder contusion after getting hit by a fastball on the third pitch of the game. He was replaced in right field by Kevin Pillar. Morton (3-3) pitched 5 1/3 innings and allowed four runs on six hits with three walks and six strikeouts.

Cubs 5, Nationals 1

Drew Smyly yielded just one run across seven innings as Chicago won the opener of a four-game series at Washington and snapped a three-game skid.

Mark Leiter Jr. and Brad Boxberger each pitched a hitless inning in relief for the Cubs to make it a combined six-hitter. Dansby Swanson (3-for-5) smacked a two-run home run and Ian Happ (2-for-2) slugged a solo shot.

Lane Thomas homered with two outs in the second inning for Washington’s run. Dominic Smith went 3-for-3 with a double, and MacKenzie Gore (3-2) gave up four runs in four-plus innings.

Red Sox 6, Blue Jays 5

Alex Verdugo led off the bottom of the ninth inning with a home run into the right field bullpen as Boston defeated visiting Toronto.

Jarren Duran and Enmanuel Valdez hit homers in the sixth inning and joined Verdugo among Boston’s five players with multiple hits. The Red Sox totaled 13 hits, ultimately winning the game against Toronto closer Jordan Romano (2-2).

Josh Winckowski (2-0) earned the victory despite allowing two runs, one unearned, in the eighth, permitting the Blue Jays to tie the game. Bo Bichette went 5-for-5, including a three-run homer.

Astros 7, Giants 3

Mauricio Dubon recorded a three-hit game against his former club, and Houston survived an early loss of its starting pitcher to claim an interleague victory over visiting San Francisco.

Dubon, who spent parts of four seasons with the Giants before joining Houston in May 2022 via trade, went 3-for-5 with two RBIs. His run-scoring single with two outs in the fifth inning knotted the score at 2-2. Dubon added an opposite-field double down the right field line in the seventh that scored Jake Meyers and ignited a five-run frame. Right-hander Luis Garcia departed after tossing eight pitches in the top of the inning, marking the second consecutive game that Houston lost a starting pitcher to injury.

The Giants suffered their fourth consecutive loss on the heels of a five-game winning streak.

Dodgers 13, Phillies 4

Will Smith, David Peralta and Jason Heyward homered in the first three innings and Los Angeles routed visiting Philadelphia.

Peralta drove in four runs, while Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman each had three hits for the Dodgers. Betts had three RBIs and Smith finished with two. Victor Gonzalez (1-0), Los Angeles’ third pitcher, did not give a run over 1 1/3 innings.

Kyle Schwarber hit a home run for the Phillies. Taijuan Walker (2-2) was roughed up for eight runs on eight hits in 3 1/3 innings.

Padres 8, Reds 3

Ha-Seong Kim broke a 3-3 tie with a three-run homer off Alex Young in the fifth inning to lead San Diego to a victory over visiting Cincinnati.

Kim’s homer came after the Reds lost a challenge on a tag play at second — and had no challenge remaining on a subsequent play at second. Xander Bogaerts singled with one out in the fifth off Reds starter Luke Weaver (0-2) to set a Padres record by reaching base in 30 straight games to start a season. Blake Snell (1-4) gave up three runs on eight hits with seven strikeouts in six innings to earn his first win of the.

Weaver gave up four runs on nine hits and two walks with three strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings to take the loss for the Reds.

PHILLIES SLUGGER HARPER EXPECTED TO RETURN TO LINEUP TUESDAY

LOS ANGELES (AP) Bryce Harper’s return to the Philadelphia Phillies lineup 160 days after undergoing Tommy John surgery might be considered miraculous by some.

For the superstar slugger it is right on schedule.

The two-time National League MVP was cleared on Monday after an appointment with Dr. Neal ElAttrache on Monday morning. Harper is expected to be in the lineup at designated hitter on Tuesday in the middle game of a three-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

“I looked at this series in the offseason. I wanted to put myself the earliest that I could in my mind to work towards something to get out there,” Harper said before taking batting practice Monday. “I was just trying to make progress each day. My body has been very good to me in this process.”

The timing of the return completes a stunning recovery for Harper. The Phillies said when Harper had surgery on Nov. 23 that he was expected to return around the All-Star break in mid-July.

“I think having five months to play this game helps everyone on the field. It felt like I could have been back two weeks ago possibly but the healing process just didn’t let me do that,” Harper said. “Anytime before that July mark I was trying to push for and I’m very happy we were able to get to this point.”

It also comes at a great time for the Phillies, who have won seven of their last nine games. They took two of three from Houston over the weekend in a rematch of last year’s World Series.

Phillies manager Rob Thomson said the decision to wait one day to activate Harper was due to his early morning appointment and to make sure everything was set.

Thomson said with the number of days off that the Phillies have in May, the expectation is that Harper can be in the lineup every day as long as he remains healthy.

“I think everyone is excited about his return,” Thomson said. “Once he gets hot, we’re going to be a handful.”

Harper started taking on-field batting practice on April 5. He has been facing live pitching the past couple of weeks, along with doing sliding and baserunning drills.

He was placed on the 10-day injured list at the beginning of the season instead of the 60, which would have not allowed him to return until May 29.

“It was probably a couple weeks ago when you could see the bat speed and see the timing getting better when I thought it may happen,” Thomson said of Harper’s return.

Harper will be the Phillies’ designated hitter. He has played most of his career in right field but has been recently been taking fielding drills at first base. He threw up to 60 feet during pregame drills on Sunday in Houston.

The 30-year-old Harper first suffered a small ulnar collateral ligament tear in his elbow in April. He had a platelet-rich plasma injection in May and shifted to the DH role. Harper underwent surgery after ElAttrache determined the tear did not heal on its own.

Harper hit .286 with 18 homers and 65 RBIs during the regular season as the Phillies made a late-season run to a wild-card spot.

Philadelphia made the World Series for the first time since 2009, losing in six games. Harper batted .349 with six homers and 13 RBIs in 17 postseason games. He is starting the fifth season of a $330 million, 13-year contract.

YANKEES PUT AARON JUDGE ON INJURED LIST WITH HIP STRAIN

NEW YORK (AP) Yankees captain Aaron Judge went on the injured list because of a strained right hip, joining designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton, center fielder Harrison Bader and third baseman Josh Donaldson on the sidelines.

New York announced the move before Monday night’s 3-2 loss to Cleveland and made it retroactive to Friday. Judge is eligible to be activated for the May 8 series opener against Oakland.

Judge was hurt last Wednesday when he landed hard while making an awkward headfirst slide at Minnesota on his 31st birthday. He remained in the game and started Thursday at Texas, then left in the fourth inning after striking out twice.

A four-time All-Star and the reigning AL MVP, Judge is batting .261 with six homers and 14 RBIs in his first season after signing a $360 million, nine-year contract.

“Aaron didn’t really want to,” manager Aaron Boone said. “We probably were going to get to a situation where he might have been in play on the weekend. … I didn’t want this to turn into something that he’s playing at 80%, 85% and compromising himself and it turns into something serious.”

Judge is on the injured list for the seventh time since making his debut in 2016. He stayed healthy last year and hit an American League-record 62 home runs, batting .311 with 131 RBIs, tying the Mets’ Pete Alonso for the major league lead.

Judge has missed 156 games on the injured list since 2016: the final 18 games of 2016 with a strained right oblique, 45 in 2018 with a broken right wrist after he was hit by a pitch from Kansas City’s Jakob Junis, 54 in 2019 with a strained left oblique, two stints totaling 30 games in 2020 with a strained right calf and nine games in 2021 on the COVID-19 IL.

New York (15-15) has lost seven of nine, totaling 10 runs during the seven losses.

Outfielder/infielder Franchy Cordero was recalled from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Cordero traveled from Texas to Worcester, Massachusetts, on Saturday after he was optioned to the RailRiders.

Then, after Jake Bowers got hurt crashing into the left-field wall in the first inning of his Yankees debut on Saturday, Cordero headed back to Texas on Sunday to join the Yankees’ taxi squad.

NFL NEWS

AP SOURCE: BRONCOS PICK UP JERRY JEUDY’S FIFTH-YEAR OPTION

(AP) — The Denver Broncos are picking up wide receiver Jerry Jeudy’s fifth-year option, which carries a price tag of just under $13 million in 2024, according to a person familiar with the decision.

The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the team hasn’t announced the move.

Jeudy hasn’t lived up to the team’s lofty expectations as the 15th overall draft pick in 2020 but he came on strong down the stretch last season when he was finally highlighted in Denver’s offense.

Over the final six games, Jeudy caught 37 passes for 523 yards and three touchdowns at the flanker position.

That piqued the interest of other NFL teams but general manager George Paton and new head coach Sean Payton both publicly dismissed the notion that Jeudy was on the trade block this offseason.

Drops bedeviled Jeudy his rookie year and an ankle injury sidelined him two months in Year 2. He played in 15 games last season, catching 67 passes for 972 yards and six touchdowns. In his three seasons, he has 157 catches covering 2,295 yards and nine touchdown catches.

Because he hasn’t reached the Pro Bowl or playing-time escalators in his rookie contract, Jeudy’s price tag on a fifth year was a lot lower than some of his fellow receivers selected in 2020, including Justin Jefferson, whose fifth-year option in Minnesota is worth $19.743 million.

However, Jeudy’s salary in 2024 will balloon by more than $10 million as he’s set to make $2.68 million this upcoming season.

The Broncos used their first pick (No. 63 overall) to select Oklahoma receiver Marvin Mims in the NFL draft last weekend. He joins a crowded receiver room that features Jeudy, Tim Patrick and Courtland Sutton. Patrick missed last season with a torn ACL and Sutton hasn’t been the same dynamic receiver since blowing out a knee in 2020.

The Broncos also signed free agent Marquez Callaway, one of six former Saints reuniting with Payton in Denver, and other veteran receivers include KJ Hamler, who is recovering from a torn chest muscle, Kendall Hinton and Lil’Jordan Humphrey.

That position promises to feature some of the more heated competition at camp this summer.

BILLS BULK UP BACKFIELD, SIGN LATAVIUS MURRAY TO 1-YEAR DEAL

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) Running back Latavius Murray sat down in front of the camera and apologized for being late for his Zoom conference call with reporters shortly after signing a one-year deal with the Buffalo Bills on Monday.

Fifteen minutes is nothing compared to how long Murray had to wait last year before extending his NFL career to an 11th season. Murray had already lined up a job as a volunteer high school coach when he was signed to the New Orleans Saints practice squad in September.

The 33-year-old can put aside switching careers for another season based on how productive he was in closing last season in Denver. He joins a playoff contender in Buffalo, in a move that also brings him closer to his hometown of Syracuse, New York, where his mother still resides.

“You do have some doubts, just, you know, ‘Am I going to get another opportunity?‘” Murray said, reflecting on last offseason.

After appearing in one game in New Orleans, Murray was signed off the Saints practice squad and finished with 703 yards rushing and five TDs in 12 games with Denver.

“It’s just so crazy how it works, just the fact that I could go out in Denver and do what I thought I knew I could do,” Murray said. “And so, obviously, here I am and this organization saw that, and so just grateful for the opportunity.”

A sixth-round draft pick in 2013 out of Central Florida, Murray is on his sixth NFL team, including two stints with the Saints, and is the league’s active leader in scoring at least four touchdowns rushing in eight consecutive seasons.

Listed at 6-foot-3 and 230 pounds, Murray is a noted downhill runner who can add a physical dimension to the Bills’ rushing attack. He joins a running back position that was down to three players – James Cook, Nyheim Hines and free-agent addition Damien Harris – and lost returning starter Devin Singletary to free agency in March.

Bills GM Brandon Beane said he reached an agreement to sign Murray during the final day of the draft on Saturday by informing the player he’d stay away from selecting running backs with Buffalo’s final three selections.

“I just appreciated the communication. But even with that, I watched (the draft) close and was hoping obviously that it could work out in my favor,” said Murray, who was eager to play for a contender and paid the Bills a visit last month. “I’m not trying to just go anywhere. And I don’t need to play for more money.”

The signing falls in line with Beane’s philosophy of adding veteran leadership to each position group.

Beane made a similar move in 2019 by signing running back Frank Gore to a one-year contract.

Murray’s 55 touchdowns rushing rank fourth and his 6,252 yards rushing rank sixth among active players.

With 222 receptions for 1,501 yards and two touchdowns, Murray also provides a pass-catching dimension to Buffalo’s Josh Allen-led offense.

Murray re-established himself in helping settle Denver’s revolving door at running back. He topped 100 yards twice, including a 130-yard rushing, one-TD outing in a 24-15 win against Arizona in December.

The 130 yards rushing was the fourth-best total of his career. It came 11-plus months after Murray gained 150 yards rushing with the Ravens in their 2021 season finale against Pittsburgh.

Though new to Buffalo, Murray has numerous connections on the Bills roster. He and receiver Stefon Diggs were teammates in Minnesota, where Murray also played with Cook’s older brother, running back Dalvin Cook. He also spent the past two off-seasons training with Bills receiver Gabe Davis, who also played at Central Florida.

OVER 54 MILLION PEOPLE WATCHED NFL DRAFT

The three-day NFL draft drew a TV and streaming audience of 54.4 million unique viewers in addition to the 312,000 total fans who attended the event in Kansas City.

Overall, the draft drew an average audience of 6 million viewers, up 12 percent from the 2022 draft.

Further, each day drew more average viewers than 2022.

BRYCE YOUNG TO ENTER MINICAMP AS NO. 2 QB

The Carolina Panthers are planning to ease No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young into their offense, making him QB2 at the outset of camp season.

Panthers head coach Frank Reich said primary backup Andy Dalton will be the de facto first-string QB when minicamp begins. Young is Carolina’s projected starter for the 2023 season.

“He’ll have to earn it. Obviously, that’s the way it should be,” Reich told The Athletic on Monday. “We’ll know when the right time is. He’s got enough going on right now. I just want him to come in and learn the offense and not have to worry about stepping into the limelight. Just come in, learn the offense, get to know these guys. When we step out onto the field the first time, he’ll be in that No. 2 spot.”

The Panthers also have Matt Corral and Jacob Eason on their QB depth chart. Corral was taken in the third round of the 2022 draft, albeit by a different regime in Carolina at the time.

Young went 24-3 as a starter at Alabama and won the Heisman Trophy as a sophomore in 2021.

Young spent three seasons in Tuscaloosa, winning the 2020-21 national championship as a backup to 2022 first-rounder Mac Jones.

In 36 games for Alabama overall, Young threw 80 touchdown passes and completed 624 of 949 passes (65.8 percent) for 8,356 yards. He holds numerous program records, including five games with five touchdown passes and single-season marks for passing touchdowns (47) and passing yards (4,872).

Young, along with Atlanta Falcons rookie running back Bijan Robinson, is the co-favorite to win 2023 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.

TAKE 5: TOP QB PROSPECTS ELIGIBLE FOR 2024 NFL DRAFT

Southern Cal quarterback Caleb Williams and North Carolina’s Drake Maye are likely to be the prized jewels of the 2024 draft class.

The class has a handful of passers who could make their way into the top two rounds.

Here are five names to keep an eye on for next year’s crop:

1. Caleb Williams, USC — The 2022 Heisman winner and top-ranked quarterback eligible for the 2024 draft, Williams’ arm talent is the best college football has seen since Wyoming’s Josh Allen.

He is still honing his downfield ball placement but already hits passes that would make some NFL quarterbacks jealous. His ability to improvise as a runner keeps defenses honest, another similarity he shares with Allen. It might be too early to crown Williams as the next Patrick Mahomes, but that type of potential is no reach.

2. Drake Maye, North Carolina — Maye enters his second season as a starter for the Tar Heels and the redshirt sophomore is still relatively green.

What stands out after one season leading the offense is impressive touch for such a young quarterback (20). Highly confident when attacking leverage and giving his receivers a shot against man coverage, and anticipates well.

An other year of honing his accuracy and instincts should lead to projections in the top 64. There’s no doubt he’s a rising prospect despite physical tools that aren’t considered elite.

3. Quinn Ewers, Texas — A redshirt sophomore in 2023 has all the arm talent in the world, and seized the starting job in spring practice even with a Manning looking over his shoulder.

The top high school recruit in 2021, Ewers is one of the smoothest throwers in college football. Looks the part of the pocket prototype with an incredibly gifted arm and plenty of confidence attacking downfield. He dealt with injuries in 2022, prompting ups and downs from a production standpoint. A healthy 2023 could be enough to warrant an early declaration from Ewers and a spot in the top 50.

If he leads the Longhorns to expected great heights or delivers a national title, Ewers immediately enters the conversation around the No. 1 pick in 2024.

4. Devin Leary, Kentucky — The replacement for Will Levis with the Wildcats is a super senior in 2023.

The sturdy pocket passer has the guts to stand in, take hits and deliver with velocity to make tough throws.

Leary, a transfer from NC State, has the requisite ball placement and touch to win at all levels of the field. He’s back in 2023 to show a combination of a season-ending injury in 2022 and a transfer to Kentucky is more about proving his pro potential than taking cover.

If he can get back on track, the potential for Leary to rise is undeniable.

5. K.J. Jefferson, Arkansas — Enormous (6-3, 242) for the position, Jefferson has the physique of Anthony Richardson (Florida, No. 4 pick in 2023). He’s built more like a tight end than your factory specs model quarterback. His arm and accuracy are average, but his ability to be a plus in the run game will draw plenty of interest from scouts and RPO fanatics.

TAKE 5: TOP RB PROSPECTS ELIGIBLE FOR 2024 NFL DRAFT

Texas running back Bijan Robinson was the peak of a packed running back crop in the 2023 NFL Draft, as evidenced by the Atlanta Falcons selecting him eighth overall last week.

There is talent in the 2024 class, headlined by the returns of Blake Corum (Michigan) and Kendall Milton (Georgia) for their senior seasons to help keep this cupboard full.

Here’s an early look at the top running backs potentially available next April.

1. Braelon Allen, Wisconsin — Allen doesn’t wow with his straight-line speed and is more of a downhill thumper with great size and strength for the position.

A natural at breaking tackles and moving the pile, he’s an easy projection for most scouts.

Allen has the traits of a 1,000-yard runner and brings value in the passing game with soft hands and the size to win as a blocker.

2. Blake Corum, Michigan — Corum’s Heisman campaign in 2022 was cut short due to a knee injury, and the long recovery time likely played a role in his decision to return to the Wolverines. He’s short and compactly built, but doesn’t play small.

Top-end speed is his best attribute, making Corum the type of home-run threat that would make NFL defensive backs nervous.

3. Raheim Sanders, Arkansas — A big and bruising SEC back with the vision and temperament to translate easily to the pro game, Sanders checks off almost every measurable that teams covet.

He adds impressive short-area wiggle for a big man, but his ability to win at the contact point and fight for difficult yardage stands out. A repeat of last year’s production could push him above a third-round grade.

4. Kendall Milton, Georgia — Milton spent most of his time at Georgia as a rotational back with career-high 86 carries as a junior last season. The lack of opportunities won’t be a deterrent for NFL teams, as plenty of successful backs have come through Georgia without needing lead back production.

Milton brings excellent burst and power, all without accumulating much physical damage. He fits the mold of what NFL teams seek in big backs.

5. TreVeyon Henderson, Ohio State — Henderson had a down year while playing on a fracture and torn ligament in his left foot, but when healthy the 20-year-old is one of the most dynamic backs in college football. He has good natural lever age and plays with lower pads through contact, but it doesn’t prevent him from making quick cuts or eluding reckless tackle attempts.

Scouts have zero questions about his toughness based on his willingness to play through injury. But 2024 is a prove-it season. Henderson played in just five of the final nine regular-season games and missed the postseason.

He enters his junior season with a career average over 6 yards per carry.

2024 NFL MOCK DRAFT: THE RACE FOR CALEB WILLIAMS

Seven rounds and 259 picks are officially down as the 2023 NFL Draft is in the books, and the countdown to the 2024 event in Detroit has now begun.

There’s a clear prize at the top of next year’s draft, with USC’s Caleb Williams the type of generational quarterback whom teams consider tanking for.

The order for theScore’s way-too-early 2024 mock draft was set using Super Bowl odds from theScore Bet while also balancing the number of clubs from each conference picking 19th to 32nd – the 14 spots reserved for playoff teams.

1. Arizona Cardinals – Caleb Williams, QB, USC

Thanks to the Round 1 deal that the Cardinals made with the Houston Texans for the No. 3 pick, Arizona now holds both the Texans’ and its own first-round selection in 2024. Given the way the current betting odds are set, the Cardinals would become the first team since the 1992 Indianapolis Colts to hold both the No. 1 and 2 picks in the NFL draft. That sees an end to the Kyler Murray era with the reigning Heisman Trophy winner, Williams, going to the desert. Expect to hear a lot of Patrick Mahomes comparisons in the upcoming evaluations of Williams’ game – and they might not be very far off.

2. Arizona Cardinals (via HOU) – Marvin Harrison Jr., WR, Ohio State

With a new explosive quarterback in the fold, the Cardinals get a fresh No. 1 receiver in the son of Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison. The younger Harrison would have easily been the first wideout taken in this year’s draft had he been eligible, and he’s arguably the best receiver prospect we’ve seen since Calvin Johnson.

3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Drake Maye, QB, North Carolina

Maye shone in his first season as starter for North Carolina, leading the explosive Tar Heels’ offense to an impressive season. The redshirt freshman threw for over 4,300 yards and 38 touchdowns and rushed for 698 yards and seven scores. That makes him an easy selection for the Bucs after a season with Baker Mayfield and Kyle Trask at quarterback.

4. Indianapolis Colts – Olu Fashanu, OT, Penn State

The Colts used their 2023 first-round pick to grab their quarterback of the future in Anthony Richardson, and now they get him some protection with Fashanu out of Penn State. The 6-foot-6, 322-pounder didn’t allow a sack in 281 pass-blocking snaps last season and should be under All-American consideration in his junior campaign.

5. Tennessee Titans – Brock Bowers, TE, Georgia

The No. 5 slot is high for a tight end, but Bowers isn’t your regular player at the position. The Georgia star has been the biggest offensive weapon on a Bulldogs team that has won back-to-back titles. He would have been the first tight end drafted this year had he been eligible. Bowers has piled up over 1,800 receiving yards with 20 touchdown catches in two seasons of college ball.

6. Washington Commanders – Kool-Aid McKinstry, CB, Alabama

One of the most unique names in draft history heads to Washington to help shore up the secondary. McKinstry was a third-team AP All-American last season with the Crimson Tide and ranked second nationally with 332 yards on punt returns.

7. New England Patriots – Dallas Turner, EDGE, Alabama

It’s two Alabama defenders in a row, with the Patriots grabbing Turner at No. 7. Matthew Judon remains very productive for New England but enters the final season of his contract in 2024. The former freshman All-American should see an increased role with the Tide this year following the departure of Will Anderson.

8. Pittsburgh Steelers – Maason Smith, DL, LSU

Smith tore his ACL in the season opener last year and missed the entire campaign for LSU. If he can stay healthy, the talented defensive tackle should make a solid push for All-American honors in Baton Rouge. With the Steelers looking to address their aging interior on defense, Smith makes a ton of sense at No. 8.

9. Chicago Bears (via CAR) – Joe Alt, OT, Notre Dame

The Bears used their 2023 first-round selection on Tennessee lineman Darnell Wright and double up this time around with more offensive line help. The 6-foot-8, 315-pound Alt was a first-team AP All-American last season and will make the short trip from Notre Dame to Chicago to start his pro career.

10. Atlanta Falcons – Jared Verse, EDGE, Florida State

After taking Kyle Pitts, Drake London, and Bijan Robinson in three straight first rounds, the Falcons finally go defense with their opening pick in the draft. Verse starred in his first season with Florida State after transferring from Albany, posting nine sacks and 17 tackles for loss.

11. Las Vegas Raiders – Javon Bullard, S, Georgia

Bullard’s resume on the biggest stage will certainly be appealing to the Raiders at No. 11. Bullard won the defensive MVP of both the CFP semifinal and national title game for Georgia, with two interceptions in a dominant performance against TCU.

12. Seattle Seahawks – J.T. Tuimoloau, EDGE, Ohio State

Tuimoloau had one of the best individual games by a defensive player we’ve ever seen in college football last season. His exploits in the win over Penn State included two sacks, a fumble recovery, a forced fumble, and two interceptions – one of which was a pick-6. That type of raw potential will certainly catch Pete Carroll’s eye.

13. Los Angeles Rams – Quinn Ewers, QB, Texas

With running backs Bijan Robinson and Roschon Johnson now in the NFL, it’s on Ewers to lead the way offensively for Texas this season. With Matthew Stafford’s health continuing to be a question for the Rams, Sean McVay takes a chance on the talented passer from Austin as the quarterback of the future.

14. Chicago Bears – Emeka Egbuka, WR, Ohio State

Harrison gets the headlines at Ohio State, but Egbuka deserves plenty of attention as one of the best receivers in the draft. The sophomore star caught 74 balls for over 1,100 yards with 10 touchdowns during an impressive 2022 season. Egbuka didn’t play with Justin Fields in Columbus, but it’s probably a safe bet that the young quarterback would be a fan of the talented pass-catcher at No. 14.

15. New Orleans Saints – Michael Hall Jr., DT, Ohio State

The Saints continue the run of Ohio State players by adding to the defensive line depth with Hall. After starting just five games last season, the 6-foot-2, 285-pounder projects to have a much larger role in the Buckeyes’ defense this year.

16. New York Giants – Xavier Worthy, WR, Texas

While he’s very slight at only 164 pounds, Worthy has elite speed and game-breaking potential at the receiver position. The Giants took Jalin Hyatt in 2023 but will likely be in more need of help out wide this time around.

17. Denver Broncos – Jeremiah Trotter Jr., LB, Clemson

With Josey Jewell a free agent after the 2023 season, Trotter is a natural replacement for the Broncos at the linebacker slot. Trotter’s father was a four-time All-Pro during his 11-year career, and his son possesses many of the same traits on defense.

18. Baltimore Ravens – Denzel Burke, CB, Ohio State

Burke appeared in 13 games last season and led Ohio State with 12 pass breakups. Another year in Jim Knowles’ defense should make him one of the top corners in the 2024 draft. With the Ravens facing Joe Burrow twice a season, defensive back depth will be an area of emphasis on a yearly basis.

19. Houston Texans (via CLE) – Andrew Mukuba, S, Clemson

Mukuba’s wide-ranging skill set will fit nicely in DeMeco Ryans’ system in Houston. The Clemson star can play all over the field but thrives mostly from the safety slot where he would line up alongside Jalen Pitre to give the Texans a great young nucleus in the secondary.

20. Jacksonville Jaguars – Javion Cohen, OL, Miami

Cohen was a solid performer on the line at Alabama before opting to transfer to Miami this offseason. He heads north but stays in the state of Florida with the Jaguars opting to give Trevor Lawrence more protection on the offensive line.

21. Minnesota Vikings – Michael Penix Jr., QB, Washington

With a potential out upcoming in Kirk Cousins’ contract, the Vikings will grab a quarterback of the future with the big arm of Penix at No. 21. The Washington standout was second in the country with over 4,600 yards passing for the Huskies’ explosive offense in 2022. But another big year for Penix could vault him into the top 10.

22. Miami Dolphins – Ja’Tavion Sanders, TE, Texas

Mike McDaniel loves adding offensive weapons to support Tua Tagovailoa and continues that philosophy with Sanders at No. 22. His 54 catches last year were the most ever by a Texas tight end, and he’s primed for another big campaign catching passes from Ewers in Austin.

23. Green Bay Packers – Kingsley Suamataia, OT, BYU

If the Packers aren’t picking until No. 23, then it’s safe to say the first year with Jordan Love was a success. The front office will look to help the quarterback by adding to the offensive line with the 6-foot-6, 315-pound Suamataia out of BYU.

24. Los Angeles Chargers – Jack Sawyer, EDGE, Ohio State

Sawyer was ESPN’s top-ranked recruit in the nation for the class of 2021 but has only 7.5 sacks through two seasons with Ohio State. That changes in his second campaign with coordinator Jim Knowles, and his draft stock rises with big production.

25. Detroit Lions – Shemar Turner, DT, Texas A&M

The Lions’ rebuild continues with the talented Turner out of Texas A&M. Adding the 6-foot-4, 300-pounder to a line with Aidan Hutchinson should shore up what was one of the league’s worst defensive units last season.

26. New York Jets – Caden Bullock, S, USC

With the Jets sitting at the 26th pick, it’s clear the Aaron Rodgers experiment worked well in New York. With the offense humming, it’s time to add some defensive back depth with the athletic safety from USC.

27. Dallas Cowboys – JC Latham, OT, Alabama

The Cowboys strengthen their offensive line with the massive 6-foot-6, 335-pounder from Alabama. Latham didn’t allow a sack in a whopping 517 pass-blocking snaps last season, according to Pro Football Focus. That is music to both Mike McCarthy’s and Dak Prescott’s ears.

28. Cincinnati Bengals – Bralen Trice, EDGE, Washington

Trice enjoyed a breakout season for Washington last year with nine sacks and 70 pressures. Look for him to follow that up with another strong showing in his final collegiate season and bust into the first round.

29. San Francisco 49ers – Rome Odunze, WR, Washington

Kyle Shanahan is always looking to add weapons to his offense, and the lanky Odunze out of Washington fits the bill. The 6-foot-3, 211-pounder led the Pac-12 in receiving yards with 1,145 and was named a third-team AP All-American last season.

30. Buffalo Bills – Leonard Taylor, DT, Miami

Taylor was a highly touted recruit while heading to Miami and began to deliver on that hype last season. He was one of the country’s most productive pass-rushers among interior linemen, getting pressure on almost 17% of his chances.

31. Philadelphia Eagles – Kamari Lassiter, CB, Georgia

Another Georgia Bulldog heads to Philadelphia, as the Eagles snap up Lassiter at No. 31. With the NFC champions’ secondary aging, Lassiter is a great fit as a depth piece before becoming an eventual starter.

32. Kansas City Chiefs – Cooper Beebe, G, Kansas State

Beebe is the type of versatile athlete Andy Reid covets on the offensive line. The Kansas State standout has played every position up front outside of center and excels in pass protection. Beebe hasn’t allowed a sack in over 750 pass-blocking snaps since 2021.

NASCAR NEWS

DOVER, Del. (AP) Martin Truex Jr. grew up in New Jersey wanting to follow his dad into racing. Martin Truex, though, mostly raced on free weekends when he wasn’t running Sea Watch International, which harvests and processes clam products.

The Joe Gibbs Racing driver worked as a teenager on his dad’s clamming boat, often rising before dawn ahead of a day spent on choppy waters, knowing even then that life at sea wasn’t for him.

“I’m glad I figured out how to go fast so I could get the hell off that boat,” Truex said.

Truex got off the boat, into stock cars and – after a bumpy start to his career – became one of the more dominant drivers of his era. He had achieved just about all he could – except celebrate with his brother as winners on a NASCAR weekend.

With dad at the track, Truex mastered the Monster Mile on a Monday for the third time in his career, the former NASCAR champion snapping a 54-race winless streak overall in the Cup Series at Dover Motor Speedway.

Thanks to a race postponed a day because of rain, it was a long weekend sweep for the Truex brothers. Younger brother Ryan Truex won the second-tier Xfinity Series race on Saturday for his first NASCAR victory across all three national series in 188 career starts.

“Ryan has been through a lot. He’s really worked hard, and he’s gotten beat down and knocked down a lot and been through some tough times that he’s had to kind of persevere through,” Truex said.

Big brother was the first one to poke his head in Ryan’s Toyota as he pulled it into victory lane. Dad was there to celebrate with both sons.

“He’s pretty quiet when he’s at the track and all that,” Truex said. “But just obviously really excited, really proud of his two sons going to victory lane.”

Ryan Truex was unable to attend Monday’s race.

“We would love to have Ryan in the car,” team owner Joe Gibbs said. “He does a lot of simulation work for us. He’s a dedicated young guy, and as everybody knows, it’s hard to get sponsorship.”

Gibbs made repeated phone calls and FaceTimed friends in victory lane – “I’m going to talk to my wife first,” he said as he momentarily rejected one interview request – and told everyone on the other line “it was a Truex weekend!”

“We just won the race at Dover with ol’ Martin Truex!” the team owner nicknamed Coach bellowed into his phone.

Truex Jr. certainly knows how to get to victory lane on the concrete-mile track about 130 miles (210 km) from his hometown of Mayetta, New Jersey. Truex, who contemplated retirement last season, has long considered Dover his home track.

Who knew it would be the setting for a victorious family reunion?

The 2017 Cup champion has the blueprint on how to win at the Monster Mile on a Monday. Truex raced to his first NASCAR Cup win on June 4, 2007, at Dover and 12 years later used another rainout to take the checkered flag on May 6, 2019.

Truex also won a regularly scheduled Sunday race here in 2016.

He held strong on the outside lane Monday off the final restart to hold off runner-up Ross Chastain by a half-second. Ryan Blaney, William Byron and Denny Hamlin completed the top five.

Byron fell short after he led a race-high 193 laps in the No. 24 Chevrolet.

“In our history, this hasn’t been our best track,” he said. “We came with something a little bit different to try and help that. I think it did for the majority of the race, but just got too loose.”

Truex bristled at questions that suggested he was in a bit of a long losing streak. The 42-year-old driver had endured much worse than the 0s in the win column over the last two years. His 2007 win at Dover was the only one for him from his Cup debut in 2004 through 2012. It wasn’t until he joined the now-defunct Furniture Row Racing that he blossomed into a star.

He won a career-best eight times in 2017 and 23 times overall from 2016 to 2019. Truex, who made the jump to JGR in 2019, had been winless since his last Cup victory on Sept. 11, 2021, at Richmond Raceway.

“You have all these races throughout that period where you’re like, we were good enough to win, we should have won,” Truex said. “It’s not like we can’t do that, we just need to put it all together.”

Truex opened his 18th full season with an exhibition victory in the Busch Light Clash in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

He did have three top-10 finishes this season in the No. 19 Toyota but couldn’t find his way to victory lane until Monday. He earned his 32nd career Cup victory and became the 10th driver to win four or more Cup races at Dover.

And he doesn’t have to answer to anyone about a losing streak.

“Such a long winless streak,” Truex said. “I’ve only won 32 of these things now, you guys. It’s really, really hard to win these races, you guys, OK?”

SO YOU’RE TELLING ME THERE’S A CHANCE?

Noah Gragson made the cut.

No, not to victory lane, but to his head when he shaved the sides and left only a mop-topped shock of hair on top.

Gragson joked, “I’m gonna put it right on black, baby,” as he flashed an autographed $100 bill from fellow NASCAR driver Austin Dillon as part the payout for the bet that the Legacy Motor Club driver would get a bowl cut.

“Some say I lost a bet,” Gragson said. “I think I won.”

Gragson finished 34th because of an early wreck and hasn’t finished better than 30th in any of his last five races.

UP NEXT

NASCAR heads to Kansas Speedway. Kurt Busch won likely the last race of his career there after it was cut short because of a head injury suffered in a crash at Pocono last summer. Bubba Wallace won the fall race at the track.

BIG 10 MEN’S TENNIS

ROSEMONT, Ill. – The Big Ten Conference has qualified four teams for the 2023 NCAA Division I Men’s Tennis Championship. Ohio State received the conference’s automatic berth while Michigan, Illinois and Northwestern earned at-large berths.
 
The NCAA field includes 64 teams playing at 16 different sites for the first and second rounds, May 5-7. Sixteen teams advance to the Super Regionals on May 12-13 with eight teams moving on to the National Championship, May 18-20, at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Florida.
 
Ohio State (29-2) earned a No. 3 seed and will host East Tennessee State (12-13) at 1 p.m. EDT on Saturday (May 6) at the Auer Tennis Complex in Columbus, Ohio. The Big Ten champion and Big Ten Tournament champion, Ohio State is making its 23rd NCAA appearance having reached the semifinals last year.
 
Michigan (24-4) received a No. 7 seed and encounters Toledo (18-5) at 1 p.m. EDT on Saturday (May 6) at the Varsity Tennis Center in Ann Arbor, Mich. The Wolverines have qualified for the NCAAs for the seventh-straight season and the 33rd time overall.
 
Illinois (19-11) meets Arizona State (13-11) at 11 a.m. EDT on Friday (May 5) at the Beren Tennis Center in Cambridge, Mass. The Illini are making their 26th NCAA tournament, having won the title in 2003. They last competed at the event in 2021, advancing to the Round of 16.
 
Northwestern (20-9) takes on UCLA (12-10) at 10 a.m. EDT on Friday (May 5) at the Boone Tennis Center in Lexington, Ky. The Wildcats are making their third-straight trip to the NCAAs and their 19th appearance overall.

BIG 10 BASEBALL

Player of the Week
Matt Shaw, Maryland
Jr. – SS – Brimfield, Mass. – Worcester Academy

• Compiled a slash line of .522/.621/1.261 in helping Maryland to a 5-0 record and a three-game road sweep of Indiana last week
• Went 12-for-23 at the plate with home runs in four-straight games along with eight RBI
• Scored 12 runs and was perfect from the field, making four putouts and 15 assists
• Earns the fourth Player of the Week award for his career and his second of the season
• Last Maryland Player of the Week selection: Eddie Hacopian (April 24, 2023)
   

Co-Pitcher of the Week
Jack Wenninger, Illinois
Jr. – RHP – Cary, Ill. – Murray State

• Tossed the first complete-game shutout for Illinois since the 2016 season in a 7-0 win at Ohio State on April 29
• Held the Buckeyes to one hit over 9.0 innings, facing one batter over the minimum and retiring 21 straight to end the game
• Struck out seven batters in limiting Ohio State to a .036 batting average
• Secures his second Pitcher of the Week award this season
• Last Illinois Pitcher of the Week: Jack Wenninger (April 3, 2023)
   

Co-Pitcher of the Week
Harrison Cook, Michigan State
Jr. – RHP – Solon, Iowa – Iowa Western CC

• Made two relief appearances, recording a 0.00 ERA over 7.1 innings.
• Held Notre Dame to just two hits in 4.1 innings of work, keeping the Irish in check while Michigan State rallied from 3-0 deficit to post a 12-5 win on April 25
• Earned a save after allowing just one hit over the final three innings of Michigan State’s 8-3 win over Northwestern on April 29
• Receives his first Big Ten Pitcher of the Week award
• Last Michigan State Pitcher of the Week: Dominic Pianto (Feb. 21, 2023)

Freshman of the Week
Kyle McCoy, Maryland
Fr. – LHP – Ringoes, N.J. – Hunterdon School

• Earned the win in Maryland’s 16-2 victory over Indiana in Bloomington on April 29
• Starting his 10th game of the season, limiting the first-place Hoosiers to one earned run and five hits over 7.0 innings
• Produced his second longest outing of the year, throwing 97 pitches
• Receives second Freshman of the Week honor of the season
• Last Maryland Freshman of the Week: Kyle McCoy (March 27, 2023)

BIG 10 SOFTBALL

Player of the Week 
Cora Bassett, Indiana
RS-Jr. – UT – Newburgh, Ind. – Castle – Major: Management and Human Organization
• Batted .500 with a .917 slugging percentage and .538 on-base percentage last week as Indiana swept three games on the road at conference foe Michigan (prior to the weekend, the Hoosiers had won three times total against the Wolverines from 1997-2022)
• Tallied six hits (including a triple and a home run), five runs scored and two RBI during the weekend series
• Surpassed her own school record for runs in a season (62; previously 57 in 2022) and hit her third leadoff home run this season in Sunday’s series finale
• Selected for Academic All-Big Ten honors in 2021 (while attending Purdue)
• Earns her first Big Ten Player of the Week award 
• Last Indiana Player of the Week: Taylor Minnick (April 3, 2023)
 
Pitcher of the Week
Autumn Pease, Minnesota 
5th-Yr. – RHP – Murrieta, Calif. – Murrieta Mesa – Major: Kinesiology 
• Posted a 3-0 record, 0.35 ERA and two complete games during 20.0 innings in the circle last week, contributing to two shutouts (one solo, one combined) with 23 strikeouts and two walks as the Golden Gophers swept conference series on the road at Wisconsin (two games) and Ohio State (three games)
• Tossed a complete-game, three-hit shutout in Sunday’s finale at Ohio State, striking out six
• Worked the first six innings in an April 25 shutout at Wisconsin, yielding just one hit with nine strikeouts
• Scattered seven hits and gave up one run while fanning eight in a complete-game victory at OSU on April 28
• Twice has been chosen for Academic All-Big Ten recognition (2021, 2022) 
• Collects her fourth career Big Ten Pitcher of the Week award and third this season
• Last Minnesota Pitcher of the Week: Autumn Pease (April 24, 2023) 
 
Freshman of the Week 
Taryn Kern, Indiana 
Fr. – 2B – San Jose, Calif. – Archbishop Mitty – Major: Undeclared 
• Registered a .455 batting average, 1.091 slugging percentage and .538 on-base percentage for the Hoosiers in last weekend’s series sweep at Michigan
• Logged five hits (including two home runs and a double), five runs scored and five RBI in the three-game set
• Hit a pair of two-run home runs in the nightcap of an April 29 doubleheader with the Wolverines
• Leads the nation with 21 home runs this season, second-most by a Big Ten freshman (23 by Michigan’s Sierra Romero in 2013) and tied for seventh-most in conference history (Big Ten record is 24 by Illinois’ Angelena Mexicano in 2008)
• Captures 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)
• Also a two-time Big Ten Player of the Week selection this season
• Last Indiana Freshman of the Week: Taryn Kern (April 24, 2023) 

MAC BASEBALL

MAC Baseball Player of the Week
Cade Sullivan, Western Michigan, 1B     
Junior, Naperville, Ill. (Metea Valley)     
Cade Sullivan extended his home run streak to five in a row, as he homered in all three games of Western Michigan’s weekend sweep of Toledo. The junior scored five times and went 6-for-14 (.429) with four home runs, 11 RBIs, a .529 OBP and a 1.286 slugging percentage in the series. Sullivan hit a three-run homer in the opener of Saturday’s doubleheader, and snared a line drive to begin an inning-ending double play in the eighth to preserve WMU’s 9-8 victory. He then got WMU’s offense started in game two of the twin bill with a grand slam. Sullivan again got the Broncos started in Sunday’s finale with a two-run homer in the first and added another two-run shot later in the contest for his fourth blast of the series.
 
MAC Baseball Co-Pitchers of the Week
Ty Johnson, Ball State, P              
Junior, Indianapolis, Ind. (Lawrence North)        
Ty Johnson led the Ball State pitching staff and produced a 1-0 record. He threw a scoreless inning with one strikeout against Indiana. He 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 innings, he did not walk a batter and only gave up one run on just two hits.
 
Mitch Scott, Kent State, RP        
Gr, San Mateo, CA          
Scott came in and did what he does, slammed the door on three of the four Flashes’ wins for the week. Against Ohio State, Scott recorded the four out save, striking out all four Buckeyes and leaving the tying run in scoring position that he inherited in the eighth. Against Ohio, he came into the game in the eighth with the bases loaded on Friday and left them right there before striking out a pair in the ninth. On Sunday, Scott allowed no more than a one-out single, protecting the 7-5 lead to earn his MAC leading 12th save.

HCAC BASEBALL

Athletes of the Week:  

 Hitting Athlete of the Week:  

Aj Sanders (Clayton, Ind.) Franklin College | Sophomore- Sanders batted .769 (10-for-13) with a home run, 11 knocked in, seven runs scored and three stolen bases for Franklin over three games this past weekend…hit for the cycle in game one against Bluffton on Saturday, finishing 5-for-6 with seven RBI and four runs scored in an 18-8 win. Sanders went 3-for-5 with 4 RBI and two steals in a game two win over the Beavers. 

Pitching Athlete of the Week: 

Wyatt Groves (Marengo, Ohio.) Bluffton University | Sophomore- Groves went 2-0 with a sparkling 0.82 ERA in 11 innings of work. He allowed just one run on seven hits for a miniscule .189 opponent batting average. Groves followed up his Wednesday victory at Albion with six innings of one-run ball on three days’ rest as Bluffton handed Transylvania a 17-2 loss on Sunday afternoon. 

Notable Performances:  

• Jack Towell (Batavia, Ohio) Bluffton University | Senior- Towell led the Beavers to a 4-2 mark for the week, including sweeps of Albion and Transylvania. He went 12-of-27 for a .444 batting average with 4 homers, 10 runs scored and a whopping 18 RBI. Towell added two doubles and slugged .963 for the week. His seven RBI set the Bluffton single-game mark on Wednesday and when he smacked his second run-scoring hit in the first inning of Bluffton’s 17-2 win over Transy on Sunday, he became the single-season record holder at Bluffton with 51 RBI’s to this point. 
• Andy Krajecki (Hampshire, Ill.) Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology | Senior- Krajecki batted .429 with a .520 on-base average and a .762 slugging average to lead the Rose-Hulman offense in 5 games last week. Krajecki was 9-for-21 with 4 doubles, 1 home run, 5 runs scored and 3 RBIs. 
• Grahm Reedy (Yorktown, Ind.) Anderson University | Senior- Reedy went 4-for-8 with a double, a homer and two RBI’s as Anderson went 2-1 on the week, which included a sweep against Rose-Hulman. Reedy closed the week with a .500 batting average, a .600 on-base percentage and a 1.000 slugging percentage. 
• Alex Christie (Greenwood, Ind.) Hanover College | Junior- Christie led the Panthers to a 1-2 week as they earned a split with Manchester. The junior tied the Hanover College single season homerun record with 11 as he posted a .750 slugging percentage. He went 5-for-12 with six runs and three RBI.  
• Nathan Lancianese (Lexington, Ky.) Earlham College | Senior- Lancianese led the Quakers at the plate this weekend with a .471 batting average, eight hits, and five RBI. The senior knocked one double and scored three runs.  
• Ryan Murray (Cincinnati, Ohio.) Mount St. Joseph University | Graduate- Murray was a force at the plate for the Lions this week. Murray finished the week batting .400 (8-20) including three doubles, two stolen bases and a walk. Murray also tallied seven RBIs for the week while scoring a pair of runs himself.  
• Harrison Pittsford (Ellettsville, Ind.) Manchester University | Junior- Pittsford had a successful week at the plate for the Spartans, hitting .429 in four games with seven runs scored, four RBI, five stolen bases, two home runs, one double, and two walks. The junior helped lead the Spartans to a 2-2 weekend, splitting doubleheader against Hanover and Franklin. 
• Henry Mitcham (Lexington, Ky.) Transylvania University | Sophomore- Mitcham went 6-15 over the four-game weekend, including a sweep of Defiance, with five RBI, five runs scored, two doubles, a homerun, and a stolen base for the Pioneers. 
• Gunner Gregg (Graytown, Ohio.) Defiance College | Sophomore- Gregg had a monster week for Defiance. Of his six total hits, five were extra base hits including two home runs and three doubles. His slugging percentage for the week was .938. In the four games played, the Yellow Jackets as a team had a total of 10 runs and Gregg drove in six of the ten.  
• Aidan Post (Fairfield, Ohio.) Mount St. Joseph University | Senior- Post was dazzling on Sunday at Defiance in the teams 10-2 victory. He needed just 110 pitches to throw the first complete game of his college career, allowing just six hits and a pair of earned runs, while striking out seven Defiance batters.  
• Landen Southern (Lafayette, Ind.) Anderson University | Sophomore- Southern earned the win in Game 1 against Rose-Hulman. He struck out six batters, issued two walks and allowed four runs (1 earned) on five hits in seven innings. 
• Marcus Goodpaster (Indianapolis, Ind.) Hanover College | Junior- Goodpaster remained perfect on the mound at 7-0 as he picked up the 16-7 victory over Manchester. The junior pitched eight complete innings with five strikeouts. He posted a 3.38 ERA.  
• Justin Dillhoff (Dayton, Ohio.) Earlham College | Junior- Dillhoff pitched the opening game against Rose-Hulman with 6.2 innings and the winning decision. Dillhoff scattered nine hits with only one earned run while recording five strikeouts.  
• Zach White (Logansport, Ind.) Manchester University | Senior- White pitched 7.2 innings for the Spartans, as Manchester finished the week 2-2 against Hanover and Franklin. White scattered 11 hits while striking out nine batters and giving up just one walk.  
• Jeremy Russon (Clinton Township, Mich.) Defiance College | Junior- Russo made two relief appearances for Defiance during the week. He pitched a total of 2.0 innings and struck out three while not allowing an earned run.  
• Ian Kline (Frederick, Md.) Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology | Junior- Kline struck out seven in seven innings of work to lead the Rose-Hulman effort against Anderson. 
• Jacob Moberly (Elizabethtown, Ky.) Transylvania University | Sophomore- Moberly went 8 innings for the Pioneers in a 9-4 win over Defiance. He struck out seven, scattered six hits, and allowed just three runs in the 28 at bats he pitched. 

HCAC SOFTBALL

Athletes of the Week:  

Hitting Athlete of the Week: 

Sabrina Leonard (Filmore, Ind.) Manchester University | First Year- Leonard had a .368 batting average this week as the Spartans went 4-2 with two HCAC sweeps against Anderson and Bluffton. On the week, Leonard scored 6 runs with 3 RBI 2 doubles, and 1 stolen base. Leonard currently leads Manchester this season with a .557 slugging percentage, .473 on base percentage, 28 RBI, and 39 hits.   

Pitching Athlete of the Week: 

Casey Kemp (Blanchester, Ohio.) Mount St. Joseph University |Junior- Kemp had a fantastic week again for the Lions, pitching in three games. She started game one vs. Bluffton and Manchester earning the win in both games, then returned in game two against Manchester once again earning the win in the extra inning affair. For the week she threw 18.0 innings allowing only a single earned run, while striking out 19 batters.   

Notable Performances: 

• Kaitlyn Carr (Valparaiso, Ind.) Manchester University | Sophomore- Carr helped lead Manchester to a 4-2 week, including two HCAC sweeps against Anderson and Bluffton. On the week, Carr threw a total of 31.2 innings, scattering 25 hits with just 6 walks and 10 strikeouts. Carr also only gave up 4 earned runs in the 5 games she appeared in this week. Car also went 7-18 at the plate for the Spartans.  
• Sydney Rodeghier (Brownsburg, Ind.) Franklin College | Senior- Rodeghier went 4-for-6 with three runs scored, two doubles and an RBI for the Grizzlies in their sweep of Rose-Hulman on Wednesday. Rodeghier went 3-for-3 with three runs scored and a pair of doubles in the game two victory. 
• Makenzie Morgan (Grovertown, Ind.) Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology | Senior- Morgan batted .636 on 7-of-11 at the plate with seven singles, three runs scored and four RBIs as Rose-Hulman finished 1-2 last week, highlighted by the team’s first conference win. 
• Ali Lang (Eminence Ind.) Mount St. Joseph University | Senior- Lions senior leadoff hitter set the table all week for the Lions who remained unbeaten in HCAC play. For the week she was 7/15 at the plate scoring a pair of runs, driving in one and stealing a base. 

TOP INDIANA RELEASES

COLTS FOOTBALL

(COLTS.COM)

10 COLTS THINGS: WHAT WE LEARNED ABOUT 2023 NFL DRAFT, FROM ANTHONY RICHARDSON TO JAKE WITT

1. Why the Colts didn’t trade up to No. 3 – and how that benefitted the rest of their draft.

Once the Colts came to a collective decision that Anthony Richardson was the quarterback they wanted, they still had to draft him. That led to some tense moments in the Colts’ draft room after the Carolina Panthers, as expected, picked Bryce Young No. 1 overall.

There was some uncertainty as to what would happen next. After months of back-and-forth speculation, the Houston Texans indeed selected a quarterback – Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud – with the second overall pick. The Arizona Cardinals were on the clock, and it was clear they were trying to trade the No. 3 overall pick.

Maybe to a team that needed a quarterback. Maybe not. Maybe they wouldn’t be successful trading the pick at all. But these were all maybes a little before 8:30 p.m. on Thursday.

Colts general manager Chris Ballard said he did call Arizona about trading up one spot, from No. 4 to No. 3. But Ballard, notably, has proven to adept at having a good feel for when he needs to be aggressive, when he can stand pat and when he can trade back and still get a player the team likes.

“I don’t know how he does it, personally,” Colts director of player personnel Kevin Rogers said last year on an episode of the Official Colts Podcast. “… Chris is phenomenal at exercising his resources, talking to as many people as he can and he does more reconnaissance work on who’s into what, what players, what coaches are on and with what programs. He’s phenomenal at it.”

In this case?

“We just said, you know what, we’re just going to sit and wait,” Ballard said.

Instead of burning pick(s) this year or next year, Ballard was confident Richardson would be available at No. 4. But as the seconds melted away on Arizona’s 10 minutes on the clock, there was some understandable uneasiness in the Colts’ draft room.

“There is some tension with every pick, but with that one, obviously knowing, is someone going to trade up? We didn’t know,” Colts chief personnel executive Morocco Brown said. “Now, we did our due diligence and nothing was just by happenstance. But you don’t know.”

And then, the news hit: Arizona had traded the pick.

To the Texans.

Who weren’t going to draft a quarterback after taking Stroud one pick earlier.

“When the trade happened,” Colts Owner and CEO Jim Irsay said, “we all smiled in relief.”

The Colts called Richardson as soon as they were on the clock. There was no last-second debate – this was The Guy, and it didn’t take shipping away future draft picks to get him.

Now that we have a complete picture of the players the Colts selected in this year’s NFL Draft, consider what they didn’t give up to get Richardson. The last time a team traded up one spot in the top five to draft a quarterback, the Chicago Bears traded their third- and fourth-round picks, as well as a future third-round pick, to the San Francisco 49ers to swap the No. 2 and No. 3 overall picks in the 2017 NFL Draft.

If the Colts sent a similar package to the Cardinals, they would’ve came away from this year’s draft without wide receiver Josh Downs (No. 79 overall) and offensive tackle Blake Freeland (No. 106 overall). Instead, Downs and Freeland could develop into guys who can catch and block, respectively, for Richardson for years to come.

“I’ll give it to Chris,” Brown said. “Everybody couldn’t do that and sit there and say, ‘Look, let’s let it play out. We feel good about where we are.’ It just shows his belief in the information he was able to find out and his belief in, ‘Hey, I think we’ll be able to get the guy here.’

“Then once we saw the trade and we saw that it was Houston, it was this gigantic sigh of relief.”

2. By trading back three times, the Colts came away with their largest draft class in recent memory.

Not only did the Colts keep some Day 2 and Day 3 picks by hanging at No. 4, they traded back twice on Day 2 and once on Day 3 to accumulate a total of 12 draft picks.

The Colts began Friday with the No. 35 overall pick – the fourth selection in the second round – and a clump of five or six players they liked. The depth of this year’s draft allowed Ballard to feel confident he could trade back and still get a guy the Colts valued.

So first, the Colts traded back from pick No. 35 to 38 with the Las Vegas Raiders, adding a fifth-round selection (No. 141 overall) in the process. Then, the Colts traded pick No. 38 to the Atlanta Falcons for the Nos. 44 and 110 selections. At No. 44, the Colts picked Kansas State cornerback Julius Brents.

“We like the talent at that level as we kept moving down,” Ballard said. “And then the ability to add the extra picks, especially the extra fourth where we think there are some pretty good players we thought that value was too good to pass up.”

And on Day 3, the Colts traded the pick they acquired from the Raiders – No. 141 – to the Minnesota Vikings for a fifth-round pick (No. 158 overall) and a sixth-round pick (No. 211 overall).

In total, those three trades netted the Colts:

DT Adetomiwa Adebawore (No. 110)

S Daniel Scott (No. 158)

DE Titus Leo (No. 211)

The Colts, under Ballard, have consistently unearthed starting-caliber, key depth and/or core special teams players on Day 3 of the NFL Draft (most recently: safety Rodney Thomas II, the No. 239 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft who led the team in interceptions last season). And by betting on players who possess a combination of high-end athletic traits and football character, the Colts believe in the value of taking as many shots as possible on those players – especially on Day 3 of the draft.

The 12 draft picks made by the Colts in 2023 are the most for the franchise since the NFL Draft went from 12 rounds to eight in 1993, then down to seven in 1994. The previous high water mark was 11 selections in 2018.

3. Cornerback will be one of the most competitive positions on the roster in the next few months.

The Colts added Brents (No. 44 overall), Darius Rush (No. 138 overall) and Jaylon Jones (No. 221 overall) over the course of the draft, and those guys will join Kenny Moore II, Isaiah Rodgers Sr., Tony Brown and Dallis Flowers, among others in Indianapolis.

And all three cornerbacks the Colts drafted are the kind of long athletes that “fit our profile,” Ballard said.

“We wanted to add competition to that position, which I think we were able to do,” Ballard said. “The room is going to look a little different with these guys added.”

A quick look at a few key measurements (via Mockdraftable.com) and notes on each player:

Julius Brents

Height: 6-foot-3 (96th percentile for cornerbacks)

Arm length: 34 inches (98th percentile)

Wingspan: 82 5/8 inches (99th percentile)

Vertical jump: 41.5 inches (96th percentile)

Broad jump: 138 inches (99th percentile)

“It’s hard to find guys that are 6-3, 200 pounds, have 34-inch arms and move around as well as he does,” Colts area scout Tyler Hughes said. “Not only can he run in a straight line, but the athleticism, the quickness, the feet — he’s improved every year since he was at Iowa all the way up to K-State now.”

The Colts like Brents’ upside as a long, athletic corner who can play press coverage in Gus Bradley’s defense, and value the Indianapolis native’s physical and mental toughness. And while Brents may not be the fastest cornerback – he ran a 4.5-second 40-yard dash – he’s able to use his remarkable length to his advantage.

“Even the 4.50 – When you’re 6-3, there’s a difference,” Ballard said. “It gives you an advantage down the field because you’re not throwing over a 5-9, 5-10 guy. You’re throwing over a 6-3 guy. That looks different to a quarterback.”

Darius Rush

Height: 6-foot-2 (93rd percentile)

Arm length: 33 3/8 inches (95th percentile)

40-yard dash: 4.36 seconds (92nd percentile)

Rush is a “late bloomer,” assistant director of college scouting Jamie Moore said, as he converted from wide receiver to cornerback during his college career at South Carolina. But he began using his blend of length and speed to his advantage over his last few years in college; Rush totaled 18 passes defensed across the 2021 and 2022 seasons. The Colts see him as someone with good ball skills – again, he’s a converted wide receiver – and plenty of upside.

“You go back and watch his career, he’s just continued to ascend,” Moore said. “He’s gotten better each year. And I definitely think the best is yet to come from this young man.”

Jaylon Jones

Height: 6-foot-2 (93rd percentile)

Weight: 200 pounds (78th percentile)

40-yard dash 10-yard split: 1.48 seconds (92nd percentile)

Like Brents and Rush, Jones’ height stands out, and he displayed impressive physicality in college at Texas A&M. He totaled three interceptions and 14 pass break-ups in 32 games, and in 2022 he allowed only one reception of 20 or more yards.

4. Josh Downs broke a mold, but fits the Colts’ receiver room well.

At 5-foot-9, Downs is the shortest wide receiver drafted by the Colts since T.Y. Hilton (also 5-foot-9) in 2012; at 171 pounds, he’s the lightest wide receiver drafted by the Colts since at least 2000.

The five wide receivers Ballard previously drafted were, on average, about 6-foot-3 and 213 pounds.

But Downs’ speed, quickness and explosiveness – not to mention his college production at North Carolina – all attracted the Colts to him throughout the draft process. And, too, he complements the 6-foot-4 Michael Pittman Jr. and 6-foot-3 Alec Pierce well.

“We don’t have a whole lot of guys like him,” area scout Chad Henry said. “He’s a human chain mover. Good luck covering him in a short area.”

Downs primarily played in the slot (1,419 snaps) in college but did get some time as an outside receiver in 2022 (133 snaps), per Pro Football Focus. He has good hands – three drops against 94 receptions in 2022 – and his short-area quickness and feel for space made him a favorite target of Tarheels quarterback and potential top 2024 NFL draft prospect Drake Maye. Downs totaled 195 catches for 2,364 yards with 19 touchdowns over his final two seasons in Chapel Hill.

“Downs is a crafty route runner in the slot,” head coach Shane Steichen said. “He had a lot of production at North Carolina. He just has a really good natural feel. I mean this guy is a football player and can find the dead spots in zone coverage. He just has a knack for getting open so really excited to about him.”

And Downs wowed Reggie Wayne – the should-be Hall of Fame wide receiver and current Colts wide receivers coach – with his work at the NFL Combine earlier this year. And when Wayne sticks his neck out for a wide receiver, “it only makes it that much better,” Henry said.

On top of Downs’ athleticism and receiving ability, his personality, work ethic and football character are a “slam dunk,” Henry said. Downs grew up around the game – his dad, Gary, spent seven seasons as an NFL running back (1994-2000), and his uncle, Dre Bly, was a two-time Pro Bowl cornerback who played a decade in the NFL (1999-2009).

“He’s a great kid,” Henry said. “You see that he was raised not only around football, but he was raised right. I mean, his parents are really good people. You can see that reflected with the kid that he is. His football character is awesome. There’s not a person in the building at North Carolina that has one bad thing to say about him, and they all gush about him.”

INDIANS BASEBALL

INDIANAPOLIS – Minor League Baseball and the Indianapolis Indians today announced that outfielder Josh Palacios has been named the International League Player of the Week after recording a pair of career-high five-RBI games while playing in five games vs. the Columbus Clippers from April 25-30.

Palacios, 27, paced all of professional baseball with 13 RBI, a 1.389 slugging percentage and staggering 2.056 OPS last week. He also ranked among minor league leaders in home runs (T-2nd, 4), extra-base hits (T-2nd, 7), batting average (3rd, .556), total bases (3rd, 25) and on-base percentage (T-3rd, .667). His four home runs for the week tied with four others for the most in the International League.

His week was highlighted by two career-high five-RBI performances, the first of his career, to bookend the torrid five-game stretch. On April 29, he went 2-for-3 with a pair of home runs – his first career multi-homer game – and became the first Indianapolis Indian since Brandon Moss (2010) to record two games of at least five RBI in a single season.

Palacios was selected by Pittsburgh from Washington in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 Draft on Dec. 7, 2022. He was originally selected by Toronto in the fourth round (132nd overall) of the 2016 First-Year Player Draft out of Auburn (Ala.) University. He is Indianapolis’ second IL Player of the Week this season, following Tucupita Marcano (April 4-9).

INDIANA SOFTBALL

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – 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.

Bassett held 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.

UP NEXT

The Hoosiers welcome Michigan State to Andy Mohr Field on May 5-7 for senior weekend.

PURDUE VOLLEYBALL

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Three incoming freshmen were named to VolleyballMag.com’s 2023 Girls Fab 50 list, which recognizes the top 50 senior-age players in the country. Purdue’s setter Taylor Anderson, outside hitter Grace Heaney and outside hitter Chloe Chicoine were each tapped for the list.

Purdue is joined by Nebraska as the only two programs in the Big Ten to have at least three signees on the list. In total, Purdue and Nebraska were joined by Texas, Oregon, and Pitt as the only teams to sign at least three players on the list.

As noted by VolleyballMag,com, Chicoine was considered for the No. 1 spot, but was edged by Harper Murray, who received Gatorade National Player of the Year.

Anderson, a 6-1 setter out of San Antonio, Texas was ranked the No. 1 setter by PrepDig. During her senior year, Anderson posted 794 assists and 267 digs and has guided her team to four championship titles, including 2022 Nike Tournament of Champions Southwest.

Chicoine, a 5-10 hitter out of West Lafayette, Indiana, was ranked the No. 1 recruit in the nation by PrepVolleyball. Over her four years at McCutcheon High School, Chicoine averaged a .436 attack %. Last year alone, she was awarded Best Spiker at the Pan Am Games, AVCA First Team All-America, Under Armour High School All-America, Gatorade Player of the Year in Indiana for the second consecutive year and played on the gold-winning U21 U.S. National Team.

Heaney, a 6-2 opposite/right side out of Omaha, Nebraska, is ranked among the nation’s top-17 across multiple outlets. Alongside teammate Chicoine, Heaney was named a 2023 Player to Watch by VBallRecruiter. An athletic player, competing in three sports during her high school career (volleyball, basketball and track & field), Heaney averaged 4.67 kills per set over her final three years.

While Chicoine enrolled early alongside fellow freshmen Kenna Wollard, Julia Kane and Rachel Williams, Anderson and Heaney will arrive on campus in June.

Purdue’s incoming freshman class is the highest-touted class in program history, ranking No. 3 in the nation by PrepVolleyball.com. The class is made up of one setter (Anderson), two outside hitters (Chicoine and Wollard), one opposite/right side (Heaney) and two defensive specialists (Kane and Williams).

The incoming class includes four players ranked among PrepVolleyball’s top-63 in the nation, including the program’s first No. 1 overall-ranked recruit in Chicoine. Heaney checks in at No. 17 overall, followed by Anderson at No. 38 and Wollard at No. 63.

PURDUE MEN’S BASKETBALL

Raleigh Burgess committed to play basketball at Purdue on Monday.

The 6-foot-10 Class of 2024 forward is listed as a four-star recruit by most major scouting sites.

He made his commitment on his Instagram account.

Burgess is from Cincinnati and averaged 14 points per game this season for Sycamore High School. Among Burgess’ 19 reported offers were six Big Ten schools as well as Virginia, Xavier and Cincinnati.

PURDUE MEN’S GOLF

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Purdue senior Peyton Snoeberger battled brutal conditions that consisted of wind, snow and rain to finish second in U.S. Open local qualifying at the South Bend Country Club to advance to sectional qualifying next month at a site to be determined.

Under terrible weather conditions, Snoeberger shot a 2-under par 69 to be one-of-two players under par and one-of-five players among the 84 that started the round to advance to the next stage on the road to the Los Angeles Country Club.

Snoeberger was five shots clear of advancing after starting on the back nine. He was 2-over par on the back nine, but played the front nine (his second nine) in 4-under par 32 to advance easily to sectional qualifying.

Snoeberger will now play in sectional qualifying on June 5, at one of 10 courses around the country.

The U.S. Open will be played June 15 to 18, at the Los Angeles Country Club.

Snoeberger has played in all 10 events this season for the Boilermakers, owning a 73.39 stroke average with three top-20 showings. He owns 13 rounds of even-par or better with two rounds in the 60s.

On Wednesday, the Boilermakers will receive word of their NCAA Regionals destination, when the Golf Channel will air the NCAA Championships selection show at 1 p.m. ET.

BALL STATE WOMEN’S TENNIS

MUNCIE, Ind. – The Ball State women’s tennis team, which earned an automatic bid by winning the Mid-American Conference Tournament title for the third time in program history on Sunday, April 30 and will now face Notre Dame in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Ball State and Notre Dame will meet Friday, May 5 at 11 a.m. ET at the Varsity Tennis Center. The winner will advance to play Saturday, May 6 against the winner of the second-round match between Michigan vs. Youngstown State.

The Cardinals’ pulled off the 4-1 upset over top-seeded Toledo Sunday at the Northwest YMCA to make their third-straight appearance at the NCAA’s.

Ball State will take their 22-3 overall record to Ann Arbor. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish enters the match with an 15-10 record and a 6-7 ACC mark.

NCAA First and Second Rounds

(Varsity Tennis Center, Ann Arbor, Michigan)

Friday, May 5

Notre Dame vs. Ball State, 11 a.m.

Michigan vs. Youngstown State, 2 p.m.

Saturday, May 6

Notre Dame/Ball State winner vs. Michigan/Youngstown State winner, 4 p.m.

BALL STATE MEN’S GOLF

ATHENS, Al. – The Ball State men’s golf team finished day two of the Mid-American Conference Championships today in second place after being paired with Toledo and Eastern Michigan for round two.

The Cardinals had a huge day during round two, moving up six spots in the team rankings after being in eighth place yesterday. Kash Bellar’s 4-under performance and several other momentum-changing moments solidified round two for the Cardinals.

Kash Bellar led the Cardinals during round two, finishing at an impressive 4-under today (68) and bumping up 21 spots to finish round two tied for eighth place. Bellar hit a crucial eagle on the par-5, 579-yard hole no.7.

Both Carter Smith and Griffin Hare are tied for 14th after round two. Smith recorded a 70 (-2) and five birdies to earn a top-15 spot heading into tomorrow’s final round. Hare stayed consistent, finishing at 1-over (73) and notching a top-15 spot after round two.

Joey Ranieri finished round two at 2-over (74), securing a spot tied for 22nd heading into round three. Ali Khan bounced back today and finished at 1-under (71) to place him tied for 32nd after round two.

The Cardinals will begin the final round of the MAC championships paired with Kent State and Northern Illinois. The following are the tee times for tomorrow:

            Ali Khan: 10:40 a.m. EST

            Joey Ranieri: 10:50 a.m. EST

            Griffin Hare: 11:00 a.m. EST

            Carter Smith: 11:10 a.m. EST

            Kash Bellar: 11:20 a.m. EST

BALL STATE BASEBALL

CLEVELAND – The Mid-American Conference announced its weekly Player and Pitcher of the Week honors on Monday. Ty Johnson earned a Pitcher of the Week accolade after a stellar week on the mound for Ball State

Ty Johnson led the Ball State pitching staff and produced a 1-0 record. He threw a scoreless inning with one strikeout against Indiana. He 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 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.

“Ty Johnson was simply outstanding this weekend,” said Head Coach Rich Maloney. “He had command of all of his pitches and put our team on his back.”

Ball State returns to the road for a three-game stint at Ohio, beginning on Friday, May 5. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m.

NOTRE DAME WOMEN’S TENNIS

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The University of Notre Dame women’s tennis team heard its name called in the NCAA Selection Show Monday night. The Fighting Irish will head to Ann Arbor, Michigan to compete in a regional tournament, hosted by the University of Michigan. This is the first NCAA team tournament appearance for the Irish since the 2017 season.

The Irish are set to take on the champions of the Mid-American Conference as they will take on the Ball State Cardinals in the opening round at 11 a.m. Friday. Winner will match up with the winner of the host Wolverines and Youngstown State that will be played at 2 p.m.

INDIANA STATE BASEBALL

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State returns to Bob Warn Field for a single game on Tuesday night as the No.15-ranked Sycamores host the University of Illinois Fighting Illini in the midweek game. First pitch in Tuesday night’s contest is set for 6 p.m. ET and will be carried live on ESPN+ and 105.5 The Legend.

Game Day Activities: Tuesday night is $2 Hot Dog night at Bob Warn Field as the deal is back for the midweek contest (while supplies last). Tuesday night’s giveaway at the gate will be a mini Sycamore Baseball, so come early to get yours prior to the start of the game.

Indiana State returns home to Bob Warn Field boasting one of the nation’s longest home winning streaks at 11 consecutive games dating back to March 25 against Valparaiso. The Sycamores trail only SEMO (13) in the column and are one of five teams nationally to boast a current double-digit home winning streak.

The Sycamores saw their 14-game winning streak snap on Friday night this past weekend at Evansville, but ISU rebounded to win the final two games of the series to clinch their sixth consecutive MVC series win. The six consecutive conference series wins continue one of the best starts in conference play in program history and equals the stretch set back in 2012.

Indiana State continues to gain national acclaim heading into the final month of the regular season. ISU continues to sit in the top 25 in two major polls including the Collegiate Baseball Division I poll (15) and Perfect Game (20). ISU continues to receive votes in both the USA Today Coaches Poll. The NCBWA poll has not been released at the time of this post.

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 (68), Missouri State (79), and Valparaiso (93) 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 (6), Miami (14), Indiana (30), Iowa (38), Northeastern (39), and Missouri (42). Additional top-100 schools on the schedule include Florida Gulf Coast (62), and Michigan State (66).

The Sycamores enter May as one of the hottest teams in the country after posting a 16-1 overall mark in the month of April. ISU’s 16 wins over the month marked the program’s best month since March 2012 when ISU went 18-3 over the span.

ISU took two of three this past weekend against Evansville with the Sycamores falling in the opener against the Purple Aces, 2-1, before rallying to take the final two games of the series 7-4 and 10-4. Randal Diaz led the Sycamores with a .333 average over the three-game series at UE with a double and a home run, while Josue Urdaneta (.308) and Adam Pottinger (.300) also hit above the .300 mark for ISU. All three ISU starting pitchers went at least six innings over the weekend and the staff posted a 3.46 ERA with a 24:4 strikeout-to-walk ratio against UE.

Seth Gergely remains ISU’s top hitter on the season entering the week as the redshirt senior is hitting a team-best .333 from the plate. Gergely boasts a pair of 15-game on-base streaks this season and is closing in on his third double-digit streak this year having reached in each of the last nine games. He has reached safely in 39 of the 41 games this year and leads the Sycamores in hits (50), walks (22), and stolen bases (10).

Adam Pottinger is also hitting above the .300 mark and boasts the longest hitting streak by a Sycamore this season sitting at 13 consecutive games heading into the week. Pottinger is on a 17-game on-base streak after reaching in every game over the month of April and leads the team in slugging percentage (.553) and on-base percentage (.452) in 2023.

Sixteen different Indiana State pitchers have seen time on the mound this year with the Sycamores boasting a team 4.24 ERA and a 353:143 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 with Sunday’s win. Cameron Holycross (1.47 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

Illinois Fighting Illini

Illinois enters the midweek contest with a 19-21 overall record on the year including a 9-12 mark away from Urbana-Champaign. The Fighting Illini have lost three of their last four games including dropping the weekend series at Ohio State and a midweek contest at Bradley.

Illinois offense has been led by Ryan Moerman’s .314 batting average as the Fighting Illini are hitting .270 as a team for the season. Moerman sits among the team leaders with 48 hits, eight doubles, and nine home runs, while pacing Illinois with 38 RBIs. Drake Westcott is the team’s power threat with 12 home runs on the year.

Eighteen different Illinois pitchers have seen time on the mound this season with the Fighting Illini posting a 6.01 team ERA and a 345:145 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Five different pitchers have made at least 15 appearances on the mound and five have made at least five starts on the rubber this season. Opponents are hitting .280 on the season against the Illinois staff.

Illinois was selected fourth in the Big Ten Baseball preseason poll as announced by the conference office in February. Illinois placed three athletes on the preseason All-Conference honors list in RHP Jack Crowder, RHP Riley Gowens, and IF/OF Cam McDonald. McDonald was also named to the Bobby Bragan National Collegiate Slugger Award watch list.

Illinois has lined up against several Missouri Valley teams this season sporting a 4-4 record against the conference this season. Indiana State (0-1), Southern Illinois (2-1), Bradley (1-1), and Illinois State (1-1) have all lined up against the Illini this year.

Indiana State – Illinois History

Illinois leads the all-time series, 45-38-2, against Indiana State dating back to the first contest between the two programs back in 1906. In the series, Indiana State has been stronger at home with the Sycamores taking the 22-13-1 edge in Terre Haute. Illinois has been the favorite in Urbana-Champaign with the 28-16-1 edge. ISU and Illinois faced off in one neutral site game back in 1996 with the Fighting Illini winning 6-2 at the Sahara Desert Classic in Las Cruces, N.M.

Indiana State’s extra-inning win at Illinois earlier this season on March 14 was the Sycamores’ first win in Urbana-Champaign since the 2007 season. The Sycamores utilized a late rally with Jorge Pereira and Keegan Watson sparking a four-run 10th inning in ISU’s 7-3 win over the Illini.

EVANSVILLE BASEBALL

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Evansville junior pitcher Nick Smith (Boonville, Ind./Boonville) has been named this week’s Missouri Valley Conference Pitcher of the Week after a dominating performance on the mound in Friday night’s 2-1 victory over nationally-ranked Indiana State.

Smith limited the Sycamores, which entered the series leading the Valley with a .319 team batting average in conference play, to just five base hits and an unearned run in 7.0 innings of work on Friday night.  Smith allowed just three base runners through the first five innings on a pair of singles and an error.  He did not allow a runner past first base until the sixth inning, and he did not allow a runner past second base until a seventh-inning throwing error put two men in scoring position with no one out.  He still limited the damage in that inning to just a single unearned run, before retiring ISU’s top two hitters on the infield to get out of the jam.

Smith struck out four men against no walks, while throwing 93 pitches.  He also slammed the door shut with two outs, as Indiana State went 0-for-7 with two outs in an inning in the contest.

For Smith, it is the first MVC Pitcher of the Week award of the season and his third Valley Pitcher of the Week award of his career.  It is also the fifth time this year in which a Purple Ace has earned either MVC Player or Pitcher of the Week honors.

Evansville (25-18, 9-9 MVC) will wrap up final exams this week in the classroom, before returning to the diamond on Wednesday night at 6 p.m. when UE concludes a five-game homestand against in-state rival Butler.   Wednesday’s game can be seen live on ESPN+ and can be heard live in the Tri-State area on 107.1 FM-WJPS and the Old National Bank/Purple Aces Sports Network from Learfield.

SOUTHERN INDIANA SOFTBALL

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Following an eight-day hiatus from game action, University of Southern Indiana Softball returns to the field Tuesday afternoon when the Screaming Eagles host Austin Peay State University at 3 p.m. from USI Softball Field.

Admission to all 2023 USI Softball home spring games is free, courtesy of The Women’s Hospital Deaconess.

USI enters Tuesday with an 18-20 overall record and is 7-11 in non-conference games this season. In USI’s last non-conference matchup, the Screaming Eagles defeated Butler University, 4-1, back on April 12.

Southern Indiana is coming off a bye week in Ohio Valley Conference play and has not played since April 23 when the Screaming Eagles captured a doubleheader sweep at Tennessee State University. After dropping the series opener, 3-0, USI bounced back with a 3-2 win and a 5-1 victory for the series win against the Tigers.

Sophomore pitchers Hailey Gotshall (Lucerne, Indiana) and Josie Newman (Indianapolis, Indiana) each posted quality starts in the two wins, going 6.1 and 7.0 innings, respectively. At the plate, senior Allie Goodin (Evansville, Indiana) concluded the series with a big performance, blasting two home runs and tallying five RBIs. Her multi-home run game was the first by a USI player this season and the fourth multi-homer game of Goodin’s USI career. Goodin is now a home run shy of joining junior first baseman Lexi Fair (Greenwood, Indiana) inside the top-10 in USI’s all-time history for career home runs.

Goodin leads the Screaming Eagles with a .415 batting average, 14 doubles, five home runs, and 34 RBIs. Fair is second on the squad with four home runs and 22 RBIs. Junior outfielder Mackenzie Bedrick (Brownsburg, Indiana) is second on the team in batting average, hitting .310, but she paces USI with 27 runs scored. As a team, USI is batting .250 with 123 runs and 58 extra-base hits. The USI pitching staff has a 3.29 ERA and 201 strikeouts, and opposing batters are hitting .234 against USI.

Austin Peay is 24-20 this season, having gone 11-10 in the Atlantic Sun conference season. The Governors have lost six straight contests, getting swept on consecutive weekends by the University of North Alabama and Liberty University. Austin Peay’s last win was 7-3 win against the University of Chattanooga on April 19. Offensively, Austin Peay is hitting .262 with 14 home runs and 47 stolen bases. The pitching staff has a 3.54 ERA and opposing batters have hit .276.

The Governors have a slight upper hand in the all-time series, leading 15-13. The all-time series dates to 1986. The two schools last met for four games in 1993, as Austin Peay won the first three that season before USI captured the last all-time meeting by a final score of 5-2.

U OF I WOMEN’S GOLF

INDIANAPOLIS – The 2023 NCAA Division II Women’s Golf Championships field was announced Monday, with the Greyhounds earning the No. 2 seed at the upcoming East Regional. UIndy will be one of 15 teams competing at the postseason tournament, set for May 8-10 at Panther Creek Country Club in Springfield, Ill.
 
Making their 16th consecutive postseason appearance, the Hounds will be gunning for their ninth regional crown since 2012. Last season, UIndy secured the runner-up spot at regionals on the way to a top-10 finish at nationals.
 
UIndy earned an at-large bid to the regional and will be joined by automatic-qualifiers Findlay (GMAC champ, 1 seed), Ferris State (GLIAC, 7), Illinois Springfield (GLVC, 8), Gannon (PSAC, 12) and Franklin Pierce  (NE10, 13). Fourth-seeded Missouri-St Louis is the only other GLVC school to make the cut.
 
Overall, the championship will feature 48 teams and 24 individuals spread across four regions. All participants will compete through the 54 holes of competition. The top three (Central), five (South), four (West) and six (East) teams along with the top two individuals not on an advancing team will advance to nationals.
 
The 2023 DII Women’s Golf Championships are set for May 16-20 at Fox Run Golf Course in Eureka, Mo.
 

EAST REGIONAL
Panther Creek Golf Club
Springfield, Illinois
Host: University of Illinois at Springfield

Teams:

1. Findlay [Great Midwest Athletic Conference]
2. UIndy
3. Grand Valley State
4. Missouri-St. Louis
5. Tiffin
6. Wayne State (Michigan)
7. Ferris State [Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference]
8. Illinois-Springfield [Great Lakes Valley Conference]
9. Walsh
10. Ohio Dominican
11. Saginaw Valley State
12. Gannon [Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference]
13. Franklin Pierce [Northeast-10 Conference]
14. Northern Michigan
15. Glenville State [Mountain East Conference]

Individuals:

1. Ines Dorado, Northwood
2. Kendall Farm, Lewis
3. Lauren Gervais, Davenport
4. Shehna Akbary, Drury
5. Imogen Rafferty, McKendree
6. Isabel Chaidez, Maryville

U OF I MEN’S LAX

BALTIMORE, Md. – The UIndy men’s lacrosse team climbed back into the No. 3 spot in the latest USILA national poll, matching the highest ranking in program history for the second time this season. The ranking marks the 32nd straight edition the Hounds have been in the organization’s top 10 and fifth consecutive week the team has been in the top five.

The Greyhounds dominated their way back in the win column on Saturday with an 18-4 victory at Quincy to finish the regular season with an undefeated record in league play. Triston Schaffer scored seven goals in the win, while KC Carlson made seven saves in the first half.

UIndy collected 406 points in the poll, just behind fellow South Region member Rollins. Le Moyne remains atop the rankings, securing all but one first-place vote.

U OF I WOMEN’S LAX

NORTHBOROUGH, Ma. – Fresh off a third-straight conference title, the UIndy women’s lacrosse team (17-2) has jumped up to No. 4 in the recently updated ILWomen/IWLCA rankings, officials announced on Monday.
 
The Hounds earned 374 points from coaches throughout the country and members of the media. West Chester holds the top spot while Pace, Tampa, and Le Moyne sit in second through fifth, respectively.
 
UIndy will prepare for the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional coming up on May 12-14. Opponents, times, and location will be determined at a later date.
 

Rank	Institution	Points (FPV)	Last Poll
1	West Chester (17 – 0)	444 (12)	1
2	Pace (15 – 1)	438 (6)	2
3	Tampa (17 – 2)	414	3
4	UIndy (17 – 2)	374	5
5	Le Moyne (15 – 2)	370	6
6	Florida Southern (16 – 3)	366	4
7	Regis (CO) (15 – 1)	327	7
8	Wingate (16 – 2)	298	9
8	Rollins (15 – 3)	298	8
10	Flagler (17 – 1)	287	10
11	Maryville (17 – 2)	266	11
12	Adelphi (11 – 5)	254	12
13	Embry-Riddle (13 – 5)	228	14
14	Grand Valley (14 – 4)	197	16
15	East Stroudsburg (13 – 4)	183	13
16	Bentley (10 – 6)	177	15
17	Saint Anselm (12 – 4)	169	17
18	New Haven (11 – 6)	166	19
19	Lynn (12 – 6)	146	18
20	Mercy (11 – 6)	101	20
21	Assumption (9 – 7)	81	21
22	Seton Hill (14 – 3)	71	22
23	Kutztown (12 – 4)	46	NR
24	Colorado Mesa (10 – 5)	45	24
25	Saint Leo (10 – 7)	42	23

U OF I SOFTBALL

INDIANAPOLIS – For the seventh time in her storied career, University of Indianapolis junior pitcher Kenzee Smith was named Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) Pitcher of the Week, it was announced by the league office Monday.

PITCHER OF THE WEEK

Kenzee Smith, #6 Indianapolis

Jr. | RHP | Indianapolis, Ind.

Major: Nursing

Team Results: 3-0 W, 1-3 L at Missouri-St. Louis (4/29) | 1-0 W, 1-4 L at Missouri S&T (4/30)

Started two games, recording complete-game shutouts in both outings

Allowed seven hits and four walks in 14.0 innings, posting a .143 opponent batting average

Punched out 15 batters

Earned the win in both starts, improving her record to 28-3

Finishes regular season as GLVC leader in wins

Highlighted by performance in first game against S&T, striking out nine hitters and allowing two hits and two walks

Earns seventh career Pitcher of the Week award (5/1/23, 4/10/23, 2/28/22, 2/21/22, 4/12/21, 3/29/21, 3/22/21)

Last Greyhounds’ Pitcher of the Week: Kenzee Smith (4/10/23)

MARIAN SOFTBALL

Softball 5/1/2023 12:00:00 PM

Marian University Selected as Host For NAIA Softball Opening Round

Marian Softball to Host First NAIA Opening Round in Program History

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) announced on Monday the group of hosts for the 2023 NAIA Softball National Championship Opening Rounds. Selections of each site were made in part by the NAIA Softball National Championship Selection Committee. The committee is comprised of head coaches and administrators from around the nation. Selections take into account geography, facilities and host qualification.

For the first time in program history, the Marian softball team has been selected as a host for the NAIA Opening Round. Marian’s softball facility was approved as an official NAIA Host Facility last year, and in 2023 they will serve as an opening round host.

Marian University is no stranger to hosting NAIA National Tournament games, serving as a perennial host to the NAIA First and Second Rounds in women’s basketball, volleyball, and soccer since 2019, while also hosting multiple rounds of the NAIA Football Championship Series over the last decade. Marian University has or will host four additional championship level events this year, having already hosted the Crossroads League bowling, women’s soccer, and cross country championships, while getting set to host the Crossroads League Outdoor Track and Field Championships next week.

The NAIA Opening Round games held at the Marian Softball Diamond will be held May 15-17, and a schedule and bracket will be released later following the release of the NAIA Tournament Qualifiers on May 9. The ISC Sports Network will be the official live stream partner for Marian University in the Opening Round.

INDIANAPOLIS – The Marian softball team has added another addition to their 2023 class with the signing of Abbey Hofmann, as announced by head coach Scott Fleming.

Abbey Hofmann comes to Marian from Roncalli High School where she was an outfielder for the Royals, helping guide her team to back-to-back 4A State Championships. Last year the Indianapolis native hit .521 with 49 hits, 55 RBI’s, 10 home runs, 10 doubles, and one triple on the year. Hofmann has received several accolades throughout her career, as she was named All-Conference, All-County, Max Preps All-American First Team, and to the Indy Star Super Team. In addition to her softball career, Hofmann was also a member of the Roncalli bowling team where she earned Academic All-State. Off the field, Abbey is a member of the National Honor Society.

SPORTS EXTRA

MLB STANDINGS

AMERICAN LEAGUE
EAST
TEAM	W	L	PCT	GB	HOME	ROAD	EAST	CENTRAL	WEST	LAST 10	STREAK
TAMPA BAY	23	6	.793	–	14 – 2	9 – 4	5 – 2	9 – 1	4 – 2	7 – 3	L 1
BALTIMORE	19	9	.679	3.5	9 – 4	10 – 5	4 – 5	8 – 2	5 – 2	8 – 2	W 2
TORONTO	18	11	.621	5	9 – 3	9 – 8	4 – 3	8 – 2	5 – 4	7 – 3	L 2
BOSTON	16	14	.533	7.5	10 – 7	6 – 7	4 – 7	7 – 2	3 – 1	6 – 4	W 3
NY YANKEES	15	15	.500	8.5	9 – 8	6 – 7	3 – 3	5 – 6	3 – 4	3 – 7	L 4
CENTRAL
TEAM	W	L	PCT	GB	HOME	ROAD	EAST	CENTRAL	WEST	LAST 10	STREAK
MINNESOTA	17	12	.586	–	10 – 6	7 – 6	5 – 5	8 – 2	2 – 1	6 – 4	W 1
CLEVELAND	14	15	.483	3	4 – 8	10 – 7	3 – 4	1 – 2	6 – 4	4 – 6	W 1
DETROIT	10	17	.370	6	5 – 7	5 – 10	2 – 14	2 – 1	2 – 1	3 – 7	L 2
CHI WHITE SOX	8	21	.276	9	4 – 9	4 – 12	2 – 11	1 – 2	2 – 2	1 – 9	W 1
KANSAS CITY	7	22	.241	10	1 – 12	6 – 10	1 – 3	1 – 6	2 – 7	3 – 7	L 1
WEST
TEAM	W	L	PCT	GB	HOME	ROAD	EAST	CENTRAL	WEST	LAST 10	STREAK
TEXAS	17	11	.607	–	11 – 5	6 – 6	4 – 3	5 – 1	4 – 2	5 – 5	W 3
HOUSTON	16	13	.552	1.5	8 – 9	8 – 4	4 – 2	4 – 6	1 – 2	7 – 3	W 2
LA ANGELS	15	14	.517	2.5	8 – 5	7 – 9	3 – 7	2 – 1	7 – 3	6 – 4	W 1
SEATTLE	12	16	.429	5	7 – 9	5 – 7	1 – 2	3 – 4	1 – 2	4 – 6	W 1
OAKLAND	6	23	.207	11.5	3 – 12	3 – 11	1 – 6	1 – 2	3 – 7	3 – 7	W 1

NATIONAL LEAGUE
EAST
TEAM	W	L	PCT	GB	HOME	ROAD	EAST	CENTRAL	WEST	LAST 10	STREAK
ATLANTA	19	10	.655	–	7 – 7	12 – 3	7 – 3	6 – 0	3 – 4	5 – 5	L 1
MIAMI	16	13	.552	3	10 – 6	6 – 7	5 – 9	3 – 0	4 – 2	6 – 4	W 4
NY METS	16	13	.552	3	6 – 6	10 – 7	7 – 6	0 – 3	6 – 4	4 – 6	W 1
PHILADELPHIA	15	15	.500	4.5	8 – 5	7 – 10	1 – 2	4 – 3	3 – 2	7 – 3	L 2
WASHINGTON	10	18	.357	8.5	3 – 12	7 – 6	3 – 3	1 – 3	2 – 2	5 – 5	L 1
CENTRAL
TEAM	W	L	PCT	GB	HOME	ROAD	EAST	CENTRAL	WEST	LAST 10	STREAK
PITTSBURGH	20	9	.690	–	9 – 4	11 – 5	2 – 1	7 – 4	5 – 1	8 – 2	L 1
MILWAUKEE	18	10	.643	1.5	9 – 6	9 – 4	3 – 0	4 – 2	4 – 3	5 – 5	L 1
CHI CUBS	15	13	.536	4.5	8 – 8	7 – 5	1 – 3	2 – 3	5 – 5	4 – 6	W 1
CINCINNATI	12	17	.414	8	9 – 6	3 – 11	3 – 7	3 – 6	0 – 1	5 – 5	L 2
ST. LOUIS	10	19	.345	10	5 – 8	5 – 11	0 – 3	3 – 4	4 – 9	2 – 8	L 3
WEST
TEAM	W	L	PCT	GB	HOME	ROAD	EAST	CENTRAL	WEST	LAST 10	STREAK
LA DODGERS	17	13	.567	–	10 – 6	7 – 7	2 – 2	8 – 5	7 – 6	7 – 3	W 4
ARIZONA	16	13	.552	0.5	8 – 6	8 – 7	1 – 2	4 – 2	9 – 8	5 – 5	L 1
SAN DIEGO	16	14	.533	1	8 – 8	8 – 6	5 – 5	3 – 5	8 – 4	7 – 3	W 3
SAN FRANCISCO	11	17	.393	5	7 – 7	4 – 10	3 – 4	3 – 1	1 – 4	5 – 5	L 4
COLORADO	9	20	.310	7.5	4 – 9	5 – 11	3 – 5	1 – 5	3 – 6	4 – 6	W 1

TODAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY

1876      At Cincinnati’s Avenue Grounds, Chicago’s Ross Barnes hits the first home run in the history of the National League. In addition to his inside-the-park homer, the former National Association superstar also hits a single and a triple, steals two bases, and scores four runs in the White Stocking’s 19-5 victory over the Reds.

1901      After the Tigers take the lead in the top of the ninth inning at Chicago’s South Side Park, the White Sox, hoping for rain to wash out the five runs, scored in the top of the ninth, slowing down the pace of the game. Umpire Tom Connolly is not impressed and forfeits the game, the first in American League history, giving Detroit a 7-5 victory.

1901      The Chicago Orphans purchase future Hall of Fame hurler Rube Waddell from the Pirates for a stogie. The strange transaction for the 24-year-old eccentric and inconsistent southpaw resulted from Pittsburgh manager Fred Clarke’s telling team owner Barney Dreyfuss, “Sell him; release him, drop him off the Monongahela Bridge. Do anything you like, so long as you get him the hell off my ball team!”

1909      Pirates’ infielder Honus Wagner steals his way around the bases in the nightcap of a twin bill at Chicago’s West Side Grounds. The Flying Dutchman’s trio of thefts, three additional stolen bases, two walks, a batter hit by a pitch, two errors, and two hits add up to a five-run first frame in the Bucs’ eventual 6-0 victory and a sweep of the twin bill.

1912      At South End Grounds, the hometown Braves score ten runs in the first two innings and hold on to defeat the Superbas, 11-7. Brooklyn scores four runs in the bottom of the third to knock out Boston’s starter Buster Brown.

1917      At Weeghman Park, southpaw Hippo Vaughn of Chicago and Reds righty Fred Toney throw no-hitters against one another through the first nine innings. The deadlock is broken in the top of the tenth with a one-out single by Larry Kopf, an error, and an infield hit by Jim Thorpe, and Toney then sets the Cubs down to preserve his extra-inning gem.

1920      Dropping their 13th consecutive decision, the Tigers still do not have a victory this season when the team loses to Cleveland, 5-2. The club’s futile 0-13 start matches the major league mark of the 1904 Washington Senators.

1920      The first game of the National Negro Baseball League is played in Indianapolis when the hometown ABCs beat the Chicago Giants at Washington Park, 4-2. Schorling’s Park, the home field of the Giants, will be unavailable for another month due to the occupation of the National Guard, stationed there as a result of the Chicago Race Riot of 1919, prompting the delay of the inaugural season in the Windy City, a big disappointment for the newly-formed league.

1923      Senator right-hander Walter Johnson tosses his 100th career shutout when he blanks the Yankees at Griffith Stadium, 3-0. During his 21-year career, the ‘Big Train’ will establish a major league record, whitewashing the opponents 110 times.

1928      With the bases loaded and two out in the ninth inning, Giants’ manager John McGraw orders that Dodger rookie Del Bissonette be intentionally walked with the bases loaded by Larry Benton, forcing home a run. The strategy works when Harry Riconda strikes out, giving New York a 2-1 victory in the Polo Grounds contest.

1930      In Des Moines, Iowa, a Western League contest against Wichita becomes the first night baseball game to be played under permanent lights. The unique event, which draws 12,000 fans instead of the usual 600 patrons, is the beginning of a concept that will spread quickly through the minors and spare many organizations from the onslaught of the Great Depression.

1930      Joe Sewell’s consecutive streak ends at 1,103 games when he doesn’t appear in a game against the Red Sox at Fenway Park due to having a fever of 102 degrees. The Indians shortstop, who hasn’t missed a game since 1922, is only 204 games shy of the major league record of 1,307 games set in 1925 by Yankee shortstop Everett Scott.

1939      Before a game with the Tigers in Detroit, Lou Gehrig tells his manager, Joe McCarthy, that he is benching himself “for the good of the team.” The Yankee legend’s record streak, which began in 1925, ends at 2,130 consecutive games.

1944      As a pinch-hitter, Lou Limmer goes deep off Tigers’ right-hander Saul Rogovin in the top of the ninth to tie the game at 3-3 in the A’s eventual 5-3 extra-inning loss at Briggs Stadium. The at-bat marks the first time in major league history that a Jewish batter faces a Jewish pitcher with a Jewish catcher (Joe Ginsberg) behind the plate.

1944      The Marine Corps commissions 25-year-old Red Sox outfielder Ted Williams, who received his pilot wings as a second lieutenant. The future Hall of Famer, fighting in WW II and the Korean War, will miss five years of playing time during his major league career.

1946      Boston GM Eddie Collins announces the club will install lights at Fenway Park before the 1947 season. The Red Sox will be the 14th club out of 16 major league teams to play night games in their home park, leaving just Wrigley Field (Cubs) and Briggs Stadium (Tigers) in the dark.

1951      As a pinch-hitter, Lou Limmer goes deep off Tigers’ right-hander Saul Rogovin in the top of the ninth to tie the game at 3-3 in the A’s eventual 5-3 extra-inning loss at Briggs Stadium. The at-bat marks the first time in major league history that a Jewish batter faces a Jewish pitcher with a Jewish catcher (Joe Ginsberg) behind the plate.

1954      In a twin bill at Sportsman’s Park, eight-year-old Nate Colbert watches the Cardinals’ Stan Musial become the first major leaguer to hit five home runs in a doubleheader. In 1972, as a 26-year-old Padres’ first baseman, he will become the only other major leaguer to repeat this feat.

1956      During a game in which 48 players see action, Chicago’s third baseman Don Hoak strikes out a record six times against six different New York pitchers. The Giants outlast the Cubs in the 17-inning Wrigley Field marathon, 6-5.

1958      George Weiss warns the National League there will be consequences, interpreted by some as a nationwide Yankees network, if teams continue to flood the market with games, trying to fill the void created when the Dodgers and Giants left the Big Apple. The Phillies have already committed to broadcast 78 of its games in NYC, with the Cardinals and Pirates making plans to show their home games in the Big Apple when they play against the West Coast teams.

1964      At Memorial Stadium, the Orioles host “Safety Patrol Day” to honor students who helped their schoolmates travel to and from school safely by giving free admission to 20,000 children from around the state of Maryland to the team’s game against Cleveland. An escalator accident causes the death of a teenager and injuries to 46 other children when a people channeler restricts the flow of kids in the wrong direction, causing riders to fall back onto one another when they could not exit at the same pace as people getting onto the moving steps.

1964      At Municipal Stadium, the Twins become the third team in major league history to hit four consecutive home runs in an inning when Tony Oliva, Bob Allison, Jimmie Hall, and Harmon Killebrew all go deep in the top of the 11th frame of the team’s 7-3 victory over the A’s. The Kansas City will surrender 220 round-trippers, breaking the big league mark of 199 established by the team’s pitching staff last season. Tony Oliva, Bob Allison, Jimmie Hall, and Harmon Killebrew all go deep in the top of the 11th frame of the team’s 7-3 victory over the A’s.

1968      Mets hitter Bud Harrelson becomes the first batter in baseball history to gain a 3-0 ball-strike count advantage from the on-deck circle when umpire Ed Vargo penalizes Phillies reliever John Boozer for going to his mouth inside the 18-foot circle of the mound. Philadelphia manager Gene Mauch, incensed about the ball one call, orders his pitcher to do it again for ball two and then again for ball three, which promptly gets his right-hander and himself thrown out of the game, a 3-0 loss at Shea Stadium.

1972      Coming off a Cy Young Award season (24-8, 1.82), Vida Blue ends his holdout when he agrees to sign for $63,000, a raise of only $14,750. The A’s 22-year-old southpaw will post a 6-10 record, failing to make Oakland’s postseason starting rotation.

1983      Jose Oquendo makes his major league debut, grounding into a force out as a pinch-hitter in the ninth inning of a 3-2 loss to Houston. The 19-year-old rookie shortstop, born on July 4, 1963, becomes the first person to play for the Mets, younger than the franchise that started in 1962.

1984      Don Mattingly’s seventh-inning single breaks up LaMarr Hoyt’s perfect game bid. The lone hit, an opposite-field blooper, is followed up by a double play, and the White Sox hurler faces the minimum 27 batters, defeating the Yankees, 3-0.

1988      One out away from immortality, Reds’ right-hander Ron Robinson gives up a single to pinch-hitter Wallace Johnson and a Tim Raines home run to end his bid for a perfect game. Cincinnati holds on to beat the visiting Expos at Riverfront Stadium, 3-2.

1988      Pete Rose, furious over Dave Pallone’s delayed call yesterday allowing the eventual winning run, becomes the first manager suspended for an on-field incident when National League president Bart Giamatti issues a 30-day suspension for his shoving of the first base ump. The ugly argument resulted in the fans throwing trash onto the field, temporarily delaying the game, and making it necessary for the arbitrator to be removed from the game to calm tempers.

1988      At Memorial Stadium, Baltimore owner Edward Bennett Williams, attending his last Oriole game due to his losing battle with cancer, and 50,402 fans welcome their 1-23 team back from a road trip. Governor William Donald Schaefer announces that the team and the Maryland Stadium Authority have agreed upon a long-term lease for a new downtown ballpark for the start of the 1992 season.

1993      🇦🇫 Jeff Bronkey picks up a save in his big league debut, tossing three scoreless innings against the Brewers in the 9-7 Texas victory. The 27-year-old Rangers reliever becomes the first person born in Afghanistan (Kabul) to play in the major leagues.

1994      Changing their jersey color from white to blue to snap a losing skid doesn’t work when the Cubs lose their record eleventh consecutive game. Chicago is limited to two hits by John Smiley in the Reds’ rout at Wrigley Field, 9-0.

1995      🇯🇵 Hideo Nomo becomes the first Japanese native to play in the majors since Masanori Murakami appeared with the Giants in 1964. The 26-year-old right-hander from Osaka pitches five scoreless innings of one-hit ball but doesn’t win when the Dodgers blow a 3-0 lead, bowing to San Francisco at Candlestick Park, 4-3.

1995      Mo Vaughn and John Valentin hit grand slams in consecutive innings, accounting for all the runs in the Red Sox’ 8-0 victory over the Yankees at the Stadium. The sluggers were teammates on the Seton Hall University baseball team.

1998      At Kauffman Stadium, Darryl Strawberry blasts pinch-hit ninth-inning grand slam when he goes deep off Scott Service to extend the Yankees’ lead over the Royals to 12-6. Straw’s round-tripper is the first of his two pinch-hit bases-loaded homers this season, making him only the fifth player to accomplish the feat.

1999      Nike’s ‘Chicks Dig the Long Ball’ commercial, starring Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux, airs for the first time. The television ad depicts the Braves hurlers, both multiple Cy Young Awards recipients, as pitchers-who-want-to-become-worshipped-home-run-heroes after becoming frustrated by the attention being shown to Cardinal slugger Mark McGwire by Heather Locklear and a friend.

1999      Rafael Palmeiro reaches the 2,000 career-hit milestone with a fourth-inning double in the Rangers’ defeat 8-6 victory over the Indians at The Ballpark in Arlington. The 34-year-old designated hitter will join Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, and Eddie Murray as the only players to compile 3,000 hits and 500 home runs during their major league careers.

2000      Kerry Wood throws in a game for the first time in nearly 19 months, giving up one run and three hits in six innings in the Cub’ 11-1 rout of Houston. The outing is the first test of the right-hander’s reconstructed elbow.

2000      En route to the team’s ninth division title in ten years, the Braves win their fifteenth consecutive game when they beat L.A. at Chavez Ravine, 5-3. The winning streak, which began on April 16, ties an Atlanta record.

2001      At the Metrodome, Paul O’Neill singles in the ninth inning off Minnesota reliever LaTroy Hawkins, becoming the 215th player to collect 2,000 hits. The Yankee right fielder will retire at the end of the season, recording another 105 safties before ending his 17-year major league career.

2001      The game at the Metrodome, which is delayed for 12 minutes when the umps need to pull the opposing players off the field, comes close to being forfeited by the Twins when unruly spectators pummel Chuck Knoblauch with coins, plastic beer bottles, and golf balls in left field. Minnesota skipper Tom Kelly appeals to the crowd, including over 40 ejected fans, to be calm as the home team defeats their former second baseman and the Yankees, 4-2.

2002      In the Mariners’ 15-4 victory over the White Sox, Mike Cameron becomes the 13th major leaguer to hit four homers in one game. The Seattle outfielder’s first two dingers are followed by round-trippers by second baseman Bret Boone, making it the first time the same two teammates have hit back-to-back homers twice in one inning.

2003      The players’ association agrees to a two-year experiment in which the winning league of the All-Star Game will have the home-field advantage during the World Series. Other changes include a roster increase by 2 to 32 players and a separate ballot for managers, coaches, and players naming the additional nine position players and eight pitchers for each team.

2005      In front of 15,641 fans, the smallest attendance in the 14-year history of Camden Yards, the Orioles’ eight-game winning streak ends when Toronto beat the Birds in 12 innings, 6-5. With the second-best record in the majors, Baltimore has experienced reduced crowds due to the Montreal Expos being relocated to nearby Washington to play as the Nationals.

2005      The Cardinals, trailing 9-3 after eight innings, mount their most remarkable ninth-inning comeback in franchise history, defeating the Reds at the Great American Ball Park. A three-run homer by Jim Edmonds and a two-run round-tripper by John Mabry fuels the seven-run rally in Cincinnati.

2007      Jarrod Saltalamacchia, on his 22nd birthday, makes his major league debut. With 14 letters in his last name, the Braves backstop has the longest surname in baseball history, besting 15 other major leaguers who played with 13 letters in their family name.

2007      Thanks to a winning rally that starts with an infield single in play after hitting the second-highest “B” ring at Tropicana Field, the Rays beat Minnesota, 4-3, in 10 innings. In tomorrow’s contest, a mannequin wearing a Twins uniform will mark the spot where Carlos Pena’s fortunate hit struck the roof.

2008      Jose Reyes is thrown out at home plate in an unusual attempt to complete the cycle with an inside-the-park homer. The shortstop’s four hits pace the Mets’ 7-2 win over the Diamondbacks, the club’s 14th victory in the last 15 games played against Arizona at Chase Field.

2019      Noah Syndergaard homers en route to blanking the Reds at Citi Field, making it the seventh time in major league history that a pitcher’s round-tripper accounts for the game’s only run in a 1-0 shutout. ‘Thor’ becomes the first Met to accomplish the feat and the first since Dodger right-hander Bob Welch went deep for the only run in his complete-game victory in 1983.

FOOTBALL HISTORY

May 2, 1978 – The first pick in the 1978 NFL Draft by the Houston Oilers was Earl Campbell from University of Texas. Campbell had a remarkable career in the NFL and was eventually enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1991. Other members of the 1978 Draft class that have joined him in Canton according to the Pro Football Reference website are Stanford wide receiver James Lofton who was picked 6th in that draft by the Green Bay Packers and Alabama tight end Ozzie Newsome was chosen by the Browns at the 23rd  overall selection.

May 2, 1983 – Elway traded to Broncos

Back on April 26, 1983 we discussed the 1983 NFL Draft as Stanford University quarterback John Elway was the first pick by the Baltimore Colts. The Colts were not able to work out a deal with their player of choice prior to the Draft and allegedly turned down multiple trade offers for the spot and still decided to choose Stanford QB. Elway made it no secret that he did not want to play for Baltimore and said so in multiple quotes. He even threatened to play baseball instead playing with the Colts unless he was traded to a West Coast team. The Colts kept trying to work out a deal with Elway and then finally on May 2nd, over a week after the Draft this headline came out in the St. Joseph News-Press via the New York Times News Service, “Colts send Elway to Broncos.” The article says that for the rights of Elway the Colts received the Broncos top pick in the Draft, Chris Hinton, a guard from Northwestern who was the fourth overall pick in the 1983 NFL Draft. The Blue Horseshoe also took 3rd year quarterback Mark Hermann from Denver as well as the Broncos 1984 1st round pick. Elway was excited to be headed for Denver and with the trade devoted himself to the NFL forgoing the earlier threats of MLB. What a career he had with Denver. Elway took the Broncos to five Super Bowl games, winning two Titles and was selected to the Pro Bowl 9 times in his career. Elway was also inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in the 2000 class and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2004.

If you want to be able to be able to read through some old articles like the St. Joseph News-Press, you need to check out Newspapers.com. At Newspapers.com, you can get access to over 640 million pages’ worth of news from the US, Canada, England, Scotland, Ireland and more dating back from 1798 to yesterday.  Get a free one week subscription to Newspapers.com by visiting SportsHistoryNetwork.com/newspapers. And with a paid subscription, you’ll also be helping to support the production of this and other Sports History Network shows.

May 2 was indeed a big day in the career of John Elway as on

May 2, 1999 he announced his retirement from the NFL.

HALL OF FAME BIRTHDAYS FOR MAY 2

May 2, 1887 –  St. Louis, Missouri – The halfback from Texas A&M from 1905 to 1907 Joe Utay was born.  The College Football Hall of Fame proudly placed a display in honor of Joe Utay into their legendary museum in 1974.

May 2, 1945 – Fort Worth, Texas – The Arkansas Razorbacks tackle from 1964 through the 1966 season, Loyd Phillips arrived into the world.  Phillips was honored with induction into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1992 after the National Football Foundation tallied their votes.

May 2, 1955 – Mineral Wells, Texas – Richard Ritchie the Texas A&I Quarterback from 1973 to 1976 was born. The National Football Foundation selected Richard Ritchie for entrance into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1998.

SPORTS IN NUMBERS

4

May 2, 1876 – Second baseman for the Chicago White Stockings, Ross Barnes hit the first home run in National League history. In a way Barnes helped the formation of the NL. From 1871 to 1875 Barnes was the leader in many batting categories of the National Association. Just before the 1875 season ended however Barnes and four other Boston Red Stockings players jumped ship and committed to play for Chicago. As the story goes, Chicago owner William Hulbert made a move to form the National League just before the migration of these players occurred and causing the NA to disband.

May 2, 1909 – Honus Wagner stole second base, then third and even home plate in first inning against Cubs.

May 2, 1923 –  Pitching sensation of the Washington Senators,  Walter Johnson blanked the New York Yankees 3-0 as he tossed his 100th shutout.May 2, 1939 – Number 4, New York Yankee, Lou Gehrig  had his streak of  2,130 consecutive games played end,  as the Yankees crushed the Detroit Tigers 22-2.