“THE SCOREBOARD”
INDIANA BOYS STATE FINALS
SESSION 1
PUBLIC GATES OPEN AT 9:30 AM ET
10:30 AM ET | CLASS 1A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP
CLINTON PRAIRIE (26-2) VS. ORLEANS (24-4)
APPROX. 12:45 PM ET | CLASS 2A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP
MANCHESTER (25-2) VS. UNIVERSITY (20-9)
FIELDHOUSE CLEARED
SESSION 2
PUBLIC GATES OPEN AT 5 PM ET
6 PM ET | CLASS 3A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP
SOUTH BEND SAINT JOSEPH (26-3) VS. INDIANAPOLIS CRISPUS ATTUCKS (22-6)
APPROX. 8:15 PM ET | CLASS 4A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP
FISHERS (30-0) VS. JEFFERSONVILLE (23-5)
MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
NCAA MEN’S BASKETBALL TV SCHEDULE/RESULTS
THURSDAY, MARCH 27 (SWEET 16)
(2) ALABAMA VS. (6) BYU, 7:09 P.M. | CBS
(1) FLORIDA VS. (4) MARYLAND, 7:39 P.M. | TBS
(1) DUKE VS. (4) ARIZONA, 9:39 P.M. | CBS
(3) TEXAS TECH VS. (10) ARKANSAS, 10:09 P.M. | TBS
FRIDAY, MARCH 28 (SWEET 16)
(2) MICHIGAN STATE VS. (6) OLE MISS, 7:09 P.M. | CBS
(2) TENNESSEE VS. (3) KENTUCKY, 7:39 P.M. | TBS
(1) AUBURN VS. (5) MICHIGAN, 9:39 P.M. | CBS
(1) HOUSTON VS. (4) PURDUE, 10:09 P.M. | TBS
NIT SCORES
CHATTANOOGA 67 BRADLEY 65
NORTH TEXAS 61 OKLAHOMA STATE 59
WOMEN’S NCAA TOURNAMENT TV SCHEDULE
SWEET 16 SCHEDULE
FRIDAY, MARCH 28 (SWEET 16)
(2) DUKE VS. (3) NORTH CAROLINA | 2:30 P.M. ON ESPN
(1) SOUTH CAROLINA VS. (4) MARYLAND | 5 P.M. ON ESPN
(2) NC STATE VS. (3) LSU | 7:30 P.M. ON ESPN
(1) UCLA VS. (5) OLE MISS | 10 P.M. ON ESPN
SATURDAY, MARCH 29 (SWEET 16)
(2) TCU VS. (3) NOTRE DAME | 1 P.M. ON ABC
(1) TEXAS VS. (5) TENNESSEE | 3:30 P.M. ON ABC
(2) UCONN VS. (3) OKLAHOMA | 5:30 P.M. ON ESPN
(1) SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA VS. (5) KANSAS STATE | 8 P.M. ON ESPN
WNIT
NO GAMES SCHEDULED
INDIANA COLLEGE BASEBALL SCOREBOARD
ST. LOUIS 12 BUTLER 2
PURDUE 6 VALPO 3
INDIANA 13 BELLARMINE 0
WESTERN KENTUCKY 13 EVANSVILLE 3
TOLEDO 12 PURDUE FT. WAYNE 5
BALL STATE 5 SOUTHERN INDIANA 4
INDIANA COLLEGE SOFTBALL SCOREBOARD
OHIO STATE 11 PURDUE FT. WAYNE 6
NOTRE DAME 2 ILLINOIS-CHICAGO 1
BALL STATE 5 INDIANA STATE 3
INDIANA COLLEGE MEN’S LAX
NO GAMES SCHEDULED
INDIANA COLLEGE WOMEN’S LAX
NO GAMES SCHEDULED
NBA SCOREBOARD
DETROIT 122 SAN ANTONIO 96
ORLANDO 111 CHARLOTTE 104
NEW YORK 128 DALLAS 113
MIAMI 112 GOLDEN STATE 86
HOUSTON 121 ATLANTA 114
MEMPHIS 140 UTAH 103
OKLAHOMA CITY 121 SACRAMENTO 105
CLEVELAND 122 PORTLAND 111
NHL SCOREBOARD
TAMPA BAY 6 PITTSBURGH 1
BUFFALO 3 OTTAWA 2
TORONTO 7 PHILADELPHIA 2
NASHVILLE 3 CAROLINA 1
VEGAS 5 MINNESOTA 1
ST. LOUIS 6 MONTRÉAL 1
WINNIPEG 3 WASHINGTON 2 OT
COLORADO 5 DETROIT 2
CALGARY 4 SEATTLE 3 OT
LOS ANGELES 3 NY RANGERS 1
MLB SCOREBOARD
REGULAR SEASON
NO GAMES SCHEDULED
SPRING TRAINING
MINNESOTA 5 COLORADO 3
MIAMI 4 NY YANKEES 2
KANSAS CITY 3 TEXAS 1
CLEVELAND 3 ARIZONA 2
CHICAGO CUBS 4 ATLANTA 2
DAYTON 7 CINCINNATI 5
BOSTON 12 MONTERREY 8
SAN FRANCISCO 4 DETROIT 3
SUGAR LAND 7 HOUSTON 6
LA DODGERS 4 LA ANGELS 1
MLS SCOREBOARD
NO GAMES SCHEDULED
TOP NATIONAL HEADLINES
MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
STYLISTIC VERSATILITY: THOSE LEFT IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT HAVE PROVEN THEY CAN WIN A LOT OF WAYS
Houston and Gonzaga met in a second-round NCAA Tournament matchup last weekend in Wichita, Kansas, that could as easily have been played in the Final Four, the way Kelvin Sampson’s and Mark Few’s teams had played throughout the season.
The Cougars were No. 1 in scoring defense, more than a half-point better than the next-best team. The Bulldogs were No. 2 in scoring offense, trailing only Alabama in putting up nearly 87 points per game.
Yet one of the biggest reasons that Houston was able to advance to the Sweet 16 with an 81-76 victory over the Bulldogs was its ability to play any style of basketball. Sure, the Cougars managed to hold Gonzaga nearly 10 points below its season average, but they also ramped up their own scoring, proving that they are more than just a bunch of defensive stoppers.
“Just win and advance,” Sampson said afterward. “Do what it takes. That’s all that matters.”
Throughout the 68-team field, those that were able to survive the first weekend were often those that were willing to change things up if the moment dictated it. The defensive dynamo was able to get into transition and pile up points, or the team that loves to score buckled down at the other end of the floor, making life difficult for its unsuspecting opponent.
That has been the case with Mississippi so far in the tournament.
The Rebels rolled into the postseason in the top 50 nationally in scoring, but their defense was middling at best: 175th out of the 364 teams in men’s Division I basketball. Yet the same bunch who scored 98 points against Kentucky and 100 against Oral Roberts in the regular season stifled North Carolina in a 71-64 first-round win, then held Iowa State below its season scoring average in a 91-78 victory that pushed Ole Miss into the regional semifinals.
“Their defensive versatility is terrific,” Iowa State coach T.J. Otzelberger marveled afterward. “Their switch ability — guards on bigs, bigs on guards. They do a great job. Their defense really tries to frustrate you by not allowing the ball to get in the paint, and trying to keep it on one side of the floor. And when they’re at their best, they’re doing that really well.”
It will take Ole Miss doing it at their best with Michigan State up next; the Spartans are among the most versatile of any team left. They are top 50 in both scoring and defense, and they showed it off last weekend, putting up 87 points against Bryant and holding New Mexico to 63 in a pair of wins.
“We’re just a team that can play multiple ways,” the Spartans’ Jaden Akins said.
So is Duke, which was fourth nationally in scoring and sixth in scoring defense. And when you have that combination, the results in the opening weekend were not surprising: 93-49 over Mount St. Mary’s and 89-66 over Baylor.
Kentucky was sixth nationally in scoring this season, but coach Mark Pope’s bunch — 315th in scoring defense — played a more patient game with plenty of success in a 76-57 first-round win over Wofford. It wasn’t a surprise that Arizona averaged 90 points in wins over Akron and Oregon, but it may have been that the Wildcats held the Zips to just 65 in the first round.
Then there’s Alabama, which looked every bit like the nation’s highest-scoring team in a tougher-than-expected first-round win over Robert Morris and a second-round blitz of Saint Mary’s. But the Crimson Tide also looked a lot like, say, Houston the way it defended the Gaels, holding them to just 66 points in advancing to the Sweet 16.
That’s where the Crimson Tide will face BYU, a team that plays much more like itself.
“I don’t know that I want to say it’s refreshing to go against somebody that plays like us,” Tide coach Nate Oats said, “because I think we’re really tough to guard, and we’ve led the country in scoring the last two years. I don’t think anybody is saying it’s refreshing to play Alabama, whoever is running the defense for the other team. I mean, maybe it’s not such a smash-mouth game like playing football out there like some of these teams, but they’re not easy to cover.
“We’re going to have to really lock in and coaches are going to have to really do a good job getting our guys ready and then our guys are going to have to execute what the plan is, whatever we decide to put in.”
SEAN MILLER TAKES OVER TEXAS MEN’S PROGRAM LOOKING FOR CONSISTENT MARCH MADNESS SUCCESS
Sean Miller beat Texas in the NCAA Tournament barely a week ago, bouncing the Longhorns out early and ensuring they would be making a coaching change.
By Tuesday, Miller was standing next to the massive BEVO Longhorn mascot and thrusting his right hand in the air with the “Hook’Em Horns” sign as the new Texas men’s basketball coach.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been more excited in my life,” Miller said at his introductory news conference on campus.
Miller also said it was hard to leave Xavier, a program where he coached twice, most notably when he returned there in 2022 after he was fired at Arizona.
“I love that place. It’s a place that trusted me, and believed in me,” he said.
Still, the lure to join a power conference program with deep resources in the top league in the country was too hard to pass up.
Miller, 56, led 13 teams to the NCAA Tournament in 20 seasons in his two stints at Xavier and Arizona. He now takes over a Texas program looking for consistent tournament success and eager to establish itself in the rugged Southeastern Conference, which has seven teams still playing in the Sweet 16 of March Madness.
Miller replaces Rodney Terry, who was fired on Sunday, a few days after Xavier beat Texas in the First Four in the NCAA Tournament. Terry had three years left on a contract that paid him more than $3 million per year.
Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte said Miller’s contract terms would not be released until they go to the school’s board of regents of approval.
Terry led Texas to the Elite Eight in 2023, but pressure mounted as he struggled to maintain that success. Texas made quick exits from the tournament the past two seasons, and was just 6-12 in league play in its first season in the SEC.
In Miller, Texas gets a coach with a history of success at mid-major and power conference programs, who also was implicated and later cleared in an NCAA investigation into Arizona.
Miller’s teams at Xavier and Arizona made to the Sweet 16 eight times and the Elite Eight four times, but never made it to the Final Four. Texas hasn’t been to the Final Four since 2003.
“I know this place is hungry to get back there and compete for a national championship,” Miller said.
Miller went 120-47 in his first stint at Xavier from 2004-2009, leading the Musketeers to the NCAA Tournament his final four seasons before being hired at Arizona. He won 302 games and five Pac-12 regular-season titles in 12 years with the Wildcats, but the program found itself in the NCAA’s crosshairs after being ensnared in a 2017 FBI investigation into corruption in college basketball.
Miller was fired after that season, but escaped sanctions in 2022 in a report by the Independent Accountability Resolution Process that was set up to handle complex cases. Two of his former assistants were penalized.
Del Conte said the school did a “thorough background check” and found nothing to prevent Miller from being hired.
“There is nothing that said this guy’s background is not prepared for this institution,” Del Conte said.
“I found a hungry dog, a dog who wants to win at the highest level,” Del Conte said.
Miller declined to get into specifics about who on his Texas roster might stay, and which players at Xavier might transfer to join him in Austin.
Texas’ Tre Johnson, who led the SEC in scoring and was the league’s freshman of the year, is expected to turn pro. Miller encouraged that and noted Johnson was not in a meeting he had with returning players.
“What I would say to him is he needs to go. That’s the best decision for him and his family,” Miller said.
DRAKE STANDOUT BENNETT STIRTZ FOLLOWING COACH TO IOWA
Drake’s leading scorer, Bennett Stirtz, is transferring to Iowa.
With the move, Stirtz follows head coach Ben McCollum, who accepted the top job with the Hawkeyes on Monday.
Stirtz was named Player of the Year in the Missouri Valley Conference and was an honorable mention All-American after averaging a league-leading 19.2 points, a team-leading 5.7 assists and 4.3 rebounds per game.
A 6-foot-4 guard, Stirtz played just one season at Drake after transferring from Northwest Missouri State, where he played two seasons under McCollum.
Stirtz scored 21 points on 8-of-11 shooting in Drake’s first-round, 67-57 upset of Missouri last Thursday in the NCAA Tournament. He also scored 21 in the Bulldogs’ second-round loss to Texas Tech on Saturday.
He joined Larry Bird as only players in conference history to reach 600 points (673), 180 assists (200) and 70 steals (72) in a season.
McCollum needs to bolster his Iowa roster.
Following the dismissal of longtime coach Fran McCaffery earlier this month, several players said they planned to leave the Hawkeyes. The transfer portal opened Monday and already consists of six Iowa players intending to leave, according to the listing by 247Sports.
SOUTH FLORIDA NAMES BRYAN HODGSON AS HEAD COACH
South Florida hired Arkansas State coach Bryan Hodgson to lead the Bulls’ program.
Hodgson, 37, was 45-28 in two seasons at Arkansas State. The Red Wolves finished 25-11 this season, winning the Sun Belt regular season championship before falling in the NIT second round.
Hodgson previously was an assistant coach at Alabama (2019-23) and Buffalo (2015-19).
“We are thrilled to welcome Bryan Hodgson as the next head coach of USF men’s basketball,” vice president for athletics Michael Kelly said in a news release on Monday. “Bryan has been a part of winning programs at every level, demonstrating a remarkable ability to recruit top talent, develop players, and build championship-caliber teams. His passion, energy, and vision for USF basketball align perfectly with our commitment to excellence.”
USF finished 13-19 this season (6-12 American Athletic Conference) under interim coach Ben Fletcher, who took over following the death of head coach Amir Abdur-Rahim, 43, on Oct. 24.
“I am incredibly honored and excited to be the head coach at the University of South Florida,” Hodgson said. “From my first conversations with Michael Kelly and the USF leadership, it was clear that this place is strongly committed to building a winning culture.
“… We will play with energy, toughness, and a relentless drive to compete at the highest level. I can’t wait to get started!”
NCAA TOURNAMENT RATINGS HIT RECORDS DESPITE LACK OF UPSETS
The lack of upsets during the first week of the NCAA Tournament led to discourse about whether NIL and the transfer portal are hurting the sport in the long run.
None of that stopped the tournament from hitting some record numbers for viewership.
The first two rounds of the tournament averaged 9.4 million viewers per game across CBS, TNT, TBS and truTV — the highest average audience for the first week since 1993, according to Nielsen on Tuesday. That was up by 4 percent on last year’s mark of 9.04 million.
The tournament set an opening-day record Thursday by averaging 9.1 million viewers, per Nielsen. The momentum continued into the Round of 32 with an average viewership of 10.2 million over the weekend, making it the most-watched Round of 32 since 2017.
Part of the equation: In 2020, Nielsen began counting out-of-home viewership at establishments such as restaurants and sports bars. The number of high-profile programs playing — including Duke, Kentucky, UCLA and UConn — may also have contributed along with a high-interest matchup Saturday between Rick Pitino’s St. John’s squad and John Calipari’s victorious Arkansas Razorbacks.
Kentucky’s second-round win over Illinois on Sunday drew an average of 15.3 million viewers, Nielsen found.
The First Four round (the quartet of play-in games on Tuesday and Wednesday) also did a record 7.4 million viewers on TruTV.
WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
CHALK TALK: STAR POWER, TOP TEAMS AND NO. 5 SEEDS HEADLINE THE WOMEN’S MARCH MADNESS SWEET 16
There is plenty of star power left in women’s March Madness with Paige Bueckers, Hannah Hidalgo and Lauren Betts still playing even if JuJu Watkins won’t be.
Watkins hurt her right knee in the first quarter of Southern California’s win over Mississippi State on Monday night. She was carried off the court and the school announced later that she was out for the rest of the tournament.
While the stars are shining on the game’s biggest stage, the smaller schools are not. There weren’t any major upsets or Cinderella stories heading into the second week of the women’s NCAA Tournament. For the first time since the tournament expanded to 64 teams, no team seeded 11th or lower advanced out the first round.
Of the 16 teams remaining, 15 are members of Power Four conferences, with UConn being the other. Two of the four regionals will be held in Spokane, Washington, and the other two in Birmingham, Alabama.
As usually is the case, the top 12 women’s teams in the NCAA Tournament all advanced to the Sweet 16, which begins Friday. Bueckers, Hidalgo and Betts have led the way.
Bueckers, who is expected to be the No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft, played her final game at home and put on a show, tying her career high with 34 points. Hidalgo has helped Notre Dame regain its dominant form after the Fighting Irish slumped at the end of the regular season and conference tournament.
Betts has been dominant for UCLA in its first two games, averaging 22 points and 10 rebounds.
South Carolina still has a chance to become the first team to repeat in the women’s tournament since UConn won four in a row from 2013-16. The Gamecocks are doing it with a team effort — and a chip on their shoulder.
They felt they should have been the overall top seed in the tournament — but weren’t. Then Indiana implied the Gamecocks were vulnerable this year without that dominant post player they have had in the previous championship runs.
Well, they’re back in the Sweet 16 with depth and a balanced attack. The Gamecocks’ reserves scored an NCAA-record 66 points in their opening win over Tennessee Tech.
Joining the top teams are a trio of 5-seeds — Kansas State, Tennessee and Mississippi. Alabama almost joined them as the fourth No. 5 to advance, but the Crimson Tide lost Monday in double overtime to Maryland.
“This was a heavyweight fight,” Maryland coach Brenda Frese said. “No team deserved to lose this game tonight.”
The three No. 5 seeds all did it on the road, making history along the way. It was the first time since the NCAA changed the format, with the top four seeds each hosting the first two rounds of the tournament. Until this year, never had three No. 5 seeds advanced when playing on an opponent’s home court. Three 5-seeds did advance in 2021, but that year the entire tournament was played in Texas because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
While Tennessee is a Sweet 16 regular, Kansas State is making its first appearance in the second weekend since 2002. Second-seeded TCU is appearing in the Sweet 16 for the first time. It has a rematch with Notre Dame waiting for it in Birmingham. The Horned Frogs beat the Irish in the Cayman Islands during a Thanksgiving tournament.
Conferences left standing
The SEC leads the way among conferences with the number of teams to reach the Sweet 16:
—SEC (6). South Carolina, Texas, LSU, Mississippi, Tennessee, Oklahoma.
—ACC (4). Notre Dame, Duke, NC State, North Carolina.
—Big Ten (3). UCLA, USC, Maryland.
—Big 12 (2): Kansas State, TCU.
—Big East (1): UConn.
USC LOOKS TO KEEP MARCH MADNESS TITLE HOPES ALIVE WITHOUT GENERATIONAL TALENT JUJU WATKINS IN LINEUP
LOS ANGELES (AP) — If Southern California wants to win its first national championship in 41 years, the Trojans will have to find a way to get it done without star guard JuJu Watkins.
They notched their 30th win for the first time since 1986 by walloping ninth-seeded Mississippi State 96-59 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Monday night. But they lost Watkins to a season-ending right knee injury in the first quarter.
She was streaking down the court on a fast break with two Bulldogs defenders nearby when her knee bent awkwardly as she planted her right foot. She immediately crumpled to the court. Watkins had to be carried off, unable to put any weight on her leg. She will have surgery and then rehabilitate, USC said, without specifying her injury.
The sight of Watkins writhing in pain on the court, holding her injured knee while her teammates stood around her and coach Lindsay Gottlieb rushed to the 19-year-old’s side shocked the crowd of 7,808 at Galen Center.
Losing Watkins just five minutes in on a non-contact play turned the home fans angry and they booed the Bulldogs the rest of the game. At halftime, they jeered the MSU cheerleaders’ routine.
“You had to be here to feel it,” Gottlieb said. “I don’t know if people saw that through the TV, but it was a palpable thing.”
The top-seeded Trojans, meanwhile, were all business. Buoyed by the raucous crowd, they hit buzzer-beating shots at the end of the first, second and third quarters and ran their lead to 46 points in the fourth.
“I wouldn’t say this is our defining moment,” said Kiki Iriafen, who scored a season-high 36 points. “It’s what we expect of ourselves. We expect to win in this tournament regardless if it’s going our way, we have people, we don’t have people. That’s the standard here.”
Next up is the Sweet 16 in Spokane, Washington, where the Trojans (30-3) play fifth-seeded Kansas State (28-7) on Friday.
USC has yet to know what it’s like playing without one of the biggest stars in college basketball. Watkins started all 34 games as a freshman, leading the Trojans to the Elite Eight while boosting attendance with strong support from her nearby community of Watts.
“I hope she can at some point see just the significance that she has here that goes so far beyond just her talent and abilities,” Gottlieb said. “That’s what’s really generational about it, the way she’s galvanized everyone, and the way that her team had her back and also really is a team.”
This year was supposed to be about winning it all.
It still could be, but the picture looks a lot different without Watkins.
Iriafen, a Stanford graduate transfer, showed what she can do without her running mate, shooting 16-of-22 to go with nine rebounds.
“Kiki is one of the best players in the country. She was electric,” Bulldogs coach Sam Purcell said. “We had our center on her, our guard on her, we doubled her, we went 2-3, we went man-to-man, we trapped her. We never stopped her.”
USC had five players in double figures against the Bulldogs, including three freshmen. One of them, Kaleigh Heckel, along with sophomore Malia Samuels, ran the offense in Watkins’ absence. They combined for nine assists, five steals and two turnovers. Heckel also scored 13 points and had six assists.
Another freshman, Avery Howell, tied her career high with 18 points and had four 3-pointers and six assists. A third freshman, Kennedy Smith, had 10 points and five steals.
“We have a pretty big role this year,” Howell said. “We’re prepared for most moments because of the time we’re given in games and how hard we work in practice.”
The Trojans won their first two tournament games by a combined 83 points.
“We will make sure that we’re pouring into this team, to JuJu and keeping us together because as you saw we are capable of a lot of greatness,” Gottlieb said. “That’s what will continue to be the message to our team.”
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
STANFORD FOOTBALL COACH TAYLOR FIRED FOLLOWING REPORT HE WAS INVESTIGATED FOR ALLEGED MISTREATMENT
STANFORD, Calif. (AP) — Stanford fired football coach Troy Taylor following a report last week that he had been investigated twice for allegedly mistreating staffers.
General manager Andrew Luck announced the decision on Tuesday in his first major move since taking over in his role running the entire football program.
“Since beginning my role as general manager, I have been thoroughly assessing the entire Stanford football program,” Luck said in a statement Tuesday. “It has been clear that certain aspects of the program need change. Additionally, in recent days, there has been significant attention to Stanford investigations in previous years related to coach Taylor. After continued consideration it is evident to me that our program needs a reset. In consultation with university leadership I no longer believe that coach Taylor is the right coach to lead our football program.”
ESPN reported last week that Taylor had been investigated twice since taking over before the 2023 season over allegations of hostile and aggressive behavior, as well as personal attacks, against female staff members.
Both investigations determined that Taylor’s treatment of employees, particularly of women, was inconsistent with Stanford’s standards, according to ESPN.
The second investigation concluded that Taylor retaliated against a compliance staffer who had found seven minor NCAA infractions by “seeking her removal from her assigned duties.”
The report said investigators had never encountered “this palpable level of animosity and disdain” for a university compliance office, according to ESPN.
Luck thanked Taylor for his time but said it was important to instill the proper culture at Stanford.
“We have powerful traditions, incredible student-athletes, and a vision for the future that demonstrates our strong potential as a program,” Luck said. “This vision includes an emphasis on a positive, winning, and inclusive culture. I am confident that we will return Stanford to the top echelon of college football.”
Luck was hired last November to oversee the football program and he reports directly to school President Jonathan Levin. Athletic director Bernard Muir announced last month that he is leaving at the end of the academic year and Stanford is looking for a replacement.
But Luck will be in charge of the football program and now needs to find a coach who can get the Cardinal back to being competitive nationally.
From Luck’s first season as starting quarterback in 2009 through the 2018 season, the Cardinal were tied for the sixth most wins in FBS, playing in three Rose Bowls and two other BCS bowls in a 10-year span.
But Stanford is 20-46 in six seasons since then, with its .303 winning percentage ranking second worst to Vanderbilt among all power conference teams in that span.
Taylor was hired after David Shaw stepped down in 2022 after his second straight 3-9 season. Taylor, who had helped build Sacramento State into an FCS power, went 3-9 in each of his two seasons with the Cardinal. Stanford went just 1-10 at home against FBS opponents under Taylor.
NFL NEWS
NFL TRANSACTIONS: RAIDERS SIGN DT FOTU, TE THOMAS
The Las Vegas Raiders signed unrestricted free agent defensive tackle Leki Fotu and tight end Ian Thomas to contracts on Tuesday.
Terms of the deals were not announced by the team.
Fotu, 26, recorded 92 tackles, 3.5 sacks, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery in 58 career games (22 starts) with the Arizona Cardinals (2020-2023) and New York Jets (2024).
Thomas, 28, had 119 catches for 1,062 yards with four touchdowns in 99 career games (54 starts) with the Carolina Panthers (2018-24).
–The New York Giants re-signed offensive lineman Aaron Stinnie.
Stinnie, 31, played in 16 games (three starts) last season with the Giants.
Signed as an undrafted rookie by Tennessee, Stinnie played in 47 career games (15 starts) with the Titans (2018-19), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2019-23) and Giants.
–The Philadelphia Eagles added depth to their offensive line by signing veteran tackle Kendall Lamm to a contract.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Lamm, 32, underwent back surgery after playing in 15 games (seven starts) last season with the Miami Dolphins. He has also spent time with the Houston Texans (2015-18), Cleveland Browns (2019-20) and Titans (2021).
–The Baltimore Ravens added cornerback Chidobe Awuzie on a one-year contract.
Awuzie spent last season with the Titans, appearing in eight games (seven starts), with 26 tackles, one interception, four passes defensed and one forced fumble.
Originally a second-round pick by the Cowboys in the 2017 draft, he spent four seasons in Dallas, followed by three with the Cincinnati Bengals. In 94 career games (81 starts), he has 395 tackles, seven interceptions, 66 pass breakups, five forced fumbles and two recoveries.
REPORTS: GIANTS TO SIGN 10-TIME PRO BOWL QB RUSSELL WILSON
The New York Giants will sign quarterback Russell Wilson to a one-year, $10.5 million contract, per multiple media reports.
The deal could reach up to $21 million with incentives, according to ESPN.
Wilson is one of the most accomplished quarterbacks of his era; he is a 10-time Pro Bowl selection and Super Bowl champion (XLVIII).
After spending nine years with the Seattle Seahawks, Wilson was traded to the Denver Broncos in a blockbuster deal in 2022. After an underwhelming two-year tenure, he was released in 2024 and signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Last season, Wilson got back on track, throwing for 2,382 yards, 16 touchdowns, and five interceptions in 11 games, guiding the Steelers to a 6-5 record in those contests. He also rushed 155 yards and two touchdowns. The signal caller earned his first Pro Bowl nod since 2021.
Wilson started for the Steelers’ AFC wild-card loss to the Baltimore Ravens, but he put up strong numbers, completing 20 out of 29 passes for 270 yards, two touchdowns, and zero interceptions. The Steelers mustered only 29 total rushing yards in the game.
The veteran quarterback will look to reenergize the Giants, who are coming off a 3-14 campaign. He will join fellow free agent addition Jameis Winston on the roster. The franchise still has at least one major move to make, holding the No. 3 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
The Giants reportedly had interest in four-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers, who remains unsigned.
REPORTS: PATRIOTS SIGNING WR STEFON DIGGS TO $69 MILLION DEAL
The New England Patriots are signing wide receiver Stefon Diggs to a three-year, $69 million deal, according to multiple reports.
The contract will reportedly include $26 million in guaranteed money.
Diggs is a two-time All-Pro and four-time Pro Bowl selection. Since entering the league in 2015, he is third in receptions (857), trailing only Travis Kelce (939) and Davante Adams (919). From 2018 to 2023, he posted six consecutive 1,000-yard seasons.
Diggs had 107 receptions for 1,183 yards and eight touchdowns for the Buffalo Bills in 2023. Last offseason, he was traded to the Houston Texans.
The 31-year-old got off to a fast start in Houston with 47 receptions for 496 yards and three touchdowns in eight games. However, his season was cut short, when he tore his ACL in Week 8.
The dynamic wideout will give young quarterback Drake Maye a reliable No. 1 target and improve the New England offense, which finished last in passing yards last season (2,995).
NBA NEWS
NBA ROUNDUP: JOSH HART LEADS RECORD NIGHT AS KNICKS TOP MAVS
Josh Hart and Karl-Anthony Towns became the first teammates to record triple-doubles in the same game in New York Knicks history Tuesday night, leading the hosts to a 128-113 win over the Dallas Mavericks.
Hart finished with 16 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists in his team-record ninth triple-double of the season. Towns had 26 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists in his third career triple-double. OG Anunoby scored a team-high 35 points for the Knicks.
Hart and Towns are only the 17th set of teammates to record a triple-double in the same game in NBA history and the second to do so this year. Nikola Jokic and Russell Westbrook each recorded triple-doubles for the Denver Nuggets on Dec. 30 and Jan. 10.
Naji Marshall scored 38 points — but just 10 in the second half — for the undermanned Mavericks, who had their two-game winning streak snapped.
Rockets 121, Hawks 114
Jalen Green posted a 32-point double-double, Fred VanVleet added 21 points and Houston fended off a fourth-quarter charge from visiting Atlanta.
Green added 11 rebounds and helped rebuff Atlanta’s 20-4 surge to open the final period. Alperen Sengun tallied 18 points, nine rebounds and five assists for the Rockets, who have won 10 of 11. Jabari Smith Jr. scored 17 points, and Tari Eason added 10 points and 14 rebounds.
Trae Young (19 points, 12 assists), Onyeka Okongwu (14 points, 15 rebounds) and Dyson Daniels (19 points, 10 assists, four steals) recorded double-doubles for the Hawks. Rookie Zaccharie Risacher tallied 18 points, while Terance Mann scored 12 of his 16 points off the bench in the fourth quarter.
Cavaliers 122, Trail Blazers 111
Darius Garland recorded 27 points and eight assists and Ty Jerome scored 25 points off the bench to help Cleveland beat host Portland.
Evan Mobley added 21 points, 12 rebounds and four blocked shots as Cleveland won its second straight game following a four-game slide. Jarrett Allen had 14 points and eight rebounds, Sam Merrill also had 14 points and De’Andre Hunter tallied 11 points off the bench for the Cavaliers.
Donovan Clingan registered 18 points and 12 rebounds, Shaedon Sharpe also scored 18 points and reserve Scoot Henderson had 18 points, six assists and six rebounds for Portland, which lost its second straight game after four consecutive wins. Deni Avdija contributed 17 points, 10 rebounds and six assists and reserve Matisse Thybulle had 15 points on five 3-pointers.
Thunder 21, Kings 105
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 32 points as Oklahoma City beat Sacramento for its 60th win.
Chet Holmgren posted 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Thunder (60-12), who won their seventh straight and reached 60 wins for the fifth time in franchise history. Alex Caruso finished with 15 points, and Isaiah Joe added 14.
Keegan Murray scored 28 points, hitting 9 of 13 3-pointers, for the Kings, who lost a fourth straight game and fell into a tie with the Phoenix Suns for ninth place in the Western Conference. Zach LaVine tallied 19 points and seven assists.
Magic 111, Hornets 104
Paolo Banchero scored 32 points and Orlando stiffened on defense late in the game to overcome some second-half snags and win at Charlotte.
Franz Wagner racked up 26 points and Anthony Black posted 20 points off the bench to help the Magic win for the fifth time in a seven-game stretch. Banchero has scored 30 or more points in four consecutive games. Reserve Caleb Houston, who drained four 3-pointers, had 12 points.
LaMelo Ball’s 25 points on 9-for-13 shooting weren’t enough for the Hornets, who were playing in their first game since they were eliminated from playoff contention. They’ve lost five of their last six games. Josh Green and reserve Nick Smith Jr. added 13 points apiece and Miles Bridges provided 11 points for Charlotte, which shot 42 percent.
Pistons 122, Spurs 96
Marcus Sasser poured in a career-high 27 points as host Detroit took a big early lead and downed San Antonio.
Tobias Harris supplied 15 points, eight rebounds, four assists and three steals for Detroit. Jalen Duren and Ausar Thompson tossed in 14 points apiece. Duren also had seven of the Pistons’ 33 assists. Malik Beasley added 13 points and Tim Hardaway Jr. had 12. Cade Cunningham missed his second straight game with a left calf contusion.
Devin Vassell led the Spurs with 26 points and six rebounds. Stephon Castle supplied 19 points, Sandro Mamukelashvili added 11 and Keldon Johnson had 10.
Heat 126, Warriors 86
Jimmy Butler, playing against the Heat for the first time since they traded him, was held to 11 points as host Miami defeated short-handed Golden State.
Miami got a game-high 27 points and eight rebounds from Bam Adebayo, 20 points and seven assists from Tyler Herro and 17 points from Alec Burks. Miami is just 6-17 since trading Butler on Feb. 6. Golden State is 16-5 since making the move.
Jonathan Kuminga led the Warriors with 15 points. Brandin Podziemski scored 14. Butler finished with six rebounds and two assists and made 5 of 12 shots.
Grizzlies 140, Jazz 103
Desmond Bane scored 21 points and Jaren Jackson Jr. added 19 as Memphis snapped a three-game losing streak with a win over Utah in Salt Lake City.
Scotty Pippen Jr. had 16 points and 10 assists for Memphis, which trailed by one at halftime before outscoring Utah 41-17 in the third quarter. Jay Huff, Vince Williams Jr. and Zach Edey each added 15 points.
Isaiah Collier led Utah with 21 points. Collin Sexton scored 15 points and Johnny Juzang and Kyle Filipowski scored 13 apiece for the Jazz, who lost for the 13th time in their last 14 games.
NHL NEWS
NHL ROUNDUP: JETS DEFEAT CAPS TO CLINCH PLAYOFF SPOT
Nikolaj Ehlers scored in overtime as the Winnipeg Jets defeated the visiting Capitals 3-2 on Tuesday night in a battle in which Washington’s Alex Ovechkin scored his 889th career goal.
Ovechkin’s tally climbed him within six goals of breaking Wayne Gretzky’s all-time NHL goals record. Josh Morrissey and Mason Appleton were the other goal scorers for Winnipeg (49-19-4, 102 points), which clinched a playoff berth with 10 games remaining.
Mark Scheifele, Dylan DeMelo, Nino Niederreiter, Cole Perfetti, Dylan Samberg and Adam Lowry provided the Jets’ assists. Connor Hellebuyck made 27 stops.
Andrew Mangiapane also scored for Washington (47-15-9, 103 points), which was the first team to clinch a playoff spot. Jakob Chychrun, Aliaksei Protas and Trevor van Riemsdyk picked up assists. Logan Thompson saved 22 pucks for the Capitals.
Golden Knights 5, Wild 1
Jack Eichel netted a hat trick to help lift Vegas over Minnesota in Saint Paul, Minn.
Brett Howden and Tanner Pearson scored one goal apiece for Vegas, which won its fourth game in a row. Adin Hill turned aside 23 of 24 shots to earn the victory.
Marcus Johansson scored the lone goal for Minnesota, which lost its second game in as many nights. Marc-Andre Fleury allowed four goals on 37 shots.
Kings 3, Rangers 1
Kevin Fiala and Phillip Daneault scored power-play goals 6:54 apart in the second period as Los Angeles extended its home winning streak to seven games and its team-record home points streak to 15 by beating New York.
Los Angeles is 12-0-3 since its last regulation home loss on Jan. 20 against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Fiala also scored a third-period goal as the Kings won their fourth straight and their ninth in 10 games (9-1-0). Darcy Kuemper made 22 saves.
J.T. Miller scored for the Rangers, who lost for the fifth time in six games. Igor Shesterkin stopped 30 shots.
Avalanche 5, Red Wings 2
Nathan MacKinnon had a goal and an assist to add to his NHL points lead, and Colorado beat Detroit in Denver.
MacKinnon has 107 points (29 goals, 78 assists) in the race for the Art Ross Trophy. Devon Toews had a goal and two assists for Colorado, which is 11-1-1 since Feb. 23. Cale Makar, Valeri Nichushkin and Logan O’Connor also scored and Martin Necas and Jonathan Drouin had two assists each.
J.T. Compher had a goal and an assist, Austin Watson also scored and Alex Lyon made 23 saves for Detroit. The Red Wings were without goaltender Petr Mrazek, who was injured 1:38 into the win at Utah on Monday night.
Sabres 3, Senators 2
Tage Thompson scored the tiebreaking goal early in the third period and James Reimer made 30 saves as Buffalo continued its success over visiting Ottawa.
Jack Quinn and Jacob Bernard-Docker also scored for the Sabres, who are last in the Eastern Conference standings but have won all three meetings against the wild-card-leading Senators so far this season.
Brady Tkachuk and David Perron each scored for Ottawa, which might be headed to its first playoff appearance since 2017 but has lost three of four following a six-game winning streak.
Flames 4, Kraken 3 (OT)
Nazem Kadri scored his second goal of the game in overtime to lead host Calgary over Seattle.
Adam Klapka and Rasmus Andersson also scored for the Flames, who have won four consecutive games — all with comebacks. Matt Coronato collected two assists and Dustin Wolf made 26 saves.
Jaden Schwartz collected one goal and one assist while Tye Kartye and Jordan Eberle scored once for the Kraken, who have lost three consecutive games. Joey Daccord stopped 33 shots for Seattle, which for the first time this season failed to win a game it led through two periods (16-0-1).
Maple Leafs 7, Flyers 2
William Nylander and John Tavares each had two goals and two assists and Toronto defeated visiting Philadelphia.
Bobby McMann added a goal and an assist for the Maple Leafs, who have won four of five. David Kampf and Max Domi also scored and Matthew Knies added two assists. Anthony Stolarz made 17 saves.
Ryan Poehling and Sean Couturier scored for the Flyers, who have lost six straight and completed an 0-4-1 road trip. Samuel Ersson stopped 23 shots.
Lightning 6, Penguins 1
Anthony Cirelli scored twice in his 500th NHL game and Nikita Kucherov surpassed 100 points in a three-point showing as host Tampa Bay swept the three-game season series from Pittsburgh.
The Lightning blew away the Penguins with a four-goal onslaught in the first period to climb to 25-8-2 at home and 13-2-5 against Metropolitan Division opponents.
Kucherov produced a power-play goal and two assists to hit 101 points, tying Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl for second in the league in scoring.
Blues 6, Canadiens 1
Philip Broberg and Robert Thomas each scored a goal and earned three assists as St. Louis defeated visiting Montreal for its seventh straight victory.
Dylan Holloway had a goal and an assist for the Blues, who have moved into the thick of the Western Conference playoff chase with a 14-2-2 surge. Jordan Kyrou and Zack Bolduc also scored for St. Louis and Jordan Binnington made 24 saves.
Nick Suzuki scored for the Canadiens, who suffered just their second regulation loss in their last 14 games. They are 8-2-4 during that span.
Predators 3, Hurricanes 1
Luke Evangelista scored two goals and Juuse Saros made 34 saves to record his 200th career win in Nashville’s victory over Carolina in Raleigh, N.C.
Nashville’s Michael Bunting scored a power-play goal and defenseman Marc Del Gaizo notched two assists. Former Hurricanes defenseman Brady Skjei set up a goal for the Predators, who have won two of their last three games following a four-game losing streak.
Carolina’s Taylor Hall followed up his sixth career hat trick by scoring a goal in the second period. Seth Jarvis had an assist to record his 200th career point and Pyotr Kochetkov turned aside 13 shots for the Hurricanes, who have lost two of three following an eight-game win streak.
BASEBALL NEWS
THERE’S NO EASY ANSWERS FOR SLOWING DOWN RISING LEVEL OF PITCHING INJURIES AT ALL LEVELS OF BASEBALL
GOODYEAR, Ariz. (AP) — Figuring out a cause for the skyrocketing number of arm injuries among pitchers is easy.
Finding a solution could prove much more challenging.
Major League Baseball issued a 62-page report in December that showed how the focus on throwing with increased velocity and using maximum effort on every pitch was a likely reason for the increase in injuries. The study provided numerical data backing a thesis already supported by conventional wisdom.
“It makes sense,” Cleveland Guardians right-hander Tanner Bibee said. “You do anything at a max capacity, you’re going to be at more risk for injury. If you try to squat your absolute max, you’re going to get hurt more often than if you’re squatting a plate and a bar. It’s just kind of the nature of anything you do in life.”
The study showed that major league pitcher injured list placements increased from 212 in 2005 to 485 in 2024. Days on the IL rose from 13,666 to 32,257.
Tommy John surgeries for major and minor league players increased from 104 in 2010 to a peak of 314 in 2020, though they slipped to 281 last year.
The study recommended “ considering rule changes at the professional level that shift the incentives for clubs and pitchers to prioritize health and longevity.” Instituting those types of rule changes could prove challenging when pitchers of all ages understand how much MLB organizations are emphasizing velocity.
“I don’t know if rules are the right way to go about it,” said Chicago Cubs left-hander Matthew Boyd, who underwent Tommy John surgery in 2023. “You can’t tell someone to throw softer. But I was a guy in college that threw high 80s. I would randomly throw a hard number, but I didn’t know how to do it consistently right. But I got outs. But I knew that some wise people ahead of me told me outs are going to get you to the big leagues, velocity’s going to get you drafted. So therein lies the problem.”
Perhaps most concerning were the statistics involving younger pitchers.
Prospects who threw 95 mph or higher at the Perfect Game National Showcase for top high school players increased from three in 2018 to 36 in 2024. Thirty-five players selected in the top 10 rounds of last year’s amateur draft had Tommy John surgery, up from four in 2005.
The evidence of increasing injuries isn’t limited to this study. An Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine study showed there were five times as many injuries among Pac-12 baseball players in 2021 as in 2016, though that applied to all players and not just pitchers.
Problems are starting early in the pipeline
Those numbers help explain why one school of thought suggests any changes need to start at the youth level. That idea has the support of Eric Cressey, who trains more than 100 pro baseball players though his Cressey Sports Performance facilities in Florida and Massachusetts.
Cressey also is the New York Yankees’ director of player health and performance, but he was speaking only on his own behalf and wasn’t representing the Yankees on this issue.
“I’ve long maintained that everything begins with fixing what’s happening at the younger levels, and there will eventually be a trickle-up to the big leagues,” Cressey said.
Cressey noted the problems at the youth level by citing the videos he sees of young pitchers with “arms and legs flying everywhere” as they enter throwing programs when their bodies aren’t prepared to handle it. He believes that young pitchers throwing max-effort showcases in the offseason and disregarding basic warmup guidance has contributed to significant injuries.
“Thirteen-year-olds should never be blowing out ligaments,” Cressey said. “That should just not be happening. And every time it happens, it’s because someone made a terrible, terrible decision on that child’s behalf, whether it’s a coach or a parent. Just like you or I wouldn’t let our kids have candy for dinner or run with scissors or something like that, some of the things that I see in the youth space are nothing short of embarrassing.”
Cressey recommends imposing a scouting dead period for the months of October, November and December.
“It’s absurd for us to ask a still immature 17-year-old to go out and throw 95 miles an hour in November when major league players are resting during that time period,” he said.
Of course, not all MLB pitchers rest during that time.
Pro pitchers don’t rest like they used to
San Francisco Giants pitching coach J.P. Martinez says he doesn’t have a problem with major leaguers throwing throughout the year, though he acknowledges high-effort throwing year-round could make them more susceptible to injury.
“There’s quite a lot of guys that don’t shut down throwing at all nowadays,” Martinez said. “I think that gets vilified a little bit when a lot of the time they’re just keeping the arm moving and keeping the range of motion and workload at a certain level, so when they do ramp up, it’s less of a transition. You’re not going from zero to 60. You might be going from 30 to 60.”
The level of workload pitchers attempt in the offseason is notable because data shows that more injuries happen at the start of the season or in the preseason than at any other time of the year. The MLB study released in December showed that over 40% of the injured list placements due to elbow injuries from 2010-24 came in either March or April.
“That is generally because I don’t think guys are ramping up correctly,” Martinez said.
The challenge with going old school
Guardians pitching coach Carl Willis said he’d like to see an industry-wide emphasis on “turning the clock a little bit to a more old-school and traditional type of way” that relies on locating pitches and changing speeds and shapes. Willis believes that approach could allow pitchers to realize they don’t have to go full-throttle every time they release the ball.
“To prevent some of these injuries, that’s kind of the direction we have to go,” Willis said. “You can’t take away the power and the profiles that these guys can create, but you can take a little bit of the pressure off.”
That pressure can start at the youth levels, which explains why MLB has established Pitch Smart initiatives that set recommended workload limits for pitchers. The idea is to limit the likelihood they would pitch with fatigue since that increases injury risk.
The trick is making sure those recommendations get followed, particularly at a time when pitching prospects across the world believe velocity is what’s going to make an impression on scouts.
“What’s challenging right now is it’s hard to close Pandora’s box,” Cressey said. “A lot of these kids who are 25 and blowing out in the big leagues, they were kids who were doing a lot of things incorrectly in their teenage years, and now they’re just bigger, stronger and are in higher-pressure situations.”
MLB FREE AGENCY: PLENTY OF TALENT POTENTIALLY AVAILABLE IN ’25-26 CLASS, LIKELY NONE FOR $700M
There almost certainly won’t be a $700 million deal for any player in the baseball’s next free agency class, nothing like the record contracts for two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani and four-time All-Star slugger Juan Soto the past two winters.
Still, plenty of talented players are going into their final seasons before potentially becoming free agents for the first time.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr., five-tool player Kyle Tucker and starting pitchers Dylan Cease, Framber Valdez and Zac Gallen could all become available to other teams after this season. Three-time batting champion Luis Arráez and Bo Bichette, who twice led the American League in hits, could also be first-time free agents.
Guerrero, like Soto already a four-time All-Star and Home Run Derby champion at age 26, had set a self-imposed deadline for negotiating a long-term agreement with Toronto. That passed at the start of spring training without a new deal, when he said he wanted to stay but would listen to other teams in free agency.
Blue Jays president Mark Shapiro remained optimistic going into the season that the team would eventually sign the first baseman to a contract extension.
Soto’s $765 million, 15-year contract with the New York Mets in December came after Ohtani got a $700 million, 10-year deal from the Los Angeles Dodgers the previous offseason. Guerrero told ESPN in an interview after his deadline passed that he was seeking a similar contract length as Soto but noted that his last offer was for less than $600 million.
Here are some of the players eligible for free agency after this year’s World Series:
1B Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Blue Jays
Guerrero, who will make $28.5 million this season, hit a career-best .323 last year with a .940 OPS, 30 homers and 103 RBIs in his fourth consecutive All-Star season. Over six seasons with the Blue Jays, he has a .288 average with 160 homers and 507 RBIs in 819 games. He finished second in the 2021 AL MVP voting behind unanimous choice Ohtani.
OF Kyle Tucker, Cubs
Houston clearly wasn’t planning to pay the price to keep Tucker in free agency, so the Astros traded the three-time All-Star and Gold Glove-winning right fielder to Chicago in December for a third baseman, starting pitcher and top prospect outfielder that are all under team control for multiple seasons. The 28-year-old Tucker was limited to 78 games last year because of a fractured right shin, and still hit 23 homers. He had a combined 59 homers, 219 RBIs and 55 stolen bases in 2022-23.
RHP Dylan Cease, Padres
The 29-year-old Cease has 130 starts over the last four seasons, twice finishing in the top four in Cy Young Award voting. He was the AL runner-up behind unanimous winner Justin Verlander while with White Sox in 2022, and fourth in the NL last year when 14-11 with a 3.47 ERA in 33 starts after being traded to the playoff-bound Padres during spring training from a Chicago team that went on to lose 121 games. Cease has 1,016 career strikeouts in 847 1/3 innings.
LHP Framber Valdez, Astros
One of the game’s best left-handed starters, the 31-year-old Valdez has a 68-41 career record and is Houston’s opening-day starter for the fourth year in a row. He was 15-7 with a 2.91 ERA in 28 games last season, his fifth in a row to finish with a winning record. The workhorse threw a no-hitter in 2023 and averaged more than 191 innings the past three years.
RHP Zac Gallen, Diamondbacks
The 29-year-old Gallen, 14-6 last year, is 43-19 with a 3.20 ERA in 93 starts the past three seasons. Arizona got him his rookie season in 2019 when it traded Jazz Chisholm Jr. to Miami. The Diamondbacks just gave 2021 NL Cy Young Award winner and four-time All-Star right-hander Corbin Burnes a $210 million, six-year deal, the richest in franchise history. That could significantly impact whether they will also be able to keep Gallen, twice a top-five finisher in Cy Young voting.
1B Luis Arráez, Padres
Arráez has back-to-back 200-hit seasons, part of three batting titles in a row while finishing each of those seasons with a different team. The Padres acquired him last year in a midseason trade from Miami, which got him from Minnesota after his first batting title with the Twins in 2022. He goes into this season with a .323 career average and only 194 strikeouts in 2,858 career plate appearances.
SS Bo Bichette, Blue Jays
A calf injury and then a broken right middle finger limited Bichette to 81 games last season, and the 27-year-old two-time All-Star hit a career-low .225 with only four homers. Before that, he led the AL in hits in 2021 and 2022, and batted .306 in 2023 during his third consecutive 20-homer season.
DH Marcell Ozuna, Braves
Ozuna, who turns 35 next November, played in all 162 games for the first time last year and was an All-Star for the third time — first since 2016. He has 79 homers and 204 RBIs over the past two years.
RHP Shane Bieber, Guardians
Bieber had 20 strikeouts in 12 scoreless innings last season before Tommy John surgery and becoming a free agent for the first time. Cleveland re-signed the 2020 AL Cy Young winner even though he won’t pitch until later this season, during which the pitcher with a 62-32 career record turns 30. He does have a $16 million player option for 2026.
A few Phillies
34-year-old catcher J.T. Realmuto, 32-year-old slugger Kyle Schwarber and 29-year-old left-handed starter Ranger Suárez are going into the final seasons of their contracts with the Phillies after being key figures for three consecutive playoff seasons. That began with that 2022 NL pennant that ended a decade-long postseason drought. Schwarber has 131 homers and 302 RBIs in that three-season span, along with 318 walks and 612 strikeouts.
ANGELS RELEASE FORMER NO. 1 OVERALL PICK MICKEY MONIAK
The Los Angeles Angels surprisingly released outfielder Mickey Moniak on Tuesday.
Moniak was the No. 1 overall pick by the Philadelphia Phillies in 2016. He was acquired by the Angels in a trade for right-hander Noah Syndergaard at the 2022 trade deadline.
Moniak displayed promise in 2023 when he batted .280 with 14 homers and 45 RBIs in 85 games. But last season, his average dropped to .219 and he had 14 homers and 49 RBIs in a career-high 124 games.
He batted just .192 with two homers and nine RBIs in 52 at-bats during spring training.
Moniak, 26, won a $2 million salary for this season in arbitration. According to MLB.com, the Angels will owe him $484,000.
The move apparently opens a spot on the Opening Day roster for 23-year-old outfielder Matthew Lugo. The Angels acquired him at last summer’s trading deadline from the Boston Red Sox.
Moniak has a .230 average with 32 homers and 105 RBIs in 275 games with the Phillies (2020-22) and Angels.
The Angels open the season Thursday against the host Chicago White Sox.
SPRING TRAINING ROUNDUP: CUBS BEAT BRAVES ON LATE HR IN FINALE
Haydn McGeary blasted a two-run home run in the eighth inning to break a tie and send the host Chicago Cubs to a 4-2 win over the Atlanta Braves in their spring training finale in Mesa, Ariz.
Dansby Swanson went 2-for-2 with an RBI double and Carter Trice also had two hits for the Cubs. Trice hit an RBI single in the fifth to knot the game at 2-2 and he singled ahead of McGeary’s homer.
Cubs starter Ben Brown went 4 1/3 innings and struck out four while scattering six hits and two runs. Samuel Armstrong (1-0) fanned six with just one hit in four scoreless innings.
Bryan De La Cruz hit a two-run homer to supply Atlanta’s runs. Shay Schanaman (0-1) gave up the go-ahead homer to McGeary.
Twins 5, Rockies 3
Kyler Fedko and Jeferson Morales hit back-to-back RBI singles to break a 3-3 tie and host Minnesota went on to beat Colorado in Fort Myers, Fla.
Trevor Larnach hit a two-run homer for the Twins, whose starter Chris Paddack struck out five and yielded two runs on two hits and two walks in 3 1/3 innings.
Hunter Goodman had a two-run blast for the Rockies. Starter German Marquez lasted 4 2/3 innings and gave up three runs on six hits.
Marlins 4, Yankees 2
Matt Mervis and Graham Pauley went deep to deliver Miami a win over New York in an exhibition game at the Marlins’ home ballpark.
Max Meyer (1-2) struck out three and gave up five hits and two runs (one earned) in a five-inning start for the Marlins. Four relief pitchers threw a hitless inning apiece.
Cody Bellinger provided the Yankees’ runs by hitting a solo homer in the first inning and coming home on a throwing error in the fourth. Will Warren (4-1) struck out six but gave up four runs on five hits and two walks in 3 2/3 innings.
Royals 3, Rangers 1
Salvador Perez hit a tiebreaking two-run shot in the fourth and Kansas City defeated host Texas in an exhibition in Arlington, Texas.
Perez accounted for all three Royals RBIs as he drove in Michael Massey on a first-inning single. Massey joined Perez in going 2-for-2. Starter Kris Bubic (2-1) fanned eight in five innings and gave up one run and five hits.
Jonah Heim doubled in a run for the Rangers. Jacob deGrom (1-2) gave up all three Royals runs on four hits and a walk in four innings.
Guardians 3, Diamondbacks 2
Will Wilson doubled in the top of the ninth to plate Jorge Burgos with the go-ahead run and push Cleveland past Arizona in Phoenix.
Kyle Manzardo hit a solo shot for the Guardians. Luis Ortiz pitched four innings and scattered two runs and five hits, and five relief pitchers followed with a hitless inning apiece.
Josh Naylor had an RBI single for the Diamondbacks. Brandon Bielak gave up two runs over 3 2/3 innings.
AUTO RACING NEWS
AUTO RACING: KYLE LARSON EARNS 30TH CUP SERIES WIN AND F1’S MCLAREN TEAM CONTINUE TO DOMINATE
NASCAR CUP SERIES
Cook Out 400
Site: Martinsville, Virginia.
Schedule: Saturday, practice, 2:05 p.m., qualifying, 3:10 p.m.; Sunday, race, 3 p.m. (FS1).
Track: Martinsville Speedway.
Race distance: 400 laps, 210.4 miles.
Last year: William Byron took the lead with 73 laps to go and held onto it during a two-lap overtime finish to enhance Hendrick Motorsports’ celebration of its 40-year anniversary.
Last race: Kyle Larson secured his 30th career win at Homestead after a late-race pass of teammate Alex Bowman.
Next race: April 6, Darlington, S.C.
Online: http://www.nascar.com
NASCAR XFINITY SERIES
Marine Corps 250
Site: Martinsville, Virginia.
Schedule: Friday, practice 4:30 p.m., qualifying, 5:35 p.m.; Saturday, race, 5 p.m. (CW).
Track: Martinsville Speedway.
Race distance: 250 laps, 131.5 miles.
Last year: Aric Amirola secured his first win of the year taking the lead from Sam Mayer after an overtime restart.
Last race: Justin Allgaier earned his second consecutive series win in a dramatic three-way duel with Sam Mayer and Austin Hill in overtime.
Next race: April 5, Darlington, S.C.
Online: http://www.nascar.com
NASCAR CRAFTSMAN TRUCK SERIES
Boys and Girls Club of the Blue Ridge 200
Site: Martinsville, Virginia.
Schedule: Friday, practice, 2:05 p.m., qualifying, 3:10 p.m., race, 7:30 p.m. (FS1).
Track: Martinsville Speedway.
Race distance: 200 laps, 105.2 miles.
Last year: Christian Eckes won in dominating fashion, leading 133 of the 200 laps and bringing in his second win of the season.
Last race: Overcoming a potentially race-ending spinout, Kyle Larson crept his way to the front in the final 10 laps to secure the victory.
Next race: April 11, Bristol, Tennessee.
Online: http://www.nascar.com
FORMULA ONE
Last race: Oscar Piastri earned his third career win ahead of teammate Lando Norris in Shanghai, securing McLaren a landmark 50 one-two placings.
Next race: April 6, Suzuku, Japan.
Online: http://www.formula1.com
INDYCAR
Last race: Alex Palou stays perfect going 2-for-2 for the season after passing pole sitter Pato O’Ward with 10 laps to go.
Next race: April 13, Long Beach, California.
Online: http://www.indycar.com
NHRA DRAG RACING
Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals
Site: Pomona, California.
Schedule: Friday, qualifying, 1:30 p.m., 2:15 p.m., 4 p.m.; Saturday, qualifying, 12:30 p.m., 2:05 p.m., 3 p.m., 3:30 p.m.; Sunday, race, 11 a.m.
Track: In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip.
Race distance: 1/4 mile.
Next race: April 13, Las Vegas.
Online: http://www.nhra.com
WORLD OF OUTLAWS
World of Outlaws Sooner State Showdown
Site: Lawton, Oklahoma.
Track: Lawton Speedway.
World of Outlaws Wichita Sprint Car Showdown
Site: Wichita, Kansas.
Track: 81 Speedway.
Next events: April 4-5, Chillicothe, Ohio, Colcord, Oklahoma.
Online: http://worldofoutlaws.com
TOP INDIANA HEADLINES
INDIANA PACERS
GAME PREVIEW: PACERS VS LAKERS
The Indiana Pacers (42-29) are catching fire down the stretch of the regular season as they look to Wednesday when they host the Los Angeles Lakers (43-28) at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. The Pacers are winners of five straight, and eight consecutive home games. Los Angeles is streaking the wrong way, losing three straight and owning a record of 3-7 in its last 10 contests.
Both LeBron James and Luka Doncic should be active for the Pacers’ clash with the Lakers on Wednesday. Neither played in the previous meeting between the two clubs in early February.
Tyrese Haliburton has assembled an impressive stretch of games – he’s recorded 11 straight points and assists double-doubles, and averages 21.6 points and 11.8 assists per game since the All-Star break. In his streak of 11 double-double games, Haliburton has recorded 133 assists and just 12 turnovers.
“Growing up playing basketball, I always wanted to be the point guard,” Haliburton said. “I’ve always been told playing the point guard, the point guard of a team is like being the mom, like your job is to make sure everybody’s happy, you know? That’s kind of how I’ve been raised and taught how to play the position, and just trying to get guys involved, get guys the ball in the right position.”
Haliburton’s unique ability to orchestrate offense will be on full display Wednesday when the Pacers take on the Western Conference’s fourth-place Lakers.
Doncic has already led Los Angeles in scoring 10 times in the 18 games he’s played for his new team. He notched 32 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists in the team’s Monday loss to Orlando.
Alongside Doncic, an aging James can thrive. The 21-year veteran of the NBA has notched 12 games of 20+ points scored, including two 40-point games in Los Angeles’ last 15 contests. After losing three straight, the Lakers will come into Indianapolis hungry to dethrone one of the league’s hottest teams of late.
Projected Starters
Pacers: G – Tyrese Haliburton, G – Andrew Nembhard, F – Aaron Nesmith, F – Pascal Siakam, C – Myles Turner
Lakers: G – Luka Doncic, G – Austin Reaves, F – LeBron James, F – Dorian Finney-Smith, C – Jaxson Hayes
Injury Report
Pacers: Isaiah Jackson – out (torn right Achilles tendon)
Lakers: Maxi Kleber – out (right foot)
Last Meeting
Feb. 18, 2025: Shortly after acquiring Luka Doncic, the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Pacers behind 45 points from Austin Reaves. Neither LeBron James nor Doncic played in the contest.
Rui Hachimura added 24 points and nine rebounds for the Lakers alongside Reaves’ career-high scoring performance.
Myles Turner was sidelined with a head injury, and Indiana was unable to overcome Los Angeles’ flurry of offense. Pascal Siakam led Indiana’s attack with 23 points, six rebounds, and four assists. Tyrese Haliburton recorded 19 points and nine assists.
The Pacers shot 42.5 percent from the field, and made 31 of their 32 free throws. The Lakers recorded 52 percent shooting, but logged just 33 percent shooting from 3-point range. Los Angeles outrebounded Indiana, 46-38.
The win marked the Lakers’ fifth in a row, and ninth in 10 games.
Noteworthy
Tyrese Haliburton extended his points/assists double-double streak to 11 games on Monday.
The Pacers have won five straight games, and eight straight games at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Indiana is just 2.5 games behind the New York Knicks for the third seed in the Eastern Conference standings.
The Pacers have the NBA’s second-longest winning streak. Their five-game streak is second only to the six-game win streaks of Boston and Oklahoma City.
Broadcast Information (TV and Radio Listings >>)
TV: ESPN – Mark Jones (play-by-play), Doris Burke (analyst), Katie George (sideline reporter)
FanDuel Sports Network – Chris Denari (play-by-play), Quinn Buckner (analyst), Jeremiah Johnson (sideline reporter/host)
Radio: 93.5/107.5 The Fan – Mark Boyle (play-by-play), Eddie Gill (analyst), Pat Boylan (sideline reporter/host)
INDY FUEL
INDY FUEL PIT STOP: WEEK 23
- INDY FUEL WEEK TWENTY-TWO RESULTS 3-0-0-0
- INDY FUEL OVERALL RECORD 27-27-4-4 (t-4th in Central Division)
GAME 61 – FRIDAY, MARCH 21 VS. CINCINNATI 3-1 W
The Fuel hosted the Cincinnati Cyclones on Friday night. After going down 1-0 in the first period, Indy made the comeback after success on the power play and took the victory, 3-1.
GAME 62 – SATURDAY, MARCH 22 VS. BLOOMINGTON – 5-2 W
The Fuel hosted the Bloomington Bison on Saturday night for the middle game of a three-game set at home. After scoring three goals in the first period, Indy took home the 5-2 win in front of a sold out crowd of 6,507 fans. This set a new franchise record of most sellouts in one season with thirteen (and counting).
GAME 63 – SUNDAY, MARCH 23 VS. WHEELING – 3-1 W
The Fuel hosted the Wheeling Nailers to finish out their weekend at home. After taking the first two games of the weekend, the Fuel went up early on Sunday and claimed a 3-1 victory.
ROSTER MOVES
- DJ King and Kevin Lombardi recalled to Rockford (03/24)
- D Lauri Sertti signed SPC (03/22)
- D Owen Norton released from SPC (03/21)
OIL DROPS
- Rookie goaltender Ryan Ouellette had his first professional win in a 3-1 victory over the Wheeling Nailers Sunday. He stopped 20 out of 21 shots.
- Bryan Lemos had his first two-goal game since 2022 in the 5-2 win over Bloomington on Saturday.
- Kyle Maksimovich is on a three-game assist streak. He has 9 points in his last 10 games.
- Jarrett Lee is on a four-game point streak, despite only playing five games with the Fuel. He has six points in the four games.
- Goaltender Ben Gaudreau has had three consecutive wins, allowing two goals or less.
TEAM NOTES
- The Fuel are 19-5-3-3 when scoring first. They scored first against Bloomington and Wheeling.
- Indy plays three games against Adirondack this week, where they are 3-4-1-1 against North division opponents.
- Adirondack is 22nd in the league for home power play at 16.3. While the Fuel are 1st in road penalty kill at 92.6, just eight goals allowed.
INDY FUEL WEEK 24 SCHEDULE
- GAME 64 – WEDNESDAY, MARCH 26 AT ADIRONDACK
- GAME 65 – FRIDAY, MARCH 28 AT ADIRONDACK
- GAME 66 – SATURDAY, MARCH 29 AT ADIRONDACK
BROADCAST
Don’t miss a moment of the action! Get your tickets to an Indy Fuel game or tune in live!
UPCOMING FAN EXPERIENCES AND EVENTS
Get ready for lots of fun at Fishers Event Center this season! Check out some of our upcoming promotions and special fan experiences!
- TUESDAY, APRIL 1 – April Fools! No, but seriously, we do have a game. Come out and watch the Fuel take on the Toledo Walleye and meet Joey Chestnut on Tuesday, April 1! Stay after the game for some post-game autographs!
- SATURDAY, APRIL 5 – The Fuel will celebrate the Stars and Stripes on Saturday, April 5. Tributes will be made to first responders throughout the night! Get there early for a rally towel giveaway and stay after for post-game autographs!
ABOUT THE INDY FUEL:
The Indy Fuel are the proud ECHL affiliate of the National Hockey League’s Chicago Blackhawks and the American Hockey League’s Rockford IceHogs. The Fuel are now playing at the new Fishers Event Center. Information and tickets can be found HERE.
Don’t forget to follow the Fuel on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn and YouTube for news, updates, contests and much more.
FUEL TAKE ON THUNDER ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT
INDIANAPOLIS- The Fuel head to Adirondack to face the Thunder on their three-game road trip. Indy will look to keep the momentum going after their win against Wheeling on Sunday.
HEAD TO HEAD
These two teams have only met once dating back to 2019, where the Thunder defeated the Fuel 4-2. Adirondack currently sits 27th in the league; 7th in the North, with 48 points. Kevin O’Neil is the Thunder player to watch, with 18 goals and 28 assists in 55 games.
KEEPING MOMENTUM
The Fuel are on a three-game win streak heading into their road trip after consecutive wins against the Komets, Bison, and Nailers this past weekend. Newcomer Jarrett Lee has 6 points in his first 4 games with the Fuel, 4 of those assists tallied in the last two games. Kyle Maksimovich is another player to watch, with three assists in his last three games.
INDY IGNITE
HILLEY NAMED PVF PLAYER OF THE WEEK, SECOND STRAIGHT FOR IGNITE PLAYERS
For the second week in a row and the third time this season, an Indy Ignite player has been named Pro Volleyball Federation Player of the Week presented by Franklin Sports. This time it’s setter Sydney Hilley, the orchestrator of the offense that powered the Ignite to a pair of victories last week.
On Thursday, Hilley established her personal PVF best and an Indy franchise record when she handed out 68 assists in a five-set win over Columbus. She also totaled 11 digs to register her 10th double-double of the season.
Two days later, Hilley’s 40 assists, seven digs, two blocks and a kill were instrumental in the Ignite’s impressive victory over league-leading and reigning PVF champion Omaha on the Supernovas’ home court. The match was played in front of 12,929 primarily Omaha fans, the second-largest crowd in PVF history, yet Indy prevailed in an impressive 3-0 sweep.
“I am really excited about receiving Player of the Week,” Hilley said. “It is a super-cool honor considering how many great players there are in the league and how many other women this could’ve gone to.
Hilley’s extraordinary play in the two matches came as no surprise to Ignite head coach George Padjen. He sees it every week in matches and practices.
“She probably could earn (PVF Player of the Week) every week,” Padjen said. “It’s just proof that hard work and thoughtfulness pays. She’s been trying to do everything the coaching staff is asking and it’s showing in the results. That’s the way Syd’s always been. She’ll always do whatever it takes to win and that’s probably the number one quality you want in any player.”
Hilley’s steadiness has her on pace to shatter PVF season records for assists (1,000) and assists per set (10.99). Through just 19 matches this season, she has already amassed 908 assists with an 11.95 per set average.
“She’s done a great job recognizing our middles that have improved significantly the past two months, and it’s opened up the offense for everybody else,” Padjen said. “She definitely has the full game and she’s been playing with more joy lately, which is important. She has been playing more free. I think part of that is the chemistry and the team is coming together. She couldn’t be more deserving of this award.”
Hilley’s honor gives Indy back-to-back PVF Players of the Week, following opposite hitter Azhani Tealer’s accolades last week. Ignite outside hitter Leketor Member-Meneh earned the award following the opening week of the 2025 season.
Indy takes its 11-8 record to Orlando (12-7) this weekend for an important battle in the PVF standings. The match streams live on the PVF YouTube Channel at 3 p.m. ET Sunday.
INDY ELEVEN
RENDON EARNS USLC “TEAM OF THE WEEK” HONORS
(Mar. 25, 2025) Tampa, Fla. – Indy Eleven midfielder Bruno Rendon has been named to the USL Championship “Team of the Week” for Week 3 of the regular season after he scored his first USLC goal in a 1-1 draw at Lexington SC on Saturday.
The 2024 USL League One “Defender of the Year” brought down a headed clearance attempt with his right foot, taking it to his left foot, where he delivered a blast to the top left corner to give the Boys in Blue a 1-0 lead in the 60th minute. In the match, Rendon led the team in tackles won (4) and crosses attempted (3), and he tied for the team best in shots (3), completed passes in the final third (9), and recoveries (6) while playing the full 90 minutes.
On the season, Rendon leads the Boys in Blue in tackles won (7), he is second in aerial duels won (4), and third in duels won (12).
The 24-year-old Rendon scored 15 total goals last season for the Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC under coach Éamon Zayed, the Indy Eleven franchise scoring leader with 26 goals and 61 points. Rendon scored nine goals in the inaugural USL Jägermeister Cup in 2024 to lead his team to the championship.
This is the second consecutive week that Indy Eleven is represented on the “Team of the Week”, with Jack Blake and Pat Hogan earning selection last week.
Indy Eleven finished its season-opening two-match road stretch with a 1-0-1 mark heading into Saturday’s home opener.
INDIANAPOLIS INDIANS
POSITION PREVIEW: 2024 TEAM MVP LIOVER PEGUERO HIGHLIGHTS INDY’S PROJECTED INFIELD
INDIANAPOLIS – As the Indianapolis Indians gear up for the 2025 season at Victory Field, set to kick off on Tuesday, April 1, players of every position group are down in Bradenton, Fla. honing their skills at Pittsburgh Pirates Spring Training. Indy’s projected lineup, particularly in the infield category, could see a mix of returning young defensive stars with veterans looking to return to the big leagues.
SS Liover Peguero: Peguero spent most of 2024 with Indianapolis, earning Team MVP honors. The 24-year-old played 128 games with the Indians, hitting .257 (127-for-495) with a .729 OPS and leading all Indianapolis hitters in hits, RBI (79), doubles (29) and walks (46). Peguero has played in 63 games with Pittsburgh since making his major league debut in 2022, including three games to conclude the 2024 season. At the big-league level, he owns a .237 career batting average (50-for-211) with five doubles, seven home runs, 28 RBI and a .650 OPS.
SS Tsung-Che Cheng: Cheng, 23, is rated as the Pirates’ No. 19 prospect according to Baseball America. He is also listed among the organization’s top tools list as the hitter with the best strike-zone discipline and best defensive infielder. The Taiwan native spent most of the 2024 season with Double-A Altoona, playing in 126 games with a .218 batting average (92-for-422), 19 doubles, 11 home runs, 54 RBI, 16 stolen bases and a .661 OPS. Cheng concluded the season with Indianapolis, hitting .462 (6-for-13) with a double, RBI and 1.126 OPS in six games.
3B Malcom Nuñez: Nuñez, 24, earned the Indianapolis Indians Most Improved award following a 2024 campaign in which he hit .250 (117-for-468) with 21 doubles, 11 home runs, 65 RBI and a .675 OPS in 128 games. Nuñez was acquired from the Cardinals on Aug. 1, 2023, with RHP Johan Oviedo in exchange for LHP Jose Quintana and RHP Chris Stratton. Since his acquisition, the Cuban has appeared in 200 games with Indianapolis, totaling a .245 batting average (177-for-722) with 29 doubles, 19 home runs, 100 RBI and a .677 OPS.
INF Alika Williams: Williams, a 2020 first-round selection by the Rays, was acquired from Tampa Bay on June 2, 2023, in exchange for RHP Robert Stevenson. The 26-year-old split the 2024 season between Pittsburgh and Indianapolis. With the Pirates, he hit .207 (18-for-87) with six extra-base hits, five RBI and a .541 OPS in 37 games. Conversely, he hit .311 (51-for-164) with 12 extra-base hits, 13 RBI and a .780 OPS in 41 games with the Indians. The Pirates’ No. 22 prospect entering 2024 according to Baseball America has also shown the ability to play most infield positions, appearing in 35 games at second base, 39 at shortstop and eight at third base between both levels in 2024.
1B Darick Hall: Hall, 29, was selected in the 14th round of the 2016 draft by the Phillies and spent his entire career in Philadelphia’s system until being signed by Pittsburgh as a minor league free agent this offseason. The Dallas Baptist (Texas) University alum spent the 2024 season with Triple-A Lehigh Valley, hitting .236 (102-for-432) with 17 doubles, 16 home runs, 72 RBI and a .707 OPS. Hall spent parts of 2022 and 2023 with the Phillies, appearing in 60 games with a .226 batting average (43-for-190) with nine doubles, 10 home runs, 19 RBI and a .700 OPS.
At the catching position, Jason Delay, Endy Rodríguez and Henry Davis are all continuing to fight for a spot on the big league roster.
POSITION PREVIEW: POTENTIAL INDIANS OUTFIELDERS VYING FOR SPOTS ON MLB ROSTER
INDIANAPOLIS – Opening Day is on the horizon and the Indians outfield is taking shape. With the big-league roster still coming into focus, two Young Bucs look to make their major league debuts in 2025 while two veterans with a chance at making the club round out the position group.
Matt Gorski: Gorski, 27, returns to Indianapolis after spending all of 2024 with the club. The Indians 2024 Silver Slugger award winner set career-bests in games (113), hits (100), doubles (24), triples (5), RBI (67) and walks (38) during his third consecutive season appearing in the Circle City. In addition to his five triples, Gorski led the team with 23 home runs, a .522 slugging percentage, .841 OPS, 52 extra-base hits and 15 stolen bases. The Fishers, Ind. native played his college ball at Indiana University and was selected by Pittsburgh in the second round of the 2019 First-Year Player Draft. He has spent his full career in the Pirates system, earning non-roster invitations to MLB Spring Training each of the two seasons. In 15 spring games so far, Gorski has hit .429 (9-for-21) with four home runs and 13 RBI and is continuing to battle for a spot on the big-league roster.
Matt Fraizer: Fraizer made his Triple-A debut with the Indians last season and appeared in 45 games with a .261 batting average (36-for-138), nine doubles and 23 RBI. The 27-year-old boasts durability, appearing in over 100 games – primarily with Double-A Altoona – in each of the last four seasons. He was drafted by the Pirates in the third round of the 2017 First-Year Player Draft and has spent his full career in the organization.
Bryce Johnson: Johnson, a switch-hitter, split his 2024 season between Triple-A El Paso (74 games) and San Diego (47). At the Triple-A level, the 29-year-old hit .288 (75-for-260) and logged a career-high .838 OPS. He made his major league debut in 2022 with San Francisco and has appeared in 88 career MLB games. He signed as a minor league free agent on Jan. 6 and embarks on his first season with the Pirates organization. In 15 spring games, he owns a .292 batting average (7-for-24) and perfect fielding percentage across all three outfield positions and could crack the Pirates Opening Day roster.
Nick Solak: Solak, 30, transitioned to his ninth different major league organization when he signed with the Pirates as a minor league free agent on Dec. 6, 2024. The Illinois native spent his 2024 season with Triple-A Tacoma and appeared in 90 games, logging a .311 batting average (92-for-296) for his highest mark with at least 200 at bats since his 2016 campaign with Short-Season A Staten Island. Solak was primarily a second baseman before converting to the outfield in 2022. He made his MLB debut in 2019 with Texas and has appeared in 255 career major league games between the Rangers, Braves and Tigers. In 15 spring games with the Pirates, he is hitting .333 (8-for-24) and is looking for a spot on the Pirates roster.
POSITION PREVIEW: MULTIPLE PIRATES’ TOP PROSPECTS PROJECTED TO FILL INDY’S ROTATION
INDIANAPOLIS – The Indianapolis Indians return to the Circle City to kick off the 2025 season at Victory Field on April 1. Indy’s projected starting rotation looks to feature multiple prospects who rank highly in the Pirates’ system and have a serious chance to crack Pittsburgh’s rotation later this season and beyond. Below, we cover what to look forward to on the mound at Victory Field in 2025.
Bubba Chandler: Chandler enters the season ranked as the Pirates’ No. 1 prospect and the No. 7 prospect in Minor League Baseball according to Baseball America. The 22-year-old righty was drafted by the Pirates in the third round of the 2021 First-Year Player Draft out of Clemson (South Carolina) University as a two-way player but has appeared solely as a pitcher since the beginning of the 2023 season. Chandler split the 2024 season between Double-A Altoona and Indianapolis, setting career highs in appearances (26), innings pitched (119.2) and strikeouts (148) while logging a 3.08 ERA (41er) and a .189 batting average against across both levels. He also led all Pirates farmhands in strikeouts and wins (10). The Georgia native made seven starts with Indianapolis to conclude the season, going 4-0 while leading all qualifying Triple-A pitchers from his debut on Aug. 9 through the end of the season with a 1.83 ERA (8er/39.1ip) and 54 strikeouts.
Mike Burrows: Burrows, 25, missed most of the 2023 season and the first half of 2024 while recovering from Tommy John surgery. Upon returning in 2024, he made six rehab appearances between the FCL Pirates and Low-A Bradenton before being activated by Indianapolis on July 25. The Pirates’ No. 14 prospect made 10 appearances (nine starts) with the Indians, going 1-1 with a 4.06 ERA (17er/37.2ip) and 45 strikeouts. Burrows made his major league debut on Sept. 28 at New York (AL) and picked up his first big league win in 3.1 innings of work out of the bullpen with two hits, two runs (one earned), three walks and two strikeouts.
Braxton Ashcraft: Ashcraft, 25, split the 2024 season between Double-A Altoona and Indianapolis, going 3-2 with a 2.84 ERA (23er/73.0ip), a career-high 77 strikeouts and a 1.07 WHIP in 16 appearances (14 starts) between both levels. The Pirates’ second-round pick in the 2018 First-Year Player Draft was promoted to Indianapolis for the remainder of the season on June 11. Ashcraft battled through three separate stints on the injured list while making five appearances (four starts) with the Indians, going 1-0 with a 0.47 ERA (1er/19.1ip), 14 strikeouts and a 0.98 WHIP. He did not allow more than one run in 10 of 11 appearances (10 starts) from May 8 through the end of the season, recording a 1.37 ERA (8er/52.2ip) which ranked second among Double-A and Triple-A pitchers (min. 50.0ip) in that span. According to Baseball America, Ashcraft is Pittsburgh’s No. 4 prospect entering 2025 and has the best curveball and slider in the Pirates system.
Anthony Solometo: Solometo, the sole southpaw in the Indians’ projected rotation, spent most of the 2024 season with Double-A Altoona, pitching to a 1-7 record and a 5.98 ERA (39er/58.2ip) with 46 strikeouts in 20 appearances (17 starts) with the Curve. The 22-year-old, who was selected by the Pirates in the second round of the 2021 First-Year Player Draft, is ranked as the organization’s No. 15 prospect entering 2025. Solometo was ranked as the organization’s No. 4 prospect entering the 2024 season after he pitched to a 3.26 ERA (40er/110.1ip) and 118 strikeouts in 24 starts between High-A Greensboro and Double-A Altoona in 2023 to earn a spot on the All-MiLB Prospect Second Team and be named an MiLB.com Organization All-Star for the second season in a row.
POSITION PREVIEW: NEWLY-ACQUIRED RELIEVER CHASE SHUGART HEADLINES INDIANS 2025 PROJECTED BULLPEN
INDIANAPOLIS – As temperatures and relievers warm up in anticipation for Indianapolis Indians Opening Day at Victory Field on April 1, many familiar faces and a new arrival to the organization round out this season’s projected bullpen. Two Young Bucs seek to make their major league debuts while being surrounded by plenty of veterans with major league service time.
RHP Chase Shugart: Shugart, 28, primarily spent the 2024 season with Triple-A Worcester where he was named Boston’s Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Year, posting a 4.46 ERA (35er/70.2ip) with 80 strikeouts across 36 games (five starts). He tossed his most innings since a career-high 105.1 in 2021 and matched a career best with six wins. The Bridge City, Texas native made his major league debut with Boston on Aug. 15, 2024, at Baltimore and made six appearances for the club. He played his college ball at the University of Texas (Austin) and was selected by Boston in the 12th round of the 2018 First-Year Player Draft. Shugart was traded to the Pirates on Jan. 17 in exchange for RHP Matt McShane.
RHP Ryder Ryan: Ryan, 29, re-signed with the Pirates as a minor league free agent on Feb. 4. He appeared in 32 games for the Indians last season pitching to a 4.61 ERA (21er/41.0ip) with 34 strikeouts. The right-hander made his major league debut in 2023 with Seattle and played in 15 games for the Pirates last season. He earned his first MLB win in his Pirates debut on Mar. 29, 2024, posting 1.2 scoreless innings with two strikeouts at Miami. He was selected by Cleveland in the 30th round of the 2016 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill) and is the older brother of Los Angeles (NL) pitcher River Ryan.
RHP Eddy Yean: Yean, 23, recorded a career-high tying 69 strikeouts while setting new career highs with 75.0 innings and 48 appearances in 2024. He led Double-A Altoona with seven wins and 46 appearances, pitching to a 3.45 ERA (28er/73.0ip). Yean signed with Washington in 2017 as an international free agent from the Dominican Republic and was traded to Pittsburgh on Dec. 24, 2020 with RHP Wil Crowe in exchange for INF Josh Bell. He made his Triple-A debut with Indianapolis on Sept. 18, 2024, at St. Paul and tossed two shutout appearances with four strikeouts at the level.
RHP Isaac Mattson: Mattson, 29, primarily spent the 2024 season with the Indians, posting a 5-1 record and 3.15 ERA (21er/60.0ip) in 29 games to be named the club’s Pitcher of the Year. He began the season with Double-A Altoona and climbed to the Pirates on Sept. 20, where he struck out six batters in 5.1 innings across three appearances. Last season marked his first action in the majors since his debut with Baltimore in 2021. The Erie, Pa. native attended the University of Pittsburgh (Penn.) and was selected by Los Angeles (AL) in the 19th round of the 2017 First Year Player Draft.
LHP Ryan Borucki: Borucki, 30, re-signed with the Pirates as a minor league free agent on Jan. 15. He appeared in 12 games for the Indians last season and struck out 21 batters in 11.1 innings. The southpaw made 14 appearances for the Pirates in 2024 after being sidelined for most of the season with left triceps inflammation. He made his MLB debut with Toronto in 2018, split time between Toronto and Seattle in 2022 and entered the Pirates organization in 2023. He was selected by Toronto out of Mundelein High School (Ill.) in the 15th round of the 2012 First-Year Player Draft.
RHP Sean Sullivan: Sullivan, 24, spent all of 2024 with Double-A Altoona where he posted a career-best 3.84 ERA (31er/72.2ip) with 57 strikeouts across 15 games (13 starts). Sullivan hails from Woodland Hills, Calif. and was selected by the Pirates in the eighth round of the 2021 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of California, Berkeley.
INDIANA BASEBALL
HOOSIERS HOLD KNIGHTS IN CHECK
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Everything clicked for the Indiana Baseball team (14-11, 5-4 B1G) on Tuesday (March 25) evening at Bart Kaufman Field. The offense put up 13 runs on 15 hits while its pitching staff tossed seven scoreless frames in a 13-0, run-rule shutout victory over Bellarmine.
The Hoosiers put up crooked numbers in the first, second and fourth innings enroute to the commanding victory in Bloomington. IU hit four home runs – capped off by a grand slam from freshman third baseman Cooper Malamazian. He had six RBIs on the night, making him the fifth freshman in the Jeff Mercer era (since 2019) with at least six RBIs in a single ballgame.
Graduate student right-handed pitcher Cole Gilley (W, 4-1) was the first of seven pitchers to throw for the Hoosiers on Tuesday night. As a scheduled bullpen day – and with a commanding lead in hand – Gilley picked up his fourth win of the season. IU’s pitching staff tossed the first shutout since May of 2023 (4-0 vs. Northwestern).
Bellarmine never got a runner to third base in the whole game. Any threat to score was wiped out in the fifth inning on a double play by freshman third baseman Will Moore. Senior southpaw Ryan Kraft made his 70th career appearance for the Hoosiers on the mound and worked a scoreless frame of his own.
Redshirt sophomore outfielder Korbyn Dickerson recorded three hits and two RBIs, becoming the first Big Ten player to notch 40 RBIs and 40 base hits on the season. He is also the Big Ten co-leader in home runs with 11 long balls. Junior outfielder Devin Taylor hit his 45th career home run with a solo shot in the second inning.
Beginning with a weekend set against conference newcomers USC, the Hoosiers will continue the homestand for eight-straight games. The series against the Trojans will be the first time any of the new west coast programs visits Bloomington for a baseball weekend. First pitch is slated for 6:00 p.m. on Friday.
Scoring Recap
Bottom First
It was quick action in the home half of the first for the Hoosiers. Korbyn Dickerson smoked a double off the wall at 115 miles per hour to score Andrew Wiggins. Jake Hanley followed that up with a two-run blast over the right-center field fence. Tyler Cerny had IU’s first inside-the-park home run since 2018 to extend the advantage. T.J. Schuyler singled into left field to score Cooper Malamazian as IU batted around in the first.
Indiana 5, Bellarmine 0
Bottom Second
Devin Taylor hit his 45th career home run with a solo shot to right field. Malamazian added two more with a two-run single before he was thrown out trying to advance to second base.
Indiana 8, Bellarmine 0
Bottom Fourth
Dickerson added a second RBI to his tally with a single through the right side to score Taylor. Malamazian put the game to be with an opposite field grand slam, the first grand slam of his career.
Indiana 13, Bellarmine 0
Top Hoosier Performers
#15 Malamazian, Cooper
3-4, HR, 2B, 6 RBI
#20 Dickerson, Korbyn
3-3, 2 RBI, 2 R
#5 Taylor, Devin
2-4, HR, 2 R, RBI
Inside the Box Score
• IU allowed just three hits as a pitching staff.
• The Hoosiers didn’t strikeout at the plate.
• Eight of IU’s 15 hits went for extra bases.
• All seven IU pitchers worked one full inning. No one faced more than five batters.
Notes to Know
• Junior outfielder Devin Taylor hit his 45th career home run with a solo blast in the second inning. He bolsters his firm grasp on fourth place in program history and inches closer to the all-time Indiana home run record. He’s now two away from tying the all-time mark and three from taking full control of the crown.
• Junior shortstop Tyler Cerny got his fourth home run of the season in unconventional fashion. He hit an inside-the-park home run to center field in the first inning. It was IU’s first inside-the-park home run since Matt Gorski did so against Purdue on April 25, 2018.
• IU’s offense recorded 32 official at-bats in the seven-inning contest. The Hoosiers never struck out in the entire game. As a team, that is the first game without an offensive strikeout since doing so against Iowa on April 1, 2012.
• Freshman third baseman Cooper Malamazian had six RBIs in the win over Bellarmine – mostly in due part to a fourth-inning grand slam. He’s the fifth freshman in the Jeff Mercer era to record at least six RBIs in a game. He’s the fourth in the past three seasons to do so.
Six RBIs by a Freshman in One Game (Since 2019)
8 – Oliver, Jasen at Minnesota (4/21/24)
7 – Brenczewski, Joey vs. Penn State (4/14/24)
6 – Cerny, Tyler vs. Ohio (4/22/23)
6 – Malamazian, Cooper vs. Bellarmine (3/25/25)
6 – Richardson, Grant at Maryland (3/30/19)
• The Hoosiers finished off the 13-0 shutout using seven different pitchers against the Knights. It was IU’s first team shutout since beating Northwestern, 4-0, on May 5, 2023.
Up Next
Big Ten newcomers USC become the first of the four new west coast programs to make the trip to Bloomington. The two teams will play a three-game set from March 28-30 at Bart Kaufman Field. All three games will be streamed on B1G+ and can be heard on the Indiana Sports Radio Network via IUHoosiers.com/Audio.
INDIANA SWIMMING
NO. 2 INDIANA AMONG CONTENDERS FOR NCAA TITLE
FEDERAL WAY, Wash. – Buoyed by a four-time Big Ten Champion senior class and seasoned transfers, No. 2-ranked Indiana men’s swimming and diving is set to challenge for the top spot at the 2025 NCAA Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships.
The four-day meet will run Wednesday (March 26) through Saturday (March 29) inside the Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center. Final sessions will kick off at 9 p.m. ET each evening. Preliminary heats will begin at 10 a.m. every morning beginning Thursday. Fans can stream the competition via the ESPN+ digital platform.
Of Indiana’s 20 athletes competing this week – 15 individual swimmers, four divers, one relay swimmer – 12 have previously appeared in an NCAA championship final and 16 have previously earned All-America honors.
Two members of Indiana’s 2025 NCAA squad are reigning national champions in at least one event – Senior Carson Tyler medaled in every diving event, winning on 3-meter and platform, and junior transfer Zalán Sárkány conquered the 1,650-yard freestyle to help lead Arizona State to the 2024 team title.
Junior Owen McDonald was also a member of that Sun Devil championship team, medaling twice and reaching three A finals, before transferring to Indiana between seasons. Coming into this meet, McDonald ranks top four in each of his individual events – No. 2 in the 200-yard IM (1:39.89), No. 3 in the 200-yard backstroke (1:37.15) and No. 4 in the 100-yard backstroke (44.38) – after sweeping those titles at the Big Ten Championships to be named the swimmer of the meet.
Diving once again projects to be IU’s “hammer,” giving Indiana a significant point advantage on the back end of each day. Indiana returns its full roster that, at the 2024 national championships, contributed 121 points, 66 points better than the second-best diving team (Ohio State) and outscoring all but 10 combined swimming and diving programs. Tyler, classmate Quinn Henninger and junior Maxwell Weinrich totaled six medals and eight All-America finishes a year ago and are each qualified to compete on all three apparatuses. Junior Dash Glasberg is qualified on 3-meter and platform and will look to add to the scoring.
Indiana can overwhelm in the breaststroke events as it did at the Big Ten Championships. The Hoosiers took the top five spots in the 100 breast and top four spots in the 200 breast conference championships and earned 11 qualifications between the two events. Of those 11, 10 are projected to score. Senior Finn Brooks is the No. 2 seed in the 100 breast and classmates Josh Matheny and Jassen Yep are the Nos. 4 and 5 seeds in the 200-yard race.
It’s been a breakthrough season for senior Luke Barr. Having never previously qualified for an NCAA A final, Barr is projected to score in three events. One of six Hoosiers in the 200 IM, Barr ranks No. 5 in the event coming into the week. The versatile Barr also ranks No. 13 in the 100 back and No. 16 in the 100 breast.
MEET INFO
Wednesday, March 24 – Saturday, March. 27 • 1 p.m. ET (prelims), 9 p.m. (finals)
Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center • Federal Way, Washington
Live Results (Swimming): https://bit.ly/4hKdn2n
Live Results (Diving): divemeets.com
Live Stream: ESPN+
SCHEDULED EVENTS (Finals)
Wednesday (5 p.m. ET) – 200 Medley Relay, 800 Freestyle Relay
Thursday (5 p.m. ET) – 500 Freestyle, 200 IM, 50 Freestyle, 1-Meter Dive, 200 Freestyle Relay
Friday (5 p.m. ET) – 100 Butterfly, 400 IM, 200 Freestyle, 100 Breaststroke, 100 Backstroke, 3-Meter Dive, 400 Medley Relay
Saturday (5 p.m. ET) – 1,650 Freestyle, 200 Backstroke, 100 Freestyle, 200 Breaststroke, 200 Butterfly, Platform Dive, 400 Freestyle Relay
INDIANA SWIMMING AND DIVING QUALIFIERS
2025 NCAA Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships
Toby Barnett – 200 breaststroke, 200 IM, 400 IM
Luke Barr – 100 backstroke, 100 breaststroke, 200 IM
Brian Benzing – 100 breaststroke, 200 breaststroke, 200 IM
Finn Brooks – 50 freestyle, 100 breaststroke, 100 butterfly
Caspar Corbeau – 50 free, 100 breaststroke, 200 breaststroke
Tomer Frankel – 100 butterfly, 200 butterfly
Dash Glasberg – 3-meter, platform
Quinn Henninger – 1-meter, 3-meter, platform
Matt King – 50 freestyle, 100 freestyle
Miroslav Knedla – 100 backstroke, 200 backstroke, 200 IM
Josh Matheny – 100 breaststroke, 200 breaststroke
Owen McDonald – 100 backstroke, 200 backstroke, 200 IM
Rafael Miroslaw – 100 freestyle, 200 freestyle, 500 freestyle
Zalán Sárkány – 500 freestyle, 1,650 freestyle, 400 IM
Dylan Smiley – 50 freestyle, 100 freestyle, 100 butterfly
Carson Tyler – 1-meter, 3-meter, platform
Maxwell Weinrich – 1-meter, 3-meter, platform
Kai van Westering – 100 backstroke, 200 backstroke
Jassen Yep – 100 breaststroke, 200 breaststroke
200 freestyle relay
400 freestyle relay
800 freestyle relay
200 medley relay
400 medley relay
PURDUE MEN’S BASKETBALL
COACH MATT PAINTER’S ABILITY TO ADAPT GAME PLANS HAS PURDUE RETURNING TO SWEET 16
Matt Painter has seen and done just about everything in two decades as Purdue’s coach.
He’s won nearly 500 games, five conference regular-season titles and two Big Ten tourney crowns. He’s been to the Final Four, a national championship game and is one of two coaches to lose to a No. 16 seed in March Madness. He even finished last in the league — twice.
Yet in an era of college basketball where the only true constant seems to be change, Painter remains a model of consistency because of his ability to win with a simple, proven philosophy and an uncanny ability to adapt to Purdue’s strengths and weaknesses.
“It’s a really unique deal,” the 54-year-old Painter said before last week’s first-round NCAA Tournament victory. “When we win, people say we’re great at developing players, and when we lose, we don’t go in the (transfer) portal enough. It’s kind of like being married, right? Damned if you do, damned if you don’t.”
The results speak for themselves, though.
Purdue has finished among the Big Ten’s top four in 10 of the last 11 seasons, been to 10 straight NCAA tourneys and reached the Sweet 16 in six of the last eight. The Boilermakers (24-11) are now a win away from their fourth straight 25-win season and a return trip to the Elite Eight, this time without two-time national player of the year Zach Edey.
Fourth-seeded Purdue faces top-seeded Houston (32-4) in the second Midwest Region semifinal Friday in Indianapolis, about an hour drive from the school’s campus.
The change
How has Painter stayed this good for this long?
He learned some tough lessons after the maturing “Baby Boilers” took him to his first two Sweet 16s in 2009 and 2010. Purdue lost second-round games in 2011 and 2012 then missed the tourney completely in 2013 and 2014 with sub-.500 conference records.
So Painter changed directions and reverted to some things he’d learned from other coaches he worked with and played for.
“At Purdue, it’s don’t look at what other people are doing, don’t get to that point. Just look at what’s the best way to recruit,” he said. “I’ve yet to meet a really good coach with bad players. You’ve got to get good players, but you’ve got to get good people and it’s that combination. We lean more toward skill because we struggled the other way.”
The results didn’t exactly change overnight.
While Purdue returned to tourney player after a two-year absence, some thought Painter’s teams were postseason underachievers because of first-round losses to Cincinnati in 2015 and Little Rock in 2016 — long before Fairleigh Dickinson in 2023.
Different styles
The perception of Painter changed when a balanced, experienced roster finally got the Boilermakers back to the Sweet 16 in 2017 and 2018. Those two teams seemed eerily reminiscent of the 2009 and 2010 Purdue teams.
Since then, Painter — with the exception of the no-tournament COVID-19 season in 2020 and the embarrassing loss to Fairleigh Dickinson in 2023 — has found different ways to win.
In 2019, the Boilermakers relied heavily on sharp-shooting guard Carsen Edwards. In 2022, Purdue leaned heavily on power forward Trevion Williams and future NBA lottery pick Jaden Ivey. Last year, it was the 7-foot-4 Edey who helped Purdue make its first Final Four since 1980.
Now, they’re back in the Sweet 16 with another different look thanks to the dynamic play of point guard Braden Smith, the Big Ten player of the year, and the emergence of forward Trey Kaufman-Renn, a unanimous all-conference selection.
“I’m proud that the older guys get to experience this without one of the best basketball players in college basketball history,” Kaufman-Renn said after beating McNeese in Saturday’s second-round game. “I know they had something to prove.”
It’s not by chance, either.
Smith beat out his current teammate Fletcher Loyer for the coveted 2022 Indiana Mr. Basketball Award, but Painter was the first Power 4 coach to offer Smith a scholarship.
Two days later, he accepted and that next March, they all endured the loss to Fairleigh Dickinson, which fueled last year’s deep tourney run. Now, they’re on another quest — to bring home the national championship they lost to UConn last April.
“I think it’s just the confidence we’ve continued to have in each other in this locker room and the coaching,” Loyer said Saturday. “We were playing at one point our best basketball (of the season) and we can get back to that point if we rebound.”
Back then, the Edey-less Boilermakers were a top-10 mainstay and they could regain that image if they continue to play with the edge they showed against two lower seeds last weekend. But that’s all Painter ever wanted, a chance to show old-school basketball still works in an era dominated by transfers, NIL deals and 3-point shooters.
“We’ve been able to develop and make guys better, but we’ve just tried to get really good skill,” Painter said. “We’ve always been able to get size, for whatever reason. Now we have a really good point guard to go along with that. We’ve had some good point guards not to the level of him, and we just try to play off of our best players.”
SMITH 1-OF-4 FINALISTS FOR THE NAISMITH TROPHY
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Consensus first-team All-American Braden Smith is now a finalist for one of college basketball’s biggest honors, as the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced four finalists for the Naismith Trophy given to the nation’s top college basketball player.
Smith is joined by Duke’s Cooper Flagg, Auburn’s Johni Broome and Florida’s Walter Clayton Jr., as finalists. It marks the third straight season that a Boilermaker has been a Naismith Trophy finalist after Zach Edey won the award following both the 2023 and 2024 seasons.
Smith has previously been named a first-team All American by the four entities that make up consensus honors – The Sporting News, The Associated Press, the USBWA and the NABC.
It marks the seventh consensus All-America award during the Matt Painter era, as Smith joins JaJuan Johnson (1st – 2011), Caleb Swanigan (1st – 2017), Carsen Edwards (2nd – 2019), Jaden Ivey (2nd – 2022) and Zach Edey (1st – 2023, 2024) as players to be named consensus All-American. Six of the seven awards have come in the last nine seasons.
The awards are recognition for what has been an incredible season for the point guard from Westfield, Indiana. He was named the Big Ten Player of the Year and is the front-runner for the Cousy Award, given to the nation’s top point guard. He didn’t disappoint after being named the preseason Big Ten Player of the Year in October.
Smith and the Boilermakers will face top-seeded Houston in Friday’s Sweet 16 in Indianapolis, tipping off just after 10 p.m. ET, at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Naismith Trophy Finalist – Braden Smith, Junior, Guard
A finalist for the Naismith Trophy, Smith is considered the top point guard in the country.
Consensus first-team All-American, being named to the first team by the Sporting News, the Associated Press, the USBWA and the NABC.
Named the Big Ten Player of the Year after being selected as the preseason Player of the Year.
Averages 16.0 points, 8.5 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 2.2 steals per game, but saw his averages increase to 17.4 points, 8.9 assists and 4.6 rebounds during Big Ten play.
Set the Big Ten record for assists in conference play only with 175, smashing the previous record set by Michigan State’s Cassius Winston (157) by 18 assists – almost a full assist per game.
Became the second player in Big Ten history, joining Michigan State’s Magic Johnson, to register 450 points, 250 assists, 125 rebounds and 60 steals in a season. Smith has reached those numbers in each of the last two seasons.
Became the school’s career assists leader, now with 743 assists in just 109 career games. Smith already ranks fourth on the Big Ten’s career assists list, despite playing three seasons.
Became the second player in NCAA history to have 500 points, 275 assists, 150 rebounds and 75 steals in a season, joining Georgia Tech standout Kenny Anderson (1989-90) as members of that group.
Is on pace to be the first player since California’s Jason Kidd (1993-94) to average at least 16.0 points, 8.0 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game.
Smith’s 743 assists (and counting) are the fifth most for a player in NCAA history by the end of his junior season. He is the only player in NCAA history with 1,300 points, 700 assists and 500 rebounds in his first three seasons.
Recorded four 20-point, 10-assist games this season. Prior to this year, Purdue had two 20-point, 10-assist games in school history – the last one coming in the 1987-88 season.
His nine point-assist double-doubles are the third most for a high-major player in the last 20 seasons (14 – Oklahoma’s Trae Young, 2018; 10 – Kansas State’s Markquis Nowell, 2023).
Smith has posted two games of 30 or more points this season (34 vs. Toledo; 31 vs. Iowa).
Has 12 games of 10 or more assists this season, and 22 games of 10 or more assists for his career. His 22 career games of 10 or more assists are the most in Big Ten history. The 22, 10-assist games are the fourth most by a player in his junior season or younger in the last 20 years (Kay Felder – 32; Kendall Marshall – 23; Ja Morant – 23).
PURDUE MEN’S GOLF
BOILERMAKERS WIN 2ND STRAIGHT TITLE, DEFEATING SOUTH CAROLINA IN PLAYOFF AT HOOTIE INTERCOLLEGIATE
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – After seeing a six-shot lead slip away late in the final round, the Purdue men’s golf team rallied late to force a playoff, then dominated the extra hole to win its second straight tournament at the Hootie Intercollegiate at Bulls Bay Golf Club.
A month after winning the prestigious Puerto Rico Classic, Purdue has now won back-to-back full-sized tournaments for the first time since the 1980-81 season.
In his first season, head coach Andrew Sapp has led the Boilermakers to three team titles, the most for a first-year head coach in school history. The three full-event (at least 10 teams) victories are also the most for the Boilermakers in school history.
“Obviously, I am really proud of our fight today. South Carolina and Furman played absolutely great golf today and for us to rally late in the round against them was really encouraging,” Sapp said. “Then to make the shots we made during the playoff when nerves are going really says a lot about the guys. It was a great experience to go through and will really pay dividends for us. It was just another good week for us and proud of the guys for coming through down the stretch.”
Purdue and No. 18 South Carolina finished the 54-hole even tied at 30-under par, forcing a one-hole, five-person playoff. The two teams played the difficult, uphill par-3 14th hole into a strong wind, where most players hit 4-iron. The Boilermaker five played the hole in 3-under par to secure their second title of the spring season.
Furman finished in third at 27-under par, while the College of Charleston (-26) and Missouri (-21) rounded out the top five.
Purdue’s 834 is tied for the seventh-lowest, 54-hole score in Purdue history. The win moves Purdue’s spring record to a gaudy 27-0-1 and all six rounds this spring have been 280 or lower.
Individually, the Boilermakers had two players in the top five, led by Jenson Forrester’s third-place finish at 11-under par 205 (68-66-71). The finish matched his career-best finish and the 205 was his lowest 54-hole score of his career.
Sam Easterbrook continued his strong spring with a fifth-place showing at 10-under par 206 (68-71-67). It marks his third top-five finish this season and he has seven top-25 finishes in eight events.
Kent Hsiao finished tied for 22nd at 4-under par 212 (69-70-73), while Nels Surtani was tied for 27th at 3-under par 213 (70-72-71). Surtani has been even- or under-par in eight straight rounds, the third-longest streak in school history.
Supapon Amornchaichan finished tied for 50th at 1-over par 217 (74-72-71), turning in his best round of the tournament on Tuesday.
Playing as an individual, Kentaro Nanayama tied for 54th at 2-over par 218 (72-73-73).
Purdue will play next in the Calusa Cup in Naples, Florida, on April 6 to 8.
PURDUE BASEBALL
ROGERS HOMERS, PITCHERS RACK UP 11 KS AS PURDUE POSTS 20TH WIN
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue Baseball scored in four consecutive innings over the first half of the game and racked up 11 strikeouts on the mound, defeating Valparaiso 6-3 Tuesday at Alexander Field for its 20th win of the season.
March 25 marks the earliest date on the calendar the Boilermakers (20-4) have ever reached the 20-win mark. The 2012 Big Ten championship team, which holds the program record with 45 victories, was also 20-4 after 24 games and won its 20th game on March 31 after the season opener was Feb. 18 (vs. Feb. 14 this year).
Purdue is the first Big Ten team to reach the 20-win mark this season. Tuesday, the Boilers won their eighth straight midweek game dating back to April 16, 2024.
Brandon Rogers hit his first home run at Alexander Field, an opposite-field shot inside the right field foul pole to lead off the fourth inning. The center fielder also hit a double down the right field line and scored twice.
Lefthanders Isaac Milburn (four) and Michael Vallone (five) teamed up for nine of the 11 strikeouts over a combined 6 2/3 innings of two-run ball. Milburn went four innings as the starter and Vallone registered the biggest outs of the game in the fifth inning.
Avery Cook closed out the victory with a six-out save, his fifth of the season and 10th career, to extend his streak of consecutive scoreless innings to 15 dating back to the end of last season. Cook is the ninth Boilermaker all-time to reach double figures for carer saves.
Milburn induced ground ball double plays in the third and fourth innings, erasing a walk in both cases. He helped himself with a nifty pick on a comebacker, starting a 1-6-3 twin killing in the top of the third. Milburn struck out the side in the first inning while making his first start as a Boilermaker.
As the first two batters he faced, Vallone struck out Valpo’s cleanup and 5-hole hitters to leave the bases loaded full of inherited runners in the top of the fifth. He went on to retire eight of the 10 batters he faced, including a 1-2-3 inning vs. the 2-3-4 portion of the lineup in the top of the seventh after the Beacons (5-15) had cut Purdue’s lead to 4-2.
STREAKS EXTENDED
• Albert Choi: 24-game on-base (as a Boilermaker)
• Brandon Anderson: 23-game on-base; 5-game hit
• Avery Cook: 15 consecutive scoreless innings (since May 22, 2024)
• Keenan Spence: 7-game on-base, 6-game hit
• Logan Sutter: 6-game on-base
• Aaron Manias: 6-game on-base
Including Rogers’ home run, leadoff hits in the second through fifth innings all led to runs. RBI came from Ty Gill (sac fly in the 2nd), Aaron Manias (single in the 3rd) and Keenan Spence (single in the 5th).
Purdue had a chance to blow the game open in the third inning, having the bases loaded with no outs after Manias’ RBI single, but a strikeout and double play followed. A leadoff double from Lukas Cook ignited that rally.
The Boilermakers did successfully extend the lead with two runs in the bottom of the eighth, doing so without the luxury of a hit. Rogers, Gill and Albert Choi teamed up to create havoc on the base paths and Lukas Cook drove in the final run of the game with a sac fly.
Avery Cook retired all six batters he faced after entering the game with a runner on second, the tying run at the plate and no outs in the top of the eighth.
Ten of Purdue’s 11 strikeouts, the team’s 10th double-figure total of the season, came vs. the 1-through-5 portion of the Valpo lineup.
The Boilermakers are back in action Friday when they begin a three-game Big Ten series vs. No. 24 UCLA (18-5, 7-2 Big Ten). The Bruins will be the first of four first-time visitors to Alexander Field this season. The teams have not played since a May 2012 series in Los Angeles.
NOTRE DAME WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
HIDALGO NAMED A WADE, NAISMITH TROPHY FINALIST
ATLANTA — The accolades keep coming for an Irish backcourt headed to the Sweet 16 this week.
On Tuesday, the Women’s Basketball Coaches’ Association named Hannah Hidalgo a finalist for the Wade Trophy, which is given by the organization to the nation’s best player in college women’s basketball. She was also named a finalist for the Naismith Trophy, given by the Atlanta Tip Off Club to the nation’s best women’s player.
Additionally, Sonia Citron and Olivia Miles were named finalists for this season’s 10-member WBCA NCAA Division I Coaches’ All-America Team.
Hidalgo is pacing the Irish this season on both ends of the court. She leads the team with 24.1 points and 3.7 steals per game, marks that both rank fourth in the nation.
The 5-6 guard has already re-written portions of the Irish record book, too. At the ACC Tournament, Hidalgo joined Irish legend Arike Ogunbowale as the only players in Notre Dame history to post multiple 700-point seasons. She also has 115 steals this year, the sophomore record. It is just the fourth time in program history a Notre Dame player has had a 100-steal season. Hidalgo did it last year as well (160).
Miles is averaging 15.5 points, 5.8 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game. She is the only player in the nation averaging 15-5-5 while shooting greater than 40 percent from deep. In the last 15 years, Iowa’s Caitlin Clark and Oregon’s Sabrina Ionescu are the only other players to achieve that feat.
Additionally, Miles leads the nation with three triple-doubles this season and became the first player in ACC history with back-to-back triple-doubles (Loyola and Virginia). Her 20-point triple-double in Notre Dame’s opener against Mercyhurst came on the heels of a year off while rehabbing a torn ACL, making her the first player in NBA, WNBA or college basketball player in history to sit out for a year due to injury and post a 20-point triple-double in their first game back.
Citron has quietly stuffed the stat sheet nearly every time she takes the floor this year. She is posting 14.2 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game. In the last 10 games, those numbers jump to 16.7 points and 5.8 rebounds with a 55.6 success rate from the floor.
NOTRE DAME SOFTBALL
IRISH BOUNCE BACK WITH WIN OVER UIC
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The Notre Dame softball team secured a gritty 2-1 victory over UIC Tuesday evening at Melissa Cook Stadium. The Irish improve to 14-19 on the season.
Notre Dame was lights out in the circle. The trio of Micaela Kastor, Shannon Becker and Brianne Weiss combined to allow only one unearned run over the seven innings against the Flames.
Weiss picked up her first career save. The freshman struckout the side in the seventh to lock down the Notre Dame victory.
Emily Tran opened the scoring for the Irish, blasting a line drive into center field with the bases loaded to score a pair in the bottom of the second. It was the fifth and sixth RBI of the season for the senior outfielder.
With a base hit and a walk, Sydny Poeck extended her on-base streak to 13 games. The junior is hitting .325 on the season and has drawn at least one walk in each of the last six games.
Notre Dame will turn its attention to this weekend when the Irish host the 22nd-ranked Virginia Cavaliers for a three-game series at Melissa Cook Stadium. Game one is set for Friday with a 6 p.m. first pitch.
NOTRE DAME BASEBALL
MIDWEEK MATCHUP BETWEEN IRISH AND SPARTANS LOOMS
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The Notre Dame baseball team is set to take on Michigan State for a midweek contest on Wednesday evening at Frank Eck Stadium. The game will be broadcast on ACC Network and begins at 6:00 p.m.
| Date | Time (ET) | Opponent | Location | Probable Starters | TV |
| Mar. 26 | 6:00 PM | Michigan State | Jake Kline Field – Frank Eck Stadium | RHP Dylan Heine vs. RHP Ryan Szczepaniak | ACCN |
THE MATCHUP
- Notre Dame comes into the contest with a 12-9 overall record.
- Michigan State holds a 16-7 record ahead of Wednesday’s game.
- The Spartans lead the all-time series – which dates back to 1907 – by an 83-60 margin.
- The squads faced off last season in East Lansing, Michigan as the Irish prevailed in a 4-3 final on April 30.
LAST TIME OUT
- Notre Dame had their first ACC home series of the season last weekend and fell to visiting Georgia Tech, who is now in the D1baseball.com Top 25 poll, in all three contests.
- The Irish blasted at least one home run in each of the three games.
- Game one saw Bino Watters, Carson Tinney, and Noah Coy each hit a home run. It was Coy’s first home run of his collegiate career.
- Estevan Moreno hit the 25th home run of his career, and Jared Zimbardo added a pair of hits in game two.
- Davis Johnson belted a homer in game three of the series while Rory Fox struck out six in 5.0 innings of work in a no-decision outing.
2025 CAPTAINS
The 2025 Irish baseball team will look to four captains to help guide the way this spring. John P. and Catherine Murphy Head Baseball Coach Shawn Stiffler announced graduate students OF Brady Gumpf and RHP Jackson Dennies, senior RHP Radek Birkholz, and junior INF Estevan Moreno as team captains for the season.
TOP TALENT
The Irish have four players listed in the D1baseball.com Preseason rankings by position.
- Junior Estevan Moreno was 24th on the Top 50 shortstops list.
- Sophomore Carson Tinney was tabbed 47th on the Top 50 catchers listing.
- Graduate student Jared Zimbardo was 40th on the Top 100 outfielders report.
- Junior Rory Fox was 106th on the Top 150 starting pitchers list.
BUTLER SOFTBALL
BUTLER SOFTBALL TRAVELS TO DAYTON FOR MIDWEEK GAME
DATE: Wednesday, March 26
LOCATION: Dayton, Ohio / UD Softball Stadium
LIVE STATS: butlersports.com
LIVE VIDEO: ESPN+
The Butler softball hits the road on Wednesday for a midweek non-conference contest at Dayton. The Bulldogs (17-10, 6-3 BIG EAST) went 1-2 this past weekend vs. league-leading St. John’s. The Flyers (14-10, 5-1 A-10) most recently won two of three games in a conference series with Rhode Island.
Bulldog Bits
(through games 3/23/25)
Cate Lehner leads the BIG EAST with a .426 batting average and with 23 stolen bases. She is second with 43 hits.
Makena Alexander is second in the BIG EAST with 8 home runs and fifth with a .684 slugging percentage.
Ella White is third in the BIG EAST with a .505 on base percentage.
Leigh Vande Hei is fourth in the BIG EAST with a .400 batting average.
Gwen Baker is third in the BIG EAST with 8 wins.
(as of 3-23-25) Butler leads all BIG EAST teams in batting average (.322) and is second in on base percentage (.400), hits (236), and stolen bases (55).
vs. St. John’s
Makena Alexander and Ella White each had a home run in the series.
Hailey Conger hit a two-out, walk-off, RBI single to hand St. John’s its first BIG EAST loss of the season.
Gwen Baker picked up a complete-game, 2-1, victory in game one. In 7.0 innings, she allowed five hits and a walk, striking out eight as only one unearned run came across.
After a complete-game victory over St. John’s – the Red Storm’s first conference loss of the season – Gwen Baker was name BIG EAST Freshman of the week. It was her third time earning this award this season.
Butler’s 2025 schedule includes five teams that qualified for the 2024 NCAA Tournament. The Bulldogs will face UAlbany (2/28), Indiana (3/11), Dayton (3/25), and Miami (OH) (4/9) on the road and will host Villanova for a BIG EAST series Apr. 17-19.
SCOUTING DAYTON (14-10, 5-1 A-10)
Series- Butler leads, 40-25-1
Dayton won the most recent contest in 2023, a 4-2 victory in Indianapolis.
Butler’s most recent win (1-0) was in 2021 in Indianapolis.
Dayton has won four of five, dating back to 2013, but Butler won ten straight from 2006 through 2011.
2025 wins include: Youngstown St., UIC, Saint Louis, and Towson.
Losses include: No. 1 Texas, No. 23 Kentucky, Miami (Ohio), and Georgia Tech.
The Flyers split with Georgia State, Akron, and Wofford.
Dayton vs. (opponents) Butler
runs: 124-101 144
hits: 193-174 236
RBI: 116-93 128
SB: 35-11 55
ERA: 3.94-4.22 3.75
Batting Leaders:
Emma Schutter (.398) 33H, 6-2B, 4-3B, 14RBI, 12SB
Maddie Kapsimalis (.361) 30H, 2HR, 21RBI, 6SB
Deirdre Flaherty (.324) 24H, 3HR, 19RBI
Pitching Leaders:
Izzy Kemp (7-3) 2.82 ERA, 78K
Haven Dwyer (5-3) 3.91 ERA, 25K
Camrynn Linneman (1-3) 6.27 ERA 13K
IU INDY MEN’S BASKETBALL
MEN’S BASKETBALL INKS THIRD HIGH SCHOOL STANDOUT FOR 2025-2026 CAMPAIGN
INDIANAPOLIS – The IU Indianapolis men’s basketball program has announced the signing of Austin Sperry (Jackson, Ky. / Breathitt County) to a National Letter of Intent to join the program, beginning this fall. Sperry, a 6-foot-4 guard, joins two other high school signees in 6-foot-5 swingman Maguire Mitchell and 6-foot-9 forward Gabe Stewart in the incoming freshman class. Sperry is among the top prospects from the state of Kentucky and was first offered by Head Coach Paul Corsaro and the IU Indy staff at their elite camp last summer.
“Austin kind of gives us Jason Williams vibes with his athleticism, his vision and the flair he has to his game,” Corsaro said. “We invited him to camp last summer and offered him after seeing more of him. He’s incredibly bouncy and athletic and will fit in well with our returning guys, both offensively and defensively.”
Sperry played both basketball and football at Breathitt County in Eastern Kentucky and played with Team Thad on the Nike EYBL Circuit. He averaged 23.8 points, 6.5 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game his senior year, ranking sixth in the state in scoring and seventh in assists. He played six years of varsity basketball, originally making the team as a seventh-grader and averaging better than 16 points per game as an eighth-grader.
He finished his high school career with 2,723 points, 837 rebounds and 683 assists in 144 career games. For his career, he averaged 18.9 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game while shooting 56 percent from the floor and 72 percent from the free throw line.
BUTLER WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
PURDUE FORT WAYNE TO HOST BUTLER IN WNIT SUPER 16 MATCHUP
The Butler women’s basketball team will travel to Fort Wayne on Friday night to take on the PFW Mastodons at the Gates Sports Center. Tip is set for 7 p.m.
Purdue Fort Wayne defeated Old Dominion 87-61 on Tuesday to reach the Super 16. The Bulldogs will meet them there after defeating UIC 61-54 on Sunday.
Both PFW and Butler received first round byes in the WNIT.
BUTLER BASEBALL
SAINT LOUIS SLOWS DOWN BUTLER
The Butler baseball team moved to 6-16 on the year after taking a 12-2 loss at Saint Louis on Tuesday night. SLU arms limited BU to just one hit and a seven-run bottom of the fifth inning would push the Billikens to the win column.
Butler’s only hit of the game was a two-RBI single to left field from Ryan Drumm that scored Tommy Townsend and Harry Carr.
That hit gave BU a 2-1 advantage in the fourth, but Saint Louis would match BU with two runs of their own in the bottom of four before blowing up for seven in the fifth.
Lead-off man Ian Blazier went 3-for-4 in the contest for Saint Louis with four RBIs and two runs scored.
The win on the mound went to Kelsey Carter (1-0) while the loss landed on BU starter Colin Dailey. As a team, BU walked 12 batters and didn’t come up with a strikeout.
A quick turn around will send Butler to Miami Ohio tomorrow. First pitch is set for 3 p.m.
IU INDY WOMEN’S GOLF
WOMEN’S GOLF FIRES FINAL ROUND 299; CAPTURES THIRD-PLACE FINISH
BATAVIA, Ohio – The IU Indianapolis women’s golf team carded a final round 299 at the NKU Spring Julie Invitational on Tuesday (Mar. 25), climbing four spots to a third-place finish at 632 (333-299) for the week. Junior Reagan Sohn led the way with a 1-under 70 in round two for the lowest round by any player in the tournament.
Freshman Cassidy Ayres just missed a top-10 finish, posting a second round 75 to close at 158 (83-75) for the week. Both Sohn and Yanah Rolston finished tied for 12th at 159 and sophomore Nina Wojtczak was countable with a second round 78 on Tuesday. Wojtczak finished her tournament at 162 (84-78) and fellow sophomore Sydni Zebrauskas shot 163 (83-80) over two days.
Freshman Alexandra Chiew finished tied for 27th while playing as an individual at 162 (82-80) and senior Nerea Lancho closed at 165 (82-83), tied for 37th among the 75-player field.
Sohn was brilliant throughout the round on Tuesday, offsetting bogeys with birdies on two different occasions on her first nine. After making bogey on her 11th hole of the day, she played the final seven to 2-under, including a birdie on her final hole of the event.
“I’m really proud of our team for the way we fought back today,” Sohn said. “The conditions were tough, but we stayed resilient and were able to climb four spots on the leaderboard. Hopefully this marks a turning point in our spring season.
“Now we’ll continue working hard and focus on preparing for conference.”
Ayres had a pair of birdies as part of her 4-over 75 and Wojtczak also made a pair of birdies on her final nine holes of the tournament.
Sohn finished tied for second among the field with four birdies for the week while Zebrauskas had a team-high 18 pars over 36 holes.
Youngstown State won the team title at 621, edging second-place Lindenwood by eight shots. YSU’s Neeranuch Prajunpanich earned medalist honors at 9-over 151 for the week.
The Jaguars will return to action on Apr. 7-8 when they participate in EKU’s Colonel Classic in Richmond, Ky.
BALL STATE BASEBALL
CARDINALS COMPLETE 5-4 COMEBACK WIN OVER USI
MUNCIE, Ind. – The Ball State baseball team scored three times in the eighth inning to complete a comeback from a 4-1 deficit and beat Southern Indiana 5-4 on Tuesday afternoon at Shebek Stadium.
Trailing 4-2 entering the eighth, the Cardinals (17-9) got within a run as Nick Husovsky crossed home plate following a Houston King single. After Grant Miller pinch ran for King and Blake Bevis was intentionally walked, Clay Jacobs slapped a single to right to plate Miller and Korbin Griffin for what proved to be the game-winning hit.
Bevis drilled solo home runs to left field in the second and seventh innings for Ball State’s other offense on the day. The junior upped his season home run total to eight and RBI total to 23 with the multi-homer day.
Southern Indiana (10-14) plated four runs in the third frame but would not score again. Drue Young struck out three in 4.0 shutout frames for the hosts before Owen Quinn (1-1) got the win with five punchouts in 2.2 innings.
Jacobs continued a hot stretch at the plate after two home runs over the weekend with the game-winning single. Gavin Balius joined Bevis with two-hit days as he went 2-for-2 with a walk.
“Our boys battled and found a way to win,” Ball State head coach Rich Maloney said. “Drue Young and Owen Quinn were outstanding. Blake Bevis had a big day, and Clay Jacobs got the big 2-RBI hit. Excellent team effort!”
Sage Stout (2-1) surrendered the three eighth inning runs to be hit with the loss for the Screaming Eagles.
Ball State returns to Mid-American Conference play with a three-game series at Akron scheduled to start at 3 p.m. on Friday.
BALL STATE SOFTBALL
GUNTER’S GRAND SLAM LEADS SOFTBALL PAST INDIANA STATE
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – – Senior left fielder Kara Gunter provided the offensive fireworks, while Ball State’s pitching locked down Indiana State in a 5-3 victory Tuesday afternoon at Price Field.
With each of the Cardinals (19-8) first three batters reaching base in the top of the first, Gunter took advantage by blasting a 1-2 pitch over the fence in right field for her second collegiate grand slam to quickly give the guests a 4-0 edge.
Ball State was not done there, however, as senior first baseman Kaitlyn Gibson followed with a double to right and took advantage of an error on the play to move to third. That set up and RBI single from junior right fielder Ashlee Lovett for her first hit of the season.
That was all the run support Ball State’s pitchers would need, as sophomore starter Brinkley Kita and freshman reliever Breanna Severino combined to limit the Sycamores (9-20) to three runs on the day.
Kita threw the first 4.0 innings and improved to 4-2 on the year after allowing just two hits and three runs, only two of which were earned. Severino pitched the final 3.0 innings and picked up her first collegiate save. She limited ISU to one hit and struck out four of the 13 batter she faced, including the final two batters in the bottom of the fifth with bases loaded.
NOTES:
– While she saw her 17-game hitting streak snapped with a 0-for-3 day at the plate, senior designated player McKayla Timmons still drew a walk in the first inning and scored one of BSU’s five runs … That helped her run her streak of reaching base safely to 53 consecutive games.
– In her first start of the year, Lovett would lead the Ball State offense with two hits versus Indiana State … A 2024 Second Team All-MAC selection, Lovett returned to the lineup for the first time this season in the second game of the Toledo series.
– Ball State turned in another dominating effort on defense Tuesday, committing no errors in a game for the 13th time this season … In addition, the Cardinals turned their 11th double play of the season to get out of a bases loaded jam in the bottom of the second.
UP NEXT:
The Ball State softball team returns to action this weekend with a three-game Mid-American Conference series at Bowling Green. The teams are scheduled to play a 3 p.m. game Friday and a 1 p.m. doubleheader Saturday at Meserve Field.
INDIANA STATE SOFTBALL
SYCAMORES BATTLE BACK BUT FALL SHORT AGAINST BALL STATE, 5-3
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – First-inning scoring led the Cardinals past the Sycamores as Indiana State fell to Ball State 5-3 in a hard-fought contest at Price Field on Tuesday afternoon.
In the top of the first, Ball State quickly took control by scoring all five of their runs for the game. The inning started with a bunt single by Pietrzak, followed by walks from Timmons and a hit-by-pitch for Mulholland to load the bases.
Gunter then launched a four-RBI home run, clearing the bases. Gibson followed with a double, and after Urban’s pop-up, Lovett singled to drive in Gibson, giving Ball State a 5-0 lead after the opening inning.
Indiana State responded with one run in the bottom of the first. Madison Poulson and Morgan Goodrich both walked, and wild pitches allowed them to move into scoring position.
After Poulson was thrown out at home, Goodrich crossed the plate on a passed ball, putting Indiana State on the board at 5-1 to end the inning.
In the bottom of the 4th, Indiana State chipped away at the deficit with another run. Brailey Mills walked, advanced on two wild pitches, and scored on a clutch double by Lauren Marsicek, who also moved Kapelka to third.
However, a pop-up and a double play ended the scoring opportunity, bringing the Sycamores within 5-2 after four innings.
In the 5th inning, the Sycamores added one to the board as Sophie Esposito drew a walk, followed by Livi Colip’s single to right field.
After a wild pitch moved both runners into scoring position, Esposito crossed the plate on a walk to Peyton Simmons, leaving the score at 5-3.
Lauren Sackett came in to pitch in the 6th inning, where she retired all three batters she faced with strikeouts, showcasing her dominant performance in relief.
Despite Indiana State’s continued efforts, Ball State was able to retire the final three batters in the bottom of the 7th to secure the 5-3 victory.
The Sycamores managed just three hits in the game, with Lauren Marsicek recording two and Livi Colip adding one.
Annie Waggoner (0-2) took the loss in just her second start of the year, allowing five runs on six hits in 3.0 innings of work in the midweek matchup.
Hailey Griffin followed with 2.0 scoreless innings, allowing no hits and one walk.
Lauren Sackett closed out the game with 2.0 innings of perfect relief, striking out three batters.
Up Next:
The Sycamores are set to hit the road for a three-game MVC matchup against Drake in Des Moines, Iowa, this weekend, March 28-30.
PURDUE FT. WAYNE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
MASTODONS DOMINATE OLD DOMINION, WILL HOST BUTLER FOR WNIT SUPER 16
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – Purdue Fort Wayne women’s basketball blew out Old Dominion 87-61 on Tuesday night (March 25) to advance to Women’s National Invitation Tournament Super 16.
With the victory, Purdue Fort Wayne will host head coach Maria Marchesano’s alma mater, Butler, on Friday at 7 p.m. in the Gates Sports Center.
The best season in Purdue Fort Wayne history added another win to the ledger, the 26th of the season. The Mastodons are now 26-8.
Five players for Purdue Fort Wayne scored in double-figures. Audra Emmerson led the way with 17 points, Lauren Ross had a double-double of 15 points and 11 rebounds while adding five assists, a steal and a block, Amellia Bromenschenkel had 14 points, six rebounds and three steals, Jordan Reid had 13 points and Jazzlyn Linbo had 12.
Ross’ double-double of 15 points and 11 rebounds is the fifth of her career.
The first 20 minutes was even at 34. Old Dominion was living up to its national rebounding prowess, dominating the glass with 11 offensive rebounds and 27 total. Meanwhile, the ‘Dons were just 2-for-7 from the 3-point line, their best offensive strategy.
After the break, it was all Mastodons. The ‘Dons out-scored ODU 24-7 in the third quarter and 29-20 in the fourth. The Mastodons rattled off a 14-0 run that started and ended with 3-pointers from Ross. Emmerson hit triples on back-to-back possessions as well, and Linbo added a deep jumper.
In the fourth quarter, the ‘Dons put together another 13-0 run that slammed the door on any potential comeback from the Monarchs. Reid scored four points, but the exclamation point was four free throws in one trip to the line from Emmerson. She hit both free throws from the shooting foul and both technical free throws.
The Mastodons out-rebounded Old Dominion in the second half 24-20. They finished with 10 made 3-pointers while holding ODU to just three for a meager 13.6 percent. The ‘Dons shot 46.9 percent (30-of-64) and dished out 18 assists.
Simaru Fields led ODU with 15 points, while Simone Cunnigham had a double-double of 14 points and 12 boards.
Old Dominion saw its season come to a close with an 18-16 record. The Mastodons will carry their 26-8 mark to Friday’s game with Butler inside the Gates Sports Center.
PURDUE FT. WAYNE BASEBALL
‘DONS FALL AT NO. 22 OHIO STATE 11-6
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Purdue Fort Wayne softball team dropped a mid-week contest at No. 22 Ohio State 11-6 on Tuesday (March 25). Grace Hollopeter, Kennedy Peckinpaugh and Aglaia Rudd each drove in two runs in the game.
The Mastodon offense got going early with a four-run first inning. Rudd had a two-run home run in the frame. Peckinpaugh stepped to the plate later in the inning to drive in Addison Zimpleman and Tori Countryman.
Ohio State responded with seven runs in the bottom of the first inning. Ohio State would go on to hit seven home runs in the contest with Kami Kortokrax hitting two.
The Mastodons got on the board in the seventh inning. Hollopeter doubled in Bailey Manos and Gwen McMenemy.
Alanah Jones got the loss for the ‘Dons. She is 4-9. Kennedy Kay got the win in relief for Ohio State after the Mastodons chased Buckeye starter Kassandra Gewecke before the end of the top of the first inning.
Ohio State improves to 26-6-1. The Mastodons fall to 5-16.
The Mastodons are back in action this week on Thursday (March 27) against Detroit Mercy in league play.
PURDUE FT. WAYNE BASEBALL
BASEBALL HOME OPENER GOES TO TOLEDO
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The Purdue Fort Wayne baseball team dropped the 2025 home opener on Tuesday (March 25) afternoon 12-5 to Toledo.
Eight different players accounted for the Mastodons’ eight hits. Sage Adams walked twice, drove in a run, scored a run and had a double. Kevin Hall scored twice.
Tyson Greenwood took the loss for the ‘Dons, allowing five runs in relief in two innings.
The big frame was a six-run third for Toledo. It gave the Rockets a 7-1 lead.
Purdue Fort Wayne scored a pair in the sixth and the eighth innings, in addition a run in the first.
Brennan McCune moved to 2-0 with three innings of work for the win for Toledo. Luke Walton had a home run and two walks for Toledo.
Toledo improves to 9-14. The Mastodons fall to 3-20. The ‘Dons host Oakland in league play this weekend.
EVANSVILLE BASEBALL
UE BASEBALL FALLS IN RETURN TO EVANSVILLE AGAINST WESTERN KENTUCKY
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – In the first game at German American Bank Field since February 23, the University of Evansville baseball team didn’t keep up with one of the Top 15 offenses in the country.
The Purple Aces returned to their home field after 19 games away but didn’t quite find the advantage in a 13-3 loss to the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers. Three UE batters had a multi-hit night against WKU as shortstop Brodie Peart (Markham, Ontario) led the team, going 3-for-4 with one run scored. Catcher Matt Flaherty (Lake Zurich, Ill. / Bellarmine) was the only Evansville player to bring in multiple runs with two RBIs on two hits.
“It was a great crowd as we finally had a home game,” said Head Coach Wes Carroll after the loss. “We clearly didn’t compete on the mound enough to give us a chance. You have to credit WKU for how they played tonight. We are ready to get back to Valley play this weekend with competitive guys on the mound.”
The Aces had a strong first inning on Tuesday night as starting pitcher Drew Fieger (Fort Mitchell, Ky. / Lincoln Trails CC) struck out the side. UE also put into play the first two hits of the game with a single from first baseman Cal McGinnis (Kimberly, Wis. / Bradley) and a double from Peart.
But it was the Hilltoppers who struck first with three runs on five hits in the top of the second. Evansville had its third hit of the night in the bottom of the second as the offense went down in order in the third. Western Kentucky added three more runs in the top of the fourth as they again connected on five hits to make it a 6-0 game.
The Aces got two runners on base in the bottom of the fourth with two hits from Peart and left fielder Charlie Longmeier (Seymour, Ind. / Seymour HS). But both runners were stranded as the next three UE batters went down in order.
Evansville had another chance in the bottom of the sixth as McGinnis led off with a single to left and took second on a wild pitch. But he was soon caught out on a double play from Peart lining out to second base. The Hilltoppers had a solo run in the top of the seventh without a hit as they had two lead off walks followed by two sacrifice at-bats.
WKU continued to grow their lead in the top of the eighth with two more runs to make it 9-0 as the Aces were potentially staring down a run-rule game. But UE was able to break the shutout in the bottom of the eighth as they loaded the bases with two free passes and a Peart single to third. It was Flaherty’s second hit of the night into center field that officially ended the shutout as the single scored two runs. Evansville quickly added another run as second baseman Drew McConnell (Blue Springs, Mo. / Blue Springs HS) had a single to right field.
The Hilltoppers answered the Aces runs in the top of the ninth, scoring four more on four hits to make it a 10-run lead. UE had a promising start to the bottom of the ninth as pinch hitter Aaron Nehls (Evansville, Ind. / North HS) had a single to right field. But Western Kentucky got three outs on the next three at-bats to seal the 13-3 loss.
Evansville has its first true home stand of the season this week as they welcome the Valparaiso Beacons to Charles H. Braun Stadium over the weekend. The Aces are scheduled to play a three-game series with Valpo starting on Friday evening. First pitch from German American Bank Field is set for 6 p.m. on March 28.
SOUTHERN INDIANA BASEBALL
USI STUMBLES LATE AT BALL STATE, 5-4
MUNCIE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Baseball could not hold off Ball State University and lost 5-4 Tuesday afternoon in Muncie, Indiana. USI is 10-14 overall after the non-conference contest, while Ball State goes to 17-9 this year.
Ball State took the initial lead with a solo home run in the bottom of the second before USI exploded for four runs in the top of the third. USI junior catcher Micajah Wall scored the first run of the frame on a wild pitch, while junior designated hitter Cole Kitchens hit a three-run bomb to right field for the 4-1 advantage.
The home run was Kitchens’ team-best fourth of the year. Kitchens also extended his team-best hitting streak to 13 games with his two-for-four performance.
USI would maintain its three-run lead until the bottom of the seventh when Ball State scored a run to cut the Eagles’ advantage to 4-2. The Cardinals eliminated the Eagles’ advantage in the bottom of the eighth, posting three runs to pull in front, 5-4, before setting USI down in order in the ninth to finish the contest.
On the mound during a staff day for the Eagles, freshman right-hander Sage Stout took the loss in for USI. Stout threw a third of an inning, allowing three runs on two hits and two walks.
Up Next for the Eagles:
The Eagles return home to the USI Baseball Field March 28-30 when the Eagles host the University of Arkansas at Little Rock for a three-game OVC series. The USI-Little Rock series starts Friday, continues Saturday at 3 p.m., and concludes Sunday at 1 p.m.
Saturday’s game is Jersey Day at the USI Baseball Field. Fans wearing a jersey to the game will receive a free popcorn and will have a chance to win St. Louis Cardinals tickets in a sixth-inning drawing.
Little Rock, which hosts the University of Louisiana Monroe Wednesday before traveling to Evansville, is 9-15 overall this season and started OVC play by going 0-3 versus Tennessee Tech University.
The Trojans lead the all-time series with USI, 5-1, after taking three of four last spring. Little Rock swept the regular season series in 2024, while USI won the meeting in the 2024 OVC Tournament, 2-0, in Marion, Illinois.
VALPO MEN’S GOLF
DELISANTI FINISHES AS RUNNER-UP AT MOBILE BAY INTERCOLLEGIATE
The Valparaiso University men’s golf senior Anthony Delisanti (Sanborn, N.Y. / Niagara Wheatfield) finished as the individual runner-up at the Mobile Bay Intercollegiate, hosted by South Alabama at the par-71, 7239-yard Magnolia Grove Falls Course in Mobile, Ala. this week. His effort helped Valpo finish tied for third in a 13-team field. The teams concluded the tournament on Tuesday by closing out the second round and golfing the third round after Monday’s play was disrupted by weather.
How It Happened
Delisanti posted a glowing second round with a 63 (-8) before finishing the tournament with a Round-3 score of 71 (E). In his majestic second round, Delisanti had par or better on 17 of 18 holes including seven birdies and an eagle on the par-5 10th hole. He also went par or better in 17 of 18 holes in Round 3, hitting par exactly on 16 of those holes.
Delisanti finished the tournament with a 201 (-12), placing second in a 78-player field. He was four strokes behind South Alabama’s Hugo Thyr, who was the individual medalist, and beat Auburn’s Cayden Pope by two strokes for second.
Golfing as an individual, sophomore Adam Melliere (Zionsville, Ind. / Zionsville) had the best score of any Beacon in Tuesday’s third round, stroking a 68 (-3) to finish the tournament at t-23 with a 54-hole score of 216 (+3). He birdied five holes in Round 3.
Senior Sam Booth (Carmel, Ind. / Carmel) finished one stroke behind Melliere for the tournament at 217, tied for 27th. All six Beacons playing in the tournament had scores of 74 or better in the third and final round.
Valpo bettered its score by 10 strokes from Round 1 to Round 2, posting a 279 (-5) in the second round before finishing the event with a 287 (+3) for a 54-hole score of 855 (+3). The Beacons tied for third of 13, even with Jackson State and behind only South Alabama and UCF. Valpo’s second-round score was the best of any team in the field.
Inside the Rounds
Delisanti’s Round-2 score of 63 tied a season best and was one stroke behind his career best. He also carded a 63 in the second round of the Ram Masters Invitational in September and his personal best of 62 came in the second round of the National Golf Invitational last May. His second round in this tournament tied for second in program history for 18-hole overall score.
Delisanti’s 18-hole score in relation to par of eight under marked a season best and ranks second in program history behind his program record of -10 in the second round of the NGI last season.
Delisanti’s 54-hole tournament score of 201 ranks tied for third in program history. Delisanti’s 197 from this year’s Ram Masters Invitational is the program record.
In relation to par, Delisanti’s 54-hole score of -12 ranks tied for seventh in program history.
Valpo’s team score of 855 (+3) was its second best of the season both overall and in relation to par. The 855 ranks tied for eighth in program history.
Delisanti led the tournament in par-3 scoring at 2.75 and tied for the tournament lead in par-5 scoring average at 4.33. His 14 birdies were tied for fourth in the field.
As a team, Valpo tied for second in the tournament in par-3 scoring at 3.08.
Delisanti had his fifth top-10 finish of the season and the 25th of his collegiate career.
Thoughts from Head Coach Dave Gring
“Our team is starting to get into a better rhythm with this spring season. We had our challenges in the first two tournaments, but this was our best tournament of the spring and our second best all year. Our ball-striking was much improved and our short game continues to get sharper, especially our chipping around the greens. We still have too many 3-putts and we’re leaving a lot of putts inside of eight feet on the course, so we will continue to focus on our green reading and speed.”
“In our second round, we really played some very efficient golf. Despite the wet conditions, we beat the entire field in score and our execution was very sharp. We had 19 birdies and an eagle and that production was spread across the entire team. We played the back nine at eight under with only three bogeys for the scores that counted. The guys were feeding off the team scoring momentum during the round, and it was a lot of fun to be a part of it.”
“We ran out of daylight in finishing Monday’s round, so we played 21 holes today. I was bummed that we couldn’t play in the final group, since we couldn’t reshuffle after finishing the second round. We actually had a terrific start with the third round, getting it to five under through nine holes. We played the last five holes of the back nine at seven over and no birdies, so that was a tough stretch for us. In the last six holes, we played those at three over, so we weren’t able to get back to red figures under par for the finish.”
“We had lots of positive takeaways from the tournament. Adam improved every round, and he had his best round of the season today. We had a lot of consistent scoring out of Sam Booth and Elliot for all three rounds. Sam Schmidt finished with two solid rounds and Rob finished with his best round of the year. It was a lot of fun to watch Anthony play at an exceptional level in the second round, stay in contention to win into the final nine holes and finish with another individual runner-up accolade. We’re excited to compete again and carry the momentum forward.
Up Next
The Beacons will participate in the Golfweek/AGT Intercollegiate beginning on Monday, March 31 at True Blue Golf Course in Myrtle Beach, S.C. A link to live scoring will be available on ValpoAthletics.com.
PURDUE BASEBALL
PURDUE PREVAILS IN MIDWEEK MATCHUP
The Valparaiso University baseball team had hopes of knocking off a third Big Ten Conference team this season, but host Purdue prevailed 6-3 on Tuesday at Alexander Field in West Lafayette. The Beacons jumped out to the early lead, but the Boilermakers had single tallies in four straight innings from the second to the fifth on the way to securing their 20th win of the season.
How It Happened
Valpo started the scoring in the second inning, a frame that started with two outs and nobody on base. Austin Amburgey (Miamisburg, Ohio / Miamisburg) singled to start a string of three straight Beacons reaching base and eventually came around to score the game’s first run on a wild pitch.
Purdue manufactured a run in the second inning, using a bunt and a sac fly to push across the tying tallying.
The Boilermakers did take the lead in the third, but it was no reason to sound the alarms as Ryan Kruse (Detroit, Mich. / U of D Jesuit) worked out of the inning with minimal damage. The hosts had the bases full with nobody out and a chance for more, but Kruse recorded a strikeout and inducted an inning-ending double play.
A solo homer in the fourth expanded the Purdue lead to 3-1. Valpo loaded the bases with one away in the fifth, but Purdue made a pitching change and escaped the jam with back-to-back strikeouts.
The Boilermakers picked up a single tally again in the fifth, making it a 4-1 lead. Alexander Morrison (Pasadena, Calif. / Canyon) was summoned from the bullpen with two outs and a runner at third, and worked out of the jam, stranding the runner 90 feet away.
Senior Connor Giusti (Hoffman Estates, Ill. / Fremd) led off the sixth with a solo home run, cutting the Purdue lead to two at 4-2.
Senior Kolt Davis (Johnson, Neb. / Johnson-Brock) pitched a scoreless sixth.
Freshman Nick Baffa (Glenview, Ill. / Notre Dame College Prep) entered the game with two on and nobody out in the seventh and worked out of the jam, ending the inning with consecutive strikeouts to keep the deficit at two.
The Beacons pulled within a run as Spencer Warfield (Fullerton, Calif. / Servite) drew a leadoff walk in the eighth and scampered home on a sac fly by Kade Reinertson (Huxley, Iowa / Ballard).
Purdue picked up two in the bottom of the eighth to expand the lead to 6-3. Adam Guazzo (Huntley, Ill. / Huntley) came in and limited the damage as he was not charged with a run while allowing no hits and striking out two in one inning.
Inside the Game
Giusti’s home run was his third of the season and the 10th of his two-year Valpo career.
Thaxton had two hits to lead the team.
Purdue held a 9-6 edge in the hit column. Giusti’s homer and a double by Liam Patton (Barrington, Ill. / Warsaw) accounted for Valpo’s extra-base knocks.
The Beacons issued only three walks while Purdue pitching walked seven. However, the Beacon pitching staff did hit five batters.
Nine Valpo pitchers took the mound, led by Davis, Baffa and Guazzo who each pitched one inning without being charged with a run.
Valpo already has wins over Illinois and Ohio State this season and was hoping to beat a third different Big Ten Conference team.
Up Next
The Beacons (5-16) will open up a three-game weekend series at Evansville on Friday night. The game will start at 6 p.m. and will be carried on ESPN+.
INDIANA SMALL COLLEGE WEB SITES
UINDY ATHLETICS: https://athletics.uindy.edu/
MARIAN ATHLETICS: https://muknights.com/
INDIANA WESLEYAN ATHLETICS: https://iwuwildcats.com/
EARLHAM ATHLETICS: https://goearlham.com/
WABASH ATHLETICS: https://sports.wabash.edu/
FRANKLIN ATHLETICS: https://franklingrizzlies.com/
ROSE-HULMAN ATHLETICS: https://athletics.rose-hulman.edu/
ANDERSON ATHLETICS: https://athletics.anderson.edu/landing/index
TRINE ATHLETICS: https://trinethunder.com/landing/index
BETHEL ATHLETICS: https://bupilots.com/
DEPAUW ATHLETICS: https://depauwtigers.com/
HANOVER ATHLETICS: https://athletics.hanover.edu/
MANCHESTER ATHLETICS: https://muspartans.com/
HUNTINGTON ATHLETICS: https://www.huathletics.com/
OAKLAND CITY ATHLETICS: https://gomightyoaks.com/index.aspx
ST. FRANCIS ATHLETICS: https://www.saintfranciscougars.com/landing/index
IU KOKOMO ATHLETICS: https://iukcougars.com/
IU EAST ATHLETICS: https://www.iueredwolves.com/
IU SOUTH BEND ATHLETICS: https://iusbtitans.com/
PURDUE NORTHWEST ATHLETICS: https://pnwathletics.com/
INDIANA TECH ATHLETICS: https://indianatechwarriors.com/index.aspx
GRACE COLLEGE ATHLETICS: https://gclancers.com/
ST. MARY OF THE WOODS ATHLETICS: https://smwcathletics.com/
GOSHEN COLLEGE ATHLETICS: https://goleafs.net/
HOLY CROSS ATHLETICS: https://www.hcsaints.com/index.php
TAYLOR ATHLETICS: https://www.taylortrojans.com/
VINCENNES ATHLETICS: https://govutrailblazers.com/landing/index
“SPORTS EXTRA”
TODAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY
1936 Two future Hall of Famers sign modest contracts with their respective teams. The Tigers ink 25-year-old first baseman Hank Greenberg, who will miss most of the season with an injured wrist, for $20,000, and 31-year-old right-hander Red Ruffing, who will post a 20-12 record, comes to terms with the Yankees for $12,000.
1951 During a spring exhibition game against the University of Southern California at Bovard Field, Mickey Mantle, batting left-handed, hit a home run off Tom Lovrich, estimated to have traveled 650 feet. The 19-year-old rookie’s performance, which includes a single, triple, and another homer, is one of the highlights of the Yankees’ first-ever West Coast trip.
1957 The police arrest Yankee manager Casey Stengel and then released him on $50 bail after allegedly kicking newspaper photographer Branan Sanders of the St. Petersburg Independent. The alleged altercation occurred in the first inning when the former World War II Associated Press photojournalist came into the Yankee dugout after being told he was obstructing the team’s view of their opponents.
1960 Due to Cuba’s political unrest, Miami becomes the new venue for the Orioles-Reds series, initially scheduled for Havana. Having a farm team on the island, Cincinnati wanted to play the exhibition games as planned, but Baltimore’s team president, Lee MacPhail, feared for his players’ safety.
1974 “I said that there’d come a time when somebody would take my job away and the time came. That’s the way the ball bounces. I was the same way when I broke in with the White Sox. If I came, someone had to go. Baseball is like life; it goes on no matter what.” – LUIS APARICIO, commenting on his unconditional release by the Red Sox. After playing well for the team last season, the Red Sox drop two future Hall of Famers, releasing designated hitter Orlando Cepeda (1999) and infielder Luis Aparicio (1984). Cepeda was considered one of the best DHs in the American League with 86 RBIs, 20 home runs, and a .289 average, with Aparicio hitting a respectable .271 in 132 games, the best mark among shortstops in the league.
1976 The American League votes to expand to Toronto, awarding the franchise to a group led by Labatt’s Breweries (45%) that eventually purchases the team for $7 million. At first, the decision appeared in peril when President Gerald Ford attempted to pressure MLB to give the expansion franchise to Washington, D.C., a city without a major league team since the expansion Senators moved to Arlington (TX) to become the Rangers following the 1972 season.
1977 The Red Sox releases fan-favorite Rico Petrocelli, a future inductee to the club’s Hall of Fame in 1997 who batted .251 and hit 210 home runs during his 13 seasons with Boston. The two-time All-Star infielder calls it quits, spending his career entirely with Boston, playing a vital role in the team’s 1967 and 1975 American League pennants.
1984 In a spring training deal, the Phillies trade outfielders Gary Matthews, Bob Dernier, and right-handed reliever Porfi Altamirano to the Cubs for right-hander Bill Campbell and Mike Diaz, a utility player. The former Philadelphia fly chasers, who will each receive consideration for the MVP award, play a pivotal role in Chicago’s first-place finish this season in the National League Eastern Division.
1984 President Ronald Reagan awards Jackie Robinson, who broke baseball’s color line playing for the Dodgers in 1947, the Presidential Medal of Freedom posthumously. On behalf of her late husband, Rachel Robinson accepts the award, the highest civilian honor given in the United States.
1997 The Expos trade Cliff Floyd to Marlins for right-hander Dustin Hermanson and outfielder Joe Orsulak. The presence of Montreal’s highly-touted prospect Vladimir Guerrero made their former fly-catcher expendable after he spent the first four major league seasons with the Canadian team.
2000 The demolition of Kingdome takes less than 20 seconds, thanks to 5,800 holes filled with gelatin dynamite ignited by 21.6 miles of detonation cord. The former home of the Mariners, the venue of no-hitters by Randy Johnson (1990 vs. Tigers) and Chris Bosio (1993 vs. Red Sox), is now a 65-foot mound of rubble.
TODAY IN SPORTS HISTORY
March 26
1944 — St. John’s, coached by Joe Lapchick, cruises by DePaul 47-39 to become the first back-to-back winner of the National Invitation Tournament.
1946 — Hank Iba’s Oklahoma A&M Aggies beat North Carolina 43-40 for their second straight NCAA men’s basketball title. Bob Kurland scores 23 points, including the first two dunks in NCAA tournament history.
1949 — Alex Groza leads Kentucky to a 46-36 victory over Oklahoma State for the NCAA championship.
1952 — Kansas’ Clyde Lovelette scores 33 points to lead the Jayhawks to a 80-63 win over St. John’s for the NCAA basketball title.
1972 — The Los Angeles Lakers beat Seattle 124-98 to finish the season at 69-13, the best record in NBA history, until the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls finish at 72-10.
1973 — Bill Walton scores 44 points to help UCLA win its record seventh NCAA basketball championship with an 87-66 triumph over Memphis State.
1974 — George Foreman knocks out Ken Norton in the second round in Caracas, Venezuela, to retain the world heavyweight title.
1994 — Utah’s John Stockton becomes the second player in NBA history to collect 2,000 career steals. Stockton gets a pair of steals during a 98-83 loss at Houston to join Maurice Cheeks, who finished his career with 2,310 steals.
2005 — In the NCAA men’s basketball regional finals, Louisville and Illinois make tremendous comebacks to force overtime and advance. Louisville, trailing by 20 to a West Virginia, complete an amazing come-from-behind 93-85 win. Illinois, trailing by 15 with just four minutes to play, went on a dazzling 20-5 run to send Arizona to a crushing 90-89 defeat.
2006 — George Mason stuns No. 1 seed Connecticut 86-84 in overtime to become the first No. 11 seed to reach the men’s Final Four since LSU in 1986.
2011 — Shelvin Mack scores 27 points, including five in overtime, as Butler returns to the Final Four with a 74-71 victory over Florida in the Southeast regional.
2012 — Jaime Alas scores in stoppage time and El Salvador forges a 3-3 tie that ousts the United States from Olympic qualifying. The Americans miss the Olympics for the second time since 1976.
2016 — Breanna Stewart has 22 points, 14 rebounds and five blocks to lead No. 1 UConn to a 98-38 record rout of fifth-seeded Mississippi State in the Bridgeport regional semifinals. The victory supplants the record 51-point win the Huskies had over Texas in the regional semifinals last year that set the NCAA record for margin of victory in the regional rounds and beyond.
2017 — Luke Maye hits a jumper with 0.3 seconds left, and top-seeded North Carolina holds off Kentucky 75-73 in the South Regional to earn a second straight trip to the Final Four and 20th all-time.
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March 27
1939 — Oregon beats Ohio State 46-33 in the NCAA’s first national basketball tournament.
1942 — Joe Louis knocks out Abe Simon in the sixth round at Madison Square Garden to retain his world heavyweight title.
1945 — Oklahoma A&M beats New York University 49-45 for the NCAA basketball championship.
1951 — Bill Spivey scores 22 points to lead Kentucky to a 68-58 win over Kansas State for the NCAA basketball title.
1960 — The Boston Celtics score a then NBA Finals record 76 points in the first half a 140-122 win over the St. Louis Hawks. Tom Heinsohn (24), Bill Sharman (23), Frank Ramsey (22) and Bob Cousy (20) each score 20-or-more points to win the series opener.
1971 — UCLA beats Villanova 68-62 for its fifth NCAA basketball title.
1978 — Jack Givens scores 41 points to lead Kentucky to a 94-88 victory over Duke for the NCAA basketball title.
1983 — Larry Holmes wins a unanimous 12-round decision over Lucien Rodriguez to retain his world heavyweight title in his hometown of Scranton, Pa.
2005 — Annika Sorenstam shoots a final-round 68 to finish at 15-under to win the Nabisco Championship by eight shots over Rosie Jones. It’s he 59th victory of the Swedish star’s LPGA Tour career — and her eighth major championship win.
2010 — Long shot Al Shemali wins the $5 million Dubai Duty Free, pulling away from a crowded field to pull off a surprisingly easy win in the Dubai World Cup. Al Shemali, at 40-1, starts slow then duels it out with Bankable before taking the lead for good.
2011 — Jamie Skeen scores 26 points as Virginia Commonwealth delivers the biggest upset of the NCAA tournament, a 71-61 win over No. 1 seed Kansas in the Southwest Regional final.
2014 — The Philadelphia 76ers tie the NBA record for futility with their 26th straight loss, falling 120-98 to the Houston Rockets. Philadelphia matches the 2010-11 Cleveland Cavaliers for the NBA’s worst skid.
2017 — UConn’s women’s basketball team advance to its 10th consecutive Final Four with a 90-52 victory against Oregon. The victory moves coach Geno Auriemma past Pat Summitt for the most NCAA Tournament victories at 113.
TV SPORTS WEDNESDAY
| NBA REGULAR SEASON | TIME ET | TV |
| Washington Wizards vs Philadelphia 76ers | 7:00pm | MNMT NBCS-PHI |
| Los Angeles Lakers vs Indiana Pacers | 7:30pm | ESPN Spectrum FanDuel Sports IND |
| Toronto Raptors vs Brooklyn Nets | 7:30pm | Sportsnet YES |
| Los Angeles Clippers vs New York Knicks | 7:30pm | FanDuel Sports SoCal MSG |
| Milwaukee Bucks vs Denver Nuggets | 9:00pm | ALT FanDuel Sports WI |
| Boston Celtics vs Phoenix Suns | 10:00pm | ESPN NBCS-BOS AFSN |
| NHL REGULAR SEASON | TIME ET | TV |
| New Jersey Devils vs Chicago Blackhawks | 7:30pm | TNT truTV MAX |
| Vancouver Canucks vs New York Islanders | 7:30pm | ESPN+ Sportsnet MSGSN |
| Dallas Stars vs Edmonton Oilers | 10:00pm | TNT truTV MAX |
| Boston Bruins vs Anaheim Ducks | 10:00pm | ESPN+ NESN Victory+ |
| MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL | TIME ET | TV |
| NIT Quarterfinals: Kent State at Loyola Chicago | 7:00pm | ESPN2 |
| NIT Quarterfinals: UAB at UC Irvine | 9:00pm | ESPN2 |