Indiana State super regional-bound; Indiana, UIndy still alive

By STEVE KRAH
http://www.IndianaRBI.com

Indiana State (45-15) swept its way to the program’s first NCAA regional baseball championship since 1986.
Hosting the Terre Haute Regional, the Sycamores bested Wright State 6-5 and Iowa 7-4 and 11-8 and now await a super regional June 9-11 or June 10-12. The match-up is to be determined. Best-of-three super regional winners go to the College World Series June 16-26 in Omaha, Neb.
The last time ISU won a regional head coach Mitch Hannahs was a player. The 1986 Sycamores — coached by Hall of Famer Bob Warn — went to the College World Series.

Indiana (43-19) face a winner-take-all game against Kentucky at 6 p.m. today (June 5) in the Lexington Regional.
The Jeff Mercer-coached Hoosiers beat West Virginia 12-6 and Kentucky 5-3 before losing 16-6 to Kentucky.
The winner moves on to a super regional.

Ball State (36-23) went 0-2 at the Lexington Regional, losing 4-0 to Kentucky and 13-5 to West Virginia.
The Cardinals have made five regional appearances with Rich Maloney as head coach — 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2023.

Indianapolis (39-20) faces an elimination game today (June 5) at the NCAA D-II World Series in Cary, N.C.
The Al Ready-coached Greyhounds were edged 6-5 by Millersville in their first bracket contest.

Indiana Wesleyan (41-20-1) went 2-2 in its first appearance in the NAIA World Series in Lewiston, Idaho.
In Rich Benjamin’s final season with the Wildcats, IWU lost to Lewis-Clark State, beat Bellevue and Georgia Gwinnett and lost to Southeastern.
Kyle Gould-coached Taylor (42-17) — making its second World Series appearance and first since 1969 — also went 2-2, beating MidAmerica Nazarene and Georgia Gwinnett before bowing to Westmont and Lewis-Clark State.

The state’s longest current win streaks belong to Indiana State (4).

Below are season records, weekly results and links to web pages, schedules and statistics for all 39 programs.

INDIANA COLLEGE BASEBALL
Records Through June 4
NCAA D-I
Indiana State 45-15 (24-3 MVC)
Indiana 43-19 (16-8 Big Ten)
Ball State 36-23 (19-11 MAC)
Evansville 37-24 (15-12 MVC)
Notre Dame 30-24 (15-15 ACC)
Purdue 24-29 (11-13 Big Ten)
Valparaiso 20-27 (10-17 MVC)
Southern Indiana 17-38 (8-15 OVC)
Purdue Fort Wayne 13-43 (8-22 Horizon)
Butler 12-43 (5-16 Big East)

Schedule Links
Ball State
Butler
Evansville
Indiana
Indiana State
Notre Dame
Purdue
Purdue Fort Wayne
Southern Indiana
Valparaiso

Stat Links
Ball State
Butler
Evansville
Indiana
Indiana State
Notre Dame
Purdue
Purdue Fort Wayne
Southern Indiana
Valparaiso

NCAA D-II
Indianapolis 39-20 (17-15 GLVC)
Purdue Northwest 16-35 (9-21 GLIAC)

Schedule Links
Indianapolis
Purdue Northwest

Stat Links
Indianapolis
Purdue Northwest

NCAA D-III
Franklin 33-13 (18-4 HCAC)
Anderson 27-19 (12-10 HCAC)
Wabash 24-18 (8-8 NCAC)
Rose-Hulman 23-21 (13-9 HCAC)
Manchester 22-20 (12-10 HCAC)
Earlham 20-18 (10-12 HCAC)
Hanover 16-23 (10-12 HCAC)
Trine 15-24 (6-15 MIAA)
DePauw 12-26 (4-12 NCAC)

Schedule Links
Anderson
DePauw
Earlham
Franklin
Hanover
Manchester
Rose-Hulman
Trine
Wabash

Stat Links
Anderson
DePauw
Earlham
Franklin
Hanover
Manchester
Rose-Hulman
Trine
Wabash

NAIA
Taylor 42-17 (30-6 CL)
Indiana Wesleyan 41-20-1 (26-10 CL)
Huntington 38-16 (27-9 CL)
Oakland City 34-24 (13-14 RSC)
Indiana Tech 33-17 (18-12 WHAC)
IU Southeast 33-20 (20-7 RSC)
Saint Francis 29-25 (21-15 CL)
IU-Kokomo 28-21 (17-10 RSC)
IU South Bend 24-25 (15-10 CCAC)
Grace 21-27 (13-23 CL)
Bethel 19-30 (12-24 CL)
Marian 17-31 (11-25 CL)
Calumet of St. Joseph 17-32-1 (9-17-1 CCAC)
Goshen 10-38 (6-30 CL)
IUPU-Columbus 5-41

Schedule Links
Bethel
Calumet of St. Joseph
Goshen
Grace
Huntington
IU-Kokomo
IUPU-Columbus
IU South Bend
IU Southeast
Indiana Tech
Indiana Wesleyan
Marian
Oakland City
Saint Francis
Taylor

Stat Links
Bethel
Calumet of St. Joseph
Goshen
Grace
Huntington
IU-Kokomo
IUPU-Columbus
IU South Bend
IU Southeast
Indiana Tech
Indiana Wesleyan
Marian
Oakland City
Saint Francis
Taylor

Junior College
Ivy Tech Northeast 29-19
Vincennes 25-33 (13-19 MWAC)
Marian’s Ancilla 9-37-1 (8-17 MCCAA)

Schedule Links
Ivy Tech Northeast
Marian’s Ancilla
Vincennes

Stat Links
Ivy Tech Northeast
Marian’s Ancilla
Vincennes

Through June 4
NCAA D-I
Terre Haute Regional
Friday, June 2
Indiana State 6, Wright State 5
Iowa 5, North Carolina 4

Saturday, June 3
Indiana State 7, Iowa 4
Iowa 6, North Carolina 5

Sunday, June 4
Championship
Indiana State 11, Iowa 8

Lexington Regional
Friday, June 2
Kentucky 4, Ball State 0
Indiana 12, West Virginia 6

Saturday, June 3
West Virginia 13, Ball State 5
Indiana 5, Kentucky 3

Sunday, June 4
Kentucky 10, West Virginia 0
Kentucky 16, Indiana 6

Monday, June 5
Championship
Kentucky vs. Indiana

NCAA D-II
World Series
(At Cary, N.C.)
Bracket 1
Saturday, June 3
Rollins 7, Cal State San Bernadino 1
Millersville 6, Indianapolis 5

Monday, June 5
Cal State San Bernadino vs. Indianapolis
Rollins vs. Millersville

Wednesday, June 7
Game 9

Thursday, June 8
Game 11

Friday, June 9
Game 13

Bracket 2
Sunday, June 4
Southern New Hampshire 6, Angelo State 3
Augustana 7, North Greenville 2

Tuesday, June 6
Angelo State vs. North Greenville
Southern New Hampshire vs. Augustana

Wednesday, June 7
Game 10

Thursday, June 8
Game 12

Friday, June 9
Game 14

Saturday, June 10
Championship
Bracket 1 winner vs. Bracket 2 winner

NAIA
World Series
(At Lewiston, Idaho)
Monday, May 29
Indiana Wesleyan 11, Georgia Gwinnett 10
Lewis-Clark State 16, MidAmerica Nazarene 7
Westmont 15, Taylor 9
William Carey 13, Southeastern 4

Tuesday, May 30
Lewis-Clark State 8, Taylor 3
Southeastern 6, Indiana Wesleyan 4
Westmont 7, William Carey 3

Wednesday, May 31
Lewis-Clark State 15, William Carey 6
Southeastern 10, Westmont 3

Thursday, June 1
Westmont 6, Southeastern 4

Friday, June 2
Championship
Westmont 7, Lewis-Clark State 6

Advertisement

UIndy to D-II World Series; Indiana State, Ball State win conference tourneys

By STEVE KRAH
http://www.IndianaRBI.com

The Greyhounds had another chance to dogpile and the Sycamores kept rolling along.
That was the past week for baseball teams at the University of Indianapolis and Indiana State University.
UIndy — a No. 7 seed when the postseason began — beat Quincy twice on its own field to win a super regional and the Al Ready-coached Greyhounds (39-19) earned a spot in the NCAA Division II World Series June 3-10 in Cary, N.C.
No. 1 seed Indiana State followed a Missouri Valley Conference regular-season title with a MVC tournament championship on its own field — besting Evansville in the “if necessary” game to clinch the eighth tourney title in program history.
The Mitch Hannahs-coached Sycamores (42-14 overall and 34-4 in its last 38 games) will now host an NCAA Division I regional. The selections will be announced later today (May 29).

Also, No. 3 seed Ball State won the Mid-American Conference tournament title at Kent State and await an NCAA regional assignment.
The Rich Maloney-coached Cardinals (36-21) were swept by the Golden Flashes May 18-20 in Muncie then topped Central Michigan once and Kent State twice in tournament play.

No. 2 seed Indiana went 1-2 in the Big Ten tournament. The Jeff Mercer-coached Hoosiers (41-18) and Ball State were both assigned to the Lexington Regional.

Seasons ended in conference tournaments for No. 4 seed Evansville (Missouri Valley), No. 8 seed Notre Dame (Atlantic Coast), No. 8 seed Southern Indiana (Ohio Valley) and No. 6 seed Purdue Fort Wayne (Horizon League).
At 37-24, Evansville produced its most wins since 2006.

The NCAA Division I RPI (Rating Percentage Index) rankings through May 28 has Wake Forest as the overall No. 1.
Among the state’s schools, Indiana State is No. 9, Indiana No. 30, Notre Dame No. 54, Evansville No. 72, Ball State No. 101, Valparaiso No. 149, Purdue No. 207, Butler No. 236, Southern Indiana No. 275 and Purdue Fort Wayne 276.
After conference tournaments comes the national tournament selection announcement on Monday, May 29 (Memorial Day).

Heading into Memorial Day games, Taylor was 2-0 and Indiana Wesleyan 1-1 in the NAIA World Series in Lewiston, Idaho. The Kyle Gould-coached Trojans are 42-15. The Rich Benjamin-coached Wildcats are 40-19-1.

No. 5 seed Oakland City went 1-2 at the National Christian College Athletic Association World Series in Kansas City, Mo.
The Andy Lasher-coached Mighty Oaks beat No. 4 seed Toccoa Falls and lost to No. 1 seed and eventual champion Mid-America Christian and No. 9 seed Trinity Christian.
Oakland City (34-24) set a single-season school record for victories for the second straight year.

The state’s longest current win streaks belong to Indianapolis (5), Taylor (5) and Ball State (3).

Below are season records, weekly results and links to web pages, schedules and statistics for all 39 programs.

INDIANA COLLEGE BASEBALL
Records Through May 28
NCAA D-I
Indiana State 42-15 (24-3 MVC)
Indiana 41-18 (16-8 Big Ten)
Ball State 36-21 (19-11 MAC)
Evansville 37-24 (15-12 MVC)
Notre Dame 30-24 (15-15 ACC)
Purdue 24-29 (11-13 Big Ten)
Valparaiso 20-27 (10-17 MVC)
Southern Indiana 17-38 (8-15 OVC)
Purdue Fort Wayne 13-43 (8-22 Horizon)
Butler 12-43 (5-16 Big East)

Schedule Links
Ball State
Butler
Evansville
Indiana
Indiana State
Notre Dame
Purdue
Purdue Fort Wayne
Southern Indiana
Valparaiso

Stat Links
Ball State
Butler
Evansville
Indiana
Indiana State
Notre Dame
Purdue
Purdue Fort Wayne
Southern Indiana
Valparaiso

NCAA D-II
Indianapolis 39-19 (17-15 GLVC)
Purdue Northwest 16-35 (9-21 GLIAC)

Schedule Links
Indianapolis
Purdue Northwest

Stat Links
Indianapolis
Purdue Northwest

NCAA D-III
Franklin 33-13 (18-4 HCAC)
Anderson 27-19 (12-10 HCAC)
Wabash 24-18 (8-8 NCAC)
Rose-Hulman 23-21 (13-9 HCAC)
Manchester 22-20 (12-10 HCAC)
Earlham 20-18 (10-12 HCAC)
Hanover 16-23 (10-12 HCAC)
Trine 15-24 (6-15 MIAA)
DePauw 12-26 (4-12 NCAC)

Schedule Links
Anderson
DePauw
Earlham
Franklin
Hanover
Manchester
Rose-Hulman
Trine
Wabash

Stat Links
Anderson
DePauw
Earlham
Franklin
Hanover
Manchester
Rose-Hulman
Trine
Wabash

NAIA
Taylor 42-15 (30-6 CL)
Indiana Wesleyan 40-19-1 (26-10 CL)
Huntington 38-16 (27-9 CL)
Oakland City 34-24 (13-14 RSC)
Indiana Tech 33-17 (18-12 WHAC)
IU Southeast 33-20 (20-7 RSC)
Saint Francis 29-25 (21-15 CL)
IU-Kokomo 28-21 (17-10 RSC)
IU South Bend 24-25 (15-10 CCAC)
Grace 21-27 (13-23 CL)
Bethel 19-30 (12-24 CL)
Marian 17-31 (11-25 CL)
Calumet of St. Joseph 17-32-1 (9-17-1 CCAC)
Goshen 10-38 (6-30 CL)
IUPU-Columbus 5-41

Schedule Links
Bethel
Calumet of St. Joseph
Goshen
Grace
Huntington
IU-Kokomo
IUPU-Columbus
IU South Bend
IU Southeast
Indiana Tech
Indiana Wesleyan
Marian
Oakland City
Saint Francis
Taylor

Stat Links
Bethel
Calumet of St. Joseph
Goshen
Grace
Huntington
IU-Kokomo
IUPU-Columbus
IU South Bend
IU Southeast
Indiana Tech
Indiana Wesleyan
Marian
Oakland City
Saint Francis
Taylor

Junior College
Ivy Tech Northeast 29-19
Vincennes 25-33 (13-19 MWAC)
Marian’s Ancilla 9-37-1 (8-17 MCCAA)

Schedule Links
Ivy Tech Northeast
Marian’s Ancilla
Vincennes

Stat Links
Ivy Tech Northeast
Marian’s Ancilla
Vincennes

Through May 28
NCAA D-I
Missouri Valley Conference Tournament
(At Terre Haute, Ind.)
Tuesday, May 23
Illinois-Chicago 10, Belmont 5
Murray State 11, Valparaiso 6

Wednesday, May 24
Evansville 7, Southern Illinois 3
Belmont 10, Valparaiso 9
Indiana State 8, Illinois-Chicago 5
Murray State 6, Missouri State 1

Thursday, May 25
Belmont 6, Southern Illinois 5
Missouri State 5, Illinois-Chicago 0
Indiana State 10, Belmont 0 (8 inn.)
Evansville 3, Murray State 2

Friday, May 26
Missouri State 4, Murray State 3
Indiana State 10, Evansville 1
Evansville 11, Missouri State 3

Saturday, May 27
Evansville 6, Indiana State 5
Championship
Indiana State 6, Evansville 0

Big Ten Conference Tournament
(At Omaha, Neb.)
Tuesday, May 23
Iowa 13, Michigan 3 (8 inn.)
Indiana 4, Illinois 3
Maryland 3, Michigan State 2

Wednesday, May 24
Nebraska 9, Rutgers 7
Michigan 6, Illinois 3

Thursday, May 25
Michigan State 6, Rutgers 4
Iowa 9, Indiana 4
Maryland 2, Nebraska 1 (10 inn.)

Friday, May 26
Michigan 13, Indiana 6
Nebraska 4, Michigan State 0

Saturday, May 27
Iowa 5, Michigan 0
Maryland 4, Nebraska 2

Sunday, May 28
Championship
Maryland 4, Iowa 0

Mid-America Conference Tournament
(At Kent, Ind.)
Wednesday, May 24
Kent State 6, Western Michigan 4
Ball State 7, Central Michigan 6

Thursday, May 25
Central Michigan 5, Western Michigan 2
Ball State 6, Kent State 1

Friday, May 26
Kent State 10, Central Michigan 2

Saturday, May 27
Championship
Ball State 12, Kent State 9

Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament
(At Durham, N.C.)
Tuesday, May 23
Boston College 11, Virginia Tech 7
North Carolina 11, Georgia Tech 5
North Carolina State 8, Duke 7

Wednesday, May 24
Pittsburgh 9, Notre Dame 5
Virginia 15, Georgia Tech 1 (7 inn.)
Clemson 14, Virginia Tech 5

Thursday, May 25
Wake Forest 10, Pittsburgh 2
North Carolina 10, Virginia 2
Miami 4, North Carolina State 2

Friday, May 26
Clemson 4, Boston College 1
Miami 7, Duke 6
Wake Forest 7, Notre Dame 5

Saturday, May 27
Miami 7, Wake Forest 2
Clemson 10, North Carolina 4

Sunday, May 28
Championship
Clemson 11, Miami 5

Ohio Valley Conference Tournament
(At Marion, Ill.)
Wednesday, May 24
Eastern Illinois 5, Southern Indiana 4
Tennessee Tech 4, Southern Illinois-Edwardsville 0
Eastern Illinois 7, Southeast Missouri 6
Tennessee Tech 7, Tennessee-Martin 3

Thursday, May 25
Morehead State 2, Eastern Illinois 1
Arkansas-Little Rock 4, Tennessee Tech 1
Eastern Illinois 8, Tennessee Tech 2

Friday, May 26
Morehead State 3, Arkansas-Little Rock 2
Eastern Illinois 5, Arkansas-Little Rock 1

Saturday, May 27
Championship
Eastern Illinois 6, Morehead State 5

Horizon League Tournament
(At Dayton, Ohio)
Wednesday, May 24
Milwaukee 12, Youngstown State 3
Northern Kentucky 6, Purdue Fort Wayne 3

Thursday, May 25
Wright State 6, Milwaukee 3
Oakland 13, Northern Kentucky 8
Milwaukee 10, Northern Kentucky 8

Friday, May 26
Oakland 6, Wright State 5
Wright State 2, Milwaukee 1

Saturday, May 27
Championship
Wright State 14, Oakland 0

NCAA D-II
Midwest Super Regional
(At Quincy, Ill.)
Friday, May 26
Indianapolis 4, Quincy 3
Saturday, May 27
Championship
Indianapolis 5, Quincy 2

NAIA
NAIA World Series
(At Lewiston, Idaho)
Friday, May 26
Taylor 6, MidAmerica Nazarene 5
Westmont 7, Cumberlands 3
William Carey 6, Bellevue 4
Lewis-Clark State 12, Indiana Wesleyan 4

Saturday, May 27
MidAmerica Nazarene 4, Cumberlands 3
Indiana Wesleyan 5, Bellevue 3
Taylor 23, Georgia Gwinnett 7
Southeastern 5, Lewis-Clark State 2

Sunday, May 28
No games

Monday, May 29
Georgia Gwinnett vs. Indiana Wesleyan
Lewis-Clark State vs. MidAmerica Nazarene
Taylor vs. Westmont
William Carey vs. Southeastern

Tuesday, May 30
3 games

Wednesday, May 31
2 games

Thursday, June 1
Championship

Friday, June 2
If necessary game

National Christian College World Series
(At Kansas City)
Monday, May 22
Mid-America Christian 6, Southwestern Christian 3
Trinity Christian 7, Oakland City 6
College of the Ozarks 10, Fort Lauderdale 1
Southwestern Christian 9, College of the Ozarks 8
Trinity Christian 11, Mid-America Christian 10

Tuesday, May 23
Southwestern 14, Trinity Christian 4 (8 inn.)
Championship
Mid-America Christian 3, Southwestern Christian 2 (10 inn.)

IWU, Taylor NAIA World Series-bound; UIndy, Oakland City, many D-I’s still playing

By STEVE KRAH
http://www.IndianaRBI.com

Two schools from the same conference and just over 10 miles apart in Grant County, Ind., will both represented at the 2023 NAIA World Series baseball tournament in Lewiston, Idaho.
Indiana Wesleyan University and Taylor University — the tournament and regular-season champions in the Crossroads League — went 3-0 in their respective Opening Round tourneys. The Rich Benjamin-coached Wildcats did it in Kingsport, Tenn., and the Kyle Gould-coached Trojans at home to punch their tickets.
Benjamin has announced that he will leave IWU to become athletic director at Mississinewa High School in Gas City, Ind., at the end of the season.
The final NAIA coaches’ poll came out May 10 and Taylor was No. 19. Indiana Wesleyan received votes.
It will be the first World Series appearance for IWU and the second for Taylor (the other trip came in 1969).
The 10-team event is Friday to Friday, May 26-June 2. The field also features MidAmerica Nazarene University (Olathe, Kan.) and Georgia Gwinnett University (Lawrenceville, Ga.).
MNU Pioneers head coach Ryan Thompson was a player and assistant at Bethel College (now Bethel University), a Crossroads League member in Mishawaka, Ind.
GGU Grizzlies head coach Jeremy Sheetinger was an assistant at Saint Joseph’s College in Rensselaer, Ind., early in his coaching career.

NCAA D-II Indianapolis beat No. 16-ranked Illinois-Springfield once and No. 25 Maryville twice in winning the D-II Midwest Regional in Springfield, Ill.
Next up for the Al Ready-coached Greyhounds is a best-of-three D-II Super Regional May 26-27 at Quincy (Ill.) University. The winner moves on to the NCAA D-II World Series June 3-10 in Cary, N.C.

Franklin College lost twice and was bumped from the NCAA D-III Birmingham (Ala.) Regional. The Lance Marshall-coached Grizzlies made it their after winning the program’s fourth Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference tournament title.

Oakland City University is 1-1 in the National Christian College Athletic Association World Series which resumes today (May 22) in Kansas City. The Andy Lasher-coached Mighty Oaks are also a part of the NAIA.
An elimination game puts OCU against Trinity Christian. Trolls head coach Adam Enright is a graduate of Munster (Ind.) High School and the University of Southern Indiana.

Chris Barney-coached Vincennes University was eliminated in the National Junior College Athletic Conference Region 24 tournament.

NCAA D-I conference tournaments are this week.
Regular-season champion and No. 1 seed Indiana State (coached by Mitch Hannahs) hosts the eight-team Missouri Valley May 23-27 in Terre Haute. Evansville (Wes Carroll) is the No. 4 seed and Valparaiso (Brian Schmack) No. 8.
No. 2 seed Indiana (Jeff Mercer) will be part of the eight-team Big Ten May 23-28 at Omaha, Neb.
Ball State (Rich Maloney) is the No. 3 seed in the Mid-American May 24-27 in Kent, Ohio.
No. 8 seed Notre Dame (Shawn Stiffler) is in the 12-team Atlantic Coast May 23-28 at Durham, N.C.
Southern Indiana (Tracy Archuleta) is the No. 8 seed in the eight-team Ohio Valley May 24-27 at Marion, Ill.
No. 6 seed Purdue Fort Wayne (Doug Schreiber) is in the six-team Horizon League May 24-27 at Dayton, Ohio.
Purdue did not qualify in the Big Ten and Butler did not make it in the Big East.

The state’s longest current win streaks belong to Indiana Wesleyan (6), Indiana State (5), Indianapolis (3) and Taylor (3).

The NCAA Division I RPI (Rating Percentage Index) rankings through May 21 has Wake Forest as the overall No. 1.
Among the state’s schools, Indiana State is No. 10, Indiana No. 27, Notre Dame No. 47, Evansville No. 87, Ball State No. 116, Valparaiso No. 135, Purdue No. 209, Butler No. 235, Purdue Fort Wayne No. 275 and Southern Indiana No. 276.
After conference tournaments comes the national tournament selection announcement on Monday, May 29 (Memorial Day).

Below are season records, weekly results and links to web pages, schedules and statistics for all 39 programs.

INDIANA COLLEGE BASEBALL
Records Through May 21
NCAA D-I
Indiana 40-16 (16-8 Big Ten)
Indiana State 38-14 (24-3 MVC)
Ball State 33-21 (19-11 MAC)
Evansville 33-22 (15-12 MVC)
Notre Dame 30-22 (15-15 ACC)
Purdue 24-29 (11-13 Big Ten)
Valparaiso 20-25 (10-17 MVC)
Southern Indiana 17-37 (8-15 OVC)
Butler 12-43 (5-16 Big East)
Purdue Fort Wayne 13-42 (8-22 Horizon)

Schedule Links
Ball State
Butler
Evansville
Indiana
Indiana State
Notre Dame
Purdue
Purdue Fort Wayne
Southern Indiana
Valparaiso

Stat Links
Ball State
Butler
Evansville
Indiana
Indiana State
Notre Dame
Purdue
Purdue Fort Wayne
Southern Indiana
Valparaiso

NCAA D-II
Indianapolis 37-19 (17-15 GLVC)
Purdue Northwest 16-35 (9-21 GLIAC)

Schedule Links
Indianapolis
Purdue Northwest

Stat Links
Indianapolis
Purdue Northwest

NCAA D-III
Franklin 33-13 (18-4 HCAC)
Anderson 27-19 (12-10 HCAC)
Wabash 24-18 (8-8 NCAC)
Rose-Hulman 23-21 (13-9 HCAC)
Manchester 22-20 (12-10 HCAC)
Earlham 20-18 (10-12 HCAC)
Hanover 16-23 (10-12 HCAC)
Trine 15-24 (6-15 MIAA)
DePauw 12-26 (4-12 NCAC)

Schedule Links
Anderson
DePauw
Earlham
Franklin
Hanover
Manchester
Rose-Hulman
Trine
Wabash

Stat Links
Anderson
DePauw
Earlham
Franklin
Hanover
Manchester
Rose-Hulman
Trine
Wabash

NAIA
Huntington 38-16 (27-9 CL)
Taylor 40-15 (30-6 CL)
Indiana Wesleyan 39-18-1 (26-10 CL)
Oakland City 34-23 (13-14 RSC)
Indiana Tech 33-17 (18-12 WHAC)
IU Southeast 33-20 (20-7 RSC)
Saint Francis 29-25 (21-15 CL)
IU-Kokomo 28-21 (17-10 RSC)
IU South Bend 24-25 (15-10 CCAC)
Grace 21-27 (13-23 CL)
Bethel 19-30 (12-24 CL)
Marian 17-31 (11-25 CL)
Calumet of St. Joseph 17-32-1 (9-17-1 CCAC)
Goshen 10-38 (6-30 CL)
IUPU-Columbus 5-41

Schedule Links
Bethel
Calumet of St. Joseph
Goshen
Grace
Huntington
IU-Kokomo
IUPU-Columbus
IU South Bend
IU Southeast
Indiana Tech
Indiana Wesleyan
Marian
Oakland City
Saint Francis
Taylor

Stat Links
Bethel
Calumet of St. Joseph
Goshen
Grace
Huntington
IU-Kokomo
IUPU-Columbus
IU South Bend
IU Southeast
Indiana Tech
Indiana Wesleyan
Marian
Oakland City
Saint Francis
Taylor

Junior College
Ivy Tech Northeast 29-19
Vincennes 25-33 (13-19 MWAC)
Marian’s Ancilla 9-37-1 (8-17 MCCAA)

Schedule Links
Ivy Tech Northeast
Marian’s Ancilla
Vincennes

Stat Links
Ivy Tech Northeast
Marian’s Ancilla
Vincennes

Through May 21
NCAA D-I
Tuesday, May 16
Ball State 12, Southern Indiana 1 (7 inn.)
Indiana 6, Evansville 2
Northwestern 8, Notre Dame 7 (11 inn)
Purdue Fort Wayne 8, Toledo 7

Thursday, May 18
Kent State 29, Ball State 11
St. John’s 24, Butler 5
Evansville 9, Illinois-Chicago 8
Michigan State 8, Indiana 6
Indiana State 11, Missouri State 4
Notre Dame 5, Boston College 1
Nebraska 10, Purdue 5
Purdue Fort Wayne 4, Milwaukee 3
Valparaiso 7, Illinois State 6

Friday, May 19
Kent State 14, Ball State 3
St. John’s 7, Butler 5
Illinois-Chicago 7, Evansville 3
Michigan State 7, Indiana 6
Boston College 7, Notre Dame 2
Boston College 8, Notre Dame 4
Purdue 7, Nebraska 3
Milwaukee 7, Purdue Fort Wayne 1
Southern Indiana 8, Tennessee Tech 7
Tennessee Tech 11, Southern Indiana 7
Illinois State 20, Valparaiso 10 (8 inn.)

Saturday, May 20
Kent State 11, Ball State 5
St. John’s 14, Butler 4
Evansville 2, Illinois-Chicago 1
Indiana 6, Michigan State 5
Indiana State 9, Missouri State 5
Indiana State 14, Missouri State 4
Nebraska 6, Purdue 4
Purdue Fort Wayne 9, Milwaukee 3
Southern Indiana 8, Tennessee Tech 6
Illinois State 10, Valparaiso 3

NCAA D-II
Midwest Regional II Tournament
(At Springfield, Ill.)
Thursday, May 18
Indianapolis 11, Illinois-Springfield 10 (11 inn.)
Maryville 5, Ashland 2

Friday, May 19
Illinois-Springfield 10, Ashland 2
Indianapolis 14, Maryville 5

Saturday, May 20
Maryville 5, Illinois-Springfield 4
Championship
Indianapolis 11, Maryville 1

NCAA D-III
Friday, May 19
Birmingham (Ala.) Regional
Lewis & Clark 7, Birmingham-Southern 1
LaVerne 8, Franklin 7

Saturday, May 20
Birmingham-Southern 16, Franklin 2
LaVerne 19, Lewis & Clark 4
Birmingham-Southern 15, Lewis & Clark 8

Sunday, May 21
Birmingham-Southern 12, LaVerne 11
Championship
LaVerne 15, Birmingham-Southern 10

NAIA
Opening Round
Upland Bracket
Monday, May 15
Point Park 20, Fisher 3
Taylor 3, Cumberland 2
Point Park 8, Tennessee Wesleyan 4

Tuesday, May 16
Cumberland 17, Fisher 9
Taylor 12, Point Park 10
Tennessee Wesleyan 30, Cumberland 18

Wednesday, May 17
Point Park 6, Tennessee Wesleyan 5 (10 inn.)
Championship
Taylor 12, Point Park 0

Kingsport Bracket
Monday, May 15
Bryan 10, Missouri Baptist 1
Indiana Wesleyan 9, Webber International 4

Tuesday, May 16
Missouri Baptist 14, Webber International 7
Indiana Wesleyan 8, Bryan 3

Wednesday, May 17
Missouri Baptist 21, Bryan 4
Indiana Wesleyan vs. Missouri Baptist
Championship
Indiana Wesleyan 7, Missouri Baptist 6

National Christian College World Series
(At Kansas City)
Friday, May 19
Fort Lauderdale 9, Trinity Christian 6
Dallas Christian 5, Kansas Christian 4
Oakland City 5, Toccoa Falls 0
Mid-America Christian 6, Fort Lauderdale 2

Saturday, May 20
College of the Ozarks 2, Baptist Bible 0
Southwestern Christian 4, Dallas Christian 0
Trinity Christian 8, Toccoa Falls 2
Kansas Christian 6, Baptist Bible 2
Trinity Christian 5, Dallas Christian 3
Mid-America Christian 7, Oakland City 6
Fort Lauderdale 9, Kansas Christian 2
Southwestern Christian 7, College of the Ozarks 3

Monday, May 22
Mid-America Christian vs. Southwestern Christian
Oakland City vs. Trinity Christian
College of the Ozarks vs. Fort Lauderdale
Game 16
Game 17

Tuesday, May 23
Championship
Game 18
Game 19 (if necessary)

Junior College
NJCAA Region 24 Tournament
Wednesday, May 17
Lewis & Clark 7, John Wood 5
Illinois Central 12, Lincoln Land 10
Parkland 10, Vincennes 4
Lincoln Land 13, Vincennes 9

Thursday, May 18
Heartland 10, Lewis & Clark 2
Parkland 8, Illinois Central 5
Lincoln Land 7, Lewis & Clark 5
Illinois Central 7, John Wood 5

Friday, May 19
Heartland 14, Parkland 6
Lincoln Land 10, Illinois Central 7
Lincoln Land 21, Parkland 8

Saturday, May 20
Championship
Heartland 9, Lincoln Land 3

Indiana Wesleyan, UIndy, Franklin, Oakland City, Taylor, Vincennes keep seasons alive

By STEVE KRAH
http://www.IndianaRBI.com

Indiana Wesleyan, Franklin and Oakland City won college baseball tournament championships this past week (May 8-14).
IWU, which received votes in the final NAIA rankings, reigned in the Crossroads League event at Huntington. The Rich Benjamin-coached Wildcats are the No. 4 seed in the NAIA Opening Round Kingsport (Tenn.) Bracket.
Crossroads League regular-season champion Taylor is the No. 2 seed in the Upland Bracket hosted by the Kyle Gould-coached and No. 19-ranked Trojans.
Both Opening Round tournaments are slated for Monday to Thursday, Monday to Thursday, May 15-18.
The 10-team NAIA World Series is slated for Friday to Friday, May 26-June 2 at Lewiston, Idaho.
Franklin prevailed in the Heartland College Athletic Conference tournament for the fourth time. Next up for the Lance Marshall-coached Grizzlies is an NCAA D-III regional as the No. 3 seed May 19-21 at Birmingham, Ala.
After being eliminated in the River State Conference tournament the previous week, Oakland City won the National Christian College Athletic Association Mideast Regional at Wilmore, Ky., and the Andy Lasher-coached Mighty Oaks advanced to the NCCAA World Series. The 10-team event is Friday to Tuesday, May 19-23 in Kansas City, Mo.
Also in the NAIA, the curtain came down for Huntington and Saint Francis in the Crossroads League, Indiana Tech in the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference and Indiana University South Bend in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference.
In NCAA D-II, two teams bowed out in conference tourneys — Indianapolis in the Great Lakes Valley Conference and Purdue Northwest in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference tournament.
In the first season with Thad Frame in charge of the program, Huntington (38-16) surpassed its 2022 win total by 11.
Dustin Butcher’s USF Cougars (29-25) were two victories better than 2022.
Kip McWilliams-coached Indiana Tech (33-17) edged 2022 by one win.
Doug Buysse-coached IUSB (23-25) earned seven more victories than 2022.
Al Ready-coached UIndy (34-19) bested its 2022 win total by 13. The Greyhounds’ season continues with an at-large bid and No. 7 seed in the D-II Midwest Regional tournament May 18-20 in Springfield, Ill.
D-III Wabash lost in the North Coast Athletic Conference tournament and Anderson, Rose-Hulman and Manchester were bounced in the HCAC.
Jake Martin-coached Wabash (24-18) triumphed four more times than in 2022.
Matt Bair-coached Anderson (27-19) finished seven wins above 2022.
Rick Espeset-coached Manchester (22-20) won 12 more than in 2022.
In junior college ball, Vincennes qualified for the National Junior College Athletic Association Region 24 tournament. It is scheduled for Wednesday to Saturday, May 17-20 at Normal, Ill.
Ivy Tech Northeast lost in the NJCAA Region 12 district tournament in what is likely the final games for the Titans program after six seasons of existence (2018-23).

The state’s longest current win streaks belong to Indiana (7), Indiana Wesleyan (3) and Notre Dame (3).

At 15-6, Indiana is tied for first place in the Big Ten Conference with Maryland.
Indiana State (21-3) leads the Missouri Valley Conference by three games over second-place Missouri State.
Ball State (19-8) is two games behind Kent State for the top of the Mid-American Conference.

The NCAA Division I RPI (Rating Percentage Index) rankings through May 14 has Kentucky as the overall No. 1.
Among the state’s schools, Indiana State is No. 14, Indiana No. 29, Notre Dame No. 46, Evansville No. 89, Valparaiso No. 109, Ball State No. 119, Purdue No. 211, Butler No. 225, Southern Indiana No. 280 and Purdue Fort Wayne No. 283.
The D-I regular season concludes Sunday, May 21. After conference tournaments comes the national tournament selection announcement on Monday, May 29 (Memorial Day).

Below are season records, weekly results and links to web pages, schedules and statistics for all 39 programs.

INDIANA COLLEGE BASEBALL
Records Through May 14
NCAA D-I
Indiana 38-14 (15-6 Big Ten)
Indiana State 35-14 (21-3 MVC)
Ball State 32-18 (19-8 MAC)
Evansville 31-20 (13-11 MVC)
Notre Dame 29-19 (14-13 ACC)
Purdue 23-27 (10-11 Big Ten)
Valparaiso 19-23 (9-15 MVC)
Southern Indiana 15-35 (6-14 OVC)
Butler 12-40 (5-13 Big East)
Purdue Fort Wayne 10-41 (6-21 Horizon)

Schedule Links
Ball State
Butler
Evansville
Indiana
Indiana State
Notre Dame
Purdue
Purdue Fort Wayne
Southern Indiana
Valparaiso

Stat Links
Ball State
Butler
Evansville
Indiana
Indiana State
Notre Dame
Purdue
Purdue Fort Wayne
Southern Indiana
Valparaiso

NCAA D-II
Indianapolis 34-19 (17-15 GLVC)
Purdue Northwest 16-35 (9-21 GLIAC)

Schedule Links
Indianapolis
Purdue Northwest

Stat Links
Indianapolis
Purdue Northwest

NCAA D-III
Franklin 33-11 (18-4 HCAC)
Anderson 27-19 (12-10 HCAC)
Wabash 24-18 (8-8 NCAC)
Rose-Hulman 23-21 (13-9 HCAC)
Manchester 22-20 (12-10 HCAC)
Earlham 20-18 (10-12 HCAC)
Hanover 16-23 (10-12 HCAC)
Trine 15-24 (6-15 MIAA)
DePauw 12-26 (4-12 NCAC)

Schedule Links
Anderson
DePauw
Earlham
Franklin
Hanover
Manchester
Rose-Hulman
Trine
Wabash

Stat Links
Anderson
DePauw
Earlham
Franklin
Hanover
Manchester
Rose-Hulman
Trine
Wabash

NAIA
Huntington 38-16 (27-9 CL)
Taylor 37-15 (30-6 CL)
Indiana Wesleyan 36-18-1 (26-10 CL)
Indiana Tech 33-17 (18-12 WHAC)
IU Southeast 33-20 (20-7 RSC)
Oakland City 33-22 (13-14 RSC)
Saint Francis 29-25 (21-15 CL)
IU-Kokomo 28-21 (17-10 RSC)
IU South Bend 24-25 (15-10 CCAC)
Grace 21-27 (13-23 CL)
Bethel 19-30 (12-24 CL)
Marian 17-31 (11-25 CL)
Calumet of St. Joseph 17-32-1 (9-17-1 CCAC)
Goshen 10-38 (6-30 CL)
IUPU-Columbus 5-41

Schedule Links
Bethel
Calumet of St. Joseph
Goshen
Grace
Huntington
IU-Kokomo
IUPU-Columbus
IU South Bend
IU Southeast
Indiana Tech
Indiana Wesleyan
Marian
Oakland City
Saint Francis
Taylor

Stat Links
Bethel
Calumet of St. Joseph
Goshen
Grace
Huntington
IU-Kokomo
IUPU-Columbus
IU South Bend
IU Southeast
Indiana Tech
Indiana Wesleyan
Marian
Oakland City
Saint Francis
Taylor

Junior College
Ivy Tech Northeast 29-19
Vincennes 25-31 (10-18 MWAC)
Marian’s Ancilla 9-37-1 (8-17 MCCAA)

Schedule Links
Ivy Tech Northeast
Marian’s Ancilla
Vincennes

Stat Links
Ivy Tech Northeast
Marian’s Ancilla
Vincennes

Through May 14
NCAA D-I
Tuesday, May 9
Indiana State 11, Ball State 1
Northern Kentucky 7, Butler 6
Evansville 6, Bellarmine 5
Valparaiso 9, Western Michigan 6

Wednesday, May 10
Dayton 7, Butler 6
Indiana 8, Xavier 6
Illinois-Chicago 7, Purdue 3

Thursday, May 11
Oakland 11, Purdue Fort Wayne 5

Friday, May 12
Miami (Ohio) 14, Ball State 8
Connecticut 6, Butler 5 (13 inn.)
Evansville 9, Bradley 7
Indiana 26, Purdue 11
Notre Dame 5, Akron 2
Murray State 12, Indiana State 5
Oakland 11, Purdue Fort Wayne 5
Oral Roberts 12, Southern Indiana
Valparaiso 12, Belmont 3

Saturday, May 13
Ball State 5, Miami (Ohio) 1
Connecticut 7, Butler 6
Bradley 13, Evansville 6
Indiana 15, Purdue 3
Indiana State 5, Murray State 0
Notre Dame 5, Akron 4
Oakland 12, Purdue Fort Wayne 9
Oral Roberts 9, Southern Indiana 2
Belmont 13, Valparaiso 3 (7 inn.)

Sunday, May 14
Ball State 8, Miami (Ohio) 3
Butler 11, Connecticut 8
Evansville 7, Bradley 2
Indiana 10, Purdue 2
Indiana State 6, Murray State 2
Notre Dame 2, Akron 1
Oral Roberts 5, Southern Indiana 0
Belmont 5, Valparaiso 1

NCAA D-II
Great Lakes Valley
Conference Tournament
(At Marion, Ill.)
Thursday, May 11
Indianapolis 3, Lewis 1
Drury 6, Maryville 3
William Jewell 13, Illinois-Springfield 3
Quincy 9, Missouri S&T 8

Friday, May 12
Maryville 10, Illinois-Springfield 2
Lewis 4, Missouri S&T 3
Drury 12, William Jewell 4
Quincy 7, Indianapolis 5

Saturday, May 13
Maryville 11, William Jewell 9
Indianapolis 12, Lewis 4
Quincy 12, Maryville 8
Drury 11, Indianapolis 4

Sunday, May 14
Championship
Quincy 13, Drury 6

Great Lakes Intercollegiate
Athletic Conference Tournament
(At Lansing, Mich.)
Thursday, May 11
Purdue Northwest 9, Davenport 1
Wayne State 6, Wisconsin-Parkside 4
Grand Valley State 8, Saginaw Valley State 7 (12 inn.)

Friday, May 12
Davenport 10, Wisconsin-Parkside 5
Wayne State 3, Saginaw Valley State 1
Purdue Northwest 13, Grand Valley State 8

Saturday, May 13
Wayne State 10, Purdue Northwest 1
Grand Valley State 7, Davenport 5
Grand Valley State 9, Purdue Northwest 2

Sunday, May 14
Grand Valley State 9, Wayne State 8 (10 inn.)
Championship
Wayne State 4, Grand Valley State 2

NCAA D-III
Heartland Collegiate Athletic
Conference Tournament
(At Kokomo, Ind.)
Thursday, May 11
Manchester 11, Bluffton 3
Rose-Hulman 4, Anderson 3
Franklin 7, Manchester 6
Transylvania 9, Rose-Hulman 4

Friday, May 12
Anderson 8, Bluffton 5
Rose-Hulman 10, Manchester 4
Franklin 7, Transylvania 3
Anderson 6, Rose-Hulman 3

Saturday, May 13
Anderson 7, Transylvania 6 (10 inn.)
Anderson 6, Franklin 5

Sunday, May 14
Championship
Franklin 12, Anderson 2

North Coast Athletic
Conference Tournament
(At Chillicothe, Ohio)
Thursday, May 11
Dension 9, Wabash 5
Wittenberg 6, Wooster 3

Friday, May 12
Denison 10, Wittenberg 4
Wooster 7, Wabash 6
Wittenberg 15, Wooster 9

Sunday, May 14

Championship
Denison 7, Wittenberg 2

NAIA
Crossroads League Tournament
(At Huntington, Ind.)
Tuesday, May 9
Huntington 8, Saint Francis (Ind.) 5
Championship
Indiana Wesleyan 6, Huntington 5 (10 inn.)

Chicagoland Collegiate
Athletic Conference Tournament
(At Joliet, Ill.)
Monday, May 8
Saint Xavier 7, Roosevelt 4
Saint Xavier 4, IU South Bend 2

Tuesday, May 9
Championship
Saint Xavier 7, IU South Bend 1

National Christian College
Athletic Association Mideast Regional
(At Wilmore, Ky.)
Tuesday, May 9
Oakland City 14, Alice Lloyd 5
Asbury 7, Kentucky Christian 2

Wednesday, May 10
Kentucky Christian 4, Alice Lloyd 1
Oakland City 12, Asbury 4
Kentucky Christian 3, Asbury 1

Thursday, May 11
Kentucky Christian 7, Oakland City 2
Championship
Oakland City 8, Kentucky Christian 4

Junior College
NJCAA Region XII District Tournament
Thursday, May 11
Grand Rapids 12, Ivy Tech Northeast 2
Championship
Grand Rapids 3, Ivy Tech Northeast 1

Other Games
Thursday, May 11
Vincennes 12, Spoon River 2 (5 inn.)
Vincennes 11, Spoon River 1 (5 inn.)

Friday, May 12
Vincennes 10, Spoon River 0 (6 inn.)
Spoon River 5, Vincennes 3

Stolen base record-holder Vaughn helps UIndy earn playoff berth

BY STEVE KRAH
http://www.IndianaRBI.com

Caleb Vaughn became the single-season stolen base record-holder at the University of Indianapolis when he swiped his 36th bag of 2023 on April 29 at Rockburst University in Kansas City. The day before he pilfered four bases in four tries.
Vaughn surpassed the UIndy mark set by Dave Wilkerson in 1991 and earned his first Great Lakes Valley Conference Baseball Player of the Week honors.
As the NCAA Division II No. 21-ranked Greyhounds (32-17 overall, 17-15 in the GLVC) get ready for the GLVC tournament May 11-14 in Marion, Ill., Vaughn has 40 stolen bases in 42 attempts.
Funny thing is Vaughn’s previous high stolen base total — set in 2022 — was 15.
“Honestly I never thought I had it in me,” says Vaughn. “All the people around me believed in me. That’s what pushed me to learn the techniques of stealing bases like paying attention to the pitchers’ tendencies.
“I’ve trusted my abilities and just gone for it.”
UIndy head coach Al Ready lets many of his players make the call when it’s time to go.
“He trusts in his guys to make the decisions that are necessary,” says Vaughn. “The green light is on for most anybody who think they can get a jump.
“Some of the slowest guys on the team are actually the best at stealing bags. They are able to read what the pitcher is doing.
“For me it has to do with being quick and my coaches and teammates believe in me.”
The goal for 2022 was 120 team steals and the Greyhounds are now at 137.
This season, Ready has opted to interact with hitters in the dugout during offensive half innings with assistants Trevor Forde (third base) and E.J. Devarie (first base) in the coach’s boxes.
Vaughn does not wear the “oven mitt” sliding glove that has become so popular in base. Instead he switches out his batting gloves for an older pair once he reaches base.
“I’m a head-first guy,” says Vaughn. “I don’t slide feet-first ever.
“You can’t go in with your fingers first. You have to have your palm up a little so you can catch that bag and then you just go from there.”
Vaughn is a junior athletically and a senior in the classroom. He graduated May 8 as a Business Administration and Management major and Spanish minor.
“I have one more year of eligibility and that definitely will be used,” says Vaughn, who is weighing his graduate school options. “The dream is to play pro ball at some point and we’re going to try to make that happen.”
A righty throwing and swinging corner outfielder throughout his prep and college days, Vaughn has played 49 games (48 starts) in 2023 and is hitting .361 (61-of-169) with eight home runs, two triples, 11 doubles, 46 runs batted in, 50 runs scored and 37 walks (after drawing 26 in 2022). His on-base percentage is .474.
“I’ve always been a see-ball, hit-ball guy,” says Vaughn of his offensive approach. “This year I’m hitting pitches in my zones. I’ve a lot more walks than last year because I haven’t been expanding by (strike) zone.
“(Coach Ready) likes us to have a good two-strike approach. The main point of my two-strike approach is to get the bat on the ball.”
In 140 career games (135 starts), Vaughn is hitting .331 (154-of-465) with 19 homers, four triples, 21 doubles, 102 RBIs, 115 runs, 70 walks, 58 stolen bases and a .418 on-base percentage.
Vaughn came to UIndy at 6-foot and 166 pounds. He has grown and inch and packed on muscle and is now 6-1 and 185.
“At my high school the weight room was a big thing,” says Vaughn, a 2019 graduate of Lawrence North High School in Indianapolis. “I’ve always loved working out. I’ve always enjoyed learning the actual techniques of lifting and not just getting in there and doing just whatever.”
Richard Winzenread was Vaughn’s head coach at Lawrence North.
“Winz is a great guy,” says Vaughn. “He was really fun coach to play for. It was a great environment.
“He always believed in his guys. As you grew with him that’s when you got to know him for real.
“Another awesome guy at North is Christopher Todd. He was my JV coach. He was one of the biggest reasons I continued on and grinded as much as I did.”
Vaughn put in the work and also grew from about 5-7 to 5-11 during his sophomore summer then made the varsity as a junior starter.
Vaughn was born in Indianapolis and grew up in Lawrence Township. He played at what is now Skills Test Baseball & Softball and later travel ball with the Indiana Prospects and USAthletic.
Older sister Courtney Vaughn won a raffle and was chosen for a Spanish Immersion program beginning at Forest Glen Elementary. Family members, including Caleb and younger brother Gabriel Vaughn, were allowed to follow. He went on to Fall Creek Valley Middle School before Lawrence North.
Caleb’s mother is Lisa Kelly. Stepfather Charles Kelly has been the main male figure in his life since elementary school. His father is Cory Vaughn.
After the 2022 UIndy season, Caleb split his time between playing in the College Summer League at Grand Park in Westfield, Ind., and assisting Jeremy Honaker with a 17U Canes travel team.
He also played in the CSL in 2021 and trained in 2020.
This summer, he plans to be with the Prospect League’s Chillicothe (Ohio) Paints.
“I hear it’s an unbelievable atmosphere,” says Vaughn. “The whole community comes out.”
But first there is Greyhounds business.
“We have a chance to be in the regional this year,” says Vaughn. I have to give the glory to God. God has been a big part of my journey. He’s been my strength through the whole process. I only play for Him.
“It’s a blessing for me to be out there.”

Caleb Vaughn. (University of Indianapolis Photo)

Caleb Vaughn. (University of Indianapolis Photo)

Caleb Vaughn. (University of Indianapolis Photo)

Caleb Vaughn. (University of Indianapolis Photo)

Spotlight on teams with 20 W’s or more; Marshall, Mercer hit milestones

By STEVE KRAH
http://www.IndianaRBI.com

Two months into the 2023 college baseball, Indiana can boast 15 teams with 20 wins or more. That’s out of 39.
In fact, one club has surpassed 30 victories.
Those teams are the Kyle Gould-coached Taylor Trojans (31-11), Thad Frame’s Huntington Foresters (27-11), Andy Lasher’s Oakland City Mighty Oaks (27-14), Rich Benjamin’s Indiana Wesleyan Wildcats (26-15-1) Jeff Mercer’s Indiana Hoosiers (25-11), Kip McWilliams’ Indiana Tech Warriors (24-9), Ben Reel’s Indiana University Southeast Grenadiers (24-15), Rich Maloney’s Ball State Cardinals (23-12), Drew Brantley’s Indiana University-Kokomo Cougars (23-17), Mitch Hannahs’ Indiana State Sycamores (22-12), Connor Wilkins’ Ivy Tech Northeast Titans (22-14), Wes Carroll’s Evansville Purple Aces (20-15), Lance Marshall’s Franklin Grizziles (21-7), Al Ready’s Indianapolis Greyhounds (20-14) and Dustin Butcher’s Saint Francis Cougars (20-19).
On the cusp of the 20-win plateau is Jake Martin‘s Wabash Little Giants (19-10).

Milestone wins were achieved Saturday when Franklin gave Marshall career victory No. 600 (all with the Grizzlies) and Indiana presented Mercer with his 200th.

The RPI (Rating Percentage Index) leader in NCAA Division I baseball through April 16 is Kentucky.
Here’s how the state’s teams rank: Indiana State No. 19, Indiana No. 20, Notre Dame No. 51, Evansville No. 75, Valparaiso No. 90, Ball State No. 93, Purdue No. 230, Butler No. 245, Purdue Fort Wayne No. 262 and Southern Indiana No. 290.

Who are the hottest teams in the state?
Based on current win streaks it’s Indiana State (10),
Taylor (8), Indiana Tech (6), Indiana University Southeast (5), Indiana University-Kokomo (4), Valparaiso (4), Oakland City (4), Saint Francis (4), Franklin (3), Indiana (3) and Indiana University South Bend (3).

Below are season records, weekly results and links to web pages, schedules and statistics for all 39 programs.

INDIANA COLLEGE BASEBALL
Records Through April 16
NCAA D-I
Indiana 25-11 (9-3 Big Ten)
Ball State 23-12 (12-5 MAC)
Indiana State 22-12 (11-1 MVC)
Evansville 20-15 (6-6 MVC)
Notre Dame 18-15 (8-10 ACC)
Purdue 16-18 (7-5 Big Ten)
Valparaiso 14-14 (5-7 MVC)
Southern Indiana 10-25 (3-9 OVC)
Purdue Fort Wayne 9-28 (6-9 Horizon)
Butler 7-27 (0-6 Big East)

Schedule Links
Ball State
Butler
Evansville
Indiana
Indiana State
Notre Dame
Purdue
Purdue Fort Wayne
Southern Indiana
Valparaiso

Stat Links
Ball State
Butler
Evansville
Indiana
Indiana State
Notre Dame
Purdue
Purdue Fort Wayne
Southern Indiana
Valparaiso

NCAA D-II
Indianapolis 20-14 (7-13 GLVC)
Purdue Northwest 8-24 (4-14 GLIAC)

Schedule Links
Indianapolis
Purdue Northwest

Stat Links
Indianapolis
Purdue Northwest

NCAA D-III
Franklin 21-7 (10-1 HCAC)
Wabash 19-10 (4-2 NCAC)
Rose-Hulman 16-11 (8-3 HCAC)
Manchester 15-12 (6-4 HCAC)
Anderson 15-13 (4-7 HCAC)
Earlham 14-12 (4-7 HCAC)
Trine 13-16 (4-7 MIAA)
DePauw 10-15 (3-3 NCAC)
Hanover 10-17 (4-7 HCAC)

Schedule Links
Anderson
DePauw
Earlham
Franklin
Hanover
Manchester
Rose-Hulman
Trine
Wabash

Stat Links
Anderson
DePauw
Earlham
Franklin
Hanover
Manchester
Rose-Hulman
Trine
Wabash

NAIA
Taylor 31-11 (24-4 CL)
Huntington 27-11 (20-6 CL)
Oakland City 27-14 (10-11 RSC)
Indiana Wesleyan 26-15-1 (21-7 CL)
Indiana Tech 24-9 (10-6 WHAC)
IU Southeast 24-15 (15-6 RSC)
IU-Kokomo 23-17 (13-8 RSC)
Saint Francis 20-19 (15-11 CL)
Grace 16-19 (8-16 CL)
IU South Bend 16-21 (12-8 CCAC)
Bethel 16-24 (9-19 CL)
Marian 14-22 (8-16 CL)
Calumet of St. Joseph 14-27 (6-14 CCAC)
Goshen 8-28 (4-20 CL)
IUPU-Columbus 3-35

Schedule Links
Bethel
Calumet of St. Joseph
Goshen
Grace
Huntington
IU-Kokomo
IUPU-Columbus
IU South Bend
IU Southeast
Indiana Tech
Indiana Wesleyan
Marian
Oakland City
Saint Francis
Taylor

Stat Links
Bethel
Calumet of St. Joseph
Goshen
Grace
Huntington
IU-Kokomo
IUPU-Columbus
IU South Bend
IU Southeast
Indiana Tech
Indiana Wesleyan
Marian
Oakland City
Saint Francis
Taylor

Junior College
Ivy Tech Northeast 22-14
Vincennes 16-20 (4-8 MWAC)
Marian’s Ancilla 5-27 (4-9 MCCAA)

Schedule Links
Ivy Tech Northeast
Marian’s Ancilla
Vincennes

Stat Links
Ivy Tech Northeast
Marian’s Ancilla
Vincennes

Through April 16
NCAA D-I
Tuesday, April 11
Indiana 16, Ball State 13
Michigan 13, Butler 2
Western Kentucky 6, Evansville 2
Indiana State 4, Purdue 1
Michigan State 7, Notre Dame 6
Valparaiso 9, Purdue Fort Wayne 3
Saint Louis 16, Southern Indiana 11

Wednesday, April 12
Dayton 8, Purdue Fort Wayne 3

Friday, April 14
Central Michigan 9, Ball State 1
Villanova 13, Butler 9
Evansville 10, Southern Illinois 2
Illinois 7, Indiana 5
Indiana State 2, Belmont 1
Notre Dame 10, Clemson 4
Penn State 15, Purdue 3
Purdue Fort Wayne 7, Milwaukee 4
Tennessee-Martin 14, Southern Indiana 3
Valparaiso 4, Bradley 3

Saturday, April 15
Central Michigan 13, Ball State 5
Central Michigan 9, Ball State 6
Villanova 10 Butler 2
Villanova 18, Butler 15
Southern Illinois 6, Evansville 3
Indiana 6, Illinois 4
Indiana 16, Illinois 3
Indiana State 10, Belmont 2
Clemson 5, Notre Dame 1
Purdue 9, Penn State 8
Purdue 4, Penn State 3
Milwaukee 7, Purdue Fort Wayne 6
Milwaukee 15, Purdue Fort Wayne 8
Tennessee-Martin 7, Southern Indiana 3
Valparaiso 12, Bradley 8
Valparaiso 10, Bradley 0 (7 inn.)

Sunday, April 16
Southern Illinois 3, Evansville 2
Indiana State 5, Belmont 3
Clemson 8, Notre Dame 4
Southern Indiana 7, Tennessee-Martin 5

NCAA D-II
Tuesday, April 11
Indianapolis 24, Ohio Dominican 23
Purdue Northwest 15, Wisconsin-Parkside 6
Wisconsin-Parkside 16, Purdue Northwest 11

Friday, April 14
William Jewell 17, Indianapolis 3
Indianapolis 8, William Jewell 3
Purdue Northwest 9, Davenport 2
Davenport 16, Purdue Northwest 3

Saturday, April 15
William Jewell 13, Indianapolis 6
Indianapolis 13, William Jewell 9
Davenport 11, Purdue Northwest 2
Davenport 15, Purdue Northwest 4

NCAA D-III
Monday, April 10
Wabash 12, Manchester 11
Olivet 11, Trine 4

Tuesday, April 11
Anderson 25, Wabash 8
Centre 6, Hanover 4
Webster 10, Rose-Hulman 2

Wednesday, April 12
Franklin 16, DePauw 12
DePauw 13, Franklin 10
Washington (Mo.) 11, Rose-Hulman 3
Adrian 5, Trine 1

Thursday, April 13
Wittenberg 17, Anderson 13

Friday, April 14
Anderson 12, Defiance 3
Alma 7, Trine 2

Saturday, April 15
Defiance 4, Anderson 2
Anderson 12, Defiance 2
DePauw 10, Ohio Wesleyan 5
Ohio Wesleyan 13, DePauw 3
Hanover 11, Earlham 5
Hanover 17, Earlham 6 (7 inn.)
Franklin 11, Mount St. Joseph 9 (10 inn.)
Franklin 8, Mount St. Joseph 3
Manchester 11, Bluffton 10
Manchester 7, Bluffton 2
Transylvania 11, Rose-Hulman 8
Rose-Hulman 10, Transylvania 6
Alma 10, Trine 0
Alma 8, Trine 4
Wabash 14, Hiram 4 (7 inn.)
Wabash 7, Hiram 6

Sunday, April 16
DePauw 10, Ohio Wesleyan 5
Ohio Wesleyan 13, DePauw 3 (7 inn.)
Franklin 14, Mount St. Joseph 7
Transylvania 10, Rose-Hulman 2

NAIA
Monday, April 10
Taylor 7, Bethel 2
Taylor 4, Bethel 0
Spring Arbor 14, Goshen 3
Goshen 15, Spring Arbor 5
Grace 17, Marian 6
Grace 4, Marian 3
Indiana Wesleyan 11, Saint Francis (Ind.) 7
Indiana Wesleyan 24, Saint Francis (Ind.) 1

Tuesday, April 11
Calumet of St. Joseph 5, Trinity International 2
Trinity International 11, Calumet of St. Joseph 6
Huntington 9, IUPU-Columbus 4
Indiana Tech 7, IU-Kokomo 4
Indiana Tech 10, IU-Kokomo 4
Saint Francis (Ill.) 4, IU South Bend 3
Saint Francis (Ill.) 10, IU South Bend 9
IU Southeast 5, Campbellsville 2
IU Southeast 4, Campbellsville 2
Oakland City 8, Lindsey Wilson 7

Wednesday, April 12
Wilmington 11, IUPU-Columbus 9
Northwest Ohio 7, Saint Francis (Ind.) 3

Thursday, April 13
Huntington 20, Grace 10
Grace 13, Huntington 6
IU-Kokomo 9, Alice Lloyd 4

Friday, April 14
Bethel 11, Marian 7
Bethel 6, Marian 5
IU South Bend 17, Calumet of St. Joseph 3
Saint Francis (Ind.) 18, Goshen 5
Saint Francis (Ind.) 11, Goshen 8 (9 inn.)
Huntington 22, Grace 5
Huntington 13, Grace 1
IU-Kokomo 10, Brescia 0
IU Southeast 11, West Virginia Tech 1 (7 inn.)
Taylor 10, Indiana Wesleyan 9
Taylor 7, Indiana Wesleyan 1
Oakland City 3, Alice Lloyd 0

Saturday, April 15
Bethel 7, Marian 3
Marian 8, Bethel 3
IU South Bend 6, Calumet of St. Joseph 5
IU South Bend 18, Calumet of St. Joseph 1
Saint Francis (Ind.) 27, Goshen 17
Saint Francis (Ind.) 7, Goshen 6
Huntington at Grace
Huntington at Grace
IU-Kokomo 9, Brescia 3
IU-Kokomo 9, Brescia 0
Grace Christian 8, IUPU-Columbus 4 (8 inn.)
IUPU-Columbus 18, Grace Christian 14
IU Southeast 7, West Virginia Tech 6
IU Southeast 7, West Virginia Tech 0
Indiana Tech 15, Michigan-Dearborn 4
Indiana Tech 15, Michigan-Dearborn 11
Taylor 12, Indiana Wesleyan 11
Taylor 9, Indiana Wesleyan 5
Oakland City 14, Alice Lloyd 0
Oakland City 9, Alice Lloyd 7

Junior College
Monday, April 10
Owens 9, Marian’s Ancilla 4

Tuesday, April 11
Kellogg 17, Ivy Tech Northeast 9

Wednesday, April 12
Ivy Tech Northeast 10, Clark State 4
Ivy Tech Northeast 11, Clark State 6

Thursday, April 13
Kellogg 14, Marian’s Ancilla 4
Kellogg 21, Marian’s Ancilla 5

Saturday, April 15
Ivy Tech Northeast 11, Terra State 4
Ivy Tech Northeast 3, Terra State 0
Kellogg 12, Marian’s Ancilla 1
Kellogg 12, Marian’s Ancilla 2

UIndy off to 11-0 start; Anderson’s Bair gets 100th win

By STEVE KRAH
http://www.IndianaRBI.com

The University of Indianapolis is off to an 11-0 start to the 2023 baseball season.
The Al Ready-coached Greyhounds are coming off a 5-0 week with two wins against Purdue Northwest and three against Davenport — all at Greyhound Park/Bill Bright Field.
The last time NCAA D-II UIndy started a season 11-0 was 1997.
PNW started its southern trip by splitting a Sunday doubleheader at Ave Maria.
In NCAA III, Anderson University coach Matt Bair collected his 100th career victory. It came in a Sunday win against St. Thomas (Maine) in Davenport, Fla.
Also in Florida, Wabash went 6-0 in Port Charlotte and Fort Myers for the week. The Jake Martin-coached Little Giants are 10-4.
Rose-Hulman played its first home game at Art Nehf Field in 2023 and won all four, moving the Adam Rosen-coached Fightin’ Engineers’ victory streak to six.
The Berea (Ky.) at Manchester series became a Saturday doubleheader at Grand Park in Westfield. The Rick Espeset-coached Spartans (8-3) earned a sweep and ran their win streak to three.
Greg Perschke-coached Trine (6-5) concluded an eight-game stint in Florida with two victories.
NAIA Taylor’s 5-1 week in the Crossroads League helped the Kyle Gould-coached Trojans move to 14-8 overall and 7-1 in the conference.
A 3-1 week allowed Thad Frame-coached Huntington Foresters to be 13-6 overall and 7-1 in the CL.
As part of the U.S. Highway 20 Cup, Bethel (12-8) took four CL games against Goshen. The first two games were played in Mishawaka and — because of inclement weather — the next two at Grand Park.
By topping No. 22 Oklahoma City Sunday, Kip McWilliams’ visiting Indiana Tech Warriors advanced to 10-3.
In NCAA D-I, Indiana and Indiana State both enjoyed 5-0 weeks.
The Hoosiers swept a four-game home series against Bellarmine and the Sycamores took three at Memphis.
Ball State’s 3-1 week included 2-1 against visiting Mid-American Conference foe Western Michigan.
Evansville won two of three at Middle Tennessee. A 2-1 loss at No. 7 Vanderbilt was epic. The Wednesday game went 17 innings and took 4 hours, 44 minutes.
Sunday’s Purdue at Mississippi game featured two pitchers from northwest Indiana high schools in starting roles.
Xavier Rivas (Portage) hurled the first six innings and got the win for Ole Miss. Kyle Iwinski (Griffith) went five frames and absorbed the loss for the Boilermakers.
When Valparaiso beat Southern Mississippi 6-1 in the opener of the three-game series Friday, it was the Beacons’ first win against a nationally-ranked opponent since 2018.
In junior college, Kirk Cabana earned his first victory as head coach at Marian’s Ancilla. The Chargers beat Minnesota State Community & Technical College in the second game of a doubleheader Friday in Orlando, Fla.
Vincennes (10-11) enjoyed a 5-1 week that featured a four-game sweep of Schoolcraft.
At 3-2 week makes Ivy Tech Northeast 6-8.

Below are season records, weekly results and links to web pages, schedules and statistics for all of Indiana’s 39 collegiate programs.

INDIANA COLLEGE BASEBALL
Records Through March 12
NCAA D-I
Ball State 10-6 (2-1 MAC)
Indiana 10-6 (0-0 Big Ten)
Evansville 9-7 (0-0 MVC)
Purdue 8-7 (0-0 Big Ten)
Valparaiso 7-6 (0-0 MVC)
Indiana State 7-8 (0-0 MVC)
Notre Dame 6-6 (1-2 ACC)
Southern Indiana 6-9 (0-0 OVC)
Purdue Fort Wayne 3-14 (0-0 Horizon)
Butler 2-14 (0-0 Big East)

Schedule Links
Ball State
Butler
Evansville
Indiana
Indiana State
Notre Dame
Purdue
Purdue Fort Wayne
Southern Indiana
Valparaiso

Stat Links
Ball State
Butler
Evansville
Indiana
Indiana State
Notre Dame
Purdue
Purdue Fort Wayne
Southern Indiana
Valparaiso

NCAA D-II
Indianapolis 11-0 (0-0 GLVC)
Purdue Northwest 3-7 (0-0 GLIAC)

Schedule Links
Indianapolis
Purdue Northwest

Stat Links
Indianapolis
Purdue Northwest

NCAA D-III
Wabash 10-4 (0-0 NCAC)
Manchester 8-3 (0-0 HCAC)
Rose-Hulman 7-3 (0-0 HCAC)
Earlham 6-4 (0-0 HCAC)
Franklin 6-4 (0-0 HCAC)
Trine 6-5 (0-0 MIAA)
Anderson 5-5 (0-0 HCAC)
Hanover 4-6 (0-0 HCAC)
DePauw 4-7 (0-0 NCAC)

Schedule Links
Anderson
DePauw
Earlham
Franklin
Hanover
Manchester
Rose-Hulman
Trine
Wabash

Stat Links
Anderson
DePauw
Earlham
Franklin
Hanover
Manchester
Rose-Hulman
Trine
Wabash

NAIA
Oakland City 16-7 (1-5 RSC)
Taylor 14-8 (7-1 CL)
Huntington 13-6 (7-1 CL)
Bethel 12-8 (5-3 CL)
IU-Kokomo 12-9 (4-2 RSC)
Indiana Tech 10-3 (0-0 WHAC)
Indiana Wesleyan 10-9-1 (6-2 CL)
Marian 10-10 (4-4 CL)
Grace 8-7 (0-4 CL)
Calumet of St. Joseph 8-13 (0-0 CCAC)
IU Southeast 6-12 (3-3 RSC)
Goshen 6-14 (2-6 CL)
Saint Francis 6-14 (1-7 CL)
IU South Bend 4-13 (0-0 CCAC)
IUPU-Columbus 1-20

Schedule Links
Bethel
Calumet of St. Joseph
Goshen
Grace
Huntington
IU-Kokomo
IUPU-Columbus
IU South Bend
IU Southeast
Indiana Tech
Indiana Wesleyan
Marian
Oakland City
Saint Francis
Taylor

Stat Links
Bethel
Calumet of St. Joseph
Goshen
Grace
Huntington
IU-Kokomo
IUPU-Columbus
IU South Bend
IU Southeast
Indiana Tech
Indiana Wesleyan
Marian
Oakland City
Saint Francis
Taylor

Junior College
Vincennes 10-11 (0-0 MWAC)
Ivy Tech Northeast 6-8
Marian’s Ancilla 1-14 (0-0 MCCAA)

Schedule Links
Ivy Tech Northeast
Marian’s Ancilla
Vincennes

Stat Links
Ivy Tech Northeast
Marian’s Ancilla
Vincennes

Through March 12
NCAA D-I
Monday, March 6
Louisiana State 11, Butler 0 (7 inn.)

Tuesday, March 7
Ball State 11, Florida A&M 9
Indiana State 8, Southeast Missouri 3
Austin Peay 10, Southern Indiana 6
Mississippi State 12, Valparaiso 2 (7 inn.)

Wednesday, March 8
Jackson State 11, Butler 7
Vanderbilt 2, Evansville 1 (17 inn.)
Indiana 15, Purdue Fort Wayne 1
Indiana State 7, Southeast Missouri 4

Thursday, March 9
Indiana 5, Bellarmine 3

Friday, March 10
Ball State 11, Western Michigan 3
Southeast Missouri 8, Butler 0
Middle Tennessee 2, Evansville 0
Indiana 9, Bellarmine 7
Indiana State 5, Memphis 1
Georgia Tech 7, Notre Dame 4
Mississippi 15, Purdue 7
Austin Peay 9, Purdue Fort Wayne 0
Austin Peay 6, Purdue Fort Wayne 5
Oakland 4, Southern Indiana 2
Valparaiso 6, Southern Mississippi 1

Saturday, March 11
Western Michigan 10, Ball State 1
Ball State 15, Western Michigan 3 (7 inn.)
Southeast Missouri 7, Butler 2
Evansville 5, Middle Tennessee 3
Indiana 13, Bellarmine 3
Indiana State 7, Memphis 3
Georgia Tech 15, Notre Dame 2
Notre Dame 17, Georgia Tech 4
Mississippi 7, Purdue 6 (10 inn.)
Purdue Fort Wayne 5, Austin Peay 3 (8 inn.)
Austin Peay 4, Purdue Fort Wayne 2
Oakland 7, Southern Indiana 5
Southern Mississippi 8, Valparaiso 3

Sunday, March 12
Southeast Missouri 2, Butler 1
Evansville 5, Middle Tennessee 3
Indiana 3, Bellarmine 2
Indiana State 5, Memphis 2
Mississippi 6, Purdue 1
Southern Indiana 12, Oakland 11 (11 inn.)
Southern Mississippi 11, Valparaiso 5

NCAA D-II
Tuesday, March 7
Indianapolis 7, Purdue Northwest 5
Indianapolis 6, Purdue Northwest 1

Friday, March 10
Indianapolis 10, Davenport 7

Saturday, March 11
Indianapolis 7, Davenport 4
Indianapolis 2, Davenport 1 (10 inn.)

Sunday, March 12
Ave Maria 16, Purdue Northwest
Purdue Northwest 10, Ave Maria 7

NCAA D-III
Monday, March 6
Trine 3, St. Vincent 1
Wabash 23, Swarthmore 4

Tuesday, March 7
Grove City 11, Trine 4
Wabash 10, Lebanon Valley 9

Wednesday, March 8
Wilmington 7, Franklin 4
Spalding 14, Hanover 2
Manchester 12, Olivet 2
Rose-Hulman 6, Greenville 4
Dominican (Ill.) 17, Trine 13
Wabash 7, Kean 1

Thursday, March 9
Waynesburg 7, Trine 6

Friday, March 10
Aurora 9, Anderson 2
Anderson 4, Aurora 3
Wilmington 15, Earlham 3
Hanover 14, Hope 4
Trine 7, Penn State-Altoona 0
Trine 7, Penn State-Altoona 4
Wabash 16, Saint John’s 6

Saturday, March 11
Fontbonne 9, Anderson 2
Wisconsin-Osh Kosh 3, DePauw 2
Transylvania 5, DePauw 3
Wilmington 12, Earlham 3
Earlham 8, Wilmington 2
Franklin 15, Albion 4
Albion 4, Franklin 1
Hope 5, Hanover 3
Manchester 13, Berea 5
Manchester 2, Berea 1
Rose-Hulman 4, Alma 0
Rose-Hulman 9, Alma 6
Wabash 17, Western Connecticut 6
Wabash 10, Western Connecticut 3

Sunday, March 12
Anderson 11, Thomas (Maine) 0
Transylvania 9, DePauw 1
Franklin 5, Albion 3
Hanover 14, Millikin 4
Millikin 8, Hanover 5
Rose-Hulman 10, Alma 0

NAIA
Monday, March 6
Calumet of St. Joseph 17, Siena Heights 9
IU-Kokomo 10, Oakland City 3
Indiana Wesleyan 14, Grace 6
Indiana Wesleyan 7, Grace 1
Marian 15, Spring Arbor 4 (8 inn.)
Marian 9, Spring Arbor 5
Taylor 13, Saint Francis 3
Taylor 8, Saint Francis 2

Tuesday, March 7
Calumet of St. Joseph 7, Siena Heights 6
IU-Kokomo 12, IUPU-Columbus 7

Wednesday, March 8
Southeastern 14, Calumet of St. Joseph 1

Thursday, March 9
Bethel 6, Goshen 3
Bethel 9, Goshen 2
St. Thomas 6, Calumet of St. Joseph 5
Calumet of St. Joseph 9, Siena Heights 7
Huntington 10, Saint Francis 8
Saint Francis 6, Huntington 5
Indiana Wesleyan 9, Marian 3
Indiana Wesleyan 5, Marian 4 (9 inn.)
Taylor 11, Spring Arbor 10
Taylor 6, Spring Arbor 5

Friday, March 10
Lawrence Tech 9, Calumet of St. Joseph 6
Concordia (Neb.) 23, Calumet of St. Joseph 3
IU Southeast 11, IU-Kokomo 9
Oakland City 17, Brescia 2 (7 inn.)

Saturday, March 11
Bethel 20, Goshen 3
Bethel 8, Goshen 6
Siena Heights 20, Calumet of St. Joseph 3
Huntington 8, Saint Francis 6
Huntington 18, Saint Francis 0
IU-Kokomo 10, IU Southeast 1
IU Southeast 4, IU-Kokomo 1
Concordia (Mich.) 9, IUPU-Columbus 1
Concordia (Mich.) 10, IUPU-Columbus 2
Oklahoma City 2, Indiana Tech 1
Oklahoma City 10, Indiana Tech 2
Marian 5, Indiana Wesleyan 0
Marian 7, Indiana Wesleyan 4
Brescia 9, Oakland City 2
Brescia 2, Oakland City 1
Taylor 5, Spring Arbor 2
Spring Arbor 5, Taylor 0

Sunday, March 12
Concordia (Mich.) 3, IUPU-Columbus 1
Concordia (Mich.) 3, IUPU-Columbus 1
Indiana Tech 7, Oklahoma City 1

Junior College
Monday, March 6
Ivy Tech Northeast 9, Anderson JV 7
Minnesota North-Vermillion 5, Marian’s Ancilla 3
Minnesota North-Vermillion 6, Marian’s Ancilla 5

Tuesday, March 7
Vincennes 17, Oakland City JV 7

Wednesday, March 8
Mid-Michigan 7, Marian’s Ancilla 2
Volunteer State 16, Vincennes 3

Friday, March 10
Ivy Tech Northeast 11, Southeastern Illinois 5
Ivy Tech Northeast 6, Southeastern Illinois 1
Minnesota State C&T 10, Marian’s Ancilla 9
Marian’s Ancilla 11, Minnesota State C&T 1
Vincennes 11, Schoolcraft 1 (5 inn.)

Saturday, March 11
Southeastern Illinois 16, Ivy Tech Northeast 6
Southeastern Illinois 5, Ivy Tech Northeast 1
Alexandria Tech 6, Marian’s Ancilla 0
Waubonsee 15, Marian’s Ancilla 1
Vincennes 5, Schoolcraft 4
Vincennes 15, Schoolcraft 5

Sunday, March 12
Vincennes 5, Schoolcraft 4

Oakland City ‘mighty’ strong out of the gate

By STEVE KRAH
http://www.IndianaRBI.com

NAIA member Oakland City University is off to a 15-1 start to the 2023 baseball season.
The Andy Lasher-coached Mighty Oaks pushed their win streak to seven with four more this week.
Heritage Hills High School graduate Sam Pinckert (.357) and Evansville Central alum Garrett Causey (.351) lead OCU in hitting.
Right-handers Hunter Callahan (3-0), Vincennes Lincoln product Blake Mincey (2-0) and North Vermillion alum Luke Osborn (2-0) account for nearly half the pitching victories.
Another NAIA squad — Grace (8-3) — enjoyed a 3-1 week.
The Ryan Roth-coached Lancers are led offensively on the season by Sam Newkirk (.410), Grant Hartley (.345) and Bradyn McIntosh (.343). Three players have bashed three homers — Newkirk, Perry Meridian graduate John Joyce and Penn alum Jeff Pawlik.
Washington Township graduate and left-hander Steven Hernandez (2-1) paces the pitching staff in wins. Westview alum and right-hander Hunter Schumacher has three saves.
Jordan Wiersema (.472) and Cooper Tolson (.423) are hitting leaders for NAIA Bethel (7-5).
Logansport graduate Tucker Platt (.410) has the top average and Carmel alum Luke Barnes has popped five homers for NAIA Indiana University-Kokomo (7-7).
Homestead graduate Kaleb Kolpien is hitting .448 with three homers and Greenwood Community alum T.J. Bass (.328) has clubbed four homers for NAIA Taylor (7-7).
Hamilton Southeastern graduate Jacob Daftari has a pair of two-homer games in a four-game sweep for NAIA Indiana Tech (6-1). Brice Stultz went deep for the Warriors in another contest.
Mississinewa alum Tyler Jakob (.385) is the top hitter while right-handers Joey Butz (Heritage Christian) and Tyler Papenbrock (Leo) have two pitching victories each for NAIA Huntington (6-5).
Bryce Davenport (.429) has started seven games and Indianapolis Cardinal Ritter alum right-hander Damien Wallace has two wins for NAIA Marian (2-2).
Homestead graduate Jayden Lepper (.400) and David Miller (three homers) has played all 12 games and right-hander Blaine McRae (Fort Wayne South Side) has two wins for NAIA Saint Francis (5-7).
Sean Moore (.400) has played in all 12 games and right-hander Maxwell Everaert (Hebron) has two wins for NAIA Calumet of St. Joseph (4-7).
Trent Sillett (.417) has the best average, Jenner Rodammer has socked three homers and right-hander David Lopez has two victories for NAIA Goshen (4-7).
Greensburg alum Logan Smith (.429) is the top hitter, Brenden Bell has three homers and right-hander Robbie Berger (John Glenn) two saves for NAIA Indiana University South Bend (4-7).
Decatur Central graduate Brayden Hazelwood (.405) has played in all 11 games for Indiana University Southeast (3-8).
Tri-West Hendricks alum Lucas Goodin (.422) has 11 starts and Mooresville graduate Nick Wiley three homers for NAIA Indiana Wesleyan (3-7-1).
NCAA D-II University of Indianapolis (6-0) produced another three-game series sweep.
Top hitters for the Al Ready-coached Greyhounds so far are Brandon DeWitt (.500), Drew Donaldson (.462), Union County alum Denton Shepler (.444), Lewis Cass graduate Easton Good (.435) and Lawrence North alum Caleb Vaughn (.429). Three of four hits for Brady Ware are home runs.
Left-hander DeWitt (2-0) and right-hander Logan Peterson are UIndy victory leaders.
NCAA D-III Rose-Hulman knocked off No. 3-ranked LaGrange (Ga.) 6-3 Sunday.
The first four hitters in the lineup for the Adam Rosen-coached Fightin’ Engineers — Terre Haute South Vigo graduate Kade Kline, Colter Coulliard-Rodak, Dalton Busboom and Andy Krajecki — scored a run.
Warsaw alum Liam Patton (.435) is off to a hot offensive start and right-hander Derek Haslett (Indianapolis Cathedral) is 2-0 for D-III Wabash (4-2).
Trine (3-0) got four runs batted in each from Cory Erbskorn and Bedford North Lawrence graduate Dalton Nikirk during a season-opening series sweep for the Greg Perschke-coached Thunder.
Among the state’s 10 NCAA D-I programs, Purdue and Southern Indiana are off to the best starts.
Both the Boilermakers and Screaming Eagles are 5-3. Purdue just split four games with New Jersey Institute of Technology. Southern Indiana took two of three against Bellarmine.
Couper Cornblum (.375), Jake Jarvis (.375) and Evan Albrecht (.346) are leading hitters for Purdue. Paul Toetz has a team-leading three homers. Right-hander Aaron Suval is 2-0 with one save and a 1.23 ERA.
Ricardo Van Grieken has started all eight games for USI and is hitting .429. Tucker Ebest has slugged a team-best three homers. On the mound, righty and Jeffersonville alum Gavin Seebold is 1-0 with a 1.08 earned run average.
Right-hander Luke Sinnard picked up the win Sunday as Indiana (3-4) won 4-2 at Texas. The 6-foot-8 Sinnard is 2-0.
Among other D-I leaders in homers, South Central (Union Mills) graduate Kyle Schmack of Valparaiso (4-2) and Ryan Peltier of Ball State (4-4) have four, Joey Urban of Butler (2-5), Linton-Stockton alum Kip Fougerousse of Evansville (2-5) and Valpo’s Nolan Tucker, a Hanover Central graduate, have three.
In junior college ball, Shakamak alum Ethan Burdette (.441) is the leading hitter for Vincennes (4-8).

INDIANA COLLEGE BASEBALL
Records Through Feb. 26
NCAA D-I
Purdue 5-3 (0-0 Big Ten)
Southern Indiana 5-3 (0-0 OVC)
Valparaiso 4-2 (0-0 MVC)
Ball State 4-4 (0-0 MAC)
Notre Dame 3-3 (0-0 ACC)
Indiana 3-4 (0-0 Big Ten)
Butler 2-5 (0-0 Big East)
Evansville 2-5 (0-0 MVC)
Indiana State 2-5 (0-0 MVC)
Purdue Fort Wayne 1-7 (0-0 Horizon)

NCAA D-II
Indianapolis 6-0 (0-0 GLVC)
Purdue Northwest 1-3 (0-0 GLIAC)

NCAA D-III
Wabash 4-2 (0-0 NCAC)
Earlham 3-0 (0-0 HCAC)
Trine 3-0 (0-0 MIAA)
Franklin 2-0 (0-0 HCAC)
DePauw 2-3 (0-0 NCAC)
Manchester 1-1 (0-0 HCAC)
Rose-Hulman 1-2 (0-0 HCAC)
Anderson 0-3 (0-0 HCAC)
Hanover 0-3 (0-0 HCAC)

NAIA
Oakland City 15-1 (0-0 RSC)
Grace 8-3 (0-0 CL)
Bethel 7-5 (0-0 CL)
IU-Kokomo 7-7 (0-0 RSC)
Taylor 7-7 (0-0 CL)
Indiana Tech 6-1 (0-0 WHAC)
Huntington 6-5 (0-0 CL)
Marian 6-6 (0-0 CL)
Saint Francis 5-7 (0-0 CL)
Calumet of Saint Joseph 4-7 (0-0 CCAC)
Goshen 4-7 (0-0 CL)
IU South Bend 4-11 (0-0 CCAC)
IU Southeast 3-8 (0-0 RSC)
Indiana Wesleyan 3-7-1 (0-0 CL)
IUPU-Columbus 1-11

Junior College
Vincennes 4-8 (0-0 MWAC)
Ivy Tech Northeast 1-4
Marian’s Ancilla 0-8 (0-0 MCCAA)

Through Feb. 26
NCAA D-I
Tuesday, Feb. 21
Kentucky 6, Evansville 3
Indiana 13, Miami (Ohio) 5
Indiana State 8, Florida Gulf Coast 7
Lipscomb 6, Southern Indiana 4

Wednesday, Feb. 22
Miami (Fla.) 9, Indiana State 3

Friday, Feb. 24
Ball State 9, Merrimack 0
Campbell 9, Butler 4
Eastern Michigan 5, Evansville 2
Texas 4, Indiana 2
Notre Dame 6, UNC-Greensboro 5
Purdue 6, New Jersey Institute of Technology 5
New Jersey Institute of Technology 5, Purdue 1
Bethune-Cookman 13, Purdue Fort Wayne 8
Bellarmine 4, Southern Indiana 2
Valparaiso 10, Tennessee-Martin 2

Saturday, Feb. 25
Ball State 5, Rutgers 4
Bucknell 7, Ball State 2
Campbell 25, Butler 6
Evansville 9, Eastern Michigan 7
Texas 5, Indiana 2
Northeastern 9, Indiana State 5
Northeastern 15, Indiana State 10
UNC-Greensboro 12, Notre Dame 0
Purdue 7, New Jersey Institute of Technology 4
Bethune-Cookman 9, Purdue Fort Wayne 5
Bethune-Cookman 7, Purdue Fort Wayne 4
Southern Indiana 6, Bellarmine 3
Valparaiso 5, Tennessee-Martin 4 (10 inn.)

Sunday, Feb. 26
Ball State 6, Canisius 1
Campbell 10, Butler 9
Evansville 5, Eastern Michigan 3
Indiana 4, Texas 2
Northeastern 8, Indiana State 7 (11 inn.)
Notre Dame 7, UNC-Greensboro 4
New Jersey Institute of Technology 7, Purdue 5
Bethune-Cookman 10, Purdue Fort Wayne 0
Southern Indiana 18, Bellarmine 5
Valparaiso 17, Tennessee-Martin 4

NCAA D-II
Saturday, Feb. 25
Indianapolis 4, Grand Valley State 2
Indianapolis 10, Grand Valley State 8
Northwood 4, Purdue Northwest 3
Northwood 9, Purdue Northwest 8

Sunday, Feb. 26
Indianapolis 7, Grand Valley State 4
Purdue Northwest 6, Northwood 4
Northwood 13, Purdue Northwest 2

NCAA D-III
Friday, Feb. 24
Webster 16, DePauw 5
Earlham 12, Olivet 10
Maryville 16, Hanover 5

Saturday, Feb. 25
Trine 8, Anderson 5
Trine 8, Anderson 2
Spalding 4, DePauw 3
Earlham 11, Olivet 9
Earlham 9, Olivet 3
Manchester 12, York (Pa.) 5
LaGrange 20, Rose-Hulman 3
LaGrange 14, Rose-Hulman 2
Wabash 14, Albion 2
Hope 12, Wabash 5

Sunday, Feb. 26
Trine 7, Anderson 4
DePauw 4, Wilmington 2
Franklin 3, Saint Mary’s (Minn.) 2
Franklin 1, Saint Mary’s (Minn.) 0
Maryville 4, Hanover 3
Maryville 16, Hanover 12
York (Pa.) 3, Manchester
Rose-Hulman 6, LaGrange 3
Heidelberg 6, Wabash 2

NAIA
Thursday, Feb. 23
Bethel 16, Toccoa Falls 14
Grace 9, Trinity Christian 7
Trinity Christian 15, Grace 7
Oakland City 13, IUPU-Columbus 2
Oakland City 11, IUPU-Columbus 1
Taylor 20, Olivet Nazarene 5 (7 inn.)
Taylor 13, Olivet Nazarene 1

Friday, Feb. 24
Toccoa Falls 8, Bethel 7
Toccoa Falls 9, Bethel 7
Calumet of St. Joseph 7, Hannibal-LaGrange 0
Calumet of St. Joseph 9, Hannibal-LaGrange 0
IU Southeast 5, Huntington 1
IU Southeast 8, Huntington 7
Oakland City 11, IUPU-Columbus 4
Oakland City 5, IUPU-Columbus 3
Georgia Gwinnett 6, IU South Bend 3
Georgia Gwinnett 8, IU South Bend 4
Faulkner 8, Indiana Wesleyan 7
Faulkner 7, Indiana Wesleyan 1

Saturday, Feb. 25
Hannibal-LaGrange 6, Calumet of St. Joseph 5
Calumet of St. Joseph 7, Hannibal-LaGrange 6
Goshen 7, Brescia 0
Brescia 3, Goshen 2
Grace 6, Trinity Christian 3
Grace 11, Trinity Christian 5
Northwest Ohio 4, Huntington 1
Northwest Ohio 3, Huntington 2
IU-Kokomo 6, Saint Francis (Ind.) 2
Saint Francis (Ind.) 4, Madonna 2
Madonna 4, IU-Kokomo 2
Georgia Gwinnett 10, IU South Bend 5
Georgia Gwinnett 10, IU South Bend 2
Indiana Tech 12, Saint Ambrose 8
Indiana Tech 7, Saint Ambrose 3
Faulkner 10, Indiana Wesleyan 4
Concordia (Mich.) 9, Marian 6
Concordia (Mich.) 9, Marian 7
Taylor 6, Olivet Nazarene 5
Olivet Nazarene 4, Taylor 3

Sunday, Feb. 26
Goshen 6, Brescia 4
Goshen 7, Brescia 5
Madonna 10, IU-Kokomo 4
Saint Francis (Ind.) 14, Madonna 2
IU-Kokomo 7, Saint Francis (Ind.) 5
IUPU-Columbus at Cincinnati-Clermont
Northwestern Ohio 8, IU Southeast 7
IU Southeast 7, Northwestern Ohio 2
Indiana Tech 7, Saint Ambrose 2
Indiana Tech 4, Saint Ambrose 2
Marian 12, Concordia (Mich.) 6

Junior College
Tuesday, Feb. 21
Wabash Valley 8, Vincennes 2

Friday, Feb. 24
Olney Central 9, Vincennes 5

Saturday, Feb. 25
Morton 12, Vincennes 9
Joliet 12, Vincennes 9

Sunday, Feb. 26
Vincennes 12, Morton 4

Walther lends his experience to Pro X Athlete Development, College Summer League

By STEVE KRAH
http://www.IndianaRBI.com

Mark Walther helps run a business dedicated to the improvement of those who move and compete, particularly those in baseball, softball, football and golf.
He is the Director of Operations at Pro X Athlete Development, which is at Grand Park Sports Campus in Westfield, Ind.
“I wear a lot of hats here,” says Walther, a former collegiate and professional pitcher. “There isn’t much that I don’t do here.”
Walther, 33, started as a lead instructor and taught velocity programs for pitchers and position players and gave pitching lessons.
As Director of Operations, he is charged with everything from scheduling cages and turf time to making sure machines are in order to the cleanliness of the facility.
He makes sure financials and daily reporting lines up with what’s coming into Pro X.
After coaching at Parkland College in Champaign, Ill., and the University of Indianapolis, Walther worked briefly for Bullpen Tournaments at Grand Park and still helps with that company while also serving as the commissioner of the College Summer League at Grand Park, which had its third season in 2022.
The CSL came about out of players needing a place to compete and train (at Pro X) with many leagues being shut down in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. A lot of athletes had spring seasons that were cut short or didn’t start at all.
“We had a lot of time on our hands,” says Walther. “Both of our businesses were shut down about the time (Indiana) opened up (from the lockdown) is when we were able to open up the league.”
Walther says he was one of six people who created the CSL and other people were brought in to make it a reality.
“To start up a league like that you want high-profile players,” says Walther. “It’s tough to get high-profile players if they’ve never heard of your league before.
“Right way we wanted to be able to compete with the Northwoods, the Prospect and the Coastal Plain. I don’t know if anybody’s ever going to compete with the Cape, but we wanted to be up there.”
Walther says getting the amount of players and talent that the CSL did (in 2020) is the whole reason it still exists.
“We just want to make sure that the product we’re putting out there is good for college players as a whole,” says Walther. “It’s good for their development in games and while they’re training (at Pro X) and getting better.
“We want to meet every ask of a college coach. If they have a redshirt and they need them ready for sophomore year when they return to school then we can get them 30, 40, 50 innings. If they want them to throw 20 innings and two innings a week in relief, we’ll follow that, too.
“That’s really what’s set the College Summer League apart.”
Over the past two years, Walther’s commissioner responsibilities have included finding and getting commitments from coaches, recruiting and placing players and taking care of everything from payments to jersey sizes to host families. He coordinates gameday operations and hires sports information interns for the eight-team league.
Those positions are posted in November and December with interviews coming in January and February.
Walther grew up on a farm on the west side of Kankakee, Ill., and is a 2007 graduate of Herscher (Ill.) High School, where his head coach was Eric Regez.
His junior year, Walther was the last one to make cuts for the Tigers varsity and helped his team as a right-handed reliever. As a senior, he was a starter.
“I played the underdog throughout my entire college career,” says Walther, who worked hard to grow his knowledge base while improving his athletic skill set.
“I was a P.O. (Pitcher Only) before P.O. was even a thing. I think I had seven career varsity at-bats.
“I just kept working at it.”
Mark is the son of Eugene and Beth Walther and is about six years younger than brother Todd Walther.
Eugene Walther died of brain cancer when Mark was 18.
“Going into college that pushed me forward,” says Walther. “It always gave me something to work for: Trying to make him proud.”
Walther showed up at walk-on tryouts at Parkland.
“I wasn’t a preferred walk-on or anything,” says Walther. “I found a way to earn a spot.”
The Cobras coaching staff changed Walther’s arm slot from overhand to sidearm/submarine.
“That gave me a whole new life in college baseball,” says Walther, who was frequently used as a freshman and was on scholarship as a sophomore. The latter team won the 2009 National Junior College Athletic Association Division II national championship.
After two years at Parkland playing for Mitch Rosenthal and Matt Kennedy, Walther transferred to NCAA Division II University of Southern Indiana in Evansville. He came out of the bullpen for Tracy Archuleta’s Screaming Eagles (which won an NCAA Division II national crown in 2010).
“I tried to just extend the game and get us to the next guy,” says Walther. “My job was to get us out of jams. There’s not better feeling in the world than coming into the game with the bases loaded and one out and you’re trying to get a ground ball. I lived for those moments.
“Being out there when the adrenaline’s pumping, I’ve yet to find anything to match it.”
After pitching at Carthage College in Kenosha, Wis., Todd Walther wound up on the baseball operations side with the Texas Rangers.
Mark used the connection to his advantage.
“I was able to bounce ideas off of him when thing weren’t going my way in bullpens or games,” says Walther.
He got to see video of major league pitchers like Cody Bradford, Darren O’Day and Pat Neshek and could study their mechanics, grips and release points.
Walther was on a path to become a Physical Education teacher and high school coach when a curriculum change at USI that would have taken him longer to get his degree caused him to change his major to Sport Management.
“I started learning more about facility management and running a sports business,” says Walther, who took classes on sports marketing and sports law — things that help him in his position at Pro X.
But Walther did pursue coaching out of college.
He was an assistant at Parkland for a year and helped Kennedy with outfielders, operations and recruiting.
He started what turned out to be a four-year stint at the UIndy as a volunteer learning from Greyhounds pitching coach Jordan Tiegs and serving for head coaches Gary Vaught and Al Ready.
When Tiegs left for Indiana State University, Walther took became pitching coach and recruiting coordinator.
Tiegs is now Drector of Pitching Research and Development for the Rangers — Todd Walther’s former job
“I loved college baseball,” says Mark Walther. “I loved coaching it.
“I really loved the recruiting aspect of college. (Players) need to come to us because we’re going to do a better job of developing them as a player.
“I’m very appreciate of Coach Vaught and Coach Ready for everything they did for me.”
Walther then went into tech recruiting for three months and decided he wanted to get back into baseball.
Pro X has just launched into the travel world with its Phoenix softball teams.
While travel baseball organizations, including the Indiana Bulls, Indiana Nitro and Indiana Prospects, partner with Pro X, there is currently no plans to field travel baseball teams under the Pro X banner.
“Travel baseball really wasn’t a thing when I grew up,” says Walther. “I played community baseball until I was 16 years old. Shortly after that it began to grow a little more.”
His first experience came when the Indiana Bulls and others brought teams to play fall exhibition games his first year at Parkland.
Walther notes that he was lucky enough to be on a winning team from age 10 on. But that was not the case in his early community baseball days.
“I got put on a terrible team,” says Walther. “I had to find a way to try to help the team win and to help players develop themselves and rely on our coaches to do the same.
“Depending on where your talent is you can be put on an elite team and rarely ever have to deal with failure, losing or any kind of adversity and learn to overcome that.
“Being on winning teams is also a positive because you learn what it takes to win. Whether you’re on the field or not you can find ways to help the team win.”
Walther says travel ball is all about finding the right fit for you as a player.
“You want to go where you have a chance to play or have a chance to compete for playing time,” says Walther. “You should never shy away from competing and trying to beat someone out to earn playing time.
“In the game of baseball you’re going to have guys on the bench no matter what. It’s what type of bench guys you have. Do you have guys who are going to work and push themselves and the people that are technically in front of them? Or are they going to just roll over and complain until they move on or join another team?”
Players should make sure the team will be doing what they want to do. Will it be mostly local tournaments are really hitting the road? Is the coaching staff going to help develop them as a player?
Among the things coming up at Pro X are “Hard 90” classes with about 30 minutes each of hitting, defense and speed and agility.
In September, the pitching academy and elite training academy for offense and defense cranks up.
Pro X — with its staff of instructors including Jay Lehr, trainers and medical professionals and former big leaguer Joe Thatcher as president — is also an off-season place to train for professionals, including major leaguers Tucker Barnhart, Lance Lynn and Carlos Rodon and minor leaguers Parker Dunshee and Collin Ledbetter.
Rodon came to Pro X while doing rehab from Tommy John surgery.
“He learned a lot about the body and how it moves and how to become efficient on the mound and use his lower half to try to stay as healthy as possible,” says Walther. “We just do whatever we can to service them whether that’s completely help them with their program or stay out of their way and let them use the weight room.”

Mark Walther, Director of Operations at Pro X Athlete Development and commissioner of the College Summer League at Grand Park, both in Westfield, Ind. (Steve Krah Photo)

UIndy ‘late bloomer’ Rivas grows into D-II Midwest Region Pitcher of the Year

BY STEVE KRAH
http://www.IndianaRBI.com

University of Indianapolis sophomore left-hander Xavier Rivas was named 2022 American Baseball Coaches Association/Rawlings NCAA Division II Midwest Region Pitcher of the Year.
The 6-foot-4, 220-pounder in his second year in the Greyhounds starting rotation went 7-0 with a 2.24 earned run average, 128 strikeouts and 31 walks in 80 1/3 innings over 12 games. His WHIP (walks and hits allowed by innings pitched) was 0.98. Opponents hit .170 off the southpaw.
All this from someone who refers to himself as a “late bloomer.”
“The winter before my senior year I was throwing 78 to 82 mph, but I wanted to play (in college),” says Rivas, a 2020 Portage (Ind.) High School graduate. “I didn’t want to go and sit.
“I was a big kid but I hadn’t grown into my body.”
Rivas made a visit to UIndy, threw a bullpen for the coaches and was offered a spot on the team.
“The rest is history,” says Rivas, who credits several people for his ascension.
The winter before his junior year at Portage, Rivas began training with Joe Plesac (who was the pitching coach at Andrean High School Merrillville, Ind.).
“My dad go word of him through my strength coach in Valparaiso (Bub Pullins, whose son Gunnar Pullins was a senior first baseman on the Olivet Nazarene University team in 2022),” says Rivas.
At UIndy, Rivas has learned from head coach Al Ready and two pitching coaches — first Landon Hutchison and then Adam Cornwell. Trevor Forde is another Greyhounds assistant.
“He’s big on trust,” says Rivas of Ready. “He’s do anything for the players.
“It’s nice hearing his opinion. He was a real good hitter.”
Hutchison assisted the lefty with his mechanics and Cornwell with the mental side of things.
“When I came I had a real robotic back-side arm action,” says Rivas. “(Hutchison) was a big numbers guy. We used Rapsodo (cameras) and he taught me my slider.
“(Cornwell) played some pro ball and at UIndy. He’s taught me a lot. He’s helped me with some mechanical cues that added on a few miles per hour.”
Throwing from a three-quarter arm angle, Rivas employs a four-seam fastball, curve, slider and change-up.
During the Great Lakes Valley Conference tournament with warm temperatures that the Greyhounds rarely saw in 2022 (he only pitched two times with the game-time thermometer reaching 60 and one start it was 17 with the wind chill), Rivas was above to get a sweat going on the mound and get his four-seamer up to 92 mph.
“We would have themes for bus rides,” says Rivas. “One time it a beach theme and we wore shorts and flip-flops. When we left Indianapolis it was in the 60s or 70s. It was in the 40s when we got there.
“That’s the nature of the beast in the Midwest. It’s bipolar weather.”
Rivas delivers his curve over the top close to 12-to-6 on the clock face.
In an attempt to “tunnel” his pitches, he wants them to look the same coming out of his hand and as they near the plate then they move in different ways.
Throwing his slider and change-up around the same speed — 80 to 84 mph — he tries to get the slider to dive down and to the right back foot of right-handed hitters. The change-up goes away from righties.
Rivas played one varsity season for Portage head coach Bob Dixon in 2019 (the 2020 season was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic).
“He was an older school guy and a nice guy,” says Rivas of Dixon.
The pitcher underwent knee surgery from a wrestling injury and played junior varsity ball as a Portage sophomore.
Wrestling is a big deal in Xavier’s family. His father Jeremy Rivas went to the IHSAA State Finals three times and was a state runner-up at 125 pounds as a Portage senior in 1993.
Jeremy coached at Hobart (Ind.) High School and helped Alex Ramos to a pair of state titles (1999 at 119 and 2000 at 125) and a fifth-place finish (1998 at 119).
Xavier Rivas wrestled from sixth through ninth grade for Portage (Leroy Vega was his high school coach). A torn meniscus as a sophomore put an end to his mat career.
“I knew baseball was my future,” says Rivas, who was coaxed by friends to play football as a senior. He was a wide receiver and tight end for the Indians in the fall of 2018.
Rivas did some powerlifting as early as high school freshman, but nothing was organized.
“When I got to college I saw how strong everyone was,” says Rivas. “I’m very competitive. I wanted to be the strongest one on the team.”
He got serious about lifting and began getting workouts from friend and competitive lifter Aaron Blake and went heavy with all his lifts when there was a two-month break at UIndy during the winter of 2020-21.
“I got up to 230 pounds,” says Rivas.
A Mechanical Engineering major, Rivas expects to graduate in five years. He is heading into his true junior year. He did not get an extra year of eligibility since he was not in college during the pandemic.
He took a heavy course load during his freshman season — 18 hours — and struggled while doing all online courses and being on the road frequently with the baseball team.
“I tried to study on the bus but that didn’t work,” says Rivas.
This year has been better with in-person classes and 17 hours in the fall and 15 in the spring.
“That was much better,” says Rivas, who mentors freshmen teammates so they don’t suffer the same as he did.
This summer, Rivas is with the Northwoods League’s Wisconsin Rapids Rafters.
Looking for innings, he spent part of the summer of 2021 playing American Legion ball for the South Haven Post 502 Blaze. He spent part of the previous summer with the Midwest Irish.
Born in Hobart, Rivas grew up in South Haven and moved to Portage in the middle of his sixth grad year.
He started at South Haven Little League at 4. He was playing there and in travel ball at 9. The Portage Tribe and Morris Chiefs were two of his other travel ball teams.
Xavier’s mother is Nina Rivas. Sister Mya Rivas (18) is a 2022 Portage graduate who is headed to Purdue University.

Xavier Rivas (University of Indianapolis Photo)

Xavier Rivas (University of Indianapolis Photo)

Xavier Rivas (University of Indianapolis Photo)

Xavier Rivas (University of Indianapolis Photo)