Who are state’s best run producers so far in ’23?

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

Indiana college baseball teams have combined to score nearly 5,800 runs so far in 2023.
Based on posted numbers, NAIA Taylor averages 9.5 runs per game. Other leaders in the division are Indiana Tech (8.6), Huntington (8.3), IU-Kokomo (8.2) and Indiana Wesleyan (8.1).
Ball State (8.3), Indiana (7.8), Purdue (7.5), Evansville (7.4 are at the top of the NCAA Division I list.
NCAA Division II Indianapolis scores 8.5 runs per contest.
NCAA D-III leaders are Wabash (9.0), Anderson (8.7), Earlham (7.8), Franklin (7.7), Manchester (7.5) and Hanover (7.2.)
Pacing junior colleges is Vincennes (7.7).

Here’s a list of individual runs batted in leaders:
T.J. Bass (Taylor) 33
Lucas Goodin (Indiana Wesleyan) 33
Paul Toetz (Purdue) 33
Kade Vander Molen (Taylor) 33
Eric Roberts (Evansville) 32
Jarrett Gray (Huntington) 31
Trevor Campbell (IU Southeast) 30
Colton Evans (Vincennes) 29
Ben Kalbaugh (Taylor) 29
Luke Picchiotti (Taylor) 29
Kaden Elliott (Vincennes) 28
Max Fries (Earlham) 28
Langston Ginder (Huntington) 28
Kaleb Kolpien (Taylor) 28
Brayden Manning (Taylor) 28
Luke Barnes (IU Kokomo) 27
A.J. Reid (Wabash) 27
Brock Tibbitts (Indiana) 27
Nick Wiley (Indiana Wesleyan) 27
Xander Willis (Oakland City) 27
Jenner Rodammer (Goshen) 26
Nicholas Anderson (Calumet of St. Joseph) 25
Jayden Lepper (Saint Francis) 25
Jordan Malott (Huntington) 25
Ryan Peltier (Ball State) 25
Brenden Bell (IU South Bend) 24
Noah Matheson (Ivy Tech Northeast) 24
Andrew Miranda (Bethel) 24
Satchell Wilson (Huntington) 24
Matt Wolff (Huntington) 24
Alex Christie (Hanover) 23
Xavier Croxton (Saint Francis) 22
Tucker Ebest (Southern Indiana) 22
Kaleb Farnham (IU South Bend) 22
Eli McDonald (Bethel) 22
Christian Mojica (Indiana Tech) 22
Conner Oxley (Oakland City) 22
Kody Putnam (IU Southeast) 22
Tyler Stahl (Indiana Tech) 22
M.J. Stavola (Indiana Wesleyan) 22
Mason David (Taylor) 21
Kamden Earley (Wabash) 21
Caleb Engelsman (Indiana Wesleyan) 21
Brendan Hord (Evansville) 21
Ian McCutcheon (Huntington) 21
Justin Reed (Anderson) 21
Mike Sears (Indiana State) 21
Sam Gladd (Taylor) 20
Phillip Glasser (Indiana) 20
Treven Madden (Oakland City) 20
Sam Newkirk (Grace) 20
Nick Parsons (Saint Francis) 20
Aidan Stevens (Manchester) 20
Mason White (IU Southeast) 20
Parker Bates (Indiana Tech) 19
Ben Berenda (IU Southeast) 19
Blake Bevis (Ball State) 19
Braedon Blackford (Purdue Fort Wayne) 19
Garrett Causey (Oakland City 19
Jacob Daftari (Indiana) Tech) 19
Matthew Ellis (Indiana) 19
Ben Higgins (Purdue Fort Wayne) 19
Jake Jarvis (Purdue) 19
Caleb Niehaus (Southern Indiana) 19
Sam Pesa (Saint Francis) 19
Josh Pyne (Indiana) 19
Brent Widder (Evansville) 19
Evan Albrecht (Purdue) 18
Jared Bujdos (Indianapolis) 18
Bryce Davenport (Marian) 18
Drew Donaldson (Indianapolis) 18
Riley Garczynski (IU Kokomo) 18
Jarod Gillespie (IU Kokomo) 18
Chase Hug (Evansville) 18
Hayden Lowe (Ivy Tech Northeast) 18
Liam Patton (Wabash) 18
Jeff Pawlik (Grace) 18
Sam Pinckert (Oakland City) 18
Matthew Rivera (Ball State) 18
Brett Sikoroski (IU South Bend) 18
Dion Wintjes (Marian) 18
Danny Borgstrom (Evansville) 17
Trevor Goodwin (IU Southeast) 17
Brayden Hazelwood (IU Southeast) 17
Camden Knepp (Taylor) 17
Sebastian Kuhns (Huntington) 17
Tysen Lipscomb (Franklin) 17
Carter Mathison (Indiana) 17
J.J. Rivera (Marian) 17
Kyle Schmack (Valparaiso) 17
Sean Sullivan (Franklin) 17
Joey Urban (Butler) 17
Kobe Bartlett (Vincennes) 16
Jacob Dupps (Hanover) 16
Seth Gergely (Indiana State) 16
Jared Holley (Manchester) 16
Ben Kennedy (Taylor) 16
Darrius Little (Calumet of St. Joseph) 16
Michael Machnic (Calumet of St. Joseph) 16
David Miller (Saint Francis) 16
Carter Putz (Notre Dame) 16
Decker Scheffler (Ball State) 16
Tyler Smitherman (Anderson) 16
Jo Stevens (Purdue) 16
Alex Stout (Bethel) 16
Devin Taylor (Indiana) 16
Cooper Tolson (Bethel) 16
Peyton Blinn (IUPU-Columbus) 15
Hunter Dobbins (Ball State) 15
Matt Earley (Franklin) 15
Kip Fougerousse (Evansville) 15
Connor Gordon (Anderson) 15
Rocco Hanes (Manchester) 15
Rylan Huntley (Marian) 15
John Joyce (Grace) 15
Jack Leverenz (IU Kokomo) 15
Ty Mathews (Indiana Wesleyan) 15
Lucas McNew (Southern Indiana) 15
Thomas Obergfell (IU Kokomo) 15
Jake Parr (Purdue) 15
Brady Renfro (Valparaiso) 15
Simon Scherry (Evansville) 15
Bobby Whalen (Indiana) 15
Carter Whitehead (Vincennes) 15

Not forgetting about the pitchers, here are the victory leaders:
Ryan Troxel (Indiana Tech) 6
Lucas Letsinger (IU Kokomo) 5
Tyler Papenrock (Huntington) 5
Ryan Brown (Ball State) 4
Jack Findlay (Notre Dame) 4
Marcus Goodpaster (Hanover) 4
Alec Holcomb (Taylor) 4
Graham Kollen (Huntington) 4
Blaine McRae (Saint Francis) 4
Jack Ross (Taylor) 4
Donovan Schultz (Evansville) 4
Damien Wallace (Marian) 4
Matthew Alter (Hanover) 3
Cason Bennett (Earlham) 3
Jarrett Blunt (Evansville) 3
Brandon DeWitt (Indianapolis) 3
Caleb Everson (Wabash) 3
Ben Harris (IU Kokomo) 3
Jacob Hartlaub (Ball State) 3
Derek Haslett (Wabash) 3
Matthew Johnson (Franklin) 3
Ty Johnson (Ball State) 3
Maddox Manes (Franklin) 3
William Myklebust (Ivy Tech Northeast) 3
Gabel Pentecost (Taylor) 3
Gage Smith (Ivy Tech Northeast) 3
Jake Stuteville (Vincennes) 3
Aaron Suval (Purdue) 3
Aidan Tyrell (Notre Dame) 3
Craig Yoho (Indiana) 3
Drue Young (Indiana Wesleyan) 3
Tyler Yotkewich (IU Southeast) 3
Jackson Young (Franklin) 3
Zach Zaborowski (Indiana Tech) 3

The saves leaders:

Ryan Kraft (Indiana) 5
Hunter Schumacher (Grace) 4
Jared Crandall (Taylor) 3
Jonathan Oliger (Rose-Hulman) 3
Wyatt Phillips (Indianapolis) 3
Jack Ross (Taylor) 3
Grant Simmons (Huntington) 3
Aaron Barokas (Butler) 2
Robbie Berger (IU South Bend) 2
Carter Bosch (Notre Dame) 2
Noah Brettin (Trine) 2
Jesse Burch (Indiana Tech) 2
Hunter Frost (Saint Francis) 2
Riley Gallagher (Purdue Northwest) 2
Nate Hardman (Evansville) 2
Xavier Hart (Vincennes) 2
Garrett Hill (IU Southeast) 2
Carter Hooks (Manchester) 2
Maddox Manes (Franklin) 2
Sam Phillips (Wabash) 2
Jaden Siemer (Hanover) 2
Taylor Sopor (Marian) 2
Benjamin Witterstaetter (Goshen) 2

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 26
NCAA D-I
Ball State 17-6 (8-1 MAC)
Indiana 17-7 (3-0 Big Ten)
Evansville 16-7 (3-0 MVC)
Notre Dame 12-9 (5-4 ACC)
Indiana State 11-11 (3-0 MVC)
Purdue 10-12 (1-2 Big Ten)
Valparaiso 7-10 (0-3 MVC)
Southern Indiana 7-17 (0-3 OVC)
Purdue Fort Wayne 6-18 (3-3 Horizon)
Butler 5-18 (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 11-7 (0-7 GLVC)
Purdue Northwest 4-12 (0-2 GLIAC)

Schedule Links
Indianapolis
Purdue Northwest

Stat Links
Indianapolis
Purdue Northwest

NCAA D-III
Wabash 13-6 (0-0 NCAC)
Earlham 12-5 (2-1 HCAC)
Anderson 11-6 (1-1 HCAC)
Franklin 11-6 (2-1 HCAC)
Rose-Hulman 9-6 (2-0 HCAC)
Trine 9-8 (0-0 MIAA)
Manchester 9-9 (1-2 HCAC)
Hanover 7-10 (1-2 HCAC)
DePauw 5-7 (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 22-9 (6-6 RSC)
Taylor 21-9 (14-2 CL)
Huntington 19-8 (13-3 CL)
Indiana Tech 15-5 (4-2 WHAC)
IU-Kokomo 15-10 (7-3 RSC)
Indiana Wesleyan 15-10-1 (10-3 CL)
IU Southeast 13-13 (8-4 RSC)
Bethel 13-15 (6-10 CL)
Calumet of St. Joseph 12-18 (2-5 CCAC)
Grace 11-12 (3-9 CL)
Marian 11-15 (5-9 CL)
Saint Francis 11-15 (6-8 CL)
IU South Bend 9-16 (4-3 CCAC)
Goshen 6-19 (2-11 CL)
IUPU-Columbus 1-28

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 14-13 (4-2 MWAC)
Ivy Tech Northeast 12-11
Marian’s Ancilla 2-18 (1-1 MCCAA)

Schedule Links
Ivy Tech Northeast
Marian’s Ancilla
Vincennes

Stat Links
Ivy Tech Northeast
Marian’s Ancilla
Vincennes

Through March 26
NCAA D-I
Monday, March 20
Butler 3, Northwestern 2

Tuesday, March 21
Butler 9, Eastern Michigan 7
Indiana 15, Indiana State 5
Notre Dame 8, Valparaiso 4
Illinois-Chicago 6, Purdue 4
Bowling Green 8, Purdue Fort Wayne 6
Belmont 6, Southern Indiana 3

Wednesday, March 22
Ball State 19, Butler 2
Evansville 11, Southern Illinois-Edwardsville 7

Friday, March 24
Ball State 2, Eastern Michigan 1
Notre Dame 4, Louisville 3
Purdue 5, Michigan State 4
Purdue Fort Wayne 6, Northern Kentucky 5

Saturday, March 25
Ball State at 16, Eastern Michigan 5
Cincinnati 15, Butler 5
Evansville 12, Missouri State 7
Evansville 7, Missouri State 3
Indiana 14, Ohio State 6
Indiana State 10, Valparaiso 1
Morehead State 3, Southern Indiana 2

Sunday, March 26
Ball State 7, Eastern Michigan 3
Butler 8, Cincinnati 5
Cincinnati 13, Butler 3
Evansville 7, Missouri State 4
Indiana 9, Ohio State 6
Indiana 7, Ohio State 5
Indiana State 7, Valparaiso 2
Indiana State 4, Valparaiso 2
Notre Dame 5, Louisville 4
Louisville 2, Notre Dame 1
Michigan State 5, Purdue 4
Michigan State 12, Purdue 6
Purdue Fort Wayne 9, Northern Kentucky 5
Northern Kentucky 10, Purdue Fort Wayne 1
Morehead State 11, Southern Indiana 4
Morehead State 5, Southern Indiana 1

NCAA D-II
Tuesday, March 21
Findlay 10, Indianapolis 7

Friday, March 24
Saginaw Valley State 7, Purdue Northwest 1
Saginaw Valley State 3, Purdue Northwest 2

Saturday, March 25
Illinois-Springfield 11, Indianapolis 10
Illinois-Springfield 5, Indianapolis 3

Sunday, March 26
Indianapolis at Illinois-Springfield
Indianapolis at Illinois-Springfield

NCAA D-III
Monday, March 20
Franklin 18, Trine 8
Franklin 14, Trine 1
Heidelberg 11, Manchester 10
Heidelberg 11, Manchester 3
Wisconsin-Osh Kosh 16, Rose-Hulman 5

Tuesday, March 21
Anderson 16, Alma 14
Anderson 16, Alma 6
Earlham 15, Principia 2
Spalding 14, Hanover 13
Trine 13, Manchester 10

Wednesday, March 22
Calvin 6, Manchester 0

Saturday, March 25
Manchester 9, Earlham 6
Transylvania 11, Franklin 0
Mount St. Joseph 6, Hanover 5

Sunday, March 26
Bluffton 10, Anderson 9
Anderson 19, Bluffton 3
DePauw 11, Houston-Victoria 9
Earlham 7, Manchester 6
Earlham 5, Manchester 4
Franklin 6, Transylvania 4
Franklin 14, Transylvania 7
Hanover 3, Mount St. Joseph 0
Mount St. Joseph 19, Hanover 9
Rose-Hulman 10, Defiance 2
Rose-Hulman 5, Defiance 3
Trine 5, Wright State Lake Campus 2
Trine 3, Wright State Lake Campus 2
Wabash 8, Illinois Wesleyan 7 (10 inn.)
Wabash 12, Illinois Wesleyan 9

NAIA
Monday, March 20
Saint Francis 12, Bethel 4
Saint Francis 10, Bethel 4
Olivet Nazarene 18, Calumet of St. Joseph 4
Indiana Wesleyan 9, Goshen 3
Indiana Wesleyan 20, Goshen 2
Mount Vernon Nazarene 10, Grace 8
Mount Vernon Nazarene 4, Grace 3
Saint Xavier 8, IU South Bend 4
Saint Xavier 13, IU South Bend 3
Lourdes 9, Indiana Tech 8
Lourdes 15, Indiana Tech 5
Oakland City 2, Rio Grande 1

Tuesday, March 21
Indiana Southeast 20, IUPU-Columbus 2
Indiana Southeast 14, IUPU-Columbus 6
Indiana Tech 7, Siena Heights 3
Indiana Tech 9, Siena Heights 3
Spring Arbor 10, Marian 9
Spring Arbor 11, Marian 5

Wednesday, March 22
Taylor 10, Mount Vernon Nazarene 7
Taylor 14, Mount Vernon Nazarene 2

Thursday, March 23
Huntington 9, Bethel 8
Huntington 13, Bethel 1
Asbury 13, IUPU-Columbus 12
Asbury 22, IUPU-Columbus 5

Friday, March 24
Bethel 6, Huntington 2
Huntington 12, Bethel 2
Calumet of St. Joseph 4, Saint Francis (Ill.) 0
Saint Francis (Ill.) 3, Calumet of St. Joseph 2
Spring Arbor 8, Goshen 0
Spring Arbor 10, Goshen 2
Grace 10, Marian 3
Grace 6, Marian 1
IU South Bend 11, Trinity International 1
Saint Francis 8, Indiana Wesleyan 4
Indiana Wesleyan 4, Saint Francis 1
Taylor 6, Mount Vernon Nazarene 3
Taylor 3, Mount Vernon Nazarene 2

Saturday, March 25
IU Southeast 5, Alice Lloyd 3
West Virginia Tech 13, Oakland City 5

Sunday, March 26
Saint Francis (Ill.) at Calumet of St. Joseph
IU-Kokomo 12, Ohio Christian 2
Ohio Christian 9, IU-Kokomo 7
IU South Bend 12, Trinity International 4
IU South Bend 8, Trinity International 1
IU Southeast 7, Alice Lloyd 2
IU Southeast 18, Alice Lloyd 0
Indiana Tech 3, Lawrence Tech 2
Indiana Tech 15, Lawrence Tech 0
Oakland City 9, West Virginia Tech 3
Oakland City 10, West Virginia Tech 2

Junior College
Monday, March 20
Ivy Tech Northeast 7, Muskegon 5
Muskegon 5, Ivy Tech Northeast 4
Vincennes 12, Danville Area 2
Vincennes 7, Danville Area 4

Tuesday, March 21
Ivy Tech Northeast 11, Lakeland 1
Ivy Tech Northeast 17, Lakeland 2
Marian’s Ancilla 6, Glen Oaks 4
Vincennes 18, Danville Area 6
Vincennes 19, Danville Area 11

Thursday, March 23
Kellogg 10, Marian’s Ancilla 2

Sunday, March 26
Ivy Tech Northeast 5, Cuyahoga 4
Illinois Central 13, Vincennes 2
Illinois Central 11, Vincennes 0

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Baseball life takes Schott from California to Culver Academies, Columbia U.

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

Hayden Schott traded West Coast sunshine for education and direction in northern Indiana.
He is now shining on the baseball diamond as an Ivy Leaguer and has already got a future spot in Texas.
A native of Newport Beach, Calif., Schott opted to follow a family tradition and attended high school at Culver (Ind.) Academies, graduating in 2018.
Hayden’s mother Darcie as well as an aunt, uncle and grandfather on that side of the family all attended Culver.
Darcie and Paul Schott’s children — Josephine, Hayden and Mitchell — all had the option of going there.
“I was really hesitant at first because I loved surfing and playing baseball in warm weather being a kid in California,” says Schott. “Once I visited the place it blew me away and it was a no-brainer for me.”
Schott lived in a dormitory with students ranging from 14 to 18.
“My first year I was barely 14 and was living with no parents and a roommate who I had just met. It taught me really quick I need to be responsible and have some discipline on my own.
“I wouldn’t have learned that without going there. It’s helped me in college because living away from home and parents was pretty normal to me.”
Hayden says his parents — including former Bryant University lacrosse player Paul Schott — knew that he would learn from the experience, but did not force it on him.
“At a place like that you have to want to go there,” says Schott. “If you don’t you resent the whole process. You rebel against the system or the whole military thing. You definitely have to buy in if you’re going to go to a place like that.”
Kurt Christiansen is head baseball coach at Culver Academies with J.D. Uebler as varsity assistant.
“They were instrumental in my mental space for baseball — enjoying myself, letting me do what I’m good at out on the field and also teaching me some small-ball stuff that I may have never thought about before that I could translate to the next level very well,” says Schott. “They gave me that freedom while also being there to instruct me and constructively criticize me when I needed it. For a 15- to 18-year-old baseball player that was huge.”
Schott grew up as a catcher and moved to the outfielder in high school. The righty thrower and lefty swinger was selected for the 2018 Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association North/South All-Star Series in South Bend.
A redshirt in 2019 at Cypress (Calif.) College, Schott played in 18 games for the Anthony Hutting-coached Chargers and hit .317 with one home run and 18 runs batted in before the COVID-19 pandemic shortened the 2020 season.
After his junior college days, Schott transferred to Columbia University in New York, N.Y., and did not play in 2021 when the Ivy League opted to take another COVID year off for athletics.
In his first full collegiate baseball season, Schott set a single-season Ivy record in league league play for at-bats (88) and tied marks for home runs (8) and total bases (88) while being named to the all-conference first team.
Primarily a right fielder, the 6-foot-2, 215-pounder started in 49 of 50 appearances in 2022 and hit .320 while leading the Brett Boretti-coached Lions in homers (12), RBIs (55), total bases (117), hits (63), at-bats (197) and slugging average (.594).
Heading into Columbia’s 2023 home opener Wednesday, March 22 against Manhattan, No. 3-hole hitter Schott is batting .397 (25-of-63) with four homers, 10 RBIs, 14 runs scored and a .441 on-base percentage.
The Lions are 6-9 and have played at Power 5 schools Virginia and Alabama with a win against the Crimson Tide.
In his third academic career at Columbia, Schott is scheduled to graduate this spring with a Psychology degree. It’s a field that also interests his brother. Hayden says he can see himself pursuing something related to men’s mental health in the future.
“I love psychology,” says Schott, who turns 23 in May. “I listen to psychology podcasts. I like to listen to clinical psychologists talk about neuroscience, how the brain works and why our behaviors are the way they are.
“My other major is baseball.”
Since Ivy League schools do not have graduate school athletes and Schott is entitled to another year of eligibility, he was able to land a spot with Texas A&M in 2023-24 and has hopes of playing pro ball. Anderson (Ind.) High School graduate Michael Earley is the hitting coach for the Aggies.
“I’m super excited and I think it’s going to be awesome to play in the SEC,” says Schott, who expects he might pursue masters degree related to business. “But my current head space is Columbia baseball. That’s all I’m focused on.
“I’ve had a weird journey in my baseball career. But I’m very grateful for it. I’ve been to a lot of spot and met a lot of great people. I wouldn’t change it for the world because it brought me here.”
Like Culver Academies, Schott has seen his share of wintry weather in New York.
“It’s good,” says Schott. “It teaches you resiliency. We practice sometimes when it’s sleeting or snowing.
You can appreciate when you play on a warm field with a real surface. I’m grateful for having played through that for sure.”

Hayden Schott. (Columbia University Photo)

Hayden Schott. (Columbia University Photo)

Hayden Schott. (Columbia University Photo)

Hayden Schott (22). (Columbia University Photo)

Valpo U. off to best start since ’85; Evansville, Indiana Tech hot

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

Valparaiso has played all its 2023 college baseball games in 2023 in either Texas, Tennessee or Arkansas.
And yet the NCAA Division I Beacons are 6-3 — the program’s best start since 1985. Valpo U. won five straight before a Sunday loss at Arkansas-Little Rock.
This week, Brian Schmack’s team plays Tuesday at Mississippi State and Friday through Sunday at Southern Mississippi.
D-I Evansville is on a seven-game win streak after losing the first five games of the year. The Wes Carroll-coached Purple Aces are coming off a 5-0 week.
D-I Purdue (8-4) — coached by Greg Goff — took three of four games from Akron, outscoring the Zips 55-15.
D-I Ball State (5-4) — coached by Rich Maloney — went 3-1 for the week with two wins against Purdue Fort Wayne and one against Cornell with the loss coming to 13-0 Wake Forest.
The state’s two NCAA D-II programs are scheduled to meet Tuesday, March 7 when Purdue Northwest (2-4) plays a doubleheader at Indianapolis (6-0). The first game is slated for 1 p.m.
The best weeks among D-III programs were enjoyed by Rick Espeset-coached Manchester 4-2, Matt Bair-coached Anderson 3-0, Grant Bellak-coached Hanover 2-0 and Adam Rosen-coached Rose-Hulman 2-1.
NAIA Indiana Tech (9-1) extended its win streak to eight with a 3-0 week in which the Kip McWilliams-coached Warriors outscored opponents 47-21.
Indiana has eight teams in the NAIA Crossroads League. That circuit played its first games of the season. Huntington, Indiana Wesleyan (3-0 for the week) and Taylor (2-0 for the week) are all off a 2-0 CL starts.
Drew Brantley’s NAIA Indiana University-Kokomo also enjoyed a 2-0 week.
In junior college, South Spencer High School graduate Kobe Bartlett hit a two-run double as Chris Barney-coached Vincennes University capped a six-run seventh-inning rally to beat Lincoln Trail 7-6 Sunday.
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 5
NCAA D-I
Purdue 8-4 (0-0 Big Ten)
Ball State 7-5 (0-0 MAC)
Evansville 7-5 (0-0 MVC)
Valparaiso 6-3 (0-0 MVC)
Notre Dame 5-4 (0-0 ACC)
Indiana 5-6 (0-0 Big Ten)
Southern Indiana 5-6 (0-0 OVC)
Indiana State 2-8 (0-0 MVC)
Butler 2-9 (0-0 Big East)
Purdue Fort Wayne 2-10 (0-0 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 6-0 (0-0 GLVC)
Purdue Northwest 2-4 (0-0 GLIAC)

Schedule Links
Indianapolis
Purdue Northwest

Stat Links
Indianapolis
Purdue Northwest

NCAA D-III
Earlham 5-2 (0-0 HCAC)
Manchester 5-3 (0-0 HCAC)
Franklin 4-2 (0-0 HCAC)
DePauw 4-4 (0-0 NCAC)
Wabash 4-4 (0-0 NCAC)
Trine 3-2 (0-0 MIAA)
Anderson 3-3 (0-0 HCAC)
Rose-Hulman 3-3 (0-0 HCAC)
Hanover 2-3 (0-0 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
Oakland City 15-4 (0-0 RSC)
Indiana Tech 9-1 (0-0 WHAC)
IU-Kokomo 9-7 (0-0 RSC)
Taylor 9-7 (2-0 CL)
Grace 8-5 (0-2 CL)
Huntington 8-5 (2-0 CL)
Bethel 8-8 (1-3 CL)
Marian 8-8 (2-2 CL)
Indiana Wesleyan 6-7-1 (2-0 CL)
Goshen 6-10 (2-2 CL)
Saint Francis 5-7 (0-2 CL)
Calumet of St. Joseph 5-8 (0-0 CCAC)
IU Southeast 4-11 (0-0 RSC)
IU South Bend 4-13 (0-0 CCAC)
IUPU-Columbus 1-15

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 5-10 (0-0 MWAC)
Ivy Tech Northeast 3-6
Marian’s Ancilla 0-8 (0-0 MCCAA)

Schedule Links
Ivy Tech Northeast
Marian’s Ancilla
Vincennes

Stat Links
Ivy Tech Northeast
Marian’s Ancilla
Vincennes

Through March 5
NCAA D-I
Tuesday, Feb. 28
Indiana 13, Butler 2

Wednesday, March 1
Evansville 14, Southeast Missouri 8

Friday, March 3
Ball State 5, Cornell 2
Wake Forest 11, Purdue Fort Wayne 0
Central Connecticut State 6, Butler 5
Louisiana State 12, Butler 2
East Carolina 17, Indiana 4
Notre Dame 7, Alabama-Birmingham 2
Akron 2, Purdue 1
Washington State 7, Southern Indiana 5

Saturday, March 4
Ball State 11, Purdue Fort Wayne 0
Wake Forest 7, Ball State 4
Central Connecticut State 3, Butler 1
Evansville 9, Bowling Green 3 (7 inn.)
Evansville 11, Bowling Green 0 (7 inn.)
Indiana 4, Georgetown 3
Kentucky 4, Indiana State 2
Kentucky 5, Indiana State 4
Notre Dame 7, Alabama-Birmingham 3
Purdue 17, Akron 9
Purdue 13, Akron 0 (7 inn.)
Purdue Fort Wayne 6, Cornell 3
Washington State 12, Southern Indiana 5
Valparaiso 7, Arkansas-Little Rock 6
Valparaiso 9, Arkansas-Little Rock 3

Sunday, March 5
Ball State 13, Purdue Fort Wayne 9
Evansville 8, Bowling Green 4 (7 inn.).
Evansville 13, Bowling Green 3 (7 inn.).
Long Beach State 10, Indiana 4
Kentucky 7, Indiana State 6
Alabama-Birmingham 5, Notre Dame 2
Purdue 23, Akron 4
Washington State 6, Southern Indiana 0
Arkansas-Little Rock 18, Valparaiso 8 (7 inn.).

NCAA D-II
Sunday, March 5
Upper Iowa 4, Purdue Northwest 1
Purdue Northwest 7, Upper Iowa 1

NCAA D-III
Monday, Feb. 27
Franklin 9, Moravian 5
Manchester 4, Eastern 2
Manchester 8, Neumann 5

Tuesday, Feb. 28
Calvin 15, Franklin 6
Manchester 12, Cabrini 4
Emory 7, Rose-Hulman 2

Saturday, March 4
Anderson 13, St. Norbert 10
Anderson 8, St. Norbert 7
Manchester 12, DePauw 5
DePauw 11, Manchester 8
Earlham 9, Illinois Tech 8
Illinois Tech 14, Earlham 1
Hope 14, Franklin 12
Franklin 5, Hope 4
Hanover 11, North Park 2
Rose-Hulman 8, Bridgewater 6
Rose-Hulman 13, Ferrum 12

Sunday, March 5
Anderson 4, St. Norbert 3
DePauw 18, Manchester 8
Illinois Tech 7, Earlham 4
Earlham 5, Illinois Tech 3
Hanover 5, North Park 2
John Carroll 8, Trine 1
John Carroll 8, Trine 3
Misericordia 8, Wabash 3
Misericordia 5, Wabash 2

NAIA
Monday, Feb. 27
Cumberland 23, IU South Bend 17

Tuesday, Feb. 28
Mount Vernon Nazarene 3, Bethel 2
Bethel 9, Mount Vernon Nazarene 2
Thomas More 11, Goshen 7
Bethel (Tenn.) 10, Oakland City 6

Wednesday, March 1
Mount Vernon Nazarene 12, Bethel 8
Mount Vernon Nazarene 10, Bethel 6
Indiana Wesleyan 10, IU South Bend 8
Lindsey Wilson 11, IU Southeast 1 (7 inn.)

Thursday, March 2
Goshen 7, Marian 2
Marian 7, Goshen 6
Indiana Wesleyan 16, Grace 0
Indiana Wesleyan 3, Grace 2
Huntington 10, Spring Arbor 5
Huntington 8, Spring Arbor 3
Taylor 10, Saint Francis 9
Taylor 24, Saint Francis 4

Saturday, March 4
Toccoa Falls 11, Calumet at St. Joseph 4
Calumet 10, St. Joseph at Toccoa Falls 5
Cleary 12, IUPU-Columbus 6
Cleary 3, IUPU-Columbus 0
Rio Grande 7, IU Southeast 5
Indiana Tech 13, Bryan 6

Sunday, March 5
Marian 6, Goshen 4
Goshen 3, Marian 2
IU-Kokomo 3, Oakland City 1
IU-Kokomo 9, Oakland City 2
Cleary 9, IUPU-Columbus 0
Cleary 8, IUPU-Columbus 4
IU Southeast 11, Rio Grande 5
Rio Grande 6, IU Southeast 1
Indiana Tech 20, Fisher 3 (10 inn.).
Indiana Tech 14, Fisher 12 (8 inn.).

Junior College
Wednesday, March 1
Edison State 6, Ivy Tech Northeast 5
Ivy Tech Northeast 21, Edison State 6 (5 inn.)

Saturday, March 4
Kellogg 5, Vincennes 2

Sunday, March 5
Vincennes 7 , Lincoln Trail 6
Wabash Valley 16, Vincennes 5

Scott in second stint guiding Anderson Prep Academy Jets baseball

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

Corey Scott — who is in his second stint as head baseball coach at Anderson (Ind.) Preparatory Academy — says the Jets are looking to establish a culture of success.
“We’re still a relatively-new school,” says Scott, noting that APA opened as a middle school in 2008, grew into a K-12 school and had its first year of IHSAA tournament eligibility in 2015-16. “We want to get to when we can be competitive on a game-to-game basis.”
Scott was an assistant coach when the Jets were still in a probationary period in 2015 and were not eligible to participate in sectional play after posting an 11-10 record.
“We were pretty solid,” says Scott of that ’15 team.
The 2022 team included 14 players with just one senior and two juniors. APA went 0-15. Scott moved up from assistant to head coach three weeks into the season.
Scott is entering his 10th year at Anderson Prep, where he is also the head boys basketball coach.
“We were extremely young last year,” says Scott, whose Jets went 1-21 on the hardwood.
Anderson Prep (enrollment around 250) is part of the 10-member Pioneer Conference (with Bethesda Christian, Greenwood Christian, Indianapolis Shortridge, Liberty Christian, Muncie Burris, Park Tudor, Seton Catholic and University playing baseball and International not having a program).
The Jets hosted an IHSAA Class 1A sectional grouping in 2022 with Cowan, Daleville, Liberty Christian, Southern Wells, Tri-Central and Wes-Del. APA has not yet won a sectional championship.
APA plays home games at Memorial Field — less than a mile from campus on 29th Street. The Jets conduct most practices on the school’s practice football field. They worked out once each at Memorial Field and at Liberty Christian — about a mile away on Columbus Avenue — then hosted an IHSAA Class 1A Sectional at Memorial Field in 2022.
Anderson High School just built two new on-campus diamonds. Scott is hopeful that will mean more access to Memorial Field.
An IHSAA Limited Contact Period goes from Aug. 29-Oct. 15, but many players will be busy with soccer.
Scott says he hopes an assistant coach — as yet unconfirmed — can lead baseball players through workouts this winter while he is occupied with basketball.
Scott is a 1995 graduate of Daleville (Ind.) High School, where he played hoops for Broncos head coach Everett Gates and on the diamond for Mike Reese and was later his assistant for five years while Daleville won its first two baseball sectional titles (1999 and 2000).
After high school, Scott played basketball for two years at Glen Oaks Community College (Centerville, Mich.) then transferred to Anderson (Ind.) University, where he earned his bachelor’s degree and began coaching — first as a volunteer — and then as a paid assistant for basketball and baseball.
Scott is an elementary Physical Education and middle School Health teacher for APA.
Corey and wife Erin Scott have two sons — Jack (19) and Ben (17). Jack Scott played soccer, basketball and baseball at Anderson Prep. After finishing U.S. Army basic training, he will start his sophomore year at Ball State University. Ben Scott is an APA senior who plays basketball and baseball.

Corey Scott.

‘The Best We’ve Got: The Carl Erskine Story’ makes Indianapolis premier

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

“The Best We’ve Got: The Carl Erskine Story” — a film by Ted Green — made its Indianapolis debut Thursday, Aug. 18 at the Tobias Theater aka The Toby.
After the screening presented by Heartland Film, Green told why he chose the documentary subject.
“I like to do films that celebrate the triumph of the human spirit,” said Green, a producer, director, writer and researcher who partnered with Indiana Historical Society and created a cinematic portrayal of the man who has impacted the baseball world and so much more. “I just found myself drawn to this 95-year old guy up in Anderson, Ind., who was able to sort of move social mountains — not through bombast, not through money, but through grace, through humility, through servant leadership — and I will tell you that the last two years spent during production were the greatest two years of education of my life.
“Maybe just maybe niceness and decency can win in the end.”
Esteemed broadcaster Bob Costas summed it up in his on-screen introduction: “It was a story told softly as you’re about to see and hear about a story that cumulatively speaks to a person who’s deeply admirable.”
Erskine, who became known as “The Gentleman from Indiana,” was born Dec. 13, 1926 in Anderson, won 122 games as a right-handed pitcher for the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers.
Throwing an overhand curveball that Hall of Fame announcer Vin Scully said could be seen in a snowstorm, Erskine struck out a then-record 14 batters in the 1953 World Series.
“Oisk” — as Brooklyn fans called him — is the last living member of the 1955 team that won the World Series. That group is part of Roger Kahn’s celebrated book, “The Boys of Summer.” Hall of Famer and Indiana native Gil Hodges was also on that team.
Erskine threw two no-hitters and the was the starting pitcher in the Dodgers’ first game in LA.
But that’s just a part of Erskine’s tale.
“When I was a little boy I had this feeling in my soul: Something good is going to happen to you,” said Erskine early in the film. I just had this feeling,”
Carl and Betty Erskine will celebrate 75 years of marriage on Oct. 5. They raised four children — Danny, Gary, Susan and Jimmy.
The latter was born in 1960 — less than a year after Carl retired from baseball — with Down syndrome. Rather than put Jimmy away in an institution, the Erskine showered him with love and treated him like the rest of the children.
“We were an active family,” said Gary Erskine. “Jimmy was not left behind.”
Jimmy got on to a school bus for the first time in 1972 and has gone on to lead an independent life.
When Carl and Betty’s fourth child came along, Indiana had long took a dim view of the “feeble-minded” and in 1907 was the nation’s first state to enact compulsory sterilization to “prevent procreation of confirmed criminals, idiots, imbeciles and rapists.”
Expected to live to around 35, Jimmy Erskine turned 62 this year. He worked at Applebee’s in Anderson for two decades and competed in Special Olympics for 50 (starting with the Indiana State Special Olympic Games in Terre Haute in 1970).
The Carl and Betty Erskine Society raises money for the Special Olympics.
The Erskine Personal Impact Curriculum (EPIC) is a set of materials for elementary, middle and high school students that uses stories from Carl’s life to “create lessons and activities with themes including empowerment, friendship, inclusion and leadership.”
Thursday’s event was also a celebration of the Erskine connection to Special Olympics Indiana and helping to promote grace, humility, diversity, inclusion and servant leadership.
When Carl was 10 and playing basketball in the alley with friends, 9-year-old Johnny Wilson wandered in.
Carl’s question to the boy who happen to be black was, “Do you want to play?”
It was the start of long friendship that lasted more than eight decades — one that will be commemorated with a mural in downtown Anderson in 2023.
The boy who went on to be known as “Jumpin’” Johnny Wilson came from a family on welfare so he often ate at the Erskine house.
Blacks were not welcome in some Anderson restaurants. They could not join the YMCA. They were restricted to the balcony of the movie theater.
The Ted Green film made its world premier Aug. 11 at Anderson’s Paramount Theatre with an encore on Aug. 13.
“Blacks were expected to be where they were supposed to be and the whites on the other side,” said Erskine.
Carl’s parents — Matt and Berths — did not show that prejudice.
General Motors Delco Remy inspector Matt Erskine “walked as easily among blacks as whites.”
Bertha Erskine “was known for seeing the best in everyone and everything.”
Said Carl, “She gave me the feeling that beauty is all around us. Don’t forget to look at it.”
Carl went to the blacks-only swimming pool with Johnny Wilson. He didn’t go to places Johnny couldn’t and he sat in the balcony with his pal.
They later played together on the Anderson High School basketball team. Wilson was chosen as Indiana Mr. Basketball in 1946 and went on to play for the Harlem Globetrotters and is in the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame. He competed in baseball, basketball, football and track and field at Anderson College (now Anderson University) and is in that school’s athletic hall of fame.
Erskine, who was later head baseball coach at Anderson College for 12 years and is also in the Ravens Hall of Fame, shined on the diamond for Anderson High and Anderson American Legion Post 127.
Throwing a tennis ball against a barn with a strike zone marked in chalk, Carl continually fanned his hero.
Said Erskine, “I can’t count how many times I struck out Babe Ruth.”
First discovered by Indianapolis scout Stan Feezle, Carl landed with the Dodgers after a stint in the U.S. Navy.
The Dodgers were run by Branch Rickey, who signed the Hoosier hurler for $5,000.
“I think there was an esteem there,” said Branch Rickey III of the relationship between his grandfather and Erskine. “He just had a deep, deep appreciation for what character could do individually. We loved what character could do for teams.”
As a minor leaguer pitching against the big club, Erskine first met Jackie Robinson, who made a point of encouraging him his outing.
Erskine made his Dodgers debut in 1948 and went on to toe the rubber for the franchise 335 times.
Two Erskine-penned books are “Tales from the Dodgers Dugout” and “What I Learned from Jackie Robinson” and has been involved with Jackie Robinson Day activities with The Base Indy.
One day after Erskine had shown kindness to wife and son — Rachel Robinson and Jackie Jr. — Robinson expressed his appreciation.
“‘Come on, Jackie, it’s as natural to me as breathing,’” said Erskine of his response. But Jackie was always kind of surprised. He said to me, ‘this black and white thing doesn’t seem to bother you.’ I told him about Johnny my buddy. He said, ‘Carl, I see life divided. You seem to see life connected.’”
When Dodgers catcher Roy Campanella was paralyzed in an auto accident in 1958, the first teammate to visit him in the hospital was Erskine.
A man of faith who met Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, Erskine was there at the start of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
Erskine lent his talent to Dale McMillen aka “Mr. Mac” with the Wildcat League for youth in Fort Wayne, Ind.
An insurance salesman and a bank president in his hometown, Carl has been a civic leader along with Betty.
Anderson has Erskine Elementary School (a video message from Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda at the dedication appears in the film).
There’s also was is now known as Anderson Youth Baseball & Softball at Erskine Park.
The broadcast premier of “The Best We’ve Got: The Carl Erskine Story” is slated for 9 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 22 on WFYI in Indianapolis with PBS stations around Indiana expected to follow.
As well as being part of the Heartland International Film Festival Oct. 6-16 in Indianapolis, screenings are planned for Sept. 29 at Eagles Theater in Wabash, Ind., Oct. 13 at Muncie Civic Center with dates to be determined at Artcraft Theater in Franklin, Ind., and Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

The Indianapolis premier of the Ted Green film “The Best We’ve Got: The Carl Erskine Story” was Thursday, Aug. 18 at the Tobias Theater aka The Toby. (Steve Krah Photo)

A memento from the Indianapolis premier of the Ted Green film “The Best We’ve Got: The Carl Erskine Story.” (Steve Krah Photo)

Former pro pitcher Wechsler hunts for gems as White Sox area scout

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

Justin Wechsler grew up playing baseball in Madison County, Ind.
Born in Anderson in 1980 and briefly residing in Texas, he landed in Pendleton and was educated there through high school at Pendleton Heights (Class of 1998.
As a right-handed pitcher, he excelled at Ball State University (1999-2001) in nearby Muncie and then had professional baseball adventures in the Arizona Diamondbacks organization and in independent ball.
When his playing career was over in 2006 — the year he turned 26 — Wechsler became a car salesman.
But that wasn’t for him.
“I needed to get back into baseball somehow, some way,” says Wechsler, who spent a short time as a Ball State volunteer assistant before becoming an area scout for the Chicago White Sox.
Most days from February through the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft (which was July 17-19 in 2022) see McCordsville, Ind., resident Wechsler on the road evaluating talent in Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and western Pennsylvania.
After a short break, he goes into summer and fall coverage. He is currently in San Diego for the 2022 Area Code Games.
Wechsler uses a mix of analytics and the eye test when grading players.
“You have to know them both,” says Wechsler. “These metrics just give you another piece of information to dissect a guy. The more information the better.
“I dug in on that stuff when it came out so I could talk intelligently about it. That’s what we do. That’s our job.”
As an area scout, Wechsler does not have the authority to sign players.
“I put numbers on them,” says Wechsler. “At a certain point a cross-checker or a national guy will come in.
“You build the base so you’ve got a target in the spring.”
He wants to find players who can hit, run and throw, but there’s more to it than that.
“It’s not so much the physical tools, it’s how they’re wired,” says Wechsler. “Do they have the right make-up? Professional baseball is hard. It’s a grind. It’s long. It’s just tough. The tools are the easy part.
“Mental toughness is a portion of it. What kind of teammate are they? Are they self-motivated? Do they love the game or just like the game? Are they coachable?”
It’s often creating a portfolio that has a beginning, middle and end.
“You start to build a profile and see how they mature,” says Wechsler. “Can they handle failure? It’s a very humbling experience.
“It helps that I played and was in a clubhouse. I know that life’s like.”
Wechsler played at Pendleton Heights for Bill Stoudt, who went into the Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2006. In 2013, the Arabians’ diamond became known as Bill Stoudt Field.
“He was awesome,” says Wechsler of Stoudt, who saw the pitcher chosen for the 1998 IHSBCA North/South All-Star Series. “I had breakfast with Stoudty about a week ago.”
Wechsler has been known to stay at Stoudt’s Florida condo for a week at a time while attending spring training.
Wechsler met Anderson native Mike Shirley (who also played for Stoudt at Pendleton Heights) as a high schooler.
“He was one of those guys I met at a younger age when I needed guidance and advice,” says Wechsler. “I know I got lucky.”
Shirley is now Director of Amateur Scouting for the White Sox and operates The Barn training facility in Anderson.
Wechsler has been one of the pitching instructors at the facility and witnessed a long list of talent walk through the door.
“(Wapahani High School alum and St. Louis Cardinals left-hander) Zack Thompson grew up in our building,” says Wechsler.
John Miles was Wechsler’s manager with Anderson George H. Hockett American Legion Post 127.
“We were good,” says Wechsler of that Legion ball team.
At Ball State, the 6-foot, 255-pound righty learned from Cardinals head coach Rich Maloney. Over the years, he has watched him recruit players that went high in the MLB Draft (65 players have been selected 72 times with six first-rounders).
“He likes long athletic bodies,” says Wechsler of Maloney. “I probably didn’t fit his mold.”
Projectability is another key.
“You have to do that at that level,” says Wechsler.
The scout takes some credit for telling Maloney about right-hander Drey Jameson (Greenfield-Central Class of 2017), who came out of high school as a 6-foot, 145-pounder and pitched two seasons at Ball State (2018 and 2019) before being chosen in the first round in 2019 by the Diamondbacks.
“Drey is one of the most competitive human beings I’ve ever met,” says Wechsler. “He has a chip on his shoulder.
“He’s wired different than most guys.”
In 2022, 6-foot southpaw Tyler Schweitzer (Hamilton Southeastern) was drafted in the fifth round out of Ball State by the White Sox.
“He was light-tossing lefty who dove in the weight room and brought up his velocity,” says Wechsler of Schweitzer.
Draft selections who were Wechsler teammates at Ball State include outfielder Larry Bigbie (a Hobart High School graduate who played the majors and Japan), catcher Jon Kessick, right-handers Travis Minix and Christopher Cabaj and left-hander Jason Hickman in 1999, Hickman, lefty Adam Sheefel and infielders Shayne Ridley and Jeremy Ridley in 2000, catcher Doug Boone and right-hander Jason Paul in 2001 and righty Bryan Bullington (a Madison Consolidated alum and the No. 1 overall pick) and lefty Luke Hagerty, righty Paul Henry and Boone in 2002.
Bigbie, Bullington and Shayne Ridley are in the Ball State Athletic Hall of Fame.
Wechsler took the bump 53 times for the BSU Cardinals (40 starts) and went 23-13 with a 4.69 earned run average, 219 strikeouts and 92 walks in 232 1/3 innings.
Selected in the fourth round of the 2001 draft, Wechsler pitched for the rookie-level Missoula (Mont.) Osprey (2001), Low Class-A South Bend (Ind.) Silver Hawks (2002), High Class-A Lancaster (Calif.) JetHawks (2003 and 2004) and Double-A Tennessee Smokies (2005). He was with the Atlantic League’s Somerset Patriots (Bridgewater, N.J.) in 2006.
His managers were Chip Hale (Missoula), Dick Schofield (South Bend), Mike Aldrete and Wally Backman (Lancaster), Tony Perezchica (Tennessee) and Sparky Lyle (Somerset).
Through Backman, Wechsler came to know Mark Haley (who managed in South Bend 2005-14 and is now 1st Source Performance Center general manager and South Bend Cubs Foundation executive director).
South Bend resident and White Sox bullpen coach Curt Hasler and South Bend Clay High School coach and former Coveleski Stadium groundskeeper Joel Reinebold is counted among Wechsler’s many friends in baseball.
Another Pendleton Heights alum and Ball State player — Aaron Etchison — is now a scout for the Cleveland Guardians.
Brock Huntzinger, who was drafted out of Pendleton Heights in 2007, was named last week by new head coach Tracy Smith as pitching coach at the University of Michigan.
Wechsler started 56 of 161 pro appearances and went 25-29 with a 4.32 ERA, 352 K’s and 169 base on balls in 426 2/3 innings.
Justin met Niles, Mich., native Ryan Davis when he was playing for South Bend and she was an intern with the team. The couple now have three daughters — high schooler Grace and middle school twins Madalyn and Makenzie.
Catcher Scott French, who played at Ball State from 2000-02 and has been an instructor at The Barn and an Indiana Bulls coach/director, was best man at Justin and Ryan’s wedding.

Justin Wechsler

Sidearmer Bates bound for Grambling State

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

As Ethan Bates grew up in East Central Indiana, he played some outfield and stood on the mound.
But it wasn’t until he was leaving Frankton (Ind.) Junior/Senior High School in 2020 and getting ready for college baseball that Bates focused on a different way of pitching.
The left-hander turned himself into a sidearmer/submariner and it’s helped him through two seasons at Jimmy Brenneman coached-Frontier Community College in Fairfield, Ill., and earned him a spot with NCAA Division I Grambling (La.) State University in the fall.
It was while playing in a 2019 fall league in Pendleton, Ind., organized by Mike Shirley that Bates began dropping down with his delivery. He liked the results and kept at it.
“I’ve been learning the past two years and trying to get better,” says Bates, who developed as a Frontier CC Bobcat. In 23 games (all in relief), he went 2-0 with 24 strikeouts and 22 walks in 24 innings.
“The whole JUCO experience made a big impact on me as a player and a human,” says Bates, 20. “I got to grind in the middle of nowhere. You have to work really hard to get what you get in JUCO.
“I embrace what it means to be a JUCO Bandit.”
Twitter highlights posted of Bates posted by Frontier CC. That got the attention of Grambling State and he was contacted by Direct Message. He went for a visit and later signed with the Tigers in the fall of 2021.
Grambling State — where Davin Pierre is the head coach — in located in the north central part of the state about 65 miles from Shreveport.
“There’s lots to do,” says Bates. “I wanted wanted to play Down South where it’s warm.”
The past two summers, Bates has pitched in the midday heat for the Palm Beach Xtreme of the South Florida Collegiate Baseball League (there was also two games for Trenton, N.J., Thunder of the 2021 MLB Draft League). His Florida connection was Miami resident and Frontier CC outfielder Nick Pompile.
In his first 17 appearances for the Xtreme in 2022, he is 3-0 with seven saves, an 0.40 earned run average, 28 strikeouts and eight walks in 22 1/3 innings.
Besides a sinking fastball, Bates uses a sweeping slider that moves in on a right-handed hitter and away from a lefty. His change-up drops.
Born in Anderson, Ind., Bates went to middle school in the Pendleton Heights district then transferred to Frankton for high school, where he also play basketball for four years and football for one.
He played recreation ball at Riverfield in Chesterfield, Ind. His first travel ball team was the Indiana Renegades.
Bates spent several summers with the Indiana Bulls, including with head coach Sean Laird at 17U. One of his Bulls teammates was 2020 Mt. Vernon (Fortville) High School alum Nolan Bowser.
He has also trained with Vanderbilt University commit Max Clark (Franklin Community Class of 2023) and Indiana University recruit Andrew Wiggins (Heritage Christian Class of 2023).
A broken shoulder kept Bates from playing baseball as a Frankton freshman. He was with the varsity most of his sophomore year and all of his year season. The COVID-19 pandemic took away his senior slate.
Brad Douglas was and still is the head coach of the Frankton Eagles.
“He’s hard-nosed and a great competitor (just like Laird),” says Bates. “I love playing for coaches who are great competitors and have my back.”
With an associate degree in Sciences & Arts earned at Frontier CC, Bates plans to major in Sports Management at Grambling State.
Ethan, who turns 21 in November, is the son of Ryan Bates (Cami) and Karen Siek (Dan). His siblings are Lauryn Bates, Katie Shadoan and Seth Siek. Katie is the oldest, followed by Ethan, Lauryn and Seth.

Ethan Bates (Cheyenne Bruce Photography)

Ethan Bates (Cheyenne Bruce Photography)

Ethan Bates (Frontier Community College Photo)

IHSAA regionals will slice state tournament field from 64 to 16; preview of each site

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

Iliana Christian won its first Indiana High School Athletic Association sectional baseball title.
Jasper hoisted the sectional championship trophy for a state-leading 40th time.
Sixty-two other schools also reigned and moved on to regional play on Saturday, June 4.
The IHSAA Class 2A Carroll Flora Regional features four teams from the Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association Top 10 — No. 1 Carroll, No. 3 Wapahani, No. 4 Eastern (Greentown) and No. 9 Delphi.
The 2A Park Tudor Regional has No. 2 Cascade playing No. 7 Centerville in the first game followed by Parke Heritage and vote-getter Heritage Christian.
The 3A Griffith Regional includes No. 1 Andrean, No. 2 Western and No. 7 Glenn along with South Bend Saint Joseph.
The 3A Danville Regional includes No. 3 West Vigo and No. 4 Brebeuf Jesuit in the opener followed by Lebanon and Beech Grove.
The 4A Jasper Regional features No. 2 Mooresville, No. 8 Jasper and vote-getter New Albany plus Columbus East.
The 4A Lafayette Jeff Regional opens with vote-getter Homestead against No. 6 Fort Wayne Carroll followed by Harrison against Zionsville.
In 1A, the Loogootee Regional has No. 1 Borden meeting No. 2 Barr-Reeve in Game 2 after vote-getter Tecumseh plays New Washington.

The 1A he South Bend Washington Regional has three Top 10 teams — No. 4 South Central (Union Mills), No. 9 Caston and No. 10 Fremont — plus Morgan Township.
The 1A Lafayette Central Catholic Regional features vote-getters Cowan and Rossville in Game 1 and No. 3 Lafayette Central Catholic and No. 5 Union City in Game 2.
Three teams at the 1A Morristown Regional received votes in the final regular season poll — Indianapolis Lutheran, Rising Sun and Shakamak. Traders Point Christian is also in the field.
South Central of Union Mills (6), Indianapolis Cathedral (5), Silver Creek (5), South Bend Saint Joseph (5), Evansville Memorial (4), Shakamak (4) and Tecumseh (4) comes into regional play with the longest active sectional title streaks.
1A New Washington won its first sectional crown since 1998. It had been since 1999 that 2A’s Eastern (Greentown) and Winamac had won sectional titles.
By the time three-team regionals in four classes are complete, there will be 16 teams left in the field. Semistates are scheduled for Saturday, June 11 with the State Finals at Victory Field in Indianapolis Friday and Saturday, June 17-18.

2022 IHSAA REGIONALS
Saturday, June 4
(IHSBCA Ranking in Parentheses)
Class 4A
LaPorte Regional
Crown Point vs. Lake Central (Receiving Votes)
South Bend Adams vs. Penn
Championship
Regional titles (most recent): Penn 10 (2017), Crown Point 9 (2011), Lake Central 7 (2014), South Bend Adams 3 (1979).

Highland Sectional (1) Championship — Lake Central 15, Highland 12.
Sectional titles through 2022: Highland (13) — Previous 2000. Trojans head coach: John Bogner.

Valparsaiso Sectional (2) Championship — Crown Point 12, Hobart 2.
Sectional titles through 2022: Crown Point (22) — Previous 2019. Bulldogs head coach: Steve Strayer.

Plymouth Sectional (3) Championship — South Bend Adams 5, LaPorte 2.
Sectional titles through 2022: Adams (10) — Previous 2018. Eagles head coach: Mike Cass.

Penn Sectional (4) Championship — Penn 7, Northridge 5.
Sectional titles through 2022: Penn (23) — Previous 2018. Kingsmen head coach: Greg Dikos.

Lafayette Jeff Regional
Homestead (RV) vs. Carroll (6)
Harrison vs. Zionsville
Championship
Regional titles (most recent): Carroll 5 (2011), Harrison 5 (1998), Zionsville 4 (2017), Homestead 3 (2015).

DeKalb Sectional (5) Championship — Carroll 7, Snider 6.
Sectional titles through 2022: Carroll (15) — Previous 2019. Chargers head coach: Dave Ginder.

Huntington North Sectional (6) Championship — Homestead 10, Wayne 0.
Sectional titles through 2022: Homestead (16) — Previous 2021. Spartans head coach: Nick Byall.

Logansport Sectional (7) Championship — Harrison 5, McCutcheon 4.
Sectional titles through 2022: Harrison (13) — Previous 2021. Raiders head coach: Pat Lowrey.

Noblesville Sectional (8) Championship — Zionsville 6, Fishers 0.
Sectional titles through 2022: Zionsville (15) — Previous 2018. Eagles head coach: Jered Moore.

New Palestine Regional
Anderson vs. Indianapolis Cathedral
New Palestine vs. Brownsburg
Championship
Regional titles (most recent): Indianapolis Cathedral 14 (2018), New Palestine 6 (2014), Brownsburg 5 (2005), Anderson 3 (1995).

Mt. Vernon Sectional (9) Championship — Anderson 13, Mt. Vernon (Fortville) 7.
Sectional titles through 2022: Anderson (8) — Previous 2012. Indians head coach: Adrian Heim.

Pike Sectional (10) Championship — Indianapolis Cathedral 10, Lawrence North 8.
Sectional titles through 2022: Cathedral (25; five straight) — Previous 2021. Fighting Irish coach Ed Freje.

Roncalli Sectional (11) Championship — New Palestine 12, Franklin Central 2.
Sectional titles through 2022: New Palestine (17) — Previous 2015. Dragons head coach: Shawn Lyons.

Terre Haute South Vigo Sectional (12) Championship — Brownsburg 13, Avon 3.
Sectional titles through 2022: Brownsburg (15) — Previous 2013. Bulldogs head coach: Dan Roman.

Jasper Regional
New Albany (RV) vs. Jasper (8)
Columbus East vs. Mooresville (2)
Championship
Regional titles (most recent): Jasper 26 (2021), Columbus East 10 (2019), New Albany 6 (1995), Mooresville 4 (2004).

Center Grove Sectional (13) Championship — Mooresville 9, Martinsville 4.
Sectional titles through 2022: Mooresville (11) — Previous 2004. Pioneers head coach: Eric McGaha.

Bloomington South Sectional (14) Championship — Bloomington South vs. Columbus East
Sectional titles through 2022: Columbus East (20) — Previous 2019. Olympians head coach Jon Gratz.

Jennings County Sectional (15) Championship — New Albany 4, Bedford North Lawrence 0.
Sectional titles through 2022: New Albany (23) — Previous 2016. Bulldogs head coach: Chris McIntyre.

Evansville Reitz Sectional (16) Championship — Jasper 5, Castle 4.
Sectional titles through 2022: Jasper (40) — Previous 2021. Wildcats head coach: Terry Gobert.

Class 3A
Griffith Regional
Western (2) vs. Glenn (7)
Andrean (1) vs. South Bend Saint Joseph
Championship
Regional titles (most recent): Andrean 14 (2019), Western 7 (2016), Saint Joseph 5 (2017), Glenn 3 (2006).

Griffith Sectional (17) Championship — Andrean 18, Calumet New Tech 0.
Sectional titles through 2022: Andrean (30) — Previous 2019. 59ers head coach: Dave Pishkur.

Kankakee Valley Sectional (18) Championship — Glenn 9, Hanover Central 1.
Sectional titles through 2022: Glenn (10) — Previous 2017. Falcons head coach: John Nadolny.

South Bend Clay Sectional (19) Championship — South Saint Joseph 18, New Prairie 5.
Sectional titles through 2022: Saint Joseph (17; five straight) — Previous 2017. Indians head coach: John Smolinski.

Northwestern Sectional (20) Championship — Western 6, Northwestern 1.
Sectional titles through 2022: Western (21) — Previous 2019. Panthers coach: Ryan Berryman.

Oak Hill Regional
Wawasee vs. New Castle (RV)
Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger vs. Norwell
Championship
Regional titles (most recent): Norwell 7 (2021), Dwenger 2 (2014), New Castle 2 (1996), Wawasee 0.

Jimtown Sectional (21) Championship — Wawasee 9, NorthWood 5.
Sectional titles through 2022: Wawasee (8) — Previous 2021. Warriors head coach: Joe Salazar.

Angola Sectional (22) Championship — Bishop Dwenger 19, Leo 8.
Sectional titles through 2022: Dwenger (12) — Previous 2016. Saints head coach: Jason Garrett.

Bellmont Sectional (23) Championship — Norwell 12, Heritage 2.
Sectional titles through 2022: Norwell (18) — Previous 2021. Knights head coach: Dave Goodmiller.

Yorktown Sectional (24) Championship — New Castle 3, Guerin Catholic 2.
Sectional titles through 2022: New Castle (14) — Previous 2014. Trojans head coach: Josh Cooper.

Danville Regional
West Vigo (3) vs. Brebeuf Jesuit (4)
Lebanon vs. Beech Grove
Championship
Regional titles (most recent): West Vigo 7 (2015), Brebeuf 4 (2021), Beech Grove 3 (1990), Lebanon 0.

Crawfordsville Sectional (25) Championship — Lebanon 10, Northview 1.
Sectional titles through 2022: Lebanon (12) — Previous 2014. Tigers head coach Rick Cosgray.

Danville Sectional (26) Championship — Brebeuf Jesuit 12, Tri-West Hendricks 2.
Sectional titles through 2022: Brebeuf (16) — Previous 2014. Braves head coach: Jeff Scott.

Bishop Chatard Sectional (27) Championship — Beech Grove 4, Bishop Chatard 3.
Sectional titles through 2022: Beech Grove (7) — Previous 2014. Hornets head coach: Jacob Wickliff.

Edgewood Sectional (28) Championship — West Vigo 4, Edgewood 3.
Sectional titles through 2022: West Vigo (15) — Previous 2018. Vikings head coach: Culley DeGroote.

Southridge Regional
Evansville Memorial vs. Vincennes Lincoln
Silver Creek (5) vs. Connersville
Championship
Regional titles (most recent): Evansville Memorial 17 (2016), Connersville 6 (2006), Vincennes Lincoln 4 (2002), Silver Creek 2 (2019).

Rushville Sectional (29) Championship — Connersville 7, Franklin County 6.
Sectional titles through 2022: Connersville (19) — Previous 2010. Spartans head coach Michael Thompson.

Madison Sectional (30) Championship — Silver Creek vs. Corydon Central
Sectional titles through 2022: Silver Creek (11; five straight) — Previous 2021. Dragons head coach: Joe Decker.

Princeton Sectional (31) Championship — Vincennes Lincoln 7, Southridge 4.
Sectional titles through 2022: Vincennes Lincoln (18) — Previous 2019. Alices head coach: Tim Hutchison.

Evansville Bosse Sectional (32) Championship — Evansville Memorial 9, Boonville 0.
Sectional titles through 2022: Evansville Memorial (31; four straight) — Previous 2021. Tigers head coach: Rip Collins.

Class 2A
Whiting Regional
Eastside (RV) vs. Fairfield (RV)
Winamac vs. Illiana Christian
Championship
Regional titles (most recent): Eastside 1 (2021), Fairfield 1 (2010), Illiana Christian 0, Winamac 0.

Whiting Sectional (33) Championship — Illiana Christian 16, Wheeler 4.
Sectional titles through 2022: — Illiana Christian (1) — Previous None. Vikings head coach Jeff VanderWoude.

Boone Grove Sectional (34) Championship — Winamac 8, Boone Grove 7.
Sectional titles through 2022: Winamac (4) — Previous 1999. Warriors head coach: Marcus Kay.

Westview Sectional (35) Championship — Fairfield 6, Westview 3.
Sectional titles through 2022: Fairfield (7) — Previous 2010. Falcons head coach: Darin Kauffman.

Eastside Sectional (36) Championship — Eastside 5, Woodlan 3.
Sectional titles through 2022: Eastside (7) — Previous 2021. Blazers head coach: Aaron Willard.

Carroll (Flora) Regional
Wapahani (3) vs. Eastern (Greentown) (4)
Delphi (9) vs. Carroll (Flora) (1)
Championship
Regional titles (most recent): Wapahani 7 (2017), Delphi 2 (2021), Eastern (Greentown) 1 (1999), Carroll (Flora) 0.

Wabash Sectional (37) Championship — Carroll (Flora) 9, Whitko 0.
Sectional titles through 2022: Carroll (7) — Previous 2015. Cougar head coach: Camden Parkhurst.

Delphi Sectional (38) Championship — Delphi 9, Seeger 7.
Sectional titles through 2022: Delphi (7) — Previous 2021. Oracles head coach: Ryan Long.

Eastern (Greentown) Sectional (39) Championship — Eastern (Greentown) 13, Eastbrook 4
Sectional titles through 2022: Eastern (Greentown) (3) — Previous 1999. Comets head coach: Erik Hisner.

Frankton Sectional (40) Championship — Wapahani 15, Frankton 10.
Sectional titles through 2022: Wapahani (18) — Previous 2021. Raiders head coach: Brian Dudley.

Park Tudor Regional
Cascade (2) vs. Centerville (7)
Parke Heritage vs. Heritage Christian (RV)
Championship
Regional titles (most recent): Heritage Christian 3 (2010), Cascade 0, Centerville 0, Parke Heritage 0.

Centerville Sectional (41) Championship — Centerville 14, Hagerstown 8.
Centerville (9) — Previous 2021. Bulldogs head coach: Tracey Crull.

Indianapolis Scecina Sectional (42) Championship — Heritage Christian 12, Indianapolis Scecina 1.
Sectional titles through 2022: Heritage Christian (9) — Previous 2017. Eagles head coach: Dan Ambrose.

Park Tudor Sectional (43) Championship — Cascade 6, Covenant Christian 5
Sectional titles through 2022: Cascade (7) — Previous 2005. Cadets head coach: Ty Foster.

Parke Heritage Sectional (44) Championship — Parke Heritage 9, Southmont 8.
Sectional titles through 2022: Parke Heritage (2) — Previous 2021. Wolves head coach: Charlie Martin.

Evansville Mater Dei Regional
Linton-Stockton vs. North Decatur
Forest Park (8) vs. Providence
Championship
Regional titles (most recent): Providence 7 (2021), Forest Park 1 (1976), Linton-Stockton 0, North Decatur 0.

South Ripley Sectional (45) Championship — North Decatur 5, Southwestern (Hanover) 1.
Sectional titles through 2022: North Decatur (2) — Previous 2011. Chargers head coach: Christian McKinney.

Providence Sectional (46) Championship — Providence 9, Austin 8.
Providence (20) — Previous 2021. Pioneers head coach: Scott Hutchins.

Mitchell Sectional (47) Championship — Linton-Stockton 8, Mitchell 7
Sectional titles through 2022: Linton-Stockton (11) — Previous 2021. Miners head coach: Jacob Harden.

Evansville Mater Dei Sectional (48) Championship — Forest Park 10, Tell City 0.
Forest Park (5) — Previous 2002. Rangers head coach: Jarred Howard.

Class 1A
South Bend Washington Regional
South Central (Union Mills) (4) vs. Caston (9)
Fremont (10) vs. Morgan Township
Championship
Regional titles (most recent): South Central 4 (2011), Fremont 2 (1999), Caston 0, Morgan Township 0.

Westville Sectional (49) Championship — Morgan Township 16, Marquette Catholic 4.
Sectional titles through 2022: Morgan Township (5) — Previous 2018. Cherokees head coach: John Smith.

South Central (Union Mills) Sectional (50) Championship — South Central (Union Mills) 10, Oregon-Davis 0.
Sectional titles through 2022: South Central (18; six straight) — Previous 2021. Satellites head coach: Zach Coulter.

Fremont Sectional (51) Championship — Fremont 23, Bethany Christian 2.
Sectional titles through 2022: Fremont (8) — Previous 2018. Eagles head coach: Justin Bock.

Caston Sectional (52) Championship — Caston 3, North Miami 1.
Sectional titles through 2022: Caston (2) — Previous 2012. Comets head coach: Blake Mollenkopf.

Lafayette Central Catholic Regional
Cowan (RV) vs. Rossville (RV)
Union City (5) vs. Lafayette Central Catholic (3)
Championship
Regional titles (most recent): Lafayette Central Catholic 14 (2018), Cowan 4 (2021), Rossville 3 (2019), Union City 0.

Lafayette Central Catholic Sectional (53) Championship — Lafayette Central Catholic 10, Covington 0.
Sectional titles through 2022: Lafayette Central Catholic (18) — Previous 2018. Knights head coach: Tim Bordenet.

Tri-County Sectional (54) Championship — Rossville 12, Clinton Central 2.
Sectional titles through 2022: Rossville (7) — Previous 2019. Hornets head coach: Brad Scott.

Anderson Preparatory Sectional (55) Championship — Cowan 5, Wes-Del 3.
Sectional titles through 2022: Cowan (8) — Previous 2021. Blackhawks head coach: Aaron Wells.

Seton Catholic Sectional (56) Championship — Union City 9, Blue River Valley 4.
Sectional titles through 2022: Union City (4) — Previous 2021. Indians head coach: Jason Dowler.

Morristown Regional
Rising Sun (RV) vs. Shakamak (RV)
Traders Point Christian vs. Indianapolis Lutheran (RV)
Championship
Regional titles (most recent): Shakamak 13 (2021), Indianapolis Lutheran 1 (2017), Rising Sun 1 (2013), Traders Point Christian 0.

Shakamak Sectional (57) Championship — Shakamak 14, White River Valley 3.
Sectional titles through 2022: Shakamak (27; four straight) — Previous 2021. Lakers head coach: Jeremy Yeryar.

Indiana Deaf Sectional (58) Championship — Traders Point Christian 9, Bethesda Christian 2.
Sectional titles through 2022: Traders Point Christian (2) — Previous 2021. Knights head coach: Jaylen Cushenberry.

Morristown Sectional (59) Championship — Indianapolis Lutheran 12, Edinburgh 2.
Sectional titles through 2022: Indianapolis Lutheran (14) — Previous 2019. Saints head coach: Adam Gouker.

Jac-Cen-Del Sectional (60) Championship — Rising Sun 2, Jac-Cen-Del 0.
Sectional titles through 2022: Rising Sun (8) — Previous 2019. Shiners head coach: Kevin Wirsch.

Loogootee Regional
New Washington vs. Tecumseh (RV)
Barr-Reeve (2) vs. Borden (1)
Championship
Regional titles (most recent): Tecumseh 10 (2019), Barr-Reeve 2 (1998), Borden 1 (2021), New Washington 0.

Lanesville Sectional (61) Championship — Borden 12, Lanesville 0.
Sectional titles through 2022: Borden (6) — Previous 2021. Braves head coach: Eric Stotts.

Shawe Memorial Sectional (62) Championship — New Washington 8, West Washington 7.
Sectional titles through 2022: New Washington (2) — Previous 1998. Mustangs head coach: Jeremy Bower.

Loogootee Sectional (63) Championship — Barr-Reeve 9, North Daviess 3.
Sectional titles through 2022: Barr-Reeve (13) — Previous 2019. Vikings head coach: Trevor McConnell.

Cannelton Sectional (64) Championship — Tecumseh 11, Springs Valley 0.
Sectional titles through 2022: Tecumseh (17; four straight) — Previous 2021. Braves head coach: Ted Thompson.

Notre Dame bound for Statesboro Regional; Look who conferences honored

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

Notre Dame — the last college baseball team from Indiana left standing in 2022 — found out today (May 30) that the Irish will be in the Statesboro Regional for the 64-team NCAA Division I tournament.
The No. 2-seeded Irish (35-14) play No. 3 Texas Tech (37-20) at 2 p.m. Friday, June 3. Site host and top-seeded Georgia Southern (40-18) plays No. UNC Greensboro (34-28) at 7 p.m. Friday.
Notre Dame made it to the semifinals of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament.
Regionals continue through June 6 with super regionals June 10-13 and the College World Series June 17-27.
Ball State made it to the “if necessary” Mid-American Conference tournament championship game against Central Michigan and lost 11-7 to wind up the season at 40-19 overall and 32-7 as MAC regular-season champions. Central Michigan earned an automatic NCAA tournament bid.
Evansville (32-24, 14-6), Indiana State (26-22-1, 10-10-1) and Valparaiso (16-32, 5-15) bowed out in the Missouri Valley Conference tournament.
Seasons came to a close for Purdue (29-21, 9-12) and Indiana (27-32, 10-14) at the Big Ten tournament.
Purdue Fort Wayne (18-36, 13-15) finished up in the Horizon League tournament.
In the past few weeks, conferences have handed out postseason awards at the NCAA D-I, D-II and D-III, NAIA and junior college levels and there is a list of those below.

CONFERENCE AWARDS
NCAA D-I
Atlantic Coast: NOTRE DAME — lhp John Michael Bertrand (first team), of Ryan Cole (third team).
Big East: BUTLER— ss Travis Holt (second team), rhp Derek Drees (second team).
Big Ten: PURDUE — dh C.J. Valdez (first team), lhp Jackson Smeltz (third team), lhp Troy Wansing (freshman), of Tanner Haston (sportsmanship). INDIANA — c Matthew Ellis (third team), 1b Brock Tibbitts (freshman), ss Evan Goforth (freshman), 3b Josh Pyne (freshman), of Carter Mathison (freshman), if Tyler Doanes (sportsmanship).
Horizon: PURDUE FORT WAYNE — c Cade Fitzpatrick (second team), 3b Jack Lang (second team), rhp Rex Stills (freshman).
Mid-American: BALL STATE — lhp Tyler Schweitzer (pitcher of the year, first team), rhp Ryan Brown (freshman pitcher of the year, second team), 3b Ryan Peltier (defensive player of the year, second team, defensive), hc Rich Maloney (coach of the year), 1b Trenton Quartermaine (first team), of Zach Cole (first team, defensive), rhp Sam Klein (first team), of Amir Wright (second team), rhp Ty Johnson (second team).
Missouri Valley: EVANSVILLE — rhp Nick Smith (pitcher of the year, first team), hc Wes Carroll (coach of the year), 3b Brent Widder (first team), of Mark Shallenberger (first team), rhp Shane Gray (first team), 1b Tanner Craig (second team), ss Simon Scherry (second team), rhp Drew Dominik (second team), 2b Evan Berkey (honorable mention), of Eric Roberts (honorable mention). INDIANA STATE — ss Jordan Schaffer (first team), rhp Matt Jachec (first team, defensive), 2b Josue Urdaneta (second team), of Seth Gergely (second team, defensive), of Sean Ross (honorable mention), c Grant Magill (defensive). VALPARAISO — 2b Nolan Tucker (first team), rhp Colin Fields (second team), rhp Bobby Nowak (honorable mention), 3b Kaleb Hannahs (defensive).

NCAA D-II
Great Lakes Intercollegiate: PURDUE NORTHWEST — 2b Ethan Imlach (first team), of Ray Hilbrich (first team), c Jack Gallagher (second team), rhp Tyler Schultz (honorable mention), rhp Sam Shively (honorable mention).
Great Lakes Valley: INDIANAPOLIS — lhp Xavier Rivas (pitcher of the year, first team), ss Alex Vela (second team, sportsmanship), of Brandon DeWitt (second team). SOUTHERN INDIANA —lhp Sammy Barnett (sportsmanship).

NCAA D-III
Heartland Collegiate: FRANKLIN— c Logan Demkovich (first team), of Tysen Lipscomb (first team), rhp Nick McClanahan (pitcher of the year, first team), rhp Alex Reinoehl (first team), ss A.J. Sanders (first team), of Sean Sullivan (first team), 1b Matthew Earley (honorable mention), hc Lance Marshall (coach of the year), rhp Nick Elmendorf (sportsmanship). ROSE-HULMAN — rhp Ian Kline (first team), 1b Josh Mesenbrink (player of the year, first team), 3b Brett Tuttle (first team), 2b Colter Couillard-Rodak (second team), of Harrison Finch (second team), ss Manuel Lopez (second team), ut Adam Taylor (honorable mention), of Nathan Burke (sportsmanship). EARLHAM — dh Andrew Bradley (first team), 3b Devin Basley (second team), 2b Christian Lancianese (second team), of Nathan Lancianese (second team), rhp Aidan Talerek (second team), of Cameron McCabe (honorable mention), c Easton Embry (sportsmanship). ANDERSON— 1b Tyler Smitherman (first team), rhp Evan Doan (second team), lhp Kasey Henderson (second team), rhp Logan Nickel (second team), ss Justin Reed (second team), of Grahm Reedy (second team), of Jake Stank (newcomer of the year, second team), mif T.J. Price (honorable mention), c Tyler Young (sportsmanship). HANOVER — of Andrew Littlefield (first team), c Charlie Burton (second team), 1b Alex Christie (second team), rhp Charlie Joyce (second team), of Eric Roudebush (honorable mention), 3b/1b Jacob Dupps (sportsmanship). MANCHESTER— lhp Carter Hooks (first team), ut Rocco Hanes (second team), dh/ut Harrison Pittsford (second team), rhp/if Zach White (honorable mention, sportsmanship).
Michigan Intercollegiate: TRINE— rhp Josh Hoogewerf (second team), of Brenden Warner (second team).
North Coast: DEPAUW— 1b Kyle Callahan (first team), of Nick Nelson (first team), lhp Michael Vallone (first team), 2b Cameron Macon (second team), ss Evan Barnes (honorable mention), 3b Brian May (honorable mention), of/ut Danny Glimco (honorable mention). WABASH — 2b Austin Simmers (first team).

NAIA
Chicagoland: Calumet of St. Joseph — dh Bubba Davenport (second team), of Gabriel Quinones (second team). INDIANA UNIVERSITY SOUTH BEND— 2b Jake Vanderwoude (first team), c Kole Miller (second team).
Crossroads: TAYLOR — c/of T.J. Bass (player of year, first team), rhp Luke Shively (pitcher of the year, first team), rhp/of Kaleb Kolpein (newcomer of the year, second team), rhp Noah Huseman (first team), if Nick Rusche (first team, gold glove), of Conner Crawford (second team), 1b Kade VanderMolen (gold glove). INDIANA WESLEYAN — if Denver Blinn (first team), c Bryce Ginder (first team), if Lucas Goodin (first team), rhp Hunter Hoffman (first team), ut Evan Salmon (first team, gold glove), c Colby Jenkins (gold glove). HUNTINGTON — 3b Daniel Lichty (first team, gold glove), of/rhp Ian McCutcheon (first team), mif Satchell Wilson (second team). MARIAN — if Matteo Porcellato (first team), 1b Bryce Davenport (second team), of J.J. Rivera (second team, gold glove), Dion Wintjes (gold glove). SAINT FRANCIS — of-dh David Miller (first team), if/of/c Alec Brunson (gold glove). BETHEL— rhp Frank Plesac (first team), c Dominic Densler (second team), if/rhp Jeremy Wiersema (second team), if/rhp Ty Mickiewicz (gold glove). GRACE — rhp Evan Etchison (second team), rhp Hunter Schumacher (second team). GOSHEN — of Jenner Rodammer (second team, gold glove)
River States: INDIANA UNIVERSITY SOUTHEAST — 3b Trevor Campbell (player of the year, first team, gold glove), lhp Hunter Kloke (pitcher of the year, first team), hc Ben Reel (coach of the year), c Brody Tanksley (first team, gold glove), 2b Clay Woeste (first team, gold glove), of Marco Romero (first team, gold glove), rhp Lane Oesterling (second team), of Derek Wagner (second team), ut Brandon Boxer (second team), if Daunte DeCello (gold glove, Champions of Character). INDIANA UNIVERSITY KOKOMO — lhp Owen Callaghan (first team), of Patrick Mills (first team), lhp J.T. Holton (second team), 1b Noah Hurlock (second team), ss Riley Garczynski (second team), of Jack Leverenz (second team), dh Jared Heard (second team), if Matt Iacobucci (Champions of Character). OAKLAND CITY — ss Chandler Dunn (first team), of Noah Baugher (second team), if Austin Morris (Champions of Character).
Wolverine-Hoosier: INDIANA TECH — rhp Hayes Stutsman (first team), c Manuel Ascanio (second team), of Ashtin Moxey (second team), ut Trevor Patterson (gold glove), ss Jayden Reed (gold glove, second team), 2b Mike Snyder (second team), if Michael Oliger (Champions of Character).

Junior College
Michigan Community College: MARIAN’S ANCILLA — if Rylan Huntley (first team), if Josh Ledgard (honorable mention).
Mid-West: Vincennes — ss Peyton Lane (second team), ut Colton Evans (second team).

INDIANA COLLEGE BASEBALL
Records Through May 29
NCAA D-I
Ball State 40-19 (32-7 MAC)
Notre Dame 35-14 (16-11 ACC)
Evansville 32-24 (14-6 MVC)
Purdue 29-21 (9-12 Big Ten)
Indiana State 26-22-1 (10-10-1 MVC)
Indiana 27-32 (10-14 Big Ten)
Butler 20-35-1 (4-16-1 Big East)
Purdue Fort Wayne 18-36 (13-15 Horizon)
Valparaiso 16-32 (5-15 MVC)

NCAA D-II
Southern Indiana 21-28 (10-14 GLVC)
Indianapolis 21-31 (11-13 GLVC)
Purdue Northwest 18-21 (7-17 GLIAC)

NCAA D-III
Franklin 29-14 (13-5 HCAC)
Rose-Hulman 28-13 (12-6 HCAC)
Earlham 26-13 (12-6 HCAC)
DePauw 22-17 (12-6 NCAC)
Wabash 20-19 (4-14 NCAC)
Anderson 20-21 (11-7 HCAC)
Hanover 16-22 (10-8 HCAC)
Trine 14-23 (9-12 MIAA)
Manchester 10-27 (6-12 HCAC)

NAIA
Taylor 41-18 (26-10 CL)
Indiana University Southeast 40-15 (20-4 RSC)
Indiana Tech 32-21 (13-7 WHAC)
Indiana Wesleyan 31-23 (23-13 CL)
Oakland City 31-23 (11-11 RSC)
Huntington 27-23 (21-15 CL)
Marian 27-27 (17-19 CL)
Saint Francis 27-28 (15-21 CL)
Indiana University-Kokomo 26-22 (16-7 RSC)
Bethel 25-29 (19-17 CL)
Grace 17-33 (10-26 CL)
Calumet of Saint Joseph 16-32 (11-18 CCAC)
Indiana University South Bend 16-32-1 (9-20-1 CCAC)
Goshen 11-39 (6-30 CL)

Junior College
Vincennes 25-32 (15-19 MWAC)
Ivy Tech Northeast 16-19
Marian’s Ancilla 8-40 (6-22 MCCAA)

Week of May 23-29
NCAA D-I
Tuesday, May 24
Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament
Pittsburgh 12, Georgia Tech 6
North Carolina State 11, Wake Forest 8
North Carolina 9, Clemson 2

Missouri Valley Conference Tournament
Missouri State 9, Illinois State 4

Wednesday, May 25
Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament
Pittsburgh 6, Louisville 5
Florida State 13, Virginia 3
North Carolina State 9, Miami 6

Horizon League Tournament
Youngstown State 6, Purdue Fort Wayne 0
Northern Kentucky 3, Illinois-Chicago 2

Mid-American Conference Tournament
Central Michigan 11, Toledo 10

Missouri Valley Conference Tournament
Indiana State 8, Valparaiso 0
Missouri State 5, Southern Illinois 1
Evansville 9, Indiana State 1

Thursday, May 26
Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament
Georgia Tech 9, Louisville 4
Notre Dame 5, Florida State 3
Virginia Tech 18, Clemson 6

Big Ten Conference Tournament
Penn State 5, Iowa 2
Rutgers 10, Purdue 3
Maryland 6, Indiana 5
Michigan 7, Illinois 5

Horizon League Tournament
Wright State 18, Northern Kentucky 4
Oakland 2, Youngstown State 0

Mid-American Conference Tournament
Ball State 6, Ohio 4

Missouri Valley Conference Tournament
Dallas Baptist 4, Bradley 3

Friday, May 27
Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament
Notre Dame 3, Virginia 0
Wake Forest 16, Miami 3
North Carolina 10, Virginia Tech 0

Big Ten Conference Tournament
Iowa 5, Purdue 4
Rutgers 5, Penn State 4
Indiana 8, Illinois 1
Michigan 15, Maryland 8

Horizon League Tournament
Youngstown State 11, Northern Kentucky 7
Wright State 14, Oakland 3
Oakland 4, Youngstown State 2

Mid-American Conference Tournament
Toledo 13, Ohio 5
Ball State 9, Central Michigan 7

Missouri Valley Conference Tournament
Southern Illinois 8, Indiana State 2
Missouri State 19, Bradley 3
Evansville 21, Dallas Baptist 2

Saturday, May 28
Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament
North Carolina 7, Notre Dame 2
North Carolina State 8, Pittsburgh 3

Big Ten Conference Tournament
Iowa 11, Penn State 3
Indiana 6, Maryland 4 (11 inn.)
Iowa 7, Michigan 3
Rutgers 14, Indiana 2

Horizon League
Championship
Wright State 24, Oakland 0

Mid-American Conference Tournament
Central Michigan 10, Toledo 7
Central Michigan 12, Ball State 3

Missouri Valley Conference Tournament
Southern Illinois 7, Dallas Baptist 5
Missouri State 7, Evansville 6
Southern Illinois 8, Evansville 5

Sunday, May 29
Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament
Championship
North Carolina 9, North Carolina State 5

Big Ten Conference Tournament
Michigan 13, Iowa 1
Championship
Michigan 10, Rutgers 4

Mid-American Conference Tournament
Championship
Central Michigan 11, Ball State 7

Missouri Valley Conference Tournament
Southern Illinois 9, Missouri State 6
Championship
Missouri State 13, Southern Illinois 3

Ball State to host MAC tournament; Notre Dame at ACC; Evansville, Indiana State, Valparaiso at MVC; Purdue, Indiana at Big Ten; Purdue Fort Wayne at Horizon

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

With a four-game sweep at Miami (Ohio) during the week of May 16-22, Ball State earned the right to host the four-team Mid-American Conference baseball tournament May 25-28 in Muncie.
The Cardinals are one of eight teams from Indiana going into NCAA Division I conference tournaments this week.
Ball State (38-17), the MAC regular-season champions for the first time since 2014, is the top seed, followed by Central Michigan No. 2, Toledo No. 3 and Ohio No. 4.
BSU is 7-3 in its last 10 games. The Rich Maloney-coached Cardinals are 18-4 at Ball Diamond at First Merchants Ballpark Complex.
Twelve teams will compete in the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament May 24-29 in Charlotte, N.C. Pool play is May 24-27. No. 4 seed Notre Dame (33-13) is in Pool D with No. 5 seed Virginia and No. 9 seed Florida State.
Link Jarrett is the Notre Dame head coach. The Irish are 7-3 in their last 10.
The eight-team Big Ten Conference tournament is slated for May 25-29 in Omaha, Neb.
Maryland is the No. 1 seed, Rutgers No. 2, Iowa No. 3, Illinois No. 4, Michigan No. 5, Penn State No. 6, Greg Goff-coached Purdue (29-19) No. 7 and Jeff Mercer-coached Indiana (25-30) No. 8.
The Boilermakers are 4-6 in their last 10, the Hoosiers 5-5.
The eight-team Missouri Valley Conference tournament is scheduled for May 24-28 in Springfield, Mo. Southern Illinois is the No. 1 seed, followed by Wes Carroll-coached Evansville (30-22) No. 2, Dallas Baptist No. 3, Bradley No. 4, Mitch Hannah-coached Indiana State (25-20-1) No. 5, Missouri State No. 6, Illinois State No. 7 and Brian Schmack-coached Valparaiso (16-31) No. 8.
The Purple Aces are 6-4 in their last 10, the Sycamores 3-6-1 and Beacons 3-7.
The six-team Horizon League tournament May 25-28 in Dayton, Ohio. Wright State is the No. 1 seed. Oakland is No. 2, Illinois-Chicago No. 3, Doug Schreiber-coached Purdue Fort Wayne (18-35) No. 4, Youngstown State No. 5 and Northern Kentucky No. 6.
The Mastodons are 5-5 in their last 10.
Notre Dame is No. 17 in the D1Baseball.com RPI. Ball State is No. 70, Evansville No. 86, Indiana State No. 99, Indiana No. 115, Purdue No. 124, Valparaiso No. 210, Butler No. 238 and Purdue Fort Wayne No. 258.
Automatic bids go to the winners of the MAC, ACC, Big Ten, MVC and Horizon tournaments and more. There are 31 automatic bids and 33 at-large picks that will be made by NCAA Division I Baseball Committee. The tournament bracket for the 64-team event will be revealed at noon Eastern Time May 30 on ESPN2.
Butler (20-35-1) did not qualify for the four-team Big East Conference tournament, which is May 26-29 in Mason, Ohio.
Bulldogs head coach Dave Schrage concluded his 38-year career with a 6-4 victory Saturday against Seton Hall. He recently announced his retirement.
Taylor (41-18) and Indiana University Southeast (40-15) both went 1-2 and bowed out at separate NAIA Opening Round sites — the Kyle Gould-coached Trojans in the Upland Bracket and the Ben Reel-coached Grenadiers in the Santa Barbara Bracket.
Earlham (26-13) lost twice at NCAA Division III regional at Lynchburg, Va. The Steve Sakosits-coached Quakers qualified by winning the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference tournament.
Vincennes (25-32) saw its season end with two losses in the National Junior College Athletic Association’s Mid-West Athletic Conference tournament in Normal, Ill. Chris Barney is the VU Trailblazers coach.

INDIANA COLLEGE BASEBALL
Records Through May 22
NCAA D-I
Ball State 38-17 (32-7 MAC)
Notre Dame 33-13 (16-11 ACC)
Evansville 30-22 (14-6 MVC)
Purdue 29-19 (9-12 Big Ten)
Indiana State 25-20-1 (10-10-1 MVC)
Indiana 25-30 (10-14 Big Ten)
Butler 20-35-1 (4-16-1 Big East)
Purdue Fort Wayne 18-35 (13-15 Horizon)
Valparaiso 16-31 (5-15 MVC)

NCAA D-II
Southern Indiana 21-28 (10-14 GLVC)
Indianapolis 21-31 (11-13 GLVC)
Purdue Northwest 18-21 (7-17 GLIAC)

NCAA D-III
Franklin 29-14 (13-5 HCAC)
Rose-Hulman 28-13 (12-6 HCAC)
Earlham 26-13 (12-6 HCAC)
DePauw 22-17 (12-6 NCAC)
Wabash 20-19 (4-14 NCAC)
Anderson 20-21 (11-7 HCAC)
Hanover 16-22 (10-8 HCAC)
Trine 14-23 (9-12 MIAA)
Manchester 10-27 (6-12 HCAC)

NAIA
Taylor 41-18 (26-10 CL)
Indiana University Southeast 40-15 (20-4 RSC)
Indiana Tech 32-21 (13-7 WHAC)
Indiana Wesleyan 31-23 (23-13 CL)
Oakland City 31-23 (11-11 RSC)
Huntington 27-23 (21-15 CL)
Marian 27-27 (17-19 CL)
Saint Francis 27-28 (15-21 CL)
Indiana University-Kokomo 26-22 (16-7 RSC)
Bethel 25-29 (19-17 CL)
Grace 17-33 (10-26 CL)
Calumet of Saint Joseph 16-32 (11-18 CCAC)
Indiana University South Bend 16-32-1 (9-20-1 CCAC)
Goshen 11-39 (6-30 CL)

Junior College
Vincennes 25-32 (15-19 MWAC)
Ivy Tech Northeast 16-19
Marian’s Ancilla 8-40 (6-22 MCCAA)

Week of May 16-22
NCAA D-I
Tuesday, May 17
Purdue Fort Wayne 4, Butler 2
Murray State 3, Evansville 2
Indiana 12, Illinois State 7
Notre Dame 14, Northwestern 4

Thursday, May 19
Ball State 7, Miami (Ohio) 4
Evansville 9, Valparaiso 2
Iowa 30, Indiana 16
Indiana State 10, Dallas Baptist 6
Miami (Fla.) 6, Notre Dame 1
Maryland 14, Purdue 7

Friday, May 20
Ball State 4, Miami (Ohio) 2
Ball State 11, Miami (Ohio) 1
Seton Hall 3, Butler 1
Valparaiso 8, Evansville 4
Iowa 12, Indiana 0
Indiana State 11, Dallas Baptist 10
Notre Dame 5, Miami (Fla.) 0
Maryland 18, Purdue 7
Purdue Fort Wayne 6, Akron 5
Akron 7, Purdue Fort Wayne 6

Saturday, May 21
Ball State 13, Miami (Ohio) 2
Butler 6, Seton Hall 4
Iowa 2, Indiana 1
Dallas Baptist 2, Indiana State 2
Miami (Fla.) 16, Notre Dame 7
Akron 11, Purdue Fort Wayne 0

NCAA D-III
Friday, May 20
NCAA Regional
At Lynchburg, Va.
Birmingham-Southern (Ala.) 8, Earlham 2
Lynchburg (Va.) 7, Salve Regina (R.I.) 3

Saturday, May 21
NCAA Regional
At Lynchburg, Va.
Salve Regina (R.I.) 7, Earlham 6
Birmingham-Southern (Ala.) 11, Lynchburg (Va.) 2

Sunday, May 22
NCAA Regional
At Lynchburg, Va.
Salve Regina (R.I.) vs. Lynchburg (Va.)
Championship
Birmingham-Southern (Ala.) 10, Salve Regina (R.I.) 2

NAIA
Monday, May 16
NAIA Opening Round
Upland Bracket
Bryan (Tenn.) 15, Columbia (Mo.) 9
Northwestern Ohio 12, Taylor 8
Southeastern (Fla.) 9, Bryan (Tenn.) 5

Santa Barbara Bracket
IU Southeast 22, Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) 4
Westmont (Calif.) 6, Antelope Valley (Calif.) 0

Tuesday, May 17
NAIA Opening Round
Upland Bracket
Taylor 3, Columbia (Mo.) 2
Southeastern (Fla.) 9, Northwestern Ohio 6
Bryan (Tenn.) 6, Taylor 1

Santa Barbara Bracket
Antelope Valley (Calif.) 4, Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) 1
Westmont (Calif.) 9, IU Southeast 3

Wednesday, May 18
NAIA Opening Round
Upland Bracket
Bryan (Tenn.) 7, Northwestern Ohio 4
Championship
Southeastern (Fla.) 9, Bryan (Tenn.) 5

Santa Barbara Bracket
Antelope Valley (Calif.) 3, IU Southeast 2
Championship
Westmont (Calif.) 12, Antelope Valley (Calif.) 0

Junior College
Wednesday, May 18
Mid-West Athletic Conference Tournament
Danville Area 6, Vincennes 3
Parkland 2, Lewis & Clark 1
Lincoln Land 10, Illinois Central 0
Illinois Central 5, Lewis & Clark 3

Thursday, May 19
Mid-West Athletic Conference Tournament
Heartland 7, Danville Area 0
Lincoln Land 5, Parkland 0
Illinois Central 7, Danville Area 6
Parkland 6, Vincennes 5

Friday, May 20
Mid-West Athletic Conference Tournament
Heartland 8, Lincoln Land 4
Illinois Central 12, Parkland 3
Lincoln Land 11, Illinois Central 1

Saturday, May 21
Mid-West Athletic Conference Tournament
Championship
Heartland 4, Lincoln Land 2