Jeff Myszak is teaching his Hebron (Ind.) High School baseball players about batting, fielding and pitching. But the second-year Hawks head coach is also concentrating on building relationships and mental skills. When Hebron met for IHSAA Limited Contact Period sessions in the fall there was a lot of development including long toss. During field maintenance time, a new warning track was installed all around the diamond. There was also a focus on intellectual achievement. Myszak, who has been coaching baseball almost two decades, has Mental Performance Mastery Certification through Brian Cain, who counts the late sports psychology consultant Ken Ravizza as a mentor. A veteran of 19 seasons with the Schererville (Ind.) Police Department, Myszak sees his next career. “I would like to coach mental performance full-time,” says Myszak. Hebron (enrollment around 350) is a member of the Porter County Conference (with Boone Grove, Kouts, Tri-Township, Morgan Township, South Central of Union Mills, Westville and Washington Township). The Hawks are part of an IHSAA Class 2A sectional grouping in 2023 with North Judson, Illiana Christian, Lake Station Edison, North Newton and Whiting. Hebron has won four sectional titles — the last in 2017. Teaching baseball skills while also helping make responsible young adults is also an aim for Myszak. “I’m all about relationships,” says Myszak, who learned that trait from father and former Hammond (Ind.) policeman and Calumet College of Saint Joseph (Whiting, Ind.) head baseball coach Tony Myszak. In 2022, 24 players came out for baseball and Myszak often led his varsity team solo and had help from junior varsity coach Wayne Straka when his team was not playing. Myszak says there may be closer to 33 players in 2023. His coaching staff features Straka as head JV coach and varsity assistant and Adam Fulk as head varsity assistant. Fulk was an assistant at East Chicago Central High School the past few years. He was the starting left fielder on Lake Central High School’s 2012 IHSAA Class 4A champions coached by Jeff Sandor. Myszak was an assistant for that team. A 1997 Lake Central graduate, Myszak played two years of varsity baseball for Indians coach Tom Hansen. He also played basketball at LC for Jim Black. Myszak is now a seventh grade boys basketball coach at Grimmer Middle School in Schererville, Ind. (part of the Lake Central system). Myszak graduated from Saint Joseph’s College in Rensselaer, Ind., in 2002. He credits Sandor and former Pumas head coach Rick O’Dette for much of what he knows about baseball. Jeff served as hitting coach for his father at Calumet College. There was a stint as team training coach at Parisi Speed School in Schererville. He also program director for Indiana Elite Baseball Softball Training Facility in Cedar Lake, Ind., (closing the doors in 2017) and spent a dozen years in various roles on the Lake Central baseball coaching staff. Chad Patrick (Hebron Class of 2017) pitched at Purdue Northwest and was selected by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the fourth round of the 2021 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. He got up to High-A and was in the Arizona Fall League in 2022. Myszak counts three current Hebron players with college baseball aspirations — Class of 2023’s Tucker Patrick (Chad’s cousin) and Jackson Peeler and 2024’s Trever Roy. Hebron has middle school baseball. The team plays games in the fall (August to October). The coach wants to scale back the schedule and focus on training. “We need to practice more than we play at that age,” says Myszak, who also wants to work with elementary school players. A father of four, Jeff has Ethan (21), Amayah (19), Alexandra (14) and Emma (12). Ethan Myszak (Lake Central Class of 2020) played baseball before high school and is now in the U.S. Army Reserves. Amayah Myszak is a Lake Central senior. She is on the wrestling team. She was a cheerleader prior to being badly burned in 2017. “It’s been a long road,” says Jeff Myszak. “We’ve still got work to do.” Alexandra Myszak (Lake Central Class of 2026) plays basketball and softball. Emma Myszak (Lake Central Class of 2028) is involved in volleyball, basketball and softball.
Joe Traina has three main points of emphasis as the new head baseball coach at alma mater Merrillville (Ind.) High School — commitment, playing together and team chemistry. “We’re making sure we’re there everyday,” says Traina, who was born in Merrillville, graduated from MHS in 2013 and has been teaching and coaching in the school system since 2017-18. “We were not weightlifting and conditioning very much. We have a strength and conditioning coach at Merrillville now (Brady Willard) so they can lift even when I’m not around.” There is a text group chat that keeps the team communicating and Traina emphasizes staying in constant touch with parents. Team chemistry is built through activities that require athletes coordinating to accomplish a goal. Paul Wirtz was Pirates head coach when Traina joined the staff. Wirtz instituted “Animal Kingdom” workouts where there were stations for throwing, baserunning, conditioning etc., and teamwork was necessary. Traina has had his athletes doing the same. “They have to work step by step together to accomplish the goal,” says Traina. “That’s going make us a much stronger team.” Merrillville (enrollment around 2,100) is a member of the Duneland Athletic Conference (with Chesterton, Crown Point, Lake Central, LaPorte, Michigan City, Portage and Valparaiso). The Pirates are part of an IHSAA Class 4A sectional grouping in 2023 with East Chicago Central, Gary West Side, Hammond Central, Hammond Morton, Hobart, Lake Central and Munster. Merrillville has won 13 sectional crowns — the last in 2001. The Pirates were state runner-up in 1996. Traina, who has taught at Merrillville Intermediate, Clifford Pierce Middle School and now Biology for freshmen at Merrillville High, was a junior varsity assistant to Connor Buxton then a varsity assistant when Buxton became head coach at Merrillville. When Buxton stepped away Traina became head coach over the summer. “It’s been a career goal to be the head of a program,” says Traina, 28. “I want to turn things around.” The Pirates went 8-15 overall and 3-9 in the DAC in 2022. Traina’s coaching staff counts Jose Carbajol as varsity assistant, Terrance Grayson as JV head coach and Juan Maldonado as JV assistant. Merrillville started middle school baseball workouts at Bill Metcalf Field in July and games were played in the fall with Traina as head coach. High school players helped out. “They were like bench coaches,” says Traina. The first game was at Hanover Central, where Wirtz was serving as middle school coach. Traina says the plan is for middle school baseball to continue as a fall sport. Noting that Merrillville Little League no longer exists, Traina wants to work his way down the youth baseball ladder while building a feeder system for his program. “We want to make sure kids have the opportunity to be exposed to the sport and get better,” says Traina. “We want to put a stop to getting pushed further behind (in development).” Traina expects to have a young squad in 2023 with freshmen on the varsity. Among the older players with college baseball aspirations are seniors Colin Early and Robert Richardson, who played both play varsity as freshmen, and junior Josh Magallon. Pirates moving on to the college diamond since Traina has been coaching include Class of 2018’s Max Govert (Indiana University South Bend), Class of 2019’s Maldonado (Indiana Tech), Brandon Lucero (Earlham College) and Sven Strom (Saint Xavier University) and Class of 2021’s Dylan Coty (junior college). Traina’s summer maintenance job includes taking care of the baseball field, where recent projects have included fixing the bullpens, adding dirt to mounds, turf to plate areas and dugout racks. Traina played at Merrillville for Mark Schellinger. “He’s one of the my favorite teachers and coaches,” says Traina of Schellinger. “When I got this job he reached out to offer any help I need. That meant a lot coming from a guy who had my back for four years here.” He played at Merrillville Little League then travel ball for the Dave Griffin-led Indiana Playmakers then an Indianapolis-based team called the Indiana Irish. His parents — Frank Sr., and Michele — saw that he was shuttled two hours to Indy every week so he could have a new baseball experience and meet new people. “I can’t thank them enough,” says Joe, the youngest of three children. Frank Traina Sr., is retired from Siemens as an electronic engineer. Michele Traina is a school nurse secretary. Ashley (Traina) Kendera (Merrillville Class of 2006) played softball for the Pirates, graduated from Ball State and now works as a page designer for The Times of Northwest Indiana. Her husband, Jason Kendera, is a former Merrillville girls soccer coach. Frank Traina Jr., (Merrillville Class of 2010) played soccer and was a baseball manager for the Pirates during the Schellinger era. He now works as a bank teller. After high school, Joe Traina went to Ball State University where he was a Sport Administration major and Coaching minor. “I always wanted to go down the athletic director route,” says Traina, who got transition to teaching credentials through Calumet College of Saint Joseph. “Once I was in the classroom I decided to stick with teaching.” He is also the head eighth grade boys basketball coach at Clifford Pierce.
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.
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).
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
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.
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
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
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
Earlham junior Andrew Bradley belted five home runs in a doubleheader sweep of visiting Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference foe Defiance April 6. The clean-up hitter launched two dingers each in the first and third innings of a 40-7 Game 1 rout. In Game 2, he circled the bases in the third frame as the Quakers won 12-3. The games were contested at Randal R. Sadler Stadium. For the week of week of April 4-10, NCAA Division III Earlham went 3-1 and is 16-6 overall and 5-1 in the HCAC. Earlham is in three-way tie atop the conference standings with Franklin (20-6 overall) and Anderson (13-10). NAIA Taylor went 3-1 on the week and moved to 27-11 overall and 17-5 in the Crossroads League, which ties the Trojans for first place with Mount Vernon Nazarene. Taylor junior T.J. Bass (Greenwood Community) has raised his season totals to 13 home runs and 60 runs batted in. With two wins Sunday against Point Park, first-place Indiana University Southeast moved to 24-10 overall and 12-2 in the River States Conference. Heading into Game 3 of the Point Park series today (April 11), Grenadiers coach Ben Reel has 499 career victories. Indiana Tech has won five straight. The Warriors are 18-15 overall and 6-4 in the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference. In NCAA Division I, Purdue (20-7 overall, 2-4 in the Big Ten) took two of three games from visiting Indiana (12-17, 2-3) at Alexander Field. Game 1 Saturday saw the Boilers roll 17-0. Redshirt junior left-hander Jackson Smeltz (McCutcheon) gave up one hit in eight innings with 13 strikeouts. In Sunday’s doubleheader, the Hoosiers prevailed 10-3 with freshman Brock Tibbitts cracking his seventh homer of 2022. Purdue outlasted Indiana 16-15 in the nightcap. Redshirt sophomore Cam Thompson smacked a three-run homer and drove in four runs for the Boilers. Thompson paces the team with 10 circuit clouts. Notre Dame pushed its win streak to eight games. The Irish (20-5 overall, 8-4 in the Atlantic Coast Conference) are 6-1 at Frank Eck Stadium, including 4-0 this past week. D1Baseball.com has Notre Dame No. 3 nationally in RPI. Indiana State is No. 60, Ball State No. 103, Evansville No. 119, Purdue No. 133, Indiana No. 156, Butler No. 187, Valparaiso No. 206 and Purdue Fort Wayne No. 230. Purdue Fort Wayne is on a season-best four-game win streak after besting Michigan once and Wisconsin-Milwaukee three times.
Sunday, April 10 Anderson 13, Mount St. Joseph 9 Anderson 11, Mount St. Joseph 0 DePauw 7, Oberlin 3 DePauw 16, Oberlin 10 Hanover 3, Earlham 1 Earlham 7, Hanover 3 Franklin 10, Defiance 2 Franklin 7, Defiance 4 Rose-Hulman 5, Manchester 2 Rose-Hulman 22, Manchester 9 Kalamazoo 5, Trine 2 Kalamazoo 18, Trine 5 Kenyon 5, Wabash 1 Kenyon 10, Wabash 4
NAIA Monday, April 4 Bethel 10, Marian 6 Bethel 12, Marian 11 Calumet of Saint Joseph 7, Trinity International 3 Mount Vernon Nazarene 8, Goshen 4 Mount Vernon Nazarene 6, Goshen 2 Indiana Wesleyan 11, Grace 4 Grace 4, Indiana Wesleyan 2 Taylor 13, Saint Francis 7 Taylor 8, Saint Francis 3
Tuesday, April 5 IU Kokomo 6, Indiana Tech 5 (8 inn.) Judson 4, IU South Bend 3 Judson 15, IU South Bend 10
Wednesday, April 6 Indiana Tech 15, Wright State-Lake 2
Thursday, April 7 Ivy Tech Northeast 12, Indiana Tech JV 3 Indiana Tech JV 6, Ivy Tech Northeast 5 Mount Vernon Nazarene 7, Saint Francis 6 Saint Francis 8, Mount Vernon Nazarene 3 Vincennes 12, Oakland City JV 5
Saturday, April 9 Marian 7, Grace 5 Grace 12, Marian 2 Huntington 17, Indiana Wesleyan 7 Huntington 2, Indiana Wesleyan 1 Trinity Christian 5, IU South Bend 4 (9 inn.) Trinity Christian 10, IU South Bend 5 Taylor 5, Spring Arbor 3 Spring Arbor 4, Taylor 3
Sunday, April 10 Goshen 4, Bethel 2 Goshen 5, Bethel 2 St. Ambrose 14, Calumet of Saint Joseph 4 St. Ambrose 11, Calumet of Saint Joseph 3 West Virginia Tech 8, IU Kokomo 6 West Virginia Tech 2, IU Kokomo 0 IU Southeast 6, Point Park 5 IU Southeast 5, Point Park 3 Indiana Tech 4, Cleary 0 Indiana Tech 12, Cleary 5 Midway 3, Oakland City 2 Oakland City 14, Midway 0
Junior College Tuesday, April 5 Ivy Tech Northeast 21, Glen Oaks 7
Franklin — with a 17-5 overall record — has gotten off to the best start of 2022 among the state’s NCAA Division III schools. The Lance Marshall-coached Grizzlies enjoyed a 4-1 week (March 28-April 3). One of the highlights was senior Logan Demkovich’s four home runs in a doubleheader sweep of Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference foe Bluffton. Munster High School graduate Demkovich is now hitting .410 with 12 home runs and 36 runs batted in. Earlham (13-5) won its first two HCAC games. Quakers head coach Steve Sakosits reached the 200-win plateau earlier this season. D-III Trine enjoyed a 3-1 week, including a three-game Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association sweep of Olivet. The first two games were the Thunder’s first home contests of the season.
With a win Sunday against Aquinas, Indiana Tech gave Warriors coach Kip McWilliams his 500th career victory. NCAA Division I Ball State saw its 10-game win streak end with a loss Sunday at Toledo. The Rich Maloney-coached Cardinals (17-9) fashioned a 6-1 week and moved to 12-2 in the Mid-American Conference. Griffith graduate Amir Wright (.344) leads the BSU attack for the lead-off spot. Hamilton Heights graduate Tyler Schweitzer (4-2), Lawrence North alum Ty Johnson (4-1) and Bloomington North grad Sam Klein (six saves) are among the leading pitchers. A 4-0 week for Notre Dame included a three-game Atlantic Coast Conference sweep at Florida State. The Irish won 2-0 in 12 innings, 5-4 (with one run in the eighth inning and two in the ninth) and 9-7 (with two eighth-inning runs). ND head coach Link Jarrett played at FSU. A 4-0 week for Evansville (13-14) included a three-game non-conference sweep of Michigan State. Wes Carroll’s Purple Aces are 7-4 on their home turf. Butler (14-14) went 4-1 on the week. Dave Schrage’s Bulldogs have won five of their last six heading into a Tuesday game at Notre Dame. Schrage reached 850 career wins earlier this spring. NCAA Division II Indianapolis won three of four Great Lakes Valley Conference games at Truman as part of a 3-3 week. Al Ready’s Greyhounds are 5-5 in away contests. Inclement weather meant no games for Dave Griffin’s Purdue Northwest squad. The Pride is 10-7. Following a 5-1 week NAIA Taylor (24-10) is tied atop the Crossroads League standings with Mount Vernon Nazarene at 14-4. Kyle Gould’s Trojans were to play two at Saint Francis today (April 4). Also in the Crossroads League, Rich Benjamin’s Indiana Wesleyan Wildcats (17-14) went 5-1 and Seth Zartman’s Bethel Pilots (13-21) went 4-2.
Week of March 28-April 3 NCAA D-I Monday, March 28 Ball State 2, Western Michigan 0 Ball State 12, Western Michigan 5
Tuesday, March 29 Butler 7, Bellarmine 4 Evansville 10, Austin Peay 5 Notre Dame 11, Northern Illinois 2 Illinois-Chicago 10, Purdue 9 Purdue Fort Wayne 11, Valparaiso 3
Friday, April 1 Ball State 8, Toledo 1 Butler 1, Eastern Illinois 0 Evansville 7, Michigan State 2 Indiana 5, Northwestern 4 Indiana State 4, Illinois State 2 Notre Dame 2, Florida State 0 (12 inn.) Illinois 8, Purdue 1 Wright State 5, Purdue Fort Wayne 3 Illinois-Chicago 9, Valparaiso 7 Valparaiso 8, Illinois-Chicago 3
Saturday, April 2 Ball State 7, Toledo 3 Ball State 10, Toledo 2 Eastern Illinois 3, Butler 2 Evansville 7, Michigan State 5 Northwestern 7, Indiana 6 Illinois State 12, Indiana State 2 Notre Dame 5, Florida State 4 Illinois 11, Purdue 10 Wright State 17, Purdue Fort Wayne 11
Sunday, April 3 Toledo 5, Ball State 1 Butler 2, Eastern Illinois 0 Butler 2, Eastern Illinois 1 Evansville 5, Michigan State 4 Northwestern 13, Indiana 6 Indiana State 5, Illinois State 2 Notre Dame 9, Florida State 7 Illinois 11, Purdue 8 Wright State 12, Purdue Fort Wayne 3 Valparaiso 5, Illinois-Chicago 2
NCAA D-II Tuesday, March 29 Kentucky Wesleyan 8, Indianapolis 2 Kentucky Wesleyan 4, Indianapolis 1 Maryville 15, Southern Indiana 8
Friday, April 1 Truman 3, Indianapolis 2 Quincy 7, Southern Indiana 2
Saturday, April 2 Truman 3, Indianapolis 2 Indianapolis 4, Truman 2 Southern Indiana 5, Quincy 1 Quincy 5, Southern Indiana 3
Sunday, April 3 Indianapolis 9, Truman 3 Quincy 6, Southern Indiana 4
NCAA D-III Monday, March 28 Franklin 9, St. Olaf 8
Tuesday, March 29 Carson-Newman 13, DePauw 3 Wittenberg 10, Earlham 5 St. Olaf 4, Franklin 3 Hanover 15, Mount St. Joseph 14 (13 inn.) Hanover 9, Mount St. Joseph 5 Rose-Hulman 7, Wabash 1 Ohio Northern 12, Trine 11
Wednesday, March 30 Anderson 15, Greenville 5 DePauw 10, Earlham 3 Franklin 7, Williams 6 Heidelberg 8, Manchester 2
Saturday, April 2 DePauw 12, Wooster 4 Wooster 13, DePauw 6 Earlham 7, Mount St. Joseph 4 Earlham 12, Mount St. Joseph 8 Franklin 16, Bluffton 4 Franklin 13, Bluffton 3 Manchester 6, Hanover 2 Manchester 6, Hanover 2 Trine 3, Olivet 0 Trine 13, Olivet 3 Allegheny 8, Wabash 3 Allegheny 11, Wabash 0
Sunday, April 3 Anderson 4, Rose-Hulman 3 Anderson 6, Rose-Hulman 5 Trine 4, Olivet 2
NAIA Tuesday, March 29 Bethel 6, Marian 4 Marian 8, Bethel 0 St. Francis (Ill.) 7, Calumet of St. Joseph 1 IU Southeast 16, Campbellsville 7 Indiana Wesleyan 9, Grace 7 Grace 5, Indiana Wesleyan 3 Spring Arbor 16, Huntington 14 Huntington 15, Spring Arbor 2 Concordia 6, Indiana Tech 5 Indiana Tech 5, Concordia 3 Taylor 13, Saint Francis 1 Taylor 11, Saint Francis 0 Mt. Vernon Nazarene 5, Goshen 3 Mt. Vernon Nazarene 3, Goshen 1
Wednesday, March 30 Lawrence Tech 5, IU Kokomo 4 Lawrence Tech 10, IU Kokomo 4 St. Francis (Ill.) 12, IU South Bend 4 Indiana Wesleyan 18, Thomas More 4
Friday, April 1 Grace 9, Bethel 4 Bethel 13, Grace 3 Taylor 12, Goshen 1 Goshen 3, Taylor 2 IU Kokomo 15, Midway 5 Midway 5, IU Kokomo 4 Olivet Nazarene 10, IU South Bend 0 Olivet Nazarene 11, IU South Bend 3 IU Southeast 8, Oakland City 7 IU Southeast 16, Oakland City 4 Indiana Wesleyan 12, Saint Francis 1 Indiana Wesleyan 11, Saint Francis 5
Saturday, April 2 Bethel 4, Grace 2 Bethel 3, Grace 0 Taylor 13, Goshen 1 Taylor 10, Goshen 3 Huntington 10, Marian 6 Huntington 14, Marian 12 (8 inn.) IU Kokomo 7, Midway 6 (10 inn.) Olivet Nazarene 9, IU South Bend 5 Oakland City 10, IU Southeast 9 (11 inn.) Cornerstone 5, Indiana Tech 4 Cornerstone 9, Indiana Tech 3 Indiana Wesleyan 11, Saint Francis 1 Indiana Wesleyan 13, Saint Francis 6
Four NAIA teams — Saint Francis (19-8), Taylor (19-9), Indiana University Southeast (19-8) and Indiana University-Kokomo (18-8) — and one NCAA Division I squad — Purdue (18-1) — have the best chance to the be the first on the state’s collegiate baseball scene to earn 20 wins in 2022. Through games played March 21-27, Taylor was riding a four-game win streak and Saint Francis had won two straight. It was too cold for Taylor to visit Saint Francis in a Crossroads League showdown over the weekend. The Trojans and Cougars were to try again today (March 28). Saint Francis was to play doubleheaders at Indiana Wesleyan on Friday and Saturday with Taylor at Goshen for twin bills Thursday and Saturday. IU Southeast was on a two-game streak and IU-Kokomo a six-game skein. IUS hosts Campbellsville in a single game Tuesday and plays three River States Conference games at Oakland City Friday and Saturday. IUK visits Lawrence Tech for two Wednesday then plays three against visiting RSC leader Midway Friday and Saturday. Purdue won its Big Ten opener Friday against Ohio State. Weather caused the other two games to be wiped out. On Sunday, the “Real Feel” temperature did not reach the mandated 28 degrees. University of Illinois-Chicago visits the Boilermakers Tuesday and Purdue goes to Indiana State Wednesday. A three-game conference set at Illinois awaits Friday through Sunday. In NCAA Division III, Wabash was off to a 12-2 start. The Little Giants are on a five-game win streak.
Week of March 21-27 NCAA D-I Monday, March 21 Ball State 9, Bowling Green 4
Tuesday, March 22 Tennessee 13, Butler 3 Evansville 9, Western Kentucky 8
Friday, March 25 Evansville 17, Indiana 14 Indiana State 12, Memphis 0 Virginia Tech 10, Notre Dame 5 Purdue 7, Ohio State 5 Purdue Fort Wayne 10, Oakland 2 Oakland 10, Purdue Fort Wayne 2 Valparaiso 8, St. Bonaventure 5 Valparaiso 10, St. Bonaventure 0
Saturday, March 26 Northwestern 13, Butler 3 Southern Illinois 16, Butler 4 Oakland 10, Purdue Fort Wayne 9
Sunday, March 27 Northwestern 11, Butler 10 Indiana 6, Evansville 5 Indiana 6, Evansville 5 Indiana State 3, Memphis 1
NCAA D-II Wednesday, March 23 Maryville 14, Southern Indiana 9
Friday, March 25 Indianapolis 8, Lewis 1 Lewis 6, Indianapolis 5 Delta State 17, Southern Indiana 6 Saginaw Valley State 6, Purdue Northwest 5 Saginaw Valley State 17, Purdue Northwest 12
Saturday, March 26 Indianapolis 5, Lewis 3 Saginaw Valley State 13, Purdue Northwest 10 Delta State 5, Southern Indiana 2
Sunday, March 27 Lewis 8, Indianapolis 3 Southern Indiana 5, Delta State 2 Saginaw Valley State 11, Purdue Northwest 1
NCAA D-III Monday, March 21 DePauw 10, Rose-Hulman 5 Chicago 13, Manchester 3 Chicago 12, Manchester 9
Wednesday, March 23 Wabash 14, Earlham 10
Thursday, March 24 Franklin 12, Trine 2 Franklin 11, Trine 5
Friday, March 25 Earlham 7, Adrian 4 Rose-Hulman 6, Carthage 2
NAIA Monday, March 21 Taylor 7, Bethel 5 Taylor 7, Bethel 6 Calumet of St. Joseph 6, IU South Bend 4 IU South Bend 4, Calumet of St. Joseph 0 Huntington 8, Grace 7 Huntington 14, Grace 5 Marian 12, Goshen 6 Marian 8, Goshen 5 Indiana Wesleyan 9, Mount Vernon Nazarene 3 Mount Vernon Nazarene 11, Indiana Wesleyan 8 Saint Francis 11, Spring Arbor 5 Saint Francis 6, Spring Arbor 3
Tuesday, March 22 IU Southeast 11, Georgetown (Ky.) 2 IU Southeast 4, Georgetown (Ky.) 1
Friday, March 25 St. Francis (Ill.) 8, Calumet of St. Joseph 1 St. Francis (Ill.) 13, Calumet of St. Joseph 3 Spring Arbor 10, Huntington 6 Huntington 4, Spring Arbor 3 IU Kokomo 5, Oakland City 4 IU Kokomo 15, Oakland City 0 Rio Grande 11, IU Southeast 7 IU Southeast 2, Rio Grande 1
Saturday, March 26 St. Ambrose 14, IU South Bend 8 IU Southeast 10, Rio Grande 8 (12 inn.)
Sunday, March 27 St. Ambrose 2, IU South Bend 1 St. Ambrose 9, IU South Bend 3
Junior College Monday, March 21 Morton 7, Marian’s Ancilla 5 Morton 15, Marian’s Ancilla 1 Vincennes 10, Spoon River 7 Spoon River 12, Vincennes 11
Saturday, March 26 Lincoln Land 12, Vincennes 3 Vincennes 9, Lincoln Land 5
Sunday, March 27 Indiana Tech JV vs. Ivy Tech Northeast Indiana Tech JV vs. Ivy Tech Northeast Lincoln Land 13, Vincennes 2 Vincennes 4, Lincoln Land 2
Hammond (Ind.) Central High School’s first baseball season in 2022 will come under the leadership of head coach Michael Caston. The 1998 Hammond High graduate has set a path for the Wolves. “We have a philosophy we’re going to follow,” says Caston. “You have to learn and buy into the philosophy to be successful.” Caston, who was head coach at Hammond Gavit following stints as a Calumet College of St. Joseph assistant and assistant then head coach at Chicago State University, breaks his philosophy into offense, defense, pitching and base running. “Early in the count we’re looking to drive fastballs in the strike zone,” says Caston of his hitting theory. “I believe in ‘back spin’ baseball.’ The ball travels father and we hit it into the gaps. “We want to get front foot down early to create base. As the front foot gets down, you load your hands and transfer your weight to explode on the ball. We keep the barrel of the bat up and take the shortest path to the ball. That creates your launch angle.” Knowing that there is a pitch count rule (1 to 35 pitches requires 0 days rest; 36 to 60 requires 1 day; 61 to 80 requires 2 days; 81 to 100 requires 3 days; and 101 to 120 requires 4 days) in high school, Caston expects an attack mentality. “If you have a good fastball, throw fastballs early in the county,” says Caston. “We we’re not going to waste any pitches. Why throw curveballs when nobody has hit your fastball yet? “We like to pound the zone with fastballs early.” With a dozen juniors and seniors and a mix of right-handers and left-handers in a group of 26 players (varsity and junior varsity), Caston expects them to carry the load for the Wolves and that includes on the mound. “Defensively, it’s very simple,” says Caston. “If you can catch it and throw it, you’re going to be very successful.” He has been teaching his players backhand and glove-side techniques as well as situational defense. He wants his defenders to know what to do with the ball when it’s put in-play and practice reflects that. “In the game it becomes natural to them,” says Caston. “In our system everyone knows they have a job on every play.” Caston wants his Wolves to play a “very exciting brand of baseball” and that includes aggressiveness on the base paths. “I like to advance runners various ways,” says Caston. “We don’t move runners by bunting. I pride myself in having players reading balls in the dirt before they even hit the dirt. We like to utilize fake bunt-and-steal. “We’re very aggressive on the base paths on hits to the outfield. We want to force the (opposing defense) to make a clean play.” Caston has been pleased at his player’s eagerness to learn. “It’s a total change for most of the kids I’m coaching,” says Caston. “They’re amazed at all the new things they’ve been learning. They’ve learned to change their old habits to the new philosophy. “They’re catching on pretty quickly.” Hammond Central assistant coaches are Albert Carpen and Erick Chavarria at the varsity level and Michael Korba with the JV. All three are graduates of Hammond Clark High School. Carpen played for Caston at Chicago State and Chavarria at MacMurray College. Carpen was among the top hitters in NCAA Division I in 2012 when he posted an average of .426 and on-base percentage of .522. Hammond High was razed to make way for the new Hammond Central and Clark was also closed, leaving the School City of Hammond with two high schools — Central and Morton. In 2022, Hammond Central will play baseball home games at Gavit. A new field is planned on the Central campus. Hammond Central’s first college baseball commit is Anthony Huber to Prairie State College in Chicago Heights, Ill. Most Hammond Gavit players landed at Morton. Among those getting collegiate looks is Ryan Peppers. The feeder system includes Lakeshore Cal Ripken/Babe Ruth, Hammond Optimist Youth Sports and Hessville Little League plus various travel ball organizations. Hammond Central (enrollment around 1,950) is a member of the Great Lakes Athletic Conference (with East Chicago Central, Gary West Side and Hammond Morton). Each GLAC team meets twice. The Wolves are part of an IHSAA Class 4A sectional grouping with East Chicago Central, Hammond Morton, Highland (2022 host), Lake Central, Merrillville and Munster. Among opponents not in the GLAC or sectional are Bowman Academy, Calumet Christian, Calumet New Tech, Griffith, Hammond Academy of Science & Technology, Hammond Bishop Noll, River Forest and Whiting. Caston, a middle infielder growing up, played three seasons for George Malis and his senior year for Greg O’Donnell at Hammond High. He was a pitcher at Valparaiso (Ind.) University for head coach Paul Twenge. “I was a young kid on a veteran team,” says Caston of his freshmen season at Hammond. “Coach Malis said ‘go out there and do your thing and focus on hitting the ball up the middle.’ I took those words to hear and executed what he told me.” In his first year of college, famed pitching coach Tom House came in for a week and Caston adopted some of House’s ideas about mechanics. Caston teaches Integrated Chemistry and Physics in his first year at Morton. He taught at Gavit for four. Michael has been married to Tina Caston for five years and has three stepsons — Nathan (20), William (13) and Lukas (12). William plays football and baseball, Lukas soccer and baseball.
Indiana Tech bested NAIA No. 1 Southeastern (Fla.) 11-8 Thursday, March 10, ending the Fire’s season-opening 26-game college baseball win streak. The Warriors took a 8-3 lead after four innings and held on for the victory. The contest played in Lakeland, Fla., featured seven home runs, including those by Tech’s Tristan Osika, Ashtin Moxey and Jayden Reed. Other highlights from around the state for the week of March 7-13 include Taylor right-hander/Mishawaka High School graduate Luke Shivey pitching a one-hitter with 12 strikeouts and one walk in nine innings against visiting NAIA foe Huntington March 10. The Foresters’ lone hit was a one-hit single by Langston Ginder (Fort Wayne Carroll) in the seventh inning. Shively threw 116 pitches in the 6-0 win in Game 1 of a doubleheader. NAIA Oakland City beat No. 25 Point Park 8-6 in Game 3 of a series played at the Mighty Oaks’ Pinnick Field. OCU scored two runs in the seventh inning and held on to top the Pioneers. Alec Pruitt plated four runs for Oakland City. The Pride of Purdue Northwest (8-1) has roared out to quite a start in 2022. The NAIA club enjoyed 5-0 week, beating Minot State three times and Upper Iowa twice at Dowling Park in Hammond. Lake Central graduate Ray Hilbrich (.467) as well as Luke Montgomery (.346) are PNW’s top hitters. Joe Sullivan (2-0, 1.04) and Mishawaka alum Sam Shively (2-0, 3.46) are among the leading pitchers. NAIA Indiana University Kokomo (12-7) finds itself at 6-0 in the River States Conference. NCAA Division I Purdue (14-0) keeps adding to its best-ever start. With a 2-0 series against Bellarmine, the Boilermakers upped their stolen base mark to 44-of-51. Curtis Washington Jr. (9-of-9) and Mike Bolton Jr. (9-of-12) lead the club. Left-hander/McCutcheon graduate Jackson Smeltz (4-0, 2.11, 38 K’s, 7 BB, 21 1/3 IP) has been super on the mound for the nation’s last unbeaten D-I team. Evansville (6-10) swept three games at Top 20-ranked Tulane. Starters Shane Gray, Nick Smith (Boonville) and Shane Harris (North Posey) picked up victories for the Purple Aces. Notre Dame (11-1) won its first two Atlantic Coast Conference games at No. 17 North Carolina. The Irish carry a 1.71 team earned run average — among the D-I’s best. Right-hander Sam Klein (Bloomington North) picked up his third and fourth saves of the season as D-I Ball State swept a March 13 Mid-American Conference doubleheader from Eastern Michigan. Mitchell Spencer, Rex Stills (Wheeler) and Jacob Myer combined to hold Saint Louis to five hits in D-I Purdue Fort Wayne’s 4-1 win in Game 2 of a three-game series on the Billikens’ field. With two wins against Principia, NCAA Division III Earlham moved to 7-1. Christian Lancianese (.482), Leo graduate Easton Embry (.462), Cameron McCabe (.448) and Andrew Bradley (.429) are the top hitters for the Quakers. Franklin (8-3) beat Alma four times. Munster alum Logan Demkovich (.568) paces Grizzlies hitters on the season. Including March 6 games, D-III Wabash (7-2) went 5-2 in Tucson, Ariz. The Little Giants are led offensively by Highland graduate A.J. Reid (.500) and Warsaw alum Liam Patton (.424). Tavic Simmons (Carmel) is 2-0 on the bump. D-III Trine (5-6) went 4-5 in Florida. Avery Fulford (.400), Jack Kletzly (.400) and Brenden Warner (.364) guide the Thunder in hitting and New Prairie alum Noah Bretin (1-0, 1.50) in pitching. D-III Manchester scored 30 runs in a doubleheader sweep at Berea. Griffin Garwood (Mt. Vernon of Fortville) and Aidan Stevens (Rensselaer Central) drove in five runs each and and Zach White (Logansport) scored six for the Spartans (2-7).
Sunday, March 13 Ball State 2, Eastern Michigan vs. Ball State 1 Ball State 6, Eastern Michigan 4 Butler 8, Western Illinois 5 Butler 9, Western Illinois 5 Evansville 15, Tulane 1 Troy 6, Indiana 4 Troy 7, Indiana 4 Wright State 11, Indiana State 10 Notre Dame 11, North Carolina State 4 Purdue 7, Bellarmine 4 Purdue Fort Wayne 4, Saint Louis 1 Saint Louis 5, Purdue Fort Wayne 2 Southeast Missouri 10, Valparaiso 8
NCAA D-II Tuesday, March 8 Purdue Northwest 15, Minot State 13 Southern Indiana 6, West Florida 1 West Florida 1, Southern Indiana 0
Wednesday, March 9 Purdue Northwest 3, Minot State 2 Purdue Northwest 3, Minot State 1
Sunday, March 13 Lake Erie vs. Indianapolis Lake Erie vs. Indianapolis Upper Iowa vs. Purdue Northwest Upper Iowa vs. Purdue Northwest Davenport 12, Southern Indiana 4
Thursday, March 10 Wilmington 11, Franklin 4 Trine 7, Fontbonne 5 Wabash 3, Bemidji State 2
Friday, March 11 Westfield State 10, Anderson 5 Anderson 12, Westfield State 0 Franklin 6, Alma 2 Franklin 15, Alma 7 Manchester 16, Berea 5 Manchester vs. Berea Trine 3, Mt. St. Joseph 2 Mt. St. Joseph 15, Trine 1 Wabash 12, Bethany Lutheran 4 Buena Vista 11, Wabash 5
Sunday, March 13 Amherst 13, Anderson 0 Farmingdale State 10, Anderson 0 DePauw vs. Hanover DePauw vs. Hanover Franklin 11, Alma 9 Franklin 12, Alma 2
NAIA Monday, March 7 Grand View 12, Calumet of St. Joseph 5 Siena Heights 9, Calumet of St. Joseph 7 Southeastern 13, Indiana Tech 7 IU Kokomo 6, Georgetown (Ky.) 5
Tuesday, March 8 St. Thomas (Fla). 17, Indiana Tech 2 St. Thomas (Fla.) 7, Indiana Tech 1 Madonna 5, IU Kokomo 4 Northwestern (Iowa) 16, IU South Bend 3 Lindsey Wilson 10, Oakland City 7 Taylor 9, Defiance 2
Wednesday, March 9 Thomas (Ga.) 8, IU South Bend 7 (10 inn.)
Thursday, March 10 Bethel 11, Indiana Wesleyan 0 Bethel 7, Indiana Wesleyan 3 Concordia (Neb.) 10, Calumet of St. Joseph 5 Calumet of St. Joseph 5, Siena Heights 2 Spring Arbor 6, Grace 4 Spring Arbor 4, Grace 2 Saint Francis 12, Goshen 6 Saint Francis 8, Goshen 0 Taylor 6, Huntington 0 Huntington 8, Taylor 7 Indiana Tech 9, Northwestern (Iowa) 2 Indiana Tech 11, Southeastern 8 IU Kokomo 12, Rio Grande 1 IU Southeast 3, Brescia 2 IU Southeast 12, Brescia 3 Mt Vernon Nazarene 6, Marian 2 Mt Vernon Nazarene 7, Marian 1 Point Park 6, Oakland City 4 Point Park 1, Oakland City 0
Friday, March 11 Lawrence Tech 11, Calumet of St. Joseph 5 Warner 14, Calumet of St. Joseph 1 IU Kokomo 12, Rio Grande 8 IU Kokomo 7, Rio Grande 1 IU Southeast 15, Brescia 2 Oakland City 8, Point Park 6
Saturday, March 12 Lawrence Tech 8, Calumet of St. Joseph 2 Indiana Tech 8, Thomas (Ga.) 4
Sunday, March 13 Indiana Tech 5, Thomas (Ga.) 2
Junior College Tuesday, March 8 Ivy Tech Northeast 9, Anderson JV 8 Marian’s Ancilla 4, Hibbing 3
Wednesday, March 9 Hagerstown 10, Marian’s Ancilla 0 Vincennes 4, Volunteer State 1
Thursday, March 10 Kellogg 7, Ivy Tech Northeast 5
Several players doubled down on power during the Indiana college baseball week of Feb. 28-March 6. NCAA Division III Hanover’s Alex Christie (Center Grove High School graduate) knocked five home runs for the week — two against Purchase and one each against Mary Washington, Kean and Neumann — in Myrtle Beach, S.C. It was Christie’s first five homers of the 2022 season. Also lofting five homers was NAIA Indiana Wesleyan’s Evan Salmon — two homers in Game 1 and one in Game 2 against Cleary and one apiece in Games 3 and 4 against Spring Arbor. IWU’s Zach Rabe clouted two in Game 1 against Cleary and two in Game 3 against Spring Arbor. Salmon has eight homers in ’22 and Rabe four. NCAA D-I’s Ball State’s Trenton Quartermaine socked four home runs for the week — one against Coastal Carolina, one in Game 1 against Florida A&M and two in Game 2 against Florida A&M. Quartermaine’s season total for circuit clouts is five. NAIA Indiana Southeast’s Trevor Campbell homered twice against Lindsey Wilson and once each in Games 1 and 3 against Northwestern Ohio. Ray Aponte smacked homers against Lindsey Wilson and Northwestern Ohio (Games 1 and 3). NCAA D-III Franklin’s Logan Demkovich (Munster) homered in all three games against Hope while Noah Wood (Indianapolis Lutheran) produced big flies in Games 1 and 2. Purdue’s Cam Thompson cracked a walk-off homer as Purdue (12-0) topped Longwood 6-5 in 11 innings in Game 3 of the series. The Boilermakers continue to enjoy the best start in program history. Thompson has two homers in ’22. Indiana’s Brock Tibbitts (New Albany) rapped two homers against Miami (Ohio) while teammates Matthew Ellis (Miami and Game 2 vs. Missouri State) and Homestead graduate Carter Mathison (Games 1 and 3 vs. Missouri State) also enjoyed two-homer weeks. Ellis has five dingers on the year while Tibbitts and Mathison (the 2021 Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association Player of the Year) have two each. Butler’s Aaron Steinhart went deep twice against Northern Kentucky. The blasts were his first two of ’22. Evansville’s Tanner Craig (Austin) cranked homers against Kentucky, Ohio (Game 1) and Illinois-Chicago (Game 2). He has six homers on the season. At 5-3, Valparaiso is off to its best eight-game start since 1999. NCAA D-II University of Indianapolis third baseman Armen Torosian homered in Games 2 and 3 against Wayne State, raising his season total to three. Purdue Northwest finally opened its season and went 3-1 in a series at Southwest Baptist. Anderson’s Tyler Smitherman (Westfield) bashed two homers in Game 1 against St. Norbert, doubling his season HR tally. Earlham’s Christian Lancianese homered twice in Game 2 against Wilmington. Nathan Lancianese homered once in Game 3 of the series. They were the season’s first bombs for both players. Manchester’s Brady Perez (Rochester) ahieved lift-off in Games 2 and 4 against Kalamazoo, raising his season HR mark to five. Rose-Hulman’s Shane Garner (Sullivan) rapped his first two homers of ’22 in Game 1 against Saint Mary’s (Minn.) and Dubuque. NAIA Saint Francis freshman Sam Pesa (Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger) homered in Games 1 and 3 against Huntington. His grand slam in Game 1 was part of a 13-run fifth inning. Pesa has a team-best five homers in ’22. Goshen’s Peyton Smith (Daleville) homered in Games 3 and 4 against Grace. He has three homers on the season. It wasn’t all about slugging. NAIA Indiana University Kokomo posted three shutouts against visiting Ohio Christian — 5-0, 10-0 and 1-0. Owen Callaghan (Hamilton Southeastern), Lucas Letsinger (Hamilton Heights), Ben Harris (Northwestern), J.T. Holton (Clinton Central) and Ryan Beck (Mt. Vernon of Fortville) combined for 18 strikeouts and six walks over 23 innings. Indiana University South Bend beat Concordia (Neb. 1) 2-1 in Game 2 in Auburndale, Fla., without a hit. Nolan Unger’s second-inning groundout drove in Coby Campbell with the first run and Jake Dykstra (Lake Central) scored on a seventh-inning wild pitch. The Titans have won four straight. Crown Point graduate Josh Hoogewerf (9 K’s, 0 BB, 7 IP) and New Prairie alum Noah Brettin (2 K’s, 0 BB, 1 IP) combined on a 1-hitter as NCAA D-III Trine beat John Carroll 1-0 in the first game of a doubleheader in Lake Myrtle, Fla. Dalton Nikirk (Bedford North Lawrence) delivered the walk-off RBI single to plate Easton Rhodes (DeKalb) for the Thunder.
Friday, March 4 Indianapolis 5, Wayne State 3 Southwest Baptist 7, Purdue Northwest 4 Purdue Northwest 5, Southwest Baptist 0 Southern Indiana 11, Trevecca Nazarene 3
Saturday, March 5 Wayne State 13, Indianapolis 2 Wayne State 26, Indianapolis 11 Purdue Northwest 7, Southwest Baptist 2 Trevecca Nazarene 9, Southern Indiana 4 Trevecca Nazarene 15, Southern Indiana 3
Sunday, March 6 Wayne State 13, Indianapolis 3 Purdue Northwest 6, Southwest Baptist 5
Saturday, March 5 Earlham 19, Wilmington 9 Franklin 18, Hope 6 Hope 27, Franklin 7 Hanover 11, Neumann 3 Anderson 11, St. Norbert 4 Anderson 20, St. Norbert 11 Kalamazoo 19, Manchester 6 Kalamazoo 13, Manchester 5 DePauw 9, Hendrix 6 Hendrix 8, DePauw 6 Aurora 9, Wabash 8 (10 inn.) Wabash 16, Aurora 3
Sunday, March 6 Anderson 6, St. Norbert 2 Earlham 12, Wilmington 11 Kalamazoo 15, Manchester 1 Kalamazoo 8, Manchester 6 Trine 1, John Carroll 0 (8 inn.) John Carroll 15, Trine 0
NAIA Monday, Feb. 28 Spring Arbor 9, Goshen 2 Spring Arbor 3, Goshen 0
Tuesday, March 1 Calumet of St. Joseph 19, Lincoln Christian 1 Calumet of St. Joseph 8, Lincoln Christian 0 (suspended in 3rd to April 11) Grace 12, IU South Bend 7
Wednesday, March 2 Indiana Wesleyan 17, Cleary 8 Cleary 11, Indiana Wesleyan 2 IU Southeast 16, Lindsey Wilson 2
Friday, March 4 Brewton-Parker 20, Calumet of St. Joseph 4 Saint Francis 14, Huntington 9 Huntington 6, Saint Francis 1 Bethel 9, Mt. Vernon Nazarene 6 Mt. Vernon Nazarene 13, Bethel 0 Grace 6, Goshen 2 Goshen 1, Grace 0 Spring Arbor 2, Indiana Wesleyan 1 Indiana Wesleyan 7, Spring Arbor 6 Taylor 8, Marian 1 Taylor 5, Marian 1 IU Kokomo 5, Ohio Christian 0 Oakland City 4, West Virginia Tech 2
Saturday, March 5 Calumet of St. Joseph 6, Brewton-Parker 4 Brewton-Parker 12, Calumet of St. Joseph 11 Huntington 6, Saint Francis 5 Saint Francis 6, Huntington 1 Bethel 9, Mt. Nazarene 6 Mt. Vernon Nazarene 5, Bethel 2 Mt. Vernon Nazarene 5, Bethel 3 Grace 16, Goshen 12 Grace 13, Goshen 11 Indiana Wesleyan 26, Spring Arbor 1 Indiana Wesleyan 19, Spring Arbor 18 Marian 20, Taylor 10 (8 inn.) Taylor 12, Marian 10 IU Kokomo 10, Ohio Christian 0 IU Kokomo 1, Ohio Christian 0 Oakland 11, West Virginia Tech 10 (11 inn.) Oakland 7, West Virginia Tech 6 IU Southeast 26, Northwestern Ohio 12 Northwestern Ohio 3, IU Southeast 2 IU South Bend 20, Michigan-Dearborn 5 IU South Bend 13, Michigan-Dearborn 9
Sunday, March 6 IU Southeast 11, Northwestern Ohio 8 IU South Bend 8, Concorida (Neb.) 7 IU South Bend 2, Concorida (Neb.) 1 Southeastern 6, Indiana Tech 2 Southeastern 6, Indiana Tech 0
Junior College Monday, Feb. 28 Vincennes 7, Joliet 2
Friday, March 4 Ivy Tech Northeast 4, Anderson JV 3 Wabash Valley 16, Vincennes 0 Kellogg 16, Vincennes 7
Saturday, March 5 Wabash Valley 16, Vincennes 0 Kellogg 16, Vincennes 7 Miami-Hamilton 13, Marian’s Ancilla 8 Ivy Tech Northeast 13, Lincoln Trail 3 Lincoln Trail 8, Ivy Tech Northeast 6
Sunday, March 6 Lake County 1, Marian’s Ancilla 0 Lake County 16, Marian’s Ancilla 5 Lincoln Trail 12, Ivy Tech Northeast 5 Ivy Tech Northeast 6, Lincoln Trail 1
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