Jeff Rutherford takes over as head coach at Griffith (Ind.) High School with plans to have the same kind of emphasis he has put forth throughout his coaching career. “I like the offensive side,” says Rutherford, who takes over for Brian Jennings who retired at the end of the 2022 season. “I like to run a lot, hit-and-run and bunt-and-run. “We’ve always been offensive-minded. We get a guy on and we’re going to do what we can to get him over.” Rutherford was on the Griffith staff in 2019 and has also assisted Dave Griffin at Purdue Calumet and Purdue Northwest and coached travel ball with the Indiana Playmakers and a Cal Ripken all-star team. The 45-year-old played baseball for East Chicago (Ind.) American Legion Post 266 and graduated from Hammond (Ind.) High School. Two sons — Julian Rutherford (Class of 2018) and Jaylen Rutherford (Class of 2025) — have played baseball for Jennings at Griffith. “What Jennings has done there has been great,” says Rutherford. “He’s been a big staple at Griffith. It was hard to see him leave (the baseball post). I watched him coach both of my kids and couldn’t be happier with the coaching he’s done. “Jennings always been a great guy. I wish him all the best.” Julian Rutherford played at Wabash (Ind.) College and is now employed by U.S. Foods. Jaylen Rutherford was on the Panthers varsity as a freshman outfielder and sometimes lead-off hitter and is one of the few non-upperclassmen expected to represent the program in 2023. Griffith (enrollment around 600) is a member of the Greater South Shore Conference (with Boone Grove, Hammond Bishop Noll, Hanover Central,Lake Station Edison, River Forest, South Central of Union Mills, Wheeler and Whiting). The Panthers were part of an IHSAA Class 3A sectional in 2022 grouping with Andrean, Calumet New Tech and Gary West Side Leadership Academy. Griffith has won 18 sectional titles — the last in 2021. “It’s a great opportunity and I look forward to continuing the tradition of success,” says Rutherford. “I can’t wait to get started.” He is looking to build his coaching staff, tapping into some of his younger former players. He also hopes to have players come to IHSAA Limited Contact Period activities Aug. 29-Oct. 15. “I plan on some long toss,” says Rutherford. “We can get a few of the players familiar with each other. Most of the (2022) team comes back. Quite a few starters are playing another sport.” Rutherford believes in the multi-sport athlete. “I think they should play as much as they can,” says Rutherford. “Holding them to one sport doesn’t benefit them.” Recent graduates Bubba Davenport (Calumet College of Saint Joseph) and Kyle Iwinski (Kankakee Community College and headed to Purdue University) are playing college baseball. Rutherford says he wants to have camps for Griffith Youth Baseball players. “(GBL) is basically the only feeder system,” says Rutherford. “We have to pull from our own town.” Outside of coaching, Rutherford is a public works supervisor for the City of Hammond. Besides sons Julian (22) and Jaylen (15), he and wife Heather have a daughter Jaesela (11).
NAIA’s Taylor and Indiana University Southeast moved on in postseason play as did NCAA Division III’s Earlham during the week of May 9-15. The Crossroads League crowned Taylor as tournament champion and IU Southeast prevailed in the River States Conference tournament. The NAIA Opening Round was slated for May 16-19 at 10 sites. Taylor is a site host and the No. 3 seed in a field which features No. 1 Southeastern (Fla.), No. 2 Northwestern Ohio, No. 4 Columbia (Mo.) and No. 5 Bryan (Tenn.). IU Southeast is the No. 2 seed in the Santa Barbara Bracket with No. 1 and host Westmont, No. 3 Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) and No. 5 Antelope Valley (Calif.). By edging Rose-Hulman 10-9 Saturday in Kokomo, Earlham reigned as Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference tournament champions. The Quakers qualified for regional play and will be in a four-team field hosted by Lynchburg (Va.) and also including Birmingham (Ala.)-Southern and Salve Regina (R.I.). Action starts May 20. In junior college play, Vincennes qualified for the Mid-West Athletic Conference tournament. The Trailblazers are to meet Danville Area on Wednesday, May 18 at The Corn Crib in Normal, Ill. The 2022 season has concluded for 25 of the state’s 38 baseball-playing schools. NCAA Division I is heading into the final week of the regular season. Winners of weekend series were Indiana (2-1 vs. Minnesota), Notre Dame (2-1 vs. Pittsburgh), Purdue (2-1 at Northwestern) and Purdue Fort Wayne (2-0 vs. Wisconsin-Milwaukee and also 1-1 at Wright State). Ball State went 2-2 at Ohio while Evansville was 1-2 at Dallas Baptist, Valparaiso 1-2 vs. Bradley, Butler 0-3 vs. Xavier and Indiana State 0-3 at Southern Illinois. In the latest D1Baseball.com RPI, Notre Dame is No. 14, Evansville No. 67, Ball State No. 90, Indiana No. 119, Purdue No. 120, Indiana State No. 121, Valparaiso No. 217, Butler No. 229 and Purdue Fort Wayne No. 251. Final regular-season games this week include: • Ball State is at Miami (Ohio) May 19-21. • Notre Dame at Northwestern May 17 and Miami (Fla.) May 19-21. • Purdue vs. Maryland May 19-21. • Evansville vs. Murray State May 17 and vs. Valparaiso May 19-21. • Indiana vs. Illinois State May 17 and at Iowa May 19-21. • Indiana State vs. Dallas Baptist May 19-21.
Butler at Purdue Fort Wayne May 17 and vs. Seton Hall May 19-21
Purdue Fort Wayne vs. Butler May 17 and at Akron May 20-21.
Valparaiso at Western Michigan May 17 and at Evansville May 19-21.
NCAA D-II Thursday, May 12 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Conference Tournament Wayne State 10, Saginaw Valley State 4 Purdue Northwest 10, Davenport 8 Northwood 11, Grand Valley State 6
Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament Quincy 12, Lindenwood 3 Maryville 3, Lewis 1 Illinois-Springfield 5, William Jewell 4 Indianapolis 11, Drury 1
Friday, May 13 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Conference Tournament Davenport 12, Saginaw Valley State 8 Purdue Northwest 11, Grand Valley State 3 Wayne State 7, Northwood 4
Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament Lewis 12, William Jewell 6 Drury 12, Lindenwood 2 Quincy 4, Indianapolis 3 Illinois-Springfield 12, Maryville 2
Saturday, May 14 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Conference Tournament Purdue Northwest 7, Wayne State 5 (12 inn.) Davenport 8, Northwood 5 Davenport 8, Wayne State 5
Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament Lewis 5, Maryville 4 Drury 9, Indianapolis 7 Lewis 6, Quincy 4 Illinois-Springfield 14, Drury 2
Sunday, May 15 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Conference Tournament Purdue Northwest vs. Davenport 6, Purdue Northwest 4 Championship Davenport 2, Purdue Northwest 1
Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament Quincy 9, Lewis 4 Championship Illinois-Springfield 16, Quincy 3
NCAA D-III Thursday, May 12 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament Anderson 6, Hanover 2 Earlham 5, Rose-Hulman 3 Franklin 7, Anderson 3
Friday, May 13 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament Rose-Hulman 14, Hanover 6 Earlham 9, Franklin 8 Rose-Hulman 8, Anderson 5
Saturday, May 14 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament Rose-Hulman 13, Franklin 8 Championship Earlham 10, Rose-Hulman 9
NAIA Monday, May 9 River States Conference Tournament Championship Indiana University Southeast 19, Point Park 4
Crossroads League Tournament Marian 22, Spring Arbor 14 Mount Vernon Nazarene 10, Bethel 8 Taylor 8, Indiana Wesleyan 7 Huntington 15, Saint Francis 8 Mount Vernon Nazarene 5, Indiana Wesleyan 3 Marian 12, Saint Francis 8
Three Indiana-based Crossroads League head coaches reached victory milestones as the regular season came to a close the week of April 25-May 1. Taylor’s Kyle Gould earned his 600th win, Indiana Wesleyan’s Rich Benjamin his 500th and Bethel’s Seth Zartman his 400th. The eight-team Crossroads League tournament is slated for May 6-10 at Taylor. Mount Vernon Nazarene won the regular-season title. Seeds 2-8 are Taylor, Indiana Wesleyan, Huntington, Bethel, Spring Arbor and Saint Francis. The 2022 season came to a close for CL members Grace and Goshen. Indiana Southeast swept three River States Conference games from Midway and Oakland City went 3-0 in conference play against Ohio Christian. The six-team RSC tournament featuring Indiana Southeast, Indiana University Kokomo and Oakland City is May 5-8 in Chillicothe, Ohio. Indiana Tech went 2-0 against Northwestern Ohio in Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference games. The WHAC tournament first round is May 5-6 with No. 5 seed Indiana Tech, No. 1 Northwestern Ohio (host) and No. 6 Concordia in Pod B. The championship round is slated for May 9-10. The tournament winner receives the second automatic qualifier to the NAIA national tournament. If it is the conference champion, then the runner up of the tournament will receive the second berth. NCAA Division I Ball State (29-14, 23-4) ran its win streak to eight and took over the lead in the Mid-American Conference with a four-game sweep of visiting Central Michigan. The Chippewas had won 22 straight MAC games prior to Friday’s loss to the Cardinals. Four-game conference series against Kent State, Ohio and Miami remain on BSU’s regular-season slate. The MAC tournament is schedule for May 25-28. Notre Dame (28-10, 13-8) won two of three games in an Atlantic Coast Conference series against Boston College. The Irish are No. 8 in the D1Baseball.com RPI. Evansville (24-18, 9-3) took all three Missouri Valley Conference games from Bradley. Purdue (25-14, 6-7) went 2-1 vs. Michigan and Indiana (20-24, 6-9) 2-1 against Illinois in a pair of Big Ten Conference series. NCAA Division II Southern Indiana split four Great Lakes Valley Conference games against Missouri Science & Technology. NCAA D-III Franklin won both Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference contests against Transylvania. Also in the HCAC, Hanover was 2-0 against Transylvania and 1-1 vs. Defiance, Rose-Hulman 2-0 against Bluffton, Manchester 1-1 vs. Mount St. Joseph and Earlham and Anderson split a two-game series. The five-team HCAC tournament is scheduled for May 12-15 at Kokomo Municipal Stadium. Wabash went 1-1 against Hiram in North Coast Athletic Conference play. The four-team NCAC tournament is May 12-14 in Chillicothe, Ohio. By beating Anderson Wednesday, DePauw’s Blake Allen got his 100th career victory as a head coach.
Wednesday, April 27 Indiana 3, Illinois State 1 Michigan State 7, Purdue Fort Wayne 4
Friday, April 29 Ball State 7, Central Michigan 1 Connecticut 8, Butler 7 (10 inn.) Evansville 6, Bradley 5 Indiana 7, Illinois 6 Missouri State 7, Indiana State 6 Boston College 7, Notre Dame 4 Purdue 18, Michigan 4 Illinois-Chicago 7, Purdue Fort Wayne 3 Southern Illinois 4, Valparaiso 0
Saturday, April 30 Ball State 6, Central Michigan 4 Ball State 10, Central Michigan 7 Connecticut 14, Butler 7 Evansville 8, Bradley 7 Illinois 18, Indiana 10 Missouri State 11, Indiana State 4 Notre Dame 11, Boston College 5 Purdue 12, Michigan 4 Illinois-Chicago 4, Purdue Fort Wayne 2 Southern Illinois 15, Valparaiso 12
Sunday, May 1 Ball State 4, Central Michigan 3 Connecticut 17, Butler 4 Evansville 15, Bradley 4 Indiana 11, Illinois 7 Indiana State 8, Missouri State 1 Notre Dame 16, Boston College 10 Michigan 13, Purdue 2 Illinois-Chicago 21, Purdue Fort Wayne 5 Valparaiso 11, Southern Illinois 10
NCAA D-II Tuesday, April 26 Ohio Dominican 13, Indianapolis 3 Ohio Dominican 2, Indianapolis 1 Kentucky Wesleyan 11, Southern Indiana 7
Friday, April 29 Illinois-Springfield 15, Indianapolis 2 Wayne State 23, Purdue Northwest 4 Southern Indiana 12, Missouri S&T 9
Saturday, April 30 Indianapolis 9, Illinois-Springfield 8 Illinois-Springfield 11, Indianapolis 1 Wayne State 9, Purdue Northwest 2 Wayne State 9, Purdue Northwest 2 Southern Indiana 7, Missouri S&T 6 Missouri S&T 5, Southern Indiana 1
Sunday, May 1 Illinois-Springfield 11, Indianapolis 10 (10 inn.) Purdue Northwest 11, Wayne State 10 Missouri S&T 5, Southern Indiana 1 Missouri S&T 12, Southern Indiana 9
NCAA D-III Monday, April 25 Webster 5, Franklin 1 Webster 7, Franklin 1 Calvin 15, Trine 5
Tuesday, April 26 DePauw 12, Rose-Hulman 8 Hanover 19, Transylvania 7 Hanover 20, Transylvania 13 Huntington 10, Manchester 1
Wednesday, April 27 DePauw 11, Anderson 10 Denison 15, Hanover 8 Indiana Tech 15, Manchester 5 Rose-Hulman 5, Greenville 2
Friday, April 29 Earlham 7, Anderson 4 Anderson 7, Earlham 6
Saturday, April 30 Franklin 9, Transylvania 6 Franklin 5, Transylvania 4 Hanover 5, Defiance 1 Defiance 8, Hanover 4 Manchester 9, Mount St. Joseph 6 Mount St. Joseph 8, Manchester 7 Albion 8, Trine 4 Trine 3, Albion 1 Wabash 8, Hiram 6 Hiram 6, Wabash 5 (11 inn.)
NAIA Tuesday, April 26 IU Kokomo 7, Grace 2 Huntington 10, Manchester 1 St. Francis (Ill.) 9, Indiana Tech 8 Indiana Tech 10, St. Francis (Ill.) 2 IU Southeast 11, Cumberlands 9 Kentucky State 2, Oakland City 0 Kentucky State 2, Oakland City 0
Wednesday, April 27 Calumet of St. Joseph 5, Trinity International 4 Calumet of St. Joseph 6, Trinity International 1 Indiana Tech 15, Manchester 5 St. Francis (Ill.) 2, IU South Bend 1 St. Francis (Ill.) 6, IU South Bend 2
Thursday, April 28 IU Southeast 3, Midway 2 IU Southeast 8, Midway 7 Oakland City 3, Ohio Christian 2 (11 inn.)
Friday, April 29 Bethel 7, Saint Francis 4 Saint Francis 5, Bethel 4 Roosevelt 20, Calumet of St. Joseph 6 Roosevelt 5, Calumet of St. Joseph 2 Goshen 10, Spring Arbor 6 Spring Arbor 10, Goshen 3 Taylor 9, Grace 0 Taylor 16, Grace 0 Mount Vernon Nazarene 13, Huntington 0 Mount Vernon Nazarene 17, Huntington 16 IU Kokomo 8, Point Park 5 Point Park 5, IU Kokomo 4 IU Southeast 12, Midway 6 IU South Bend 12, Lincoln 7 Indiana Wesleyan 9, Marian 2 Indiana Wesleyan 11, Marian 3 Oakland City 10, Ohio Christian 9 Oakland City 7, Ohio Christian 6
Saturday, April 30 Bethel 5, Saint Francis 3 Bethel 2, Saint Francis 1 Roosevelt 4, Calumet of St. Joseph 1 Spring Arbor 13, Goshen 6 Spring Arbor 11, Goshen 9 Taylor 19, Grace 11 Taylor 9, Grace 8 Mount Vernon Nazarene 5, Huntington 0 Mount Vernon Nazarene 7, Huntington 0 Indiana Tech 8, Northwestern Ohio 1 Indiana Tech 5, Northwestern Ohio 2 Point Park 7, IU Kokomo 5 IU South Bend 15, Lincoln 6 Lincoln 1, IU South Bend 0 (10 inn.) Indiana Wesleyan 8, Marian 3 Marian 8, Indiana Wesleyan 5
Junior College Tuesday, April 26 Lincoln Trail 12, Vincennes 7
When Ball State swept a doubleheader Saturday, April 23 at Northern Illinois it allowed Cardinals head coach Rich Maloney to reach the 900th victory of his career. Maloney is in his 27th season as a college head coach with two stints at Ball State (1996-2002 and 2013-present) and one at Michigan (2003-12). Ball State (24-14 overall, 18-4 in the Mid-American Conference) went on to win, Sunday, too. Game 4 of the series was slated for today (April 25). Maloney has won 580 games with the Cards. “I have had the great privilege of coaching so many outstanding young men and coaching alongside so many outstanding assistants,” said Maloney Saturday. “Milestones like this give us a time to reflect on the many relationships built through the years. “What a blessing!” Ball State — which got wins from starters Tyler Schweitzer (Hamilton Southeastern High School graduate) and Ty Johnson (Lawrence North), both 6-2 in 2022, Saturday and Sunday — is chasing first-place Central Michigan (27-10, 21-1) in the MAC. There are more coaching victory milestones on the horizon for NAIA Taylor’s Kyle Gould (597), NAIA Indiana Wesleyan’s Rich Benjamin (498), NAIA Bethel’s Seth Zartman (397), NAIA Marian’s Todd Bacon (195) and NCAA Division III DePauw’s Blake Allen (98). The best weeks among the state’s 38 college baseball programs April 18-24 belonged to NAIA Indiana Tech at 6-0, NCAA Division-I Notre Dame at 5-0, NCAA Division III Wabash at 5-1, NAIA Calumet of St. Joseph at 5-1 and NAIA Oakland City 4-1. Notre Dame won midweek games against Valparaiso and Purdue Fort Wayne and swept three from Atlantic Coast Conference foe Wake Forest. The Irish (26-8, 11-7) are tied with Louisville atop the ACC Atlantic Division. ND is No. 2 in the D1Baseball.com RPI behind Tennessee (37-3). Evansville is No. 67, Indiana State. No. 91, Ball State No, 123, Indiana No. 135, Purdue No. 163, Valparaiso No. 202, Butler No. 208 and Purdue Fort Wayne No. 237. Indiana State (21-11 overall and tied for first in the Missouri Valley Conference at 6-3) tied a school record with six home runs in Sunday’s 12-9 loss to Evansville — two by Aaron Beck (Evansville Harrison) and one each by Tyler Nelson (Chesterton), Jordan Schaffer (West Vigo), Sean Ross and Keegan Watson (New Palestine). Indiana Tech (27-18, 13-7 in the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference) won four WHAC games Saturday and Sunday by a combined 66-27. The Warriors and others are looking up conference leader Northwestern Ohio (32-9, 19-1). Wabash (19-12) is now 4-4 in away games after a doubleheader split at Oberlin and twin bill sweep at Anderson. Calumet of St. Joseph (14-27) earned all its wins for the week on the road. The same is true for Oakland City (25-17). The Mighty Oaks have already won eight more games in 2022 than 2021.
Week of April 18-24 NCAA D-I Tuesday, April 19 Western Michigan 14, Ball State 12 Butler 6, Northern Kentucky 5 Miami (Ohio) 9, Indiana 7 Indiana State 12, Illinois 6 Notre Dame 5, Valparaiso 1 Illinois-Chicago 9, Purdue 6
Wednesday, April 20 Butler 7, Dayton 2 Notre Dame 12, Purdue Fort Wayne 2
Friday, April 22 St. John’s 8, Butler 6 Indiana State 7, Evansville 6 Indiana 8, Nebraska 7 Belmont 3, Purdue 2 Notre Dame 8, Wake Forest 3 Purdue Fort Wayne 4, Northern Kentucky 2 Purdue Fort Wayne 4, Northern Kentucky 3
Saturday, April 23 Ball State 13, Northern Illinois 0 Ball State 6, Northern Illinois 1 St. John’s 8, Butler 7 (10 inn.) Evansville 14, Indiana State 0 Indiana 8, Nebraska 1 Notre Dame 21, Wake Forest 3 Belmont 11, Purdue 1 Purdue Fort Wayne 10, Oakland 2 Oakland 10, Purdue Fort Wayne 2 Missouri State 14, Valparaiso 2 Missouri State 9, Valparaiso 4
Sunday, April 24 Ball State 9, Northern Illinois 5 Butler 12, St. John’s 12, tie Evansville 12, Indiana State 9 Nebraska 19, Indiana 7 Belmont 8, Purdue 6 Oakland 10, Purdue Fort Wayne 9 (10 inn.) Missouri State 6, Valparaiso 1 Notre Dame 13, Wake Forest 12 Northern Kentucky vs. Purdue Fort Wayne
NCAA D-II Tuesday, April 19 Grand Valley State 10, Purdue Northwest 5 Purdue Northwest 5, Grand Valley State 4 Kentucky Wesleyan 4, Southern Indiana 14
Friday, April 22 Indianapolis 9, Davenport 1
Saturday, April 23 Davenport 12, Indianapolis 10 Davenport 18, Indianapolis 6 Lewis 10, Southern Indiana 9 Southern Indiana vs. Lewis Purdue Northwest 22, Wisconsin-Parkside 0 Purdue Northwest 18, Wisconsin-Parkside 5
Sunday, April 24 Lewis 15, Southern Indiana 3 Lewis 8, Southern Indiana 5
NCAA D-III Tuesday, April 19 Anderson 11, Bluffton 4 Bluffton 6, Anderson 0 Wittenberg 11, DePauw 10 DePauw 4, Wittenberg 3 Rose-Hulman 12, Franklin 10 Rose-Hulman 10, Franklin 4 Defiance 4, Manchester 2 Manchester 12, Defiance 11 (11 inn.) Trine 22, Adrian 14 Wabash 8, Ohio Weselyan 2 Wabash 3, Ohio Weselyan 2
Wednesday, April 20 Indiana Tech 14, Manchester 4
Saturday, April 23 Anderson 8, Defiance 5 Anderson 7, Defiance 6 DePauw 16, Hiram 0 DePauw 11, Hiram 0 Earlham 8, Rose-Hulman 6 Earlham 11, Rose-Hulman 2 Franklin 5, Mt. St. Joseph 4 Franklin 14, Mt. St. Joseph 4 Hanover 10, Bluffton 8 Bluffton 13, Hanover 3 Calvin 7, Trine 3 Trine 7, Calvin 2 Oberlin 3, Wabash 2 Wabash 15, Oberlin 12 (10 inn.)
Sunday, April 24 Wabash 14, Anderson 5 Anderson 21, Wabash 6 Rose-Hulman 16, Wilmington 9 Manchester 5, Trine 4
NAIA Monday, April 18 Calumet of St. Joseph 19, Lincoln 4 Calumet of St. Joseph 15, Lincoln 5 Grace 10, Marian 8 Marian 8, Grace 3
Tuesday, April 19 IU South Bend 8, Calumet of St. Joseph 4 Indiana Tech 18, Saint Francis 1 Oakland City 4, Bethel (Tenn.) 2 Oakland City 1, Bethel (Tenn.) 0
Wednesday, April 20 Siena Heights 4, Goshen 0 Siena Heights 6, Goshen 3 Indiana Tech 14, Manchester 4 Georgetown (Ky.) 4, IU Kokomo 3
Thursday, April 21 Spring Arbor 7, Bethel 5 Bethel 3, Spring Arbor 2 Mt. Vernon Nazarene 7, Grace 5 Mt. Vernon Nazarene 4, Grace 2 Indiana Wesleyan 11, Taylor 7 Taylor 6, Indiana Wesleyan 3
Friday, April 22 Huntington 15, Goshen 12 Goshen 6, Huntington 4 IU Southeast 10, IU Kokomo 3 Roosevelt 6, IU South Bend 5 Marian 6, Saint Francis 5 Marian 5, Saint Francis 1 Brescia 4, Oakland City 2
Saturday, April 23 Bethel 7, Spring Arbor 6 Bethel 12, Spring Arbor 10 Huntington 16, Goshen 12 Huntington 18, Goshen 3 Mt. Vernon Nazarene 11, Grace 10 Mt. Vernon Nazarene 7, Grace 3 Indiana Tech 20, Siena Heights 3 Indiana Tech 16, Siena Heights 1 IU Kokomo 12, IU Southeast 11 IU Southeast 18, IU Kokomo 2 Roosevelt 15, IU South Bend 3 Roosevelt 9, IU South Bend 5 Taylor 11, Indiana Wesleyan 1 Indiana Wesleyan 9, Taylor 5 Marian 11, Saint Francis 10 Saint Francis 13, Marian 8 Oakland City vs. Brescia Oakland City vs. Brescia
INDIANA COLLEGE BASEBALL Records Through April 17 NCAA D-I Purdue 22-9 (4-6 Big Ten) Notre Dame 21-8 (8-7 ACC) Ball State 21-13 (15-3 MAC) Indiana State 19-9 (5-1 MVC) Evansville 19-16 (4-2 MVC) Butler 16-20 (2-4 Big East) Valparaiso 13-18 (2-4 MVC) Indiana 13-21 (2-7 Big Ten) Purdue Fort Wayne 10-23 (7-8 Horizon)
Week of April 11-17 NCAA D-I Tuesday, April 12 Evansville 11, Butler 1 Indiana 6, Indiana State 5 Notre Dame 14, Michigan 5 Eastern Illinois 7, Valparaiso 5
Thursday, April 14 Georgetown 14, Butler 8 Duke 15, Notre Dame 5 Penn State 12, Purdue 7 Purdue Fort Wayne 9, Northern Kentucky 5
Friday, April 15 Ball State 8, Akron 3 Butler 8, Georgetown 7 Evansville 6, Southern Illinois 4 Rutgers 5, Indiana 3 Duke 4, Notre Dame 3 (11 inn.) Purdue 11, Penn State 5 Northern Kentucky 5, Purdue Fort Wayne 4 Illinois State 7, Valparaiso 0
Saturday, April 16 Ball State 5, Akron 1 Ball State 16, Akron 0 Georgetown 8, Butler 4 Evansville 9, Southern Illinois 2 Evansville 14, Southern Illinois 2 Rutgers 4, Indiana 2 Duke 6, Notre Dame 2 Penn State 7, Purdue 5 Purdue Fort Wayne 10, Northern Kentucky 5 Valparaiso 10, Illinois State 2
Sunday, April 17 Akron 4, Ball State 3 Rutgers 10, Indiana 9 Valparaiso 2, Illinois State 1
NCAA D-II Tuesday, April 12 Indianapolis 15, Kentucky Wesleyan 1 Indianapolis 11, Kentucky Wesleyan 7 Grand Valley State 10, Purdue Northwest 7 Grand Valley State 9, Purdue Northwest 6 Oakland City 6, Southern Indiana 4
Thursday, April 14 Quincy 14, Indianapolis 4 Purdue Northwest 21, Northwood 19 Truman State vs. Southern Indiana
Friday, April 15 Indianapolis 3, Quincy 2 Indianapolis 3, Quincy 0 Purdue Northwest 2, Northwood 0 Northwood 18, Purdue Northwest 0 Truman State 6, Southern Indiana 5 Truman State 11, Southern Indiana 10
Saturday, April 16 Indianapolis 5, Quincy 3 Northwood 9, Purdue Northwest 7 Southern Indiana 16, Truman State 4
NCAA D-III Monday, April 11 Trine 7, Kalamazoo 5
Tuesday, April 12 Earlham 12, Transylvania 7 Transylvania vs. Earlham Hanover 12, Spalding 11 Wabash 6, Manchester 4 Manchester vs. Wabash Rose-Hulman 3, Mount St. Joseph 2 Rose-Hulman 16, Mount St. Joseph 1
Wednesday, April 13 Trine 11, Adrian 5
Thursday, April 14 Wittenberg 10, Wabash 4
Friday, April 15 Bluffton 11, Earlham 6 Bluffton 9, Earlham 3 Alma 8, Trine 5
Saturday, April 16 Hanover 10, Anderson 4 Hanover 10, Anderson 8 Kenyon 12, DePauw 1 Kenyon 4, DePauw 3 Franklin 9, Manchester 8 Franklin 6, Manchester 4 Rose-Hulman 10, Transylvania 4 Rose-Hulman 12, Transylvania 8 Alma 9, Trine 6 Alma 10, Trine 6 Wooster 4, Wabash 3 Wooster 12, Wabash 7
NAIA Monday, April 11 Bethel 13, Goshen 10 Bethel 12, Goshen 1 Calumet of St. Joseph 13, Trinity Christian 8 Indiana Tech 1, Rochester 0 Indiana Tech 12, Rochester 5 Spring Arbor 15, Taylor 7 Taylor 10, Spring Arbor 9
Tuesday, April 12 Goshen 17, Grace Christian 5 Goshen 3, Grace Christian 1 Marian 5, Huntington 2 Marian 19, Huntington 5 Oakland City 6, Southern Indiana 4 IU South Bend 18, Trinity Christian 8 IU Southeast 7, Georgetown (Ky.) 5 Madonna 7, Indiana Tech 6 Indiana Tech 16, Madonna 6 Indiana Wesleyan 10, Cleary 7 Indiana Wesleyan 8, Cleary 0 Mount Vernon Nazarene 10, Saint Francis 6 Saint Francis 9, Mount Vernon Nazarene 2
Thursday, April 14 Saint Xaver 17, IU South Bend 13
Friday, April 15 Bethel 2, Huntington 1 Huntington 9, Bethel 7 Olivet Nazarene 15, Calumet of St. Joseph 2 Indiana Wesleyan 14, Goshen 2 Indiana Wesleyan 13, Goshen 6 Saint Francis 5, Grace 3 Saint Francis 2, Grace 1 IU Kokomo 9, Brescia 1 IU Southeast 11, West Virginia Tech 0 Spring Arbor 8, Marian 5 Marian 16, Spring Arbor 3 Taylor 9, Mount Vernon Nazarene 5 Taylor 17, Mount Vernon Nazarene 9
Saturday, April 16 Bethel 3, Huntington 1 Huntington 9, Bethel 2 Olivet Nazarene 12, Calumet of St. Joseph 4 Olivet Nazarene 14, Calumet of St. Joseph 3 Indiana Wesleyan 12, Goshen 2 Indiana Wesleyan 15, Goshen 6 Grace 10, Saint Francis 8 Saint Francis 14, Grace 4 IU Kokomo 7, Brescia 3 IU Kokomo 13, Brescia 2 IU Southeast 11, West Virginia Tech 1 IU Southeast 9, West Virginia Tech 6 Lawrence Tech 2, Indiana Tech 1 Lawrence Tech 7, Indiana Tech 4 Marian 7, Spring Arbor 5 Marian 11, Spring Arbor 3 Mount Vernon Nazarene 6, Taylor 4 Mount Vernon Nazarene 14, Taylor 1
Junior College Monday, April 11 Ivy Tech Northeast 6, Trine JV 5 Ivy Tech Northeast 8, Trine JV 5
Ball State scored 46 runs in the first three games against Bowling Green to move to 9-10 overall and 6-1 in the Mid-American Conference. The final contest of the set was slated for today (March 21). The Cardinals have won four straight overall. Amid all the offense in Game 1’s 17-0 romp, Ball State left-hander Tyler Schweitzer (Hamilton Southeast High School graduate) struck out a career-best nine. Indiana State right-hander Jack Parisi became the active career strikeout leader among NCAA D-I pitchers with four K’s in relief in Game 3 against Kansas. The Homestead High School alum and ISU graduate student has 304. Right-hander Matt Jachec won for the Sycamores in Game 1 against Kansas. It was the 250th win as Indiana State coach for Mitch Hannahs. ISU visits Indiana at 4 p.m. Tuesday. By going 2-1 at Illinois State, Purdue moved to 17-1. The Boilermakers were the last of the nation’s D-I unbeatens before dropping Game 1 against the Redbirds. Big Ten Conference play opens Friday through Sunday for Purdue when Ohio State comes to Alexander Field. Including a four-run bottom-of-the-ninth rally and walk-off win against Oberlin, NCAA Division III Earlham (10-2) swept a three-game series from the Yeomen. Huntington coach Mike Frame picked up his 900th career victory when the Foresters won Game 1 of an NAIA Crossroads League series against Grace March 17. Mount Vernon Nazarene leads Crossroads League standings at 8-2. Next is Taylor (7-3) and Saint Francis (6-4). Taylor is at Saint Francis for doubleheaders on Friday and Saturday.
Sunday, March 20 Lewis 5, Purdue Northwest 4 Lewis 26, Purdue Northwest 1 Southern Indiana 12, Drury 9
NCAA D-III Monday, March 14 Anderson 10, Washington (Mo.) 5
Tuesday, March 15 Illinois Wesleyan 25, Anderson 13 Ramapo 12, Anderson 11
Wednesday, March 16 Anderson 11, Ripon 6 Wittenberg 3, Earlham 2 Franklin 5, Wilmington 1 Manchester 11, Trine 10 (12 inn.)
Saturday, March 19 Earlham 13, Oberlin 12
Sunday, March 20 Earlham 15, Oberlin 6 Earlham 6, Oberlin 3 Franklin 16, DePauw 14 Franklin 11, DePauw 2 Wabash 3, Hanover 0 Wabash 14, Hanover 1 Rose-Hulman 16, Capital 5 Rose-Hulman 13, Capital 2
NAIA Monday, March 14 Indiana Wesleyan 4, Bethel 2 (10 inn.) Indiana Wesleyan 6, Bethel 1 Saint Francis 13, Goshen 7 Saint Francis 4, Goshen 3 Spring Arbor 19, Grace 11 Grace 8, Spring Arbor 5 Huntington 20, Taylor 10 Taylor 5, Huntington 0 Mount Vernon Nazarene 14, Marian 12 Mount Vernon Nazarene 3, Marian 1 (8 inn.)
Tuesday, March 15 Indiana Tech 3, IU Southeast 1 IU Southeast 6, Indiana Tech 1 Evangel 3, Oakland City 2
Wednesday, March 16 Calumet of St. Joseph 8, Lincoln 7 (11 inn.) Aquinas 5, IU Kokomo 0 IU Kokomo 8, Aquinas 4 Saint Xavier 5, IU South Bend 0 Saint Francis 15, Indiana Tech 10 Oakland City 10, Bible College 8
Thursday, March 17 Taylor 12, Bethel 0 Taylor 6, Bethel 5 Saint Xavier 7, Calumet of St. Joseph 5 Huntington 4, Grace 2 Huntington 7, Grace 0 Indiana Wesleyan 14, Mount Vernon Nazarene 4 Mount Vernon Nazarene 11, Indiana Wesleyan 0 Spring Arbor 6, Saint Francis 5 Spring Arbor 5, Saint Francis 4
Friday, March 18 IU South Bend 18, Trinity International 6
Saturday, March 19 Saint Xavier 10, Calumet of St. Joseph 4 Saint Xavier 10, Calumet of St. Joseph 3 IU Kokomo 1, Miami-Hamilton 0 IU Kokomo 11, Miami-Hamilton 6 IU Southeast 10, Ohio Christian 0 Rio Grande 7, Oakland City 3
Sunday, March 20 Marian 13, Goshen 11 (12 inn.) Marian 15, Goshen 4 IU Kokomo 6, Miami-Hamilton 4 Trinity International 4, IU South Bend 3 IU South Bend 9, Trinity International 1 IU Southeast 9, Ohio Christian 0 IU Southeast 14, Ohio Christian 7 Indiana Tech vs. Michigan-Dearborn Indiana Tech vs. Michigan-Dearborn Rio Grande 12, Oakland City 7 Oakland City 16, Rio Grande 3
Junior College Wednesday, March 16 Ivy Tech Northeast 6, Edison State 5 (8 inn.) Ivy Tech Northeast 11, Edison State 4 Vincennes 16, Rose-Hulman JV 3
Notre Dame powered its way to a South Bend Regional championship and now the Irish know they will play host and No. 7 national seed Mississippi State in the NCAA Division I tournament‘s Starkville Super Regional (the Bulldogs went unbeaten in winning the Starkville Regional, which wrapped Monday, June 7). The winner of that best-of-3 super regional series June 11-14 at Dudy Noble Field/Polk-DeMent Stadium will advance to the eight-team College World Series in Omaha, Neb. Former Indiana University head coachChris Lemonis is the bench boss for the MSU Bulldogs. Link Jarrett is in his second season as head coach at Notre Dame (33-11). The No. 10 seed Irish lashed 49 hits with 23 for extra bases and 15 home runs in beating Central Michigan 10-0, Connecticut 26-3 and Central Michigan 14-2 Friday through Sunday June 4-6 at Frank Eck Stadium in taking the South Bend Regional. Irish senior first baseman Niko Kavadas (Penn High School graduate) belted two home runs and drove in four runs in the first win against CMU. The lefty slugger that smacked two homers and drove in eight against UConn. In the second game against Central Michigan, Kavadas hit one homer (his school record-setting 21st of the season) with one RBI. The other dingers rang off the bats of junior Carter Putz (4), senior Ryan Cole (3), junior Brooks Coetzee (2) and senior David LaManna. Indiana State saw its season end at the Nashville Regional hosted by Vanderbilt. The Mitch Hannahs-coached Sycamores lost 7-6 to Georgia Tech, beat Presbyterian 9-2 and lost 9-0 to Georgia Tech. Redshirt junior Jordan Schaffer (West Vigo High School) hit .367 with seven homers, one triple, 10 doubles, 34 runs batted in, 52 runs scored and 11 stolen bases for ISU (31-21). Indiana University Southeast was greeted by a large crowd when it got back to New Albany after its first appearance in the NAIA World Series in Lewiston, Idaho. Playing May 28-June 1, Ben Reel’s Grenadiers (50-16) topped against Concordia (Neb) 4-2, lost 11-5 to Central Methodist (Mo.), bested Keiser (Fla.) 9-7 and lost 14-10 to Faulkner (Ala,). For the season, senior Matt Monahan (who missed the World Series because of injury) hit .428, junior Brody Tanksley (Bedford North Lawrence High School) drove in 70 runs and junior Clay Woeste (Lawrenceburg High School) stole 38 bases. Georgia Gwinnett — coached by former Saint Joseph’s College (Rensselaer, Ind.) assistant Jeremy Sheetinger — won the red banner as 2021 NAIA national champions. Sheets returned to coaching this season after serving with the American Baseball Coaches Association. He hosts the Dugout Chatter Podcast Powered by Stick & Ball TV.
Drawn to a private Christian school in southern Indiana renowned for its education, Kentucky native T-Ray Fletcher went to Oakland City University in the early 1990’s as a student-athlete and never really left the campus in Gibson County.
After graduating in the spring 1995, Fletcher was named to the OCU baseball staff for the fall. By the spring, he was the Mighty Oaks head coach and 2018 will mark his 24th season.
“It was one of those right place at the right time situations,” says Fletcher, who was a catcher for the Oaks after playing at Madisonville North Hopkins High School. He was junior varsity as an eighth and ninth grader and varsity his last three years.
“(Oakland City) used to be known as the teacher/preacher school and it is still known for the School of Education and School of Business,” says Fletcher. “It’s a strong academic school.
“As a part of our core principles and values, we set the example of what other athletes should be on campus. We’re pretty adamant about class attendance. We give them resources to succeed academically. Drugs and alcohol are not going to be tolerated here.”
“Kids still want to be coached and they still want discipline,” says Fletcher.
At one time, the coach had 16 former players coaching high school or travel baseball in the Indiana-Kentucky-Illinois tri-state area.
Among six players Fletcher has sent into professional baseball, the most recent is Eric Barnes, who was recently named head baseball coach at Boonville High School.
While there is no set number of athletic scholarships available, Fletcher says athletes at Oakland City can get scholarship money through a combination of academic and athletic performance and economic need. A dollar amount is divided among athletes.
“We do not offer full-ride scholarships to any athlete on campus,” says Fletcher. “We’re looking for a strong academic kid who can be supplemented from athletic money. You get a good package here.”
OCU typically has 450 to 500 students. The incoming freshmen class of 100 was the biggest in a decade. The 2010 census had nearly 2,500 folks living in the town of Oakland City, making it the third-largest in Gibson County behind Princeton and Fort Branch.
“My whole philosophy is to play the best competition we can play to challenge our athletes and also give us a chance to succeed,” says Fletcher, who typically carries a roster of 25 to 30 with only a varsity schedule.
Fletcher handles recruiting for the Oaks. Most most players come from Indiana, Kentucky and Illinois. But there have been some from Canada, Puerto Rico and Venezuela as well as New York and Ohio.
“We’re located in a good geographic area for baseball in my opinion,” says Fletcher.
Oakland City plays on-campus on Brooks C. Pinnick Memorial Field. The facility has been upgraded over the years. In 2014, the outfield grass and drainage system was re-done and the Oaks spent much of the season on the road.
Fletcher’s assistant coaches for 2018 are former OCC players Alex Portee’ (fourth season) and Zach Deutsch (second season). Washington (Ind.) High Schoolg graduate Portee’ is the Oaks pitching coach. Deutsch went to Evansville Harrison High School and played two seasons at Vincennes University and two at Oakland City.
Tommy Ray Fletcher II has gone by T-Ray since age 1. He was given that nickname when older brother Zane asked why there were two Tommy Ray’s in the household of Tommy Ray and Judy Fletcher.
“(Zane) was a big influence on me at an early age,” says T-Ray of the brother who died in 2015. “He was a big fan of the Big Red Machine (Cincinnati Reds of the 1970’s) and really got me introduced to baseball at an early age.”
It’s not always easy with a busy schedule that includes coaching, serving at OCU as assistant athletic director as well as in Compliance and the School of Business (he teaches three classes each semester) while spending time with wife Maddie and their three daughters — Sophie (10), Avery (8) and Alaine (4).
The Fletchers reside in Evansville. T-Ray also has two younger siblings — Brandon and Chiara.
T-Ray Fletcher, a 1995 Oakland City University graduate, has been the Mighty Oaks head baseball coach since the 1996 season and has more than 400 victories. OCU is a member of both the National Christian College Athletic Association and NCAA Division II. (Oakland City U. Photo)
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