Rubasky returns to Indiana with Trine Thunder

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

Tyler Rubasky, who hails from Pennsylvania, has returned to Indiana to coach college baseball.
Rubasky, a 2012 graduate of Hazleton (Pa.) Area High School, played at catcher for Cougars head coach Gino Cara.
“He made a huge impact on me,” says Rubasky. “I went home for Christmas break. My first stop was to see my dad (Brian Rubasky) at his office. My second stop was to see Coach Cara in his office.”
“He was there with constant encouragement and trying to do right by me and the team,” says Rubasky of Cara, who was a standout baseball player at Lafayette University. “He encouraged me to keep pursuing the dream and keep chasing the game.”
At NCAA Division III Waynesburg (Pa.) University, Rubasky played for Yellow Jackets head coach Mike Humiston, worked with pitching coach Perry Cunningham (who is now head coach) and also was an assistant coach.
“Coach Hum gave me a shot,” says Rubasky. “I’m not a huge guy for a catcher. I was always overlooked for my size. He saw something in me.
“Perry and I have an awesome relationship. He went to Davis & Elkins (as a student/athlete). That was kind of a cool full circle moment.”
Rubasky started college on a different path.
“I was going to be a teacher and then I found the Athletic Training (major),” says Rubasky. “That wasn’t what I found passion in.
“I can still teach through coaching and can still be around baseball which I love.
“I guess I’m pretty fortunate.”
Rubasky, who earned a Bachelors of Science degree in Exercise Science, Wellness and Physiology at Waynesburg (2016) and a Masters of Science degree in Coaching and Sport Education at West Virginia University (2018), was charge of catchers and outfielders and assisted with hitters at D-III Franklin (Ind.) College for Grizzlies head coach Lance Marshall.
During the 2019 season and through August 2020, Rubasky led catchers, outfielders and hitters at D-II Davis & Elkins (W.Va.) College in 2021 and 2022. The Senators head coach was Tim Miller.
In late August 2022, Rubasky was hired as an assistant at D-III Trine University in Angola, Ind. Greg Perschke is entering his 22nd season as Thunder head coach in 2023.
“I really like Indiana,” says Rubasky. “It’s a great opportunity for me to be a full-time assistant which is rare at our level. Across baseball sometimes it’s rare.
“Coach Marshall is very close to my heart. Coach Perschke has been there long enough that he must have something going on and Trine is a great place to be — from an overall university standpoint with their academics and the athletics being a priority.”
Rubasky oversees hitters and catchers at Trine while sharing in recruiting duties with Perschke.
“Recruiting is a huge piece at any college level, especially at our level,” says Rubasky. “We’re going to do our part for that.”
Rubasky has also coached at the youth baseball level. He was head coach for 14U Pony League World Series host team, Indiana Elite 16U and Pittsburgh Outlaws 14U.
The Transfer Portal continues to play a major part in college sports, but it’s not quite as prevalent at the D-III level where there are no athletic scholarships.
Players do transfer to places like Trine for reasons such as a major or masters degree or getting closer to home. Occasionally, there might be a bounce-back from NCAA D-I or D-II.
Rubasky says the basic different between D-III and D-II is contact/development time between players and coaches.
He says D-II players and coaches can work together eight hours a week from the first day of school in the fall until just before finals in the spring.
D-III teams are allowed four weeks of practice in the fall. Players are then given a set of recommendations to work until the period leading up to the season opener. For Trine in 2023 that is Feb. 25 at Anderson (Ind.) University.

Tyler Rubasky. (Trine University Image)

Wirsch, Rising Sun Shiners heading to regional again

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

Rising Sun (Ind.) High School has raised a sectional baseball trophy eight times — all on head coach Kevin Wirsch’s watch.
The Shiners have had Wirsch as head coach since the 2000 season and taken IHSAA Class 1A sectional titles in 2002, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2022.
The most-recent championship came at the Jac-Cen-Del Sectional (which featured Hauser, Jac-Cen-Del, Oldenburg Academy and Trinity Lutheran) and earned Rising Sun a place in the Morristown Regional on Saturday, June 4.
The regional semifinals features 16-8 Rising Sun against Shakamak at 11 a.m., followed by Traders Point Christian vs. Indianapolis Lutheran. The championship is slated for 8 p.m. All but Traders Point received votes in the final regular season Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association poll.
In 2013, the Shiners won a regional title and took part in the Plainfield Semistate, bowing to eventual 1A state runner-up Vincennes Rivet.
Rising Sun (enrollment around 230) is a member of the Ohio River Valley Conference (with Jac-Cen-Del, Milan, Shawe Memorial, South Ripley, Southwestern of Hanover and Switzerland County). The Shiners went 9-3 in the ORVC, finishing behind Southwestern (11-1).
“We’re one of the smallest schools in the state,” says Wirsch, who has also been an English teacher at the school just blocks from the Ohio River since 1999-2000. “I had to work to get players this year.”
Because of various factors, Wirsch expects to take 11 players to regional and one of those — senior center fielder Kendell Montgomery — has also qualified for the state track meet in Bloomington and will head there after the regional semifinal to compete in the long jump (his seed mark is 21 feet, 3 3/4 inches).
“Believe it or not, we have four and five-sport athletes here,” says Wirsch. “All the coaches (at Rising Sun) know each other and work together.
“That’s what makes it possible.”
While participation numbers are often an issue, Wirsch has enjoyed success.
“The kids that come out, buy in and work hard,” says Wirsch. “They do what we ask them to do.
“We try to do the little things right — throw strikes and make plays.”
The Shiners won the sectional with a 3-2 win against Hauser in 10 innings and 2-0 triumph against Jac-Cen-Del. Rising Sun is 5-2 in games decided by two runs or less and 1-3 in extra innings.
Senior and Earlham College commit Jonathan Jimenez (.431, 3 home runs, 27 runs batted in, 20 runs, 20 stolen bases) leads the offense, which also features junior Peyton Merica (.384, 27 runs, 18 stolen bases), Montgomery (.297, 17 runs), senior third baseman Ashton McCarty (.277, 18 RBI) and junior catcher Brady Works (.267, 21 runs, 17 stolen bases). First baseman Peyton Creech has already joined the National Guard.
Right-handers Merica (7-1, 0.53 earned run average with 98 strikeouts and 16 walks in 66 innings) and Jimenez (5-2, 1.83, 83 K’s, 29 walks, 49 2/3 IP) pace the Shiners pitching staff. Each generally takes turns at shortstop or is somewhere in the infield when not on the mound.
Wirsch’s assistants include Steve Jimenez, Keith Works, Jason Merica and one of Wirsch’s former players — Brandon Turner.
Rising Sun plays home games on its campus at Shiner Ballpark.
“It’s a nice field,” says Wirsch. “It’s been upgraded since I’ve been there. We’ve got new dugouts and lights.”
The school’s softball field is near the baseball diamond. The Shiners have won eight sectional softball titles.
A junior high program at Rising Sun was established about seven years ago. This feeds the high school. Many core players who hone their skills in travel ball in Madison, Cincinnati and northern Kentucky.
Recent graduates to move on to college baseball include Class of 2018’s Brent Turner (Huntington University), 2019’s Brayden Bush (Kentucky Wesleyan College), 2020’s Steven Jimenez (Mount St. Joseph University in Cincinnati) and 2021’s Landon Cole (Franklin College).
Wirsch is a 1993 graduate of East Central High School in St. Leon, Ind., where his baseball coach was Bob Benner.
He played football and baseball for two years at the University of Evansville. Jim Brownlee was the Purple Aces baseball coach. When UE dropped football, he transferred to Northern Kentucky University, where he earned an English degree.
Wirsch is also an assistant football coach at Lawrenceburg (Ind.) High School — where son Ashton (18) played and graduated last weekend — and has coached that sport at South Dearborn.
Besides Ashton, Kevin and wife Amy Wirsch have a daughter named Alexandra (23).

Head coach Kevin Wirsch and the Rising Sun Shiners, champions of the 2022 IHSAA Class 1A Jac-Cen-Del baseball sectional.

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, Evansville streaking; others in postseason swing

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

Ball State pushed its victory streak to 11 games and Evansville won for the sixth straight time as part of college baseball the week of May 2-8.
The NCAA Division I Cardinals (32-14, 26-4) won the first three games of a Mid-American Conference series at Kent State.
BSU has two more four-game MAC series left — May 13-15 vs. Ohio and May 19-21 at Miami (Ohio).
The double-elimination MAC tournament is May 25-28 (highest seed hosts).
The D-I Purple Aces (27-18, 12-3) took three from visiting Missouri Valley Conference foe Illinois State. First-place Evansville is a half game ahead of Southern Illinois in the MVC.
The double-elimination Valley tournament is May 24-28 in Springfield, Mo.
Besides a midweek non-conference home games against Southern Illinois-Edwardsville May 11 and Murray State May 17, UE has conference series May 13-15 at Dallas Baptist and May 20-22 at home against Valparaiso.
NAIA double-elimination conference tournaments have already began.
Indiana University Southeast (38-13) takes an eight-game win streak into the River States Conference tournament championship game May 9 against Point Park in Chillicothe, Ohio.
The Crossroads League tournament had its first session May 7 and others are slated for May 9-11 at Taylor. The host Trojans (37-16) have won their last five games.
Northwestern Ohio won a pair of 10-inning games May 7 against Indiana Tech to earn a spot in the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference tournament championship series May 9-10 (if necessary).
Two of the state’s NCAA Division II teams have qualified for double-elimination conference tournament play.
Indianapolis will take part in the eight-team Great Lakes Valley Conference tournament May 12-15 in St. Charles, Mo. UIndy has won a GLVC-record six league titles.
Purdue Northwest will be a part of the six-team Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference tournament May 12-15 at U.S. Steel Yard in Gary, Ind., and Dowling Park in Hammond, Ind. (Games 7 and 8).
Indiana will send six of its NCAA Division III squads into double-elimination conference tournament action.
Franklin, Rose-Hulman, Earlham, Hanover and Anderson are to play in the five-team Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference tournament is slated for May 12-15 at Kokomo Municipal Stadium.
DePauw, which is riding an 11-game win streak, is bound for the four-team North Coast Athletic Conference tournament May 12-14 in Chillicothe, Ohio.

INDIANA COLLEGE BASEBALL
Records Through May 8
NCAA D-I
Ball State 32-14 (26-4 MAC)
Notre Dame 28-10 (13-8 ACC)
Evansville 27-18 (12-3 MVC)
Purdue 26-16 (7-9 Big Ten)
Indiana State 23-16 (8-7 MVC)
Indiana 22-25 (8-10 Big Ten)
Butler 18-29-1 (2-12-1 Big East)
Valparaiso 14-28 (2-10 MVC)
Purdue Fort Wayne 13-31 (10-14 Horizon)

NCAA D-II
Southern Indiana 21-28 (10-14 GLVC)
Indianapolis 20-29 (11-13 GLVC)
Purdue Northwest 18-21 (7-17 GLIAC)

NCAA D-III
Franklin 28-12 (13-5 HCAC)
Rose-Hulman 25-11 (12-6 HCAC)
Earlham 23-11 (12-6 HCAC)
DePauw 21-15 (12-6 NCAC)
Wabash 20-19 (4-14 NCAC)
Anderson 19-19 (11-7 HCAC)
Hanover 16-20 (10-8 HCAC)
Trine 14-23 (9-12 MIAA)
Manchester 10-27 (6-12 HCAC)

NAIA
Indiana University Southeast 38-13 (20-4 RSC)
Taylor 37-16 (26-10 CL)
Indiana Tech 32-21 (13-7 WHAC)
Indiana Wesleyan 31-21 (23-13 CL)
Oakland City 29-21 (11-11 RSC)
Saint Francis 27-26 (15-21 CL)
Indiana University-Kokomo 26-22 (16-7 RSC)
Huntington 25-21 (21-15 CL)
Marian 25-26 (17-19 CL)
Bethel 25-28 (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 19-25 (9-13 MWAC)
Ivy Tech Northeast 16-19
Marian’s Ancilla 8-40 (6-22 MCCAA)

Week of May 2-8
NCAA D-I
Tuesday, May 3
Illinois 6, Indiana State 3

Friday, May 6
Evansville 5, Illinois State 4
Michigan 8, Indiana 4
Iowa 5, Purdue 2

Saturday, May 7
Ball State 12, Kent State 0
Xavier 7, Butler 5
Xavier 19, Butler 8
Evansville 5, Illinois State 3
Indiana 9, Michigan 5
Indiana State 8, Bradley 5 (12 inn.)
Bradley 4, Indiana State 3
Purdue 10. Iowa 6
Dallas Baptist 5, Valparaiso 1
Dallas Baptist 3, Valparaiso 0

Sunday, May 8
Ball State 9, Kent State 5
Ball State 9, Kent State 3
Xavier 11, Butler 2
Evansville 4, Illinois State 3
Indiana 10, Michigan 8
Bradley 5, Indiana State 3
Iowa 9, Purdue 1
Purdue Fort Wayne 3, Illinois-Chicago 2
Illinois-Chicago 11, Purdue Fort Wayne 6
Dallas Baptist 8, Valparaiso 3

NCAA D-II
Friday, May 6
Davenport 6, Purdue Northwest 2

Saturday, May 7
Southern Indiana 7, Indianapolis 4
Southern Indiana 5, Indianapolis 3
Davenport 3, Purdue Northwest 1
Davenport 6, Purdue Northwest 4

Sunday, May 8
Southern Indiana 9, Indianapolis 7
Southern Indiana 11, Indianapolis 8
Davenport 5, Purdue Northwest 3

NCAA D-III
Wednesday, May 4
Manchester 6, Anderson 5
Anderson 6, Manchester 5
DePauw 6, Wabash 5
DePauw 5, Wabash 4
Franklin 13, Earlham 9
Earlham 8, Franklin 4

Thursday, May 5
Hope 2, Trine 1

Saturday, May 7
Manchester 3, Earlham 1
Earlham 12, Manchester 3
Franklin 9, Hanover 6
Franklin 11, Hanover 6
Rose-Hulman 15, Defiance 0
Defiance 5, Rose-Hulman 3
Hope 12, Trine 3
Hope 11, Trine 2
Denison 9, Wabash 3
Denison 19, Wabash 5

Sunday, May 8
Transylvania 10, Anderson 2
Anderson 4, Transylvania 3
DePauw 13, Allegheny 4
DePauw 14, Allegheny 5
Rose-Hulman 10, Wabash 4
Rose-Hulman 10, Wabash 3

NAIA
Thursday, May 5
River States Conference Tournament
IU Southeast 5, Rio Grande 3
Point Park 11, Oakland City 0
Midway 12, IU-Kokomo 11

Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament
St. Francis (Ill.) 6, Roosevelt 0
Judson 8, Saint Xaver 1

Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Tournament
Madonna 5, Cornerstone 4
Cornerstone 5, Lawrence Tech 1
Lawrence Tech 16, Madonna 6
Indiana Tech 2, Concordia 1
Northwestern Ohio 4, Concordia 2

Friday, May 6
Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament
St. Ambrose 14, Calumet of St. Joseph 13 (10 inn.)
Olivet Nazarene 5, IU South Bend 4

Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Tournament
Cornerstone 7, Madoona 4
Madonna 11, Lawrence Tech 1

Saturday, May 7
Crossroads League Tournament
Indiana Wesleyan 4, Marian 2
Taylor 9, Spring Arbor 2
Saint Francis 5, Mount Vernon Nazarene 1
Huntington 8, Bethel 0

Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament
Saint Xavier 13, Calumet of St. Joseph 4
IU South Bend 9, Roosevelt 1
St. Ambrose 5, Judson 2
Olivet Nazarene 4, St. Francis (Ill.) 3 (10 inn.)

River States Conference Tournament
Oakland City 6, Rio Grande 1
IU Southeast 4, IU-Kokomo 0
Point Park 11, Midway 5

Sunday, May 8
Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament
Judson 7, IU South Bend 5
St. Francis (Ill.) 7, Saint Xavier 5
Judson 4, St. Francis (Ill.) 3
Olivet Nazarene 5, St. Ambrose 2

River States Conference Tournament
IU Southeast 9, Point Park 7
Midway 10, Oakland City 9
Point Park 13, Midway 3

Junior College
Monday, May 2
Lewis & Clark 5, Vincennes 0
Vincennes 9, Lewis & Clark 7

Thursday, May 5
NJCAA Sub-Regional
Ivy Tech Northeast 8, Lakeland 0
Edison State 4, Ivy Tech Northeast 2

Friday, May 6
Grand Rapids 10, Marian’s Ancilla 0
Grand Rapids 2, Marian’s Ancilla 0

Saturday, May 7
Grand Rapids 9, Marian’s Ancilla 3
Grand Rapids 4, Marian’s Ancilla 3

Sunday, May 8
Vincennes 7, Parkland 4
Parkland 7, Vincennes 5

Taylor’s Gould, Indiana Wesleyan’s Benjamin, Bethel’s Zartman, DePauw’s Allen reach milestones; Ball State sweeps Central Michigan

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

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.

INDIANA COLLEGE BASEBALL
Records Through May 1
NCAA D-I
Ball State 29-14 (23-4 MAC)
Notre Dame 28-10 (13-8 ACC)
Purdue 25-14 (6-7 Big Ten)
Evansville 24-18 (9-3 MVC)
Indiana State 22-13 (7-5 MVC)
Indiana 20-24 (6-9 Big Ten)
Butler 18-26-1 (2-9-1 Big East)
Valparaiso 14-25 (3-9 MVC)
Purdue Fort Wayne 12-30 (9-13 Horizon)

NCAA D-II
Indianapolis 20-25 (11-9 GLVC)
Purdue Northwest 18-17 (7-13 GLIAC)
Southern Indiana 17-28 (6-14 GLVC)

NCAA D-III
Franklin 25-11 (10-4 HCAC)
Rose-Hulman 22-10 (11-5 HCAC)
Earlham 21-9 (10-4 HCAC)
Wabash 20-13 (4-10 NCAC)
DePauw 17-15 (8-6 NCAC)
Anderson 17-17 (9-5 HCAC)
Hanover 16-18 (10-6 HCAC)
Trine 14-20 (9-9 MIAA)
Manchester 8-25 (4-10 HCAC)

NAIA
Taylor 36-16 (26-10 CL)
Indiana University Southeast 35-13 (20-4 RSC)
Indiana Tech 31-19 (13-7 WHAC)
Indiana Wesleyan 30-21 (23-13 CL)
Oakland City 28-19 (11-11 RSC)
Indiana University-Kokomo 26-20 (16-7 RSC)
Saint Francis 26-26 (15-21 CL)
Marian 25-25 (17-19 CL)
Bethel 25-27 (19-17 CL)
Huntington 24-21 (21-15 CL)
Grace 17-33 (10-26 CL)
Calumet of Saint Joseph 16-30 (11-18 CCAC)
Indiana University South Bend 15-30-1 (9-20-1 CCAC)
Goshen 11-39 (6-30 CL)

Junior College
Vincennes 19-25 (9-13 MWAC)
Ivy Tech Northeast 15-18
Marian’s Ancilla 8-36 (6-18 MCCAA)

Week of April 25-May 1
NCAA D-I
Monday, April 25
Ball State 15, Northern Illinois 1

Tuesday, April 26
Indiana 9, Butler 1
Belmont 8, Evansville 2
Michigan State 8, Notre Dame 2
Purdue 6, Valparaiso 5 (10 inn.)

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

Wednesday, April 27
Purdue Northwest 3, Wisconsin-Parkside 1
Wisconsin-Parkside 5, Purdue Northwest 0

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.)

Sunday, May 1
Marietta 13, Hanover 0
Rose-Hulman 3, Bluffton 0
Rose-Hulman 10, Bluffton 7
Trine 10, Albion 3

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

Thursday, April 28
Kellogg 11, Marian’s Ancilla 0
Kellogg 6, Marian’s Ancilla 0

Saturday, April 30
Kellogg 13, Marian’s Ancilla 2
Vincennes 17, Lewis & Clark 7
Lewis & Clark 11, Vincennes 4

New Snider head coach Clinkenbeard sees diamond as a place to learn about more than baseball

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

Josh Clinkenbeard knows the life lessons that can be learned through athetics.
He absorbed them as a baseball and football player at Fort Wayne (Ind.) Snider High School and continues to make it a focus as he has moved up from Panthers assistant to baseball head coach at his alma mater in 2022.
“One of the biggest messages we are trying to share with our guys is about being a good community member,” says Snider Class of 1999’s Clinkenbeard, a former outfielder, first baseman and pitcher for Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Famer Andy Owen (Marc Skelton and Bruce Meyer were assistants; Skelton became head coach after Owen and both Skelton and Meyer retired from baseball coaching after 2021) and tight end for Indiana Football Hall of Famer Russ Isaacs. “As individuals, we will always be a part of some collective group.
“We remind ourselves to be good teammates. We also try to relate our sport to real life like dealing with adversity and working with others, for example.”
Clinkenbeard recalls lessons learned from Owen and company.
“One of the biggest things I remember that still rings true with me is how to handle physical mistakes versus mental mistakes as a coach,” says Clinkenbeard. “Dealing with the mental side of sports can be taught and modeled in practice.”
Snider (enrollment around 1,900) is a member of the Summit Athletic Conference (with Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger, Fort Wayne Bishop Luers, Fort Wayne Concordia Lutheran, Fort Wayne North Side, Fort Wayne Northrop, Fort Wayne South Side and Fort Wayne Wayne).
SAC teams play home-and-series in the same week against conference opponents.
The Panthers are in an IHSAA Class 4A sectional grouping with Carroll, DeKalb (host), East Noble and Northrop. Snider has won 11 sectional titles — the last in 2017. Clinkenbeard was part of that coaching staff.
With 31 players in 2022 for varsity and junior varsity squads, Clinkenbeard is assisted by Payton Bieker, Brandon Phelps, Chase Phelps, Tim McCrady and Jimmy Cunningham.
All but Cunningham are Snider graduates. Bieker (Class of 2008) played at Purdue University, Brandon Phelps (Class of 2013) and Chase Phelps (Class of 2016) at what is now Purdue Fort Wayne. McCrady (Class of 1983) is the JV head coach. Cunningham is a first-year coach.
The Panthers play on Hawley Field (a diamond four miles east of Snider named for former athletic director Michael Hawley who helped plan and build the complex). The facility has been upgraded with irrigation and improved drainage.
“The long-term goal is to have lock rooms on-site with indoor batting cages,” says Clinkenbeard. Snider baseball once played at Carrington Field. When the original was torn down to make room for Memorial Stadium (home of the Fort Wayne Wizards), a new Carrington Field was establish across Coliseum Boulevard. When Indiana Purdue Fort Wayne (now PFW) purchsed the land, Snider went looking for a new home field.
“The unique part is that we are not on-site which creates many challenges, but because we are nestled among some housing additions it gives us a feeling of being part of a community.”
A 2003 graduate of Butler University with a degree in Biology with a teaching certificate, Clinkenbeard is in his 18th year as a middle school teacher.
Before a rotator cuff injury ended his career, the first baseman was a walk-on at Butler for head coach Steve Farley.
“Great coach who really showed me the details of the game,” says Clinkenbeard of Farley. “There are many drills we did in college that we incorporate in our team today.”
Jakob Byler (University of Saint Francis) and Trevor Newman (Franklin College) are college commits. Mac Hippenhammer (Class of 2017) went to Miami University (Oxford, Ohio) to play baseball and football.
Josh and wife Krisanne Clinkenbeard have three children — Olivia, Jase and Hayes.

Fort Wayne Snider High School coaches gather around the 2017 IHSAA Class 4A DeKalb Sectional championship trophy. They are (from left): First row — Payton Bieker, Marc Skelton and Tim McCrady; Second row — Rob Hale, Bruce Meyer, Josh Clinkenbeard and Bruce Dohrn.

Earlham’s Bradley enjoys five-homer day; Taylor’s Bass belts 13th

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

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.

INDIANA COLLEGE BASEBALL
Records Through April 10
NCAA D-I
Purdue 21-7 (3-4 Big Ten)
Notre Dame 20-5 (8-4 ACC)
Indiana State 19-8 (5-1 MVC)
Ball State 18-12 (12-2 MAC)
Evansville 15-16 (1-2 MVC)
Butler 15-17 (1-2 Big East)
Indiana 12-18 (2-4 Big Ten)
Valparaiso 11-16 (0-3 MVC)
Purdue Fort Wayne 8-22 (5-7 Horizon)

NCAA D-II
Indianapolis 13-17 (7-5 GLVC)
Southern Indiana 13-17 (2-6 GLVC)
Purdue Northwest 11-8 (0-4 GLIAC)

NCAA D-III
Franklin 20-6 (5-1 HCAC)
Earlham 16-6 (5-1 HCAC)
Anderson 13-10 (5-1 HCAC)
Rose-Hulman 12-7 (3-3 HCAC)
Wabash 12-8 (0-5 NCAC)
DePauw 10-12 (3-3 NCAC)
Hanover 9-14 (4-4 HCAC)
Trine 8-13 (3-1 MIAA)
Manchester 5-14 (2-4 HCAC)

NAIA
Taylor 27-11 (17-5 CL)
Indiana University Southeast 24-10 (12-2 RSC)
Indiana University-Kokomo 20-14 (10-3 RSC)
Oakland City 20-16 (6-10 RSC)
Saint Francis 20-17 (9-12 CL)
Indiana Wesleyan 19-18 (14-10 CL)
Indiana Tech 18-15 (6-4 WHAC)
Huntington 17-13 (15-7 CL)
Marian 15-19 (7-13 CL)
Bethel 15-23 (9-13 CL)
Grace 14-21 (8-14 CL)
Indiana University South Bend 10-23 (4-13 CCAC)
Calumet of Saint Joseph 8-23 (3-11 CCAC)
Goshen 7-25 (4-18 CL)

Junior College
Vincennes 15-16 (6-6 MWAC)
Ivy Tech Northeast 11-10
Marian’s Ancilla 6-24 (4-6 MCCAA)

Week of April 4-10
NCAA D-I
Tuesday, April 5
Notre Dame 5, Butler 2
Evansville 8, Indiana 4
Purdue 17, Northern Illinois 14
Wisconsin-Milwaukee 3, Valparaiso 2
Wisconsin-Milwaukee 8, Valparaiso 3

Wednesday, April 6
Indiana State 10, Purdue 6 (10 inn.)
Purdue Fort Wayne 6, Michigan 3

Friday, April 8
Oregon 13, Ball State 7
Villanova 13, Butler 3
Southern Illinois 14, Evansville 4
Notre Dame 4, Clemson 1

Saturday, April 9
Ball State 3, Oregon 2
Oregon 10, Ball State 4
Villanova 6, Butler 4
Evansville 6, Southern Illinois 2
Purdue 17, Indiana 0
Indiana State 2, Valparaiso 0
Notre Dame 8, Clemson 1
Purdue Fort Wayne 5, Wisconsin-Milwaukee 4
Purdue Fort Wayne 7, Wisconsin-Milwaukee 0

Sunday, April 10
Oregon 7, Ball State 6
Butler 11, Villanova 3
Southern Illinois 14, Evansville 5
Indiana 10, Purdue 3
Purdue 16, Indiana 15
Indiana State 15, Valparaiso 8
Indiana State 11, Valparaiso 8
Notre Dame 9, Clemson 3
Purdue Fort Wayne 7, Wisconsin-Milwaukee 6

NCAA D-II
Tuesday, April 5
Purdue Northwest 5, Indianapolis 1
Indianapolis 3, Purdue Northwest 0

Friday, April 8
Indianapolis 12, Missouri A&T 4
Southern Indiana vs. Illinois-Springfield

Saturday, April 9
Indianapolis 14, Missouri A&T 8
Illinois-Springfield 9, Southern Indiana 2
Illinois-Springfield 19, Southern Indiana 2

Sunday, April 10
Missouri A&T 14, Indianapolis 5
Missouri A&T 15, Indianapolis 7
Illinois-Springfield 9, Southern Indiana 1
Illinois-Springfield 6, Southern Indiana 2

NCAA D-III
Tuesday, April 5
Bluffton 4, Manchester 3
Bluffton 11, Manchester 2
Adrian 9, Trine 5

Wednesday, April 6
Anderson 10, Franklin 5
Franklin 9, Anderson 2
Earlham 40, Defiance 7
Earlham 12, Defiance 3
Rose-Hulman 18, Hanover 15
Hanover 10, Rose-Hulman 3
Wittenberg 5, Wabash 2 (11 inn.)

Thursday, April 7
Denison 13, DePauw 2
Denison 12, DePauw 2

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

Friday, April 8
Huntington 3, Indiana Wesleyan 2
Indiana Wesleyan 10, Huntington 8

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

Thursday, April 7
Ivy Tech Northeast 12, Indiana Tech JV 3
Indiana Tech JV 6, Ivy Tech Northeast 5
Vincennes 12, Oakland City JV 5

Friday, April 8
Mid-Michigan 8, Marian’s Ancilla 0
Marian’s Ancilla 3, Mid-Michigan 2

Saturday, April 9
Marian’s Ancilla 4, Mid-Michigan 3 (8 inn.)
Mid-Michigan 8, Marian’s Ancilla 3
Frontier 7, Vincennes 5

Sunday, April 10
Vincennes 2, Frontier 1

New varsity head coach Nance growing game with Western Boone Stars

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

An investment has been made in the future of baseball at Western Boone Junior/Senior High School in Thorntown, Ind., and Michael Nance is part of it.
After coaching travel ball in the community, in the junior high program that feeds the high school and helping at the high school level, Nance was hired in July 2021 to guide the Webo Stars.
The junior high team has players in Grades 6-8 and plays 12 to 14 games in the spring.
Nance reached out to Western Boone Little League and a partnership was formed. The Western Boone Baseball Club offers instruction on Sundays to players age 9 to 12 not involved in travel ball.
“It’s an opportunity to get these kids more baseball reps all year,” says Nance.
Out of that came 12U and 10U club teams that offer additional games to the Little League schedule.
Knowing his current players and what’s in the pipeline, Nance is upbeat in leading a program which produced five varsity victories in 2019 and four in 2021.
“I think we can win,” says Nance. “I’m very excited about the next six or eight years from what I can see coming.”
Western Boone’s four seniors are Casey Baird, Will Barta, Evan Hine and Mitch Miller.
Baird, who has committed to Franklin (Ind.) College for football, will be called on to play multiple positions, including shortstop, second base, catcher and relief pitcher. Barta is a designated hitter. Georgetown (Ky.) College-bound Evan Hine (.325 average with a team-best .509 on-base percentage in 2021) is a third baseman. Miller, who led the Stars with .349 average last season, is a center fielder and lead-off hitter.
There’s also junior first baseman Andrew Foster, sophomore left-handed pitcher/right fielder Jackson Grimes, sophomore right-hander/left fielder Luke Jackson, sophomore righty/shortstop Bryce Kopriva, sophomore catcher and clean-up hitter Cole Wiley and freshman second baseman Gavin Hawkins.
Nance labels Kopriva, Jackson and Grimes as 1, 1A and 1B on his pitching staff. He points out that athletic Hawkins was the No. 1 singles player in tennis and played on the junior varsity team in basketball.
Former Marian University pitcher Gabe Westerfeld is a varsity assistant coach and the program’s pitching coordinator.
“We are really, really young on the mound,” says Nance. “Gabe has our young guys believing and there have been velocity increases.”
Eric Gubera is JV coach and is also in charge of outfielders and base runners. He has coached with Nance in the summer since their sons were 8. Two years ago, they became affiliated with the Indiana Braves. This summer, they will guide the 12U Indiana Yard Goats — a squad that includes six players from Western Boone, three from Avon and one from Brownsburg player.
Nance, who was a catcher at Lebanon (Ind.) High School, Ancilla College (Donaldson, Ind.) and MacMurray College (Jacksonsonville, Ill.), handles catchers, infielders and hitters.
There are 22 players in the program and all practice together.
Western Boone (enrollment around 510) is a member of the Sagamore Conference (with Crawfordsville, Danville Community, Frankfort, Lebanon, North Montgomery, Southmont and Tri-West Hendricks).
The Stars are part of an IHSAA Class 2A sectional grouping with Clinton Prairie, Delphi (2022 host), Fountain Central and Seeger. Western Boone has won two sectional titles — 1982 and 1983.
Western Boone is scheduled to open the 2022 season with three games this weekend in Unionville, Tenn., south of Nashville. An optional part of the spring break trip is attending Sunday’s Tennessee at Vanderbilt college game.
The Stars play home contests on-campus with side-by-side varsity and JV diamonds north of the school building. This year, the Stars got new brick dust for the infield and new wind screens for the outfield as well as a Hack machine and new L screens. At the end of the season, lights will go up.
“It’s a really nice place to play,” says Nance.
A 2004 Lebanon graduate, Nance played for Tigers head coach Rick Cosgray.
“He demanded a lot but got more out kids than they knew they were capable,” says Nance. “You knew he really loved the game. He was always so upbeat and positive.
“I have nothing but admiration for Coach Cosgray. I try to run my program like him.”
Nance played for two head coaches at Ancilla — Rockie Dodds and Joe Yonto.
“(Yonto) had a profound impact on me,” says Nance. “He showed me how to see the ball out of the pitcher’s hand (through eye-specific muscle training.”
In Nance’s last year at MacMurray, former high school coach Fred Curtis led the Highlanders.
“He just loved the game,” says Nance. “He said if you do the fundamentals right and not walk people, you can win ball games.”
Nance says he also appreciates the mentoring and assistance he’s received from men also leading high school programs — among them Matthew Cherry (Fishers), Troy Drosche (Avon) and Andy Dudley (Frankfort).
“There’s been such support from the coaching community,” says Nance. “They’ve been willing to help.”
Nance earned a Special Education degree at MacMurray and a masters in Criminal Justice from Xavier University in Cincinnati. This summer will mark 15 years with Boone County Community Corrections. After starting out as a probation officer, he is now executive director.
Michael and wife Emily (who played softball at Manchester University and MacMurray and now works in cancer research at Indiana University Purdue University-Indianapolis) have a son and daughter attending Thorntown Elementary — Easton (12) and Harper (10). He enjoys tennis, baseball and duck hunting. She likes soccer and plays travel softball with the Indiana Magic.

Michael Nance.

Michael Nance.

Emily, Easton, Michael and Harper Nance.

Michael, Emily, Easton and Harper Nance.

Harper and Michael Nance.

Easton, Michael and Harper Nance.

Saint Francis, Taylor, IU Southeast, IU-Kokomo, Purdue in race to be first to 20 victories

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

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.

INDIANA COLLEGE BASEBALL
Records Through March 27
NCAA D-I
Purdue 18-1 (1-0 Big Ten)
Notre Dame 12-5 (2-4 ACC)
Ball State 12-8 (7-1 MAC)
Indiana State 13-7 (0-0 MVC)
Butler 10-13 (0-0 Big East)
Indiana 10-13 (0-0 Big Ten)
Valparaiso 9-9 (0-0 MVC)
Evansville 9-14 (0-0 MVC)
Purdue Fort Wayne 3-19 (2-4 Horizon)

NCAA D-II
Southern Indiana 11-10 (0-0 GLVC)
Purdue Northwest 10-7 (0-4 GLIAC)
Indianapolis 7-11 (2-2 GLVC)

NCAA D-III
Wabash 12-2 (0-0 NCAC)
Earlham 11-3 (0-0 HCAC)
Franklin 10-4 (0-0 HCAC)
Rose-Hulman 8-4 (0-0 HCAC)
Anderson 7-9 (0-0 HCAC)
DePauw 6-8 (0-0 NCAC)
Trine 5-9 (0-0 MIAA)
Hanover 5-10 (0-0 HCAC)
Manchester 3-9 (0-0 HCAC)

NAIA
Saint Francis 19-8 (8-4 CL)
Taylor 19-9 (9-3 CL)
Indiana University Southeast 19-9 (8-1 RSC)
Indiana University-Kokomo 18-8 (8-0 RSC)
Oakland City 16-12 (4-6 RSC)
Marian 13-13 (5-7 CL)
Indiana Tech 12-11 (2-0 WHAC)
Huntington 11-11 (9-5 CL)
Indiana Wesleyan 11-13 (7-5 CL)
Grace 10-15 (4-8 CL)
Indiana University South Bend 9-16 (3-6 CCAC)
Bethel 9-19 (3-9 CL)
Calumet of Saint Joseph 7-18 (2-6 CCAC)
Goshen 4-18 (1-11 CL)

Junior College
Vincennes 12-12 (5-2 MWAC)
Ivy Tech Northeast 9-5 (0-0 NJCAA XII)
Marian’s Ancilla 3-19 (1-1 MCCAA)

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

Saturday, March 26
Maryville 11, DePauw 10
Maryville 11, DePauw 9
Hanover 10, Ohio Wesleyan 8
Rose-Hulman 13, Illinois Tech 1

Sunday, March 27
Maryville 11, DePauw 10
Franklin 15, Williams 5
Hanover 14, Ohio Wesleyan 2
Ohio Wesleyan 19, Hanover 5
Rose-Hulman 11, Illinois Tech 3
Wabash 7, Illinois Wesleyan 1
Wabash 12, Illinois Wesleyan 4

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

Tuesday, March 22
Ivy Tech Northeast 5, Trine JV 2
Ivy Tech Northeast 2, Trine JV 1

Friday, March 25
Glen Oaks 16, Marian’s Ancilla 6
Marian’s Ancilla 15, Glen Oaks 12

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

Indiana Tech taking down No. 1 Southeastern among week’s highlights

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

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).

INDIANA COLLEGE BASEBALL
Records Through March 13
NCAA D-I
Purdue 14-0 (0-0 Big Ten)
Notre Dame 11-1 (2-0 ACC)
Indiana State 7-6 (0-0 MVC)
Valparaiso 5-6 (0-0 MVC)
Butler 7-7 (0-0 Big East)
Ball State 7-7 (2-0 MAC)
Evansville 6-9 (0-0 MVC)
Indiana 6-9 (0-0 Big Ten)
Purdue Fort Wayne 1-14 (0-0 Horizon)

NCAA D-II
Purdue Northwest 8-1 (0-0 GLIAC)
Southern Indiana 7-5 (0-0 GLVC)
Indianapolis 5-7 (0-0 GLVC)

NCAA D-III
Franklin 8-3 (0-0 HCAC)
Earlham 7-1 (0-0 HCAC)
Wabash 7-2 (0-0 NCAC)
Trine 5-6 (0-0 MIAA)
Anderson 5-7 (0-0 HCAC)
DePauw 4-4 (0-0 NCAC)
Rose-Hulman 3-3 (0-0 HCAC)
Manchester 2-7 (0-0 HCAC)
Hanover 2-7 (0-0 HCAC)

NAIA
Saint Francis 14-6 (4-2 CL)
Taylor 14-8 (4-2 CL)
Oakland City 14-8 (3-3 RSC)
Indiana University-Kokomo 12-7 (6-0 RSC)
Indiana University Southeast 11-7 (3-0 RSC)
Indiana Tech 9-9 (0-0 WHAC)
Grace 9-10 (3-3 CL)
Marian 9-11 (1-5 CL)
Bethel 9-13 (3-3 CL)
Indiana Wesleyan 7-11 (3-3 CL)
Indiana University South Bend 6-10 (0-0 CCAC)
Huntington 5-9 (3-3 CL)
Calumet of Saint Joseph 5-12 (0-0 CCAC)
Goshen 4-12 (1-5 CL)

Junior College
Vincennes 6-9 (0-0 MWAC)
Ivy Tech Northeast 4-3 (0-0 NJCAA XII)
Marian’s Ancilla 3-13 (0-0 MCCAA)

Week of March 7-13
NCAA D-I
Tuesday, March 8
North Florida 12, Butler 6
Indiana 7, Cincinnati 0
Notre Dame 11, Elon 3

Wednesday, March 9
Belmont 7, Evansville 4
Indiana 12, Purdue Fort Wayne 2

Thursday, March 10
Wright State 6, Indiana State 3
Purdue 8, Bellarmine 4
Saint Louis 5, Purdue Fort Wayne 2

Friday, March 11
Troy 2, Indiana 1
Indiana State 6, Wright State 2
Notre Dame 8, North Carolina State 4 (12 inn.)

Saturday, March 12
Evansville 5, Tulane 3
Evansville 5, Tulane 1
Southeast Missouri 9, Valparaiso 1
Southeast Missouri 16, Valparaiso 6

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

NCAA D-III
Monday, March 7
Dominican (Ill.) 9, Trine 7
Wabash 7, Wheaton 6

Tuesday, March 8
King’s (Pa.) 12, Trine 1
Wabash 15, Northland 1

Wednesday, March 9
Earlham 21, Principia 4
Earlham 10, Principia 0
Spalding 9, Hanover 1
Trine 16, Vassar 6

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