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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Schedule Links
Indianapolis
Purdue Northwest

Stat Links
Indianapolis
Purdue Northwest

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Schedule Links
Ivy Tech Northeast
Marian’s Ancilla
Vincennes

Stat Links
Ivy Tech Northeast
Marian’s Ancilla
Vincennes

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sunday, May 28
Championship
Maryland 4, Iowa 0

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

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

Friday, May 26
Kent State 10, Central Michigan 2

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sunday, May 28
Championship
Clemson 11, Miami 5

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Saturday, May 27
Championship
Wright State 14, Oakland 0

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

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

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

Sunday, May 28
No games

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

Tuesday, May 30
3 games

Wednesday, May 31
2 games

Thursday, June 1
Championship

Friday, June 2
If necessary game

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

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

Advertisement

Mild brings enthusiasm as baseball broadcaster

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

“Let’s go on a cowhide joyride!”
It’s become the home run call for young baseball broadcaster Andrew Mild.
Bringing his love of the game and excitement to his job, the northwest Indiana native is in his first season as the play-by-play voice of the Atlantic League’s Southern Maryland Blue Crabs (Waldorf, Md.).
“Every game is a big game — it’s a baseball game,” says Mild. “I’ve listened to too many boring broadcasters.”
Mild, who was born in Hammond, Ind. the son of Mark and Becky Mild and the older brother of Breeann, grew up in nearby Crown Point as a Chicago Cubs fan.
Mom’s favorite from the 1980’s was Rick Sutcliffe. Breeann Mild (Crown Point, Ind., High School Class of 2020) is now a pre-med student at Purdue University.
Andrew bonded with his father with Len Kasper as Cubs TV play-by-play man. Pat Hughes and Ron Santo formed the radio tandem. Hall of Famer Harry Caray died before Andrew was born, but he appreciates his passion.
“He brought the excitement and was kind of like the No. 1 fan,” says Mild. “I grew up a baseball fan. My baby pictures were taken in a giant glove.
“I just want to bring that excitement and for people to be interested, laugh and have a great time. I want to build a connection. I don’t want to be the next Harry Caray. I want to be the first Andrew Mild.”
The young broadcaster has noticed that Hughes talks slow and gets excited when necessary.
“You listen to these guys over 100 times a year and you start to develop your own relationship with them,” says Mild. “Ron Santo was so invested.”
As an eighth grader at Col. John Wheeler Middle School, Mild went as Hall of Fame slugger Ted Williams for “Wax Museum” day.
“I love hitting,” says Mild. “It’s the hardest thing to do in sports. You can fail 7 out of 10 times and still be the best hitter in the league. Ted had a passion for it and I have a passion for it.”
Andrew grew up playing baseball and Wiffle@Ball with cousin Riley Clark.
“He supposedly taught me how to hit left-handed,” says Mild. “I do everything righty except for golf and bat.”
Mild, who turns 24 in July, learned about the gig with the Blue Crabs through TeamworkOnline.com. He sent in an application and his reel developed during his seasons with the Frontier League’s Windy City ThunderBolts and Northern League’s Lake County CornDogs and went through a few interviews. He was offered the job and moved to Maryland in mid-February.
Mild does not have a broadcast partner at Southern Maryland. There is a producer in the booth at home, but he’s on his own for road games.
“You just have to be prepared,” says Mild. “The good news is that we have so many great guys on the team that I can talk to before the game. A lot of them are willing to tell good stories and I relay that.
“Fans just love the stories.”
Field staff for the Blue Crabs is manager Stan Cliburn, pitching coach Daryl Thompson, bench coach Ray Ortega and hitting coach Brandon Lee.
Aside from play-by-play, Mild prepares game notes, distributes lineups (at home), interviews players after a win and feeds social media and the online scoreboard.
FloSports.tv is the live streaming partner of the Atlantic League. The Blue Crabs use streamlabs.com software to produce their scoreboard and other video elements.
Mild typically has a team and a personal lap top open with his scorebook next to the mixer.
“It keeps me on my toes,” says Mild. “But I don’t know if I’d want to do anything else.”
A 2018 honors diploma graduate of Crown Point High, where he played baseball through his junior year, Mild got to broadcast for a league champion in his hometown in 2022.
“The CornDogs’ first season was so instrumental to the rest of the league,” says Mild. “The other cities can see just how well it did in Crown Point. I give all credit (CornDogs majority owner) Ralph (Flores). He built a really strong team in a really strong place.
“The nice thing about Legacy Fields in Crown Point is that it’s right on the border of Crown Point and Merrillville and Schererville is right there. We got a mixture of guys on that team. We had a packed house every night. I had a great time being the first voice of the team and getting my feet wet being the No. 1 (broadcaster) for a collegiate team. Winning the whole thing, that was great.”
Mild was an intern at Windy City in 2021 while making a transition from being a Sport Management/Communications double major at Manchester University in North Manchester, Ind., — where he was an outfielder on the baseball team — to a Sports Media major with a Marketing minor at Butler University in Indianapolis.
He partnered in the ThunderBolts booth with No. 1 broadcaster Connor Onion.
“I always came in ready,” says Mild. “I was always asking Connor and my boss — Terry Bonadonna — what I could do better. “They were always willing to talk to me about broadcasting. That’s why I was there — to learn and get better.
“They understood my passion. They knew whatever they told me wasn’t just going to be wasted air. What can I keep? What do I get rid of? Trying to slow down my talking was a big thing.
“Now I tell myself if you feel like you’re talking too slow you’ve got the right pace. I’m a natural introvert and I became a broadcaster. Good for me.”
Mild also got many practice reps on his friend’s MLB: The Show video game or by muting a contest on TV or online.
Lecturer/head of Butler+ Media Nick White presented many on-air opportunities while Mild finished up his degree in December 2022 — about two months before landing his current position.
“Life comes at you fast as Ferris Bueller once said,” says Mild. “I try to look around every once in awhile.”
Another way Mild sharpened his skills was to call games for Crown Point Babe Ruth. Andrew’s grandfather — John Pearson — is president of the league and was an umpire in the first Cal Ripken World Series. Grandmother Gale Pearson is always around the park. His parents are also board members.
“It was great, especially during COVID when fans couldn’t really attend the games,” says Mild of broadcasting games on Facebook Live. “They could see and hear everything.
“Helping them out during a time of crisis was my way of giving back to the game and the people who love the sport.”
His first partner was Alex Coil, who is a graduate of Valparaiso (Ind.) High School and Arizona State University and now a play-by-play announcer for the Triple-A Memphis Redbirds.
Onion introduced Mild to Bob Carpenter’s Baseball Scorebook.
“I like it because it gives you lots of space to write down notes,” says Mild. “It allows you to put the defense on top of the opposing lineup. If I forget the guys’ name I can look down and look back up and I know I have time to put together a sentence and call the play.
“The good part is that you spend so much time with your guys that you can just look at them and know immediately who it is. It might take you the first game of a series to learn the other guys. But after a few games you get into a rhythm and know who that is.”
Mild does not have a broadcast partner at Southern Maryland. There is a producer in the booth at home, but he’s on his own at the road.
“You just have to be prepared,” says Mild “The good news is that we have so many great guys on the team that I can talk to before the game. A lot of them are willing to tell good stories and I relay that.
“Fans just love the stories.”
Aside from play-by-play, Mild prepares game notes, distributes lineups (at home), interviews players after a win and feeds social media and the online scoreboard.
He typically has a team and a personal lap top open with his scoreboard next to the mixer.
“It keeps me on my toes,” says Mild. “But I don’t know if I’d want to do anything else.”
Rule experiments in the Atlantic League in 2023 include the designated pinch-runner, single disengagement limit and “Double Hook” designated hitter.
Each club will list a player who is not otherwise in the starting lineup as a designated pinch-runner. That player may then be substituted at any point into the game as a baserunner. The player who is substituted for, as well as the pinch-runner, may then return to the game without penalty.
South Maryland’s designated runner is switch-hitting outfielder and former collegiate track and field champion sprinter J.T. Reed.
The disengagement rule relates to the pitch clock and keeps pitchers from abusing the system while also leading runners to take more daring leads.
If the starting pitcher fails to make it through fifth inning, the club loses the DH for the remainder of the game and must either have its pitcher hit or use pinch-hitters when that spot comes up in the batting order.
Like Major League Baseball, the Atlantic League has a pitch clock, 3-batter minimum, wider bases, banned the shift and “ghost runner” or extra-inning free runner.
The broadcaster disagrees with a scoring decision that sometimes comes with the latter rule. He also understands why things like this have been implemented.
“If the ghost runner scores it should not be a blown save,” says Mild. “We’re getting to the point where there are so many things you can turn to that are streaming and at your finger tips, you need something that is going to interest them and keep their attention. That is scoring more runs at a higher volume even if it means changing the rules of the game.
“This pitch clock, I love it. We had a 14-2 game last night and it only went 2 1/2 hours. You could add a few seconds, but otherwise it’s a great rule.
“After awhile hitters and pitchers get used to it. Hitters are not stepping out of the box and pitchers are working a little faster.”
Mild is living his dream.
“I’d like to thank the game of baseball and my friends for supporting me throughout the whole process,” says Mild. “They challenged me to be better.”

Andrew Mild.

Andrew Mild (left) and Alex Coil.

Andrew Mild. (Lake County CornDogs Photo)

Southern Maryland Blue Crabs baseball broadcaster Andrew Mild.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Schedule Links
Indianapolis
Purdue Northwest

Stat Links
Indianapolis
Purdue Northwest

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Schedule Links
Ivy Tech Northeast
Marian’s Ancilla
Vincennes

Stat Links
Ivy Tech Northeast
Marian’s Ancilla
Vincennes

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Saturday, May 20
Championship
Heartland 9, Lincoln Land 3

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Schedule Links
Indianapolis
Purdue Northwest

Stat Links
Indianapolis
Purdue Northwest

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Schedule Links
Ivy Tech Northeast
Marian’s Ancilla
Vincennes

Stat Links
Ivy Tech Northeast
Marian’s Ancilla
Vincennes

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

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

Thursday, May 11
Oakland 11, Purdue Fort Wayne 5

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sunday, May 14
Championship
Quincy 13, Drury 6

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sunday, May 14
Championship
Franklin 12, Anderson 2

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

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

Sunday, May 14

Championship
Denison 7, Wittenberg 2

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Stolen base record-holder Vaughn helps UIndy earn playoff berth

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

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

Caleb Vaughn. (University of Indianapolis Photo)

Caleb Vaughn. (University of Indianapolis Photo)

Caleb Vaughn. (University of Indianapolis Photo)

Caleb Vaughn. (University of Indianapolis Photo)

Postseason heating up at NAIA, NCAA D-II, NCAA D-III, NJCAA levels

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

NAIA conference tournaments are winding down as the calendar turns to the second week of May.
Going into the finals today (May 8) at Huntington, the Crossroads League has three teams left — Indiana Wesleyan, Huntington and Saint Francis.
Regular-season champion Taylor lost both its CL tournament games. The Trojans now turn their attention to hosting an NAIA Opening Round site May 15-18.
Indiana University South Bend made it to the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference tournament championship slated later today (May 8) in Joliet, Ill.
Indiana University Southeast lost in the championship of the River States Conference.
RSC member Oakland City bowed out in the tournament and will now play in the National Christian College Athletic Association Mideast Regional May 9-11 as Asbury University in Wilmore, Ky.
Indiana Tech lost in the championship round of the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference tournament at Ann Arbor, Mich.
The 2023 season has concluded for NAIA schools Bethel, Calumet St. Joseph, Goshen, Grace, IU-Kokomo, IUPU-Columbus and Marian.
NCAA Division II Indianapolis is the No. 5 seed in the eight-team Great Lakes Valley Conference tournament May 11-14 in Marion, Ill.
NCAA D-II Purdue Northwest is the No. 5 seed in the six-team Great Lakes Intercollegiate Conference tournament May 11-14 in Lansing, Mich.
At the NCAA D-III level, tournaments for the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference and North Coast Athletic Conference will include Indiana-based teams.
The six-team HCAC tournament is May 11-14 at Kokomo Municipal Stadium. Regular-season champion Franklin is the No. 1 seed. Rose-Hulman is No. 4, Anderson No. 5 and Manchester No. 6. Earlham and Hanover did not make the postseason.
The top four teams made the NCAC tourney field May 11-12 and 14 at Chillicothe, Ohio. Among those is No. 4 seed Wabash. DePauw did not make the tournament.
Trine did not qualify in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association.
In what is likely the program’s final season, Ivy Tech Northeast won the Ohio Community College Athletic Association Region/Sub-District and qualified for the National Junior College Athletic Association Great Lakes Region 12 May 11-12 at Grand Rapids (Mich.) Community College.
In other NJCAA news, Vincennes sophomore Colin Long became the Trailblazers’ career hits leader. The Evansville (Ind.) Reitz High School graduate surpassed Jeffrey Hanna (1989) with 163 and now has 167.

The state’s longest current win streaks belong to Indiana State (6), Anderson (3), Franklin (3), Indiana (3), Indianapolis (3), Ivy Tech Northeast (3) and Rose-Hulman (3).

The NCAA Division I RPI (Rating Percentage Index) rankings through May 7 has Kentucky as the overall No. 1.
Among the state’s schools, Indiana State is No. 9, Indiana No. 34, Notre Dame No. 43, Evansville No. 72, Ball State No. 102, Valparaiso No. 107, Purdue No. 196, Butler No. 232, Purdue Fort Wayne No. 278 and Southern Indiana No. 287.
There are two more weekends left in the D-I regular season.

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

INDIANA COLLEGE BASEBALL
Records Through May 7
NCAA D-I
Indiana 34-14 (12-6 Big Ten)
Indiana State 32-13 (19-2 MVC)
Ball State 30-16 (17-7 MAC)
Evansville 28-19 11-10 MVC)
Notre Dame 26-19 (14-13 ACC)
Purdue 23-23 (10-8 Big Ten)
Valparaiso 17-21 (8-13 MVC)
Southern Indiana 15-32 (6-14 OVC)
Butler 11-36 (4-11 Big East)
Purdue Fort Wayne 10-38 (6-24 Horizon)

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

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

NCAA D-II
Indianapolis 31-17 (17-15 GLVC)
Purdue Northwest 14-32 (9-21 GLIAC)

Schedule Links
Indianapolis
Purdue Northwest

Stat Links
Indianapolis
Purdue Northwest

NCAA D-III
Franklin 30-10 (18-5 HCAC)
Wabash 24-16 (8-8 NCAC)
Anderson 23-17 (12-10 HCAC)
Manchester 21-18 (12-10 HCAC)
Rose-Hulman 21-19 (13-9 HCAC)
Earlham 20-18 (10-12 HCAC)
Hanover 16-23 (10-12 HCAC)
Trine 15-24 (6-15 MIAA)
DePauw 12-26 (4-12 NCAC)

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

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

NAIA
Taylor 37-15 (30-6 CL)
Huntington 37-15 (27-9 CL)
Indiana Wesleyan 35-18-1 (26-10 CL)
Indiana Tech 33-17 (18-12 WHAC)
IU Southeast 33-20 (20-7 RSC)
Oakland City 30-21 (13-14 RSC)
Saint Francis 29-24 (21-15 CL)
IU-Kokomo 28-21 (17-10 RSC)
IU South Bend 23-23 (15-10 CCAC)
Grace 21-27 (13-23 CL)
Bethel 19-30 (12-24 CL)
Marian 17-31 (11-25 CL)
Calumet of St. Joseph 17-32-1 (9-17-1 CCAC)
Goshen 10-38 (6-30 CL)
IUPU-Columbus 5-41

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

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

Junior College
Ivy Tech Northeast 29-17
Vincennes 22-30 (10-18 MWAC)
Marian’s Ancilla 9-37-1 (8-17 MCCAA)

Schedule Links
Ivy Tech Northeast
Marian’s Ancilla
Vincennes

Stat Links
Ivy Tech Northeast
Marian’s Ancilla
Vincennes

Through May 7
NCAA D-I
Tuesday, May 2
Indiana State 5, Illinois 4 (13 inn.)
Southern Illinois 14, Southern Indiana 3

Wednesday, May 3
Evansville 4, Butler 1
Miami (Ohio) 12, Southern Indiana 2

Thursday, May 4
Notre Dame 9, North Carolina State 7

Friday, May 5
Ball State 5, Ohio 3
Georgetown 3, Butler 2
Evansville 13, Illinois State 3
Indiana 4, Northwestern 0
Indiana State 6, Bradley 1
North Carolina State 5, Notre Dame 1
Purdue 10, South Dakota State 7
Youngstown State 9, Purdue Fort Wayne 4
Arkansas-Little Rock 4, Southern Indiana 3
Valparaiso 9, Southern Illinois 8

Saturday, May 6
Ohio 5, Ball State 3
Ball State 7, Ohio 6
Butler at Georgetown
Evansville 1, Illinois State 0
Indiana 5, Northwestern 2 (12 inn.)
Indiana State 2, Bradley 0
North Carolina State 6, Notre Dame 1
South Dakota State 7, Purdue 5
Youngstown State 12, Purdue Fort Wayne 3
Arkansas-Little Rock 14, Southern Indiana 10
Southern Illinois 7, Valparaiso 3

Sunday, May 7
Butler 20, Georgetown 7 (7 inn.)
Illinois State 7, Evansville 2
Indiana 11, Northwestern 9
Indiana State 8, Bradley 3
Purdue 3, South Dakota State 2
Youngstown State 14, Purdue Fort Wayne 10
Southern Illinois 10, Valparaiso 6

NCAA D-II
Friday, May 5
Lewis 11, Indianapolis 1 (8 inn.)
Wisconsin-Parkside 7, Purdue Northwest 5
Purdue Northwest 10, Wisconsin-Parkside 6

Saturday, May 6
Indianapolis 4, Lewis 1
Indianapolis 5, Lewis 3

Sunday, May 7
Indianapolis 11, Lewis 5
Wisconsin-Parkside 7, Purdue Northwest 4
Purdue Northwest 11, Wisconsin-Parkside 6

NCAA D-III
Tuesday, May 2
Anderson 17, Hanover 16
Hanover 9, Anderson 5

Wednesday, May 3
Wittenberg 12, DePauw 0 (8 inn.)
Wittenberg 8, DePauw 2

Thursday, May 4
Hope 11, Trine 2

Friday, May 5
Bluffton 6, Rose-Hulman 5
Rose-Hulman at Bluffton
Hope 7, Trine 5
Trine 2, Hope 1

Saturday, May 6
Transylvania 13, Anderson 3 (7 inn.)
Anderson 13, Transylvania 10
DePauw 13, Hiram 0 (7 inn.)
Hiram 5, DePauw 3
Earlham 3, Franklin 2 (10 inn.)
Franklin 11, Earlham 8
Hanover 4, Defiance 0
Hanover 6, Defiance 1
Manchester 7, Mount St. Joseph 4
Manchester 9, Mount St. Joseph 6
Wooster 9, Wabash 4
Wabash 8, Wooster 4

Sunday, May 7
Anderson 17, Mount St. Joseph 12
Anderson 10, Mount St. Joseph 7
Case Western Reserve 18, DePauw 7 (7 inn.)
Transylvania 2, Earlham 0
Transylvania 5, Earlham 4
Franklin 13, Defiance 3 (7 inn.)
Franklin 8, Defiance 2
Hanover 17, Bluffton 2
Bluffton 5, Hanover 2
Rose-Hulman 19, Manchester 3
Rose-Hulman 6, Manchester 5
Wabash 10, Ohio Wesleyan 4
Ohio Wesleyan 18, Wabash 7 (8 inn.)

NAIA
Crossroads League Tournament
(At Huntington, Ind.)
Wednesday, May 3
Spring Arbor 6, Grace 2
Mount Vernon Nazarene 5, Bethel 3

Thursday, May 4
Huntington 7, Mount Vernon Nazarene 4
Spring Arbor 6, Taylor 4 (10 inn.)
Indiana Wesleyan 7, Saint Francis (Ind.) 5

Friday, May 5
Mount Vernon Nazarene 5, Taylor 3
Saint Francis (Ind.) 12, Spring Arbor 4
Huntington 12, Indiana Wesleyan 3

Saturday, May 6
Indiana Wesleyan 8, Spring Arbor 5
Saint Francis (Ind.) 3, Mount Vernon Nazarene 2
Indiana Wesleyan 5, Huntington 1

Monday, May 8
Huntington vs. Saint Francis (Ind.)
Championship
Indiana Wesleyan vs. Huntington/Saint Francis (Ind.) winner

Chicagoland Collegiate
Athletic Conference Tournament
(At Joliet, Ill.)
Thursday, May 4
IU South Bend 5, Trinity Christian 1
Saint Xavier 3, Olivet Nazarene 2
Roosevelt 12, Saint Ambrose 5
Saint Francis (Ill.) 10, Calumet of St. Joseph 5

Friday, May 5
Saint Ambrose 5, Olivet Nazarene 3
Trinity Christian 6, Calumet of St. Joseph 1
Roosevelt 7, Saint Xavier 1
IU South Bend 11, Saint Francis (Ill.) 7

Saturday, May 6
Saint Ambrose 7, Saint Francis (Ill.) 2
Saint Xavier 9, Trinity Christian 6
Saint Xavier 7, Saint Ambrose 2
IU South Bend 8, Roosevelt 7

Monday, May 8
Roosevelt vs. Saint Xavier
Championship
IU South Bend vs. Roosevelt/Saint Xavier winner

River States Conference Tournament
(At Chillicothe, Ohio)
Thursday, May 4
Midway 8, Oakland City 6
Rio Grande 7, Point Park 6
IU Southeast 5, IU-Kokomo 4

Friday, May 5
Point Park 6, Oakland City 1
IU-Kokomo 14, Midway 6
IU Southeast 8, Rio Grande 6

Saturday, May 6
Rio Grande 7, Midway 5
Point Park 9, IU-Kokomo 0
IU Southeast 8, Rio Grande 3

Sunday, May 7
Point Park 15, IU Southeast 3
Championship
Point Park 18, IU Southeast 4

Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic
Conference Tournament
Location A (Madonna)
Thursday, May 4
Aquinas 9, Northwestern Ohio 5
Madonna 11, Northwestern Ohio 0
Madonna 7, Aquinas 4

Friday, May 5
Madonna 29, Aquinas 6

Location B (Concordia)
Thursday, May 4
Indiana Tech 8, Lawrence Tech 6
Concordia 9, Lawrence Tech 4
Concordia 10, Indiana Tech 5

Friday, May 5
Concordia 8, Indiana Tech 4

Championship (Best-of-3)
Monday, May 8
Madonna at Concordia

Tuesday, May 9
Madonna at Concordia
Madonna at Concordia (if necessary)

Junior College
Thursday, May 4
OCCAC/Region XII Sub-Regional
Ivy Tech Northeast 3, Edison State 1
Championship
Ivy Tech Northeast 6, Clark State 5

Other Games
Kalamazoo Valley 0, Marian’s Ancilla 0, tie
Kalamazoo Valley 4, Marian’s Ancilla 0

Friday, May 5
Parkland 12, Vincennes 2
Parkland 11, Vincennes 1

Saturday, May 6
Kalamazoo Valley 4, Marian’s Ancilla 0
Marian’s Ancilla 7, Kalamazoo Valley 3 (7 inn.)
Parkland 10, Vincennes 5
Vincennes 3, Parkland 2

Right-hander Herron contributing on mound at Morehead State

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

When Grant Herron delivers a baseball from a pitching mound it’s not hard to see what his tennis serve looks like.
Herron is now a junior in the starting rotation at Morehead (Ky.) State University (27-17 overall, 10-5 in the Ohio Valley Conference).
But he was a standout on the court while at Center Grove High School in Greenwood, Ind., where he graduated in 2020.
Serving over-the-top, Herron joined doubles partner Nic Ballesteros to be first-team all-state in the fall of 2018.
“There is a direct correlation,” says Herron, who is slated to pitch the second game of the Eagles’ OVC series Saturday, May 6 against Eastern Illinois.
As a pitcher, the 6-foot-5, 230-pound Herron employs a two-seam sinking fastball that sits between 87 and 90 mph and tops out around 92 plus a “1-to-7” curveball and a splitter (split-finger fastball).
“I couldn’t throw a change-up when I was younger,” says Herron. “I switched to the splitter the COVID summer (2020) and just stuck with it.
“It’s a lot easier for me to throw (than a change-up). It’s a little slower and just topples off the table.”
In 2023, Herron has made 11 mound appearances (10 starts) and is 5-1 with a 4.97 earned run average, 58 strikeouts and 41 walks in 50 2/3 innings.
For his college career, the righty is 10-6 with two saves, a 5.79 ERA, 137 strikeouts and 91 walks in 115 innings over 45 games (19 starts). He was the OVC Pitcher of the Week in early 2022.
During his athletic career, Herron has learned that knowledge is power.
“It’s knowing what I’m doing when I’m supposed to be doing it,” says Herron. “That’s a tell tale sign for a lot of athletes.
“Athletes that know what they’re doing automatically look like better athletes.”
Herron has also displayed leadership with his teammates.
“You have your outspoken leaders and people who lead by example,” says Herron, who considers himself a vocal leader. “For me, it’s not telling them what to do, but giving them advice and telling them what’s led to my success and what I think will help them with their success.”
Former Notre Dame head coach Mik Aoki is the field boss at Morehead State.
“He’s a very smart individual,” says Herron of Aoki. “He’s high energy. He knows a lot about pitching. He does a lot with the pitchers.”
Brady Ward, a 2019 Tiffin (Ohio) University graduate, is the Racers pitching coach.
“He’s young and he’s easy for a lot of the guys to talk to,” says Herron of Ward. “I like that he’s not so concerned with the numbers, but the action of the pitch.”
Last summer, Herron did not play for a team. Instead, he went to P3 (Premier Pitching Performance) in the St. Louis suburb of Wentzville, Mo., got an assessment and came back to Greenwood to train. He trained with Jay Lehr at Pro-X Athlete Development in Westfield, Ind., in the summer of 2021 and played in the College Summer League at Grand Park in Westfield in 2020.
Herron anticipates working with Pitching Performance Lab in Lexington, Ky., this summer. PPL has partnered with Morehead State.
Born in Indianapolis, Herron grew up in Greenwood.
He played rec ball until 8 or 9 then entered the travel ball world. First came the Center Grove Trojans then Indiana Elite and in high school the Northern Stars (coached by former professional pitcher Jamie Sailors).
Herron was on the CG junior varsity baseball team as a freshman. As a sophomore, he pitched on varsity and hit on JV. He was full-time varsity as a junior. The COVID-19 pandemic caused his senior season to be canceled.
In 2019, Herron went 7-1 with a 1.02 ERA, 68 K’s and 15 walks in 48 innings on the bump and hit .400 with five home runs and 40 runs batted in for the Keith Hatfield-coached Trojans.
“I think he’s a very good coach,” Herron says of Hatfield. “I liked playing under him. He always had the best intentions for high school players. He was always worried about the next step in kids’ careers. He was getting them ready to go to college and play ball.”
Coaching the pitchers when Herron was at Center Grove was Jeff Montfort with help from Hatfield.
Herron also got pointers from Lehr and Paul Butcher.
A Finance major on track to graduate in May 2024, Grant is the son of Mike and Amy Herron and has a younger sister, Madison Herron.

Grant Herron. (Morehead State University Image)

Grant Herron. (Morehead State University Photo)

Grant Herron. (Morehead State University Photo)

Indiana State win streak reaches 13

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

Indiana State University keeps stacking up victories.
After a 2-8 start to the 2023 college baseball season, the Sycamores are 25-12 overall and 13-1 in the Missouri Valley Conference.
ISU has won 13 straight — the last coming Sunday, April 13 against Southern Illinois. It’s the longest win streak during the Mitch Hannahs coaching era. Sunday’s career win No. 400 for Hannahs.
South Carolina is No. 1 in the latest NCAA Division I RPI (Rating Percentage Index) rankings.
Among state schools, Indiana State is No. 10, Indiana No. 11, Notre Dame No. 36, Evansville No. 75, Valparaiso No. 91, Ball State No. 99, Purdue No. 210, Butler No. 231, Purdue Fort Wayne No. 255 and Southern Indiana No. 281.

Besides Indiana State, the state’s top current win streaks belong to NCAA D-I Indiana (7), NCAA D-I Notre Dame (5), NAIA Indiana Tech (4), NCAA D-I Ball State (3), NCAA D-III Earlham (3), NAIA Indiana Wesleyan (3), NAIA Saint Francis (3) and NAIA Taylor (3).

Other milestone coaching wins were achieved this past week by Ball State’s Rich Maloney and Wabash’s Jake Martin.
Maloney earned his 600th as Cardinals skipper and Martin picked up No. 300 while leading the Little Giants.

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

INDIANA COLLEGE BASEBALL
Records Through April 23
NCAA D-I
Indiana 30-11 (9-3 Big Ten)
Ball State 26-13 (13-5 MAC)
Indiana State 25-12 (13-1 MVC)
Notre Dame 23-15 (11-10 ACC)
Evansville 23-16 (8-7 MVC)
Purdue 19-20 (8-7 Big Ten)
Valparaiso 16-16 (7-8 MVC)
Southern Indiana 13-26 (5-10 OVC)
Purdue Fort Wayne 10-31 (6-12 Horizon)
Butler 9-30 (2-7 Big East)

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

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

NCAA D-II
Indianapolis 24-16 (10-14 GLVC)
Purdue Northwest 10-28 (5-17 GLIAC)

Schedule Links
Indianapolis
Purdue Northwest

Stat Links
Indianapolis
Purdue Northwest

NCAA D-III
Franklin 24-8 (12-2 HCAC)
Wabash 20-13 (5-5 NCAC)
Earlham 17-12 (7-7 HCAC)
Rose-Hulman 17-14 (9-5 HCAC)
Manchester 17-14 (8-6 HCAC)
Anderson 17-14 (6-8 HCAC)
Trine 14-19 (5-10 MIAA)
Hanover 11-19 (5-9 HCAC)
DePauw 10-19 (3-7 NCAC)

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

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

NAIA
Taylor 34-12 (27-5 CL)
Indiana Tech 29-12 (15-9 WHAC)
Huntington 29-14 (21-9 CL)
Indiana Wesleyan 29-16-1 (24-8 CL)
Oakland City 27-15 (10-11 RSC)
IU Southeast 27-17 (17-7 RSC)
IU-Kokomo 24-19 (14-10 RSC)
Saint Francis 24-20 (18-12 CL)
IU South Bend 20-22 (14-9 CCAC)
Grace 18-23 (10-20 CL)
Bethel 17-27 (10-22 CL)
Marian 16-26 (10-20 CL)
Calumet of St. Joseph 15-29 (7-16 CCAC)
Goshen 9-33 (5-25 CL)
IUPU-Columbus 3-39

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

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

Junior College
Ivy Tech Northeast 24-15
Vincennes 19-25 (7-13 MWAC)
Marian’s Ancilla 8-30 (7-10 MCCAA)

Schedule Links
Ivy Tech Northeast
Marian’s Ancilla
Vincennes

Stat Links
Ivy Tech Northeast
Marian’s Ancilla
Vincennes

Through April 23
NCAA D-I
Tuesday, April 18
Purdue 3, Ball State 2
Northern Kentucky 8, Butler 3
Evansville 10, Western Kentucky 8
Indiana 7, Louisville 3
Indiana State 10, Vanderbilt 2
Notre Dame 7, Valparaiso 3

Wednesday, April 19
Purdue 16, Butler 9
Indiana 11, Cincinnati 9
Notre Dame 2, Western Michigan 1
Purdue Fort Wayne 3, Michigan State 2
Southern Indiana 15, Oakland City 6

Friday, April 21
Butler 6, Seton Hall 2
Indiana 9, Ohio 8
Notre Dame 10, Virginia 7
Purdue 10, Maryland 8
Wright State 6, Purdue Fort Wayne 4
Valparaiso 12, Illinois-Chicago 9

Saturday, April 22
Ball State 5, Northern Illinois 2
Ball State 16, Northern Illinois 12
Butler 12, Seton Hall 10
Evansville 7, Murray State 6
Indiana 17, Ohio 2
Indiana State 6, Southern Illinois 5
Maryland 6, Purdue 5
Wright State 17, Purdue Fort Wayne 6
Southern Indiana 26, Eastern Illinois 6
Eastern Illinois at Southern Indiana
Valparaiso 5, Illinois-Chicago 4

Sunday, April 23
Ball State 15, Northern Illinois 5
Seton Hall 9, Butler 2
Evansville 6, Murray State 3
Murray State 10, Evansville 3
Indiana 9, Ohio 2
Indiana State 10, Southern Illinois (7 inn.)
Notre Dame 10, Virginia 2
Notre Dame 5, Virginia 4
Maryland 10, Purdue 8
Wright State 11, Purdue Fort Wayne 5
Southern Indiana 15, Eastern Illinois 8
Illinois-Chicago 21, Valparaiso 7 (7 inn.)

NCAA D-II
Tuesday, April 18
Kentucky Wesleyan 14, Indianapolis 8
Lewis 13, Purdue Northwest 4

Wednesday, April 19
Indianapolis 6, Purdue Northwest 3

Friday, April 21
Indianapolis 15, Southwest Baptist 2
Grand Valley State 3, Purdue Northwest 2

Saturday, April 22
Indianapolis 12, Southwest Baptist 2
Southwest Baptist 4, Indianapolis 3
Purdue Northwest 5, Grand Valley State 4
Grand Valley State at Purdue Northwest

Sunday, April 23
Indianapolis 7, Southwest Baptist 4
Grand Valley State 15, Purdue Northwest 4

NCAA D-III
Tuesday, April 18
Saint Francis 17, Manchester 9
Adrian 10, Trine 3

Wednesday, April 19
Denison 13, DePauw 1 (7 inn.)
Denison 14, DePauw 10
Manchester 10, Bluffton 3
Greenville 12, Rose-Hulman 7
Wittenberg 12, Wabash 2 (7 inn.)
Wittenberg 11, Wabash 10

Thursday, April 20
Franklin 13, Denison 3

Friday, April 21
Calvin 12, Trine 11

Saturday, April 22
Anderson 8, Manchester 4
Anderson 10, Manchester 8 (11 inn.)
Wooster 9, DePauw 3
Wooster 11, DePauw 7
Earlham 4, Defiance 3
Earlham 8, Defiance 4
Franklin 17, Rose-Hulman 8
Franklin 4, Rose-Hulman 3
Transylvania 10, Hanover 3
Hanover 6, Transylvania 3
Calvin 8, Trine 4
Trine 13, Calvin 9
Kenyon 17, Wabash 3 (8 inn.)
Wabash 5, Kenyon 2

Sunday, April 23
Manchester 10, Anderson 7
Earlham 4, Defiance 3
Rose-Hulman 15, Franklin 7
Transylvania 8, Hanover 4

NAIA
Tuesday, April 18
Goshen 11, Grace 10
Grace 20, Goshen 3
Huntington 7, Thomas More 4
IUSB 16, IUPU-Columbus 1
IUSB 5, IUPU-Columbus 0
Campbellsville 9, IU Southeast 8
Mount Vernon Nazarene 4, Marian 0
Marian 7, Mount Vernon Nazarene 4
Saint Francis 17, Manchester 9

Wednesday, April 19
IU Southeast 9, Georgetown (Ky.) 5
Indiana Tech 7, Northwestern Ohio 4
Northwestern Ohio 10, Indiana Tech 0
Southern Indiana 15, Oakland City 6

Thursday, April 20
Spring Arbor 6, Bethel 1
Bethel 6, Spring Arbor 2
Grace 6, Saint Francis 5
Saint Francis 11, Grace 1
Huntington 11, Indiana Wesleyan 1 (8 inn.)
Indiana Wesleyan 8, Huntington 3
Concordia (Mich.) 12, Indiana Tech 1
Concordia (Mich.) 8, Indiana Tech 2
Marian 16, Taylor 6 (7 inn.)
Taylor 9, Marian 8

Friday, April 21
Spring Arbor 5, Bethel 4
Spring Arbor 11, Bethel 7
Roosevelt 12, Calumet of St. Joseph 0
Roosevelt 7, Calumet of St. Joseph 5
Mount Vernon Nazarene 12, Goshen 2
Mount Vernon Nazarene 7, Goshen 1
Indiana Wesleyan 10, Huntington 6 (11 inn.)
Indiana Wesleyan 17, Huntington 4
IU-Kokomo 5, Point Park 4
Point Park 10, IU-Kokomo 1
Olivet Nazarene 10, IU South Bend 3
IU South Bend 14, Olivet Nazarene 3

Saturday, April 22
Calumet of St. Joseph 9, Roosevelt 1
Mount Vernon Nazarene 3, Goshen 2
Mount Vernon Nazarene 6, Goshen 3
Saint Francis 8, Grace 3
Saint Francis 6, Grace 4
IU South Bend 15, Olivet Nazarene 5
IU Southeast 6, Midway 4
IU Southeast 15, Midway 5
Indiana Tech 23, Rochester 2
Indiana Tech 12, Rochester 2 (7 inn.)
Taylor 6, Marian 2
Taylor 6, Marian 1

Sunday, April 23
Point Park 6, IU-Kokomo 2
Wright State Lake 9, IUPU-Columbus 3
Wright State Lake 8, IUPU-Columbus 2
Midway 5, IU Southeast 4
Indiana Tech 5, Rochester 3
Indiana Tech 11, Rochester 4

Junior College
Monday, April 17
John Wood 11, Vincennes 1
John Wood 11, Vincennes 2

Tuesday, April 18
Ivy Tech Northeast 11, Glen Oaks 1
Marian’s Ancilla at Owens
Marian’s Ancilla at Owens
Vincennes 5, John Wood 2
John Wood 14, Vincennes 6

Thursday, April 20
Ivy Tech Northeast 17, Adrian JV 7
Marian’s Ancilla 4, Lake Michigan 3
Marian’s Ancilla 10, Lake Michigan 5

Saturday, April 22
Owens 10, Ivy Tech Northeast 4
Marian’s Ancilla 2, Lake Michigan 1
Lake Michigan 6, Marian’s Ancilla 3
Lincoln Land 9, Vincennes 5
Lincoln Land 9, Vincennes 1

Sunday, April 23
Vincennes 2, Lincoln Land 1
Vincennes 7, Lincoln Land 4

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Schedule Links
Indianapolis
Purdue Northwest

Stat Links
Indianapolis
Purdue Northwest

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Schedule Links
Ivy Tech Northeast
Marian’s Ancilla
Vincennes

Stat Links
Ivy Tech Northeast
Marian’s Ancilla
Vincennes

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

Wednesday, April 12
Dayton 8, Purdue Fort Wayne 3

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thursday, April 13
Wittenberg 17, Anderson 13

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tuesday, April 11
Kellogg 17, Ivy Tech Northeast 9

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

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

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

Turner extends helping hand at Irvington Prep

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

An opportunity to make a difference has led Dan Turner back to the Indianapolis neighborhood where he grew up.
Turner was raised two blocks from the Children’s Guardian Home.
“I had a good friend that lived here,” says Turner. “We used to sneak in here and play basketball.”
That building just inside the I-465 circle on the near east side now houses Irvington Preparatory Academy and Turner is in his second season as the Ravens head baseball coach.
IPA is the high school portion of Irvington Community Schools and is a charter school with a diverse student population.
“Many students come from low-income families or part of the 21st Century Scholars program (which makes college affordable based on need and other factors).
“We want to provide a safe learning environment and raise students who are respectful and prepared for the modern world,” says Irvington Prep principal Jana Goebel. “We want them to be good citizens, hard workers and successful in their life after high school.
“We want everyone can go to college, but we know that college isn’t for everyone. We have a few kids every year that join the military, several do apprenticeships for the trades and some just go right into the workforce. But I would say probably 60 percent are college bound.
“You don’t have to go to college, but you have to have a plan.”
Says Turner, “High school baseball can’t be the pinnacle of our life.”
It’s the education-focused model and a chance to better the lives of young people that that drew Turner to the school.
“I think the world would be much better if we just took a little pocket and changed our pockets or our neighborhoods,” says Turner, who was hired by former Irvington Prep athletic director Teddy Rogers. “It’s about doing good. It’s about changing the culture. It’s getting kids off the gerbil wheel and making them understand that there’s opportunities in this world and we can make a difference.
“If we all made a difference in our communities the big world problems would go away. This is why I like it here.”
Diversity also means different ethnic and social backgrounds. Turner does not want those to be a stumbling block to learning and a successful baseball program.
“We have to understand we’re all the same race,” says Turner. “We just have different skin colors. We’re all human race.”
After playing no games in 2020 (COVID-19 pandemic) and 2021 (low numbers), the Ravens went 10-7 and won the Greater Indianapolis Conference title in 2022 with a roster of 14. The win total is a school record.
Before the season started, several Irvington players took part in a National Scouting Report Metrics Combine at Roundtripper Sports Academy in Westfield.
The 2023 team is off to a 3-1 start.
Turner has high standards.
“I’m tough on my guys and I’m brutally honest,” says Turner. “I don’t pull punches.
“Accountability is huge. I don’t put up with excuses. One of my favorite sayings is ‘excuses are a justification for failure.’ We’ve got to make our kids better on the field and in the classroom or we’re in trouble.”
Irvington Prep (enrollment around 360) is a member of the Greater Indianapolis Athletic Conference (with baseball-playing schools Crispus Attucks, Eminence, Indianapolis Washington, Purdue Polytechnic and Tindley).
The Ravens are part of an IHSAA Class 2A sectional grouping in 2023 (up from 1A) with Heritage Christian, Indianapolis Scecina, Park Tudor and Triton Central. Irvington has not yet won a sectional title.
IPA plays and practice three miles from campus at McNulty Park on Raymond Avenue — home to Irvington Sports Baseball & Softball. That’s the same grounds where Turner played Little League.
Hans Lassiter, who played baseball at North Carolina State A&T University, is Chief Executive Officer of Irvington Community Schools.
“He’s going to give us the resources to be a handful here on the east side of Indianapolis,” says Turner. “We’re going to be good.
“We’re going to drive this thing to be a good program — a program that’s based off education first.”
Victories are a priority for the coach.
“Winning is important,” says Turner. “I think losing becomes acceptable. And when losing becomes acceptable we transfer that into our lives outside baseball.”
The Ravens coaching staff also includes Orien Ogg (father of pro pitcher Kenny Ogg), Warren Belton, Jim Ellis, Roger Rebbnack and oldest son Brandon Turner.
“I look at all of us as co-coaches,” says Dan Turner. “This is a team. This is a family.”
Turner is a 1983 graduate of the former Indianapolis Howe Community High School.
Dan and wife Trischa have been married since 1986. She is a 1984 Warren Central High School graduate who now serves as Vice President for Perioperative Services for Methodist Hosptials.
The couple has four children — daughters Courtney and Brittany and sons Brandon and Bradley. All went to Mt. Vernon High School in Fortville, Ind.
Brandon Turner played college baseball at Mount St. Joseph University in Cincinnati and Bradley Turner at the University Saint Francis in Fort Wayne.
Turner, who is regional sales manager for TW Sales and splits his time between Indiana and Florida, has been in the travel baseball world for many years. He started with the Mt. Vernon Vipers then was with Harold Gibson (father of big leaguer Kyle Gibson) and the Indiana Bandits.
Around 2010, Turner helped start the Indy Stix. The organization will field 16U, 17U and 18U teams this summer. Supplements have allowed inner-city kids to play travel ball with a chance to go to college.
K.J. Rankin (Irvington Prep Class of 2024) is on the IPA and Indy Stix 16U rosters.
Turner also started Lead-Off Consulting, which helps players and the parents though the college recruiting process.
A few years ago, Turner went to Arsenal Tech High School in Indianapolis to assist Titans head coach Bob Haney.
“I always knew the inner-city needs help — not just on the field but they need a lot of other things,” says Turner, who used his travel team to start a clothing drive when he found a player wrapped in a bed sheet to stay warm because he had no coat.
“These are the things that eat at me,” says Turner. “We’ve got to make a difference.”

Dan Turner. (Steve Krah Photo)