UIndy off to 11-0 start; Anderson’s Bair gets 100th win

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

The University of Indianapolis is off to an 11-0 start to the 2023 baseball season.
The Al Ready-coached Greyhounds are coming off a 5-0 week with two wins against Purdue Northwest and three against Davenport — all at Greyhound Park/Bill Bright Field.
The last time NCAA D-II UIndy started a season 11-0 was 1997.
PNW started its southern trip by splitting a Sunday doubleheader at Ave Maria.
In NCAA III, Anderson University coach Matt Bair collected his 100th career victory. It came in a Sunday win against St. Thomas (Maine) in Davenport, Fla.
Also in Florida, Wabash went 6-0 in Port Charlotte and Fort Myers for the week. The Jake Martin-coached Little Giants are 10-4.
Rose-Hulman played its first home game at Art Nehf Field in 2023 and won all four, moving the Adam Rosen-coached Fightin’ Engineers’ victory streak to six.
The Berea (Ky.) at Manchester series became a Saturday doubleheader at Grand Park in Westfield. The Rick Espeset-coached Spartans (8-3) earned a sweep and ran their win streak to three.
Greg Perschke-coached Trine (6-5) concluded an eight-game stint in Florida with two victories.
NAIA Taylor’s 5-1 week in the Crossroads League helped the Kyle Gould-coached Trojans move to 14-8 overall and 7-1 in the conference.
A 3-1 week allowed Thad Frame-coached Huntington Foresters to be 13-6 overall and 7-1 in the CL.
As part of the U.S. Highway 20 Cup, Bethel (12-8) took four CL games against Goshen. The first two games were played in Mishawaka and — because of inclement weather — the next two at Grand Park.
By topping No. 22 Oklahoma City Sunday, Kip McWilliams’ visiting Indiana Tech Warriors advanced to 10-3.
In NCAA D-I, Indiana and Indiana State both enjoyed 5-0 weeks.
The Hoosiers swept a four-game home series against Bellarmine and the Sycamores took three at Memphis.
Ball State’s 3-1 week included 2-1 against visiting Mid-American Conference foe Western Michigan.
Evansville won two of three at Middle Tennessee. A 2-1 loss at No. 7 Vanderbilt was epic. The Wednesday game went 17 innings and took 4 hours, 44 minutes.
Sunday’s Purdue at Mississippi game featured two pitchers from northwest Indiana high schools in starting roles.
Xavier Rivas (Portage) hurled the first six innings and got the win for Ole Miss. Kyle Iwinski (Griffith) went five frames and absorbed the loss for the Boilermakers.
When Valparaiso beat Southern Mississippi 6-1 in the opener of the three-game series Friday, it was the Beacons’ first win against a nationally-ranked opponent since 2018.
In junior college, Kirk Cabana earned his first victory as head coach at Marian’s Ancilla. The Chargers beat Minnesota State Community & Technical College in the second game of a doubleheader Friday in Orlando, Fla.
Vincennes (10-11) enjoyed a 5-1 week that featured a four-game sweep of Schoolcraft.
At 3-2 week makes Ivy Tech Northeast 6-8.

Below are season records, weekly results and links to web pages, schedules and statistics for all of Indiana’s 39 collegiate programs.

INDIANA COLLEGE BASEBALL
Records Through March 12
NCAA D-I
Ball State 10-6 (2-1 MAC)
Indiana 10-6 (0-0 Big Ten)
Evansville 9-7 (0-0 MVC)
Purdue 8-7 (0-0 Big Ten)
Valparaiso 7-6 (0-0 MVC)
Indiana State 7-8 (0-0 MVC)
Notre Dame 6-6 (1-2 ACC)
Southern Indiana 6-9 (0-0 OVC)
Purdue Fort Wayne 3-14 (0-0 Horizon)
Butler 2-14 (0-0 Big East)

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

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

NCAA D-II
Indianapolis 11-0 (0-0 GLVC)
Purdue Northwest 3-7 (0-0 GLIAC)

Schedule Links
Indianapolis
Purdue Northwest

Stat Links
Indianapolis
Purdue Northwest

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

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

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

NAIA
Oakland City 16-7 (1-5 RSC)
Taylor 14-8 (7-1 CL)
Huntington 13-6 (7-1 CL)
Bethel 12-8 (5-3 CL)
IU-Kokomo 12-9 (4-2 RSC)
Indiana Tech 10-3 (0-0 WHAC)
Indiana Wesleyan 10-9-1 (6-2 CL)
Marian 10-10 (4-4 CL)
Grace 8-7 (0-4 CL)
Calumet of St. Joseph 8-13 (0-0 CCAC)
IU Southeast 6-12 (3-3 RSC)
Goshen 6-14 (2-6 CL)
Saint Francis 6-14 (1-7 CL)
IU South Bend 4-13 (0-0 CCAC)
IUPU-Columbus 1-20

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

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

Junior College
Vincennes 10-11 (0-0 MWAC)
Ivy Tech Northeast 6-8
Marian’s Ancilla 1-14 (0-0 MCCAA)

Schedule Links
Ivy Tech Northeast
Marian’s Ancilla
Vincennes

Stat Links
Ivy Tech Northeast
Marian’s Ancilla
Vincennes

Through March 12
NCAA D-I
Monday, March 6
Louisiana State 11, Butler 0 (7 inn.)

Tuesday, March 7
Ball State 11, Florida A&M 9
Indiana State 8, Southeast Missouri 3
Austin Peay 10, Southern Indiana 6
Mississippi State 12, Valparaiso 2 (7 inn.)

Wednesday, March 8
Jackson State 11, Butler 7
Vanderbilt 2, Evansville 1 (17 inn.)
Indiana 15, Purdue Fort Wayne 1
Indiana State 7, Southeast Missouri 4

Thursday, March 9
Indiana 5, Bellarmine 3

Friday, March 10
Ball State 11, Western Michigan 3
Southeast Missouri 8, Butler 0
Middle Tennessee 2, Evansville 0
Indiana 9, Bellarmine 7
Indiana State 5, Memphis 1
Georgia Tech 7, Notre Dame 4
Mississippi 15, Purdue 7
Austin Peay 9, Purdue Fort Wayne 0
Austin Peay 6, Purdue Fort Wayne 5
Oakland 4, Southern Indiana 2
Valparaiso 6, Southern Mississippi 1

Saturday, March 11
Western Michigan 10, Ball State 1
Ball State 15, Western Michigan 3 (7 inn.)
Southeast Missouri 7, Butler 2
Evansville 5, Middle Tennessee 3
Indiana 13, Bellarmine 3
Indiana State 7, Memphis 3
Georgia Tech 15, Notre Dame 2
Notre Dame 17, Georgia Tech 4
Mississippi 7, Purdue 6 (10 inn.)
Purdue Fort Wayne 5, Austin Peay 3 (8 inn.)
Austin Peay 4, Purdue Fort Wayne 2
Oakland 7, Southern Indiana 5
Southern Mississippi 8, Valparaiso 3

Sunday, March 12
Southeast Missouri 2, Butler 1
Evansville 5, Middle Tennessee 3
Indiana 3, Bellarmine 2
Indiana State 5, Memphis 2
Mississippi 6, Purdue 1
Southern Indiana 12, Oakland 11 (11 inn.)
Southern Mississippi 11, Valparaiso 5

NCAA D-II
Tuesday, March 7
Indianapolis 7, Purdue Northwest 5
Indianapolis 6, Purdue Northwest 1

Friday, March 10
Indianapolis 10, Davenport 7

Saturday, March 11
Indianapolis 7, Davenport 4
Indianapolis 2, Davenport 1 (10 inn.)

Sunday, March 12
Ave Maria 16, Purdue Northwest
Purdue Northwest 10, Ave Maria 7

NCAA D-III
Monday, March 6
Trine 3, St. Vincent 1
Wabash 23, Swarthmore 4

Tuesday, March 7
Grove City 11, Trine 4
Wabash 10, Lebanon Valley 9

Wednesday, March 8
Wilmington 7, Franklin 4
Spalding 14, Hanover 2
Manchester 12, Olivet 2
Rose-Hulman 6, Greenville 4
Dominican (Ill.) 17, Trine 13
Wabash 7, Kean 1

Thursday, March 9
Waynesburg 7, Trine 6

Friday, March 10
Aurora 9, Anderson 2
Anderson 4, Aurora 3
Wilmington 15, Earlham 3
Hanover 14, Hope 4
Trine 7, Penn State-Altoona 0
Trine 7, Penn State-Altoona 4
Wabash 16, Saint John’s 6

Saturday, March 11
Fontbonne 9, Anderson 2
Wisconsin-Osh Kosh 3, DePauw 2
Transylvania 5, DePauw 3
Wilmington 12, Earlham 3
Earlham 8, Wilmington 2
Franklin 15, Albion 4
Albion 4, Franklin 1
Hope 5, Hanover 3
Manchester 13, Berea 5
Manchester 2, Berea 1
Rose-Hulman 4, Alma 0
Rose-Hulman 9, Alma 6
Wabash 17, Western Connecticut 6
Wabash 10, Western Connecticut 3

Sunday, March 12
Anderson 11, Thomas (Maine) 0
Transylvania 9, DePauw 1
Franklin 5, Albion 3
Hanover 14, Millikin 4
Millikin 8, Hanover 5
Rose-Hulman 10, Alma 0

NAIA
Monday, March 6
Calumet of St. Joseph 17, Siena Heights 9
IU-Kokomo 10, Oakland City 3
Indiana Wesleyan 14, Grace 6
Indiana Wesleyan 7, Grace 1
Marian 15, Spring Arbor 4 (8 inn.)
Marian 9, Spring Arbor 5
Taylor 13, Saint Francis 3
Taylor 8, Saint Francis 2

Tuesday, March 7
Calumet of St. Joseph 7, Siena Heights 6
IU-Kokomo 12, IUPU-Columbus 7

Wednesday, March 8
Southeastern 14, Calumet of St. Joseph 1

Thursday, March 9
Bethel 6, Goshen 3
Bethel 9, Goshen 2
St. Thomas 6, Calumet of St. Joseph 5
Calumet of St. Joseph 9, Siena Heights 7
Huntington 10, Saint Francis 8
Saint Francis 6, Huntington 5
Indiana Wesleyan 9, Marian 3
Indiana Wesleyan 5, Marian 4 (9 inn.)
Taylor 11, Spring Arbor 10
Taylor 6, Spring Arbor 5

Friday, March 10
Lawrence Tech 9, Calumet of St. Joseph 6
Concordia (Neb.) 23, Calumet of St. Joseph 3
IU Southeast 11, IU-Kokomo 9
Oakland City 17, Brescia 2 (7 inn.)

Saturday, March 11
Bethel 20, Goshen 3
Bethel 8, Goshen 6
Siena Heights 20, Calumet of St. Joseph 3
Huntington 8, Saint Francis 6
Huntington 18, Saint Francis 0
IU-Kokomo 10, IU Southeast 1
IU Southeast 4, IU-Kokomo 1
Concordia (Mich.) 9, IUPU-Columbus 1
Concordia (Mich.) 10, IUPU-Columbus 2
Oklahoma City 2, Indiana Tech 1
Oklahoma City 10, Indiana Tech 2
Marian 5, Indiana Wesleyan 0
Marian 7, Indiana Wesleyan 4
Brescia 9, Oakland City 2
Brescia 2, Oakland City 1
Taylor 5, Spring Arbor 2
Spring Arbor 5, Taylor 0

Sunday, March 12
Concordia (Mich.) 3, IUPU-Columbus 1
Concordia (Mich.) 3, IUPU-Columbus 1
Indiana Tech 7, Oklahoma City 1

Junior College
Monday, March 6
Ivy Tech Northeast 9, Anderson JV 7
Minnesota North-Vermillion 5, Marian’s Ancilla 3
Minnesota North-Vermillion 6, Marian’s Ancilla 5

Tuesday, March 7
Vincennes 17, Oakland City JV 7

Wednesday, March 8
Mid-Michigan 7, Marian’s Ancilla 2
Volunteer State 16, Vincennes 3

Friday, March 10
Ivy Tech Northeast 11, Southeastern Illinois 5
Ivy Tech Northeast 6, Southeastern Illinois 1
Minnesota State C&T 10, Marian’s Ancilla 9
Marian’s Ancilla 11, Minnesota State C&T 1
Vincennes 11, Schoolcraft 1 (5 inn.)

Saturday, March 11
Southeastern Illinois 16, Ivy Tech Northeast 6
Southeastern Illinois 5, Ivy Tech Northeast 1
Alexandria Tech 6, Marian’s Ancilla 0
Waubonsee 15, Marian’s Ancilla 1
Vincennes 5, Schoolcraft 4
Vincennes 15, Schoolcraft 5

Sunday, March 12
Vincennes 5, Schoolcraft 4

Advertisement

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

NAIA RBI leader Bass, Taylor University heading into postseason play

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

T.J. Bass came out of the gate producing at the plate in 2022.
The righty swinger in his fourth baseball season at Taylor University in Upland, Ind., knocked in two run in the Trojans’ campaign-opening win against Kansas Wesleyan in Mesa, Ariz.
Heading into the Crossroads League tournament which begins May 7 at Taylor (note the change because of rain), Bass leads all of NAIA in runs batted in with 84.
Besides that, he’s hitting .382 (71-of-186) with 19 home runs, 14 doubles, 51 runs scored and a 1.254 OPS (.491 on-base percentage plus .763 slugging average).
“I need to start by giving credit to the guys batting before me,” says Bass of his big RBI total. “It seems like I come up with two or three guys on every time.”
Bass, who looks to be aggressive and barrel the ball up on the first good pitch he sees per at-bat, has been used by Trojans head coach Kyle Gould primarily in the No. 3 spot in the batting order with a few games in the 2-hole. He’s often found senior Nick Rusche (.337 with 63 hits) and freshman Kaleb Kolpein (.403 with 77 hits) — and for awhile — sophomore Camden Knepp (.282 with 44 hits)— reaching base before him. Rusche prepped at New Palestine (Ind.) High School, Kolpein at Homestead (Fort Wayne) and Knepp at Northridge (Middelbury).
“The back half the lineup has also been pretty good,” says Bass, a 2018 graduate of Greenwood (Ind,) Community.
Of his 19 homers, Bass has clouted three grand slams (vs. Reinhardt in Waleska, Ga., vs. Olivet Nazarene in Athens, Tenn., and vs. Indiana Wesleyan in Upland), four three-run bombs, seven two-run dingers and five solo shots. The enjoyed two-homer games against Reinhardt and Mount Vernon Nazarene.
Bass belted 14 circuit clouts in Crossroads League regular-season play.
Taylor (36-16) is the No. 2 seed in the eight-team Crossroads League tournament. Regular-season champion Mount Vernon Nazarene is No. 1.
The turf at Winterholter Field will also be the site of an NAIA Opening Round May 16-19.
“It’s incredible,” says Bass of playing at the facility located in the heart of the TU campus that was resurfaced after the 2021 season. “Coach Gould takes huge pride in how the field looks and it’s awesome to see so many fans come out.”
Bass has started in all 52 of the Trojans’ games in 2022, mostly in center field or right field. But he’s also been used as a catcher and first baseman. During his college career, he’s played everywhere but the middle infield and on the mound.
“It’s wherever the team needs me most based on who’s healthy if we need an offensive day or a defensive day,” says Bass. “Coach Gould does a good job of looking at Synergy in scouting teams.”
Taylor players watch videos of opposing hitters and pitchers to study their strengths weaknesses.
At 6-foot-2 and 235 pounds, Bass has gotten physically stronger and faster since arriving on-campus thanks to off-season programs led by assistant coach Justin Barber as well as Gould.
When Bass arrived at Taylor in 2018-19, Josh Lane and Wyatt Whitman were seniors.
“They they were both huge role models taking a freshman and hour and a half from home under their wings,” says Bass. “They took the strain off.”
Bass was asked how they could help and if they could pray for him.
When Whitman moved on and acted jersey No. 11, Bass took it.
It was also during his first year at Taylor that Bass was undecided on a major. He landed on Elementary Education.
A camp counselor at a community recreation center since his junior year of high school and the son of high school teacher (Andy Bass) and pre-kindergarten teacher (Jenni Bass) with other educators on both sides of the family, T.J. sees that as a natural career path.
“I’ve been around teaching my whole life,” says Bass. “I really love to be able to work with kids and I like getting to know them and finding their interests.
“It didn’t feel like I would do as well with secondary (students). God was calling me to work with elementary.”
Andy Bass teaches Algebra II and Geometry at Greenwood Community, where he has been head baseball coach since 1998. Jenni Bass ran her own daycare for more than a decade and now works at Waverly Elementary School in the Mooresville corporation.
Timothy James Bass, 22, is the oldest of Andy and Jenni’s four kids. Sam Bass is two years younger than T.J. and living and working in Fort Wayne. Mary Bass is a Greenwood Community freshman. Claire Bass is a sixth grader in the Mooresville system.
T.J. was born and raised in Greenwood and played Little League baseball there. Around fifth grade, he played with the traveling Johnson County Jaguars. The summers following his freshman and sophomore years were spent with the Indiana Bulls. The next summer he played for the Indiana Nitro then was with Demand Command right before and right after his freshman year at Taylor.
Bass did not play during the COVID-19 summer of 2020. In 2021, he split his time between the Prospect League’s Lafayette (Ind.) Aviators and the College Summer League at Grand Park in Westfield, Ind.
With an extra year of eligibility because of the pandemic, Bass plans to come back for a fifth season at Taylor in 2023. He expects to do his student teaching this fall.

T.J. Bass (Taylor University Photo)

T.J. Bass (Taylor University Photo)

T.J. Bass (Taylor University Photo)

T.J. Bass (Taylor University Photo)

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

Ball State’s Maloney reflects on milestone victory No. 900

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

When Ball State swept a doubleheader Saturday, April 23 at Northern Illinois it allowed Cardinals head coach Rich Maloney to reach the 900th victory of his career.
Maloney is in his 27th season as a college head coach with two stints at Ball State (1996-2002 and 2013-present) and one at Michigan (2003-12).
Ball State (24-14 overall, 18-4 in the Mid-American Conference) went on to win, Sunday, too. Game 4 of the series was slated for today (April 25). Maloney has won 580 games with the Cards.
“I have had the great privilege of coaching so many outstanding young men and coaching alongside so many outstanding assistants,” said Maloney Saturday. “Milestones like this give us a time to reflect on the many relationships built through the years.
“What a blessing!”
Ball State — which got wins from starters Tyler Schweitzer (Hamilton Southeastern High School graduate) and Ty Johnson (Lawrence North), both 6-2 in 2022, Saturday and Sunday — is chasing first-place Central Michigan (27-10, 21-1) in the MAC.
There are more coaching victory milestones on the horizon for NAIA Taylor’s Kyle Gould (597), NAIA Indiana Wesleyan’s Rich Benjamin (498), NAIA Bethel’s Seth Zartman (397), NAIA Marian’s Todd Bacon (195) and NCAA Division III DePauw’s Blake Allen (98).
The best weeks among the state’s 38 college baseball programs April 18-24 belonged to NAIA Indiana Tech at 6-0, NCAA Division-I Notre Dame at 5-0, NCAA Division III Wabash at 5-1, NAIA Calumet of St. Joseph at 5-1 and NAIA Oakland City 4-1.
Notre Dame won midweek games against Valparaiso and Purdue Fort Wayne and swept three from Atlantic Coast Conference foe Wake Forest. The Irish (26-8, 11-7) are tied with Louisville atop the ACC Atlantic Division. ND is No. 2 in the D1Baseball.com RPI behind Tennessee (37-3). Evansville is No. 67, Indiana State. No. 91, Ball State No, 123, Indiana No. 135, Purdue No. 163, Valparaiso No. 202, Butler No. 208 and Purdue Fort Wayne No. 237.
Indiana State (21-11 overall and tied for first in the Missouri Valley Conference at 6-3) tied a school record with six home runs in Sunday’s 12-9 loss to Evansville — two by Aaron Beck (Evansville Harrison) and one each by Tyler Nelson (Chesterton), Jordan Schaffer (West Vigo), Sean Ross and Keegan Watson (New Palestine).
Indiana Tech (27-18, 13-7 in the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference) won four WHAC games Saturday and Sunday by a combined 66-27. The Warriors and others are looking up conference leader Northwestern Ohio (32-9, 19-1).
Wabash (19-12) is now 4-4 in away games after a doubleheader split at Oberlin and twin bill sweep at Anderson.
Calumet of St. Joseph (14-27) earned all its wins for the week on the road. The same is true for Oakland City (25-17). The Mighty Oaks have already won eight more games in 2022 than 2021.

INDIANA COLLEGE BASEBALL
Records Through April 24
NCAA D-I
Notre Dame 26-8 (11-7 ACC)
Ball State 24-14 (18-4 MAC)
Purdue 22-13 (4-6 Big Ten)
Indiana State 21-11 (6-3 MVC)
Evansville 21-17 (6-3 MVC)
Butler 18-22-1 (2-6-1 Big East)
Indiana 16-23 (4-8 Big Ten)
Valparaiso 13-22 (2-7 MVC)
Purdue Fort Wayne 12-25 (9-9 Horizon)

NCAA D-II
Indianapolis 19-20 (10-6 GLVC)
Purdue Northwest 16-13 (5-9 GLIAC)
Southern Indiana 15-25 (4-12 GLVC)

NCAA D-III
Franklin 23-9 (8-4 HCAC)
Earlham 20-8 (9-3 HCAC)
Rose-Hulman 19-9 (9-5 HCAC)
Wabash 19-12 (4-9 NCAC)
Anderson 16-15 (8-4 HCAC)
Hanover 13-15 (7-5 HCAC)
DePauw 13-15 (6-6 NCAC)
Trine 12-18 (7-7 MIAA)
Manchester 7-22 (3-9 HCAC)

NAIA
Taylor 32-16 (22-10 CL)
Indiana University Southeast 31-13 (17-4 RSC)
Indiana Tech 27-18 (13-7 WHAC)
Indiana Wesleyan 27-20 (20-12 CL)
Indiana University-Kokomo 25-17 (15-5 RSC)
Oakland City 25-17 (8-11 RSC)
Saint Francis 25-23 (14-18 CL)
Marian 24-22 (16-16 CL)
Huntington 22-18 (20-12 CL)
Bethel 22-26 (16-16 CL)
Grace 16-29 (10-22 CL)
Calumet of Saint Joseph 14-27 (9-15 CCAC)
Indiana University South Bend 12-27-1 (6-17-1 CCAC)
Goshen 10-36 (5-27 CL)

Junior College
Vincennes 18-23 (8-12 MWAC)
Ivy Tech Northeast 15-18
Marian’s Ancilla 8-32 (6-14 MCCAA)

Week of April 18-24
NCAA D-I
Tuesday, April 19
Western Michigan 14, Ball State 12
Butler 6, Northern Kentucky 5
Miami (Ohio) 9, Indiana 7
Indiana State 12, Illinois 6
Notre Dame 5, Valparaiso 1
Illinois-Chicago 9, Purdue 6

Wednesday, April 20
Butler 7, Dayton 2
Notre Dame 12, Purdue Fort Wayne 2

Friday, April 22
St. John’s 8, Butler 6
Indiana State 7, Evansville 6
Indiana 8, Nebraska 7
Belmont 3, Purdue 2
Notre Dame 8, Wake Forest 3
Purdue Fort Wayne 4, Northern Kentucky 2
Purdue Fort Wayne 4, Northern Kentucky 3

Saturday, April 23
Ball State 13, Northern Illinois 0
Ball State 6, Northern Illinois 1
St. John’s 8, Butler 7 (10 inn.)
Evansville 14, Indiana State 0
Indiana 8, Nebraska 1
Notre Dame 21, Wake Forest 3
Belmont 11, Purdue 1
Purdue Fort Wayne 10, Oakland 2
Oakland 10, Purdue Fort Wayne 2
Missouri State 14, Valparaiso 2
Missouri State 9, Valparaiso 4

Sunday, April 24
Ball State 9, Northern Illinois 5
Butler 12, St. John’s 12, tie
Evansville 12, Indiana State 9
Nebraska 19, Indiana 7
Belmont 8, Purdue 6
Oakland 10, Purdue Fort Wayne 9 (10 inn.)
Missouri State 6, Valparaiso 1
Notre Dame 13, Wake Forest 12
Northern Kentucky vs. Purdue Fort Wayne

NCAA D-II
Tuesday, April 19
Grand Valley State 10, Purdue Northwest 5
Purdue Northwest 5, Grand Valley State 4
Kentucky Wesleyan 4, Southern Indiana 14

Friday, April 22
Indianapolis 9, Davenport 1

Saturday, April 23
Davenport 12, Indianapolis 10
Davenport 18, Indianapolis 6
Lewis 10, Southern Indiana 9
Southern Indiana vs. Lewis
Purdue Northwest 22, Wisconsin-Parkside 0
Purdue Northwest 18, Wisconsin-Parkside 5

Sunday, April 24
Lewis 15, Southern Indiana 3
Lewis 8, Southern Indiana 5

NCAA D-III
Tuesday, April 19
Anderson 11, Bluffton 4
Bluffton 6, Anderson 0
Wittenberg 11, DePauw 10
DePauw 4, Wittenberg 3
Rose-Hulman 12, Franklin 10
Rose-Hulman 10, Franklin 4
Defiance 4, Manchester 2
Manchester 12, Defiance 11 (11 inn.)
Trine 22, Adrian 14
Wabash 8, Ohio Weselyan 2
Wabash 3, Ohio Weselyan 2

Wednesday, April 20
Indiana Tech 14, Manchester 4

Saturday, April 23
Anderson 8, Defiance 5
Anderson 7, Defiance 6
DePauw 16, Hiram 0
DePauw 11, Hiram 0
Earlham 8, Rose-Hulman 6
Earlham 11, Rose-Hulman 2
Franklin 5, Mt. St. Joseph 4
Franklin 14, Mt. St. Joseph 4
Hanover 10, Bluffton 8
Bluffton 13, Hanover 3
Calvin 7, Trine 3
Trine 7, Calvin 2
Oberlin 3, Wabash 2
Wabash 15, Oberlin 12 (10 inn.)

Sunday, April 24
Wabash 14, Anderson 5
Anderson 21, Wabash 6
Rose-Hulman 16, Wilmington 9
Manchester 5, Trine 4

NAIA
Monday, April 18
Calumet of St. Joseph 19, Lincoln 4
Calumet of St. Joseph 15, Lincoln 5
Grace 10, Marian 8
Marian 8, Grace 3

Tuesday, April 19
IU South Bend 8, Calumet of St. Joseph 4
Indiana Tech 18, Saint Francis 1
Oakland City 4, Bethel (Tenn.) 2
Oakland City 1, Bethel (Tenn.) 0

Wednesday, April 20
Siena Heights 4, Goshen 0
Siena Heights 6, Goshen 3
Indiana Tech 14, Manchester 4
Georgetown (Ky.) 4, IU Kokomo 3

Thursday, April 21
Spring Arbor 7, Bethel 5
Bethel 3, Spring Arbor 2
Mt. Vernon Nazarene 7, Grace 5
Mt. Vernon Nazarene 4, Grace 2
Indiana Wesleyan 11, Taylor 7
Taylor 6, Indiana Wesleyan 3

Friday, April 22
Huntington 15, Goshen 12
Goshen 6, Huntington 4
IU Southeast 10, IU Kokomo 3
Roosevelt 6, IU South Bend 5
Marian 6, Saint Francis 5
Marian 5, Saint Francis 1
Brescia 4, Oakland City 2

Saturday, April 23
Bethel 7, Spring Arbor 6
Bethel 12, Spring Arbor 10
Huntington 16, Goshen 12
Huntington 18, Goshen 3
Mt. Vernon Nazarene 11, Grace 10
Mt. Vernon Nazarene 7, Grace 3
Indiana Tech 20, Siena Heights 3
Indiana Tech 16, Siena Heights 1
IU Kokomo 12, IU Southeast 11
IU Southeast 18, IU Kokomo 2
Roosevelt 15, IU South Bend 3
Roosevelt 9, IU South Bend 5
Taylor 11, Indiana Wesleyan 1
Indiana Wesleyan 9, Taylor 5
Marian 11, Saint Francis 10
Saint Francis 13, Marian 8
Oakland City vs. Brescia
Oakland City vs. Brescia

Sunday, April 24
Indiana Tech 9, Lourdes 8
Indiana Tech 21, Lourdes 15

Junior College
Tuesday, April 19
Muskegon 3, Marian’s Ancilla 2
Muskegon 4, Marian’s Ancilla 3
Vincennes 5, Lincoln Trail 4 (10 inn.)

Wednesday, April 20
Lansing 14, Ivy Tech Northeast 0
Lansing 5, Ivy Tech Northeast 3

Friday, April 22
Wabash Valley 11, Ivy Tech Northeast 5
Wabash Valley 13, Ivy Tech Northeast 2
Kalamazoo Valley 10, Marian’s Ancilla 1
Kalamazoo Valley 1, Marian’s Ancilla 0
Vincennes 11, Illinois Central 3
Illinois Central 5, Vincennes 4

Saturday, April 23
Wabash Valley 12. Ivy Tech Northeast 1
Wabash Valley 14, Ivy Tech Northeast 4
Marian’s Ancilla 6, Kalamazoo Valley 5
Marian’s Ancilla 11, Kalamazoo Valley 9
Vincennes 11, Illinois Central 10
Illinois Central 9, Vincennes 1

Sunday, April 24
Ivy Tech Northeast 14, Trine JV 4
Ivy Tech Northeast 5, Trine JV 2

Demkovich powers Franklin during fruitful week

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

Franklin — with a 17-5 overall record — has gotten off to the best start of 2022 among the state’s NCAA Division III schools.
The Lance Marshall-coached Grizzlies enjoyed a 4-1 week (March 28-April 3). One of the highlights was senior Logan Demkovich’s four home runs in a doubleheader sweep of Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference foe Bluffton. Munster High School graduate Demkovich is now hitting .410 with 12 home runs and 36 runs batted in.
Earlham (13-5) won its first two HCAC games. Quakers head coach Steve Sakosits reached the 200-win plateau earlier this season.
D-III Trine enjoyed a 3-1 week, including a three-game Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association sweep of Olivet. The first two games were the Thunder’s first home contests of the season.

With a win Sunday against Aquinas, Indiana Tech gave Warriors coach Kip McWilliams his 500th career victory.
NCAA Division I Ball State saw its 10-game win streak end with a loss Sunday at Toledo. The Rich Maloney-coached Cardinals (17-9) fashioned a 6-1 week and moved to 12-2 in the Mid-American Conference.
Griffith graduate Amir Wright (.344) leads the BSU attack for the lead-off spot. Hamilton Heights graduate Tyler Schweitzer (4-2), Lawrence North alum Ty Johnson (4-1) and Bloomington North grad Sam Klein (six saves) are among the leading pitchers.
A 4-0 week for Notre Dame included a three-game Atlantic Coast Conference sweep at Florida State. The Irish won 2-0 in 12 innings, 5-4 (with one run in the eighth inning and two in the ninth) and 9-7 (with two eighth-inning runs). ND head coach Link Jarrett played at FSU.
A 4-0 week for Evansville (13-14) included a three-game non-conference sweep of Michigan State. Wes Carroll’s Purple Aces are 7-4 on their home turf.
Butler (14-14) went 4-1 on the week. Dave Schrage’s Bulldogs have won five of their last six heading into a Tuesday game at Notre Dame. Schrage reached 850 career wins earlier this spring.
NCAA Division II Indianapolis won three of four Great Lakes Valley Conference games at Truman as part of a 3-3 week. Al Ready’s Greyhounds are 5-5 in away contests.
Inclement weather meant no games for Dave Griffin’s Purdue Northwest squad. The Pride is 10-7.
Following a 5-1 week NAIA Taylor (24-10) is tied atop the Crossroads League standings with Mount Vernon Nazarene at 14-4. Kyle Gould’s Trojans were to play two at Saint Francis today (April 4).
Also in the Crossroads League, Rich Benjamin’s Indiana Wesleyan Wildcats (17-14) went 5-1 and Seth Zartman’s Bethel Pilots (13-21) went 4-2.

INDIANA COLLEGE BASEBALL
Records Through April 3
NCAA D-I
Purdue 18-5 (1-3 Big Ten)
Ball State 17-9 (12-2 MAC)
Notre Dame 16-5 (5-4 ACC)
Indiana State 15-8 (2-1 MVC)
Butler 14-14 (0-0 Big East)
Evansville 13-14 (0-0 MVC)
Valparaiso 11-11 (0-0 MVC)
Indiana 11-15 (1-2 Big Ten)
Purdue Fort Wayne 4-22 (2-7 Horizon)

NCAA D-II
Southern Indiana 13-13 (2-2 GLVC)
Purdue Northwest 10-7 (0-4 GLIAC)
Indianapolis 10-14 (5-3 GLVC)

NCAA D-III
Franklin 17-5 (2-0 HCAC)
Earlham 13-5 (2-0 HCAC)
Wabash 12-5 (0-2 NCAC)
Anderson 10-9 (2-0 HCAC)
Rose-Hulman 9-6 (0-2 HCAC)
Trine 8-10 (3-0 MIAA)
DePauw 8-10 (1-1 NCAC)
Hanover 7-12 (2-2 HCAC)
Manchester 5-10 (2-0 HCAC)

NAIA
Taylor 24-10 (14-4 CL)
Indiana University Southeast 22-10 (10-2 RSC)
Indiana University-Kokomo 20-11 (10-1 RSC)
Saint Francis 19-14 (8-8 CL)
Oakland City 19-15 (5-9 RSC)
Indiana Wesleyan 17-14 (12-6 CL)
Huntington 14-12 (12-6 CL)
Indiana Tech 14-15 (4-4 WHAC)
Marian 14-16 (6-10 CL)
Bethel 13-21 (7-11 CL)
Grace 12-19 (6-12 CL)
Indiana University South Bend 9-20 (3-10 CCAC)
Calumet of Saint Joseph 7-21 (2-9 CCAC)
Goshen 5-23 (2-16 CL)

Junior College
Vincennes 13-15 (6-6 MWAC)
Ivy Tech Northeast 9-6
Marian’s Ancilla 4-22 (2-4 MCCAA)

Week of March 28-April 3
NCAA D-I
Monday, March 28
Ball State 2, Western Michigan 0
Ball State 12, Western Michigan 5

Tuesday, March 29
Butler 7, Bellarmine 4
Evansville 10, Austin Peay 5
Notre Dame 11, Northern Illinois 2
Illinois-Chicago 10, Purdue 9
Purdue Fort Wayne 11, Valparaiso 3

Friday, April 1
Ball State 8, Toledo 1
Butler 1, Eastern Illinois 0
Evansville 7, Michigan State 2
Indiana 5, Northwestern 4
Indiana State 4, Illinois State 2
Notre Dame 2, Florida State 0 (12 inn.)
Illinois 8, Purdue 1
Wright State 5, Purdue Fort Wayne 3
Illinois-Chicago 9, Valparaiso 7
Valparaiso 8, Illinois-Chicago 3

Saturday, April 2
Ball State 7, Toledo 3
Ball State 10, Toledo 2
Eastern Illinois 3, Butler 2
Evansville 7, Michigan State 5
Northwestern 7, Indiana 6
Illinois State 12, Indiana State 2
Notre Dame 5, Florida State 4
Illinois 11, Purdue 10
Wright State 17, Purdue Fort Wayne 11

Sunday, April 3
Toledo 5, Ball State 1
Butler 2, Eastern Illinois 0
Butler 2, Eastern Illinois 1
Evansville 5, Michigan State 4
Northwestern 13, Indiana 6
Indiana State 5, Illinois State 2
Notre Dame 9, Florida State 7
Illinois 11, Purdue 8
Wright State 12, Purdue Fort Wayne 3
Valparaiso 5, Illinois-Chicago 2

NCAA D-II
Tuesday, March 29
Kentucky Wesleyan 8, Indianapolis 2
Kentucky Wesleyan 4, Indianapolis 1
Maryville 15, Southern Indiana 8

Friday, April 1
Truman 3, Indianapolis 2
Quincy 7, Southern Indiana 2

Saturday, April 2
Truman 3, Indianapolis 2
Indianapolis 4, Truman 2
Southern Indiana 5, Quincy 1
Quincy 5, Southern Indiana 3

Sunday, April 3
Indianapolis 9, Truman 3
Quincy 6, Southern Indiana 4

NCAA D-III
Monday, March 28
Franklin 9, St. Olaf 8

Tuesday, March 29
Carson-Newman 13, DePauw 3
Wittenberg 10, Earlham 5
St. Olaf 4, Franklin 3
Hanover 15, Mount St. Joseph 14 (13 inn.)
Hanover 9, Mount St. Joseph 5
Rose-Hulman 7, Wabash 1
Ohio Northern 12, Trine 11

Wednesday, March 30
Anderson 15, Greenville 5
DePauw 10, Earlham 3
Franklin 7, Williams 6
Heidelberg 8, Manchester 2

Saturday, April 2
DePauw 12, Wooster 4
Wooster 13, DePauw 6
Earlham 7, Mount St. Joseph 4
Earlham 12, Mount St. Joseph 8
Franklin 16, Bluffton 4
Franklin 13, Bluffton 3
Manchester 6, Hanover 2
Manchester 6, Hanover 2
Trine 3, Olivet 0
Trine 13, Olivet 3
Allegheny 8, Wabash 3
Allegheny 11, Wabash 0

Sunday, April 3
Anderson 4, Rose-Hulman 3
Anderson 6, Rose-Hulman 5
Trine 4, Olivet 2

NAIA
Tuesday, March 29
Bethel 6, Marian 4
Marian 8, Bethel 0
St. Francis (Ill.) 7, Calumet of St. Joseph 1
IU Southeast 16, Campbellsville 7
Indiana Wesleyan 9, Grace 7
Grace 5, Indiana Wesleyan 3
Spring Arbor 16, Huntington 14
Huntington 15, Spring Arbor 2
Concordia 6, Indiana Tech 5
Indiana Tech 5, Concordia 3
Taylor 13, Saint Francis 1
Taylor 11, Saint Francis 0
Mt. Vernon Nazarene 5, Goshen 3
Mt. Vernon Nazarene 3, Goshen 1

Wednesday, March 30
Lawrence Tech 5, IU Kokomo 4
Lawrence Tech 10, IU Kokomo 4
St. Francis (Ill.) 12, IU South Bend 4
Indiana Wesleyan 18, Thomas More 4

Friday, April 1
Grace 9, Bethel 4
Bethel 13, Grace 3
Taylor 12, Goshen 1
Goshen 3, Taylor 2
IU Kokomo 15, Midway 5
Midway 5, IU Kokomo 4
Olivet Nazarene 10, IU South Bend 0
Olivet Nazarene 11, IU South Bend 3
IU Southeast 8, Oakland City 7
IU Southeast 16, Oakland City 4
Indiana Wesleyan 12, Saint Francis 1
Indiana Wesleyan 11, Saint Francis 5

Saturday, April 2
Bethel 4, Grace 2
Bethel 3, Grace 0
Taylor 13, Goshen 1
Taylor 10, Goshen 3
Huntington 10, Marian 6
Huntington 14, Marian 12 (8 inn.)
IU Kokomo 7, Midway 6 (10 inn.)
Olivet Nazarene 9, IU South Bend 5
Oakland City 10, IU Southeast 9 (11 inn.)
Cornerstone 5, Indiana Tech 4
Cornerstone 9, Indiana Tech 3
Indiana Wesleyan 11, Saint Francis 1
Indiana Wesleyan 13, Saint Francis 6

Sunday, April 3
Aquinas 5, Indiana Tech 2
Indiana Tech 7, Aquinas 5

Junior College
Tuesday, March 29
Marian’s Ancilla 2, Glen Oaks 1
Glen Oaks 5, Marian’s Ancilla 3

Friday, April 1
Muskegon 4, Marian’s Ancilla 0
Muskegon 11, Marian’s Ancilla 2
Vincennes vs. Danville Area 8, Vincennes 3
Vincennes vs. Danville Area 6, Vincennes 1

Saturday, April 2
Olney Central 3, Ivy Tech Northeast 0

Sunday, April 3
Marian’s Ancilla vs. Muskegon
Danville Area 7, Vincennes 5
Vincennes 7, Danville Area 6

Oakland City U. off to 11-4 start in 2022

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

The Mighty Oaks of Oakland City University swing some mighty potent bats in improving to 11-4 on the 2022 baseball season.
OCU went 6-1 for the Week of Feb. 21-27 and collected 49 hits — 16 for extra bases — in a four-game sweep of Grace Christian.
Chandler Dunn (.533, 12 runs batted in, 16 runs scored), Noah Baugher (.419, 11 R), Payton Hall (Benton Central High School graduate) (.400, 17 R), Treven Madden (2 home runs, 12 RBIs), Sam Pinckert (Heritage Hills) (2 HR, 16 RBIs, 12 R), Bailey Falkenstien (Jeffersonville) (2 HR), Gehrig Tenhumberg (Evansville Reitz) (2-0, 2.70 earned run average, 23 strikeouts, 3 walks, 20 innings) and Milan VanDerBreggen (2-1, 2.38, 15 K’s, 1 base on balls, 11 1/3 IP) are among leaders for Andy Lasher-coached Mighty Oaks.
Oakland City went 17-27 in 2021.
In other NAIA play, Taylor — coached by Kyle Gould — moved to 9-6 with a 3-1 week. On the season, offensive leaders include T.J. Bass (Greenwood Community) (.356 average, 5 HR, 26 RBIs), Kaleb Kolpien (Homestead) (.474, 12 RBIs) and Camden Knepp (Northridge) (12 RBIs). On the mound, Matt Duktowski (NorthWood) is 2-0 with 16 K’s and three walks over 15 1/3 innings.
Todd Bacon-coached Marian went 2-2 for the week and is 8-6. For the season, A.J. Bordenet (Lafayette Central Catholic) (.458, 11 RBIs), Jackson Hogg (.390), Bryce Davenport (.350, 3 HR, 10 RBIs), Kato Hironori (2 HR) and Brodie Rinehold (Franklin Community) (2 HR) are among top batsmen. Pitcher Damien Wallace (Indianapolis Cardinal Ritter) has made four starts and is 3-0 with 3.05 ERA, 24 K’s and eight walks in 20 2/3 innings.
Some other NAIA performers: Indiana University Southeast — Trevor Campbell (.364) and Brody Tanksley (Bedford North Lawrence) (4 HR, 10 RBIs); Indiana Tech — Jacob Daftari (Hamilton Southeastern) (.471) and Manuel Ascanio (.407); Indiana University-Kokomo — Dylan Steele (Bloomington North) (.357) and Ben Harris (Northwestern) (2-1, 2.08, 13 K’s, 10 BB, 13 IP); Grace — Alex Rich (Crown Point) (.395, 11 RBIs), Chris Griffin (.375, 10 RBIs), Sam Newkirk (3 HR, 11 RBIs) and Austin Carr (Franklin Central) (10 RBIs); Bethel — Andrew Sarno (.474), Jake Schlasky (Crown Point) (10 RBIs), Jeremy Wiersema (9 RBIs, 7-of-8 on stolen bases) and Frank Plesac (Crown Point) (2-1, 2.55, 21 K’s, 5 BB, 17 2/3 IP); and Goshen — Morgan Baker (2 HR in Game 1 vs. Brescia).
NCAA Division I Purdue is off to an 8-0 start. Led by Curtis Washington Jr. (7-of-7) and Evan Albrecht (6-of-6), the Boliermakers are 35-of-35 in stolen base attempts.
Albrecht (.462), Washington (.375), Cam Thompson (13 RBIs) and Jackson Smeltz (McCutcheon) (2-0, 1.07, 18 K’s, 4 BB, 9 1/3 IP) are among the hot Boilermakers, which are coached by Greg Goff.
Some other top NCAA D-I performers: Notre Dame — Ryan Cole (.500, 6 RBI, 5-5 SB), Brooks Coetze (2 HR), Carter Putz (8 RBI), Jack Brannigan (6 RBI), Aidan Tyrell (2-0, 0.00, 11 K’s, 3 BB, 11 IP) and John Michael Bertrand (2-0. 0.69, 19 K’s, 1 BB, 13 IP; Indiana State — Jordan Schaffer (West Vigo) (.414), Diego Gines (.407), Mike Sears (2 HR), Parker Stinson (Yorktown) (9 RBI), Miguel Rivera (6 RBI), Sean Ross (6 RBI) and Matt Jachec (2-0. 1.35, 13 K’s, 0 BB, 13 1/3 IP); Valparaiso — Kaleb Hannahs (West Vigo) (.474, 2 HR, 7 runs), Alex Thurston (.353), Kyle Schmack (South Central of Union Mills) (.333, 5 RBIs) and Colin Fields 1-0, 1.64, 15 K’s, 5 BB, 11 IP); Butler — Travis Holt (.478, 7 R, 5-6 SB), James Gargano (7 RBIs), Cole McDaniel (1-0, 2.25) and Derek Drees (0-0, 2 games, 10 K’s, 3 BB, 5 IP); Ball State — Amir Wright (Griffith) (.333); Indiana — Bobby Whalen (.391, 4 RBI, 5-5 SB), Matthew Ellis (2 HR) and Braydon Tucker (Northview) (0-1, 1.93, 2 appearances, 5 K, 5 BB, 4 2/3 IP); Evansville — Mark Shallenberger (.304) and Nick Smith (Boonville) (0-1, 1.61, 9 1/3 IP); and Purdue Fort Wayne — Alex Evenson (.320) and Jack Lang (Hamilton Southeastern) (.310, 6 RBIs).
Tracy Archuleta-coached Southern Indiana is out of the gate at 6-0. The Screaming Eagles have been led by Lucas McNew (Borden) (.455, 2 HR, 13 RBIs through 5 games), Ethan Hunter (Terre Haute South Vigo) (11 RBIs) and Brice Stuteville (South Spencer) (0-0, 1.42, 3 games, 8 K’s, 0 BB, 6 1/3 IP).
Other top NCAA D-II performers: Indianapolis — Alex Vela (Cardinal Ritter) (.478, 6 RBIs, 11 R, 5-7 SB), Caleb Vaughan (Lawrence North) (.409, 10 R), Drew Donaldson (8 RBI) and Xavier Rivas (Portage) (1-0, 1.93, 2 games, 23 K’s, 6 BB, 14 IP).
In NCAA Division III, the Adam Rosen Era began at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology with the Fightin’ Engineers winning both of the first-year head coach’s first two games. Adam Taylor (Perry Meridian) (5 RBI’s), Josh Mesenbrink (4 RBI’s), Brett Tuttle (1 HR, 5 R) and Ian Kline (1-0, 1.50, 4 2/3 IP) are among the RHIT leaders.
Other top NCAA D-III performers: Earlham — Cameron McCabe (.500), Zach Swearingen (.500), Andrew Bradley (.500), Maxwell Fries (8 RBIs) and Keodon Kuderer (6 R); Franklin — Logan Demkovich (Munster) (2 HR); DePauw — Evan Barnes .588 through 4 games), Cameron Macon .563, 2 HR, 9 RBIs, 8 R) and Cameron Allen (9 R); Wabash — Liam Patton (Warsaw) (.800 3 2B, 3 RBIs), Camden Scheidt (Highland) (.500), Reese Bauer (Northeast Dubois) (.500) and Dylan Scheid (Lawrence North) (0-0, 1.50, 1 game, 8 Ks, 0 BB, 6 IP); Anderson — Jake Stank (Mount Vernon of Fortville) (.444) and Tyler Smitherman (Westfield) (2 HR); and Manchester — Brady Perez (Rochester) (2 HR, 4 RBIs).
In junior college, Vincennes U.’s Colton Evans is hitting .465 and Connor VanLannen is 1-1 with a 1.80 ERA and 18 K’s in 15 innings.

INDIANA COLLEGE BASEBALL
Records Through Feb. 27

NCAA D-I
Purdue 8-0
Notre Dame 5-1
Indiana State 5-2
Valparaiso 3-2
Butler 3-3
Ball State 2-5
Indiana 1-5
Evansville 1-6
Purdue Fort Wayne 0-8

NCAA D-II
Southern Indiana 6-0
Indianapolis 3-3
Purdue Northwest 0-0

NCAA D-III
Earlham 3-0
Franklin 3-0
DePauw 3-2
Rose-Hulman 2-0
Wabash 2-0
Anderson 1-4
Trine 1-2
Hanover 0-2
Manchester 0-2

NAIA
Oakland City 11-4
Taylor 9-6
Marian 8-6
Saint Francis 6-4
Bethel 6-10
Indiana Tech 5-4
Indiana University-Kokomo 5-4
Indiana University Southeast 5-6
Grace 5-7
Goshen 3-5
Indiana Wesleyan 3-7
Indiana University South Bend 2-5
Huntington 2-6
Calumet of Saint Joseph 0-2

Junior College
Vincennes 4-5
Marian’s Ancilla 1-10
Ivy Tech Northeast 0-0

Week of Feb. 21-27
NCAA D-I
Wednesday, Feb. 23
Vanderbilt 9, Evansville 0

Friday, Feb. 25
UNC-Wilmington 2, Ball State 0
Butler 6, Jackson State 5
Arkansas 5, Indiana 2
Indiana State 14, Merrimack 2
Notre Dame 20, Marist 2
Purdue 9, Princeton 3
Purdue 8, Princeton 3
California Baptist 4, Purdue Fort Wayne
Valparaiso 9, Alabama A&M 2
Valparaiso 3, Alabama A&M 2

Saturday, Feb. 26
Middle Tennessee 1, Ball State 0
Butler 10, Prairie View 1
Butler 9, Jackson State 1
Evansville 11, Dayton 2
Indiana 12, Louisiana-Lafayette 4
Indiana State 16, Minnesota 3
Notre Dame 16, Monmouth 2
Notre Dame 9, Monmouth 0
Purdue 4, Princeton 3
Purdue 5, Princeton 4
California Baptist 23, Purdue Fort Wayne 5
California Baptist 5, Purdue Fort Wayne 3

Sunday, Feb. 27
Coastal Carolina 7, Ball State 2
Dayton 4, Evansville 2
Dayton 5, Evansville 4
Stanford 13, Indiana 0
Indiana State 14, Minnesota 8
Purdue Fort Wayne vs. California Baptist

NCAA D-II
Saturday, Feb. 26
Northwood 11, Indianapolis 6
Northwood 5, Indianapolis 4
Southern Indiana 12, Lake Erie 4

Sunday, Feb. 27
Northwood 9, Indianapolis 4
Southern Indiana 8, Lake Erie 3

NCAA D-III
Wednesday, Feb. 23
Centre 9, Hanover 1

Saturday, Feb. 26
Otterbein 8, Anderson 3
Baldwin Wallace 9, DePauw 8
Franklin 20, Albion 1
North Central 15, Manchester 5
Hope 16, Manchester 5
Wabash 3, Heidelberg 2
Maryville 4, Hanover 1
Earlham 20, Olivet 4
Earlham 9, Olivet 4
Asbury 5, Trine 4
Asbury 5, Trine 1

Sunday, Feb. 27
Baldwin Wallace 9, Anderson 4
DePauw 10, Transylvania 4
Earlham 10, Olivet 9
Franklin 11, Albion 6
Franklin 11, Albion 5
Wabash 15, Otterbein 5
Rose-Hulman 14, North Vermont-Lyndon 1
Rose-Hulman 12, North Vermon-Lyndon 11
Trine 3, Asbury 1

NAIA
Monday, Feb. 21
Bethel 5, Oakland City 3
Oakland City 5, Bethel 4 (8 inn.)
IU-Kokomo 5, Calumet of Saint Joseph 2
IU-Kokomo 5, Calumet of Saint Joseph 1
Indiana Tech 4, Indiana Wesleyan 3
Indiana Wesleyan 6, Indiana Tech 3
Marian 11, Georgetown 9

Wednesday, Feb. 23
Oakland City 9, Asbury 2

Thursday, Feb. 24
Bethel 11, Toccoa Falls 7

Friday, Feb. 25
Toccoa Falls 7, Bethel 1
Faulkner 3, Indiana Wesleyan 2
Indiana Wesleyan 4, Faulkner 3
Marian 9, Edward Waters 5
Edward Waters 8, Marian 7
Edward Waters 2, Marian 1
Taylor 8, Olivet Nazarene 6
Olivet Nazarene 2, Taylor 1

Saturday, Feb. 26
Bethel 4, Toccoa Falls 0
Bethel 4, Toccoa Falls 3
Faulkner 8, Indiana Wesleyan 4
Faulkner 4, Indiana Wesleyan 3
Oakland City 13, Grace Christian 1
Oakland City 13, Grace Christian 4
Saint Francis 7, IU South Bend 5
Saint Francis 7, IU South Bend 6
Taylor 11, Olivet Nazarene 1
Taylor 9, Olivet Nazarene 5

Sunday, Feb. 27
Brescia 5, Goshen 4
Brescia 8, Goshen 5
Oakland City 11, Grace Christian 1
Oakland City 26, Grace Christian 0
Indiana Tech 6, IU Kokomo 2
Indiana Tech 7, IU Kokomo 5

Junior College
Monday, Feb. 21
Vincennes 10, Marian’s Ancilla 2
Vincennes 3, South Suburban 1

Saturday, Feb. 26
Clark State 4, Marian’s Ancilla 3
Clark State 9, Marian’s Ancilla 4

Sunday, Feb. 27
Marian’s Ancilla 10, Clark State 9
Clark State 7, Marian’s Ancilla 3
Morton 10, Vincennes 5
Joliet 10, Vincennes 3

Baseball part of mix for new McClellan-led Indiana University-Purdue University Columbus athletic department

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

The state has added another college baseball program.
Indiana University-Purdue University Columbus is launching an athletic department and baseball is a part of it.
Zach McClellan is the Crimson Pride’s first athletic director and baseball head coach.
The school has applied for membership in the NAIA and hopes to be participating in the River States Conference. IUPUC is awaiting decisions on both.
The 43-year-old McClellan says the NAIA is to visit the campus to look at academics and athletics Feb. 28-March 1.
McClellan, a Toledo, Ohio, native who pitched three seasons at Indiana University (1998-2000) and 10 years in professional baseball including a stint with the Colorado Rockies (2007), says that regardless of NAIA status in the coming year, Crimson Pride teams will participate in cross country, softball and baseball during the 2022-23 academic year.
The AD/coach says there are no immediate plans to build a baseball field on the small satellite campus, but IUPUC is in conversations with local high schools — Columbus East, Columbus North and Hauser among them — as well as CERALand Park (a host to many travel ball events) about a place to play home games.
Athletes have already been announcing their commitment to the NAIA-applicant school.
“I’m giving (recruits) very transparent answers about what could and couldn’t happen,” says McClellan. “For me, it’s more important for the players to commit to IUPUC and the process.”
As a first-time college administrator and head coach, McClellan has welcomed help from those with experience.
“One of the guys that I have a lot of respect for is Kyle Gould at Taylor University (in Upland, Ind.),” says McClellan. “He’s the AD at Taylor and he’s the baseball coach and great at both.”
To help build the team and culture, McClellan will be hiring assistant coaches.
“I want to win,” says McClellan, who had more than 150 players from around the world show interest when word got out about the formation of the start-up program. “To win I’ve got to build a great developmental plan for those kids.
“The plan specifically for baseball is to bring in 50 players by the fall to have a varsity and (junior varsity) team and IUPUC. I took the job to help people. I took it to give them an opportunity to go to a great institution and get a degree from Indiana or Purdue with very affordable tuition.”
Giving advice to players and their families looking at college baseball, McClellan implores them to do their research to find the right fit.
“I don’t think anybody truly wants to transfer four times in four years,” says McClellan. “The transfer portal stuff is a necessary evil. I’m glad it empowers players to become happy. But you really should be looking for that spot you can call home for four to five years. Get your degree, play at a high level and enjoy it.
“Pick the right opportunity for yourself and don’t short change any opportunity.”
McClellan moved to Columbus, Ind., in 2010 after taking a job with LHP Engineering Solutions. He has established two businesses including Demand Command (a travel sports organization with teams in Indiana, Ohio and Arizona) and CG Velocity (an entity created to develop baseball pitching expertise for players ages 7 to 25). He holds a B.S. degree from Indiana University and an Masters of Business Administration from University of Phoenix and is currently an adjunct faculty member in the Division of Business at IUPUC.
“I’m a big advocate for education and teaching,” says McClellan, who enjoyed guiding a Personal Brand class for MBA students.
Besides Business, Nursing and Mechanical Engineerina (Purdue) are among the major offered at the school.
“There’s a lot of knowledge at IUPUC,” says McClellan. “There’s a lot of knowledgable people with smaller classes. That’s value-added.
“Hopefully academics can shine the light on how good academics really is.”
“So far everyone has expressed interest in working with us,” says McClellan. “There are a lot of options here in Columbus.”
There are just over 900 undergraduate students at IUPUC. Many are commuters. Student-athletes looking for housing are being referred to The Annex of Columbus — apartments within walking distance of the campus.
McClellan sees being close rather than having a long commute as ideal.
“You have to understand that you are a student-athlete and not an athlete-student,” says McClellan. “You have to be committed to your books. That’s tough because — let’s face it — baseball at the collegiate level is like a second job. It’s hard to commute from more than 30 or 40 minutes away and do what we’re trying to do. You’re going to be working out early in the morning and late at night. You’re going to be studying and finding something to eat. And you have to get your sleep.
“We’re looking for elite-level players — on and off the field — that’s what college baseball is.”
McClellan notes that there is a reason sports is a pyramid and not a square.
“Sometimes it weeds you out when you’re not fully-committed to what you’re doing,” says McClellan. “That’s why The Annex of Columbus is a pivotal piece.”
Zach and wife Sarah live in Columbus with three daughters — Mia, Miley and Emery.

Zach McClellan (Indiana University-Purdue University Columbus Photo)

Kinzer enjoys baseball bonds as player, scout, agent, coach

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

Matt Kinzer has an eye for baseball talent.
The former Norwell High School (Ossian, Ind.) and Purdue University athlete who played in the majors and the National Football League was living in Fort Wayne, Ind., when he became an amateur scout in 1995 with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.
Kinzer was responsible for assessing amateur players in Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Illinois, Ontario and Quebec.
After five years with Tampa Bay, Kinzer spent a decade as a baseball agent for Reynolds Sports Management, whose owner and CEO is Larry Reynolds (older brother of big league second baseman Harold Reynolds).
“I was his recruiting coordinator for the whole country,” says Kinzer. “We hoped these amateurs are going to make the big leagues and get paid.”
Among others, Kinzer got the Upton brothers — B.J. and Justin — to commit to the company.
LaTroy Hawkins, a Gary, Ind., native who pitched in 1,042 games over 21 MLB seasons, was also a Kinzer client and later went into the Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame.
At the 2010 Winter Meetings, Dan Jennings (who had been with the Devil Rays) hired Kinzer as a pro scout for the Miami Marlins.
Kinzer went to minor league games and an occasional major league contest to evaluate players and file reports for potential trade opportunities.
The first year he scouted the entire Midwest League out of Fort Wayne. During his five years with the Marlins, he also did international scouting in the Dominican Republic.
While Kinzer was still with the Marlins, the Atlanta Braves called for permission to interview him to scout on the major league side and take on special assignments. He talked with general manager John Coppolella and accepted the deal.
“That gave me a seat at the big table,” says Kinzer, who worked with top executives including president John Hart and senior advisor John Schuerholz in giving opinions and developing a preferential list of who could be traded and who was hands-off in the Braves minor league system. “It took us a couple of years to turn that club around.”
Kinzer also did advanced scouting to check out possible playoff opponents for Atlanta. He had the Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League and Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees in the American League.
Because of COVID-19 and budgetary reasons, the Braves dismissed the entire major league scouting staff toward the end of the 2020 season.
Leading up to the Tokyo Olympics (which were postponed from 2020 to 2021), Kinzer selected by his peers to sit on the committee that chose Team USA. They started with a big pool and narrowed it down to the final roster.
“It was hard assignment because you could only get guys not on a 40-man roster or had get permission from a club for them to play,” says Kinzer. “It was an honor to be part of the decision-making for our country.”
When Kinzer joined the process, Joe Girardi was Team USA manager. When Girardi became Philadelphia Phillies manager the job was passed to Scott Brosius and it wound up with Mike Scioscia.
“I got to listen to Joe Girardi on how he likes to design a team and I said to myself, ‘this is pretty cool,’” says Kinzer. “It was a very humbling experience. You put all those years into working the game of baseball and someone has recognized your ability to evaluate.”
More recently, Kinzer has lent his appraisal skills as a consultant for Program 15 — a part of New Balance Future Stars baseball tournaments. He lives in Lakeland, Fla., and writes player reports on weekends.
Kinzer is also a special events coordinator and fundraising director for Major League Fishing — a circuit that features the world’s top bass anglers.
He is helping prepare for a charity fishing event featuring current and former major leaguers Nov. 19-21 in Guntersville, Ala.
“I’ve spent three decades in the game professionally building trust with current and former guys and their second love is fishing,” says Kinzer. “I grew up on a pond and I liked fishing.”
Participants have baseball and angling in common.
“There’s a connection there,” says Kinzer. “They have a tight fraternity. They’re good old boys.”
Kinzer played youth baseball for IHSBCA Hall of Famer Colin Lister and graduated from Norwell in 1981.
As a sophomore, it was discovered how well he did in booting a football and he led Indiana high schoolers in punting as a junior and senior. He went to Purdue on a full ride in football and also played baseball.
He was selected in the second round of the 1984 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft by the Cardinals and made his MLB debut in 1989 at age 25 and went on to pitch nine games for the 1989 Cardinals and 1990 Detroit Tigers. He punted seven times in his one NFL game with the Detroit Lions with a long of 42 yards in Week 5 of 1987 against the Green Bay Packers.
Kinzer, 58, has three sons who all played baseball and graduated from Homestead High School in Fort Wayne.
Taylor Kinzer (33) was drafted twice as a right-handed pitcher — once at the end of his high school career in 2006 in the 34th round by the Washington Nationals and then out of Taylor University (Upland, Ind.) in the 24th round in 2009 by the Los Angeles Angels and competed three seasons in the minors.
Derek Kinzer (31) was an outfielder for IHSAA Class 4A state runner Homestead in 2008, graduated in 2009 and also played at Taylor.
Jordan Kinzer (29) played junior college baseball and now serves in the U.S. Navy.
Matt Kinzer, a Northeast Indiana Baseball Association Hall of Famer, was head baseball coach at Indiana Purdue-Fort Wayne in 1993 and 1994 and a volunteer assistant coach at Taylor 2011-14 and got to work with Trojans head coach Kyle Gould and assistant and IHSBCA Hall of Famer Rick Atkinson.
‘Kyle is one of the best non-Division I coaches around,” says Kinzer. “It was an honor to share a bench with Coach A.
“The game itself creates a fraternity and a bond that lasts forever.”

Matt Kinzer.

Wapahani, Ball State graduate Wilburn takes over Delta baseball program

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

The way Devin Wilburn sees it, life is about timing.
Just when he and his wife were looking to move closer to home and family for the arrival of their first child, a job opportunity opened up.
Teacher Devin and nurse Maddie Wilburn were living in Florida when the chance to come to come back to the Muncie, Ind., area came as daughter Tatum was on the way.
Tatum is now 2 months old and Devin (who turned 30 on Sept. 18) is the head baseball coach and a physical education teacher at Delta High School.
Delta (enrollment around 800) is a member of the Hoosier Heritage Conference (with Greenfield-Central, Mt. Vernon of Fortville, New Castle, New Palestine, Pendleton Heights, Shelbyville and Yorktown).
In 2021, the Eagles were part of an IHSAA Class 3A sectional grouping with Guerin Catholic, Hamilton Heights, Jay County, New Castle and Yorktown. Delta has won 13 sectional crowns — the last in 2016.
The Wilburns reside in Selma, about 10 minutes from both sets of grandparents and in the same town where they graduated from Wapahani High School.
Devin went 24-9 and struck out 309 batters while while walking 79 in 203 1/3 innings while playing for Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Famer Brian Dudley and graduating in 2010.
“A lot of stuff fell in place,” says Devin Wilburn, who comes to the Eagles after spending the 2021 season as an assistant to head coach Kyle Gould at Taylor University in Upland, Ind., after one spring season (2020) as head coach at Countryside High School in Clearwater Fla.
Wilburn, who holds a Sport Administration degree (2014) and Masters in Sport Administration (2016) from Ball State University, was an assistant to head coach Rich Maloney at BSU in Muncie in 2019 after spending the fall of 2018 on Matt Bair’s staff at Anderson (Ind.) University. He was the pitching coach at Taylor 2015-18.
A left-handed pitcher, Wilburn played three seasons for head coaches Alex Marconi (2011 and 2012) and Maloney (2015).
At 20, Wilburn had a colon procedure and spent the better part of two years recuperating then returned to the diamond with the Cardinals.
“It was a cool ending to my career,” says Wilburn. “I working out with my best friend, Jon Keesling (who played at Wapahani then Indiana Wesleyan University in Marion).
“My ball was moving pretty good. Maybe I’ll give (a comeback) a shot.”
Wilburn made the team and in 27 mound appearances (26 in relief) went 4-2 for a 33-25 squad that played in the Mid-American Conference championship game in 2015.
“That last year I got to play changed my life in so many ways,” says Wilburn. It was through Ball State volunteer assistant Rhett Goodmiller that he was connected with Taylor.
The summer before joining the Trojans, Wilburn was the head coach of the Indiana Prospects 17U national travel team. The talented club featured future Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft first-round pick J.J. Bleday plus two others now in the minors — Gianluca Dalatri and Sean Mooney — with the help of father Bryan Wilburn.
Wilburn has formed his coaching philosophy through the men he played for and coached with — Dudley, Maloney and Gould — and more.
“Along the way you make it yours,” says Wilburn. “You learn from coaching conventions and podcasts and put your own spin on it.
“I’ve been fortunate enough to be around some really good baseball teams and coaches.
“Coach Dudley and I have a real good relationship. He just does things the right way. He was my first mentor. I learned so much from him.
“He had such a high expectation for us. He let us shine with what we were good at.”
Devin, the only child of Bryan and Missie Wilburn, moved from Muncie to Selma in the fourth grade and his first teacher was Jason Dudley, Brian’s son and a longtime Wapahani baseball assistant.
“I was part of those good traditions that shape your life in so many ways,” says Wilburn, who counted three former Wapahani teammates in the wedding party when he married Maddie a little over three years ago. “I’m so grateful to go through that program.
“I look back fondly on my high school days.”
A youth baseball coach for several decades, Russell Wilburn had a field named in his honor in Muncie’s Chambers Park when Devin was a young boy.
Bryan Wilburn and brother Dan both played baseball at Muncie Central High School and Bryan went on to the diamond life at Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis and Dan to Valparaiso University.
After being recruited by Greg Beals, playing for Marconi and then Maloney, the latter hired him as an assistant.
“I wore many hats,” says Wilburn. “I got to work with catchers and some with outfielders. My end goal was to find a head coaching job at small college or high school.
“I wanted to be a well-rounded coach.”
Wilburn is appreciative of Blake Beemer, who was a Cardinals teammate and then a coaching colleague.
“I’m grateful for his mentorship,” says Wilburn of Beemer. “I also coached with Dustin Glant. He’s one of the smartest guys I’ve ever heard talk about pitching.”
Gould gave Wilburn his first crack at college coaching.
“He is probably the best mentor in my life,” says Wilburn. “I’ve learned so much from him from the baseball and the life perspective
“He opened my eyes in so many different ways. I could not be more grateful for the time I spent over there learning from him. (Taylor) is a wonderful place.”
It was at Taylor that Wilburn also got to be on staff with IHSBCA Hall of Famer Rick Atkinson and Justin Barber.
“Coach A forgot more about baseball than what I knew,” says Wilburn. “Justin and I had a good relationship when we recruited his players when he was with the Indiana Chargers.”
At Delta, Wilburn has hired former Ball State teammate Scott Baker as his pitching coach with other assistant hires pending school board approval.
The Eagles play on Veteran’s Field.
“We’ve got a couple of projects,” says Wilburn, whose been assessing Delta’s baseball needs since taking the job. “We’ve got a nice facility and a real supportive booster club.”
Feeders for Wilburn’s program include Delta Little League in Royerton and East Central Indiana junior high league run by Jason Dudley.
Current senior left-hander Nick Crabtree has committed to Taylor.
And Wilburn continues his love affair with the game.
Says the coach, “Baseball is what keeps me sane in life and forget the daily stress.”

Devin Wilburn (Delta High School Image)

The Wilburns (from left): Maddie, Tatum and Devin.

Devin and Maddie Wilburn with daughter Tatum.

Devin Wilburn (red pullover) with Ball State University head coach Rich Maloney (2), assistant Blake Beemer (24) and the Cardinals in 2019.

Devin Wilburn (right) coaches at Taylor University.

Devin Wilburn and the Taylor University baseball team celebrate a victory.

Devin Wilburn (second from left) with mentor and Taylor University head baseball coach Kyle Gould.