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

Advertisement

McCrary makes baseball strides at tiny Vincennes Rivet

By STEVE KRAH

http://www.IndianaRBI.com

Brian McCrary does not have a deep roster or abundant resources, but the head coach is working to make his athletes better at Rivet Middle/High School in Vincennes, Ind.

McCrary enters his third season in charge of the Patriots in 2019 after years in the travel baseball world.

In each of his first two seasons at the Catholic school, McCrary has had to find enough players to field a team. With just two seniors on a team made up mostly of freshmen and sophomores, Rivet won two games in 2017.

“We took some lumps,” says McCrary. “Working on mentality alone was a challenge.

“We got run-ruled left and right.”

The win total tripled in 2018.

“We were improving with basically the same team,” says McCrary. “It is a process at Rivet. You get a leadership class of two or three kids then what do you have after that?

“If you have numbers, you have options. We don’t have numbers. We get the most out of them. We’ve made tremendous strides.”

Ten players — three are seniors, three juniors, four sophomores — are back for 2019 on a roster of 11. All but two play basketball.

The seniors are McCaine Claycomb, Colton Mouzin and Austin Thomas. Claycomb was the Vincennes Sun-Commercial Player of the Year. Mouzin is an all-area baseball and soccer player. The Patriots were impacted last year when catcher Thomas got hurt and left the lineup.

Rivet (enrollment around 80 for Grades 9-12 with less than 30 boys) is a member of the Blue Chip Athletic Conference (with Barr-Reeve, Loogootee, North Knox, Northeast Dubois, Shoals, South Knox, Washington Catholic and Wood Memorial).

Non-conference opponents include Dugger, Evansville Bosse, Evansville Memorial, Jasper, Lawrenceville (Ill.), Linton-Stockton, Mount Carmel (Ill.), North Central (Farmersburg), Olney (Ill.) and Princeton. In the past, the Patriots have played Lincoln and Sullivan.

Rivet is part of an IHSAA Class 1A sectional grouping with Barr-Reeve, Loogootee, North Daviess and Shoals. The Patriots have won nine sectional titles — the last two in 2013 and 2014. The Patriots were 1A state runners-up to Lafayette Central Catholic in both 2009 and 2013.

McCrary constantly educates himself about the game by attending clinics and talking with experts.

“I’ve learned a lot,” says McCrary. “Expanding my knowledge to pass on to these kids is my job.” He was at the Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association State Clinic in January. He has also learned from Mike Rodgers, who pitched for the University of Mississippi, the independent Evansville Otters and runs the The Inside Korner training facility in Olney, Ill., which is about 30 miles west of Vincennes.

McCrary met Rodgers at a travel ball clinic. McCrary and his two oldest sons — Colton (a senior at Vincennes Lincoln High School) and Cayden (a seventh grader at Clark Middle School) — have been affiliated with the Vincennes Green Monsters. Brian and Chelsea McCrary’s other two children are first-grade son Ryker and and 2-year-old daughter Oakley.

Rivet players get attention from a coaching staff that includes assistants Conner Eck, Curt Hunkler, Mike Mayles, Curt McCrary and Landon Robbins. Eck, Hunkler and Robbins all played at Lincoln Trail College in Robinson, Ill. Hunker, Mayles and Robbins are Rivet graduates. Curt McCrary is Brian’s cousin.

“We have classroom work — chalkboard and video — and turn it over to drills,” says McCrary, who has figured out that his team is made up of individuals with differing outlooks and ways of learning.

“Not every kid’s the same,” says McCrary. “Kids today are nowhere near kids of old. Kids’ styles and demeanors have changed completely.

“You have to be willing to change with these kids a little bit to make it work.”

Like other coaches of spring sports, McCrary has to contend with the fact that athletes are sometimes ready for a break by the time their season roles around.

“Baseball suffers because it’s at the end of the school year,” says McCrary. He notes that spring break this year coincides with the beginning of preseason practice (March 11).

The Rivet campus is located on Barnett Street. The school plays its home baseball games on a field about three miles away near Lincoln High and St. Vincent Rectory on Hart Street. The grounds also has an indoor facility known as “The Butch” in honor of late supporter Butch Thomas.

Chad Thomas had the building built in his father’s honor and also helps attend to the maintenance of the diamond.

The team is responsible for the upkeep of the field and the funding of the program.

“We buy our baseballs, uniforms, dirt and chalk,” says McCrary. “Our kids respect what they have.”

Established in 1958, Vincennes Cub League offers baseball for kids as young as 4. The organization hosted the 10U Cal Ripken World Series in 2018. Also last year, a Babe Ruth League was added for ages 13-15.

McCrary says he would like to see more of an emphasis on fundamentals at the Cub level.

A 1996 Vincennes Lincoln graduate, McCrary played baseball for the Alices until his junior year then put all of his energy into another sport as a senior.

“I fell in love with wrestling,” says McCrary, who went on to start the Vincennes Grapplers Club.

It was on the mat in high school that he had an experience that he shares with his young athletes today.

McCrary was competing in the semistate needing to win his second aka “ticket” round match to qualify for the IHSAA State Finals. He was ahead 5-1 in the final period when his opponent rallied to beat him 6-5.

“Just because you’re supposed to be there doesn’t mean you’re going to get there,” says McCrary. “It takes work.”

With a renewed interest in baseball, McCrary attend a 1998 Cincinnati Reds tryout camp at Bosse Field in Evansville. He made the first two day of cuts then decided not to attend the third day. His wife, Chelsea, was closer to completing her degree at Indiana Purdue-Fort Wayne then he was at Vincennes University and they had a son on the way so Brian went into the work world. He is now employed by Vincennes Water Utilities.

“I regret everyday not going back to that third day of tryouts,” says McCrary. “But life is full of what if’s.

“I try to coach with a little bit of life lessons. Challenge yourself to win for the team today. Ask yourself, ‘did you cheat your team?’”

Brian McCrary (center) poses with two of his sons — Xxx (left) and Xxx (right) — during a Vincennes Green Monsters travel baseball tournament.

The 2019 baseball season will be the third for Brian McCrary at head coach at Rivet Midde/High School in Vincennes, Ind.

Vincennes Rivet baseball coach Brian McCrary visits at the mound with Colton Mouzin, McCaine Claycomb and Austin Thomas. All three players return for their senior year with the Patriots in 2019.