Who are state’s best run producers so far in ’23?

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

Indiana college baseball teams have combined to score nearly 5,800 runs so far in 2023.
Based on posted numbers, NAIA Taylor averages 9.5 runs per game. Other leaders in the division are Indiana Tech (8.6), Huntington (8.3), IU-Kokomo (8.2) and Indiana Wesleyan (8.1).
Ball State (8.3), Indiana (7.8), Purdue (7.5), Evansville (7.4 are at the top of the NCAA Division I list.
NCAA Division II Indianapolis scores 8.5 runs per contest.
NCAA D-III leaders are Wabash (9.0), Anderson (8.7), Earlham (7.8), Franklin (7.7), Manchester (7.5) and Hanover (7.2.)
Pacing junior colleges is Vincennes (7.7).

Here’s a list of individual runs batted in leaders:
T.J. Bass (Taylor) 33
Lucas Goodin (Indiana Wesleyan) 33
Paul Toetz (Purdue) 33
Kade Vander Molen (Taylor) 33
Eric Roberts (Evansville) 32
Jarrett Gray (Huntington) 31
Trevor Campbell (IU Southeast) 30
Colton Evans (Vincennes) 29
Ben Kalbaugh (Taylor) 29
Luke Picchiotti (Taylor) 29
Kaden Elliott (Vincennes) 28
Max Fries (Earlham) 28
Langston Ginder (Huntington) 28
Kaleb Kolpien (Taylor) 28
Brayden Manning (Taylor) 28
Luke Barnes (IU Kokomo) 27
A.J. Reid (Wabash) 27
Brock Tibbitts (Indiana) 27
Nick Wiley (Indiana Wesleyan) 27
Xander Willis (Oakland City) 27
Jenner Rodammer (Goshen) 26
Nicholas Anderson (Calumet of St. Joseph) 25
Jayden Lepper (Saint Francis) 25
Jordan Malott (Huntington) 25
Ryan Peltier (Ball State) 25
Brenden Bell (IU South Bend) 24
Noah Matheson (Ivy Tech Northeast) 24
Andrew Miranda (Bethel) 24
Satchell Wilson (Huntington) 24
Matt Wolff (Huntington) 24
Alex Christie (Hanover) 23
Xavier Croxton (Saint Francis) 22
Tucker Ebest (Southern Indiana) 22
Kaleb Farnham (IU South Bend) 22
Eli MacDonald (Bethel) 22
Christian Mojica (Indiana Tech) 22
Conner Oxley (Oakland City) 22
Kody Putnam (IU Southeast) 22
Tyler Stahl (Indiana Tech) 22
M.J. Stavola (Indiana Wesleyan) 22
Mason David (Taylor) 21
Kamden Earley (Wabash) 21
Caleb Engelsman (Indiana Wesleyan) 21
Brendan Hord (Evansville) 21
Ian McCutcheon (Huntington) 21
Justin Reed (Anderson) 21
Mike Sears (Indiana State) 21
Sam Gladd (Taylor) 20
Phillip Glasser (Indiana) 20
Treven Madden (Oakland City) 20
Sam Newkirk (Grace) 20
Nick Parsons (Saint Francis) 20
Aidan Stevens (Manchester) 20
Mason White (IU Southeast) 20
Parker Bates (Indiana Tech) 19
Ben Berenda (IU Southeast) 19
Blake Bevis (Ball State) 19
Braedon Blackford (Purdue Fort Wayne) 19
Garrett Causey (Oakland City 19
Jacob Daftari (Indiana) Tech) 19
Matthew Ellis (Indiana) 19
Ben Higgins (Purdue Fort Wayne) 19
Jake Jarvis (Purdue) 19
Caleb Niehaus (Southern Indiana) 19
Sam Pesa (Saint Francis) 19
Josh Pyne (Indiana) 19
Brent Widder (Evansville) 19
Evan Albrecht (Purdue) 18
Jared Bujdos (Indianapolis) 18
Bryce Davenport (Marian) 18
Drew Donaldson (Indianapolis) 18
Riley Garczynski (IU Kokomo) 18
Jarod Gillespie (IU Kokomo) 18
Chase Hug (Evansville) 18
Hayden Lowe (Ivy Tech Northeast) 18
Liam Patton (Wabash) 18
Jeff Pawlik (Grace) 18
Sam Pinckert (Oakland City) 18
Matthew Rivera (Ball State) 18
Brett Sikoroski (IU South Bend) 18
Dion Wintjes (Marian) 18
Danny Borgstrom (Evansville) 17
Trevor Goodwin (IU Southeast) 17
Brayden Hazelwood (IU Southeast) 17
Camden Knepp (Taylor) 17
Sebastian Kuhns (Huntington) 17
Tysen Lipscomb (Franklin) 17
Carter Mathison (Indiana) 17
J.J. Rivera (Marian) 17
Kyle Schmack (Valparaiso) 17
Sean Sullivan (Franklin) 17
Joey Urban (Butler) 17
Kobe Bartlett (Vincennes) 16
Jacob Dupps (Hanover) 16
Seth Gergely (Indiana State) 16
Jared Holley (Manchester) 16
Ben Kennedy (Taylor) 16
Darrius Little (Calumet of St. Joseph) 16
Michael Machnic (Calumet of St. Joseph) 16
David Miller (Saint Francis) 16
Carter Putz (Notre Dame) 16
Decker Scheffler (Ball State) 16
Tyler Smitherman (Anderson) 16
Jo Stevens (Purdue) 16
Alex Stout (Bethel) 16
Devin Taylor (Indiana) 16
Cooper Tolson (Bethel) 16
Peyton Blinn (IUPU-Columbus) 15
Hunter Dobbins (Ball State) 15
Matt Earley (Franklin) 15
Kip Fougerousse (Evansville) 15
Connor Gordon (Anderson) 15
Rocco Hanes (Manchester) 15
Rylan Huntley (Marian) 15
John Joyce (Grace) 15
Jack Leverenz (IU Kokomo) 15
Ty Mathews (Indiana Wesleyan) 15
Lucas McNew (Southern Indiana) 15
Thomas Obergfell (IU Kokomo) 15
Jake Parr (Purdue) 15
Brady Renfro (Valparaiso) 15
Simon Scherry (Evansville) 15
Bobby Whalen (Indiana) 15
Carter Whitehead (Vincennes) 15

Not forgetting about the pitchers, here are the victory leaders:
Ryan Troxel (Indiana Tech) 6
Lucas Letsinger (IU Kokomo) 5
Tyler Papenrock (Huntington) 5
Ryan Brown (Ball State) 4
Jack Findlay (Notre Dame) 4
Marcus Goodpaster (Hanover) 4
Alec Holcomb (Taylor) 4
Graham Kollen (Huntington) 4
Blaine McRae (Saint Francis) 4
Jack Ross (Taylor) 4
Donovan Schultz (Evansville) 4
Damien Wallace (Marian) 4
Matthew Alter (Hanover) 3
Cason Bennett (Earlham) 3
Jarrett Blunt (Evansville) 3
Brandon DeWitt (Indianapolis) 3
Caleb Everson (Wabash) 3
Ben Harris (IU Kokomo) 3
Jacob Hartlaub (Ball State) 3
Derek Haslett (Wabash) 3
Matthew Johnson (Franklin) 3
Ty Johnson (Ball State) 3
Maddox Manes (Franklin) 3
William Myklebust (Ivy Tech Northeast) 3
Gabel Pentecost (Taylor) 3
Gage Smith (Ivy Tech Northeast) 3
Jake Stuteville (Vincennes) 3
Aaron Suval (Purdue) 3
Aidan Tyrell (Notre Dame) 3
Craig Yoho (Indiana) 3
Drue Young (Indiana Wesleyan) 3
Tyler Yotkewich (IU Southeast) 3
Jackson Young (Franklin) 3
Zach Zaborowski (Indiana Tech) 3

The saves leaders:

Ryan Kraft (Indiana) 5
Hunter Schumacher (Grace) 4
Jared Crandall (Taylor) 3
Jonathan Oliger (Rose-Hulman) 3
Wyatt Phillips (Indianapolis) 3
Jack Ross (Taylor) 3
Grant Simmons (Huntington) 3
Aaron Barokas (Butler) 2
Robbie Berger (IU South Bend) 2
Carter Bosch (Notre Dame) 2
Noah Brettin (Trine) 2
Jesse Burch (Indiana Tech) 2
Hunter Frost (Saint Francis) 2
Riley Gallagher (Purdue Northwest) 2
Nate Hardman (Evansville) 2
Xavier Hart (Vincennes) 2
Garrett Hill (IU Southeast) 2
Carter Hooks (Manchester) 2
Maddox Manes (Franklin) 2
Sam Phillips (Wabash) 2
Jaden Siemer (Hanover) 2
Taylor Sopor (Marian) 2
Benjamin Witterstaetter (Goshen) 2

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 26
NCAA D-I
Ball State 17-6 (8-1 MAC)
Indiana 17-7 (3-0 Big Ten)
Evansville 16-7 (3-0 MVC)
Notre Dame 12-9 (5-4 ACC)
Indiana State 11-11 (3-0 MVC)
Purdue 10-12 (1-2 Big Ten)
Valparaiso 7-10 (0-3 MVC)
Southern Indiana 7-17 (0-3 OVC)
Purdue Fort Wayne 6-18 (3-3 Horizon)
Butler 5-18 (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 11-7 (0-7 GLVC)
Purdue Northwest 4-12 (0-2 GLIAC)

Schedule Links
Indianapolis
Purdue Northwest

Stat Links
Indianapolis
Purdue Northwest

NCAA D-III
Wabash 13-6 (0-0 NCAC)
Earlham 12-5 (2-1 HCAC)
Anderson 11-6 (1-1 HCAC)
Franklin 11-6 (2-1 HCAC)
Rose-Hulman 9-6 (2-0 HCAC)
Trine 9-8 (0-0 MIAA)
Manchester 9-9 (1-2 HCAC)
Hanover 7-10 (1-2 HCAC)
DePauw 5-7 (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 22-9 (6-6 RSC)
Taylor 21-9 (14-2 CL)
Huntington 19-8 (13-3 CL)
Indiana Tech 15-5 (4-2 WHAC)
IU-Kokomo 15-10 (7-3 RSC)
Indiana Wesleyan 15-10-1 (10-3 CL)
IU Southeast 13-13 (8-4 RSC)
Bethel 13-15 (6-10 CL)
Calumet of St. Joseph 12-18 (2-5 CCAC)
Grace 11-12 (3-9 CL)
Marian 11-15 (5-9 CL)
Saint Francis 11-15 (6-8 CL)
IU South Bend 9-16 (4-3 CCAC)
Goshen 6-19 (2-11 CL)
IUPU-Columbus 1-28

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 14-13 (4-2 MWAC)
Ivy Tech Northeast 12-11
Marian’s Ancilla 2-18 (1-1 MCCAA)

Schedule Links
Ivy Tech Northeast
Marian’s Ancilla
Vincennes

Stat Links
Ivy Tech Northeast
Marian’s Ancilla
Vincennes

Through March 26
NCAA D-I
Monday, March 20
Butler 3, Northwestern 2

Tuesday, March 21
Butler 9, Eastern Michigan 7
Indiana 15, Indiana State 5
Notre Dame 8, Valparaiso 4
Illinois-Chicago 6, Purdue 4
Bowling Green 8, Purdue Fort Wayne 6
Belmont 6, Southern Indiana 3

Wednesday, March 22
Ball State 19, Butler 2
Evansville 11, Southern Illinois-Edwardsville 7

Friday, March 24
Ball State 2, Eastern Michigan 1
Notre Dame 4, Louisville 3
Purdue 5, Michigan State 4
Purdue Fort Wayne 6, Northern Kentucky 5

Saturday, March 25
Ball State at 16, Eastern Michigan 5
Cincinnati 15, Butler 5
Evansville 12, Missouri State 7
Evansville 7, Missouri State 3
Indiana 14, Ohio State 6
Indiana State 10, Valparaiso 1
Morehead State 3, Southern Indiana 2

Sunday, March 26
Ball State 7, Eastern Michigan 3
Butler 8, Cincinnati 5
Cincinnati 13, Butler 3
Evansville 7, Missouri State 4
Indiana 9, Ohio State 6
Indiana 7, Ohio State 5
Indiana State 7, Valparaiso 2
Indiana State 4, Valparaiso 2
Notre Dame 5, Louisville 4
Louisville 2, Notre Dame 1
Michigan State 5, Purdue 4
Michigan State 12, Purdue 6
Purdue Fort Wayne 9, Northern Kentucky 5
Northern Kentucky 10, Purdue Fort Wayne 1
Morehead State 11, Southern Indiana 4
Morehead State 5, Southern Indiana 1

NCAA D-II
Tuesday, March 21
Findlay 10, Indianapolis 7

Friday, March 24
Saginaw Valley State 7, Purdue Northwest 1
Saginaw Valley State 3, Purdue Northwest 2

Saturday, March 25
Illinois-Springfield 11, Indianapolis 10
Illinois-Springfield 5, Indianapolis 3

Sunday, March 26
Indianapolis at Illinois-Springfield
Indianapolis at Illinois-Springfield

NCAA D-III
Monday, March 20
Franklin 18, Trine 8
Franklin 14, Trine 1
Heidelberg 11, Manchester 10
Heidelberg 11, Manchester 3
Wisconsin-Osh Kosh 16, Rose-Hulman 5

Tuesday, March 21
Anderson 16, Alma 14
Anderson 16, Alma 6
Earlham 15, Principia 2
Spalding 14, Hanover 13
Trine 13, Manchester 10

Wednesday, March 22
Calvin 6, Manchester 0

Saturday, March 25
Manchester 9, Earlham 6
Transylvania 11, Franklin 0
Mount St. Joseph 6, Hanover 5

Sunday, March 26
Bluffton 10, Anderson 9
Anderson 19, Bluffton 3
DePauw 11, Houston-Victoria 9
Earlham 7, Manchester 6
Earlham 5, Manchester 4
Franklin 6, Transylvania 4
Franklin 14, Transylvania 7
Hanover 3, Mount St. Joseph 0
Mount St. Joseph 19, Hanover 9
Rose-Hulman 10, Defiance 2
Rose-Hulman 5, Defiance 3
Trine 5, Wright State Lake Campus 2
Trine 3, Wright State Lake Campus 2
Wabash 8, Illinois Wesleyan 7 (10 inn.)
Wabash 12, Illinois Wesleyan 9

NAIA
Monday, March 20
Saint Francis 12, Bethel 4
Saint Francis 10, Bethel 4
Olivet Nazarene 18, Calumet of St. Joseph 4
Indiana Wesleyan 9, Goshen 3
Indiana Wesleyan 20, Goshen 2
Mount Vernon Nazarene 10, Grace 8
Mount Vernon Nazarene 4, Grace 3
Saint Xavier 8, IU South Bend 4
Saint Xavier 13, IU South Bend 3
Lourdes 9, Indiana Tech 8
Lourdes 15, Indiana Tech 5
Oakland City 2, Rio Grande 1

Tuesday, March 21
Indiana Southeast 20, IUPU-Columbus 2
Indiana Southeast 14, IUPU-Columbus 6
Indiana Tech 7, Siena Heights 3
Indiana Tech 9, Siena Heights 3
Spring Arbor 10, Marian 9
Spring Arbor 11, Marian 5

Wednesday, March 22
Taylor 10, Mount Vernon Nazarene 7
Taylor 14, Mount Vernon Nazarene 2

Thursday, March 23
Huntington 9, Bethel 8
Huntington 13, Bethel 1
Asbury 13, IUPU-Columbus 12
Asbury 22, IUPU-Columbus 5

Friday, March 24
Bethel 6, Huntington 2
Huntington 12, Bethel 2
Calumet of St. Joseph 4, Saint Francis (Ill.) 0
Saint Francis (Ill.) 3, Calumet of St. Joseph 2
Spring Arbor 8, Goshen 0
Spring Arbor 10, Goshen 2
Grace 10, Marian 3
Grace 6, Marian 1
IU South Bend 11, Trinity International 1
Saint Francis 8, Indiana Wesleyan 4
Indiana Wesleyan 4, Saint Francis 1
Taylor 6, Mount Vernon Nazarene 3
Taylor 3, Mount Vernon Nazarene 2

Saturday, March 25
IU Southeast 5, Alice Lloyd 3
West Virginia Tech 13, Oakland City 5

Sunday, March 26
Saint Francis (Ill.) at Calumet of St. Joseph
IU-Kokomo 12, Ohio Christian 2
Ohio Christian 9, IU-Kokomo 7
IU South Bend 12, Trinity International 4
IU South Bend 8, Trinity International 1
IU Southeast 7, Alice Lloyd 2
IU Southeast 18, Alice Lloyd 0
Indiana Tech 3, Lawrence Tech 2
Indiana Tech 15, Lawrence Tech 0
Oakland City 9, West Virginia Tech 3
Oakland City 10, West Virginia Tech 2

Junior College
Monday, March 20
Ivy Tech Northeast 7, Muskegon 5
Muskegon 5, Ivy Tech Northeast 4
Vincennes 12, Danville Area 2
Vincennes 7, Danville Area 4

Tuesday, March 21
Ivy Tech Northeast 11, Lakeland 1
Ivy Tech Northeast 17, Lakeland 2
Marian’s Ancilla 6, Glen Oaks 4
Vincennes 18, Danville Area 6
Vincennes 19, Danville Area 11

Thursday, March 23
Kellogg 10, Marian’s Ancilla 2

Sunday, March 26
Ivy Tech Northeast 5, Cuyahoga 4
Illinois Central 13, Vincennes 2
Illinois Central 11, Vincennes 0

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Hanover right-hander Alter already getting coaching experience

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

Matthew Alter can see a future in baseball coaching at the collegiate level.
He’s already gotten a head start by assisting in travel ball while also a college player himself.
The 2019 graduate of Indianapolis Lutheran School with two years of eligibility remaining at Hanover (Ind.) College is in his third summer with the Indiana Bulls.
He assisted with Scott French’s 15U Bulls Black squad in 2020. That team featured Class of 2023 standouts Max Clark (Franklin Community) and Andrew Wiggins (Heritage Christian).
Alter aided (former Anderson University assistant) John Becker with the 15U Bulls Grey squad in 2021 and is now helping Becker’s 16U Bulls Grey team. By summer’s end the group will have played about 40 games with tournaments at Grand Park in Westfield, Ind., LakePoint Sports in Emerson, Ga., and Creekside Baseball Park in Parkville, Mo.
“After college the plan is to be a college baseball coach,” says Alter, who turned 22 in May. “The quickest way to be an assistant is to be a pitching coach. But I’m also interested in being a graduate assistant.”
Matthew’s cousin, Jared Broughton, is a college baseball coach. He most recently served for three years at Clemson (S.C.) University.
Dick Alter, Matthew’s father, retired from Indianapolis Lutheran following the 2019 season after 40 years of coaching (about the last 25 years of that as a teacher).
“There’s so many thing he taught me,” says Matthew of the shared wisdom shared. “The biggest thing my dad taught me is that baseball is the game of life.
“It doesn’t matter what you did today, it’s what you do tomorrow and the next day.”
Born in Carmel, Ind., Matthew the son of Dick and Karen Alter (who is president of Borshoff, a public relations and advertising agency in Indianapolis).
The Alter family moved to the south side of Indianapolis when their son was 3.
He played at what is now Franklin Township Little League (located behind the former Wanamaker Elementary School) and then was in travel ball with the Indiana Prospects and Indiana Pony Express.
Alter played football, basketball and baseball (for his father) at Lutheran then went to Piedmont College in Demorest, Ga., where Broughton was associate head coach.
Matthew says going to college to play baseball meant “going from being an only child to having 40 brothers.”
He counts slugger Alex Christie (Center Grove) among his good friends on the team.
As a right-handed pitcher, Alter made six relief appearances during the COVID-19 pandemic-shortened 2020 season and went 1-0 with a 2.65 earned run average, nine strikeouts and six walks in 17 innings for the Piedmont Lions.
Alter decided to transfer to another NCAA Division III school in Hanover. Grant Bellak is the Panthers head coach. Until leaving for another job, Thomas Murphy was HC’s pitching coach.
“(Coach Bellak) and I have a great relationship,” says Alter. “He focuses more on hitters and infielders.”
Murphy helped Alter in 2020-21 by helping him build up his lower half to utilize his power and increase velocity. Using a Core Velocity Belt and throwing weighted PlyoCare Balls with Driveline Baseball exercises were part of the routine.
“(Murphy) helped us pitchers with the mental aspect of the game,” says Alter. “He is big on visualizing success and always trying to stay positive. It’s about keeping composure and maintaining positivity and self talk.”
Alter pitched in 11 games (eight starts) in 2021 and went 5-0 with 45 strikeouts and 33 walks in 52 1/3 innings. In 13 contests (11 starts) in 2022, he was 5-5 with 45 strikeouts and 29 walks in 72 innings.
The Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference plays Saturday and Tuesday doubleheaders and Alter was the Saturday morning starter.
“A lot of the teams (in the HCAC) are very similar,” says Alter. “They have a few good pitchers. But it relies solely on hitting.
“That was evident in our conference tournament. There were a lot of high-scoring games.”
Alter spent just over two weeks with the 2022 summer wood-bat Coastal Plain League’s Lexington County (S.C.) Blowfish before shutting it down for the summer with a tender shoulder.
“It was from overuse,” says Alter, who did not play on any summer teams in 2019, 2020 and 2021. “But I did not tear my labrum.”
Using a three-quarter arm slot, Alter throws two kinds of fastballs (four-seam and two-seam) plus a slider, change-up and curveball.
He topped out at 87 mph with the four-seamer this summer.
“The two-seamer is one of my best pitches,” says Alter. “It definitely moves. It starts at the middle of the plate and ends up outside to a lefty. It moves so much I’m able to fool hitters.”
Alter employs a “circle” change and a 12-to-6 curve that he is able to throw for a strike in any count.
A Communication major, Alter is on pace to graduate at the end of his fourth year in 2023.
If he takes a fifth year, he says he will likely pursue a masters in Communication. Hanover does not have a graduate program in that subject.

Matthew Alter (Hanover College Photo)

Matthew Alter (Hanover College Photo)

Matthew Alter (Piedmont College Photo)

Indiana Wesleyan, Rose-Hulman, UIndy among state’s hottest teams

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

Indiana Wesleyan and Rose-Hulman have the longest current win streaks among the 38 college baseball programs in Indiana.
The NAIA Wildcats have won six straight as have the NCAA Division III Fightin’ Engineers.
IWU (12-4) and NCAA Division II Indianapolis (11-5) have the most victories in April.
Among the other leaders in April triumphs are NCAA Division I’s Evansville (9-2) and Notre Dame (8-3), NAIA’s Taylor (9-5) and Indiana University Southeast (8-2) and NCAA D-III’s Franklin (7-1), Rose-Hulman (7-3) and Earlham (7-3).
At 20-8, Taylor is tied atop Crossroads League standings with Mt. Vernon Nazarene, two games ahead of Indiana Wesleyan.
At 15-3, NAIA Indiana University Southeast is tied with Point Park for first place in the River States Conference, 1/2 game ahead of Indiana University Kokomo.
At 10-6, UIndy is two games behind Illinois-Springfield in the Great Lakes Valley Conference Blue Division.
Franklin (7-1) paces the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference, one game ahead of both Rose-Hulman and Earlham.
Indiana State (6-2 in April) is 5-1 in leading the Missouri Valley Conference by one game over Southern Illinois, Dallas Baptist and Evansville.
Ball State (6-6 in April) is 15-3 in the Mid-American Conference, two games behind leader Central Michigan.
Pitching victory and batting average leaders among D-I teams include Jackson Smeltz (6) and Evan Albrecht (.407) of Purdue, John Michael Bertrand (5) and Carter Putz (.357) of Notre Dame, Tyler Schweitzer (5), Ty Johnson (5) and Amir Wright (.349) of Ball State, Matt Jachec (7) and Sean Ross (.421) of Indiana State, Shane Gray (5) and Mark Shallenberger (.389) of Evansville, Jon Vore (3), Derek Drees (3) and Aaron Steinhart (.299) of Butler, Colin Fields (4), Jake Miller (4) and Nolan Tucker (.359) of Valparaiso, Bradley Brehmer (3) and Phillip Glasser (.343) of Indiana and Jacob Myer (2), Mitchell Spencer (2), J.D. Deany (2), Brian Skelton (2) and Cade Fitzpatrick (.350) of Purdue Fort Wayne.
In NCAA D-II, there’s Xavier Rivas (5) and Brandon DeWitt (.368) of Indianapols, Brice Stuteville (4) and Lucas McNew (.341) of Southern Indiana and Joe Sullivan (3) and Ray Hilbrich (.429) of Purdue Northwest.
NCAA D-III leaders are Jackson Young (5) and Logan Demkovich (.398) of Franklin, Aidan Talarek (5) and Cameron McCabe (.408) of Earlham, Ian Kline (5) and Kade Kline (.380) of Rose-Hulman, Tavic Simmons (4) and A.J. Reid (.394) of Wabash, Evan Doan (3), Landen Southern (3) and Tyler Smitherman (.413) of Anderson, Matthew Alter (3) and Charlie Burton (.355) of Hanover, Michael Vallone (6) and Allen Cameron (.398) of DePauw, Robert Kortas (2), Cam Nagel (2) and Adam Stefanelli (.375) of Trine and Carter Hooks (2) and Brett Wathen (2) and Zach White (.356) of Manchester.
In NAIA, there’s Luke Shively (9) and Kaleb Kolpein (.410) of Taylor, Hunter Kloke (7) and Trevor Campbell (.408) of IU Southeast, Brennan Morehead (4) and Denver Blinn (.421) of Indiana Wesleyan, Owen Callaghan (6) and Patrick Mills (.365) of IU Kokomo, Cory Wolter (6) and Alec Brunson (.354) of Saint Francis, Owen Spears (4) and Noah Baugher (.364) of Oakland City, Hayes Sturtsman (4), Jared Maxfield (4) and Ashtin Moxey (.311) of Indiana Tech, Damien Wallace (4) and Matteo Porcellato (.365) of Marian, Noah Arbuckle (3), Joey Butz (3), Isaac Horton (3), Tyler Papenbrock (3) and Ian McCutcheon (.394) of Huntington, Frank Plesac (5) and Eli MacDonald (.411) of Bethel, Evan Etchison (3), Kameron Koch (3) and Alex Rich (.345) of Grace, Zack Dobos (3) and Brenden Bell (.386) of IU South Bend, Bubba Davenport (2) and Michael Machnic (.325) of Calumet of Saint Joseph and Camm Nickell (2) and Jenner Rodammer (.350) of Goshen.
Junior college leaders are Connor VanLannen (3) and Peyton Lane (.440) of Vincennes, Adam Besser (2), Matt Peters (2) and Jaden Parnin (.476) of Ivy Tech Northeast and Rylan Huntley (2 and .413) and Bryce Woodruff (2) of Marian’s Ancilla.

INDIANA COLLEGE BASEBALL
Records Through April 17
NCAA D-I
Purdue 22-9 (4-6 Big Ten)
Notre Dame 21-8 (8-7 ACC)
Ball State 21-13 (15-3 MAC)
Indiana State 19-9 (5-1 MVC)
Evansville 19-16 (4-2 MVC)
Butler 16-20 (2-4 Big East)
Valparaiso 13-18 (2-4 MVC)
Indiana 13-21 (2-7 Big Ten)
Purdue Fort Wayne 10-23 (7-8 Horizon)

NCAA D-II
Indianapolis 18-18 (10-6 GLVC)
Southern Indiana 15-20 (4-8 GLVC)
Purdue Northwest 13-12 (2-8 GLIAC)

NCAA D-III
Franklin 22-6 (7-1 HCAC)
Earlham 18-8 (7-3 HCAC)
Rose-Hulman 16-7 (7-3 HCAC)
Wabash 14-11 (0-8 NCAC)
Anderson 13-12 (5-3 HCAC)
Hanover 12-14 (6-4 HCAC)
DePauw 10-14 (3-5 NCAC)
Trine 10-16 (5-6 MIAA)
Manchester 5-18 (2-6 HCAC)

NAIA
Taylor 30-14 (20-8 CL)
Indiana University Southeast 28-11 (15-3 RSC)
Indiana Wesleyan 25-18 (18-10 CL)
Indiana University-Kokomo 24-14 (14-3 RSC)
Saint Francis 24-19 (13-15 CL)
Oakland City 21-16 (6-10 RSC)
Indiana Tech 21-18 (9-7 WHAC)
Marian 20-20 (12-14 CL)
Huntington 19-17 (17-11 CL)
Bethel 19-25 (13-15 CL)
Grace 15-24 (9-17 CL)
Indiana University South Bend 11-24 (5-14 CCAC)
Calumet of Saint Joseph 9-26 (4-14 CCAC)
Goshen 9-31 (4-24 CL)

Junior College
Vincennes 15-21 (6-10 MWAC)
Ivy Tech Northeast 13-11
Marian’s Ancilla 6-28 (4-10 MCCAA)

Week of April 11-17
NCAA D-I
Tuesday, April 12
Evansville 11, Butler 1
Indiana 6, Indiana State 5
Notre Dame 14, Michigan 5
Eastern Illinois 7, Valparaiso 5

Thursday, April 14
Georgetown 14, Butler 8
Duke 15, Notre Dame 5
Penn State 12, Purdue 7
Purdue Fort Wayne 9, Northern Kentucky 5

Friday, April 15
Ball State 8, Akron 3
Butler 8, Georgetown 7
Evansville 6, Southern Illinois 4
Rutgers 5, Indiana 3
Duke 4, Notre Dame 3 (11 inn.)
Purdue 11, Penn State 5
Northern Kentucky 5, Purdue Fort Wayne 4
Illinois State 7, Valparaiso 0

Saturday, April 16
Ball State 5, Akron 1
Ball State 16, Akron 0
Georgetown 8, Butler 4
Evansville 9, Southern Illinois 2
Evansville 14, Southern Illinois 2
Rutgers 4, Indiana 2
Duke 6, Notre Dame 2
Penn State 7, Purdue 5
Purdue Fort Wayne 10, Northern Kentucky 5
Valparaiso 10, Illinois State 2

Sunday, April 17
Akron 4, Ball State 3
Rutgers 10, Indiana 9
Valparaiso 2, Illinois State 1

NCAA D-II
Tuesday, April 12
Indianapolis 15, Kentucky Wesleyan 1
Indianapolis 11, Kentucky Wesleyan 7
Grand Valley State 10, Purdue Northwest 7
Grand Valley State 9, Purdue Northwest 6
Oakland City 6, Southern Indiana 4

Thursday, April 14
Quincy 14, Indianapolis 4
Purdue Northwest 21, Northwood 19
Truman State vs. Southern Indiana

Friday, April 15
Indianapolis 3, Quincy 2
Indianapolis 3, Quincy 0
Purdue Northwest 2, Northwood 0
Northwood 18, Purdue Northwest 0
Truman State 6, Southern Indiana 5
Truman State 11, Southern Indiana 10

Saturday, April 16
Indianapolis 5, Quincy 3
Northwood 9, Purdue Northwest 7
Southern Indiana 16, Truman State 4

NCAA D-III
Monday, April 11
Trine 7, Kalamazoo 5

Tuesday, April 12
Earlham 12, Transylvania 7
Transylvania vs. Earlham
Hanover 12, Spalding 11
Wabash 6, Manchester 4
Manchester vs. Wabash
Rose-Hulman 3, Mount St. Joseph 2
Rose-Hulman 16, Mount St. Joseph 1

Wednesday, April 13
Trine 11, Adrian 5

Thursday, April 14
Wittenberg 10, Wabash 4

Friday, April 15
Bluffton 11, Earlham 6
Bluffton 9, Earlham 3
Alma 8, Trine 5

Saturday, April 16
Hanover 10, Anderson 4
Hanover 10, Anderson 8
Kenyon 12, DePauw 1
Kenyon 4, DePauw 3
Franklin 9, Manchester 8
Franklin 6, Manchester 4
Rose-Hulman 10, Transylvania 4
Rose-Hulman 12, Transylvania 8
Alma 9, Trine 6
Alma 10, Trine 6
Wooster 4, Wabash 3
Wooster 12, Wabash 7

NAIA
Monday, April 11
Bethel 13, Goshen 10
Bethel 12, Goshen 1
Calumet of St. Joseph 13, Trinity Christian 8
Indiana Tech 1, Rochester 0
Indiana Tech 12, Rochester 5
Spring Arbor 15, Taylor 7
Taylor 10, Spring Arbor 9

Tuesday, April 12
Goshen 17, Grace Christian 5
Goshen 3, Grace Christian 1
Marian 5, Huntington 2
Marian 19, Huntington 5
Oakland City 6, Southern Indiana 4
IU South Bend 18, Trinity Christian 8
IU Southeast 7, Georgetown (Ky.) 5
Madonna 7, Indiana Tech 6
Indiana Tech 16, Madonna 6
Indiana Wesleyan 10, Cleary 7
Indiana Wesleyan 8, Cleary 0
Mount Vernon Nazarene 10, Saint Francis 6
Saint Francis 9, Mount Vernon Nazarene 2

Thursday, April 14
Saint Xaver 17, IU South Bend 13

Friday, April 15
Bethel 2, Huntington 1
Huntington 9, Bethel 7
Olivet Nazarene 15, Calumet of St. Joseph 2
Indiana Wesleyan 14, Goshen 2
Indiana Wesleyan 13, Goshen 6
Saint Francis 5, Grace 3
Saint Francis 2, Grace 1
IU Kokomo 9, Brescia 1
IU Southeast 11, West Virginia Tech 0
Spring Arbor 8, Marian 5
Marian 16, Spring Arbor 3
Taylor 9, Mount Vernon Nazarene 5
Taylor 17, Mount Vernon Nazarene 9

Saturday, April 16
Bethel 3, Huntington 1
Huntington 9, Bethel 2
Olivet Nazarene 12, Calumet of St. Joseph 4
Olivet Nazarene 14, Calumet of St. Joseph 3
Indiana Wesleyan 12, Goshen 2
Indiana Wesleyan 15, Goshen 6
Grace 10, Saint Francis 8
Saint Francis 14, Grace 4
IU Kokomo 7, Brescia 3
IU Kokomo 13, Brescia 2
IU Southeast 11, West Virginia Tech 1
IU Southeast 9, West Virginia Tech 6
Lawrence Tech 2, Indiana Tech 1
Lawrence Tech 7, Indiana Tech 4
Marian 7, Spring Arbor 5
Marian 11, Spring Arbor 3
Mount Vernon Nazarene 6, Taylor 4
Mount Vernon Nazarene 14, Taylor 1

Junior College
Monday, April 11
Ivy Tech Northeast 6, Trine JV 5
Ivy Tech Northeast 8, Trine JV 5

Tuesday, April 12
Kellogg 6, Ivy Tech Northeast 3
Kaskaskia 13, Vincennes 6

Friday, April 15
Lake Michigan 7, Marian’s Ancilla 2
Lake Michigan 9, Marian’s Ancilla 1
Heartland 11, Vincennes 2
Heartland 13, Vincennes 4

Saturday, April 16
Lake Michigan 13, Marian’s Ancilla 3
Lake Michigan 7, Marian’s Ancilla 3
Heartland 16, Vincennes 5
Heartland 12, Vincennes 2

All-Marion County baseball team announced for 2019

BY STEVE KRAH

http://www.IndianaRBI.com

INDIANAPOLIS — Marion County high school baseball coaches have named their all-county team for 2019.

The first team features Perry Meridian senior first baseman Caden Reed (.422 average, 2 home runs, 17 runs batted in, 10 stolen bases), Speedway senior third baseman Ryan Stutler (.400, 0, 12) and junior second baseman Brandon Willoughby (.361, 2, 29, 19 SB), Southport senior pitcher Avery Short (4-3 record, 1.83 earned run average, 71 strikeouts) and junior shortstop Ryan Lezon (.421, 5, 16), Park Tudor senior outfielder Chris Wilson (.437, 1, 23), Brebeuf Jesuit junior outfielder Gabe Wright (.395, 5, 16, 14 SB) and freshman pitcher Andrew Dutkanych (6-2, 1.59, 95 K’s), Lawrence Central junior outfielder Anthony Steinhardt (.389, 1, 10, 10 SB), Roncalli senior catcher Brian Keeney (.500, 1, 17) and Pike senior pitcher Damon Cox (3-2, 2.42, 92 K’s).

Second-teamers are Brebeuf junior first baseman Shane Bauer (.377, 1, 21), North Central senior second baseman Liam Thompson (.269, 1, 10), senior third baseman Adam Schenk (.364, 0, 16), senior outfielder Aaron Betts (.349, 2, 16) and senior catcher Max Kercheval (.408, 0, 24), Beech Grove senior shortstop Nic Ancelet (.432, 1, 7, 16 SB), Perry Meridian senior outfielder Sean Thomas (.329, 1, 19, 15 SB), Speedway senior outfielder Devon Valentine (.406, 1, 14, 11 SB) and senior pitcher Jeffrey Bryant (6-2, 1.16, 82 K’s), Lawrence North junior pitcher Ty Johnson (3-0, 0.88, 60 K’s) and Lutheran senior pitcher Matthew Alter (6-4, 1.89, 103 K’s).

Lawrence North’s Richard Winzenread was named Marion County Coach of the Year.

ALL-MARION COUNTY BASEBALL TEAM

(Class of 2019 Unless Noted)

First Team

1B — Caden Reed (Perry Meridian)

2B — Jr. Brandon Willoughby (Speedway)

SS — Jr. Ryan Lezon (Southport)

3B — Ryan Stutler (Speedway)

OF — Chris Wilson (Park Tudor)

OF — Jr. Gabe Wright (Brebeuf Jesuit)

OF — Jr. Anthony Steinhardt (Lawrence Central)

C — Brian Keeney (Roncalli)

P — Avery Short (Southport)

P — Damon Cox (Pike)

P — Fr. Andrew Dutkanych (Brebeuf Jesuit)

Second Team

1B — Jr. Shane Bauer (Brebeuf Jesuit)

2B — Liam Thompson (North Central)

SS — Nic Ancelet (Beech Grove)

3B — Adam Schenck (North Central)

OF — Aaron Betts (North Central)

OF — Sean Thomas (Perry Meridian)

OF — Devon Valentine (Speedway)

C — Max Kercheval (North Central)

P — Jr. Ty Johnson (Lawrence North)

P — Matthew Alter (Lutheran)

P — Jeffrey Bryant (Speedway)

Coach of the Year: Richard Winzenread (Lawrence North).

Alter has 1A Indianapolis Lutheran hanging with the big schools

By STEVE KRAH

http://www.IndianaRBI.com

Dick Alter has coached baseball in central Indiana for nearly four decades.

He has been around some talented players and coaches and helped mold young minds in dugouts and classrooms.

Since 2005, the former North Central player and assistant coach and former Manual head coach has made an impact at Indianapolis Lutheran High School, an IHSAA Class 1A member on the city’s southeast side.

The Saints won the eighth sectional title during Alter’s tenure and extended their streak of sectional championships to six in 2017. Lutheran went on to take the first regional crown in program history.

After beating Bethesda Christian 16-0 and University 5-1 to win the Sheridan Sectional, the Saints topped Edinburgh 10-1 and Rising Sun 6-1 in the Morristown Regional before losing 6-2 to eventual 1A state champion Lanesville in the Jasper Semistate.

What propelled Lutheran in ’17?

“Chemistry,” says Alter, who is also chairman of the school’s social studies department. “It was certainly not the best team we’ve ever had here. But those boys put it together better than the other teams did when it counted. We had unified players that played together and wanted to win.”

There are not that many 1A schools in the Indianapolis area. The smallest school in the Indiana Crossroads Conference (which also includes Beech Grove, Indianapolis Cardinal Ritter, Indianapolis Scecina, Indianapolis Park Tudor, Monrovia, Speedway and Triton Central), Lutheran benefits from its strong regular-season schedule come postseason time.

ICC games are played on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and there’s the test of the Marion County Tournament.

Ritter won the 2017 Class 2A state title. The Saints also squared off with 4A’s Lafayette Jeff and Perry Meridian (three times) and 1A powerhouse Hauser. In recent seasons, 4A’s Columbus North and 3A’s Bishop Chatard and Guerin Catholic have been on the slate.

“We play a very competitive schedule,” says Alter. “We go out of our way to play good schools. We don’t have the depth these 4A schools have, but on any given day we can play with them.”

Sophomores Matthew Alter (Dick and Karen Alter’s only child) and Noah Wood and freshman Bradbury Aiden — all right-handers — did the bulk of the mound work for last season’s Saints. It was the first campaign of the IHSAA’s new pitch count rule (1 to 35 pitches requires 0 days rest; 36 to 60 requires 1 day; 61 to 80 requires 2 days; 81 to 100 requires 3 days; and 101 to 120 requires 4 days).

The coach is not a fan of the new rule.

“It severely limits a 1A program,” says Alter. “We really have to plan and be judicious with our pitchers. I like the old rule — 10 innings every three days. That made a lot of sense to me. It worked for me. If you are an experienced coach, you’re not going to hurt your kids’ arms by overthrowing them.”

Alter has heard the response of those like him who oppose the new rule.

“You can say ‘go develop more pitchers.’ But that’s easier said than done,” says Alter, who notes that many schools have players who grew learning to be pitchers. “We’re developing kids who can throw and hopefully they throw strikes. I understand the concept, but in practicality you’re not going to get a lot of good pitchers out of it.”

The Saints play games on their Arlington Avenue campus. Land-locked in a residential area, the field has relatively short dimensions.

“There’s one house we regularly hit in left field,” says Alter. “Any home run to the right side is going into somebody’s yard.”

Since Alter’s arrival, the field located in a residential area has received upgrades like a new backstop and dugouts and netting instead of a fence. Windscreens have been added and the home plate area and mound have been re-done.

Alter graduated from North Central in 1973. His coach was Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Famer Tom Bradley, who was the original host of the IHSBCA North/South All-Star Series. Alter played one year on baseball scholarship to Stetson University in DeLand, Fla., Alter transferred to Indiana University, earned a degree and began his professional life in marketing research.

In 1979, he began running the summer baseball program at North Central and later served as an assistant to Bradley.

He decided to change his profession to teacher and wound up coaching baseball and basketball at Manual. For a short time, he was head coach for both sports.

Alter led the Redskins on the diamond 1994-2004 then went to Lutheran when Matthew was 5.

Nephew Jared Broughton was a freshman on the 2005 Lutheran team. He went on to be a Junior College All-American at Vincennes University, a starter at the University of Dayton and is now associate head coach at Piedmont College, an NCAA Division III school in Demorest, Ga.

Alter coached Caleb Hougesen, a third baseman who was selected in the 46th round of the 2010 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft by the San Francisco Giants.

“He was a great player,” says Alter.

What feeds the Saints program?

The high school typically gets most of its students from four Lutheran K-8 schools on the southeast side of Indy. Almost all of the Saints have a travel baseball background.

As Lutheran plans for 2018, Tom Riensche (former Warren Central head coach) and Ryan Baglow are back as varsity assistants. Zach Akers has been a junior varsity coach.

The Saints normally have a JV team, but low numbers in some years and one available diamond mean they only field a varsity squad.

A veteran of nearly 40 years as a high school baseball coach, Dick Alter has been head coach at Indianapolis Lutheran since 2005. The Saints won their sixth straight sectional and advanced all the way to the semistate in 2017. (Indianapolis Lutheran Photo)