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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Schedule Links
Indianapolis
Purdue Northwest

Stat Links
Indianapolis
Purdue Northwest

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Schedule Links
Ivy Tech Northeast
Marian’s Ancilla
Vincennes

Stat Links
Ivy Tech Northeast
Marian’s Ancilla
Vincennes

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sunday, May 28
Championship
Maryland 4, Iowa 0

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

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

Friday, May 26
Kent State 10, Central Michigan 2

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sunday, May 28
Championship
Clemson 11, Miami 5

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Saturday, May 27
Championship
Wright State 14, Oakland 0

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

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

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

Sunday, May 28
No games

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

Tuesday, May 30
3 games

Wednesday, May 31
2 games

Thursday, June 1
Championship

Friday, June 2
If necessary game

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

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

Advertisement

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Schedule Links
Indianapolis
Purdue Northwest

Stat Links
Indianapolis
Purdue Northwest

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Schedule Links
Ivy Tech Northeast
Marian’s Ancilla
Vincennes

Stat Links
Ivy Tech Northeast
Marian’s Ancilla
Vincennes

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Saturday, May 20
Championship
Heartland 9, Lincoln Land 3

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Schedule Links
Indianapolis
Purdue Northwest

Stat Links
Indianapolis
Purdue Northwest

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Schedule Links
Ivy Tech Northeast
Marian’s Ancilla
Vincennes

Stat Links
Ivy Tech Northeast
Marian’s Ancilla
Vincennes

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

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

Thursday, May 11
Oakland 11, Purdue Fort Wayne 5

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sunday, May 14
Championship
Quincy 13, Drury 6

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sunday, May 14
Championship
Franklin 12, Anderson 2

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

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

Sunday, May 14

Championship
Denison 7, Wittenberg 2

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Shirk enjoys success in Wright State starting rotation

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

Jake Shirk has performed well enough on the mound to earn Horizon League Pitcher of the Week honors three times.
Two of those came during the 2023 season and the other occasion was in 2022.
Shirk, a junior right-hander for Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, has made 11 appearances this spring (all starts) and is 4-4 with a 4.52 earned run average, 59 strikeouts and 13 walks in 69 2/3 innings. His WHIP (walks and hits per inning) is 1.21 and opponents are hitting .254 against him.
Fort Wayne, Ind., native Shirk is scheduled to start in Game 2 of a three-game Horizon League home series Saturday, May 13 against Milwaukee.
In his previous start for the “Raider Gang” on May 6, he worked seven innings and gave up five hits with five strikeouts and no walks in a no-decision against Northern Kentucky.
The start before that, Shirk fanned 14 batters with no walks in an April 29 win at Oakland. He whiffed nine in an April 22 outing at Purdue Fort Wayne.
For his college career, Shirk hurled in 39 games (27 as a starter) and is 17-9 with a 4.66 ERA, 135 strikeouts and 39 walks in 172 innings.
He prefers the starting role.
“The best thing is to just get a good routine going,” says Shirk. “You have your start day and you can plan the rest of the week for your recovery and what days you want to get in heavy lifts.
“It’s just easier getting your body feeling better week-to-week getting ready for the next start.”
Shirk, who is 6-foot-3 and 210 pounds and turns 21 on June 5, throws a four-seam fastball, sinker, slider and change-up from a three-quarter overhand arm angle.
His sinker has arm-side run and drop and is clocked around 90 mph.
The four-seamer sits at 92 to 93 mph and has hit 94. He describes his slider as a “slurve” — a slider and curve mix — that tends to travel 82 to 84 mph.
Shirk considers his change-up — with its horizontal run, drop and spin — to be his best pitch. He admires the “Airbender” thrown by Milwaukee Brewers closer Devin Williams.
The best qualities of Shirk the athlete?
“I’m a pretty good teammate,” says Shirk. “I just like to have fun at the field and try to get better every day.”
“At the college level it’s good to get close with the freshmen and the newer guys in the program because if you get them more involved the program is going to be stronger as a whole.”
Going into the weekend, Wright State is 31-18 overall and 18-6 in the HL. The Raiders are No. 70 in the current NCAA Division I RPI (Rating Percentage Index) rankings.
“You just pick your teammates up,” says Shirk. “Not everybody’s going to have their best day. Help them bounce back for the next opportunity.”
Alex Sogard, 35, is in his fifth season as Wright State’s head coach.
“Sogard’s a great coach,” says Shirk. “He’s a big reason why I came to this program. He and (assistant coach/recruiting coordinator Nate) Metzger do a great job of keeping us close-knit.
“The atmosphere’s pretty good here.”
Shirk sees a straight shooter in Sogard.
“He’ll be honest with you and he’ll pick you up if you don’t have your best day,” says Shirk. “He’ll tell you like it is and that’s what I like about him.”
Metzger infuses his knowledge and keeps things loose by cracking jokes.
“He’s a great guy to have around,” says Shirk.
Volunteer assistant Derek Hendrixson and Director of Pitching Development Keegan Burney work together to help the mound staff.
“It’s mostly with the mental side of the game,” says Shirk. “They help me stay locked-in week to week.
“Trusting and believing in yourself in over half the battle.”
Diamyn Hall was the first full-time mental skills coach at the D-I level and served at Wright State 2017-19. He is now a Leadership Coach in the Athletic & Personal Development Department at IMG Academy Bradenton, Fla.
“I think they still incorporate some of the things he liked in the program today,” says Shirk.
While he has not yet received his contract, Shirk is supposed to pitch for the Cape Cod League’s Orleans Firebirds this summer. He took off the summer of 2022 to give his arm a break after logging 86 innings in the spring. Shirk was in the College Summer League at Grand Park in Westfield, Ind., in both 2020 and 2021.
“That was very beneficial for me,” says Shirk of facing college hitters in 2020 even before he went to Wright State.
Born in Fort Wayne, Shirk was at what is now Wallen Baseball and Softball and played travel ball for the Greg Shirk-coached Wallen Wolfpack, Fort Wayne Diamondbacks and P.J. Fauquher-coached Indiana Prospects.
A 2020 graduate of Carroll High School in Fort Wayne, where the Chargers were led by Dave Ginder.
“It’s been a pretty successful program,” says Shirk, who was on the junior varsity squad as a freshman, played varsity as a sophomore and junior and had his senior season canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Shirk is a Finance major at Wright State.
He is the son of Greg Shirk and Shaun Hart.
“My dad has been a big mentor to me,” says Jake. “He gives me a couple of phone calls a week getting me ready for each start. He’s been a big help to my success so far in career.
“My mom is very supportive. She helps me with school and makes sure I’m comfortable and happy.”
Older brother Jared Shirk (Carroll Class of 2018) played high school baseball. Sister Reagan Hart is an eighth grader.

Jake Shirk. (Wright State University Image)

Jake Shirk. (Wright State University Photo)

Jake Shirk. (Wright State University Photo)

Jake Shirk. (Wright State University Photo)

Jake Shirk. (Wright State University Photo)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Schedule Links
Indianapolis
Purdue Northwest

Stat Links
Indianapolis
Purdue Northwest

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Schedule Links
Ivy Tech Northeast
Marian’s Ancilla
Vincennes

Stat Links
Ivy Tech Northeast
Marian’s Ancilla
Vincennes

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thursday, May 4
Hope 11, Trine 2

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Friday, May 5
Madonna 29, Aquinas 6

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

Friday, May 5
Concordia 8, Indiana Tech 4

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

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

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

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

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

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

Indiana State win streak reaches 13

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Schedule Links
Indianapolis
Purdue Northwest

Stat Links
Indianapolis
Purdue Northwest

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Schedule Links
Ivy Tech Northeast
Marian’s Ancilla
Vincennes

Stat Links
Ivy Tech Northeast
Marian’s Ancilla
Vincennes

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

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

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

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

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

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

Wednesday, April 19
Indianapolis 6, Purdue Northwest 3

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

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

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

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

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

Thursday, April 20
Franklin 13, Denison 3

Friday, April 21
Calvin 12, Trine 11

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Before joining Marines, Miller helping Indiana State on mound

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

Lane Miller’s final college baseball season is ending with him performing a different function than when he began.
Before the 2023 campaign at Indiana State University, Miller announced he would join the U.S. Marines after the season and apply for Officer Candidates School (OCS) in Quantico, Va. He has completed a Sport Management degree and Master of Business Administration (MBA) certification at ISU and is now working on a Sports Leadership minor.
“I talked to the coaches and my priority was going to be to get ready for that,” says Miller. “I was just going to be a leader on the team and help where I needed to help.”
He coached up his teammates, gathered statistics and contributed to scouting reports.”
Then came a need for him to pitch. He made starts March 28 against Purdue, April 2 against Illinois-Chicago, April 9 against Illinois State, April 16 against Belmont and — in an adjusted schedule — is slated to start again Monday, April 24 against Missouri Valley Conference foe Southern Illinois at Bob Warn Field in Terre Haute.
6-foot-4, 211-pound right-hander is 3-0 with a 1.95 earned run average. He has 16 strikeouts and eight walks in 27 2/3 innings. Opponents are hitting .196 against him.
With a 10-2 victory at No. 4 Vanderbilt, No. 22 Indiana State ran its win streak to 11 (Illinois-Chicago two games, Indiana, Illinois State three games, Purdue, Belmont three games and Vandy).
It’s the second double-digit streak since Mitch Hannahs has been head coach. The Sycamores previously won 12 in a row in 2014.
Through April 19, Indiana State was No. 12 in the NCAA Division I RPI (Rating Percentage Index) rankings.
“Everybody is taking it game-by-game,” says Miler. “We can’t get too far ahead of ourselves. Coach Hannahs says, ‘anywhere anytime.’ That’s how it is in college baseball right now. Any team can beat anybody at anytime.”
Miller says the Sycamores are out to prove that they deserve the recognition.
“We just pick each other up on good days and bad days and keep moving forward,” says Miller.
Consistency is what Miller sees when he looks at Hannahs.
“It’s knowing that we’re going to get the same thing every day when we show up at the field. I know he has a high expectation not only for himself, but for his coaches and the team as a whole.
“His loyalty to us is second to none.”
Miller, who made 15 mound appearances (18 innings) 2020-22, works closest with Sycamores pitching coach Justin Hancock.
“He’s very determined,” says Miller of Hancock. “He knows what he wants out of the pitching staff and each player. He holds them to a high standard.
“His standard never falters on a daily basis.”
Miller throws a two-seam fastball, change-up and slider and has been working in a pitch that is a mix of slider and curve. Depending on the count or situation, he also change arm slots — over-the-top or sidearm.
Throwing from the side, his two-seamer moves left to right and slider right to left.
“I’ve done a good job of not doing one or the other (arm slot) too much,” says Miller. “I’m a very quick pitcher. I tend to work fast. With the 20-second pitch clock rule the faster I work the less time the hitter gets to think.
“It’s really worked to my benefit.”
Born in Evansville, Ind., to a military family, Miller spent early years in South Carolina and Idaho, and settled in Boonville, Ind., in his seventh grade year. He played most of his travel ball in middle school and high school with the Ironmen.
Lane is the son of Todd Miller and Summer (Hart) Williams. His father was in the military for more than 20 years, serving in the U.S. Navy and with the Special Forces. His mother played basketball at the University of Evansville. Sister Daleigh Miller is an Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis senior. Brother Caiden Miller is a Marine.
A 2017 graduate of Boonville High School, Miller was an all-Pocket Athletic Conference performer in football, basketball and baseball. On the diamond, his head coach was Cory Julian.
“He held me to a higher standard than he did anybody else,” says Miller of Julian. “He counted on me to be the leader of the team.”
Miller played multiple positions for the Pioneers in all three sports — wide receiver, quarterback, cornerback, punter and kicker in football, forward and center in basketball and first base, third base, shortstop outfield and pitcher in baseball.
Miller played with the Terre Haute Rex at the end of the summer of 2022. He was with the Local Legends of the College Summer League at Grand Park in Westfield, Ind., in 2021. He did not play summer ball in 2020 — the year of limited opportunities because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The righty was Pitcher of the Year with the Saugerties (N.Y.) Stallions of the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League in 2019. He was with the Rex in 2018. He went to summer school at Indiana University in 2017.
Recruited by Chris Lemonis (who departed IU for Mississippi State), Miller left after the fall and transferred to ISU. He sat out the first year with the Sycamores and also underwent foot surgery as a freshman and had surgery on both hips in 2020.

Lane Miller. (Indiana State University)

Lane Miller. (Indiana State University)

Talking Hoosier Baseball podcast gives Indiana U. program its due

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

Putting a spotlight on the Indiana University program is aim of the folks from Talking Hoosier Baseball — a podcast devoted to the sport at IU — along with its associated website (iubase.com).
In alphabetical order, the THB team features Josh Bennett, Chris Feeny, Carl James and Cassady Palmer with help of student interns.
“We say we are a fan site and we have a specific niche that we’re fulfilling,” says James. “When we (started) there was hardly anything. I have to say we’re in a golden age of media at least from an IU student perspective.
“You’ve got some really great coverage from the Indiana Daily Student. IUSTV does good stuff. WIUX is now broadcasting games.”
Using the tagline “Meet Me At the Bart,” the crew can be found sitting near the home dugout on the third base side at Bart Kauffman Field. The next home games on the 2023 schedule are slated for March 24-26 vs. Ohio State. Tailgating tends to happen on Saturdays.
During games, Bennett’s young kids hawk foul balls and homers and have been able to give the spheres back to the players who planted them.
“There’s not a bad seat in the house,” says Bennett, who grew up in Monrovia, Ind., where he played baseball.
His father — a Bedford, Ind., native — was an adjunct professor at Indiana and the family followed Hoosier sports.
His first IU memory was attending games at Sembower Field in the late 1980’s. Mickey Morandini was his counselor at a youth baseball camp staged in John Mellencamp Pavilion when Bennett was 8 or 9.
Sembower was replaced in the spring of 2013 by Bart Kauffman Field.
“I actually went to Purdue but rooted for IU up there and got kicked out of some places from time to time,” says Bennett. “I love IU sports and baseball especially.”
In talking about the origin of the website, he noted that coverage for basketball and football was abundant but not nearly so for the Hoosiers on the diamond.
“These kids in baseball and the other Olympic sports are paying to play at this university and represent this school,” says Bennett. “They don’t get their just due as far as we were concerned.
“We wanted to branch out and have some other avenues to get some information out there.
“We wanted to give them some exposure.”
Bennett designed the first version of the site and it has been tweaked by James with his tech background.
Day jobs have Bennett as an electronics technician at NWSC Division Crane Navy Base southwest of Bloomington, Feeny as a behavioral health technician at Indiana Center for Recovery in Bloomington, James as a digital media specialist at IU’s Kelley School of Business and Palmer as an epidemiologist for the Missouri Health Department.
Feeny spent his early years in Massapequa, N.Y., on Long Island and moved to Brooklyn in his 20’s and is a major New York Mets fan.
His brother attended IU so Chris knew about Sembower Field and Bloomington and made it his home in 2014.
“I bought season tickets (for IU baseball) and jumped in with two feet pretty early,” says Feeny. “I was used to going to 40 or 50 Met games a year.
Those trips took an hour on the subway and going to see the Hoosiers was a snap.
“Before I knew anything about it I was in,” says Feeny. “I met a lot of cool people.”
Feeny started a Facebook group and Twitter handle early in 2017. The website was created late that year.
It was at a tailgate party that the idea of starting a podcast emerged out of a conversation between Feeny, James and Brian Tonsoni.
Tonsoni had the crew doing the podcast live the first year.
“It was a lot more nerve-wracking,” says Feeny. “We don’t do that any more.”
Feeny is the one who gives out weekly awards for hitting, pitching and defense in the form of red belts.
“The first year we did this we saw all these belts breaking on the field so the goof was it would be a good prize to win a red belt,” says Feeny.
Last year, Big Ten pick ‘ems minus Indiana’s games were added to the mix. There are three B1G series this weekend — Purdue at Michigan State, Penn State at Michigan and Illinois at Nebraska. Palmer was 32-11 as the best picker on the team in 2022.
“It does not apply to Basketball Bracketology — ever,” says Palmer. “My brackets always bust every year.”
Weekly episodes are now recorded as the baseball schedule and the availability of the THB team dictates.
“We’ve been lucky enough to get some player interviews the last few years,” says Bennett. “We’ve also had Bart Kauffman on.”
Former IU player Kauffman is a member of the Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame.
A preview of upcoming series is a weekly podcast staple.
When possible, there is live-blogging during games. Recaps are posted on the site.
The team has allowed THB to connect and there are now post-game wrap-ups featuring head coach Jeff Mercer’s comments.
“We are blessed with that access,” says Bennett.
“They are generous with their time,” says Feeny. “They really are.”
A recent postgame allowed 29 minutes with the coach.
“You get Jeff Mercer talking about baseball and he’ll just keep going,” says James. “That’s been a positive.”
Pro Ball Hoosiers is a Twitter page that tracks Indiana players in baseball, basketball and football. Through a suggestion from those people, interviews with Mercer or players are now posted as separate podcasts.
Pro Ball Hoosiers, Jeremy Gray and THB collaborated on an IU baseball alumni draft early during COVID-19 lockdown in 2020. Players from all eras were eligible.
“I went back to 1884,” says James. “Sixty percent of my picks were before 1950.”
Both of James’ parents are from Martinsville, Ind. His father was a catcher for the MHS Artesians and went into the U.S. Navy.
Carl moved around as a “Navy brat” and the family ended up in Bloomington when his father retired from the service. James graduated from Bloomington North High School.
“I was not an athlete,” says James. “I did play some baseball when I was really young. I’m a pretty small guy and was more of a theater person.”
A retail career took him all over. When that ended he wound up back in Bloomington in 2013.
“I was able to actually pay attention to sports again,” says James. “The first sporting event I went to was an IU baseball game. I pretty much got hooked.”
He met up with the others on the THB team through social media.
Along the way he got into Baseball Bracketology.
His Facebook niche was speculating IU chances of making the NCAA Tournament.
“You want to play teams that win games,” says James who compares D-I squads and their victories and losses.
“Particularly NCAA’s Rating Percentage Index (RPI),” says James. “It’s a formula they cooked up specifically for basketball in the early ‘80s. It’s a simple formula. You take all the wins and losses of the team’s opponents (winning percentage) and that makes up 50 percent of it. You take the 25 percent of the opponents’ opponents and 25 percent is that team’s own winning percentage although there is an adjustor for that based on whether the game was played at home, away or neutral.
“For baseball it’s like .7 for a home win and 1.3 points for a home win. It’s basically a bonus given to northern teams because they play more road games than southern teams do.”
James says northern teams are punished by the fact they can’t consistently scrimmage outside in the winter months.
“IU — now having a turf field and being far enough south to have decent weather — does pretty well,” says James. “They can actually schedule a couple of mid-week games in February. This year they’ve been able to play them.”
At this writing, the Hoosiers at 11-0 in all 2023 games at Bart Kauffman Field.
Both of Palmer’s parents are from Missouri. They moved to Bloomington at the time Indiana was winning an NCAA basketball national championship in 1987 and Cassady was born in Bloomington.
Her father got a teaching degree and the family moved to Syracuse, Ind., and she graduated from Wawasee High School then attended IU.
“I followed the (baseball) team quite a bit,” says Palmer. “I could watch practices from the top floor of Briscoe (Hall) when they were at Sembower.
“Particularly in grad school I started really getting into data analysis,” says Palmer. “I started trying to apply some of the stuff I was learning a baseball data set. Except there aren’t really baseball data sets at the college level — not in the same way as basketball or football.
“That means I need to make my own data set, which means I need to keep score. If I want percent of first-pitch strikes I have to know what all the first pitches are.”
She began sharing her knowledge in Facebook groups and on Twitter and live-Tweeted at fall ball games and scrimmages.
Palmer was quick to point out the sample size.
She would give her findings then conclude with something like “we’re only five games in so take this with a big block of salt.”
Palmer still tracks IU baseball data while residing in Missouri.
“I do the in-game numbers,” says Palmer. “Carl does the across-games numbers.”
The THB team has gone to season-opening series at Memphis (2019), Louisiana State (2020), Clemson (2022) and Auburn (2023).
“All the Tigers,” says Palmer.

The Talking Hoosier Basedball team (from left): Carl James, Cassday, Palmer, Josh Bennett and Chris Feeny. (THB Image)