Conference tournaments in swing in NAIA, NCAA D-II, NCAA D-III

BY STEVE KRAH 

http://www.IndianaRBI.com

Indiana University Southeast (32-18) finished as runner-up to Point Park in the River States Conference baseball tournament at VA Memorial Stadium in Chillicothe, Ohio. 

The Brett Neffendorf-coached Grenadiers await their NAIA Opening Round assignment.

Three teams remain in the NAIA’s Crossroads League tournament in Winterholter Field in Upland, Ind. — regular-season champion and No. 1 seed Taylor (40-14) takes on the winner of the 3 p.m. Monday, May 6 game between No. 3 Saint Francis (36-16) vs. No. 6 Marian (25-26) at 6 for the title. A second championship game called will be played if necessary in the double-elimination format.

Taylor is coached by Kyle Gould, Saint Francis Dustin Butcher and Marian Todd Bacon.

Indiana Tech (30-22) has made the best-of-three championship series in the NAIA’s Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference tournament at Warrior Field in Fort Wayne, Ind. Those games against Madonna are slated for 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. today (May 6) and — if necessary — Tuesday (May 7). 

Kip McWilliams’ Indiana Tech team has won nine games in a row. The Warriors began the 2024 season at 0-6 and 2-16.

In NCAA Division II, the Great Lakes Valley Conference is slated for May 8-11 at Mtn Dew Park in Marion, Ill.

Regular season champion Indianapolis (34-16) is the No. 1 seed in an eight-team field. The Al Ready-coached Greyhounds play Lewis at 8:30 p.m. Eastern Time/7:30 p.m. Central Time on Wednesday, May 8.

Purdue Northwest (18-28) is the No. 6 seed in NCAA D-II’s Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference tournament May 9-12 at Jackson Field in Lansing, Mich.

Dave Griffin’s PNW Pride won its last regular-season game.

NCAA Division III’s Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference will stage its six-team tournament May 9-12 at Kokomo (Ind.) Municipal Stadium.

Hanover (26-14) is the No. 1 seed, followed by No. 2 Transylvania, No. 3 Rose-Hulman (23-17), No. 4 Mount St. Joseph, No. 5 Anderson (23-17) and No. 6 Franklin (20-20). 

The Hanover Panthers are coached by Grant Bellak, the Rose-Hulman Fightin’ Engineers Adam Rosen, the Anderson Ravens Matt Bair and the Franklin Grizzlies Lance Marshall.

Four teams made NCAA D-III’s North Coast Athletic Conference — No. 1 seed Wittenberg, No. 2 Denison, No. 3 DePauw (23-15) and No. 4 Kenyon. The event is May 9-11 in Chillicothe, Ohio.

Blake Allen coaches the DePauw Tigers.

Through the Week of April 29-May 5, the longest win streaks among the state’s NCAA Division I teams belong to Indiana State (34-10) and Southern Indiana (22-26) at three games apiece. 

Mitch Hannahs’ ISU Sycamores are 17-4 in the Missouri Valley Conference and have MVC series left against Evansville and Valparaiso to wrap the regular season plus a mid-week game against Ball State.

Tracy Archuleta’s Screaming Eagles are 11-10 in the Ohio Valley Conference and have OVC series left with Arkansas-Little Rock and Western Illinois plus mid-weeks with Evansville and Middle Tennessee State.

National Junior College Athletic Association‘s Division II Region 24 tournament play begins for Vincennes (13-42) Friday, May 10. Chris Barney coaches the Trailblazers.

INDIANA COLLEGE BASEBALL

Records Through May 5

NCAA D-I

Indiana State 34-10 (17-4 MVC)

Purdue 31-17 (12-6 Big Ten)

Ball State 27-10-1 (14-10 MAC)

Indiana 27-19-1 (12-6 Big Ten)

Evansville 27-20 (14-7 MVC)

Notre Dame 25-21 (9-18 ACC)

Southern Indiana 22-26 (11-10 OVC)

Butler 17-30 (3-12 Big East)

Purdue Fort Wayne 16-30 (9-15 Horizon)

Valparaiso 14-31 (6-15 MVC)

NCAA D-II

Indianapolis 34-16 (29-7 GLVC)

Purdue Northwest 18-28 (8-22 GLIAC)

NCAA D-III

Hanover 26-14 (17-5 HCAC)

Anderson 23-17 (13-9 HCAC)

Rose-Hulman 23-17 (14-8 HCAC)

DePauw 23-15 (12-4 NCAC)

Wabash 22-18 (8-8 NCAC)

Franklin 20-20 (9-13 HCAC)

Manchester 16-24 (9-13 HCAC)

Earlham 15-22 (7-15 HCAC)

Trine 11-27 (3-18 MIAA)

NAIA

Taylor 40-14 (30-6 CL)

Oakland City 39-16 (17-7 RSC) 

Saint Francis 36-16 (24-12 CL)

Indiana Wesleyan 34-15 (27-9 CL)

IU Southeast 32-18 (20-4 RSC)

IU-Kokomo 32-21 (18-6 RSC)

Huntington 30-21 (23-13 CL)

Indiana Tech 30-22 (24-8 WHAC)

Marian 25-26 (17-19 CL)

Calumet of St. Joseph 21-29 (14-18 CCAC)

Grace 18-31 (12-24 CL)

IU South Bend 18-32 (10-22 CCAC)

Goshen 12-36 (7-29 CL)

Bethel 11-35 (6-30 CL)

IUPU-Columbus 10-42 (2-22 RSC)

Junior College

Marian’s Ancilla 16-29 (3-22 MCCAA)

Vincennes 13-42 (5-27 MWAC)

Results Through May 5

NCAA D-I

Tuesday, April 30

Saint Louis 12, Butler 2

Evansville 7, Southeast Missouri State 6

Indiana State 21, Illinois 11

Notre Dame 4, Michigan State 3

Southern Illinois 7, Southern Indiana 5

Western Michigan 8, Valparaiso 6 (15 inn.)

Wednesday, May 1

Purdue 15, DePauw 0

Friday, May 3

Ball State 4, Northern Illinois 3

Xavier 13, Butler 6

Evansville 13, Valparaiso 1

Purdue 7, Indiana 4

Indiana State 15, Belmont 5

Pittsburgh 3, Notre Dame 1

Southern Indiana 5, Southern Illinois-Edwardsville 1

Saturday, May 4

Northern Illinois 12, Ball State 3

Xavier 7, Butler 3

Valparaiso 8, Evansville 4

Indiana 10, Purdue 2

Indiana State 8, Belmont 5

Notre Dame 15, Pittsburgh 8

Purdue Fort Wayne 14, Milwaukee 4

Southern Indiana 11, Southern Illinois-Edwardsville 6

Sunday, May 5

Ball State 13, Northern Illinois 10

Xavier 12,Butler 7

Evansville 9, Valparaiso 0

Indiana 5, Purdue 4

Indiana State 6, Belmont 4

Notre Dame 8, Pittsburgh 6

Milwaukee 7, Purdue Fort Wayne 6

Milwaukee 15, Purdue Fort Wayne 6

Southern Indiana 13, Southern Illinois-Edwardsville 9

NCAA D-II

Thursday, May 2

Lewis 5, Indianapolis 2

Friday, May 3

Lewis 7, Indianapolis 4

Indianapolis 10, Lewis 6

Wayne State 7, Purdue Northwest 4

Saturday, May 4

Indianapolis 14, Lewis 13

Wayne State 3, Purdue Northwest 0

Wayne State 8, Purdue Northwest 3

Sunday, May 5

Purdue Northwest 5, Wayne State 4

NCAA D-III

Tuesday, April 30

DePauw 13, Wittenberg 3

Wittenberg 15, DePauw 0

Wilmington 9, Earlham 7

Webster 13, Franklin

Spalding 11, Hanover 8

Greenville 11, Rose-Hulman 8

Wabash 6, Ohio Wesleyan 5

Wabash 19, Ohio Wesleyan 3

Wednesday, May 1

Purdue 15, DePauw 0

Heidelberg 10, Manchester 0

Friday, May 3

Olivet 4, Olivet 2

Saturday, May 4

Mount St. Joseph 7, Anderson 2

Anderson 9, Mount St. Joseph 3

DePauw 5, Hiram 4

DePauw 11, Hiram 6

Earlham 10, Transylvania 4

Earlham 8, Transylvania 2

Bluffton 9, Franklin 4

Bluffton 9, Franklin 5

Rose-Hulman 8, Hanover 4

Hanover 6, Rose-Hulman 1

Defiance 5, Manchester 1

Manchester 11, Defiance 3

Wabash 9, Wooster 4

Wooster 7, Wabash 3

Sunday, May 5

Franklin 4, Anderson 3

Franklin 15, Anderson 6

Defiance 7, Earlham 4

Defiance 12, Earlham 9

Bluffton 4, Hanover 3

Hanover 16, Bluffton 12

Rose-Hulman 15, Manchester 9

Manchester 7, Rose-Hulman 3

Olivet 4, Trine 0

Trine 12, Olivet 8

NAIA

Wednesday, May 1

Crossroads League Tournament

Marian 11, Spring Arbor 9

Mount Vernon Nazarene 8, Grace 7

Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic

Conference Tournament

Northwestern Ohio Pod

Northwestern Ohio 7, Lourdes 6

Madonna 10, Lawrence Tech 5 (10 inn.)

Lawrence Tech 15, Lourdes 1

Concordia Pod

Concord 5, Siena Heights 2

Indiana Tech 7, Aquinas 5

Aquinas 11, Siena Heights 9

Thursday, May 2

Crossroads League Tournament

Indiana Wesleyan 5, Mount Vernon Nazarene 4

Taylor 11, Marian 6

Saint Francis (Ind.) 7, Huntington 6

River States Conference Tournament

IU-Kokomo 11, Oakland City 9

Point Park 19, Ohio Christian 5

Shawnee State 16, West Virginia Tech 6

IU Southeast 17, Rio Grande 7

Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic

Conference Tournament

Northwestern Ohio Pod

Northwestern Ohio 14, Madonna 6

Madonna 10, Lawrence Tech 9 (10 inn.)

Concordia Pod

Indiana Tech 24, Concordia 2

Aquinas 5, Concordia 4

Friday, May 3

Crossroads League Tournament

Marian 10, Mount Vernon Nazarene 6

Huntington 9, Taylor 6

Saint Francis 9, Indiana Wesleyan 7

River States Conference Tournament

West Virginia Tech 10, Rio Grande 3

Oakland City 17, Ohio Christian 7

IU Southeast 7, Shawnee State 3

IU-Kokomo 11, Point Park 8

Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic

Conference Tournament

Northwestern Ohio Pod

Madonna 10, Northwestern Ohio 6

Madonna 11, Northwestern Ohio 10

Concordia Pod

Indiana Tech 9, Aquinas 7

Saturday, May 4

Crossroads League Tournament

Taylor 6, Indiana Wesleyan 1

Marian 10, Huntington 8

Taylor 9, Saint Francis (Ind.) 8

River States Conference Tournament

West Virginia Tech 12, Shawnee State 9

Point Park 9, Oakland City 3

IU Southeast 13, West Virginia Tech 5

Sunday, May 5

River States Conference Tournament

Point Park 11, IU-Kokomo 1

Point Park 13, IU-Kokomo 3

Championship

Point Park 10, IU Southeast 8

Junior College

Thursday, May 2

Kalamazoo 12, Marian’s Ancilla 1

Kalamazoo 9, Marian’s Ancilla 3

Saturday, May 4

Kalamazoo 11, Marian’s Ancilla 0

Kalamazoo 5, Marian’s Ancilla 0

Parkland 6, Vincennes 0

Parkland 4, Vincennes 0

Sunday, May 5

Parkland 9, Vincennes 3

Parkland 11, Vincennes 6 (11 inn.)

Seebold’s arm helping Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles in various ways

BY STEVE KRAH

http://www.IndianaRBI.com

Versatility, camaraderie and max effort is part of the value Gavin Seebold brings to the University of Southern Indiana baseball team.

The right-handed pitcher has started and come out of the bullpen for the Evansville-based Screaming Eagles.

The 21-year-old is always there to back his teammates.

Jeffersonville (Ind.) High School graduate Seebold knows that grit has its rewards.

“Any role, I’m prepared to do it,” says Seebold. “At the beginning of the year we were looking at me as more of a closer. The coaches asked me to start a game, I did pretty well in it and they asked me to start again. The just left me in that role.

“At tournament time, I may come out of the pen.”

Seebold lists some of his best athletic qualities.

“It’s probably my determination,” says Seebold. “I feel like I support all the guys on my team. I’m hard-working. You have to work hard to be in a successful position.”

In a dozen 2024 mound appearances (six starts), Seebold is 6-2 with a 4.13 earned run average, 41 strikeouts and 11 walks in 48 innings. He is scheduled to take the ball again Saturday as part of a three-game Ohio Valley Conference series May 3-5 for USI (19-26, 8-10) vs. Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville. 

Seebold has made improvements since the 2023 season when he was in 13 games (eight starts) and went 2-4 with an 8.27 ERA, 26 strikeouts and 23 walks in 37 innings.

“I attribute that to confidence — confidence that teammates have in me, coaches have in me and that I have in myself,” says Seebold. “Also, last year I didn’t have a feel for a breaking pitch.”

The 6-foot-1, 200-pound hurler now combines a slider with a four-seam fastball and change-up. 

“(The ) opens up my fastball, who has been my go-to pitch all my life,” says Seebold. “I spot my fastball pretty well.”

Throwing from a three-quarter arm slot, Seebold has topped out at 93 mph while setting at 88 to 91 with his four-seamer.

“I get a little arm-side run,” says Seebold. “Some days more than others.”

He sometimes refers to the slider as a “slurve.”

“Some days it looks more like a curveball, some days it looks like a slider,” says Seebold. 

He began to work on the pitch at the end of last spring, during the summer with the Ohio Valley League’s Louisville Jockeys and in the fall at USI.

“I like my change-up a lot,” says Seebold. “It’s pretty traditional with my middle and ring finger over the two seams.

“I have a tremendous amount of confidence in it.”

He is able to throw it over both sides of the plate, making it pair well with his fastball. He’s had chases and occasionally throws it back-door to right-handed batters.

Both the slider and curve are thrown as hard as he can — the slider at 77 to 81 mph and the change at 83 to 87 (that’s up from 77 to 81 in 2023). 

During catch play, Seebold focuses on releasing the ball over-the-top which helps with his mechanics once he steps on the mound.

Seebold was born in the Jeffersonville area and played a Jeff/GRC Little League from machine pitch to 12-year-old all-stars. Travel teams included the Ironmen, Indiana Showcasers and Canes Midwest 17U among a few others.

At Jeffersonville High School, Seebold was an honorable mention all-Hoosier Hills Conference performer. In his best season, he went 9-2 with a 2.46 ERA and 60 strikeouts in 57 innings for the Derek Ellis-coached Red Devils.

“Derek helped me gain confidence in myself,” says Seebold of Ellis. “He also helped my team and I building a winning culture of brotherhood and playing for one another.

“I’m thankful for the time the coaches spent with us and for all the time I spent in Jeffersonville baseball.”

The 2020 graduate saw his senior season taken by the COVID-19 pandemic.

From Jeff, Seebold went to Eastern Kentucky University. 

Battling elbow pain and taking PRP injections, Seebold did not pitch for the Colonels and was a medical redshirt in 2021 and red-shirted again after transferring to Southern Indiana and missed the 2022 season. His Tommy John surgery was in May 2021 and he was able to pitch again in July 2022. That’s when he played for the Bag Bandits of the College summer League at Grand Park in Westfield, Ind.

At USI, Seebold plays for head coach Tracy Archuleta.

“It’s a great opportunity,” says Seebold of playing for a man in his 18th season leading the program with 711 total wins as a college head coach. “He’s been around the game for a long time. He’s got a lot of knowledge. 

“He wants us to succeed.”

Nick Gobert is the Screaming Eagles pitching coach and has aided Seebold with tweaks and fixes to his delivery.

“He tells me a lot to just trust my stuff,” says Seebold of Gobert. “A lot of times I swing open with my front side. He tells me stay closed as long as possible and get down the mound. A lot of times I can I get stuck in my back leg. He gives me some pointers on getting everything flowing.

“I’m thankful that we have him.”

The USI staff also features assistants Vinny Tornincasa and Gordon Cardenas and director of operations Aaron Furman.

Seebold is scheduled to graduate this month with an Individual Studies degree and has two more years of eligibility. He says he will likely begin work in 2024-25 on a Masters of Business Administration with a concentration on Data Analytics.

This summer, he intends to train at Tread Athletics in Pineville, N.C.

Gavin is the oldest of John and Corinne Seebold’s two sons. Grant Seebold (Our Lady of Providence High School Class of 2023) is now a 6-foot-5 freshman right-handed pitcher at Oakland City (Ind.) University. Their mother played volleyball at Tennessee Tech. Their father grew up a Cincinnati Reds fan and that’s Gavin’s favorite team.

A recreational basketball player growing up, Gavin also follows the fortunes of the men’s hoops team at the University of Kentucky.

Gavin Seebold. (University of Southern Indiana Photo)

Gavin Seebold. (University of Southern Indiana Photo)

Gavin Seebold. (University of Southern Indiana Photo)

Former Castle, Southern Indiana lefty Ciuffetelli wrapping mound career at Belmont U.

By STEVE KRAH

http://www.IndianaRBI.com

Blake Ciuffetelli began his college baseball days in Pocket City and is finishing them in Music City.

The left-handed pitcher and 2019 graduate of Castle High School in Newburgh, Ind., redshirted his first season (2020) at the University of Southern Indiana in Evansville, Ind., then hurled three for the Screaming Eagles (2021-23) while earning a Computer Information Systems degree.

Ciuffetelli (pronounced Choo-fa-tell-ee) is a graduate transfer at Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn., in 2024. He is pursuing a Masters of Business Administration while toeing the slab for the Dave Jarvis-coached BU Bruins. A.J. Gaura, a former University of Evansville assistant, is the team’s pitching coach.

Coming out of a April 12-14 series at Valparaiso (Ind.) University, the 5-foot-11, 180-pound Ciuffetelli has made 16 mound appearances and has one win, 32 strikeouts and 13 walks in 28 2/3 innings.

After earning his MBA, he plans to get a job in the technology industry in Nashville. 

“My favorite things about Belmont are the people that I am around every day and the beautiful campus,” says Ciuffetelli, 23. “My favorite thing about Nashville is just being able to live in the city. 

“It’s a good change of pace from living in Indiana.”

In Ciuffetelli’s three seasons at Southern Indiana, he got into 55 games (33 out of the bullpen) and went 7-6 with one save, 96 strikeouts and 41 walks in 107 innings.

In 2023, he made 24 appearances (17 in relief) for the Tracy Archuleta-coached Screaming Eagles and went 3-1 with 48 strikeouts and 17 walks in 54 1/3 innings.

“My favorite memories at USI are playing with a great group of guys every year,” says Ciuffetelli. “Coming in with a big freshman class you make some tight-knit relationships that can last a lifetime, so being able to stay in touch with some of those guys has been great.”

The southpaw played both D-I and D-II at USI and D-I at Belmont. He describes the contrasts between the two.

“I see a difference in a lot of different aspects of the game on and off the field,” says Ciuffetelli. “On the field, at the D-I level, the teams and players are more physical and more fine-tuned in the way they play the game. At the D-II level we would play teams that had lots of raw talent, but the guys were missing one or two things that would set them apart from the group sending them to the next level. 

“Off the field at the D-I level, I feel like we are given more resources academically and for non-baseball activities. I feel like USI did a good job in their first year of being D-I offering these services with having such a quick turnaround with the transition. 

“I know the process of hiring all the new employees and setting up these resources isn’t easy and to be able to do that in a quick turnaround was good to see from a student-athletes perspective. At Belmont, these resources and have been set in stone for a while and has been really helpful with my whole transferring process.”

On the mound, Ciuffetelli uses a low three-quarter arm angle and mixes a fastball at 83 to 85 mph, cutter at 80 to 82, slider at 78 to 80, curveball at 74 to 76 and change-up at 78 to 80.

Ciuffetelli describes his bullpen approach versus that of a starting pitcher.

“There is a different mindset you have to have when coming out of the bullpen,” says Ciuffetelli. “Depending on my role in the bullpen I could get multiple innings or just one batter. 

“Coming in with the mentality of being ready to go from pitch one is essential. That’s one thing I struggle with sometimes. I feel like I come out of the bullpen with a starter mindset, and I need to work on having more of a reliever mindset in those situations.”

Ciuffetelli roots for the St. Louis Cardinals and identifies Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander Clayton Kershaw as his favorite baseball player.

Born in Evansville as the son of Vinnie and Bonnie Ciuffetelli and younger brother of Nick Ciuffetelli (who graduated from Castle in 2017 and now resides in Indianapolis), Blake grew up in Newburgh. He played Newburgh Junior Baseball and on their all-star team then travel ball with the Evansville Leathernecks his first three years of high school and the Evansville Razorbacks his senior year.

His coach at Castle was and still is Curt Welch.

As a collegian, he played two summers — 2021 and 2022 with the Ohio Valley League’s Henderson (Ky.) Flash.

Blake Ciuffetelli. (Belmont University Photo)

Blake Ciuffetelli. (Belmont University Image)

Blake Ciuffetelli. (University of Southern Indiana Photo)

Blake Ciuffetelli. (University of Southern Indiana Photo)

Blake Ciuffetelli. (University of Southern Indiana Photo)

Blake Ciuffetelli. (Belmont University Photo)

Blake Ciuffetelli. (Belmont University Photo)

Blake Ciuffetelli. (Belmont University Photo)

Coaching career takes Tornincasa to Southern Indiana

BY STEVE KRAH

http://www.IndianaRBI.com

New University of Southern Indiana assistant/hitting coach/recruiting coordinator Vinny Tornincasa got his first taste of baseball coaching right after high school.

Tornincasa, who grew up in Chesterton, Ind., had just wrapped his playing career, having helped Andrean High School in Merrillville, Ind., to IHSAA Class 3A state championships his junior and senior years (2009 and 2010). He went 2-for-4 with a run scored as a lead-off hitter/center fielder in the 2010 title game.

“I wanted to stay involved in the game,” says Tornincasa, 32. “I kept growing and one thing led to another.”

Tornincasa gave players guidance with the Hammond (Ind.) Chiefs travel organization then headed to Purdue University Northwest in Hammond as a student (he holds a History degree from the school). He would later be a PNW assistant coach 2015-20 and help with the summer collegiate Carroll (Iowa) Merchants.

He was also a teacher at Scott Middle School in Hammond, Ind., and Valparaiso (Ind.) Alternative School.

After the pandemic, Tornincasa joined the Andrean staff and coached the 59ers in 2021 and 2022. The 59ers won the program’s eighth state crown — all under Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Famer Dave Pishkur — in 2022.

At this point, Tornicasa decided he would be a full-time coach.

The summer of 2022 he was hitting coach and interim manager for the Northwoods League’s Rockford (Ill.) Rivets (37-35) and then became a assistant at the University of Illinois Springfield.

The NCAA Division II Prairie Stars head coach was Ryan Copeland (now head coach at Northern Illinois University).

“He was just awesome,” says Tornincasa of Copeland. “He taught me so much.

“I wanted to learn and he was willing to teach me.

“I’ve learned from a lot of great coaches.”

Among those are Pishkur at Andrean, Dave Sutkowski with the Hammond Chiefs, Dave Griffin at Purdue Northwest, Copeland at IUS and Tracy Archuleta at USI.

“I also want to give a shoutout to Torny (uncle Tom Tornincasa, who coached in pro ball including stints with the Fort Wayne Wizards and Fort Wayne TinCaps) for helping me with everything and getting me to where I’m at. Also, Mauer (Aaron Maurer who Vinny knows from Andrean) and K.J. (K.J. Zelelnika whom he coached with) for always having my back through the tough times.”

Illinois Springfield finished second in the Great Lakes Valley Conference in 2023, batting .313 as a team with 70 home runs and a .414 on-base percentage. 

Tornincasa managed Rockford to a 45-27 mark in the summer of 2023.

He was planning to head back to Springfield, but with Copeland changing jobs and Southern Indiana’s Archuleta asking about his interest in joining the NCAA D-I Screaming Eagles that’s the choice he made and was hired as an assistant/hitting coach/recruiting coordinator for the Evansville-based program. 

Nick Gobert and Gordon Cardenas are the other assistants. Alex Archuleta is a student assistant coach and Aaron Furman director of baseball operations.

“The lion’s share of it is serving as hitting coach,” says Tornincasa of his duties. “We all do our part with the recruiting side.”

Tornincasa, who attended the 2024 American Baseball Coaches Association Convention in Dallas, emphasizes the importance of batsmen being “on-time.”

“Being on-time you’re in hitting position and that’s half the battle,” says Tornincasa. “Everybody has a certain level of natural ability and talent.

“They’re only going to be able to take that and reach their natural ability by getting them in good positions and reinforcing fundamentals.”

As a hitter himself, being on-time meant tracking the baseball as early as possible and having good hand position and pitch selection. 

“Where I see guys struggle the most is movement prior to getting in that hitting position,” says Tornincasa. “So you clean it up and simplify a couple of things without taking away from the individual’s full capabilities.

“I want to see what guys can do and help them maximize that potential.”

Tornincasa says swing path is one of the biggest debates in hitting now. 

“The swing path doesn’t matter if you’re on-time,” says Tornincasa. “It always comes back to the fundamentals — be short to the baseball and be explosive with the lower half. If you do that, your swing naturally stays tight and through the zone.”

Hitters can see live pitching and deliveries from a machine to work on their cut. But dry swings with no ball are also beneficial.

“I like dry swings because it gives guys a feel for their movements without having to focus at something coming at them,” says Tornincasa. “It reinforces betting in good hitting position, firing the lower half and making sure they’re not opening up too soon.

“Guys typically get good feedback from dry swings.”

All that being said, Tornincasa notes that it’s his duty to help his team score runs.

“You’re not a swing coach, you’ve got to understand how to run an offense,” says Tornincasa. “That’s where I struggled a little (in the fall). (Archuleta) gave me the direction I needed. I feel pretty confident that I’m going to be able to do a good job what (the head coach) wants and that’s the goal of any good assistant, right?”

Something Tornincasa appreciates about Copeland and Archuleta — men he did not know prior to being hired by them — is that they both embrace practice.

“If you can make practice harder than the game the game should slow down and become easier for guys,” says Tornincasa. “If you can make practice more challenging they’re going to have more success in the game.”

Tornincasa says Southern Indiana tends to recruit players from a 250-mile radius of Evansville with attention to players closer to the Pocket City.

“The more you get to see them the more you’re reinforced with the decision to invest in them,” says Tornincasa. “You’ve got to find out the character of that kid. His values and character has to align with your head coach and program.”

Character does not often show up on video, especially it’s produced by the player. Flaws won’t be included.

“(Seeing players in-person) gives you a chance to see them fail and go against the right competition,” says Tornincasa. “In a video you don’t know if (the opposing pitcher) is throwing 92 mph or 72.

“You can learn a lot just by watching four at-bats. You can see how he is with teammates, how he is before the game and how he is with his parents after the game. Those things do matter.”

Southern Indiana is slated to open the 2024 baseball season Feb. 16 in Mobile, Ala., against the University of South Alabama.

Vinny Tornincasa. (University of Southern Indiana Photo)

Gossmann in third season pitching for Evansville Otters

By STEVE KRAH

http://www.IndianaRBI.com

The Evansville (Ind.) Otters are in the thick of the 2023 pennant push in the Frontier League and Avon (Ind.) High School, Vincennes (Ind.) University and University of Southern Indiana graduate Austin Gossmann has a key role.

As a starting pitcher, the right-hander has helped Evansville to a 40-31 mark heading into play Aug. 7. 

The Otters are four games behind West Division leader Gateway and two behind second-place Schaumburg. The top three teams in each division make the postseason. The regular season ends Sept. 3.

Evansville last won the Frontier League championship in 2016.

So far in 2023, Gossmann has pitched in 12 games (11 starts) and is 4-2 with a 5.46 ERA, 47 strikeouts and 24 walks in 56 innings. His last appearance was Wednesday, Aug. 2.

Since turning pro in 2021, Gossmann has been in 46 games (26 starts) and is 14-15 with a 4.33 earned run average, 249 strikeouts and 92 walks in 251 1/3 innings.

Gossmann was a Frontier League all-star in 2022. In 18 starts, he went 8-6 with one complete game a 4.85 ERA, 101 strikeouts and 40 walks in 105 2/3 innings.

In his rookie campaign of 2021, he made 16 appearances (15 starts) and was 2-7 with one complete game a 4.92 ERA, 101 strikeouts and 28 walks in 89 2/3 innings.

“The thing I like about starting is the constant competitiveness,” says Gossmann, who turned 27 in April. “It’s your responsibility to bridge to the bullpen and give your team a chance to win.

“It’s a bigger role.”

Pitching every five days also allows Gossmann to develop a standard routine with bullpen, weightlifting and running sessions between starts.

All the time, Andy McCauley has been Evansville’s manager and Max Peterson the pitching coach. The Otters play in historic Bosse Field (opened in 1915).

In three seasons at Southern Indiana (2019-21), Gossmann hurled in 30 games (24 starts) and was 9-8 with one save, a 5.12 ERA, 134 strikeouts and 50 walks in 142 1/3 innings. He made Great Lakes Valley Conference all-academic teams in 2019 and 2020.

Tracy Archuleta is the Screaming Eagles head coach. Jeremy Kuester is the pitching coach.

“I learned what it means to be a ballplayer and a good person from those two,” says Gossmann. “While I was at USI I grew up a lot and he was instrumental. I came in with a lot of cockiness and arrogance.

“I didn’t fully appreciate the lessons and what (Archuleta) was trying to communicate to me until after my senior year.”

With Kuester, it was back to the basics. 

“I was hard-headed and I thought I knew what I was talking about,” says Gossmann. “Kuester let me do my own thing for that first year. When I came back for my next year he was a little bit more on my back about doing things the USI way.”

Gossmann, who earned a History degree with a Secondary Education minor, was a Screaming Eagles volunteer assistant pitching coach in the fall and spring of 2021-22. At the same time, he served as a pitching instructor at Next Level Academy Evansville.

Gossmann delivers his pitches from variations on a three-quarter arm slot.

His mix has included a four-seam fastball, sinker, cutter and change-up as sometimes a two-seamer and slider.

When he has had access to measurements, his four-seamer has been clocked at 89-91 mph while touching 92. With multiple 14-hour road trips that has come down to 87-89 and 91.

The sinker has run and more depth than the fastball and goes 88-90 mph.

The cutter looks like a four-seamer then breaks to the glove side.

“Sometimes it will sweep a decent amount,” says Gossmann. “My slider has evaded me this year.”

While his bullpens are not always the same, they often call for 15 pitches at 75 percent effort.

“I’m throwing all my different pitches where I want to and have a feel,” says Gossmann. (This year) every week tends to be a little bit different in terms of focus. Sometimes I’m just working on fastballs. Other times after I throw a couple fastballs I really want do dial in on the cutter.

“What has been trending negatively the last couple of weeks?”

Gossmann picked up a slider as a high school freshman and that was pretty much his best pitch for years before he added complimentary pitches to the repertoire.

“When I was a (pro) rookie I was pretty much a two-pitch pitcher,” says Gossmann. “I went to the drawing board in the off-season.”

Pitchers that 5-foot-10 and 190-pound Gossmann admires include right-handers Sonny Gray, Tim Linceum and Trevor Bauer.

The 5-10 and 195 Gray (now with the Minnesota Twins) and 5-11, 170 Lincecum (now retired) are similar in build to Gossmann, who has been a social media follower of Bauer (now in Japan) on the Research and Development side of pitching.

In one season at South Alabama (2018) with Mark Calvi as head coach and Bob Keller as pitching coach, Gossmann relieved in eight contests and went 0-0 with an 8.18 ERA, nine strikeouts and four walks in 11 innings.

When Keller was let go, Gossmann was cut from the squad.

“Looking back it probably was for the best,” says Gossmann. “At the time it was crushing.

“I was faced with the decision. I could hang them up or continue playing.”

USA teammates included future pros Travis Swaggerty (drafted 10th overall by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2018), Brendan Donovan (now with the St. Louis Cardinals) and Dylan Hardy (who played in the Boston Red Sox system and was in the Frontier League in 2021), Zach Greene (now in the New York Yankees organization) and Michael Sandle (now in the Houston Astros system).

“Being at that level really set me up for where I’m at now,” says Gossmann. “It showed me where I needed to be if I wanted to continue playing past college.”

Gossmann was at National Junior College Athletic Association member Vincennes parts of three seasons (2015-17) with the first and last seeing him receiving a medical redshirt.

Playing for Trailblazers head coach Chris Barney, he competed in six games (five in relief) and went 0-0 with a 5.06 ERA, 14 strikeouts and 12 walks in 16 innings as a freshman in 2015.

Gossmann achieved a 4-2 record with one complete game, one save, 46 strikeouts and 18 walks in 42 1/3 innings pitched as a redshirt freshman in 2016.

He posted a 2.19 ERA with 16 strikeouts and five walks in 12 1/3 innings as a sophomore in 2017. It turns out he had a shoulder impingement and a labrum tear. He left VU with two associate degrees — History and Secondary Educuation/Teaching.

Gossmann played two summers during his college years — 2016 for the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League’s Richmond (Ind.) Jazz and 2018 for the Cal Ripken Collegiate Baseball League’s Alexandria (Va.) Aces.

He worked in 11 games (nine in relief) for Richmond and went 1-1 with a 10.80 ERA, 29 strikeouts and 15 walks in 28 1/3 innings. All 14 of his games with Alexandria were out of the bullpen as he went 1-2 with a 2.61 ERA, 31 strikeouts and eight walks in 20 2/3 innings.

Gossmann was rehabbing from injuries in the summers of 2015 and 2017. In 2019, he was concentrating on paperwork to get more eligibility and 2020 was the COVID-19 pandemic summer.

At Avon High School, Gossmann was a two-year letterwinner. He was on the freshman team throughout his freshman season of 2011. He was on the junior varsity and dressed for a few varsity games as a sophomore in 2012. He split time between varsity and JV as a junior in 2013. He was a full-time varsity player as a senior in 2014. That spring, the Orioles won the Hendricks County title.

Born in Indianapolis, Gossmann grew up in Avon.

He played for rec and all-star games in the Avon Junior Athletic Association then the Avon Attack travel team.

He was with the Indiana Outlaws at 13U and 14U, the Avon High summer team at 15U, Indiana Irish at 16U and 17U and Demand Command at 18U.

Austin is the oldest of Jeff and Karen Gossmann’s three children. 

Nathan Gossmann graduated from Indiana University as a triple major and is now a consultant in Washington D.C.

Kayla Gossmann is heading into her senior year as a Biology major and Indiana University Purdue University-Indianapolis.

Jeff Gossmann is a Department of Defense accountant. Karen Gossmann is a French teacher at Plainfield (Ind.) High School.

Austin Gossmann.

Austin Gossmann. (Evansville Otters Photo)

Austin Gossmann. (Evansville Otters Photo)

Austin Gossmann. (Evansville Otters Photo)

Austin Gossmann. (Evansville Otters Photo)

Austin Gossmann. (Evansville Otters Photo)

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

Kahre’s baseball journey takes him to Southern Indiana

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

Evan Kahre is coming to the close of a college baseball journey that has led to hundreds of relationships.
A senior outfielder at the University of Southern Indiana in Evansville, Kahre has graduated with a Finance degree and is exploring his future options.
“I don’t have anything set in stone yet,” says Kahre, who turned 24 in April. “But I have a lot of things I want to try to do. I know I have a lot of different opportunities. The great thing about playing baseball and going to three different (colleges) and playing summer ball I know I have 300-500 guys that could call me at anytime to offer me a job or an opportunity to work anywhere or do anything.”
Kahre (pronounced Car-EE) was born in Evansville, grew up on the north side of town and graduated from Evansville Central High School in 2017. He has spent two years each at Olney (Ill.) Central College, the University of Evansville and USI.
He played in 65 games and hit .356 (67-of-188) with three home runs, three triples, 13 doubles, 31 runs batted in, 56 runs scored and 18 stolen bases for the OCC Blue Knights in 2018.
Kahre committed to Evansville in the fall of his sophomore year at Olney then had hand surgery after winter break. He got into just two games in 2019 and took a medical redshirt.
He appeared in 12 games at Evansville in 2020 — the season cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic and got that year of eligibility back.
Kahre played in 19 games for the Purple Aces in 2021 and went 0-of-7 at the plate and opted to move on.
“I was very fortunate,” says Kahre. “Growing up in Evansville I knew a lot of guys around USI’s baseball team. Coach (Tracy) Archuleta was one of the first people to call me after I entered the Transfer Portal.
“I just love him as a person and as a coach as well. He’s very personable and easy to talk to.”
Archuleta, who has led the Screaming Eagles program since the 2007 season, has shown the ability to get the most out of players.
“When it comes down to it, if you mess up in a game he’s going to hold you accountable, which is good,” says Kahre. “He expects more out of every individual than they think they’re capable of and that’s how he’s created great teams and great players in the past.”
Southern Indiana went from NCAA Division II in 2022 to NCAA D-I in 2023.
“I already knew what we were getting into,” says Kahre, having been with a D-I program at Evansville. “I really wish a lot of other guys could have seen that.
“Baseball is so mental. It’s about the mindset and what you think of it. If we think we’re going to lose we probably don’t have a good chance to win. If we think we’re just as good as any team we have a really good chance to win.”
Many of the players on the 2022 USI roster made the transition in 2023.
“The guys we’re playing now aren’t any different than the ones we played in Division II,” says Kahre. “They put their shoes on the same way in the morning as we do.”
Kahre sees no skill gap between D-I and D-II position players. There might be a little with hitters and there tends to be more velocity coming from DI weekend starting pitchers.
USI is in the nine-team Ohio Valley Conference. The top eight makes the OVC tournament. The Screaming Eagles (15-36, 6-14) are currently in eighth ahead of Lindenwood.
A regular season-closing series at Tennessee Tech is May 18-20.
“We really need to get some wins this weekend,” says Kahre.
As an outfielder, Kahre works with assistant Seth LaRue as well as Archuleta.
Kahre, who is 6-foot-3 and 195 pounds and throws and hits right-handed, goes into the Tennessee Tech series hitting .304 (49-of-161) with two home runs, three triples, seven doubles, 21 runs batted in, 36 runs scored, 22 walks and 12 stolen bases. He has started in all 40 games in which he has played.
In 2022, he played in 43 contests (all starts) and hit .290 (40-of-138) with no homers, five triples, six doubles, 22 RBIs, 34 runs, 29 walks and eight stolen bases.
“I’ve always been able to run a little bit,” says Kahre. “The goal is to get into scoring position.”
Kahre is aware of pitchers throwing off-speed pitches. He studies his pick-off move and reads balls in the dirt.
During the season, Kahre was moved to the lead-off spot in the Southern Indiana batting order.
“I see it as a leadership role,” says Kahre. “I’m trying put together a good at-bat and get on-base to start us in a positive direction.”
The past two years, Kahre played in the College Summer League at Grand Park in Westfield, Ind.
“I had a great host family,” says Kahre, who stayed both years with Trevor and Abbey Hash.
He did not play summer ball in 2020 and was with the Dubois County Bombers in Huntingburg, Ind., in 2018 and 2019. Andy Lasher (who is now head coach at Oakland City University) was the manager the first year and Travis LaMar the second.
Kahre’s formal baseball start was in Cal Ripken. He played travel ball for Boonville/Indiana Gold and in his 17U summer the Indiana Outlaws (now known as the Canes Midwest) and the 18U Evansville Leathernecks (based out of the training facility then now as Extra Innings and now Complete Game).
Mike Goedde, a former USI head coach and two-time UE pitching coach, was Kahre’s head coach at Evansville Central.
“Playing in high school is where I learned a good amount more about how the game should be played,” says Kahre. “(Goedde) taught us how to do the little things right.”
Brett and Stacey Kahre have three sons — Evan, Dax and Ashton. Brett Kahre played football at Evansville Central and now works in engineering for Brake Supply in Evansville. Stacey Kahre played softball at Evansville Reitz and UE and owns Midwest Skin Institute, a dermatology business in Evansville.
Dax Kahre (Evansville Central Class of 2021) played baseball in high school and is now a USI student. Ashton Kahre played baseball and soccer and picked up lacrosse in high school. He is an Evansville Central senior.

Evan Kahre. (University of Southern Indiana Photo)

Evan Kahre. (University of Southern Indiana Photo)

Indiana college baseball gets rolling for 2023

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

The 2023 season has begun most of Indiana’s 39 baseball-playing colleges and universities.
All 10 NCAA Division I schools opened up Friday, Feb. 17. Purdue and Southern Indiana enjoyed 3-1 weekends.
It was the first games for the Tracy Archuleta-coached Screaming Eagles since moving up from NCAA D-II.
Butler’s Blake Beemer picked up his first two wins as a collegiate head coach.
Shawn Stiffler earned his first triumph as head coach at Notre Dame.
At the D-II level, Indianapolis racked up 62 runs in a three-game sweep of Notre Dame College.
D-III Wabash — coached by Jake Martin — went 3-0 with wins against three different foes.
The only other Indiana school in the division to get started was DePauw (1-1). The other seven are slated to start this week.
NAIA boasts 15 Indiana schools and some have been going for weeks.
The hottest starters are Oakland City (11-1), Huntington (6-1), Bethel (6-3) and Grace (5-2).
Andy Lasher’s OCU Mighty Oaks are coming off a 3-1 weekend.
Huntington is in its first season with Thad Frame as Foresters head coach.
This is the hottest start for Bethel since the Seth Zartman-led Pilots began 15-2, including 11-1 in the fall.
Ryan Roth’s Grace Lancers are coming off a 3-1 weekend against Aquinas.
Indiana University Purdue University at Columbus launched its program and it’s first victory under Pride head coach Scott Bickel came Feb. 12 against Huntington. Jared Ross socked the first home run in program history.
In junior college ball, Chris Barney’s 3-4 Vincennes Trailblazers won their last two games.

INDIANA COLLEGE BASEBALL
Records Through Feb. 19
NCAA D-I
Purdue 3-1 (0-0 Big Ten)
Southern Indiana 3-1 (0-OVC)
Butler 2-2 (0-0 Big East)
Indiana State 1-1 (0-0 MVC)
Notre Dame 1-2 (0-0 ACC)
Indiana 1-2 (0-0 Big Ten)
Valparaiso 1-2 (0-0 MVC)
Ball State 1-3 (0-0 MAC)
Purdue Fort Wayne 1-3 (0-0 Horizon)
Evansville 0-3 (0-0 MVC)

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

NCAA D-III
Wabash 3-0 (0-0 NCAC)
DePauw 1-1 (0-0 NCAC)
Anderson 0-0 (0-0 HCAC)
Earlham 0-0 (0-0 HCAC)
Franklin 0-0 (0-0 HCAC)
Hanover 0-0 (0-0 HCAC)
Manchester 0-0 (0-0 HCAC)
Rose-Hulman 0-0 (0-0 HCAC)
Trine 0-0 (0-0 MIAA)

NAIA
Oakland City 11-1 (0-0 RSC)
Huntington 6-1 (0-0 CL)
Bethel 6-3 (0-0 CL)
Grace 5-2 (0-0 CL)
Marian 5-4 (0-0 CL)
IU-Kokomo 5-5 (0-0 RSC)
Taylor 4-6 (0-0 CL)
IU South Bend 4-7 (0-0 CCAC)
Indiana Wesleyan 3-4-1 (0-0 CL)
Saint Francis 3-5 (0-0 CL)
Indiana Tech 2-1 (0-0 WHAC)
Calumet of Saint Joseph 1-6 (0-0 CCAC)
Goshen 1-6 (0-0 CL)
IUPU-Columbus 1-6
IU Southeast 0-7 (0-0 RSC)

Junior College
Vincennes 3-4 (0-0 MWAC)
Ivy Tech Northeast 1-3
Marian’s Ancilla 0-8 (0-0 MCCAA)

Through Feb. 19
NCAA D-I
Friday, Feb. 17
Ball State 2, Charlotte 1
Lipscomb 5, Notre Dame 4
Troy 12, Evansville 7
Purdue 12, Holy Cross 1
Iowa 6, Indiana State 2
Auburn 8, Indiana 4
Farleigh Dickinson 9, Butler 8
Alabama State 13, Purdue Fort Wayne 0
Southern Indiana 11, Western Illinois 5
Kansas 5, Valparaiso 1

Saturday, Feb. 18
Charlotte 9, Ball State 4
Charlotte 9, Ball State 5
Notre Dame 8, Lipscomb 4
Troy 8, Evansville 7
Purdue 14, Holy Cross 4 (7 inn.)
Holy Cross 12, Purdue 3
Indiana State 6, Quinnipiac 1
Auburn 6, Indiana 1
Butler 3, Farleigh Dickinson 0
Butler 16, Farleigh Dickinson 7
Purdue Fort Wayne 4, Alabama State 3
Alabama State 18, Purdue Fort Wayne 4
Western Illinois 5, Southern Indiana 2
Southern Indiana 6, Western Illinois 0
Valparaiso 11, Kansas 3

Sunday, Feb. 19
Charlotte 19, Ball State 5
Lipscomb 4, Notre Dame 2
Troy 11, Evansville 10
Purdue 12, Holy Cross 2 (8 inn.)
Indiana 11, Auburn 2
Farleigh Dickinson 10, Butler 9
Alabama State 13, Purdue Fort Wayne 11
Southern Indiana 5, Western Illinois 4
Kansas 6, Valparaiso 4

NCAA D-II
Saturday, Feb. 18
Indianapolis 17, Notre Dame College 1
Indianapolis 32, Notre Dame College 7
Saturday, Feb. 19
Indianapolis 13, Notre Dame College 1 (7 inn.)

NCAA D-III
Friday, Feb. 17
Wabash 5, Augustana 1

Saturday, Feb. 18
Wabash 11, Wisconsin-Eau Claire 6

Sunday, Feb. 19
DePauw 11, Ripon 10
North Central 8, DePauw 2
Wabash 10, Rhodes 9

NAIA
Thursday, Jan. 26
Benedictine at Mesa 3, Taylor 2

Friday, Jan. 27
Taylor 17, Kansas Wesleyan 10

Saturday, Jan. 28
Embry-Riddle 8, Taylor 4

Friday, Feb. 3
Blue Mountain 11, Bethel 3
IU-Kokomo 14, Point 2
Georgia Gwinnett 5, Indiana Wesleyan 1
Indiana Wesleyan 6, Georgia Gwinnett 4

Saturday, Feb. 4
Blue Mountain 4, Bethel 3
Bethel 4, Blue Mountain 3
Tennessee Southern 14, Calumet of St. Joseph 3
Tennessee Southern 7, Calumet of St. Joseph 6
Union 9, Goshen 5
Union 14, Goshen 1
IU-Kokomo 14, Cumberland 7
IU-Kokomo 15, St. Andrews 2
IU South Bend 6, Thomas More 1
West Virginia Tech 1, IU South Bend 0
Georgia Gwinnett 5, Indiana Wesleyan 3

Sunday, Feb. 5
Calumet of St. Joseph 23, Tennessee Southern 14
Tennessee Southern 17, Calumet of St. Joseph 11
Union 6, Goshen 0
Union 7, Goshen 5
Lindsey Wilson 5, IU South Bend 3
Culver-Stockton 5, Marian 4
Faulkner 9, Marian 6
Oakland City 13, Johnson 5
Oakland City 6, Johnson 2

Monday, Feb. 6
Cumberlands 7, IU Southeast 6
Oakland City 4, Johnson 3
Thursday, Feb. 9
Indiana Wesleyan 12, Cumberland 12 (13 inn.)

Friday, Feb. 10
Bethel 7, Champion Christian 3
Bethel 10, Champion Christian 4
Oakland City 5, Calumet of St. Joseph 1
Grace 2, Trinity International 1
Grace 3, Trinity International 2
Huntington 11, IUPU-Columbus 0
Huntington 4, IUPU-Columbus 3
IU-Kokomo 7, Truett McConnell 0
Truett McConnell 13, IU-Kokomo 2
Tennessee Southern 3, IU South Bend 0
Tennessee Southern 7, IU South Bend 0
Indiana Wesleyan 11, Cumberland 7
Freed-Hardeman 10, Saint Francis 0
Freed-Hardeman 13, Saint Francis 4
Georgia Gwinnett 9, Taylor 4
Georgia Gwinnett 8, Taylor 1

Saturday, Feb. 11
Bethel 9, Champion Christian 1
Bethel 13, Champion Christian 0
Oakland City 10, Calumet of St. Joseph 0
Oakland City 9, Calumet of St. Joseph 3
Grace 3, Trinity International 2
Truett McConnell 20, IU-Kokomo 19
Tennessee Southern 5, IU South Bend 3
Tennessee Southern 10, IU South Bend 6
Columbia College 9, IU Southeast 4
Columbia College 4, IU Southeast 3
Indiana Wesleyan 11, Cumberland 7
Marian 5, Tougaloo 1
Marian 17, Tougaloo 4
Freed-Hardeman 2, Saint Francis 1
Freed-Hardeman 8, Saint Francis 7
Georgia Gwinnett 6, Taylor 4

Sunday, Feb. 12
IUPU-Columbus 5, Huntington 2
Huntington 14, IUPU-Columbus 5
Columbia College 11, IU Southeast 4
Marian 7, Tougaloo 2

Wednesday, Feb. 15
Taylor 30, IUPU-Columbus 1

Friday, Feb. 17
Ecclesia 6, Goshen 2
Middle Georgia State 11, IU-Kokomo 0
IU-Kokomo 11, Middle Georgia State 1
Webber International 6, IU Southeast 5
Taylor 6, Point Park 2 (10 inn.)

Saturday, Feb. 18
Bethel 7, Oakland City 4
Oakland City 6, Bethel 4
Ecclesia 4, Goshen 3
Goshen 16, Ecclesia 0
Grace 9, Aquinas 7
Aquinas 10, Grace 9 (10 inn.)
Huntington 3, Saint Xavier 0
Huntington 11, Saint Xavier 0
Indiana Tech 11, Midway 10 (10 inn.)
Middle Georgia State 3, IU-Kokomo 0
Middle Georgia State 7, IU-Kokomo 4
Marian 19, IUPU-Columbus 10
Marian 9, IUPU-Columbus 8
IU South Bend 6, Culver-Stockton 4
IU South Bend 9, Culver-Stockton 3
Lindsey Wilson 12, Indiana Wesleyan 11 (10 inn.)
Lindsey Wilson 13, Indiana Wesleyan 8
Tennessee Southern 10, Saint Francis 5
Saint Francis 7, Tennessee Southern 0 (8 inn.)
Taylor 15, IU Southeast 5 (8 inn.)
William Carey 12, Taylor 3

Sunday, Feb. 19
Aquinas 14, Grace 9
Grace 16, Aquinas 11
Huntington 10, Georgetown College 5
Midway 10, Indiana Tech 8
Indiana Tech 12, Midway 7
Culver-Stockton 11, IU South Bend 4
IU South Bend 9, Culver-Stockton 8
Rheinhardt 11, IU Southeast 2
Oakland City 7, Marian 4
Oakland City 4, Marian 2
Saint Francis 7, Tennessee Southern 5
Saint Francis 23, Tennessee Southern 8

Junior College
Tuesday, Feb. 7
Kellogg 9, Ivy Tech Northeast 2

Friday, Feb. 10
Vincennes 7, Cleveland State CC 4
Cleveland State CC 3, Vincennes 0

Saturday, Feb. 11
Southeastern Illinois 14, Marian’s Ancilla 1 (5 inn.)
Southeastern Illinois 7, Marian’s Ancilla 1 (7 inn.)
Cleveland State CC 9, Vincennes 5

Sunday, Feb. 12
Southeastern Illinois 9, Marian’s Ancilla 1 (7 inn.)
Southeastern Illinois 12, Marian’s Ancilla 7 (7 inn.)

Wednesday, Feb.15
Frontier 8, Vincennes 1

Saturday, Feb. 18
Frontier 11, Marian’s Ancilla 1 (5 inn.)
Olney Central 5, Ivy Tech Northeast 3
Olney Central 9, Ivy Tech Northeast 1
South Sububurn 15, Vincennes 12
Vincennes 7, Marian’s Ancilla 0

Sunday, Feb. 19
Olney Central 2, Ivy Tech Northeast 1
South Suburban 16, Marian’s Ancilla 9
Vincennes 13, Marian’s Ancilla 4

Southern Indiana making transition to NCAA Division I

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

The University of Southern Indiana in Evansville has decided to raise its profile and athletics plays a major part.
The Screaming Eagles have moved from NCAA Division II to Division I and begin competing at that level in 2022-23.
“We’re not a secret anymore,” says Tracy Archuleta, USI’s head baseball coach since the 2007 season. “Once we make that jump to Division I we want everyone to know about it. We want everyone to know how good our nursing program is and how great the Romain business school is and our engineering program along with the great tradition of successful athletics.
“We’re trying to make a big impact across the nation and not just in the tri-state (Indiana-Illinois-Kentucky) area.”
It means that the Pocket City now has two D-I schools — Southern Indiana and the University of Evansville.
Archuleta has spent his whole college baseball career in D-II as a player and a coach. He led Southern Indiana to DII national championships in 2010 and 2014.
But he knows that D-I is at the top of the scale.
“The excitement comes from being able to hold our teams against the best in the country,” says Archuleta.
Part of the transition means hiring the staff to help student-athletes while gradually increasing the number of scholarships.
“We want to hire guys who are familiar with Division I baseball and have had success with it,” says Archuleta.
His current staff includes Nick Gobert, Seth LaRue, volunteer Brice Stuteville and director of player development Deron Spink.
Gobert and Stuteville played at USI. LaRue is a 2011 graduate of Evansville Mater Dei High School who coached at Texas A&M Corpus Christi 2020-22. Spink is a former head coach at Bellarmine University in Louisville.
Southern Indiana is beginning a four-year probationary period. The Screaming Eagles will not be eligible for NCAA tournament play until 2026-27.
NCAA D-I allows for 11.7 baseball scholarships while D-II is capped at 9. USI typically had six to seven.
“Recruiting has a big impact in all sports,” says Archuleta. “You have to be able to sell the university and give the student-athlete an understanding of why USI is a great fit for them.
“The difference now in recruiting is that you see everyone out there working instead of a select few. When you call a kid they have six schools already on them.”
In looking at Southern Indiana’s current roster, Archuleta has a mix of junior college transfers and players right out of high school along with returnees.
Archuleta says the roster will have to be trimmed from 50 to 40 by the spring season.
“The biggest thing for our guys is that they have to be willing to meet the challenge,” says Archuleta. “Some guys will have to step it up a little bit.”
USI plays host to Kent State in a charity exhibition at 2 p.m. Central Time Saturday, Oct. 22.
“I’m excited about what’s ahead for us there,” says Archuleta. “We’ll see where we’re at.”
Formerly a part of the D-II Great Lakes Valley Conference, Southern Indiana now belongs to the Ohio Valley Conference (with Eastern Illinois University, Lindenwood University, University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Morehead State University, Southeast Missouri State University, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, Tennessee State University, Tennessee Technological University and University of Tennessee at Martin).
“There’s tradition there,” says Archuleta of the OVC. “In baseball, the conference is up-and-coming.
“With us, there’s the proximity of all the schools. It’s going to be neat for USI to build up rivals. Fans will be able to travel to road games.”
All but Tennessee Tech (205), Morehead State (260) and Arkansas-Little Rock (409) are inside 200 miles from USI.
SEMO competed in the Louisville Regional in 2022.
D-II is allowed to play 50 games. In 2022, USI played 49 with 28 of those at home.
D-I allows 56 games. Archuleta says he expects the 2023 Screaming Eagles schedule to be released in mid-November.
“Two of our first four weekends are at home (against Oakland and Bellarmine),” says Archuleta. “We have some midweek games at home.
“I think we only have two non-Division I opponents on our schedule.”
USI Baseball Field became the permanent home of the Screaming Eagles in 1974.
The on-campus facility is tree-lined and has lights and seating for about 1,200 with a concession stand, picnic area, press box and restrooms.
There’s also a four-camera replay system — something many D-I school do not possess.
Dimensions are 355 feet down the lines, 375 in the power alleys and 380 to dead center field.
“Our facilities are unbelievable,” says Archuleta. “We have great people who work on it.”
Archuleta can see upgrades coming in the next five-plus years.
“We have a little bit of work to do, but we’re not far away,” says Archuleta.

(University of Southern Indiana Image)

New head coach Murray emphasizing athletic development for Mount Vernon Wildcats

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

Dustin Murray was hired this summer as the new head baseball coach at Mt. Vernon (Ind.) High School.
His focus for the Wildcats this fall and winter is adding muscle and being in-shape.
“The biggest thing that I’m going to bring is off-season expectations in the weight room,” says Murray, who is a certified strength and conditioning coach and a first-year Physical Education and Health teacher at Mt. Vernon Junior High School. “This is the part of the year where we’re going to get stronger.
“We want to have accountability when it comes to athletic development.”
Lifting at 6:15 a.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays have been drawing 25 athletes per session.
“What we’re doing is baseball-specific,” says Murray. “But it’s helpful for all sports.”
Murray has been facility director for 13 years at Athletic Republic Evansville, a sports performance training center.
A few years ago, Murray did some volunteer work for Mt. Vernon head coach Paul Quinzer and takes over after Quinzer retired following the 2022 season after leading the program since 2002.
Mt. Vernon (enrollment around 625) is a member of the Pocket Athletic Conference (with Boonville, Forest Park, Gibson Southern, Heritage Hills, North Posey, Pike Central, Princeton, Southridge, South Spencer, Tecumseh, Tell City and Washington).
The Wildcats were part of an IHSAA Class 3A sectional grouping in 2022 with Boonville, Evansville Bosse, Evansville Memorial and Heritage Hills. Mt. Vernon has won 17 sectional titles — the last in 2015.
Murray’s coaching staff includes Luke Harris and Derek Foncannon. Another assistant may be added.
A exciting addition at Mt. Vernon is an indoor training facility near the football field. There will be batting cages that will benefit both baseball and softball.
Construction on the building began a few weeks ago and could be available in late spring or early summer of 2023.
Murray says there has also been discussion of adding a turf infield on the Athletic Park diamond.
Mt. Vernon Cub Baseball offers playing time for eight graders and seventh graders in the spring.
Murray was an assistant to Steve Ricketts at Evansville Mater Dei in 2019 and 2020.
In 2018, he coached for Norris City-Omaha-Enfield in Illinois. He lives in Carmi, Ill., with wife Brittany, daughter Taytem (7) and son Jagger (1).
Prior to his Norris City-Omaha-Enfield stint, he was involved strength and conditioning at the University of Southern Indiana in Evansville from 2010-18 after coaching baseball 2006-10. He landed with the Screaming Eagles when following Tracy Archuleta.
A native of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Murray graduated from Bishop James Mahoney High School in 2000. He attended Prairie Baseball Academy while going to Lethbridge Community College. After two years, he transferred to the University of Wisconsin-Parkside where Archeluta was the coach. An “international” rule allowed him to play five years of college baseball, including three at UWP. He also helped coach the Rangers after his playing days.
“I’ve never seen him have an ‘off’ day,” says Murray of Archuleta, who has won three NCAA Division II national titles at USI and is leading the Screaming Eagles into NCAA Division I status. “Every time he stepped on the field in was with intent.
“He is always looking to better his program. He’s always high energy and ready to go in everything he does.”
As the part of honored teams, Murray is in athletic halls of fame at both the University of Wisconsin-Parkside (2016) and the University of Southern Indiana (2020).

Dustin Murray.

The Murrays (left from): Jagger, Brittany, Jagger and Dustin.