Indiana Wesleyan University will be at center stage when the Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association North/South All-Star Series is held Friday through Sunday, June 24-26. Practice is slated for Friday, June 24. The North works out from 1:30-3 p.m. and the South 3-4:30. The All-Star banquet is slated for 7 p.m. Friday, June 24 at Roseburg Event Center with former big league pitcher and 2008 Indiana Wesleyan alum Brandon Beachy as keynote speaker. A doubleheader is scheduled for Saturday, June 25. The three-game series concludes with a wood bat contest Sunday, June 26. The North leads 68-66 in the all-time series. Indiana all-stars are seniors nominated by IHSBCA members and selected by a committee. In addition, the IHSBCA Futures Game (non-seniors) is to be staged at IWU Wednesday, June 22. A doubleheader featuring four teams is scheduled to begin at noon.
When John Smith took over as head baseball coach at Morgan Township Middle/High School on the south side of Valparaiso, Ind., the Class of 2022 was in their freshmen year. Two members of that class — left fielder Nate Hudkins and shortstop Nate Lemmons — are now seniors and the Cherokees are coming off the program’s fifth sectional championship and first since 2018. “The guys are proud of the accomplishment,” says Smith. “They see the fruit of their labors.” University of Dubuque (Iowa)-bound Lemmons (.388 average, 22 runs batted in, 28 runs, 20 stolen bases) plus Hudkins (.355, 18 RBI, 28 runs, 17 stolen bases) are part of a Morgan Township offense that also features sophomore Keagen Holder (.426, 15 RBI, 15 runs, 10 stolen bases), junior Jayke Putz (.414, 26 RBI, 29 runs), junior Max Rakowski (.406, 16 RBI, 20 runs), sophomore Grant Cowger (.389), freshman Chase Rosenbaum (.379, 17 RBI, 19 runs), junior D.J. Hand (.310, 16 RBI, 19 runs) and sophomore Jack Wheeler (14 RBI, 18 runs, 12 stolen bases). The mound crew features Wheeler (5-1, 0.92 earned run average, 64 strikeouts and 20 walks over 45 2/3 innings) and Putz (3-2, 3.67, 42 K’s, 20 BB, 34 1/3 IP). The current crop of sophomores were eighth graders when Smith took over the school’s fall middle school baseball program. “Getting those players at a young age has been beneficial for me,” says Smith, who teaches high school and middle school Health and Physical Education. “We get with them early in their baseball careers and establish the culture and the ideals with we strive for. “We give them that knowledge and get them used to me and how I coach.” After winning the 2022 IHSAA Class 1A Westville Sectional, Morgan Township is bound for the South Bend Washington Regional (which is being played Saturday, June 4 at South Bend Clay’s Jim Reinebold Field). The first semifinal features No. 4-ranked South Central (Union) Mills) and No. 9 Caston at 11 a.m. Eastern Time/10 a.m. Central Time followed by the 17-8 Cherokees against No. 10 Fremont around 1:30/12:30. Morgan Township (enrollment around 240) is a member of the Porter County Conference (with Boone Grove, Hebron, Kouts, LaCrosse, South Central of Union Mills, Washington Township and Westville). The Cherokees went 5-2 in the PCC in 2022, finishing third behind Boone Grove (7-0) and South Central (6-1). Besides the hosts and Morgan Township, the Westville Sectional included 21st Century Charter, Covenant Christian (DeMotte), Hammond Academy of Science & Technology, Kouts, Marquette Catholic and Washington Township. Smith is assisted by Boone Grove graduate and Morgan Township P.E./Health teacher Dean Hill and Washington Township alum Levi Oman. Hill is in charge of the junior varsity team. In 2022, the Cherokees finished the regular season with 24 players in the program. Morgan Township calls Curtis C. Casbon Field home. The diamond on the east side of the school has a backdrop of trees in left field. The facility is shared with Morgan Township Summer League 8U and 10U teams. Smith is a 2010 graduate of Shakamak Junior/Senior High School in Jasonville, Ind. Chip Sweet, who was inducted into the Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2017, came back for his second stint as Lakers head coach when Smith was a senior, following three years with Matt Fougerousse rowing the boat. “He was very knowledgeable guy about baseball and life and how to carry yourself off the field,” says Smith of Sweet. “It was about character and how they represent themselves, their community and their school. “Coach Fougerousse was an extension of Coach Sweet. He wanted that fire to win and lead and be great young men. It’s something that program stands for.” At Indiana State University in Terre Haute, Smith earned an undergraduate degree in Exercise Science and a masters in Kinesiology and Exercise Science. John and wife Megan Smith have been married nearly three years. They do not have children.
Morgan Township baseball coaches Dean Hill, John Smith and Levin Oman with the 2022 sectional trophy. Smith is the Cherokees head coach.
Morgan Township celebrates the 2022 IHSAA Class 1A Westville Sectional baseball championship. The Cherokees earned a berth in the regional in South Bend.
Notre Dame — the last college baseball team from Indiana left standing in 2022 — found out today (May 30) that the Irish will be in the Statesboro Regional for the 64-team NCAA Division I tournament. The No. 2-seeded Irish (35-14) play No. 3 Texas Tech (37-20) at 2 p.m. Friday, June 3. Site host and top-seeded Georgia Southern (40-18) plays No. UNC Greensboro (34-28) at 7 p.m. Friday. Notre Dame made it to the semifinals of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament. Regionals continue through June 6 with super regionals June 10-13 and the College World Series June 17-27. Ball State made it to the “if necessary” Mid-American Conference tournament championship game against Central Michigan and lost 11-7 to wind up the season at 40-19 overall and 32-7 as MAC regular-season champions. Central Michigan earned an automatic NCAA tournament bid. Evansville (32-24, 14-6), Indiana State (26-22-1, 10-10-1) and Valparaiso (16-32, 5-15) bowed out in the Missouri Valley Conference tournament. Seasons came to a close for Purdue (29-21, 9-12) and Indiana (27-32, 10-14) at the Big Ten tournament. Purdue Fort Wayne (18-36, 13-15) finished up in the Horizon League tournament. In the past few weeks, conferences have handed out postseason awards at the NCAA D-I, D-II and D-III, NAIA and junior college levels and there is a list of those below.
Junior College Michigan Community College: MARIAN’S ANCILLA — if Rylan Huntley (first team), if Josh Ledgard (honorable mention). Mid-West: Vincennes — ss Peyton Lane (second team), ut Colton Evans (second team).
Week of May 23-29 NCAA D-I Tuesday, May 24 Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament Pittsburgh 12, Georgia Tech 6 North Carolina State 11, Wake Forest 8 North Carolina 9, Clemson 2
Missouri Valley Conference Tournament Missouri State 9, Illinois State 4
Wednesday, May 25 Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament Pittsburgh 6, Louisville 5 Florida State 13, Virginia 3 North Carolina State 9, Miami 6
Horizon League Tournament Youngstown State 6, Purdue Fort Wayne 0 Northern Kentucky 3, Illinois-Chicago 2
Mid-American Conference Tournament Central Michigan 11, Toledo 10
Missouri Valley Conference Tournament Indiana State 8, Valparaiso 0 Missouri State 5, Southern Illinois 1 Evansville 9, Indiana State 1
Thursday, May 26 Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament Georgia Tech 9, Louisville 4 Notre Dame 5, Florida State 3 Virginia Tech 18, Clemson 6
Big Ten Conference Tournament Penn State 5, Iowa 2 Rutgers 10, Purdue 3 Maryland 6, Indiana 5 Michigan 7, Illinois 5
Horizon League Tournament Wright State 18, Northern Kentucky 4 Oakland 2, Youngstown State 0
Mid-American Conference Tournament Ball State 6, Ohio 4
Missouri Valley Conference Tournament Dallas Baptist 4, Bradley 3
Friday, May 27 Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament Notre Dame 3, Virginia 0 Wake Forest 16, Miami 3 North Carolina 10, Virginia Tech 0
Big Ten Conference Tournament Iowa 5, Purdue 4 Rutgers 5, Penn State 4 Indiana 8, Illinois 1 Michigan 15, Maryland 8
Horizon League Tournament Youngstown State 11, Northern Kentucky 7 Wright State 14, Oakland 3 Oakland 4, Youngstown State 2
Mid-American Conference Tournament Toledo 13, Ohio 5 Ball State 9, Central Michigan 7
Missouri Valley Conference Tournament Southern Illinois 8, Indiana State 2 Missouri State 19, Bradley 3 Evansville 21, Dallas Baptist 2
Saturday, May 28 Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament North Carolina 7, Notre Dame 2 North Carolina State 8, Pittsburgh 3
Big Ten Conference Tournament Iowa 11, Penn State 3 Indiana 6, Maryland 4 (11 inn.) Iowa 7, Michigan 3 Rutgers 14, Indiana 2
Horizon League Championship Wright State 24, Oakland 0
Mid-American Conference Tournament Central Michigan 10, Toledo 7 Central Michigan 12, Ball State 3
Missouri Valley Conference Tournament Southern Illinois 7, Dallas Baptist 5 Missouri State 7, Evansville 6 Southern Illinois 8, Evansville 5
Sunday, May 29 Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament Championship North Carolina 9, North Carolina State 5
Big Ten Conference Tournament Michigan 13, Iowa 1 Championship Michigan 10, Rutgers 4
Mid-American Conference Tournament Championship Central Michigan 11, Ball State 7
Missouri Valley Conference Tournament Southern Illinois 9, Missouri State 6 Championship Missouri State 13, Southern Illinois 3
With a four-game sweep at Miami (Ohio) during the week of May 16-22, Ball State earned the right to host the four-team Mid-American Conference baseball tournament May 25-28 in Muncie. The Cardinals are one of eight teams from Indiana going into NCAA Division I conference tournaments this week. Ball State (38-17), the MAC regular-season champions for the first time since 2014, is the top seed, followed by Central Michigan No. 2, Toledo No. 3 and Ohio No. 4. BSU is 7-3 in its last 10 games. The Rich Maloney-coached Cardinals are 18-4 at Ball Diamond at First Merchants Ballpark Complex. Twelve teams will compete in the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament May 24-29 in Charlotte, N.C. Pool play is May 24-27. No. 4 seed Notre Dame (33-13) is in Pool D with No. 5 seed Virginia and No. 9 seed Florida State. Link Jarrett is the Notre Dame head coach. The Irish are 7-3 in their last 10. The eight-team Big Ten Conference tournament is slated for May 25-29 in Omaha, Neb. Maryland is the No. 1 seed, Rutgers No. 2, Iowa No. 3, Illinois No. 4, Michigan No. 5, Penn State No. 6, Greg Goff-coached Purdue (29-19) No. 7 and Jeff Mercer-coached Indiana (25-30) No. 8. The Boilermakers are 4-6 in their last 10, the Hoosiers 5-5. The eight-team Missouri Valley Conference tournament is scheduled for May 24-28 in Springfield, Mo. Southern Illinois is the No. 1 seed, followed by Wes Carroll-coached Evansville (30-22) No. 2, Dallas Baptist No. 3, Bradley No. 4, Mitch Hannah-coached Indiana State (25-20-1) No. 5, Missouri State No. 6, Illinois State No. 7 and Brian Schmack-coached Valparaiso (16-31) No. 8. The Purple Aces are 6-4 in their last 10, the Sycamores 3-6-1 and Beacons 3-7. The six-team Horizon League tournament May 25-28 in Dayton, Ohio. Wright State is the No. 1 seed. Oakland is No. 2, Illinois-Chicago No. 3, Doug Schreiber-coached Purdue Fort Wayne (18-35) No. 4, Youngstown State No. 5 and Northern Kentucky No. 6. The Mastodons are 5-5 in their last 10. Notre Dame is No. 17 in the D1Baseball.com RPI. Ball State is No. 70, Evansville No. 86, Indiana State No. 99, Indiana No. 115, Purdue No. 124, Valparaiso No. 210, Butler No. 238 and Purdue Fort Wayne No. 258. Automatic bids go to the winners of the MAC, ACC, Big Ten, MVC and Horizon tournaments and more. There are 31 automatic bids and 33 at-large picks that will be made by NCAA Division I Baseball Committee. The tournament bracket for the 64-team event will be revealed at noon Eastern Time May 30 on ESPN2. Butler (20-35-1) did not qualify for the four-team Big East Conference tournament, which is May 26-29 in Mason, Ohio. Bulldogs head coach Dave Schrage concluded his 38-year career with a 6-4 victory Saturday against Seton Hall. He recently announced his retirement. Taylor (41-18) and Indiana University Southeast (40-15) both went 1-2 and bowed out at separate NAIA Opening Round sites — the Kyle Gould-coached Trojans in the Upland Bracket and the Ben Reel-coached Grenadiers in the Santa Barbara Bracket. Earlham (26-13) lost twice at NCAA Division III regional at Lynchburg, Va. The Steve Sakosits-coached Quakers qualified by winning the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference tournament. Vincennes (25-32) saw its season end with two losses in the National Junior College Athletic Association’s Mid-West Athletic Conference tournament in Normal, Ill. Chris Barney is the VU Trailblazers coach.
Week of May 16-22 NCAA D-I Tuesday, May 17 Purdue Fort Wayne 4, Butler 2 Murray State 3, Evansville 2 Indiana 12, Illinois State 7 Notre Dame 14, Northwestern 4
Friday, May 20 Ball State 4, Miami (Ohio) 2 Ball State 11, Miami (Ohio) 1 Seton Hall 3, Butler 1 Valparaiso 8, Evansville 4 Iowa 12, Indiana 0 Indiana State 11, Dallas Baptist 10 Notre Dame 5, Miami (Fla.) 0 Maryland 18, Purdue 7 Purdue Fort Wayne 6, Akron 5 Akron 7, Purdue Fort Wayne 6
Saturday, May 21 Ball State 13, Miami (Ohio) 2 Butler 6, Seton Hall 4 Iowa 2, Indiana 1 Dallas Baptist 2, Indiana State 2 Miami (Fla.) 16, Notre Dame 7 Akron 11, Purdue Fort Wayne 0
NCAA D-III Friday, May 20 NCAA Regional At Lynchburg, Va. Birmingham-Southern (Ala.) 8, Earlham 2 Lynchburg (Va.) 7, Salve Regina (R.I.) 3
Saturday, May 21 NCAA Regional At Lynchburg, Va. Salve Regina (R.I.) 7, Earlham 6 Birmingham-Southern (Ala.) 11, Lynchburg (Va.) 2
Sunday, May 22 NCAA Regional At Lynchburg, Va. Salve Regina (R.I.) vs. Lynchburg (Va.) Championship Birmingham-Southern (Ala.) 10, Salve Regina (R.I.) 2
NAIA Monday, May 16 NAIA Opening Round Upland Bracket Bryan (Tenn.) 15, Columbia (Mo.) 9 Northwestern Ohio 12, Taylor 8 Southeastern (Fla.) 9, Bryan (Tenn.) 5
Santa Barbara Bracket IU Southeast 22, Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) 4 Westmont (Calif.) 6, Antelope Valley (Calif.) 0
Tuesday, May 17 NAIA Opening Round Upland Bracket Taylor 3, Columbia (Mo.) 2 Southeastern (Fla.) 9, Northwestern Ohio 6 Bryan (Tenn.) 6, Taylor 1
Santa Barbara Bracket Antelope Valley (Calif.) 4, Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) 1 Westmont (Calif.) 9, IU Southeast 3
Santa Barbara Bracket Antelope Valley (Calif.) 3, IU Southeast 2 Championship Westmont (Calif.) 12, Antelope Valley (Calif.) 0
Junior College Wednesday, May 18 Mid-West Athletic Conference Tournament Danville Area 6, Vincennes 3 Parkland 2, Lewis & Clark 1 Lincoln Land 10, Illinois Central 0 Illinois Central 5, Lewis & Clark 3
Thursday, May 19 Mid-West Athletic Conference Tournament Heartland 7, Danville Area 0 Lincoln Land 5, Parkland 0 Illinois Central 7, Danville Area 6 Parkland 6, Vincennes 5
Friday, May 20 Mid-West Athletic Conference Tournament Heartland 8, Lincoln Land 4 Illinois Central 12, Parkland 3 Lincoln Land 11, Illinois Central 1
Saturday, May 21 Mid-West Athletic Conference Tournament Championship Heartland 4, Lincoln Land 2
NAIA’s Taylor and Indiana University Southeast moved on in postseason play as did NCAA Division III’s Earlham during the week of May 9-15. The Crossroads League crowned Taylor as tournament champion and IU Southeast prevailed in the River States Conference tournament. The NAIA Opening Round was slated for May 16-19 at 10 sites. Taylor is a site host and the No. 3 seed in a field which features No. 1 Southeastern (Fla.), No. 2 Northwestern Ohio, No. 4 Columbia (Mo.) and No. 5 Bryan (Tenn.). IU Southeast is the No. 2 seed in the Santa Barbara Bracket with No. 1 and host Westmont, No. 3 Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) and No. 5 Antelope Valley (Calif.). By edging Rose-Hulman 10-9 Saturday in Kokomo, Earlham reigned as Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference tournament champions. The Quakers qualified for regional play and will be in a four-team field hosted by Lynchburg (Va.) and also including Birmingham (Ala.)-Southern and Salve Regina (R.I.). Action starts May 20. In junior college play, Vincennes qualified for the Mid-West Athletic Conference tournament. The Trailblazers are to meet Danville Area on Wednesday, May 18 at The Corn Crib in Normal, Ill. The 2022 season has concluded for 25 of the state’s 38 baseball-playing schools. NCAA Division I is heading into the final week of the regular season. Winners of weekend series were Indiana (2-1 vs. Minnesota), Notre Dame (2-1 vs. Pittsburgh), Purdue (2-1 at Northwestern) and Purdue Fort Wayne (2-0 vs. Wisconsin-Milwaukee and also 1-1 at Wright State). Ball State went 2-2 at Ohio while Evansville was 1-2 at Dallas Baptist, Valparaiso 1-2 vs. Bradley, Butler 0-3 vs. Xavier and Indiana State 0-3 at Southern Illinois. In the latest D1Baseball.com RPI, Notre Dame is No. 14, Evansville No. 67, Ball State No. 90, Indiana No. 119, Purdue No. 120, Indiana State No. 121, Valparaiso No. 217, Butler No. 229 and Purdue Fort Wayne No. 251. Final regular-season games this week include: • Ball State is at Miami (Ohio) May 19-21. • Notre Dame at Northwestern May 17 and Miami (Fla.) May 19-21. • Purdue vs. Maryland May 19-21. • Evansville vs. Murray State May 17 and vs. Valparaiso May 19-21. • Indiana vs. Illinois State May 17 and at Iowa May 19-21. • Indiana State vs. Dallas Baptist May 19-21.
Butler at Purdue Fort Wayne May 17 and vs. Seton Hall May 19-21
Purdue Fort Wayne vs. Butler May 17 and at Akron May 20-21.
Valparaiso at Western Michigan May 17 and at Evansville May 19-21.
NCAA D-II Thursday, May 12 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Conference Tournament Wayne State 10, Saginaw Valley State 4 Purdue Northwest 10, Davenport 8 Northwood 11, Grand Valley State 6
Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament Quincy 12, Lindenwood 3 Maryville 3, Lewis 1 Illinois-Springfield 5, William Jewell 4 Indianapolis 11, Drury 1
Friday, May 13 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Conference Tournament Davenport 12, Saginaw Valley State 8 Purdue Northwest 11, Grand Valley State 3 Wayne State 7, Northwood 4
Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament Lewis 12, William Jewell 6 Drury 12, Lindenwood 2 Quincy 4, Indianapolis 3 Illinois-Springfield 12, Maryville 2
Saturday, May 14 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Conference Tournament Purdue Northwest 7, Wayne State 5 (12 inn.) Davenport 8, Northwood 5 Davenport 8, Wayne State 5
Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament Lewis 5, Maryville 4 Drury 9, Indianapolis 7 Lewis 6, Quincy 4 Illinois-Springfield 14, Drury 2
Sunday, May 15 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Conference Tournament Purdue Northwest vs. Davenport 6, Purdue Northwest 4 Championship Davenport 2, Purdue Northwest 1
Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament Quincy 9, Lewis 4 Championship Illinois-Springfield 16, Quincy 3
NCAA D-III Thursday, May 12 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament Anderson 6, Hanover 2 Earlham 5, Rose-Hulman 3 Franklin 7, Anderson 3
Friday, May 13 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament Rose-Hulman 14, Hanover 6 Earlham 9, Franklin 8 Rose-Hulman 8, Anderson 5
Saturday, May 14 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament Rose-Hulman 13, Franklin 8 Championship Earlham 10, Rose-Hulman 9
NAIA Monday, May 9 River States Conference Tournament Championship Indiana University Southeast 19, Point Park 4
Crossroads League Tournament Marian 22, Spring Arbor 14 Mount Vernon Nazarene 10, Bethel 8 Taylor 8, Indiana Wesleyan 7 Huntington 15, Saint Francis 8 Mount Vernon Nazarene 5, Indiana Wesleyan 3 Marian 12, Saint Francis 8
Gunnar Pullins sees his future as an event coordinator. Graduated May 7 from Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais, Ill., with a Marketing degree, Pullins has job possibilities all around. “I’m open to going anywhere in the country,” says Pullins, 22. But right now the young man who has planned cornhole tournaments for festivals around northwest Indiana is getting ready for a baseball event. A senior first baseman for the ONU baseball team, Pullins and his teammates recently won the program’s third straight Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference tournament title (not counting the COVID-19-shortened 2020 season) and earned a berth in the NAIA Opening Round. “We want to be as far from home as possible,” says Pullins. On Thursday, Pullins got his wish as the Tigers learned that they will play at the site hosted by Westmont in Santa Barbara, Calif., for the right to compete in the 2022 NAIA World Series May 27-June 3 in Lewiston, Idaho. In the Opening Round, Westmont is the No. 1 seed, Indiana University Southeast No. 2, Olivet Nazarene No. 3 and Antelope Valley (Calif.) No 4. The event is May 16-19. Pullins, a righty swinger, is hitting .358 (53-of-148) with three home runs, three triples, six doubles, 35 runs batted in and 39 runs scored. In 51 games, he sports a .955 OPS (.455 on-base percentage plus .500 slugging average) and has 11-of-14 in stolen base attempts. This is his first season at first base and even though he has another year of eligibility it’s his last as a collegiate player. “My shoulder can only take so much more,” says Pullins. “I tore my shoulder senior year of high school. “I went went from throwing hard to throwing very soft.” He was a shortstop at Valparaiso (Ind.) High School, where he graduated in 2018. He played a lot of third base at Olivet Nazarene until he came to a decision with Tigers head coach Jeff Mullikin to move to the other corner to save his arm. A teammate had done the same in 2021 and did very well. From 2019-21, Pullins got into 80 games for ONU and hit .258 (25-of-97) with no homers, one triple, three doubles, 24 RBIs and 45 runs. He had a .652 OPS (.342/.309) and was 15-of-22 in the stolen base department. In a game of adjustments, Pullins has learned to make his share. Not only changing positions. But he has learned to adjust at-bat to at-bat and pitch to pitch. Olivet Nazarene has not faced a pitcher with velocity approaching 90 mph in awhile and is sure to see it in the Opening Round. “It’s about getting the foot down and the hands through the (strike) zone at a certain time,” says Pullins, who is preparing with batting practice against live arms and machines. “We do a 40/90 with one of our BP throwers 40 feet away and he’s chucking it and trying to find barrels.” Velocity is one thing and then there is adjustment when the ball breaks. “There are people who throw the ball straight and there are people who have movement,” says Pullins. “It’s easier to get a barrel on it and hit it hard somewhere when it’s straight.” Born and raised in Valparaiso, Pullins played travel ball with the Lake of the Four Seasons Warriors from Crown Point/Boone Grove area then the Cougars who became the Indiana Breakers around Chesterton then the Outsiders Baseball Club with Dave Griffin (the Purdue Northwest head coach). A varsity player for three of his four years at Valparaiso, Pullins recalls the beginning of practice with Vikings head coach Todd Evans. “He called us gentlemen everyday,” says Pullins of Evans. “It was a respectful way to start off our days.” Pullins played basketball as a Valpo freshman and tennis as a junior. Once he committed to Olivet Nazarene, he spent much of his time honing his baseball skills. Why ONU? “They gave me the best opportunity to get the education I wanted,” says Pullins. “And an opportunity to play right away as a freshman.” That first season, Pullins got a few starts and plenty of pinch-hit opportunities. “I could not get into a rhythm the COVID year,” says Pullins. “As a junior, I struggled confidence-wise.” Over the summer, he played slow pitch men’s softball. “I was putting a barrel on the ball,” says Pullins. “Something switched (in baseball). It was a click.” It hasn’t been all baseball and academics for Pullins, He’s been dating the same girl for most of his time in college. “I’ve met a lot of people and played intramural (sports) prior to senior year,” says Pullins. “They have a lot of events here — like every other week.” At the beginning of the year, there’s “Ollies Follies” — games and events with classes competing against each other. “It’s a lot of fun,” says Pullins. Gunnar is the son of Bub Pullins and Samantha Cardwell. He has two sisters. Alex is older. Lyric is younger.
Three Indiana-based Crossroads League head coaches reached victory milestones as the regular season came to a close the week of April 25-May 1. Taylor’s Kyle Gould earned his 600th win, Indiana Wesleyan’s Rich Benjamin his 500th and Bethel’s Seth Zartman his 400th. The eight-team Crossroads League tournament is slated for May 6-10 at Taylor. Mount Vernon Nazarene won the regular-season title. Seeds 2-8 are Taylor, Indiana Wesleyan, Huntington, Bethel, Spring Arbor and Saint Francis. The 2022 season came to a close for CL members Grace and Goshen. Indiana Southeast swept three River States Conference games from Midway and Oakland City went 3-0 in conference play against Ohio Christian. The six-team RSC tournament featuring Indiana Southeast, Indiana University Kokomo and Oakland City is May 5-8 in Chillicothe, Ohio. Indiana Tech went 2-0 against Northwestern Ohio in Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference games. The WHAC tournament first round is May 5-6 with No. 5 seed Indiana Tech, No. 1 Northwestern Ohio (host) and No. 6 Concordia in Pod B. The championship round is slated for May 9-10. The tournament winner receives the second automatic qualifier to the NAIA national tournament. If it is the conference champion, then the runner up of the tournament will receive the second berth. NCAA Division I Ball State (29-14, 23-4) ran its win streak to eight and took over the lead in the Mid-American Conference with a four-game sweep of visiting Central Michigan. The Chippewas had won 22 straight MAC games prior to Friday’s loss to the Cardinals. Four-game conference series against Kent State, Ohio and Miami remain on BSU’s regular-season slate. The MAC tournament is schedule for May 25-28. Notre Dame (28-10, 13-8) won two of three games in an Atlantic Coast Conference series against Boston College. The Irish are No. 8 in the D1Baseball.com RPI. Evansville (24-18, 9-3) took all three Missouri Valley Conference games from Bradley. Purdue (25-14, 6-7) went 2-1 vs. Michigan and Indiana (20-24, 6-9) 2-1 against Illinois in a pair of Big Ten Conference series. NCAA Division II Southern Indiana split four Great Lakes Valley Conference games against Missouri Science & Technology. NCAA D-III Franklin won both Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference contests against Transylvania. Also in the HCAC, Hanover was 2-0 against Transylvania and 1-1 vs. Defiance, Rose-Hulman 2-0 against Bluffton, Manchester 1-1 vs. Mount St. Joseph and Earlham and Anderson split a two-game series. The five-team HCAC tournament is scheduled for May 12-15 at Kokomo Municipal Stadium. Wabash went 1-1 against Hiram in North Coast Athletic Conference play. The four-team NCAC tournament is May 12-14 in Chillicothe, Ohio. By beating Anderson Wednesday, DePauw’s Blake Allen got his 100th career victory as a head coach.
Wednesday, April 27 Indiana 3, Illinois State 1 Michigan State 7, Purdue Fort Wayne 4
Friday, April 29 Ball State 7, Central Michigan 1 Connecticut 8, Butler 7 (10 inn.) Evansville 6, Bradley 5 Indiana 7, Illinois 6 Missouri State 7, Indiana State 6 Boston College 7, Notre Dame 4 Purdue 18, Michigan 4 Illinois-Chicago 7, Purdue Fort Wayne 3 Southern Illinois 4, Valparaiso 0
Saturday, April 30 Ball State 6, Central Michigan 4 Ball State 10, Central Michigan 7 Connecticut 14, Butler 7 Evansville 8, Bradley 7 Illinois 18, Indiana 10 Missouri State 11, Indiana State 4 Notre Dame 11, Boston College 5 Purdue 12, Michigan 4 Illinois-Chicago 4, Purdue Fort Wayne 2 Southern Illinois 15, Valparaiso 12
Sunday, May 1 Ball State 4, Central Michigan 3 Connecticut 17, Butler 4 Evansville 15, Bradley 4 Indiana 11, Illinois 7 Indiana State 8, Missouri State 1 Notre Dame 16, Boston College 10 Michigan 13, Purdue 2 Illinois-Chicago 21, Purdue Fort Wayne 5 Valparaiso 11, Southern Illinois 10
NCAA D-II Tuesday, April 26 Ohio Dominican 13, Indianapolis 3 Ohio Dominican 2, Indianapolis 1 Kentucky Wesleyan 11, Southern Indiana 7
Friday, April 29 Illinois-Springfield 15, Indianapolis 2 Wayne State 23, Purdue Northwest 4 Southern Indiana 12, Missouri S&T 9
Saturday, April 30 Indianapolis 9, Illinois-Springfield 8 Illinois-Springfield 11, Indianapolis 1 Wayne State 9, Purdue Northwest 2 Wayne State 9, Purdue Northwest 2 Southern Indiana 7, Missouri S&T 6 Missouri S&T 5, Southern Indiana 1
Sunday, May 1 Illinois-Springfield 11, Indianapolis 10 (10 inn.) Purdue Northwest 11, Wayne State 10 Missouri S&T 5, Southern Indiana 1 Missouri S&T 12, Southern Indiana 9
NCAA D-III Monday, April 25 Webster 5, Franklin 1 Webster 7, Franklin 1 Calvin 15, Trine 5
Tuesday, April 26 DePauw 12, Rose-Hulman 8 Hanover 19, Transylvania 7 Hanover 20, Transylvania 13 Huntington 10, Manchester 1
Wednesday, April 27 DePauw 11, Anderson 10 Denison 15, Hanover 8 Indiana Tech 15, Manchester 5 Rose-Hulman 5, Greenville 2
Friday, April 29 Earlham 7, Anderson 4 Anderson 7, Earlham 6
Saturday, April 30 Franklin 9, Transylvania 6 Franklin 5, Transylvania 4 Hanover 5, Defiance 1 Defiance 8, Hanover 4 Manchester 9, Mount St. Joseph 6 Mount St. Joseph 8, Manchester 7 Albion 8, Trine 4 Trine 3, Albion 1 Wabash 8, Hiram 6 Hiram 6, Wabash 5 (11 inn.)
NAIA Tuesday, April 26 IU Kokomo 7, Grace 2 Huntington 10, Manchester 1 St. Francis (Ill.) 9, Indiana Tech 8 Indiana Tech 10, St. Francis (Ill.) 2 IU Southeast 11, Cumberlands 9 Kentucky State 2, Oakland City 0 Kentucky State 2, Oakland City 0
Wednesday, April 27 Calumet of St. Joseph 5, Trinity International 4 Calumet of St. Joseph 6, Trinity International 1 Indiana Tech 15, Manchester 5 St. Francis (Ill.) 2, IU South Bend 1 St. Francis (Ill.) 6, IU South Bend 2
Thursday, April 28 IU Southeast 3, Midway 2 IU Southeast 8, Midway 7 Oakland City 3, Ohio Christian 2 (11 inn.)
Friday, April 29 Bethel 7, Saint Francis 4 Saint Francis 5, Bethel 4 Roosevelt 20, Calumet of St. Joseph 6 Roosevelt 5, Calumet of St. Joseph 2 Goshen 10, Spring Arbor 6 Spring Arbor 10, Goshen 3 Taylor 9, Grace 0 Taylor 16, Grace 0 Mount Vernon Nazarene 13, Huntington 0 Mount Vernon Nazarene 17, Huntington 16 IU Kokomo 8, Point Park 5 Point Park 5, IU Kokomo 4 IU Southeast 12, Midway 6 IU South Bend 12, Lincoln 7 Indiana Wesleyan 9, Marian 2 Indiana Wesleyan 11, Marian 3 Oakland City 10, Ohio Christian 9 Oakland City 7, Ohio Christian 6
Saturday, April 30 Bethel 5, Saint Francis 3 Bethel 2, Saint Francis 1 Roosevelt 4, Calumet of St. Joseph 1 Spring Arbor 13, Goshen 6 Spring Arbor 11, Goshen 9 Taylor 19, Grace 11 Taylor 9, Grace 8 Mount Vernon Nazarene 5, Huntington 0 Mount Vernon Nazarene 7, Huntington 0 Indiana Tech 8, Northwestern Ohio 1 Indiana Tech 5, Northwestern Ohio 2 Point Park 7, IU Kokomo 5 IU South Bend 15, Lincoln 6 Lincoln 1, IU South Bend 0 (10 inn.) Indiana Wesleyan 8, Marian 3 Marian 8, Indiana Wesleyan 5
Junior College Tuesday, April 26 Lincoln Trail 12, Vincennes 7
When Ball State swept a doubleheader Saturday, April 23 at Northern Illinois it allowed Cardinals head coach Rich Maloney to reach the 900th victory of his career. Maloney is in his 27th season as a college head coach with two stints at Ball State (1996-2002 and 2013-present) and one at Michigan (2003-12). Ball State (24-14 overall, 18-4 in the Mid-American Conference) went on to win, Sunday, too. Game 4 of the series was slated for today (April 25). Maloney has won 580 games with the Cards. “I have had the great privilege of coaching so many outstanding young men and coaching alongside so many outstanding assistants,” said Maloney Saturday. “Milestones like this give us a time to reflect on the many relationships built through the years. “What a blessing!” Ball State — which got wins from starters Tyler Schweitzer (Hamilton Southeastern High School graduate) and Ty Johnson (Lawrence North), both 6-2 in 2022, Saturday and Sunday — is chasing first-place Central Michigan (27-10, 21-1) in the MAC. There are more coaching victory milestones on the horizon for NAIA Taylor’s Kyle Gould (597), NAIA Indiana Wesleyan’s Rich Benjamin (498), NAIA Bethel’s Seth Zartman (397), NAIA Marian’s Todd Bacon (195) and NCAA Division III DePauw’s Blake Allen (98). The best weeks among the state’s 38 college baseball programs April 18-24 belonged to NAIA Indiana Tech at 6-0, NCAA Division-I Notre Dame at 5-0, NCAA Division III Wabash at 5-1, NAIA Calumet of St. Joseph at 5-1 and NAIA Oakland City 4-1. Notre Dame won midweek games against Valparaiso and Purdue Fort Wayne and swept three from Atlantic Coast Conference foe Wake Forest. The Irish (26-8, 11-7) are tied with Louisville atop the ACC Atlantic Division. ND is No. 2 in the D1Baseball.com RPI behind Tennessee (37-3). Evansville is No. 67, Indiana State. No. 91, Ball State No, 123, Indiana No. 135, Purdue No. 163, Valparaiso No. 202, Butler No. 208 and Purdue Fort Wayne No. 237. Indiana State (21-11 overall and tied for first in the Missouri Valley Conference at 6-3) tied a school record with six home runs in Sunday’s 12-9 loss to Evansville — two by Aaron Beck (Evansville Harrison) and one each by Tyler Nelson (Chesterton), Jordan Schaffer (West Vigo), Sean Ross and Keegan Watson (New Palestine). Indiana Tech (27-18, 13-7 in the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference) won four WHAC games Saturday and Sunday by a combined 66-27. The Warriors and others are looking up conference leader Northwestern Ohio (32-9, 19-1). Wabash (19-12) is now 4-4 in away games after a doubleheader split at Oberlin and twin bill sweep at Anderson. Calumet of St. Joseph (14-27) earned all its wins for the week on the road. The same is true for Oakland City (25-17). The Mighty Oaks have already won eight more games in 2022 than 2021.
Week of April 18-24 NCAA D-I Tuesday, April 19 Western Michigan 14, Ball State 12 Butler 6, Northern Kentucky 5 Miami (Ohio) 9, Indiana 7 Indiana State 12, Illinois 6 Notre Dame 5, Valparaiso 1 Illinois-Chicago 9, Purdue 6
Wednesday, April 20 Butler 7, Dayton 2 Notre Dame 12, Purdue Fort Wayne 2
Friday, April 22 St. John’s 8, Butler 6 Indiana State 7, Evansville 6 Indiana 8, Nebraska 7 Belmont 3, Purdue 2 Notre Dame 8, Wake Forest 3 Purdue Fort Wayne 4, Northern Kentucky 2 Purdue Fort Wayne 4, Northern Kentucky 3
Saturday, April 23 Ball State 13, Northern Illinois 0 Ball State 6, Northern Illinois 1 St. John’s 8, Butler 7 (10 inn.) Evansville 14, Indiana State 0 Indiana 8, Nebraska 1 Notre Dame 21, Wake Forest 3 Belmont 11, Purdue 1 Purdue Fort Wayne 10, Oakland 2 Oakland 10, Purdue Fort Wayne 2 Missouri State 14, Valparaiso 2 Missouri State 9, Valparaiso 4
Sunday, April 24 Ball State 9, Northern Illinois 5 Butler 12, St. John’s 12, tie Evansville 12, Indiana State 9 Nebraska 19, Indiana 7 Belmont 8, Purdue 6 Oakland 10, Purdue Fort Wayne 9 (10 inn.) Missouri State 6, Valparaiso 1 Notre Dame 13, Wake Forest 12 Northern Kentucky vs. Purdue Fort Wayne
NCAA D-II Tuesday, April 19 Grand Valley State 10, Purdue Northwest 5 Purdue Northwest 5, Grand Valley State 4 Kentucky Wesleyan 4, Southern Indiana 14
Friday, April 22 Indianapolis 9, Davenport 1
Saturday, April 23 Davenport 12, Indianapolis 10 Davenport 18, Indianapolis 6 Lewis 10, Southern Indiana 9 Southern Indiana vs. Lewis Purdue Northwest 22, Wisconsin-Parkside 0 Purdue Northwest 18, Wisconsin-Parkside 5
Sunday, April 24 Lewis 15, Southern Indiana 3 Lewis 8, Southern Indiana 5
NCAA D-III Tuesday, April 19 Anderson 11, Bluffton 4 Bluffton 6, Anderson 0 Wittenberg 11, DePauw 10 DePauw 4, Wittenberg 3 Rose-Hulman 12, Franklin 10 Rose-Hulman 10, Franklin 4 Defiance 4, Manchester 2 Manchester 12, Defiance 11 (11 inn.) Trine 22, Adrian 14 Wabash 8, Ohio Weselyan 2 Wabash 3, Ohio Weselyan 2
Wednesday, April 20 Indiana Tech 14, Manchester 4
Saturday, April 23 Anderson 8, Defiance 5 Anderson 7, Defiance 6 DePauw 16, Hiram 0 DePauw 11, Hiram 0 Earlham 8, Rose-Hulman 6 Earlham 11, Rose-Hulman 2 Franklin 5, Mt. St. Joseph 4 Franklin 14, Mt. St. Joseph 4 Hanover 10, Bluffton 8 Bluffton 13, Hanover 3 Calvin 7, Trine 3 Trine 7, Calvin 2 Oberlin 3, Wabash 2 Wabash 15, Oberlin 12 (10 inn.)
Sunday, April 24 Wabash 14, Anderson 5 Anderson 21, Wabash 6 Rose-Hulman 16, Wilmington 9 Manchester 5, Trine 4
NAIA Monday, April 18 Calumet of St. Joseph 19, Lincoln 4 Calumet of St. Joseph 15, Lincoln 5 Grace 10, Marian 8 Marian 8, Grace 3
Tuesday, April 19 IU South Bend 8, Calumet of St. Joseph 4 Indiana Tech 18, Saint Francis 1 Oakland City 4, Bethel (Tenn.) 2 Oakland City 1, Bethel (Tenn.) 0
Wednesday, April 20 Siena Heights 4, Goshen 0 Siena Heights 6, Goshen 3 Indiana Tech 14, Manchester 4 Georgetown (Ky.) 4, IU Kokomo 3
Thursday, April 21 Spring Arbor 7, Bethel 5 Bethel 3, Spring Arbor 2 Mt. Vernon Nazarene 7, Grace 5 Mt. Vernon Nazarene 4, Grace 2 Indiana Wesleyan 11, Taylor 7 Taylor 6, Indiana Wesleyan 3
Friday, April 22 Huntington 15, Goshen 12 Goshen 6, Huntington 4 IU Southeast 10, IU Kokomo 3 Roosevelt 6, IU South Bend 5 Marian 6, Saint Francis 5 Marian 5, Saint Francis 1 Brescia 4, Oakland City 2
Saturday, April 23 Bethel 7, Spring Arbor 6 Bethel 12, Spring Arbor 10 Huntington 16, Goshen 12 Huntington 18, Goshen 3 Mt. Vernon Nazarene 11, Grace 10 Mt. Vernon Nazarene 7, Grace 3 Indiana Tech 20, Siena Heights 3 Indiana Tech 16, Siena Heights 1 IU Kokomo 12, IU Southeast 11 IU Southeast 18, IU Kokomo 2 Roosevelt 15, IU South Bend 3 Roosevelt 9, IU South Bend 5 Taylor 11, Indiana Wesleyan 1 Indiana Wesleyan 9, Taylor 5 Marian 11, Saint Francis 10 Saint Francis 13, Marian 8 Oakland City vs. Brescia Oakland City vs. Brescia
INDIANA COLLEGE BASEBALL Records Through April 17 NCAA D-I Purdue 22-9 (4-6 Big Ten) Notre Dame 21-8 (8-7 ACC) Ball State 21-13 (15-3 MAC) Indiana State 19-9 (5-1 MVC) Evansville 19-16 (4-2 MVC) Butler 16-20 (2-4 Big East) Valparaiso 13-18 (2-4 MVC) Indiana 13-21 (2-7 Big Ten) Purdue Fort Wayne 10-23 (7-8 Horizon)
Week of April 11-17 NCAA D-I Tuesday, April 12 Evansville 11, Butler 1 Indiana 6, Indiana State 5 Notre Dame 14, Michigan 5 Eastern Illinois 7, Valparaiso 5
Thursday, April 14 Georgetown 14, Butler 8 Duke 15, Notre Dame 5 Penn State 12, Purdue 7 Purdue Fort Wayne 9, Northern Kentucky 5
Friday, April 15 Ball State 8, Akron 3 Butler 8, Georgetown 7 Evansville 6, Southern Illinois 4 Rutgers 5, Indiana 3 Duke 4, Notre Dame 3 (11 inn.) Purdue 11, Penn State 5 Northern Kentucky 5, Purdue Fort Wayne 4 Illinois State 7, Valparaiso 0
Saturday, April 16 Ball State 5, Akron 1 Ball State 16, Akron 0 Georgetown 8, Butler 4 Evansville 9, Southern Illinois 2 Evansville 14, Southern Illinois 2 Rutgers 4, Indiana 2 Duke 6, Notre Dame 2 Penn State 7, Purdue 5 Purdue Fort Wayne 10, Northern Kentucky 5 Valparaiso 10, Illinois State 2
Sunday, April 17 Akron 4, Ball State 3 Rutgers 10, Indiana 9 Valparaiso 2, Illinois State 1
NCAA D-II Tuesday, April 12 Indianapolis 15, Kentucky Wesleyan 1 Indianapolis 11, Kentucky Wesleyan 7 Grand Valley State 10, Purdue Northwest 7 Grand Valley State 9, Purdue Northwest 6 Oakland City 6, Southern Indiana 4
Thursday, April 14 Quincy 14, Indianapolis 4 Purdue Northwest 21, Northwood 19 Truman State vs. Southern Indiana
Friday, April 15 Indianapolis 3, Quincy 2 Indianapolis 3, Quincy 0 Purdue Northwest 2, Northwood 0 Northwood 18, Purdue Northwest 0 Truman State 6, Southern Indiana 5 Truman State 11, Southern Indiana 10
Saturday, April 16 Indianapolis 5, Quincy 3 Northwood 9, Purdue Northwest 7 Southern Indiana 16, Truman State 4
NCAA D-III Monday, April 11 Trine 7, Kalamazoo 5
Tuesday, April 12 Earlham 12, Transylvania 7 Transylvania vs. Earlham Hanover 12, Spalding 11 Wabash 6, Manchester 4 Manchester vs. Wabash Rose-Hulman 3, Mount St. Joseph 2 Rose-Hulman 16, Mount St. Joseph 1
Wednesday, April 13 Trine 11, Adrian 5
Thursday, April 14 Wittenberg 10, Wabash 4
Friday, April 15 Bluffton 11, Earlham 6 Bluffton 9, Earlham 3 Alma 8, Trine 5
Saturday, April 16 Hanover 10, Anderson 4 Hanover 10, Anderson 8 Kenyon 12, DePauw 1 Kenyon 4, DePauw 3 Franklin 9, Manchester 8 Franklin 6, Manchester 4 Rose-Hulman 10, Transylvania 4 Rose-Hulman 12, Transylvania 8 Alma 9, Trine 6 Alma 10, Trine 6 Wooster 4, Wabash 3 Wooster 12, Wabash 7
NAIA Monday, April 11 Bethel 13, Goshen 10 Bethel 12, Goshen 1 Calumet of St. Joseph 13, Trinity Christian 8 Indiana Tech 1, Rochester 0 Indiana Tech 12, Rochester 5 Spring Arbor 15, Taylor 7 Taylor 10, Spring Arbor 9
Tuesday, April 12 Goshen 17, Grace Christian 5 Goshen 3, Grace Christian 1 Marian 5, Huntington 2 Marian 19, Huntington 5 Oakland City 6, Southern Indiana 4 IU South Bend 18, Trinity Christian 8 IU Southeast 7, Georgetown (Ky.) 5 Madonna 7, Indiana Tech 6 Indiana Tech 16, Madonna 6 Indiana Wesleyan 10, Cleary 7 Indiana Wesleyan 8, Cleary 0 Mount Vernon Nazarene 10, Saint Francis 6 Saint Francis 9, Mount Vernon Nazarene 2
Thursday, April 14 Saint Xaver 17, IU South Bend 13
Friday, April 15 Bethel 2, Huntington 1 Huntington 9, Bethel 7 Olivet Nazarene 15, Calumet of St. Joseph 2 Indiana Wesleyan 14, Goshen 2 Indiana Wesleyan 13, Goshen 6 Saint Francis 5, Grace 3 Saint Francis 2, Grace 1 IU Kokomo 9, Brescia 1 IU Southeast 11, West Virginia Tech 0 Spring Arbor 8, Marian 5 Marian 16, Spring Arbor 3 Taylor 9, Mount Vernon Nazarene 5 Taylor 17, Mount Vernon Nazarene 9
Saturday, April 16 Bethel 3, Huntington 1 Huntington 9, Bethel 2 Olivet Nazarene 12, Calumet of St. Joseph 4 Olivet Nazarene 14, Calumet of St. Joseph 3 Indiana Wesleyan 12, Goshen 2 Indiana Wesleyan 15, Goshen 6 Grace 10, Saint Francis 8 Saint Francis 14, Grace 4 IU Kokomo 7, Brescia 3 IU Kokomo 13, Brescia 2 IU Southeast 11, West Virginia Tech 1 IU Southeast 9, West Virginia Tech 6 Lawrence Tech 2, Indiana Tech 1 Lawrence Tech 7, Indiana Tech 4 Marian 7, Spring Arbor 5 Marian 11, Spring Arbor 3 Mount Vernon Nazarene 6, Taylor 4 Mount Vernon Nazarene 14, Taylor 1
Junior College Monday, April 11 Ivy Tech Northeast 6, Trine JV 5 Ivy Tech Northeast 8, Trine JV 5
Earlham junior Andrew Bradley belted five home runs in a doubleheader sweep of visiting Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference foe Defiance April 6. The clean-up hitter launched two dingers each in the first and third innings of a 40-7 Game 1 rout. In Game 2, he circled the bases in the third frame as the Quakers won 12-3. The games were contested at Randal R. Sadler Stadium. For the week of week of April 4-10, NCAA Division III Earlham went 3-1 and is 16-6 overall and 5-1 in the HCAC. Earlham is in three-way tie atop the conference standings with Franklin (20-6 overall) and Anderson (13-10). NAIA Taylor went 3-1 on the week and moved to 27-11 overall and 17-5 in the Crossroads League, which ties the Trojans for first place with Mount Vernon Nazarene. Taylor junior T.J. Bass (Greenwood Community) has raised his season totals to 13 home runs and 60 runs batted in. With two wins Sunday against Point Park, first-place Indiana University Southeast moved to 24-10 overall and 12-2 in the River States Conference. Heading into Game 3 of the Point Park series today (April 11), Grenadiers coach Ben Reel has 499 career victories. Indiana Tech has won five straight. The Warriors are 18-15 overall and 6-4 in the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference. In NCAA Division I, Purdue (20-7 overall, 2-4 in the Big Ten) took two of three games from visiting Indiana (12-17, 2-3) at Alexander Field. Game 1 Saturday saw the Boilers roll 17-0. Redshirt junior left-hander Jackson Smeltz (McCutcheon) gave up one hit in eight innings with 13 strikeouts. In Sunday’s doubleheader, the Hoosiers prevailed 10-3 with freshman Brock Tibbitts cracking his seventh homer of 2022. Purdue outlasted Indiana 16-15 in the nightcap. Redshirt sophomore Cam Thompson smacked a three-run homer and drove in four runs for the Boilers. Thompson paces the team with 10 circuit clouts. Notre Dame pushed its win streak to eight games. The Irish (20-5 overall, 8-4 in the Atlantic Coast Conference) are 6-1 at Frank Eck Stadium, including 4-0 this past week. D1Baseball.com has Notre Dame No. 3 nationally in RPI. Indiana State is No. 60, Ball State No. 103, Evansville No. 119, Purdue No. 133, Indiana No. 156, Butler No. 187, Valparaiso No. 206 and Purdue Fort Wayne No. 230. Purdue Fort Wayne is on a season-best four-game win streak after besting Michigan once and Wisconsin-Milwaukee three times.
Sunday, April 10 Anderson 13, Mount St. Joseph 9 Anderson 11, Mount St. Joseph 0 DePauw 7, Oberlin 3 DePauw 16, Oberlin 10 Hanover 3, Earlham 1 Earlham 7, Hanover 3 Franklin 10, Defiance 2 Franklin 7, Defiance 4 Rose-Hulman 5, Manchester 2 Rose-Hulman 22, Manchester 9 Kalamazoo 5, Trine 2 Kalamazoo 18, Trine 5 Kenyon 5, Wabash 1 Kenyon 10, Wabash 4
NAIA Monday, April 4 Bethel 10, Marian 6 Bethel 12, Marian 11 Calumet of Saint Joseph 7, Trinity International 3 Mount Vernon Nazarene 8, Goshen 4 Mount Vernon Nazarene 6, Goshen 2 Indiana Wesleyan 11, Grace 4 Grace 4, Indiana Wesleyan 2 Taylor 13, Saint Francis 7 Taylor 8, Saint Francis 3
Tuesday, April 5 IU Kokomo 6, Indiana Tech 5 (8 inn.) Judson 4, IU South Bend 3 Judson 15, IU South Bend 10
Wednesday, April 6 Indiana Tech 15, Wright State-Lake 2
Thursday, April 7 Ivy Tech Northeast 12, Indiana Tech JV 3 Indiana Tech JV 6, Ivy Tech Northeast 5 Mount Vernon Nazarene 7, Saint Francis 6 Saint Francis 8, Mount Vernon Nazarene 3 Vincennes 12, Oakland City JV 5
Saturday, April 9 Marian 7, Grace 5 Grace 12, Marian 2 Huntington 17, Indiana Wesleyan 7 Huntington 2, Indiana Wesleyan 1 Trinity Christian 5, IU South Bend 4 (9 inn.) Trinity Christian 10, IU South Bend 5 Taylor 5, Spring Arbor 3 Spring Arbor 4, Taylor 3
Sunday, April 10 Goshen 4, Bethel 2 Goshen 5, Bethel 2 St. Ambrose 14, Calumet of Saint Joseph 4 St. Ambrose 11, Calumet of Saint Joseph 3 West Virginia Tech 8, IU Kokomo 6 West Virginia Tech 2, IU Kokomo 0 IU Southeast 6, Point Park 5 IU Southeast 5, Point Park 3 Indiana Tech 4, Cleary 0 Indiana Tech 12, Cleary 5 Midway 3, Oakland City 2 Oakland City 14, Midway 0
Junior College Tuesday, April 5 Ivy Tech Northeast 21, Glen Oaks 7
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