“THE SCOREBOARD” INDIANA BOYS BASKETBALL SEMI-STATE CLASS 4A ELKHART (NORTH SIDE GYMNASIUM) 10 AM ET | G1: NORTHRIDGE (25-1) VS. HOMESTEAD (20-6) 12 PM ET | G2: CROWN POINT (23-1) VS. FORT WAYNE SNIDER (20-7) 8 PM ET | CHAMPIONSHIP: G1 WINNER VS. G2 WINNER NEW CASTLE (NEW CASTLE FIELDHOUSE) 10 AM ET | G1: MT. VERNON (FORTVILLE) (25-3) VS. DECATUR CENTRAL (20-6) 12 PM ET | G2: NEW ALBANY (22-5) VS. TERRE HAUTE NORTH VIGO (24-3) 8 PM ET | CHAMPIONSHIP: G1 WINNER VS. G2 WINNER CLASS 3A LOGANSPORT (BERRY BOWL) 10 AM ET | G1: NEW HAVEN (20-7) VS. DELTA (16-10) 12 PM ET | G2: COLUMBIA CITY (23-4) VS. EAST CHICAGO CENTRAL (15-12) 8 PM ET | CHAMPIONSHIP: G1 WINNER VS. G2 WINNER SEYMOUR (LLOYD E. SCOTT GYMNASIUM) 10 AM ET | G1: RONCALLI (18-7) VS. SILVER CREEK (28-1) 12 PM ET | G2: INDIANAPOLIS CATHEDRAL (22-5) VS. PRINCETON COMMUNITY (23-3) 8 PM ET | CHAMPIONSHIP: G1 WINNER VS. G2 WINNER CLASS 2A MUNCIE CENTRAL (MUNCIE FIELDHOUSE) 10 AM ET | G1: FORT WAYNE BISHOP LUERS (15-11) VS. OAK HILL (25-1) 12 PM ET | G2: WESTVIEW (25-1) VS. LAPEL (21-5) 8 PM ET | CHAMPIONSHIP: G1 WINNER VS. G2 WINNER SOUTHPORT (SOUTHPORT FIELDHOUSE) 10 AM ET | G1: PARKE HERITAGE (24-4) VS. TRRITON CENTRAL (23-3) 12 PM ET | G2: LINTON-STOCKTON (24-4) VS. AUSTIN (17-8) 8 PM ET | CHAMPIONSHIP: G1 WINNER VS. G2 WINNER CLASS 1A LAFAYETTE JEFFERSON (MARION CRAWLEY CENTER) 10 AM ET | G1: MONROE CENTRAL (21-4) VS. NORTH VERMILLION (16-11) 12 PM ET | G2: TRI-COUNTY (16-10) VS. TRITON (23-3) 8 PM ET | CHAMPIONSHIP: G1 WINNER VS. G2 WINNER WASHINGTON (HATCHET HOUSE) 10 AM ET | G1: BARR-REEVE (25-1) VS. LIBERTY CHRISTIAN (19-7) 12 PM ET | G2: BLOOMFIELD (19-8) VS. HAUSER (25-2) 8 PM ET | CHAMPIONSHIP: G1 WINNER VS. G2 WINNER ================================================================== NCAA TOURNAMENT MEN’S SCHEDULE/SCORES (9) TCU 66, (8) OHIO STATE 64 (4) NEBRASKA 76, (13) TROY 47 (6) LOUISVILLE 83, (11) SOUTH FLORIDA 79 (12) HIGH POINT 83, (5) WISCONSIN 82 (1) DUKE 71, (16) SIENA 65 (5) VANDERBILT 78, (12) MCNEESE 68 (3) MICHIGAN STATE 92, (14) NORTH DAKOTA STATE 67 (4) ARKANSAS 97, (13) HAWAI’I 78 (11) VCU 82, (6) NORTH CAROLINA 78 (1) MICHIGAN 101, (16) HOWARD 80 (11) TEXAS 79, (6) BYU 71 (10) TEXAS A&M 63, (7) SAINT MARY’S 50 (3) ILLINOIS 105, (14) PENN 70 (9) SAINT LOUIS 102, (8) GEORGIA 77 (3) GONZAGA 73, (14) KENNESAW STATE 64 (2) HOUSTON 78, (15) IDAHO 47 FRIDAY, MARCH 20 EAST REGION, FIRST ROUND NO. 12 NORTHERN IOWA VS. NO. 5 ST. JOHN’S, 7:10 P.M., SAN DIEGONO. 10 UCF VS. NO. 7 UCLA, 7:25 P.M., PHILADELPHIANO. 13 CAL BAPTIST VS. NO. 4 KANSAS, 9:45 P.M., SAN DIEGONO. 15 FURMAN VS. NO. 2 UCONN, 10 P.M., PHILADELPHIA SOUTH REGION, FIRST ROUND NO. 9 IOWA VS. NO. 8 CLEMSON, 6:50 P.M., TAMPA, FLA.NO. 1 FLORIDA VS. PRAIRIE VIEW A&M, 9:25 P.M., TAMPA, FLA. MIDWEST REGION, FIRST ROUND NO. 10 SANTA CLARA VS. NO. 7 KENTUCKY, 12:15 P.M., ST. LOUISNO. 12 AKRON VS. NO. 5 TEXAS TECH, 12:40 P.M., TAMPA, FLA.NO. 14 WRIGHT STATE VS. NO. 3 VIRGINIA, 1:50 P.M., PHILADELPHIANO. 15 TENNESSEE STATE VS. NO. 2 IOWA STATE, 2:50 P.M., ST. LOUISNO. 13 HOFSTRA VS. NO. 4 ALABAMA, 3:15 P.M., TAMPA, FLA.NO. 6 TENNESSEE VS. MIAMI (OHIO), 4:25 P.M., PHILADELPHIA WEST REGION, FIRST ROUND NO. 16 LONG ISLAND VS. NO. 1 ARIZONA, 1:35 P.M., SAN DIEGONO. 9 UTAH STATE VS. NO. 8 VILLANOVA, 4:10 P.M., SAN DIEGONO. 15 QUEENS VS. NO. 2 PURDUE, 7:35 P.M., ST. LOUISNO. 10 MISSOURI VS. NO. 7 MIAMI, 10:10 P.M., ST. LOUIS ============================================================== MEN’S NIT SCORES NO GAMES SCHEDULED ================================================================== NCAA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE SOUTHERN 65 SAMFORD 53 VIRGINIA 57 ARIZONA STATE 55 FRIDAY, MARCH 20 (FIRST ROUND/ROUND OF 64) 11:30 A.M. | (3) DUKE VS. (14) COL. OF CHARLESTON | ESPN2 12 P.M. | (3) TCU VS. (14) UC SAN DIEGO | ESPN 1:30 P.M. | (8) OREGON VS. (9) VIRGINIA TECH | ESPN2 2 P.M. | (6) BAYLOR VS. TBD | ESPN 2:30 P.M. | (6) WASHINGTON VS. (11) SOUTH DAKOTA STATE | ESPNEWS 3 P.M. | (5) MARYLAND VS. (12) MURRAY STATE | ESPNU 3:30 P.M. | (5) OLE MISS VS. (12) GONZAGA | ESPN2 4 P.M. | (1) TEXAS VS. TBD | ESPN 5:30 P.M. | (2) MICHIGAN VS. (15) HOLY CROSS | ESPN2 5:30 P.M. | (4) NORTH CAROLINA VS. (13) WESTERN ILLINOIS | ESPNEWS 6 P.M. | (2) LSU VS. (15) JACKSONVILLE | ESPN 6 P.M. | (4) MINNESOTA VS. (13) GREEN BAY | ESPNU 7:30 P.M. | (5) MICHIGAN STATE VS. (12) COLORADO STATE | ESPNEWS 8 P.M. | (7) NC STATE VS. (10) TENNESSEE | ESPN 8:30 P.M. | (7) TEXAS TECH VS. (10) VILLANOVA | ESPNU 10 P.M. | (4) OKLAHOMA VS. (13) IDAHO | ESPN SATURDAY, MARCH 21 (FIRST ROUND/ROUND OF 64) 11:30 A.M. | (3) OHIO STATE VS. (14) HOWARD | ESPN2 12 P.M. | (3) LOUISVILLE VS. (14) VERMONT | ESPN 1 P.M. | (1) SOUTH CAROLINA VS. TBD | ABC 1:30 P.M. | (7) GEORGIA VS. TBD | ESPN2 2 P.M. | (6) NOTRE DAME VS. (11) FAIRFIELD | ESPN 2:30 P.M. | (6) ALABAMA VS. (11) RHODE ISLAND | ESPNEWS 2:30 P.M. | (5) KENTUCKY VS. (12) JAMES MADISON | ESPNU 3 P.M. | (1) UCONN VS. (16) UTSA | ABC 3:30 P.M. | (8) CLEMSON VS. (9) SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA | ESPN2 4 P.M. | (2) IOWA VS. (15) FDU | ESPN 5 P.M. | (4) WEST VIRGINIA VS. (13) MIAMI (OHIO) | ESPNU 5:30 P.M. | (8) IOWA STATE VS. (9) SYRACUSE | ESPN2 7 P.M. | (2) VANDERBILT VS. (15) HIGH POINT | ESPNEWS 7:30 P.M. | (8) OKLAHOMA STATE VS. (9) PRINCETON | ESPN2 9:30 P.M. | (7) ILLINOIS VS. (10) COLORADO | ESPN2 10 P.M. | (1) UCLA VS. (16) CALIFORNIA BAPTIST | ESPN ============================================================== WOMEN’S NIT ST. BONAVENTURE 69 DREXEL 67 OT BINGHAMTON 81 MERCYHURST 60 GEORGE WASHINGTON 63 BRADLEY 60 MARYLAND EASTERN SHORE 59 WAKE FOREST 48 MONMOUTH 72 LEHIGH 62 MARYLAND BALTIMORE COUNTY 62 OHIO 58 OT TEXAS RIO GRANDE 71 AUSTIN PEAY 59 NJIT 68 MERRIMACK 65 NORTHERN COLORADO 79 AIR FORCE 72 SAN FRANCISCO 80 UTAH VALLEY 50 PORTLAND 62 SAM HOUSTON STATE 59 PEPPERDINE 71 UC DAVIS 68 ============================================================= COLLEGE BASEBALL SCORES #20 WEST VIRGINIA 7 BYU 4 OLE MISS 5 #15 KENTUCKY 0 LSU 7 #8 OKLAHOMA 1 ============================================================== COLLEGE SOFTBALL SCORES #20 OKLAHOMA STATE 6 BYU 0 ============================================================== MEN’S COLLEGE HOCKEY SCORES NO GAMES SCHEDULE ============================================================== MEN’S COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL SCORES #11 LINDENWOOD 3 QUEENS 0 #15 LEWIS 3 NORTHERN KENTUCKY 2 #18 OHIO STATE 3 #7 LOYOLA CHICAGO 1 #17 CAL STATE NORTHRIDGE 3 JESSUP 1 ================================================================ DIVISION 1 MEN’S LAX SCORES NO GAMES SCHEDULED ================================================================= DIVISION 1 WOMEN’S LAX SCORES #3 MARYLAND 15 PENNSYLVANIA 9 RUTGERS 9 #24 OHIO STATE 8 ================================================================= NBA SCORES DETROIT 117 WASHINGTON 95 CHARLOTTE 130 ORLANDO 111 NEW ORLEANS 105 LA CLIPPERS 99 CLEVELAND 115 CHICAGO 110 SAN ANTONIO 101 PHOENIX 100 LA LAKERS 134 MIAMI 126 UTAH 128 MILWAUKEE 96 PHILADELPHIA 139 SACRAMENTO 118 ================================================================== NBA G-LEAGUE SCORES MEMPHIS 126 STOCKTON 121 MAINE 114 LONG ISLAND 104 COLLEGE PARK 128 WESTCHESTER 121 SAN DIEGO 113 VALLEY 87 RIO GRANDE VALLEY 108 SANTA CRUZ 99 ================================================================== NHL SCORES OTTAWA 3 NY ISLANDERS 2 COLUMBUS 6 NY RANGERS 3 BOSTON 6 WINNIPEG 1 DETROIT 3 MONTRÉAL 1 CHICAGO 2 MINNESOTA 1 NASHVILLE 3 SEATTLE 1 FLORIDA 4 EDMONTON 0 BUFFALO 5 SAN JOSE 0 TAMPA BAY 6 VANCOUVER 2 UTAH 4 VEGAS 0 PHILADELPHIA 4 LOS ANGELES 3 ================================================================== MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL ST. LOUIS 5 WASHINGTON 1 PHILADELPHIA 8 TAMPA BAY 2 NY YANKEES 5 BALTIMORE 4 TORONTO 11 NY YANKEES 0 BOSTON 4 MINNESOTA 2 BALTIMORE 5 PITTSBURGH 2 NY METS 6 HOUSTON 2 LA ANGELS 4 KANSAS CITY 3 CLEVELAND 6 KANSAS CITY 5 CHICAGO 4 ARIZONA 2 SAN FRANCISCO 14 COLORADO 11 SAN DIEGO 13 CHICAGO WHITE SOX 6 SEATTLE 6 LAS VEGAS 4 MILWAUKEE 11 TEXAS 4 ================================================================== WOMEN’S PRO VOLLEYBALL SCORES ATLANTA 3 ORLANDO 0 INDY 3 COLUMBUS 1 ================================================================== MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER NO GAMES SCHEDULED ================================================================= NATIONAL SPORTS NEWS RELEASES MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL NCAA TOURNAMENT ROUNDUP: TOP SEED DUKE HOLDS OFF UPSET-MINDED SIENA Cameron Boozer had 22 points and 13 rebounds to help No. 1 overall seed Duke rally for a 71-65 victory over No. 16 Siena in a first-round East Region matchup on Thursday in Greenville, S.C. Boozer went 13-for-14 from the free-throw line for Duke (33-2), which trailed by as many as 13 points before escaping. Twin brother Cayden Boozer added a season-high 19 points and Isaiah Evans had 16 points and 10 rebounds for the Blue Devils, who advance to face No. 9 TCU on Saturday. Siena (23-12) was the first NCAA Tournament team since DePaul in 1979 to play its starters the entire game. The Saints nearly became the third No. 16 seed to upset a No. 1 in tourney history, following UMBC (2018) and Fairleigh Dickinson (2023). Gavin Doty scored 21 points to lead the Saints, followed by Francis Folefac with 18 and Brendan Coyle with 12. Sienna held an 11-point halftime lead, but Duke outscored the Saints 39 to 22 in the second half to earn the win. No. 3 Michigan State 92, No. 14 North Dakota State 67 Carson Cooper matched his career high with 20 points along with 10 rebounds as the Spartans earned an easy victory over the Bison in a first-round East Region matchup at Buffalo, N.Y. Coen Carr added 17 points and Jeremy Fears Jr. had 11 assists as the Spartans had 26 assists on 33 made field goals. Cameron Ward scored 13 points and Jaxon Kohler added 12 with nine rebounds for Michigan State (26-7), which opened its 28th consecutive NCAA Tournament with a win. Damari Wheeler-Thomas scored 16 points and Trevian Carson added 11 points with seven rebounds and six assists as North Dakota State (27-8) saw its four-game winning streak come to an end. No. 6 Louisville 83, No. 11 South Florida 79 Isaac McKneely drilled seven 3-pointers to help the Cardinals build a big lead and hold off the Bulls in a first-round matchup in Buffalo, N.Y. McKneely matched his season high of 23 points on 8-of-11 shooting. Ryan Conwell added 18 points with six assists and Sananda Fru notched a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds for the Cardinals (24-10), who won their first NCAA Tournament game since 2017. Joseph Pinion (career-high 27 points) and Izaiyah Nelson (22) scored 22 and 15 points, respectively, in the second half as the Bulls (25-9) shot 47.6% after halftime but saw their 11-game win streak snapped. South Florida made just 5 of 33 shots from the perimeter (15.2%). No. 9 TCU 66, No. 8 Ohio State 64 Xavier Edmonds made a go-ahead layup with 4.3 seconds left to lift the Horned Frogs over the Buckeyes in a first-round matchup in Greenville, S.C. Micah Robinson led TCU (23-11) with 18 points, while David Punch added 16 points and 13 rebounds for the Horned Frogs, who fell behind by five after leading by 15 points at halftime. Edmonds also scored 16 for TCU, which advanced to face No. 1 Duke on Saturday. John Mobley Jr.’s 15 points led Ohio State (21-13), followed by Devin Royal’s 14. Amare Bynum added 12 and Bruce Thornton and Christoph Tilly chipped in 10 apiece. West Region No. 12 High Point 83, No. 5 Wisconsin 82 Chase Johnston made his first 2-point basket of the season with 11 seconds remaining and the Panthers earned their first NCAA Tournament win over the Badgers in Portland, Ore. High Point forward Owen Aquino blocked Nick Boyd’s driving layup with 2.1 seconds left remaining and Cam’Ron Fletcher missed the front end of a one-and-one, but the Panthers’ Terry Anderson intercepted Wisconsin’s full-court pass to end the game. Rob Martin had a team-high 23 points and 10 assists, Anderson had 15 points and 11 rebounds and Fletcher had 14 and 11 for High Point (31-4). Boyd had 27 points and John Blackwell scored 20 of his 22 points in the first half for Wisconsin (24-11). Austin Rapp scored 12 points for the Badgers, who led 70-62 with seven minutes left before High Point’s comeback. No. 4 Arkansas 97, No. 13 Hawaii 78 Darius Acuff Jr. had 24 points and seven assists, Meleek Thomas had 21 points and the Razorbacks blew out the Rainbow Warriors in the first-round game in Portland, Ore. Trevon Brazile scored 19 points and Malique Ewin added 16 points, 12 rebounds and six assists for Southeastern Conference champion Arkansas (27-8), which has won six straight. Thomas had eight rebounds and five assists, and Billy Richmond III had 10 points and seven rebounds for the athletic Razorbacks, who play High Point on Saturday. Dre Bullock tallied 21 points and eight rebounds, Isaac Johnson had 15 points and Isaac Finlinson scored 12 for the Big West tournament champion Hawaii, (24-9), which never led. Isaiah Kerr added 11 points and five assists. South Region No. 4 Nebraska 76, No. 13 Troy 47 Pryce Sandfort sank seven 3s and scored a game-high 23 points as the Cornhuskers routed the Trojans in Oklahoma City to secure their first-ever NCAA Tournament victory in nine tries. Jamarques Lawrence and Braden Frager had 13 apiece for Nebraska, which had 20 assists on 28 field goals and just six turnovers. The Cornhuskers (27-6) frustrated the Trojans and achieved their 27th win, a new program record, by easily finding open looks with spacing and ball movement. Troy (22-12) was led by Victor Valdes with 14 points. The Trojans came in averaging 80.3 points per game but shot 28.3% (13 of 46) and just 24% (6 of 25) in the second half, during which they trailed by as many as 30. No. 5 Vanderbilt 78, No.12 McNeese 68 Tyler Tanner registered 26 points, seven rebounds and five assists as the Commodores held off the Cowboys in Oklahoma City for their first NCAA Tournament win since 2012. Devin McGlockton scored 12 points on a perfect 6-of-6 shooting and grabbed eight rebounds for Vanderbilt (27-8), while Duke Miles added 13 points and Tyler Nickel finished with 12. The Commodores play Nebraska on Saturday. Garwey Dual led McNeese (28-6) with 16 points and six assists. Southland Conference Freshman of the Year Larry Johnson scored 15 but was 4-for-17 from the field, while Tyshawn Archie scored 13 and Javohn Garcia chipped in 10.The Cowboys got the game they wanted, winning the turnover battle 13-6, and grabbed 16 offensive rebounds. But they were outshot 51.0% (26 of 51) to 36.2% (25 of 69) from the field. =================================================================== WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKEBALL ON LATE 3, VIRGINIA EDGES ARIZONA STATE IN FIRST FOUR Kymora Johnson drilled a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 30.6 seconds left to lift Virginia to a 57-55 win over Arizona State in an NCAA Women’s First Four game in Iowa City. Marley Washenitz’s corner 3 with 41.4 seconds remaining lifted the Sun Devils (24-11) into a 51-all tie. But Johnson dribbled to the 3-point line on the right wing, turned down a screen at the top of the key that gave her enough room for a clean look and converted. Virginia won despite making only 21 of 65 shots from the field (32.3%). Johnson finished with 17 points, 10 rebounds and five assists for the Cavaliers (20-11), which earned a date with seventh-seeded Georgia in a first-round game Saturday. Virginia’s Caitlin Weimar added 11 points and 12 boards, hitting a pair of foul shots with 11 seconds left. Washenitz scored a game-high 19 points for Arizona State, which had a chance to force overtime or win after Johnson made just 1 of 2 foul shots with five seconds remaining. But Paris Clark stole the ball from Jyah LoVett just before time expired. SOUTHERN OVERTAKES SAMFORD LATE FOR FIRST FOUR VICTORY Jaylia Reed scored 16 points and DeMya Carter contributed 15 on Thursday night as Southern went on a game-ending 14-2 run to subdue Samford 65-53 in an Women’s NCAA Tournament First Four matchup in Columbia, S.C. The game was tied at 51 with 6:59 left after Carla Baguda hit a layup for the Bulldogs. But Reed canned a 3-pointer on the next possession, and the Jaguars never looked back. Samford went scoreless for 4:42 during the clinching spurt. Jocelyn Tate added 10 for Southern (20-13), which shot just 39.7% from the field but made up for it by forcing 19 turnovers and converting those into 20 points. The Jaguars advance as a No. 16 seed to meet top-seeded South Carolina on Saturday in a Sacramento 4 Region game at Columbia. Briana Rivera scored a game-high 16 points for the Bulldogs (16-19), who won eight of their previous 10 games, including all three in the Southern Conference tournament. =================================================================== NBA NBA ROUNDUP: LUKA DONCIC’S 60 POINTS PROPEL LAKERS TO 8TH STRAIGHT WIN Luka Doncic scored 60 points — the most ever recorded against the Heat — as the Los Angeles Lakers won their eighth straight game, defeating host Miami 134-126 on Thursday night. The Lakers also got a triple-double from LeBron James, who had 19 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists. It was just James’ second triple-double of the season. Doncic, who entered the day leading the NBA with a 32.9 scoring average, made 18 of 30 shots from the floor, 9 of 17 on 3-pointers and 15 of 19 at the free throw line. Bam Adebayo led Miami with 28 points and 10 rebounds. He appeared fully healthy after having missed the team’s previous game due to tightness in his right calf. However, the Heat are just 1-3 since Adebayo scored 83 points against Washington on March 10, the second-greatest scoring game in NBA history. James Harden had the previous record against Miami with 58 points. He reached that mark while a member of the Houston Rockets on Feb. 28, 2019. Spurs 101, Suns 100 Victor Wembanyama hit the game-winning jumper with 1.1 seconds left, capping a 34-point, 12-rebound outing as San Antonio edged visiting Phoenix. The Suns led by seven points at halftime, by six heading into the final period and by 10 when Khaman Maluach threw down a thunderous dunk off a Devin Booker assist with 4:50 to play. That seemed to wake up San Antonio, which responded with an 8-0 run. After Phoenix’s Rasheer Fleming missed two free throws with 11.1 seconds to play, Wembanyama took an inbounds pass and held the ball before moving to his right and hitting a contested 17-foot jumper over Ighodaro for the victory. Hornets 130, Magic 111 Coby White had 27 points off the bench, Brandon Miller poured in 25 points and LaMelo Ball had 20 points as host Charlotte rolled on offense again in a victory against Orlando. It was a masterful offensive performance for the Hornets, who racked up 22 3-pointers and went 24-for-27 from the free-throw line. Kon Knueppel had 17 points, Ryan Kalkbrenner provided 13 and Miles Bridges posted 11 for Charlotte, which won for the fourth time in its last five games. The Magic received 24 points from Desmond Bane and 20 from Paolo Banchero, but they made just 33.3% (14-for-42) of their 3-point tries. Jamal Cain added 15 points and Jevon Carter had 11, with Orlando’s reserves playing a good chunk of the second half as the Magic’s deficit reached 35. Pistons 117, Wizards 95 Jalen Duren collected 24 points and 11 rebounds and Paul Reed added 17 points off the bench, fueling Detroit over host Washington. Detroit, which reached the 50-win plateau for the first time since 2007-08, held a 66-26 advantage in points in the paint and a 56-35 edge in rebounds. Duncan Robinson highlighted his 14-point performance with four 3-pointers, while Caris LeVert and Kevin Huerter also scored 14 points. Tristan Vukcevic scored 21 points off the bench and rookie Will Riley added 15 points for the Wizards, who have lost 14 in a row since sweeping Indiana in a two-game set on Feb. 19-20. Cavaliers 115, Bulls 110 James Harden knocked down seven 3-pointers on his way to 36 points, Evan Mobley added 26 points as Cleveland held off a furious second-half rally to beat host Chicago. Mobley shot 12 of 19 from the floor (63.1%) and grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds. He was one of two Cavaliers to record a double-double, with Jaylon Tyson adding 18 points and 11 rebounds. Tre Jones led the Bulls with 20 points, Nick Richards scored 16 and Josh Giddey dished a career-high 19 assists. Rob Dillingham led the Chicago bench unit with 17 points, as they outscored the Cavs’ bench, 43-22. Jazz 128, Bucks 96 Rookie Ace Bailey scored a season-best 33 points and matched his high of seven 3-pointers to lead Utah to a convincing victory over Milwaukee at Salt Lake City. Elijah Harkless produced career bests of 23 points and 10 assists and Cody Williams also had 23 points as the Jazz broke a four-game losing streak. The win was just the third in the past 15 games for Utah. Two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo sat out his second straight game due to a hyperextended left knee as the Bucks lost for the 10th time in their past 12 games. Ryan Rollins scored 15 points and Cam Thomas added 14 off the bench. 76ers 139, Kings 118 VJ Edgecombe, Quentin Grimes and Justin Edwards combined for 97 points, Andre Drummond came off the bench to produce a double-double and visiting Philadelphia thumped Sacramento. Edgecombe, taking over leadership of the team in the absence of Joel Embiid, Paul George and Tyrese Maxey, paced the win with 38 points, the top total of his rookie season. Edwards put up a career-high 32 and Grimes went for 27, propelling the 76ers (38-32) to a third win in the past four games. Edgecombe also found time for a game-high 11 assists while Drummond had 13 points, a team-high 11 rebounds and three blocks. Kings rookie Maxime Raynaud missed his season best by two points on a 30-point night. Daeqwon Plowden had 20 points, DeMar DeRozan 13, Precious Achiuwa 12, and Russell Westbrook and Doug McDermott 11 apiece for the Kings (18-53), who lost their second in a row. ====================================================================== NHL NHL ROUNDUP: PANTHERS BLANK OILERS IN STANLEY CUP REMATCH Sergei Bobrovsky pitched a 21-save shutout for the visiting Florida Panthers in a 4-0 win over the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday night in a rematch of the Stanley Cup Final in each of the two previous seasons. Four players scored and Evan Rodrigues, Mike Benning and Sam Bennett each had two assists for the Panthers (34-31-3, 71 points), who split the two-game season series. Florida, which halted a two-game skid, had lost six of its previous nine and is well out of the running for a playoff berth. It was Bobrovsky’s fourth shutout of the season and 53rd of his career. With his 454th career win, he tied Curtis Joseph for seventh in NHL history. Connor Ingram made 19 saves for the Oilers, who have dropped three of their last five games (2-2-1). With the loss, Edmonton remained one point behind Pacific Division-leading Anaheim. Bruins 6, Jets 1 Boston built a three-goal lead after two periods and rattled off a three-goal third in a dominating 6-1 win over visiting Winnipeg. The Bruins received goals from six scorers, including Lukas Reichel, who tallied the game-winner and added an assist in his team debut. David Pastrnak, Viktor Arvidsson and Pavel Zacha also had a goal and an assist each, while Fraser Minten and Jonathan Aspirot also scored. Jeremy Swayman made 23 saves en route to his fifth win in seven March decisions (5-1-1). Jonathan Toews scored a power-play goal and Connor Hellebuyck — facing his U.S. Olympic teammate Swayman in the other net — stopped 21 shots for Winnipeg, which was 2-0-1 in its previous three games. Lightning 6, Canucks 2 Darren Raddysh, Yanni Gourde and Nikita Kucherov produced a three-goal blitz early in the second period as Tampa Bay overwhelmed host Vancouver. Kucherov and Anthony Cirelli each had a goal and two assists while Brandon Hagel and Raddysh posted a goal and an assist each for the Lightning, who won their second straight game. Jake Guentzel also scored, Erik Cernak notched two assists, and goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy made 19 saves. Liam Ohgren and Linus Karlsson scored goals, Marco Rossi had two assists and Kevin Lankinen stopped 24 shots for the Canucks, who have lost four of their past six (2-3-1) and are last place in the league with 50 points (21-39-8). Sabres 5, Sharks 0 Sam Carrick scored twice for Buffalo in a shutout of host San Jose, extending the Sabres’ franchise-record road points streak to 12 games (11-0-1). Rasmus Dahlin had a goal and an assist, Logan Stanley recorded two assists, and Alex Lyon made 23 saves for the Sabres. They also improved to 11-1-0 in their past 12 overall. Alex Nedeljkovic made 11 saves for the Sharks, who have lost three straight. Blackhawks 2, Wild 1 Connor Bedard scored the go-ahead goal, and Chicago held on for a win over Minnesota in Saint Paul, Minn. Ilya Mikheyev also scored for Chicago, which earned at least one point for the fifth time in its past six games. The Blackhawks rebounded from a 4-3 overtime loss against the Wild two nights earlier in Chicago as part of a home-and-home series. Chicago goaltender Spencer Knight stopped 28 of 29 shots to secure the victory. Nico Sturm scored the lone goal for Minnesota. Hunter Haight and Brock Faber picked up one assist apiece for the Wild, who lost in regulation for the third time in the past four games. Jesper Wallstedt took the hard-luck loss for the Wild despite turning aside 24 of 26 shots. Blue Jackets 6, Rangers 3 Adam Fantilli scored twice, surpassing 20 goals, and host Columbus defeated New York. Boone Jenner had a goal and an assist and Isac Lundestrom, Conor Garland and defenseman Damon Severson also had goals for the Blue Jackets, who stretched their point streak to 11 games (7-0-4). Defenseman Zach Werenski had three assists and Jet Greaves stopped 22 shots. Mika Zibanejad and Alexis Lafreniere had a goal and an assist each and Vincent Trocheck also scored for the Rangers, who lost their third straight. Igor Shesterkin made 31 saves. Senators 3, Islanders 2 Brady Tkachuk scored the tiebreaking goal with 12.2 seconds remaining in regulation as host Ottawa rallied past New York to gain ground in the Eastern Conference playoff race. It was the 12th win in the last 17 games for Ottawa, which sliced its deficit to five points out of the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. The Islanders are just ahead of them. The Islanders, who had won their previous four trips to Ottawa, entered a winner in eight of the previous 11 overall. Budding New York star Matthew Schaefer scored his 21st goal and became the youngest defenseman to record 50 points at 18 years, 195 days, according to SportsNet. Red Wings 3, Canadiens 1 Alex DeBrincat scored the go-ahead goal and assisted on his team’s two other goals as Detroit notched a victory over Montreal. DeBrincat gave Detroit a 2-1 lead with 3:25 remaining in the game. J.T. Compher scored earlier in the period and Andrew Copp added an empty-net goal with 16.8 seconds remaining. John Gibson made 32 saves for the Red Wings. Juraj Slafkovsky scored the Canadiens’ lone goal on a second-period power play. Jakub Dobes made 25 saves for Montreal. Predators 3, Kraken 1 Justus Annunen, making an unscheduled start after Juuse Saros suffered an upper-body injury during the morning skate, stopped 25 shots as Nashville defeated visiting Seattle. Filip Forsberg had a goal and two assists and Ryan Ufko and Ryan O’Reilly also scored for Nashville, which won its second straight game to pull even with the Kraken for third place in the chase for the Western Conference’s second and final wild-card playoff berth. Freddy Gaudreau scored for Seattle, which lost its second straight. Joey Daccord stopped 24 of 26 shots as the Kraken opened a six-game trip. Flyers 4, Kings 3 (SO) Trevor Zegras and Matvei Michkov scored in a shootout to give Philadelphia a victory over Los Angeles and continue its extra-time winning ways on the road. Noah Cates posted one goal and one assist while Travis Konecny and Travis Sanheim also tallied for the Flyers, who have won six consecutive road games, all in extra time. Flyers goaltender Sam Ersson made 22 saves through regulation and overtime and denied both Kings he faced in the shootout. Artemi Panarin collected one goal and one assist while Quinton Byfield and Anze Kopitar scored once each for the Kings. Goalie Darcy Kuemper stopped 17 shots through regulation and overtime. Mammoth 4, Golden Knights 0 Karel Vejmelka made 28 saves for his second shutout of the season and Utah scored on its first three shots en route to a victory in Las Vegas. Clayton Keller scored two goals, Barrett Hayton had a goal and an assist and Jack McBain also scored for the Mammoth, who won their second straight game. It was the eighth career shutout for Vejmelka, who got a little help from the iron as four Vegas shots caromed off the posts. Akira Schmid made 14 saves for Vegas, which was shut out in two consecutive games for the first time in the regular season since March 2022. Schmid replaced starter Adin Hill, who was pulled after allowing three goals on three shots. =================================================================== BASEBALL SPRING TRAINING ROUNDUP: BLUE JAYS THWACK YANKEES WITH HOMERS George Springer belted a grand slam in the fourth inning to highlight his three-hit performance, fueling the Toronto Blue Jays to an 11-0 romp over a New York Yankees split squad on Thursday in Dunedin, Fla. Daulton Varsho launched a solo homer in the first inning and joined Springer with three of the Blue Jays’ 14 hits. Andres Gimenez added a two-run shot in the fifth and Cody Ponce allowed just one hit and struck out five in 5 2/3 innings. Amed Rosario collected two of the three hits for the Yankees. Yankees (ss) 5, Orioles 4 Garrett Martin belted a solo homer in the ninth inning and Roderick Arias scored on a game-ending sacrifice fly as a New York split squad rallied past Baltimore in Tampa, Fla. Giancarlo Stanton launched a solo homer and added a sacrifice fly for the Yankees. Coby Mayo hit a two-run homer, RJ Austin ripped an RBI double and Adley Rutschman had a run-scoring single for the Orioles. Phillies 8, Rays 2 Otto Kemp launched a three-run shot as Philadelphia slugged three homers en route to cruising past Tampa Bay in Clearwater, Fla. Bryson Stott belted a two-run shot for his third homer of the spring, and Adolis Garcia also went deep for the Phillies. Ryan Vilade and Alfonzo Martinez each hit a solo homer in the fifth inning for the Rays. Cardinals 5, Nationals 1 Dakota Harris had a two-run single in the third inning and scored on Trey Paige’s two-run homer in the eighth, propelling St. Louis past Washington in Jupiter, Fla. Nelson Velazquez had an RBI single in the first inning and joined Alec Burleson in recording two of the Cardinals’ 10 hits. Brady House had two hits and Luis Garcia Jr. scored on a groundout in the second inning for the Nationals. ====================================================================== GOLF HYO JOO KIM RIDES 63 TO EARLY LEAD AT FORTINET FOUNDERS CUP Hyo Joo Kim of South Korea finished her round birdie-eagle to post a 9-under-par 63 and take the first-round lead at the Fortinet Founders Cup on Thursday in Menlo Park, Calif. Kim, a seven-time winner on the LPGA Tour and the 2015 Founders Cup champion, was bogey-free on her first trip around Sharon Heights Golf & Country Club, which is hosting for the first time. “I am just so satisfied I had no bogeys. I had some mistakes in the beginning, but I was able to save them,” Kim said. “I ended with an eagle, so I ended pretty happily.” Kim, 30, holed out for eagle at the par-5 18th hole. “I couldn’t see the hole from where I was,” Kim said, “but people started cheering and then I heard a ‘Yeah!’ so I figured it went in.” Two strokes off the pace is fellow South Korea native Dongeun Lee, a 21-year-old making just her second LPGA start. Lee’s round of 65 also concluded with an eagle at No. 18, after five of her seven birdies came on the front nine. “The line was quite long but I had the line in it so I just first wanted to approach it first, but it went in,” Lee said. “So good.” Germany’s Polly Mack and South Korea’s Jin Hee Im are tied for third at 6-under 66. Mack overcame a double-bogey 7 at No. 10 with eight total birdies. “It’s funny, I have my mental coach here this week and it’s great to just really see that work coming in play right there,” Mack said. “I think I did pretty good at just doing my post-shot routine and basically letting that bounce off right there and move on and just not let it affect me too much.” A knot at 4-under 68 included major winners Minjee Lee of Australia and Mao Saigo of Japan. Scotland’s Gemma Dryburgh was still on the course as play wound down late Thursday afternoon, 4 under par through 15 holes. World No. 2 Nelly Korda opened with a 2-under 70 and World No. 1 Jeeno Thitikul of Thailand settled for an even-par 72. Young star Rose Zhang, who won the 2024 Founders Cup, shot a 1-under 71 to begin just her second start of the season. A California native, Zhang is preparing to graduate Stanford this spring and was glad for this week’s tour stop in Northern California. She said she finished her final paper earlier this week. “It is crazy. I honestly feel like it’s a little bit anticlimactic because I’m playing golf,” Zhang said. “I haven’t been doing as much of celebrating, but internally I do feel really good about it.” SUNGJAE IM FIRES 64 WITH 2 EAGLES TO LEAD VALSPAR AFTER ROUND 1 Sungjae Im found his rhythm Thursday at the Valspar Championship, making two eagles in a 7-under-par round of 64 at Innisbrook Resort’s Copperhead Course to grab the first-round lead in Palm Harbor, Fla. Brandt Snedeker, the U.S. captain for the upcoming Presidents Cup, is one back after a bogey-free 65, turning a sponsor exemption into an early statement. Davis Thompson sits in third at 66, while Billy Horschel, Andrew Putnam and Pierceson Coody are tied for fourth with matching 67s. Ten players, including Xander Schauffele and England’s Matt Fitzpatrick, share seventh place at 68. Im missed the start of this season due to a wrist injury, finally returning to action at the Arnold Palmer Invitational earlier this month. He missed the cut there and at The Players Championship, making his Thursday surge a surprise. Im opened his round on the 10th hole and was 4 under through his first three holes, including an eagle on the par-5 11th. He started his second nine with another eagle on par-5 first hole, then added birdies on two of the next four holes, but he bogeyed two of his last four. “I had a very good start,” said Im, whose only two PGA Tour wins came in 2020 and 2021. “… I did not have very good starts the last few months. After last week, I really felt like I had to refine some techniques and I was able to focus on specific techniques, and I refined it and for this weekend I feel like that’s a really good outcome.” Asked to assess the status of his wrist, Im said, “I was out for two months because of my injury and was not able to touch the clubs, so I feel like I had some loss in touch, especially for my short game. So I really focused the last week on getting this feel and touch back for short game, and I really feel like I benefited from that today.” Snedeker, 45, rolled in five of his six birdies on the back nine. “Just a really good game plan coming into today,” said Snedeker, whose most recent win on tour occurred more than seven years ago. “… Just relied on my putter. I putted great today, made a bunch of footage of putts, and put myself in position off the tee. Hit a lot of fairways and greens and made it stress-free, which was nice. So really excited about how it started, but a long way to go from here.” SOUTHERN GUARDS TAKE TEAM LEAD AFTER EMOTIONAL ROUND AT LIV SOUTH AFRICA Ordinarily, it’s the individual competition that grabs the headlines at a LIV Golf event. But Thursday at LIV Golf South Africa, it was all about the teams in the debut tournament on the continent. Southern Guards GC, a team of four South Africans, fed off the home crowd to take the first-round lead at The Club at Steyn City near Johannesburg. Branden Grace led the group with a 7-under 64, and Charl Schwartzel carded a 66. “I think that was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had on a golf course,” Schwartzel said. “I’ve played Presidents Cups, I’ve teed off in front of presidents in New York, and that first tee gave me goosebumps. I almost had tears in my eyes. It was a really proud moment.” Grace agreed. “It’s amazing,” Grace said about playing a LIV Golf event in his country. “This is what we hoped for. They’re coming out in the numbers. They’re coming out to support the event. I feel South Africa has been hungry for a big golf event like this and this experience.” The experience also was a good one for Bryson DeChambeau and Charles Howell II, a pair of Americans who each finished the day with 8-under rounds of 63 to top the individual leaderboard. DeChambeau recorded nine birdies and a bogey, while Howell posted a bogey-free round. The Crushers teammates put their team in third, two strokes behind Southern Guards and one behind Smash GC. DeChambeau is coming off a win last week at LIV Golf Singapore. “I’m playing really good,” DeChambeau said. “My driver just got a little quirky today. I still feel like I’m playing really good, swinging it well. Just going to go tighten it up a little bit. But yeah, for the most part I feel really comfortable with my game.” DeChambeau and Howell finished the first round one stroke ahead of Grace and Sergio Garcia of Spain, who also went bogey-free on his way to a 64. Tied for fifth place after their rounds of 65s were Smash captain Talor Gooch and Jon Rahm of Spain. Ten players shot 66 to stand three shots behind the co-leaders and tied for seventh place. Dean Burmester was in the group tied for 17th after rounds of 67, but by the way he was talking after the round, his score really didn’t matter. He was thrilled to have played in his home country. “It’s probably the pinnacle of my career, honestly,” Burmester said. “This is probably the greatest day I’ve had on the golf course, the most fun, the most backing I’ve ever had. I’ve played all over the world and I’ve never felt this kind of emotion and this electricity. Obviously, they’re backing the Southern Guards boys, and all four of us I’m sure were getting shouted for all over the golf course. That lifted us up.” “Yes, it was emotional. It was amazing,” he continued. “That’s about all I can say about it.” ====================================================================== INDIANA SPORTS TEAM RELEASES CLASS 4A SEMI-STATE PREVIEW Follow the Action Every Day on IndianaSRN Sports It all comes down to this—Class 4A, the biggest stage in Indiana high school basketball. Power programs, elite talent, and a trip to Gainbridge Fieldhouse on the line. Class 4A Semi-State Elkhart – Saturday Game 1 – 10:00 AM Northridge vs Homestead Northridge Raiders A tough, disciplined team that thrives on defense. Plays a controlled style and limits mistakes. Strong rebounding and physical presence inside. Keys for Northridge Control the tempo Win the rebounding battle Limit turnovers Homestead Spartans One of the premier programs in northern Indiana. Fast-paced offense with strong guard play. Capable of scoring in bunches. Keys for Homestead Push the pace Knock down perimeter shots Create turnovers Game Outlook A classic contrast—Northridge’s control vs Homestead’s speed. Game 2 – 12:00 PM Crown Point vs Fort Wayne Snider Crown Point Bulldogs A balanced team with solid defense and scoring depth. Plays smart, fundamental basketball. Keys for Crown Point Take care of the basketball Execute offensively Control defensive possessions Fort Wayne Snider Panthers Athletic and explosive. Dangerous in transition and off turnovers. Keys for Snider Speed up the game Attack the basket Force mistakes Game Outlook Expect an up-tempo battle if Snider gets rolling. Class 4A Semi-State New Castle – Saturday Game 1 – 10:00 AM Mt. Vernon vs Decatur Central Mt. Vernon Marauders A well-rounded team with strong leadership. Efficient offense and solid defensive play. Keys for Mt. Vernon Control pace Smart shot selection Defensive consistency Decatur Central Hawks Physical and aggressive team. Strong inside presence and rebounding. Keys for Decatur Central Dominate the paint Win second-chance points Play physical defense Game Outlook This game could be decided in the paint. Game 2 – 12:00 PM New Albany vs Terre Haute North New Albany Bulldogs A storied program with championship expectations. High-powered offense and strong guard play. Keys for New Albany Push tempo Score in transition Perimeter shooting Terre Haute North Patriots A gritty, defensive-minded team. Wins games with effort and toughness. Keys for Terre Haute North Slow the pace Defensive stops Control the boards Game Outlook If New Albany gets out in transition, they’ll be tough to stop—but Terre Haute North will try to grind it out. IndianaSRN Tournament Coverage 🏀 Semi-State Previews 🏀 Live Game Coverage 🏀 Highlights & Analysis 🏀 State Finals Coverage ==================================================================== COLTS COLTS RE-SIGN CB CAMERON MITCHELL The Colts on Thursday re-signed cornerback Cameron Mitchell. Mitchell, a fifth-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, spent time on the Colts practice squad and active roster in 2025. He appeared in eight games last season, recording four passes defensed, two tackles for loss and 18 tackles. Prior to joining the Colts the 24-year-old Mitchell spent three years with the Cleveland Browns (2023-25), appearing in 32 games and tallying 43 tackles, two tackles for loss, one quarterback hit, one forced fumble and four passes defensed. ==================================================================== INDY IGNITE FIRST-PLACE IGNITE NOT THEIR SHARPEST BUT STILL FIND WAY TO WIN FISHERS, Ind. (March 19, 2026) – Even when not at their best, the Indy Ignite find ways to win and remain atop Major League Volleyball. Despite a subpar hitting performance tonight, the Ignite willed their way past visiting Columbus. Indy won by set scores of 25-17, 25-18, 19-25, 26-24, advancing to 15-3 this season and maintaining a two-victory advantage over the surging Dallas Pulse. The Ignite now have nearly a full week off before beginning a three-match road trip with a visit to Grand Rapids on March 25. “We struggled on offense pretty hard,” Ignite head coach Lauren Bertolacci said. “We hit 32% kill on almost .140 (efficiency). It’s going to be a tough day to win on any of those moments, but as we talk about a lot, who knows? We get to a championship game or a semifinal and that might be what we’re hitting and we still need to figure out how to do it.” The Ignite figured it out on this night by relying on a host of players to come through at different junctures. Middle blocker Blake Mohler, named this week to the MLV All-Star Team, was ferocious to start the opening set, scoring four of her team’s first five points on three kills and a block. Unfortunately, Mohler went down with a leg injury later in the set and did not return. Fellow All-Stars Azhani Tealer and Mia Tuaniga picked up the slack, Tealer totaling four kills and a block and Tuaniga compiling 12 assists, eight digs, a kill and a block as the Ignite took the opener by eight points. Following Mohler’s injury and with Lydia Martyn unavailable to play with her own injury, Indy was left with two middles for the remainder of the match. Cara Cresse replaced Mohler and led the charge in the second set with four kills and a block. Fellow middle Alexandra Botezat had two kills and two blocks as Indy took a 2-0 match advantage. The Ignite jumped to a 9-4 lead in the third set and appeared poised for a sweep until Columbus’ net defense turned the momentum. The Fury totaled seven of their franchise-record 17 blocks in the set, and Columbus outscored Indy 8-2 to close the frame and send the match to another set. The Fury jumped ahead 13-9 in the fourth, only to see Indy recover and go ahead 21-19. While the set would be tied four times after that, the Ignite never trailed again and terminated the set and match on Anna DeBeer’s ace that clipped the net tape and fell untouched to the court. Opposite hitter Camryn Hannah, who came off the bench in each of the final three sets, was key in the clincher, scoring four of Indy’s last eight points on three kills and a block. “My mindset is always the same,” Hannah explained. “It’s see ball, hit ball. That’s pretty much it. That’s my job. That’s what I love to do. That’s what I’m here for.” DeBeer led the Ignite in scoring with 12 points (10 kills, two aces), outside hitter Kayla Lund had 11 (nine kills, one block, one ace) and Cresse 10 (seven kills, two blocks, one ace). Tuaniga, who finished with 37 assists and 14 digs for her fifth straight double-double and added three aces, two kills and two blocks to the attack, complimented her teammates for remaining aggressive even when the attacks didn’t fall their way. “It felt like the passing went pretty well in the moments and, regardless of hitting errors or hitting mistakes, it felt like everyone came back strong and still demanded the ball,” she said. “That’s a really big deal when it comes to being a setter and having trust in your hitters. It’s really comfortable to play with this team.” Bertolacci pointed to her team’s aggressive serving that yielded seven aces and kept Columbus on the defensive much of the evening. “I think we kept our (service) pressure up pretty well and we were able then to have some transition plays because they were out of system,” Bertolacci said. “And we didn’t really give up a lot of aces, so we kept ourselves in the game there. I think it was a good job by the girls after just a shocking injury (to Mohler), honestly. That took a little bit for us to recover from, but happy to get the win.” The March 25 match at Grand Rapids airs live on CBS Sports Network at 7 p.m. ET. Indy doesn’t return to Fishers Event Center until April 12 when they take on Atlanta. For ticket information, visit IndyIgniteVB.com. ===================================================================== INDIANA WRESTLING MORAN TO QUARTERFINALS & HOOSIERS WORK THROUGH BACKSIDE OF BRACKET CLEVELAND, Ohio –––– After a tough Session I, Indiana Wrestling had a much better showing in Session II with five Hoosiers picking up a win and four of them still being alive in the tournament after the conclusion of day one. No. 14 Jacob Moran highlighted the day for Indiana at Rocket Arena, as he won his Round of 16 match to earn his spot in the quarterfinals. Moran defeated No. 3 Nic Bouzakis (Ohio State) by major decision, 10-2. He used two first period takedowns to take a commanding 6-1 lead and never looked back from there. The win avenged two earlier losses this season to Bouzakis, one coming in the dual at Ohio State and the other was the 3rd Place match in the Big Ten Championships. The run to the quarterfinals marks Moran’s first career quarterfinals appearance at NCAAs. It is also the second-straight season, as well as the third out of the last four years, a Hoosier has advanced to the quarterfinals at nationals. Moran’s big upset sparked a successful run for the Hoosiers that was immediately followed by No. 33 Sam Goin winning his second preliminary round match in tiebreakers. Then, No. 29 Bryce Lowery (157) and No. 26 Tyler Lillard (165) each picked up pins over No. 13 Derek Raike (Ohio) and No. 23 Chris Earnest (Kent State) to move on in the wrestlebacks and help boost the team score. Continuing the wins by bonus-point fashion, No. 14 Gabe Sollars picked up a win by tech fall over No. 33 Karson Tompkins (Air Force), 15-0 (3:27) to advance. No. 26 Derek Gilcher and No. 33 Sam Goin would both drop their second match of the day to end their 2026 NCAA Tournament. After day one, Indiana is tied for 18th place with 10.5 team points. The four remaining Hoosiers will resume competition tomorrow in Session III at noon on Friday (March 20). Session IV will be that night at 8 p.m. FULL RESULTS (THROUGH SESSION II) 125 – No. 14 Jacob Moran: -Round 1: No. 14 Jacob Moran (IU) def. No. 19 Kysen Terukina (UNC): Dec. 4-2 -Round of 16: No. 14 Jacob Moran (IU) def. No. 3 Nic Bouzakis (OSU): MD, 10-2 157 – No. 29 Bryce Lowery: -Round 1: No. 4 Kaleb Larkin (Arizona State) def. No. 29 Bryce Lowery (IU): MD, 14-5 -Cons. R1: No. 29 Bryce Lowery (IU) def. No. 13 Derek Raike (Ohio): Fall (4:06) 165 – No. 26 Tyler Lillard: -Round 1: No. 7 Max Brignola (Lehigh) def. No. 26 Tyler Lillard (IU): TB-1, 3-2 -Cons. R1: No. 26 Tyler Lillard (IU) def. No. 23 Chris Earnest (Kent State): Fall (5:20) 174 – No. 26 Derek Gilcher: -Round 1: No. 7 Cam Steed (Mizzou) def. No. 26 Derek Gilcher (IU): TF, 16-1 (5:41) -Cons. R1: No. 23 Luca Augustine (Pitt) def. No. 26 Derek Gilcher (IU): Fall (2:16) 184 – No. 33 Sam Goin: -Prelim R1: No. 32 Caleb Uhlenhopp (Utah Valley) def. No. 33 Sam Goin (IU): Dec. 4-1 -Prelim R2: No. 33 Sam Goin (IU) def. No. 30 Tyler Bienus (Bucknell): TB-1, 2-1 -Cons. R1: No. 19 Jared McGill (Edinboro) def. No. 33 Sam Goin (IU): Dec. 5-4 197 – No. 14 Gabe Sollars: -Round 1: No. 19 Zayne Lehman (Ohio) def. No. 14 Gabe Sollars (IU): Dec. 6-4 -Cons. R1: No. 14 Gabe Sollars (IU) def. No. 33 Karson Tompkins (AF): TF, 15-0 (3:27) TEAM STANDINGS (THROUGH SESSION II) 1. Penn State (40.5) 2. Nebraska (27.0) 3. Iowa (25.5) 4. Oklahoma State (25.0) 5. Ohio State (23.0) T-18. Indiana (10.5) =================================================================== INDIANA BASEBALL BASEBALL CENTRAL: MINNESOTA BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The Indiana Baseball team (8-12, 1-5 B1G) will look to get on track in conference play as Minnesota (15-6, 1-2 B1G) visits Bart Kaufman Field for the first time since 2022. The Hoosiers have won all four weekends against Minnesota under head coach Jeff Mercer (since 2019) and are 11-3 under the current skipper against the Golden Gophers. The Hoosiers picked up a massive road win on Tuesday (March 17) to end their spring break trip. They went down to Nashville and dispatched of Vanderbilt in a 5-1 victory. Following a hitless weekend in Oregon, sophomore outfielder Hogan Denny recorded a four-hit day that featured two home runs in the win over the Commodores. He is one of four members of the current sophomore class (Malamazian, Hanley, Moore) with a four-hit day in their IU career. Even without the services of senior right-handed pitcher Jackson Bergman last weekend, IU’s pitching staff continues to toss the ball at a high level. Graduate student left-handed pitcher Conner Linn racked up five strikeouts in 3.2 innings of scoreless baseball against Vanderbilt. Redshirt junior right-handed pitcher Jacob Vogel, freshman right-handed pitcher Ivan Mastalski and graduate student right-handed pitcher Gavin Seebold all helped in the dominant pitching effort as well. After the long road trip out west, IU will leave the eastern time zone on the weekend just twice more (Nebraska, Northwestern) the rest of the regular season. Four of IU’s next six series will come inside the friendly confines of Bart Kaufman Field, beginning with a visit from Minnesota this weekend. A four-game homestand wraps up next Tuesday (March 24) with a contest against Indiana State. This weekend will follow a traditional series setup with first pitch times of 6 p.m. (Friday), 2 p.m. (Saturday) and 1 p.m. (Sunday). Fantastic weather is expected all weekend as IU tries to make up ground in the Big Ten standings. Graduate student right-handed pitcher Reagan Rivera will get the ball to begin the series on Friday night. Gameday Info vs. Minnesota (Friday, March 20th – 6 p.m. ET) Live Video: bit.ly/4dAOJT4 Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio Live Stats: bit.ly/46VZA6j vs. Minnesota (Saturday, March 21st – 2 p.m. ET) Live Video: bit.ly/3NBx434 Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio Live Stats: bit.ly/46VZA6j vs. Minnesota (Sunday, March 22nd – 1 p.m. ET) Live Video: bit.ly/4bxy8NE Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio Live Stats: bit.ly/46VZA6j Probable Starters Indiana vs. Minnesota • Friday: RHP Reagan Rivera, Gr. (0-2, 9.98 ERA) • Saturday: LHP Tony Neubeck, Gr. (1-2, 3.63 ERA) • Sunday: LHP Brayton Thomas, So. (1-1, 2.95 ERA) (subject to change with any weather changes) Leading Off HANLEY HISTORY: Freshman first baseman Jake Hanley has 99 career hits after a pair of base knocks on Sunday at Oregon. He is closing in on his 100th all-time college hit in under 80 games at this level. Hanley has started all 76 possible games of his time in Bloomington entering Tuesday. KOSKIE HITS: Sophomore outfielder Caleb Koskie has been a pleasant surprise this season in the lineup. Over the last 10 games, Koskie is hitting .333 with 12 hits, four doubles, one home run and 10 RBIs. He leads the Hoosiers with a .340 batting average this year. UNDERCLASSMEN GALORE: On IU’s Sunday lineup card in Oregon, eight of the nine position players were freshmen or sophomores. The only upperclassmen was junior catcher T.J. Schuyler. All nine of those players were recruited out of high school to Bloomington by head coach Jeff Mercer. HOGAN’S BIG DAY: Sophomore outfielder Hogan Denny produced a career day to help beat Vanderbilt on Tuesday. He recorded his four-hit day and hit two home runs for the second time this year in a game. Denny had a hand in all five of IU’s runs in a massive road victory. BIG TIME BT: Sophomore left-handed pitcher Brayton Thomas has been outstanding for the Hoosiers this year. Opposing offenses are hitting just .184 against him in 21.1 innings. He’s allowed just seven earned runs this year and leads IU starters with a 2.95 ERA. SEE IT TO SEEBOLD: If IU has a chance to win the game, it will go to graduate student Gavin Seebold. The sixth-year pitcher has a 1.02 ERA and has given up just two earned runs over 17.2 innings. Six of his seven outings this year have been scoreless. GETTING ON BASE: Sophomore third baseman Will Moore is the ideal leadoff man for the Hoosiers. On the season, he has more combined walks (14) and hit-by-pitches (6) than strikeouts (17). He is leading the team with a .447 on-base percentage. PITCHING IT WELL: Entering the weekend, IU has allowed just 20 earned runs in the past five games. Although IU is only 2-3 in that stretch, its pitching staff has given the team a chance to win. On three occasions this year, IU has allowed just one run in a game. Scouting the Opponent Minnesota • Minnesota is off to a fantastic 15-6 start this year. That includes splitting a series against Kansas at U.S. Bank Field at the end of February. The Golden Gophers opened Big Ten play with a tight weekend loss against Illinois in Champaign. • The Golden Gophers have pitched it extremely well in the first month of the year. A 3.19 ERA is among the top 15 teams in the country. Right-handed pitcher Isaac Morton has a 2.05 ERA over 26.1 innings of work. Fellow junior Cole Sevlig is 3-0 with a 3.08 ERA to open the year. • Outfielder Easton Richter has been a big part of Minnesota’s offense. He has the team lead in hits (27), home runs (8), RBIs (24) and stolen bases (10). Catcher Weber Neels is hitting .310 with five home runs and 19 RBIs. The Golden Gophers have 52 RBIs on the season. Inside the Series Minnesota • A long time Big Ten power, Minnesota has struggled in recent memory but is one of the best programs in conference history. In 2018, Minnesota hosted and won a regional before being bounced from the NCAA Tournament in the Corvallis Super Regional. • Minnesota leads the all-time series 113-58 but head coach Jeff Mercer has dominated the meetings during his time in Bloomington. The Hoosiers won series in 2019, 2021, 2022 and 2024 under Mercer. Matt Lloyd famously hit a walk-off home run at Bart Kaufman Field to help beat the Gophers in 2019. MLB SPRING BREAKOUT SERIES FEATURES FORMER HOOSIERS BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Five former Hoosiers will participate in the MLB Spring Breakout Series – designed to promote the game’s future stars in each organization. Each team will play at least one game over the coming days (March 19-22) against some of the best prospects from each farm system. All 16 contests will be streamed live on MLB.com and the MLB app. IU’s cohort of athletes all played at some point in the last three seasons under head coach Jeff Mercer. Outfielder Phillip Glasser (Nationals), right-handed pitcher Ben Grable (Yankees), outfielder Nick Mitchell (Guardians), outfielder Devin Taylor (Athletics) and outfielder Korbyn Dickerson (Mariners) will all get their chance to compete in exhibitions against MLB Top 100 Prospects as the spring comes to an end. Between 2025 and 2026, IU has had eight former players named to Spring Breakout Rosters. Catcher Brock Tibbitts (Blue Jays), right-handed pitcher Connor Foley (Diamondbacks) and right-handed pitcher Craig Yoho (Brewers) got in on the action last season. Yoho would go on to pitch in the big leagues by the end of the year. Grable, Dickerson and Taylor are all entering their first full seasons of professional baseball after wrapping up their time in Bloomington in 2025. Both players are currently top-15 prospects in their respective organizations as the 2026 campaign begins. Glasser and Mitchell have both worked up the ladder with the Nationals and Guardians respectively and will have the chance to compete against fellow prospects this weekend. MLB Spring Breakout Series – Indiana Ben Grable, RHP (Yankees) Nick Mitchell, OF (Guardians) Devin Taylor, OF (Athletics) Korbyn Dickerson, OF (Mariners) Phillip Glasser, OF (Nationals) ==================================================================== INDIANA SWIMMING INDIANA FRESHMEN LEAD THREE-MEDAL THURSDAY ATLANTA – Indiana’s freshman swimmer trio earned their first NCAA medals Thursday (March 19) night to keep IU among the top teams through two days at the 2026 NCAA Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships inside the McAuley Aquatic Center in Atlanta. Liberty Clark took silver in the 200-yard freestyle, and Alex Shackell collected the bronze medal in the 100-yard butterfly. To end the night, Clark, Shackell and classmate Grace Hoeper made up three of IU’s bronze-medal 200-yard freestyle relay. Indiana sits seventh – five points out of fifth place and 49 points in front of eighth. Clark and the champion swimmer, Virginia sophomore Anna Moesch, became the first women to hit 1:39 in the 200 free twice. The Indiana freshman followed up her 17-18 National Age Group record 1:39.70 – that led off Wednesday’s 800 free relay – with a 1:39.88, placing second behind Moesch’s 1:39.23. Clark picked off her second 17-18 NAG record of the week with her 200-yard freestyle leadoff, a 21.27 to beat Simone Manuel’s 21.32 from 2015. The split kickstarted a third place finish, Indiana’s best-ever placing in the event, as well as a program record 1:25.67. Senior Kristina Paegle followed with a 21.00, Hoeper went 22.05 and Shackell anchored in 21.35. Indiana’s time of 1:25.67 marked a program record, 53 tenths quicker than the time set at the Big Ten Championships last month. Like Clark, Shackell was a two-medal winner on Thursday. The freshman lowered her program record in the 100-yard butterfly to 49.82 in the final to capture bronze and was one of three swimmers under 50 seconds. Junior Miranda Grana joined Shackell on the podium, placing eighth with a 51.11. Shackell leads the team with four All-American honors this week, having contributed to all three relays. “Fantastic evening for the Hoosiers,” IU head swimming coach Ray Looze said. “I am so proud of this very young team. Liberty Clark is one of only two people ever to go under 1:40 twice and gave us a fantastic relay leadoff. Alex Shackell was outstanding in the 100 butterfly. I couldn’t imagine a better way to end the evening with a third place in the 200 freestyle relay!” Diving got started Thursday and earned crucial points from junior Ella Roselli’s 12th place finish in the morning. “The girls fought hard today,” IU head diving coach Drew Johansen said. “Ella had her best finish at this meet today. She was frustrated she didn’t get that ‘A’ final but also understands the improvement was there. We’re looking forward to going higher tomorrow.” RESULTS 100 BUTTERFLY 3. Alex Shackell – 49.82 (NCAA Bronze, Program Record, First-Team All-America) 8. Miranda Grana – 51.11 (First-Team All-America) 400 IM 16. Reese Tiltmann – 4:06.02 (Personal Best, Second-Team All-America) 33. Macky Hodges – 4:12.28 200 FREESTYLE 3. Liberty Clark – 1:39.88 (NCAA Silver, First-Team All-America) 23. Grace Hoeper – 1:43.93 (Personal Best) 1-METER SPRINGBOARD 12. Ella Roselli – 275.70 (Second-Team All-America) 27. Lily Witte – 253.25 200 FREESTYLE RELAY 3. Liberty Clark, Kristina Paegle, Grace Hoeper, Alex Shackell – 1:25.67 (NCAA Bronze, Program Record, First-Team All-America) Liberty Clark (leadoff) – 21.27 (Program Record, Personal Best) HOOSIER ALL-AMERICANS Liberty Clark – 800 freestyle relay, 200 freestyle, 200 freestyle relay Miranda Grana – 200 medley relay*, 100 butterfly Macky Hodges – 800 freestyle relay Grace Hoeper – 800 freestyle relay, 200 freestyle relay Jonette Laegreid – 200 medley relay* Kristina Paegle – 200 medley relay*, 200 freestyle relay Ella Roselli – 1-meter springboard* Alex Shackell – 200 medley relay*, 800 freestyle relay, 100 butterfly, 200 freestyle relay Reese Tiltmann – 400 IM* * – Denotes second-team honoree UP NEXT Indiana will compete in the 100-yard backstroke, 200-yard breaststroke, 50-yard freestyle, 3-meter diving and 400-yard medley relay on Friday. ==================================================================== INDIANA WATER POLO NO. 12 HOOSIERS ON THE ROAD AT NO. 20 SJSU, NO. 4 CAL BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – No. 12 Indiana (14-5, 0-2 MPSF) water polo will face a pair of MPSF foes on the road this wakened as it travels to No. 20 San Jose State on Friday and No. 4 Cal on Saturday. Indiana at No. 20 SJSU (6-14, 0-5 MPSF) Saturday, March 20 • 4 p.m. ET • San Jose, Calif. • SRAC Live Stats | Live Video Indiana at No. 4 Cal (11-3, 2-1 MPSF) Sunday, March 21 • 4 p.m. ET • Berkley, Calif. • Spieker Aquatic Center Live Stats | Live Video NOTES The Hoosiers are coming off a 2-2 weekend at the Aztec Invitational where it faced four Top 25 teams. They picked up wins over No. 14 Princeton and No. 24 Pomona-Pitzer and were led by a combined 10 goals from senior Louisa Downes. Downes also had eight assists, three drawn exclusions and a steal. Downes, a Queensland, Australia, native leads Indiana in scoring with 46 goals (6th in MPSF), 27 assists (9th in MPSF) and 73 points (4th in MPSF). Senior goalie Jasmine Higgs is leading all keepers in saves this season, having recorded 163. She combined for 34 saves in four games last weekend. Higgs scored IU’s game winner against No. 14 Princeton on Saturday with a buzzer beating, cross pool score to win the game. Freshman Kylie Williams is Indiana’s second leading scorer with 34 goals in her rookie season. She is also leading the way for IU in drawn exclusions (38), which ranks third in the MPSF. UP NEXT Indiana is in Bloomington for the first time this season to take on No. 1 Stanford on Saturday, March 28 at 1 p.m. ET at Counsilman-Billingsley Aquatic Center. =================================================================== PURDUE WRESTLING BLAZE SURGES TO QUARTERFINALS; 2 ALIVE AT NCAAS CLEVELAND — The Boilermakers will carry a pair of wrestlers into the second day of competition at the NCAA Championships as juniors Joey Blaze and Brody Baumann secured wins Thursday night at Rocket Arena. Blaze advanced to the quarterfinals for the second straight year while Baumann moved on to the second round of consolation matches. The Boilermakers have 4.5 team points so far in the tournament, but there are a lot at stake tomorrow in the championship rounds, with each victory being worth seven points. Blaze dominated wire-to-wire in his round-of-16 match, scoring in all three periods to notch his 11th bonus-point win of the season. He used a slick slide-by in the first period and dragged Iowa State’s No. 15-seeded Connor Euton to the mat for a 3-0 lead. After the rideout to finish the first, he added an escape point and then scored another late takedown off a scramble to push his lead to 7-0. Euton picked up an escape point in the third, but Blaze was right back in on his legs and put Euton in danger to score the third and final takedown of the match. Baumann scored early and often in his first victory of the championships, building on his team-leading takedown total in a 15-8 decision over No. 27 seed Collin Carrigan of North Carolina. Baumann’s double-leg attack accounted for most of his takedowns, meanwhile building over three minutes of riding time. Blake Boarman saw his collegiate career come to a close as the Purdue graduate transfer suffered a 4-1 overtime loss to Will Betancourt of Rider. Boarman continually attacked throughout the match as Betancourt wrestled from his knees, taking a stalling warning in the middle of the second period. Shortly into the sudden-victory period, Betancourt got to Boarman’s legs on a reshot and was able to finish for the win. Boarman finished his career as a two-time NCAA qualifier, with a career record of 59-36. Fifth-year senior Ben Vanadia also saw the sun set on his Boilermaker career, dropping an 11-2 major decision to Binghamton’s Mikey Squires. After surrendering the opening takedown, Vanadia rallied with a reversal. But that was all the Purdue senior could muster as he finished his season at 15-12. UP NEXT Friday’s third session of the NCAA Championships is scheduled to start at noon ET and will feature one championship round of quarterfinals and two rounds of consolation matches. Blaze will face No. 10 seed Will Denny of North Carolina State with All-America status on the line, while Baumann takes on No. 12 seed Carter Schubert of Oklahoma in a rematch of the Missouri Tiger Style finals in November. A win in Session III for Blaze would make him the 13th multiple-time All-American in Purdue history. RESULTS 133 | #24 Blake Boarman (R-Sr.) – DNP Round 1: #9 Dominick Serrano (Northern Colorado) – L, D 16-14 Conso. Round 1: #25 Will Betancourt (Rider) – L, SV 4-1 165 | #2 Joey Blaze (Jr.) Round 1: #31 Jared Kesler (Pittsburgh) – W, D 5-0 Round 2: #15 Connor Euton (Iowa State) – W, MD 10-1 UP NEXT – Quarterfinals: #10 Will Denny (North Carolina State) 174 | #22 Brody Baumann (R-Jr.) Round 1: #11 M.J. Gaitan (Iowa State) – L, Fall 2:41 Conso. Round 1: #27 Collin Carrigan (North Carolina) – W, D 15-8 UP NEXT – Conso. Round 2: #12 Carter Schubert (Oklahoma) 197 | #26 Ben Vanadia (R-Sr.) – DNP Round 1: #7 Cody Merrill (Oklahoma State) – L, TF 18-3 (6:01) Conso. Round 1: #23 Mikey Squires (Binghamton) – L, MD 11-2 =================================================================== PURDUE BASEBALL PURDUE HOSTS PENN STATE FOR HOME WEEKEND #2 GAMEDAY INFORMATION Penn State (5-13, 1-2 Big Ten) at Purdue (13-6, 3-3 Big Ten) March 20-22 / Alexander Field / West Lafayette, Ind. Series Opener: Friday, March 20 at 4 p.m. ET on BTN & Fox Sports App Middle Game: Saturday, March 21 at 2 p.m. ET on B1G+ Series Finale: Sunday, March 22 at 1 p.m. ET on B1G+ WEEKEND PROMOTIONS Saturday: Purdue mini helmet giveaway & unlimited popcorn for first 100 kids (8th grade & younger) Sunday: Set 1 (of 4) of Purdue trading cards giveaway; bark in the park dog day PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS Friday: Cole Van Assen (Jr, RHP) vs. PSU’s Collin Fitzgerald (R-Sr, RHP) Saturday: Zach Erdman (Sr, LHP) vs. PSU’s Ben Hudson (So, RHP) Sunday: Jarvis Evans (Sr, LHP) vs. PSU’s Isaiah Shayter (Fr, RHP) SERIES HISTORY All-Time: Purdue leads 56-38 All-Time in West Lafayette: Purdue leads 30-15 Purdue Under Greg Goff vs. Penn State: Tied 6-6 (Since 2020) 2025: Penn State won 2 of 3 (April 18-20 in University Park) Last Series in West Lafayette: Purdue won 2 of 3 (April 2023) First Meeting: Purdue 4, Penn State 2 (March 1983 in Lakeland, Fla.) WEST LAFYAYETTE, Ind. – With another 70-degree weekend on tap as spring officially arrives in sun-splashed fashion, Purdue Baseball continues a six-game homestand with its first weekend series of the season against a team it also played last year – Penn State. First pitch at Alexander Field is set for 4 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday. Friday’s game will be televised live by the Big Ten Network (and stream live on the Fox Sports app). BTN will be televising a March game at Alexander for the first time since 2016. Of the Boilermakers’ 13 weekend series opponents this season, only four – Penn State, Illinois, Northwestern and Indiana – were also on the schedule last year. Purdue is set to play PSU, Illinois and Northwestern over a stretch of four weeks during a very travel friendly portion of the schedule. Beginning with Wednesday’s home win, Purdue is slated to play 15 of its 22 games at Alexander Field. The only road trips during that stretch are relatively short ones to East Lansing (March 27-29), Terre Haute (March 31) and Evanston (April 10-12). Penn State, Illinois (April 3-5) and Ohio State (April 17-19) all come to West Lafayette before Purdue flies to Los Angeles for the final weekend of April and a series at USC. WEEKEND #3 OF BIG TEN PLAY • Penn State (1-2) at Purdue (3-3) • Rutgers (2-1) at Illinois (2-4) • Iowa (2-1) at Michigan State (1-5) • Minnesota (1-2) at Indiana (1-5) • Nebraska (3-0) at Michigan (0-3) • Maryland (1-2) at UCLA (6-0) • Washington (4-2) at USC (5-1) • Northwestern (1-2) at Oregon (5-1) • Butler at Ohio State (1-5) – Non-Conference ACTIVE STREAKS • Brandon Rogers: 13-game on-base; 11-game on base in Big Ten play (Since April 27, 2025); 8-game on-base at home (since May 3, 2025) • Aaron Manias: 10-game on-base; 6-game on-base in Big Ten play; 5-game on-base at home • Westin Boyle: 6-game on-base; scored a run in 5 straight games • Sam Flores: 6-game on-base • Dylan Drake: 5-game hit; scored a run in 5 straight games • Jimmy Dionne: 5-game hit at home • Ross Highfill: 5-game on-base • Zach Erdman: At least 5 strikeouts in 5 straight starts • Purdue has hit a home run in 6 consecutive games The Boilermakers have scored 61 runs over the last five games, their fourth-highest total over a five-game stretch of the BBCOR bat era (2011-present). Purdue has hit a home run in six straight games, the team’s longest streak since connecting for at least one in the first 17 games of March last year. The streak was finally snapped in the final game of the month, a March 30 home loss vs. UCLA. Last weekend at Maryland, the Boilers hit 10 home runs in a Big Ten series for the first time this century – and likely for the first time ever. Their 11 home runs in a four-game set vs. Holy Cross during the opening weekend of 2023 marks the only other double-digit home run weekend this century. Five of the 10 home runs in College Park were of the game-tying or go-ahead variety. Last year’s Purdue-Penn State series in Central Pennsylvania featured a combined 50 runs on 56 hits, but just three homers – one for the visitors and two from the Nittany Lions. All three games of the series did feature long stretches of unanswered runs. Penn State scored 10 unanswered tallies on both Friday and Saturday, winning 10-2 and 13-6. The Lions were back at it Sunday with eight unanswered runs, but Purdue responded with eight unanswered of its own to salvage the series finale 11-8. The Boilermakers and Nittany Lions both won on Friday last weekend with a long stretch of unanswered runs. Purdue took down Maryland 16-5 thanks to 14 unanswered runs. Penn State opened Big Ten play with a bang – a five-run first inning and nine unanswered runs vs. Iowa in an 11-6 win. But the Hawkeyes came back to take the series. The Lions have yet to win consecutive games this season and are just 2-8 when batting first this season (1-7 in road games, 1-1 as designated visitor at a neutral site). The home team has won each of the last four Purdue-Penn State series dating back to 2019. The Boilermakers won a pair of one-run games to sweep an April 2023 doubleheader vs. Penn State and take the last series at Alexander. At the time it was Purdue’s first doubleheader sweep at home in Big Ten play since 2012. Purdue pitching coach Josh Newman held the same position at Penn State from 2018-23. ================================================================== PURDUE SOFTBALL #18 DUCKS HEAD TO WEST LAFAYETTE WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – After sweeping Ohio State to start conference play, the Boilers look to extend their 14-game win streak against No. 18 Oregon this weekend in West Lafayette. Purdue earned various accolades this week with freshman Anna Moore earning her second-consecutive Big Ten Freshman of the Week honor as well as D1 Softball’s National Freshman of the Week. Junior, Moriah Polar, is the national leader in hits, and batting average, while also leading the Big Ten in both categories as well as stolen bases. SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS Oregon comes into the series at No. 18 in the NFCA/GoRout Top 25 poll. The Ducks are 21-7 overall and 3-0 in conference after sweeping Penn State. The Ducks have picked up ranked wins over No. 21 Liberty, No. 11 Texas A&M, No. 13 South Carolina, and No. 20 Duke. Oregon is led by Elon Butler and Ayanna Shaw at the plate, with Lydnsey Grein and Maddie Milhorn on the mound. SERIES HISTORY Purdue and Oregon have only faced one another seven times in their histories, with the most recent matchup being 14 years ago in 2012. The Boilers have only defeated the Ducks once in their histories, back in 1998 in Phoenix, Ariz. Although Purdue and Oregon have never faced one another in Lafayette, Oregon’s first-ever trip to Purdue was last year during the Big Ten Tournament. PROMOTIONAL SCHEDULE Friday, Mar. 20 – First Day of Spring, Picnic Blanket Giveaway Saturday, Mar. 21 – Dazzle on the Diamond, Bark at the Park Sunday, Mar. 22 – Sunday Funday, Postgame Autographs For updates on Purdue Softball, follow the Boilermakers on Twitter (@PurdueSoftball), Instagram (@purduesoftball), and Facebook (Purdue Softball). ==================================================================== NOTRE DAME SOFTBALL IRISH SET FOR HOME OPENER AGAINST CLEMSON SOUTH BEND, Ind. – After 28 games on the road to begin the season, the Notre Dame softball team is set to lace it up for the first time in 2026 at Melissa Cook Stadium this weekend when the Irish host Clemson for a three-game Atlantic Coast Conference series. Friday’s game will begin at 6:00 p.m. ET, followed by a Saturday matchup beginning at 1:00 p.m. ET. The series finale is slated for a noon first pitch on Sunday. Ava Zachary, coming off ACC & Softball America Freshman of the Week Honors, will make her Melissa Cook Stadium debut after growing up just five miles away in Mishawaka. Last week, Zachary hit .538 batting average in four starts at second base. She scored seven hits and scored six runs, leading the Irish to a 3-1 record in California last week, including a ranked series win at No. 19/20 Stanford. This season marks the 19th year that Notre Dame is playing at Melissa Cook Stadium (including 2020, when the Irish didn’t compete at home due to Covid 19). The Irish are 186-41-1 all-time at Melissa Cook Stadium. Last year, Notre Dame went 9-10 at home and are 506-135-4 all-time in South Bend since the 1989 season. ==================================================================== NOTRE DAME WOMEN’S BASKETBALL HIDALGO NAMED NAISMITH POY AND DPOY SEMIFINALIST ATLANTA — Notre Dame phenom Hannah Hidalgo has been selected as a 2026 Naismith Women’s College Basketball Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year semifinalist, as announced by the Atlanta Tipoff Club on Thursday. Hidalgo is one of just three players to earn both Naismith Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year semifinalist nods, joining Lauren Betts and Sarah Strong. The junior has already been named the ACC Player of the Year and ACC Defensive Player of the Year following her stellar regular season. The Merchantville, New Jersey, native is averaging 25.2 points, 6.4 rebounds, 5.4 steals and 5.3 assists per game. Hidalgo is the only women’s player at the DI level since the 1999-00 season to average at least 25 points, five rebounds, five assists and five steals per game in a season. The junior has turned in many incredible performances this season while breaking records along the way. Hidalgo set the all-time record for steals in a game and the program’s single-game scoring record against Akron, finishing with 44 points and 16 rebounds. She has the career program scoring records for 30-point games (18), 20-point games (76) and consecutive games in double figures (99). Hidalgo broke the program’s record for career steals (452) and season steals (173). The standout became the fastest player in ACC and program history to reach 2,000 career points, accomplishing the feat in 86 games. In the final game of the regular season, Hidalgo recorded 30 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and five steals in a road win over No. 10 Louisville, becoming the first ACC player to have 30 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and five steals in a game since 2001. Hidalgo had a stretch to close out the regular season and begin ACC Tournament play with a career-high six straight 25+ point games, which is the most among all ACC players this century. Hidalgo and the Fighting Irish will take on Fairfield in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at 2 p.m. ET on Saturday, March 21 inside Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio. The game will air on ESPN. ================================================================== NOTRE DAME WOMEN’S GOLF IRISH FINISH 8TH AT BRIER’S CREEK INVITATIONAL Brier’s Creek, S.C. – The Fighting Irish women’s golf team finished in a tie for eighth place in South Carolina earlier this week at the Briar’s Creek Invitational. After a weather interruption on day one of competition cut the second round, Notre Dame posted round scores of 292 (+4) and 295 (+7) to sign a final team score card of 587 (+11) after 36 holes. Junior Alex Lapple led the Irish in Brier’s Creek, ending with a final standing tied for 16th with an overall score of 144 (E). Lapple wrapped up her first round with a birdie on the 16th hole to post a 72 (E) across the first round. She then closed out her tournament with another even-par score of 72 to finish the two-day event at par. In round two the junior recorded four birdies, two each on the front and back nine to end the tournament. Jordan Levitt finished second for Notre Dame team, tallying a scorecard of 146 (+2) to earn a finish tied for 28th in the tournament. The freshman from Bedford, New York tallied a pair of birdies in her first round before posting a 73 (+1) on the score card. Levitt would add two more birdies in the tournament in the second and final round to post an identical score to her first 18 holes with a 73 (+1). Maddy Bante followed Jordan for the Irish with a total score of 148 (+4) to end tied for 42nd overall. The sophomore was able to notch four birdies in the initial round of 18 to post a 73 (+1) score. Her second round added two more birdie opportunities before etching a 75 (+3) in the books through 36 holes in South Carolina. Bridget Wilkie ended the consolidated tournament with a 149 (+5) to finish tied for 50th. The sophomore opened the tournament posting a score of 74 (+2) with a trio of birdies across the first round. Wilkie recorded three more in the final round of play before ending the event with a mark of 75 (+3). Sawyer Brockstedt rounded out the lineup for Notre Dame with a total tournament score of 166 (+22). Across the two rounds in South Carolina, Brockstedt posted identical scores of 83 (+11) to close out the tournament. The Irish return to the links on April 5-6 for some split action with the YSU Spring Invitational in Warren, Ohio hosted by Youngstown State University and the Maryland Terps Invite in College Park, Maryland hosted by the University of Maryland. ===================================================================== NOTRE DAME BASEBALL IRISH RETURN HOME TO HOST ACC SERIES AGAINST CLEMSON SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The Notre Dame baseball returns home to host an ACC series against No. 19 Clemson. Game one of the three-game series begins at 4:30 p.m. on Friday night at Frank Eck Stadium. Date Time (ET) Opponent Location Probable Starters Broadcast Mar. 20. 4:30 PM Clemson Jake Kline Field – Frank Eck Stadium RHP Jack Radel vs. RHP Aidan Knaak ACCNX Mar. 21 2:00 PM Clemson Jake Kline Field – Frank Eck Stadium LHP Caden Crowell vs. LHP Michael Sharman Mar. 22 1:00 PM Clemson Jake Kline Field – Frank Eck Stadium RHP Ty Uber vs. RHP Drew Titsworth THE MATCHUP The Irish trail in the all-time series 15-20. Notre Dame won the opener but fell in the series at Louisville last weekend. Clemson lost their ACC series against Georgia Tech but enter the weekend with a three-game winning streak after a pair of midweek wins. LAST TIME OUT Notre Dame won game one but fell in games two and three in an ACC series at Louisville. The Irish scored 10 runs with two grand slams without recording an out in the fourth inning to take a 14-11 win in game one. Noah Coy and Davis Johnson provided the firepower with the grand slams. Parker Brzustewicz and Mason Barth each tallied three hits in an 8-7 setback in game two. Davis Johnson capped off a strong weekend against the Cardinals with a pair of home runs – including a second grand slam of the weekend – in a 21-12 final in the rubbermatch. TOP TALENT The Irish have six players listed in the D1baseball.com Preseason rankings by position. Sophomore Bino Watters was the 17th ranked first baseman. Junior Jack Radel was 29th on the starting pitchers list. Junior Mark Quatrani was 49th on the catchers list. Graduate student Drew Berkland was 63rd on the outfielders report. Sophomore Oisin Lee came in at 74th on the relief pitchers list. Junior Davis Johnson was listed at 132nd in the outfielder rankings. Additionally, Notre Dame had representation on the D1Baseball Impact Freshman List as Caden Crowell came in at No. 9 on the ranking. ====================================================================== NOTRE DAME SOFTBALL IRISH SET FOR HOME OPENER AGAINST CLEMSON SOUTH BEND, Ind. – After 28 games on the road to begin the season, the Notre Dame softball team is set to lace it up for the first time in 2026 at Melissa Cook Stadium this weekend when the Irish host Clemson for a three-game Atlantic Coast Conference series. Friday’s game will begin at 6:00 p.m. ET, followed by a Saturday matchup beginning at 1:00 p.m. ET. The series finale is slated for a noon first pitch on Sunday. Ava Zachary, coming off ACC & Softball America Freshman of the Week Honors, will make her Melissa Cook Stadium debut after growing up just five miles away in Mishawaka. Last week, Zachary hit .538 batting average in four starts at second base. She scored seven hits and scored six runs, leading the Irish to a 3-1 record in California last week, including a ranked series win at No. 19/20 Stanford. This season marks the 19th year that Notre Dame is playing at Melissa Cook Stadium (including 2020, when the Irish didn’t compete at home due to Covid 19). The Irish are 186-41-1 all-time at Melissa Cook Stadium. Last year, Notre Dame went 9-10 at home and are 506-135-4 all-time in South Bend since the 1989 season. ====================================================================== BUTLER BASEBALL BUTLER TRAVELS TO COLUMBUS FOR WEEKEND SERIES WITH BUCKEYES INDIANAPOLIS – Butler will travel to Columbus, Ohio to take on the Ohio State Buckeyes in a three-game series. Game one is scheduled for Friday, March 20, with first pitch set for 6 p.m. at Bill Davis Stadium. GAMEDAY INFORMATION DATES: March 20-22 GAME TIMES: Friday – 6PM, Saturday – 3PM, Sunday – 1PM LOCATION: Columbus, Ohio LIVE STATS: Butlersports.com STREAM: BIG+ ABOUT THE BULLDOGS Butler (5-16) is coming off a 14-10 victory over Ball State on Wednesday afternoon. Matthew Rhoades was spectacular for BU against the Cardinals, going 4-for-5 at the plate with two home runs, two doubles, three runs scored, a walk and four RBIs. Rhoades is currently tied for second in the nation in home runs with 14 to his credit. The junior also ranks fifth nationally in total bases (77) and is ninth nationally in slugging percentage (.928). Rhoades leads Butler at the dish, slashing .337/.928/1.374 on the season. The junior has 28 hits and 25 runs scored to his credit and leads the team in RBIs (25) and is first on the team in doubles (7) and home runs (14). Max Winders has been dominant on the mound for the Bulldogs. he has issed zero walks In six appearances (25.0 IP), Winders has posted a 3.60 ERA and a 0.84 WHIP. The sophomore leads Butler with 30 strikeouts. Against Morehead State, Rhoades was sensational for Butler in the four-game series. In 16 at-bats, he recorded nine hits, 10 runs scored, one double, five home runs, eight RBIs, one walk and two hit by pitches. Rhoades hit .563 over the course of the week for BU. The junior earned BIG EAST Player of the Week honors after his spectacular weekend for the Dawgs. David Ayers had a sensational series for Butler against Morehead State that began with the junior tying a program record for most RBIs in a game with eight to his credit in Friday’s 20-5 victory over the Eagles. Ayers hit .500 on the week with five runs scored, seven hits, one double, three home runs, 10 RBIs and a hit by pitch. For his efforts, Ayers earned a spot on the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll. Logan Crock was named to the Brooks Wallace Award Watchlist earlier this season. The award honors the nation’s top shortstop and will be presented by the College Baseball Foundation later this year. The top 100 shortstops in the country made the list, which featured Butler shortstop Crock. The sophomore has had a solid start to 2026, slashing .300/.480/.859 in 16 games for the Dawgs. Crock has 15 hits, three doubles, two homers and 12 RBIs to his credit on the young season. Butler returns 17 letterwinners from a year ago and welcomes 21 new faces to the squad for 2026. Butler welcomed Ty Neal to the coaching staff this offseason as the program’s pitching coach. Neal was an assistant coach at Michigan in 2025, helping the Wolverines post a 33-23 overall record. They went 16-14 in the Big Ten standings and held a 4.92 team ERA. Neal has made stops at Michigan, Arizona State, Cincinnati, Indiana, Miami Ohio, and Southern Illinois. He brings nearly 20 years of coaching experience to the program and has assisted in the recruiting and development of over 50 MLB draft picks. Freshman Grayson Bradberry was named the BIG EAST Preseason Freshman of the Year by D1Baseball and Perfect Game prior to the start of the season. Bradberry hails from Columbia City, Indiana and earned All-Conference honors (3x), Pre-Season All-State honors, team MVP (2x), NE8 Conference Player of the Year and was chosen as a two-time team captain. In 2025, Butler saw Jack Moroknek get drafted in the 11th round by the Washington Nationals. Moroknek led the team in hits (81), batting average (.372), total bases (153), RBIs (57), home runs (18), runs scored (57), slugging percentage (.702) and OPS (1.145) while posting one of the best individual seasons in Butler history. Moroknek was the first Bulldog drafted since Ryan Pepiot was taken in the third round of the 2019 MLB Draft. Head Coach Blake Beemer enters his fourth season at the helm of the Bulldogs. Beemer helped coach back-to-back BIG EAST Freshman of the Year winners Joey Urban (2023) and Kade Lewis (2024) in his first two seasons with the Bulldogs. Beemer played a pivotal role in developing Jack Moroknek who earned All-BIG EAST second team honors a season ago before being selected by the Washington Nationals in the 2025 MLB Draft. SCOUTING OHIO STATE Ohio State (7-12) is coming off an 8-4 victory over Xavier on Wednesday afternoon. Henry Kaczmar was stellar for the Buckeyes, recording three hits and two RBIs against the Musketeers. Kaczmar paces the OSU offense, slashing .295/.375/.449 with nine doubles, one home run and nine RBIs. On the mound, Pierce Herrenbruck leads the Buckeyes with a 1-1 record and a 4.84 ERA. Herrenbruck has tossed 22.1 innings and has allowed 22 hits and 12 earned runs while striking out 19. UP NEXT The Bulldogs will return to action on Tuesday, March 24 as BU will host Toledo at Victory Field in downtown Indianapolis. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m. More information will be available on butlersports.com. ==================================================================== BUTLER SOFTBALL PREVIEW: HOME-OPENING SERIES SET WITH SETON HALL DATE: Friday, March 20 – Sunday, March 22 LOCATION: Indianapolis, Ind. / Butler Softball Field LIVE STATS: butlersports.com (statbroadcast) The Butler softball team will open the home portion of the 2026 season hosting Seton Hall for a BIG EAST Series this weekend. The Bulldogs (10-9, 3-0 BIG EAST) are coming off a series sweep at Villanova. The Pirates (10-11, 2-4 BIG EAST) most recently took two of three at UConn. Bulldog Bits (as of 3/16/26) As a team, Butler leads the BIG EAST with a .330 batting average and with 11 double plays. Makena Alexander leads the BIG EAST and is (ranked nationally) in several categories: .618 on base% (7th), .525 avg. (8th), 1.051 slug% (11th), 35 RBI (38th), and 8 home runs (80th). Hailey Conger is 2nd in the BIG EAST (43rd nationally) with a .551 on base%. Additional rankings: 2nd (67th) with a .453 avg., 3rd with 26 RBIs, 5th with 8 stolen bases. Cate Lehner leads the BIG EAST (29th nationally) with 14 stolen bases. She is 2nd (11th) with 72.0 at bats per strikeout. at Villanova Alexander earned BIG EAST Player of the Week after slashing .667/.692/1.583 and leading Butler with eight hits that included two doubles, three home runs, and 10 RBIs. She hit two home runs (4 RBI) in game two, and her three-run home run in the 10th inning of game three provided the winning margin. Kayla Preiss was named BIG EAST Freshman of the Week after batting .357 with two doubles, five RBIs, and five runs scored in the three-game series. Katie Petran was recognized on the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll after picking up two wins in the series. She pitched a complete-game victory in game one. She then entered game three, in the top of the eighth with the score tied, and picked up her second win. In 3.0 innings, she allowed only three hits and struck out a pair. Lehner (.571, 8-for-14) and Conger (.538, 7-for-13) were second and third at the plate for the Bulldogs. Series History Butler leads: 20-15 Butler won 2 of 3 in last season’s BIG EAST series in South Orange, N.J. Butler won, 9-0, in a BIG EAST Tournament contest in 2024. Seton Hall won 2 of 3 in the 2024 series in Indianapolis and the 2023 series in South Orange. The teams are tied, 5-5, in the last 10 contests. SCOUTING SETON HALL (10-11, 2-4 BIG EAST) BIG EAST series: 0-3 vs. Creighton | 2-1 vs. UConn Additional wins for Seton Hall include Winthrop, Furman, George Mason, and Wagner. Losses for the Pirates include Utah State (2), Georgia, Virginia Tech, Stetson, and UT Martin. SHU split with Indiana State. 2026 Seton Hall stats* compared to (Butler) Avg. .290, (.328), Runs 119 (143), Hits 160 (179), RBI 112 (134), SB 12 (37), ERA 6.57 (6.44) ================================================================== BALL STATE BASEBALL BASEBALL TO PLAY AT WESTERN MICHIGAN THIS WEEKEND; FRIDAY SERIES OPENER MOVED TO GRAND VALLEY STATE FIELD IN ALLENDALE The Ball State baseball team hits for the road for its first Mid-American Conference series away from Muncie this year when the Cardinals play at Western Michigan starting Friday. Friday’s 3 p.m. series opener has been moved to Grand Valley State’s baseball field in Allendale, Mich., due to the field conditions in Kalamazoo. Saturday and Sunday games are still scheduled to take place at Western’s home field at Robert J. Bobb Stadium and start at 1 p.m. Links to the video and audio broadcasts and live stats can be found above and on the schedule page. Ball State (10-9, 5-1 Mid-American Conference) fell 14-10 to Butler at home on Wednesday afternoon after sweeping Eastern Michigan over the weekend in a trio of high-scoring games. The Broncos (9-9, 5-1 MAC) scored 42 runs over three games to sweep Ohio last weekend in Athens before having a planned Tuesday contest with Bethel University canceled. Western took 2 of 3 games at Akron to begin the conference season and currently join Ball State in a five-way tie for first place in the MAC standings. Billy Gernon is in his 16th season as the head coach of the Broncos, who were picked to finish sixth in the 12-team MAC preseason poll. Western Michigan leads the league in double plays turned (18), fielding percentage (.978) and sac bunts (13) so far this year. Junior Tanner Mally is the NCAA Division I leader in batting average (.544) and on base percentage (.656) and leads the MAC in runs scored (25) early on in the season. Next up for Ball State on the schedule is a Tuesday evening game at Southern Indiana. GILLIS HITS THE GONG: Junior Jacob Gillis first baseman hit a pair of two-run home runs in the late innings against Butler on Wednesday and ranks near the top of the Mid-American Conference leaderboards in multiple offensive categories. Gillis ranks third in the MAC in homers (seven), fourth in total bases (48) and eighth in slugging percentage (.686) in his first season with the Cardinals. The junior paces Ball State in batting average (.357), on base percentage (.427) and slugging percentage (.686) so far this year. QUINN FOR THE WIN: Senior Owen Quinn boasts Ball State’s top ERA (1.89), a mark that ranks second in the league and No. 61 nationally. The right-handed pitcher came out of the bullpen and tossed 5.1 innings of one-run ball with three strikeouts to earn the win in Saturday’s 9-4 decision over Eastern Michigan. Quinn has struck out 14 in 19.0 frames this season. FEELS SO SWEEP: Ball State got the bats going in a three-game sweep of Eastern Michigan, tallying 38 runs, or more than 12 per game, during the series with the Eagles last weekend. The Cardinals posted eight innings with multiple runs across the set on their way to coming back from 2-0 deficits after the top of the first inning of each game. Big numbers in the fifth frame (six runs) Saturday and seventh Sunday (seven runs) led the way to the comeback wins. GRIFFITHS GETS GOING: Senior shortstop Brett Griffiths collected game-winning hits both March 7 and March 8 against Central Michigan to help Ball State win the series against the Chippewas. A walk-off two-run double to left center finished off an 11-10 comeback win for the Cardinals on that Sunday a day after Griffiths blasted a go-ahead solo homer in an 11-6 victory on Saturday. The senior tallied five hits including a double, triple and home run and five RBI during the weekend set. GETTING THE GREAT LAKES STATE OVER WITH: Ball State plays each of the three Mid-American Conference schools from Michigan in the first three series of conference play. After playing Central Michigan and Eastern Michigan to begin MAC play, the Cardinals play Western next. Following the series with the Broncos, Ball State will have 19 games remaining against teams from Ohio, seven from Indiana and three each from Illinois and Massachusetts. BALIUS BATS AND RUNS: Senior Gavin Balius collected a hit in each of the last three games and has at least one in 17 of 19 games played this year. Balius leads the Cardinals in stolen bases (18) and hits (25) through the first month of the season. The Flushing, Mich., native has collected multiple hits in four games and multiple steals in six games so far this year. Balius leads the league and ranks sixth in Division I entering the weekend with the 18 steals. GARZA GOES THE DISTANCE: Sophomore Brendan Garza surrendered only two hits and two walks and didn’t allow a runner to advance past first base, in a complete game shutout in Ball State’s 1-0 win at Hawaii on Feb. 27 on his way to a MAC Pitcher of the Week recognition. This was Ball State’s first complete game since Merritt Beeker allowed one run in 9.0 frames in May 2024 against Toledo at the Mid-American Conference Tournament and first nine-inning shutout in five years (John Baker against Western Michigan in a 2-0 win on March 19, 2021). ===================================================================== BALL STATE SOFTBALL ROAD #MACTION; SOFTBALL HEADS TO CENTRAL MICHIGAN » THIS WEEK IN BALL STATE SOFTBALL: The Ball State softball team returns to the road this weekend for a three-game series at Central Michigan … The teams are scheduled to play a 3 p.m. game Friday and a 1 p.m. doubleheader Saturday at Margo Jonker Stadium. » THE OVERALL RECORD: Ball State enters the series at Central Michigan with a 1221-1199-4 (.505) overall record dating back to the 1975 season … The Cardinals finished the 2025 campaign with a 33-18 record to reach the 30-win mark for the 17th time in program history and the 12th time in the past 18 seasons. » A QUICK LOOK AT THE CARDINALS: OFFENSE: Senior first baseman Lindsey DeRoeck has made quite the impact in her first season at Ball State, ranking fourth the MAC and ranking 103rd nationally with a .433 batting average … DeRoeck also ranks second in the MAC and 69th nationally with nine doubles, while her .494 on base percentage is eighth in the league … Senior pitcher / designated player Ella Whitney has been just as solid, boasting a .391 average … Whitney is second in the MAC and ranks 81st nationally with a .828 slugging percentage and is second in the league and 113th nationally with 28 RBIs … Whitney also has a team-leading seven home runs this season, which is third among MAC players and 116th nationally … Overall, Ball State’s offense is fifth in the MAC with a .294 average, while leading the league and ranking 60th nationally with seven triples. PITCHING: On the pitching front, junior Brinkley Kita owns a team-best 2.22 ERA over 28.1 innings of work and has held opponents to a .261 average … She is 3-1 on the season and has allowed just six multiple base hits … Whitney leads the squad with a 4-2 record over 40.1 innings of work, including wins at Louisville (March 6) and versus Illinois (March 8) … Overall, Ball State’s pitching staff is second in the MAC with a 3.59 ERA and is holding opposing batters to a .285 average. DEFENSE: Ball State ranks fourth in the MAC and 109th nationally with a .965 fielding percentage … The Cardinals have committed just 21 errors on the season, while turning 10 double plays … Ball State has also limited opposing teams to 10 stolen bases this season which is tied for 23rd nationally. » VERSUS CENTRAL MICHIGAN: While the Chippewas own an 80-45 lead in the all-time series, the Cardinals have won seven of the last nine meetings, including a 3-0 victory on May 3, 2025, to close the regular season … Ball State is 23-46 all-time in Mount Pleasant after going 2-1 in the 2024 regular season series … After CMU claimed a 4-3 win to open a May 4, 2024, doubleheader, the Cardinals took the nightcap by a score of 8-0 (5) … BSU took the series the following day with a 7-6 victory. BALL STATE NEWS & NOTES: » NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE WEEK: After her solid play on both offense and in the circle at the Cardinal Classic, Ella Whitney was named the D1Softball Mid-Major National Player of the Week … She helped guide the Cardinals to a 4-1 record at the event by driving in 12 RBIs and blasting three home runs, while earning a 2-0 record and 1.85 ERA in the circle … She also finished the tournament with a .471 batting average and four runs scored, while diving in what proved to be the game-winning run versus Bellarmine (March 6) with her second grand slam of the season … She registered a 1.235 slugging percentage and a 1.735 OPS, adding two doubles and one triple to her stat line for 21 total bases. » PRESEASON ACCOLADES: Ella Whitney entered the 2026 season ranked as the No. 9 Pitcher/Utility Player in D1Softball’s Preseason Player Position Rankings … In addition, she was the 49th-ranked player in the D1Softball Preseason Mid-Major D100 Player Rankings. » MORE ON WHITNEY: Including her two seasons at FIU, Whitney owns 28 pitching wins, a 3.78 ERA and 134 strikeouts … She is also a .313 career batter with 127 hits, including 26 doubles, two triples and 22 home runs … Her 100th career hit was an RBI single in the bottom of the third inning to drive in what proved to be the game-winning run in a 3-0 shutout over Central Michigan in the 2025 regular season finale … Her 100th career RBI came courtesy of her solo home run in the 15-1 (5) victory over Bellarmine (March 6). » CLIMBING THE BALL STATE CHARTS: Junior Maia Pietrzak enters the weekend ranked 11th in program history with a .339 (96-for-283) career batting average … She is Ball State’s active career leader with 93 career runs scored, with her 60 runs in 2025 ranking as the third-best total in a season in program history … Pietrzak also currently ranks seventh in program history with a .444 on base percentage. » TOUGHEST TO STRIKE OUT: In addition, Maia Pietrzak enters the Central Michigan series as the nation’s 14th toughest batter to strike out this season with just one strikeout over 60 official at bats … Only four players in the nation to meet the NCAA minimum at bat requirements have yet to strike out, while Pietrzak is one of only 22 players with just one strikeout … In fact, Pietrzak has only struck out 13 times in her collegiate career … She finished her sophomore season ranked second in the MAC and 29th nationally with one strikeout per every 27.5 at bats. » TAKING THE HIT: A pride point for the offense under the leadership of third-year associate head coach Matt Burns, Ball State batters have been hit by a pitch 19 times so far this season to rank sixth in the MAC and 79th nationally … Last season, the Cardinals lead the nation by being hit 91 times, which was a BSU single season record topping the previous mark of 55 set in 2015 … The next closest team was St. John’s, which was hit 69 times over 57 games, six more than the 51 the Cardinals played … Under Burns’ offensive guidance Ball State batters have been hit by 162 pitches over the past two-plus seasons. » WALK THIS WAY: The Cardinals have drawn 96 total walks so far this season, including tying the program’s single game record with 14 walks in the 9-5 victory over Southern Indiana (Feb. 13) … Ball State previously drew 14 walks in a 15-7 (6) victory over Kent State on April 4, 2018 … The team’s 96 walks currently rank fourth in the MAC and 79th nationally, led by 13 from junior third baseman Mandy Lauth and 12 by redshirt junior catcher / third baseman Skylinn Pogue. » SPEAKING OF POGUE: Another first-year player for the Cardinals, Skylinn Pogue enters the CMU series ranked second on the squad with a .354 average, while leading the squad and tying for 10th in the MAC with 21 runs scored … Pogue has also smashed a team-leading three triples to tie for the league-lead … A two-year starter at Iowa (2023-24), they are the first three triples of Pogue’s collegiate career … She has also collected her first three collegiate doubles this season, while picking up her second career home run with her fourth-inning solo shot in Ball State’s 7-6 victory over Illinois (Feb. 27). » A SOLID WEEKEND IN THE CIRCLE: Sophomore pitcher Breanna Severino turned in a pair of brilliant performances in last Saturday’s doubleheader versus Akron, staring with 1.2 innings of relief work in the opener in which she limited the Zips to just two hits and no runs … She followed with a complete game effort in the nightcap, allowing just six hits and one run … Overall, she struck out four batters between the two outings and held Akron to a .258 average while producing a 1.15 WHIP … Over 32 career appearances in the circle, Severino owns a 4.39 ERA and has struck out 56 batters over 119.2 innings of work. ===================================================================== IU INDY TRACK WOMEN’S TRACK AND FIELD HEADS TO ATLANTA TO OPEN OUTDOOR SLATE ATLANTA – The IU Indianapolis women’s track and field squad will begin the outdoor season this weekend when the Jaguars participate in the two-day Yellow Jacket Invitational, hosted by Georgia Tech at the George C. Griffin Track & Field Facility. The Jaguars will get the opportunity to post early season times and marks while competing against athletes from across the Midwest and South. The meet will start at 11:30 a.m. with the hammer throw before the full slate of field events all begin at 5:30 p.m. Friday’s running events will begin at 6 p.m. as the 5000m races close the night out at 8:15 p.m. Saturday’s field events will all start at noon as the track races commence at 1 p.m. concluding with the 4x400m relay at 3:40 p.m. Head coach Antonio McDaniel’s squad will have athletes spread across 10 events over two days with exclusively runners on the track on Friday. Junior Journey Howard is tops among the team’s entries in the 100m hurdles with a personal best time of 14.83 seconds while sophomore Jahzara McAlister leads the sprinters with a best 100m dash time of 12.17 seconds. In the distance events, Julie Smith enters with a personal best 1,500m time of 4:47.23 and best 5K time of 17:45.72. Senior Wini Barnett is next in line in the 1,500 at 4:49.77 and fellow senior Carina Alanis owns a 5K time of 18:37.61. On Saturday, a pair of freshmen will make their outdoor debut in the high jump as both Peyton Gross and Elisa Algozine are entered. The triple jump is keyed by school record holder Reese McCuan, who has a best mark of 11.37m (37′ 3.75”). On the track, the Jaguars will open the day with an entry in the 4×100 relay as Sophia Palmer, McAlister, Paige Schulte and freshman Sarah Madi-Bouabre are set to compete. Senior Jada-Marie Davis is tops among the team’s 400m hurdles entrants will a best time of 1:05.06 and Schulte is best among the 400m entries with a personal best time of 57.57. Both entrants in the 200m dash, Madi-Bouabre and Skyler Ferry, will be making their outdoor debuts. A full recap and results of each day’s events will be posted to IUIndyJags.com each evening. MEN’S TRACK TO OPEN OUTDOOR SEASON AT BLIZZARD BUSTER OXFORD, Ohio – The IU Indianapolis men’s track team will open the outdoor slate on Friday (Mar. 20) when the Jaguars compete at Miami’s Blizzard Buster at Yeager Stadium. The Jaguars will compete in three events, ranging from the 800m to the 3,000m distances. The Jaguars’ entries will begin with the 1,500m event in the morning, keyed by the group of Sam Grimes, Alec Hueftle, Joey LaPatra and Eli Oetken. Grimes owns a personal best time of 4:02.15 while Hueftle has run 4:04.87. In the 3,000m event, all five Jaguars will run the distance for the first time in outdoor competition. Among them is freshman Evan Farmer and veteran Nolan King. In the 800m event, the Jaguars trio of Luke Shappell, Riley Nixon and Jaydon Steidinger will compete in the fastest of the heats with Shappell owning a personal best time of 1:52.19. Nixon checks in at 1:52.57 and Steidinger holds a personal best time of 1:54.87. Shappell is coming off a Horizon League title in the mile during the indoor season while Nixon was just behind him as runner-up. Steidinger was the team’s top performer in the 800m event at the Horizon League Indoor Championships, earning a spot in the finals before posting a sixth-place finish. A full recap and results from Friday’s meet will be posted to IUIndyJags.com immediately afterwards. ==================================================================== BALL STATE MEN’S VOLLEYBALL MVB CONTINUES I-69 RIVALRY AT PURDUE FORT WAYNE SATURDAY This Week in Ball State Men’s Volleyball: The Ball State men’s volleyball program looks to sweep the 2026 regular season series against in-state rival Purdue Fort Wayne as the Cardinals travel to battle the Mastodons at the Gates Sports Center March 21 at 7 p.m. Action Saturday evening will be streamed on ESPN+. Last Serve: The Cardinals evened the season series against Ohio State, defeating the Buckeyes in four sets (25-20, 26-28, 25-18, 25-23) last Thursday (March 12) at Worthen Arena. Patrick Rogers led the Cardinals with 16 kills on .419 hitting, while Ryan Louis added 11 and Braydon Savitski-Lynde had seven. Setter Lucas Machado guided a .440 team hitting performance with 44 assists, along with five kills, five digs, and a career-high four aces. Daniel Günther anchored the defense with five blocks as Ball State out-blocked Ohio State 10-5. The Cardinals controlled the first set, dropped a tight second after a late Ohio State rally, dominated the third behind a .600 hitting clip, and closed out a back-and-forth fourth set with late kills from Günther and Machado. 17-3 in the Iandolo Era: After taking the reigns of the program this past summer, head coach Mike Iandolo has marched the Cardinals to a 17-3 record to begin his first year in the position — the team’s best winning percentage since Iandolo’s first year as an assistant coach in 2022, ending 23-4. The dominant campaign led to a conference regular season and tournament championship, as well a No.2 national ranking and national semifinal appearance. Unbeaten at Worthen: At 12-straight wins inside Worthen Arena in 2026, Ball State is three wins away from completing the regular season with an unblemished record at home for the first time since the 2002 team went 13-0. That year’s team ended the season 16-0 inside Worthen, taking three wins to claim what was the program’s 14th MIVA tournament championship. The 2002 season was in the middle of a 26-match home streak that stretched from March 16, 2001 to Jan. 31, 2003. Including last year’s 3-1 Senior Day win over McKendree (March 29), Ball State currently holds a 13-match streak on its home court which sits as the 10th-longest in program history. Machado Climbs the Record Book: Junior setter Lucas Machado has tallied 646 assists so far in 2026, raising his career total to 2,169 and moving him up to ninth in the program’s record book. As the primary general of the floor Machado has guided Ball State to a .377 hitting percentage, and if maintained, it would serve as the best team clip in program history. The current all-time percentage is .373, averaged in 1997. Rogers AVCA POTY Watchlist: Senior outside hitter Patrick Rogers has been named as one of 15 members honored in the first ever watchlist for the American Volleyball Coaches Association Player of the Year award. The inaugural watch list was compiled by the AVCA National Collegiate Men’s Volleyball Awards committee. Semifinalists for the award are to be announced in early April, and the final four will be named prior to the 2026 National Collegiate Championship May 9-11. The 2026 AVCA Player of the Year is to be revealed during the championship banquet. Match History – Purdue Fort Wayne: The Cardinals hold the upper hand against the Mastodons in the all-time series, leading the I-69 rivalry 85-34. In matches held in Fort Wayne, Ball State has taken 35 of the 51 played. BSU completed a sweep over PFW in the teams’ first meeting this season (Feb. 27), leading the entire way through sets one and three and limiting PFW to a .203 clip. In the last 10 matchups, Ball State boasts a 9-1 advantage. Scouting Purdue Fort Wayne: At seventh place in the conference, the Mastodons are 1-2 in their last three matchups since the teams’ previous meeting, falling to Lewis (March 5) and Ohio State (March 14) while besting Loyola in between (March 7). As a unit, PFW is ranked sixth in the MIVA in hitting percentage (.283), assists (11.13/set), kills (11.90/set) and blocks (2.16/set). The Mastodons are also seventh in digs (7.72/set), aces (1.25/set) and points (13.99/set). Individually, the team’s attacking is led by junior opposite Logan Muir who is placed second in the MIVA in kills (3.59/set) and sixth in aces (0.43/set). The defensive effort is paced by junior opposite Kaden Fosdick who ranks fifth in the MIVA in blocks (0.90/set). Junior lilbero Andrew Mayer is 11th in the conference in digs, averaging 1.70 per set. AVCA Top 20 Poll: Ball State entered the 2026 season ranked #16 in the AVCA National Collegiate Men’s Volleyball Preseason Poll with a total of 144 points. Heading into this weekend, the Cardinals sit at No. 9 with 298 votes. The only MIVA team ranked higher is No. 7 Loyola Chicago (314). ===================================================================== BALL STATE TRACK TRACK TEAM OPENS 2026 OUTDOOR SEASON IN FORT WORTH, TEXAS FORT WORTH, Texas — The Ball State track & field team opens its 2026 outdoor season at the TCU Alumni Invite this weekend, competing Friday and Saturday at the Lowden Track and Field Complex. The Cardinals will travel a full squad with 18 student-athletes to compete with teams from the Big 12, SEC, ACC, MAC, the American Conference, the SWAC, and a host of Division II, Division III, NAIA, junior colleges and even professional athletes. The meet in Fort Worth marks the first of seven consecutive weekends of outdoor competition, prior to Ball State hosting the Mid-American Conference Outdoor Championships, May 14-16. As part of that string, the Cardinals also host their annual We Fly Challenge, April 10-11. “I’m excited for us to begin our outdoor season at TCU, especially as we step into events like the 4×100 relay and the 400 hurdles,” said Ball State coach Adrian Wheatley. “This meet also give us the opportunity to compete in the javelin, hammer and discus. We’re ready to test ourselves, trust our preparation and set a tone for the season ahead. We’re ready to fly!” Ball State entries at the TCU Alumni Invite: FRIDAY EVENTS High Jump Nina Garner Bella Jackson Malina Miller Discus Malena Higgins Sydney Miller Hammer Throw Malena Higgins Sydney Miller SATURDAY EVENTS Shot Put Malena Higgins Sydney Miller Long Jump Anisa Barnett Kylee Marshall Kenli Nettles Javelin Maci Easton 4x100m Relay Laya’Lapri Ratney, Jiah Davenport, Lauren Graham, Paige Kirtz, Savannah Lake, Kylee Marshall, Alana Springer 100m Hurdles Lauren Graham Lia Patterson Laya’Lapri Ratney 400m Dash Abby Brennan Paige Kirtz 100m Dash Jiah Davenport Savannah Lake Alana Springer 400m Hurdles Lauren Graham Amina Hadziahmetovic Kenli Nettles Lia Patterson Triple Jump Anisa Barnett 200m Dash Jiah Davenport Savannah Lake Kylee Marshall Laya’Lapri Ratney 4x400m Relay Abby Brennan, Amina Hadziahmetovic, Paige Kirtz, Kenli Nettles, Alana Springer, Lauren Graham, Lia Patterson ================================================================== INDIANA STATE SOFTBALL SYCAMORES HEAD TO COLUMBUS FOR OHIO STATE TOURNAMENT TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – The Indiana State Softball team will be back in action this weekend as they travel to Columbus, Ohio, for the Ohio State Tournament. The Sycamores are set for a high-profile three-day stretch at Buckeye Field, featuring matchups against host Ohio State and Louisville. Indiana State (15-12) looks to get back into the win column after a challenging midweek trip to Evansville. The Sycamores have proven they can compete with high-level programs this season, already tallying 15 wins and showing significant power at the plate and depth in the circle. The Sycamores are looking to bounce back following a midweek doubleheader sweep at the hands of Evansville. Despite the losses, Indiana State saw consistent production from Morgan Goodrich, who reached base four times over the two games, and Mallory Chavez, who added to her team-leading RBI total. Prior to the trip to Evansville, the Sycamores enjoyed success at home against UIC. Behind a stellar performance from Lauren Sackett in the circle, who earned her ninth win of the season, Indiana State secured a dominant 9-1 victory in the series, fueled by an offense that out-hit the Flames 9-2 in the finale. About Ohio State and Louisville Ohio State Buckeyes (8-16): The tournament hosts return to Buckeye Field looking to snap a skid after a three-game series at Purdue. The Buckeyes are led by a powerful lineup that features deep-ball threats across the order. Louisville Cardinals (20-7): The Cardinals enter the weekend with plenty of momentum, most recently coming off a 13-4 victory over Western Kentucky. Louisville features a high-octane offense that recently put up 13 runs against Illinois and took two of three from Clemson. Tournament Schedule Friday, March 20: at Ohio State (2:30 PM ET) Saturday, March 21: vs. Louisville (12:00 PM ET) Sunday, March 22: at Ohio State (12:30 PM ET) Up Next Following the action in Columbus, the Sycamores will return to Missouri Valley Conference play with a three-game road series at Valparaiso starting Friday, March 27. Fans can follow all the action from Buckeye Field via live stats on GoSycamores.com or watch the matchups against Ohio State on B1G+. ==================================================================== INDIANA STATE BASEBALL SYCAMORES OPEN VALLEY PLAY WITH WEEKEND SERIES AGAINST BRADLEY TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State baseball opens Missouri Valley play this weekend as the Sycamores host Bradley in a three-game series set for March 20-22 at Bob Warn Field. All three games will be streamed live via ESPN+ and 105.5 The Legend. First pitch in Friday’s opener is set for 6:30 p.m., with Saturday (2 p.m.) and Sunday (1 p.m.) both early afternoon contests at The Bob. Weekend Promotions and Giveaways Friday – Baseball Card Giveaway (Set 1) Sunday – Pregame First pitch from Indiana State Swimming & Diving All-American Grace Cummings Recapping The Midweek Indiana State claimed the midweek win over Illinois this past Wednesday night as the Sycamores topped the visiting Illini in 11 innings at Bob Warn Field with the 4-3 victory. Emil Estrella capped off a three-hit day with the walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the 11th inning driving in Caleb Niehaus to provide the game-winning run. Ten different Indiana State pitchers saw time on the mound on Wednesday night as the Sycamores utilized the staff in a true bullpen game. Eight different Sycamores worked exactly 1.0 innings from the first through the eighth inning, before Carson Seeman took over in the ninth. Carson Seeman worked 2.1 innings allowing just one hit while striking out four in shutting down the Illinois offense late. Aaron Moss added two strikeouts late in the contest in recording his first win of the 2026 season. Caden Miller (3rd) and Emil Estrella (4th) both homered in the contest marking Indiana State’s fourth multi-homer game as a team in 2026. Emil Estrella and Carter Beck recorded their team-leading seventh multi-hit games, while Caden Miller posted his team-leading fifth multi-RBI contest of 2026. Indiana State’s walk-off win marked the program’s first extra-inning walk-off victory since March 30, 2024, when the Sycamores topped UIC, 9-8, in extra-innings in the 11th inning. Owen Roberts, Spencer Johnsen, Breyllin Suriel, Jaxon Sparks, Trevor Fenters, Brady Banker, Hunter Small, Ryan Karst, Carson Seeman, and Aaron Moss all pitched in the contest. Season Spotlight Mason Roell (.343) leads the team’s hitting efforts over the 2026 season through the first 20 games of the season. Caden Miller (.300) is also hitting above the .300 mark on the season and enters the weekend on a 12-game on-base streak. Carter Beck (.293) and Emil Estrella (.289) are the team’s power leaders at the plate with the duo combining for 12 extra-base hits on the season. Beck has eight doubles, a triple, and three homers, while Estrella has added six doubles, two triples, and four home runs. Nick Sutherlin (.260) is also among the team’s leaders sitting tied with Estrella with a team-high four home runs, while matching Caden Miller for the team lead with 21 RBIs. The Sycamores feature seven players with multiple stolen bases over the 2026 season including a team-leading five from both Emil Estrella and Mason Roell. Indiana State also features Carter Beck (3), Nick Sutherlin (3), and Jorge Cartagena (3) among the steals leaders on the season. Indiana State leads the Missouri Valley in team doubles (45) and doubles per game (2.25), with Carter Beck leading the MVC individually in doubles with eight. Two Sycamores have been in the Indiana State starting lineup in all 20 games on the year with Carter Beck and Emil Estrella penciled in every game. Caden Miller and Nick Sutherlin have also played in all 20 games on the year. Indiana State’s pitching efforts have been led by Ty Brooks (3-0, 2.53 ERA) on the season as the sophomore right-hander has pitched 32.0 innings with a 22:7 strikeout-to-walk ratio and a .168 opponent batting average. Jack Armstrong (2-1, 3.72 ERA) has also been among the team’s pitching leaders with 20 strikeouts over 19.1 innings allowing opponents to hit just .189 from the plate. Colby Morse (2-0, 5.52 ERA) and Hunter Small (0-2, 7.82 ERA) lead Indiana State in total appearances on the mound this season. Overall, the Sycamores have posted a 6.98 team ERA on the season with a 164:103 strikeout-to-walk ratio while allowing opponents to hit .274 from the plate. Sycamores Against Bradley Indiana State and Bradley have lined up 168 total times over their respective program histories with the Sycamores posting the 100-68 all-time edge over the Braves dating back to their inaugural contest on April 21, 1908. Bradley claimed the series over the Sycamores last season at Mt. Dew Park in Marion, Ill. as the Braves took the first two games with 8-7 and 7-3 wins, before Indiana State secured the series final, 4-2. The series win marked Bradley’s first series victory over the Sycamores since 2022 and snapped Indiana State’s six-game winning streak against the Braves. Last time in Terre Haute, Indiana State swept the series over Bradley, winning each game courtesy of run-rule victories with scores of 14-2 (8), 11-1 (7), and 17-6 (8) over April 12-14, 2024. Sycamores in the Missouri Valley Conference Indiana State was selected fifth in the Valley’s preseason poll prior to the start of the 2026 season. The Sycamores garnered 53 total points in the preseason vote. Five Indiana State players were recognized on the MVC’s preseason watch list including Carter Beck (OF), Jeremy Martinez (C), Ty Brooks (P), Grant Parson (P), and Max McEwen (P). Carter Beck was also projected as D1Baseball’s MVC Player of the Year. About the Braves Bradley was not recognized among the five teams selected by the Missouri Valley coaches in the annual preseason poll. The Braves placed five athletes on the preseason team with Mack Brousseau (C), AJ Garcia (OF), Hayden Miller (Util.), William Soignier (P), and Josh Vaughn (P) on the preseason MVC team. Bradley enters the weekend with a 4-16 overall record on the year with all games coming on the road to start the 2026 season. The Braves picked up wins over Bethune-Cookman, SIUE, and took two of three to claim the series from UT Martin. Bradley is currently on a nine-game losing streak coming into the conference-opening weekend. Head Coach Justin Dedman is in his first season at the helm of the Bradley Braves baseball program. Luke Skinner (.324) is Bradley’s hitting leader at the plate over the first 20 games of the 2026 season. Hayden Miller is the team-leader with four home runs and 12 RBIs, while adding a team-high 11 stolen bases. Bradley likes to run on the base paths with the team posting 48 stolen bases with four players posting at least six steals on the year. The Braves’ pitching staff has posted a 10.15 ERA over 157.0 innings on the mound. Bradley has posted a 121:135 strikeout-to-walk ratio while allowing opponents to hit .352 from the plate. The Braves’ William Soignier (0-1, 11.42 ERA) was recognized on the College Baseball Foundation’s National Pitcher of the Year watch list. Indiana State Baseball Season Tickets on Sale Now Season tickets for the 2026 Indiana State baseball season are now on sale as the Sycamores head into their second season under Head Coach Tracy Archuleta. The Sycamores will play 21 home games inside Bob Warn Field this season, starting on March 4 against Lindenwood. Reserved chairback season tickets can be purchased for $110. General admission season tickets will go on sale as well with adult ($75), seniors ($55), and youth ($40) tickets also being available for purchase. There will be a $5 surcharge added to those wanting tickets printed. The Sycamores have teamed up with Pacesetter Sports and the Spirit Shop for the third consecutive season for a season ticket deal. Fans will receive a $50 Pacesetter gift card for each $110 reserved chairback season ticket, $35 gift card for each $75 general admission season ticket, $25 gift card for each $55 senior general admission ticket, and $20 gift card for each $40 youth season ticket sold. =================================================================== EVANSVILLE BASEBALL BASEBALL HEADS TO CALIFORNIA FOR FINAL NON-CONFERENCE SERIES EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The University of Evansville baseball team travels to California this weekend for their final non-conference series of the season, taking on Cal Baptist. First pitch for Friday’s series opener is set for 8 PM CT. Evansville at Cal Baptist | Friday, March 20 – Sunday, March 22 | 8 PM, 7 PM, 2 PM CTSite | Location James W. Totman Stadium | Riverside, Calif.LinksFriday, 8 PM CT: Live Stats | TV: ESPN+ Expected Pitching Match-Up: UE RHP Max Hansmann (2-1, 4.78 ERA) vs. Cal Baptist RHP Michael Malki (4-0, 2.25 ERA)Saturday, 7 PM CT: Live Stats | TV: ESPN+ Expected Pitching Match-Up: UE RHP Tanner Graham (0-1, 3.52 ERA) vs. Cal Baptist LHP Nico Urquidi (1-0, 2.25 ERA) Sunday, 2 PM CT: Live Stats | TV: ESPN+ Expected Pitching Match-Up: UE LHP Kevin Reed (3-2, 5.63 ERA) vs. Cal Baptist RHP Bryan Peck (2-0, 3.55 ERA)Follow the Aces Baseball Site | Twitter | Game Notes Series History – This weekend marks the first ever meeting between Evansville and Cal Baptist – Evansville is traveling to California for the first time since 2009 K Reed is Cooking – Junior left-handed pitcher Kevin Reed has been sharp to begin the season – Through five starts, Reed leads the team with 3 wins and is second on the team with 24 innings pitched – Reed turned in his second gem of the year on Sunday, shutting down Xavier with eight innings of one-run baseball to help Evansville to a series win – Reed was named MVC Pitcher of the Week on February 24 after helping the Aces shut out #18 Kentucky – In two-plus seasons on campus, Reed has been a staple in the starting rotation, making 34 starts Strikeout Standout – Senior right-hander Max Hansmann has been one of the top starters in the MVC this season – Hansmann leads the MVC with 30 strikeouts this season through 26.1 innings – Four of Hansmann’s five starts have seen him work 5-plus innings with three or less runs allowed Chuck on Fire – Charlie Longmeier has been hot at the plate over the last six games, bringing a 6-game hitting streak into the weekend – Over the last six games, Longmeier is hitting .458 with a 1.186 OPS – Longmeier has posted three consecutive multi-hit games ===================================================================== EVANSVILLE SOFTBALL SOFTBALL OPENS SERIES AGAINST MURRAY STATE ON FRIDAY EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The 5-game homestand continues Friday when the University of Evansville softball team plays host to Murray State at Tri-State Orthopaedics Field at James and Dorothy Cooper Stadium. Friday’s doubleheader begins at 2:30 p.m. with Saturday’s single game set for a 2 p.m. first pitch; all three games will be on ESPN+. Evansville vs. Murray StateGame OneFriday, March 20 | 2:30 p.m. CST | Live Stats | ESPN+Game TwoFriday, March 20 | 5:00 p.m. CST | Live Stats | ESPN+Game ThreeSaturday, March 21 | 2:00 p.m. CST | Live Stats | ESPN+UE SoftballSoftball Home Page | Twitter | Game Notes Another No-No – After opening the season with a no-hitter against Maine, Kate Ridgway duplicated the feat against Indiana State – Ridgway struck out four batters in six innings as she kept the Sycamores hitless – Her first no-hitter against Maine was a 4-1 decision in the Heart of Georgia Classic – With 68 strikeouts on the season, Ridgway is 2nd in the league while her 6.74 K/7 innings is fourth – Ridgway picked up her second win of the season against USI where she struck out a career-high 10 batters in 6 1/3 innings of work Another Home Run – With her team trailing 2-1 in game two against Indiana State, Brooke Voss hit a 2-run homer and her team never looked back as they earned the doubleheader sweep – It marked her fifth home run of the season, which are tied for 8th in the MVC – Other stat rankings for Voss include total bases (10th | 48), slugging percentage (T-13th | .600), runs (T-15th | 18), extra-base hits (T-10th | 11) – Voss’ season batting average of .313 is second on the team and she is batting .340 over the last 14 contests Top Mark – Alexis Tucker struck out a season-high seven batters in the win over Indiana State in game two of the doubleheader – Just as impressive is that the seven K’s came in just 4 1/3 innings on the way to her third win of the season – Tucker earned her first UE win against Miami Ohio tossing a complete game before earning her second victory on the road at Central Arkansas MVC Newcomer of the Week – Emma McDonald was named the MVC Newcomer of the Week on Feb. 24 after batting .444 in the tournament at Central Arkansas – She has been on a solid streak as of late, going 4-for-7 in her last three games – McDonald went 2-3 with two RBI in the game two win over Indiana State and had the clinching hit to seal the run rule win – She has started all 25 games this year ==================================================================== EVANSVILLE SWIMMING TOBY WILCOX ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT FROM COACHING EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Evansville (UE) Head Swimming and Diving Coach Toby Wilcox has announced his retirement from the coaching profession. Wilcox rejoined the Purple Aces program in 2024 following a 13-year tenure as head coach at Birmingham Southern. “It was such a great experience to return to the University of Evansville,” Wilcox said. “Being able to reconnect with so many from the school, program, teammates, and student-athletes was a great way to finish out my coaching career!” The 1985 UE graduate began his coaching career with the program in 1986. He garnered eight conference “Coach of the Year” accolades during his collegiate career. After serving as an assistant coach with the Aces from 1986-88, Wilcox’s first term as head coach at UE ran from 1988 through 1997. In 2011, he started the swimming and diving program at Birmingham Southern College (BSC) and remained with the institution until 2024. “Toby Wilcox has been an important part of the University of Evansville swimming and diving family for many years. Even though he returned for just the past two seasons, his connection to this program goes back much further,” said Dr. Ziggy Siegfried, Director of Athletics. “Toby has always cared deeply about our student-athletes and about representing UE the right way. We are grateful for his commitment to the program and wish him nothing but the best as he begins this next chapter.” In his time at BSC, Wilcox built the program into a perennial power in the Southern Athletic Association (SAA), earning 16 SAA team titles on the men’s and women’s sides. He has coached 121 individual SAA champions, 57 SAA relay champions, and helped direct 35 student-athletes to the NCAA Division III National Championships. During his tenure, Wilcox helped produce 13 SAA “Swimmers of the year,” seven SAA “Divers of the Year,” and 11 SAA “Newcomers of the Year.” Wilcox earned five SAA “Coach of the Year” honors during his tenure at Birmingham Southern. Wilcox was a 3-time Midwestern Collegiate Conference Coach of the Year during his first tenure at Evansville. He coached 24 athletes to individual titles and three MCC Swimmers of the Year. As a student-athlete at UE, Wilcox earned both MCC and Heartland Collegiate Conference MVP honors in 1984. He was a 2-time team MVP while serving as team captain. A national search for the next coach is under way. ================================================================= SOUTHERN INDIANA BASEBALL USI STARTS OVC SCHEDULE VERSUS WIU EVANSVILLE, Ind. — University of Southern Indiana Baseball starts 2026 Ohio Valley Conference action with a three-game series against Western Illinois this weekend at the USI Baseball Field. The USI-WIU series, which is Youth Baseball Weekend at the USI Baseball Field, starts Friday at 6 p.m.; continues Saturday at 3 p.m.; and concludes Sunday at 1 p.m. A special USI student tailgate will be held Sunday at Eichar Barn near the field from 10:45 a.m. to 1 p.m., prior to the first pitch. USI, which is 13-8, finishes its four-game homestand Tuesday (March 24) when it hosts Ball State for a 5 p.m. matchup. Tuesday’s USI-BSU contest is a special free admission for all fans. Fans are encouraged to watch social media and USIScreamingEagles.com for any schedule changes due to weather. Links to follow the Screaming Eagles during 2026 can be found on USIScreamingEagles.com and the USI Baseball Schedule. USI Baseball Notes: USI glad to be at home this weekend. The USI Screaming Eagles are glad to be back at home where they are 8-0 (compared to 5-8 on the road) and are hitting .310 (compared to .295 on the road). Junior outfielder Dane DeWees leads USI at home with a .625 average (5-8), while graduate outfielder Noah Foster and senior first baseman Patrick McLellan have 10 RBIs each. USI is 1-4 on road trip. USI was 1-4 on the road swing. Graduate outfielder Jesse Velders led USI on the road swing by hitting .538 (7-13) with three runs scored, three doubles, and three RBIs. Junior right-hander Ean DiPasquale posted USI’s only road win with 7.2 strong innings at Southern Illinois. Hitting cools on the road. The USI hitters cooled on the road last week on the road. The Screaming Eagles hit .252 (41-163) in the five games, while only scoring 25 runs (5.0 per game). Pitching on the road. USI hurlers were 1-4 on the road trip and 5-8 on the road this season. The staff ERA on the road trip was 7.24 compared to 5.19 for the season. At the friendly surroundings of the USI Baseball Field, the Screaming Eagles’ staff ERA is 3.99. USI loses close one to end road swing. The Screaming Eagles lost a close one to end their five-game road swing, falling to Bellarmine, 3-2. USI led 2-1 after two frames before Bellarmine scored one in the third to tie and one in the fourth for the win. Screaming Eagles go 1-2 against SIU. The Screaming Eagles went 1-2 against Southern Illinois over the weekend, salvaging the final game 6-3. Graduate outfielder Jesse Velders led USI by hitting .667 in the series with three doubles and three RBIs. Multi-hit games. Senior shortstop Clayton Slack has eight multi-hit games this year and four three-hit contests in 21 games. Senior first baseman Patrick McLellan follows with seven multi-hit contests this year, including two three-hit games and one five-hit contest. USI Leaders. Senior shortstop Clayton Slack leads USI and is sixth in the OVC with a .385 batting average (30-78). Senior first baseman Patrick McLellan follows with a .360 mark (31-86) and ranks 11th in the conference. Holiday, McLellan are the run makers. USI graduate centerfielder Khi Holiday and senior first baseman Patrick McLellan have been generating the offense for the Screaming Eagles this season. The duo leads USI and the OVC with 27 runs scored each this season. McLellan, who has had nine multi-RBI games this year, also leads USI and ranks second in the OVC with 27 RBIs this spring. Doing it at the plate. USI is putting runs on the scoreboard at an incredible rate. USI leads the OVC with 175 runs scored this season (8.3 per game). The Screaming Eagles also rank third in the OVC with a .301 team batting average. USI predicted 7th in 2026 OVC. The Screaming Eagles are predicted to place seventh in the Ohio Valley Conference in 2026 by a vote of the league’s coaches and communications directors and by D1Baseball.com. WIU in 2026. Western Illinois is 4-16 after being swept by Illinois State last weekend. The Leathernecks have lost their last nine games going into this weekend. USI vs. WIU. USI leads the all-time series with WIU, 8-4, after taking two of three in Macomb, Illinois, last spring. Ball State in 2026. Ball State is 10-9 overall in 2026 after falling to Butler, 14-10, Wednesday. The Cardinals will visit Western Michigan this weekend for a three-game series. USI vs. Ball State. Ball State leads the all-time series with USI, 5-0, after taking the single game last season in Muncie, Indiana, 5-4. ==================================================================== SOUTHERN INDIANA SOFTBALL USI SOFTBALL HOSTS SEMO ON ALUMNI WEEKEND EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Softball returns to USI Softball Field for Alumni Weekend when the Screaming Eagles host Southeast Missouri State University for a three-game series in Ohio Valley Conference play on Saturday and Sunday. USI Softball (8-15, 5-1 OVC) welcomes back many of its alumni and hall of famers this weekend, as the Screaming Eagles seek a third-straight OVC series victory to begin the conference season. Southeast Missouri (6-18, 2-3 OVC) enters the weekend on a five-game skid. The Redhawks lead the all-time series against the Screaming Eagles, 23-8. SEMO took two of three against USI last season in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. USI is coming off a second series win in OVC play, winning two of three last weekend at Western Illinois University. After dropping the series opener, 5-3, USI bounced back with a 4-2 win and a 15-4 win in five innings against the Leathernecks. In the 15-4 series finale victory at Western Illinois, USI set program Division-I records with 15 runs and 18 hits. It was also USI’s biggest margin of victory in the D-I era. The Screaming Eagles collectively hit .384 in the Western Illinois series, with senior outfielder Caroline Stapleton leading the way with a .545 batting average while scoring five runs and tallying three RBIs. Eight players recorded multiple RBIs in the series. Freshman outfielder Katelyn Marx, who batted .417, had four runs and four RBIs. Sophomore Grace Huffman notched three hits and three RBIs. Freshman pitcher Elly Robbins led the pitching staff with two wins and a 1.83 ERA. On the season, Stapleton paces the Screaming Eagles with a .359 batting average and 19 runs. Marx is second on the team with a .347 batting average and 10 RBIs. Huffman and junior infielder Sydney Long are tied for a team-best 11 RBIs. On the pitching side, freshman Anna Kemp tops the squad with a 4.31 ERA and 40 strikeouts, while sophomore Kylie Witthaus has 32 strikeouts in a team-high 56.1 innings pitched. Robbins leads the team with four wins. Heading into the SEMO series, USI Head Coach Sue Kunkle is one win away from 700 career wins. Kunkle is already USI’s all-time winningest coach. Southeast Missouri comes to town this weekend after getting swept in three games last weekend at the University of Tennessee at Martin. The Redhawks were no-hit in the series opener and were shut out 9-0 through the first two games of the series before falling in the series finale by a score of 7-2. Senior outfielder Madison Winkler is SEMO’s leading hitter, batting .352 with 10 runs and 11 RBIs. Winkler also has two home runs this season. As a team, Southeast Missouri is hitting .216. The Redhawks’ pitching staff has a combined 6.41 ERA, with senior hurler Elliott Stinson topping the squad with a 2-5 record and a 4.29 ERA. Junior pitcher Maddie Carney is 2-7 with a 5.98 ERA and leads the team with 25 strikeouts in 57.1 innings of work. The three-game series between USI and Southeast Missouri can be seen with an ESPN+ subscription. Additional coverage and live stat links are available on the USI Softball schedule page on usiscreamingeagles.com. =================================================================== MARIAN WOMEN’S BASKETBALL NAIA PREVIEW: MARIAN PLAYS SHAWNEE STATE IN NAIA ROUND OF 16 SIOUX CITY, Iowa – The Marian women’s basketball team is set to play in its sixth consecutive NAIA Round of 16 game on Friday night, as the top seed in the Liston Quadrant of the NAIA Championship Bracket will take on No. 12 Shawnee State. The NAIA Round of 16 game will tip at 7:00 p.m. EDT at the Tyson Events Center in Sioux City, Iowa. Qualifying for the NAIA Round of 16 for a program record seventh consecutive year, the Knights will play in their sixth consecutive Round of 16 contest on Friday night against Shawnee State. The first of the seven appearances was Marian’s 2020 qualification, which would not be played due to the COVID-19 outbreak. This is the 12th consecutive year that Marian is playing in Sioux City, a streak that began in the 2014-15 season. Marian is one of seven Crossroads League teams that qualified for the NAIA Tournament, and is one of four that reached the final site in Sioux City, joining Saint Francis, Indiana Wesleyan, and Spring Arbor. The Knights are winners of 14 consecutive games entering the NAIA Round of 16, and are 17-2 overall this season against teams who qualified for the NAIA Tournament. Among the remaining teams in the field, Marian has a record of 97-70 combined against the other 15 schools remaining, with the majority of those contests coming against the three other Crossroads League schools. The Knights’ opponent in the NAIA Tournament Round of 16 is Shawnee State, an unfamiliar opponent to Marian as the two teams are set to play for the first time since the 2012-13 season. Marian is 1-2 all-time against Shawnee State, with Marian winning the last meeting in the aforementioned 2012-13 campaign by a 73-71 score. The Bears had won the previous two games in the series, winning in 2009 and 2010. Shawnee State is the Cinderella of the NAIA Women’s Basketball Tournament, being one of three double-digit seeds to reach the NAIA Final Site. The Bears are the highest remaining seed, as the 12-seed in the Liston Quadrant enters Friday’s game with a 24-8 overall record on the season. The Bears earned an at-large bid in this year’s tournament and are in the NAIA Round of 16 for the first time since 2019. This is Shawnee State’s final NAIA Tournament Appearance, as the Bears will transition to NCAA DII in the next year. Marian is 4-0 against common opponents between the two teams, with wins over Rio Grande, Cumberlands, and Pikeville. Shawnee was 0-2 this season against Rio Grande, 0-1 against Cumberlands, and 1-0 against both Pikeville and Oakland City. Shawnee State is led by its senior guard Miyoshi Ellis, who averages 14.8 points per game. Ellis earned First Team All-River States honors, while Laken Williams was a Second Team honoree. Post player TK Catchings rounded out the honors for Shawnee, earning Third Team honors in the River States Conference. The winner of Friday night’s game will advance to the NAIA Quarterfinals on Saturday, with tip on Saturday for the Liston Quadrant championship scheduled for 9:00 p.m. EDT. The opponent in the quarterfinal round is either the two-seed Campbellsville or the six-seed Spring Arbor. ==================================================================== SMALL INDIANA COLLEGE SPORTS WEB SITES UINDY ATHLETICS: https://athletics.uindy.edu/ MARIAN ATHLETICS: https://muknights.com/ INDIANA WESLEYAN ATHLETICS: https://iwuwildcats.com/ EARLHAM ATHLETICS: https://goearlham.com/ WABASH ATHLETICS: https://sports.wabash.edu/ FRANKLIN ATHLETICS: https://franklingrizzlies.com/ ROSE-HULMAN ATHLETICS: https://athletics.rose-hulman.edu/ ANDERSON ATHLETICS: https://athletics.anderson.edu/landing/index TRINE ATHLETICS: https://trinethunder.com/landing/index BETHEL ATHLETICS: https://bupilots.com/ DEPAUW ATHLETICS: https://depauwtigers.com/ HANOVER ATHLETICS: https://athletics.hanover.edu/ MANCHESTER ATHLETICS: https://muspartans.com/ HUNTINGTON ATHLETICS: https://www.huathletics.com/ OAKLAND CITY ATHLETICS: https://gomightyoaks.com/index.aspx ST. FRANCIS ATHLETICS: https://www.saintfranciscougars.com/landing/index IU KOKOMO ATHLETICS: https://iukcougars.com/ IU EAST ATHLETICS: https://www.iueredwolves.com/ IU SOUTH BEND ATHLETICS: https://iusbtitans.com/ PURDUE NORTHWEST ATHLETICS: https://pnwathletics.com/ INDIANA TECH ATHLETICS: https://indianatechwarriors.com/index.aspx GRACE COLLEGE ATHLETICS: https://gclancers.com/ ST. MARY OF THE WOODS ATHLETICS: https://smwcathletics.com/ GOSHEN COLLEGE ATHLETICS: https://goleafs.net/ HOLY CROSS ATHLETICS: https://www.hcsaints.com/index.php TAYLOR ATHLETICS: https://www.taylortrojans.com/ VINCENNES ATHLETICS: https://govutrailblazers.com/landing/index ========================================================= “SPORTS EXTRA” TODAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY 1913 The Phillies become the first major league team to play in Wilmington (NC) when they beat the International League’s Baltimore Orioles, 5-1, in front of nearly 2,000 fans at the city’s Sunset Park. After the Wilmington Baseball Stock company is formed in November and successfully raises money to improve playing conditions at the local park, Philadelphia selects the Port City as its spring training home for the next two seasons, until the team departs after finishing its 1915 exhibition schedule, citing logistical problems. 1934 Babe Didrikson, a renowned female athlete, gives up no hits and walks only one Dodger when she pitches the first inning of the Philadelphia A’s spring training game at McCurdy Field in Frederick, Maryland. The LPGA founder and Olympic track and field Gold Medalist will also participate in exhibition contests with the Indians and Cardinals. 1935 At St. Petersburg’s Al Lang Field, the Cardinals set a spring training attendance record attracting 6,467 fans to watch the team beat the Braves and Babe Ruth, 5-4. The aging legend delights the overflow crowd stroking two doubles after Dizzy Dean retired him on a towering fly in his first at-bat. 1937 The Homestead Grays obtain catcher Josh Gibson and third baseman Judy Johnson from the Pittsburgh Crawfords in one of the most significant trades in Negro League history, in exchange for $2,500 and two journeymen: backstop Lloyd ‘Pepper’ Bassett and infielder Henry ‘Jake’ Spearman. The Baseball Hall of Fame will induct both players, with Gibson becoming a member in 1972 and Johnson following three years later. 1953 U.S. Senator Edwin C. Johnson proposes a bill banning the broadcast of major league games in minor league territories, although the Department of Justice outlawed this practice in 1949. The lawmaker, baseball executive Bob Howsam’s father-in-law, serves as the Class A Western League president and once played a significant role in building Mile High Stadium, later called Bears Stadium. 1958 The Phillies purchase 34-year-old Joe Collins from the Yankees, but he decides to retire rather than report to the City of Brotherly Love. The Scranton-born first baseman/outfielder, who was a teammate of both Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle, spent his entire ten-year career in New York and appeared in seven World Series, finishing with a lifetime .256 batting average. 1973 Four months after his death, the BBWAA selects (393-31 votes) the late Roberto Clemente to be a member of the Hall of Fame in a special election after its board of directors previously waived the mandatory five-year waiting period. The 37-year-old Pirates outfielder, the first Latin-American player chosen for induction at Cooperstown, died when a cargo plane crashed on New Year’s Eve, bringing supplies to the Nicaraguan earthquake victims. 1975 A rare spring training brawl occurs when Ranger second baseman Dave Nelson takes exception to the two brushback pitches thrown at him by Yankee southpaw Mike Wallace in the seventh inning of a Fort Lauderdale exhibition contest. The trouble begins early after Jim Bibby’s first pitch plunks leadoff hitter Elliot Maddox, who had angered Texas skipper Billy Martin when he told the local press that his former manager “has a habit of lying to his players.” 1979 In Puerto Rico, Willie Mays, in the second game of an annual exhibition series to benefit a youth sports program started by the late Roberto Clemente, pilots a mini-squad of the Mets to an 8-3 win over the Pirates. Last night, after a 5-3 victory in Game 1, New York manager Joe Torre and many players returned to Florida to play the Dodgers in a Grapefruit League contest. 1989 Outgoing baseball commissioner Peter Ueberroth says his office has investigated “serious allegations” regarding Pete Rose’s gambling. Three days after his successor, Bart Giamatti, assumes the post on April 1, MLB retains John M. Dowd to investigate the charges against the Reds’ manager. 2002 The Commissioner’s office announces MLB will continue the practice that began after the September 11 attacks of singing ‘God Bless America’ during the seventh-inning stretch in each team’s first homestand. Also, an American flag patch will be worn on the jackets of 28 major league teams this season with distinctive logos for Opening Day, Memorial Day weekend, the Fourth of July, and Canadian versions designed for the Blue Jays and Expos. 2006 At San Diego’s Petco Park, Japan, managed by all-time international home-run king Sadaharu Oh, captures the first World Baseball Classic crown, beating Cuba, 10-6. The 16-team tournament, scheduled to return in 2009, ends with just two major leaguers still in the game. 2006 In his first appearance in a Nationals uniform, Alfonso Soriano refuses to play the outfield in an exhibition game against the Dodgers. The All-Star second baseman, slated to start in left field, could be placed on the disqualified list for insubordination, preventing him from getting paid his $10 million salary and accruing service time used to determine a player’s free-agent status. 2008 Behind Brad Penny’s strong pitching, the Dodgers make their Cactus League debut, beating the White Sox in Phoenix, 8-2. On the mound where he made his professional debut, the right-hander’s outing earns him the Opening Day start against the Giants. 2014 The Angels trade first baseman Matt Scioscia, the son of manager Mike Scioscia, to the Cubs for outfielder Trevor Gretzky, the offspring of NHL Hall of Fame center Wayne Gretzky. The name-worthy swap does not help either prospect, as both fail to make the big league club. ========================================================= TODAY IN SPORTS HISTORY On March 20 in … 1897 – First known US intercollegiate basketball game, Yale beats University of Pennsylvania 32-10. 1911 – National Squash Tennis Association formed (New York City, New York). 1914 – In New Haven, Connecticut, the first international figure skating championship takes place. 1920 – US Ladies Figure Skating Championship won by Theresa Weld. 1920 – US Men’s Figure Skating Championship won by Sherwin Badger. 1924 – Stanley Cup: Montreal Canadiens (NHL) sweep Vancouver Millionaires (PCHA) in two games. 1953 – US Senator Edwin C Johnson offers a bill to give clubs the sole right to ban radio-TV broadcasts of major league games in their own territory. 1954 – 16th NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship: La Salle beats Bradley 92-76. 1962 – Sjoukje Dijkstra becomes world champion figure skater. 1965 – 27th NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship: UCLA beats Michigan 91-80. 1965 – Venkataraghavan takes 8-72 versus New Zealand at Delhi, India. 1966 – In Westminster, England, at the Methodist Central Hall, the Jules Rimet trophy, AKA the World Cup, is stolen. 1966 – Marilynn Smith wins LPGA Saint Petersburg Women’s Golf Open. 1971 – Boston Bruins win 13th straight NHL game. 1973 – Roberto Clemente elected to Hall of Fame, 11 weeks after his death. 1976 – Jevgeni Kulikov skates world record 1000 metre (1:15.70). 1978 – Philadelphia Flyers’ Rick MacLeash scores on 6th penalty shot against New York Islanders. 1982 – First-class debut of Richie Richardson, Leeward Islands versus Barbados. 1983 – Kathy Whitworth wins LPGA Women’s Kemper Golf Open. 1985 – Libby Riddles wins the 1,135-mile Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. 1987 – Yvonne van Gennip skates ladies world record 5 km (7:00.36). 1988 – Laura Davies wins Circle K LPGA Tucson Golf Open. 1988 – Mike Tyson knocks out Tony Tubbs in two rounds for heavyweight boxing title. 1989 – Peter Ueberroth, the commissioner of Major League Baseball, announces an inquiry is being conducted into gambling allegations concerning Cincinnati Reds’ manager, Pete Rose. 1990 – Los Angeles Lakers retire Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s number 33. 1993 – Dan Jansen skates world record 500 metre (36.02 seconds). 1994 – Laura Davies wins LPGA Standard Register Ping Golf Tournament. 1994 – Mashonaland U-24 beats Matabeleland on first inning to win Logan Cup. 2006 – In San Diego, California, Japan captures the first World Baseball Classic crown beating Cuba, 10-6. IN2021 – At the Sebring International Raceway in Sebring, Florida, USA, the 69th Annual Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring race is held, round 2 of the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship series. Finishing 1st in DPi class and 1st overall is the Mustang Sampling #5 Cadillac DPi driven by Loic Duval, Sebastien Bourdais, and Tristan Vautier. Finishing 1st in LMP2 class and 6th overall is the PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports #52 ORECA LMP 07 driven by Scott Huffaker, Ben Keating, and Mikkel Jensen. Finishing 1st in GT Le Mans class and 8th overall is the WeatherTech Racing #79 Porsche 911 RSR – 19 driven by Matt Campbell, Cooper MacNeil, and Mathieu Jaminet. Finishing 1st in LMP3 class and 13th overall is the Core Autosport #54 Ligier JS P320 driven by Colin Braun, Jon Bennett, and George Kurtz. Finishing 1st in GT Daytona class and 18th overall is the Pfaff Motorsports #9 Porsche 911 GT3R driven by Laurens Vantheer, Lars Kern, and Zacharie Robichon. 2022 – At Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, NHL regular season game: Buffalo Sabres beats Vancouver Canucks by score 3-2. 2022 – At SAP Center in San Jose, California, USA, NHL regular season game: San Jose Sharks beats Arizona Coyotes by score 4-2. 2022 – At United Center in Chicago, Illinois, USA, NHL regular season game: Winnepeg Jets beats Chicago Blackhawks by score 6-4. 2022 – At PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA, NHL regular season game: New York Rangers beats Carolina Hurricanes by score 2-0. 2022 – At Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., USA, NHL regular season game: Dallas Stars beats Washington Capitals by score 3-2. 2022 – At Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, NHL regular season game: Philadelphia Flyers beats New York Islanders by score 2-1. Births of sports figures on March 20 1853 – Birth of George Godfrey in Chelsea, Massachusetts, USA; heavyweight boxer (Old Chocolate). 1903 – Birth of Vincent Richards; hall of fame tennis pro (elected 1961). 1928 – Birth of Jerome Cousins Biffle in Denver, Colorado, USA; long jumper (Olympics-gold-1952). 1937 – Birth of Helmut Recknagel in Germany; 90 metre ski jump (Olympics-gold-1960). 1945 – Birth of Pat Riley in Schenectady, New York, NBA star/coach (San Diego Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks, Miami Heat). 1948 – Birth of Bobby Orr in Parry Sound, Ontario, Canada; Hall of Fame NHL defenseman (Boston Bruins). 1951 – Birth of Madan Lal; British cricket player (Indian medium pacer in the 1970s). 1952 – Birth of Anand Armitraj in India; tennis player (Brother of ViJay). 1954 – Birth of Charlie Simmer in Ontario, Canada; NHL Left winger (Los Angeles Kings). 1958 – Birth of Rickey Jackson; NFL defensive end (San Francisco 49ers). 1959 – Birth of Dale Reid in Ladybank, Scotland; LPGA golfer (European Solheim Cup team). 1961 – Birth of Kathy Guadagnino in Albany, New York, USA; LPGA golfer (1985 US Women’s Open). 1963 – Birth of Ramon Andersson in Middle Swan, Australia; canoeist (Olympics-bronze-1992, 1996). 1964 – Birth of Ruth Davidon in Baltimore, Maryland, USA; rower (Olympics-6th-1996). 1965 – Birth of Chris Hoiles in Bowling Green, Ohio, USA; catcher (Baltimore Orioles). 1965 – Birth of Danielle Woodward in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; canoeist (Olympics-1996). 1966 – Birth of Blas Minor in Merced, California, USA; pitcher (Seattle Mariners). 1966 – Birth of Giulio Caravatta; Canadian Football League quarterback (British Columbia Lions). 1967 – Birth of Mookie Blaylock; NBA guard (Atlanta Hawks). 1968 – Birth of Eric Viscaal; Dutch soccer star (PSV/AA Gent). 1968 – Birth of Jurgen Rumrich in Miesbach, Germany; hockey forward (Team Germany 1998). 1968 – Birth of Sheree Megan Higgins in Matamata, New Zealand; golfer (1991 Bridgestone). 1969 – Birth of Caroline Brunet in Québec City, Québec, Canada; kayaker (Olympics-silver-1996). 1969 – Birth of Konstantine Starikovitch in Podolsk, Russia; 238 pounds US weightlifter (Olympics-1996). 1969 – Birth of Paul Atkinson; jockey. 1969 – Birth of Sharon Manning; WNBA center/forward (Charlotte Sting). 1970 – Birth of Kristin Klein in Santa Monica, California, USA; volleyball outside hitter (Olympics-1996). 1970 – Birth of Ralph Dawkins; NFL running back (New Orleans Saints). 1970 – Birth of Ron George; NFL linebacker (Atlanta Falcons). 1970 – Birth of Todd Burger; NFL guard (Chicago Bears). 1971 – Birth of Janis Kelly in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada; volleyball player (Olympics-1996). 1971 – Birth of Manny Alexander in Dominican Republic; infielder (Baltimore Orioles). 1972 – Birth of Ajah Wilson-Ogechukwu; soccer player (Roda JC). 1973 – Birth of Nico Boje; cricket player (South African ODI left-arm spinner 1996). 1973 – Birth of Norman Tome; Australian soccer striker (Olyroos, Olympics-1996). 1974 – Birth of P J Bogart in New York City, New York; diver (Olympics-1996). 1975 – Birth of Brian Buetsch in Rockford, Illinois, USA; figure skater (1997 Great Lakes Senior champion). 1976 – Birth of Arno Knapen; Dutch soccer player (Holten, FC Twente). 1984 – Birth of Fernando Torres, Spanish football player (Liverpool F.C.). Deaths of sports figures on March 20 1936 – Durant Clifford Parkin, cricket player (Tests for South Africa 1891-92), dies. 1990 – Jev Jasjin (Lev Yashin), Russian soccer goalie, dies at age 60 (born 1929). 1995 – Merv Harvey, cricket player (scored 12 and 31 in Test Australia versus England 46-47), dies. 1997 – Carlo Fassi, figure skating coach (Fleming, Hamill), dies at age 67. 2014 – Death of Hilderaldo Bellini, Brazilian footballer (born 1930). ========================================================== TV SPORTS TODAY (All times Eastern) Schedule subject to change and/or blackouts Friday, March 20 AUSTRALIAN RULES FOOTBALL (MEN’S) 4:25 a.m. FS2 — AFL: Western at Adelaide 10 p.m. FS2 — AFL: Gold Coast at Richmond 1 a.m. (Saturday) FS2 — AFL: St. Kilda at Greater Western Sydney AUTO RACING 3:30 p.m. FS2 — NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series: Practice, Darlington Raceway, Darlington, S.C. 4:35 p.m. FS2 — NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series: Qualifying, Darlington Raceway, Darlington, S.C. 7:30 p.m. FS1 — NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series: Buckle Up South Carolina 200, Darlington Raceway, Darlington, S.C. 10 p.m. FS1 — NHRA: Qualifying, Firebird Motorsports Park, Chandler, Ariz. (Taped) COLLEGE BASEBALL 4 p.m. BTN — Penn St. at Purdue 8 p.m. ACCN — Louisville at North Carolina SECN — Vanderbilt at Mississippi St. COLLEGE BASKETBALL (MEN’S) 12:15 p.m. CBS — NCAA Tournament: Santa Clara vs. Kentucky, First Round, St. Louis 12:40 p.m. TRUTV — NCAA Tournament: Akron vs. Texas Tech, First Round, Tampa, Fla. 1:35 p.m. TNT — NCAA Tournament: LIU Post vs. Arizona, First Round, San Diego 1:50 p.m. TBS — NCAA Tournament: Wright St. vs. Virginia, First Round, Philadelphia 2:50 p.m. CBS — NCAA Tournament: Tennessee St. vs. Iowa St., First Round, St. Louis 3:15 p.m. TRUTV — NCAA Tournament: Hofstra vs. Alabama, First Round, Tampa, Fla. 4:10 p.m. TNT — NCAA Tournament: Utah St. vs. Villanova, First Round, San Diego 4:25 p.m. TBS — NCAA Tournament: Miami (Ohio) vs. Tennessee, First Round, Philadelphia 6:50 p.m. TNT — NCAA Tournament: Iowa vs. Clemson, First Round, Tampa, Fla. 7:10 p.m. CBS — NCAA Tournament: N. Iowa vs. St. John’s, First Round, San Diego 7:25 p.m. TBS — NCAA Tournament: UCF vs. UCLA, First Round, Philadelphia 7:35 p.m. TRUTV — NCAA Tournament: Queens (NC) vs. Purdue, First Round, St. Louis 9:25 p.m. TNT — NCAA Tournament: Prairie View A&M vs. Florida, First Round, Tampa, Fla. 9:45 p.m. CBS — NCAA Tournament: California Baptist vs. Kansas, First Round, San Diego 10 p.m. TBS — NCAA Tournament: Furman vs. UConn, First Round, Philadelphia 10:10 p.m. TRUTV — NCAA Tournament: Missouri vs. Miami, First Round, St. Louis COLLEGE BASKETBALL (WOMEN’S) 11:30 a.m. ESPN2 — NCAA Tournament: Coll. of Charleston at Duke, First Round Noon ESPN — NCAA Tournament: UC San Diego at TCU, First Round 1:30 p.m. ESPN2 — NCAA Tournament: Virginia Tech vs. Oregon, First Round, Austin, Texas 2 p.m. ESPN — NCAA Tournament: Nebraska vs. Baylor, First Round, Durham, N.C. 2:30 p.m. ESPNEWS — NCAA Tournament: S. Dakota St. vs. Washington, First Round, Fort Worth, Texas 3 p.m. ESPNU — NCAA Tournament: Murray St. vs. Maryland, First Round, Chapel Hill, N.C. 3:30 p.m. ESPN2 — NCAA Tournament: Gonzaga vs. Mississippi, First Round, Minneapolis 4 p.m. ESPN — NCAA Tournament: Missouri St. at Texas, First Round 5:30 p.m. ESPN2 — NCAA Tournament: Holy Cross at Michigan, First Round ESPNEWS — NCAA Tournament: W. Illinois at North Carolina, First Round 6 p.m. ESPN — NCAA Tournament: Jacksonville at LSU, First Round ESPNU — NCAA Tournament: Green Bay at Minnesota, First Round 7:30 p.m. ESPNEWS — NCAA Tournament: Colorado St. vs. Michigan St., First Round, Norman, Okla. 8 p.m. ESPN — NCAA Tournament: Tennessee vs. NC State, First Round, Ann Arbor, Mich. 8:30 p.m. ESPNU — NCAA Tournament: Villanova vs. Texas Tech, First Round, Baton Rouge, La. 10 p.m. ESPN — NCAA Tournament: Idaho at Oklahoma, First Round COLLEGE GYMNASTICS (WOMEN’S) 7 p.m. BTN — Big Ten Tournament: Session 1, Champaign, Ill. COLLEGE SOFTBALL 6 p.m. ACCN — California at Florida St. SECN — Mississippi St. at Georgia COLLEGE WRESTLING (MEN’S) Noon ESPNU — NCAA Tournament: Quarterfinals, Cleveland 8 p.m. ESPN2 — NCAA Tournament: Semifinals, Cleveland GOLF 6 a.m. FS1 — LIV Golf League: Second Round, The Club at Steyn City, Midrand, South Africa 8 a.m. FS2 — LIV Golf League: Second Round, The Club at Steyn City, Midrand, South Africa 2 p.m. GOLF — PGA Tour: Valspar Championship, Second Round, Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club – Copperhead Course, Palm Harbor, Fla. 6 p.m. GOLF — LPGA Tour: Fortinet Founders Cup, Second Round, Sharon Heights Golf & Country Club, Menlo Park, Calif. 10 p.m. GOLF — PGA Tour Champions: Cologuard Classic, First Round, La Paloma Country Club, Tucson, Ariz. (Taped) 6 a.m. (Saturday) FOX — LIV Golf League: Third Round, The Club at Steyn City, Midrand, South Africa HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL (BOY’S) 10:30 p.m. NBATV — The Throne: TBD, Semifinal, East Rutherford, N.J. HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL (GIRL’S) 3 p.m. NBATV — The Throne: TBD, Semifinal, East Rutherford, N.J. HORSE RACING 1:30 p.m. FS2 — NYRA: America’s Day at the Races 5:30 p.m. FS2 — NYRA: America’s Day at the Races MLB BASEBALL 1 p.m. MLBN — Spring Training: St. Louis vs. N.Y. Mets, Port St. Lucie, Fla. 5 p.m. MLBN — Exhibition: Seattle Prospects vs. Milwaukee Prospects, Phoenix 8 p.m. MLBN — Exhibition: Detroit Prospects vs. Pittsburgh Prospects, Bradenton, Fla. NBA BASKETBALL 8 p.m. NBATV — Atlanta at Houston NHL HOCKEY 7 p.m. NHLN — Carolina at Toronto SOCCER (MEN’S) 3:55 p.m. CBSSN — English League Championship: Stoke City at Preston North End 4 p.m. USA — English Premier League: Manchester United at AFC Bournemouth TENNIS 11 a.m. TENNIS CHANNEL — Miami-WTA/ATP – Live; ATP/WTA 2nd Round TRACK AND FIELD 1:30 p.m. NBCSN — World Athletics: 2026 World Athletics Indoor Championships, Torun, Poland VOLLEYBALL (WOMEN’S) 8 p.m. CBSSN — Major League Volleyball: Grand Rapids at Omaha About The Author troyderengowski61@gmail.com See author's posts Post navigation THE INDIANA SRN “SCOREBOARD” MARCH 19 THE INDIANA SRN “SCOREBOARD” MARCH 20
