Bloomington South competes at the IHSAA Boys Golf State Finals
The Bloomington South Panthers are competing at the IHSAA Boys State Finals at the Prairie View Golf Club in Carmel Indiana. The First Round starts at 8 AM and Panthers will tee off beginning at 9:40 and going every ten minutes until 10:20 AM when Senior Happy Gilmore will tee off. The Panthers will consist of Sophomores Carson Gady and Colton Watson along with Seniors Like Garrett, Connor Byon along with Gilmore who is headed to Ball State. The Second Round will get underway Wednesday Morning at 8 AM as all teams and individuals will play all 36 holes during the two-day state finals.
The Panthers won the Sectional at Cascades Golf Course and finished second in the Regional at Country Oaks Golf Course in Washington. Bloomington South is making its 22nd appearance at boys Golf State Finals and 38th overall as Bloomington HS made 16 appearances between 1933 and 1972. The Panthers have made the state finals the last four years. Bloomington South was runner up in 1997 and Bloomington HS won the State title in 1939 and runner up in 1940 and 1947.
The 18 Teams competing for the State Title are Westfield, Evansville North, Hamilton Southeastern, Valparaiso, Homestead, Center Grove Warsaw, Floyd Central, Zionsville, Bloomington South, Guerin Catholic, Castle, Noblesville, Indianapolis Cathedral, Chesterton, Madison Leo and Trinity School at Greenlawn. They all finished in the top 3 of the team standings at the regionals to advance as a team.
There are 18 individuals from 17 schools that include Fairfield, Providence, Benton Central, Gibson Southern, Pendleton Heights Elkhart, Westview, Greenwood Christian, Carroll (Flora), Jasper Tipton, Andrean, Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian, Eastbrook, Carmel, Shelbyville and Penn who advance as the top three individuals from the regionals that were not on advancing teams. Gibson Southern had two individuals advancing during the regionals at Washington.
The Hoosier Army Falls in the Semifinals of the Soccer Tournament
The Hoosier Army fell in the Semifinals of the Soccer Tournament 3-1 to LA Bombonera in Cary North Carolina. The Soccer Tournament is a $1 million dollar winner take all 7 on 7 tournament featuring 64 teams from all over the world. The Hoosier Army is comprised of former Indiana University Men’s Soccer Players who represent the incredible tradition that is Indiana University men’s Soccer. The Hoosier Army went 3-0 in Group K Play scoring 13 goals and giving up 3 scoring 9 points against the Georgetown Alumni Hoya Nation, Freedom United SC and Trident FC. The Hoosier Army beat Villarreal FC 4-0 in the Round of 32 Freedom United SC 2-0 in the round of 16 and the CONCAFA Soccer Club 1-0 In the quarterfinals. The CONCAFA Soccer Clubs is a team that was put together by former Indianapolis Colts Punter and ESPN Personality Pat McAfee. This is second year of the The Soccer Tournament and last year the Hoosier Army did not not advance past the group stage based on goal differential.
Indiana University Baseball’s Devin Taylor earns USA Baseball Training Camp invite
Fresh off a prolific sophomore campaign for the Indiana Baseball team, outfielder Devin Taylor was selected to participate in the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team Training Camp this summer. The 56-player roster features the top, non-draft-eligible athletes in college baseball. The collection of invited players will feature in a two-game Stars vs. Stripes intrasquad series in North Carolina on June 26th and 27th before naming a final squad for a series of summer events. USA Baseball will announce a final Collegiate National Team-inclusive roster for an International Friendship Series against Chinese Taipei. There will also be a Summer League Tour roster that takes on select teams from both the Appalachian League and the Coastal Plain League. The two sides will end the summer of USA Baseball with a Fourth of July friendly in Fayetteville, N.C.
Taylor, a back-to-back First Team All-Big Ten selection, tore up the competition in 2024 for the Hoosiers. The Cincinnati, Ohio native hit .357 across 59 games, smashing 20 home runs with 54 RBIs, 86 hits, 11 doubles, 67 runs and 37 walks. He became the first IU player with 20 home runs in a season during the BBCOR bat era (since 2011). In just two seasons of college baseball, Taylor has hit .338 over 114 games with 149 hits. His 36 home runs are second most in program history across the first two years of a player’s career behind only Alex Dickerson (38 – 2009-10). Taylor is the first player in IU history to earn First Team Big Ten honors in both of his first two seasons of college baseball. The last Hoosiers to participate in the Collegiate National Team system were Sam Travis and Kyle Schwarber, following their sophomore seasons in 2013. Taylor will be the sixth player in program history to feature in the USA National Team Training Camp.
Four Indiana University Men’s Track and Field Hoosiers earn USTFCCCA All-America Honors
The U.S. Track and Field Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) released their All-Americans for the 2023-2024 outdoor track and field season on Monday afternoon that included four Hoosiers. Camden Marshall and Sean Mockler achieved Second Team All-American status after they placed in the top-16 in their respective events. Marshall is now a 4x All-American after claiming three indoor honors. Mockler also picked up his second All-American award after his performance in the hammer throw. Tyler Carrel and Skylar Stidam claimed Honorable Mention All-America after placing 17th-24th in their events. To earn First-Team All-American honors Athletes of member institutions must finish in the top-8 of their respective individual events and relays at the 2024 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championship. Those who placed ninth through 16th individually and as part of a relay earned Second-Team All-America while the remaining athletes were honorable mention.
Indy Eleven shutout Birmingham Legion in Alabama Sunday night
Indy Eleven went on the road and defeated Birmingham Legion FC, 1-0, on Sunday evening at Protective Stadium. The Boys in Blue improve to 8-4-2 overall, including a 5-2-1 road record, while Birmingham falls to 5-5-3. With the win, the Boys in Blue are now unbeaten in 11 straight matches across all competitions, including a club-best seven wins in USL Championship matches. The last loss for Indy came on April 13 against Charleston Battery, who sits just three points ahead of third-place Indy in the Eastern Conference standings. Indy is now only one of 11 teams in USL Championship history to make it seven straight unbeaten.
Indy’s leading goal scorer Jack Blake got things started for the visiting team in the 34th minute, converting on his fifth penalty kick of the season. In addition to being a perfect 5-for-5 from the spot in 2024, Blake now has eight goals this campaign (T3 USLC) and 11 total over two seasons with the Boys in Blue. His five successful PKs are also the third most all-time for an Indy player in USL Championship action. Indy is 6-for-6 from the spot this season (Williams) and has scored 15 first-half goals, the second most for a USL Championship team in 2024 (Charleston, 16). The Boys in Blue outshot Birmingham 21-14 in the match, including a 9-1 advantage in shots on target. Blake posted a season-high eight shots and four on target.
Defensively, Callum Chapman-Page won a game-high three tackles and led the match with four clearances. Hunter Sulte was forced to make one save and picked up his second clean sheet in seven matches. The Boys in Blue have scored in 14 straight USLC matches to open the 2024 season, bringing their total to 26 goals. The streak is the longest to open a USLC campaign and is the longest run overall within the same USLC season for the club. In all, Indy has scored in 17 straight USL Championship regular season matches dating back to Sept. 30, 2023. Indy returns home to host San Antonio FC on Saturday. Kick is slated for 7pm and will air locally on WISH-TV and stream on ESPN+.
Taylor University Softball’s Kaylee Larkin named NAIA All-American
The NAIA announced its 2024 Softball All-Americans earlier this week and Taylor sophomore, Kaylee Larkin, was honored as a Second-Team selection. Larkin is the fourth softball athlete to earn NAIA All-American Honors for Taylor and the first since 2015, joining Lauren Ehle, Alex Lovelace, and Davis Carter on the all-time list of Taylor softball NAIA All-Americans. Larkin was one of 16 underclassmen among the 65 student-athletes named a First, Second, or Third-Team NAIA All-American and was among a group of six Crossroads League performers to earn the accolade.
Larkin had one of the best offensive seasons in program history during her sensational sophomore season. The designated player led the team in hits (66), home runs (14), RBI (41), walks (29), batting average (.437), on-base percentage (.527), and slugging percentage (.821). The Brownsburg, Indiana native set two single-season program records with the best slugging percentage and highest on-base percentage of anyone receiving 100 at-bats or more. Larkin was one of the premier sluggers in the NAIA, ranking seventh in home runs, eleventh with 30 extra-base hits, and eleventh in total bases with 124 while placing 15th in slugging percentage. The sophomore ended her campaign on an 18-game hitting streak, which helped her collect a base knock in all but nine contests during an incredible breakout season. Larkin led a terrific offense for Taylor, which returns seven of the regulars in the lineup, while all three pitchers also return for the Trojans.
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