Indiana University Baseball Player Hogan Denny Named Big Ten Freshman of the Week Hogan Denny, who played hero for the Hoosiers on Friday night against Ohio State, was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week on Monday evening, as announced by the league office. He is the second-straight IU player to earn the award after Cooper Malamazian was dealt the honor last week. Denny helped lead IU to a 4-0 week including a series sweep of Ohio State at Bart Kaufman Field. He had multi-hit efforts in all three games against the Buckeyes. His most important hit came in the bottom of the tenth on Friday evening – a RBI single over the head of the second baseman to score the winning run. He also had an important pinch-hit double in the eighth inning to keep the rally going.
He returned to the starting lineup on Sunday afternoon and finished the game going 2-for-3 with a home run, one run scored and three RBIs. Entering the month of March, he was batting just .050 on the season. Denny has worked that overall average up to .300 and could see more playing time as the designated hitter going forward. Denny is the 11th different IU player, and the second this year, to earn Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors under head coach Jeff Mercer (since 2019). It is the fourth-straight season that IU has had multiple players win the award in one year. It’s the fifth time overall that it has happened under Mercer (2019, 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025).
Indiana University Softball Falls to Iowa in Sunday Showdown Indiana and Iowa were in another close battle on Sunday afternoon at Andy Mohr Field. Like Saturday, the Hawkeyes stopped a Hoosier comeback late in the game to win by one run. Iowa won the conference battle, 6-5, to take both games of the two-game set on the weekend. With Indiana’s loss, the team’s record now stands at 19-7 and 0-2 in the Big Ten. Iowa scored early in the top of the first to make it 1-0 as Desiree Rivera hit a sac fly to deep right field to score Jena Young. The Hoosiers immediately responded with a run of their own after Taylor Minnick doubled to right field to bring Melina Wilkison in and make it 1-1 in the bottom of the first.
The second inning was scoreless before Iowa’s offense found life in the third and fourth inning. Allyssa Ramos hit a 3-run home run in the top of the third inning to make it 4-1. Then, Ramos was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to extend the lead to 5-1 in the fourth. Jena Young added Iowa’s final run later in the top of the fourth when she advanced on a wild pitch to make the lead 6-1. Brianna Copeland entered the game to pitch and put a stop to the Hawkeye bats after the Iowa lead got to five. Copeland commanded the game down the stretch, throwing eight strikeouts over the final three innings without allowing an earned run. Indiana broke down Iowa’s lead bit by bit in the final stretch. In the bottom of the fourth, Melina Wilkison walked with the bases loaded to make it 6-2. Then, in the fifth Copeland singled up the middle to bring the game to 6-3. The Hoosiers drew very close in the bottom of the sixth inning when Avery Parker hit a two-run home run over the right center field wall and narrow Iowa’s lead to just one. Indiana couldn’t string together the hits in the bottom of the seventh to even the score.
Avery Parker’s home run was her seventh on the season. Minnick, Parker and Copeland each had two hits in the game. Copeland had eight strikeouts in the circle. Jasmine Reyes made her first appearance at first base of the season. Five Hoosiers are hitting above .400 at the plate on the season: Taylor Minnick (.507), Madalyn Strader (.471), Kinsey Mitchell (.431), Avery Parker (.429) and Aly VanBrandt (.409). Indiana will return to play this evening when the team heads to Notre Dame for a road matchup with the Irish at 6 p.m.
Big Ten Conference Sets Record with 12 Programs Headed to the 2025 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament A record-setting 12 Big Ten Conference schools received berths into the 2025 NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship, the NCAA announced Sunday night. For the first time in conference history, 12 programs earned their way into the NCAA Tournament, led by No. 1 overall seed UCLA and No. 4 overall seed USC. The 12 berths were the top mark among all Division I conferences, followed by the SEC (10), ACC (8) and Big 12 (7). This marks the third and fourth times, respectively, a Big Ten program has garnered a No. 1 seed for the NCAA Tournament in the last three years. Iowa had been a top seed the past two years and reached consecutive national championship games. The 12 selections are a conference record for most teams chosen in one season. It is the 20th time in the past 24 years and 27th time in Big Ten history that at least six current conference members have been selected to compete in the NCAA Tournament.
The First four will be played Wednesday-Thursday (March 19-20) at four of the top 16 host sites, with the first-and second-round games being played on the campuses of the top 16 seeds from March 21-24. Tournament play then shifts to two eight-team regional sites in Birmingham, Ala. and Spokane, Wash., from March 28-31. The four regional winners will advance to the NCAA Final Four, which will take place April 4 at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla., before the NCAA Championship Game on Sunday, April 6 at 3 p.m. ET on ABC. The 2025 NCAA Tournament will be televised live on the ESPN family of networks and can also be seen on the ESPN app.
For the first time in conference history, UCLA is the Big Ten’s automatic qualifier into the NCAA Tournament after the Bruins won their first-ever Big Ten Tournament title. UCLA is the overall No. 1 seed for the first time in program history and earned a spot in the Spokane 1 Region. The Bruins will take on the winner of Wednesday’s First Four contest between No. 16 seeds UC San Diego and Southern inside Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles on Friday. The Bruins are making their 20th entry into the NCAA Tournament and own a 25-19 record in the postseason event. USC, the Big Ten regular-season champion, claimed the No. 4 overall seed and No. 1 seed in the Spokane 4 Region. The Trojans are hosting the opening rounds and will face No. 16 seed UNC Greensboro at the Galen Center in Los Angeles. USC is headed to its 19th NCAA Tournament, having won a pair of national titles in 1983 and 1984. The Trojans advanced to the Elite Eight a season ago and have a 32-16 mark in NCAA Tournament action.
Ohio State is making its 29th NCAA Tournament appearance after claiming the No. 4 seed in the Birmingham 3 Region. The Buckeyes are set to host in Columbus at the Schottenstein Center and challenge No. 13 seed Montana State in the first round. Ohio State also has a 32-28 postseason record. Maryland earned the No. 4 seed in the Birmingham 2 Region and is heading into its 32nd overall and 14th-straight NCAA Tournament appearance. The Terrapins will be hosting at XFINITY Center in College Park, Md., and will take on No. 13 seed Norfolk State.
Michigan garnered the No. 6 seed in the Birmingham 3 Region as it embarks on its 13th NCAA Tournament appearance. The Wolverines are slated to play the winner of the First Four matchup between No. 11 seeds Iowa State and Princeton in Notre Dame, Ind. and hold a 11-12 mark in the tournament. Iowa is coming off back-to-back showings in the national championship game in 2023 and 2024. The Hawkeyes, who gained entry into their 31st NCAA Tournament, secured the No. 6 seed in the Spokane 4 Region. Iowa will face No. 11 seed Murray State in the first round in Norman, Okla.
Michigan State will travel to Raleigh, N.C. as the No. 7 seed in the Spokane 1 Region to meet No. 10 seed Harvard. The Spartans are looking to improve on their 19-19 record as they embark on their 19th overall appearance. Illinois, the No. 8 seed in the Birmingham 3 Region, begins its journey against No. 9 seed Creighton in Austin, Texas. The Fighting Illini are back in the NCAA Tournament for the 10th time, first since 2023, and hold an 8-9 record in the event.
Indiana is making its 11th venture in the NCAA Tournament and maintains a 11-10 record. The Hoosiers earned the No. 9 seed in the Birmingham 2 Region and will prepare to meet No. 8 seed Utah in Columbia, SC. Nebraska is heading to its 17th NCAA Tournament after notching the No. 10 seed in the Birmingham 3 Region. The Huskers will see No. 7 seed Louisville in Fort Worth, Texas as they look to build on their 9-16 tournament mark.
Oregon is back in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 2021-22 season with its 18th overall appearance. The No. 10-seeded Ducks will open action in Durham, N.C. in the Birmingham 2 Region against No. 7 seed Vanderbilt and are 17-17 in tournament play. For the first time since the 2016-17 campaign, Washington has earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament as part of the Birmingham 2 Region. The 16-seeded Huskies, in their 20th appearance, are set to clash with No. 16 seed Columbia in Chapel Hill, N.C. as part of the First Four. Washington is hoping to improve their 21-19 record.
Butler Men’s Basketball to play in the College Basketball Crown Tournament in Las Vegas Butler made it to the College Basketball Crown Tournament. The Bulldogs will tipoff at 3 p.m. Eastern on Monday, March 31 against Utah. All of the Crown Tournament games are played in Las Vegas. This is the first year of the Crown Tournament. Butler went 14-19 this season and 6-14 in the Big East. This is the second straight year that Butler will play in a postseason tournament. The Bulldogs were in the NIT in 2024. They lost in the first round to Minnesota, 73-72. Butler has not been to the NCAA Tournament since 2018. The Bulldogs lost in the Big East Tournament quarterfinals to St. John’s, 78-57.
Clutch Plays Lead Taylor Trojans Softball to a Pair of One-Run Victories Over Spring Arbor On a day when the Trojans’ bats went cold, the fielding and pitching stepped up to deliver a pair of one-run victories over Spring Arbor on Monday night at Gudakunst Field. The offense was hot early, scoring three runs in the first inning of the day and leaving the bases loaded to take a commanding 3-0 lead. Kaylee Larkin began the hit parade with a home run to deep left field in her first game hitting out of the two-hole. Emri Agre drove in another run with a bases-loaded single as the caboose of three straight base knocks. Runs proved hard to find after that until a two-run home run in the third inning from Spring Arbor (9-8, 1-5 CL), who scored every one of their runs via the long ball in the opener.
Taylor held a one-run lead until the bottom of the fifth when Madisyn Standridge started a two-out rally with a walk. The junior stole second before her classmate, Delaynee McCreary, drove her in with a double to left-center field to get breathing room at 4-2. The Cougars responded with a pair of solo home runs to tie the game at four in the sixth. Heading into the bottom of the seventh with the score level, the Trojans had the top of the order at the plate. Larkin drew her second walk of the contest, and Claire Duncan pinch-ran for her at first. Livie Lehmann roped a double to right-center field to put a pair of runners in scoring position with one out. Standridge came to the plate and roped a line drive on the first pitch directly to the shortstop, who caught it and then threw the ball away in an attempt to double up Duncan at third. The freshman raced home for the winning run on a bizarre play to give TU a 5-4 win. Mackenzie Noah (4-2) was terrific inside the circle outside of the long balls, holding the Cougars to four runs on eight hits and striking out three without giving a free pass to any hitter throughout the game.
The nightcap followed a similar story as two freshmen, Jayci Kitchen and Hannah Lickey, teamed up to deliver a first inning run for the Trojans. Kitchen singled to begin the frame and advanced on a wild pitch before scoring on a single through the left side by Lickey. Claire Cullen (6-1) was dealing inside the circle, allowing just a single run in the third on a wild pitch. The righty allowed just two base knocks and stranded six runners on in a complete game victory. The Trojans had runners in scoring position with less than two outs in both the fourth and fifth innings but were unable to cash in to keep the score level at one. Lickey continued her terrific game with a double to left-center field to lead off the bottom of the sixth. McCreary notched her second hit of the day with a single to left to put runners on the corners with one out. McCreary stole second with one out, and after a strikeout, Bella Browning came to the plate. The freshman battled and sent a shot down the right field line, which toed the line into fair territory, and Lickey came around to score for a one-run advantage heading into the seventh. Cullen saved her best for the final inning. Holding a slim one-run lead and a runner at second with nobody out, the freshman hurler fanned two straight Cougars on full counts before inducing a weak grounder to first after another long at-bat to finish off Spring Arbor and complete the sweep. Taylor (13-5, 4-2 CL) heads on the road to face Huntington (11-7, 0-4 CL) in a doubleheader this afternoon beginning at 3:00 pm.
Taylor University Women’s Golfer Eleanor Schuitema Earns CL Player-of-the-Week Honors Eleanor Schuitema played to medalist honors for No. 19 Taylor at the Baker Invitational and has been selected as the Crossroads League Women’s Golfer of the Week. Schuitema fired rounds of 76 and 71 to win the individual title by four strokes. The first-place finish was Schuitema’s first in her young career with the Trojans and her round of 71 matched a collegiate best for the freshman. Behind the strong play from Schuitema, Taylor placed all five players inside the top-11 on the leaderboard and won its fourth team title of the 2024-2025 season. The honor is the first for Schuitema and the first for TU women’s golf this season. Taylor Athletics now boasts 47 athlete-of-the-week honors from the Crossroads League, MSFA and WHAC. Schuitema and No. 19 Taylor will return to action on March 21 and 22 at the Purgatory Intercollegiate.