Devin Taylor is Indiana University Baseball’s New Home Run King IU junior outfielder Devin Taylor broke the program’s all-time home record with his 48th career long ball on Saturday afternoon in Bloomington. Taylor came into the afternoon in a four-way tie for first place at 47 with Alex Dickerson, Mike Smith and Mike Sabo. The 6-foot-1 and 215-pound Taylor hit a fast ball to centerfield to move into sole possession of the school record. On the season, Taylor is batting .365 with 12 home runs and 42 RBIs. The Cincinnati, Ohio product is also top 10 all-time at IU in runs scored and slugging percentage. As a sophomore in 2024, Taylor earned First Team All-Big Ten and Third Team All-American honors. He was the Big Ten Freshman of the Year in 2023. Taylor is widely expected to be a first-round MLB Draft choice this summer. The home run came in a loss to Maryland at Bart Kaufman Field as the Hoosiers are 21-18 overall and 11-9 in the Big Ten after Saturday’s Loss. The Hoosiers are currently in eighth place in the Big Ten. 12 teams will make the new expanded conference tournament format (May 20-25, Omaha, Neb.).
No. 12 Indiana University Women’s Water Polo Completes Senior Day Win over No. 16 Michigan No. 12 Indiana capped off the regular season with a 14-11 victory over No. 16 Michigan at the Counsilman-Billingsley Aquatic Center on Saturday afternoon. Senior Sklyar Kidd recorded a team-high five goals. Junior goalie Jasmine Higgs set the pace early on with four blocks in the first quarter as Indiana (17-10) built a 4-1 lead thanks to two goals from Kidd. Michigan (16-10) retaliated in the second with five goals of their own to cut the lead to one but the Hoosiers as senior Portia Sasser and junior Louisa Downes to take an 8-6 halftime advantage. Kidd obtained her fourth goal early in the third quarter as the Indiana defense limited the Wolverines to just one goal in the frame and holding them without a goal for the final 4:52 of the third. The lead was as few as two early in the fourth, but Kidd’s fourth goal brought the game to a 12-9 lead as Michigan got no closer. Kidd led the way in her final appearance at CBAC with five goals, tying a season high. Senior Olivia Stark led the way with four assists while Sasser added a pair. Downes had a hat trick of her own with three goals while Klingler and Sasser each had a pair of scores. Higgs finished the afternoon with 12 saves and team-high three steals along with a steal and rew an exclusion. Indiana honored the program’s seven seniors in post-match festivities: Grace Hathaway, Skylar Kidd, Sarah Lolli, Portia Sasser, Olivia Stark, Sophia Sollie and Claire Witting. The Hoosiers will face off against the No. 2 seed (TBD) on Friday at the MPSF Championships at Spieker Aquatic Center in Los Angeles at 2pm Bloomington time 11am Los Angeles Time.
Former Indiana University Women’s Basketball Player Lexus Bargesser Transfers to Colorado State University Former Indiana guard Lexus Bargesser has found her next college home. Bargesser, who played three seasons for Indiana, is headed to Colorado State. Bargesser was part of Indiana’s Big Ten regular season championship team in 2023. Bargesser played a total of 90 games for the Hoosiers, starting nine of them, all during the 2023-24 season. The Grass Lake, Mich., native averaged 3.3 points over her Indiana career. She made 45.7% from the field and converted 31% of her 3-point shots. Bargesser peaked at 4.3 points and 21.6 minutes per game in 2024. Bargesser’s playing time slipped in 2025 to 17.4 minutes per game as the addition of Shay Ciezki allowed Indiana to have her play point in tandem with or in place of starter Chloe Moore-McNeil. Bargesser played behind, and sometimes with, Moore-McNeil during her Indiana career. Bargesser was also versatile enough to spell Sydney Parrish in the lineup – as she did during the 2024 season when Parrish was injured. Bargesser was a dependable defensive presence for the Hoosiers. She is one of the reasons Indiana ranked no lower than third in Big Ten scoring defense during her career. Bargesser is the fifth former Hoosier to find her new basketball home. Julianna LaMendola (Grand Canyon), Yarden Garzon (Maryland), Sharnecce Currie-Jelks (Murray State) and Lilly Meister (Kansas) all previously announced their future schools. Henna Sandvik has yet to announce her new school. Indiana has added Zania Socka-Nguemen, a 6-3 transfer forward from UCLA. Former Virginia forward Edessa Noyan has also committed. Guards Chloe Spreen (Alabama) and Phoenix Stotijn (Arkansas) have also committed to the Hoosiers. The Indiana newcomers join a roster that also includes guards Shay Ciezki, Lenee Beaumont and Kadlecova as well as forwards Faith Wiseman and Sydney Fenn.
The Indiana Pacers cruise to a Game 1 Playoff Win over the Milwaukee Bucks at Gainbridge Fieldhouse There was a buzz in Gainbridge Fieldhouse. The gold shirts were set out on every seat in the building. The playoffs were getting started. The buzz in the arena seemed to be felt by the Pacers. They captured the lead with just under nine minutes left and never gave it back, winning Game 1 of the series against the Bucks, 117-98. The Pacers hit five straight shots early in the first quarter, igniting the crowd and they carried that momentum throughout the rest of the first half, where they took a 24-point lead into halftime. Andrew Nembhard resumed his playoff form from last season. He had 15 points in the first half on 7-8 shooting, including a deep three with less than a minute left in the second quarter. He had 17 points in the game. “I feel like ever since I was a young kid, I’ve always liked to play in big games like this,” Nembhard said. “My pops used to coach when we used to play Little League, and we always used to go to the championship, and I couldn’t sleep the night before. So, I like playing winning hoops in fun environments like this.”
“Pascal (Siakam) and Myles (Turner) got it started,” Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton said. “Drew (Andrew Nembhard) got it started getting out and running. And, you know, we just followed those guys. And I think that, really a lot of that first half, we just kept playing the right way, getting stops and running, and that’s where we’re at our best. The Pacers built a lead as big as 28 points. It got cut down to 12 points late in the fourth quarter, but a Myles Turner three-pointer with just under two minutes left all but sealed the game. Pascal Siakam led the Pacers in scoring with 25 points. “I think the average person watching the game wouldn’t presume that he was 10-15 (FG) with 25 points,” Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said. “A lot of his baskets come in timely parts of the game, and for some reason, they kind of get overlooked.”
Six players scored in double figures for the Pacers. Giannis Antetokounmpo had a big day for the Bucks, scoring 36 points. But the supporting cast for the Bucks did not have a good day. As a team, they shot just 9-37 (24.3%) from three. The Pacers won Game 1 of a playoff series for the first time since 2018 in the first round against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Pacers and Bucks played in the first round of the playoffs last season, with the Pacers winning in six games. Game 2 of the series is scheduled for Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Carmel High School Names Former Franklin College Women’s Basketball Coach Jessica Darmelio to take over the Girls Basketball Program Jessica Darmelio has been named Carmel girls basketball coach, athletic director Jim Inskeep announced Friday afternoon. Darmelio spent the previous three seasons as head women’s basketball coach at Division III Franklin College where she amassed a record of 40-36. She guided her alma mater to a 17-10 finish in her second season — a nine-win improvement from the year before and the program’s most wins since 2019-20. Darmelio also coached at Marian, where she helped guide the Knights to 30 wins and a trip to the NAIA National Tournament in 2021-22. Prior to entering the college coaching ranks, the Perry Meridian graduate built a record of 98-46 over six seasons as a high school coach. She led Clinton Prairie (2015-18) to a sectional runner-up finish in 2017 and a 20-4 record the following season, then compiled a record of 37-11 from 2018-20 at Martinsville. Darmelio led Perry Meridian to the 2020-21 sectional championship game in her lone season as head coach. Darmelio replaces Rick Risinger, who was 21-25 in his two seasons as head coach. “We are excited for Jessica to lead our program and work with our student-athletes,” Inskeep said in a statement. “She has great energy and is ready to make an impact on our current Greyhounds and younger players in our school district.”
Former Purdue University Men’s Basketball Player Will Berg Transfers to Wichita State University Former Purdue reserve center Will Berg has found a new home. Friday night, the 7-foot-2 rising junior announced his commitment to Wichita State. Berg made his announcement in a social media post on Instagram. He joins a Shockers squad that finished the 2024-25 campaign with a 19-15 record and made an appearance in the NIT. Berg was one of four Purdue men’s basketball players to enter the NCAA transfer portal following the conclusion of the 2024-25 season, along with Brian Waddell, Myles Colvin and Camden Heide. Colvin (Wake Forest) and Heide (Texas) have already announced their new destinations. This past season, Berg appeared in 22 games at Purdue, making three starts. He averaged 1.8 points and 1.3 rebounds per game. Early in the season, when 7-foot-4 freshman Daniel Jacobsen sustained an injury, Berg was called upon to be the starting center for the Boilermakers. Later in the year, Matt Painter tweaked the lineup, and Berg took on a role off the bench. At times, minutes were sparse for the 7-foot-2 center, but he played a big role in Purdue’s NCAA Tournament run to the Sweet 16. In the first round game against High Point, Berg came off the bench and gave Purdue 11 quality minutes, scoring four points and grabbing two rebounds. He also made a difference on the defensive end of the floor, helping lead the Boilers to a 75-63 victory. Berg then logged two minutes each in games against McNeese (second round) and Houston (Sweet 16). Berg will have two years of eligibility to use at Wichita State.