Indianapolis Indians’ Randy Lewandowski Named on IBJ Media’s Annual Indiana 250 List IBJ Media announced that Indianapolis Indians president and CEO Randy Lewandowski has been named among its fourth annual Indiana 250 list of the state’s most influential business and community leaders. The list is compiled by executives, editors and newsroom staff from IBJ Media’s three news branches based on nominations, research and consultation with community leaders. Lewandowski, in his 32nd season with the Indians after first joining the front office as a ticket office intern prior to the 1994 campaign, was elevated to president and CEO in April 2024 after serving as president and general manager since November 2016. He was named as Minor League Baseball’s Executive of the Year following a 2024 campaign in which the Indians led all 120 MiLB teams in average attendance (8,405) for the first time since 2017 and amassed record-setting revenue numbers for the third consecutive year. With an overall attendance of 588,363 – good for second highest in MiLB – the team continued its reign as MiLB’s overall attendance leader over the last 14 seasons combined.
“Every year, we see fresh faces stepping up and driving meaningful change across Indiana,” IBJ Media CEO Nate Feltman said in a press release. “The Indiana 250 is a snapshot of those bold thinkers and doers who are shaping the future of our state — from innovative entrepreneurs to dedicated community advocates. It’s truly inspiring to witness the depth of talent and passion making Indiana a great place to live and work.” Under Lewandowski’s leadership, the Indians impact on the Circle City community has grown exponentially. In 2024, Indianapolis Indians Charities distributed $250,000 across 19 community partners and has donated over $1.3 million to its pillars of youth development, family success, education and neighborhood development since its founding in 2019.
The growth of Victory Field Events in utilizing Victory Field as a year-round event space has not only increased connection with the community but generated additional revenue beyond baseball season with both public and private events. In 2024, Lewandowski oversaw the addition of non-game day events including three Savannah Bananas games, Baseb(All) Too Well celebrating Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour and various community events and fundraisers. Beyond the ballpark, Lewandowski is active in the Indianapolis community. In 2015, he spearheaded a partnership between the Indians and Indianapolis RBI and now serves as chairman on the organization’s board of directors. He also currently serves on the board of directors for the Indianapolis Public Safety Foundation, Greater Indianapolis Progress Committee, Indy Chamber and Indianapolis Indians Charities, and sits on MLB’s International League Scheduling committee. Lewandowski joins a robust group of sports professionals among this year’s Indiana 250 list. He is named alongside Catch the Stars foundation founder Tamika Catchings, University of Notre Dame head football coach Marcus Freeman, Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton, Indy Ignite co-owner Jim Schumacher, NCAA vice president JoAnn Scott and Indiana Sports Corp president Patrick Talty.
Indiana Fever Relaunch the Popular “Stranger Things” Jersey The Indiana Fever are returning to the Upside Down with the relaunch of their “Stranger Things” special edition jersey. The re-release coincides with the upcoming fifth and final season of the hit Netflix series, which is set in the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana. The Fever first debuted the “Stranger Things”-inspired uniform in 2021, and it quickly became a fan favorite across the league. The limited-edition jersey — on sale now — features a dark retro design with red and black hues, vintage “Stranger Things” font, Demogorgon claw accents, and “011” on the waistband, referencing the beloved character, Eleven. “This jersey represents the fierce spirit of our team and the fearless energy of Stranger Things – two forces that never back down,” Fever Chief Operating Officer and General Manager Amber Cox. Fans can buy the new jersey in adult and youth sizes at the Fever Team Store inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse and online at FeverTeamStore.com. The special edition “Stranger Things” uniform will make its on-court debut Tonight when the Fever (12-12) host the Las Vegas Aces.
Additional games include: July 30 vs. Phoenix August 9 vs. Chicago August 12 vs. Dallas August 26 vs. Seattle August 29 at Los Angeles September 9 vs. Minnesota
“Stranger Things” Season 5 will be released in three parts, starting with Volume 1 on Nov. 26. Volume 2 arrives on Dec. 25, with The Finale on Dec. 31. Each volume releases at 8 p.m. ET.
Indianapolis Indians take care of the Toledo Mudhens in the Series Opener at Victory Field The Indianapolis Indians rallied for four runs in the fifth inning, headlined by a two-run shot from Billy Cook, and held the Toledo Mud Hens offense at bay as they took Game 1 of their six-game set at Victory Field, 7-1. The Indians’ (15-7, 57-39) big inning broke a scoreless tie between the two clubs. Ronny Simon and Ji Hwan Bae each singled and advanced to scoring position before Nick Solak drove them both in with a single of his own, chasing Toledo (12-10, 51-46) starter Wilkel Hernandez (L, 3-5).Billy Cook capped the inning and doubled the lead with a two-run home run, his second homer in as many games and his fourth in his last six played. Toledo and Indy traded runs in the sixth.
Justyn-Henry Malloy provided the lone spark for the Mud Hens with a lead-off home run in Toledo’s half. Jared Triolo responded with a double to lead off Indy’s half of the inning and moved to third on a line out, setting up Tsung-Che Cheng to pad Indy’s lead with a sacrifice fly. Bae cushioned Indy’s advantage and capped the scoring with his fourth hit of the day, a two-RBI double, in the eighth. Since returning from the 7-day IL on June 27, Bae is hitting .359 (23-for-64) with two doubles three triples, 11 RBI and a .911 OPS. Thomas Harrington (W, 7-8) turned in a great performance for Indy, fanning seven Mud Hens across 5.2one-run innings. He improved to 3-0 with a 2.75 ERA and a1.17 WHIP in four July starts. Randy Labaut, Ryan Borucki and Kyle Nicolas followed out of the bullpen, holding the Mud Hens to one hit, one walk and no runs across the final 3.2 frames.
Indiana Fever Fall to the New York Liberty in the First Game After the All-Star Break The Indiana Fever (12-12) suffered a 98-84 loss to the New York Liberty at Barclays Center on Tuesday night, both teams’ first regular-season game following the WNBA All-Star Game. In the first quarter, the Fever and the Liberty traded buckets, ending the quarter with Liberty leading by a point. Natasha Howard scored eight points, while four points from both Aliyah Boston and Kelsey Mitchell contributed to the 23-22 score. With 10 points from Mitchell and five points from Aari McDonald, the Indiana Fever led the New York Liberty 46-42 at the end of the first half. The Liberty took back the lead, 69-67, by the end of the third quarter with the Fever trailing by two points. The home side would continue to pull away over the final period, using a 19-3 run over the end of the third and start of the fourth, eventually earning the victory.
Aliyah Boston earned her 1,500th career point with a layup at the 3:33 mark of the first quarter. Kelsey Mitchell finished the night with 29 points, extending her double-digit scoring streak to 23 games, posting 10+ points in every game so far this season. Lexie Hull earned her 600th career point in the first quarter, ending the night with 7 points. Kelsey Mitchell became the fourth player in WNBA history to record at least 50 made three pointers in each of her first eight seasons. Aliyah Boston recorded her 33rd career and ninth season double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds. Aliyah Boston became the 5th overall Indiana Fever franchise history in offensive rebounds. The Indiana Fever return home to Gainbridge Fieldhouse to face the Las Vegas Aces this evening at 7 PM.
Fail Harder wins The Basketball Tournament Indianapolis Regional at Hinkle Fieldhouse Fail Harder came into the Basketball Tournament as the #7 Seed in the Indianapolis Regional and walks out as the champions as they knocked off Top Seed and defending TBT Champion Carmen’s Crew which is the Ohio State Alumni Team 68-62 Tuesday Night at Hinkle Fieldhouse. Fail Harder which is a team of players who played High School and or College Basketball in the State of Indiana was put together by 2016 Indiana Mr. Basketball Kyle Guy who graduated from Lawrence Central High School in Indianapolis and won the 2019 National Championship and was named the Most Outstanding Player for the Virginia Cavaliers. Guy is now an Assistant Coach for another Indiana Mr. Basketball and Indiana Hoosier Legend in Steve Alford at the University of Nevada.
The Basketball Tournament is a $1 Millon Dollar winner take all tournament that started with 61 teams playing at 8 sites around the country. Fail Harder knocked off #2 Seed Assembly Ball which the Indiana Hoosier Alumni Team 89-76 on Saturday and #3 All Good Dawgs which is Butler’s Alumni Team 80-77 on Monday Night. Darius Adams who played at the University of Indianapolis scored 19 points and Joshua Price who played at the University of Southern Indiana added 11 points in Tuesday Night’s game. Carmen’s Crew beat Fort Wayne Champs 73-69 in the first game Monday Night. Fail Harder will play in the Quarterfinals of The Basketball Tournament This Sunday at 7 PM on Fox Sports 1 against the winner of the Syracuse Regional between the #4 Seed We Are D3 and the #2 Stars of Storrs which is the University of Connecticut Alumni Team.
In Addition to the 11 Former Indiana University Players that were on the Assembly Ball Roster there were two former Hoosiers that played in this regional for other teams. Luke Goode a graduate of Homestead High School in Fort Wayne played for Fort Wayne Champs scoring 18 points in 32 minutes of action in two games as Fort Wayne Champs beat Locked in Elite 103-56 in Round 1. Rob Phinisee who played for IU and the University of Cincinnati started and played 31 minutes scoring 6 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal for GoTime Green Machine as they lost to Carmen’s Crew 78-67 in Round 1.
Monroe County Schools Honored by the IHSAA for Sportsmanship Bloomington South, Edgewood, Lighthouse Christian Academy and Seven Oaks Classical School were among the 317 Schools that received First Team All Sportsmanship by the Indiana High School Athletic Assocation on Tuesday. Bloomington North was one of 52 schools to receive Honorable Mention All Sportsmanship. During the 2024-25 School Year the IHSAA began recognizing schools’ sportsmanship and adherence to the principles of wholesome amateur athletics in this new way. As Part of the IHSAA’s continuing Sportsmanship/Leadership program school administrators are able to monitor their score daily on the member schools-only my IHSAA Website. Those Schools who have accumulated 100 Points were recognized as “First Team All-Sportsmanship” and those with 95 points are recognized as “Honorable Mention All-Sportsmanship”.
These scores are based solely on deductions for the spring season so they will not reflect the ongoing total sportsmanship score for a school if the school engaged in activities to earn points through the sportsmanship program. Seasonal Sportsmanship Awards recognize schools at the end of the season based on scores for an individual season. For example, spring sportsmanship scores are based solely on the spring sports regardless of what sportsmanship score was achieved in the fall and winter. Points are deducted by contest ejections of players, coaches, administrators and fans.