Indiana University Baseball takes down Vanderbilt in Nashville A career day from sophomore catcher Hogan Denny was everything that the Indiana Baseball team (8-12, 1-5 B1G) needed and more. The Indiana native was involved in all five runs in a 5-1 win over Vanderbilt (13-9, 2-1 SEC) on Tuesday (March 17) afternoon at Hawkins Field. He smashed two home runs (four RBIs) and scored on an RBI single from sophomore first baseman Jake Hanley in IU’s fourth midweek win of the year. After being swept in a tight series at Oregon, IU traveled all the way to Tennessee and went right back to work. Four pitchers, led by graduate student southpaw Conner Linn (W, 2-0), combined to allow one run over nine innings. Linn worked 3.2 shutout frames while racking up a season-high five strikeouts. He earned his second win of the year – both in midweek victories.
The Hoosiers kept the hosts scoreless through the first seven innings before an RBI single from Chris Maldonado spoiled the shutout. Redshirt junior right-handed pitcher and graduate student right-handed pitcher Gavin Seebold combined on 3.1 scoreless frames in relief. Freshman reliever Ivan Mastalski struck out three batters in two innings without giving up a walk. Denny’s seventh-inning home run was the clutch hit that IU has been searching for over the last two weeks. He extended IU’s lead to five runs and provided valuable insurance to counter Vanderbilt’s comeback attempt. All four of Denny’s hits went for extra bases. It was his second career game (both this year) with multiple home runs.
Tuesday’s win was the first over an SEC opponent since beating Kentucky in the 2023 Lexington Regional. It moves IU to 4-0 in midweek contests this season. In those four games, the Hoosiers are outscoring opponents 42-12. Sophomore outfielder Caleb Koskie, who had a two-hit day, is hitting .667 (8-12) in Tuesday/Wednesday games. The Hoosiers are back home in Bloomington this weekend after a long spring break trip. Minnesota will be in town to face IU for a three-game conference set at Bart Kaufman Field. IU is looking to pick up its first conference series win of the year after dropping weekends with Washington and Oregon.
Former Indiana Hoosier Jessica Mercier Joins Team USA for the World Athletics Indoor Championship Former Indiana Hoosier Jessica Mercier has been named to the USATF National team that will compete in the World Athletics Indoor Championship. The championship will take place over three days (March 20-22) from the Kujawsko-Pomorska Arena in Torun, Poland. The current Indiana women’s indoor pole vault record holder is set to compete on the final day of competition starting at 12:55 pm EST.
Butler University Men’s Basketball Head Coach Thad Matta Announces Retirement It’s the end of an era for Butler University. Men’s basketball head coach Thad Matta announced his retirement from coaching on Monday morning. Matta will remain at the university to serve as Special Assistant to the President and Athletic Director. “After taking some time to reflect following the end of the season, I have decided that the time has come for me to step away from the sidelines,” Matta said in a statement. “It feels especially meaningful that I conclude my coaching career here. Butler has always meant more to us than just basketball—and that connection is why I’m grateful to continue working with the University and offering my help in any way I can.”
During his two stints as the Bulldogs’ head coach, Matta compiled a record of 87-77. His first season as head coach in 2000-2001 resulted in a then-school record 24 wins and a conference championship. His most recent tenure, which began in 2022, included postseason bids to the NIT and the College Basketball Crown. Matta ends his head coaching career with an overall record of 502-223. He won eight conference regular-season championships during tenures at Butler, Xavier, and Ohio State. His teams advanced to the NCAA Tournament 13 times, reaching the Final Four twice and appearing in one national championship game. “It is hard to fully capture in words what the Matta family has meant to Butler University and to our men’s basketball program,” Grant Leiendecker, vice president and athletic director for Butler University, said. “As a student-athlete, two assistant coaching tenures and then twice as head coach at Butler, Thad has given so much to our university, and his impact on our student-athletes has been life-changing.”
Before his coaching career, Matta was a high school standout at Hoopeston-East Lynn in Illinois. He played at Southern Illinois before transferring to Butler, where he was a two-year starter. He earned a Bachelor of Science in education from the university in 1990. He served as a Butler assistant twice before his first appointment as head coach in 2000. Leiendecker says Butler has started a nationwide search for another head coach who “aligns with our values, fits with our institution and will lead us to compete among the nation’s elite.” “We have such an incredible fan base, a storied tradition, play in an iconic home venue, reside in one of the best basketball states in the nation and compete in a truly elite BIG EAST Conference, and I am confident that we will develop a strong pool of candidates. The future is bright for Butler Basketball, and I can’t wait to introduce our new head coach to Bulldog Nation!”
Fishers High School Boys Basketball Coach Garrett Winegar Steps Down to Head to an Iowa Prep School Fishers High School boy’s basketball coach Garrett Winegar has resigned. Winegar has accepted a job on the coaching staff of Iowa United Prep, a relatively new prep school in Des Moines. Winegar had been the head coach at Fishers since 2021. Winegar had been pursued by Mark Scharnberg, the founder and owner of Iowa United. While making such a move was never something Winegar had planned, he told The Reporter that joining the Iowa United coach staff “aligned with my vision of how I want to do things.” “I think it’s a good step in my career to advance in my career and it’s a good opportunity for my family,” said Winegar.
Iowa United’s head coach is Keith Smart, who Indiana University fans remember as the man who hit the winning basket to bring the Hoosiers their 1987 NCAA championship. Smart has coached numerous NBA teams throughout his career and recently joined Iowa United as well. Winegar compiled a 132-25 record as the Tigers’ head coach, putting together a winning season in all six of his years. Fishers has finished the past three seasons with an 83-3 record, winning a Class 4A state championship in 2024 and returning to the state title game in 2025. While Winegar was aware of the opportunity “for a while,” he said he made it clear there would be no in-season switch. He would not leave until the end of Fishers’ season.
“I hoped it would be a little bit later in March, but that’s how things worked out,” said Winegar. After taking a few days off, the coach consulted with his wife to “see what made sense for us.” Winegar said he made a quick decision to give Fishers plenty of time to find a new coach, saying he owed that to the Tigers. “It makes it very difficult to leave somewhere you love,” said Winegar. “It’s very bittersweet. We’ve prayed about this for a long time and where we’re supposed to go and we feel that a door’s been opened that we want to walk through.”
“I’m very proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish,” said Winegar. He also said he’s grateful for all of his players, assistant coaches and parents that have supported him over the past six years, calling Fishers “a special place.” “No matter where my career ends up, I’ll always remember this as some of the best six years of my career,” said Winegar.
Taylor Trojans Women’s Tennis Fall at DePauw in Final Non-Conference Dual Maddy Fuqua earned Taylor’s lone point with a gritty three-set victory at No. 1 singles, but NCAA Division III DePauw controlled the rest of the lineup in a 6-1 win over the Trojans (4-6) on Tuesday afternoon. Fuqua provided the bright spot in singles. After taking the first set 6-3 at No. 1 singles against King, she dropped the second 4-6 before pulling away in the match tiebreak 10-6 for TU’s only point of the afternoon. Newcomer Delaney Dahl also competed well at No. 6 singles, winning the opening set 6-2 over Abby Short before falling 6-4 in the second and 10-3 in the tiebreak.
Elsewhere in the singles lineup, DePauw (4-8) won in straight sets at the No. 2 through No. 5 flights. Loch defeated Ellie Schaufelberger 6-0, 6-2 at No. 2, Doherty topped Evy Danemayer 6-1, 6-1 at No. 3, O’Neal moved past Anna Stone 6-1, 6-2 at No. 4, and Stamm defeated Gracie Frazier 6-0, 6-1 at the No. 5 flight. TU was chasing the doubles point from the start. The Tigers’ Elle Loch and Allie Stamm blanked Schaufelberger and Dahl 6-0 at No. 2 doubles, and Katie King and Ayden Zinkovich topped Danemayer and Frazier 6-1 at No. 3 to clinch the point before No. 1 doubles was completed. Fuqua and Stone trailed 4-5 against Briah O’Neal and Valerie Doherty when the match was left unfinished. The result closes the non-conference portion of the schedule for the Trojans, who will commence Crossroads League play this weekend. Taylor hosts No. 23 Bethel on Saturday with first serve set for 1 p.m. at the Taylor Tennis Complex.
Taylor Trojans Adds 17 NAIA Scholar-Athlete Awards from Winter Sports The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics recently announced its Scholar-Athletes from the sports of basketball and competitive cheer, with Taylor having 17 student-athletes recognized. In order to receive the NAIA Scholar-Athlete award, a student-athlete must own a cumulative grade-point average of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale, must have attended one full year at their current institution and must be nominated by their head coach.
Taylor’s NAIA Scholar-Athletes from Winter Sports – Women’s Basketball-Kalyn Bunch, Emma Fohl, Quinn Kelly, Katie Moyer, McKaylah Musselman, Kendall Sietsema and Whitney Warfel. Competitive Cheer-Emma Barile, Alexis Bunch, Brey Knavel, MacKenna Morris, David Musser and Anna Osler. Men’s Basketball-Pete Combs, Joey Heaston, Nate Paarlberg and Jackson Ullum.
Taylor University Football earns 35 Academic All-MSFA Honors The Mid-States Football Association announced its 2025 All-Academic Team honors recently, with Taylor taking 35 awards for the second-highest total in the 12-team league. In order to be eligible for Academic All-MSFA recognition, a student-athlete must possess a minimum grade-point average of 3.25, must have reached sophomore status academically and must be nominated by their head coach.
Taylor’s 2025 Academic All-MSFA Recipients- Brady Beall, Alex Boothby, Luke Etchison, Owen Frasure, Luke Graft, Harrison Grenert, Matthew Hager
Noah Heinen, Jake Halderman, Carter Jenkins, Wade Jones, Treyton Keele, Owen Kerlikowske, Silas Martin, Hayden McDonald, Reid Messer, Garrett Mooney
Aiden O’Dell, JJ Payne, Isaac Rans, Caleb Ranzau, David Richardson, Dawson Scally, Larry Schoenefeld, Justin Schroeder, Nate Slager, Grady Stanley, Kyle Stratton, Seth Tolliver, Adam Watson, David Wells, David Worlds, Carter Wortman, Aidan Zimmer and Chase Zimmerman.