Local Sports Headlines: May 8, 2023

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Indiana University Athletics celebrates Spring Commencement
The Indiana Department of Athletics honored 118 graduates on Saturday, May 6, upon commencement from Indiana University. “Congratulations to our graduating Class of 2023,” said Indiana University Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Scott Dolson. “This group has fulfilled our department’s ultimate goal for each of our students – to earn an Indiana University degree. I’m excited for each of them that this day has arrived, and equally thrilled for their families and loved ones who have been parts of their journeys.” Indiana Student-Athletes Eligible for Graduation in Spring/Summer 2023- Baseball, Alec Bolanowksi, Ty Bothwell, Wes Burton, Blayne Deaton, Matthew Ellis, Hunter Jessee, Alexander Ogg, Tucker Schank, Ethan Vecrumba, Bobby Whalen and Craig Yoho. Field Hockey-Madison Guyer. Football- Matthew Bedford, Zach Carpenter, Dalton Davis, Davis Ellis, Chris Freeman, Nicholas Grieser, Myles Jackson, Will Jontz, Cameron Knight, Deland McCullough II, Caleb Murphy, Sio Nofoagatoto’a, McCall Ray, Peter Schulz, Emery Simmons, Tim Weaver
Brett Wethington, Antoine Whitner, Jr., Luke Wiginton and Sean Wracher. Men’s Basketball- Nathan Childress, Trayce Jackson-Davis, Xavier Johnson, Miller Kopp, Anthony Leal, Michael Shipp. Men’s Golf- Mitch Davis, Andrew Giacchetto and Harry Reynolds. Men’s Soccer- Luke Boha, Karsen Henderlong and Alex McGill.
Men’s Swimming and Diving-Mikey Calvillo, Andrew Capobianco, Jacob Destrampe, Jack Franzman and Van Mathias.
Men’s Tennis- Patrick Fletchall, Kenneth Rogers and Luka Vukovic.
Men’s Track and Field/Cross Country- Micah Camble, Nicholas Couyoumjian, Tristan Forsythe, Jacob Gebhardt, Dustin Horter, Reece Proctor, Nathan Stone and Shaton Vaughn.
Rowing- Sophie Carmosino, Rachael Galet, Erin Heapy, Nicole Killeen and Olivia Seifert.
Softball- Tatum Hayes, Abigail Meeks, Grayson Radcliffe, Kate Rehberg and Lindsey Warick.
Volleyball- Haley Armstrong, Paula Cerame, Emily Fitzner, Kaley Rammelsberg and Ashley Zulauf.
Water Polo- Zoe Crouch, Lanna DeBow, Robyn Greenslade and Katherine Hawkins.
Women’s Basketball- Grace Berger, Mackenzie Holmes and Arielle Wisne.
Women’s Golf-Valerie Clancy and Hanna Tanaka. Women’s Soccer- Jen Blitchok, Alaina Kalin, Karlee Luker and Megan Wampler.
Women’s Swimming and Diving- Kristen Hayden, Carmen Hernandez, Mackenzie Looze, Samantha Muma, Grace Pangburn, Noelle Peplowski, Margaret Rogers, Zain Smith and Maggie Wallace.
Women’s Tennis- Rose Hu, Lauren Lemonds, Mila Mejic and Alexandra Staiculescu.
Women’s Track and Field/Cross Country-Maria Anderson, Jenna Barker, Nile Imani Brown, Madelyn Dalton, Shynae Deas, Kaylee Lane
Hope Purcell, Mikaela Ramirez, Alyssa Robinson, Sarah Schmitt, Alyssa Skorge, Elizabeth Stanhope and Lauren Thomas.
Wrestling- Luke Baughman, Cayden Rooks, Graham Rooks, and Nicholas Willham.

Indiana University Softball finishes the Regular Season with 40 wins after sweeping Michigan State
The Indiana University Softball team completed the regular season with a three-game sweep of Michigan State over the weekend at Andy Mohr Field. The Hoosiers won Friday’s opener 9-1 in 5 innings, Saturday afternoon 9-5 and Sunday’s finale 3-1. The Hoosiers are 40-15 overall and finish 18-5 in the Big Ten heading into the 12-team conference tournament that will start on Wednesday and go through Saturday at the University of Illinois with the champion getting the automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.

On Friday Night Michigan State struck first in the top of the first as they scored on a sacrifice fly to right field.  However, the Hoosiers responded scoring three runs on two hits in the bottom of the inning. Sophomore Sarah Stone tied the ball game with an RBI sacrifice fly to score freshman Taryn Kern. Sophomore Brianna Copeland hit a two-run home run on the first pitch in her first at bat deep over the center field wall for the lead, 3-1. Indiana’s defense held strong in the second as they went three up, three down. The Hoosiers continued to have the momentum as they piled on four runs.  Kern hit a double down the right field line for two RBI before teammate Taylor Minnick hit a triple down the line to send Kern home. Stone earned another RBI on a sacrifice fly to score Minnick as the Hoosiers extended the lead, 7-1. In the bottom of the fifth, Indiana loaded the bases with a single from Copeland, an MSU error and a walk. Sophomore Kinsey Mitchell earned an RBI on another walk from the Spartans’ pitcher. Freshman pinch hitter Chloe Geijer sealed the game with the run-rule on an RBI hit-by-pitch to score the runner, 9-1.  Copeland went yard for the 11th time this season. She also improved to 19-2 inside the circle this season with four strikeouts on the night. Minnick hit her 14th double and first triple on the season. Indiana tallied nine RBI bringing their season total to 345 and IU run-ruled their opponent for the 12th time this season.

On Saturday Indiana freshman Taryn Kern set the program record for most RBI in a single season with her RBI double in the bottom of the fourth inning to give the Hoosiers the series victory. Redshirt-junior Cora Bassett started things off for the Hoosiers with a leadoff double to left center before Kern earned an RBI single in the infield to send her home. Sophomore and Edgewood HS Graduate Taylor Minnick hit a two-run homer deep into center field to put the Hoosiers up, 3-0, to end the first.  MSU tied it up with a three-run homer to left field in the top of the second. The Spartans added two more runs in the top of the third and fifth innings to take a 5-3 lead. The Hoosiers added four runs in the bottom of the fifth behind a two RBI double to left field from Bassett to tie the ball game. Kern earned her record-breaking RBI on a double to right center to send Bassett in for another run, 6-5. IU capitalized on a wild pitch to end the inning with a 7-5 lead. In the bottom of the sixth, Kern blasted her 22nd long ball of the season outside the left center wall. Sophomore pitcher Brianna Copeland hit an RBI single up the middle to put the Hoosiers in front, 9-5, before Indiana’s defense closed out the game in the seventh. IU outhit MSU 11-7.  Minnick went yard for the 11th time this season. Copeland earned her 20th win inside the circle this season. Bassett hit two doubles bringing her season RBI total to 25. Kern recorded three RBI against the Spartans totaling the most RBI in a single season (67). She also hit her 22nd career home run to take the leading spot in the NCAA. Indiana tallied eight RBI bringing their season total to 353.

The Hoosiers closed it out Sunday with Freshman Taryn Kern put the Hoosiers in scoring position with a double to deep left center in the bottom of the third. Senior pinch runner Tatum Hayes took the base for Kern as she scored on a sacrifice fly from sophomore Sarah Stone to put the Hoosiers up, 1-0. Freshman Cassidy Kettleman reached base with a bunt to beat out the throw before Kinsey Mitchell slapped one into left field. Junior Brooke Benson advanced the runners on a sac bunt as Kettleman scored on a wild pitch, 2-0. In the fifth, Kern capitalized on another wild pitch from the Spartans to score a run, 3-0. MSU adds a run in the top of the sixth with an RBI triple.  The Indiana defense sealed the win with a 1-2-3 inning in the seventh. The Hoosiers earned their 40th win on the season and their sixth conference sweep over MSU. Sophomore pitcher Heather Johnson improved to 14-6 with the win against the Spartans.
Kettleman went two-for-three at the plate with a run scored. Kern hit her 12th double on the season. Her extra base hit also broke the program record for most doubles by any team in a single season (96).

Indiana University Baseball sweeps Northwestern
Indiana University Baseball completed a three-game sweep of Northwestern over the weekend in Evanston Illinois. The Hoosiers won 4-0 Friday Night, 5-2 in 12 Innings Saturday afternoon and 11-9 on Sunday Afternoon. The Hoosiers are 34-14 on the season and 12-6 in the Big Ten. Indiana will play at Xavier on Wednesday afternoon at 3pm. Tomorrow night’s scheduled home game with the University of Southern Indiana will not be played and the Hoosiers return home this weekend for the home series against archrival Purdue starting at 6pm Friday Night.

Friday Night finding a way to win when you are not at your best is a big part of baseball. The Indiana baseball program got a couple of big hits, a solid start on the mound and found a way to grab its 10th Big Ten win. A three-run home run in the top of the first inning opened the scoring for Indiana and an eighth-inning RBI single was the end of the scoring. Northwestern stranded 12 runners on base in the game. Sophomore Carter Mathison hit his eighth home run of the season as part of a multi-hit game that moved his hitting streak to seven games and reached base streak to 19 straight. His 3-for-4 day at the plate included four RBIs to give him nine multi-RBI games on the year. A two-hit game for sophomore Brock Tibbitts marked his 19th multi-hit effort of the season. He was also hit-by-pitch and scored one run. Freshman Devin Taylor and senior Peter Serruto each chipped in hits to round out the offense for IU. Taylor added a walk and two runs scored in the contest. Sophomore Luke Sinnard (5-2) didn’t allow a run over 6 2/3 innings and struck out seven batters to earn the win. He scattered six hits and three walks on a career-high 111 pitches to post his fifth quality start of the season. Redshirt senior Craig Yoho (1) grabbed his first career save with 2 1/3 innings scoreless with two strikeouts. He allowed three singles and two walks. Starting pitcher Michael Farinelli (1-7) worked 7 2/3 innings and allowed three runs on six hits. He walked one and struck out five in the loss. Northwestern out-hit the Hoosiers, 9-7, but stranded 12 base runners and hit into two double plays. Seven of nine starters collected hits, including a two-hit game from Stephen Hrustich.

Saturday Afternoon trailing 2-0 with four outs left, the Indiana baseball program plated a pair of two-out runs in the eighth to tie it and then scored three times in the 12th inning to earn its third-straight road series win. Northwestern opened the scoring with a single run in the second inning and added one more in the fifth inning to take a 2-0 lead. Indiana scored the final five runs of the game with pair of runs in the eighth inning to tie the game and three in the 12th inning to take the victory. Sophomore Brock Tibbitts posted his 20th multi-hit game with an RBI single and 10th-inning double, while senior Phillip Glasser posted his 24th multi-hit game of the year with a pair of base hits. Freshman Devin Taylor continued his torrid campaign with three RBIs on two hits. Both hits were doubles, with the second of the two-RBI variety in the 12th inning. Senior Hunter Jessee chipped in a pair of hits and scored the go-ahead run in the 12th inning on a Bobby Whalen RBI fielder’s choice. Junior Seti Manase allowed one run in the start but got just 1 2/3 innings before sophomore Ryan Kraft came on in relief. The left-hander fired the next 7 1/3 innings and allowed just one unearned run. He tied a career-high seven strikeouts, allowed four hits and walked one batter. Freshman Connor Foley (3-1) picked up the win with two scoreless innings of relief and two strikeouts, while freshman Brayden Risedorph (3) threw 12 pitches (11 strikes) to nail down the save with a clean 12th inning. Cooper Foard led the Wildcat offense with three hits and one RBI on the afternoon, while four other Northwestern hitters collected one hits. Sam Garewal took a no decision with 6 1/3 scoreless innings in the start. He scattered four hits and struck out seven in the outing. Ben Grable (1-1) took the loss with four runs allowed on six hits over 6 1/3 innings of work.

Sunday Afternoon for the third time in three tries, the Indiana baseball program came away from a road conference series with a series win, this time a sweep of Northwestern after an 11-9 victory. Indiana started the scoring with five runs in the top of the first inning, before Northwestern (8-34, 3-15 B1G) got three back in its half of the first. A single Wildcat run in the third was followed by a four-run fourth inning from the Hoosiers. After NU got two back in the bottom of the fourth and the two teams exchanged two-run frames in the seventh. Northwestern scored the final run of the game on a solo home run in the ninth inning. The sweep gives Indiana three road series wins in the Big Ten for the eighth time since the Big Ten went to eight conference weekends in 2022. The only season with four away weekend wins came in 2014. Senior Phillip Glasser posted his 25th multi-hit game of the season with a 2-for-4 with two runs scored and one RBI. A three-RBI Day from senior Peter Serruto lead all hitters, as he went 2-for-3 with a double and one run scored. Sophomore Josh Pyne was on base four times in the game with a double and three walks. He scored twice and drove in one RBI. Senior Ben Seiler (1-3) picked up his first win in a Hoosier uniform after three innings of work with three hits and two runs – one earned allowed. He didn’t walk a batter and struck out two. Freshman Brayden Risedorph (4) picked up the save for the second straight game with two innings of work to close things out. He allowed one run on one hit, walked one and struck out one. For Northwestern, Luke Benneche (0-7) took the loss with nine runs allowed over three innings of work. The nine runs came on nine hits and three walks to go along with two strikeouts. Alex Calarco had two hits a double and home run with two runs scored and two RBIS.

Indiana University Track and Field closes out the regular season with a strong performance at the Billy Hayes Invitational
One of the best series in program history saw Tyler Carrel jump to No. 3 in school history in the pole vault with a clearance at 5.54m/18-2 on Friday night at the Billy Hayes Invitational. Carrel came into the night with a personal best of 5.37/17-7.25 but made quick work of that mark, clearing the bar at four heights past his previous lifetime best. The Urbana, Ill. native made nine total heights in the competition and took three attempts at 5.61m/18-4.75 to finish his evening. He now sits alone in third outdoors in IU’s illustrious pole vault history behind just Olympian Dave Volz (5.75m/18-10.25) and NCAA Champion Mark Buse (5.60m/18-4.5). His mark puts him No. 2 in the Big Ten this season and No. 11 in the NCAA this year. His teammate Nathan Stone sits No. 4 in the conference this year and has a season’s best vault of 5.49m/18-0.

On the track, Micah Camble put up a resounding performance in the 400-meter hurdles, shaving over a second off his lifetime best. The New Albany, Ind. native won the event in 51.39 with Shaton Vaughn second in 52.04. Camble came into the night with a personal best of 52.70 and left as the No. 9 performer in IU history. He moved into the top-25 in the 400-meter hurdles in the east region, putting him one step closer to qualifying to this month’s NCAA East Preliminary Round. After changing the order of its quartet, the men’s 4×100 relay team of Trelee Banks, Antonio Laidler, John Colquitt and Christopher Grant stormed to a big season’s best of 39.99. The group became the fifth IU quartet in the 4×100-meter relay to break 40 seconds, moving them to No. 5 in program history. Their mark is No. 5 in the Big Ten this season and currently among the field to qualify for the NCAA East Preliminary round heading into conference championship week. Laidler was also a member of the No. 4 team in program history that ran 39.95 at last year’s Big Ten Outdoor Championships.

IU made a season’s debut in the women’s 4×100 relay with Serena Bolden, Alyssa Robinson, Hope Purcell and Paola Fernandez-Solas toting the baton in 45.43. Robinson came back in the 100 meters to run an all-conditions personal best in 11.34w (+2.2). Her time is No. 7 in the conference this season and among the top-30 in the east region. Fernandez-Sola won the long jump on her first attempt with a mark of 6.32m/20-9. She will go for the Big Ten title on her home track next weekend, an event the Hoosiers haven’t won outdoors since 2007. Sean Mockler returned to action for the first time in a month, launching a mark of 64.26m/210-10 in the hammer throw. Shanna Esters excelled in the throws as well, throwing the javelin out to 39.30m/128-11, a personal best of over 11 feet.

An excellent night of weather and a strong pace set by Parker Raymond set up Camden Marshall to run a massive personal best of 1:47.24 over 800 meters. Marshall now sits fifth in school history in the event and has the second-best time of any Big Ten runner in the half-mile outdoors this year. He heads into the Big Ten meet having run 1:47 (800m) and 3:39 (1500m) allowing him to decide his preferred meet for both the conference championships and regional meets. Grayson Rolen put together his strongest meet of the outdoor season, high jumping a big season’s best of 2.14m/7-0.25. He matched his personal best and now is among the top-four jumpers in the Big Ten this year. The Hoosiers will enter the postseason next week on home turf as the Big Ten Outdoor Championships return to Bloomington for the first time since 2018. Action will begin with Hope Purcell in the heptathlon on Friday afternoon at the Haugh Track and Field Complex.

Indianapolis Colts Sign Seven 2023 Draft Picks and 15 undrafted rookies
The Indianapolis Colts took care of some business Friday morning before getting down to the business of their rookie minicamp. The team signed seven of its 12 draft picks the bottom seven and signed 15 undrafted free agents. That group, along with a slew of players brought in on a tryout basis, will be on the practice field this afternoon for the first day of a three-day rookie minicamp. Negotiating with draft picks essentially has been eliminated with the NFL’s rookie draft pool. Each player is assigned a value based on his draft positioning. Here’s a look at the seven draft picks, including the projected four-year contract, signing bonus and 2023 cap hit.

CB Darius Rush-South Carolina (round 5, No. 138): $4.216 million, $376,720, $884,061., S Daniel Scott-California (round 5/158): $4.164 million, $324,244, $831,061., TE Will Mallory-Miami Florida (round 5/162): $4.146 million, $306,088, $826,522., RB Evan Hull-Northwestern (round 5/176): $4.90 million, $258,040, $814,510., DT Titus Leo-Wagner (round 6/211): $4.098 million, $140,440, $785,110., CB Jaylon Jones-Texas A&M (round 7/221): $3.959 million, $119,528, $779,882 and OT Jake Witt-Northern Michigan (round 7/236): $3.939 million, $99,868, $774,967.

The 15 undrafted rookies: LB Liam Anderson, Holy Cross, WR Cody Chrest, Sam Houston State, CB Cole Coleman, Elon, G Emil Ekiyor, Alabama, RB Darius Hagans, Virginia State, WR Johnny King, Southeast Missouri State, G Harris LaChance, BYU, S Aaron Maddox, Campbell, LB Donavan Mutin, Houston, CB Tyler Richardson, Tiffin, DT Caleb Sampson, Kansas, WR Zavier Scott, Maine, RB Titus Swen, Wyoming, DE Guy Thomas, Colorado, and WR Brandon Westfield, Carson-Newman.

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