Indiana University Softball set to face Louisville in the NCAA Knoxville Regional
Indiana softball (42-16, 18-5 B1G) earned the No. 2 seed in the NCAA Knoxville Regional and is set to take the field this weekend against No. 3 seed Louisville in game one this afternoon at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium. First Pitch is set for 3pm and will be televised on ESPN2. Northern Kentucky and Tennessee will face off in game 2 at 5:30pm on ESPN+. There will be three games tomorrow in which 2 teams will be eliminated and the final two teams will battle it out on Sunday for a spot in the NCAA Super Regionals next weekend.
Indiana earned runner-up after falling to top seed Northwestern, 2-1, in the bottom of the seventh inning in the Big Ten Tournament Championship in Champaign Illinois Last Saturday. Sophomore Sarah Stone hit a walk off homer in the bottom of the ninth against Penn State to advance to the semifinals. IU advanced to the Championship game after hitting three home runs from sophomore duo Brianna Copeland, Taylor Minnick and Stone. Kinsey Mitchell held a team high .375 batting average in the tournament on three hits. She one double, triple and home run with six walks, reaching base in nine out of 10 of her at bats. The Bloomington, Ind., native held a 2.250 slugging percentage and an OPS of 3.15. Sophomore pitcher duo Heather Johnson and Copeland combined for two wins and a 2.86 ERA in the tournament.
No. 3 seed Louisville (35-18, 16-7 ACC) fell in the ACC Championship quarterfinals, 2-1, against No. 23/22 Virginia Tech. Sarah Gordon was named the ACC Softball Freshman of the Year and joins Korbe Otis and Taylor Roby on the All-ACC First Team. Senior Kaitlyn Morrison ranks second on the team with a .328 batting average on the season. Korbe Otis leads the Cards with a .406 batting average, 69 hits with 62 runs. She has also 21-for-21 in stolen bases and is tied for third in the nation with seven triples. Alyssa Zabala leads pitching staff with 14 wins and 93 strikeouts in 119 innings. Roby holds a team high 2.56 ERA with 57 strikeouts in 112 innings pitched. The Hoosiers trail the Cardinals 20-4 in the all-time series. IU saw action against the Cardinals in non-conference play with a dominate 10-5 win in Bloomington earlier in the season.
Fever release Mikesell, getting down to opening day roster
The Indiana Fever waived Guard Taylor Mikesell, on Wednesday. The Ohio State graduate,was drafted by the Fever 13th overall with the first pick of the second round) in April’s 2023 WNBA Draft. She is Indiana’s latest waived player, getting the Fever to their 12- member opening day roster, required before tonight’s season-opener against Connecticut at Gainbridge Fieldhouse at 7pm. Mikesell joins earlier Fever cuts, Forwards Emily Engstler, LaDazhia Williams, and Guards Destanni Henderson and Renina Davis.
It’s official. Former Indiana women’s basketball guard Grace Berger has made the 2023 Indiana Fever team and survived roster cuts. She’s now one of 12 to suit up this evening. Berger was a first round No. 7 overall draft pick, the highest pick for the Hoosiers in program history. She’ll be one of just three rookies including South Carolina graduates Aliyah Boston, the No. 1 overall draft pick, and Victaria Saxton.
While at Indiana, Berger was often described as the heart of the team and not just because she was the point guard. She ranked second on the team in scoring with 12.9 points per game adding 4.8 rebounds per contest with 138 total assists in the 2022-23 season. A Louisville, Ky. native, Berger will surely rake in fans from her home city plus Hoosier Nation that’s a short drive to Indianapolis.
Indiana University Track and Field will take 31 entries to the NCAA East Regional in Florida
The Indiana Track and Field team will take 31 entries to the NCAA East Preliminary Round in Jacksonville from May 24-27, as announced by the NCAA’s selection committee on Thursday afternoon. The top-48 athletes in each individual event, and the top-24 relay teams, from each region are entered into the preliminary rounds. Competitors will be paired down from 48 to a group of 12 that advances from each region to comprise a field of 24 athletes at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in June. Of IU’s 27 entries to last year’s NCAA East Preliminary Round, six advanced to the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene. Maddy Pollard (shot put), Sean Mockler (hammer throw) and Paola Fernandez-Sola (long jump) all earned Second Team All-American honors last season.
Seven IU athletes will be double entered at this weekend’s meet including Mahogany Jenkins (high jump and triple jump), Noah Koch (shot put and discus), Alyssa Robinson (100 and 200 meters), Antonio Lailer (100 meters and 4×100 relay), Christopher Grant (100 meters and 4×100 relay), Makalya Hunter (shot put and javelin) and Jayden Ulrich (shot put and discus). Six Hoosiers rank in the top-10 of their respective events in the region including Camden Marshall (No. 3, 800 meters), Mahogany Jenkins (No. 10, high jump), Tyler Carrel (No. 6, pole vault), Nathan Stone (No. 8, pole vault), Paola Fernandez-Sola (No. 7, long jump) and Jayden Ulrich (No. 5, shot put and discus).
Jake Gebhardt and Sarah Schmitt will be entered in the 5000 meters. Gebhardt will make his third-consecutive appearance at the regional meet but his first over 5000 meters. Schmitt will be making her second-straight appearance at the meet in the 5K. Miach Camble (400mH), Claire Overfelt (10,000m), Alyssa Skorge (3000mS), Riley Johnson (pole vault), Koch (shot put and discus) and Keefer Soehngen (800m) will be making their individual event debuts at the NCAA East Preliminary Round. Action from Jacksonville will begin next Wednesday (May 24) and run through Saturday (May 27). The Hoosiers will know their lineup of entries for the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Austin by Saturday evening. Schmitt, entered in the 5000 meters, will be the final IU athlete to compete next weekend.
Indiana University Rowing Coach Steve Peterson named Big Ten coach of the year
In his 20th season leading Indiana rowing, head coach Steve Peterson is the Big Ten Coach of the Year per the conference announcement Thursday morning. The 2014 CRCA National Head Coach of the Year, Peterson is the first Big Ten Coach of the year in the program’s history in a season of firsts for IU rowing. On Sunday May 14, Indiana recorded a program-record third-place finish at the Big Ten Championships, highlighted by three medalist boats which tied that program record. Indiana’s Varsity Eight earned its best-ever performance at the conference competition with a dramatic silver medal finish. Indiana Second Varsity Four and Second Novice Eight each took bronze, and no IU boat finished lower than fifth.
For its historic performance, Indiana earned an at-large selection to the 2023 NCAA Rowing Championships set for May 26-28 in Pennsauken, New Jersey. Peterson has led the Hoosiers to the national regatta seven times in the last nine full seasons. Indiana has earned Big Ten postseason specialty awards each of the last two seasons. Peterson’s award comes after he helped Laura Feinson earn the program’s second Big Ten Athlete of the Year honor in 2022 and first since 2016. For the first time in program history, four Hoosiers earned All-Big Ten honors in 2023. Feinson repeated as a first teamer and was joined by fellow senior Piper Maaka, a second-team selection last year. Senior Ruby Leverington and freshman Emily Bowden earned second-team selections. During his Indiana tenure, Peterson has coached 14 All-American and 44 All-Big Ten selections. Thursday’s award is Peterson third-ever conference coach of the year award. Peterson repeated as Atlantic 10 Conference Coach of the Year from 2000-01 before taking over at IU in 2003.
Indiana University Men’s Soccer welcomes back Alumni for its 50th Anniversary celebration
This weekend in Bloomington, the Indiana men’s soccer program will host NCAA Champions, Hermann Trophy winners, All-Americans, hall-of-fame coaches, devoted behind-the-scenes staff and loving friends and family. IU men’s soccer is expecting 325 alumni and friends of the program for its 50th anniversary celebration, set for today through Sunday on the campus of Indiana University.
“To the Indiana soccer family – Welcome back to Bloomington!” IU head men’s soccer coach Todd Yeagley said. “We are looking forward to celebrating 50 years of our varsity program and all who have made it possible. I hope you enjoy reconnecting with friends and building upon the strong bonds we all share. We are excited about the events and festivities planned throughout the weekend. “Thank you for your continued support!”
Friday’s schedule of events includes a golf outing at the Pfau Golf Course and a reception at the IU Auditorium before the Hoosiers hit the town that evening. Alumni and friends of the program will be treated to breakfast at the Indiana Memorial Union to kickoff Saturday’s festivities. Saturday afternoon includes a tour of IU athletic facilities, a kickaround and showings of “Worth the Wait,” the 2020 documentary film detailing the journey to Indiana’s first of eight NCAA titles. The weekend culminates with Saturday night’s 50-Year Celebration Reception and Dinner as the program reflects on its Tradition of Excellence. In the final event of the weekend on Sunday, alums will get to take a tour of the Tardy Center and surrounding soccer facilities, highlighting the experiences of, and resources available to, the current-day Indiana soccer player.
May 11, 2023, marked 50 years since the Indiana University Board of Trustees voted to establish men’s soccer as a varsity sport. In the 50 years since, no NCAA Division-I men’s soccer program has won more national championships (8), games (806), or NCAA Tournament matches (100) than IU. Indiana is the NCAA’s winningest program, by percentage, with a .776 mark. IU men’s soccer played its 50th season in 2022 which culminated with the program’s 22nd appearance in the NCAA College Cup and 17th appearance in the national title match. Both achievements are NCAA records. At the conference level, Indiana is a 32-time champion of the Big Ten. Seventeen of those titles have come as regular season championships, while the Hoosiers have won the Big Ten Tournament on 15 occasions.
Southern Indiana Bobcats kickoff the regular season hosting the Indiana Tornados
The Southern Indiana Bobcats Semi Pro Football team will take the field Saturday evening at 6pm for its first regular season game in team history when they host the Indiana Tornados at Edgewood HS. The Bobcats are a first-year team owned by Edgewood Grad and Semi Pro Veteran Chris Brummett and coached by Daniel Ponce. The Bobcats are in the 11 Team Blue Collar Football League and will play 10 regular season games against teams from Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky through August followed by the playoffs. Tickets are $10 and available at the gate and children 17 and under and all active and military are admitted free of charge. The Bobcats have several active duty and military veterans on the team along with Coach Ponce who served in the United States Army.
The Bobcats fell to the Indy Bison Blue 31-0 in a preseason game on April 29, at Mount Vernon High School in Fortville, Indiana. The Bobcats held Bison Blue scoreless in the first quarter and to eight points at halftime. The team has had a few weeks to get better and work on fine tuning things for Saturday Night. Each Bobcats home game has a theme and this one is cancer awareness night. The two teams are honoring those who have had Family and Friends pass from and currently fighting Cancer. The Bobcats will honor the Late Jim Allen who passed away on March 10 of this year. Allen was the co-founder of the Indiana Cutters based in Bloomington and its first head coach in 2007. The Cutters won three championships in 2008, 2009 and 2013 as Allen served in many roles with the Cutters and Leagues including president of the Battle Ground Football League. The Cutters were around for 15 years before ceasing operations after the 2022 season. The Bobcats will present Jim’s wife Dawn along with his son and his grandsons a Bobcats Jersey and they will do the coin toss before the game.
The Tornados have played two preseason games in Indianapolis with a 44-0 win over the Indiana Assassins on May 6, and 34-28 loss to the Cin City Buccaneers on May 13. The Tornados have been around the semi pro scene for many years and bring a very psychical brand of football into Saturday Night’s game. While the Bobcats are a first-year team, they are no stranger to the Tornados or the Semi Pro Football World. The Tornados and Cutters had many memorable battles over the years and several Bobcat players were a part of those battles and this will mark a new chapter Indiana Semi Pro Football.
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