Indiana University Baseball opens NCAA Tournament play with West Virginia in the Lexington Regional
A second trip to the Bluegrass State in 2023 has the Indiana baseball program in the NCAA Lexington Regional. The Hoosiers will open NCAA postseason play against West Virginia tonight at 7 pm inside Kentucky Proud Park with the game televised on ESPN+. Indiana (40-18) is 6-4 over its last 10 games after going 1-2 at the Big Ten Tournament in Omaha, Nebraska, last week, while West Virginia (39-18) sits at 5-5 over its last 10 contests with a five-game losing streak entering regional play. Indiana is 11-15 all-time in NCAA Regional Tournament play with at least one win in each of its last six appearances. Kentucky and Ball State will play in the first game at 1pm on the SEC Network and the double elimination tournament continues Saturday and Sunday with an, if necessary, game on Monday.
The Hoosiers have a Big Ten-best seven NCAA Regional appearance since 2013. Maryland is second with six appearances, while Michigan and Nebraska each have five. Senior Phillip Glasser saw his 45-game reached base come to an end at Northwestern, which tied for the longest streak in program history since at least 2005. Glasser is among the top-50 active hitters in a bevy of categories, including No. 5 with 277 career hits. Senior Peter Serruto has caught 96 percent of Indiana’s innings since April 1 (34 games) and hit .309 during Big Ten play following an injury to Matthew Ellis. Freshman Devin Taylor became the third Indiana rookie to earn All-B1G first team honors, as he also brought home the programs third Big Ten Freshman of the Year honor. Among relief pitchers nationally, sophomore Ryan Kraft’s 54 1/3 innings of relief work is among the most in the country, sitting No. 9 nationally. Freshman Devin Taylor carried a 32-game reached base streak that spanned Feb. 25-April 28, which is the longest streak for an IU freshman since at least 2005. Sophomore Josh Pyne was named NCBWA National Player of the Week and B1G Player of the Week after a 10-hit, 14-RBI week versus Xavier and Purdue. Sophomore Luke Sinnard is one of two Big Ten pitchers with three-or-more double-digit strikeout games in 2023, which includes a B1G-best-tying 13 versus Morehead State. Head coach Jeff Mercer became the eighth IU skipper to reach 100 victories in the cream and crimson with a series finale win at Auburn on February 19, 2023. He then won his 200th career game as a head coach at Illinois on April 15.
Indiana makes its 10th overall appearance in the NCAA Baseball Championships and second under fifth-year head coach Jeff Mercer. Indiana owns a 14-17 overall record in the NCAA Tournament in program history, with an 11-15 record in NCAA Regional play since its first berth in 1949. A two-time NCAA Regional host, Indiana will hit the road for an NCAA Regional for the eighth time in program history, with four of those trips to the state of Kentucky. In the Bluegrass State, the Hoosiers are 2-6 in NCAA postseason play. That includes a 1-2 mark in the 2017 NCAA Lexington Regional.
West Virginia enters the NCAA Lexington Regional with a 39-18 overall record, which includes a 15-9 mark in Big 12 play. As a team, WVU is top 30 in walks (No. 27; 311), hit-by-pitch (No. 18; 102), on-base percentage (No. 21; .414) and stolen bases (No. 12; 121). Along with having three players ranked nationally in stolen bases, the Mountaineers also have three players ranked nationally in sacrifice bunts. J.J. Wetherholt leads the Big 12 and ranks No. 2 nationally with a .443 batting average. He is also top 30 nationally in doubles (No. 24; 22), stolen bases (No. 12; 35) and runs scored (No. 45; 66). The pitching staff ranks top-50 in all four major metric categories in the NCAA. They are No. 24 in ERA (4.35), No. 33 in hits per nine innings (8.44), No. 34 in WHIP (1.37) and No. 50 in walks per nine innings (3.90). Blaine Traxel leads the staff with seven victories, a 3.79 ERA, a 3.55 strikeout-to-walk ratio and an NCAA-best five complete games.
The opening game of the NCAA Lexington Regional will mark the fourth all-time meeting between Indiana and West Virginia, with the Hoosiers 2-1 in those meetings. In 2009 and 2010, IU and WVU met during early-season trips to Florida as part of single game meetings. The 2013 meeting was at the annual Baseball at the Beach tournament hosted by Coastal Carolina. Indiana opened the 2009 season with its the first meeting versus West Virginia in a 14-4 loss in Bradenton, Florida. The Hoosiers have won the last two meetings, taking a 10-8 decision in Clearwater, Florida, in 2010 and an 8-5 contest in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, in 2013. All-time against the Big 12, Indiana is 7-21 all-time against the current alignment of the Big 12. IU played Texas in Week 2 of the 2023 season and dropped the series, 2-1. Of the 28 meetings with the Big 12, one has been in the NCAA Tournament (2018 – at Texas; L, 3-2).
Southern Indiana Bobcats hit the road to face the Kentucky Spartans
The Southern Indiana Bobcats Semi Pro Football team will hit the road Saturday Evening to face the Kentucky Spartans at 5pm Central time in Owensboro Kentucky. Bloomington is one hour ahead of Owensboro, so kickoff is slated for 6pm Bloomington Time. The Game will be played on a field next to the Owensboro Airport. Fans that are traveling to the game need to bring their own chairs along with food and drinks. There are no Bleachers and Restrooms for fans nor are there benches or a scoreboard for the teams. The Referees will be keeping the clock.
The Bobcats are coming off a 20-6 loss at home to Indiana Tornados at Edgewood HS on May 20. Evan Gilligan threw the first touchdown pass in Bobcats History finding Luke Elgar on a 65-yard strike. Mason Scott had 2 fumble recoveries, Noah Ponce had an interception, and a fumble recovery and TJ Knighton added another interception for five defensive takeaways. The Bobcats have been working hard in practice to correct the mistakes made in the first regular season game with the offense putting up 133 total yards.
The Spartans are 0-1 after a 40-6 loss on May 20 against the Indy Bison Red in Fortville Indiana. This is a key Blue Collar Football League Western Conference matchup with both teams looking for their first win of the season. The Indiana Tornados and the Indy Bison Red are 1-0 while the Kentuckiana Calvary have yet to play at game and the Lexington Bengals are 0-1 on the season. In the Eastern Conference the Cincnnati Dukes, Columbus Gladiators and the Northern Kentucky Wolfpack are 1-0 while the Columbus Bredren Knights and Dayton Seminoles are 0-1. The top four teams in each conference will make the playoffs in August after a 10-game regular season.
Indiana University Football to add premium Field Level Seats at Memorial Stadium for the 2023 Season
Hoosier Football fans now have the chance to enjoy a premium suite experience at Memorial Stadium from field level. Beginning this fall, Memorial Stadium will feature eight field level suites on the stadium’s south end located immediately behind the end zone. Each suite includes spacious, sectional furniture seating; a mounted large screen television on the suite’s awning; a drink rail with seating facing the field; high barstool seats to provide additional seating space. Other special amenities include an all-you-can-eat hospitality buffet; domestic, craft beer, and wine options; a personal suite attendant; and a unique player vantage point from field level.
Each suite costs $20,000/season, which includes 16 tickets to each of IU’s home games beginning with the Sept. 2 opener against Ohio State. Pricing for a single-game suite is TBD. The new premium suite experience is the result of a new partnership between IU Athletics and REVELXP. REVELXPpartners with sports and entertainment brands across the U.S. to provide fans with an elevated experience on game days. To date, REVELXPhas partnerships with nearly 100 collegiate and professional properties nationwide. Among its active partnerships are Auburn, Arkansas, Baylor, Florida, Florida State, Kentucky, Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State, Oklahoma, Penn State, Texas, Texas A&M, USC, and the College Football Playoff.
“We continue to look for ways to enhance and expand the game-day experience alternatives for Hoosier football fans, so we are excited to offer this new premium seating opportunity beginning this fall,” said IU Vice President and Director of Athletics Scott Dolson. “REVELXPhas a proven track record of providing the highest level of service and experiences at a wide array of events, college football included. I expect this to be a very enticing opportunity for our fanbase for not only this year, but for years to come.” If you are interested in securing a field level suite for the 2023 IU Football season, please contact Chris Minderman at 812-855-2438 or cminderm@indiana.edu.
19 Indiana University Wrestlers to Compete in the Under 20 and Under 23 USA Wrestling Trials
Nineteen student-athletes representing both Indiana University Wrestling and Indiana’s Olympic Regional Training Center (Indiana RTC), will compete in the 2023 U23 and U20 USA Wrestling World Team Trials. The trials will take place Today through Sunday in Geneva, Ohio at the Spire Institute. A number of the 19 competing wrestlers are entered in both the Freestyle and Greco-Roman divisions, while some are just registered for one of the styles. The Indiana Wrestlers competing include:
U23 Greco-Roman Participants: Mason Alley, Drayton Harris, Isaac Thornton, Cole Rhemrev, Magnus Kuokkanen, Robert Major and Ben Phillips. U23 Freestyle Participants: Cayden Rooks, Jacob Bullock, Isaac Thornton, Robert Major, Magnus Kuokkanen, Cole Rhemrev, Nick South, Derek Gilcher, Nick Willham, Henry Porter, Graham Rooks, Blaine Frazier, Ben Phillips, Donnell Washington, Drayton Harris, Nico Bolivar and Mason Alley.
U20 Greco-Roman Participants: Gabe Sollars and Tyler Lillard.
U20 Freestyle Participants: Gabe Sollars and Tyler Lillard.
All competition in both U23 and U20 for Greco-Roman will be conducted today. All freestyle competition across both age groups will be held on Saturday and Sunday. The champion of each weight class across both age groups and competition styles will earn the right to represent the United States at the 2023 United World Wrestling Championships. The U20 World Championships will be held in Warsaw, Poland from Aug. 14-20. The U23 World Championships will be held in Tampere, Finland from Oct. 23-29.
Indiana University Water Polo places Two on the ACWPC All-American Honorable Mention Team
Two players have earned ACWPC All-America Honorable Mention awards, announced on Wednesday afternoon. Graduate student Mary Askew and senior utility Zoe Crouch both made the 2023 list.
Askew wraps up her collegiate career with her third ACWPC All-America Honorable Mention award. Askew started in 30 out of the 31 games she played in during the 2023 season. The graduate student goalie totaled 304 saves on the year, resulting in a cumulative 916 career saves. Askew has moved up to fourth place in all-time career saves at Indiana and joins the all-time single season saves list in tenth place. The Fremont, Calif. native tallied a team-high 36 steals and six assists on the year as well and was named to the All-MPSF honorable mention team.
Crouch capped off her senior season with her second ACWPC All-America Honorable mention award. Crouch appeared in 31 games during the 2023 season, with 41 goals, 26 assists, 19 steals, and five field blocks. Crouch also earned an MPSF All-Academic award during the 2023 season.
Matt Britton Named Boys Basketball Coach at Linton High School
The search to fill the most talked about opening in Greene County is over as Matt Britton was named the new head basketball coach at Linton. The Linton-Stockton Board of School Trustees made the hire official in a special school board session Wednesday. Britton is a well-known coach in the area after taking Bloomfield to the state title game in 2016. Britton coached the varsity team for five years at Bloomfield. He is an alumnus of the school from the class of 1996. In his five seasons, Britton went 74-47 at Bloomfield. The past four seasons has seen Britton coach at South Spencer but he still had ties to Greene County.
In 2016, Britton took some time off after the semistate title. When he resigned, Britton told the Greene County Daily World, “I resigned from coaching to spend more time with my family. After 14 consecutive years as boys’ basketball coach (high school and junior high) It’s just time to turn the page and devote my time to my family.” He returned to coaching in 2019 where he took over at South Spencer. In his first season at the 2A program located just outside of Rockport, Indiana, Britton doubled the win total from the previous season. He took the Rebels to a sectional championship in 2020. The postseason run had the unfortunate timing of being cancelled by the COVID-19 pandemic. It was the only sectional Britton won in his time at South Spencer but he compiled an impressive 90-28 record at the program in four seasons.
Britton takes over a Linton program that had no shortage of wins itself. The Miners had 11 consecutive seasons of 20 or more wins under Coach Joey Hart. Linton also won nine sectionals and reached the state title game three times in that span. The final trip to the Fieldhouse in Indianapolis came this past season with a loss to Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian in the 2A title game. Hart’s contract was not renewed by the Linton-Stockton Board of School Trustees on April 17, following two arrests during the season. Junior Varsity Coach Noah Hawkins had two different stints as interim head coach and decided to take time away from coaching back in April. Britton will look to replace Hawkins in his new staff.
Britton will be teaching social studies at the middle school and his wife, Dana, will be teaching at the elementary school as well. He has two daughters who are active in sports. Trinity will be playing college basketball at Asbury University in Kentucky. Haley will enter Linton as a junior and plays three sports in volleyball, basketball and tennis.
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