College update – May 9

The Anderson softball team (29-9, 14-2) won the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Championship Tournament, defeating Hanover, Bluffton and Hanover to earn the conference bid to the NCAA Division III tournament.

The leading hitter on the Ravens and the HCAC’s Most Valuable Player by a vote of the coaches was sophomore catcher Blake Thomas, a Franklin Community High School graduate, who hit a conference-high .521 in league games and .417 (43 for 103), second best in the conference, for the entire season.

Franklin

Competing in the HCAC softball tournament, Hanover’s softball team (19-15) lost to Anderson, defeated Manchester and Bluffton, and lost again to Anderson. Mackenzie Writt was 5 for 15 and scored one run in the four games and finished the season with a .352 batting average (38 for 108).

Morgan Peoni is batting .204 (22 for 108) for the Ancilla softball team (20-25).

Luke Snyder lost 6-1, 6-0 at No. 4 singles and 8-2 at No. 2 doubles in Franklin’s 5-3 tennis loss to Earlham.

Rose-Hulman’s Donnie Waters had three RBIs, three runs scored and nine hits (including a home run) in 17 at-bats in a loss to Anderson, a win against DePauw, and two wins in three games against Mount St. Joseph. He is now hitting .392 (51 for 130).

Center Grove

Shelby Shaffer had four hits in 13 at-bats for the Anderson softball team (29-9, 14-2) in two wins against Transylvania, a loss to DePauw, and wins against Hanover twice and Bluffton in the Heartland Conference Tournament. She will take a .387 batting average (36 for 93) into the NCAA Division III regionals.

The Taylor softball team (36-16, 26-8) lost its first game in the Crossroads League Tournament, won its next four, and lost 6-3 to Indiana Wesleyan in the finals. Anna Gunderson had five singles, three doubles, four RBIs and eight runs scored in 21 at-bats in the four games and is hitting .291 (51 for 175).

Kimmy Sullivan had one hit and one RBI in two at-bats for the Notre Dame softball team (40-12) in a 16-1 defeat of Michigan State and is batting .250 (6 for 24).

The Indianapolis softball team (42-12) lost to Illinois-Springfield in the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament opener, defeated Southern Indiana, Truman State, Rockhurst and Lewis, and was eliminated with a 4-0 loss to Missouri-St. Louis. Natalie Lalich had three hits in 18 at-bats in the tournament and is hitting .344 (55 for 160).

The Anderson baseball team (28-11, 19-8) defeated Defiance three times, Transylvania and Rose-Hulman to extend its winning streak to eight games. Mark Garrett gave up no hits, no runs and two walks and struck out one in 11/3 innings in the 6-4 defeat of Rose-Hulman and one hit and one run in one inning in a 13-2 win against Defiance. He has a 2-0 record with a 5.63 ERA.

Zach Anderson (4-2, 4.59 ERA) was the losing pitcher for the Grand Valley baseball team (30-16, 21-11) in a 2-1 loss to Malone, giving up five hits, two earned runs and one walk and striking out five in eight innings.

Brad Walker is batting .196 (10 for 51) for the IU-Southeast baseball team (37-18).

Brice Laigle is batting .125 (5 for 40) for the Marian baseball team (17-19).

Ball State’s Jordan Timmons was 17th of 23 in the 1,500 (4:49.19) at the Rankin/Poehlein Track and Field Invitational at Purdue.

Bellarmine’s Shelbi Dishman was 21st of 31 in the women’s 5,000 meters (20:00.72) at the Great Lakes Valley Conference Track and Field Championships. In the men’s events, Indianapolis’ Kyle Schwartz was sixth of 22 in the 400 meters; and teammate Casey Wendorff was 24th of 28 in the 5,000 meters (17:12.58).

Edinburgh

Taylor Murray is batting .276 (27 for 98) for the Taylor softball team (36-16, 26-8).

Whiteland

Indianapolis’ Farin Hickman was named Great Lakes Valley Conference Field Athlete of the Year after winning the hammer throw (183-3) and the javelin (119-9) and finishing second in the shot put (43-5¾) at the conference championships. Teammate Melissa Rios was seventh of 24 in the 100-meter dash (12.44) and 11th of 27 in the 200 (25.76) at the same meet, and the Greyhounds’ Robert Geis was10th of 17 in the men’s 400-meter hurdles (15.46).

Indiana State’s Danielle Muse was fifth of 14 in the 1,500 meters (4:48.61) and ninth of 13 in the 800 (2:22.15) at the Pacesetter Sports Track and Field Invitational at Indiana State.

The Southern Indiana softball team (37-9) lost 4-1 to Lewis and 8-0 to Indianapolis in the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament. Brooke Harmening had three hits, including a home run, in five at-bats in the two games and is hitting .353 (53 for 150). She was the losing pitcher against Indianapolis, giving up nine hits, five earned runs and two walks and striking out six in five innings. The senior relieved against Lewis and gave up one hit in 1/3 of an inning. She has a 21-3 record with a 1.65 ERA.

Jared Adkins is hitting .240 (24 for 100) for the Taylor baseball team (31-20).

Ashton Perritt was hitless in three at-bats for the Liberty baseball team (29-17) in a 5-0 win against East Carolina and is hitting .289 (39 for 135).

The Franklin baseball team (17-23, 10-17) lost twice to Hanover and two of three to Manchester. Tyler Ison was three for 20 at the plate in the five games and is hitting .215 (23 for 107).

Greenwood

The Taylor softball team (36-16, 26-8) lost its first game in the Crossroads League Tournament, won its next four and lost 6-3 to Indiana Wesleyan in the championship game. Alex Lovelace had seven singles, one triple, six runs scored and seven RBIs in 20 at-bats in the six games and is hitting .448 (82 for 183). Davis Carter was 8 for 22, with two runs scored, two RBIs and two doubles, and is hitting .429 (66 for 154).

Bridget Pepper is batting .303 for the Wabash Valley softball team (10 for 33).

The IPFW softball team (3-44) lost twice to Toledo. Kelly Pevely had a home run in five at-bats in the two games and is hitting .223 (23 for 103).

Chelsea Norwood had two hits in eight at-bats for the Butler softball team (24-27, 9-12) in one win and two losses against DePaul and is hitting .261 (40 for 153).

Conner Morris had two hits in 12 at-bats and is hitting .294 (20 for 68) for the Anderson baseball team (28-11, 19-8), which won five games last week.

The Iowa Western baseball team (46-5) defeated Longview twice and Muscatine four times. Alex Krupa had seven singles, three triples, one double and one home run in 21 at-bats and is hitting .469 (84 for 179), sixth-best nationally among Division I junior colleges.

Alex Hammer lost 6-0, 6-3 at No. 3 singles; and he and Ryan Hammer lost 8-5 at No. 1 doubles in Franklin’s 5-3 tennis loss to Earlham.

The Ohio Northern women’s tennis team won the Ohio Athletic Conference Tournament with wins against Capital (5-0), Otterbein (5-2) and John Carroll (5-2) and qualified for the NCAA Division III tournament. Brittany Toney won 8-0 at No. 1 doubles against Capital and 8-1 against Otterbein. She lost 8-5 in doubles and 6-0, 6-1 at No. 6 singles to John Carroll and 6-1, 6-2 in singles against Otterbein.

Purdue’s David Dalton was fifth of 16 in the 5,000 meters (15:25.25) at the Rankin/Poehlein Track and Field Invitational at Purdue.

Indianapolis’ Kailey Evans was sixth of 19 in the long jump (17-4¼) and seventh of 18 in the triple jump (34-6¼) at the Great Lakes Valley Conference Track and field Championships.

Indiana State’s Amy Hicks was seventh of eight in the 3,000-meter steeplechase (12:25.86) at the Pacesetter Sports Track and Field Invitational at ISU.

Indian Creek

Indiana State’s Katie Wise won the 100-meter dash (11:22) and the 200 (23.75) at the Pacesetter Sports Track and Field Invitational at ISU.

Franklin’s Anna Murdock was fourth of 12 in the 800 meters (2:09.66) against Division I and II competition at the Billy Hayes Track and Field Invitational. Her time is the third best time for that event nationally in NCAA Division III. The senior was named the outstanding senior female athlete at Franklin at the recent awards banquet.

The Grace softball team (31-25) split four games in the Crossroads League Tournament and then defeated Oakland City and Cedarville twice to win the National Christian Colleges Athletic Association Midwest Regional and qualify for the NCCAA National Tournament. Clarissa Knight was one of two Grace players named to the Crossroads Conference first team and is hitting .429 (73 for 170).