EPD DAILY ACTIVITY REPORT FOOTNOTE: Â EPD DAILY ACTIVITY REPORT information was provided by the EPD and posted by the City-County-County Observer without opinion, bias, or editing.
ROBERTS’ WALK-OFF BLAST SENDS UE PAST VALPARAISO, 4-3
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Evansville graduate outfielder Eric Roberts blasted a two-out, solo walk-off home run to right field in the bottom of the ninth inning on Sunday to power the UE baseball team to a Missouri Valley Conference series victory over the Valparaiso Beacons with a 4-3 win at German American Bank Field at Charles H. Braun Stadium.
“Big-time players do big-time things, and Eric Roberts is a big-time player!†said UE head coach Wes Carroll.  “It was great to have a walk-off Valley series win on Easter!  This is a big spark for this program.â€
Roberts crushed the first pitch he saw from Valparaiso reliever Grant Jablonski (0-3) over the right-field wall for his MVC-leading 13th home run of the year.  It marked the third-straight Valley Sunday in which Roberts has homered, as he has crushed five home runs on Sundays in league play so far.
Evansville jumped to an early 3-0 lead in the third inning, as Roberts began UE’s scoring with a sacrifice fly to right field.  Fifth-year first baseman Chase Hug followed with an RBI single to right, and junior catcher Brendan Hord followed two batters later with an RBI single to center field to give UE a 3-0 lead.
The Beacons would not be extinguished easily though.  Valpo got a sacrifice fly from emergency starter Spencer Warfield in the fourth inning to cut the UE lead to 3-1.  Second baseman Nolan Tucker then came through with an RBI single in the seventh inning to trim the lead to 3-2.  Things could have been vastly different in that frame, as Tucker was thrown out at second base trying to stretch the play into a double.  Then, Valparaiso tied the game in the eighth inning on a suicide squeeze bunt base hit by Warfield.  Warfield originally was not in the starting lineup, but was added after Matt Olive was injured in pre-game warm-ups.
UE threatened with two men on in the eighth inning, but came up empty.  UE closer Nate Hardman (1-1) then worked a perfect top of the ninth inning to keep the score tied at 3-3.  Jablonski got the first two UE batters of the inning to pop up to begin the frame, before Roberts ended the afternoon with the walk-off blast on the first pitch.
Offensively, sophomore designated hitter Evan Waggoner led all UE players by going 2-for-4.  Roberts drove in two of UE’s four runs, while adding the walk-off home run and going 1-for-3.  Tucker led Valparaiso with a 3-for-5 day at the plate.
With the victory, Evansville improves to 19-12 overall and 5-4 in the MVC.  Valparaiso, meanwhile, falls to 10-14 overall and 2-7 in the Valley.  Evansville will now hit the road for four-straight road games this week, beginning on Tuesday night, as the Purple Aces will travel to Bowling Green, Kentucky to take on the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers.  Tuesday’s game is set for a 6 p.m. first-pitch, and can be heard live in the Tri-State area on 107.1 FM-WJPS and the Old National Bank/Purple Aces Sports Network from Learfield.
Aces softball ready for second trip to Terre Haute
UE faces Indiana State on Tuesday
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EVANSVILLE, Ind. – One week after dropping a 3-2 extra-inning game at Indiana State, the University of Evansville softball team looks to even the season series with a 3 p.m. CT game on Tuesday in Terre Haute.
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Last Tuesday, the Purple Aces and Sycamores went into extra innings with the game knotted at 1-1. In the top of the ninth, Jess Willsey hit a solo home run to give her squad the lead, but the bottom of the frame saw the Sycamores hit a 2-run shot to pick up the 3-2 win.
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Friday’s series against Southern Illinois was a struggle for the Purple Aces as the Salukis took a 17-1 victory in five innings. In those five frames, SIU accumulated 17 runs on 14 hits. Following the performance, the Aces made sure it would not happen again. Over the ensuing 14 innings of the series, Evansville held the Salukis to just three runs on 16 hits. After averaging 3.4 runs per inning on Friday, SIU was held to just 0.21 runs/frame in the final two games. UE responded with two clutch performances to take the series and deal SIU just their sixth and seventh losses of 2023.
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Highlighted by one of the most impressive performances of her career, Jess Willsey batted .444 over the last week while leading the Aces to a series victory over Southern Illinois. The freshman registered four hits in nine at-bats while picking up five RBI, two runs, two walks, two doubles and a home run. In the opener for the week at Indiana State, Willsey went 1-3 with a walk and home run. Her homer in the top of the ninth inning temporarily gave UE the lead. Â
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Saturday’s game against the Salukis was arguably her top collegiate performance. She was a perfect 3-for-3 with four RBI and two doubles in a 4-3 win over SIU. Willsey drove in all four runs in the win. On Sunday, she reached on a walk and scored what would be the game-winning run to clinch the series.
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The Missouri Valley Conference leader in saves and ERA put together another solid week as she made appearances in three of the Purple Aces’ four contests. Brenton tossed a total of eight innings and accumulated eight strike outs and two saves. Brenton opened the week with four innings of relief at Indiana State.Â
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She allowed two earned runs. In the two victories over Southern Illinois, Brenton recorded a save in each one. Saturday saw her throw two frames while striking out two batters. She gave up just one hit. Sunday’s series-clinching victory saw Brenton throw two more scoreless innings while allowing one hit and fanning two batters.
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Following their win last Tuesday, Indiana State dropped two out of three games in their home series versus Northern Iowa.
Weatherford and Brenton shut down Salukis to win series
Aces take 2-0 victory
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EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Sydney Weatherford and Megan Brenton combined to earn a 2-0 shut out victory over Southern Illinois at Tri-State Orthopaedics Field at James and Dorothy Cooper Stadium on Sunday.
Weatherford picked up her fourth win of the season with five innings of work. She allowed seven hits and struck out a pair. Brenton threw the final two innings, allowing just one hit while striking out two. Neither pitcher gave up a walk.
The tone was set for a pitcher’s duel in the early going as Sydney Weatherford retired the Salukis in order to begin the game. Taylor Howe picked up a hit in the first while Alexa Davis added one in the second. Davis also got the job done on the defensive side, making a diving catch in center field to prevent a sure double.
In the bottom of the fourth, the scoreless tie was broken when the Purple Aces plated two runs. Jess Willsey, Davis and Karlee Frobeter all walked to load the bases with one out. Willsey scored on a wild pitch before Hannah Hood hit a bloop single into left to make it a 2-0 game.
Highlighted by a pair of defensive gems from Zoe Frossard, the Salukis were held scoreless in the top of the fifth. Her diving catch in right field prevented a base hit to record the first out while an even better play cemented the second out. With a runner on first, the Salukis picked up a base hit, which Frossard grabbed and threw out the runner a third.
Brenton entered in the top of the sixth and took care of business, allowing just one hit to secure the shut out victory. UE recorded three hits on the day while the Salukis had eight. Elizabeth Warwick and Emma Austin registered two hits apiece.
For the second week in a row, the Aces will travel to Terre Haute as they will face the Sycamores on Tuesday at 3 p.m. CT.
Trailblazers drop doubleheader to No. 2-ranked Heartland
VINCENNES, Ind. – The Vincennes University Trailblazer baseball team was unable to overcome mistakes and free bases Friday evening in Mid-West Athletic Conference (MWAC) doubleheader, falling to No. 2 Heartland Community College 8-3 and 10-3.
The two teams began the day by trading zeros on the board for the first third of game number one of the day. Each team’s starting pitcher was able to make it through the first three innings of play without allowing a run.
The Hawks would be the first to break the 0-0 tie with a run in the fourth. VU would answer back in the 5th after a walk by sophomore Kaden Elliott (New Albany, Ind.), a double by sophomore Colton Evans (Henderson, Ky.) and a walk to load the bases by freshman Carter Whitehead (Huntingburg, Ind.) was followed by a two-RBI pinch hit single by sophomore Colin Long (Evansville, Ind.) to give the Blazers a 2-1 lead of the No. 2-ranked team in the country.
Heartland would waste little time getting these runs back however, scoring three in the sixth to take the lead back and adding a run in the seventh and eighth to take a 6-2 lead.
VU would look to rally back late in the eighth inning after a leadoff walk by sophomore Will Egger (Terre Haute, Ind.). Egger would be pinch run for by freshman Keegan Schlotterbeck (Centerville, Ind.).
Schlotterbeck would later be driven in on a two-out RBI single by sophomore Ethan Burdette (Linton, Ind.) one of his two hits in the game to cut the deficit to 6-3.
Heartland would add a pair of runs in the ninth to expand their lead to five before sending the Blazers down in order in the bottom of the ninth to close out the game one victory 8-3.
VU was led on the mound in game one by sophomore Xavier Hart (Jeffersonville, Ind.) who threw three and two-thirds innings, allowing one run on one hit and striking out three.
Freshman Gavin Craggs (Taylorville, Ill.) was the first out of the pen, throwing two innings of work, allowing three runs on three hits and striking out two.
Freshman Christian Pinson (Elizabethtown, Ky.) pitched an inning and a third, allowing one run on one hit and striking out three before turning the game over to sophomore Eli Steimel (Sullivan, Ind.) who threw an inning and two-thirds allowing three runs on three hits and striking out two.
Freshman Max Lines (Indianapolis, Ind.) took over in the ninth and only faced on batter to end the inning.
“We have got to be able to play defense and only give them 27 outs,†VU Head Baseball Coach Chris Barney said. “We also have to limit the free bases, we gave up a ton of free bases in the first game on walks, hit by pitches and wild pitches. It really turned into the difference in the game. The other team didn’t make those mistakes and we did. When you bring the No. 2 team in the country in here, that’s what is going to happen when you give them multiple outs.â€
Heartland looked to keep the momentum going in game two of the series and quickly jumped ahead with a pair of runs in the first inning to take an early 2-0 lead.
Vincennes would get a run back in the second after a two-out double by Colin Long, followed by an RBI single by Will Egger.
The Hawks would again answer back at the plate, scoring three runs in the third and continuing to grow their lead with three runs in the fifth and two runs in the sixth to lead 10-1.
VU again looked to rally late and began the seventh with a single by freshman Trevor Newman (Fort Wayne, Ind.).
Ethan Burdette stepped up to the plate later in the inning with two outs and came through big again with an RBI triple to score Newman. This was Burdette’s second hit of the game, fourth hit of the day and second RBI on the day.
Burdette would be driven in on an RBI single by Kaden Elliott, who was then followed by Colton Evans who reached on an error.
This would be as close as the Blazers would get however, although Carter Whitehead did manage to make good contact on a ball that looked to be headed over the outfielder’s heads, it was caught for the third out and giving Heartland the 10-3 victory over the Trailblazers in game two.
VU freshman Josh McCormick (Indianapolis, Ind.) toed the rubber in game two, throwing three and a third innings, allowing five runs on two hits and striking out two.
Sophomore Dawson Blaylock (Eaton, Ohio) took over in the fourth and threw an inning and two-thirds, allowing three runs on two hits and striking out four.
Freshman Bryton Griffy (Louisville, Ill.) pitched the sixth, allowing two runs on one hit and striking out one before turning the game over to sophomore Nick Kapostasy (Cincinnati, Ohio) who pitched a shutout seventh, allowing one hit and striking out one.
Vincennes on the day managed to outhit the highly rated Hawks 19-15, but were unable to overcome a combined eight errors in the two games. VU’s pitchers also accounted for 19 total walks and seven hit by pitches in the Friday doubleheader.
“Second game was the same situation,†Barney added. “We had multiple opportunities to hit with runners in scoring position in the second, fourth and fifth innings and were only able to come up with one run in those innings. We’ve got to do a better job from that avenue.â€
“Our pitchers, it’s the same thing,†Barney said. “Walked guys. Gave up wild pitches and just couldn’t get it done. If we want to be a competitive club, we have got to get it done better on the mound than we are right now.â€
The Trailblazers will look to bounce back and limit the mistakes when the two teams return to Jerry Blemker Field tomorrow, April 8 for the final two games of this four-game Conference series. First pitch Saturday is scheduled for 1 p.m. eastern.
“We’re not that far off from competing against this team,†Barney added. “But it comes down to execution. It comes down to executing pitches and it comes down to guys stepping up with big hits at the plate. The positive thing about today is that we get to come back tomorrow and do it all over again and hopefully we can bounce back.â€
BOX SCORE
GAME ONE
Heartland – 000   103  112 – 8
VU (16-17, 4-5) – 000   020  010 – 3
VINCENNES HITTING
2B – Evans, Long, Egger. RBI – Burdette, Long 2, SB – Evans.
GAME TWO
Heartland – 203   032  0 – 10
VU (16-18, 4-6) – 010   000  2 – 3
VINCENNES HITTING
2B – Long. 3B – Burdette. RBI – Burdette, Elliott, Egger. HBP – Bartlett.
Master Trooper Kurt Jack Retires After Thirty-Nine Years of Service
(Fort Wayne, IN)- On Thursday April 6, 2023, Indiana State Police Master Trooper Kurt Jack retired from the department with over thirty-nine years of dedicated and honorable service.
Master Trooper Jack’s law enforcement career has been a lifelong journey. He was literally born into the ISP family, as his father, the late Sergeant Thomas Jack, was also a state trooper assigned to the now-decommissioned Ligonier Post in Noble County. Although never confirmed, there have often been rumors suggesting that some of Kurt’s “Safe Driving Miles†may have actually been logged long before he became a state trooper.  Kurt graduated from Michigan State University-East Lansing in 1980 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree. His professional policing career began as a Patrolman with the Elkhart Police Department shortly after graduating from college.
Master Trooper Jack was appointed as a trooper on December 25, 1983 after graduating from the Indiana State Police 41st Recruit Academy. He was assigned to the Fort Wayne Post after graduation and would remain here for the duration of his entire career.
During his thirty-nine years, M/Trooper Jack has primarily been assigned to road patrol duties in the counties of Adams, Wells, Jay, and Blackford. He was extensively trained and highly skilled in several specialty certifications and assignments, including thirty-four years of experience as a certified Technical Crash Investigator with Vehicle Dynamics, as well as aircraft crash investigations, Background Investigator, and Field Training Officer. The latter two assignments directly involved him in the processes of hiring, training, and mentoring numerous Indiana State Police personnel.
Regardless of assignment, Master Trooper Jack had a well-known reputation for his exceptional professionalism. He always treated people with the utmost respect and fairness, his integrity was unquestionable, his case work was always meticulous and precise, and he always maintained an impeccably professional appearance. He has been a great example of what it means to be an Indiana State Trooper.
In 2014, M/Trooper Jack was named the Trooper of the Year for the Fort Wayne Post, and he achieved over 1.6 million safe driving miles over the course of his career.
Kurt has spent his entire adult life as a resident of Wells County. He has three adult children- Brian, Amy, and Chris; and five grandchildren. Moving into retirement, Kurt has been appointed as the new Police Chief for the town of Ossian.
For the men and women of the Fort Wayne Post, it has been an honor to work alongside Master Trooper Jack for all these years. He will be greatly missed, and we wish him well in his new position.
Teaching Students Financial Literacy
Many young Hoosiers enter the workforce or go to college with little to no financial education. Young people often face questions, like how do I open a bank account? Should I apply for loans or credit cards? What insurance policies do I need? These questions sometimes go unanswered and can even lead to poor financial decisions that can have long-term impacts.
Currently, Indiana high schools can offer financial literacy courses as an elective, meaning some schools offer it and some schools do not. However, as your state senator, I supported legislation that would require public and charter high school students to pass a financial literacy course before graduation, putting our young adults in a better position to succeed post graduation.
Requiring high school students to pass a course on financial literacy would give our Hoosier students the skills to effectively manage their money and make strides in building on our already strong economy and workforce.