EVANSVILLE, Ind.—University of Southern Indiana Softball sophomore first baseman Lexi Fair (Greenwood, Indiana) has been named to the Schutt Sports/NFCA Division II Player & Pitcher of the Year Top 50 List in an announcement by the National Fastpitch Coaches’ Association Thursday.
Fair, the reigning Great Lakes Valley Conference Player of the Week, is currently hitting .435 with 12 doubles, two triples, four home runs and 30 RBI. She leads USI with a .739 slugging percentage has a .509 on-base percentage in 2022.
On Monday, Fair was named the GLVC Player of the Week after hitting .550 with five doubles, a triple, a home run and 10 RBI to lead the Screaming Eagles to a 6-0 record in league play.
Fair is one of six players from the GLVC and one of eight players from the Midwest Region to find a spot on the Schutt Sports/NFCA Division II Player & Pitcher of the Year Top 50 List.
She was joined from the GLVC by Drury University’s Kristina Bettis, University of Illinois Springfield’s Carly Chovanec, University of indianapolis’s Kenzee Smith, McKendree University’s Kenzee Smith and Lindenwood University’s Amanda Weyh. Grand Valley State University’s Hannah Beatus and Lydia Goble rounded out the Midwest Region’s presence on the list.
USI (22-8, 8-0 GLVC) returns to action Saturday at noon when it hosts Rockhurst University in a GLVC doubleheader at the USI Softball Field.
KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
K BUG
ALTON BROWN LIVE! BEYOND THE EATS
THURSDAY, MARCH 31, 2022 • DOORS OPEN @ 6:30 PM • SHOWTIME @ 7:30 PM
FACE MASKS AND PROOF OF VACCINATION ARE NOT REOUIRED
FOR THIS EVENT
BAGS MUST BE CLEAR AND UNDER 13″ x 13″, EXCEPT FOR SMALL
CLUTCH PURSES UNDER 4.5″ x6.5″
YOUR SMARTPHONE IS YOUR TICKET • LOCATE YOUR TICKETS
IN THE TICKETMASTER APP BEFORE YOU ENTER SECURITY
OLDÂ NATIONAL EVENTSÂ PLAZA
NICHOLASVILLE, Ky. – The Vincennes University Golf team took part in the Spring Arbor University Garn Championships earlier this week at The Keene Trace Golf Club in Nicholasville, Ky.
The first day of the two-day tournament began after a two-hour delay due to frost.
The opening day of play was originally going to be the first two rounds of the 54-hole tournament, but the field was unable to finish the second round and the tournament had to be suspended due to darkness.
The teams returned to the course on the second day and faced another delay, before finishing the second and third rounds of the tournament.
Vincennes placed 14th as a team after an impressive first round, before sliding down the leaderboard in rounds two and three.
The Trailblazers were led in the tournament by low-man freshman Luke VanDeventer, who shot a 78 in the first round, 82 in the second and battled back to shoot a 78 in the final round.
“Luke didn’t have a bad tournament,†VU Golf Coach Dennis Chattin said. “He continues to improve as the season goes along.â€
VanDeventer finished one-shot higher than sophomore Bryce Kirchner (North Vernon, Ind.) who got off to a hot start in the tournament with a first-round three-over 75.
“The story of the first day was Bryce,†Chattin said. “Bryce had a good round of 75, highlighted by an eagle on the last hole.â€
Kirchner would go on to shoot an 85 in the second round and a 79 in the third round.
Freshman Paxton Schwomeyer (Oakland, City, Ind.) was the next Trailblazer finisher after having a very consistent tournament, shooting an 80 in the first round and 83’s in the second and third rounds of play.
Freshman Sam Stewart (Floyds Knob, Ind.) shot a first round 86, before finishing off an 89 and 91 in the second and third rounds on day two.
Freshman Caleb Maris (Terre Haute, Ind.) rounded out the VU scorers, ending with an opening round 94 and was the only Trailblazer golfer to improve on his score in the second round with a 93. Maris closed out the tournament with a 97 in the third round.
“We played what I thought was an average first round,†Chattin added. “Nothing great, but nothing terrible. Then the last two rounds we just did not play well at all.â€
“We just need to be deeper,†Chattin said. “One of the unique things about golf is that every player counts the same. Unlike other sports, if a guy has a couple of bad plays, you can take him out. In golf he has to keep playing.â€
“A good golf course separates the field. That was a good golf course, they have held a PGA event there. So, you better play well, or it will make you pay. The pins were tough and it was cold, but everybody played the same pins at the same temperature.â€
“You have to be mentally tough as a golfer and I think we need to be mentally tougher. When you play from 11 in the morning to seven at night, there is no time where you get to go sit on the bench and relax for a little while and that takes a lot of mental toughness. One of the biggest adjustments for high school kids playing in college is playing 36 holes in a day, which most of them have never done and we played with four freshmen, who are still getting adjusted. This tournament had a lot of four-year schools in it, so our guys are in a group with some fifth-year players.â€
“But it’s good experience and good exposure to play that good of a golf course against some good four-year schools. When we got home I said to the guys, ‘the course kind of beat us up, do you guys want to go back next year’ and every one of them said yes. So that’s a good sign that they want to give it another shot.â€
The VU golfers will have a quick turnaround as they head out to Cape Girardeau, Mo. to take part in the Region 24 Spring Preview at Dalhousie Golf Club Friday, April 1.
 PAWLEY’S ISLAND, S.C. – Magdalena Borisova had the top finish while Carly Frazier posted the low round in Wednesday’s final round of the Golfweek/Any Given Tuesday Intercollegiate at True Blue Golf Club.
Frazier completed the third round with a 4-over 76. A pair of birdies on the front nine helped her finish at 1-over through that part of the course. Playing as an individual, she tallied a 239 over the three rounds.
Leading the Purple Aces in the final standings was Magdalena Borisova. The freshman carded a 6-over 78 to finish in a tie for 41st. Her three scores came in at 77-77-78 as she finished with a 232. Alyssa McMinn and Allison Enchelmayer each wrapped up the tournament with rounds of 78. McMinn registered four birdies in her round while Enchelmayer had a pair. Both finished the event with total scores of 240, tying for 68th.
Three behind the duo was Mallory Russell. Her score on Wednesday checked in at an 83, giving her a 243 for the three rounds of play. Caitlin O’Donnell was two behind Russell with a 245. O’Donnell recorded her best round of the week, scoring an 80 on Wednesday.
Coastal Carolina took the team victory, shooting 7-over for the three rounds. They defeated Incarnate Word by four shots with SMU 16 behind the winners. Evansville came home in 16th in the final standings. Ellen Nicholas of Incarnate Word and Tiffany Arafi from Coastal Carolina tied atop the individual leaderboard with scores of 212.
UE heads to Terre Haute on Sunday and Monday for the Indiana State Invitational.
Cheering For Charlie: Johnson County Boy Inspires Thousands With Facebook Group
By Ashlyn Myers, TheStatehouseFile.com
FRANKLIN, Ind.—It was November 2019, and Stephanie Smith noticed that her son, Charlie, wasn’t feeling well.
“He was just tired a lot and not eating well, and he had a fever off and on for two weeks,†Smith said. “So, I took him to the pediatrician, and they found a lump in his side.â€
Charlie and his mom, Stephanie Smith, smiled for a picture while painting during a hospital stay.
Charlie’s pediatrician ran scans and blood tests, but his parents grew tired of waiting on results and took him to the E.R. This was the moment they found out Charlie had cancer.
At 16 months old, Charlie was diagnosed with neuroblastoma. It is a very rare and aggressive cancer, with about 700 to 800 new cases each year in the U.S., according to the American Cancer Society.
Children are usually diagnosed at only 1 or 2 years old, with the disease becoming extremely rare in children past age 10.
Cheering for Charlie
Hearing that your child has cancer is something a parent never expects to face, but Charlie’s story is unique because of the support the Smiths received. Stephanie created the Facebook group Cheering for Charlie in 2019, hoping to use it to keep friends and family updated on her son’s health.
The group reached far more than just their personal friends and family, though. Over the years, it amassed more than 18,000 members, always showing up with prayers and well wishes. Group members fell in love with Charlie’s silly personality, commenting things like:
“I look at his videos every day!â€
“Priceless! What a sweet little man!â€
“Such a beautiful little boy. Praying for him to get well. He deserves a happy, healthy life.â€
“Been praying daily for Charlie to have an easy journey. Praying for you to all have strength. God is by your side, holding you in his hands.â€
Charlie’s heart also touched people across state lines, with people showing support from all over the country:
“Thoughts and prayers for you and your family from Iowa.â€
“Praying from Kentucky!â€
“Prayers for Charlie from Florida.â€
“Prayers and hugs from Chicago!â€
For Stephanie, the group meant more than just Facebook interactions.
“It went even further than just the comments and messages. It was friendships that blossomed from complete strangers. It was people showing up out of the woodwork to support us and love us,†Stephanie said.
Love from a distance
Charlie and his parents spent a long time in hospitals receiving treatment. Stephanie and her husband, Cody Smith, had to take alternating shifts at the hospital with their son. This made raising their other two children, Henry and George, all the more challenging.
“I definitely felt torn as a mom. I felt like I wanted to be there for Charlie, but I also had two kids at home that I needed to see,†Stephanie said.
“It was very difficult. You know, Cody would be at the hospital a lot with Charlie, especially after George was born, and I knew that I wanted to be there but I knew that I had a responsibility of taking care of George and Henry as well.â€
Stephanie said Charlie and Henry were the best of friends, which made it hard for them to be apart as well. Whenever he wasn’t receiving treatment, they were creating crafts or playing together. Little George was much younger, but he and Charlie had a close relationship all the same.
Despite his situation, Stephanie said that her son always knew how to stay positive. Charlie spent ample time painting, coloring and cracking jokes just to get a laugh out of those around him. He also enjoyed going to Chick-fil-A, playing outside and eating his favorite snacks—especially chicken nuggets.
Looking upÂ
After receiving months of treatment, in October 2021, the Smith family started to see light at the end of the tunnel. Doctors wanted Charlie and his family to fly out to New York’s Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and thought the remainder of Charlie’s cancer could be removed.
But upon arrival, the physicians found that Charlie’s cancer had spread across his body in a matter of days, eliminating their chances of removing it. Shortly after, doctors explained that they believed Charlie’s cancer was no longer curable, and it was decided that he would go into hospice.
This was devastating for the Smith family, but it also allowed them to finally be together—all five of them.
The family celebrated Christmas together on Dec. 1, 2021, wearing matching pajamas and playing with new toys gifted by group members.
Charlie’s health and energy continued to decline until Dec. 11, when he died in the comfort of his home, surrounded by those who loved him most.
Cody Smith shared the news of his passing to the group, saying, “This morning at 9 a.m., Charlie met the King of Glory. Mommy and Daddy held his sweet hands as he opened his eyes, looked toward heaven and breathed his last. A perfect moment frozen in time, filled with peace and love and comfort. Cancer has been defeated, and Charlie has finished his race. Praise God for his continued goodness and mercy!â€
Moving forward
Stephanie and Cody were able to take time with their sons, grieving their loss as a family.
“It was so good to have time, just me and Cody and the boys at home, you know, figuring out how to grieve,†Stephanie said. â€The last two months have been really nice, just us at home.â€
Cody returned back to work in February, and Stephanie is homeschooling Henry and George.
Many people didn’t get the chance to meet Charlie, but his resilience lives on.
“I always said I want to be like him when I get older because he really just … being his mom was just a privilege and an honor and a joy because he was just the perfect kid,†Stephanie said. “There’s no other way to describe him.â€
FOOTNOTE: Ashlyn Myers is a reporter for TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students.
AG Rokita’s Action Protects Hoosiers From Harassment
Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita today announced a historic settlement with Piratel, LLC to help combat the plague of robocalling. Attorney General Rokita filed suit in October 2021 against Startel, LLC, an Indiana company, and several other defendants for allegedly assisting and facilitating foreign robocallers in India, the Philippines, and Singapore robocall Hoosiers.
After just a few months of negotiations, Attorney General Rokita and Piratel have come to a resolution that protects Hoosiers and other Americans from illegal robocalls.
“From day one, it has been my mission to fight illegal and unwanted robocalls. This settlement is a win for Hoosiers,” Attorney General Rokita said. “To continue winning these battles, we need telecom companies to join us in our anti-robocall campaign. For telecom companies that turn their backs, let this be a warning. There will be major consequences if you send Hoosiers illegal robocalls.”
In this case, the robocallers allegedly made over 4.8 million phone calls to Hoosiers and hundreds of millions of calls to other states across the United States. The robocallers allegedly operated a variety of scams, including IRS and Social Security Administration imposter scams, legal action or arrest scams, computer support scams, Apple support scams, and Amazon subscription scams.
Attorney General Rokita offers the following tips to avoid scams and unwanted calls:
Be wary of callers who specifically ask you to pay by gift card or crypto-currency (Bitcoin). For example, the IRS does not accept iTunes gift cards.
Look out for prerecorded calls from government agencies you were not expecting. Typically, the IRS and SSA do not call people.
If you suspect fraudulent activity, do not provide any personal information and end the call.
Contact Attorney General Rokita’s Consumer Protection Division at 1-888-834-9969 or donotcall@atg.in.gov.
The PepsiCo Foundation and Ivy Tech Community College Announce Partnership that will Provide 52 Students to Date with the Uplift Scholarship
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. –Ivy Tech Community College and The PepsiCo Foundation announced the launch of the Uplift Scholarship program to support Black and Hispanic students pursuing two-year degrees and professional certificate programs. In addition to financial assistance, the program will provide students with dedicated success coaches, access to emergency grants, and financial literacy courses.
The partnership, which was announced at Ivy Tech’s Spirit of Diversity Awards dinner this evening, will support 52 Black, Latino and Hispanic students studying Information Technology and Advanced Manufacturing, enabling them to pursue high-demand careers.
“Ivy Tech is proud to partner with PepsiCo for the Uplift Scholarship program,†said Sue Ellspermann, President of Ivy Tech. “We appreciate PepsiCo’s commitment to helping minority students with financial need opportunities to complete credentials in high-wage, high-demand fields and address Indiana’s workforce demand.â€
The Uplift Scholarship program is part of The PepsiCo Foundation’s $40 million commitment to address historical barriers that make it challenging for minority students to enroll, persist, and graduate from college – barriers that have widened during the pandemic. The Foundation’s Uplift Scholarship is currently offered at 20 community colleges across the country with the goal of providing 4,000 scholarships over five years.
“Higher education is the single most important tool we have for addressing economic and opportunity inequality. But just entering college is not enough,†said C.D. Glin, Global Head of Philanthropy, PepsiCo & Vice President, The PepsiCo Foundation. “Through the Uplift scholarship, The PepsiCo Foundation and Ivy Tech are working to ensure Black and Hispanic students not only have a chance to get into college but have access to critical resources to secure their diplomas and embark on meaningful careers.â€
To be eligible for the Uplift Scholarship, students must be either Black, Latino, or Hispanic, new first-time Ivy Tech students, enrolled at least half-time (6 credits), possess a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher, have a current FAFSA on file, have financial need, be seeking a credential/degree in Information Technology or Advanced Manufacturing.
Ivy Tech received $400,000 in scholarship funds for the Uplift Scholarship program and has distributed over $100,000 so far to students at Ivy Tech’s Indianapolis, South Bend/Elkhart, and Marion campuses.
Ivy Tech is committed to reducing the racial equity gaps in enrollment, persistence, and completion. This aligns with PepsiCo Foundation’s Racial Equality Journey by closing wealth gaps by providing access to higher education for Black and Hispanic students, enabling them to acquire jobs in high-growth and high-wage fields.
