NICHOLASVILLE, Ky. – The Vincennes University Golf team had another tough tournament this week at the 2024 Garn Championships hosted at the Keene Trace Golf Club Monday and Tuesday.
The Blazers battled through wind and rain to place 21st on a very challenging golf course, which hosts the PGA’s Barbasol Championship each July.
The first two rounds of this 54-hole tournament were scheduled to be played on Monday, but round two ultimately needed to be finished Tuesday morning due to darkness.
The Trailblazers were led by freshman Alex Nealis (Olney, Ill.) who had a team-best 82 in round one, an 88 in round two and finished strong with an 83 in round three to place 66th overall.
Freshman Andy Clark followed Nealis with a solid bounce back tournament, with a first round 94 followed by an 86 and an 85 in the final two rounds to finish 96th on the leaderboard.
The next VU scorer was freshman Trejan Morrison (Ferdinand, Ind.) who made his Spring season debut with a first round 105, followed by a 99 and a 97 in the final two rounds to place 107th overall.
The Vincennes finishers were rounded out by freshman Jackson Stone (Vincennes, Ind.) who shot a 97 in round one, a 106 in round two and a 109 in the final round to place 108th.
Sophomore Aaron Brink (Nashville, Ill.) began the tournament, with a first round 86 and a second round 88 before withdrawing from the tournament due to injury.
VU as a team shot a first round 359, 361 in round two and a final round team score of 376 to place 21st overall as a team.
“Just when I thought things were tough with having to play without my number one player, Preston, my number two hurt his wrist and had to withdraw after two holes Tuesday,” VU Hall of Fame Golf Coach Dennis Chattin said. “We were battered by really strong winds and rain throughout the day and had to finish with only four players, so we couldn’t throw out our high score.”
“Scores were really up this year in the tournament because of the winds yesterday and both wind and rain today,” Chattin added. “I always like to point out a highlight but can only say that we had some guys who battled through the conditions. Hopefully after some time off before our next tournament we can get healthy again.”
The Trailblazers will look to bounce back and hopefully continue to improve, along with some better weather, in their next tournament, when VU heads to Hulman Links in Terre Haute for the Battle of the Woods tournament Saturday, April 6 and Sunday, April 7.
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The visiting SIUE baseball team erupted for 10 runs in the final three innings on Tuesday night to secure a 14-6 victory over the University of Evansville Purple Aces at German American Bank Field at Charles H. Braun Stadium in Evansville.
The Cougars scored two unearned runs in the seventh inning to grab a one-run lead, before scoring three runs in the eighth inning and five more in the ninth inning to blow things open. Outfielder Lucas Spence led the way for SIUE, going 4-for-6 with a triple, four runs scored and four RBI. All four RBI, three of his hits and three of his runs came in the final three innings of the game.
SIUE struck first in the third inning on a solo home run by second baseman Mack Mitchell and the first run of the game by Spence, who singled and eventually scored on a wild pitch.
The score would remain 2-0 in favor of SIUE until the fourth inning, when UE graduate designated hitter Chase Hug launched a three-run home run to right field to give UE a 3-2 lead.
The Cougars would tie the game at 3-3 in the fifth inning, before UE opened up a 5-3 lead with two runs in the bottom half of the frame. Graduate third baseman Brent Widder roped his second double of the game to score the inning’s first run, before junior outfielder Harrison Taubert came through with an RBI ground out to give UE a 5-3 lead.
SIUE scored a run in the sixth inning to trim the UE lead to 5-4, before taking the lead with two unearned runs in the seventh inning. Spence started the rally with a one-out single. Then, after a strikeout and a hit-by-pitch put runners on first and second, Spence raced home on a fielding error to tie the game and a throwing error put two men in scoring position with two outs. Then, a controversial balk call on a 3-2 count brought in the go-ahead run for SIUE and gave the Cougars a 6-5 lead. Spence then broke things open in the eighth inning with a two-run triple as SIUE went on to win.
Spence and first baseman Ryan Niedzwiedz both had four hits and four RBI each to lead SIUE. Hug drove in three runs for UE, while Widder and senior first baseman Kip Fougerousse had two hits each. For Widder, it came in his 200th career collegiate game.
With the victory, SIUE improves to 8-17 overall. Evansville, meanwhile, falls to 9-15 overall with the loss. Evansville will return to action next on Thursday night, as the Purple Aces will host Southern Illinois in a three-game Missouri Valley Conference series. First-pitch is set for 6 p.m. and Thursday’s game can be heard live on 107.1 FM-WJPS and seen live on ESPN+.
BATAVIA, Ohio– The University of Southern Indiana Women’s Golf team competed in The Julie hosted by Northern Kentucky University against 12 other teams on Monday and Tuesday. USI finished 12th among 13 teams. The Eagles finished with a two-round score of 660. Senior Katelyn Sayyalinh (Rockford, Illinois) led USI with a two-round score of 159 (81,78) at 15 over in addition to having the best individual single-round score of 78 on Tuesday. Rounding out the scoring for the Eagles junior Baileigh Schneider(Huntingburg, Indiana) at 21 over, freshman Alexis Wymer(Bridgeport, Illinois) and senior Halle Gutwein (DeMotte, Indiana) at 24 over, and sophomore Sydni Thurlow (Belleville, Illinois) at 33 over. Freshman Ashlynn Weir (Evansville, Indiana) competed as an individual finishing with a score of 167 (83, 84). NEXT UP FOR THE EAGLES: USI Women’s Golf will compete on Friday against the University of Evansville at Fendrich Golf Course beginning at 11 a.m.
MUNCIE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Baseball lost the opening contest of a four-game road swing at Ball State University, 12-5, Tuesday afternoon in Muncie, Indiana. USI is 11-13 overall, while BSU goes to 14-12. The Cardinals took the lead early, scoring in each of the first five frames. BSU had a 4-0 lead after the first inning and sealed its win with two more in the second for the 6-0 advantage. After BSU scored another run in the third, the Screaming Eagles got onto the scoreboard with a pair of tallies in the top of the fourth to narrow the gap to 7-2. Senior designated hitter Jack Ellis (Jeffersonville, Indiana) produced the first two USI runs with one swing of the bat, hitting a two-run blast to right center. The homer was his team-high fourth of the season. BSU re-extended its lead and pushed the run differential to 12-2 after scoring three more in the bottom of the fourth and two more in the fifth. The Eagles would get the final two runs of the game scoring once in the sixth and two more in the eighth. USI freshman leftfielder Ethan Rothschild (Evansville, Indiana) pushed the Eagles’ tally across in the sixth with a RBI-single to center, while junior centerfielder Terrick Thompson-Allen(Sioux City, Iowa) and senior catcher Tyler Kapust(Sellersburg, Indiana) hit back-to-back home runs in the eighth to finish the scoring in the 12-5 game. USI senior right-hander Trent Robinson (Louisville, Kentucky) took the loss for the Eagles. Robinson (0-2) allowed four runs on four hits and two walks in 1.2 innings of work.
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IS IT TRUE that it’s time for Mayor Terry to acknowledge that the Ford Center is a prime candidate for a forensic audit so she can find out how to make it at least cover expenses or maybe eke out a small profit?
IS IT TRUE that the City of Evansville Employee Health insurance program has been hundreds of thousands of dollars in the red each year for many years? …that it’s time for Mayor Terry to put the City Employees Healthcare package out for a competitive bid in hopes that it will be more affordable for the City?
IS IT TRUE that it’s obvious that the newly appointed Evansville City Controller should spend more time analyzing the massivedebt that the former Mayor of Evansville left Mayor Terry to address?
IS IT TRUE when a responsible Business Executive in the private sector finds out that he is spending more money than he is bringing in he quickly reduces his operating budget?
IS IT TRUE that we are told that many taxpayers are extremely upset that the Evansville City Parks Board has not properly maintained our City Parks over the last several years?
IS IT TRUE that we have been told by reliable sources that the Helfrich Park swimming pool will soon be permanently closed?
IS IT TRUE that we wonder if you would build a new home and had no clear-cut idea of what the final costs would be? …we also wonder if you wanted to purchase a new car and didn’t have any concrete idea of the total costs of the car would you buy it? …we also wonder how members of the Evansville Parks and Recreation Department Board can decide to build “24 Pickleball Courts” at Wesselman Park without having detailed financial costs of phases 1 and 2?
IS IT TRUE that the word gentrification is being bantered about like a weapon?…what gentrification refers to is the mass change in the rental units in a certain area being converted from government-subsidized housing to housing that the new residents pay for themselves?…gentrification is something that cities hope for but sometimes it strikes fear into the hearts and minds of the people who are being displaced?
IS IT TRUE the only problem with gentrification is that it displaces people who have been getting subsidies and who may not have the ability to get by without a housing subsidy?…gentrification has been known to grow homelessness?…in some cases like East Palo Alto, CA gentrification has been an overwhelming success in uplifting the area?…in the liberal bastion of Santa Monica it leads to the city using its laws to round up the homeless and put them on Greyhound busses and give them a one-way ticket to Phoenix, therefore exporting their problem to another state?
IS IT TRUE that we would like to give five (5) cheers to Vanderburgh County Coroner Steven W. Lockyear for doing an incredible job for the taxpayers of this community?
IS IT TRUE It is common knowledge that City Councilwoman Missy Mosby is known for being excellent at serving the needs of her constituents?
IS IT TRUE that the City-County Observer newspaper is a proud supporter of our law enforcement?
IS IT TRUE that everyone has a right to their opinions even if they are wrong?
IS IT TRUE when the people fear the Government we have Tyranny? …when the Government fears the people we have liberty?
IS IT TRUE our “READERS POLLS” are non-scientific but trendy?
INDIANAPOLIS — Senator Mike Braun has again been recognized as one of the most conservative Republicans in the U.S. Senate, this time by CPAC with a 98% rating, ranking him the second most conservative Senator in the entire body.
“Hoosiers sent me to Washington to be a voice for common sense. I’ve been proud to vote against every bit of the Biden spending spree that’s burdened every Hoosier family with high prices from inflation.” – Senator Mike Braun
“To produce this year’s scorecard, the CPAC foundation’s Center for Legislative Accountability analyzed every vote taken during the last session of Congress, looking particularly at those related to such issues as fiscal matters, taxation, regulation, education, Second Amendment rights and election security, among others,” CPAC noted about their methodology.
Attorney General Todd Rokita continues his fight against Big Pharma in a new lawsuit against drug manufacturers and Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) for inflating insulin prices for hardworking Hoosiers.
Approximately 640,435 Indiana residents have been diagnosed with diabetes and over 1.7 million people are pre-diabetic. It is the leading cause of blindness, kidney failure, and lower limb amputations. It is the seventh leading cause of death in Indiana despite the availability of effective treatment.
“Diabetes is a public health crisis for Hoosiers,” Attorney General Rokita said. “This is a serious condition that requires insulin, putting patients in the impossible position of choosing between health and financial security.”
The lawsuit filed by Attorney General Rokita includes drug manufacturers Sanofi-Aventis and Novo Nordisk and PBMs CaremarkPCS Health, Express Scripts, CVS Health Corp., and Optum RX for conspiring to raise prices on insulin medications by more than 1000% in the last decade alone despite manufacturing costs decreasing.
“Too many Hoosiers have been forced to ration because drug manufacturers and PBMs have prioritized profits over patients,” said Attorney General Rokita. “Hundreds of thousands of Indiana residents rely on these medications to stay alive and these prices discourage people to take care of their health.”
According to the Complaint, every year, the direct medical expenses associated with diabetes care in Indiana are an estimated five billion dollars. If everyone with diabetes could adhere to their medication protocol, over $8.3 billion in direct medical costs would be saved annually.
“Our office hopes this case will also set a strong precedent for other pharmaceutical companies who want to take advantage of everyday Hoosiers,” Attorney General Rokita said. “Families are suffering enough already with the economic decline. Targeting and scheming against those who have a medical condition like diabetes is absolutely unethical.”
This is just one of the many times Attorney General Rokita’s Office has taken on dishonest companies who harm Hoosier patients regularly. Since Rokita took office, he has obtained a $66.5 million settlement against Centene for their failure to disclose true costs, won a $573 million multi-state settlement against McKinsey & Company for its role in “turbocharging” the opioid epidemic with Purdue Pharma, and secured nearly $7 million in an Indiana Medicaid fraud settlement against Mallinckrodt.
Last week saw the 70th anniversary of the ‘Milan Miracle’
Staff Report
Updated
Last week saw the 70th anniversary of the “Milan Miracle.”
U.S. Senator Todd Young, R-Indiana, commemorates the “Milan Miracle” with a speech on the Senate floor Thursday. Photo provided.
On March 20, 1954, Milan High School—enrollment 161—defeated Muncie Central in the Indiana High School Boys State Championship, making the Indians the smallest school to ever win the single class tournament in Indiana, according to a press release. The team and town are the inspiration for the movie “Hoosiers,” released in 1986.
On Saturday, Gov. Eric Holcomb spoke at the Milan 70th Anniversary Celebration at Milan High School Gymnasium, and on Thursday, U.S. Senator Todd Young, R-Indiana, commemorated the event on the Senate floor.
“The memory of Milan lasts because their team and town symbolizes what keeps our communities together … And it’s an inspiration still, across small towns, and struggling places, waiting on their own miracle, where the basketball team brings people together and makes them feel proud of the place they call home,” said Young. “That is why we still celebrate little Milan beating mighty Muncie Central 70 years on.”
Here is Young’s full floor speech:
“You might be surprised by the guest book of a museum in a small southern Indiana town.
“Inside it are names of visitors from all 50 states and farther away—other countries, other continents, places like Italy, France, Japan, and New Zealand.
“They have made their way to Milan, Indiana because … here is where the heart of Hoosier Hysteria lives … and the greatest basketball story ever took place 70 years ago this week.
“March, 20, 1954, the Fieldhouse on the campus of Butler University in Indianapolis …
“The finals of the Indiana High School Basketball Tournament …
“The Indians of Milan High, enrollment 161, vs. The Bearcats of Muncie Central, enrollment 1,660 …
“Fifteen thousand fans are in the bleachers … with thousands more Hoosiers listening over the radio…
“It’s the fourth quarter…
“The game is tied at 30…
“Eighteen seconds on the clock…
“Milan inbounds…
“Senior Bobby Plump gets the ball … He fakes left, dribbles right, pulls up, knocks down a 14-foot jump shot just as the clock expires.
“The nets come down and the celebration starts.
“The next morning, the new state champions headed home in a fleet of Cadillacs along Indiana’s county roads—there was no interstate or highway connecting Indianapolis to Cincinnati, the closest city to Milan.
“Hoosiers were waiting along the way, in Greensburg, in Shelbyville, holding signs, waving.
“State Road 101, which led back home, was lined with cars and cheering fans for 13 miles.
“Forty thousand people were waiting in Milan, even though at that time the town had only 1,100 residents.
“As they rolled into town, two members of the team—Ray Craft and Kenny Wendelman—hopped on the roof of their Cadillac with the championship trophy between them.
“The procession ended near Milan High, where that trophy remains today.
“The next morning, the crowd was gone.
“The small town quiet gradually returned.
“In the days that followed members of the team graduated, went off to college, pursued careers and drifted apart.
“Coach Marvin Wood took a job up in New Castle.
“The passage of time brought other changes, not all of them welcome.
“Milan, like so many towns across the country has faced challenges.
“And the single class basketball tournament system that gave small town teams like Milan a shot at the title is no more.
“Some of the schools that played in the 1954 tournament are gone.
“Milan has not won another championship, though they made it to the semi-state back in 1973.
“Despite this—or just possibly because of it—the Milan Miracle is inspiring as ever, seven decades on.
“Yes, it’s the tale of the little guy, the underdog, David vs. Goliath. The smallest school to ever win the single class tournament.
“Literally in fact: Muncie Central’s average height was 6’4. Milan’s was 5’11.
“But this story is so much bigger than that or even basketball, or even Indiana.
“Milan’s players always note that their championship run in 1954 was not a lightning strike or a stroke of good luck.
“The Indians made it to the final four the previous year; most of the players had known and practiced with each other since grade school.
“They played tough, were coached well, and had faith in their teammates.
“Bobby Plump’s last shot is the moment we remember, but it was the culmination of a lot of hard work, dedication, and teamwork.
“And it happened because of the support of families, friends and neighbors.
“Milan was a place where when a student needed a winter coat, locals took up a collection at the drug store and bought him one…
“… A place where the kids who didn’t have a lot of money could eat for free at Rosie’s.
“… And the ones from nearby Pierceville, who often had to walk to school, could count on rides from friends.
“And in a different era, when the world seemed so much smaller, the local basketball team was, at least for the month of March, the world.
“Even a water shortage in the spring of 1954 didn’t dampen Milan’s or Ripley County’s excitement for the Indians.
“As an area newspaper reported, ‘water or no water, Ripleyians want Milan to bring home the crown.’
“Apart from what happened on the hardwood at Hinkle Fieldhouse, the memory of Milan lasts because their team and town symbolizes what keeps our communities together …
“… What lifts their hopes and fuels their dreams, even when it feels like hopes and dreams are all they have.
“That trophy in the newly refurbished lobby of Milan High’s gymnasium is a symbol of more than just a state championship.
“It’s proof how much we can achieve when we work together towards a common goal and resolve to hold our own no matter the odds.
“And it’s an inspiration still, across small towns, and struggling places, waiting on their own miracle, where the basketball team brings people together and makes them feel proud of the place they call home.
“That is why we still celebrate little Milan beating mighty Muncie Central 70 years on.
“It’s why we will for the next 70 years too.
“Of course, this is the story that inspired ‘Hoosiers,’ a beloved movie, written and directed by a pair of Hoosiers.
“Visitors still come to Indiana in search of the movie’s fictional Hickory, hoping to find the small town epicenter of Hoosier Hysteria.
“What they are really searching for is right there in Ripley County.
“They will recognize it by the basketball goals in driveways, the backboards on barns …
“The black water tower with white lettering reading “STATE CHAMPS 1954”
“… The historical marker commemorating the Milan Miracle … and that museum that celebrates it right there in the center of town.
“As a newspaper declared back in March of 1954:
“‘In basketball, Little Milan is the new capital of Indiana.’
“Seventy years later, it is still the capital, and the Indians will always be champions.”
