OLNEY, Ill. – The Vincennes University baseball team hit the dirt again Tuesday afternoon against nearby Olney Central College in Olney, Ill.

The Blazers were looking to get some players action in different spots on the field and unfortunately came out on the wrong end of a 15-5 final score to the Blue Knights.

Olney Central got the scoring started Tuesday afternoon with a pair of runs in the bottom of the first, which were immediately answered with a pair of runs by VU in the second.

Vincennes got the inning started with a single by freshman Corbin Napier (Indianapolis, Ind.), followed by a walk by freshman Nate Montgomery (Lexington, Ind.).

VU would score their first run of the day on a double play and evened the score at 2-2 on an RBI single by freshman Logan Edwards (Corydon, Ind.).

The Blue Knights would get the lead back with a run in the bottom half of the inning, which was again matched by the Blazers in the third.

Sophomore Dylan Ecken (Louisville, Ky.) led off the third inning with a single and came around to score on an RBI double by Corbin Napier, his second hit of the game.

Olney Central then answered back in the fourth inning with a big six-run inning to take a 9-3 lead.

Vincennes again answered back in their next inning with a leadoff walk by freshman Bradyn Douglas (Frankton, Ind.), who would come around to score on a fielder’s choice put in play by Napier, giving him two RBIs on the day.

Napier would then make his way around the bases thanks to some Blue Knights wild pitches to cut the Olney Central lead to 9-5.

The Blue Knights continued to add on through the later innings of the game however, scoring two in the fifth, three in the sixth and getting a walk-off run in the seventh to give Olney Central the 15-5 victory over the Trailblazers.

Vincennes Head Baseball Coach Chris Barney sent six different pitchers to the mound Tuesday afternoon, looking to get some arms action who might not have thrown this past weekend at Lewis & Clark.

Freshman Noah Dearmitt (Franklin, Ind.) got the start on the mound for VU, throwing two innings and allowing three runs on three hits and striking out three.

Freshman JD Bowser (Mt. Carmel, Ill.) was the first out of the pen, allowing three runs on two hits and striking out one in an inning and one-third of action.

Freshman Bryce Gross (Bridgeport, Ill.) allowed four runs on three hits and struck out two in two-thirds of an inning, before handing the game over to sophomore Jack Robinson (Mooresville, Ind.) who allowed one run on three hits and struck out one in an inning on the mound.

Redshirt freshman Holden Clifton (Louisville, Ill.) allowed three runs on one hit in two-thirds of an inning before handing the ball over to his high school teammate sophomore Bryton Griffy (Louisville, Ill.) who allowed one run on three hits in one-third of an inning.

MATTOON, Ill. – The No. 2 seed Vincennes University Trailblazers advanced to the 2024 NJCAA Division I Region 24 Championship game Tuesday night by defeating No. 3 seed Southwestern Illinois College 87-76.

The Lady Blazers came out of the gates firing, hitting nine three-pointers in the first quarter to help secure their spot in Thursday night’s Region 24 Championship game.

The victory Tuesday night was also significant for VU Hall of Fame Head Coach Harry Meeks who claimed his 750th career victory as head coach of the Lady Blazers.

Vincennes got off the bus shooting from three it seemed like Tuesday night, wasting little time to jump out to a 14-4 lead.

The lead continued to grow throughout the first quarter thanks to nine three-point makes by the Lady Trailblazers, including one from sophomore center Elikya Baseyila (Paris, France) as VU ended the first 10 minutes of play with a commanding 35-14 advantage over the Lady Blue Storm.

The scoring became less one sided in the second quarter as the two teams began trading baskets and allowed the Blazers to only increase their lead by one at halftime as VU headed into the break ahead 56-34.

Vincennes looked to be in complete control to start the second half, but slowly the Lady Blue Storm began to chip away at the big margin.

Momentum appeared to shift over to the Southwestern Illinois bench late in the third quarter with six unanswered points for the Lady Blue Storm cut the VU lead to 15 at 67-52.

Vincennes would get the lead back up to 18 before the end of the quarter heading into the final 10 minutes of action leading 72-54.

Early in the fourth quarter SWIC gave their best run of the night, cutting the VU lead down to 13 midway through the quarter before getting the lead down to single digits late at 82-74.

Vincennes would right the ship however and close out the game at the free throw line as the Lady Blazers survive the late comeback attempt and pick up the 87-76 victory.

VU was led by freshman Destinee Hooks (Indianapolis, Ind.) who had another outstanding scoring game, finishing with a game-high 33 points and five rebounds on the night.

Elikya Baseyila also scored in double-figures, finishing her night with 11 points, six rebounds and a pair of blocks.

Sophomore Katrina Litte (Valmiera, Latvia) got in on the early three-point action, hitting three first quarter threes on her way to 11 points and two assists in the game.

Freshmen Karina Scott (Noblesville, Ind.) and Makyla Tucker (Indianapolis, Ind.) each scored eight points for the Lady Blazers, with Scott adding a team-high three steals on the defensive end.

Sophomore Brie Miller (Bainbridge, Ind.) continues to play tough down in the paint, leading VU with seven rebounds on the night to go along with five points.

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – University of Southern Indiana Baseball rolled through Middle Tennessee State University with a 12-9 victory Tuesday afternoon in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. USI is 8-8 in the non-conference season, while MTSU goes to 8-8.
 
The victory was the fourth-straight for the Screaming Eagles, marking the longest winning streak since May 2022 when USI swept four on the road from the University of Indianapolis.
 
USI opened the scoring in the second inning when junior centerfielder Terrick Thompson-Allen (Sioux City, Iowa) scored on an error to put the Eagles up 1-0. The Raiders bounced back in the bottom half of the frame to knot the game up at 1-1.
 
Following a scoreless third inning, USI opened up offensively with a tally in the fourth and a five-spot in the top of the fifth. USI junior catcher Logan Mock (Livermore, California) put the Eagles in front with an RBI-single in the fourth, scoring Thompson-Allen for a second time.
 
Senior first baseman Tucker Ebest (Austin, Texas) started the USI rally in the fifth with a RBI-single for a 3-1 lead, before senior designated hitter Jack Ellis (Jeffersonville, Indiana) got the Eagles really rolling at the plate with a two-RBI single to make the score 5-1 with one out.
 
USI junior third baseman Lane Crowden (Jackson, Missouri) pushed another run across with a ground out to extend the lead to 6-1, while Mock struck again with a RBI-double down the left field line for a 7-1 margin.
 
The Raiders struck for three in the bottom of the sixth to cut the USI advantage to 7-4, but the Eagles got two of the runs back in the top of the seventh when senior leftfielder Trent Robinson (Louisville, Kentucky) dropped a two-run double into left center for a 9-4 lead.
 
MTSU matched the USI two-run rally in the bottom of the seventh to make the score, 9-6. The Eagles, once again, extended their lead to six, 12-6, with a three-spot in the eighth. Mock struck again with a run-scoring double, while senior rightfielder Ren Tachioka (Japan) pushed USI’s final two runs across the plate with a single.
 
USI’s six-run lead was cut in half for the second time in the game when MTSU matched the Eagles’ rally with three more runs in the bottom of the eighth to make the score, 12-9.
 
After USI left a runner on in the ninth, MTSU got the tying run to the on-deck circle before the Eagles closed the door on a hard fought 12-9 win.
 
At the plate in the game, Mock led the Eagles by going four-for-four with a run scored and three RBI and two doubles. Ellis and Tachioka followed with three hits, three runs scored and two RBI each.
 
The win went to junior right-hander Carson Seeman (Auburn, California) in relief. Seeman (1-1) threw a pair of scoreless innings, allowing a walk, in getting the win.
 
USI junior right-hander Tyler Hutson (Villa Hills, Kentucky) posted his third save of the season, throwing a scoreless ninth inning. Hutson (3) walked two and struck out three versus the five batters faced.

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The University of Evansville baseball team will return home briefly on Wednesday night to host the visiting Southeast Missouri State Redhawks at German American Bank Field at Charles H. Braun Stadium.  First-pitch is set for 6 p.m.

Evansville will look to get back in the win column on Wednesday night after dropping three games at SEC power Mississippi State over the weekend.  UE will bring a 7-8 overall record into Wednesday’s contest.  Despite getting limited by Mississippi State’s pitching staff over the weekend, Evansville still ranks in the NCAA’s top 25 in three major offensive categories entering this week’s action.  UE is currently sixth in the nation in doubles (25), 21st in total hits (173) and 23rd in team batting average (.322).

Graduate outfielder Mark Shallenberger continues to pace the UE attack with a .407 batting average.  Shallenberger has reached base safely in 31-straight games dating back to last year, and he has done so by reaching base by any means necessary.  He currently leads UE in batting average, walks (12) and hit-by-pitches (nine).  His nine HBPs are currently tied for the top spot in the Missouri Valley Conference, and he ranks ninth nationally overall.

Southeast Missouri State will bring a 7-10 overall record into Wednesday’s game.  The Redhawks will be looking to snap a two-game losing streak, as they dropped the final two games of a series at Marshall over the weekend.  Junior outfielder Michael Mugan currently leads the SEMO offense with a .353 batting average, while he is second on the team with four home runs.  As a team, the Redhawks have launched 24 home runs already this year.

Evansville and SEMO split a home-and-home series last year, with both teams winning on the other’s home field.  UE has opened the 2024 season on fire at home, as the Purple Aces are 4-1 at home this year thanks to an offense which has hit .401 as a team and scored 63 runs in five home contests.

The honor is Tomancova’s first post-season recognition by the Valley

ST. LOUIS – Graduate center Barbora Tomancova has been recognized for her work both on the court and in the classroom by the Missouri Valley Conference.

For the first time as a Purple Ace, Tomancova has been named to the Missouri Valley Conference’s Scholar-Athlete First Team. Along with five other Valley athletes, she was honored as part of the 2024 Missouri Valley Conference Women’s Basketball Scholar-Athlete First Team, announced today by the league office. Drake forward Anna Miller was named the State Farm Scholar Athlete of the Year. Voting was conducted by the league’s sports information directors.

Tomancova holds a 4.0 grade point average while pursuing her Master of Science degree in Health Services Administration. She earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Evansville the year prior. Tomancova currently leads the Aces in rebounds per game, averaging 8.1 boards in 20.9 minutes. She is also third on the team in blocks over the regular season with 13.

Others named to the First Team along with Tomancova include Kiley Bess of Indiana State, Grace Boffeli of UNI, Tuti Jones, and Tessa Miller of Belmont and Miller.  A total of 22 players were honored across four Scholar-Athlete Teams in the MVC.

The criteria for the MVC Scholar-Athlete Team voting parallels the CSC (College Sports Communicators) standards for Academic All-America nominations. Student-athletes must be at least a sophomore academically and athletically and must be enrolled at their institution at the time of nomination either as undergraduates or graduate students. [The 12-month residency requirement for undergraduate transfers is no longer required.] An undergraduate student-athlete must have at least a 3.50 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale), and a graduate student-athlete must have at least a 3.50 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) as both an undergraduate and a grad student unless they are in their first semester as a graduate student and don’t have an established graduate GPA.