Indiana
Indiana Baseball Alumni Ready To Shine In MLB Playoffs
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – For the first time since the 2021 season, five former Indiana baseball players played at least one game for a Major League Baseball team in 2024.
Two of them are pegged to be significant contributors for their clubs as the baseball playoffs begin.
The playoffs start on Tuesday, but Indiana’s two expected playoff contributors won’t begin until the Divisional Series round as their teams received byes as one of the top two division champions in the their respective leagues.
One former Indiana standout is familiar. Philadelphia Phillies designated hitter Kyle Schwarber had one of his finest seasons in 2024.
Schwarber hit 38 home runs, had 104 RBI and hit .248 for the Phillies, taking part in 150 games for the NL East champions.
While he crested the 40-home run mark in both 2022 and 2023 for the Phillies, Schwarber’s .248 batting average was his best since he hit .266 while splitting the 2021 season between the Washington Nationals and Boston Red Sox.
Schwarber had a career-high 3.5 WAR by baseball-reference.com’s definition of the advanced statistic. His previous best was a 2.3 for the Chicago Cubs in 2019 and the Phillies in 2022.
In addition to his on-field exploits, Schwarber is the Phillies’ nominee to win the coveted Roberto Clemente Award.
Schwarber has been stronger in the playoffs than he typically is in the regular season. His career playoff batting average is .245, 15 points better than his regular season career average. Schwarber hit 5 home runs in 7 games for the Phillies in their 2023 NLCS series against Arizona.
He also hit 6 home runs in Philadelphia’s 2022 World Series championship run. Schwarber also hit 5 home runs as a rookie in 2015 during the Chicago Cubs’ playoff journey.
Schwarber, a Middletown, Ohio native, played at Indiana from 2012-14, helping the Hoosiers reach the College World Series in 2013.
The Phillies will start their playoff run on Saturday as they will host the winner of the Milwaukee Brewers-New York Mets Wild Card Series. That NLDS series will be televised on Fox or FS1.
Another former Hoosier who will have an important postseason role is Cleveland Guardians relief pitcher Tim Herrin.
Herrin had a breakout season for the Guardians. Part of the best bullpen in baseball with a 2.57 ERA, Herrin was lights out. He had an ERA of 1.95 in 75 appearances for Cleveland. His WHIP (walks and hits divided by innings pitched) was an outstanding 0.975. Herrin struck out 68 batters in 65 2/3 innings.
Herrin was at the front end of the Guardians’ bullpen as he usually entered the game in the sixth or seventh inning. Herrin had 16 holds for the Guards.
Herrin, a Terre Haute, Ind. native, is in his second season at the Major League level. He improved dramatically from his rookie campaign in 2023 when he had a 5.53 ERA in 23 appearances.
Herrin pitched for Indiana from 2016-18. He had a career ERA of 3.44 for the Hoosiers.
The Guardians begin their American League playoff journey on Saturday as they host the winner of the Detroit Tigers-Houston Astros Wild Card Series. That ALDS series will be televised on TBS.
One other former Hoosier, pitcher Scott Effross, pitched for the New York Yankees in 2024. He appeared in three games, most recently in a Friday contest against Pittsburgh. Effross is a long shot to make the Yankees’ postseason roster. The Yankees begin their ALDS series against either Baltimore or Kansas City on Saturday. Effross played for the Hoosiers from 2013-15.
Two other former Hoosiers who played in 2024 won’t take part in the postseason.
Pitcher Tanner Gordon made eight starts for the Colorado Rockies in 2024. He finished with an 0-8 record and an 8.65 ERA for a 101-loss Rockies team. Gordon played at Indiana in 2019.
Andrew Saalfrank, who played at Indiana from 2017-19, made 2 appearances for the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Diamondbacks were eliminated from playoff contention on the final day of the season, but Saalfrank wouldn’t have played a part anyway. He was banned by Major League Baseball in June for a year for violating MLB’s sports gambling rules.
KOSCIUSKO COUNTY, Ind. (WSBT) — It’s fair season and a new law uncorks adult beverage sales!
The new Indiana law will go into effect July 1st, making it legal to sell alcohol at county fairs.
The Kosciusko County Fair is set to kick off in just a few weeks and Indiana is officially allowing alcohol to be sold.
The law is bringing back something that’s not necessarily new to this fair.
Here’s what you need to know
The new law will go into effect on July 1st. It officially allows county fairs to apply for fee-free permits to sell alcohol.
Officials with the Kosciusko County Fair say they are participating this year. They are implementing the same guidelines they used when they sold alcohol just at grandstand events.
The difference now is, you can walk around the grounds with your drink. But strict guidelines will be in place for purchasing a drink.
“Actually, we’ve never had any issues. Because we card everybody, so we take that seriously. We also got the ID guides so we can identify the different types of IDs,” said Sheal Dirck, Treasurer of Kosciusko County Fair.
The Kosciusko County Fair already have guidelines in place, so this was an easy transition for the fair.
They will be the only vendors selling alcohol, which will make it easier to control distribution.
The sales will also bring in more revenue.
“Hopefully it allows to keep our ticket prices where they are because right now, insurance, utilities and everything else is going sky high and it’s hard to make ends meet,” said Dirck.
However, some fairs cannot participate because of the July 1st start date, like the Pulaski County Fair, which is going on right now. Pulaski County officials said it is on the agenda for next year. Whereas other fairs are choosing to sit this year out.
“We wanted not spend some time to, to see what that really means for us. It was not a decision we wanted to rush into. But we are happy for the option of it,” said Shelly Steury, GM of Elkhart County 4H Fairgrounds.
Leaders at the St. Joseph County and Elkhart County Fairs said neither of them are selling alcohol.
The Kosciusko County Fair is the only fair that will sell alcohol in our area this year.
Indiana
‘Foul play’ suspected in death investigation on Indiana-Ohio state line, Wayne County officials say
WAYNE COUNTY, Ind. (WISH) — Police are investigating the death of a person who died in the emergency department of Reid Health in Richmond.
Wayne County Coroner Brent Meadows was notified of the death Wednesday evening, according to a media release. Evidence has reportedly indicated that foul play is involved.
Officials believe the incident may have occurred in the area of the Petro Travel Center in New Paris, Ohio, just across the Indiana-Ohio state line.
The coroner’s office said the deceased person has been transported to the Miami Valley Regional Crime Laboratory in Dayton, Ohio, for a forensic autopsy and identification.
The office is still working the locate and identify the victim’s family.
This remains an active investigation.
News 8’s Michaela Springer contributed to this report.
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