Indiana
Indiana baseball celebrates NCAA tournament bid after 48 hours on the bubble
BLOOMINGTON — Indiana baseball coach Jeff Mercer went through a range of emotions during the 48 hours leading up to the NCAA’s tournament selection show on Monday afternoon.
The roller coaster ended with overwhelming relief when the Hoosiers found out at the top of the hour-long broadcast they earned an at-large bid and a No. 3 seed in the Knoxville Regional alongside Tennessee, Southern Miss and Northern Kentucky.
Indiana (32-24-1) will open the tourney with a game against Southern Miss at 1 p.m. on Friday.
“You feel a sense of joy,” Mercer said, with a smile.
More: Indiana baseball earns NCAA tournament bid, will play in Knoxville Regional
Indiana baseball puts exit interviews on hold
That joy was in stark contrast to the mood in Indiana’s visiting clubhouse after dropping a pair of games to Nebraska in the Big Ten tournament semifinals on Saturday.
After the night cap, Mercer delivered what he thought was a season-ending speech to his players that included shoutouts to the team’s upperclassmen.
“I felt over the last several weeks if we won a (regular season) series at Nebraska, swept Michigan or if we got to the championship of the Big Ten tournament, that would nail it down,” Mercer said, during a Zoom press conference on Monday. “We kept coming up one game short of getting where we could be 100% confident.”
It wasn’t until Mercer dug a little deeper into the numbers — IU finished the season with a No. 56 ranked RPI and No. 39 strength of schedule — that he started to feel a bit better about the team’s chances.
The results from the various conference championship games on Sunday fueled IU’s postseason hopes as well.
“I think there were only two stolen bids and there could have been four or five really easily,” Mercer said. “Once those things broke our way, I thought we had a real chance to be in.”
Mercer still ended up preparing for both scenarios. He was ready to hold exit interviews with his players on Monday if they didn’t earn a tournament bid, but he had a practice plan ready to go as well.
Those exit interviews will have to wait for another day.
Knoxville Regional is a tough assignment for Indiana baseball
Indiana baseball’s first test will be a red hot Southern Miss team. The Golden Eagles have won six straight and 14 of their last 15 games. The win streak includes Sunday’s 14-11 comeback victory over Georgia Southern in the Sun Belt conference championship game.
It was the team’s second consecutive tournament title. The latest came in dramatic fashion with Southern Miss erasing an 11-9 deficit in the ninth inning.
While Mercer’s assistants handle much of the prep work for the regional, he watched Southern Miss on Sunday since Georgia Southern was a team that could have stolen an at-large bid.
“They don’t strike out, they don’t walk a ton, probably a lot like Rutgers,” Mercer said. “High batting average, singles and doubles, a lot of early contact and swings.”
Designated hitter Slade Wilks does give Southern Miss some pop in the middle of the order. Wilks led the team with 14 home runs this season and has the fifth most in program history for his career (46).
He hit .329 this season, had 35 extra-base hits and 65 RBIs. He enters the NCAA tournament riding a 32-game hit streak.
The other early topic of conversation amongst the staff was Southern Miss pitcher Billy Oldham, who could be the team’s starter on Friday. Oldham earned first team All-Sun Belt honors this season with a 7-2 record with a 3.97 ERA and 96 strikeouts. He only gave up more than three earned runs in three of his 15 starts.
“Throws 88-92 with a good changeup and breaking ball,” Mercer said.
Indiana will also start scouting Tennessee, the tourney’s No. 1 overall seed, and Northern Kentucky as well.
Northern Kentucky will be the easier scout since the team’s played earlier this season — IU won the 11-5 on March 6 — and Mercer is close friends with many members of the team’s coaching staff.
Tennessee is hosting the regional after winning the SEC tournament. The Volunteers beat defending national champion LSU for its second title in three seasons.
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Indiana
Indiana unemployment sees another slight increase – Inside INdiana Business
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Indiana’s unemployment rate hit 3.7% in May, up one-tenth of a percent from the previous month. The Indiana Department of Workforce Development said Tuesday that the state added 3,400 private sector jobs over April.
May’s unemployment rate marked the second consecutive month-over-month increase.
The DWD said Indiana’s total private employment stands at 2,850,400. The state primarily saw job gains in the trade, transportation and utilities; professional and business services; construction; financial activities; and leisure and hospitality sectors.
The state’s labor force participation rate fell one-tenth of a percent to 62.4%, which remains slight below the national rate of 62.5%. The labor force, which includes residents who are either employed or seeking employment, stands at 3,377,185, down nearly 1,700 from the previous month.
The DWD said the state had 98,693 open job postings as of June 17, while 19,458 unemployment insurance claims were filed as of the week ending May 25.
The state’s unemployment rate is lower than the national rate, which also rose one-tenth of a percent to 4% in May.
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Indiana
Indiana State Museum to offer an adult summer camp
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INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Hoosiers can get ready for an eventful Adult Summer Camp hosted by Indiana State Museum on July 12 from 7-9 p.m.
The program is inspired by the new exhibit, Good Night Forest. The nature-inspired exhibit debuted June 8 and features hand drawn illustrations from local artist, Penelope Dullaghan.
Museum goers can enjoy outdoor activities such as archery, axe throwing, bubble bowling and an obstacle course. Activities are not limited to outdoors; visitors can also make friendship bracelets and tie-dye bandanas.
The museum’s galleries will be open for guided after-hours tours and nighttime stargazing.
This program is open to visitors 21 and older. Tickets are $45 for non-members, with a 10% discount for Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites members. Each ticket will include admission to the museum, access to all activities, snacks and one drink ticket.
Space for the summer camp is limited, tickets are available at IndianaMuseum.org.
Indiana
What the latest 2024 NBA Draft mock drafts say the Indiana Pacers will do
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INDIANAPOLIS — The 2024 NBA Draft is in just two days, and the Indiana Pacers have one of the most interesting setups in the league. They have three picks, more than 23 other teams, but all of their selections come in the second round. It will be difficult to manage that reality.
The Pacers top pick comes at 36th overall, then at 49 and 50. Indiana traded their first-round selections for Pascal Siakam, but now they are more limited in the upcoming draft, which spans two days.
“There will always be good NBA players that come out of every single draft,” Pacers VP of player personnel Ryan Carr said last week. “It’s our job to figure out who those guys are and get them on our team.”
Carr shared that his team always prepares the same way every year regardless of what picks they have. They’ll be ready come Wednesday and will try to get the best player they can at 36. General manager Chad Buchanan discussed the draft earlier in the offseason.
Who might that best player be at 36? And who else could the Pacers pick this week? Recent mock drafts have some overlapping names.
Yahoo Sports (Krysten Peek)
The Athletic (Sam Vecenie
)
ESPN (Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo)
The Ringer (Kevin O’Connor)
The NBA Draft starts on Wednesday night and ends Thursday evening. It’s a two-day event this year for the first time.
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