Indiana
Rocky Toppled: Indiana Gives Up X Homers, xx Walks in xx-x Loss to No. 1 Tennessee
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee is ranked No. 1 in the country for a lot of very viable reasons. They can thump you just fine without any help, thank you very much.
And when you start doling out gifts to the Vols left and right, well, it’s a recipe for disaster. That was certainly the case for Indiana Saturday night in the NCAA Tournament baseball regional in Knoxville. They got boat-raced 12-6 by the Vols, who took advantage of 11 walks and two hit batters in the rout.
The Volunteers, who lead the nation in home runs, slugged four more on Saturday. That’s never a good thing, but when you consider that six of their other runs came with walks or hit batters just ahead of the homers, that was a big problem
Indiana made it too easy. Far too easy.
“Tennessee is a great team and they are No. 1 for a reason. But the difference really was the free bases on our part,” Indiana coach Jeff Mercer said. “Give them credit, they forced the issue and forced our hand in that regard. They didn’t expand, didn’t chase. They got into good counts and they did a lot of damage when they got there.
The loss forces Indiana to win out on Sunday now. Their day will start with a rematch against Southern Miss. The Golden Eagles, who lost 10-4 to Indiana on Friday, beat Northern Kentucky 6-0 on Saturday afternoon to stay alive. The game will start at Noon ET and will be available only on the ESPN-Plus streaming app. If they win, they’ll have to come back and beat Tennessee at 6 p.m. ET.
It was a rough night for Indiana starting pitcher Connor Foley. He has a high-90s fastball and can be overpowering at times, but he’s also just a sophomore and has dealt with wildness all season, walking 42 watchers in 60 innings before Saturday.
He walked seven and hit a batter in just 2 1/3 innings of work. He threw 91 pitches — just 44 for strikes — and allowed eight runs, all earned. Tennessee scored four runs in the second and five in the third to race out to a 9-0 lead.
“Connor is a terrific talent, but it’s an issue he’s battled throughout the year,” Mercer said of Foley. “I thought he held his composure fine and he competed, he just to continue to develop more skill. He’s still fairly new to pitching, and this is something he has to continue to battle. All the credit to them. They have an excellent offense, and they can make you pay when you’re running through an offense like that.
“Solo home runs won’t normally get you beat, but the free bases hurt, and they. took advantage of it.”
The Hoosiers got a three-run homer from designated hitter Devin Taylor in the third inning, and scored another run in the fourth after Tyler Cerny was hit by a pitch and scored on a double by Carter Mathison.
They threatened to get back in the game, but left the bases loaded in the fourth inning and two more in the fifth. They scored twice in the eighth with RBIs from Josh Pyne and Morgan Colopy.
Tennessee is now 52-11 on the season and 36-3 at home. They’ve won five straight regionals that they’ve hosted, and seem headed for another one. Indiana fell to 33-25-1.
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump spoke at length about Indiana football’s perfect season Monday afternoon during a ceremony on the South Lawn at the White House honoring the team.
“This was a year that will live forever in the hearts of Indiana football fans,” Trump said. “There’s no story like this.”
Trump relived that journey, offering his own commentary on IU’s 16-0 season. Here’s a look at the standout moments from the President’s speech:
Trump compares Indiana football coach Curt Cignetti to Muhammad Ali
The President referenced Cignetti’s famed “Google Me” press conference as he traced IU’s path to the national title. While Trump said he normally hates guys with “cocky” attitudes, he couldn’t help but admire Cignetti’s style. Trump compared it to the way Muhammad Ali backed up his tough talk.
“Just two years later, he brought home the national championship,” Trump said. “When you do that stuff, you have to be able to produce when you act that way.”
Trump laughs off Indiana football’s notable absences
Trump didn’t expect quite so many former Indiana football players to be busy with OTA’s in the NFL. While Fernando Mendoza’s absence made headlines last week, Trump was surprised to find out that key starters like Pat Coogan and D’Angelo Ponds weren’t in attendance either. The President sought to highlight their contributions during his remarks.
“We’ve got 15 of them in (NFL) training camp right now,” Cignetti told Trump.
“Oh, I can’t believe it,” the President said. “No wonder you won.”
According to Trump, Mendoza called the President last week to tell him he wouldn’t be able to attend the event. There were a handful of former IU players on the trip who graduated, but none of the ones who were drafted or signed to NFL teams.
Trump impressed with IU’s blowout win over Alabama in Rose Bowl: ‘You’ve got to be kidding’
Trump has maintained close ties with former Alabama coach Nick Saban, Cignetti’s one-time mentor. It might help explain why the President was so impressed by the lopsided final score of IU’s 38-3 victory over Alabama in the Rose Bowl.
“Coach, you’ve got to be kidding,” Trump said after reading the final score. “That’s right, over Alabama. That’s a big one.”
Cignetti, who won a title as an assistant at Alabama for Saban, even poked fun at his former school as Trump spoke about the game.
“Roll tide,” Cignetti shouted.
Trump spotlights Indiana football’s gutsy QB draw in CFP title game
Former Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza’s diving touchdown against the Hurricanes made quite the impression on Trump, who attended the CFP championship game at Hard Rock Stadium. The President raved about the play call on Monday afternoon with Cignetti by his side.
Facing a fourth-and-four from Miami’s 12-yard line, Cignetti called a QB draw with his team holding onto a slim lead in the final 10 minutes. Mendoza scored by breaking a series of tackles and making a Superman-esque dive across the goal line.
“No coach in America would have done what this guy did,” Trump said of Cignetti. “They said, this guy is making such a mistake, and he won. That was a hell of a play. That’s the kind of play if they don’t do that play, if it doesn’t work, that’s like career-threatening, right?”
Trump circled back to the thought before talking about Jamari Sharpe’s interception.
“He kept doing all this stuff,” Trump said. “The things that weren’t supposed to happen. You’re just lucky you won that game because if you didn’t, they would have said, this coach is crazy.”
Trump celebrates Indiana football’s ‘legendary story’
Trump frequently veered away from his prepared remarks to offer up asides on Indiana’s rags to riches story. Cignetti orchestrated a turnaround in just two seasons in Bloomington at a school with very little tradition in the sport.
“What you did is something that I don’t think anybody’s ever really done in college football history,” Trump said.
Trump, like many fans, was impressed with the way IU dispatched the sport’s blue bloods — mostly in lopsided fashion — on their journey to winning the CFP title.
“You went through a lot of great teams,” Trump said. “And real football powerhouses over the years. That’s pretty intimidating. Amazing. Top tens. This team lifted the Indiana football program from a historic low.”
For Trump, it’s what made Indiana’s 16-0 season distinct from other championship teams that have visited the White House.
“The story of Indiana University is really a legendary story,” Trump said.
Michael Niziolek is the Indiana beat reporter for The Bloomington Herald-Times. You can follow him on X @michaelniziolek and read all his coverage by clicking here.
Fernando Mendoza did not attend Indiana University’s visit to the White House commemorating the Hoosiers’ college football national championship on Monday. The Las Vegas Raiders quarterback said earlier this month that he would not attend if it interfered with any activities with his new team.
“I’m on the bottom of the totem pole here,” Mendoza said following a rookie minicamp practice. “I got to prove myself. I can’t miss practice. I don’t know anything official. I don’t have the calendar, but I just wouldn’t. As a rookie, I don’t think that’s a good look, and I want to try to best serve my teammates. And I don’t know if that’d be accomplishing that goal.”
According to the team’s official offseason schedule, the Raiders did not have any formal practices or workouts on Monday. The team’s next organized activity is May 18, its first OTA workout.
“Fernando couldn’t be here today because, as I said, he’s now a member of the Las Vegas Raiders,” President Donald Trump said in his address. “Let’s see how good of a team they have, and I think he’s gonna do great. He’s a winner.”
Mendoza wasn’t the only absence. Center Pat Coogan and cornerback D’Angelo Ponds were among the other Hoosiers not in attendance for the event due to NFL obligations. Indiana had a program-record eight players selected in April’s NFL Draft.
Trump highlighted Mendoza’s accomplishments and contributions to the school’s first football national title. He celebrated Mendoza as Indiana’s inaugural Heisman Trophy winner and praised his fourth-quarter touchdown run in the championship game against Miami.
“He’s gonna be a good one,” Trump said.
Indiana was well-represented by returning members of the team. Charlie Becker, one of Mendoza’s go-to receivers during the College Football Playoffs, and Jamari Sharpe, whose late interception secured the title-game victory, both spoke on behalf of the school, as did head coach Curt Cignetti.
Mendoza is one of four members of the national champion Hoosiers who joined the Raiders this offseason. Running back Roman Hemby and wide receiver E.J. Williams Jr. signed as undrafted free agents in the days following the draft. Wide receiver Jonathan Brady earned a contract after impressing as a tryout player during rookie minicamp.
MUNCIE, Ind. (WISH) — Police are investigating a triple shooting that took place on Muncie’s south side Sunday evening that left a woman dead and two men injured.
According to police, at approximately 5:27 p.m., Muncie Police Officers were dispatched to the 2700 block of South Walnut Street in reference to reports of several people being shot.
Officers arrived and located three gunshot victims: A 23-year-old female who died from “multiple wounds,” a 39-year-old male who is hospitalized in stable condition, and a 40-year-old male who was airlifted to an Indianapolis hospital in critical condition.
Police say a suspect is in custody, a 21-year-old man.
Police did not provide any additional information.
Anyone with information is encouraged to call the Muncie Police Detective Division at 765-747-4867 or dispatch at 765-747-4838.
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