TERRE HAUTE —
Several freshman baseball and softball NCAA Division I players from the Wabash Valley have already made immediate impacts at their new schools, while others are waiting for their turns to shine.
A complete update of all the diamond sports participants will be coming in late March, but some of the early highlights among the DI newcomers are:
• Cody Gardner, Terre Haute North/Wright State — Gardner has started all three games for the Raiders so far, two in left field and one at designated hitter. He is second on the team in hitting at .500 (4 for 8) and has scored one run with two RBIs.
Gardner batted sixth in the order in the team’s first two games against Temple and LaSalle and hit fifth in Monday’s win over Dayton. The Raiders will be taking to the road the next two weekends, with three-game series at Clemson and UCLA.
• Haley Chambers, Riverton Parke-Cascade/SIU-Edwardsville — Chambers has been the starting pitcher in three of the first four games for the Cougars and has a 2-1 record with two complete games. She has struck out 28 batters and walked just three in 23.1 innings of work.
• Brooke Boetjer, South Putnam/Indiana — She’s started one game for the Hoosiers and has pitched seven total innings. She’s struck out four batters and walked two with a 9.00 earned-run average.
• Connor Strain, North Central/Evansville — Has made one relief appearance in three games for the Aces, walking two batters and striking two out without allowing a run.
• • •
• Akers has high goals — Northview grad Austin Akers was one of five players honored at the Eastern Illinois men’s basketball Senior Night on Saturday, with a strong contingent of 25 friends, fans and family members in attendance.
It was a memorable night for many reasons. If not for the broken nose that the EIU point guard suffered in the first half, then it was for the team’s 79-70 upset win over highly regarded Ohio Valley Conference Western Division leader Murray State.
Akers had four points (4 of 6 at the line), four assists, one turnover and one blocked shot in 39 minutes of action.
Akers is second in the OVC in minutes played this year, averaging 35.1 points per game, and he ranks ninth in the league in assists at 4.0 per game while leading the conference in assist/turnover ratio at 3.1 (107 assists, 35 turnovers).
The transition from former coach Mike Miller to Jay Spoonhour has been smooth for the whole team, especially for Akers.
“I don’t need to score as much,” Akers said. “Coach Spoonhour wants me to run the team, just get everyone in the right place and kind of be the floor general. Miller wanted me to run my spot, find open shooters. Coach Spoonhour is more free flow and wants us to just go make a play.”
Akers predictably likes his vastly improved playing time, but admits it’s difficult at times.
“It’s rough,” he said. “Especially in some games like the Central Arkansas game, where it was more up and down the floor. It takes a little toll on the body, but we have media timeouts and coach Spoonhour knows when I’m pretty exhausted, so he’ll take me out and put me in when I’m ready.”
Akers, a biology major, knows that Saturday’s upset win proves to his team that anything is possible when it comes to the postseason.
“I want to get to not only the OVC tournament, but the NCAA tournament,” he said. “I know we are a long way away, but we have a good couple of weeks ahead. We could really get things rolling, upset a few teams and maybe make something happen, but my main goal is to first make the OVC tournament.”
Akers will return to Charleston next year to wrap up his undergraduate studies and he has a few ideas to choose from once he gets his degree.
“I have to finish some things up in school,” he said. “But if there is a chance to play overseas or somewhere else, I would take that opportunity. If not, I plan on going to dental school.”
• Sponsler closes out strongly — Terre Haute North grad Ross Sponsler closed out his freshman season Tuesday night, scoring a team-high 17 points in Wabash’s 77-72 loss to Kenyon in the quarterfinals of the North Coast Athletic Conference tournament.
Sponsler added three rebounds and three assists in 36 minutes, while South Vermillion grad Andy Walsh chipped in with 15 points and two rebounds.
Earlier this month, Sponsler was honored as the North Coast Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Week for the second time.
He scored 34 points and tallied seven rebounds and one assist for the week, leading Wabash with 14 points in its 52-48 home victory over rival DePauw. Sponsler added an assist and two rebounds.
He connected on 4 of 8 shots from the field, including 3 of 4 3-point tries, and was 3 of 5 from the free-throw line — including two in the final 16 seconds — to secure the win for the Little Giants.
Later that week, Wabash defeated eighth-ranked Wooster 55-48, handing the Scots their first NCAC loss of the season. Sponsler led both teams in scoring with 20 points, hitting three 3-point shots with a 7-of-8 effort from the free-throw line.
Once again, he connected on free throws in the closing minute of the game — this time hitting four tries in the last 12 seconds — to lock up the upset win.
Joey Bennett is a former Tribune-Star sports reporter and copy editor who now teaches at Northview High School in Brazil. He can be reached at tribstarcollegereport@yahoo.com.
Sports Columns
COLLEGE REPORT: Spring newcomers making marks
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In its rich 43-year history, the Tony Hulman Sprint Car Classic has long carried on a strong local racing tradition.
From its early beginnings starting in 1971, the U.S. Auto Club-sanctioned event has been the annual centerpiece of the racing calendar at the Terre Haute Action Track as well as a key stop on the USAC sprint schedule and one of the most sought after wins in big league sprint-car racing. -
Shooters compete to fight cancer
A team of employees at Taghleef, formally A.E.T, would like to give a personal invite for you to join in on a lot of fun while helping save lives.
Cindy and Mark Wilguess are the inspiration behind the Taghleef Team. Cindy herself fought this battle with cancer and won. Last year she led her team to be the No. 1 fundraisers in the Relay for Life. -
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If you had to pick one word that would describe the 2013 Indiana State baseball season, it would have to be frustration.
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KENNY BAYLESS: Sponsors sought for 'Ladies Only' event at Terre Haute Sporting Clays
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College Report: Lively earned collegiate upgrade with strong play
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Lively was impressive enough to earn a Division I scholarship to Southeast Missouri State of the Ohio Valley Conference, and both her future and past college coaches think she will continue to succeed there.
“She fits what we need,” SEMO coach Ty Margenthaler said. “She has college experience, she is strong and physical and plays well around the basket and moves well.
“Her strength, rebounding and touch around the basket will be a big help. On the defensive end, she’ll be able to guard a true center.” -
RAMBLIN' RECK: It’s May … a time for horses and horsepower
It’s the first day of May, a great month for sports.
It begins with the Kentucky Derby on Saturday. My Old Kentucky Home is played before the start of the race on which hundreds of bets will be placed by folks who ordinarily don’t bet on thoroughbred horse racing.
A week later, practice begins for the Indianapolis 500.
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Terre Haute runner sets up race to help Boston
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“My goal was just to finish and enjoy Boston,” she reflected this week. “I had an injury [runner’s knee] beforehand, so I wasn’t too worried about beating my time from 2003 [4 hours, 10.20 seconds].
“But nobody cares about what your time is at Boston anyway.”
From what I’ve heard over the years, she’s right. Unless you’re a super-serious runner, the Boston Marathon has been more about taking in the atmosphere and having fun than placing in the top 50, although Wells was pleased that she beat her previous time by finishing in 3:55.19 on April 15.
Obviously, her race time wasn’t the most vivid memory that Wells took away from her 2013 Boston experience. -
Amey Takes Aim: NHL playoffs to put TVs to good use
If Jenny had known, she probably wouldn’t have bought that TV.
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And it came with high-def.
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Foot Notes: ISU track athletes looking to keep improving at Drake Relays
Indiana State’s track schedule has helped its men’s and women’s teams escape the glacial Wabash Valley weather and enjoy warm days in Auburn, Ala., and Knoxville, Tenn.
With the Sycamores’ track facility basically laid to rest for competition and construction on a new one planned near the Wabash River to begin in 2014, major kudos go to everyone involved for continuing to produce athletes that are NCAA contenders who race with some of the world’s best.
Some of ISU’s current athletes are hoping for season-best performances this weekend against strong competition in the Drake Relays.
Former Sycamore NCAA pole-vault champion Kylie Hutson, who competes professionally for Nike and trains in her hometown of Terre Haute, also has been in Des Moines, Iowa, to compete in the Pole Vault in the Mall on Wednesday night. -
REDNECK QUAKER: Variety of birds to search for in turkey hunting
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Donnell took great interest in the Turkey World Slam display at Gander Mountain and thought each bird needed some info to help people understand more about them. -
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Ramblin’ Reck: Sato first Foyt winner since 2002
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Former South players to play in Saylor benefit game
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COLLEGE REPORT: Valley prep athletes getting ready for next level
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RAMBLIN’ RECK: Pacers closing out a nice season
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Amey Takes Aim: Can’t bottle the joy of Amey vacations
The first bad sign was the Gatorade bottle.
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And the person stuck in the same traffic jam with us, the one with the existential license plate YMIHR4, couldn’t have asked a more pertinent question.
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Redneck Quaker: Mascari gets thrills from turkey hunting
Annie Mascari is a beautiful, vibrant, 26-year-old lady that loves the outdoors.
She comes from a large family of four brothers and a sister and lives the teachings of good family values.
Olivia Rightly let me know that I “should talk to my teacher at St. Pats School, Ms. Mascari, because she’s taken a turkey.”
As I shook Annie’s hand, I could feel the energy she has for life. As proof, the first time she went up in an airplane, she jumped out of it!
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REDNECK QUAKER: Learning to shoot clays a great experience
Tom Mitchell from Burnett is an all-around outdoor enthusiast. His passions are motorcycles, cars, and most of all, shooting sports. When he sights in on metal target shooting with a hand gun or rifle you will hear a lot of “clang” noises, he can shoot very quiet also, because he is licensed to own suppressers.
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TRACKSIDE: Racing season picking up speed
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FROM THE PRESSBOX: Content McKenna has enjoyed seeing ISU's progress
It all happened so fast in June 2010.
One minute, Kevin McKenna was head coach of the Indiana State men’s basketball program. Then — poof! — he was gone.
McKenna resigned from his head coaching position at ISU on June 13, 2010 to take an assistant coach position on Dana Altman’s then-burgeoning University of Oregon staff. -
FROM THE PRESSBOX: NCAA got it right with Louisville in Indianapolis
The worst decision and the best decisions made by the NCAA Tournament selection committee shared space on Lucas Oil Stadium’s hardwood Friday night.
The Midwest Regional’s opener pitted Louisville and Oregon, two teams that were on the opposite sides of the NCAA’s coin on Selection Sunday.
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