As the spring season begins to warm up, the collegiate athletic seasons begin to close. In the Times-Union area, there were six student/athletes in Division I competition, while another one transferred from a D-I school to somewhere closer to home. As an update on these student/athletes, here’s a short rundown. If any omissions were made, please let us know. Of the local players, 2011 Manchester High School graduate Scott Baker is having the most success. As a sophomore pitcher at Ball State University, Baker’s 9-1 win/loss record is tied for ninth nationally in wins, while his 1.88 ERA is 61st and his 77 strikeouts is 49th-best in NCAA baseball. Baker is on the mound today in Muncie against Toledo and up to this point, he’s allowed 71 hits, 26 runs, 17 earned, 25 walks and just one home run, limiting opposing batters to a .233 average. The Ball State Cardinals are 24-20 overall and 11-10 in the Mid-American Conference. In his start today, Baker will be facing a Toledo team featuring 2010 Warsaw graduate James Miglin. For the 19-27 (10-11 MAC) Toledo Rockets, Miglin’s batting .259 in 41 games, all starts. Of the junior’s 42 hits, nine are doubles and three are home runs, as he’s driven in 22 runs. Baker’s high school teammate, 2012 Manchester graduate Connor McLaughlin is also enjoying life as a D-I pitcher. For the IPFW Mastodons, McLaughlin’s appeared in 10 games, posting a 1-1 record, earning two saves. He’s pitched 12-2/3 innings, with a 5.68 ERA, striking out four, while giving up 15 hits, 10 runs, eight earned and four walks. Like Ball State, IPFW is still in its regular season schedule, sitting at 21-23 overall and 8-12 in the Summit League. McLaughlin and the rest of the Mastodons are at South Dakota State this weekend. Another former Three Rivers Conference pitcher also signed with a D-I team, but 2012 Tippecanoe Valley grad James Hackworth opted to transfer from Indiana State to division III Manchester University. As a freshman, Hackworth’s pitched 10-2/3 innings, carrying an 8.44 ERA and 0-0 record. In his three appearances, which have included two starts, Hackworth’s given up 14 hits, 15 runs, 10 earned, nine walks and struck out 12, while opponents are batting .298 against him. The 33-5-1 Manchester Spartans hosted Franklin today at 9:30 a.m. as part of the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament. On the softball diamond, a pair of Warsaw teammates are playing at the next level, as Kelsey Dotson is at Indiana University and Kendra Marshall is at Valparaiso University. Of the two 2012 graduates, Dotson saw the most time on the field as the catcher of the 19-35 (3-19 Big Ten) Indiana Hoosiers. In 52 games, starting 47, Dotson batted .196 with 22 hits, four doubles, two home runs and nine RBIs. Defensively, Dotson threw out 15 of 29 base stealers. Indiana’s season came to a close Thursday in the Big Ten Tournament against No. 4 Northwestern. Valparaiso is still playing, taking part in the Horizon League Softball Championships in Chicago. While the team’s in action today, Marshall’s time has been limited, as she’s appeared in just four games, starting one. In five at-bats, she’s scored one run for the 30-24 (12-10 HCAC) Lady Crusaders. Another 2012 Warsaw graduate is Tyler Ostrom, who’s a member of the Ball State University men’s golf team, which is prepping for the NCAA Championships in Pullman, Wash. on May 16. In a sport that is split between the fall and spring seasons, Ostrom played seven rounds as s freshman, carrying a 77.0 average. His low round of the year was a 69, which he shot in the opening round of the Earl Yestingsmeier Invitational at the par-70 Delaware Country Club in Muncie on Oct. 15. That low round helped him finish the three-round tournament with a 217, his lowest of the year.
