I have to say I am really excited to be at Purdue’s baseball game against Indiana State on Tuesday night. It will be a historic night as the final game will be played at Lambert Field.

What a year this has been for the Boilers! I don’t think there was a better way to close out the final season at Lambert Field than the show the Boilers have put on this year. I had the opportunity to be at the game on Saturday, when Purdue beat Michigan 14-3 to win a share of the Big Ten Title for the first time since 1909. I think I was having as much fun as the players! I have always been a big Purdue fan and to be out there on the field when they made history was pretty special!

I am hoping the Boilers can take care of business against Iowa and own the Big Ten Title outright. I believe they will!

But as far as Tuesday night’s game, I am excited that I have the opportunity to cover it. I worked as a sports anchor in Terre Haute for almost five years and had the opportunity to cover Indiana State. If you don’t know much about this Sycamores’ baseball team, let me tell you they are pretty good! They are 40-12 on the season and I believe they are ranked 28th in the nation right now. Most of Indiana State’s team is made up of local talent from around the Vigo County area. I really enjoyed getting to know most of those players and cover them in high school.

So, this game has a little extra special meaning to it for me, but don’t worry I am a Purdue fan through and through! So, I hope Purdue makes a statement and sends Lambert Field out the right way, with a win! It should be a blast and I hope that everyone that plans on attending the game really enjoys it!

Also, I have seen some pictures of Alexander Field and it looks sweet! I can’t wait to cover Purdue games there next season!

Follow me on twitter:@sportsguycaleb

–Caleb

The year 1909 should not be brought up any longer when referencing the Purdue Baseball team unless you are counting how many total Big Ten Championships each school has. That’s right, the drought is OVER…

“We have been talking about it for a long time and finally the day came when we were a game away and then we saw Indiana lost. So, we knew today was the day and I don’t think anything was going to stop us today from getting this,” said senior Eric Charles.

If they win tomorrow and sweep the Wolverines their final Big Ten series at Lambert Field will get even better. The 14th-ranked Boilers (39-9 overall, 16-4 in the Big Ten) could win the title outright.

Now, the Boilermakers will try to regroup. As hard as that may be for a program that went more than 100 years between titles.

I’m interested to see how this team plays not only Sunday but also on Tuesday in the final home game EVER at Lambert Field. Then comes their 3 game road series against Mike Cleff’s Iowa Hawkeyes…I believe this team understands their season has really just begun.

“That was our first goal to get the Big Ten championship but it is definitely not our final goal and now it is time to move on and get to the tournament and just go from there. This is just another step,” said senior Lance Breedlove.

Thursday, May 10,

If things unfold in a certain way this weekend, Purdue baseball could achieve something for the first time since 1909: a Big Ten championship. That’s right, it’s been 103 years since Boilermaker baseball has won a Big Ten title. And the chances are very good that drought will come to an end in the near future.

The 14th-ranked Boilermakers have a three-game lead in the Big Ten heading into Friday’s home game against Michigan. The Wolverines are in the bottom third of the Big Ten and one of the Boilers’ tasks will be not to take the Wolverines lightly. That won’t happen. Doug Schreiber’s group has been a focused and motivated bunch all season.

With a 37-9 record and a strong RPI, the Boilers are expected to earn their first NCAA Tournament berth in over 20 years and their second ever.

This is a group that deserves a lot of support at Lambert Field this weekend.

Blog to you soon,

Mike

The Indiana Pacers/Orlando Magic series has been a frustrating series for me to watch. First off, this series should have already been over because the Pacers should have swept!

I still can’t believe what I watched in game one. How does this Pacers team not score a basket in the final four minutes of the game? That was very frustrating but they bounced back nicely in game’s two and three. Then in game four I thought I was watching game one all over again. The Pacers had a 19 point lead in the fourth quarter and lost all of it and barely lucked into overtime. Thankfully they were able to pull out a two point 101-99 win.

This team is learning what the playoffs are all about. They have to get tougher and learn how to put teams away! They also have to learn how to play with a lead! They really need to take all that they can away from game 5 as they prepare to play the Miami Heat in round two.

The Pacers can not play against the Heat, the way they have against the Magic. The Pacers won’t win a game!

I would really love to see the Pacers play the Heat well and at least push them to seven games. I am not for sure if they will be able to do that but it would be great to see!

I have been very impressed with David West and his play of late. He has stepped up like a true veteran should in the playoffs.

This experience the Pacers are getting is great! If they add one more star player to this mix, I think they can make the Eastern Conference finals next season and have a chance to get to the Finals.

Follow me on twitter: @sportsguycaleb

–Caleb

Coming out of high school Whitney Arion had put together an awesome resume at Delphi. Arion was a four-year varsity softball letter-winner and a three-time team MVP while leading Delphi Community to sectional wins in 2008 and 2009 and a regional victory in 2010. Arion was a three-time All-Hoosier Conference selection.

As she arrived on campus most would believe that there would be an adjustment period but the freshman hasn’t slowed down one bit. Earlier this season Arion received Big East Player of the Week honors after leading the Cardinals to a 3-0 weekend with wins over Middle Tennessee, Memphis and Boston University. She batted .500 with four hits, two home runs and five RBI. In addition, Arion scored three of the team’s 23 runs on the weekend.

Needless to say the small-school star is doing just fine on the big stage. The Cardinals are currently ranked as the 8th best team in the country by the ESPN/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 poll.

Follow me on Twitter at RossBolinWLFI

-RB

I have to say I picked the first two rounds of the Indianapolis Colts’ draft exactly right! I was proud of that but from there I had no clue what they were going to do.

First off, Andrew Luck was the no brainer pick! I am so happy he is a Colt and I still believe he is going to have a solid season his rookie year.

I was ecstatic the Colts picked up Stanford tight end Coby Fleener. He was originally projected to go in the first round with the 26th pick to the Houston Texans. He dropped though and the Colts pounced on him. Fleener and Luck know each other well and it will help with their progression to the pro level.

I was surprised with the third round pick, Clemson’s tight end Dwayne Allen. I think it is a very solid pick for the team and Andrew Luck. He was used to throwing to tight ends at Stanford and now he has two good ones here with the Colts. That will once again help Luck and his transition to the pro level. I am guessing but I believe the Colts wanted to draft Vanderbilt’s DB, Casey Hayward with that pick. He went off the board two picks before the Colts were up on the board. That is a tough loss because the Colts just don’t have depth or much talent in the secondary. The defensive back position in this year’s draft just wasn’t very deep and it showed because the Colts didn’t pick one and they desperately needed one!

I was happy with them trading up and selecting Florida International’s WR, T.Y. Hilton in the 3rd round. He can run the slot and has a lot of speed. He is another good weapon for Luck.

The Colts are making the transition to the 3-4 defense and I knew at some point in the draft they had to get a defensive tackle. They did just that in round 5 when they selected Alabama’s DT, Josh Chapman. He is a big boy! They listed him at 6’1″ 316 pounds in the draft. I’m sure he is all of the 316 pounds. He played great at Alabama, even on one leg his final year. He is coming off the knee injury and will have to recover, but I believe he will and fill the void the Colts have as a starting nose tackle on their defensive line. Solid pick!

From there, the rest of the players will add depth and competition to their respective positions. I was happy to see the Colts add another running back in Vick Ballard. He is a big running back and can probably make a contribution on those 3rd down and short plays.

Overall, I give the Colts a B+. I hope they find a diamond in the rough at defensive back in an undrafted free agent. Bill Polian used to have an amazing gift at finding some of the best talent in undrafted free agents! I hope Ryan Grigson has some of that same talent.

Follow me on twitter: @sportsguycaleb

–Caleb

For true NFL fans, the best moment of all comes tonight, in Radio City Music Hall in midtown Manhattan when the start of the 2012 NFL player draft begins and the League’s 32 teams decide their fate as a franchise.

For months everyone’s been calculating which of the college football stars available best fits their needs. There are seven rounds to the NFL draft, but the climax comes in round one with all the wheeling and dealing that takes place on prime-time national TV.

Take Colts General Manager Ryan Grigson for example, do you think he’s a little amped up for tonight and the next couple of days?!?!

“I’m probably a little anxious. I’ve always been able to channel that though. I call it healthy paranoia. I’ve told our scouts that in the past. Even in Philadelphia. That’s how I’ve always been. It kind of drives me. It’s fun too in a sick way. Every day I wake up thinking about the draft. I wake up thinking about this team, I wake up in the middle of the night thinking about this team and sometimes you don’t go back to bed. This is fun. What a great opportunity and great job. To help build a team is a dream.”

The draft of course is not a perfect guide. Some top picks have proved to be flops while others who were selected much later have proved to everyone that players slip down the board on draft day. Tom Brady for instance, who had led the New England Patriots to three Super Bowls, went in the sixth round of the 2000 draft, while Albert Pujols, today regarded as baseball’s best player, was chosen by the St Louis Cardinals in round 13 of the 1999 MLB draft, the 402nd pick overall.

In Indianapolis, Luck is already being called the successor to Peyton Manning, while in Washington the impending arrival of Robert Griffin III has pressure of it’s own. Not only will Griffin command a HUGE contract. But also, just to get him, the team agreed to give their first and second-round selections this year, and their first-round picks in 2013 and 2014, to the St Louis Rams, who would have chosen second. It’s a monster gamble – but that’s what makes the NFL draft such fun.

Purdue’s baseball team is just rolling this season! They have been so much fun to watch and if you haven’t caught a game in person yet, you need to.

Purdue just picked up an 8-3 win over Nebraska on Sunday to win the series. I wish I could have been at the series. I heard the atmosphere there was incredible! In three days, over 16,000 fans came out to watch the Nebraska/Purdue series.

Purdue is now 31-6 on the season and 12-3 in Big Ten play. They hold a 3 ½-game lead in the Big Ten standings, improving to 11-2 in the month of April. Purdue has still not suffered a series loss this season. It’s hard to believe but this was the first true rubber game of the year for the Boilers. Wow!

I am really excited for this team and their success this season! I believe they will make the NCAA Tournament and they will win the Big Ten title!

It’s time to get behind this team and cheer them on as they make Boiler nation proud! Boiler up, hammer down!

Follow me on twitter: @sportsguycaleb

–Caleb Martin

Friday, April 20,

I’m posting this blog impressed and worried that I might omit some good area high school baseball teams.

With that being said, I am VERY impressed with the quality of the area prep baseball teams. And this is coming off a 2011 season in which we had two area state baseball champions, Central Catholic in Class A and Crawfordsville in Class 3A.

The Knights once again look poised to contend for a state title under the leadership of Hall of Fame coach Tim Bordenet. If it happens, that would make it four straight titles for Central Catholic baseball. I’ve seen Frontier this season, the second-ranked team in Class A, and the Falcons are good.

In Class 2A, I’ve also seen Delphi and the Oracles are a quality team under the steady leadership of Pat Lowery.

In Class 3A, the Athenians figure to once again be a factor. And West Lafayette and Benton Central are solid baseball squads. In fact, the Bison have two victories over the Oracles and a win over Lafayette Jeff this season.

And in Class 4A, the Bronchos, Harrison, and McCutcheon have all had their good moments this season. And one thing about the Mavericks. Jake Burton’s teams usually play their best baseball late in the season.

I’m really excited about this year’s high school baseball season. A lot of quality and well-coached teams.

Blog to you soon,

Mike

Rick Malone has resigned from his position as head coach of Fountain Central’s football team.

As a Fountain Central graduate, I am sad to see coach Malone leaving Fountain Central. He accomplished a lot in the seven years that he led the Mustang football program.

It was amazing to see him take Fountain Central to the class 1-A state title game two years in a row. I had the opportunity to cover the second title game against Lafayette Central Catholic. Rick helped create a power house in football at Fountain Central and I hope that the tradition will carry on without him.

Although I don’t know a lot about Rick as a person, he has been very kind to me each time I have had the chance to interview him. It was a blast having him on the Friday Night Frenzy this past season! He did a great job and it’s always nice to have a fellow Mustang in the building.

Also, recently Rick was featured in Gina Quattrocchi’s series “Heroes Among Us.” Since 1989 Rick has had a huge impact in the life of Cory Hallas, who has Cerebral Palsy. In fact, on the night that Rick visited us for the Friday Night Frenzy, Cory was with him.

From the short time I have known Rick, I can say he is a great man and a great coach. I am really sad to see him leave the Mustangs. I wish him nothing but the best!

Follow me on twitter: @sportsguycaleb

–Caleb Martin