“THE SCOREBOARD”
BASEBALL STATE FINALS ***(ALL 4 GAMES CAN BE HEARD ON INDIANASRN.ORG, FREE!!!!)***
FRIDAY, JUNE 16
CLASS 2A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP | 5:30 PM ET / 4:30 PM CT
ILLIANA CHRISTIAN (24-9) VS. COVENANT CHRISTIAN (16-15)
CLASS 3A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP | 8 PM ET / 7 PM CT
ANDREAN (28-6-1) VS. SILVER CREEK (25-7)
SATURDAY, JUNE 17
CLASS 1A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP | 4:30 PM ET / 3:30 PM CT
LAFAYETTE CENTRAL CATHOLIC (24-11) VS. BARR-REEVE (29-3)
CLASS 4A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP | 8 PM ET / 7 PM CT
PENN (21-8) VS. CENTER GROVE (29-3)
STATE FINALS PREVIEW: https://www.ihsaa.org/sites/default/files/documents/2022-23%20Baseball%20Preview.pdf
COLLEGE BASEBALL WORLD SERIES
FRIDAY (CENTRAL TIME)
1:00 ORAL ROBERTS VS. TCU
6:00 VIRGINIA VS. FLORIDA
SATURDAY
1:00 STANFORD VS. WAKE FOREST
6:00 TENNESSEE VS. LSU
SUNDAY
1:00 GAME 5
6:00 GAME 6
MONDAY
1:00 GAME 7
6:00 GAME 8
TUESDAY
1:00 GAME 9
6:00 GAME 10
WEDNESDAY
1:00 GAME 11
6:00 GAME 12
THURSDAY
TBD BRACKET 1 (IF NECESSARY)
TBD BRACKET 2 (IF NECESSARY)
SATURDAY JUNE 24
6:00 FINALS GAME 1
SUNDAY JUNE 25
2:00 FINALS GAME 2
MONDAY JUNE 26
6:00 FINALS GAME 3 (IF NECESSARY)
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL SCOREBOARD
WASHINGTON 4 HOUSTON 1 (10)
CLEVELAND 8 SAN DIEGO 6
LA DODGERS 5 CHICAGO WHITE SOX 4 (11)
BALTIMORE 4 TORONTO 2
TAMPA BAY 4 OAKLAND 3
DETROIT 8 MINNESOTA 4
LA ANGELS 5 TEXAS 3
PHILADELPHIA 5 ARIZONA 4
ATLANTA 8 COLORADO 3
CHICAGO CUBS 7 PITTSBURGH 2
MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
IOWA 10 INDIANAPOLIS 8
DAYTON 8 FT. WAYNE 6
CEDAR RAPIDS 6 SOUTH BEND 5
WNBA SCORES
INDIANA 92 CHICAGO 90
ATLANTA 92 CONNECTICUT 88 (OT)
LAS VEGAS 96 SEATTLE 63
MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER
CANADA 2 PANAMA 0
UNITED STATES 3 MEXICO 0
TOP NATIONAL HEADLINES
FOWLER, SCHAUFFELE BREAK US OPEN RECORD WITH 62S AT LOS ANGELES COUNTRY CLUB
LOS ANGELES (AP) Rickie Fowler and Xander Schauffele became part of U.S. Open history on Thursday in a most unfathomable manner. No one had ever shot 62 in the previous 122 editions of golf’s toughest test until they did it some 15 minutes apart.
Even more stunning were so many other records on an extraordinary day for scoring at the major that puts par on a pedestal.
Fowler made 10 birdies – believed to be a record for most holes under par for any round in the U.S. Open – and can always say he was the first with a 62. Two groups behind him, Schauffele capped off his 8-under 62 without a bogey on his card or a care in the world.
“I’m going to take what the course can give me,” he said. “And today it gave me a low one.”
The North course at Los Angeles Country Club was so defenseless that no one shot 80 or higher over 18 holes. The U.S. Open had never had more than two players at 65 or better in the opening round. There were six such rounds at LACC.
Most telling was the average score of 71.37 was the lowest for an opening round in U.S. Open history. Most embarrassing for the USGA was the U.S. Open joining the Bermuda Championship as the only tournaments this year to feature two rounds at 62 on the same day.
“I’d imagine the USGA is not loving the scores too much,” Mackenzie Hughes said. “I’m guessing the sprinklers are going to be turned off tonight.”
No need for Fowler and Schauffele to apologize. No need for an asterisk. PGA champion Brooks Koepka couldn’t break par – he shot 71, never a bad start at the U.S. Open but leaving him nine shots behind in this one.
The toughest test in golf. Tough meant keeping track of the 485 birdies and eight eagles.
“It’s not really what you expect playing a U.S. Open,” Schauffele said. “But monkey see, monkey do. Was just chasing Rickie up the leaderboard. Glad he was just in front me.”
Those who came behind them looked to do the same. Dustin Johnson hit all 13 fairways and had a chance at 62 until his 5-iron on the par-3 ninth went into a bunker next to the 18th green. That led to his only bogey and a somewhat disappointing 64 – rare to say in a U.S. Open – to join Wyndham Clark.
Rory McIlroy went out in 30 – his best nine-hole start in any major – and had to settle for a 65. He whiffed on a delicate flop shot from the thick collar of grass around the 18th and escaped with a bogey. Also at 65 was Brian Harman, who played his first 10 holes in 6 under but went 1 over from there.
Johnson found his way into the record book. He tied Tiger Woods for most rounds of 65 or lower in the majors (10).
“This isn’t your typical U.S. Open mindset of like, ‘I’m just playing for par.’ You’ve got to make some birdies to keep in line with those guys,” Harris English said after a ho-hum 67.
It all started with Fowler, whose remarkable round included two bogeys when he missed the green on the 254-yard 11th and missed the fairway on the 17th on his front nine. Starting with a 15-foot birdie putt on the 18th, he ran off four straight birdies.
He set the record with a two-putt from just under 60 feet on the par-5 ninth. That’s also when he noticed the leaderboard.
“I knew where I was at,” Fowler said. “I would say from the middle of the round up until the ninth green, our last hole, I didn’t really know or see any scores. And then I saw that Xander was at 7 (under) at that point, and I’m not sure if he even knew where I was or anything.
“But it was kind of cool if he did to see he kind of latched on and we were taking off a bit.”
Schauffele was two groups behind and never too far away. He lost one birdie chance on the short par-4 sixth by trying to drive the green, but then picked up a rare birdie on the 258-yard seventh hole with what he called a “tomahawk 4-iron” to 5 feet and got up-and-down from short of the green on the par-5 eighth.
They now share the major championship record with Branden Grace, who had a 62 in the third round at Royal Birkdale in the 2017 British Open.
Their record day came on the 50-year anniversary of Johnny Miller posting the first 63 in U.S. Open history. Since then, five players have shot 63 in a U.S. Open, most recently Tommy Fleetwood in 2018 at Shinnecock Hills.
Jack Nicklaus and Tom Weiskopf each shot 63 in the opening round at Baltusrol in the 1980 U.S. Open, which Nicklaus went on to win.
The conditions were prime for scoring – overcast, mild with barely any wind. Condensation in the morning felt like a like mist, and it kept the greens receptive.
The next best score from the morning wave was a 3-under 67 by a group that included Scottie Scheffler and Bryson DeChambeau. Five more players shot 67 before the day was over.
The low scoring was sure to raise questions about LACC, a century-old club hosting a major championship for the first time.
“It’s just Thursday,” Schauffele said. “It’s literally just the first day of a tournament. It’s a good start,” Schauffele said. “You just wait until this place firms up. It’s going to be nasty.”
Schauffele tends to play his best in the U.S. Open – five top 10s in his six appearances, and he has been among the elite on the PGA Tour the last several years even without winning a major.
Fowler is different. He once finished in the top five at all four majors in 2014. But a recent slump made a challenge just to get in them. He was the first alternate last year at Brookline and had to go home without hitting a shot.
But he went back to instructor Butch Harmon in September and has played well enough to get back into the top 50 in the world after being in danger of falling out of the top 200 a year ago.
And there he was at a major, putting his name in the record book for all the right reasons.
“It’s definitely been long and tough – a lot longer being in that situation than you’d ever want to,” Fowler said. “But it makes it so worth it having gone through that and being back where we are now.”
LEADERBOARD: http://hosted.stats.com/golf/final.asp?tour=PGA
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT LOOKING INTO PGA TOUR DEAL WITH LIV’S SAUDI BACKERS, AP SOURCE SAYS
The Justice Department has begun to examine an agreement between the PGA Tour and Saudi Arabian backers of LIV Golf to determine whether it violates federal antitrust statutes, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press.
The inquiry is in its early stages, and it isn’t clear yet whether the Justice Department would take any enforcement action, the person said. The person was not authorized to publicly discuss details of the inquiry and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
The Wall Street Journal first reported the Justice Department’s involvement.
“We are confident that once all stakeholders learn more about how the PGA Tour will lead this new venture, they will understand how it benefits our players, fans and sport while protecting the American institution of golf,” the PGA Tour said in a statement.
The PGA Tour, European tour and Saudi Arabia’s national wealth fund came together in a partnership that was negotiated so privately over two months that none of the players were aware.
PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan had been critical of LIV Golf since the rival circuit began poaching some of golf’s biggest names with signing bonuses of $100 million or more, money provided by the Public Investment Fund.
The PGA Tour suspended players who defected to LIV, such as Phil Mickelson, leading to 11 players and eventually LIV to file an antitrust lawsuit against the PGA Tour last August. The PGA Tour then filed a countersuit, and the case was not expected to go trial until at least 2024.
Part of the agreement is to drop all litigation. One motivation for the PGA Tour joining with the Saudis was the financial drain from legal fees on lawsuits that were nowhere near close to being resolved.
The Justice Department already was looking into antitrust issues since last summer.
Monahan has described the agreement announced June 6 as a “framework” with plenty of details still to be determined.
The agreement was for the PGA Tour, European tour and the PIF to pool commercial business and rights into a separate, for-profit company. The PGA Tour would continue to operate with its tax-exempt 501-c-6 status.
In a letter to various lawmakers sent last week, Monahan said he would be CEO of the new commercial entity, which he described as a subsidiary of the PGA Tour.
Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the governor of PIF, would be chairman. Al-Rumayyan, Monahan and two PGA Tour board members who brokered the deal — New York attorney Ed Herlihy and investment banker Jimmy Dunne III — would form the executive committee.
“The PGA Tour will at all times hold the majority of the Board seats and be in control of this new entity, regardless of the size of PIF’s investment,” Monahan said in the letter. “The PIF will be a minority investor in the new commercial entity, while the PGA Tour will be the majority equity investor. At its core, the PIF is investing in the PGA Tour as it has invested in other U.S.-based companies.”
On Wednesday, U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Ron Wyden, D-Ore., asked the Justice Department’s antitrust division to scrutinize the agreement.
“Significantly, the deal appears to have a substantial adverse impact on competition, violating several provisions of U.S. antitrust law, regardless of whether the deal is structured as a merger or some sort of joint venture,” the senators wrote.
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
GOVERNOR SIGNS PUBLIC FUNDING BILL FOR NEW A’S STADIUM IN VEGAS, GROWING GLOBAL SPORTS DESTINATION
RENO, Nev. (AP) Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo signed into law Thursday a $380 million public financing package to help build a Major League Baseball stadium for the Oakland Athletics on the Las Vegas Strip as MLB’s commissioner outlined a months-long approval process for the A’s proposed move there.
The first-term Republican governor and former sheriff in Las Vegas said he was excited to sign the measure the Democrat-controlled Legislature approved Wednesday night after a seven-day long special session.
“This is an incredible opportunity to bring the A’s to Nevada,” Lombardo said in a statement from Carson City.
The $1.5 billion stadium with a retractable roof is planned near the homes of the NFL’s Vegas Raiders, who fled Oakland in 2020, and the NHL’s Golden Knights, who won the Stanley Cup this week in just their sixth season.
“This legislation reflects months of negotiations between the team, the state, the county, and the league,” Lombardo said. “Las Vegas’ position as a global sports destination is only growing, and Major League Baseball is another tremendous asset for the city.”
Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred outlined the review process of the A’s proposed relocation during a news conference hours earlier at a meeting of owners in New York. With a capacity of 30,000, the stadium would be MLB’s smallest.
Manfred said the team must submit a relocation application explaining its efforts in Oakland and why Las Vegas is a better market. A relocation committee will define the new operating territory and television territory. It will then make a recommendation to Manfred and the eight-man executive council. The executive council formulates a recommendation to all clubs, which must approve the move by at least three-quarters vote.
The team said in a statement late Thursday the Nevada governor’s signing of the funding package was “a significant step forward in securing a new home for the Athletics.”
“We will now begin the process with MLB to apply for relocation to Las Vegas,” the statement said. “We are excited about Southern Nevada’s dynamic and vibrant professional sports scene, and we look forward to becoming a valued community member through jobs, economic development, and the quality of life and civic pride of a Major League Baseball team.”
The $380 million in public funding would mainly come from $180 million in transferable tax credits and $120 million in county bonds. Backers have pledged that the creation of a special tax district around the proposed stadium would generate enough money to pay off those bonds and interest. The plan would not directly raise taxes.
The plan had revived the national debate over public funding for private sports clubs. A’s representatives and some Nevada tourism officials have said the measure could add to Las Vegas’ growing sports scene and act as an economic engine. But a growing chorus of economists and some lawmakers have warned that such a project would bring minimal benefits when compared to the hefty public price tag.
Opposition came from both sides of the aisle, especially in northern and rural Nevada several hundreds of miles away from Las Vegas.
“No amount of amendments are going to change the fact we are giving millions of public dollars to a billionaire,” Assemblywoman Selena La Rue Hatch, a progressive Democrat from Reno, said during Wednesday night’s debate.
“Using taxpayer money on pet projects instead of private capital is socialism,” said Republican Sen. Ira Hansen, from neighboring Sparks.
But backers said in addition to creating 14,000 construction jobs and permanent jobs subject to collective bargaining, Major League Baseball on the Las Vegas Strip will build on the excitement surrounding the Raiders, the Golden Knights and the WNBA’s Aces in a city that had no major professional sports before 2016.
“With the Aces winning a national championship last year and the Golden Knights securing the Stanley Cup just last night, it is clear Las Vegas is clearly becoming the entertainment and sports capital of the world,” said Democratic Assemblywoman Shea Backus, from Las Vegas.
MLB ROUNDUP: SHOHEI OHTANI WINS, HOMERS IN TEXAS
Shohei Ohtani starred on the mound and at the plate, Mickey Moniak delivered the tying hit and the go-ahead home run, and the Los Angeles Angels held on to beat the Texas Rangers 5-3 on Thursday in Arlington, Texas.
The Angels won three of four in the series.
Ohtani (6-2) allowed two runs in six innings, and he also hit his 22nd homer. Moniak finished with three hits, including an eighth-inning solo shot.
Texas starter Nathan Eovaldi (9-3) gave up three runs in seven innings. Nathaniel Lowe and Adolis Garcia each had two hits and an RBI for the Rangers.
Dodgers 5, White Sox 4 (11 innings)
Freddie Freeman drilled the decisive single with one out in the bottom of the 11th inning to give Los Angeles a victory over visiting Chicago.
The Dodgers’ Chris Taylor belted a tying grand slam in the sixth inning for his 100th career homer. The White Sox got two sets of back-to-back solo homers, from Luis Robert Jr. and Eloy Jimenez in the first inning and from Jake Burger and Andrew Vaughn in the fourth.
Caleb Ferguson (4-3) pitched a scoreless 11th for the win. Garrett Crochet (0-1) took the loss.
Cubs 7, Pirates 2
Ian Happ and Christopher Morel each had three hits and two RBIs and Chicago used a five-run fifth inning to rally for a home victory over Pittsburgh that completed a three-game sweep.
Chicago’s Marcus Stroman (8-4) allowed two runs over six innings to win his sixth straight start. Nico Hoerner had two hits and two runs, and Cody Bellinger returned from missing a month with a left knee contusion to drive home the tiebreaking run in the fifth for the Cubs.
Jason Delay had two hits for the Pirates, who have dropped six of eight. Pittsburgh starter Johan Oviedo (3-6) was charged with four runs on eight hits in 4 1/3 innings.
Braves 8, Rockies 3
Ozzie Albies had three hits, including a bases-loaded double, and AJ Smith-Shawver earned his first major league victory as Atlanta defeated visiting Colorado in the opener of a four-game series.
Albies went 3-for-4 as Atlanta totaled 11 hits, three by Sean Murphy and two apiece by Matt Olson and Kevin Pillar. Smith-Shawver (1-0), in his third major league appearance, pitched 5 2/3 innings and allowed three runs on six hits.
Elias Diaz and Ezequiel Tovar each homered for the Rockies, and Ryan McMahon went 2-for-4 to extend his hitting streak to eight games. Kyle Freeland (4-8) worked 4 1/3 innings and allowed seven runs on nine hits.
Orioles 4, Blue Jays 2
Anthony Santander hit the go-ahead RBI single with two outs in the sixth inning and Baltimore went on to defeat visiting Toronto in the rubber match of a three-game series.
Adley Rutschman hit a solo homer and two singles, Austin Hays went 2-for-5 with a solo shot and Jorge Mateo had two singles and two stolen bases for the Orioles. Tyler Wells (6-2) allowed two runs on five hits in 6 2/3 innings as Baltimore beat Toronto for the fifth time in six games this season.
Danny Jansen hit two solo home runs and a single for the Blue Jays.
Phillies 5, Diamondbacks 4
Bryce Harper delivered a tiebreaking RBI single in the fourth inning as Philadelphia beat Arizona for the third straight day in Phoenix.
Aaron Nola (6-5) struck out nine batters and allowed four runs over 6 2/3 innings. Gregory Soto and Seranthony Dominguez followed before Craig Kimbrel retired the D-backs in order in the ninth for his 10th save.
Bryson Stott homered and scored two runs for the Phillies, who have won 10 of their past 12 games to move one game over .500. Ketel Marte hit a three-run homer for the Diamondbacks.
Rays 4, Athletics 3
Luke Raley broke an eighth-inning tie with a home run and visiting Tampa Bay became the first major league team to 50 wins by edging Oakland to salvage a split in the four-game series.
After seeing a 3-0 lead disappear in a three-run Oakland fifth, the Rays got the difference-making run when Raley homered off Austin Pruitt (1-4) with one out in the eighth.
Tampa Bay led 3-0 through 4 1/2 innings, as Isaac Paredes contributed an RBI single, Taylor Walls a run-scoring double and Manuel Margot a solo home run. The Athletics scored three times in the fifth to even the score.
Tigers 8, Twins 4
Javier Baez and Spencer Torkelson each had two hits, two RBIs and two runs to help Detroit defeat Minnesota in the opener of a four-game series in Minneapolis.
Matt Vierling contributed three hits and a walk for the Tigers, who snapped a two-game losing streak. Detroit starter Matthew Boyd (4-5) allowed four runs and seven hits in six innings.
Twins starter Sonny Gray was staked to a 4-1 lead after two innings, but he was lifted after four. He was tagged for two runs and three hits. Donovan Solano belted a three-run homer for Minnesota, which had won four of five.
Nationals 4, Astros 1 (10 innings)
Lane Thomas and Keibert Ruiz produced RBI singles in the top of the 10th inning as Washington averted a series sweep by Houston.
The Nationals sent eight batters to the plate in their three-run 10th, six against Astros reliever Phil Maton (0-2), who surrendered the hits to Thomas and Ruiz and also hit Jeimer Candelario with a pitch that loaded the bases for Corey Dickerson, who then worked a walk for a 3-1 lead.
Leading off the ninth, Ruiz homered to snap a scoreless tie. But the Astros pulled even in the bottom of the frame when Kyle Tucker hit a leadoff double and scored on a two-out single by pinch hitter Yainer Diaz.
Guardians 8, Padres 6
David Fry capped a five-run first inning with a three-run homer and visiting Cleveland held on to defeat San Diego.
The Padres countered with Manny Machado’s three-run homer in the bottom of the first but failed to capitalize on a series of opportunities to pull even or take the lead.
Trevor Stephan (3-2), the fifth of six Guardians pitchers, was credited with the win. Emmanuel Clase got four outs to record his 21st save. Padres starter Ryan Weathers (1-5) yielded six runs in 1 2/3 innings.
ROBOT UMPIRES NOT LIKELY TO GET MLB CALL-UP FOR 2024
NEW YORK (AP) Robot umpires likely won’t be ready for a big league call-up next season.
Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred says the Automatic Ball-Strike System being used at Triple-A is not likely to be used in the big leagues in 2024.
“I think there’s some sentiment among the group that we made had a lot of changes here,” he said Thursday following an owners meeting. “We ought to let the dust settle and there are clearly unresolved operational issues with respect to ABS. Despite all the testing, we still have some things that are unresolved.”
Defining a computerized strike zone is among the issues.
The independent Atlantic League trialed the ABS system at its 2019 All-Star Game and it was used in that’s year Arizona Fall League of top prospects. The ABS was tried at eight of nine ballparks of the Low-A Southeast League in 2021, then moved up to Triple-A in 2022.
At Triple-A this year, half the games use the robots for ball/strike calls and half have a human making decisions subject to appeals by teams to the ABS.
MLB adopted a pitch clock this year along with restrictions on defensive shifts, pitcher disengagements such as pickoff attempts and larger bases.
Average time of a nine-inning game has dropped to 2 hours, 38 minutes from 3:05 through a similar number of games last year. The .248 big league batting average is up from .243 for the full 2022 season and on track to be the highest since 2019.
“Still being a believer in the truism that the big leagues are different, the fact of the matter is the outcomes so far have looked very much like what we saw in the experimentation in minor league baseball, both in terms of game time, number of violations per game, the number of violations coming down over time,” Manfred said.
Average attendance of 27,630 is up from 25,620 through the same number of dates last year.
“We’re going to be up somewhere in the 6 to 8% range, which is nice number for us,” Manfred said.
COLLEGE BASEBALL WORLD SERIES
COLLEGE WORLD SERIES’ SLUGGING SQUADS KNOW THE LONG BALL ONLY GOES SO FAR IN OMAHA
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The batting statistics for the eight College World Series teams suggest there will be home runs aplenty at Charles Schwab Field over the next 10 days.
Five of the top 10 home run-hitting squads are in Omaha, and so are individual national leaders Jac Caglianone of Florida and Wake Forest’s Brock Wilken.
“Balls were flying today,” Florida shortstop Josh Rivera said Thursday after batting practice. “We had Jac Caglianone hitting balls out of the stadium. It was really cool. All of us from a BP standpoint, we were seeing the balls fly.”
Conditions were favorable during the teams’ practice day with a light wind blowing out to left. The forecast calls for the wind to blow in from center when the CWS opens Friday.
“It was flying out to all parts of the field,” Tennessee’s Jared Dickey said. “We have some strong guys. If it plays like it did today, I think we’re in a good spot.”
Experience has taught TCU coach Kirk Saarloos it takes more than the ability to hit the long ball for a team to leave Omaha with a championship.
Saarloos pitched in two College World Series at hitter-friendly Rosenblatt Stadium, and he was a TCU assistant when the Horned Frogs played at Schwab during the college game’s dead ball period of the early 2010s.
“You’re going to face the best of the best on the mound,” he said. “So you can’t sit there and think that you’re going to get your three-run home runs. You’re going to have to run the bases and be aggressive and steal bases, maybe use the bunt game.”
The CWS features four pitchers projected to be first-round draft picks next month in LSU’s Paul Skenes, Tennessee’s Chase Dollander, Wake Forest’s Rhett Lowder and Florida’s Hurston Waldrep.
“It gets tougher and tougher as you move on in the tournament because you are facing the best of the best pitching staffs,” said Stanford coach David Esquer, whose team has had back-to-back 100-homer seasons. “We know that good pitching can stop good hitting a lot of times.”
TCU (42-22) begins bracket play Friday against Oral Roberts (51-12), the first No. 4 regional seed since Stony Brook in 2012 to make the final eight of the NCAA Tournament. No. 2 national seed Florida (50-15) meets No. 7 Virginia (50-13) on Friday night.
Saturday’s games match No. 1 Wake Forest (52-10) against No. 8 Stanford (44-18) and No. 5 LSU (48-15) against Southeastern Conference rival Tennessee (43-20).
LSU’s home run production has been reminiscent of the prodigious numbers put up by Skip Bertman’s teams of the 1990s. The Tigers’ 133 homers are third most in program history and most for a team entering a CWS since the Tigers arrived in Omaha with 148 in 1998.
“This is the ‘Gorilla Ball’ program,” coach Jay Johnson said. “I think about the teams that achieved those (numbers) that maybe this team is close to. Those are college baseball legends.”
Florida and Wake Forest has 129 homers each, Tennessee has 125 and Stanford has 117. Florida’s Caglianone has 31 and the Demon Deacons’ Wilkens has 30.
There have been 28 homers hit each of the last two years at the CWS, the most since Schwab opened in 2011.
Wake Forest hit 19 homers in regionals and super regionals, led by Danny Corona’s six. Deacons coach Tom Walter said he doesn’t expect his team to rely on the home run here.
“I thought it carried a little better than I expected it to today,” Walter said, “but we still have to, in general, live lower than we’ve been living. We certainly can’t expect some of the home runs we’ve hit at our ballpark or other ballparks in the ACC. We definitely have to lower our ball flight.”
Virginia comes in with the fewest homers (82), but it leads the nation in doubles (169) and batting average (.335). Coach Brian O’Connor said the expansive outfield could play to his team’s advantage.
“I think the key is to stay in the gaps. It really is,” O’Connor said. “Somebody told me this morning, and I didn’t even realize it, that we were leading the country in doubles. That’s a pretty important stat, I believe, in this ballpark.”
PITCHING MATCHUPS
Oral Roberts’ Jakob Hall (8-3, 3.56 ERA) vs. TCU’s Kole Klecker (10-4, 3.84)
Virginia’s Nick Parker (8-0, 3.81) vs. Florida’s Brandon Sproat (8-3, 4.69)
Stanford’s Quinn Mathews (10-4, 3.60) or Joey Dixon (7-0, 4.86) vs. Wake Forest’s Rhett Lowder (15-0, 1.92).
Tennessee’s Andrew Lindsey (3-3, 2.79) vs. LSU’s Paul Skenes (12-7, 1.77).
COLLEGE BASEBALL WORLD SERIES PREVIEW
(ASSOCIATED PRESS RELEASE)
A look at the eight teams competing in the College World Series, which starts Friday at Charles Schwab Field. (Capsules in order of CWS opening games. Coaches’ records through super regionals):
ORAL ROBERTS (51-12)
Coach: Ryan Folmar (370-222 in 11 years at ORU).
Road to Omaha: Won Stillwater Regional: beat Oklahoma State 6-4, beat Washington 15-12, beat Dallas Baptist 6-5. Won Eugene Super Regional: lost 9-8 to Oregon, beat Oregon 8-7, beat Oregon 11-6.
2023 record vs. CWS teams: 0-0.
Last CWS appearance: 1978.
All-time record in CWS: 1-2 in one appearance.
Meet the Golden Eagles: C Jacob Godman (.296, 5 HRs, 29 RBIs), 1B Jake McMurray (.327, 6, 47), 2B Blaze Brothers (.302, 11, 38), SS Mac McCroskey (.310, 13, 62), 3B Holden Breeze (.317, 6, 42), LF Justin Quinn (.351, 7, 39), CF Jonah Cox (.420, 11, 67), RF Matt Hogan (.332, 18, 70), DH Drew Stahl (.281, 11, 55). Starting rotation: Jakob Hall (8-3, 3.56 ERA), LHP Harley Gollert (10-1, 4.30), RHP Brooks Fowler (9-1, 3.27). Relievers: RHP Cade Denton (2-1, 1.85, 15 saves), LHP Jacob Widener (2-2, 3.06, 1 save), LHP Caleb Isaacs (8-0, 5.04), RHP Evan Kowalski (2-1, 6.25), RHP Dalton Patten (4-2, 4.43).
MLB alumni: Todd Burns, Craig Colbert, Jeremy Hefner, Chi Chi Gonzalez, Jeff Heathcock, Mike Moore, Tom Nieto, Jordan Romano, Tyler Saladino, Jose Trevino.
Short hops: Joins 2012 Stony Brook and 2008 Fresno State as only No. 4 regional seeds to reach the CWS. … Cox’s 47-game hitting streak is tied for third longest in Division I history. He has a hit in 62 of 63 games. … Eagles have won 23 of 24, including 16 of past 17 on road. … McMurray has started 145 consecutive games. … First Summit League team to make CWS.
Quotable: “We knew we had a good club coming into the year. We continued to get better and better and better, and we’re playing well at the right time of year. We get an opportunity to keep playing, and that’s pretty fun.” — Folmar.
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TCU (42-22)
Coach: Kirk Saarloos (80-44 in two years at TCU).
Road to Omaha: Won Fayetteville Regional: beat Arizona 12-4, beat Arkansas 20-5, beat Arkansas 12-4. Won Fort Worth Super Regional: beat Indiana State 4-1, beat Indiana State 6-4.
2023 record vs. CWS teams: 0-0.
Last CWS appearance: 2017.
All-time record in CWS: 11-10 in five appearances.
Meet the Horned Frogs: C Karson Bowen .355, 6 HRs, 46 RBIs), 1B Cole Fontenelle (.347, 13, 52), 2B Tre Richardson (.315, 6, 59), SS Anthony Silva (.340, 7, 47), 3B Brayden Taylor (.314, 23, 69), LF Luke Boyers (.231, 7, 27), CF Elijah Nunez (.290, 3, 35), RF Austin Davis (.280, 9, 55), DH Kurtis Byrne (.291, 10, 46). Starting rotation: RHP Kole Klecker (10-4, 3.84 ERA), RHP Sam Stoutenborough (5-0, 4.52), RHP Cam Brown (3-2, 5.50). Relievers: RHP Hunter Hodges (1-0, 3.09), RHP Mason Speaker (0-0, 6.46), LHP Ben Abeldt (3-3, 3.72), RHP Luke Savage (5-3, 2.50, 2 saves), RHP Cohen Feser (1-0, 2.73, 1 save), RHP Garrett Wright (2-2, 3.24, 5 saves).
MLB alumni: Jake Arrieta, Scott Atchison, Jim Busby, Matt Carpenter, Andrew Cashner, Brandon Finnegan, Bryan Holaday, Nick Lodolo, Tim Mauser, Carl Warwick.
Short hops: Frogs’ 11-game win streak is longest in nation, and they’ve won 19 of 21. … Abeldt has allowed only one run in 21 2/3 innings over 12 appearances. … Taylor has reached base in 30 straight games. … Frogs have 139 steals, most in the CWS field, and have at least 100 three seasons in a row.
Quotable: “It doesn’t feel any different than when I was the assistant coach. It just feels awesome. But it does feel good as the head coach. At least I got there as the head coach, I can say that no matter what happens.” — Saarloos, who went to four CWS as a TCU assistant under Jim Schlossnagle.
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FLORIDA (50-15)
Coach: Kevin O’Sullivan (677-317 in 16 years at Florida).
Road to Omaha: Won Gainesville Regional: beat Florida A&M 3-0, lost to Texas Tech 5-4, beat UConn 8-2, beat Texas Tech 7-1, beat Texas Tech 6-0. Won Gainesville Super Regional: beat South Carolina 5-4, beat South Carolina 4-0.
2023 record vs. CWS teams: 2-1 (vs. Tennessee).
Last CWS appearance: 2018.
All-time record in CWS: 21-24 in 12 appearances (won national title in 2017).
Meet the Gators: C BT Riopelle (.250, 16 HRs, 65 RBIs), 1B Jac Caglianone (.336, 31, 84) or Luke Heyman (.327, 11, 36), 2B Cade Curland (.300, 16, 46), SS Josh Rivera (.362, 17, 68), 3B Colby Halter (.248, 3, 28) or Dale Thomas (.244, 1, 4), LF Wyatt Langford (.373, 18, 48), CF Michael Robertson (.232, 1, 19), RF Tyler Shelnut (.285, 7, 27), DH Caglianone or Heyman. Starting rotation: RHP Brandon Sproat (8-3, 4.69 ERA), RHP Hurston Waldrep (9-3, 4.15), LHP Caglianone (7-3, 3.78). Relievers: RHP Brandon Neely (0-2, 3.66, 13 saves), LHP Cade Fisher (6-0, 3.02), RHP Ryan Slater (10-1, 3.51), LHP Philip Abner (3-0, 3.16), RHP Nick Ficarrotta (0-0, 5.45), RHP Tyler Nesbitt (1-0, 2.95).
MLB alumni: Pete Alonso, Harrison Bader, David Eckstein, Mark Ellis, Dalton Guthrie, Jonathan India, A.J. Puk, David Ross, Brady Singer, Mike Stanley, Brad Wilkerson, Mike Zunino.
Short hops: The Gators have their seventh 50-win season, with five coming under O’Sullivan. … Waldrep has 25 strikeouts in 15 innings in two NCAA Tournament starts. He struck out nine of the final 14 batters he faced in the super regional-clinching win over South Carolina. … Langford has one error in 120 games he’s played in the field. … Gators have 129 homers, three off the school record set in 1998.
Quotable: “Getting to Omaha is goal No. 1, but we feel like we have a team that can potentially do some special things in Omaha.” — O’Sullivan.
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VIRGINIA (50-13)
Coach: Brian O’Connor (839-351-2 in 20 years at Virginia).
Road to Omaha: Won Charlottesville Regional: beat Army 15-1, beat East Carolina 2-1, beat East Carolina 8-3. Won Charlottesville Super Regional: lost to Duke 5-4, beat Duke 14-4, beat Duke 12-2.
2023 record vs. CWS teams: 0-0.
Last CWS appearance: 2021.
All-time record in CWS: 13-10 in five appearances (won national title in 2015).
Meet the Cavaliers: C Kyle Teel (.418, 13 HRs, 69 RBIs), 1B Ethan Anderson (.377, 14, 65), 2B Henry Godbout (.291, 3, 38), SS Griff O’Ferrall (.398, 1, 40), 3B Jake Gelof (.331, 23, 89), LF Harrison Didawick (.247, 4, 33) or Colin Tuft (.234, 1, 17), CF Ethan O’Donnell (.356, 13, 55), RF Casey Saucke (.298, 4, 48), DH Anthony Stephan (.338, 5, 34). Starting rotation: RHP Nick Parker (8-0, 3.81 ERA), LHP Connelly Early (12-2, 3.06), RHP Brian Edgington (9-3, 3.47). Relievers: RHP Jack O’Connor (6-3, 3.88), RHP Jay Woolfolk (2-1, 3.00, 9 saves), LHP Evan Blanco (1-0, 2.70), RHP Cullen McKay (0-0, 3.78), RHP Chase Hungate (3-0, 5.76), LHP Jake Berry (0-4, 3.33), LHP Angelo Tonas (4-0, 2.25), RHP Kevin Jaxel (2-0, 3.75).
MLB alumni: Ryan Zimmerman, Ricky Horton, Javier Lopez, Mark Reynolds, Phil Gosselin, Sean Doolittle, David Adams, Pavin Smith.
Short hops: Cavaliers have won 15 of past 16 games. … Gelof’s 23 homers are a program single-season record. … Edgington’s complete game in the super-regional clincher was Virginia’s first in the NCAA Tournament since 2014. … Gelof and Teel were freshman starters on the 2021 CWS team. … Brian O’Connor grew up across the Missouri River from Omaha in Council Bluffs, Iowa, and he has participated in the CWS as a pitcher (1991 Creighton), assistant (2002 Notre Dame) and head coach.
Quotable: “Getting to Omaha is very, very difficult to do. It takes a lot of things. It takes a lot more than just talent, and that’s why I’m so proud of these players that wear our uniform.” — Brian O’Connor.
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WAKE FOREST (52-10)
Coach Tom Walter (418-339-1 in 14 years at Wake Forest; 846-671-1 overall in 27 years).
Road to Omaha: Won Winston-Salem Regional: beat George Mason 12-0, beat Maryland 21-6, beat George Mason 15-1. Won Winston-Salem Super Regional: beat Alabama 5-4, beat Alabama 22-5.
2023 record vs. CWS teams: 0-0.
Last CWS appearance: 1955.
All-time record in CWS: 7-3 in two appearances (won national title in 1955).
Meet the Demon Deacons: C Bennett Lee (.308, 7 HRs, 33), 1B Nick Kurtz (.370, 24, 69), 2B Justin Johnson (.341, 16, 76), SS Marek Houston (.224, 4, 29), 3B Brock Wilken (.357, 30, 80), LF Lucas Costello (.303, 4, 24), CF Tommy Hawke (.354, 7, 33), RF Pierce Bennett (.357, 13, 43), DH Danny Corona (.301, 13, 43). Starting rotation: RHP Rhett Lowder (15-0, 2.05 ERA), LHP Josh Hartle (10-2, 2.80 ERA), RHP Seth Keener (7-1, 2.23). Relievers: LHP Sean Sullivan (5-3, 2.64, 3 saves), RHP Cole Roland (2-1, 2.12), RHP Michael Massey (3-0, 2.58), RHP Camden Minacci (0-1, 2.73, 12 saves), RHP Reed Mascolo (7-1, 3.96), LHP Joe Ariola (0-0, 6.75), RHP William Ray (1-1, 5.40), LHP Derek Crum (1-0, 3.38).
MLB alumni: Mike Buddie, Stuart Fairchild, Chris Getz, Tommy Gregg, Eric Hanson, Kevin Jarvis, Mike MacDougal, Craig Robinson, Gavin Sheets, Jared Shuster, Cory Sullivan.
Short hops: Deacons are first No. 1 national seed to reach CWS since 2018. … Their 10 losses are fewest in nation. They haven’t lost consecutive games. … First Wake Forest team to win at least 50 games. … Wilken’s 70 homers are ACC career record. … Corona leads tournament with six homers and 17 RBIs. … Lowder’s 15 wins lead nation.
Quotable: “We’ve had high expectations all year — No. 2 ranked, No. 1 ranked. The higher the expectations got, the more these guys showed up.” — Walter.
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STANFORD (44-18)
Coach: David Esquer (225-90 in 6 years at Stanford, 750-557-2 in 24 years overall).
Road to Omaha: Won Stanford Regional: beat San Jose State 13-2, lost to Texas A&M 8-5, beat Cal State Fullerton 6-5, beat Texas A&M 13-5, beat Texas A&M 7-1. Won Stanford Super Regional: lost to Texas 7-5, beat Texas 8-3, beat Texas 7-6.
2023 record vs. CWS teams: 0-0.
Last CWS appearance: 2022.
All-time record in CWS: 41-33 in 18 appearances (won national titles in 1987, 1988).
Meet the Cardinal: C Malcolm Moore (.316, 15 HRs, 62 RBIs), 1B Carter Graham (.312, 15, 76), 2B Drew Bowser (.275, 14, 48), SS Temo Becerra (.327, 2, 7), 3B Tommy Troy (.397, 17, 58), LF Alberto Rios (.387, 18, 71), CF Eddie Park (.340, 6, 47), RF Saborn Campbell (.226, 0, 3), DH Braden Montgomery (.336, 17, 60). Starting rotation: RHP Joey Dixon (9-3, 4.76 ERA), LHP Quinn Mathews (10-4, 3.60), RHP Matt Scott (5-4, 4.86). Relievers: LHP Drew Dowd (9-3, 4.76), RHP Brandt Pancer (3-1, 4.43), LHP Ryan Bruno (2-1, 5.18, 9 saves), LHP Nicolas Lopez (2-1, 7.04), RHP Nick Dugan (1-0, 7.27), RHP Ty Uber (1-0, 9.86), RHP Braden Montgomery (1-2, 12.21), RHP Toran O’Harran (1-1, 11.65), RHP Max Meier (2-0, 11.57).
MLB alumni: Bob Boone, Steve Buechele, Jack McDowell, Mike Mussina, Jeffrey Hammonds, A.J. Hinch, Kyle Peterson, Paul Carey, Ed Sprague, Ryan Garko, Drew Storen, Michael Taylor, Stephen Piscotty, Tommy Edman.
Short hops: Team’s .319 batting average is highest since the 2004 squad batted .328. … Pac-12 pitcher of year Mathews threw 156 pitches in second game of super regional. He has thrown more than 100 pitches in 15 starts, and his 120 innings are most in the nation. … Esquer is Pac-12 coach of year for third time since 2018. … Rios is Pac-12 player of year.
Quotable: “Have you ever seen an ending like that, because I haven’t. That was unbelievable.” — Esquer, on the winning run in Game 3 of the super regional scoring when Texas’ outfielders lost a fly ball in the twilight sky.
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LSU (48-15)
Coach: Jay Johnson (88-37 in two years at LSU; 405-209 in 11 years overall).
Road to Omaha: Won Baton Rouge Regional: beat Tulane 72, beat Oregon State 6-5, beat Oregon State 13-7. Won Baton Rouge Super Regional: beat Kentucky 14-0, beat Kentucky 8-3.
2023 record vs. CWS teams: 2-1 (vs. Tennessee)
Last CWS appearance: 2017.
All-time record in CWS: 40-27 in 18 appearances (won national titles in 1991, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2009).
Meet the Tigers: C Hayden Travinski (.404, 10 HRs, 29 RBIs), 1B Tre’ Morgan (.312, 22, 97), 2B Gavin Dugas (.288, 15, 42), SS Jordan Thompson (.273, 11, 49), 3B Tommy White (.377, 22, 97), LF Josh Pearson (.252, 3, 25), CF Dylan Crews (.434, 17, 67), RF Brayden Jobert (.302, 11, 42), DH Cade Beloso (.316, 14, 41). Starting rotation: RHP Paul Skenes (12-2, 1.77 ERA), RHP Ty Floyd (7-0, 4.50). Relievers: LHP Riley Cooper (4-3, 5.02), RHP Gavin Guidry (3-0, 3.42, 3 saves), RHP Blake Money (1-0, 5.73), LHP Nate Ackenhausen (2-0, 3.63), LHP Griffin Herring (4-2, 4.55), RHP Thatcher Hurd (6-2, 6.49, 3 saves), RHP Sam Dutton (0-0, 6.05), LHP Javen Coleman (1-2, 6.39).
MLB alumni: Albert Belle, Alex Bregman, Paul Byrd, Jake Fraley, Kevin Gausman, Will Harris, Brad Hawpe, Aaron Hill, Alex Lange, DJ LeMahieu, Ben McDonald, Aaron Nola, Austin Nola, Todd Walker, Brian Wilson.
Short hops: Tigers’ six national titles are second to Southern California’s 12. … Crews and Skenes are projected 1-2 overall picks in the amateur draft. … Crews’ .434 batting average is highest among players in the CWS and is third nationally. His on-base percentage is .667 in the tournament. … Skenes’ 15.81 strikeouts per nine innings this season lead the nation. … Tigers’ 133 homers are most among CWS teams.
Quotable: “They’ve earned the right to play for a national championship, and that’s what we intend on doing and going for it. And I will not promise we’ll win it, but everything will be invested by everybody to go do that.” — Johnson.
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TENNESSEE (43-20)
Coach: Tony Vitello (234-97 in six years at Tennessee).
Road to Omaha: Won Clemson Regional: beat Charlotte 8-1, beat Clemson 6-5, beat Charlotte 9-2. Won Hattiesburg Super Regional: lost to Southern Mississippi 5-3, beat Southern Mississippi 8-4, beat Southern Mississippi 5-0.
2023 record vs. CWS teams: 2-4 (1-2 vs. LSU, 1-2 vs. Florida).
Last CWS appearance: 2021.
All-time record in CWS: 8-10 in five appearances.
Meet the Volunteers: C Cal Stark (.181, 5 HRs, 17 RBIs), 1B Blake Burke (.279, 16, 43), 2B Christian Moore (.313, 17, 48), SS Maui Ahuna (.302, 8, 41), 3B Zane Denton (.274, 16, 58), LF Jared Dickey (.325, 12, 51), CF Hunter Ensley (.279, 28, 76), RF Christian Scott (.282, 7, 34), DH Griffin Merritt (.315, 18, 48). Starting rotation: RHP Andrew Lindsey (3-3, 2.79 ERA), RHP Chase Dollander (7-6, 4.50), RHP Drew Beam (9-4, 3.78). Relievers: RHP Chase Burns (4-3, 4.64), RHP Aaron Combs (4-0, 2.61), RHP Camden Sewell (4-0, 3.91), RHP Seth Halvorsen (3-3, 3.60), RHP AJ Russell (2-0, 0.94), LHP Zander Sechrist (0-1, 2.05), LHP Kirby Connell (1-0, 3.77), RHP Hollis Fanning (0-0, 0.66).
MLB alumni: Todd Helton, Phil Garner, Rick Honeycutt, Luke Hochevar, R.A. Dickey, Joe Randa, Mike Difelice, Bubba Trammell, Chris Burke, Mike Lincoln, Steve Searcy, Nick Senzel.
Short hops: Volunteers are one of three programs in at least two of the past three CWS, joining Stanford and Virginia. … Burns has allowed one earned run in 10 innings over three appearances. … Over past three seasons, Vols have hit NCAA-leading 381 home runs. In the previous decade (2010-20), they hit 376 combined. … Denton and Moore each have homered four times in six games, and Moore also has four doubles.
Quotable: “We kind of carve our own way out by being a team that consistently makes progress and figures things out. About halfway through the year they took ownership of the team — the players, that is — and they’ve continued to push forward and they have room to continue to do that.” — Vitello.
NBA NEWS
NUGGETS CELEBRATE THEIR 1ST NBA TITLE WITH PARADE THROUGH THE STREETS OF DOWNTOWN DENVER
DENVER (AP) Nikola Jokic rode atop a firetruck with people who mean the world to him – his teammate Jamal Murray, his family – and the NBA trophy.
Jokic and the Denver Nuggets soaked in the moment and were soaked, too, by champagne spray Thursday during a downtown parade to celebrate their first NBA title.
His young daughter, Ognjena, stole the show as she sat in front of him on the firetruck, at times wearing Jokic’s championship hat. Jokic turned in some big assists, too, shielding her from champagne showers.
This celebration has been a long time in the making and swarms of fans showed up. It took 47 seasons in the NBA for the franchise to finally make Denver the home of the Larry O’Brien Trophy.
And to think, Jokic was more concerned about when he could return home to Sombor, Serbia, than attending the parade. The player known as “Joker” changed his tune following the festivities.
“This is amazing,” Jokic said. “We’re all going to remember this our whole lives.”
Near the end of the parade route, an officer was struck by a firetruck and suffered a serious leg injury, Denver Chief of Police Ron Thomas said at a news conference. The officer was in serious and stable condition. Later in the day and after the parade, a shooting took place in the downtown area that injured two people. Thomas said the police didn’t believe the incident was associated with the celebration. It follows a mass shooting in downtown Denver after the Nuggets clinched the title Monday night. The shooting was likely sparked by a drug deal gone wrong, according to police.
The Nuggets capped off an impressive postseason by beating the Miami Heat in the Finals in Game 5. The Nuggets finished 16-4 in the playoffs, which was tied for the second-best mark by an NBA champion since the first round was expanded to best-of-seven in 2003. San Antonio also was 16-4 in 2007, and Golden State went 16-1 in 2017.
“It’s hitting me right now,” said coach Michael Malone, who was choking up as he was interviewed shortly after climbing off his firetruck for the parade. “This is an amazing experience.
“I’ve got a crazy idea,” added Malone, who was wearing a shirt that read “Put this in your pipe and smoke it” with a picture of the NBA trophy under it. “Let’s do this again. I want to be on another float. I want to be at another parade and do this thing again.”
This title and this parade is a tip of the cap to the team’s ABA roots. It’s also a tribute to all the players who ever wore the Nuggets’ iconic rainbow uniforms or any other version of the jersey.
There were so many scenes to absorb. There was rookie Christian Braun tossing his shirt into the crowd. Veteran DeAndre Jordan mingling with the fans, giving them high-fives. Murray signing a painting of himself. And Kentavious Caldwell-Pope playing the role of TV broadcaster when he interviewed teammate Aaron Gordon.
“KCP, reporting live,” he said, turning to Gordon on the Denver 7 broadcast. “How does it feel to be a champion?”
“You would know, champ,” Gordon responded to Caldwell-Pope.
Caldwell-Pope was the lone Nuggets player to have earned a championship, courtesy of his title with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020.
That is, until now.
“We really did this,” said Murray, who returned to elite form this season after missing all of 2021-22 as he recovered from a torn ACL. “We champs for life – champions for life.”
Twenty miles away from the party downtown, the Broncos wrapped up their offseason program Thursday in relative isolation. Veteran safety Kareem Jackson said the Nuggets’ championship inspires them.
“Yeah, definitely seeing another team in the same city win it all, and those guys had a great year. It’s definitely encouraging for us. We definitely want to do the same thing,” Jackson said.
Jokic is coming off an historic playoff performance, where he became the first player to lead the league in total points (600), rebounds (269) and assists (190) in a single postseason. The two-time NBA MVP added more hardware to his resume, too, capturing the Finals MVP.
He had that trophy next to him, too. Jokic momentarily misplaced it Monday night in the chaos of winning a title.
Jokic was called up to the microphone to speak and serenaded with thunderous chants of “MVP,” “MVP” from the crowd.
“Ok, ok, ok, ok,” he said to quiet them down. “Thank you. Thank you, though.”
With the season now officially closed, Jokic will soon head home to spend time with his family and return to his other passion – horse racing. He’s hoping to make it back in time to attend a harness race on Sunday.
This is the second straight June the city has held a parade. The Colorado Avalanche were the guests of honor last year after hoisting the Stanley Cup.
CONOR MCGREGOR IS ACCUSED OF SEXUALLY ASSAULTING A WOMAN AT AN NBA FINALS GAME IN MIAMI
MIAMI (AP) The NBA and the Miami Heat are investigating an allegation that former UFC champion Conor McGregor sexually assaulted a woman inside an arena bathroom after Game 4 of the NBA Finals.
The woman’s attorney, Ariel Mitchell, said her client has provided Miami police with the clothing she was wearing that night and that a report was filed. Miami police did not respond when asked Thursday evening whether they were investigating.
McGregor’s attorney said the fighter denied any wrongdoing. “Mr. McGregor will not be intimidated,” said the attorney, Barbara Llanes.
In letters sent to the NBA, the Heat and McGregor’s representatives, Mitchell detailed her client’s allegations and said the client would discuss “reasonable settlement offers” before June 12 or else proceed with litigation.
“We are aware of the allegations and are conducting a full investigation,” read a statement from the Heat. “Pending the outcome of the investigation, we will withhold further comment.”
The NBA had a similar statement, saying it was working with the Heat to gather information.
The alleged incident happened on the same night McGregor knocked out the Heat mascot in a midgame bit that went wrong.
Burnie – more specifically, the man who occupies Burnie’s costume – briefly sought medical attention Friday night after taking two punches from McGregor during a third-quarter stoppage of Game 4 of the NBA Finals between the Heat and the Denver Nuggets.
The employee, who was not identified, received pain medication and was recovering, the team said.
McGregor was there as a promotional gimmick for a pain-relief spray – and was booed by many in the Miami crowd even before the bit started. The flame mascot was wearing oversized boxing gloves and a robe akin to what a fighter would wear entering the ring for a bout. McGregor hit Burnie with a left hook, knocking him down, then punched the mascot again after he hit the floor.
McGregor then tried to “spray” the mascot with the pain-relief product, while several members of the Heat’s in-game promotional team dragged Burnie off the court.
McGregor hasn’t fought since injuring his left leg in a loss to Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in July 2021. His last win came in January 2020.
NBA MOCK DRAFT: NO WEMBANYAMA FOR HORNETS, BUT MILLER OR HENDERSON HAS CHARLOTTE BUZZING
Brandon Miller and Scoot Henderson have made their cases to be the No. 2 pick in the NBA draft.
With Victor Wembanyama long expected to be chosen first by the San Antonio Spurs, the first bit of uncertainty on June 22 could arrive once the Charlotte Hornets are on the clock.
The Hornets have now taken a look at both players. Henderson worked out for Charlotte on Sunday and Miller visited two days later, according to a person with knowledge of the details. The person spoke with the AP on condition anonymity because neither workout was publicly announced, and neither player spoke to reporters.
Charlotte went 27-55 last season as one of the lowest-scoring teams in the NBA. The Hornets got only 36 games from star point guard LaMelo Ball because of injuries, but his return could make them more interested in Miller, a versatile forward, rather than another guard in Henderson.
That’s the way the AP continues to lean, keeping Miller at No. 2 in the third version of its 2023 mock draft.
1. SAN ANTONIO SPURS: VICTOR WEMBANYAMA, FORWARD, FRANCE
His combination of a center’s size and a guard’s shooting and dribbling make the 19-year-old a prospect perhaps unlike any other the NBA has seen, and should end the 13-year streak of the No. 1 pick being a college freshman. The Spurs won five NBA titles after taking Tim Duncan in 1997, the last time they had the No. 1 pick and dream of a similar impact from Wembanyama.
2. CHARLOTTE HORNETS: BRANDON MILLER, FORWARD, ALABAMA
At 6-9, the SEC player of the year and tournament MVP as a freshman has the size, versatility and 3-point stroke to make him an ideal player for the modern NBA game. But the Hornets, who played without Miles Bridges last season after an arrest for a domestic violence incident against the mother of his children, may have to weigh a negative reaction if they add Miller, who delivered the gun used in a fatal shooting.
3. PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS: SCOOT HENDERSON, GUARD, G LEAGUE IGNITE
Worked out for the Trail Blazers and showed the athleticism and ability to do it all from the guard spot that may have made Henderson the No. 1 pick in many years. This time, he could be part of a trade if the Blazers decide they’d prefer to acquire more veteran help around Damian Lillard — or perhaps Lillard’s replacement if they instead decide to build around youth.
4. HOUSTON ROCKETS: AMEN THOMPSON, GUARD, OVERTIME ELITE
At 6-7, Thompson has great size for a guard and the 20-year old showed the ability to step up when it matters most, averaging 17.2 points, 9.2 assists and 7.2 rebounds in the playoffs to lead the City Reapers to the championship last season. The Rockets, after adding Jalen Green and Jabari Smith Jr. in the last two drafts, are positioned to get another good one.
5. DETROIT PISTONS: CAM WHITMORE, FORWARD, VILLANOVA
The Pistons fell to the lowest spot possible in the lottery after finishing with the NBA’s worst record and sharing the best odds of landing the No. 1 pick. But getting Whitmore, a versatile wing with a strong build, to add to young pieces such as Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey under new coach Monty Williams would help ease the sting.
6. ORLANDO MAGIC: AUSAR THOMPSON, FORWARD, OVERTIME ELITE
Amen Thompson’s twin brother has been the Overtime Elite regular season and finals MVP the last two seasons and the 6-7 swingman plays big on defense, twice blocking seven shots in a game. The Magic were a team on the rise in the second half of last season and Thompson could help ensure that continues.
7. INDIANA PACERS: JARACE WALKER, FORWARD, HOUSTON
Coming from Houston’s rugged program means Walker already plays NBA-ready defense, and the offensive end could come along quickly under Rick Carlisle. At 6-8, 240 pounds, he already has the size and strength to deal with anyone he could face in the frontcourt.
8. WASHINGTON WIZARDS: ANTHONY BLACK, GUARD, ARKANSAS
The 6-7 guard seems to have endless energy, playing nearly 35 minutes a game to lead the Southeastern Conference and all 20 minutes in a half 19 times. That included 37 minutes on an injured left ankle in the Razorbacks’ NCAA Tournament upset of top-seeded Kansas, when he helped hold expected lottery pick Gradey Dick to seven points.
9. UTAH JAZZ: TAYLOR HENDRICKS, CENTRAL FLORIDA
The 6-9 freshman makes an impact inside and outside on both ends of the floor. He led the American Athletic Conference in blocked shots and shot 39% from 3-point range, becoming the only Division I player last season with at least 60 3-pointers, 55 blocked shots and 35 dunks.
10. DALLAS MAVERICKS: GRADEY DICK, GUARD, KANSAS
Dick made 83 3-pointers, most in Kansas history by a freshman, and the 6-8 forward could get plenty of open looks when Mavericks opponents focus their attention on Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving — if Irving remains in Dallas. The Mavs went to great lengths to protect their chances of keeping this pick, tanking their final couple games to boost their lottery odds while still in play-in contention.
11. ORLANDO MAGIC (from Chicago Bulls): BILAL COULIBALY, FORWARD, FRANCE
Wembanyama’s teammate with Metropolitans 92 is a 6-6 swingman whose stock has risen as their team reached their French League finals. He hasn’t reached his potential yet as a scorer, but his 7-3 wingspan allows him to impact the game on both ends even without doing so and could make him a good fit with 2022 No. 1 pick and Rookie of the Year Paolo Banchero.
12. OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER: DERECK LIVELY II, CENTER, DUKE
Is still limited offensively, but the 7-1 Lively shows promise as a rebounder and shot blocker, highlighted by 14 boards and eight blocks in a game against rival North Carolina.
13. TORONTO RAPTORS: JALEN HOOD-SCHIFINO, GUARD, INDIANA
The Big Ten freshman of the year has great size in the backcourt at 6-6 and could help the Raptors guard against a potential loss of Fred VanVleet in free agency, but needs to become a better shooter after hitting only 40% from the field in his lone season.
14. NEW ORLEANS PELICANS: KEYONTE GEORGE, GUARD, BAYLOR
The highest-ranked recruit in program history lived up to the billing in his lone college season, scoring 20 or more points 12 times and averaging 15.3 en route to Big 12 freshman of the year honors. The 6-4 guard could provide scoring punch on a team that just missed the postseason.
15. ATLANTA HAWKS: KOBE BUFKIN, GUARD, MICHIGAN
Massive leap from first to second year of college, averaging 14 points as a sophomore after not starting a game while averaging 3.0 points as a freshman. Next leap is to the NBA, where the 6-4 lefty could quickly be a change-of-pace guard off the bench.
16. UTAH JAZZ (from Minnesota): CASON WALLACE, KENTUCKY
A point guard who takes care of the ball and takes it away from opponents, he was fourth in the SEC in both steals per game and assist-to-turnover ratio. At 6-4, has the size and strength to defend some of the marquee guards in the Western Conference.
17. LOS ANGELES LAKERS: NICK SMITH JR., GUARD, ARKANSAS
After mixed results with Russell Westbrook and D’Angelo Russell last season, the Lakers’ search for guard help could lead to Arkansas, where the 6-5 Smith played in just 17 games in his lone college season after recovering from a right knee injury but showed the ability to play either guard spot.
18. MIAMI HEAT: JORDAN HAWKINS, GUARD, UCONN
Ballhandling still needs improvement, but Hawkins’ catch-and-shoot ability was one of the biggest reasons the Huskies stormed through the NCAA Tournament to their fifth national title, and something the Heat were missing in their NBA Finals loss.
19. GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS: KRIS MURRAY, FORWARD, IOWA
After averaging 20.2 points — with a 30-point, 20-rebound game in one outing — Murray will try to make a similar first-year NBA impact as twin brother Keegan, who after leaving the Hawkeyes became an immediate starter for Sacramento last season and was an All-Rookie first-team selection.
20. HOUSTON ROCKETS (from LA Clippers): MAXWELL LEWIS, FORWARD, PEPPERDINE
The 6-7 Lewis made nearly 80% of his free throws and 36% of his 3-point attempts in his two seasons with the Waves, and improved his ability to score off the dribble while averaging 17.1 points last season.
21. BROOKLYN NETS (from Phoenix): JETT HOWARD, GUARD, MICHIGAN
His willingness to fire from behind the arc makes the freshman a perfect fit for the 3-point happy NBA. The 6-8 freshman made multiple 3-pointers in 24 of his 29 games for Juwan Howard, his father, and hit three or more in almost half of them. Howard made 36.8% of them while averaging 14.2 points
22. BROOKLYN NETS: LEONARD MILLER, FORWARD, G LEAGUE IGNITE
The Nets have needed more scoring punch since trading Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, and Miller looks capable of providing it after averaging 18 points last season. The 6-10 Canadian also averaged nearly 11 rebounds, another area Nets leadership has identified as a priority.
23. PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS (from New York): NOAH CLOWNEY, FORWARD, ALABAMA
Clowney put up nearly eight rebounds and a block per game in his lone college season. With just 210 pounds on his 6-10 frame, he will need to add strength for the battles inside against NBA big men.
24. SACRAMENTO KINGS: BRICE SENSABAUGH, FORWARD, OHIO STATE
Averaged 16.3 points and shot better than 40% from 3-point range in his strong one season for the Buckeyes, where he was the first freshman to lead the team in scoring since D’Angelo Russell in 2015.
25. MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES: G.G. JACKSON, FORWARD, SOUTH CAROLINA
Would have been heading to college now — perhaps as the No. 1 prospect — before reclassifying last summer to enter a year earlier. Instead, the 6-9 Jackson is on his way to the NBA after scoring in double figures in 25 of his 32 games, averaging 15.4 points.
26. INDIANA PACERS (from Cleveland): JAIME JAQUEZ JR., GUARD, UCLA
The do-everything swingman led the Bruins with 17.8 points and 8.2 rebounds, becoming their first Pac-12 player of the year since Kevin Love in 2008. At 6-7, Jaquez does everything well — he’s No. 8 in UCLA history in both points and steals — but maybe not any of them at the top NBA level.
27. CHARLOTTE HORNETS (from Denver via New York and Oklahoma City): AMARI BAILEY, GUARD, UCLA
Bailey had a strong finish to his lone college season, averaging 16.7 points on 56% shooting in the Bruins’ run to the Sweet 16. The Hornets struggle when LaMelo Ball is out, so the 6-5 guard could be appealing to a team that was fourth-worst in the NBA in scoring.
28. UTAH JAZZ (from Philadelphia via Brooklyn): COLBY JONES, GUARD, XAVIER
With three picks in the first round, the Jazz are positioned to bolster a team that hung around the playoff race much longer than expected. The 6-6 Jones, who made 18 of 21 shots in one torrid stretch last season and shot 9 of 10 on 3-pointers in another, could be a nice late addition.
29. INDIANA PACERS (from Boston): TRAYCE JACKSON-DAVIS, FORWARD, INDIANA
Had more than 2,200 points and 1,100 rebounds in one of the most decorated careers in Hoosiers history. But in the one-and-done era, the 23-year-old All-American’s age may work against the son of former Pacers forward Dale Davis.
30. LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS (from Milwaukee via Houston): DARIQ WHITEHEAD, FORWARD, DUKE
Arrived at Duke as the high school player of the year, but a foot injury led to a delayed start to his college career followed by shooting struggles after it finally began. But the 6-7 forward showed enough defensive and 3-point abilities in his limited time to make himself worthy of a first-round spot.
WEMBANYAMA BIDS ADIEU TO FRANCE WITH A DEFEAT AS THE TEEN PRODIGY PREPARES FOR NBA CAREER
They were hugs of goodbye — not of joy — for Victor Wembanyama as he bid farewell to his teammates and the French league, before jetting off for what many predict will be a glittering NBA career.
Wembanyama’s performance — 22 points, seven rebounds and four blocks — couldn’t prevent his Boulogne-Levallois team losing 92-85 to Monaco in a must-win Game 3 in the best-of-five French league championship series on Thursday.
To accommodate escalating interest in seeing the 19-year-old French prodigy, Game 3 — and 4 if they had won — were switched from a 4,000-seat venue to Court Philippe Chatrier at Roland Garros, home of the French Open tennis championship which seats more than 14,000.
Fans sang “Merci, Wemby” as the hugely popular Wembanyama waved and clapped at them.
“I’m sorry for the fans who love to see a show,” Wembanyama said on beIN Sports television after the game. “Of course I’m proud of what I’ve managed to do along with my coach (Vincent Collet), in bringing the team to the finals. But I’m not satisfied.”
Next week, the San Antonio Spurs are expected to make the 7-foot-3 Wembanyama the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft, where he’ll follow in the footsteps of France great Tony Parker and Hall of Famers David Robinson and Tim Duncan.
With Sacramento Kings owner Vivek Ranadivé among the crowd — likely with an eye on Wembanyama teammate Bilal Coulibaly ahead of the draft — the Mets opened up big leads but with 50 seconds left the score was tied at 85-85. Jordan Loyd, a former NBA player with the Toronto Raptors, sank two 3-pointers to end Wembanyama’s hopes of signing off with a French crown.
Ranadivé told beIN Sport that Wembanyama is “amazing” but that “I’m also excited about Bilal. Young guy, lot of skills, so French basketball is in great shape.”
Wembanyama, who opened the scoring with a reverse alley-oop dunk, looked sad as he hugged his teammates while Monaco celebrated.
“Wemby had a great game, but this team’s unbelievable,” said Loyd, who finished with 22 points.
Everything had pointed to a special night for Wembanyama and then a Game 4 on Saturday. Wembanyama clenched his fist when his pass inside for Devante Jones made it 24-10, then drew roars when he used his giant frame to block a shot early in the second quarter.
The “Wemby, Wemby” chants became louder when he hit a 3-pointer to make it 47-37, louder still when he dished to Coulibaly for a dunk early in the third quarter.
It was not enough, though, and it was “Wemby” who put Elie Okobo on the foul line to give Monaco its first lead, 82-81, with just over three minutes left.
Loyd — not Wembanyama — ended up with the MVP award and the winners’ medal on the court where Novak Djokovic made men’s Grand Slam history last Sunday with his 23rd men’s major title.
Wembanyama’s journey to greatness in his sport, however, might only just be starting.
NFL NEWS
HOMER JONES, FORMER GIANTS RECEIVER BELIEVED TO BE THE FIRST TO SPIKE A BALL AFTER TD, DIES AT 82
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Homer Jones, one of the most prolific wide receivers in New York Giants history and believed to be the first player to spike a football after a touchdown, has died. He was 82.
The Giants acknowledged the death, saying his daughter, Lacarroll Jones Nickelberry, confirmed it to KLTV in Pittsburg, Texas, where Jones was born and lived. His daughter said he died Wednesday following a battle with lung cancer.
“Homer Jones had a unique combination of speed and power and was a threat to score whenever he touched the ball,” said John Mara, the Giants’ president and chief executive officer. “He was one of the first players (if not the first) to spike the ball in the end zone after scoring a touchdown and he quickly became a fan favorite. I remember him as an easygoing, friendly individual who was well liked by his teammates and coaches.”
Jones was taken in the 20th round of the 1963 NFL draft by the Giants, although he had already signed with the Houston Oilers of the American Football League. The Oilers released Jones after he injured his knee in training camp. He called the Giants to ask for a tryout. They sent him a bus ticket to New York.
After watching Jones — who ran a 9.3-second 100-yard dash at Texas Southern — coach Allie Sherman placed him on the Giants’ taxi squad, that era’s version of the practice squad, for the entire 1963 season and part of 1964.
In six seasons with the Giants, Jones caught 214 passes for 4,835 yards and 35 touchdowns. Jones’ receptions total places him 25th in Giants history, his yardage total is sixth and the 35 touchdowns are tied for sixth.
Jones’ finest season was in 1967 when he finished with career-high totals of 49 receptions, 1,209 yards (a 24.7-yard average) and a league-leading 13 touchdowns and made the first of two consecutive Pro Bowl appearances.
Jones played a final season with the Cleveland Browns in 1970 and finished his career with 224 receptions for 4,986 yards, a 22.26-yard average that remains the highest in NFL history for receivers with at least 200 catches. Buddy Dial, who played for Pittsburgh and Dallas from 1959-66, is second with a 20.83-yard average.
On Dec. 13, 1965, Jones caught three passes for 182 yards, including touchdowns of 72 and 74 yards, in a 27-10 Giants victory in Washington. His 60.67 yards-per-catch average is tied with Bill Groman (who had the same totals for Houston vs. Denver on Nov. 20, 1960) for the second-highest average in league history (minimum three receptions). Torry Holt of the St. Louis Rams averaged 63.0 yards (three catches for 189 yards) vs. Atlanta on Sept. 24, 2000.
Jones is credited with inventing the spike in 1965, when he threw the ball hard to the ground after scoring a touchdown. Jones had wanted to throw the ball into the stands to the fans, but the league had established a $500 fine for doing that so he slammed the ball into the ground.
In January 1970, Jones was traded to the Browns in exchange for running back Ron Johnson and defensive lineman Jim Kanicki. His debut with Cleveland was the first Monday night game in history, and Jones made the biggest play in the Browns’ 31-21 victory when he returned the second-half kickoff 94 yards for a touchdown.
Knee injuries limited Jones to 10 receptions that season and he soon retired at age 29. Jones then returned to Texas.
Nickelberry told KLTV that Jones is survived by six children.
Jones was born on Feb. 18, 1941, in Pittsburg. He graduated from the former Frederick Douglass High School and later attended Texas Southern College, now Texas Southern He starred in football and track, running the 100 and 220.
MEN’S SOCCER
US 3-0 WIN OVER MEXICO CUT SHORT BY HOMOPHOBIC CHANTS ON NIGHT OF 4 RED CARDS
LAS VEGAS (AP) Four players were ejected and the match was cut short by the referee after repeated homophobic chants Thursday night.
The United States’ 3-0 victory over Mexico for a spot Sunday in the CONCACAF Nations League final against Canada will be remembered as much for the ugliness as for two goals by Christian Pulisic and one by Ricardo Pepi.
Americans Weston McKennie and Sergiño Dest were ejected by Salvadoran referee Iván Barton along with Mexicans César Montes and Gerardo Arteaga during the testy second half.
“These are rivalry games. These are derby games. Things like this happen across the world and in no way am I embarrassed,” B.J. Callaghan said after his first game as U.S. interim coach. “It comes from a good place. They care about each other so much in that locker room that they’re standing up for each other. Sometimes does it have an issue where we take a red card? Yeah, but when you know where it comes from, you can accept it and it’s a learning lesson for us.”
Play was halted in the 90th minute because of homophobic chants. When action resumed, 12 minutes of stoppage time were signaled but resumed chants caused Barton to end the match in the eighth minute added minute.
FIFA fined Mexico 100,000 Swiss francs ($108,000) in January for anti-gay chants by fans at two games,
“In terms of the chant, I want to make it very clear first and foremost, for our beliefs and our culture, it has no place in the game,” Callaghan said. “It has no place in our value system.”
McKennie and Dest are suspended for thes final. Luca de la Torre and Joe Scally are possible replacements.
“It’s definitely a blow,” Tim Weah said. “It comes with the game. I know the red cards are definitely a bummer, but it happens. Aggressive match tonight.”
Striker Folarin Balogun made his debut after the 21-year-old decided to play for the U.S. over England and Nigeria.
“The boys told me it was going to be intense, but I’m definitely still shocked by the events,”. said Balogun, who at one point was shoved to the field. “I was just on the floor because I was in pain, but when I looked up I just saw so many people around and I knew my teammates were just trying to defend me,”
Making his first start for club or country since April 15, Pulisic put the U.S. ahead in the 37th minute and doubled the lead in the 46th. He has 25 goals in 59 international appearances, including four goals against Mexico. Pepi scored in the 79th, five minutes after replacing Bologun.
With its first three-goal victory over Mexico in 23 years, the U.S. stretched its unbeaten streak against El Tri to six (three wins, three draws), matching the Americans’ longest, from 2011-15.
The U.S. went ahead when Gio Reyna poked the ball off Montes and then while prone, poked it forward off Jorge Sánchez. Pulisic burst behind the defenders, took a pair of touches and from the edge of the 6-yard box slotted the ball past goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa.
McKennie started the move toward the second goal with a long pass down a flank to Weah, who crossed. A sprinting Pulisic got behind Israel Reyes and Sánchez, stabbing the ball in with his left foot from 6 yards,
Montes was given a straight red card in the 69th for kicking Balogun while the two were challenging. McKennie was given a red card two minutes later for placing a hand on Sánchez’s neck during the ensuing arguing and shoving.
Pepi scored his seventh international goal, receiving a pass from Dest, taking a touch and rounding Ochoa. Dest and Arteaga were sent off in the 86th for shoving each other.
“There was moments on both teams that we could have handled better.” Callaghan said.
Notes: Reyna, his hair dyed blond, made his first start for club or country since March 27, also the last time Dest and goalkeeper Matt Turner had appeared in any match. … Canada beat Panama 2-0 in the opener on goals by Jonathan David in the 25th and Alphonso Davies in the 69th. Mexico and Panama meet in the third-place match.
TOP INDIANA RELEASES
INDIANS BASEBALL
ANDÚJAR HOMERS, EXTENDS HITTING STREAK TO 18 GAMES IN LOSS TO IOWA, 10-8
DES MOINES, Iowa – Despite designated hitter Miguel Andújar establishing a new career-high by hitting safely in his eighteenth straight game, the Indianapolis Indians fell to the Iowa Cubs after a first inning outburst on Thursday night at Principal Park, 10-8.
The Indians (29-35) worked four walks before a two-run single from right fielder Cal Mitchell against Iowa starter Caleb Kilian in the top of the first, who had to throw 37 pitches to get out of the inning. However, the Cubs responded with six runs on six hits themselves in the bottom half of the inning against Indianapolis starter Kent Emanuel (L, 4-3), highlighted by four straight RBI singles from Iowa’s five through eight-hole hitters.
In the third, Andújar started the Indians’ effort at chipping away at the Iowa lead by extending his hitting streak with his eighth home run of the year. The solo blast left the yard over the right-center field wall. The Indians cut the deficit to one thanks to another RBI single from Mitchell in the fifth against Iowa reliever Jordan Holloway (W, 1-1) and a wild pitch from Cubs reliever Hunter Bigge in the sixth, allowing Indians second baseman Nick Gonzales to score.
The Cubs (36-28) put the game out of reach in the bottom of the sixth thanks to two two-run homers from catcher Dom Nuñez and center fielder Nelson Velazquez. Indianapolis responded with a sacrifice fly from shortstop Alika Williams and two-run double from Gonzales in the seventh, but Iowa relievers Bailey Horn and Daniel Palencia (S, 1) shut the Indians down in the eighth and ninth.
The Indians and Cubs continue their six-game series on Friday night at 8:08 PM ET at Principal Park. Left-hander Cam Alldred (2-0, 3.58) toes the rubber for Indianapolis tomorrow, while Riley Thompson (1-4, 6.75) will get the ball for the I-Cubs.
INDY ELEVEN WOMEN
WESTFIELD, Ind. (Thursday, June 15, 2023) – Indy Eleven lost for the first time this season, dropping a 2-0 decision to St. Charles at home on Thursday night.
Through a scoreless first half, the Eleven outshot St. Charles 7-2, including a game-high three from Katie Soderstrom, but could not find the back of the net.
St. Charles first struck in the 54th-minute as Olivia Baca picked up a loose ball rebound inside the six-yard box and tapped it in for the go-ahead tally. The lead was doubled by Amanda Adams, who scored for the visiting team in the 72nd minute.
The Eleven outshot STC 25-6 in the match, led by five from Maisie Whitsett and four apiece from Soderstrom and Hal Hershfelt. Emily Edwards registered a pair of saves.
The loss was the first regular-season setback for the Eleven in the 19 matches played since the USL W League opened in 2022. The loss dropped Indy to 5-1-1 on the season, while St. Charles improved to 1-4-2.
The Girls in Blue are back in action Sunday when they host Kings Hammer FC. Indy took the first meeting of the season 1-0 on the road May 24. Kick is slated for 2 p.m. ET at the Grand Park Sports Complex. The match will also stream on Eleven Sports.
USL W League
Indy Eleven 0:2 St. Charles FC
Thursday, June 15, 2023
Grand Park Sports Campus | Westfield, Ind.
2023 USL W League Records
Indy Eleven: 5W-1L-1D (+14GD), 16pts
St. Charles FC: 1W-4L-2D (-16GD), 5pts
Scoring Summary
STC – Olivia Baca 54’
STC – Amanda Adams 72’
Discipline Summary
IND – Hal Hershfelt (caution) 45’+
STC – Taylor Imming (caution) 56’
STC – Amanda Adams (caution) 70’
IND – Maisie Whitsett (caution) 81’
STC – Kendal White (caution) 90’+
Indy Eleven lineup: Emily Edwards, Lizzie Sexton (Jenna Chatterton 46’), Grace Bahr, Trinity Watson, Rafferty Kugler, Hal Hershfelt, Greta Kraszula (Sam Slimak 69’), Ella Rogers, Addie Chester (Nicole Kevdzija 71’), Katie Soderstrom (Kanna Matsuhisa 61’), Abby Isger (Maisie Whitsett 46’)
IND substitutes: Sara Kile, Merel Houweling
INDIANA VOLLEYBALL
GEDDES, HAWORTH NAMED TO 2023 U.S. WOMEN’S COLLEGIATE NATIONAL TEAM
ANAHEIM, Calif. – Indiana outside hitter Morgan Geddes and setter Camryn Haworth were among the 20 players named to the 2023 U.S. Women’s Collegiate National Team, as announced by USA Volleyball on Thursday (June 15) afternoon.
The Hoosier duo participated at the Women’s National Team Open Program in late February, parlaying their performances in Colorado Springs to a spot with the collegiate national team and a week of training in Anaheim later this month.
By the end of the weekend at the open program in February, the 6-foot-2 rising senior Geddes was playing on the top court with the nation’s best athletes while the 5-foot-10 rising junior Haworth was among the best setters and most versatile athletes at the camp.
“It’s a huge honor,” Geddes said. “I’m very excited. It’s a big opportunity. I wouldn’t have made it if it weren’t for this spring and all the girls working as hard as they have. The coaches have worked hard to get me to this level. I’m just so thankful.”
During the 2022 season, Geddes played in 27 matches with 25 starts. Despite missing a handful of matches and playing out of position due to injuries, she recorded 266 kills and was second on the team with 2.56 kills per set.
She had a run of six of seven matches with double-digit kills including 11 at No. 4 Nebraska, 14 at No. 3 Wisconsin and a career-best 17 in a victory over Rutgers. She provided the game-winning kill in a match at Michigan State and delivered 16 kills in a late-season win over Illinois.
Along with the likes of middle blocker Savannah Kjolhede and outside hitter Grae Gosnell, Geddes was a member of IU’s highest-rated recruiting class (No. 15) in program history in 2020. She has appeared in 71 matches through three seasons and owns 489 kills, 125 digs, 93 blocks and 24 service aces.
A breakout 2022 season saw her and fellow outside hitter Mady Saris combine for 693 kills on the season and help lead IU to a 16-16 overall record and an eighth-place finish in the Big Ten Conference.
“I am so incredibly proud of Morgan. She has worked so hard over the last few years and is deserving of this opportunity, IU head coach Steve Aird said. “She comes to work early, stays late and is not afraid to grind. Perhaps most impressively, she gives so much credit to her teammates for helping her grow and that says a lot about her as a human being. I know she will learn a great deal in that environment and she will represent Indiana well.”
Haworth, a native of Fishers, Ind., was given the keys to the offense in 2022, starting every match and playing in every set as the program’s starting setter. She compiled 1,111 assists, 290 digs, 49 aces and 56 blocks across 32 matches and 123 sets.
In a victory over Northwestern on Nov. 18, 2022, she recorded the team’s first triple-double since 2001 with 37 assists, 11 digs and 10 kills. She followed that up in IU’s win over No. 5 Ohio State with 45 assists, 16 digs and eight kills.
“It’s a blessing. Through playing at IU, I have had the opportunity to represent my home state and compete at the highest level in the best volleyball conference,” Haworth said. “Everyone involved with the program supports and pushes each other to be the best we can be in and out of Wilkinson Hall.”
Her efforts awarded her the title of AVCA National Player of the Week on November 22nd. She was one of three conference setters named All-First Team Big Ten following the season, IU’s first athlete named to the Big Ten First Team since Ashley Benson in 2010.
Heading into the 2023 season, Haworth is No. 11 in program history in assists (1,615) and is tied for eighth all-time in aces during the rally era (91). She will be surrounded by a plethora of arms next year including Geddes, Saris, Kjolhede and graduate student middle blocker Kaley Rammelsberg.
“I am thrilled that Cam is getting the opportunity to train and learn with the best. I am very proud of her,” Aird said. “She continues to grow as a setter and a leader, and the sky is the limit for her here at IU and beyond.”
“Our goal at IU is to help players become the best version of themselves and having players train with the USA program, the Canadian National Team program, Spain, Turkey, etc. are all examples of that,” Aird said. “Morgan and Cam are humbled and thrilled to have this opportunity and will represent the program well. I know they will compete hard and bring back experience that will help the entire program.”
Geddes and Haworth will head to Anaheim, Calif. this summer from June 18-24 to train with her fellow national team athletes in an intensive, U.S. national team setting.
INDIANA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana women’s basketball will take its first foreign tour in six years when it travels to Greece August 1-10.
The trip will begin in Athens and make stops in the Gulf of Corinth where it will explore Nafpaktos and Delphi. A full day trip to Olympia is also on the agenda, where the group will experience the ancient Olympic Gymnasium and Stadium. The team will also play two games, one in Athens and one in the Patras during its time in Greece.
The tour is made possible by the Indiana University Athletics Women’s Excellence initiative. The mission of Indiana University Athletics Women’s Excellence is to raise private support to elevate its 13 women’s varsity sports and to enhance the overall student-athlete experience of IU’s female student-athletes.
Indiana previously took a foreign tour under Moren in 2017 when it traveled to Italy. The NCAA allows teams to take a foreign tour once every four years. Indiana is allotted 10 practice days leading up to the trip, which will begin in July.
The 2023-24 Hoosier roster will feature four returners from a team that won the regular season Big Ten Championship outright for the first time in 40 years. First team All-American Mackenzie Holmes highlights Indiana’s roster for the upcoming season along with rising seniors Chloe Moore-McNeil and Sydney Parrish.
INDIANA FEVER
MITCHELL SINKS GAME-WINNING JUMPER, FEVER BEAT SHORT-HANDED SKY 92-90
CHICAGO (AP) — Kelsey Mitchell sank a step-back jumper with 1.1 seconds left and the Indiana Fever beat the short-handed Chicago Sky 92-90 on Thursday night.
Dana Evans made a field goal on four straight Chicago possessions, the last coming on a runner with 38.3 seconds left for an 89-88 lead. Erica Wheeler worked the clock down and was short on a jumper, but NaLyssa Smith grabbed the rebound and put it back to give Indiana the lead with 14.5 left.
Evans drove into the lane again and was fouled with 7.5 seconds left before making 1 of 2 free throws to tie it at 90-all. After Mitchell’s make, Chicago had an open look from 3-point range but Alanna Smith’s shot didn’t hit the rim.
Indiana won consecutive games for the first time since May 2022.
Rookie Aliyah Boston, who had 25 points and 11 rebounds on June 6 against Chicago, finished with 19 points and eight rebounds for Indiana (4-6). Victoria Vivians added 17 points and Mitchell and Smith each scored 15.
Chicago (5-6) was without its leading scorer Kahleah Copper due to personal reasons.
Marina Mabrey scored 19 of her career-high 37 points in the third quarter for the Sky. Evans scored all 21 of her points in the second half. Robyn Parks made her first career start and scored 13 points.
PURDUE WRESTLING
2023 WRESTLING SIGNING CLASS EARNS NO. 13 MARK
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The 2023 InterMat recruiting class rankings have finally been released, with the Boilermaker’s taking the No. 13 spot on the national list. Head coach Tony Ersland and company have been busy on the recruiting trail this year and their hard work has paid off in the form of eight incoming freshman and two transfers.
The No. 13 class in the nation gives Ersland his sixth top-25 recruiting finish since taking over at the helm of Purdue Wrestling and the third time having at least four top-200 recruits. The Boilermakers are one of just seven schools to have at least two top-30 signees. It is the highest InterMat has ranked a Purdue class since 2016.
Joey Blaze and Greyson Clark highlight the class as the No. 17 and No. 29 ranked prospects respectively with seven state titles between the two of them. Both were named as their state’s representative for the Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award, making Purdue one of eight programs to have multiple winners coming in.
The Boilermakers also brought in a haul of in-state standouts, keeping five of Indiana’s top prospects at home with Orlando Cruz, Ashton Jackson, Delaney Ruhlman and Cole Solomey joining the fold. Cruz and Jackson add to the crop of top-200 prospects in this class with No. 118 and No. 177 rankings respectively. Cruz broke through for his first Indiana state championship as a senior while Jackson has two titles and a runner-up finish to his name.
Delaney joins his older brother Tristan on the roster and comes in as a three-time state second place finisher and Solomey snagged his first state title in 2023. The group combined brought in four state titles this spring, with 11 total across their careers.
Dominic Burgett and Cooper Rider round out the group of incoming freshmen. Burgett, another Indiana kid, comes to West Lafayette from Fishers after taking fourth at state and sweeping the semi-state, regional and sectional tournaments as a senior. Rider is a three-time Missouri state placewinner who finished with a 113-44 record for Liberty.
Also joining the class are high-level Big Ten transfers Marcos Polanco and James Rowley. The California native Polanco comes to the Boilermakers with three years of experience at Minnesota where he compiled a 25-23 record. In his first season of full competition, he qualified for the 2021 NCAA tournament at 141 pounds with an at-large bid. Rowley spent one year at Wisconsin as a redshirt but was a four-time Oregon state champion and a 2022 Dave Schultz award winner.
PURDUE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
PURDUE TO FACE UCLA IN LOS ANGELES ON 2023-24 OPENING NIGHT
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Purdue women’s basketball team will head west to face future Big Ten foe UCLA on the opening night of the 2023-24 college basketball season, Nov. 6, at Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles.
The game against the Bruins is the first announced contest of the Boilermakers’ 2023-24 campaign. Future opponents and dates will be announced later.
The season opener will mark the second time in three seasons under head coach Katie Gearlds that Purdue will start the year on the road.
The Boilermakers own a 2-1 all-time record against UCLA. Gearlds played in all three contests against the Bruins from 2003 to 2006, averaging 10.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and four assists in the series. The last time the two programs met was in the second round of the 2006 NCAA Tournament at Mackey Arena, when Purdue pulled away to a 61-54 win behind Gearlds’ team-high 15 points.
Purdue will open the season in California for the first time since a two-game swing to start the 1996-97 season at Loyola Marymount and Stanford. The Boilermakers hold a 12-9 mark in games played in The Golden State, including the 1999 NCAA Championship Game in San Jose.
The Boilermakers will start a campaign against a Pac-12 opponent for the first time since Nov. 19, 1994, against Stanford.
Gearlds enters her third season at the helm of her alma mater after leading the Boilermakers to the postseason in back-to-back campaigns. Last season, Purdue returned to the NCAA Tournament for the 27th time and finished the year with a 19-11 record. The Boilermakers recorded back-to-back ranked wins against No. 22 Illinois and No. 2 Ohio State, the latter being the first true road win against an AP top-5 team in program history.
Purdue returns five players from last year’s roster, including All-Big Ten Second Team selection Jeanae Terry and Abbey Ellis, who garnered an honorable mention nod from the league.
Gearlds brought in eight newcomers for the 2023-24 season. The five freshman who signed for the Boilermakers in November were tabbed the No. 21 class by ESPNW. In the spring, Purdue added incoming freshman Amiyah Reynolds and Maryland transfer Mila Reynolds, both top-60 recruits, to the fold. Grand Canyon transfer and sixth-year senior Caitlyn Harper’s younger sister Alaina Harper inked her transfer to West Lafayette in May.
Purdue’s roster will feature three sets of sisters – the Reynolds and Harpers, as well as McKenna Layden and Madison Layden.
In addition to the host of newcomers on the court, Gearlds added serious firepower to her coaching staff with associate head coach and Purdue great, Kelly Komara from Marquette, as well as assistant coach and recruiting director Mark Stephens from Toledo.
Season tickets for the 2023-24 season are officially on sale. For more information, click here.
UCLA reached the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 last season behind a 27-10 record. The Bruins fell in the Pac-12 Championship Game after finishing fourth in the regular season. Bolstered by Stanford transfer Lauren Betts and the No. 1 recruiting class in 2022, UCLA will enter the season presumably ranked in the top 5 nationally and a favorite to win the PAC-12 in their final year as a member.
BALL STATE FOOTBALL
TEN CARDINALS NAMED PRESEASON ALL-MAC BY PHIL STEELE COLLEGE PREVIEW
MUNCIE, Indiana – – The power of the 2023 Ball State University football team is apt to be centered among its front-line stars on both offense and defense, and that is evidenced again by the release of Preseason All-MAC honorees in the Phil Steele College Football Preview.
Three offensive linemen, a tight end, a defensive lineman and two linebackers anchor a cast of 10 Ball State athletes selected to four teams. Sophomore tight end Brady Hunt and junior running back Marquez Cooper, a transfer from Kent State, both were also first-team selections on All-MAC teams following the 2022 season. Hunt was a Freshman All-American who caught 46 passes last year for 498 yards. Cooper was second in the MAC last year with 1,326 rushing yards and 13 rushing touchdowns.
BSU’s other first-teamer is center Ethan Crowe, a two-year starter with 22 starts while leading an elite offensive line unit that also boasts second-teamer Corey Stewart and third-team pick Damon Kaylor.
Inside linebacker Clayton Coll leads four second-team selections for Ball State. He leads the Cardinal defense with 23 starts over his four seasons. He paced BSU with 110 tackles last season while adding seven tackles for loss and a pair of sacks. Other second-teamers include linebacker Cole Pearce who lines up beside Coll and posted 85 tackles last year with a team-high 14 TFL. Safety Jordan Riley, second in tackles last year for the Cardinals with 95, is Ball State’s fourth second-team selection.
Kaylor and punter Lucas Borrow were third-team picks. Borrow averaged 41.4 yards per kick last year to earn third-team honors. Defensive lineman Tavion Woodard is a fourth-team selection for the Cardinals after boasting 35 stops and four sacks last season.
The Cardinals open the 2023 campaign at Kentucky on September 2.
Ball State Honorees Among Phil Steele College Football Preview 2023 Preseason All-MAC Teams
RB Marquez Cooper (first team)
TE Brady Hunt (first team)
C Ethan Crowe (first team)
LB Clayton Coll (second team)
LB Cole Pearce (second team)
S Jordan Riley (second team)
OL Corey Stewart (second team)
P Lucas Borrow (third team)
OL Damon Kaylor (third team)
DL Tavion Woodard (fourth team)
BALL STATE TRACK
WHEATLEY AND GRIFFITH HONORED BY USTFCCCA
MUNCIE – – Ball State University head track coach Adrian Wheatley has been named the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Great Lakes Region Women’s Coach of the Year; and star high jumper and heptathlete Charity Griffith was named the Great Lakes Region Women’s Field Athlete of the Year.
Wheatley has reshaped the Ball State track culture from a program that finished ninth in the Mid-American Conference Outdoor Championships in 2022, to a program that won its first MAC title since 2001 and sent star athletes Griffith and Jenelle Rogers to top-five finishes in the NCAA Championships. As a team, Ball State finished 17th at last week’s NCAA Championships – its highest finish ever. Griffith and Rogers both earned first-team All-America honors and sprinter Alana Springer was named earlier as the MAC Freshman Performer of the Year. In his second season leading the Cardinals, Ball State broke three school records and won three MAC individual championships.
Griffith is now a three-time All-American who broke barriers last week in becoming Ball State’s first national champion since 1999. She won the NCAA Outdoor high jump competition with a leap of 1.93m (6-4), breaking three personal bests in the final night of competition. She was the only athlete to clear at least 1.90m at the championship. Griffith helped the Cardinals to the league title as the MAC outdoor high jump champion, while finishing second in the heptathlon and third in the 110m hurdles.
NOTRE DAME WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
WESTBELD MAKES USA U24 3X3 WOMEN’S SERIES ROSTER
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Notre Dame senior Maddy Westbeld has been chosen to represent her country for the second straight year.
On Thursday, USA Basketball announced that Westbeld is one of eight Americans who has been selected to be a part of the organization’s U24 squad. Both the USA and U24 teams will compete at various qualifying events this summer with the goal of qualifying for the 2023 FIBA 3×3 Women’s Series Final from Sept. 16-17 in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Based on availability, some of the players will head to Miami this weekend for training.
Westbeld joins Cameron Brink, Lexi Donarski, Madison Scott, Celeste Taylor, Alyssa Ustby, Hailey Van Lith and Kayla Wells on the U24 roster. The 6-3 Irish forward was part of the USA 3×3 U23 Nations League Team last year along with Taylor, Ustby and Wells.
Karen and Kevin Keyes Family Head Coach Niele Ivey credited the overseas experience Westbeld gained last summer and fall for her advancement on the court this past college basketball season. Westbeld boosted her confidence and leadership skills, which she needed down the stretch as Notre Dame suffered injuries to starters Dara Mabrey and Olivia Miles. Westbeld averaged 11.2 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.4 steals and 1.2 blocks per game for the Irish as a junior. She led the team in blocks with a career-high 38. The 2021 ACC Rookie of the Year was named to the All-ACC Second Team this year.
INDIANA STATE WOMEN’S SOCCER
SYCAMORE SOCCER ADDS PAIR OF TRANSFERS TO 2023 ROSTER
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State soccer head coach Paul Lawrence has announced the signing of a pair of sophomore transfers to his roster. Brooklyn Woods and Anna Chor will each join the Sycamore program ahead of the 2023 season.
Woods is a defender who comes to Indiana State from University of Iowa. She is a native of Waukee, Iowa where she attended Waukee High School and played for Iowa Rush.
“This is a big pick up for us, someone of her pedigree and quality. A lot of people have been involved in helping get Brooklyn over the line. Proven at the highest levels in Division I already, Brooklyn has all the tools to become a very influential player here at Indiana State,” said Coach Lawrence.
Woods played 466 minutes through nine games with five starts as a freshman at Iowa. She started and played all 90 minutes at No. 13 UCLA and at home against Kansas. In high school, Woods earned First-Team All-Conference and All-District honors alongside Second-Team All-State accolades. She led Waukee to a state tournament runner-up title with all-tournament honors and played for VSA in Waukee from 2007-18, winning one state title. She won three state championships playing for Iowa Rush from 2018-2021. A dual-sport athlete, Woods competed for her high school track team and was a conference champion, district runner-up and Drake Relays and state qualifier in long jump.
Chor is a forward who joins the program from University of Texas at El Paso. She is a native of O’Fallon, Ill. where she attended O’Fallon Township High School and played for St. Louis Scott Gallagher ECNL Green.
“Anna was someone our staff knew about prior to her decision to attend UTEP. She is a regional kid and player who fits our profile for how we want to play moving forward. Anna can operate anywhere across the midfield and front line. That versatility will prove invaluable,” said Coach Lawrence.
In her freshman campaign at UTEP, Chor appeared in 15 games for the Miners with three starts. She tallied 331 minutes of playing time including a season-high 43 minutes at Southern Utah and notched four shots over the course of the season. She maintained a 4.0 GPA and was awarded the Conference USA Commissioner’s Medal while being named to the C-USA Honor Roll and UTEP College of Liberal Arts Dean’s List. Chor was a three-time All-Conference selection and Honorable Mention All-Sectional pick in high school.
INDIANA STATE TRACK
ANGELA MARTIN NAMED USTFCCCA GREAT LAKES REGION MEN’S OUTDOOR COACH OF THE YEAR
NEW ORLEANS – Indiana State Cross Country and Track and Field Program Director and Head Coach Angela Martin was named the USTFCCCA Great Lakes Region Men’s Outdoor Coach of the Year Thursday afternoon, following another standout season for the Sycamores.
The national honor for Martin comes after a season in which Indiana State swept the MVC Men’s Indoor and Outdoor Championships for a second straight year, becoming the first men’s program since Wichita State in 2016 and 2017 to win the MVC Men’s Indoor and Outdoor Championships in consecutive years. Martin guided Indiana State to its first-ever No.1 Great Lakes Region ranking in March and had the Sycamores among the top five in the region for the majority of the 2023 season. For her efforts in leading the Sycamores to the top of the MVC, Martin was named the MVC Men’s Indoor Track and Field Coach of the Year and the MVC Men’s Outdoor Track and Field Coach of the Year in 2023.
Indiana State’s 2023 outdoor season culminated in the program’s 12th MVC Outdoor Championship, scoring 186 points. The 186 points were the third-most in program history at the MVC Outdoor Championships, behind only the 2012 (187.5) and 2013 (198) title-winning teams. Indiana State scored in 18 of 21 events at the MVC Championships, including all nine field events. The Sycamores scored double-digit points in nine events and racked up 20-plus points in both the shot put and high jump. Kevin Krutsch (high jump), Shomari Rogers-Walton (triple jump) and Brett Norton (shot put) all won outdoor conference titles, with the Sycamores earning 16 all-conference honors as a team.
In addition to the conference honors racked up by the Sycamores, Indiana State qualified 13 entries on the men’s side to the NCAA East First Round. The 13 entries were the most by a Sycamore team since Indiana State’s 2013 team that had 13 men’s entries and 13 women’s entries. William Staggs also advanced to the NCAA Outdoor National Championships and earned Honorable Mention All-America honors after a top-20 finish in the pole vault. Staggs was the second Sycamore men’s athlete to compete for a national championship this year, after JaVaughn Moore earned Second Team All-America honors at the NCAA Indoor National Championships.
Martin’s efforts on the recruiting trail have paid dividends for the Blue and White, as more than 80 percent of the Sycamores’ scoring from the MVC Outdoor Championships came from athletes who will return for Indiana State next season. The Sycamores’ newcomers for next season includes a plethora of all-state honorees from throughout the Midwest, which bolster an already-strong team at the top of the Missouri Valley Conference.
The regional honor is the third of Martin’s career. She was previously selected as the Great Lakes Region Women’s Outdoor Coach of the Year in 2013 and, most recently, was the Great Lakes Region Women’s Indoor Coach of the Year in 2022. Martin has also earned eight MVC Coach of the Year honors, including both MVC Men’s Track and Field Coach of the Year awards in 2023.
INDIANA STATE FOOTBALL
INDIANA STATE FOOTBALL ANNOUNCES 2023 HOME KICKOFF TIMES
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State football announced the 2023 home game times on Thursday afternoon as the Sycamores continue their summer preparations for the upcoming year.
The Sycamores will host five games at Memorial Stadium this season starting on Thursday night on August 31 against Eastern Illinois. Additional home games include Saturday games against Northern Iowa (Oct. 7), South Dakota (Oct. 21), Youngstown State (Nov. 4), and Western Illinois (Nov. 11).
The home schedule with game times is listed below:
August 31 – vs. Eastern Illinois – 6 p.m. ET
October 7 – vs. Northern Iowa – 7 p.m. ET
October 21 – vs. South Dakota – 1 p.m. ET
November 4 – vs. Youngstown State – 1 p.m. ET
November 11 – vs. Western Illinois – 1 p.m. ET
Season tickets for the five ISU home football games are on sale now. Tickets start at $60 for adults and $30 for youth. Faculty, staff, seniors, and members of the I-Club can purchase tickets for $55.
Additionally, anyone who renews or buys a reserved seat in Section F will have the option to rent a seat chairback for the season. Chairback rentals are available for $20.
Access to Touchdown Corner is available with Varsity Club status starting at just $125. Contact the Sycamore Athletic Fund at 812-237-6134.
Indiana State will employ mobile ticketing as the default option for all home games during the 2023 football season, enabling contactless entry into athletics venues. Offering greater convenience and safety, fans can access their ticket online and transfer to family and friends. Fans will also have the option to get their tickets printed for an additional $5 charge.
PURDUE FT. WAYNE MEN’S BASKETBALL
PURDUE FORT WAYNE MBB TO PLAY IN ARIZONA TIP-OFF MULTI-TEAM EVENT
GLENDALE, Ariz. – Intersport announced on Thursday (June 15) the debut of the Arizona Tip-Off, an early season college basketball tournament scheduled for Nov. 17-19. DePaul, South Carolina, Grand Canyon and San Francisco make up the inaugural four-team Cactus Division, while Northern Arizona, Purdue Fort Wayne, South Dakota and VMI will compete in the Desert Division.
The launch of the Arizona Tip-Off gives The Valley a college basketball presence in the season’s highly anticipated opening month and its exciting conclusion in early April. The Arizona Tip-Off will take place at Desert Diamond Arena, which is located just across the street from State Farm Stadium, which will serve as the host venue for the 2024 Final Four.
All eight teams participating in the Arizona Tip-Off will be in action on Nov. 17 for their respective opening-round games, which are as follows:
Cactus Division: DePaul vs. South Carolina; Grand Canyon vs. San Francisco
Desert Division: South Dakota vs. VMI; Northern Arizona vs. Purdue Fort Wayne
The championship and third-place game in the Desert Division will be played Nov. 18, while the championship and third-place game in the Cactus Division will be held Nov. 19. All Cactus Division games will be broadcast by CBS Sports Network. Tip times for all games, in addition to distribution plans for Desert Division games, will be announced at a later date.
Travel packages for fans looking to join their favorite team in the Grand Canyon State for the inaugural Arizona Tip-Off are on sale now at www.arizonatipoff.com/travel. Fans can also register to receive regular event updates and additional tournament and ticket news by visiting www.arizonatipoff.com/contact. Ticket-only packages, based on availability, will be available in the fall.
Locally, the tournament will be hosted by the Arizona Sports and Entertainment Commission, which each year brings major sporting events and welcomes thousands of visitors to the state. However, when it comes to college basketball, few early season tournaments are regular staples of the western United States. Of the 25 regularly contested multi-team events during the 2022-23 season, only six took place outside the Eastern and Central Time Zones.
“Bringing a premium early season experience to Glendale, alongside incredible partners at the Arizona Sports and Entertainment Commission, will make the Arizona Tip-Off a very attractive opportunity for teams, and we’re excited to begin this relationship,” said Mark Starsiak, vice president of basketball at Intersport and the event director for the Tip-Off. “Glendale and the Greater Phoenix area are known not only for being a basketball-centric region, but for hosting major sporting events. We’re confident that, in a short time, the Arizona Tip-Off will make its way onto the short list of elite early season multi-team events.”
“We eagerly anticipate becoming the host of a multi-day event that welcomes teams and fans from every corner of the country to our state,” said Nikki Balich, Executive Director of the Arizona Sports and Entertainment Commission. “This not only boosts our tourism industry but also strategically places us in the national spotlight during an important time of year. Our partnership with Intersport, which is celebrated for its ability to manage large-scale events to the highest standards, fills us with tremendous confidence. We predict this event will become a fundamental and respected fixture in Arizona’s sports calendar.”
The launch of the Arizona Tip-Off will continue to bolster Intersport’s roster of early season events that has seen considerable growth in the last five years. After launching the Fort Myers Tip-Off in 2018, its first early season college basketball tournament, the Chicago-based agency has announced plans to host at least seven events throughout the course of the 2023-24 non-conference college basketball season, including the Cactus and Desert divisions of the Arizona Tip-Off (Nov. 17-19), the Beach and Palms divisions of the Fort Myers Tip-Off (Nov. 20-22), the Elevance Health Women’s Fort Myers Tip-Off (Nov. 23-25), the CBS Sports Classic (Dec. 16) and the Ohio State-West Virginia neutral site contest in Cleveland (Dec. 30), with additional event announcements to come throughout the summer.
SOUTHERN INDIANA WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY
USI WOMEN’S XC/T&F SIGN FIVE FOR 2023-24
EVANSVILLE, Ind.—University of Southern Indiana Women’s Cross Country/Track & Field announced that five incoming freshmen have signed national letters of intent to compete for the Screaming Eagles and Head Coach Mike Hillyard during the 2023-24 season.
The list includes Karli Kitten (Ferdinand, Indiana), Sydney Klinglesmith (Westfield, Indiana), Sara Livingston (Dubois, Indiana), Zoe Seward (Rochester, Indiana) and Ellen White (Columbus, Indiana).
“On paper, this recruiting class comes in with stronger credentials than last spring’s USI senior class came in with four years ago,” Hillyard said. “That class ended up being one of the best in program history and I feel very strongly that this recruiting class will develop into frontrunners in the OVC in 2-3 years.
“Karli, Sydney, Sara, Zoe and Ellen possess all of the intangibles that are essential to being successful in this sport,” Hillyard concluded.
Karli Kitten
Kitten is a graduate of Forest Park High School where she was an IHSAA Class 2A first-team All-State honoree in addition to a first-team All-Southwest Indiana and All-Pocket Athletic Conference award winner. She has personal bests of 5:28 in the 1,600 meters, 11:35 in the 3,200 meters and 19:11 in the 5k.
Sydney Klinglesmith
Klinglesmith is a graduate of Westfield High School, where she earned first-team Academic All-State in both cross country and track & field during her senior year. An honorable mention Academic All-State honoree in both cross country and track & field as a junior in 2021-22, Klinglesmith has personal bests of 5:33 in the 1,600 meters, 12:03 in the 3,200 meters and 18:49 in the 5k.
Sara Livingston
Livingston is a graduate of Northeast Dubois High School where she was a four-time All-State and All-Conference honoree. The 2022 Blue Chip Conference champion in cross country, Livingston is a multiple-time regional qualifier and has personal bests of 5:24 in the 1,600 meters and 19:32 in the 5k.
Zoe Seward
Seward is a graduate of Rochester Community High School where she was an IHSAA Class 3A honorable mention All-State honoree on the cross country course. Seward has posted personal best times of 5:31 in the 1,600 meters, 11:26 in the 3,200 meters and 19:04 in the 5k.
Ellen White
White is a graduate of Columbus North High School where she was a state qualifier on the grass after finishing fourth at the regional championships last fall. White finished 103rd at the 2022 IHSAA Cross Country Championships and has personal-best times of 12:00 in the 3,200 meters and 19:01 in the 5k.
The Eagles are scheduled to open the 2023 cross country campaign September 1 when they host the Stegemoller Classic at Angel Mounds.
SOUTHERN INDIANA VOLLEYBALL
EAGLES INK FIVE NEWCOMERS AHEAD 2023 SEASON
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Volleyball has announced the signing of five freshmen for the upcoming season. Joining the Screaming Eagles in 2023 will be Leah Coleman (Hoover, Alabama), Ellie Marbet (Columbia, Tennessee), Mariah Minor (Indianapolis, Indiana), Jillian Moonan (Chicago, Illinois), and Maeve Moonan (Chicago, Illinois).
“We are excited to officially welcome the class of 2023 to our family,” said newly-hired USI Head Coach Jeffrey Aucoin. “In my early interactions, they are high character student-athletes that have excelled in the classroom and at the highest level on the court. I am looking forward to having each of them bring these same values to our program to help us continue to make USI a premiere program.
Leah Coleman | 5’11” | Outside Hitter | Hoover, Alabama
Coleman joins the roster after earning two varsity letters at Spain Park High School, playing volleyball and softball. She was a part of the Alabama Performance Volleyball Club.
Ellie Marbet | 6’0″ | Outside Hitter | Columbia, Tennessee
Marbet comes in as a true freshman out of Spring Hill High School in Columbia, Tennessee. She lettered four times as a Raider and was named an All-District Honorable Mention in 2021 before capping off her high school career with District All-Tournament, All-District, and All-District MVP accolades. Marbet also played for Tennessee Performance Volleyball.
Mariah Minor | 5’11” | Middle Blocker | Indianapolis, Indiana
The Pike High School graduate comes to USI after lettering seven times between volleyball and track & field. Minor’s sophomore season was capped off with an All-Conference Indiana Honorable Mention accolade before being named to the All-Conference Indiana squad after her junior and senior seasons. She also was a member of the Rev Volleyball Academy.
Jillian Moonan | 6’0″ | Middle Blocker/Right Side Hitter | Chicago, Illinois
Committed to USI alongside her twin sister, Maeve, after spending four seasons with Mother McAuley Liberal Arts High School. Moonan played a key role in the IHSA State Runner-up group and the 2021 Autumn Fest Championship squad. In 2022, she led the Macs to a Metea Valley Tournament Championship, LIVT Championship, ASIC Challenge Championship, and Girls Catholic Athletic Conference Championship. Moonan also played for the Michio Chicago Volleyball Academy for four years.
Maeve Moonan | 5’11” | Middle Blocker | Chicago, Illinois
The All-State Honorable Mention (2021) attended Mother McAuley Liberal Arts High School where she accumulated a pair of varsity letters playing volleyball. Moonan comes to USI with her twin sister, Jillian. The 2022 All-Girls Catholic Athletic Conference award winner was a part of the IHSA State Runner-up team and Autumn Fest Championship squad in 2021. Moonan and the Macs were Metea Valley Tournament Champions, LIVT Champions, ASICS Champions, and Girls Catholic Athletic Conference Champions in her senior season.
The Eagles will hit the court for USI’s second season in NCAA Division I play after finishing 2022 with a 1-28 overall record, going 1-17 in the Ohio Valley Conference and missing out on the postseason tournament.
USI will welcome Aucoin as the 13th head coach in USI Volleyball program history. Aucoin takes over the reins of the Eagles after spending 10 years at the University of New Hampshire’s women’s volleyball program as an assistant coach.
The 2023 schedule will be released at a later date. For more information, go to our website at USIScreamingEagles.com or find us on social media at USIAthletics.
VALPO WOMEN’S TENNIS
TENNIS WELCOMES TRIO OF NEWCOMERS FOR 2023-24
The Valparaiso University tennis program and head coach Bob Modesto have announced the addition of three newcomers to the program for the 2023-2024 academic and athletic year. Valpo tennis will welcome Sydney Stone, Jolene Fernandes and Lillian Kelly.
Stone, a native of Brisbane, Australia, was recently named a junior college All-American by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) as one of the top junior college players in the nation after a standout season at Tyler JC in Texas. Tyler finished the season ranked third in the JUCO nation with Stone ranked fifth nationally in singles and third in doubles. She reached the national semifinals in both singles and doubles.
“One thing we’re very excited about is that Sydney is bringing college experience with her,” Modesto said. “Whenever we have a player who comes in with college experience, it bodes well for us because we love that they’ve been in the same arena. (Assistant coach) Claire (Czerwonka) feels strongly about us having Sydney on board, and I trust Claire’s expertise.”
Stone was named to the 2022 All-Australian team and was a three-time Junior ITF Doubles winner. She has participated in the Australia European Tour, traveling to Germany, Belgium and The Netherlands. Stone, who intends to major in psychology at Valpo, played soccer as well as tennis growing up.
“I chose Valpo because I instantly felt a connection with the tennis coaches and a few of the players I met on a virtual tour from Australia,” Stone said. “The team had a standout tennis season in 2022-23 on the court and in the classroom, and I want to be a part of that.”
Fernandes, a native of Calgary, Alberta, Canada, has a long list of achievements on the International Tennis Federation circuit, including the following – J5 ITF singles champion in Quito, J5 ITF doubles semifinalist in Quito, J5 ITF singles finalist in Managua, J5 ITF doubles champion in Managua, J5 ITF singles and doubles semifinalist in Managua, J4 ITF singles and doubles quarterfinalist in Victoria and J5 ITF doubles finalist in Kingston.
“What really excites me about Jolene is that she’s left-handed,” Modesto said. “She’s the first left-handed player that we’ve had in my tenure as coach, and one of my strengths is working with the left-handed game. We’re really excited about having her come on board and I’m excited to have another lefty to work with.”
Modesto instructed left-hander Mary Hill during his time as a high school coach at Munster, and she became the first female singles player from Northwest Indiana to win a state title.
Fernandes reached an ITF Junior career-high ranking of 663 on Jan. 3, 2023. She has been ranked No. 3 in U18 Singles in Alberta, No. 6 in U18 Doubles in Alberta and No. 28 in U18 Singles in all of Canada.
“I am so excited to be joining the Valpo women’s tennis program and becoming a part of Valparaiso University,” Fernandes said. “Valpo stood out to me for several reasons, and it was an easy decision to choose this institution. I really liked the tennis program because I connected well with the values of the coaches and felt they genuinely cared about the growth and success of their players. The warm and welcoming nature of the girls on the team made me feel like I was joining a family. I am really excited to surround myself with a group of strong, determined and disciplined girls.”
Away from tennis, Fernandes enjoyed recreational figure skating when she was younger. She has dedicated 13 years to playing the piano and received honors in Levels 6, 7 and 8 through the Royal Conservatory of Music. She has traveled to eight different countries to compete in tennis tournaments. Fernandes plans to study nursing at Valpo.
“My mom is a nurse and my ultimate hero,” she said. “She has inspired me to follow in her footsteps and strive to be just like her. The University’s passion for education and dedication to academic excellence stood out to me. I was looking for a school that provided the perfect environment for me to grow as a student-athlete, and found that Valparaiso University is the right fit for me.”
Kelly, a native of Fullerton, Calif., was recently named a 2022 USTA SoCal Player of the Day. She was a four-time high school varsity MVP, a team captain for three years and a four-time scholar-athlete.
“I first met Lillian when we were recruiting on the national trail,” Modesto said. “I met her in San Diego when she was playing in the national tournament there. I was already impressed by her, and then she also had the opportunity to meet Amanda Tabanera, because Amanda is from Southern California as well. Amanda was equally impressed with Lillian. Lillian then came to Valpo for a visit, and we feel really good about her joining our program.”
Kelly earned principal’s honor roll all four years of high school and graduated with honors. In her free time, she cofounded a service club with her sister that raises money and donates supplies to Los Angeles animal shelters.
“I chose Valpo because of the amazing physician assistant program,” Kelly said. “I’m thrilled for the opportunity to be studying in the PA program at a school that will allow me to play tennis at the same time.”
The trio joins a Valpo tennis program that has made positive strides in recent years, finishing the 2023 campaign with its highest winning percentage since 2006.
U OF I BASEBALL
BASEBALL SNAGS TOP-10 RANKING IN YEAR’S FINAL POLL
PEMBROKE, N.C.—Fresh off making a deep postseason run, the UIndy baseball team found itself ranked No. 8 in the season’s final NCBWA Division II Poll. The Greyhounds finished the season with 39 and a Midwest Region title on the way to their third-ever NCAA DII Championship appearance.
Led by All-American Drew Donaldson, the Hounds swept their way through the NCAA Regional and Super Regional to hoist the Midwest championship trophy for the third time in program history. UIndy earned its first “World Series” trip since 2012, ultimately falling short in a thrilling comeback effort versus Cal State San Bernardino to finish the season at 39-21.
SMALL COLLEGE ATHLETIC SITES:
INDIANA WESLEYAN ATHLETICS: https://iwuwildcats.com/
EARLHAM ATHLETICS: https://goearlham.com/
WABASH ATHLETICS: https://sports.wabash.edu/
FRANKLIN ATHLETICS: https://franklingrizzlies.com/
ROSE-HULMAN ATHLETICS: https://athletics.rose-hulman.edu/
ANDERSON ATHLETICS: https://athletics.anderson.edu/landing/index
TRINE ATHLETICS: https://trinethunder.com/landing/index
BETHEL ATHLETICS: https://bupilots.com/
DEPAUW ATHLETICS: https://depauwtigers.com/
HANOVER ATHLETICS: https://athletics.hanover.edu/
MANCHESTER ATHLETICS: https://muspartans.com/
HUNTINGTON ATHLETICS: https://www.huathletics.com/
OAKLAND CITY ATHLETICS: https://gomightyoaks.com/index.aspx
ST. FRANCIS ATHLETICS: https://www.saintfranciscougars.com/landing/index
IU KOKOMO ATHLETICS: https://iukcougars.com/
IU EAST ATHLETICS: https://www.iueredwolves.com/
IU SOUTH BEND ATHLETICS: https://iusbtitans.com/
PURDUE NORTHWEST ATHLETICS: https://pnwathletics.com/
INDIANA TECH ATHLETICS: https://indianatechwarriors.com/index.aspx
GRACE COLLEGE ATHLETICS: https://gclancers.com/
ST. MARY OF THE WOODS ATHLETICS: https://smwcathletics.com/
GOSHEN COLLEGE ATHLETICS: https://goleafs.net/
HOLY CROSS ATHLETICS: https://www.hcsaints.com/index.php
TAYLOR ATHLETICS: https://www.taylortrojans.com/
VINCENNES ATHLETICS: https://govutrailblazers.com/landing/index
SPORTS EXTRA
MLB STANDINGS
| American League | |||||||||||
| East | |||||||||||
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB | Home | Road | East | Central | West | Last 10 | Streak |
| Tampa Bay | 50 | 22 | .694 | – | 31 – 7 | 19 – 15 | 16 – 9 | 12 – 1 | 8 – 5 | 7 – 3 | W 2 |
| Baltimore | 43 | 25 | .632 | 5 | 22 – 13 | 21 – 12 | 13 – 8 | 14 – 5 | 8 – 6 | 7 – 3 | W 1 |
| NY Yankees | 39 | 30 | .565 | 9.5 | 21 – 17 | 18 – 13 | 11 – 12 | 8 – 8 | 8 – 5 | 5 – 5 | L 1 |
| Toronto | 38 | 32 | .543 | 11 | 19 – 13 | 19 – 19 | 7 – 17 | 11 – 5 | 8 – 5 | 5 – 5 | L 1 |
| Boston | 34 | 35 | .493 | 14.5 | 18 – 18 | 16 – 17 | 10 – 11 | 8 – 4 | 5 – 5 | 4 – 6 | W 1 |
| Central | |||||||||||
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB | Home | Road | East | Central | West | Last 10 | Streak |
| Minnesota | 35 | 34 | .507 | – | 20 – 15 | 15 – 19 | 8 – 11 | 12 – 9 | 5 – 4 | 4 – 6 | L 1 |
| Cleveland | 32 | 36 | .471 | 2.5 | 16 – 17 | 16 – 19 | 7 – 8 | 8 – 11 | 10 – 6 | 6 – 4 | W 1 |
| Chi White Sox | 30 | 40 | .429 | 5.5 | 17 – 17 | 13 – 23 | 4 – 12 | 15 – 11 | 4 – 6 | 5 – 5 | L 1 |
| Detroit | 28 | 39 | .418 | 6 | 15 – 18 | 13 – 21 | 2 – 14 | 10 – 7 | 4 – 5 | 2 – 8 | W 1 |
| Kansas City | 18 | 50 | .265 | 16.5 | 9 – 26 | 9 – 24 | 2 – 8 | 5 – 12 | 3 – 9 | 1 – 9 | L 9 |
| West | |||||||||||
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB | Home | Road | East | Central | West | Last 10 | Streak |
| Texas | 42 | 26 | .618 | – | 22 – 12 | 20 – 14 | 7 – 6 | 7 – 2 | 15 – 8 | 4 – 6 | L 1 |
| Houston | 39 | 30 | .565 | 3.5 | 20 – 15 | 19 – 15 | 5 – 5 | 8 – 11 | 13 – 6 | 4 – 6 | L 1 |
| LA Angels | 39 | 32 | .549 | 4.5 | 20 – 14 | 19 – 18 | 8 – 9 | 7 – 5 | 15 – 12 | 8 – 2 | W 1 |
| Seattle | 33 | 34 | .493 | 8.5 | 19 – 16 | 14 – 18 | 3 – 6 | 5 – 5 | 12 – 10 | 4 – 6 | L 1 |
| Oakland | 19 | 52 | .268 | 24.5 | 9 – 26 | 10 – 26 | 3 – 11 | 3 – 3 | 4 – 23 | 7 – 3 | L 2 |
| National League | |||||||||||
| East | |||||||||||
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB | Home | Road | East | Central | West | Last 10 | Streak |
| Atlanta | 43 | 26 | .623 | – | 21 – 15 | 22 – 11 | 17 – 6 | 6 – 0 | 7 – 7 | 8 – 2 | W 3 |
| Miami | 38 | 31 | .551 | 5 | 21 – 13 | 17 – 18 | 8 – 12 | 5 – 4 | 9 – 10 | 7 – 3 | W 1 |
| Philadelphia | 35 | 34 | .507 | 8 | 19 – 11 | 16 – 23 | 5 – 8 | 6 – 4 | 11 – 12 | 8 – 2 | W 3 |
| NY Mets | 32 | 36 | .471 | 10.5 | 16 – 13 | 16 – 23 | 12 – 11 | 3 – 9 | 8 – 8 | 2 – 8 | W 1 |
| Washington | 27 | 40 | .403 | 15 | 12 – 21 | 15 – 19 | 7 – 12 | 4 – 3 | 7 – 11 | 2 – 8 | W 1 |
| Central | |||||||||||
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB | Home | Road | East | Central | West | Last 10 | Streak |
| Pittsburgh | 34 | 33 | .507 | – | 18 – 16 | 16 – 17 | 4 – 2 | 10 – 7 | 9 – 6 | 4 – 6 | L 3 |
| Milwaukee | 34 | 34 | .500 | 0.5 | 18 – 16 | 16 – 18 | 3 – 0 | 8 – 5 | 7 – 13 | 3 – 7 | L 6 |
| Cincinnati | 34 | 35 | .493 | 1 | 17 – 18 | 17 – 17 | 7 – 9 | 11 – 12 | 4 – 5 | 8 – 2 | W 5 |
| Chi Cubs | 31 | 37 | .456 | 3.5 | 18 – 16 | 13 – 21 | 6 – 10 | 6 – 8 | 9 – 8 | 5 – 5 | W 3 |
| St. Louis | 27 | 42 | .391 | 8 | 13 – 21 | 14 – 21 | 0 – 3 | 10 – 13 | 7 – 13 | 2 – 8 | L 5 |
| West | |||||||||||
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB | Home | Road | East | Central | West | Last 10 | Streak |
| Arizona | 41 | 28 | .594 | – | 21 – 17 | 20 – 11 | 10 – 11 | 6 – 3 | 16 – 9 | 6 – 4 | L 3 |
| LA Dodgers | 39 | 30 | .565 | 2 | 22 – 11 | 17 – 19 | 9 – 6 | 12 – 11 | 12 – 7 | 4 – 6 | W 1 |
| San Francisco | 36 | 32 | .529 | 4.5 | 18 – 17 | 18 – 15 | 9 – 7 | 13 – 7 | 5 – 7 | 7 – 3 | W 4 |
| San Diego | 33 | 35 | .485 | 7.5 | 17 – 19 | 16 – 16 | 9 – 7 | 6 – 8 | 11 – 10 | 6 – 4 | L 1 |
| Colorado | 29 | 42 | .408 | 13 | 16 – 19 | 13 – 23 | 11 – 11 | 8 – 7 | 4 – 15 | 3 – 7 | L 2 |
TODAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY
1884 Due to inflammation in his right index finger, Larry Corcoran of the White Stockings (Cubs) pitches left-handed and right-handed in a game against the Bisons. The natural right-hander hurls ambidextrously for four innings, alternating throwing arms, before moving to shortstop in Chicago’s 20-9 loss at Buffalo’s Olympic Park.
1893 At the Southeast Diamond of the Polo Grounds in New York, the Gothams, a team that eventually will be known as the Giants, offers free admission to escorted and unescorted women, making the promotion the first ‘Ladies’ Day’ in baseball history. The female fans see their hometown favorites beat the Cleveland Spiders, 5-2.
1909 “I hope I will be partly excused by the fact that I was simply an Indian schoolboy and did not know all about such things. In fact, I did not know that I was doing wrong, because I was doing what I knew several other college men had done, except that they did not use their own names …” – JIM THORPE, explaining in a letter to AAU Secretary James Edward Sullivan his decision to play professional baseball. Jim Thorpe makes his professional baseball debut with a 4-2 win pitching for Rocky Mount (NC) of the Eastern Carolina League, a team he will play in 1909 and 1910, reportedly making as little as two dollars a per game. Although college players spent summers playing for pro teams using aliases, the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) withdraws his amateur status retroactively, causing the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to forfeit his Olympic gold medals, declaring him a professional. (Ed. Note: The IOC Executive Committee reinstated Jim Thorpe’s 1912 Summer Olympics gold medals in 1983, listing him as a co-gold medalist. -LP)
1916 At Braves Field, right-hander Tom Hughes no-hits the Pirates, 2-0. ‘Salida Tom’ will finish the season with a 16-3 record, the best win-loss percentage in the National League, for the third-place Boston club.
1928 Bill Regan becomes the first player in Red Sox history to homer twice in an inning when he hits two round-trippers, including an inside-the-park homer, in the eight-run fourth frame of the team’s 10-5 victory over Chicago at Comiskey Park. The feat will not be accomplished again by a BoSox player until 1990 when Ellis Burks homers twice in the fourth frame of the team’s 12-4 rout of the Tribe at Cleveland Stadium.
1931 At Sportsman Park, Chuck Klein’s first-inning round-tripper off Burleigh Grimes gives the Phillies a 1-0 lead until the bottom of the ninth. In the final frame, Philadelphia’s right-hander Ray Benge, who tosses a complete-game five-hitter, yields back-to-back one-out homers to George Watkins and Frankie Frisch, giving St. Louis a 2-1 walk-off victory.
1933 Last year’s National League batting champ, Lefty O’Doul, and pitcher Watty Clark, a 20-game winner last season, are traded by the Dodgers to the Giants for first baseman Sam Leslie. Brooklyn’s newest infielder will bat .311 during his three seasons with the team before returning to New York in 1936.
1938 Future Hall of Famer Jimmie Foxx is walked six consecutive times in the Red Sox’ 12-8 victory over the Browns. The Boston first baseman will lead the American League this season with 119 bases on balls.
1941 Johnny Vander Meer, best known for throwing consecutive no-hitters, becomes the first hurler to start a game by throwing four straight bases on balls before retiring a single batter. The Reds’ starter will not make it out of the first inning of the Crosley Field contest, an eventual 6-0 loss to New York.
1952 At the Polo Grounds, Bobby Thomson erases a three-run ninth-inning deficit with a walk-off grand slam, giving the Giants a come-from-behind 8-7 victory over the Cardinals. The third baseman’s decisive blow comes with one out off Willard Schmidt.
1953 With a 3-1 triumph in the Bronx ballpark, the Browns halt the Yankees’ winning streak at 18. St. Louis, behind the solid pitching of right-handed starter Duane Pillette and 46-year-old Satchel Paige, snaps their 14-game losing streak and hands Whitey Ford his first loss in eight decisions.
1956 After the Braves lose the 12th game of their last 17 contests, Charlie Grimm resigns as the team’s manager, immediately replaced by coach Fred Haney. The 56-year-old skipper, offered a personnel position within the organization, leaves the dugout with a 24-22 record, only 3.5 games behind the league-leading Pirates.
1957 Dixie Howell, in three and two-thirds scoreless innings in relief, limits Washington to four hits, earning his second victory of the season. The 37-year-old Kentuckian’s hitting proves to be the difference when his home runs in the fifth and sixth innings propel the White Sox to an 8-6 victory at Comiskey Park.
1961 In his major league debut, 18-year-old Lew Krausse Jr., signed as an amateur free agent for $125,000 by A’s owner Charlie Finley, throws a three-hit shutout and collects two hits in Kansas City’s 4-0 victory over L.A. at Municipal Stadium. In 1932, the redheaded fireballer’s dad blanked the Red Sox in his final major league appearance, giving the father-son duo back-to-back shutouts twenty-nine years apart.
1962 With the Tribe trailing the Bronx Bombers, 9-8, Jerry Kindall hits a walk-off two-run homer, giving the Indians a dramatic come-from-behind victory. Left-fielder Yogi Berra, watching the second baseman’s homer go over his head to beat his Yankees 10-9 in the bottom of the ninth, probably experiences a “deja vu all over again” memory of Bill Mazeroski’s Game 7 home run in 1960, which ended with the identical score.
1963 In the bottom of the third of a 4-3 loss to the Giants at Candlestick Park, Jim Campbell becomes only the second catcher in National League history, the first since 1946, to be credited with three assists in one inning. The 25-year-old Colt .45’s backstop nails Gaylord Perry trying to advance to third on a fielder’s choice, guns down Chuck Hiller in an attempt to steal second, and ends the frame by throwing out Willie McCovey, who doubled and then tried to take an extra base on a relay to home plate.
1964 In a 7-1 victory over the Astros, Cardinal third baseman Ken Boyer hits for the cycle. In the same game, Lou Brock, recently obtained from the Cubs for Ernie Broglio, makes his debut in a St. Louis uniform with two hits, including a triple, and the fleet outfielder also steals a base.
1969 In an effort to return major league baseball to Milwaukee, the Chicago White Sox play a home game at County Stadium, where only 13,133 fans show up to see the ‘home’ team beat the Pilots, 8-3. Ironically, the visitors will leave Seattle next season to move to the ‘Cream City,’ with the one year-old American League franchise becoming known as the Brewers.
1969 In the bottom of the first inning at Metropolitan Stadium, Tony Oliva and Rod Carew complete a double steal, swiping second and third base, respectively. On the next pitch thrown by Angels’ starter Tom Murphy, the pair repeats the feat, as Carew steals home for the sixth time this season, tying the American League record.
1971 Recently traded from the Senators, Mike Epstein homers in his first two at-bats, giving him four consecutive homers over two games, to help the A’s defeat his former team, 5-0. Oakland scores all of their runs on solo homers.
1976 Mark Fidrych tosses his sixth consecutive complete game, beating Kansas City, 4-3. The 21-year-old Detroit rookie has finished every game he has started since his May 15th debut in the Tigers rotation.
1978 Reds’ right-hander Tom Seaver no-hits the Cardinals at Riverfront Stadium, 4-0. The gem is Tom Terrific’s first no-no after taking a hitless game into the ninth inning three times during the first 12 years of his career.
1984 Mario Soto’s second suspension of the season results from firing a baseball at a group of opposing players after he punched Claudell Washington, who Lanny Harris was restraining at home plate when the batter tried to charge the mound. The Reds suspends the fiery right-hander for three games due to this incident with Washington, who had been the target of his brushback pitches, getting five games off for pushing the home plate ump.
1987 In the sixth inning of a 6-5 Baltimore loss to New York at Yankee Stadium, Cal Ripken collects his 1,000th career hit when he singles to center field off Rich Bordi. The shortstop is the youngest player in Orioles history to reach the milestone.
1989 San Pedro de Macoris native Sammy Sosa, signed by Texas scout Omar Minaya as an athletic but malnourished and frail 16-year-old, becomes the youngest Dominican to play in the majors. The Rangers’ leadoff batter, a twenty-year, seven-month-old rookie, goes 2-for-4 with a double in Texas’s 8-3 loss to the Yankees.
1991 After getting off to a slow start, the Twins take over sole possession of first place when they beat the Indians, 4-2, for their 15th consecutive victory. The winning streak lifts the club from fifth place to the top spot in the standings, a lead the team will never relinquish.
1991 Otis Nixon establishes a National League record and ties the 1912 major league mark set by the A’s Eddie Collins by swiping six bases in one game. Crime doesn’t pay when the Braves outfielder’s thievery cannot overcome a 7-6 loss to Montreal at Olympic Stadium.
1991 Against the Reds, Phillies’ right-hander Andy Ashby strikes out the side on only nine pitches to become the 12th pitcher in National League history to use the minimum amount of pitches needed to record three strikeouts in one inning. The Philadelphia rookie becomes the first in franchise history to accomplish the feat.
1992 During a pregame ceremony at Anaheim Stadium, the Angels become the first of three teams to retire Nolan Ryan’s number. The hard-throwing right-hander, who compiled a 138-121 record in 291 games with California, will also have his digits retired by the Astros and Rangers in 1996.
1993 The Cubs celebrate the 100th anniversary of Cracker Jack with a party at Wrigley Field that includes distributing the candy-coated popcorn and peanut treat introduced at the Chicago World Fair in 1893, free of charge to all of the fans attending the game against Florida. Sailor Jack, the company’s mascot, throws out the ceremonial first pitch.
1993 In his first major league at-bat, Marlins catcher Mitch Lyden hits a home run off Jose Bautista in the team’s 6-4 loss to Chicago at Wrigley Field. The second-inning homer will be the only round-tripper in the brief career of the rookie backstop, who will play in just six games, collecting three hits in ten plate appearances.
1996 At the age of 83, Hall of Fame broadcaster Mel Allen, best known for his years doing play-by-play for the Yankees, dies of heart failure. His “How about that” signature line will become familiar to another generation of fans through the syndicated TV show, This Week in Baseball, which he hosted from the program’s inception in 1977.
1997 At Yankee Stadium, the Mets beat their crosstown rivals, 6-0, in the first-ever regular-season game between the two teams. Dave Mlicki throws a complete-game shutout, blanking the Bronx Bombers on nine hits.
1997 In the first regular-season meeting between the two major league teams in Ohio, the Reds’ rookie right-hander Brett Tomko tosses 7.1 shutout innings in Cincinnati’s 4-1 win over the Indians at Cleveland’s Jacobs Field. The victory will prove costly for Cincy when Barry Larkin ruptures his heel running out a double, putting their All-Star shortstop on the shelf for six weeks.
1998 The Phillies score seven runs in the bottom of the ninth in an incredible 8-7 come-from-behind win over the stunned Pirates. Mike Lieberthal’s two-out, three-run blast off Rich Loiselle is the final blow that sinks the Bucs.
2001 In a game that features thousands of swarming moths, the Red Sox beat the Braves and the bugs in extra innings at Turner Field, 9-5. Although the swarm has little bearing on the game’s outcome, the insects bothered some players, including Dave Martinez, who claimed to have one sucked into his mouth.
2001 John Olerud hits for the cycle, becoming the twenty-first player to accomplish the feat more than once and only the second, along with Bob Watson, to do it in both leagues. Among all the players who have managed to hit a single, double, triple, and home run in the same game, the Mariners’ first baseman has the fewest career three-baggers, with just a dozen during his 13-year major league stint.
2003 Dontrelle Willis throws a complete-game one-hit shutout in the Marlins’ 1-0 win over the Mets at Pro Player Stadium. The D-Train’s victory, which improves his record to 6-1, marks the start of the baseball world taking notice of the high-kicking southpaw phenom, who goes on to win the Rookie of the Year.
2005 After a pitch goes between his legs, Richmond Braves flycatcher Esix Snead charges the mound and pummels the Syracuse SkyChiefs hurler, David Bush. The action incites an International League brawl, which results in fines and suspensions given to 40 players, a coach, and a manager, including a ten-day hiatus for Snead.
2006 For the first time in 35 years, the Yankees play a regular-season game in the nation’s capital, beating the Nationals in an interleague contest at RFK Stadium, 7-5. The Bronx Bombers’ previous game in Washington on Sept. 30, 1971, in the same ballpark, ended with New York awarded a 9-0 victory when the Senators fans, with their team ahead by two runs in the season finale, refused to leave the field as a protest to losing a franchise for the second time since 1961.
2008 Seattle, the team with the worst record in the major leagues (24-45), fires Bill Bavasi as their general manager in his fifth season at the helm. Two weeks ago, in a move he came to regret, the embattled GM locked the clubhouse doors and mandated the Mariners players to sit together and be publicly held accountable for their slow start.
2010 In his first outing at the new Yankee Stadium, Jamie Moyer limits New York to only three hits in eight innings of work in the 6-3 Phillies’ victory. The Bronx Bombers’ new ballyard is the 48th venue the 47-year-old southpaw has pitched in during his career, surpassing Rudy Seanez’s record for the most appearances in different major league ballparks.
2010 Michael Young’s two-run single in the eighth inning contributes to the Rangers’ 6-3 victory over Florida and establishes a club record for hits. The 33-year-old third baseman surpasses Ivan Rodriguez’s club record with his 1,748th hit, reaching the mark in 91 fewer games than Pudge.
2014 “Major League Baseball today mourns the tragic loss of Tony Gwynn, the greatest Padre ever and one of the most accomplished hitters that our game has ever known, whose all-around excellence on the field was surpassed by his exuberant personality and genial disposition in life.” – COMMISSIONER BUD SELIG, on the passing of Tony Gwynn. Tony Gwynn, surrounded by his family, loses his battle to salivary gland cancer at the age of 54. The Hall of Fame outfielder played his entire major league career with the Padres, compiling a .338 career batting average over 20 seasons, collecting 3,141 hits, en route to tying Honus Wagner’s mark of eight National League batting titles.
2015 The Orioles blast a franchise-record eight home runs in their 19-3 rout of the Phillies at Camden Yards. Manny Machado (2), Jimmy Paredes, Chris Parmelee (2), David Lough, Chris Davis, and Ryan Flaherty go deep for the Birds.
2019 Trailing by three runs in the ninth, the Padres rally to eventually beat the Rockies at Coors Field, 14-13. The contest ends the highest-scoring four-game series in history with the teams combining for 92 runs, surpassing the record of 88 players crossing the plate, set by the Phillies and Dodgers in May 1929.
June 13 – COL 9, SD 6
June 14 – SD 16, COL 12
June 15 – COL 14, SD 8
June 16 – SD 14, COL 13
2021 With the Diamondbacks’ twenty-third straight away loss, a 10-3 defeat in San Francisco, the team surpasses the mark for most consecutive road losses, previously shared by the 1943 Philadelphia A’s and 1963 Mets. Arizona, who will extend the streak to 24, last won as the visitors on April 25 when Madison Bumgarner threw an unofficial seven-inning no-hitter in Atlanta.
FOOTBALL HISTORY
June 16, 1903 -The Ford Motor Company under Henry Ford incorporates its business. The Ford Motor Company has been a long time sponsor of the NFL and the Ford Family has been the long time owners of the Detroit Lions.
June 16, 1903 – The Pepsi Cola Company is formed. Pepsi has been the Official Soft Drink of the NFL since 2002. Let’s see if you can remember some of these famous Pepsi Super Bowl commercials courtesy of Mashed.com:
Michael Jackson, Pepsi Generation, 1984
Spice Girls, Move Over (Generation Next), 1997.
Shakira, The Joy of Pepsi, 2003. …
Mariah Carey, Time of Your Life, 2006. …
One Direction with Drew Brees, Live For Now, 2012. …
Hank Williams, Security Camera, 1996. …
Robert Palmer, Simply Irresistible, 1989
Michael J. Fox, New Neighbors, 1987
Brittany Spears, Joy of Pepsi, 2001
June 16, 1949 – Larry Brown 4 time Super Bowl Champion Tackle and Tight End that played for the Pittsburgh Steelers for 14 seasons and earned a Pro Bowl spot in 1982. Brown played college football at Kansas University.
June 16, 1982 – Jerricho Cotchery is an North Carolina State alumni and former NFL WR that played for the NY Jets, Pittsburgh Steelers and the Carolina Panthers during a very productive 12 year professional career.
FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME
JOE AILLET
Position: Coach
Years: 1940-1966
Place of Birth: New York, NY
Date of Birth: Sep 13, 1904
Place of Death: Ruston, LA
Date of Death: Dec 28, 1971
Joe Aillet was one of the most revered men in Louisiana history. He had a humble beginning, as a member of a train load of orphans shipped from New York City to take up residence in New Orleans. He was raised by a Catholic priest and throughout his career was known as a scholarly, religious person, and an athletic person. He graduated from Southwest Louisiana in 1927 with a strong athletic record and went into coaching. He quoted Shakespeare and the classics, was an outstanding public speaker, and emphasized good academic standards for all the athletes he coached. He became Louisiana Tech’s head coach in 1940 and was on the job through 1966, except for 1943, when the school had no team. He helped form the Gulf States Conference in 1948, and his football teams won eight of the first 12 championships. His best player was Mickey Slaughter, three-time All-Conference quarterback 1960-1962, and he recruited Terry Bradshaw, who played for his successor. His coaching record was 152- 85-8, and he served as Louisiana Tech Athletic Director 1940-1970. He died on December 28, 1971. His memory lives at the school in Ruston, Louisiana, with the Joe Aillet Stadium and the Joe Aillet Scholastic Award.
NUMBERS IN SPORTS
3 – 36 – 28 – 33 – 21
June 16, 1909- The great Jim Thorpe made his pro baseball pitching debut for the Rocky Mount baseball team. Thorpe won the decision by the score of 4-2. However, the losses of his Olympic gold medals later on will be the negative side of this story. The Olympic Committee view back in that day was that anyone paid for playing any athletic endeavor is a professional and would lose their amateur status that the Olympics demands.
June 16, 1938 – Boston Red Sox first baseman Jimmie Foxx, wearing Number 3 was walked a record 6 consecutive times by the St Louis Browns pitching staff. The Red Sox would use this as part of a 12-8 victory.
June 16, 1953 – New York Yankees first baseman, Number 36, Johnny Mize, reached the milestone of his 2000th hit in a game against the St Louis Browns. The Browns won the game 3-1 snapping a fourteen game losing streak while at the same time ending the Yankee winning streak of 18.
June 16, 1957 – Chicago White Sox relief pitcher Number 28, Dixie Howell hit 2 Home Runs to help his own cause to defeat the Washington Senators 8-6. For his career he hit only 5 HRs with three of them, including these during the 1957 season.
June 16, 1975 – The Milwaukee Bucks made a barnbuster trade in the NBA. The Bucks traded star center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Number 33 and Number 21,Walt Wesley to L.A. Lakers for 4 players, including Elmore Smith, Brian Winters, Junior Bridgeman, and Dave Meyers. The move catapulted the Lakers into the limelight and the Bucks sunk into obscurity.
BASEBALL HALL OF FAME
ROBIN YOUNT
Robin Yount left everything on the field during his 20-year big league career with the Milwaukee Brewers.
In fact, Yount left it all over the field – winning the American League Most Valuable Player Award at two positions and establishing himself as one of the most versatile players in history.
Drafted by the Brewers with the third overall pick in the 1973 MLB Draft, Yount made his debut for Milwaukee at the age of 18 on Opening Day in 1974 as the Brewers’ starting shortstop. With almost two full seasons as a regular before he turned 20, set new big league record with his 242nd game as a teenager on Sept. 14, 1975, breaking Mel Ott’s longstanding mark.
By 1980, Yount had established himself as a power-hitting shortstop, blasting a big league-best 49 doubles with 10 triples and 23 home runs. It started a streak of 11-of-12 seasons posting double-digit home run totals from 1980-1991. He also collected more hits – 1,731 – than any other player in the 1980s.
In 1982, Yount led the big leagues with 210 hits and 46 doubles for a MLB-best .578 slugging percentage, won a Gold Glove Award at shortstop and also led the Brewers to their first pennant. Milwaukee lost the 1982 World Series in seven games to the St. Louis Cardinals, but Yount hit a blistering .414 with a home run, six runs scored and six RBI.
Yount was a near-unanimous pick for AL MVP in 1982, becoming the fourth AL shortstop to win the MVP Award.
A shoulder injury short-circuited Yount’s career at shortstop and forced him to move to the outfield in 1985. He proved a quick study, and in 1989 Yount won his second MVP award – at the time only the third player to win MVPs at two different positions. That season, Yount hit .318 with 21 home runs and 103 RBI.
The durable Yount averaged better than 142 games per season over 20 years, and his career totals continued to mount into his 30s. In the seventh inning of the Brewers’ Sept. 9, 1992 game against the Indians, Yount singled for his 3,000th hit, becoming the 17th player – and the third-youngest – to achieve that mark.
Yount was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1999.
TV FRIDAY
| COLLEGE BASEBALL WORLD SERIES | TIME ET | TV |
| Oral Roberts vs. TCU | 2:09pm | ESPN |
| Virginia vs. Florida | 7:09pm | ESPN |
| GOLF | TIME ET | TV |
| US Open | 1:00pm | USA |
| LPGA: Meijer Classic | 3:00pm | GOLF |
| US Open | 8:00pm | NBC |
| MLB REGULAR SEASON GAMES | TIME ET | TV |
| Baltimore at Chi. Cubs | 2:20pm | MLBN MARQ MASN/2 |
| Miami at Washington | 7:05pm | MLBN Bally Sports MASN/2 |
| NY Yankees at Boston | 7:10pm | MLBN YES NESN |
| St. Louis at NY Mets | 7:10pm | Bally Sports SNY |
| Colorado at Atlanta | 7:20pm | ATTSN-RM Bally Sports |
| Toronto at Texas | 8:05pm | Sportsnet Bally Sports |
| LA Angels at Kansas City | 8:10pm | Bally Sports |
| Cincinnati at Houston | 8:10pm | ATTSN-SW Bally Sports |
| Detroit at Minnesota | 8:10pm | Bally Sports |
| Pittsburgh at Milwaukee | 8:10pm | Bally Sports ATTSN-PIT |
| Cleveland at Arizona | 9:40pm | Bally Sports |
| Philadelphia at Oakland | 9:40pm | NBS-PHI NBCS-CA |
| Tampa Bay at San Diego | 9:40pm | Bally Sports |
| San Francisco at LA Dodgers | 10:10pm | NBCS-BAY Spectrum |
| SOCCER | TIME ET | TV |
| Friendly: Poland vs Germany | 2:45pm | FS2 |
| CONCACAF Gold Cup Qualification: Trinidad and Tobago vs Guadeloupe | 4:30pm | FOX Soccer Plus |
| CONCACAF Gold Cup Qualification: Martinique vs St. Lucia | 7:00pm | FS2 |
| CONCACAF Gold Cup Qualification: Curaçao vs St. Kitts and Nevis | 10:00pm | FS2 |
| WNBA | TIME ET | TV |
| Phoenix vs Washington | 8:00pm | ION |
| Minnesota vs Los Angeles | 10:00pm | ION |