Baseball Top 10: Champions crowned with postseason in full swing
After 11 years, Steve Sutherland finally got the monkey off his back. In recent seasons, the coach and his Walter Johnson baseball team have made a habit of advancing to the region final, but time and time again the Wildcats fell just short. This year, as the region's top seed, they again advanced to the title game, their third in four seasons.
They broke through with a 10-0 mercy-rule win over rival Whitman Thursday, as the Wildcats claimed the Class 4A West II championship and kept their momentum rolling two days later with a dominant state quarterfinal victory — punching their ticket to the Maryland Class 4A semifinals for the first time in program history.
'Since covid, we've had 16-plus-win seasons every single year. But we've never been able to get over that hump,' Sutherland said. 'I do think there's such a thing as baseball luck. You need to be prepared, but you also need a little bit of luck and, you know, we're healthy at the right time. It's a great feeling knowing we finally got it done and I think we're prepared for this next game.'
No. 8 Walter Johnson's semifinal matchup against Reservoir will be a tantalizing pitching duel. The Wildcats boast a tandem of dominant southpaws, Nolan Ross and Spencer Gilcrest, while Reservoir's one-two punch of Matthew Russell and Gavin Metrick has been as dominant as any in the state.
The other 4A semifinal at Shirley Povich Field in Bethesda features No. 5 Broadneck against Urbana. The Bruins' region title was a similarly marquee moment, it being their first in 30 years. It required knocking off Leonardtown, both the defending state champion and the program responsible for Broadneck's elimination in two of the past three seasons. Junior Aiden Casey hit a walk-off double down the left-field line in extra innings Thursday to secure a 2-1 victory for the Anne Arundel County champions.
'It was an exciting moment,' Bruins Coach Matt Skrenchuk said. 'To be able to get out of our region is something that we've been striving to do, something that we've been focused on all season. We're very proud of what we've accomplished so far.'
All records through Sunday.
The Cadets won their third straight Washington Catholic Athletic Conference championship by sweeping Paul VI. They finished the season as winners of their last 20 games and will span the entire year as the area's top-ranked squad. Last ranked: 1
The Cadets won their third straight Washington Catholic Athletic Conference championship by sweeping Paul VI. They finished the season as winners of their last 20 games and will span the entire year as the area's top-ranked squad. Last ranked: 1
Georgetown Prep's Interstate Athletic Conference dynasty continued with a commanding championship sweep of Landon, which earned the Hoyas their sixth straight league title. They won 17 of their final 18 games. LR: 5
Georgetown Prep's Interstate Athletic Conference dynasty continued with a commanding championship sweep of Landon, which earned the Hoyas their sixth straight league title. They won 17 of their final 18 games. LR: 5
The Warhawks clinched the top seed in the Concorde District last week with a 14-0 win over South Lakes in which they hit four home runs and allowed only two hits. LR: 2
The Warhawks clinched the top seed in the Concorde District last week with a 14-0 win over South Lakes in which they hit four home runs and allowed only two hits. LR: 2
Battlefield has been the top team in the Cedar Run District this spring and will enter the district tournament as the No. 1 seed, which it locked up on May 9. LR: 3
Battlefield has been the top team in the Cedar Run District this spring and will enter the district tournament as the No. 1 seed, which it locked up on May 9. LR: 3
After beating defending state champion Leonardtown in the Class 4A East II region championship, 2-1, and rolling in the state quarterfinals, Broadneck will play Urbana on Tuesday with a spot in the title game at stake. LR: 7
After beating defending state champion Leonardtown in the Class 4A East II region championship, 2-1, and rolling in the state quarterfinals, Broadneck will play Urbana on Tuesday with a spot in the title game at stake. LR: 7
The Tigers won 16 straight games before taking their first loss. They are positioned as the top seed in the Potomac District with only a pair of games against Briar Woods separating them from the postseason. LR: 8
The Tigers won 16 straight games before taking their first loss. They are positioned as the top seed in the Potomac District with only a pair of games against Briar Woods separating them from the postseason. LR: 8
Spalding's streak of three consecutive Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association titles ended when the Cavaliers fell to Calvert Hall in the first round of the conference playoffs. LR: 4
Spalding's streak of three consecutive Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association titles ended when the Cavaliers fell to Calvert Hall in the first round of the conference playoffs. LR: 4
Walter Johnson marched through a competitive region and will play in the Maryland Class 4A semifinals for the first time in program history. It will face Reservoir on Tuesday. LR: 10
Walter Johnson marched through a competitive region and will play in the Maryland Class 4A semifinals for the first time in program history. It will face Reservoir on Tuesday. LR: 10
Paul VI was the runner-up in the WCAC and Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association Division I tournaments. The Panthers tied the program record for wins in a season. LR: 6
Paul VI was the runner-up in the WCAC and Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association Division I tournaments. The Panthers tied the program record for wins in a season. LR: 6
The Warriors, in pursuit of a fourth state title in five years, will play Chesapeake in the Maryland Class 3A semifinals Tuesday. They've won their last nine games, including a 6-1 win over Arundel in the state quarterfinals. LR: Not ranked
Dropped out: No. 9 Gainesville
On the bubble: Gainesville, Jackson-Reed, McLean, Reservoir, West Springfield
The Warriors, in pursuit of a fourth state title in five years, will play Chesapeake in the Maryland Class 3A semifinals Tuesday. They've won their last nine games, including a 6-1 win over Arundel in the state quarterfinals. LR: Not ranked
Dropped out: No. 9 Gainesville
On the bubble: Gainesville, Jackson-Reed, McLean, Reservoir, West Springfield
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CNN
43 minutes ago
- CNN
What we know about the trans high school student at the center of Trump's threat to remove California funding
LGBTQ issues Student life Donald TrumpFacebookTweetLink Follow A transgender high school student was pushed into the national spotlight this week after President Donald Trump threatened to withhold federal funding from California over her participation in this weekend's state track and field championships. A.B. Hernandez, a junior at Jurupa Valley High School, is at the center of controversy after she qualified in the long jump and triple jump in the upcoming meet, prompting the agency governing high school sports in California to change its rules to allow more cisgender girls to compete. The California Interscholastic Federation said in the announcement Tuesday it decided at the end of its track and field qualifying meets last weekend to 'pilot an entry process' for the championships, inviting those 'biological female' student athletes who would have otherwise earned a qualifying mark were it not for the participation of trans students in the competition, an automatic entry to compete in the finals. On Tuesday, President Trump said, 'Please be hereby advised that large scale Federal Funding will be held back, maybe permanently, if the Executive Order on this subject matter is not adhered to,' in a post on Truth Social. President Trump's statement alluded to his February executive order titled 'Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports,' which leans on compliance with Title IX, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in education programs or activities receiving funding from the federal government. In an interview with the nonprofit news organization Capital & Main earlier this month, Hernandez said after competing on the team for three years, this is the first year her presence has received backlash. 'There's nothing I can do about people's actions, just focus on my own,' Hernandez told Capital & Main. 'I'm still a child. You're an adult, and for you to act like a child shows how you are as a person.' The Hernandez family declined to comment for this story when contacted by CNN. Here's what we know about the student athlete and why her participation in women's sports events has drawn controversy: In its statement, the federation said the rule change only applies to this weekend's competition without specifying whether it will be set in place for all future sports events. Coach Keinan Briggs, a club coach who is not affiliated with specific schools, coaches two student athletes – from Calvary Chapel High School in Santa Ana and Woodbridge High School in Irvine – who took lower places in the last weekend's competition due to A.B.'s participation. At the Southern Section Masters Meet, A.B. finished first in the triple jump and long jump, qualifying her for the upcoming championships. Briggs' student Skyler Cazale, from Santa Ana, finished third in the triple jump last weekend but her third-place finish behind AB drew significant ire from the community, he told CNN. According to the Capital & Main report, A.B. is ranked third in California in the triple jump but she's not highly ranked nationally. A.B.'s placement also had a 'trickle effect,' which bumped his student from Irvine down because she did not make the qualifying list for the championships in the long jump, effectively ending her season, Briggs said. The coach added he felt for the student and her parents because he 'couldn't give her the emotional support that I typically would give because it wasn't us, it was the way the system set up that put her in a position to where she couldn't continue.' 'That's been hard for her,' Briggs said. 'She also understands that the mark was the mark, she needed to hit that, but it comes down to the fairness of the event – the way it's set up – there was one less biological girl able to compete.' While many parents and community members are upset, Briggs says he agrees with those who believe A.B. should be competing because there is not a specific category for transgender athletes. He doesn't believe the Trump administration should take away California funding, but says the bigger question should be: 'How do we give support for all athletes to be able to feel welcome, included, to where they're able to compete?' Rather than taking away federal funding, Briggs said the federal funds should be used to create resources and opportunities for more student athletes in general. A.B. has been training rigorously, said Briggs, who added he's watched her 'progression throughout the years. She is getting better; she's doing a great job. However, right now, the debate is where she should be competing.' At a track meet earlier this month, A.B. was accompanied by campus security guards and deputies from the Orange County Sheriff's Department as she faced heckling and protesters in the crowd, Briggs said. During a break at the meet, A.B. said in an exclusive interview with Capital & Main she has the support of most of the athletes she competes against. 'Girls were just shocked that people would actually come to do that, and really bully a child,' A.B. told the news organization. 'I've trained so hard. I mean, hours of conditioning every day, five days a week. Every day since November, three hours after school. And then all of summer, no summer break for me,' she said in the interview. 'A few people think I'm brave and strong and they hope to be like me one day. I say, don't just hope, make it happen.' Sonja Shaw, a candidate for California superintendent of instruction in the 2026 election and an activist with the advocacy group Save Girls Sports, which is pushing for a ban on trans girl athletes from girls' athletics in the state, had a heated exchange with A.B.'s supporters and her mother, Nereyda Hernandez, according to Capital & Main reporting. 'What a coward of a woman you are, allowing that,' Shaw told A.B.'s mother, according to the Capital & Main report. In a statement on Instagram earlier this month, A.B.'s mother said A.B.'s identity 'doesn't give her an advantage; it gives her courage. It takes immense bravery to show up, compete, and be visible in a world that often questions your very right to exist, let alone to participate.' Nereyda Hernandez said in the post the actions of those who have 'doxed, harassed and violated my daughter A.B.'s privacy' are 'not only shameful, but they are also abusive,' and have created a 'hostile and unsafe environment for a minor.' At the core of disagreements over transgender athletes' participation in sports, which prompted more than half of US states to implement bans on trans athlete participation since 2020, is whether transgender women have unfair physical athletic advantages. Few trans athletes have reached elite levels of sports competition and even fewer have taken home top prizes, but their limited success has fueled the growing movement to ban them from participating on teams consistent with their gender identity, CNN has reported. Research on trans people's athletic performance is scarce, and there have been no large-scale scientific studies on the topic or on how hormone therapies may affect their performance in specific sport categories, such as running or wrestling. Trans athletes and advocates say trans people deserve the right to compete alongside their peers and reap the proven social, physical and mental benefits of sports. Even among cisgender athletes, bodies and physical abilities vary widely, and traits that may be an advantage in one sport – such as grip strength or bone density – may not be an advantage in others, experts say. A day after Trump's threat to withhold federal funding from California over A.B.'s participation in the sporting event, the Justice Department announced it was investigating whether California's School Success and Opportunity Act, which in part prohibits public schools from blocking transgender students from participating in school sports, violates Title IX. Letters were sent by the Justice Department to the California Attorney General and the superintendent of public instruction, as well as the California Interscholastic Federation and the Jurupa Unified School District. In a statement to CNN, the school district said it is required to follow California law and the state federation's policy regarding school athletics. 'Both state law and CIF policy currently require that students be permitted to participate in athletic teams and competitions consistent with their gender identity, irrespective of the gender listed on the pupil's records,' the Jurupa Unified School District said. A spokesperson for Gov. Gavin Newsom's office said the CIF's proposed pilot rule change for the upcoming championships is 'reasonable.' Newsom has recently taken aim at a number of causes popular among progressives and previously said transgender girls and women competing is 'an issue of fairness' in a break from many Democrats' position on the topic. 'Well, I think it's an issue of fairness. I completely agree with you on that. It is an issue of fairness. It's deeply unfair,' Newsom said in a podcast episode with conservative activist Charlie Kirk in March. Leandra Blades, president of the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District board of education, introduced a resolution last week she said would make the district compliant with Title IX, only allowing 'biological females' to compete in women's sports, but it failed on a 3-2 vote by the district's trustees. She told CNN the issue of trans student athletes has 'been a low roar in our community for the last couple of years,' but complaints started to accelerate after A.B. competed at Yorba Linda High School within the school district. The board of education president said she believes the federal government should take away funding from the state if trans women are allowed to compete in women's sporting events moving forward and if the new CIF rule only applies to the one championship meet. Despite misgendering A.B. throughout her interview with CNN, Blades said she doesn't have 'any issues' with the LGBTQ+ community, adding: 'I just believe in fairness in women's sports, and we should follow Title IX.' The school district prohibits harassment against any student, saying it has done a 'very good job with bullying policies and being inclusive to all students.' CNN's Samantha Waldenberg, Stephanie Elam, Jen Christensen and Elizabeth Wolfe contributed to this report.
New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
How Oli Marmol balances development and playing time during Cardinals' torrid May
As the St. Louis Cardinals power their way toward the top of the National League Central, they again raise the question of how the organization will balance winning games with long-term development for its many young players. The month of May suggests both can be possible. After beating the Baltimore Orioles 6-4 on Wednesday night at Camden Yards, the Cardinals have won 18 of their last 23 games and eight of their past 10 series. Their pitching staff enters play Friday with a 3.26 ERA in May — the eighth-lowest in baseball. Offensively, they have the fifth-highest OPS in the National League this month (.735) and their fourth-highest average (.265). Advertisement St. Louis has been the best defensive team in baseball all season, leading the majors with 24 Outs Above Average (six more than the second-place Houston Astros). The Cardinals also lead MLB in runs prevented (19). The Cardinals are season-best eight games over .500 (32-24), which I'm sure has many of you feeling like Pedro Pagés. Mood: — St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) May 28, 2025 During April, the most pressing question facing president of baseball operations John Mozeliak and manager Oli Marmol was whether they could balance player runway with team results. Now that question has shifted: What if the Cardinals can balance runway and results, but with different players than they first envisioned? 'If (Iván) Herrera and (Alec) Burleson become the versions that we're seeing right now, that's really good, right?' Marmol said. Much of the spring and early season was spent focusing on the offensive production of Jordan Walker and Nolan Gorman. They were the unofficial faces of the transition season, which resulted in Marmol trying to find everyday playing time for both hitters, even when Gorman and Walker slumped heavily in late April to mid-May. During that time, Herrera emerged as arguably the team's best right-handed bat. Since returning from the injured list in early May, Herrera has posted a .350/.431/.483. clip with 15 RBIs over 17 games. Burleson has been nearly as dominant against right-handed pitching with four homers and a .786 OPS, despite spending much of the first six weeks of the season as a bench bat. And for as woeful as Walker's offense was over the last month, his .333/.353/.545 line over his past 11 games (which includes a homer and 10 RBI) suggests a breakthrough is near. Back-to-back triples and this dugout is FIRED UP! 🔥 — St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) May 28, 2025 That's made for another jigsaw puzzle for Marmol as the manager juggles individual playing time while building upon his team's surprising success. He and bench coach Daniel Descalso are tasked with finding ample playing time for Herrera, Burleson, Walker and Gorman — but there's always going to be an odd man out. Currently, that's Gorman. Advertisement In 105 plate appearances this year, Gorman is hitting .191 with a .589 OPS and just one home run. His strikeout rate is down over 10 percent from last season (Gorman owned a 37.6 percent K-rate in 2024, compared to a 26.7 percent rate this year), so that is something the Cardinals can be encouraged about. Similar to Walker, Gorman's swing won't be magically fixed overnight. But the playing time situation boils down to better hitters seeing better results. Here's how Marmol is currently looking at it: 'I don't want to use Walker as a platoon guy, but I don't mind firing Burleson in there strictly against righties,' Marmol explained. 'I won't do it every time, because Walker needs to play more than whenever we see a left-handed starter. But the way Alec is swinging it, it's hard not to put him in there against some of the other team's best right-handers. So, Jordan will play against lefties and righties, doesn't matter, and I'll pick Burleson's spots to hit against righties. 'I'd like Herrera to be in there every day,' he added. 'It's going to be mostly at the DH. I'll pair him with a couple of guys throughout the week to catch, which gives Burleson a shot at playing first and getting (Willson) Contreras off his feet. I will give Walker a couple of days a week off, playing him four to five days a week instead of running him out there every day, which gives Burleson another two games in the outfield. The name you're looking for here is Gorman, and that's where I'm having the most trouble finding playing time for. That's not an easy rotation.' Let's pause and address a couple of things. Why would Burleson be a platoon bat and not Walker? Burleson's splits are telling enough. For as impactful as he is against righties, he's hitting .167 with an OPS under .400 in 12 games this year — and he has a career .523 OPS against left-handers versus a .753 OPS against right-handers. The Cardinals have enough right-handed thump (especially with Herrera) to utilize Burleson at his strength. Walker is not terribly splitty, and the Cardinals committed to giving him consistent playing time. As long as they see Walker trending in the right direction, they will continue that path. Advertisement Why will Marmol mostly play Herrera at DH instead of catcher? That's more of a testament to Pagés than a knock on Herrera. Pagés has built a tremendous rapport with his pitching staff, with multiple starting pitchers praising him for his game-calling and preparation — two things that won't show up in the box score but are invaluable with a pitch-to-contact staff. But there's no way Marmol will sit Herrera with the way he's hitting, which leaves the designated hitter as the obvious spot. Our 6th run of the night comes home thanks to Iván Herrera! — St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) May 29, 2025 How have Herrera and Burleson been able to break through offensively? In Herrera's case (like many others), it's the first time in his major-league career when he knows he will be playing every day. The defensive positioning differs, but the guarantee of consistent playing time is more important. It's helped Herrera grow confidence, which has correlated to success in the box. 'The (coaches) have been good with me,' Herrera said. '(Hitting coach Brant Brown) has really helped me out with the little things to make me a better hitter. Confidence as a hitter, it comes from preparation. I believe in what I did in the offseason, I trust my body is in the right spot. I just go in there and trust that I'm going to get a hit every single at-bat.' The same can be said with Burleson, who knew coming into the season that his playing time would be limited, at least to start. He also knew he needed to make adjustments with his pitch selection, and spent much of April working on that behind the scenes. One of Burleson's best traits as a hitter is his ability to put the bat on the ball. He has a high contact rate and doesn't strike out often, as evidenced by his 13 percent strikeout rate in 2023 and 12.8 percent rate in 2024. But the Cardinals encouraged Burleson to be more selective and look for specific pitches he could slug. Just because he could put the bat on any pitch in the zone didn't mean it was the right pitch to swing at. 'I'm giving pitchers strikes,' Burleson said. 'I'm giving them pitches that I know I can hit, but what am I going to do with them? Before, it was wanting to swing in the zone, I don't want to chase. Now, I've dialed in more to looking for a specific spot, which obviously changes pitcher to pitcher, but if it's not there, I'm going to give it to them. 'I'm fine hitting with two strikes. (Brown) calls it my super power,' he said with a smile. 'But before then, it has to be damage swings on damage pitches.' Advertisement So far, so good in that regard for Burleson, who has squared up 34.7 percent of the balls he's hit this year, per Statcast. That puts him in the top 6 percent of the league. It's also given him the upper hand over Gorman from the left side. That's something Marmol wishes he had a better solution for. 'What's tough for Gorman is when you look under the hood, he's making more contact, he's chasing less, he's walking more,' Marmol said. 'Yes, the bat speed is down, but that's at the expense of making contact. He needs a run of games to show that it's coming into play, which is hard to do at the moment because I'm not sure who you'd play him at the expense of. There's not a great answer for it.' The Cardinals, projected by most to be bottom-dwellers this season, have roared back into relevancy. It hasn't been at the hands of the players they expected, but isn't that the point of this season? This Cardinals season was designed to identify key players for the future. Now that some are starting to emerge, they might as well play them. (Photo of Alec Burleson from May 6: Dilip Vishwanat / Getty Images)
New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
Inside the Mets' new outfield ritual: ‘That's a Juan thing'
NEW YORK — From his position in right field, Juan Soto jogged toward the New York Mets' dugout, stopping short of the steps. The half-inning on defense had ended and he was soon due up. But Soto lingered on the field for a beat, for a reason. Center fielder Tyrone Taylor trotted over and tapped his glove with Soto's. Together, they waited some more. Advertisement Finally, when left fielder Brandon Nimmo completed the trek to the railing of the Mets' dugout at Citi Field, on the first base side, all three outfielders shared a quick embrace. The Mets' outfielders do this after every half-inning on defense during every game. 'That's a Juan thing,' Taylor says. Though Soto, in his eighth year, is off to his worst offensive start through a season's first 56 games (.745 OPS), he has kept up with a team-centric idea he introduced to his new outfield mates during spring training. The steady Soto-led outfielder gatherings near the dugout underscore a desire to connect with teammates. That is no small thing in the context of Soto. Seemingly, his every public move and expression generates a dialogue about his disposition amid his slow start after signing a 15-year contract worth $765 million, the richest deal in sports. Back in spring training, Soto whistled in the direction of Nimmo to get the veteran's attention. Nimmo had made a beeline toward the Mets' dugout after a half-inning on defense. When his eyes met Soto's, Soto told him, per Nimmo's recollection, 'We're staying here. We're going to do something with all the outfielders here.' 'It was something he brought in. I thought it was great,' Nimmo said in a recent interview. 'Every team has their own things that they bring in and try to do, and Juan made it a point right away that, that was something he wanted to do. It just brings that teamwork, that team chemistry of trying to get everyone to pull on the same end of the rope. It's another tool for doing that.' Soto got the idea from Philadelphia Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber. The two were teammates with the Washington Nationals in 2021 for just half a season. But Schwarber 'impressed and shocked' — Soto's words — Soto with his leadership skills, namely, the little routine of waiting up for fellow outfielders. Advertisement Schwarber, Soto said, used to tell Soto all the time, 'As outfielders, we all are back there and we should all have each other's backs.' Soto decided to store that message in his mind. 'I know we are a whole team,' he said, 'but as outfielders, we have a lot of responsibilities back there, so if we can stick together more and more, even when guys do make an error or something, just pick them up, have a talk before going in to hit. It's huge for me. After Schwarber taught me that, I started doing it, and I feel like a lot of my teammates appreciate it.' That goes for all of Soto's stops along the way. 'Even last year, with the Yankees, everyone knows Aaron Judge was the leader, the captain, but he loved it every time I waited for him or waited for the guys at the steps,' Soto said. 'It's just a different feeling. That makes me happy. That makes me part of it. It helps the team in moving forward.' With the Mets, the Soto meetup spot is already a hit. 'It's a small thing,' Taylor said, 'but it makes you feel like, hey, we are here for each other.' Communication in the outfield is vital. Players call for balls in the gaps. They back one another up. They share information. (Or at least they are supposed to do all of that.) Sometimes, the quick meetups before the outfield trio heads into the dugout cover a play that just occurred on the field. Other times, they simply share a laugh. Either way, players say they see a benefit. 'Every little thing matters,' Soto said. 'It's a really long season. Sometimes, we focus on the big scenarios and the big things and forget about the little things. And it's the little things that can change everything for a whole team. It helps you to go all the way. Outfielders, this is our thing.' The only time one of the other outfielders skips joining Soto is when they're leading off an inning. Then, Taylor says, 'It's air-fives.' Advertisement Before Soto's arrival, Mets star shortstop Francisco Lindor waited to acknowledge all the other fielders near the steps of the dugout before exiting the field. Funny enough, Lindor still does that. Now he just has to wait for the outfielders to first do their own Soto-inspired thing. With a laugh, Lindor said he didn't mind at all waiting the extra handful of seconds. 'It's great,' Lindor said. 'I think it's fantastic. He understands there are two guys alongside him who all work together. He wanted to create that, and he's doing it. He's been doing it since spring training. It's not, 'When I do good, I do it,' and, 'When I do bad, I don't do it' — he's consistent with it.' (Photo of Juan Soto, Tyrone Taylor and Brandon Nimmo: Maria Lysaker / Getty Images)
