Florida softball's star outfielder named Collegiate Player of the Year Top 10 Finalist
The 10 finalists for the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award were announced on Wednesday, a list that included Florida Gators senior outfielder Kendra Falby.
It is the first time the three-time All-SEC selection from Odessa, Florida, has been among the top 10 in her illustrious collegiate career. Falby earned SEC All-Defensive Team honors over the past two campaigns and was the 2024 Rawlings Gold Glove award winner in centerfield.
The UF standout is also the NCAA active career leader in hits and runs scored, while ranking in the top-12 nationally this season in hits (82), runs scored (63) and stolen bases (35). She leads Florida in batting average for both the overall season (.439) and Southeastern Conference play (.393) this season as well, currently ranking second in program history in career hits (329) and stolen bases (117) and third in runs scored (251).
Lauren Haeger (2015) and Kelly Barnhill (2017) are the only members of the Orange and Blue to have won the prestigious award.
The top 10 finalists will be narrowed down to three athletes on May 19, followed by the announcement of the 2025 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year before the NCAA Women's College World Series, which is scheduled to take place from May 29-June 6 in Oklahoma City.
Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
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Miami Herald
3 minutes ago
- Miami Herald
What to know about Heat's 2025-26 schedule: List of games, how many on national TV and more
Following the departure of Jimmy Butler and two consecutive first-round playoff exits, the Miami Heat is apparently no longer a national draw. On Thursday afternoon, the NBA released the 2025-26 regular-season schedule that includes 80 (40 home and 40 away) of the 82 games for each team because two games from Dec. 9 to Dec. 15 remain up in the air until the group stage of the league's in-season tournament plays out. The Heat will open this upcoming season on the road against the Magic in Orlando on Oct. 22 at 7 p.m. It marks the sixth time in the past 10 seasons that the Heat has opened the schedule against the Magic, with five of those games coming in Orlando. For perspective, the last time the Heat opened a season on the road and the game wasn't in Orlando came in the 2011-12 season when it faced the Mavericks in Dallas on Dec. 25, 2011. But like many of the games on the Heat's schedule, this season's opener against the Magic won't be on national TV. Just two years after being slotted for 16 national TV appearances for the 2023-24 regular season at the time that schedule was released, the Heat is currently scheduled for just five national TV games this upcoming season. While that number could change during the course of the season, the Heat's five national TV appearances this season consists of two games on Amazon Prime Video's streaming service (Nov. 14 at New York Knicks and Feb. 28 vs. Houston Rockets), one game on ESPN (Nov. 19 vs. Golden State Warriors), one game on NBC (Jan. 6 at Minnesota Timberwolves) and one game on NBC's streaming partner Peacock (March 30 vs. Philadelphia 76ers). The NBA TV schedule will be announced at a later date. In comparison, the Oklahoma City Thunder, Los Angeles Lakers, Warriors and Knicks are each scheduled to have 34 of their games on national TV. Amazon Prime Video and NBC are the new rights holders in the NBA's move away from TNT Sports, which is no longer televising NBA games. This upcoming season is the first of an 11-year, $76 billion national television/streaming contract for the NBA, with Amazon Prime Video hiring Heat legends Udonis Haslem and Dwyane Wade as analysts. Another aspect of the Heat's schedule that stands out is the challenging stretch it will face to begin the season. Not only will the Heat play six of its first eight games on the road and embark on a West Coast trip during the second week of the regular season, but 11 of the Heat's first 15 games come against opponents that made the playoffs last season. But the Heat's longest trip of the season won't come until January, when Miami hits the road for five straight games (Jan. 19 at Warriors, Jan. 20 at Sacramento Kings, Jan. 22 at Portland Trail Blazers, Jan. 24 at Utah Jazz and Jan. 25 at Phoenix Suns). The longest homestand for the Heat this upcoming season lasts four games, as Miami has four four-game homestands on its schedule. Two of the Heat's four-game homestands will come in the first six weeks of the season. The Heat's All-Star break will span from Feb. 12 to Feb. 19, with the 2026 NBA All-Star Game set for Feb. 15 at Intuit Dome in Los Angeles. The Heat's regular season comes to an end with an April 12 matchup against the Atlanta Hawks at Kaseya Center. The Heat is scheduled to hold its annual media day on Sept. 29 before opening training camp on Sept. 30 to kick off the 2025-26 season. The Heat will then play a six-game preseason schedule: Oct. 4 vs. Magic in Puerto Rico, Oct. 6 vs. Milwaukee Bucks in Miami, Oct. 8 vs. San Antonio Spurs in Miami, Oct. 12 vs. Magic in Orlando, Oct. 13 vs. Hawks in Atlanta and Oct. 17 vs. Memphis Grizzlies in Memphis. FanDuel Sports Network Sun is currently set to locally televise 76 of the 80 Heat regular-season games that were announced on Thursday. The only four games set to be exclusively broadcast on national TV are Nov. 14 at Knicks on Prime, Jan. 6 at Timberwolves on NBC, Feb. 28 vs. Rockets on Prime and March 30 vs. 76ers on Peacock. Here are some other things to know about the Heat's 2025-26 schedule: The Heat will see a familiar face in Duncan Robinson early in the season. Robinson left the Heat to sign with the Detroit Pistons in free agency this summer after spending the first seven seasons of his NBA career in Miami. The Heat's first matchup of the season against Robinson and the Pistons comes on Nov. 29 in Miami. The Heat will again welcome back Butler to Miami when it hosts the Warriors on Nov. 19 in a nationally televised game on ESPN. Butler has already played one game in Miami since being traded to the Warriors this past February following his contentious breakup with the Heat, getting blown out by the Heat 112-86 in his return to Kaseya Center on March 25. The Heat faces the defending NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder this season on Jan. 11 in Oklahoma City and on Jan. 17 in Miami. The Heat has 15 back-to-back sets on its schedule this season, which is the same amount of back-to-backs that Miami played last regular season. But three of the Heat's back-to-backs this season require no travel, as Miami faces the Lakers on Nov. 2 and the Clippers on Nov. 3 in Los Angeles, hosts the Charlotte Hornets on Nov. 7 and the Trail Blazers on Nov. 8 at Kaseya Center, and hosts the Timberwolves on Jan. 3 and the New Orleans Pelicans on Jan. 4 at Kaseya Center. The six Eastern Conference teams that the Heat is currently scheduled to face only three times this regular season are the Brooklyn Nets, the Pistons, the Indiana Pacers, the Bucks, the 76ers and the Toronto Raptors. The Heat hosts the Pacers, 76ers and Raptors only once and makes just one trip to face the Nets, Pistons and Bucks. The Heat faces every other East team four times — for two home games and two road games. The Heat plays every Western Conference team twice — for one home game and one road game. The Heat will be working on some holidays. While the Heat doesn't have a game on Halloween, Christmas Day or Easter this season, it will take on the Pistons in Detroit on New Year's Day on Jan. 1 and face the Warriors in San Francisco on Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Jan. 19. The Heat will also play on Super Bowl Sunday, traveling to face the Washington Wizards on the afternoon of Feb. 8. As part of the NBA's in-season tournament, the Heat's four group play games that will also count as regular-season games are Nov. 7 vs. Hornets, Nov. 14 at Knicks, Nov. 21 at Bulls and Nov. 26 vs. Bucks. As for conflicts with the Miami Dolphins on the Heat's regular-season schedule, the Heat and Miami Dolphins are currently set to play on the same day three times: Oct. 26 when the Heat hosts the Knicks and the Dolphins are in Atlanta to face the Falcons, Oct. 30 when the Heat is in San Antonio to play the Spurs and the Dolphins host the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday Night Football, and Dec. 21 when the Heat is in New York to take on the Knicks and the Dolphins host the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday Night Football. The Heat's regular-season schedule currently has two conflicts with Miami Hurricanes football games: Nov. 8 when the Heat hosts the Trail Blazers and the Hurricanes host the Syracuse Orange, and Nov. 29 when the Heat hosts the Pistons and the Hurricanes close their regular season on the road against the Pittsburgh Panthers. The Heat will play on the night of the 2026 College Football National Championship game (Jan. 19), which will take place in Miami on Jan. 19. The Heat will be in San Francisco to face the Warriors. The Heat and Florida Panthers play on the same day 32 times this upcoming season (seven more than last season). (All times Eastern) October Wed. Oct. 22 at Orlando, 7 p.m. Fri. Oct. 24 at Memphis, 8 p.m. Sun. Oct. 26 vs. New York, 6 p.m. Tue. Oct. 28 vs. Charlotte, 7:30 p.m. Thu. Oct. 30 at San Antonio, 8:30 p.m. November Sun. Nov. 2 at L.A. Lakers, 9:30 p.m. Mon. Nov. 3 at L.A. Clippers, 10:30 p.m. Wed. Nov. 5 at Denver, 9 p.m. Fri. Nov. 7 vs. Charlotte, 8 p.m. Sat. Nov. 8 vs. Portland, 8 p.m. Mon. Nov. 10 vs. Cleveland, 7:30 p.m. Wed. Nov. 12 vs. Cleveland, 7:30 p.m. Fri. Nov. 14 at New York, 7 p.m. (Prime) Mon. Nov. 17 vs. New York, 7:30 p.m. Wed. Nov. 19 vs. Golden State, 7 p.m. (ESPN) Fri. Nov. 21 at Chicago, 8 p.m. Sun. Nov. 23 at Philadelphia, 1 p.m. Mon. Nov. 24 vs. Dallas, 7:30 p.m. Wed. Nov. 26 vs. Milwaukee, 7:30 p.m. Sat. Nov. 29 vs. Detroit, 8 p.m. December Mon. Dec. 1 vs. L.A. Clippers, 7:30 p.m. Wed. Dec. 3 at Dallas, 8:30 p.m. Fri. Dec. 5 at Orlando, 7 p.m. Sat. Dec. 6 vs. Sacramento, 8 p.m. (Dec. 9, 10, 13, 16: Emirates NBA Cup Knockout Rounds*) (Dec. 11, 12, 14, 15: Regular Season Games**) Thu. Dec. 18 at Brooklyn, 7:30 p.m. Fri. Dec. 19 at Boston, 7 p.m. Sun. Dec. 21 at New York, 6 p.m. Tue. Dec. 23 vs. Toronto, 7:30 p.m. Fri. Dec. 26 at Atlanta, 7 p.m. Sat. Dec. 27 vs. Indiana, 8 p.m. Mon. Dec. 29 vs. Denver, 7:30 p.m. January Thu. Jan. 1 at Detroit, 7 p.m. Sat. Jan. 3 vs. Minnesota, 5 p.m. Sun. Jan. 4 vs. New Orleans, 6 p.m. Tue. Jan. 6 at Minnesota, 8 p.m. (NBC) Thu. Jan. 8 at Chicago, 8 p.m. Sat. Jan. 10 at Indiana, 7 p.m. Sun. Jan. 11 at Oklahoma City, 7 p.m. Tue. Jan. 13 vs. Phoenix, 7:30 p.m. Thu. Jan. 15 vs. Boston, 7:30 p.m. Sat. Jan. 17 vs. Oklahoma City, 8 p.m. Mon. Jan. 19 at Golden State, 10 p.m. Tue. Jan. 20 at Sacramento, 10 p.m. Thu. Jan. 22 at Portland, 10 p.m. Sat. Jan. 24 at Utah, 9:30 p.m. Sun. Jan. 25 at Phoenix, 8 p.m. Wed. Jan. 28 vs. Orlando, 7:30 p.m. Fri. Jan. 30 vs. Chicago, 8 p.m. February Sun. Feb. 1 vs. Chicago, 6 p.m. Tue. Feb. 3 vs. Atlanta, 7:30 p.m. Fri. Feb. 6 at Boston, 7:30 p.m. Sun. Feb. 8 at Washington, 2 p.m. Mon. Feb. 9 vs. Utah, 7:30 p.m. Wed. Feb. 11 at New Orleans, 8 p.m. (Feb. 12-19: All-Star break) Fri. Feb. 20 at Atlanta, 7:30 p.m. Sat. Feb. 21 vs. Memphis, 8 p.m. Tue. Feb. 24 at Milwaukee, 8 p.m. Thu. Feb. 26 at Philadelphia, 7 p.m. Sat. Feb. 28 vs. Houston, 3 p.m. (Prime) March Tue. March 3 vs. Brooklyn, 7:30 p.m. Thu. March 5 vs. Brooklyn, 7:30 p.m. Fri. March 6 at Charlotte, 7 p.m. Sun. March 8 vs. Detroit, 6 p.m. Tue. March 10 vs. Washington, 7:30 p.m. Thu. March 12 vs. Milwaukee, 7:30 p.m. Sat. March 14 vs. Orlando, 8 p.m. Tue. March 17 at Charlotte, 7 p.m. Thu. March 19 vs. L.A. Lakers, 8 p.m. Sat. March 21 at Houston, 8 p.m. Mon. March 23 vs. San Antonio, 7:30 p.m. Wed. March 25 at Cleveland, 7:30 p.m. Fri. March 27 at Cleveland, 7:30 p.m. Sun. March 29 at Indiana, 5 p.m. Mon. March 30 vs. Philadelphia, 7 p.m. (Peacock) April Wed. April 1 vs. Boston, 7:30 p.m. Sat. April 4 vs. Washington, 3 p.m. Tue. April 7 at Toronto, 7:30 p.m. Thu. April 9 at Toronto, 7 p.m. Fri. April 10 at Washington, 7 p.m. Sun. April 12 vs. Atlanta, 6 p.m. * – Quarterfinals of the in-season tournament will be played on home court of higher seed. Semifinals and championship to be played in Las Vegas. ** – Teams that do not qualify for knockout rounds of the in-season tournament will have one home game and one road game added during this stretch.
Associated Press
4 minutes ago
- Associated Press
SEC tries to regain its championship form following 2 years without a national title
Southeastern Conference football is experiencing a championship drought. The powerhouse league hasn't won or even played for a national title since the 2022 season. It's a skid that just means more given the SEC's nearly two decades of gridiron dominance, which included 13 championships over a 17-year span beginning in 2006. But the conference has dipped since — even with the addition of Big 12 heavyweights Oklahoma and Texas — and finds itself trying to regain its stronghold in 2025. 'I still feel that the SEC, top to bottom, is as strong as you'll find,' Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer said. 'We experienced that last year. We had games where you showed what your ceiling was, but you also had to back it up and play the next week. It showed every team could win on any given Saturday. We want to prove ourselves as a program but also as a league as well.' Indeed, the SEC has something to prove for the first time in years. Were the last two seasons, which ended with Big Ten heavyweights Ohio State and Michigan celebrating on college football's biggest stage, a fluke or foreshadowing? Did the transfer portal and NIL money level a field that once seemed heavily tilted toward the SEC? Could revenue sharing deliver another blow? Or will the SEC bounce back with a vengeance? 'Look, the more teams you add to the tournament, there's greater variance to it,' Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz said. 'So I don't necessarily think that we're that far off.' The SEC looked like it might get shut out of the College Football Playoff in 2023 before one-loss Alabama jumped undefeated Florida State to claim the final spot in the four-team bracket. The league seemed poised to take advantage of CFP expansion last year. But Georgia, Tennessee and Texas got bounced in the 12-team tournament by double-digit margins, doing little to back up arguments that Alabama, Ole Miss and South Carolina should have made the field. Seven months later, the conference has 10 teams ranked in the AP's preseason college football poll, beginning with top-ranked Texas, and expectations of ending its championship slide. Championship contenders The Longhorns have star linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. anchoring one of the nation's best defenses and quarterback Arch Manning, the latest from the Manning family tree, stepping in to replace Quinn Ewers. No one would be surprised to see No. 5 Georgia, No. 8 Alabama or No. 9 LSU end up atop the SEC. Those traditional powers have the talent to beat anyone, although the Bulldogs (Gunner Stockton) and Crimson Tide (Ty Simpson) will rely on new starting QBs. The Tigers, meanwhile, have Garrett Nussmeier back under center to go along with the nation's top portal class. Capable of a surprise No. 13 South Carolina and No. 15 Florida were two of the hottest teams in the league down the stretch in 2024, surges that propelled LaNorris Sellers (South Carolina) and DJ Lagway (Florida) into the Heisman Trophy conversation this season. Sellers threw for 2,534 yards and 18 touchdowns as a sophomore and ran for seven more scores. Lagway was 6-1 in seven starts as a freshman but has since undergone core-muscle surgery, missed most of spring practice with shoulder soreness and been slowed in camp because of a strained left calf. 'I always say that pressure is a privilege,' Lagway said 'Once you have privilege, that means people are counting on you to do big things. ... That's why I just love the game-day atmosphere because it feels like all eyes are on you and you've got to put on a show. That's what I'm excited for.' Not to be discounted Coach Brett Venables hired five new coaches in the offseason at No. 18 Oklahoma, including offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle from Washington State. Arbuckle brought quarterback John Mateer with him from Pullman. Mateer was the only QB in the country to register at least 20 TDs passing and at least 10 TDs rushing. No. 19 Texas A&M returns 15 starters, including QB Marcel Reed, and all four specialists. No. 21 Ole Miss has just four returning starters, but coach Lane Kiffin loaded up in the portal and says QB Austin Simmons has 'elite talent.' Coaching continuity The SEC has no new head coaches for the first time since 2018 and just the second time since 2005. It's a testament to the rising cost of buyouts and the need for patience while navigating college football's ever-changing landscape. But that doesn't mean several SEC coaches can't land on the proverbial hot seat. Venables, Auburn's Hugh Freeze, Florida's Billy Napier, Arkansas' Sam Pittman and Kentucky's Mark Stoops top the list. Marquee matchups No one has to wait long to gauge the SEC's strength this season. The league has five potentially challenging non-conference games in Week 1 alone: Alabama at Florida State; Auburn at Baylor; LSU at No. 4 Clemson; South Carolina versus Virginia Tech in Atlanta; and Texas at No. 3 Ohio State. Throw in Oklahoma at No. 14 Michigan in Week 2, Texas A&M at sixth-ranked Notre Dame in Week 3 and Florida at No. 10 Miami in Week 4, and the SEC has plenty of chances to reclaim its spot atop the college football world in September. ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college football: and
Indianapolis Star
5 minutes ago
- Indianapolis Star
What you need to know about the Pacers' 2025-26 schedule
INDIANAPOLIS -- The full NBA regular schedule for the 2025-26 season was released Thursday afternoon, and the effect of the season-ending injury to All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton is clear on the Pacers' slate. Despite their first run to the NBA Finals since 2000 and just their second NBA Eastern Conference title in franchise history, the Pacers aren't featured prominently in many of the league's marquee events. That being said, there still are several opportunities on the schedule for national attention and the Pacers were generally treated like a team expected to make the playoffs. Before back-to-back runs to the Eastern Conference Finals, the Pacers barely made a blip on the national radar at all, but this season they will be shown on all three networks that will be nationally televising games. Here's what you need to know about the Pacers 2025-26 schedule. This will be the first year of the NBA's new national media rights deal and the networks are different with TNT having lost its contract and NBC stepping back on to the scene for the first time since 2002 with both its traditional broadcast network and its streaming service Peacock. Amazon Prime will also nationally televise games on its streaming service. ABC and ESPN are still part of the network lineup. The Pacers are scheduled to be on ESPN just once in their season opener at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 23 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse when they play the Thunder in a rematch of the NBA Finals. They could have games flexed on to ESPN later in the season and they could also earn more opportunities to be on the network if they advance in the NBA Cup. The Pacers have four games scheduled to be on Peacock. All four are home games -- Dec. 8 against Sacramento, Jan. 12 against Boston, Feb. 2 against Houston and April 7 against Minnesota. The Minnesota game will also be broadcast on NBC. They're also set to be on Amazon Prime four times -- Nov. 21 at Cleveland, Dec. 26 vs. Boston, Jan. 23 at Oklahoma City and March 13 at home against the Knicks. All told, that's nine nationally televised games on the schedule with an opportunity for more. As mentioned above, the Pacers will have their NBA Finals rematches with the Oklahoma City Thunder at home in their season opener on Oct. 23 and on the road on Jan. 23 with both games being nationally televised. They will play the Knicks, the team they defeated in the Eastern Conference Finals, four times this season. The home games will be Dec. 18 and March 13 and the road games will be Feb. 10 and March 17. The Cavaliers and Bucks -- who the Pacers defeated in the Eastern Conference semifinals and the first round respectively -- are Central Division foes, so they meet them four times each season. The play the Cavs at home on Dec. 1 and Jan. 6 and on the road on Nov. 21 and April 5. They meet the Bucks at home on Nov. 3 and Dec. 23 and on the road on Feb. 6 and March 15. That Nov. 3 home game could be emotionally heated as it will bring Myles Turner back to Indianapolis for the first time since he opted to sign with the Bucks in free agency rather than return to Indiana. The Cavs, Knicks and Bucks are all expected to be among the favorites in the Eastern Conference this season with the Cavs and Knicks expected to be picked to finish first and second so each of those games will be important measuring sticks as the Pacers try to get by without Haliburton. The Pacers don't have a foreign trip to point to as the reason their schedule is funky this season as they did last year when they went to Paris to play the Spurs and Victor Wembanyama. They just have a series of longer and funkier road trips than usual for reasons that are not immediately evident. After their season opener on Oct. 23, they play three straight games on the road at Memphis on Oct. 25, Minnesota on Oct. 26 and Dallas on Oct. 29. They play their first Western Conference road swing early in the season when they play at Denver then at Golden State in a back-to-back on Nov. 8 and Nov. 9, then play at Utah on Nov. 11 and Phoenix on Nov. 13. They don't play two games in a row on the road again until January, but then they play five straight on the road from Jan. 17-26. They'll play at Detroit, Philadelphia, Boston, Oklahoma City and Atlanta during that stretch. In February, the Pacers will play six straight road games, though two of them will be on the other side of the All-Star break. They play at Milwaukee Feb. 6, Toronto on Feb. 8, New York on Feb. 10 and Brooklyn on Feb. 11. After the All-Star Break, they play Washington in a back-to-back on Feb. 19 and 20. They then play a second West Coast road trip March 4-10 when they will play the Clippers and Lakers in Los Angeles, the Trailblazers in Portland and the Kings in Sacramento. NBA teams play squads from their opposite conference just twice in the regular season -- once at home, once on the road -- so that means there's only one opportunity each year for Pacers fans to see the superstars in the Western Conference. Milwaukee's GIannis Antetokounmpo, New York's Jalen Brunson, Cleveland's Donovan MItchell and others from the East will see Gainbridge Fieldhouse at least twice this season and maybe more if there are playoff rematches, but seeing the West's stars means more specific calendar circling. As previously mentioned, reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous Alexander will be in the building with the Thunder in the Oct. 23 season opener. Last year's runner-up and two-time MVP Nikola Jokic will be in Indy with the Nuggets on Dec. 3.
