USC Aiken announces hire of new women's basketball head coach
"We are excited to welcome Brittany Batts to USCA as the next head coach of women's basketball," Wilkinson said in a press release. "Coach Batts brings a dynamic blend of leadership, experience, and a relentless commitment to excellence. Her passion for developing student-athletes and her competitive spirit are exactly what this program needs to be a force in the PBC and the Southeast Region. We believe she will build a culture of toughness, unity, and pride that our university and community will rally behind."
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"I am honored and excited to be the head women's basketball coach at USC Aiken. I am grateful to Director of Athletics Todd Wilkinson and Chancellor Heimmermann for believing in my vision and providing me with the responsibility to lead the Pacer women's basketball program," Batts stated. "It is something I will cherish and put my best effort forward with every day.
"I look forward to joining the USCA community and developing relationships with everyone involved in the women's basketball program. We will be relentless in our pursuit to put a product in the classroom, in the community and on the court that our alumni and fans will be proud of. Go Pacers!"
Batts, the 2023-24 WBCA Division II Assistant Coach of the Year at Gannon, comes to USCA with impressive credentials. While working in the PSAC at Gannon and Shepherd, she coached 11 all-league performers. Additionally, she coached the 2023-24 National Player of the Year, Sam Pirosko.
While with the Golden Knights, the program sported a record of 116-22. During the last four seasons, Batts led the program to a pair of Elite Eight appearances (2024-25) and four NCAA Tournaments. During the four years, the program captured two PSAC Tournament Championships (2022, 2024) and two regular-season PSAC-West Championships (2023-24).
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The 2024-25 campaign saw Gannon become the lone program to reach the Elite Eight in back-to-back seasons. The Golden Knights finished No. 11 nationally with a 28-7 record while Batts worked with the post players after primarily coaching the guards during her first three seasons.
In the 2023-24 season, Batts helped guide the team to an impressive 35-3 record, winning both the PSAC and Atlantic Regional Championships, and advancing to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight as the No. 1 seed. Gannon was ranked as high as No. 2 in the WBCA Division II Top 25.
As an assistant coach, Batts focused on the development of the team's guards, contributing to their success both on and off the court. She also played a key role in supporting student-athletes' academic progress and community engagement.
Batts attended the 2025 Next Generation Institute for aspiring head coaches. The program focuses on the CEO attributes needed to lead a program and be a problem solver in the ever-changing landscape of higher education and the enterprise of intercollegiate athletics.
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Batts began her coaching career after completing her playing career in 2015 and has experience at the Division I, Division II and Division III levels.
She spent time as an assistant coach at Division I Chicago State for the 2020-21 campaign. There, Batts assisted with the development of perimeter players. In addition to her recruiting efforts, she assembled scouting reports and enhanced team and player performance through film breakdown.
Prior to that, she was a member of the Shepherd coaching staff from 2018-20. Batts helped Shepherd rebound from an 11-18 record in 2018-19 in the Mountain east to post a 21-9 mark in 2019-20 in its first season of competition in the PSAC.
While finishing with a 14-8 record in the PSAC East in 2019-20, three Rams earned all-PSAC East honors while Abby Beeman was also named PSAC East Freshman of the Year.
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Batts joined the Shepherd program after serving as an assistant coach at Bridgewater College (Va.). She helped lead the Eagles to a 13-13 mark while one student-athlete garnered all-ODAC second team honors for the Eagles.
Before coaching at Bridgewater, Batts served as a graduate assistant at Castleton University (Vt.) from 2015-17. The Spartans posted a 38-21 mark over two seasons.
She was a four-year student-athlete and three-year starter for the Golden Knights from 2011-15, appearing in 125 career games with 92 starts. Batts averaged 9.2 points over her career and finished with 1,152 points, currently good for 20th in career scoring.
Known for her 3-point shooting, she holds the top two season figures for 3-pointers made with 102 in 2012-13 and 93 in 2013-14. She ranks second in career 3-pointers made (286) and attempts (688) and is fifth in 3-point field goal percentage (.416).
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Batts helped lead the Golden Knights to a 102-24 record and four NCAA postseason appearances, including winning the Atlantic Regional in 2013 to earn a berth in the Elite Eight. The 2012-13 Gannon squad finished with a 31-5 record. She was a three-time PSAC scholar-athlete, a second team all-PSAC West Division choice in 2013, and a first-team CoSIDA academic all-district selection at Gannon.
A native of Loudoun County, Va., Batts is Loudoun County High School's all-time leading scorer with 2,039 points. A three-time All-Region and two-time All-State selection for the Raiders, Batts guided the program to a state championship in 2009. In 2022, she was inducted into the Loudon County H.S. Hall of Fame.
Batts graduated from Gannon University with a degree in Sports Management with a minor in Advertising Communication. She earned her Masters in Athletic Leadership from Castleton University in 2017.
USCA will host an introductory press conference for Batts in the Convocation Center Lobby on at 11:30 a.m. on April 17. Fans are welcome to attend.
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Record: 74-44 Last Power Ranking: 1 Free agent stock watch: SP Brandon Woodruff Woodruff will enter the offseason with a $20 million mutual option that he's almost certain to reject in favor of entering free agency without any injuries dampening his prospects. Since re-joining the Brewers' rotation on July 6, Woodruff has been nothing but nails through six starts, having limited opponents to a 2.29 ERA over 35 1/3 innings pitched. In starts against the Mets and Mariners, both of which figure to be playing in October, Woodruff pitched 13 combined innings of two-run ball, with 13 strikeouts against just two walks. 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The mysterious drop in walk rate last season has come halfway back to his career average. And it probably doesn't hurt Bregman's market that Boston traded a player at his position with eight additional years of team control in June. Seems like the Sox might be interested in a longer-term fit with Bregman. — Britton Advertisement Record: 67-52 Last Power Ranking: 8 Free agent stock watch: SP Michael King King logged just two innings in his return to the mound on Saturday after a three-month absence caused by a shoulder injury. The Padres will need more from him down the stretch as the team tries to run down the Dodgers. And King needs to showcase his ability to impress the clubs considering him this winter. Before he landed on the injured list, he looked like he might receive a nine-figure payday. That threshold is still within reach — if he can recapture his form in the season's final two months, not to mention October. — McCullough Record: 67-52 Last Power Ranking: 9 Free agent stock watch: SP Framber Valdez Unlike Dylan Cease, Zac Gallen and Michael King, Valdez has put together an excellent platform season, setting himself up to land the biggest free-agent contract this winter. He has a 2.97 ERA and his 2.96 FIP is his best in a full season. He has been basically the same guy for half a decade: His sinker generates a lot of grounders, he doesn't give up many home runs and he strikes out about a batter per inning. He does give up a good deal of hard contact, but since most of it is on the ground, you can live with that. He'll get paid this winter. — McCullough Record: 63-55 Last Power Ranking: 7 Free agent stock watch: 1B Pete Alonso Alonso's next home run will set the Mets' franchise record, which right now, as the team flails in the NL East, might feel like celebrating Shea Stadium after a crushing season-ending loss did. Like many of his teammates, Alonso looked a lot better a couple months ago. The National League's player of the month in April, Alonso endured one of the worst months of his career in July. His OPS since the end of April is .768 — more in line with the player he was in 2023 and 2024 than what he looked like he might be to begin this year. His Baseball Savant page is still full of red, and you can't just eliminate a month as good as Alonso's first this season. He will still assuredly opt out of the one year and $24 million on his deal for next year. But he might be looking again at shorter-term deals than the long-term payout he'd hoped for last winter. — Britton Record: 63-56 Last Power Ranking: T-10 Free agent stock watch: RP Devin Williams Well, we can probably eliminate the Yankees from the list of teams potentially interested in Williams this winter. It's been a brutal campaign for the closer in the Bronx, as he's surrendered more earned runs this season than in his final three with the Brewers. A low-leverage scoreless inning Sunday finally halted a string of five straight games allowing a run. The closer market looks pretty robust this winter: In addition to Williams, Edwin Díaz and Robert Suárez will likely opt out, and Aroldis Chapman and Ryan Helsley will be available as well. — Britton Record: 62-56 Last Power Ranking: 17 Free agent stock watch: RF Lane Thomas When the Guardians parted with three prospects to acquire Thomas at the 2024 deadline, they almost certainly envisioned obtaining a power-hitting corner outfielder with enough speed to push for a 20/20 season. Unfortunately, Thomas has been anything but that in Cleveland. This season, he's been impacted by two cases of right foot plantar fasciitis, as well as a separate right wrist bruise that's limited him to just 39 games. When healthy, he still has speed and has the arm strength to hose down a runner, but the power, at least at a consistent level, is unlikely to resurface. At least Cleveland fans will always have his postseason grand slam to replay. — Flores Record: 62-58 Last Power Ranking: 14 Free agent stock watch: RP Emilio Pagán A season after posting an injury-plagued 4.50 ERA, Pagán is back to looking like the reliever he once was in Minnesota and Tampa Bay. Both his 2.92 ERA and 25 saves are career bests, and he's finished a league-leading 43 games. At 34 years old, he's still able to generate whiffs and strikeouts at more than average rates, which should bode well for his free agency case. He's ditched his curveball and has leaned more on his fastball and splitter, the latter of which has a 42.5 percent whiff rate. — Flores Record: 61-59 Last Power Ranking: 13 Free agent stock watch: SP Merrill Kelly A couple months away from his 37th birthday, Kelly is defying the aging curve and the pessimism of his underlying metrics to put together another quality season. His fastball sits at a pedestrian 92 mph. He throws more changeups than heaters. He tends to give up loud contact. But he knows how to make hitters chase outside the zone, and if you're in the business of run prevention, he's a useful addition to any rotation. He should merit a short-term deal similar to the ones found by Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander this past winter. — McCullough Advertisement Record: 59-60 Last Power Ranking: T-15 Free agent stock watch: SP Justin Verlander The best stretch of Verlander's season, a three-start stint in which he gave up one earned run in 15 innings, ended with a thud on Sunday when the Nationals roughed him up for five runs on 11 hits in five innings. He is 1-9 with a 4.53 ERA. At 42, he has performed below replacement level in each of the past two seasons, according to Baseball-Reference. After winning the American League Cy Young award in 2022 and putting together another good season in 2023, Verlander had an outside chance at reaching 300 wins. But he's collected just six victories in the past two years, and might not tally more than his current total of 263. — McCullough Record: 58-62 Last Power Ranking: T-15 Free agent stock watch: 2B Brandon Lowe Tampa Bay has no guaranteed free agents, so let's consider Lowe and the $11 million decision the Rays have this winter on his final club option. Lowe figured to benefit as much as anyone from playing home games at Steinbrenner Field rather than the Trop; instead, his home OPS is the second-worst of his career, just two points ahead of last year's low. Nevertheless, his overall production is in line with career norms, and he's on pace to play his most games since 2021. 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All in all, a frustrating campaign for the former All-Star. — McCullough Record: 59-60 Last Power Ranking: T-19 Free agent stock watch: OF Mike Yastrzemski Having made his debut at 28, Yastrzemski will finally hit free agency at 35 years old and will have one of the more interesting cases this winter. In seven seasons in the majors, Yastrzemski has put up, at minimum, 2.0 bWAR each season, and has only ever had an OPS+ under 100 once. He's relatively durable, can play some serviceable defense and can help push jerseys on the novelty of seeing the last name Yastrzemski on anything other than Red Sox red. Any team that signs him will almost certainly be better for it, the question is just how long and for how much. — Flores Record: 56-62 Last Power Ranking: 27 Free agent stock watch: C Christian Vázquez After a massive trade deadline sell-off, the Twins will enter the offseason with only one true free agent in Vázquez. 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That should be more than enough for a team looking for a stopgap solution or a player to plug in on off-days. — Flores Record: 57-62 Last Power Ranking: 22 Free agent stock watch: RP Kenley Jansen Heading into Monday's games, Jansen needed only 11 saves to pass Lee Smith (478) to claim third place on the all-time list. He may never catch Mariano Rivera (652) or Trevor Hoffman (601), but becoming the third member of the 500-save club is within reach, if he can find a team willing to use him as a full-time closer. He mitigated a reduction in strikeouts this year by sharpening his command to stay effective. — McCullough Record: 53-68 Last Power Ranking: 26 Free agent stock watch: RP Sean Newcomb The Athletics aren't exactly overflowing with candidates for this category. José Leclerc, their $10 million offseason addition, has been a bust, with shoulder surgery rendering his big-league future in doubt. Most of the other A's are under contract for a while. Newcomb, a lefty reliever acquired in May after being DFA'd by Boston, posted a 2.12 ERA in his first 23 appearances with the Athletics. Some other club might give him a big-league deal this offseason. — McCullough Record: 53-65 Last Power Ranking: 24 Free agent stock watch: SP Zach Eflin Baltimore's once-burgeoning class of walk-year players is down to just Eflin and Tomoyuki Sugano. It's been a fitful year for Eflin, who has missed time twice with injuries and hasn't put together a consistent stretch of his usual performance. His ERA for the season (currently 5.93) was wrecked by a three-start run in late June in which he permitted 17 earned runs in nine innings. A strong finish that resembles his longer track record would help teams to categorize that as an anomaly and to consider Eflin an appealing option again this winter. — Britton Record: 43-76 Last Power Ranking: T-28 Free agent stock watch: OF Luis Robert Jr. After failing to find a trade partner at the deadline, the White Sox will enter the offseason with a rather interesting choice when it comes to their former top prospect. The team could pick up his $20 million club option, $5 million more than he's making this season, or let him walk entering his age-28 season. Advertisement The oft-injured center fielder had a strong showing in July (.990 OPS in 15 games) and has been solid in eight games so far in August (.792 OPS), making the decision all the more complicated. It's unlikely Robert will ever hit the highs of his 2023 campaign, and in either picking up the option or signing him as a free agent, Chicago or any other team would be betting on his youth and second-half sprint. — Flores Record: 47-71 Last Power Ranking: T-28 Free agent stock watch: 1B Josh Bell Kyle Schwarber aside, life's hard in free agency for a hitter with limited to no defensive value. The bar for offense is so high, and Bell was well underneath it with his dreadful April. But the switch-hitter has been quietly solid ever since: an .826 OPS with very strong strikeout and walk rates. It probably means another one-year deal, but it's not hard to envision a team talking itself into a small investment for Bell over a bigger one for some other bats. — Britton Record: 30-88 Last Power Ranking: 30 Free agent stock watch: SP Germán Márquez For years, Márquez was one of those pitchers of whom rival scouts said some version of 'I'd love to see how he'd pitch if he wasn't in Colorado.' But that was several years and one Tommy John surgery ago. Marquez made 20 starts this season before landing on the injured list with biceps tendinitis. Among the 107 pitchers who have logged at least 90 innings this season, his 5.67 ERA ranked No. 101. That was better than his teammate, Antonio Senzatela, who was No. 107 — another pitcher of whom scouts once wondered about leaving the confines of Coors Field. So it goes. — McCullough (Top photo of Seattle's Cal Raleigh: Alika Jenner / Getty Images) Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle
USA Today
19 hours ago
- USA Today
Lakers have hired a new strength and conditioning coach
Just after the Los Angeles Lakers were knocked out of the 2025 NBA Playoffs by the Minnesota Timberwolves in May, coach JJ Redick said publicly that everyone on the roster needed to get into "championship shape" for the following season. The comment was widely seen as directed at Luka Doncic, and Doncic has done his part by getting into fantastic shape and reportedly losing 30 pounds since last summer. Now, the Lakers have reportedly hired a new strength and conditioning coach, and that hire is someone who has some history with Doncic. His name is Jeremy Holsopple, and he used to be the Dallas Mavericks' athletic performance director. Holsopple apparently got along well with Doncic, and he was named the NBA's Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year in 2021. However, he was fired by the Mavericks shortly after they lost to the Boston Celtics in the 2024 NBA Finals. This appears to be another example of the Lakers organization looking to cater to Doncic and help him be as happy, healthy and fit as possible. A happy, healthy and fit Doncic is the version of Doncic who would be most capable of leading the team to at least one NBA championship in the coming years.
