Kansas State baseball coach Pete Hughes with Lincoln Sheffield, Keegan O'Connor postgame
WATCH: Bethune-Cookman's Jonathan Hernandez, Irvin Escobar, Joel Core after loss to FSU in regional
Bethune-Cookman baseball falls to FSU, 6-2, to open the Tallahassee Regional on Friday. Here's a postgame from head coach Jonathan Hernandez.
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Hypebeast
8 hours ago
- Hypebeast
The Next Chapter of Nike Golf Starts with Luke Clanton
Back in late January, there were signs thatNike Golfwas preparing to stage a comeback. AfterTiger Woods' long-term contract ran its course, questions began swirling about the Swoosh's staying power in the sport. But whenthe brand made a surprise splash at the PGA Show—unveiling an expansive and clearly expensive booth filled with apparel, shoes and larger-than-life banners—the golf world took notice. Sure,Nikeretained names likeScottie Scheffler,Tony FinauandNelly Korda. But who would carry the next generation? Who could bring both on-course results and, potentially one day, off-course presence? That's where Luke Clanton enters the picture. The 21-year-old Florida State standout has been a fixture on college leaderboards for the past few seasons, leading FSU through deep postseason runs and earning All-American honors in the process. With a compact, powerful swing and an undeniable maturity about him, Clanton has the skills to execute and the confidence to mix it up with the world's best players. Last summer he went on an unprecedented run where he finished inside the top 10 at consecutive TOUR events, the first time an amateur had done that since 1958. Now he's ready to turn pro as Nike Golf's newest signing (with an announcement video to boot). And while he may not be a household name yet, the partnership already feels meaningful. 'Like a dream come true,' he said of putting on the Swoosh for the first time at late February's Cognizant Classic. Weeks before making hisPGA TOURdebut at the RBC Canadian Open, Clanton sat down with Hypegolf to talk about the moment and what it means to step into the next chapter. How has it been over the last year or two balancing your journey through pro tournaments, college golf and academics? Yeah, I mean, I'll be honest I was kind of just going with it as it came. It was definitely new to me. Originally, we thought I'd have one PGA TOUR start after winning the Valspar Collegiate to get into Valspar the next year. Then, suddenly, I had 12 starts before that. So it kind of happened in a blur. Thankfully, the academic staff, coaching staff and everyone at FSU were a massive help. I was a bit lost in it all, but I had a great team behind me. Whether it was being away for a week and a half or jumping straight into a college event, the coaches made sure I was right—physically and mentally. At the beginning, I wasn't even thinking about a TOUR card. I just thought it would be cool to play in some PGA TOUR events. Then my agent came to me—I think I had four points at the time—and said we had a platform to actually get the card. I kind of laughed like, 'Well, we need 20.' And he goes, 'Yeah, we can do that.' So we started checking off boxes. By the fall, around RSM [Classic], I had my first real moment where I was like, 'Damn, I can actually contend in these events.' Getting the card at Cognizant, especially being so close to where I grew up, was just an unbelievable journey. So while the card wasn't part of the initial plan, did you always see professional golf in your future—even if the path was uncertain? In the beginning of my sophomore spring, I had only one college win and I was top 20 in the world, which was great—but my goal was just to play the best golf I could. Then I won three college events in a row that spring, and that boosted my confidence. I felt like my game was getting where I wanted it. But after losing Nationals [NCAA Division I Men's Golf Championship] the way we did, I was crushed. The next week, I hadU.S. Openqualifying. I remember my mom driving me there, and I was still so down about Nationals. She looked at me and said, 'You gotta focus up. You've got three big things coming.' I ended up qualifying, and my first thought was, 'Holy crap, I'm in a major.' Then I shot 6-over in the first round. I thought I was done. Came back with a 1-under, made the cut, then shot another 1-under. Suddenly, I had a chance to win low amateur. I missed a five-footer on 18 to tie for it, so I was back to being disappointed. But the emotional rollercoaster of that week taught me a lot about expectations. Same thing at John Deere [Classic] and Rocket Mortgage [Classic]. I was contending, then frustrated not to win. But six months earlier, I'd have been thrilled just to play. Each week taught me more, and by my last start at Valspar, I felt like, 'I can win this.' I'm just trying to keep expectations in check while building confidence. After those big tournament moments, did you feel a shift in how you were seen by your college teammates when you returned to campus? Not one bit, and that was the coolest thing. When I came back after the summer, the first day of class, all the guys were there, and nothing had changed. We have a rule: no matter if you're a freshman or a senior, we treat everyone the same. That team chemistry has been so important for me. It keeps me grounded. They were obviously curious and asked how things went, but we were all still competing, all still trying to reach the same goal. You're with Nike now, but in the past you had the Good Good logo on your gear. You seem pretty tuned in to the creator community in golf. How much do you follow that space, and has it influenced you whether in mindset or social media? Funny enough, when I was 16, I DMedGarrett [Clarke]fromGood Good—back when he was still GM Golf and had maybe 100k followers—just saying, 'Hey, want to play 18 holes?' He replied, said he was in Miami, and we played. A couple months later, the whole Good Good crew came out to my home course, and I got to know them really well. I stayed in touch with Garrett and started learning about what they were doing creatively with YouTube. I think what they've done to grow the game is really impressive. A lot of people who don't watch the PGA TOUR are still watching golf on YouTube because of them. They've become a big business, doing charity events and more. Garrett helped me understand social media, helped boost my profile, and I'm really thankful for that. Playing in front of a camera is hard. It's a whole different thing. So having that experience early was super valuable. And tell me about the Nike partnership. How did that come about, and how does it feel to get to wear the Swoosh? I mean, yeah—just having the honor to wear the Swoosh has kind of been my dream growing up. You think about all the top players, all the top athletes in the world and they wear Nike. So when the opportunity came, it was incredible. I told my agent immediately, 'I'm in.' The first time I ever wore it was at the Cognizant Classic, and I remember putting it on that Thursday morning and thinking, man, this is a dream come true. Like, not only do I have a chance to earn my card, but I also get to wear Nike. I remember talking to my caddie that morning and just saying how thankful I was for everything that's happened in my life to even get to that point. It's really incredible to be a part of it. Have you gotten as far as thinking about what you're going to wear at certain moments? Is that something you're looking to take part in? A little bit, yeah. I'm definitely excited to see what Nike has coming in the future. I've actually never been a big fashion guy, which is funny to say now. But once I got signed and they started sending me some gear, I was like, damn, this is really cool. Now I'm learning every step of the way. Growing up, we didn't have much of that kind of stuff, so even just getting a nice pair of shoes or anything from the Nike store is incredible. I'm just excited to keep seeing what's next with them. And then building up to your first pro start in early June—just broadly, how are you feeling about it? What are you most looking forward to? I haven't thought about it too much, honestly, just because of everything going on with the college season. We've still got Regionals and Nationals coming up. It does creep into your mind sometimes, like when you're watching the PGA TOUR on TV and you see those guys out there. You want to be out there too. But right now, my one goal in college is to win a national championship with this team. We've been so damn close twice now. I'm super pumped for that first start at RBC, I really am, but it's hard not to stay locked in on Nationals. Once that last putt drops and hopefully we're holding that trophy, that's when I'll really start thinking about the next chapter. Until then, it's all about enjoying every moment I've got left here. Because I've got less than a month left on campus, and we're trying to soak it all in.
Epoch Times
14 hours ago
- Epoch Times
Man Convicted Over Koran-Burning in London Says Ruling Is Assault on Free Speech
A man who burned a Koran outside the Turkish consulate in London has branded his prosecution 'an assault on free speech' as campaigners argued the ruling 'signals a concerning capitulation to Islamic blasphemy codes.' Hamit Coskun was found guilty on Monday of a religiously aggravated public order offence, having shouted '[Expletive] Islam,' 'Islam is religion of terrorism,' and 'Koran is burning' while holding the flaming religious text aloft earlier this year. The 50-year-old had argued his criticism was of Islam in general rather than its followers, but District Judge John McGarva said he could not accept this, finding that Coskun's actions were 'highly provocative' and that he was 'motivated at least in part by a hatred of Muslims.' Coskun was convicted at Westminster Magistrates' Court of a religiously aggravated public order offence of using disorderly behaviour 'within the hearing or sight of a person likely to be caused harassment, alarm or distress,' motivated by 'hostility towards members of a religious group, namely followers of Islam,' contrary to the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 and section five of the Public Order Act 1986. Turkey-born Coskun, who is half-Kurdish and half-Armenian, travelled from his home in the Midlands to carry out the act in Rutland Gardens, Knightsbridge, on Feb. 13 and in court argued he had protested peacefully and burning the Koran amounted to freedom of expression. His legal fees are being paid by the National Secular Society (NSS) and the Free Speech Union (FSU), both of which criticised the ruling and said they intend to appeal 'and keep on appealing it until it's overturned.' Related Stories 6/2/2025 5/29/2025 In a statement issued through the FSU, Coskun said: 'This decision is an assault on free speech and will deter others from exercising their democratic rights to peaceful protest and freedom of expression. 'As an activist, I will continue to campaign against the threat of Islam. 'Christian blasphemy laws were repealed in this country more than 15 years ago and it cannot be right to prosecute someone for blaspheming against Islam. Would I have been prosecuted if I'd set fire to a copy of the bible outside Westminster Abbey? I doubt it.' Conservative shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick, posting on social media platform X, said the decision was 'wrong' and 'revives a blasphemy law that parliament repealed.' McGarva, who issued a fine of £240, rejected the idea that the prosecution was 'an attempt to bring back and expand blasphemy law.' In his ruling, he said burning a religious book and making criticism of Islam or the Koran are 'not necessarily disorderly,' but added, 'What made his conduct disorderly was the timing and location of the conduct and that all this was accompanied by abusive language.' The judge said Coskun, who is an atheist, has a 'deep-seated hatred of Islam and its followers,' based on his experiences in Turkey and the experiences of his family and that it was 'not possible to separate his views about the religion from his views about its followers.' The judge said: 'A criminal conviction is a proportionate response to the defendant's conduct. 'I am sure that the defendant acted in a disorderly way by burning the Koran very obviously in front of the Turkish consulate where there were people who were likely to be caused harassment, alarm or distress and accompanying his provocative act with bad language. 'I am sure that he was motivated at least in part by a hatred of Muslims. I therefore find the defendant guilty.' Hamit Coskun leaving Westminster Magistrates' Court after being convicted and fined, in London on June 2, 2025. Aaron Chown/PA NSS Chief Executive Stephen Evans described the verdict as 'a significant blow to freedom of expression' and one which 'signals a concerning capitulation to Islamic blasphemy codes.' Evans said the conviction 'suggests a troubling repurposing of public order laws as a proxy for blasphemy laws.' He added: 'This jeopardises freedom of expression by establishing a 'heckler's veto' that incentivises violent responses to suppress views deemed offensive. 'Such an erosion of free speech is detrimental to community relations. Social cohesion is best achieved not by restricting rights but by fostering their free exercise.' An FSU spokesperson said they will take the case 'all the way to the European Court of Human Rights' if necessary. They added: 'Religious tolerance is an important British value, but it doesn't require non-believers to respect the blasphemy codes of believers. On the contrary, it requires people of faith to tolerate those who criticise and protest against their religion, just as their values and beliefs are tolerated.' Humanists UK said that while the 'defendant's views, revealed in the course of the trial, are bigoted, and all decent people would be repelled by them,' he had not expressed 'anything publicly that was prejudicial against Muslims' meaning in their view the ruling 'does raise concerns.' The organisation said the 'bar to successful prosecutions in cases like this is drawn too low' and warned public order legislation must not be 'used to disproportionately target speech – even offensive speech – on religious matters, thereby chilling legitimate criticism and expression.' In footage captured on a mobile phone by a passerby that was shown to the court, a man approached and asked Coskun why he was burning a copy of the Koran. Coskun can be heard making a reference to 'terrorist' and the man called the defendant 'a [expletive] idiot.' The court heard that the man approached Coskun allegedly holding a knife or bladed article and appeared to slash out at him, chase him, and spit at and kick him. The man said: 'Burning the Koran? It's my religion, you don't burn the Koran.' Coskun had posted on social media that he was protesting against the 'Islamist government' of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan who the defendant allegedly said 'has made Turkey a base for radical Islamists and is trying to establish a Sharia regime,' prosecutors said.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
USC's super regional dreams dashed in season-ending loss to Oregon State
USC's Jack Basseer, right, is tagged out by Oregon State catcher Wilson Weber after striking out during the Trojans' 9-0 loss in the NCAA Corvallis Regional final on Monday. (Shotgun Spratling / For The Times) There's levels to a proper program build. Baby steps have to sometimes be taken, even if everyone involved would like to jump past several of those. Lessons have to be learned. Experiences, both positive and negative, have to be endured. USC suffered through one of those difficult experiences, getting manhandled by national championship contender Oregon State for the second day in a row in the Corvallis Regional final. The Beavers completely shut down USC's offensive attack in the winner-take-all regional final, eliminating the Trojans from the NCAA tournament with a 9-0 victory. Advertisement Read more: Ethan Hedges homers twice to lift USC baseball past Saint Mary's in NCAA tournament Oregon State freshman James DeCremer, making just his second start of the season, held USC (37-23) to just two hits in five scoreless innings. Then sophomore Eric Segura, who was pulled in the first inning of his start Friday after getting knocked around by Saint Mary's, fired three scoreless frames. Sophomore Laif Palmer closed out the final inning, inducing the fifth double play of the day and getting a strikeout after the Trojans managed only their third hit. All three Oregon State pitchers fired mid-90s fastballs, something rare among USC pitchers. The Beavers did it with young arms and a fearsome heart of its lineup as three of its four big boppers — Aiva Arquette, Gavin Turley and Trent Caraway — all hit home runs. Turley got the Beavers on the board in the first inning, chopping a single through the right side to score Easton Talt after he led off with a double off the right-center field wall. As Turley waited on deck for his second at-bat, Arquette expanded Oregon State's lead to 3-0, launching a 414-foot homer into the left-center field bleachers for his 18th home run but first in front of the Goss Stadium fans. Turley then hit a solo home run that traveled 418 feet and left his bat at 110 mph. USC shortstop Bryce Martin-Grudzielanek holds on to the ball to force out a runner at second base on Monday. (Shotgun Spratling / For The Times) The Beavers added tallies in each of the next two innings, with Caraway launching a parabolic shot to left field in the fifth inning. It was his fifth home run in as many Corvallis Regional games, and it helped him earn Most Outstanding Player honors for the regional. Advertisement Jacob Krieg put the finishing touches on the beatdown with a three-run homer in the eighth inning. With the win, Oregon State (44-13-1) advances to the super-regional round. It will host Florida State in a three-game series starting Friday after the Seminoles won the Tallahassee Regional. Sign up for more USC news with Times of Troy. In your inbox every Monday morning. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
