logo
Jacksonville contingent helping FAU Owls, new High Five Power Polls released

Jacksonville contingent helping FAU Owls, new High Five Power Polls released

Yahoo27-03-2025
The Florida Atlantic Owls softball team is having a banner season and a little bit of Jacksonville is helping the Owls soar to new heights.
The softball team out of Boca Raton has been in the top 25 multiple times this season and was most recently ranked 22nd in the country. They are 29-5 and 8-1 in conference play so far this season.
Three players from the Jacksonville area have been key contributors to the Owls' success.
Advertisement
We featured all three on No Gate Fees on Wednesday. Watch the interview with these star softball players from the Jacksonville area below:
Kylie Hammonds out of Creekside High School plays outfield, has started all 34 games and is third on the team in hitting with a .330 average.
Kiley Channell, an infielder, out of Keystone Heights has also started all 34 games and is fifth on the team in hitting with a .318 average.
Ciara Gibson, a utility player, out of Oakleaf High School is third on the team in slugging percentage.
We had all three players on No Gate Fees on Wednesday. Watch the interview with these star softball players from the Jacksonville area below:
Advertisement
We also unveiled new High Five Power Polls:
You can see No Gate Fees weekly on Wednesdays at 2pm, or catch the replays on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 6pm and Mondays at 1pm and 6pm here online or on the Action Sports Jax 24/7 Network.
Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Durbin Park bathroom's vandalized again, local baseball league wants answers
Durbin Park bathroom's vandalized again, local baseball league wants answers

Yahoo

timea day ago

  • Yahoo

Durbin Park bathroom's vandalized again, local baseball league wants answers

One local baseball league is demanding answers after the bathrooms at one of the fields used by the organization were smashed into pieces. What was supposed to be a regular morning baseball practice at Durbin Park turned out to be anything but ordinary. 'We walked into the park on Saturday morning to then find the women's bathroom sinks and everything destroyed,' Shaunn Lobo said, League President of Julington Creek Baseball. 'Shattered the mirrors in the men's bathroom and shattered all of the sinks in the women's bathroom.' Lobo tells Action News Jax he got a call about the bathrooms Saturday morning and immediately went up to the field to take a look for himself. He tells me this isn't the first time something like this has happened to the bathrooms at Durbin Park. >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<< 'On July 4th, the next morning on July 5th, we walked into the park, and we noticed in several bathrooms in the women's and in the men's bathroom here that fireworks were set off,' Lobo said. Lobo filed police reports for both instances. He tells me that they are working with St. Johns County Parks and Recreation to try and get security cameras put in place. Now, he just hopes that whoever is doing this will be held accountable. 'We really just want to come to the bottom of this and hope that it just doesn't keep happening,' Lobo said. Action News Jax has reached out to the county for the incident reports for both of these instances. We are still waiting to hear back. It's unclear when the bathrooms will be back up and running again at Durbin Park, but we saw the county working on it. [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live. Solve the daily Crossword

Jaguars trading O lineman to Saints for D tackle
Jaguars trading O lineman to Saints for D tackle

Yahoo

time2 days ago

  • Yahoo

Jaguars trading O lineman to Saints for D tackle

The Jacksonville Jaguars and New Orleans Saints have agreed to a trade involving Jags offensive lineman Luke Fortner for Saints defensive tackle Khalen Saunders, pending physicals, the teams announced today. Saunders, who was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft, will be joining the Jaguars after a stint with the Saints. Saunders has accumulated impressive career statistics, including 181 tackles, 6.5 sacks, and an interception over 68 regular-season games. Saunders, a two-time Super Bowl champion with the Chiefs, has played a significant role in both regular season and postseason games. During his time with Kansas City, he contributed to their Super Bowl LIV and LVII victories. In his collegiate career at Western Illinois, Saunders demonstrated his defensive prowess with 203 tackles and 17.5 sacks over 46 games. His performance in college set the stage for his professional career in the NFL. >>> STREAM ACTION SPORTS JAX 24/7 LIVE <<< [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] Click here to download the free Action News Jax apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action Sports Jax 24/7 live.

With a revamped roster, new FAU coach aiming for better results for Owls in 2025
With a revamped roster, new FAU coach aiming for better results for Owls in 2025

Miami Herald

time2 days ago

  • Miami Herald

With a revamped roster, new FAU coach aiming for better results for Owls in 2025

You can't blame Owls fans who miss Lane Kiffin. FAU went 11-3 in 2019 under Kiffin, who then bolted for Ole Miss. Since he has been gone (cue the Kelly Clarkson song with a similar refrain), the Owls have fired two coaches — Willie Taggart and Tom Herman — and they haven't won more than five games in a season. Enter Zach Kittley, a 33-year-old Texan who arrives with a reputation as an offensive genius. Still, he's a first-time head coach, and he hired a first-time defensive coordinator, Brett Dewhurst. Plus, the Owls return just four starters — counting the punter — and brought in 55 newcomers. On the positive side is the experience Kittley gained the past three years as Texas Tech's offensive coordinator. The Red Raiders went to three straight bowl games during that span. In fact, they led the Big 12 and finished eighth in the nation last year in scoring (38.6). At FAU, Kittley will continue to call the offensive plays. However, the Owls lost several 2024 offensive starters due to transfers, including quarterback Cam Fancher (UCF), leading receiver Omari Hayes (Tulane), leading rusher C.J. Campbell (Rutgers), tight end Wyatt Sullivan (USF) and guard Jordan Church (Louisville). However, the Owls have added key transfers such as quarterback Caden Veltkamp and wide receiver Easton Messer, both from Western Kentucky. Western Kentucky — which finished 8-6 last season — played in the 2024 Boca Raton Bowl. Veltkamp completed 66.3% of his passes for 3,108 yards, 25 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He finished second in Conference USA in passing yards per game (239), and he was the league's Offensive Player of the Year. 'Caden and I are really close,' Kittley said last month during AAC Media Day in Charlotte, North Carolina. 'He's like a son to me. I think he is getting slept on, and he has a chip on his shoulder. 'I'm expecting a huge year from him. I'm giving him the keys to the Ferrari [FAU's offense].' Messer was second on the Hilltoppers in receptions (55); yards (793); and touchdowns (four). In FAU's spring game, Veltkamp completed TD passes of 59 and 22 yards to Messer, and that combination – coached by offensive guru Kittley – is the most optimistic part of FAU 2025. Another key transfer is 6-foot-4 wide receiver J.R. Wilson, who made 27 catches last year at Virginia. In addition, the Owls return two starters on the offensive line: right guard Alex Atcavage and right tackle Daughtry Richardson. On defense, FAU returns just one full-time starter — nickel corner Wendel Philord. The top incoming transfer could be defensive back Derrick Rogers from Purdue. But free safety CJ Heard, who made third-team All-AAC as a freshman last year, transferred to Vanderbilt, where he is set to start. Strong safety Phillip Dunnam, who led FAU in interceptions with three last year, is now a starter at UCF. In other words, rebuilding this defense will be a major chore for Dewhurst, a former Texas Tech defensive back. Special teams, though, appear to be in good shape. FAU's Logan Lupo finished 16th nationally last year in punting average (44.5) and is considered the best punter in the AAC. The kicker is Garrison Smith, who made 13 of 16 on field-goals attempts and was 24 for 24 on extra points at Akron last year. As for recruiting, Kittley said FAU's base will continue to be South Florida, but he also mentioned Georgia for overall talent and the Midwest to pick off some linemen.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store