Four LSU gymnasts earn All-SEC honors
The SEC named four LSU gymnasts to its all conference team, announced Wednesday. Haleigh Bryant, Kailin Chio, Aleah Finnegan and Konnor McClain combined to win eight awards.
The All-SEC team is made up of student-athletes with the top eight scores on each event and in the all-around competition through the regular season based on National Qualifying Score (NQS).
The 2025 recognition is the fifth of Bryant's career. She won the all-around SEC championship for the second-straight year and shared the beam title with Finnegan. The Cornelius, NC native will look to defend her national all-around title in a few weeks after earning SEC honors in all five categories.
The second All-SEC team nod for Finnegan follows a breakout season in which she claimed the first individual title of her career. She shared the SEC beam title with Bryant at the SEC meet in addition to earning all-conference recognition on vault and the all-around.
McClain qualified for the All-SEC list for the second-straight season. Her NQS of 9.925 on bars puts her among the best in the conference. Chio, who also earned SEC Freshman of the Year, competed in the all-around during every meet this season. She recorded highs of 10 on vault, 9.950s on bars and beam, 9.975 on floor and 39.800 in the all-around.

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Chicago Tribune
38 minutes ago
- Chicago Tribune
Jed Hoyer ‘the right guy' to guide Chicago Cubs future, Tom Ricketts says — with or without Kyle Tucker
In the 16 years since his family took ownership of the Chicago Cubs, Chairman Tom Ricketts has regularly walked around Wrigley Field interacting with fans during games. It's a way to connect with a fan base that lately has been making its feelings known about wanting the organization to re-sign impending free-agent slugger Kyle Tucker. 'l admit it's been a theme of the summer for the fans here,' a smiling Ricketts told the Tribune on Friday. 'But we'll just pick up that at the end of the season. Kyle's had a solid season and we've had a great year thus far. We've got some more guys coming in (from the trade deadline) to help us for the rest of the year, and I'm just really excited about the next two months.' Friday's festivities at Wrigley Field were a mix of somber and celebratory. The Cubs were officially awarded the 2027 All-Star Game before their 1-0 win over the Baltimore Orioles, and throughout the game they honored franchise icon and Hall of Fame second baseman Ryne Sandberg, who died Monday. Among the many ways the Cubs recognized Sandberg throughout the day: A pregame tribute video of his stellar career played on the video board, followed by 23 seconds of silence in honor of Sandberg's retired number, while '23' was painted on the field behind home plate. The Cubs will wear their royal blue road jerseys — all with No. 23 and no name on the back — as another tribute to Sandberg during Saturday's game. MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred formally announced the All-Star Game will come to Wrigley for the fourth time. Of course, that might require the 2027 season not being affected by a work stoppage after the collective bargaining agreement with the players union expires at the end of the 2026 season. Manfred has been meeting with every team this year in an effort to build a bridge between the sides. But it hasn't been a completely smooth process. Two-time MVP Bryce Harper recently confronted Manfred during the Philadelphia Phillies players meeting with the commissioner, reportedly telling Manfred, 'You can get the f––– out of our clubhouse,' if owners want to discuss a salary cap. 'Look, I don't talk about those player meetings,' Manfred said Friday in Wrigley's home dugout. 'Let me say this: I think more has been made out of this than needs to be made out of it. Bryce expressed his views. At the end of the meeting we shook hands and went our separate ways. Just not all that significant. 'It was an individual picking a particular way to express himself, and I don't think you need to make more out of that than that.' As much as Manfred seemingly has downplayed the possibility of a work stoppage in 2027, baseball fans' concern, and perhaps even resignation, over that looming possibility is undeniable. 'It is natural that when you get to the end of a collective bargaining agreement, people who are glass-half-filled people have trepidation about what's going to happen,' Manfred said. 'I'm optimistic that we'll find a way to make a deal.' Friday's events capped a busy week for the Cubs that started with a pivotal series in Milwaukee, before which the team announced a multiyear extension for president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer, who was in the final year of his contract. 'I'm thankful to be here for a long time,' Hoyer said Thursday. 'Obviously I'm really happy to give stability to the staff. You guys always ask me those questions, but I'm not the only person that was wondering about that. So obviously I'm thrilled it got done. I couldn't imagine a better place to work.' Hoyer and Ricketts had been discussing an extension three to four weeks before it became official Monday. 'Jed's done a really nice job over the last few years in increasing our overall organizational health,' Ricketts told the Tribune on Friday. 'It's not just the wins on the field. It's the quality of our minor-leaguers. It's the quality of our draft the last handful of years. He and his team are committed to getting better every day, and I just feel confident he's the right guy to take us forward.' Hoyer's extension came three days before Thursday's trade deadline. While his new deal erased any uncertainty about his future beyond the season, it also created a perception that without the unknown hanging over him, Hoyer would be able to make trades and not worry about their impact on his job security. Asked whether that was a consideration in the timing of Hoyer's extension, Ricketts said: 'I'm not sure it mattered that much, to be honest. It just seemed like if we know what we're going to do, let's just get it over with.' From Hoyer's perspective, his decision-making at the deadline wouldn't have played out differently had he still been working on his expiring deal. 'This isn't about me, it's not about my contract and not about those guys,' Hoyer said. 'It's about what we feel like is the right thing to do. For the organization, the goal is to be good every year. That's the goal. The goal is not to have massive up and down cycles. 'That's been the focus is to try to build something that's sustainable, that we can do this year after year. And we can certainly do that. So my contract status didn't change that. That's the goal.'


New York Times
39 minutes ago
- New York Times
With the trade deadline over, Tigers prepare to reshape their pitching staff
DETROIT — Tigers manager A.J. Hinch followed the trade deadline, tracked the chaos, stayed glued to every update around the league. 'Across the game, that was crazy,' Hinch told reporters Friday in Philadelphia. 'Just every minute it felt like another trade was happening and guys were changing teams. There was a ton of activity, ourselves included.' Advertisement Say what you will about the Tigers' trade deadline. They were anything but inactive. Most of their moves were around the margins. They didn't chase a powerful new bat, and their reluctance to trade prospects seemingly got them nowhere in talks for big-ticket relief pitchers. One day later, the immediate optics were not good. The Tigers' bullpen blew a lead. Phillies deadline acquisition Jhoan Duran shut down the Tigers in the ninth. But there are 51 games left to determine how all this will work out. The Tigers added a flurry of new arms Wednesday and Thursday, and now they prepare for the final two months of the season with a reshaped pitching staff. Are better results to come? Kyle Finnegan was arguably the best of Detroit's deadline acquisitions. He is certainly the most consistent and most proven. Previously the closer for the Washington Nationals, Finnegan had a 3.68 ERA, 38 saves and made the All-Star Game last year. This season, Finnegan comes to Detroit after posting a 4.38 ERA and 20 saves in Washington. ERA can sometimes be an ineffective way to measure relief pitchers. A couple of bad innings can skew the number too wildly. Finnegan surrendered one or more earned runs in only nine of his 40 appearances with the Nationals. His profile, though, doesn't exactly bolster the Tigers' mission to get more swing-and-miss from their back-end relievers. Finnegan ranks in only the 24th percentile in whiff rate and comes to Detroit averaging 7.4 K/9. The lack of ability to miss bats again hurt the Tigers on Friday, when an infield single off Brant Hurter allowed the Phillies to take the lead. Do not be surprised, though, if Finnegan becomes one of Detroit's most-used leverage relievers down the stretch. Hinch will continue operating without a designated closer, as he has for almost the entirety of his five seasons in Detroit. Advertisement 'I've appreciated his calmness and his arsenal,' Hinch said of Finnegan. 'The fastball is real. The split is really good. He's pitched at the back end of games, so he can handle big moments and as much pressure as we can put on him. … We're gonna use him in a lot of different ways. He could close games; he could also be part of the path to get to the back end. I told him one of the reasons we've been really good is we've got guys who are all in, and he reminded me that he's all in from the get-go. He's willing to do anything.' Finnegan and Montero were the only two new pitchers to join the active roster Friday. The Tigers sent right-hander Chase Lee to Toledo to open a roster spot. Left-hander Dietrich Enns was designated for assignment and then traded to the Orioles for cash considerations Thursday. Montero was arguably the most eyebrow-raising of Detroit's bullpen moves. The 34-year-old right-hander was brilliant for the Astros in 2022 but otherwise has a 4.76 career ERA. Montero had a 5.50 ERA in his most recent stop with the Braves. He has had five 'meltdowns' — defined by Fangraphs as an outing where a reliever's win probability added is less than or equal to -0.06 — in 39 outings this season. What Montero does bring is swing-and-miss. He ranks in the 89th percentile in chase rate and the 76th percentile in whiff rate this season. He added a splitter this winter and has used the pitch to hold opponents to a .192 batting average. His 3.62 xERA indicates he's pitched better than his rather abysmal surface numbers indicate. The walks, though, are a real concern. His 13.9 percent walk rate ranks in MLB's bottom second percentile. Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris was complimentary of Montero's under-the-hood performance and cited his propensity to keep balls out of the middle of the plate. Montero's walk rate of 9.9 percent since June 1 has been somewhat better but is still above the league average, which tends to hover around 8 percent. Advertisement 'He's going to have to pitch well to earn his innings,' Hinch said. 'That's something that's starting to happen with our pen, is we have a lot of options. Montero is going to factor in as well as he pitches. If he deserves more innings and more opportunity, then as you know, I'm willing to use anybody in any spot.' OK, it might not resemble the constant bullpen games of last season. But the Tigers seem intent on getting creative using their pitching in the final two months of the season. They acquired a high volume of pitchers at the deadline. They should be able to cycle arms in and out as needs and performance dictate. Lee is in Triple A but could easily get back to the majors this season. Codi Heuer, a trade acquisition from the Rangers in exchange for cash, is a high-extension arm with a good fastball and could be as interesting as anyone Detroit acquired. Paul Sewald, traded from the Guardians, is a proven closer but won't be eligible to come off the injured list until Sept. 10. There are others, such as José Urquidy, working their way back from the IL, and promising young arms such as left-hander Drew Sommers and righty Tyler Mattison nearing the majors. Volume over quality is a bold choice. But it's worked for the Tigers before. And though the Tigers' deadline decisions seemed driven by analytical models, it's not hard to see the certain traits the Tigers like with each of the players they acquired. Charlie Morton, the 41-year-old right-hander, was their final deadline piece. Slated to join the team Saturday, Morton will round out the rotation and is scheduled to start Sunday against the Phillies. The start of Morton's season was an absolute disaster. But he has a 3.88 ERA over his past 11 starts and still grades out with a favorable 101 Stuff+ rating. 'The ball is still coming out hot out of his hand,' Hinch said. 'He still has the good breaking ball. Changeup has been good. And I'm impressed by the fact that he's sort of resurrected his season based on how it started, how we saw him in the spring, how we saw him early and then how he's finished his Orioles tenure. He's ready to go. He'll be energized by coming to this team and the expectations that come with it.' Advertisement Adding Morton to the rotation means rookie Melton is headed to the bullpen. Melton — who pitched seven scoreless innings against the Diamondbacks in his second MLB start — throws a power fastball, has terrific extension and has already shown he can miss bats at the MLB level. In a way, Melton could be as good an addition to this bullpen as anyone. Hinch said he plans to be creative with Melton. He could pitch multiple innings. He could come in for shorter leverage bursts. These are only some of the factors in the strategy the Tigers have chosen. Should be fascinating to see whether it works. 'We deserve this type of pressure,' Hinch said of the final two months. 'It's an opportunity to continue what's been a very special season thus far, but it's far from complete.' (Top photo of A.J. Hinch: Scott Taetsch / Getty Images)

an hour ago
Kyle Manzardo's RBI single in 10th inning gives Guardians 3-2 win over Twins
CLEVELAND -- Kyle Manzardo singled home Brayan Rocchio with one out in the 10th inning for his second walk-off hit of the season, giving the Cleveland Guardians a 3-2 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Friday night. The Guardians loaded the bases against Kody Funderburk (1-1) on a single by Steven Kwan and an intentional walk to José Ramírez. Manzardo brought in automatic runner Rocchio with a liner to left field. Cade Smith (3-4) pitched the final two innings as Cleveland improved to 9-5 since the All-Star break. Ramírez drove in Kwan in the first inning, then stole second base to become the 17th player with 275 steals and 275 home runs in a career. He is the first primary third baseman to reach the milestone and the second switch hitter, joining Carlos Beltrán. Rocchio brought home Carlos Santana in the second to give the Guardians a 2-0 lead against Joe Ryan, who worked six innings. Cleveland starter Gavin Williams struck out eight over six scoreless frames. Minnesota tied the score at 2-all in the seventh on a throwing error by pitcher Hunter Gaddis, allowing Brooks Lee and Christian Vázquez to come around. The Twins promoted four pitchers and four position players from Triple-A St. Paul before the game. They made nine trades in the 24 hours preceding Thursday's deadline. Gaddis inexplicably threw the ball toward first on Martin's infield hit, instead of holding it, and fired a bouncer past first baseman Santana into right field. Both unearned runs were charged to Erik Sabrowski. The Twins had 25 players in uniform, one less than the roster limit, after exchanging 26 total players during their four-day flurry of transactions. Guardians RHP Tanner Bibee (7-9, 4.39 ERA), who has won three straight starts, pitches on Saturday. Twins' RHP Bailey Ober (4-6, 5.28 ERA) will be activated from the injured list after missing a month with left hip impingement.