Holmes County downs Port St. Joe, advances to state final
FORT MYERS, Fla. (WMBB) – After trailing 1-0 in the 4th inning, the Holmes County baseball team scored 5 runs in the bottom of the frame to defeat Port St. Joe 5-1, advancing to the Rural State Final.
The Blue Devils improved to 25-4 and will face either Trenton or Lafayette in the championship on Thursday, May 15.
The Tiger Sharks' season comes to an end with a 19-11 overall record.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
2 days ago
- USA Today
Chris Pollard takes two key Duke players with him to Virginia
Chris Pollard takes two key Duke players with him to Virginia Not a great start to the post-Chris Pollard era of Duke Blue Devils baseball. Star player AJ Gracia and Kyle Johnson are both heading to Virginia to join Pollard with the Cavaliers. It stings when you lose any player to the transfer portal, but it feels like a double dose when they go to a fellow ACC rival. Gracia hit 15 home runs this past season and drove in 54 runs while batting .293 and drew 57 walks. Last season, he ended the year with 14 home runs and 58 RBIs. He was a career .299 batter for the Blue Devils, and now he takes his talents to Charlottesville. Johnson is a Virginia native and will return to his home state with the Cavaliers. The two-way player finished the year 4-4 with 43 strikeouts to 26 walks. His ERA was a bit high at 7.19. He added four home runs and 19 RBIs as a hitter for Duke this past season. Kendall Rogers of D1 Baseball reported the news of Gracia and Johnson following Pollard. The Blue Devils have yet to name a replacement for Pollard as the new head coach of Duke baseball, but many believe it will be Josh Jordan, who is currently the assistant coach at LSU. He was a long-time assistant under Pollard with the Blue Devils from 2012 to 2022. He helped LSU win a national championship, and many hope he will bring that level of aspiration to Durham.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Poplar Springs Shootout provides local teams a valuable tune-up
GRACEVILLE, Fla. (WMBB) — Several local girls basketball teams tipped off their summer seasons this week at the annual Poplar Springs Shootout, using the three-day event not just for competition, but for growth, chemistry and motivation. Each team entered with its own goals, from rebuilding rosters to preparing for championship runs. For Holmes County, last season's Class 1A state runners-up, the mission is clear, finish what they started. 'I want people to say this is the team to beat this year,' rising sophomore Jacee Bowers said. 'It's a privilege. People walk in the gym and know this is the team to beat, that feels good. 'We're coming in hard, showing up every day,' rising senior Ava Jones said. 'As seniors, it's exciting. We're ready to take on the role, and our goal is to get to that last game of the season and win it all.' The Arnold Lady Marlins celebrated a key return as rising senior Abby Long stepped back onto the court following a nine-month recovery from a torn ACL. 'Abby's worked really hard at rehab, and she's going to be a big part of our team,' Arnold Head Coach David Pleat said. 'It takes a lot of courage and commitment to come back from an ACL injury. You really admire them for that.' Meanwhile, the Mosley Dolphins entered the tournament with just one senior, giving younger players an early opportunity to embrace leadership roles. 'Tournaments like this help us build as a team,' rising sophomore Faith Alvarado said. 'We learn how to play together and learn each other on the court. It's been really good all around.' The host team, the Poplar Springs Lady Atomics, used the event to introduce their new head coach, JJ Price. 'I officially start July 1, but with the camp and this tournament going on, I've basically been here since the last week of May,' Price said. 'It's been a great chance to get to know the girls and start preparing.' Holmes County finished the tournament undefeated at 7-0. First-year head coach Brandon French said they aren't slowing down anytime soon. 'We're going to keep playing,' French said. 'A lot of these young guys didn't get a ton of game experience last year, so we're getting in as many games as we can this summer. We're only a few weeks in, but everybody's stepping into their roles really well.' Whether rebuilding or returning with veteran talent, every team left Poplar Springs with more experience, and a better understanding of what it takes to win. The three-day event began on Monday, continued Tuesday, and wrapped up on Thursday evening. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
2026 high-three-star Pittsburgh LB Colsen Gatten commits to Duke
Duke is making its presence felt in Pittsburgh once again, as the Blue Devils received a verbal commitment from 2026 high-three-star Central Catholic High School linebacker Colsen Gatten on Wednesday. Gatten intends to play his college football under head coach Manny Diaz, defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Jonathan Patke and the rest of the staff at Duke. Advertisement Diaz began building a relationship with Gatten when he was still the defensive coordinator at Penn State, and the Nittany Lions offered the linebacker back in June of 2023. Diaz was hired by Duke in December of 2023, and he offered Gatten a scholarship from the Blue Devils shortly after that in January of 2024. This is the second consecutive cycle in which the Blue Devils have landed a pledge from a Pittsburgh Central Catholic linebacker, as Duke signed four-star prospect Bradley Gompers in the 2025 class. The Blue Devils signed four total prospects out of Pennsylvania in the 2025 cycle. Gatten has visited Durham to check out Duke's campus on multiple occasions, including in late January. Advertisement He ranks as the No. 18 prospect in the state of Pennsylvania and the No. 50 linebacker in the 2026 cycle. As a junior in 2024, the 6-foot-1, 205-pound Gatten helped lead the Vikings to a 12-3 overall record. Central Catholic earned a Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL) 6A championship and a runner-up finish in the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) 6A state championship game. In addition to Duke and Penn State, Colsen Gatten has received scholarship offers from Boston College, California, Cincinnati, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisville, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Pittsburgh, SMU, Syracuse, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, West Virginia, Wisconsin and others. Advertisement He took an official visit to Pitt during the weekend of June 6 through June 8, and previously had an official visit planned to Indiana. His official visit date to Duke is not yet known. Gatten is a Penn State legacy recruit, as his father, Aaron Gatten, played for the Nittany Lions in the late 1990s and early 2000s. However, Colsen will look to blaze his own trail at Duke. With Colsen Gatten now in the fold, Duke's 2026 class grows to seven total commitments. SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH DUKE FANS AT
