Caitlin Clark's Fever Teammate Named WNBA Breakout Candidate
Caitlin Clark's Fever Teammate Named WNBA Breakout Candidate originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The Indiana Fever earned praise for having the best group of young players in the WNBA, but it's more than just mega-star Caitlin Clark leading the way.
Advertisement
ESPN's Neil Paine ranked the young core -- players in their age-25 season or under -- for all WNBA teams and put the Fever at the top of the list. While Paine noted that Clark is the team's brightest star, he also predicted that guard Lexie Hull has been showing steady improvement and could be headed to a breakout season.
"Don't sleep on Hull, either; the fourth-year guard out of Stanford has improved each year of her WNBA career and is tracking for a breakout performance," Paine wrote.
Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) talks to guard Lexie Hull (10).© Brett Davis-Imagn Images
Paine added that Clark and Aliyah Boston, the last two WNBA Rookie of the Year award winners, have already found out how to mesh in the Fever's offense. He wrote that Clark serves "the WNBA's ultimate heliocentric perimeter creator and initiator, and Boston scoring inside the arc with high volume and efficiency."
Advertisement
"When healthy (and both have been extremely durable throughout college and the pros, up until Clark's recent injury), no team has a dynamic duo this good and this young," Paine wrote.
But Hull could continue to carve out a big role as well, as she has nearly doubled her previous career-high with 10.7 points per game. She is adding 4.0 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 1.1 steals per game.
Related: Lexie Hull Makes Big Career Announcement After WNBA Season
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 7, 2025, where it first appeared.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
18 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Hernandez gets go-ahead hit in 10th as Marlins outlast Morel, Rays 11-10
Miami Marlins' Heriberto Hernandez watches his RBI single off Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Garrett Cleavinger during the 10th inning of a baseball game Saturday, June 7, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara) Tampa Bay Rays' Christopher Morel celebrates as he runs around the bases following his home run off Miami Marlins pitcher Tyler Phillips during the sixth inning of a baseball game Saturday, June 7, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara) Miami Marlins' Otto Lopez scores in front of Tampa Bay Rays catcher Danny Jansen on an RBI single by Heriberto Hernandez off pitcher Garrett Cleavinger during the 10th inning of a baseball game Saturday, June 7, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara) Miami Marlins' Otto Lopez scores in front of Tampa Bay Rays catcher Danny Jansen on an RBI single by Heriberto Hernandez off pitcher Garrett Cleavinger during the 10th inning of a baseball game Saturday, June 7, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara) Miami Marlins' Heriberto Hernandez watches his RBI single off Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Garrett Cleavinger during the 10th inning of a baseball game Saturday, June 7, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara) Tampa Bay Rays' Christopher Morel celebrates as he runs around the bases following his home run off Miami Marlins pitcher Tyler Phillips during the sixth inning of a baseball game Saturday, June 7, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara) Miami Marlins' Otto Lopez scores in front of Tampa Bay Rays catcher Danny Jansen on an RBI single by Heriberto Hernandez off pitcher Garrett Cleavinger during the 10th inning of a baseball game Saturday, June 7, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara) TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Jesús Sánchez had a three-run homer and a two-run double, and Heriberto Hernandez singled in the go-ahead run in the 10th inning as the Miami Marlins outlasted Christopher Morel and the Tampa Bay Rays 11-10 on Saturday to snap a five-game losing streak. Morel went 3 for 3 with two home runs, a double and four RBIs for the Rays, who had a four-game win streak halted. Advertisement Morel hit a three-run homer off Ryan Weathers, and Danny Jansen and Taylor Walls followed with back-to-back doubles for a 4-0 lead in the second inning. Weathers was hit in the head after his final warmup pitch to start the game on catcher Nick Fortes' throw to second base and was pulled after three innings for precautionary reasons. Weathers is the son of former major league pitcher David Weathers. Dan Myers and Fortes reached with singles off Taj Bradley in the third and Xavier Edwards drove in Myers with a one-out double. Sánchez followed with his fifth homer to tie it at 4-all. Morel doubled against reliever Ronny Henriquez and Jansen homered for the fifth time three pitches later to put the Rays up 6-4 in the fourth. The Marlins answered with a seven-run fifth as they batted around. Sánchez gave Miami a 7-6 lead with a two-run double. Liam Hicks doubled in two and Myers doubled in Hicks to make it 10-6. José Caballero threw out Myers at home to end the inning. Advertisement Morel hit his fifth homer with one out in the sixth off reliever Tyler Phillips and Walls followed with a two-run shot after Jansen singled to get the Rays within 10-9. Brandon Lowe's 13th home run leading off the seventh against reliever Anthony Bender tied it at 10. Bradley allowed seven runs on six hits in four innings. Mason Montgomery gave up three runs on five hits in an inning. Garrett Cleavinger (0-2) allowed Hernandez's game-winning hit. Rookie Cade Gibson (1-3) closed it out with two scoreless innings for his first win. Key moment Edwards threw out mandatory runner Kameron Misner at home on a grounder to second by Caballero to deny the Rays the tying run in the 10th. Advertisement Key stat The Marlins' staff ERA of 4.99 is the fourth-worst in the majors and leads only the Rockies (5.37) in the NL. Up next Rays RHP Drew Rasmussen (5-4, 2.14) starts Sunday's finale. The Marlins haven't announced their starter. ___ AP MLB:
Yahoo
18 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Zach Root, Gabe Gaeckle shackle Tennessee on two hits, Arkansas tops defending champs 4-3
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) — Zach Root and Gabe Gaeckle combined on a two-hitter, Ryder Helfrick hit the go-ahead home run, and Arkansas defeated defending national champion Tennessee 4-3 on Saturday in the opening game of the best-of-three Fayetteville Super Regional. Helfrick's two-run home run in the bottom of the fifth inning gave Arkansas a 3-2 lead and Charles Davalan drove in a run with a single that made it 4-2 in the sixth. Advertisement Root (8-5) started and went seven innings, allowing one hit and one earned run. Gaeckle threw two innings in relief, allowing the other hit and one run for his second save. Dean Curley's two-run home run in the fifth inning gave the Volunteers a 2-1 lead. It was their only hit until Andrew Fischer's solo home run in the ninth. The Razorbacks' Cam Kozeal scored on a wild pitch for a 1-0 lead in the second inning. Tennessee starter Marcus Phillips (4-5) allowed four runs on eight hits in 5 1/3 innings. Tennessee (46-18) is making its fifth straight super regional appearance. Arkansas (47-13) is making its third appearance since 2021. The Razorbacks will lock up their 11th College World Series berth if they win Game 2 on Sunday. ___ AP college sports:
Yahoo
18 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Sovereignty reigns over Journalism again in Belmont
Sovereignty won the 157th running of the Belmont Stakes on Saturday with Journalism coming in second. (AL BELLO) Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty won the 157th Belmont Stakes on Saturday, surging past favored Journalism just as he did at Churchill Downs to finish with two legs of this year's Triple Crown. After sitting out the Preakness, won in scintillating fashion by Journalism, Sovereignty returned to win the anticipated rematch in convincing fashion, pulling away in the final straight to relegate Journalism to second again. Advertisement Baeza was third to complete the repeat of the Kentucky Derby one-two-three. Italian jockey Umberto Rispoli guided the Michael McCarthy-trained Journalism to the front as they turned for home, closely tracked by Sovereignty -- who was taken wide by jockey Junior Alvarado and powered past to win by three lengths. Sovereignty, who had given the Godolphin stables a long-awaited first Kentucky Derby victory, became the first horse two win two legs of the Triple Crown since Justify became the 13th horse to sweep all three in 2018. Michael Banahan, Godolphin USA's director of bloodstock, said the decision to give Sovereignty the five weeks' rest he has become used to paid off with a "fantastic result". Advertisement "We knew he was a very good horse going into the Kentucky Derby and he showed it that day. "And to come back here again and beat a really, really good horse like Journalism today, running one-two again like they did in the Derby -- it was a fantastic result for us here." Sovereignty trainer Bill Mott said he was "on a cloud". "The horse proved himself," McCarthy said. "The form held up -- the first three finishers in the Derby were one-two-three today, and I think it just was a great race." For the second straight year the grade one race, with a purse of $2 million, was run at Saratoga because of ongoing renovations at Belmont Park, the distance again reduced from the Belmont's traditional 1 1/2 miles to 1 1/4. Journalism was the only horse to run in all three Triple Crown races this year. bb/sev
