Latest news with #All-Texas
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
WCWS Game 1: Texas Tech vs. Texas live updates, results from the Women's College World Series
The Women's College World Series is set to begin with an All-Texas showdown to determine the best team in college softball. The Texas Tech Red Raiders and Texas Longhorns will star in a best-of-three series for all the marbles in Oklahoma City. Their collision course will conclude a grueling road to the title-winning series, with both teams besting defending champion Oklahoma. After several thrilling games in this WCWS, both teams are bidding for their first national championship. Advertisement No. 12 Texas Tech finished the regular season with a 53-12 record and kicked off the postseason with a 1-0 win over Ole Miss. They then followed the victory with a 3-1 win over UCLA before narrowly beating the Sooners 3-1 to make it to the final series. The upset spelled the end of Oklahoma's dominant reign in college softball over the last four seasons. The Longhorns, ranked sixth, finished the regular season with an impressive 51-11 record. Their journey to the final began with a 3-0 win over the Florida Gators. Like Texas Tech, Texas went down to the wire with Oklahoma to secure a 4-2 win to advance in the tournament. After getting past the defending champions, the Longhorns returned to their dominant ways to beat Tennessee, 2-0. Date: Wednesday, June 4 Advertisement Time: 8 p.m. ET Location: Devon Park | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma TV channel: ESPN Follow along with Yahoo Sports for live updates, highlights and more from Game 1 of the 2025 Women's College World Series Final:
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
WCWS Game 1: Texas Tech vs. Texas live updates, results from the Women's College World Series
The Women's College World Series is set to begin with an All-Texas showdown to determine the best team in college softball. The Texas Tech Red Raiders and Texas Longhorns will star in a best-of-three series for all the marbles in Oklahoma City. Their collision course will conclude a grueling road to the title-winning series, with both teams besting defending champion Oklahoma. After several thrilling games in this WCWS, both teams are bidding for their first national championship. Advertisement No. 12 Texas Tech finished the regular season with a 53-12 record and kicked off the postseason with a 1-0 win over Ole Miss. They then followed the victory with a 3-1 win over UCLA before narrowly beating the Sooners 3-1 to make it to the final series. The upset spelled the end of Oklahoma's dominant reign in college softball over the last four seasons. The Longhorns, ranked sixth, finished the regular season with an impressive 51-11 record. Their journey to the final began with a 3-0 win over the Florida Gators. Like Texas Tech, Texas went down to the wire with Oklahoma to secure a 4-2 win to advance in the tournament. After getting past the defending champions, the Longhorns returned to their dominant ways to beat Tennessee, 2-0. Date: Wednesday, June 4 Advertisement Time: 8 p.m. ET Location: Devon Park | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma TV channel: ESPN Follow along with Yahoo Sports for live updates, highlights and more from Game 1 of the 2025 Women's College World Series Final:
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Checking in on MLB's three major awards races at the one-third mark
Yahoo Sports AM is our daily newsletter that keeps you up to date on all things sports. Sign up here to get it every weekday morning. 🚨 Headlines 🥎 Softball's All-Texas showdown: Texas Tech walked off four-time defending champion Oklahoma and Texas shut out Tennessee to set up an all-Texas final in the Women's College World Series. Advertisement 🎾 100 wins in Paris: Novak Djokovic advanced to the French Open quarterfinals and joined Rafael Nadal (112 wins) as the only men to reach the century mark at Roland Garros. ⚾️ Super Regionals set: 16 teams are left in the NCAA Baseball Championship. Next up: eight best-of-three Super Regionals hosted by the higher seed beginning on Friday. 🏈 Cover athlete: Saquon Barkley's reverse hurdle will grace the cover of "Madden 26," which comes out on August 14. ⚾️ No. 51 forever (twice): When Ichiro Suzuki joined Seattle in 2001, he asked former Mariner Randy Johnson if he could wear his No. 51 jersey. Now, the team is retiring the number for both players, honoring Ichiro this summer and Johnson next year. ⚾️ MLB awards watch (Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports) Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge's home run-filled showdown over the weekend further strengthened their MVP cases. But what about MLB's other two major awards races? Here are the early leaders in each, according to Yahoo Sports' Jordan Shusterman. American League MVP Judge (RF, Yankees): The two-time MVP has leveled up again. His career-low strikeout rate has him flirting with a .400 average two months into the season, and he's on pace to become just the 10th player in AL/NL history with an OPS over 1.200. Bobby Witt Jr. (SS, Royals): Though last year's runner-up has taken a step back at the plate, he still ranks third in the AL in extra-base hits (31), fifth in wins above replacement (2.7) and second in steals (20). Cal Raleigh (C, Mariners): "Big Dumper" (yes, that's his nickname), whose 23 homers are tied for the major league lead, became the first catcher in MLB history with 20 HR before June and may very well be headed towards the greatest season ever by a catcher. Advertisement Cy Young Tarik Skubal (LHP, Tigers): The reigning AL Cy Young ranks seventh in ERA (2.26), first in WHIP (0.79) and has 99 strikeouts to just 7 walks. Keep this up and he could become the AL's first back-to-back winner since Pedro Martínez in 1999-2000. Garrett Crochet (LHP, Red Sox): His first season as a starter last year was excellent; his second has been sublime, leading the AL in strikeouts (101) and innings (82) while ranking sixth in ERA (1.98) and third in WAR (2.7). Max Fried (LHP, Yankees): In Fried's first 12 starts after signing an eight-year, $218 million contract, he's 7-1 with a 1.92 ERA (fifth in the AL) and 0.97 WHIP (seventh). Think New York is pleased with its investment? ROY Jacob Wilson (SS, Athletics): The No. 6 pick in 2023 has followed last year's disappointing debut with a supernova start to his true rookie campaign, batting .355 (second to Judge in the AL) with nearly as many walks (13) as strikeouts (15). Shane Smith (RHP, White Sox): One of the lone bright spots for the South Siders, the No. 1 pick in last year's Rule 5 draft sports a sterling 2.68 ERA, tops among qualified rookie starters. Carlos Narváez (C, Red Sox): The Venezuelan already looks like one of the league's best catchers. He leads all AL backstops in defensive runs saved and his .847 OPS ranks second. National League MVP Ohtani (DH, Dodgers*): The three-time MVP is on pace for 63 HR, which may be enough on its own to win him his fourth. If he's even close to his old self when he returns to the mound, this race could be over by August. Freddie Freeman (1B, Dodgers*): Don't let his teammate's antics distract you from what the 2020 MVP is doing. He leads the NL in batting average (.368) and OPS (1.056). Pete Crow-Armstrong (CF, Cubs): The sophomore sensation's breakout has been a sight to behold. The speedster leads the NL in WAR (3.6), is already closing in on a 20-20 season (15 HR, 19 SB) and is perhaps the best outfielder in baseball. Cy Young Yoshinobu Yamamoto (RHP, Dodgers*): The $325 million man has given L.A.'s injury-ravaged rotation some much-needed stability. Despite Sunday's poor outing, he still has the NL's third-best ERA (2.39) and WHIP (1.00). Paul Skenes (RHP, Pirates): The margins here are razor thin, and Skenes could easily vault Yamamoto with a strong start tonight. He's tied for the NL lead in WHIP (0.92) and is second in ERA (2.15). Zack Wheeler (RHP, Phillies): Will the two-time runner-up finally win? At 35, his career-high strikeout rate and career-low walk rate are powering a superb 0.92 WHIP (tied with Skenes) and 2.96 ERA. ROY Drake Baldwin (C, Braves): The 2022 third-rounder has yet to supplant Sean Murphy as Atlanta's starting backstop, but it may only be a matter of time. His .868 OPS ranks 18th among all NL hitters with at least 100 plate appearances. Ben Casparius (RHP, Dodgers*): The 2021 fifth-rounder is 4-0 with a 2.72 ERA and 0.96 WHIP in 19 appearances, emerging as a dependable long reliever for an injury-depleted roster that's short on arms. Chad Patrick (RHP, Brewers): The unheralded 2021 fourth-rounder leads NL rookies in innings (62.2) and sits just outside the top 10 among all NL starters with a 2.97 ERA. *Chasing history: 56 MLB teams have claimed two major awards in a single season, but no club has ever swept all three. Could the 2025 Dodgers become the first? ⛳️ 47 qualify on "Golf's Longest Day" Max Homa carries his bag during final qualifying in Columbus, Ohio. (U.S. Open) Max Homa is a six-time PGA Tour winner with $43 million in career earnings. On Monday, he carried his own bag for a 36-hole marathon. That's the beauty of U.S. Open qualifying. How it works: A little over half of the 156 golfers competing next week at Oakmont qualified via the methods you'd expect like winning on Tour or being highly ranked. But 65 spots were reserved for those who emerged from a series of 36-hole qualifiers. Advertisement Local qualifying (18 holes) began in April, where over 10,000 golfers competed across 110 sites. Anyone with a 0.4 handicap or better was allowed to sign up. Final qualifying (36 holes) kicked off in May with three events in Texas, England and Japan before concluding this week. Golf's Longest Day: After 18 golfers qualified in May, another 47 earned their spots on Monday at 10 sites across North America. Duke University (Durham, NC) Kinsale (Columbus, OH) Canoe Brook (Summit, NJ) Emerald Dunes (West Palm Beach, FL) Piedmont (Atlanta) Springfield (Springfield, OH) Valencia (Valencia, CA) Wine Valley (Walla Walla, WA) Woodmont (Rockville, MD) Lambton (Toronto) Headlines from the day: Former world No. 13 Cameron Young beat Homa and Rickie Fowler in a stacked playoff in Columbus … High schooler Mason Howell shot 63-63 (18-under) to qualify in Atlanta … Qualifier Matthew Vogt is a dentist and grew up caddying at Oakmont. 🏀 The NBA Finals, courtesy of Paul George (Taylor Wilhelm/Yahoo Sports) As it turns out, all you needed to do to reach the 2025 NBA Finals was trade Paul George. Remarkably, both of this year's finalists were built from assets they received in exchange for dealing George, writes Yahoo Sports' Ben Rohrbach. Advertisement Indiana: The Pacers selected George with the 10th pick in the 2010 draft. To avoid losing him for nothing in free agency, they traded him to the Thunder in 2017 for Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis, who they ultimately turned into Tyrese Haliburton, Pascal Siakam, Andrew Nembhard, Ben Sheppard and Johnny Furphy. That's roughly a third of their entire roster, half their rotation and both of their leaders. Oklahoma City: George played two seasons with the Thunder (both first-round exits) before they shipped him to the Clippers in 2019 for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Danilo Gallinari and a handful of first-round picks, one of which became Jalen Williams (No. 12 in 2022). That's the league MVP and their No. 2 scorer… and more picks are coming this year and next. Keep reading: Diving deeper into both trades 🎾 Boisson stuns Pegula in Paris () The only French player still in contention at Roland Garros is the last one you'd expect. Advertisement Historic upset: 22-year-old wild card Loïs Boisson stunned No. 3 Jessica Pegula on Monday in front of an adoring home crowd to clinch a spot in the final eight. The Dijon native is the lowest-ranked woman (No. 361) to reach a Grand Slam quarterfinal since Kaia Kanepi (No. 418) at the 2017 U.S. Open. But while Kanepi was a former top-20 player, Boisson has never even cracked the top 150. Before this week, Boisson had pocketed $148,009 in career winnings. By reaching the quarters in Paris, she's already guaranteed $500,284. If she wins again tomorrow, that goes up to $784,269. Comeback story: Boisson earned a wild-card entry in 2024 but tore her ACL in a tuneup match and missed nine months. A year later, she's made the most of her second chance and will have the whole stadium behind her tomorrow when she takes on No. 6 Mirra Andreeva for a spot in the semis. Speaking of upsets… No. 62 Alexander Bublik took down No. 5 Jack Draper to reach his first major quarterfinal in his 26th appearance. 📺 Watchlist: Tuesday, June 3 Tommy Paul will have his work cut out for him today against the defending champion. () 🎾 French Open, Quarterfinals (TNT/Max) The last two American men standing are in action today, starting with No. 15 Frances Tiafoe vs. No. 8 Lorenzo Musetti (8:40am) before No. 12 Tommy Paul takes on No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz (2:15pm). The last American man to reach the semifinals in Paris? Andre Agassi in 1999. ⚾️ MLB Doubleheader (7pm ET, TBS) The Yankees host the Guardians (7:05pm) and the Dodgers host the Mets (10:10pm) in a rare TBS doubleheader. Advertisement More to watch: 🏀 WNBA: Wings at Storm (9:30pm, ESPN) … Paige Bueckers (concussion) will miss her second straight game. ⚽️ Soccer: USWNT vs. Jamaica (8pm, TNT) … Friendly in St. Louis. Today's full slate. 🏀 NBA draft trivia (Taylar Sievert/Yahoo Sports) Rutgers freshmen Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey are both projected to be top-3 picks in our latest NBA mock draft. Question: Who were the last two college teammates to be top-3 picks in the same draft? Hint: It happened last decade. Answer at the bottom. 🏒 The streak continues Jágr and Barkov celebrate a goal in 2017. (Julian Avram/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) A teammate of Jaromír Jágr has made the Stanley Cup Final in each of the last 45 seasons. 1980-2025: The streak began in 1980, when Jágr's future teammate Bryan Trottier won the Cup with the Islanders. This year (and for the third straight postseason), it's Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov, who played with Jágr in Florida from 2015-17. Trivia answer: Duke's Zion Williamson (No. 1) and R.J. Barrett (No. 3) in 2019 We hope you enjoyed this edition of Yahoo Sports AM, our daily newsletter that keeps you up to date on all things sports. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox every weekday morning.
Miami Herald
17-02-2025
- Sport
- Miami Herald
FIU football coach Willie Simmons breaks down Panthers' 2025 recruiting class
FIU's football recruiting class for 2025 – the first under new coach Willie Simmons -- is ranked No. 1 in Conference USA, according to The Panthers are also ranked fifth in the conference by 247 Sports. Five of Simmons' 21 signees played at FIU's Pitbull Stadium in December as they competed in 2024 state championship finals. Those five are St. Thomas Aquinas offensive lineman Matias Garcia; Chaminade defensive linemen Matthew Pointer and Anthony Smith; Jacksonville Raines defensive end King Massey; and Gadsden County defensive back Christian Barrett. Simmons, in a recent interview with The Miami Herald, talked about all 21 of his recruits, and here are some of his comments, position by position: ▪ Quarterback: Christian Langford, a 6-2, 205-pound dual-threat QB from Georgia, led Langston Hughes High to a 13-2 record and a state final in 2024. Langford, who also ran track, rejected offers from UCF, Liberty and Troy. 'He has a world of ability,' Simmons said. 'He's an explosive athlete, and we're looking to see him compete right away.' ▪ Running Back: Miami Edison's Sterling Joseph is on the small side (5-8, 175), but Simmons raved about his character, including a 4.5 grade-point average. Joseph is the younger brother of former FIU running back Flex Joseph. 'He will come into a loaded backfield,' Simmons said. 'But he brings a dynamic ability that maybe some of our returning guys don't have.' ▪ Wide Receiver: FIU signed Amari Isaac (Hollywood Hills); Tyson Carter (Orlando Edgewater); and Kenny Williams (Gulliver Prep). All three players had committed under the previous coaching staff. And all three are on the small side for the position, between 5-9 and 6-foot. 'All three of them are fast,' Simmons said. ▪ Tight end: FIU signed Sean Burke (South Broward) and Jackson Verdugo (Texas). Simmons calls said Burke, who is 6-5, has gained 15 pounds of muscle in one month, up to 225. He is the younger brother of ex-FIU left tackle Travis Burke, who is listed at 6-9 and 305 pounds. Simmons hinted that Sean Burke is a project. 'We call him 'Bambi' because he can barely stand up straight and run,' Simmons said. 'But he has growth potential and a top of upside.' Verdugo, a 6-4, 235-pound, first-team All-Texas player, caught 141 passes for 1,981 yards and 22 touchdowns over the past three years. ▪ Offensive linemen: When Simmons was hired on Dec. 7, FIU had only one o-lineman committed – Miami Central's Jeremy Smith. 'That's the one position where we were concerned,' Simmons said. In response, FIU signed four more o-linemen, including two who can play center/guard: Marc Michel Jr. and the aforementioned Garcia. FIU also signed Jacksonville's Takaylen 'TK' Muex and Oviedo's Nathan Tveit. 'Muex was heavily recruited before a knee injury caused teams to back off,' Simmons said. 'He could get early playing time.' Simmons said Tveit – a 340-pounder with offers from Miami, Louisville and others -- is a 'steal.' Smith, a 6-5, 250-pounder, needs to get weight, but he 'probably has the most upside of any of our offensive linemen,' Simmons said. ▪ Defensive linemen: Similar to the o-line, FIU loaded up here, signing five players. FIU added three edge rushers: Jacksonville's King Massey; Chaminade's Matthew Pointer; and Pahokee's Kani Smith. 'King has huge hands, long arms and a high motor,' Simmons said. 'Pointer and Kani Smith were listed as linebacker, but we project them at defensive end.' Indeed, Kani Smith recorded 31 tackles for losses and 17½ sacks over the past two years. Massey, as a senior, had 23 tackles for losses and seven sacks. In the interior of the defensive line, Anthony Smith produced 30 tackles for losses over the past two years. He is listed at 6-1 and 310 pounds, but Simmons said that's actually his target weight. 'He has a Vincent Wilfork body type,' Simmons said. 'We need to trim Anthony down a little bit. 'But to be his size, he moves extremely well. We're excited to have a true interior presence who can move the pile and be disruptive.' Then there's Aydan Clinton, a 6-7, 280-pounder from St. Petersburg who was going to try to play college basketball until changing his mind in January. 'He has the highest ceiling of any player in this class – even more than Jeremy Smith,' Simmons said. 'Aydan has the physical tools be an NFL player.' ▪ Linebacker: FIU expects an early impact from Pompano Ely's Cameron Davis. 'He looks like Division I Iinebacker right now,' Simmons said. 'He's over 6-1, and he's over 210 pounds.' ▪ Defensive backs: FIU signed Kelvin Reyes, an instinctive safety from West Broward who will miss the spring due to a knee injury, but Simmons said he can be a 'dynamic ballhawk.' FIU also signed Jessiah McGrew from Tallahassee and Christian Barrett of Gadsden County. McGrew's older brother, Ahmari Harvey, is a starting cornerback at Georgia Tech. 'Jessiah is over 6-1, and we're going to start him at safety,' Simmons said of McGrew, who intercepted eight passes and played 38 games in his prep career. 'But he has the athleticism to play cornerback if need be and the physicality to play in the slot. Once we signed him, a lot of bigger programs said we got a steal.' Barrett could be special since he is unusually long for a cornerback at 6-3. SUMMARY Of FIU's 21 signees, 19 are from Florida, one from Georgia and one from Texas. Twelve play offense, and nine play defense. Seven are from Broward, and three are from Miami-Dade. 'It's a balanced class with at least one player at every position,' Simmons said. 'We got five offensive linemen and five defensive linemen – that's the foundation. We got speed at receiver. We got length at defensive back, and we got a trigger man (Langford) who puts a bow on the class. 'We don't go by ratings, but to be named the No. 1 class by rivals in Conference USA with our staff just coming in shows how we embrace recruiting.'
