Latest news with #IvyLeaguePlayeroftheYear
USA Today
14-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Texas A&M third baseman selected by Washington Nationals in ninth round of 2025 MLB Draft
With the No. 261 pick in the ninth round of the 2025 Major League Baseball Draft, the Washington Nationals selected Texas A&M third baseman Wyatt Henseler. The former Ivy Leaguer joins six of his fellow Aggie teammates selected in this year's draft. With 217 games started during his collegiate baseball career, Henseler's experience on the diamond makes him a solid pickup for any franchise in the Major Leagues. He landed in Bryan-College Station, Texas, after playing four seasons at Penn, where he recorded 54 homers and 189 RBI over 161 games. After hitting a team-best .319 with the Aggies in 2025, Henseler will aim to carry that success with him to the nation's capital. As a member of a stacked 2025 draft class with former Aggies heading to their respective MLB franchise, Henseler is one of the most consistent. His .432 on-base percentage at Texas A&M is one of many statistics that jump off the chart, along with his proven ability to compete among the toughest conference in the country. His team-best 15 doubles and 16 multi-hit contests were pivotal aspects that contributed greatly, even though the season did not finish the way the Aggies wanted. During his sole season in College Station, Henseler showcased his ability at the plate and in the field. He finished the 2025 campaign with a .942 fielding percentage and helped turn seven double plays. Before achieving great success in the Maroon and White, Henseler finished his time with the Quakers as the program record holder in hits (232), runs (181) and doubles (50). He also set records in the Ivy League with his 54 career home runs, 189 RBI and 560 total bases. The former unanimous 2024 Ivy League Player of the Year is now headed to Washington, D.C., where he will look to bring his consistently outstanding ability at the plate to the Big Leagues. Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Dylan on X: @dylanmflippo.
Miami Herald
08-07-2025
- Sport
- Miami Herald
Princeton star Caden Pierce to redshirt, graduate, transfer
Princeton standout forward Caden Pierce intends to redshirt next season so he can finish his degree before entering the transfer portal to play elsewhere in 2026-27, he told ESPN. The 2023-24 Ivy League Player of the Year, Pierce said his decision "is nothing against Princeton" but rather a byproduct of roster and coaching changes. First-team All-Ivy League guard Xaivian Lee, for example, transferred to Florida while Princeton coach Mitch Henderson also made alterations to the coaching staff, including two assistants who were not retained, Pierce said. "And obviously," Pierce added, "the current landscape of college basketball is always sitting in the back of your mind. Those things kind of guided my decision." A 6-foot-7, 220-pound junior this past season, Pierce said he will enter the transfer portal as soon as he can in the fall so as to create a longer timeline for his recruitment. "It takes away the speed-dating process of the postseason transfer portal," he said. "It's going to be interesting because I'm not going to have a sense of what the complete roster makeup is going to be for the coming year. ... Because I won't be involved with the team, I can take some visits here and there, move at a slower pace, it won't have to be so rushed." Pierce started 89 of 90 games played across three seasons for Princeton, including playing a significant role in the team's Sweet 16 run in 2023. He averaged 11.9 points on 48.7 percent shooting to go along with 7.9 rebounds for the Tigers. Injuries this past season, including two fully torn ligaments and two partially torn ligaments in his ankle in December, put a damper on his junior campaign, although he did earn second-team all-conference honors after averaging 11.2 points, 7.2 boards and 3.2 assists. --Field Level Media Field Level Media 2023 - All Rights Reserved
USA Today
06-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Florida baseball earns 3 transfer commitments over holiday weekend
The Florida Gators added three baseball players from the transfer portal over the Fourth of July weekend. Ole Miss infielder Ethan Surowiec, Columbia shortstop Sam Miller and Lenoir-Rhyne catcher Cole Stanford are the newest members for the Orange and Blue. Miller and Stanford made their pledges on the holiday, and Surowiec followed on Sunday. Florida also added catcher Karson Bowen two weeks ago. Bowen is draft eligible, however, which means he could ultimately decide to go pro if he likes the offer he gets. It's commonplace for players to commit to SEC and other Power Four programs for leverage in draft negotiations. UCLA's Kelly Austin, who committed to Florida, is a recent example. Austin ultimately signed as an undrafted free agent. SS Sam Miller (Columbia) With Colby Shelton moving on from the program, Florida needs a shortstop. There are internal options, but adding depth remained a priority for the Orange and Blue. Sam Miller is a quality answer to a big question. The Ivy League Player of the Year slashed .338/.407/.606 as a junior. His 73 hits, 14 home runs and 57 runs batted in led the conference. Miller might be the favorite to start at shortstop for Florida next year. He's proven and experienced, and the Gators only have a few options. Cade Kurland could move over if he doesn't go in the draft. Kurland's been a second baseman his entire collegiate career, but he played there in high school, giving him as much experience as the three freshmen coming in at the position. C Cole Stanford (Lenoir-Rhyne) The other big position of need for Florida this offseason is at catcher. Luke Heyman is draft-eligible, Brody Donay is as well, and both reserve catchers are in the transfer portal. Stanford excelled at the Division II level over the past three seasons. He slashed .393/.480/.757 and earned an All-South Atlantic Conference First Team nod in the process. His 20 home runs are the third-most in program history, and he walked as many times as he struck out (27). Florida now has three incoming catchers from the transfer portal behind Donay and Heyman, setting the Gators up nicely for whatever happens during the draft. Wabash Valley College's AJ Malzone and Bowen should also compete for playing time with Stanford, assuming both starters depart. INF Ethan Surowiec (Ole Miss) Suroweic only saw 21 plate appearances as a freshman at Ole Miss, slashing .375/.524/.750 with two home runs and eight runs batted in. A strong summer league performance has raised his profile, though. Through almost 100 at-bats with the Northwoods League Duluth Huskies, Surowiec slashed .427/.513/.844 with seven homers and 36 RBIs. Surowiec has played first base, third base, shortstop and right field this summer, giving him plenty of versatility on the field. Florida typically adds a utility player each offseason, and Surowiec is plenty qualified, having already played some SEC ball. There's a high ceiling here, and Surowiec could prove to be one of the biggest additions of the offseason. Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Paige Bueckers' Former Teammate Sends Message After Career Move
Paige Bueckers' Former Teammate Sends Message After Career Move originally appeared on Athlon Sports. After winning the women's NCAA championship with Paige Bueckers at UConn roughly two months ago, Kaitlyn Chen dreamed of making it as a player in the WNBA. Advertisement She was taken with the No. 30 overall pick in the third round of April's draft by the expansion Golden State Valkyries, but she was cut on May 14 just prior to the start of the regular season. But her dream of playing pro basketball isn't necessarily over. Chen announced on X on Tuesday that she has joined 3XBA, a three-on-three women's FIBA pro basketball league that also focuses on the development of its players. She let it be known that she will be taking part in Spokane Hoopfest as part of 3XBA later this month. "Hey Hoopfest fans, this is Kaitlyn," she said. "I can't wait for 3XBA Spokane." Chen grew up in the greater Los Angeles area, where she became the all-time leader in points, assists and rebounds at Flintridge Preparatory School. As a junior and senior, she was named the All-Area Player of the Year by Pasadena Star-News, a local media outlet in the San Gabriel Valley section of the Southland. Advertisement She spent her first three seasons of college basketball at Princeton before transferring to UConn for the 2024-25 season. The 5-foot-9 guard was named the Ivy League Player of the Year in 2023 as a sophomore, when she averaged 16.2 points per game. Connecticut Huskies guard Kaitlyn Chen (20) holds up a piece of the net after the national championship of the women's 2025 NCAA tournament against the South Carolina Gamecocks at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn ImagesKirby Lee-Imagn Images With the Huskies, her offensive role diminished a bit, but she averaged 6.9 points and 3.4 assists a game and made 51.4% of her field-goal attempts. Chen became the first Taiwanese woman to win an NCAA championship, and just weeks later, she was the first to be drafted into the WNBA and play in a WNBA preseason game. Related: Indiana Fever Had Words After Snapping Three-Game Losing Streak This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 4, 2025, where it first appeared.
New York Post
30-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Post
How Columbia baseball saved its season to make NCAA tournament again
Columbia couldn't have scripted a worse start to its baseball season. Three key players — top starting pitcher Andy Leon, top reliever Will Parkinson and starting third baseman Eric Jeon — were lost to season-ending injuries. The Lions then proceeded to lose their next 10 games after opening the year with a win at Kennesaw State. Advertisement Head coach Brett Boretti's message to his team was simple: Our expectations are the same. Winning big is still the plan. He didn't waver. 3 Columbia coach Brett Borett and his players celebrate after their win over Harvard in the Ivy League title game on May 18, 2025. Brian Foley for Foley-Photography Advertisement 'We've to come together here, keep moving forward,' he told them, star junior shortstop and Ivy League Player of the Year Sam Miller recalled. 'This is what we train all year for.' A few months later, Columbia is getting ready for the NCAA Tournament in the Hattiesburg (Miss.) Regional. The lone team to qualify from the area, this will be its seventh appearance on college baseball's biggest stage since Boretti took over two decades ago. Since that losing streak, Columbia has won 28 of 35 games. Advertisement Jagger Edwards replaced Leon as a weekend starter, while Griffin Palfrey took over at the hot corner. The Lions are experienced, led by 11 seniors, and finished first in the Ivy League in home runs, runs scored, slugging percentage, doubles and batting average. They mash. Advertisement Miller and senior captain Anton Lazits credited Boretti with keeping the team together amid injuries and that early season slide. Lazits described him as a 'leader of men,' someone who is able to maximize talent. 'When he speaks, you listen. At the same time, he's very personable,' Lazits said. 'He keeps everybody disciplined, but keeps it loose at the same time.' Said Miller: 'He just knows how to push guys.' Prior to Boretti, 54, taking over at Columbia in 2006, the Lions last reached the tournament in 1976. 3 Columbia shortstop Sam Miller was named the Ivy League's Player of the Year. Columbia Athletics/Stockton Photo He has turned this program into one of the most successful in the Northeast, winning the Ivy League regular-season title eight times. Boretti doesn't like to think of this as his success. Advertisement A successful coach, he noted, is only as effective as his players. He pointed to a number of former assistant coaches who built up Columbia with him, such as current Endicott College head coach Bryan Haley, Minnesota Twins pitching coach Pete Maki, Boston College assistant coach Dan Tischler and San Francisco assistant Erik Supplee. He singled out his entire current staff for continuing the winning tradition. 'I'm good at surrounding myself with people that are a lot smarter than me,' he said jokingly. Advertisement Boretti has had opportunities to look elsewhere. He interviewed for one Power 5 job before — he declined to name the school — but didn't want to uproot his family. Plus, as the saying goes, why mess with happy? At Columbia, he doesn't have to manage Name, Image and Likeness as much as other coaches. 3 Columbia head coach Brett Boretti helped his team turn it around after injuries put his team in an early hole this season. Brian Foley for Foley Photography. Advertisement His players pick Columbia mostly for academics. The Lions are Ivy League contenders every year. 'The type of kid, the type of student-athlete you get, we get very driven guys. We get overachievers,' Boretti said. 'That's what we're looking for: Guys who want to work on the field, work in the classroom, and, frankly, don't give you many headaches off the field. 'It's one of the best things about the job: You get to work with great people, great kids that are going to be great adults. That's something that goes a long way when you're in this position.' Advertisement After reaching the NCAA Tournament in three straight seasons from 2013-15, and advancing to the Coral Gables (Fla.) regional final in 2015, Columbia had established itself. It helped that in 2010 the program received an upgraded facility, Robertson Field at Satow Stadium. 'It built on each other,' Boretti said. 'My former boss, Dianne Murphy, did a heckuva job building our facilities and raising money and getting people involved. That goes a long, long way.' This team has a unique belief in itself, fostered by that difficult start. First came the injuries, then the losing streak. It didn't break the Lions. As the tournament begins, few teams in the country are as hot. Columbia has won nine straight games and 16 of 17. It will be a decided underdog Friday night against host and No. 16 seed Southern Miss, and not be expected to beat the following opponent, either Miami or Alabama. But the Lions and their 11 seniors believe they can play with anyone. They've been here before. 'We're a very confident group. We know the talent we have and we know what kind of baseball we can play with each other,' Lazits said. 'If we go out there and play as well as we can, we can beat just about anybody.'
