Latest news with #Lebron
USA Today
4 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Who is Justin Lebron? What to know about Alabama baseball star
Who is Justin Lebron? What to know about Alabama baseball star Show Caption Hide Caption College baseball player forms sweet bond with coach's daughters While playing for Coach Frank Avilla Jr., Brady Crabtree formed a special, sibling-like bond with his daughters - a connection that continued well after graduation. Lebron will soon suit up for the Alabama Crimson Tide as the regional tournament round of the college baseball postseason – the lead-up to the 2025 College World Series – begins Friday. No, not that LeBron. Shortstop Justin Lebron has emerged as one of the biggest baseball stars in the SEC over his first two seasons playing for the Tide. He's started in all 114 games he's played over the 2024 and 2025 seasons and boasts a career slash line of .326/.426/.596 in that span, good for an OPS of 1.021. In 2025, Lebron stole more bases, hit more home runs and knocked in almost twice as many RBIs as he did as a freshman. COLLEGE WORLD SERIES PREDICTIONS: Who will reach Omaha in 2025 NCAA baseball tournament? As Alabama gears up for its first game in the Hattiesburg regional on Friday, the Crimson Tide's No. 2 hitter and SEC All-Defensive Team shortstop will be a big name to watch. Here's everything to know about Justin Lebron: Who is Justin Lebron? Lebron, 20, is a sophomore shortstop for the Alabama Crimson Tide. He has started all 114 games for Alabama since joining the team, with 113 of those starts coming at shortstop (his lone other start was as a center fielder). This year, he was named to the All-SEC Second Team and the conference's All-Defensive Team for his prowess in the middle infield. The sophomore led his team in several statistical categories, including home runs, RBIs and runs scored. As a high school recruit, he was ranked as the nation's No. 41-ranked shortstop by scouting organization Perfect Game, in part because of a perceived lack of power – he hit one home run in his high school career. In two years at Alabama, he has already hit 30 long balls. His 18 this year tied for fifth among all SEC players. NCAA BASEBALL TOURNAMENT: Regional host sites for College World Series bracket Is Justin Lebron related to LeBron James? No, Lebron has no relation to Los Angeles Lakers basketball player LeBron James. Justin Lebron stats 2024: Slashed .338/.429/.546 (.975 OPS) with 12 home runs, nine doubles, 37 RBIs and seven stolen bases Slashed .338/.429/.546 (.975 OPS) with 12 home runs, nine doubles, 37 RBIs and seven stolen bases 2025: Slashed .315/.422/.644 (1.066 OPS) with 18 home runs, 17 doubles, one triple, 72 RBIs and 17 stolen bases Slashed .315/.422/.644 (1.066 OPS) with 18 home runs, 17 doubles, one triple, 72 RBIs and 17 stolen bases Career: .326/.426/.596 slash line (1.021 OPS), 30 home runs, 26 doubles, one triple, 109 RBIs, 24 SBs Where is Justin Lebron from? Lebron was born in The Bronx, New York but grew up in Florida after his family moved there at a young age. Lebron attended Archbishop Edward McCarthy High School in Southwest Ranches, Florida. COLLEGE BASEBALL TOURNAMENT: Bracket winners and losers start with SEC Is Justin Lebron MLB draft-eligible? No. Since Lebron is only a sophomore, he will have to wait until after next season to be eligible for the MLB draft. Alabama baseball College World Series schedule Date: Friday, May 30 Friday, May 30 Matchup: Alabama vs. Miami (FL) Alabama vs. Miami (FL) Location: Pete Taylor Park in Hattiesburg, Mississippi Alabama begins their postseason quest for a College World Series berth at the Hattiesburg regional tournament. They'll play their first matchup against Miami (FL) on Friday at 3 p.m. ET. The winner of that game will play the winner of national No. 16 seed Southern Miss vs. Columbia on Saturday. The losers will also play each other. The regional tournament will conclude on either Sunday, June 1 or Monday, June 2, when all but one team has lost two games in the double-elimination format. The regional winner will move onto a super regional matchup against another regional winner, where the winner of an ensuing best-of-three series moves on to the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Yahoo
49-year-old Plainfield man dies in I-78 crash Thursday morning
CLINTON TOWNSHIP – A 49-year-old Plainfield man died following a crash on May 22 on Interstate 78. Around 2:13 a.m. on May 22, State Troopers responded to a report of a car crash on I-78 West near milepost 21.8, said New Jersey State Police Sergeant Jeffrey Lebron. An investigation found that a Hyundai Kona was traveling west on I-78 and veered off the roadway to the left, hit a tree, overturned, and was engulfed in flames, Lebron said. More: Rutgers arts student dies in Route 1 crash The driver, Isaiah Hunter, sustained fatal injuries in the crash, he said. The cause of the crash is currently under investigation, and no additional information is available, police said. Email: alewis@ Alexander Lewis is an award-winning reporter and photojournalist whose work spans many topics. This article originally appeared on Plainfield man dies in I-78 crash in Clinton
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Experiencing the Justin Lebron hype, and why Alabama baseball fans should enjoy it
Walking up to Sewell-Thomas Stadium the morning of Sunday, May 11, I had one objective: to watch Alabama baseball shortstop Justin Lebron. That was it. It wasn't to watch Lebron as an Alabama baseball writer, attaching every move he made to the bigger picture of the upcoming SEC tournament run. It wasn't to watch Lebron as a 2026 MLB draft scout, to analyze or evaluate a 20-year-old who has become a household name in SEC baseball circles and a potential first-round target at this time next year. Advertisement It wasn't to watch as a baseball expert. My brief baseball career started at age 11, one that included more walks than strikeouts, no hits and a stolen base — more so a catcher's indifference call, but a statistic I continue to claim. The goal was to see Lebron through the eyes someone who fell in love with baseball through countless other Sunday matinees: arriving at the then-called Minute Maid Park in Houston as soon as gates opened, walking up to the nosebleeds as 'But Anyway' by Blues Traveler blared from the stadium speakers, anxiously waiting for public address announcer Bob Ford to welcome me home. It was to be introduced to the Alabama baseball star Crimson Tide fans have come to love, to see what the Lebron hype was all about. As Alabama took the field to finish a rain-delayed SEC bout with Georgia before a seven-inning rubber match, Lebron posted up at the edge of the infield at shortstop, taking a moment for himself before taking his warm-up tosses. It felt like routine, similar to the cross he marks at the edge of the batter's box each time he steps up for a plate appearance. Advertisement What Lebron did on the baseball field Sunday against the Bulldogs looked like an extension of that same routine. Alabama shortstop Justin Lebron (1) fields a ball in shallow right field and throws to first to record an out during the game with UAB at Sewell-Thomas Stadium Tuesday, April 15, 2025. As a fielder, the 6-foot-2, 180-pound Florida native glided to the baseball as a shortstop, firing to first base on ground balls with authority. As a batter, Lebron took what he was given from opposing pitchers, never trying to do too much but benefiting from his quick bat speed and hard contact. As a runner, Lebron raced with the intent to see how quickly it would take for him to get into scoring position. And then came the play. In the fifth inning of the second game, a 5-4 Alabama win, Lebron took a ground ball from Georgia third baseman Slate Alford. The Alabama shortstop picked it up and threw against his body — a'la Derek Jeter — finding Crimson Tide first baseman Will Hodo wide, who still managed to tag out Alford. Advertisement Lebron is a player whose numbers could tell his story. Heading into the final weekend series of the regular season against Florida, the Alabama shortstop leads the Crimson Tide in home runs, doubles, slugging percentage and RBI. But those numbers, Alabama baseball coach Rob Vaughn said, don't tell the whole story for Lebron. Unlike last season, Vaughn said, Lebron's 2025 stats contain struggles, ones that Lebron had to repeatedly respond to. 'Now, Bronny's struggles are probably a little different than mine,' Vaughn said. 'My struggle, I'm probably hitting about .110. His struggles are hitting at .310. But I think that's growth. That's what he needs to do.' Advertisement Lebron is not a finished product. For SEC teams that have the Alabama shortstop at the center of their scouting reports, that's a scary thought. For MLB teams watching Lebron as a draft prospect, it's salivating. For me, the lifelong baseball fan, the one who drove to Sewell-Thomas Stadium for a Sunday matinee listening to Blues Traveler, watching Lebron felt familiar. It felt right. The Lebron 'hype' is real. But that is something Alabama baseball fans have known for a while. Tuscaloosa News sports writer Colin Gay - Monday, Jan. 13, 2025. Colin Gay covers Alabama football for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at cgay@ or follow him @_ColinGay on X, formerly known as Twitter. This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: What the Justin Lebron hype means for Alabama baseball in 2025
USA Today
19-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Alabama shortstop named semifinalist for top college baseball award
Alabama shortstop named semifinalist for top college baseball award One of the premier individual honors annually in college baseball, Alabama Crimson Tide shortstop Justin Lebron is among the list of finalists for the 2025 Golden Spikes Award. Announced on Sunday by USA Baseball, there were 25 total semifinalists for the award, with Lebron the lone player from Alabama included on the list. Throughout the 2025 season, Lebron has been one of Alabama's most productive hitters, and currently owns a .313 AVG with a 1.064 OPS across 55 games played, each of which the sophomore has started. Alongside those totals, Lebron also has hit 18 home runs with a team-high 69 RBI, while also 16-of-17 on stolen base attempts. Lebron's next chance to improve on those numbers will come in the SEC Tournament later this week, with Alabama set to face Missouri in the first round Tuesday morning. Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Why Gen Alpha Keeps Repeating Random Slang on Loop
I have two kids: one is Gen Z and the other is Gen Alpha. This means my house is filled with all kinds of slang that I don't understand at all. Thankfully, I have been spared the 'ballerina cappucina' talk (my condolences if you haven't). But there's a whole lot of other slang spoken around here. Current favorites seem to be 'six seven' and 'sus' and 'what the sigma?' I frequently have to ask my kids what the heck they are saying, because it basically sounds like gobbledygook to me. I'm not the only one who finds the whole thing incomprehensible. In fact, there's a name for the slang of our kids' generation: 'brain rot.' While I'm not sure I'd characterize it as something that could potentially rot kids' brains, I am struck by how absurd the slang sounds, and how kids seem to repeat these phrases over and over and over—compulsively, and seemingly completely out-of-context. I know I'm not the only one who's wondered if this generation's slang and its accompanying behaviors are normal. Did our slang words sound this nonsensical to our parents when we were kids? Why are kids obsessed with these nonsense-sounding words and saying them on seemingly endless loops? To answer my burning questions, I connected with two experts who helped me unpack our kids' slang, and some of the odd behaviors that go along with it. What is it about phrases like "what the helly," "Lebron," and "clock it" that kids seem to find so irresistible? 'Some phrases are just amusing to say,' says Carolina Estevez, PsyD, a licensed clinical psychologist at SOBA New Jersey. 'They may have a rhythm or sound that sticks in your head, or be part of something funny or viral that everyone is talking about.' Many kids find repeating these phrases satisfying, or silly, or just plain fun to say, Estevez says. 'It is also a way to connect with what is trending or what their friends are into,' she adds. Often, kids don't even realize how often they are doing it, but they are just finding the experience enjoyable. Ryann Sutera, CCC-SLP, a licensed speech-language who specializes in neurodiversity-affirming communication strategies and serves as managing partner at Support the Spectrum, says that viral phrases often have certain phonological features—like rhythm, prosody, and novelty—that make them rewarding to say. 'Repeating them can activate sensory-motor feedback loops involved in speech and self-regulation,' she shares. The short answer: because it's fun. Kids really enjoy playing and experimenting with language, Estevez says. 'Sometimes they shout a phrase out loud to make someone laugh, get a reaction, or entertain themselves,' she describes. 'It might not have a clear 'point,' but that does not mean it is not meaningful to them.' Repeating these phrases—yes, at seemingly random times—can be a kid's way of feeling seen, heard, or just passing the time. For many kids, this is about just expressing themselves, rather than strict communication, Estevez says. In other words, they aren't necessarily trying to talk to you, or even annoying you. Most of the time, they are simply enjoying the fun language they share with their peers. As a kid, I can remember repeating things I heard on TV or catchphrases my friends and I used to say. I bet you can too. Is that basically what 'brain rot' is all about? It's not new, says Estevez. 'Kids have always echoed what they hear—TV jingles, cartoon voices, movie lines,' she says. The difference now is that this type of content is more widespread, because of the internet. 'TikTok, YouTube, and memes are exposed to more language trends, making it easier for those phrases to catch on quickly,' she describes. Still, it's essentially the same behavior, just from different sources. Sutera agrees, saying that kids have always echoed things they hear in the media. 'For example, in my own family, we still jokingly say 'No soup for you!' from Seinfeld whenever someone steps out of line,' Sutera shares. 'What's changed today is not the behavior itself, but the speed, frequency, and global scale at which digital content is consumed and repeated.'"TikTok, YouTube, and memes are exposed to more language trends, making it easier for those phrases to catch on quickly."For the most part, these behaviors we are seeing in our kids are normal, even if we see them as completely bizarre. But are there any instances where the behaviors may actually be abnormal? For example, some parents may wonder if these behaviors are related to things like stimming (repetitive movement or sounds), echolalia (meaningless repetition of words), or self-regulation behaviors. They may wonder further if their child's behavior is a sign of a neurological disorder or a neurodivergence. In some cases, yes, it could be a sign of those things. 'Repeating phrases can be a way to self-soothe, focus, or manage big feelings, especially for neurodivergent kids,' Estevez says. 'If it is persistent and seems disconnected from social play, it could be related to echolalia or stimming.' However, you can have these behaviors and not experience any type of diagnosable condition. 'For many kids, it is just a fun, harmless way to engage with what they have seen or heard,' Estevez shares. The best way to know for sure what is going on with your child is to describe their symptoms to a trusted healthcare provider or child therapist. Okay, so what's the bottom line here? Should we be concerned about our kids' slang and behavior? Or is it just the type of thing that we have to 'grin and bear'? Most of the time, it's really nothing to worry about, assures Sutera. It's actually developmentally appropriate for most kids to experiment with language this way. It supports regulation, connection, and expression she says. 'Unless it's causing distress or significant interference, this behavior should be honored, not discouraged.' If you want to blame anything for 'brain rot,' you can blame pop culture and the proliferation of digital content. Repeating the slang kids hear online and at schoool is just how they engage with this content, Estevez says. And if your kid is walking around saying 'Tralero Tralala' on a loop—but it isn't interfering with your child's ability to interact with others or focus—it's likely just a sign they're growing up in a media-heavy world. At the same time, there are always exceptions and if your parental instinct says something more is going on, you should take action. 'If the repetition seems extreme or tied to anxiety or frustration, it is okay to be curious and talk to a pediatrician or therapist,' says Estevez. 'In general, though, it is a quirky kid behavior that usually passes with time.' Read the original article on Parents
