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Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Former Vanderbilt star, Centennial grad Tony Kemp announces MLB retirement after nine seasons
Tony Kemp has called an end to his baseball career. Kemp, a former Vanderbilt star and Centennial graduate, announced his retirement from baseball on social media on May 15. "After 12 years of professional baseball and nine seasons in the big leagues, I've decided to hang up the spikes," Kemp wrote in a social media statement. "... I want to say thank you to the game of baseball. A sport that humbles you daily, but you come back for more each day because it presents a new set of challenges. Advertisement "A game where you have the utmost confidence knowing it's a game of failure. Thank you for teaching me so many life lessons and giving me the opportunity to provide for my family." More: Vanderbilt baseball's series win over Tennessee is rivalry statement: Here's what we learned Kemp played for the Houston Astros, Chicago Cubs, Oakland Athletics and Baltimore Orioles, earning a World Series ring in 2017 with Houston. Kemp was named a finalist for the Roberto Clemente Award four times during his time with the Athletics, which is given to the player "who demonstrates the values Hall of Famer Roberto Clemente displayed in his commitment to community and understanding the value of helping others," per the MLB. Advertisement Ahead of his fifth-round selection by the Astros in the 2013 MLB Draft, Kemp was a standout under Tim Corbin at Vanderbilt. Kemp was named SEC Freshman of the Year in 2011 as Vanderbilt reached the College World Series, where Kemp was named to the all-tournament team. In 2013 he was named SEC Player of the Year, becoming the fourth Vanderbilt baseball player to reach 100 hits in a season along the way. "To my head coach at Vanderbilt, Tim Corbin, you took a chance on a 5'6" 150-pound baseball player out of Franklin, Tennessee," Kemp wrote. "Thank you for changing my life. You challenged and pushed me to limits that unlocked my true potential especially when it came to mental toughness." Kemp's roots are in Middle Tennessee, where he starred for Centennial from 2006 to 2010, hitting .544 with 24 stolen bases his senior year and later earning a spot on The Tennessean's All-Decade high school baseball team. Harrison Campbell covers sports for The Daily Herald and The Tennessean. Email him at hcampbell@ and follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @hccamp. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tony Kemp, former Vanderbilt and Centennial star, retiring from MLB
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Did Texas A&M baseball make NCAA tournament? Aggies first preseason No. 1 to miss since 1991
Texas A&M baseball's disappointing season came to an end on Monday, after the Aggies weren't selected for the NCAA tournament. Texas A&M was not listed as a First Four Out team by the NCAA selection committee, either, meaning it was at least four teams back of being picked for the tournament. The NCAA tournament miss marks the first time the preseason No. 1-ranked team missed out on making the field since 1991. Advertisement REQUIRED READING: NCAA baseball selection show live updates for 2025 NCAA tournament bracket reveal The Aggies went 30-26 this season, finishing 11-19 in SEC play. They finished the season ranked 50th in RPI, one year after falling to Tennessee in the national championship. Texas A&M returned Gavin Grahovac, the SEC Freshman of the Year last season, and outfielder Jace LaViolette, a projected first-round pick, for 2025. However, it had to replace coach Jim Schlossnagle, who left the Aggies for Texas after the 2024 College World Series. Grahovac also went down with a season-ending injury early in the season, which was one of many injuries for Texas A&M in 2025 as Gavin Kash and Caden Sorrell also missed extended time. Pitcher Shane Sdao also missed the entire season after having elbow surgery last offseason, and designated hitter Hayden Schott played the entire year with a torn meniscus, similar to the injury he played through in the College World Series last season. Advertisement Regardless, it was quite the disappointing season for Texas A&M, who was expected to be a powerhouse this season under first-year coach Michael Earley, who was the Aggies' hitting coach in 2024. Did Texas A&M make NCAA baseball tournament? Texas A&M wasn't included in the 64-team field for the NCAA baseball tournament on Monday when the full bracket was revealed. Texas A&M also wasn't particularly close to being in the field, either, as it wasn't one of the First Four Out teams, according to the NCAA selection committee. The Aggies went 30-26 this season, finishing 14th of 16 SEC teams in the regular season standings. Texas A&M was also notably swept at home by Missouri this season, which marked Missouri's only three wins in SEC play this season. The Tigers were 16-39 on the year and 3-27 in conference play. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Did Texas A&M baseball make the NCAA tournament?
USA Today
23-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Who is Karlyn Pickens? Tennessee softball pitcher dominant in 2025
Who is Karlyn Pickens? Tennessee softball pitcher dominant in 2025 Show Caption Hide Caption Karen Weekly on Tennessee softball, Karlyn Pickens win vs Ohio State in NCAA regional Karen Weekly talks about Tennessee softball's 4-2 win over Ohio State and Karlyn Pickens' performance in NCAA regional matchup. Lady Vols junior Karlyn Pickens has been one of the best college softball pitchers for multiple seasons and is capable of carrying Tennessee deep in the Women's College World Series. The 6-foot-1 junior is a two-time SEC Pitcher of the Year winner, also earning SEC Freshman of the Year honors in 2023. The Weaverville, North Carolina, native has been nothing short of dominant in her career, thanks to her elite fastball. Tennessee went 3-0 against Miami (Ohio) and Ohio State in the Knoxville Regional to advance to the super regionals, setting up a matchup with Nebraska. The matchup will be one of the best pitching duels in the sport this season, as the Cornhuskers are led by national player of the year finalist Jordy Bahl, the former Women's College World Series Most Outstanding Player at Oklahoma. REQUIRED READING: Who's in Super Regionals? Updated bracket, schedule for NCAA softball tournament Pickens will be looking to lead the Lady Vols back to the WCWS after missing out on Oklahoma City in 2024. Here's everything to know about Pickens, before her pitching duel against Nebraska in the super regionals: Who is Karlyn Pickens? Pickens is a junior right-handed pitcher at Tennessee, and one of the best pitchers in college softball. The 6-foot-1 ace is the back-to-back SEC Pitcher of the Year and deservingly so, as she holds a 0.90 earned-runs average with 252 strikeouts across 186⅓ innings pitched this season. She leads the country in ERA and ranks sixth nationally in strikeouts, despite playing in the loaded SEC. Pickens boasts an elite fastball, one that grades as one of the best by any college softball pitcher ever. In fact, she threw a pitch 78.2 miles per hour earlier this season, which is the fastest pitch ever recorded, according to the NCAA. Her previous-best mark was 77 miles per hour, which was tied for the fastest pitch ever with former Lady Vols legend Monica Abbott. Pickens threw the pitch for a strike against Arkansas on March 25. Pickens' best stuff is undeniable, as she has 11 starts with double-digit strikeout totals this season. She also had back-to-back starts against Oregon and Tulsa with 13 and 15 strikeouts, respectively, in February. She allowed seven combined hits and one earned run with 21 strikeouts across 12 innings in the Knoxville Regional. Pickens has already faced Nebraska once this season, and she was dominant, despite taking the loss. The right-handed pitcher struck out 11 hitters in five innings but allowed five unearned runs in the 7-1 loss. Pickens was the No. 5-ranked recruit nationally in the 2022 class, according to Extra Innings Softball. She was the No. 2-ranked pitcher after winning the Gatorade Player of the Year award in high school. Karlyn Pickens fastest pitch Here's a look at Pickens' record-breaking 78.2 mile-per-hour pitch earlier this season, which is the fastest ever recorded in a game: Karlyn Pickens stats Here are Pickens' year-by-year stats at Tennessee:
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Anthony Edwards Announces Exciting News on Friday
Anthony Edwards arrived in Minnesota as the No. 1 pick in 2020 after a sensational freshman year at Georgia. In his lone season with the Bulldogs, he averaged 19.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.3 steals per game, earning SEC Freshman of the Year honors. Advertisement Fast‑forward five years, and he's a three‑time NBA All‑Star and an All‑NBA Second Team selection (2024), having helped lift Team USA to Olympic gold in Paris just last summer. On Friday, Edwards unleashed a big statement via Instagram, showcasing the latest episode of his "Year Five" documentary series on YouTube, with the caption, 'We back again jack. Year Five Episode 4 out now. Check my Linkme in my bio.' While the post itself was brief, its timing spoke volumes. The episode comes out less than 48 hours after the Timberwolves closed out the Los Angeles Lakers in five games, punching their ticket to the Western Conference semifinals. Advertisement His 27.6 points per game led the Timberwolves to a 49-33 record in 2024-25 and the No. 6 seed in the NBA playoffs. In the playoffs, Edwards raised his game further, pouring in 43 points in Game 4 and helping orchestrate the closeout in Game 5, where Minnesota prevailed 103-96 on the road. Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5)Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images Now, Minnesota is preparing to face either the Golden State Warriors (48-34) or the Houston Rockets (52-30) in the West semifinals. The Warriors currently hold a 3-2 edge in their series, but the Rockets are coming off a commanding 131-116 Game 5 victory at home. Game 6 is set to take place Friday night in San Francisco. Advertisement Related: NBA Turns Heads With Historic Celtics Post Related: Draymond Green's Brutally Honest Response on Warriors' Blowout Loss
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Big Sophie Cunningham Update Surfaces After Injury
The Indiana Fever began the 2025 WNBA season with high hopes following a 20-20 campaign in 2024. On Saturday, Indiana tipped off the new season with a dominant 93-58 win over Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky, led by second-year star Caitlin Clark, who finished with a 20-point, 10-rebound, 10-assist triple-double. Advertisement Yet, despite opening the year strong, the Fever roster has been missing veteran guard Sophie Cunningham, who suffered a right ankle sprain in Indiana's final preseason game on May 10. On Monday, Chloe Peterson of the Indianapolis Star posted a video on X, noting that "Sophie Cunningham is participating in the open portion of practice today after she missed the season opener." A 6-foot-1 shooting guard out of Missouri, Cunningham was a three-time First-team All-SEC selection (2017-2019) and SEC Freshman of the Year in 2016 with the Tigers. She capped her collegiate career as the Tigers' all-time leading scorer (2,187), earning Third-team All-American honors from both the AP and USBWA in her senior season. Advertisement Drafted 13th overall by Phoenix in 2019, she spent six seasons with the Mercury, averaging a career-high 12.6 points and 4.4 rebounds per game in 2022, shooting 44.9% from the field and 40% from the 3-point line. Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham. Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images Cunningham joined the Indiana Fever roster as part of a four-team trade in January. Last season, the Fever finished third in the Eastern Conference and returned to the playoffs for the first time since 2016, only to bow out in the first round 2-0 to the Connecticut Sun. The next Fever game is against the Atlanta Dream on Tuesday. Related: Former WNBA Champion Involved in Caitlin Clark Incident Gets Released Related: Indiana Fever Turn Heads with Roster Announcement on Thursday
