Latest news with #St.Mary's
San Francisco Chronicle
6 days ago
- Sport
- San Francisco Chronicle
How St. Mary's baseball marched to second-ever NCAA regional with zero NIL money
St. Mary's baseball, a program whose history dates to 1872 when it was introduced as the school's first sport, has never played under the lights at home. It isn't a figure of speech. There are literally no lights at Louis Guisto Field. Gaels home games begin no later than 2 p.m. — and 3 p.m. after Daylight Saving Time. When winning seasons became the norm during Eric Valenzuela's first stint at the helm from 2014-19, opposing teams would occasionally make full use of their offensive timeouts, to which the St. Mary's dugout relentlessly exclaimed, 'We don't have lights!' Whether it was a tactic to draw the game past sundown or simply coincidental, Athletics starting pitcher and Gaels alumnus Ken Waldichuk remembers well how the team's favorite chirp emerged as the calling card for good baseball in Moraga. 'We embraced it, honestly,' Waldichuk said. 'Not having lights and being in that situation kind of brought guys together.' Valenzuela left for Long Beach State following the 2019 season after having led St. Mary's to four straight 30-win seasons, by far the most in school history, during a stretch that included the program's first NCAA regional appearance in 2016. Cy Young Award winner Corbin Burnes and MLB All-Star Tony Gonsolin were starting pitchers for that famed group of Gaels, whose legacy was finally matched last weekend. St. Mary's won the West Coast Conference tournament to automatically qualify for the program's second regional appearance, again under the leadership of Valenzuela, who returned as head coach in the summer of 2023 after four seasons in Long Beach. The feat seems more impressive this time around. In 2016, pay-for-play name, image and likeness (NIL) deals and a practically no-holds-barred transfer portal would not be implemented for another half decade. In 2025, success in college athletics is afforded to those with the deepest pockets. More than half of the NCAA tourney's field of 64 is made up of Power 4 teams (34). St. Mary's is one of a select group of mid-major teams included for winning its conference championship. As a result, Valenzuela and company find themselves as a four seed in a Corvallis, Ore., regional that features No. 8 national seed Oregon State, USC (Big Ten) and TCU (Big 12). It's safe to say all three programs have various levels of NIL backing. The NIL money spread across St. Mary's current roster? A whopping total of $0, Valenzuela told the Chronicle. 'There's absolutely no NIL with this current team at all,' Valenzuela said. 'We're not going to have the luxury of a lot of these programs, even in our conference, that have NIL and have a ton of it. … We're not there just yet.' All told, Valenzuela lost six of nine starters from a 2024 lineup that brought the program back above .500 last season at 34-22 (16-8 WCC) after consecutive campaigns with records of 25-26, 25-30 and 23-28 in his absence. Roster turnover heading into this season was inevitable from what was a senior-heavy team. But the Gaels also failed to retain catcher Bear Harrison (Texas A&M), who started 42 games with a .322 batting average and eight home runs as a freshman, outfielder Dalton Mashore (South Carolina), an All-WCC second-team selection, and 6-foot-11 pitcher Jason Reitz (Oregon), whom Valenzuela said would've likely been a weekend starter. Valenzuela cited internal conversations about potentially establishing an NIL budget and funding more baseball scholarships when the allowable number by the NCAA expectedly increases from 11.7 to 34 as part of the House v. NCAA settlement. What steps may be taken, while valuable, are also unlikely to make St. Mary's baseball competitive in the NIL marketplace overnight. Valenzuela knows any high school, junior college or transfer recruits who land with the Gaels won't be the ones chasing money. 'The times have totally changed,' Valenzuela said. 'You never know what a Tony Gonsolin or a Ken Waldichuk or a Corbin Burnes would have done if they were in this era.' For what it's worth, Waldichuk said he thinks he would've stayed. The development he received in three years at St. Mary's after joining as a preferred walk-on in 2017 was well worth it once the New York Yankees spent a 2019 fifth-round pick on him following his junior season. He said his cost of tuition was almost entirely covered once he was put on a partial athletic scholarship after posting a 2.00 ERA as a true freshman reliever. In his final two years, Waldichuk said he had to pay about $1,000 per semester. Every St. Mary's baseball player pays some portion of tuition, according to Valenzuela, who acknowledged maybe one or two are close to attending the school for free but that 'a lot of them are paying the majority.' Meanwhile, some starters at Power 4 programs, especially in the SEC, not only have their tuition covered — they regularly net money off of NIL deals. The independent variable in Valenzuela's success has been his staff. Associate head coach and recruiting coordinator Daniel Costanza has coached alongside Valenzuela for 12 years. And under hitting coach Jack Meggs, who was retained from the program's previous staff, the Gaels boast a top-50 batting average in the country (.301). Fueling that are All-WCC first-team first baseman Eddie Madrigal, whose average is a team-best .372 with 21 home runs and 77 RBIs, and outfielder Aiden Taurek, who is batting .336 with 10 homers and 45 RBIs in his first year as a starter. 'If I'm a coach at a Power (4) school, I'm looking at schools like ours who found ways to be successful with limited resources — I'm going to try to hire those guys,' Valenzuela said. The deeper the Gaels go this postseason as the Bay Area's only chance at a College World Series berth in Omaha, Neb., the farther they'll be from home. But their future on the grounds of Louis Guisto Field at Brother Ronald Gallagher Stadium will only brighten in the years to come. The town of Moraga recently approved outdoor light fixtures to be installed at the ballpark. Gone are the days of an afternoon first pitch thrown against the backdrop of bleachers marked by the handful of parents who could get off of work early. Valenzuela said he always has believed night games could increase exposure for the program across the broader Lamorinda area, ripe with young baseball talent. To enlighten those who have been in the dark: Since 1967, St. Mary's baseball has fielded 12 teams that won at least 30 games, including the past six coached by Valenzuela. 'If you compare Coach V to probably any other coach in the country, he gets more out of what he has than just about anybody,' St. Mary's president Roger Thompson said.
San Francisco Chronicle
26-05-2025
- Sport
- San Francisco Chronicle
St. Mary's baseball making itself known again with NCAA regional berth
For every autograph signed Monday by a member of the NCAA regional-bound St. Mary's baseball team at University Credit Union Pavilion, a kid who probably already had one or two from, say, star first baseman Ed Madrigal or outfielder Aiden Taurek eagerly asked for another. Neither Madrigal nor Taurek are mainstream names. But they're the closest thing to celebrities in Moraga, a practically stranger-less town where a chance encounter with someone you know is more like a certainty. 'You know everyone around here, everyone knows you,' Taurek told the Chronicle. And because of Eric Valenzuela, everyone knows St. Mary's baseball. In his second stint as head coach of the Gaels, Valenzuela needed only two years to put them back in the NCAA Tournament for only the second time in program history, dating back to its inclusion as the school's first sport in 1872. The college baseball selection show Monday morning slotted St. Mary's in the Corvallis regional as a four-seed, meaning they'll face No. 8 overall seed Oregon State — a longtime baseball powerhouse — in Friday's first round of a double-elimination format. Valenzuela acknowledged to the small group that gathered at UCU Pavilion the rigors of the road ahead, along with the incredible journey they've already trekked. An at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament was out of the question. As a three-seed, St. Mary's needed to win the West Coast Conference tournament to automatically qualify for a regional. The only other time the Gaels were crowned conference champions was in 2016, but with Valenzuela at the helm. He built St. Mary's into a perennial winning program from 2014-19, left for Long Beach State from 2020-23, and in 2024 circled back to Moraga. After an intense stretch of conference tournament games in Las Vegas last week, including a Saturday that began with a 14-inning defeat to San Diego and ended with St. Mary's WCC championship-clinching 9-8 win in a same-day rematch, Valenzuela has the Gaels back to where they were before he left. St. Mary's fell below .500 in every season during his brief absence, save the COVID-abbreviated 2020 campaign, before Valenzuela posted a 34-22 record by the end of his first season back in 2024. A senior-heavy roster subsequently disbanded, in addition to transfer portal losses that included catcher Bear Harrison (Texas A&M), outfielder Dalton Mashore (South Carolina) and 6-foot-11 pitcher Jason Reitz (Oregon), who was set to step into a weekend role for the Gaels if he stayed. Despite the turnover, St. Mary's held a top-50 batting average nationally (.301) with a lineup led by Madrigal (.372) and Taurek (.336), a first-year starter. 'I'm proud of this group because six of our nine guys in our lineup from a very (good) offensive team last year are gone,' Valenzuela said. 'To be able to have a better year offensively and overall was huge.' Madrigal was stripped of his opportunity to shine as a third-year sophomore in 2024 following a season-ending knee injury just several games in. His breakthrough this year, marked by a .372 batting average, 21 home runs and 77 RBI (tied for ninth-most in the country), earned him a microphone moment Monday. He was the only player allowed to address the pavilion, though his words stretched no further than a sentence or two. The All-WCC first-team selection need not overstate what has transpired: St. Mary's College of California, a basketball school, is good in baseball again.
Boston Globe
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Boston Globe
Eight high school sports takeaways from a Saturday that crowned two Boston City League champions
1. Milestones Two girls' lacrosse seniors notched their 100th career goals. Nantucket's Mayson Lower did it during a five-goal performance to beat Martha's Vineyard, 14-3, and Hamilton-Wenham's Maisie Leland scored three goals to reach triple digits in a 19-11 win over St. Mary's. Advertisement Chelmsford announced senior captain Liam Quinn surpassed 1,000 career points in kills, aces, and blocks this week. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up 🚨Congratulations🎉 to Senior Captain Liam Quinn for surpassing 1,000 career points in kills, aces, & blocks this week! Incredible season & incredible career at CHS! Let's keep it going!🚨 — CHS Volleyball (@CHSBVolleyball) 2. Walkoff wins Mimicking Haverhill's Max St. Hilaire singled to lead off the bottom of the seventh against Methuen with the score tied, 1-1, and Nick Schraffa singled him home for a 2-1 victory in a consolation game of the Hillie Classic. Related : In the Northeastern Conference, Peabody's Joe Sinibaldi picked off the potential go-ahead run in the top of the eighth, then in the 10th, Ethan Waybret walked it off with a sacrifice fly for a 3-2 win over Danvers. Advertisement And in Andover, Wakefield senior Cam DePrizio drilled a walkoff double for a 1-0 win over the host Warriors. 3. Going, going, gone Nobody's power was more prodigious Saturday than Bridgewater-Raynham senior Olivia Roy , who connected on a pair of home runs and finished with nine RBIs in a 17-5 win over Mansfield. Lexington senior Lidia Palys broke open a tie game with a blast in the top of the eighth, putting the Minutemen in position for a 10-1 win over Belmont. Plymouth North's Danny Kenney launched a two-run shot in the fourth inning, his second of the season, in a 4-3 loss to BC High, and English High's Armanis Romero raced for an inside-the-park round-tripper in the top of the fourth of a 6-4 win over Latin Academy in the BCL baseball championship. In the city league softball final, Latin Academy's Claire Hauck rallied her team to a 9-5 win with a two-run shot. Ryleigh Williams of St. Mary's joined in the longball party, as did Holliston's Jayden Hayes , who homered twice in a 19-6 win over Bellingham. 4. Daily lacrosse goals leaderboard Avery Nistl , Hamilton-Wenham, 6 Ally Bettencourt , Peabody, 5 Clare Latham , Bishop Feehan, 5 Brooke Lomasney , Peabody, 5 Mayson Lower , Nantucket, 5 Ava Nason , St. Mary's, 5 Madi Barrett , Peabody, 4 Emily Berube , Bishop Feehan, 4 Avery Texiera , Bishop Feehan, 4 5. Daily strikeout leaderboard Luke Joyce , Braintree, 15 Cam Collier , Latin Academy, 13 Jack Zimmerman , St. Mary's, 13 Luke Rogan , Mansfield, 11 Ty Southall , Georgetown, 10 Lyla Moore , Carver, 9 Tyer Alsen , Cardinal Spellman, 8 Ayden Balter , Wilmington, 8 Dylan Lawrence , North Andover, 8 Caroline Arruda , Marshfield, 7 Danny Kenney , Plymouth North, 7 6. Commitment central Payton Kamin , a 6-foot-8-inch senior forward out of Worcester Academy he has committed to play men's basketball at Penn. Advertisement Big congrats to Payton Kamin '25 on his commitment to Penn! — Worcester Basketball (@WA_VBB) BC High senior Jack Darcy , a middle infielder from Milton, who can hit 88 miles per hour with his fastball, is headed to Amherst to play baseball. Welcome to the Amherst Baseball Class of 2029, Jack!🦣 — Amherst Baseball (@AmherstBaseball) 7. College corner With a roster featuring freshman Kierstyn Zinter (North Andover/Central Catholic), freshman Danielle Cox (Norwell), junior Ali Hoyt (Boston/Tabor), and freshman Maddie Szyluk (Longmeadow), Tamp won the NCAA Division 2 women's lacrosse championship, 15-9 over Adelphi. Szyluk, a midfielder, had two goals in the championship game. WPI graduate student Avinash Bissoondial , a Millbury High graduate, capped his standout career with All-America honors after finishing eighth in the 5,000 meters (14:17.02) at the NCAA Division 3 men's track and field championship in Geneva, Ohio. Odds and ends Ella Peper , a freshman at Dexter Southfield who plays club basketball for the Bay State Jags, was selected as one of the 22 finalists for the USA Women's U16 National Team. 22 finalists have been announced for the 2025 🇺🇸 » — USABJNT (@usabjnt) Peper, who hails from Newton, already has offers from Kentucky, Clemson, Louisville, Alabama, Purdue, Indiana, Virginia, Baylor, Arizona State, Georgia, Tennessee, Maryland, and more. A video from the US Olympic Training center in Colorado showed the 6-foot-4-inch 15-year-old dunking in practice. She's 15!! Get Up 💥 📍 🇺🇸 — USABJNT (@usabjnt) Brendan Kurie can be reached at
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
St. Mary's and St. John's make history with first Ulster title
St. Mary's/ St. John's 6-06 Moville Community School 4-08 In sweltering heat at the Melvin Sports Complex, history was made as the combined team of St. Mary's College, Irvinestown and St. John's, Dromore claimed their first ever Ulster title in a thrilling U14 Ulster Final against Moville Community School, Co. Donegal. The opening quarter saw nerves take hold, with Moville racing into a five-point lead. The pressure of the occasion seemed to weigh heavily on the young side, but a crucial regrouping at halftime sparked a remarkable turnaround. The second half was a different story. The team emerged with renewed focus and belief, showing grit, teamwork, and heart. Goalkeeper Maciee McKinney was a standout performer, pulling off a string of vital saves to keep her side in the contest. In defence, Amy Williamson was a rock, linking up brilliantly with Jessica Largo-Elis and the tireless Tierna Gormley, who was deservedly named Player of the Match for her relentless work rate and leadership on the pitch. Codie Muldoon also played a pivotal role, covering huge ground and driving the team forward. In attack, Maya and Shauna Cameron were clinical, converting key chances and keeping the scoreboard ticking. Juliajana McGourty and Aoife Mc Macken were instrumental in turning defence into attack, intercepting crucial passes, and launching counterattacks that kept Moville on the back foot. The final whistle sparked scenes of joy as players, coaches, and supporters celebrated a landmark victory. The noise from the school's supporters was electric, creating an unforgettable atmosphere that lifted the team throughout. Celebrations continued into the afternoon, with heartfelt thanks extended to the local community for their unwavering support, to Molly's Bar and Restaurant for their generous refreshments during the game and to everyone who sent messages and videos of encouragement. This was more than just a win, it was a moment of history, pride, and inspiration for the future of ladies' football in both schools. Manager Tamara Dolan said after the game: "This is a moment of immense pride, not just for the team, but for the entire school community. "Winning our first-ever Ulster final is a historic milestone, and it's a testament to the hard work, resilience, and belief these young girls have shown all season. "As their Teacher, I couldn't be prouder. They've made history, and they've inspired a new generation to dream big. This victory belongs to every player, every supporter, and everyone who believed in us." St. Mary's Principal Martina McCauley also added: "We are so proud of this U14 team and their momentous win. "It means so much to us as a school community as it is the first time we have won this cup, so these girls are history makers. We would like to thank them for putting our small school on the map and for the great buzz they have brought to us all. "I would like to thank their coaches, Miss Dolan and Erin for the dedication they have shown these girls all year and the coaches from St John's Dromore Nuala Kelly and Orla McSorley, who treated our girls like their own."
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Grapevine deli owner was new Pope's schoolmate
The Brief A Grapevine deli owner went to the same school as Pope Leo XIV. Both attended St. Mary's in Riverdale, Illinois. Weinberger's Deli is now offering a "Papa Leo" sandwich in the pope's honor. GRAPEVINE, Texas - A Grapevine deli owner is honoring the new pope, who just happens to be his former schoolmate. The backstory Dan Weinberger, the owner of Weinberger's Deli in Grapevine, attended the same grade school as Pope Leo XIV, who was then known as Robert Prevost, in Riverdale, Illinois. READ MORE: Chicagoans welcome 'Da Pope' as native son becomes first American pontiff Weinberger did not personally know Prevost, who was three years younger than him, but became aware of his story during the conclave. When he heard his fellow St. Mary's alum had been elected as pope, Weinberger was shocked. What they're saying "It's crazy to think that you grew up in the same community where the pope would have gone to the same festivals that you went to, went to the same ice cream parlor, went to Newman Drugs, went to Value Village and all these places and actually lived in the neighborhood with you," said Weinberger. "I sat down on the couch and thought, 'this is amazing.'" To celebrate Prevost's election, Weinberger created a new menu item. The sandwich is called the "Papa Leo." Weinberger says he researched what kind of food the new pope likes for his creation. The sandwich, which is based on a popular creation in Uruguay, has beef, ham, lamb and a sunny side up egg. Weinbeger is charging 14 dollars for the sub because he is Pope Leo the 14th. Biography Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV, is a Chicago native born in 1955. After joining the Order of Saint Augustine in 1977 and making his solemn vows in 1981, he earned degrees in mathematics, divinity, and canon law—including a doctorate from the Pontifical College of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome. Prevost was ordained in 1982 and began his pastoral and academic service in Peru in 1985, where he served in roles such as chancellor, seminary rector, canon law professor, and judicial vicar. In 1999, Prevost was elected provincial prior of the Augustinians in Chicago, and just a few years later, he became prior general of the worldwide order, serving two terms until 2013. He then returned to Peru at Pope Francis' request to serve as apostolic administrator—and later bishop—of the Diocese of Chiclayo. In January 2023, Pope Francis appointed Prevost prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, a powerful Vatican role responsible for episcopal appointments worldwide. He was made a cardinal in September of the same year. The Source Information in this article comes from an interview with Dan Weinberger. More information on Pope Leo XIV comes from the Catholic Church.
