Latest news with #Wideman
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Clemson baseball adds All-American outfielder Ryan Wideman from transfer portal for 2026 season
CLEMSON — Clemson baseball landed Ryan Wideman, an All-American outfielder, out of the transfer portal on June 11. Wideman, 6-foot-5, 204 pounds, batted .398 with 20 doubles, 10 home runs, 68 RBIs and 45 stolen bases in 60 games with Western Kentucky. He was named Conference USA player and newcomer of the year and first-team all-conference. He also earned All-American honors from the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association and Perfect Game. He has one year of eligibility remaining. Wideman played a key role in Western Kentucky's first run to the NCAA Tournament since 2009. He likely will slot in to replace star center fielder Cam Cannarella, who is projected to be taken in the first or second round of the 2025 MLB Draft, which will be held July 13-14. Advertisement Wideman also is draft eligible and could opt for the majors depending on where he is selected. He is ranked No. 155 in the top 200 draft prospects. MORE: Five games that will decide if Dabo Swinney, Clemson return to College Football Playoff Before Western Kentucky, Wideman spent two seasons at Georgia Highlands College, where he hit .423 with 22 home runs total and earned junior college All-American honors in 2023 and 2024. Wideman joins Ty Dalley, Tyler Lichtenberger and Bryce Clavon as Clemson's transfer hitting additions. All will be needed to replace key contributors like Cannarella, Dominic Listi, Andrew Ciufo and Josh Paino. Advertisement Clemson has hosted an NCAA regional for three straight seasons and suffered an early exit in 2025. It was the sixth time in seven years that it was eliminated as NCAA regional hosts since 2011, and the 11th time in its past 12 regional appearances that it has failed to reach the super regional. The Tigers are landing key hitters and pitchers via the portal because of expiring eligibility, the portal and the MLB draft. They have not reached the College World Series since 2010. Derrian Carter covers Clemson athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at dcarter@ and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DerrianCarter00 This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Clemson baseball lands All-American Ryan Wideman from transfer portal
USA Today
3 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Clemson baseball adds West Coast slugger in latest transfer portal tear
Clemson baseball adds West Coast slugger in latest transfer portal tear Clemson baseball continued on its heater in the transfer portal late Thursday. The Tigers and coach Erik Bakich picked up a commitment from Nate Savoie, an outfielder coming off his freshman season at Loyola Marymount in the West Coast Conference. Savoie announced his commitment to Clemson in a post to social media. The right-handed hitter from Newport Beach, Calif., had 20 home runs, 14 doubles and 61 RBIs while batting .300 and posting a 1.059 OPS for the Lions in 53 games (51 starts) this past season. Savoie collected a season-high four hits against Gonzaga on May 3, a game in which he homered and doubled. Before committing to Loyola Marymount, he starred at Orange Lutheran High School in California where he played catcher, outfield and infield. Savoie is the latest power bat to join Clemson in the transfer portal following the commitment of former Western Kentucky slugger Ryan Wideman. An All-American outfielder last season, Wideman hit .398 with 10 home runs and 36 extra base hits while playing in all 60 games. He stole 45 bases as a top-of-the-order threat who played centerfield. Clemson has now added seven players via the transfer portal since falling 16-4 to Kentucky in the NCAA Tournament's Clemson Regional. In addition to Savoie and Wideman, the Tigers have picked up outfielder Ty Dalley (Mercer), infielders Bryce Clavon (Georgia) and Tyler Lichtenberger (Appalachian State), and pitchers Hayden Simmerson (Catawba College) and Ariston Veasey (Alabama) in the portal. Clemson has seen five players from its 2025 roster enter in the portal, the latest of which is left-hander B.J. Bailey. Contact us @Clemson_Wire on X, and like our page on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Clemson Tigers news and notes, plus opinions.
Yahoo
12-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Mystics introduce new coach and general manager, with a focus on building a player-friendly culture
WASHINGTON (AP) — With a new general manager and coach, the Washington Mystics are just beginning the process of trying a build a contender again. One part of the plan is obvious. The Mystics want to develop a reputation as a player-friendly organization. 'We want this to be a home, where players can find themselves and really want to be here," coach Sydney Johnson said. "I think in doing so, perennial success will follow.' The Mystics formally introduced Johnson as their new coach and Jamila Wideman as GM on Wednesday. Washington is coming off two straight sub-.500 seasons and has been quiet in free agency this offseason. At their news conference, Johnson and Wideman focused less on Xs and Os and roster building strategy and more on creating the right culture. 'These two in particular have spent so much of their lives pouring into other people," said Michael Winger, president of Monumental Basketball, which runs both the Mystics and the NBA's Wizards. "With little to no fanfare — they don't celebrate themselves — but countless people have become better humans, better athletes, better advocates because of them. That was so incredibly important to us, that we could have leaders who understood that there is so much more to the athlete behind the jersey, behind the sneakers.' With a new collective bargaining agreement expected after this season, free agency in 2026 could be a big opportunity for teams that need to add talent. Wideman cautioned against putting too much emphasis on just next offseason, but it was easy to read between the lines as she and Johnson talked about the future of the Mystics. They want Washington to be an attractive WNBA destination. Wideman believes Washington has a lot to offer, especially for international players. The team's current roster includes Aaliyah Edwards (Canada), Sika Koné (Mali) and Jade Melbourne (Australia). 'This place, this city, speaks for itself. We've also got to speak to players why," Wideman said. "As the league becomes more and more international, I think we've got something really special in this city in the sense that there are so many communities and there is such diversity.' Wideman played at Stanford, graduating in 1997. She played in the WNBA's inaugural game that year and was responsible for the first assist in league history. She spent the past six years at the NBA, most recently as the league's senior vice president of player development. Johnson was the Ivy League player of the year in his senior season at Princeton in 1997. He later coached the men's teams at Princeton and Fairfield. He began his coaching career as an assistant at Georgetown under John Thompson III, who is now a senior vice president at Monumental. Johnson was an assistant coach for the WNBA's Chicago Sky last year. The Mystics won their first championship in 2019 behind star Elena Delle Donne, but because of the COVID-19 pandemic and injury issues, she played only 51 games over the next four years. Then she sat out last season after the team gave her a core player designation. Washington started 2024 with 12 straight losses, and although the Mystics nearly rallied to make the playoffs, they finished 14-26. The team replaced GM Mike Thibault and coach Eric Thibault with Wideman and Johnson. Those two now start with a fairly clean slate. 'There's a lot we can't control. To win, to win championships, it's luck, it's dependent, it's a lot of stuff," Wideman said. "What we can do is do our best to control what's in our hands. One of the things in our hands I think is simply building culture.' ___ AP WNBA:
Associated Press
12-02-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
Mystics introduce new coach and general manager, with a focus on building a player-friendly culture
WASHINGTON (AP) — With a new general manager and coach, the Washington Mystics are just beginning the process of trying a build a contender again. One part of the plan is obvious. The Mystics want to develop a reputation as a player-friendly organization. 'We want this to be a home, where players can find themselves and really want to be here,' coach Sydney Johnson said. 'I think in doing so, perennial success will follow.' The Mystics formally introduced Johnson as their new coach and Jamila Wideman as GM on Wednesday. Washington is coming off two straight sub-.500 seasons and has been quiet in free agency this offseason. At their news conference, Johnson and Wideman focused less on Xs and Os and roster building strategy and more on creating the right culture. 'These two in particular have spent so much of their lives pouring into other people,' said Michael Winger, president of Monumental Basketball, which runs both the Mystics and the NBA's Wizards. 'With little to no fanfare — they don't celebrate themselves — but countless people have become better humans, better athletes, better advocates because of them. That was so incredibly important to us, that we could have leaders who understood that there is so much more to the athlete behind the jersey, behind the sneakers.' With a new collective bargaining agreement expected after this season, free agency in 2026 could be a big opportunity for teams that need to add talent. Wideman cautioned against putting too much emphasis on just next offseason, but it was easy to read between the lines as she and Johnson talked about the future of the Mystics. They want Washington to be an attractive WNBA destination. Wideman believes Washington has a lot to offer, especially for international players. The team's current roster includes Aaliyah Edwards (Canada), Sika Koné (Mali) and Jade Melbourne (Australia). 'This place, this city, speaks for itself. We've also got to speak to players why,' Wideman said. 'As the league becomes more and more international, I think we've got something really special in this city in the sense that there are so many communities and there is such diversity.' Wideman played at Stanford, graduating in 1997. She played in the WNBA's inaugural game that year and was responsible for the first assist in league history. She spent the past six years at the NBA, most recently as the league's senior vice president of player development. Johnson was the Ivy League player of the year in his senior season at Princeton in 1997. He later coached the men's teams at Princeton and Fairfield. He began his coaching career as an assistant at Georgetown under John Thompson III, who is now a senior vice president at Monumental. Johnson was an assistant coach for the WNBA's Chicago Sky last year. The Mystics won their first championship in 2019 behind star Elena Delle Donne, but because of the COVID-19 pandemic and injury issues, she played only 51 games over the next four years. Then she sat out last season after the team gave her a core player designation. Washington started 2024 with 12 straight losses, and although the Mystics nearly rallied to make the playoffs, they finished 14-26. The team replaced GM Mike Thibault and coach Eric Thibault with Wideman and Johnson. Those two now start with a fairly clean slate. 'There's a lot we can't control. To win, to win championships, it's luck, it's dependent, it's a lot of stuff,' Wideman said. 'What we can do is do our best to control what's in our hands. One of the things in our hands I think is simply building culture.'
