Latest news with #Wildcats'
Irish Examiner
6 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
24,000 travelling fans expected for Aer Lingus College Football Classic at Aviva Stadium
This month, Ireland welcomes back the Aer Lingus College Football Classic - the first US college football game of the 2025 season - and with that a draw of 24,000 travelling international fans. The highly anticipated clash will see Kansas State University's 'Wildcats' and Iowa State University's 'Cyclones' take each other on at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday, August 23 at 5pm (Irish Time). The game marks a historic moment as the first-ever Big 12 Conference matchup to grace Irish soil and is being billed as the 'most competitive' American College Football game ever to be played outside the US. The day will involve planned tailgating events and pep rallies in Merrion Square aswell as a band march from the RDS to the Aviva Stadium. A spectator flyover by an Aer Lingus aircraft is also planned over the Aviva Stadium before the game kicks off. The Classic has consistently boosted Ireland's economy and this year's game will be no different. The event is projected to generate over €130 million for the local Irish economy. Read More Molloy calls on supporters to back players, as they did during skorts debate, on final weekend
USA Today
23-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Northwestern QB Jack Lausch leaves football team to focus on baseball career
Northwestern football has lost its starting quarterback from last season — not to graduation, injury or the transfer portal, but another sport. Jack Lausch, who started 10 games for the Wildcats at quarterback in 2024, has left the program to focus on his baseball career, Northwestern coach David Braun said on July 23 at Big Ten media days in Las Vegas. While balancing two sports last season, Lausch hit .268 with six home runs and nine doubles while starting 43 of a possible 44 games for the Wildcats' baseball team. He was fourth among all Wildcats players in batting average and tied for first in stolen bases, with five. REQUIRED READING: Big Ten college football power rankings start with Penn State, Ohio State Coming out of high school, Lausch had originally committed to play baseball at Notre Dame before changing his mind and accepting a football scholarship to Northwestern. He joined the Wildcats' baseball team ahead of last season after playing only football as a freshman. "He has the potential to be an every-day big league center fielder," Northwestern baseball coach Ben Greenspan said to ESPN in April. "He runs, he throws, he defends, there's power potential. His makeup is elite." Though he started most of last season for Northwestern, Lausch was unlikely to hold on to the role after the Wildcats brought in SMU transfer Preston Stone, who led the Mustangs to an American Athletic Conference championship in 2023 before losing his starting job in 2024 to Kevin Jennings. Last season, Lausch completed 53.7% of his passes for 1,714 yards, seven touchdowns and eight interceptions for a Northwestern team that went 4-8. He also rushed for 213 yards and two touchdowns. "We will miss his leadership," Braun said of Lausch. "Miss having him as a part of the team, but excited and so impressed with everything that he achieved." The Wildcats open their 2025 season at Tulane on August 30.
Chicago Tribune
07-06-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Libertyville sophomore Brady Buenik already throws 95 mph. He has ‘moxie.' But he's tested in sectional final.
Libertyville's Brady Buenik is in that select company of high school pitchers who can throw a 95 mph fastball. Almost as important for the 6-foot-3, 195-pound sophomore right-hander are the lessons he's learning as he reaches deeper to navigate high-pressure situations, like the one he faced in the Class 4A Stevenson Sectional championship game on Saturday. 'The adrenaline was going pretty quickly, but I think I did a pretty good job of calming down and trying to think that it's any other game,' Buenik said. 'I wasn't 100% me today, but it was a good learning experience.' But Buenik was good enough to earn the win. He pitched 3 1/3 innings in relief in the second-seeded Wildcats' 5-4 victory against eighth-seeded Lake Zurich in Lincolnshire. An effective bridge between junior starter Chase Lockwood and senior closer Zach Seiler, Buenik (5-0) allowed two hits, walked five, hit one and struck out three as Libertyville (33-4) won its first sectional title since 2013 to advance to the Schaumburg Supersectional against Maine South (23-16) at Wintrust Field at 7:30 p.m. Monday. Libertyville senior catcher Quinn Schambow, an Oklahoma State recruit, looks at Buenik's refusal to back down as a key factor in his success. Buenik struck out senior slugger Owen Strahl to end the sixth inning. 'He was throwing balls past guys, and it was pretty cool to see him get fired up on the strikeout,' Schambow said. 'That shows how competitive he is, and that's what you need to be a ballplayer — that confidence and moxie and swagger. If you don't have that, good luck. That's one of the things that makes him special.' Buenik started four games this season, his first at the varsity level. Among those, he pitched five strong innings during the Wildcats' 2-1 win against Valley Christian, a team from Chandler, Arizona, that didn't lose the rest of the season en route to a state title. 'Having that under his belt really built his confidence,' Libertyville coach Matt Thompson said. 'Going into the seventh (against Lake Zurich), he said, 'Coach, I'm finishing this game.' I agreed with him and said, 'Let's start with the first batter and go from there.'' Buenik entered the game against the Bears (26-12) with a 2-1 lead — which Schambow gave the Wildcats with a two-run double in the third inning — after Lockwood pitched the first three frames. A three-run fifth gave the Wildcats insurance runs they needed. Schambow's sacrifice fly made it 3-1, and senior first baseman Joshua Holst, an Air Force commit, followed with a two-run homer. The first batter to face Buenik in the top of the seventh grounded to third. But a four-batter stretch with a walk, a hit-by-pitch, an infield error and another walk ended his day. Lake Zurich sophomore third baseman Alex Toth coaxed a walk from Seiler to make it 5-3. But Seiler struck out sophomore leadoff hitter Carson Hamblin and Strahl with the bases loaded sandwiched around plunking senior outfielder Cash Kaczmarek. 'I've been there before, and I feel comfortable getting the call to be in those situations,' Seiler said. 'I understand it's a big moment for me, but it's a big moment for them, too, and when I follow Brady, it's different for the hitter. It's nice to know that they're already off balance before I throw my first pitch.' Seiler was referring to Buenik's fastball, which has helped him produce a 1.24 ERA, a 0.92 WHIP and 34 strikeouts against 11 walks in 28 1/3 innings. Strikeouts have always loomed large for Buenik, but this is the first season in which his fastball hasn't been able to do all the heavy lifting by itself. 'A little bit earlier in the year, there were signs of guys catching up to it, especially in the later innings because velocity might drop a bit,' he said. 'No one was absolutely crushing it, but I've learned that you've got to mix a lot more. Anyone can catch up to a fastball, but if you execute your pitches, things will go your way.' Not everything went Buenik's way on Saturday, but that will be good for him in the long run, according to Schambow. 'He needed that for himself because not every time you step on the mound are you going to have a perfect outing where you don't walk anyone or give up any hits,' Schambow said. 'He's matured a lot as the season has gone on, and as you can see today, the pressure didn't get to him.'
Chicago Tribune
31-05-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Carson Holmes, whose older brother played for Libertyville, is ‘a big part of it now.' And he has a big swing.
For as long as anyone can remember, when Libertyville's Carson Holmes has held a baseball bat, good things have happened. That hasn't changed in Holmes' first full varsity season. He has settled into the cleanup spot in the Wildcats' lineup and has launched a home run in each of Libertyville's two playoff wins. 'I like fielding,' Holmes said. 'But more importantly, I just like to hit. That's why I play baseball.' Holmes, a junior who has been a dependable outfielder but was the designated hitter on Saturday, blasted a two-run homer as second-seeded Libertyville beat seventh-seeded Highland Park 5-2 in the Class 4A Hoffman Estates Regional championship game. Holmes' fifth home run of the season came with two outs in the bottom of the fifth and gave the Wildcats (32-4), who will play sixth-seeded Prospect in the Stevenson Sectional semifinals at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, a 5-0 lead. It scored senior first baseman Joshua Holst, an Air Force recruit who had singled right before Holmes and hit a solo shot two innings earlier. Holmes' long ball provided two important insurance runs for junior pitcher Chase Lockwood, who went the distance. The Giants (24-11-1) scored two unearned runs in the top of the seventh. 'The previous at-bat, I swung and whiffed at a curveball, so I just sat curveball the next time up,' Holmes said. 'He threw me one, and I took it deep. The one before was a really bad swing, so I made the adjustment.' Holmes takes a measured approach at the plate. 'The thing with Carson is that he takes a nice, smooth swing,' Libertyville coach Matt Thompson said. 'He's never trying to jack the ball. He just gets the barrel to the ball really well, and obviously you see the results. 'He's always been confident in himself as a hitter, and he's built on it this year.' Holmes, who went 2-for-2 and was hit by a pitch on Saturday, is hitting .426 with a .543 on-base percentage, a 1.330 OPS and 21 RBIs. 'I've been seeing him swing the bat since we were 8, and he's always been hitting bombs,' Libertyville junior second baseman Trevor Wallace said. 'He has a great swing. The whole year, he's been pretty hot. It's been fun to see.' Holmes' older brother Dylan, a 2022 Libertyville graduate, plays for NJCAA Division III World Series qualifier Oakton Community College. The two spend ample time analyzing Holmes' swing, making adjustments when things go awry and having a devoted plan day in and day out. 'He's been a big influence on how I play this game, especially hitting the ball,' Holmes said. 'I'll send him videos, and he'll help me with my swing to this day. So he deserves credit for that.' Holmes pointed to one change in particular this season. 'We made some adjustments in my swing, and ever since, I've been hitting the ball really well,' Holmes said. 'I was upper-cutting it too much, and I need to stay more downhill to the ball, having a shorter path — be short to it, not long.' Holmes, who got a taste of varsity baseball as a late-season call-up in 2024, has longed for this opportunity, having watched Libertyville teams of the past. 'It's been a lot different but a lot of fun actually being a big part of it now,' he said. 'It's kind of my job to hit, and I pride myself on doing that, and this is a really good team to be a part of. We all connect, and this is our year to do some damage.'
The Advertiser
27-05-2025
- Sport
- The Advertiser
'Rushed' Cotton blames Wildcats' demand for Perth exit
Bryce Cotton has blamed Perth management for his exit from the Wildcats, claiming the NBL club gave him too short a time frame to decide his playing future. But the Wildcats' owner has defended the club for making a "horrible" but apparently unavoidable decision to cut ties with one of the league's greatest ever players. Five-time NBL MVP Cotton raised eyebrows signing with the Adelaide 36ers last week, having knocked back the Wildcats' contract extension after nine years in Perth. But on Tuesday, the 32-year-old said the Wildcats were responsible for his decision to sign elsewhere by insisting he make a decision on his future before he had a proper chance to explore his options. "As much as people feel or say, 'Why did I leave the Wildcats?', I didn't technically leave," Cotton told the EasyDay podcast. "The Wildcats parted ways with me because I wasn't willing to give an answer back in March." Cotton had been open with the Wildcats about his desire to test his value on the open market after the 2024/25 season, which finished as the greatest yet of his already illustrious NBL career. The American had been linked with Japanese club Chiba Jets, coached by former Wildcats boss Trevor Gleeson, and played a handful of NBA games before arriving at the Wildcats. But Cotton claims the Wildcats were pushing him for an answer only days after he'd touched down in Puerto Rico for a brief off-season stint at Mets de Guaynabo. "At that point, I'm pretty sure the (NBL) grand final was still going on, Melbourne playing Illawarra," Cotton said. "I had my agent tell them, 'Look, honestly, giving y'all within the next two or three days after I'd gotten to Puerto Rico, that s***'s not enough time for me to make a decision. "Like not being no cocky or no arrogant s***, but I just had one of the greatest seasons in NBL history and I'm a free agent for the first time in forever. It couldn't have been a better time." It left Cotton feeling there was only one option, to leave the Wildcats, telling the club: "I want to test free agency. So if you guys feel like you want to move on, I understand, but that (two or thee days) is not enough time for me to make a decision." Wildcats owner Mark Arena has subsequently defended the Wildcats, telling NBL Now that the club did "everything we possibly could to sign (Cotton) with the time frame we had". But the Wildcats had eight other players hitting free agency, including key men Keanu Pinder and Dylan Windler, so felt they needed an answer on their talisman's future. "We didn't want to end up in a position where we were waiting and waiting and waiting (for an answer from Cotton) and we were at a point where other players perhaps started looking elsewhere," Arena said. "It's a massive decision, a horrible decision we had to make, which was wait longer and risk the whole squad and our success, or make the hard call and move on and build a roster with plenty of time to do that that can win a championship." Cotton insisted he remained close with the Wildcats playing roster and his final coach, John Rillie. "I'm happy there's not beef between me and JR, it's all love. We spoke after the decision with Adelaide was made as well. It's all good," Cotton said. Bryce Cotton has blamed Perth management for his exit from the Wildcats, claiming the NBL club gave him too short a time frame to decide his playing future. But the Wildcats' owner has defended the club for making a "horrible" but apparently unavoidable decision to cut ties with one of the league's greatest ever players. Five-time NBL MVP Cotton raised eyebrows signing with the Adelaide 36ers last week, having knocked back the Wildcats' contract extension after nine years in Perth. But on Tuesday, the 32-year-old said the Wildcats were responsible for his decision to sign elsewhere by insisting he make a decision on his future before he had a proper chance to explore his options. "As much as people feel or say, 'Why did I leave the Wildcats?', I didn't technically leave," Cotton told the EasyDay podcast. "The Wildcats parted ways with me because I wasn't willing to give an answer back in March." Cotton had been open with the Wildcats about his desire to test his value on the open market after the 2024/25 season, which finished as the greatest yet of his already illustrious NBL career. The American had been linked with Japanese club Chiba Jets, coached by former Wildcats boss Trevor Gleeson, and played a handful of NBA games before arriving at the Wildcats. But Cotton claims the Wildcats were pushing him for an answer only days after he'd touched down in Puerto Rico for a brief off-season stint at Mets de Guaynabo. "At that point, I'm pretty sure the (NBL) grand final was still going on, Melbourne playing Illawarra," Cotton said. "I had my agent tell them, 'Look, honestly, giving y'all within the next two or three days after I'd gotten to Puerto Rico, that s***'s not enough time for me to make a decision. "Like not being no cocky or no arrogant s***, but I just had one of the greatest seasons in NBL history and I'm a free agent for the first time in forever. It couldn't have been a better time." It left Cotton feeling there was only one option, to leave the Wildcats, telling the club: "I want to test free agency. So if you guys feel like you want to move on, I understand, but that (two or thee days) is not enough time for me to make a decision." Wildcats owner Mark Arena has subsequently defended the Wildcats, telling NBL Now that the club did "everything we possibly could to sign (Cotton) with the time frame we had". But the Wildcats had eight other players hitting free agency, including key men Keanu Pinder and Dylan Windler, so felt they needed an answer on their talisman's future. "We didn't want to end up in a position where we were waiting and waiting and waiting (for an answer from Cotton) and we were at a point where other players perhaps started looking elsewhere," Arena said. "It's a massive decision, a horrible decision we had to make, which was wait longer and risk the whole squad and our success, or make the hard call and move on and build a roster with plenty of time to do that that can win a championship." Cotton insisted he remained close with the Wildcats playing roster and his final coach, John Rillie. "I'm happy there's not beef between me and JR, it's all love. We spoke after the decision with Adelaide was made as well. It's all good," Cotton said. Bryce Cotton has blamed Perth management for his exit from the Wildcats, claiming the NBL club gave him too short a time frame to decide his playing future. But the Wildcats' owner has defended the club for making a "horrible" but apparently unavoidable decision to cut ties with one of the league's greatest ever players. Five-time NBL MVP Cotton raised eyebrows signing with the Adelaide 36ers last week, having knocked back the Wildcats' contract extension after nine years in Perth. But on Tuesday, the 32-year-old said the Wildcats were responsible for his decision to sign elsewhere by insisting he make a decision on his future before he had a proper chance to explore his options. "As much as people feel or say, 'Why did I leave the Wildcats?', I didn't technically leave," Cotton told the EasyDay podcast. "The Wildcats parted ways with me because I wasn't willing to give an answer back in March." Cotton had been open with the Wildcats about his desire to test his value on the open market after the 2024/25 season, which finished as the greatest yet of his already illustrious NBL career. The American had been linked with Japanese club Chiba Jets, coached by former Wildcats boss Trevor Gleeson, and played a handful of NBA games before arriving at the Wildcats. But Cotton claims the Wildcats were pushing him for an answer only days after he'd touched down in Puerto Rico for a brief off-season stint at Mets de Guaynabo. "At that point, I'm pretty sure the (NBL) grand final was still going on, Melbourne playing Illawarra," Cotton said. "I had my agent tell them, 'Look, honestly, giving y'all within the next two or three days after I'd gotten to Puerto Rico, that s***'s not enough time for me to make a decision. "Like not being no cocky or no arrogant s***, but I just had one of the greatest seasons in NBL history and I'm a free agent for the first time in forever. It couldn't have been a better time." It left Cotton feeling there was only one option, to leave the Wildcats, telling the club: "I want to test free agency. So if you guys feel like you want to move on, I understand, but that (two or thee days) is not enough time for me to make a decision." Wildcats owner Mark Arena has subsequently defended the Wildcats, telling NBL Now that the club did "everything we possibly could to sign (Cotton) with the time frame we had". But the Wildcats had eight other players hitting free agency, including key men Keanu Pinder and Dylan Windler, so felt they needed an answer on their talisman's future. "We didn't want to end up in a position where we were waiting and waiting and waiting (for an answer from Cotton) and we were at a point where other players perhaps started looking elsewhere," Arena said. "It's a massive decision, a horrible decision we had to make, which was wait longer and risk the whole squad and our success, or make the hard call and move on and build a roster with plenty of time to do that that can win a championship." Cotton insisted he remained close with the Wildcats playing roster and his final coach, John Rillie. "I'm happy there's not beef between me and JR, it's all love. We spoke after the decision with Adelaide was made as well. It's all good," Cotton said.
