Latest news with #Yorkville
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Yorkville Giants vs. Gilbert Cardinals highlights NFL FLAG Championships
Watch highlights between the Yorkville Giants and the Gilbert Cardinals at the 2025 NFL FLAG Championships.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Yorkville Giants vs. Gilbert Cardinals highlights NFL FLAG Championships
Watch highlights between the Yorkville Giants and the Gilbert Cardinals at the 2025 NFL FLAG Championships.
Chicago Tribune
4 days ago
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
After Arizona run, Yorkville's Michael Hilker gets taken by Minnesota Twins in 20th round of MLB draft
Yorkville graduate Michael Hilker was taking advantage of his surroundings Monday night, sitting on a bench overlooking a lake in Rhode Island. His host family provided that serene setting for Hilker, who's pitching for the Ocean State Waves of the New England Collegiate Baseball League. Hilker, however, was still busy. He was fixated on his phone, hoping to get a call that would change his life in the MLB draft. 'My advisor called me and asked if I was watching the draft and I was like, 'I've only been watching it for six hours,'' Hilker said. 'I couldn't believe it when I got the call. 'It was everything you dreamed about in a 45-second phone call.' The Minnesota Twins selected the right-handed Hilker in the 20th round at 599th overall. Hilker has decided to forgo his final season of eligibility at Arizona and get started with his professional career. He plans on heading soon to the Twins' spring training facility in Fort Myers, Florida. 'I'm excited to get on the journey,' Hilker said. 'I've been telling my friends, 'I have a job now.'' Three years ago, this ascent would have seemed improbable. Under recruited in high school, Hilker settled on NCAA Division III powerhouse Wisconsin-Whitewater, where he spent his first two seasons establishing himself as an All-American. 'Sixteen months ago, heading into my sophomore season at Whitewater, I didn't even know what my role was going to be,' he said. 'Throughout that season, I learned what kind of pitcher I can be.' That led to an opportunity at Arizona to see what he could do at the Division I level. Hilker was a mainstay in the bullpen for the Wildcats, helping them reach the College World Series. Now, he's set to begin his professional career. 'We thought Whitewater was really good for him, but we thought he could play at a higher level than that,' Yorkville coach Tom Cerven said. 'He went to Arizona and fulfilled that. 'It's hard to measure guys getting drafted. We definitely saw the college success in him, but I don't know if we saw this kind of potential.' Cerven praised Hilker for constantly working to get better and challenging himself to reach this goal. 'Credit to him — he's a hard worker,' Cerven said. 'When he puts his mind to it, he really starts to grind and really starts to find a way to accomplish it. 'All that hard work he put in finally paid off and finally somebody took notice of him.' Hilker allowed eight runs to Louisville in his Arizona debut, but he only allowed eight more runs the rest of the season. He had a perfect 1 2/3 inning outing at top-ranked North Carolina in the Super Regionals, which attracted the eyes of a lot of scouts. 'I knew I could make a little bit of an improvement in my stock there,' Hilker said. 'I credit a lot of it to playing in the postseason because it allowed me to be seen. I think that helped me out a bunch.' The MLB draft is an interesting process, and Hilker saw it firsthand. He said he was in contact with some teams, but then the Twins came in out of nowhere and picked him. 'It was an unreal feeling,' Hilker said. 'I always thought it was a huge process to get drafted, but if you put in the work and you're a good player, you'll be found.' Before heading to Florida, Hilker has allowed himself to reflect on how he got here. He doesn't take it for granted. 'I've definitely been thinking about my 7-year-old self the last few days, playing T-ball when baseball was something to kill time, before it was my life,' Hilker said. 'I'm super excited to get down there and live the dream.'
Chicago Tribune
4 days ago
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
After Arizona run, Yorkville's Michael Hilker gets taken by Minnesota Twins in 20th round of MLB draft.
Yorkville graduate Michael Hilker was taking advantage of his surroundings Monday night, sitting on a bench overlooking a lake in Rhode Island. His host family provided that serene setting for Hilker, who's pitching for the Ocean State Waves of the New England Collegiate Baseball League. Hilker, however, was still busy. He was fixated on his phone, hoping to get a call that would change his life in the MLB draft. 'My advisor called me and asked if I was watching the draft and I was like, 'I've only been watching it for six hours,'' Hilker said. 'I couldn't believe it when I got the call. 'It was everything you dreamed about in a 45-second phone call.' The Minnesota Twins selected the right-handed Hilker in the 20th round at 599th overall. Hilker has decided to forgo his final season of eligibility at Arizona and get started with his professional career. He plans on heading soon to the Twins' spring training facility in Fort Myers, Florida. 'I'm excited to get on the journey,' Hilker said. 'I've been telling my friends, 'I have a job now.'' Three years ago, this ascent would have seemed improbable. Under recruited in high school, Hilker settled on NCAA Division III powerhouse Wisconsin-Whitewater, where he spent his first two seasons establishing himself as an All-American. 'Sixteen months ago, heading into my sophomore season at Whitewater, I didn't even know what my role was going to be,' he said. 'Throughout that season, I learned what kind of pitcher I can be.' That led to an opportunity at Arizona to see what he could do at the Division I level. Hilker was a mainstay in the bullpen for the Wildcats, helping them reach the College World Series. Now, he's set to begin his professional career. 'We thought Whitewater was really good for him, but we thought he could play at a higher level than that,' Yorkville coach Tom Cerven said. 'He went to Arizona and fulfilled that. 'It's hard to measure guys getting drafted. We definitely saw the college success in him, but I don't know if we saw this kind of potential.' Cerven praised Hilker for constantly working to get better and challenging himself to reach this goal. 'Credit to him — he's a hard worker,' Cerven said. 'When he puts his mind to it, he really starts to grind and really starts to find a way to accomplish it. 'All that hard work he put in finally paid off and finally somebody took notice of him.' Hilker allowed eight runs to Louisville in his Arizona debut, but he only allowed eight more runs the rest of the season. He had a perfect 1 2/3 inning outing at top-ranked North Carolina in the Super Regionals, which attracted the eyes of a lot of scouts. 'I knew I could make a little bit of an improvement in my stock there,' Hilker said. 'I credit a lot of it to playing in the postseason because it allowed me to be seen. I think that helped me out a bunch.' The MLB draft is an interesting process, and Hilker saw it firsthand. He said he was in contact with some teams, but then the Twins came in out of nowhere and picked him. 'It was an unreal feeling,' Hilker said. 'I always thought it was a huge process to get drafted, but if you put in the work and you're a good player, you'll be found.' Before heading to Florida, Hilker has allowed himself to reflect on how he got here. He doesn't take it for granted. 'I've definitely been thinking about my 7-year-old self the last few days, playing T-ball when baseball was something to kill time, before it was my life,' Hilker said. 'I'm super excited to get down there and live the dream.'
The Independent
6 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
This building in Toronto has become Canada's first ‘supertall' skyscraper
Canada's skyline has reached a historic era, with a development in Toronto surpassing the 300-meter (984-foot) mark, making it the country's first "supertall" building. "Supertall" is a term used globally to describe skyscrapers that rise above 300 meters in height. Upon completion in mid-2028, cloud-scraping One Bloor West will have 85 stories and a height of 308.6 meters, or 1,012 feet. That's about four-fifths as tall as the Empire State Building. This behemoth won't, however, be Canada's tallest structure. That honor will remain with Toronto's CN Tower. It's 553 meters in height, or 1,814 feet, but doesn't count as a 'supertall building' because it's technically a freestanding communications tower. A building is classified as a structure with continuous floors from the ground up, a feature absent from the CN Tower. One Bloor West was designed by renowned Foster + Partners and Toronto-based Core Architects, and developed by Tridel. Core Architects said in a statement: "One Bloor West is now among an elite class of skyscrapers worldwide." And Foster + Partners described the skyscraper as a "bold new development" that will "set new standards for commercial and retail accommodation in Canada". The skyscraper is located at the border of downtown and the fashionable Yorkville neighborhood and will comprise 476 residential units on its upper levels, and hotel and retail floors lower down. The skyscraper will be topped by a series of luxurious duplex penthouses, accessed via a "sky lobby", which Foster + Partners says will have "sweeping views across Lake Ontario and beyond". Amenities will include a spa with fitness facilities, a library and a large south-facing terrace. "As the first supertall in the country, One Bloor West marks a pivotal moment not just for Toronto, but all of Canada," said Jim Ritchie, President and CEO of Tridel. "We are moving into a new era of development, marked by a level of ambition and engineering excellence not previously seen before. We're proud to be part of the team delivering a new landmark to Toronto's skyline and look forward to future buildings joining One Bloor West's supertall status." Tridel added that "construction continues to progress steadily, with major structural milestones now complete and interior work soon to advance across multiple levels". One Bloor West, however, won't be Canada's tallest building for long. SkyTower at Pinnacle One Yonge, under construction in Toronto's Central Waterfront neighborhood, will top out at 1,154 feet (351 meters) when complete, with views from the top at eye level with the CN Tower's observation pod. These new skyscrapers are both lofty, but far shorter than the world's tallest tower, Burj Khalifa in Dubai, which at 2,717 ft (828 meters) is more than double the height of both of them.
