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The fan base is uneasy to say the least. For the second straight season, the Seattle Mariners offense has struggled out of the gate, or at least has appeared to. With just 18 runs through seven games, the Mariner offense ranks tied at 26th with the Texas Rangers. Is the offense really in the bottom […]

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The fan base is uneasy to say the least. For the second straight season, the Seattle Mariners offense has struggled out of the gate, or at least has appeared to. With just 18 runs through seven games, the Mariner offense ranks tied at 26th with the Texas Rangers.

Is the offense really in the bottom third of the league, or can the slow start be attributed to unfortunate outcomes at the plate? The answer is a bit of both.

A big focus for Manager Dan Wilson’s team coming into this season was going the opposite way of the analytics, swapping home runs and strikeouts for high contact rate and fast guys.

So far through seven games, the Mariners’ walk rate is 12.1%, second best in Major League Baseball through seven games.

The Mariners have put 141 balls in play, which is 23rd in the league. So far this season, the M’s have a .211 BABIP (batting average on balls in play). According to MLB, an average BABIP for an entire team is around .300. When the Mariners are putting the ball in play, good things just aren’t happening.

They are striking out a lot, and they are putting the ball in play, but just aren’t getting the desired results — runs.

The Mariners do have a problem with making contact.

The strikeout rate is high at 27.5%, tied with the Braves for seventh in the league. The Mariners have gotten the second fewest pitches in the strike zone this season (46.4%), and only the winless Atlanta Braves and New York Yankees seeing fewer. On top of that, Seattle has the highest whiff rate in all of baseball 34.8%.

According to Baseball Savant, the Mariners have the lowest contact rate on pitches in the strike zone at 72.2%. For reference, the Athletics have a 83.9% zone contact rate, which is fourth best in baseball.

There might be something to the high strikeout rate as the Mariners are a fairly aggressive ball club. The Mariners rank third in first pitch swing rate. Combining the high whiff rate and a low contact rate on pitches in the zone gives the Mariners a formula for strikeouts.

But Seattle is getting on base with walks and HBP, and when they do make contact, results have just varied. Through seven games, the Mariners are in the upper have of baseball when it comes to solid contact and barrels (9.2% barrel rate). So how do they start scoring runs in bulk?

They need to continue to have solid at-bats. Quite the take, I know, but it is important for fans to not freak out seeing a team batting average of .172 seven games into the season. The offense should turn around. They are taking their walks, and as a team they aren’t swinging at bag pitches, with their chase rate at 15th in baseball.

When they do make contact, they are finding enough barrels to do damage. In the series opener against Detroit in the 9-6 loss, the Mariners had eight batted balls at over 100 mph exit velocity compared to Detroit’s four. In the final game of that series against the reigning Cy Young Winner Tyrik Skubal, the Mariners had seven which only equated to three hits.

If the contact rate on pitches inside the zone increases by just a fraction, the offense should see the benefit of that, and more runs should come across.

It’s hard to be patient. The M’s offense has been slow out of the gate too many times as they have been 3-4 to start the season four out of the last five years. Especially when teams like the Yankees are hitting nine homers in a game. But as the adage goes, you have to trust the process. The process looks like it is working, but the fruits of their labor are just a bit behind it.

It’s easy to take aim at Jerry Dipoto and John Stanton in the Mariners’ front offices, but there are good numbers that show the offense is shaping up. But patience is running thin.

Ben Ray covers sports in Federal Way and South King County. Contact benjamin.ray@fedwaymirror.com.

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Men’s Track & Field Wins New England DIII Outdoor Championships

Story Links NEW LONDON, CT. – Marking 80 points to top a field of 47 collegiate institutions, the Wesleyan’ men’s track and field team took first place at the New England Division III Outdoor Championships for the first time in program history, breaking three school records in the process as they walked […]

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NEW LONDON, CT. – Marking 80 points to top a field of 47 collegiate institutions, the Wesleyan’ men’s track and field team took first place at the New England Division III Outdoor Championships for the first time in program history, breaking three school records in the process as they walked away with 17 Top 10 finishes at the United States Coast Guard Academy.

Saturday afternoon marked the third time the Cardinals finished in the Top 10 team rankings at the New England Division III Championships, but the first time at the head of the table. The Cardinals placed 10th in 2019 but previously tied for sixth at the 1993-94 indoor championship.

Leaving New London with two broken records and a first-place finish, Steve Paul ’28 opened the weekend with a Friday night record break in the 100m dash. Breaking a 13-year record previously held by LaDarius Drew ’15, Paul ran a 10.60 in the preliminary heats of the event, besting Drew’s previous record of 10.69. On Saturday morning, Paul finished as the runner-up, clocking a final 10.68. Paul followed his performance in the 200m, breaking his own outdoor record with a first-place final of 21.24, beating the previously set 21.56 set on April 19.

The record breaking was not finished. Ethan Singleton ’28 cracked his own week-old record in the men’s 400m, as he crossed the line in second place with a 47.83. At the NESCAC Championships on April 26, Singleton completed a 48.37.

A second Cardinal victory was the result of the 5000m distance race. Noah Mahoney ’27, a national contender in the cross country circuit, placed first with a final clocked time of 15:11.26 for the Cardinals. Mahoney’s runner-up was teammate Will Wise ’26, finishing 23 seconds behind at a 15:34.17.

Making up half of the Top 10 contenders in the 1500m, the Cardinals dominated with a pack led by Rob D’Aquila ’26. D’Aquila placed fourth (3:57.19), Liam Calhoun ’26 took fifth (3:57.32), Bruce Lenes ’26 was seventh (3:59.75), Alex Kermath ’26 finished eighth (4:00.04), and Zach Allen ’27 rounded out the club in ninth (4:00.59).

Fourth and fifth place in the 800m went to George Lepska ’25 and Nate Fogarty ’25. Lepska earned fourth place, kicking up a 1:52.51 while Fogarty was on his heels in fifth with a 1:53.90. The final of the individual track events went to Philip Keith’s ’25 sixth-place final in the 10,000m, clocking in a solid 32:37.89.

Fielding a relay team for the 4×800, Fogarty, D’Aquila, Lepska, and Ben Taffet ’26 combined forces for a fourth-place finish and a time of 7:50.92.

The field events were headlined by Javier Orelanna’s ’25 performance at shot put. Throwing for 15.33m, Orellana placed third. Eli Liedtka’s ’27 discus throw of 44.22m earned him a finish at eight.

The Cardinals look ahead to the Open New England Championships on Friday, May 9, and Saturday, May 10.

 

 



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High school beach volleyball: Final results

GIRLS BEACH VOLLEYBALL PLAYOFFS FRIDAY’S RESULTS  CITY SECTION FINALS At Tournament Beach, Santa Monica DIVISION I Venice 3, Taft 0 SATURDAY’S RESULTS SOUTHERN SECTION  FINALS  At Long Beach City College  DIVISION 1  Redondo Union 3, Mira Costa 2 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement DIVISION 2 Long Beach Wilson 3, Millikan 2 DIVISION 3  Long Beach Poly 3, […]

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GIRLS BEACH VOLLEYBALL PLAYOFFS

FRIDAY’S RESULTS 

CITY SECTION

FINALS

At Tournament Beach, Santa Monica

DIVISION I

Venice 3, Taft 0

SATURDAY’S RESULTS

SOUTHERN SECTION 

FINALS 

At Long Beach City College 

DIVISION 1 

Redondo Union 3, Mira Costa 2

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DIVISION 2

Long Beach Wilson 3, Millikan 2

DIVISION 3 

Long Beach Poly 3, Anaheim Canyon 2

Sign up for the L.A. Times SoCal high school sports newsletter to get scores, stories and a behind-the-scenes look at what makes prep sports so popular.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.



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Women’s Track and Field Wins 2025 Division III New England Championships

Story Links NEW LONDON, CONN. (May 3, 2025) – The Tufts University women’s track and field team secured victory at the Division III New England Championships after another excellent day of competition down in New London at the United States Coast Guard Academy. Senior Harper Meek became the first Jumbo to […]

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NEW LONDON, CONN. (May 3, 2025) – The Tufts University women’s track and field team secured victory at the Division III New England Championships after another excellent day of competition down in New London at the United States Coast Guard Academy.

Senior Harper Meek became the first Jumbo to score points on day two, finishing second in the high jump with a massive mark of 1.66m. Her second place finish was enough for the 16th best mark in the NCAA Division III.

First year Mia Kurtz became the next Jumbo to score points with her eighth place finish in the discus throw. Her mark of 39.02m picked up a point for the Jumbos, helping to keep them atop the team standings.

Simisola Lawal and Makayla Moriarty made consecutive finishes in the 100m dash finals as Lawal took sixth with a 12.19 and Moriarty seventh with a 12.24. Both finishes were inside the Top 100 fastest times in the NCAA Division III.

Carly Rinko and Phoebe Bryar also took consecutive finishes in the 800m run. Rinko was third with a season-best 2:14.95 for the 60th best time in the NCAA Division III, while Bryar broke the facility record with a personal best time of 2:13.24.

First year Grace Doyle finished just outside the podium in the 3000m steeplechase with a fourth place finish in a personal best time of 11:33.04. Junior Lexi Dean was just a bit behind her in fifth with an 11:39.33.

The Jumbos relay teams saw two facility records fall in both of their races. The 4x100m relay team of Lawal, Chechile, Moriarty and Cumberland took third in a track-best time of 47.17. It was the fastest time posted by the squad this season. The 4x400m relay finished in a track-best time of 3:51.26 for second place. It was the best time posted by the squad of Smith, Moriarty, Chechile and Kral.

The heptathlon’s conclusion saw sophomore Tessa Player leapfrog ahead into first place for the win. Her day started with a fourth place finish in the long jump before she rattled off back-to-back first place finishes in the javelin throw and 800m run. Her points total of 4257 was just 55 points ahead of the runner-up from Bowdoin.

The Jumbos took first place by an overwhelming 34 points with 94 to Connecticut College’s 60. They will have the week off before heading out west to compete in the NEICAAA Championships at UMass Amherst.

 


–JUMBOS–



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SUNY Geneseo Takes the 2025 Empire 8 Men’s Outdoor Track and Field Championship

Men’s Outdoor Track and Field | 5/3/2025 7:47:48 PM Story Links 2025 Empire 8 Men’s Outdoor Track and Field Championship Central SUNY Geneseo won the 2025 Empire 8 Men’s Outdoor Track and Field Championship from Bob Boozer Field at Eunice Kennedy Shriver Stadium on […]

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Men’s Outdoor Track and Field | 5/3/2025 7:47:48 PM

SUNY Geneseo won the 2025 Empire 8 Men’s Outdoor Track and Field Championship from Bob Boozer Field at Eunice Kennedy Shriver Stadium on the Campus of SUNY Brockport on Friday, May 2 and Saturday, May 3. Geneseo finished with 303.5 points, while host SUNY Brockport finished second with 199 points and St. John Fisher University was third with 104 points.
 
The Knights had 10 individuals/relay teams win events and set five Empire 8 Championship records in its first season as a league member.
 
Sophomore Emerson Comer of was named 2025 Empire 8 Outdoor Track Athlete of the Meet after setting a pair of Empire 8 Championship meet records in winning the 3,000-meter steeplechase and 5,000-meters. He began the meet on Friday with a win in the 3,000-meter steeplechase by over seconds in a record time of 9:04.73. He came back on Saturday to win the 5,000-meters in a meet record time of 14:28.20.
 
St. John Fisher senior Brandon Kaplan was named 2025 Empire 8 Outdoor Track Athlete of the Meet. On Friday, Kaplan won the hammer throw with a toss of 60.87 meters, which shattered former NCAA Champion Luis Rivera of Nazareth University’s mark of 59.22 meters, set in winning the 2015 NCAA National Championship. Kaplan’s mark is now the sixth best in Division III to date this season.
 
Jack Pomykaj of Nazareth broke his own Empire 8 meet record in winning the decathlon with 6,173 points. He was the top E8 finisher in the 100-meters, long jump, 110-meter hurdles, and pole vault. He also moved into the top-30 nationally with his score.
 
Utica’s Hunter Logan won his fourth straight league title in the shot put with a toss of 15.79 meters. Fellow Utica standout Louis Pinto annexed the high jump with a leap of 1.96 meters.
 
Ryan Hagan of SUNY Geneseo out-dueled Jonathan Zavala in a stirring battle to win the 1,500-meters in not only an E8 Championship meet record, but all-time E8 record time of 3:49.78.
 
Geneseo’s Jacob Miller, who broke the E8 record in the 400-meters Friday night, won the 200-meter dash Saturday in 21.85 seconds.
 
Geneseo’s 4 x 100-meter relay team of Trey Feirman, Andrew Kent, Jack Towns, Jackson Burton began the day with a win in 41.92 seconds. Brendan Style of Geneseo won the 110-meter hurdles in 14.87 seconds, while Matthew Sheehan took the 800-meters in 1:52.16.

Derek Grimshaw of host Brockport won the 100-meters by one, one-hundredth of a second in 11.00 seconds, while teammate Jeremy Chen won the 400-meter hurdles in 54.18 seconds.

The St. John Fisher duo of Manuel Sepulveda and Daniel Davis emerged victorious in field events. Sepulveda won the triple jump with a leap of 14.58 meters, while Davis won the discus with a toss of 40.43 meters.

  

2025 Empire 8 Men’s Outdoor Track and Field Championship Award Winners

Track Athlete of the Meet – Emerson Comer, So., Distance, SUNY Geneseo

Field Athlete of the Meet – Brandon Kaplan, Sr., Throws, St. John Fisher


 

2025 Empire 8 Outdoor Championship Final Team Scores

SUNY Geneseo – 303.5 points

SUNY Brockport – 199

St. John Fisher University – 104

Utica University – 94.5

Nazareth University – 61

Houghton University – 42

Alfred University – 25

Russell Sage College – 13

Hartwick College – 13

2025 Empire 8 Outdoor Championship Individual Relay/Award Winners (Friday)

3,000-meter Steeplechase: Emerson Comer, SUNY Geneseo – 9:04.73 *

400-meter dash: Jacob Miller, SUNY Geneseo – 47.24 *^

4 x 800-meter relay: Amos Bixler, James Eustace, Henry Sardina, Aidan Fish, Houghton – 7:56.56

10,000-meter run: Micah McCulley, SUNY Geneseo – 32:45.73

Long Jump: Ellis Urgent, Utica – 7.24 meters (23′ 9″)

Hammer Throw: Brandon Kaplan, St. John Fisher – 60.87 meters (199′ 8″) *^

Pole Vault: Hayden Penna, St. John Fisher – 4.90 meters (16′ 0.75″) *

Javelin Throw: Kaiden Simpson, Russell Sage – 50.87 meters (166′ 10″)

 

2025 Empire 8 Outdoor Championship Individual Relay/Award Winners (Saturday)

4 x 100-meter relay: Trey Feirman, Andrew Kent, Jack Towns, Jackson Burton, SUNY Geneseo – :41.92

1,500-meter run: Ryan Hagan, SUNY Geneseo – 3:49.78 *^

110-meter hurdles: Brendan Style, SUNY Geneseo – :14.87

100-meter dash: Derek Grimshaw, SUNY Brockport – :11.00

800-meter run: Matthew Sheehan, SUNY Geneseo – 1:52.16

400-meter hurdles: Jeremy Chen, SUNY Brockport – :54.18

200-meter dash: Jacob Miller, SUNY Geneseo – :21.85

5,000-meter run: Emerson Comer, SUNY Geneseo – 14:28.20 *

4 x 400-meter relay: Arjun Ojha, Dawson Wadsworth, Jacob Miller, Matthew Sheehan, SUNY Geneseo – 3:15.29 *

Shot Put: Hunter Logan, Utica – 15.79 meters (51’ 9.75”)

Triple Jump: Manuel Sepulveda, St. John Fisher – 14.58 meters (47’ 10”)

Discus Throw: Daniel Davis, St. John Fisher – 40.43 meters (132’ 7”)

High Jump: Louis Pinto, Utica – 1.96 meters (6’ 5”)

Decathlon: Jack Pomykaj, Nazareth – 6,173 points *

* Empire 8 Championship Meet Record

^ All-Time Empire 8 Record

ABOUT THE EMPIRE 8 CONFERENCE

The members of the Empire 8 Conference are committed first and foremost to the pursuit of academic excellence and the league is regarded as an outstanding NCAA Division III conference. The membership has distinguished itself among its peer group for its quality institutions, spirited and sportsmanlike competition, outstanding services and highly ethical policies and practices. Its commitment to serve the educational needs of its student-athletes is the hallmark of the E8. For more on the Empire 8 visit www.empire8.com.

 

EMPIRE 8 SOCIAL MEDIA

YouTube – Facebook – Twitter – Instagram

 





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Big Green Has Four Top Ten Placements in Final Regular Season Meet

By: Maddie Omana Story Links DEDHAM, Mass. – The Dartmouth men’s and women’s track and field teams had four top ten performances during the Jay Carisella Coaches Invitational on Saturday, marking a successful regular season finish.  “This was a great tune-up meet for the team as we head into the outdoor […]

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DEDHAM, Mass. – The Dartmouth men’s and women’s track and field teams had four top ten performances during the Jay Carisella Coaches Invitational on Saturday, marking a successful regular season finish. 

“This was a great tune-up meet for the team as we head into the outdoor Ivy League Championships next weekend.  We had several great performances and added a few more names to the top ten lists.  Go Big Green!” Mike Nelson, the Marjorie & Herbert Chase ’30 Director of Dartmouth Track & Field and Cross Country, said. 

Mariella Schweitzer won the 100m hurdles for the Big Green with her 13.75 finish, putting herself at second all-time in program history. She also won the long jump with a 5.92m mark. Daniela Ruelas Lomeli followed closely behind in the 100m hurdles, placing second in the event and seventh in program history with her 14.50 finish. 

J’Voughnn Blake was the runner-up in the 800m, but put himself at second all-time in the event with his 1:47.72 finish. Emma Kerimo won the 5000m, clocking a 17:45.38 finish. 

On the throwing side, Zaneta Pivcova now ranks tenth all-time in the shot put after her 14.34m performance. Max Klein won the men’s shot put with a 17.57m throw. 

The Big Green will begin their championship season next weekend in New Haven, Conn., at the Ivy League Outdoor Track and Field Championships.

ALL-TIME RESULTS

Women’s 100m Hurdles

  1. 13.39 – Cha’Mia Rothwell – 2017  
  2. 13.75  – Mariella Schweitzer – 2025 
  3. 14.29 –  Lauren Ready –  2015 
  4. 14.32 – Anoush Krafian – 2022 
  5. 14.45 – Abby Feeney – 2015 
  6. 14.45 – Janea Dunchack – 2014
  7. 14:50 – Daniel Ruelas Lomeli – 2025
  8. 14.52 –  Sarah Kenney – 1999 
  9. 14.53 – Allison Frantz – 2015 
  10. 14.65 –  Victoria Michelotti – 2008 

Women’s Shot Put

  1. 15.50m – Amy Winchester – 1996
  2. 15.19m – Emmaline Berg – 2013 
  3. 15.15m – Lily Lockhart – 2022 
  4. 15.13m – Julia Reglewski – 2022 
  5. 15.12m –  Allison Cardin – 2001 
  6. 14.92m – Gail Koziara – 1982 
  7. 14.70m – Sarah Beasley – 1989 
  8. 14.56m – Emily Daly – 2009
  9. 14.45m – Liz Waters – 1989 
  10. 14.34m – Zaneta Pivcova – 2025

 Men’s 800m

  1. 1:47.67 – Dennis Webster – 1993
  2. 1:47.72 – J’Voughnn Blake – 2025
  3. 1:48.39 – Tim Zepf – 2021
  4. 1:48.90 – J’Voughnn Blake – 2023
  5. 1:49.20 – Kwabena Gyasi-Twum – 1982
  6. 1:49.26 – Anthony Hughes 
  7. 1:49.40 – DJ Matusz – 2023
  8. 1:49.75 – Michael Hughes – 1993
  9. 1:49.76 – Jeff Gillooly – 1990
  10. 1:50.07 – Ben True – 2007
  11. 1:50.13 – Ben Gose – 1992



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Track & Field Fares Well at Larry Ellis Invite

Story Links PRINCETON, N.J.  — The Columbia track & field team competed in the Larry Ellis Invite this weekend hosted by Princeton at Weaver Stadium.  The Lions did fantastic at this meet, collecting a myriad of top finishes, specifically in the field and distance running events. Obiora Okeke continued his strong […]

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PRINCETON, N.J.  — The Columbia track & field team competed in the Larry Ellis Invite this weekend hosted by Princeton at Weaver Stadium. 

The Lions did fantastic at this meet, collecting a myriad of top finishes, specifically in the field and distance running events.

Obiora Okeke continued his strong outdoor season, placing third in discuss with a mark of 54.34m. In long jump, Joshua Adamns placed fourth with a mark of 7.49m. Parker Kim kept up his momentum by finishing fifth in hammer throw with a mark of 62.49m.

Gavin White was the men’s top finisher in a distance event, placing second in the 1500m with a time of 3:53.14.

The women’s team also had a few placements in the top five of distance events.

In the 1500m, three lions placed in the top five: Brigid McCabe, Scarlett Martin, and Olivia Martin. McCabe placed third with a time of 4:38.86. Scarlett came in second with a time of 4:38.65 and Olivia was right behind in fourth with a time of 4:38.92.

Lucy Henkel raced the 800m, finishing fourth with a time of 2:04.45. Jada Mia Puryear had yet another top finish, placing fifth in discus with a mark of 47.2m.

 

Full results from the Larry Ellis Invite, including all of Columbia’s other top finishers, can be found HERE. 

 

ON DECK:

On May 10th, the Lions are back in action, competing in the Ivy League Outdoor Heps in New Haven. The Outdoor Heps will begin at 10:00 a.m. and will continue on Sunday.

Stay up to date on all things Columbia track & field by following the Lions on Twitter (@CULionsXCTF), Instagram (@culionsxctf) and on Facebook (@ColumbiaAthletics).



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