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One of only 13 Expansion Era (post-1960) players with at least 1,600 games played and fewer than 30 home runs, Ken Oberkfell proved to be a perfect fit on the 1980s Cardinals teams that emphasized contact, speed and defense. That perfect fit also applied to the 1982 World Series ring that Oberkfell helped St. Louis […]
One of only 13 Expansion Era (post-1960) players with at least 1,600 games played and fewer than 30 home runs, Ken Oberkfell proved to be a perfect fit on the 1980s Cardinals teams that emphasized contact, speed and defense.
That perfect fit also applied to the 1982 World Series ring that Oberkfell helped St. Louis earn in 1982.
Born May 4, 1956, in Highland, Ill., just across the Mississippi River from St. Louis, Oberkfell grew up down the road in the East St. Louis, Ill., suburb of Troy and went to high school in Collinsville. He was named to St. Louis Post-Dispatch All-Metro baseball team in 1974 as shortstop after hitting .444 with 21 RBI and 21 runs scored over 81 at-bats for Collinsville High School.
But Oberkfell went undrafted following his 1974 high school graduation and enrolled at Southwestern Illinois College – then called Belleville Area College – in Belleville, Ill.
“He’s definitely the best infielder I’ve had the pleasure of watching in high school,” Collinsworth High School coach Terry Smith told the Edwardsville (Ill.) Intelligencer in 1977, “and I was really disappointed Kenny wasn’t drafted out of high school. His mental attitude was as good as his physical skills. He was always one of those players who went about his business.”
Oberkfell hit .400 in the spring of 1975 and was named to the first-team squad of the NJCAA All-America team. On May 4, 1975 – his 19th birthday – Oberkfell signed with the Cardinals as an amateur free agent about 48 hours after his final game with Belleville Area College.
“(Cardinals scout Fred McCallister) just came up (after Belleville Area College was eliminated from district play) and said he was a scout for the Cardinals,” Oberkfell told the News-Democrat in 1978. “Before I knew it, I was at the ballpark and signed in a matter of two days.”
Originally ticketed for the Cardinals’ Gulf Coast League team in Sarasota, Fla., Oberkfell earned an immediate promotion to Johnson City of the Appalachian League and hit .352 in 17 games before being sent to St. Petersburg of the Class A Florida State League. There, Oberkfell hit .351 in 41 games.
“The big difference between the pitchers I faced at (Belleview Area College) and the ones in the minors was control,” Oberkfell told the Belleview News-Democrat in the spring of 1976. “The professional pitchers don’t throw any harder, but they really work the corners.”
In 1976, the Cardinals sent Oberkfell to Double-A Arkansas, where he hit .287 with a .373 on-base percentage in 128 games while transitioning from shortstop to second base. Then in 1977, Oberkfell was assigned to Triple-A New Orleans, where he hit .251 and befriended a veteran infielder near the end of his playing career named Tony La Russa.
“I’ll see Tony and he’ll say: ‘You were the prospect, I was the suspect,’” Oberkfell told the News-Democrat in 2008. “Now he’s a Hall of Fame manager and I’m just a coach.”
The Cardinals called up Oberkfell on Aug. 20, 1977, when they traded Don Kessinger to the White Sox, and Oberkfell made his big league debut on Aug. 22 as a pinch-hitter against the Dodgers, flying out to center field against Burt Hooton. He collected his first hit in the Cardinals’ final game of the season, singling off the Mets’ Pat Zachry.
“He’s one of our outstanding minor leaguers,” Cardinals general manager Bing Devine told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch about Oberkfell upon his promotion to the big leagues. “He’s sure-handed and swings a pretty good bat against right-handers.”
The lefty-swinging Oberkfell appeared in nine games with the Cardinals down the stretch and was thought by many to have a shot at cracking St. Louis’ Opening Day roster in 1978. He found himself in competition with Tom Herr as both tried to unseat veteran second baseman Mike Tyson, who held on to the job and started at second base on Opening Day.
Oberkfell, meanwhile, was sent to Triple-A Springfield, where he hit .293 before being recalled to St. Louis in July. He had actually been recalled in June but had not appeared in a game before being sent down again, and he bounced between Triple-A and St. Louis during the rest of the year, batting .120 in 24 games with the Cardinals.
In 1979, manager Ken Boyer put Oberkfell on the Opening Day roster, and he was soon platooning with the right-handed hitting Tyson at second base. He finished the season batting .301 with 57 walks in 135 games, good for a .396 on-base percentage. Had he accumulated enough plate appearances to qualify, Oberkfell would have ranked fourth in OBP in the National League. He also led all NL second basemen with a .985 fielding percentage.
In 1980, Oberkfell was the Cardinals’ Opening Day second baseman but suffered a knee injury in May which cost him six weeks on the disabled list. He finished the season batting .303 with a .377 OBP and 27 doubles in 116 games.
Then in 1981, manager Whitey Herzog – who took over the Cardinals midway through the 1980 campaign – moved Oberkfell to third base and put Herr at second base. Third base opened up when incumbent Ken Reitz was traded to the Cubs in a deal that brought Bruce Sutter to St. Louis.
“I don’t expect any problem making the move (to third base),” Oberkfell told the News-Democrat prior to Spring Training in 1981. “I’m not going to miss getting injured like last year (Oberkfell was injured at second base when the Dodgers’ Steve Garvey was attempting to break up a double play). I won’t have guys coming in and cutting my legs on double plays anymore.”
Oberkfell put up what were his typical numbers in 1981: Hitting .293 with 45 RBI and even stealing a career-high 13 bases. The Cardinals had the most wins of any National League East team but did not win either the first or second half title and missed the playoffs.
Oberkfell had signed a one-year contract prior to the 1981 season, betting on himself instead of pursuing a multi-year deal. Heading into the 1982 season, Oberkfell and the Cardinals avoided an arbitration hearing by agreeing to a one-year contract worth $350,000, splitting the difference between his $400,000 request and the team’s $300,000 offer.
But on March 30 – just a week before the start of the 1982 season – Oberkfell broke his left thumb diving for a ball hit by Pittsburgh’s Lee Lacy in an exhibition game. The injury sidelined Oberkfell for two weeks but the Cardinals were 11-3 in that span, setting the stage for a season where they would win their first National League East title. Oberkfell hit .289 in 137 games and led all NL third basemen with a .972 fielding percentage.
In the NLCS vs. the Braves, Oberkfell had an RBI single in a five-run sixth inning that broke Game 1 open in a 7-0 St. Louis win. Then in Game 2, Oberkfell’s bottom-of-the-ninth single off Gene Garber – the ball just eluded Braves’ center fielder Brett Butler – scored David Green to give St. Louis a 4-3 win and command of the series. The Cardinals won Game 3 the next day – Oberkfell recorded another single – to advance to the World Series.
“Hitter vs. pitcher averages are irrelevant,” Garber – who had allowed six hits in 10 at-bats against Oberkfell prior to Oberkfell’s game-winning hit in Game 2 – told the Philadelphia Daily News. “What happened (in Game 2) was just baseball. We’re not robots. It doesn’t operate that way.”
Oberkfell added seven more hits in the World Series – including a key RBI single in Game 2 and a run scored later in the same game that helped the Cardinals rally to win 5-4 – as St. Louis defeated Milwaukee in seven games.
Oberkfell signed a three-year deal with the Cardinals prior to the 1983 season, a move that seemingly cemented St. Louis’ infield for years to come. But during a tumultuous 1983 campaign that saw the Cardinals lose 83 games, stalwart first baseman Keith Hernandez was traded to the Mets. That same year, top prospect Andy Van Slyke debuted in St. Louis, playing 30 games at third base as Herzog tried to find a spot for him in the lineup.
Oberkfell, meanwhile, appeared in 151 games but only 127 at third base while playing 32 games at second base. He hit .293 with what would be a career-best 143 hits, once again leading the league in fielding percentage at third base with a mark of .960. But with Van Slyke already on the scene and prospect Terry Pendleton on the way, Oberkfell found himself in a numbers crunch.
Oberkfell was hitting .309 in 50 games through June 14, 1984, when the Cardinals traded him to the Braves for pitcher Ken Dayley and first baseman Mike Jorgensen. The Cardinals immediately announced that Van Slyke would take Oberkfell’s spot at third base.
“Obie’s one of the best people I’ve ever met,” Herzog told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch after the trade. “I’m talking about 30 years in baseball. He’s a thoroughbred.”
The trade and the Hernandez deal a year earlier broke up an infield of Ozzie Smith, Tom Herr, Hernandez and Oberkfell that Sports Illustrated once called “the greatest infield of all time.”
“It’s kind of sad,” Herr told the Post-Dispatch after Oberkfell was traded. “Right after that story and picture ran, things began to kind of unravel with the world’s greatest infield.”
Oberkfell stepped into the Braves’ lineup at third base for the injured Bob Horner and appeared in 50 games, then broke his thumb while playing second base against the Cubs on Aug. 26, ending his season. In 100 combined games that year, Oberkfell hit .269. He was the Braves’ Opening Day third baseman in 1985 and appeared in 134 games while hitting .272.
Following the 1985 season, Oberkfell signed a new four-year deal with the Braves worth a reported $3 million. Not surprisingly, Braves manager Chuck Tanner indicated Oberkfell would be the team’s starting third baseman on Opening Day in 1986. But Tanner and the Braves also tried a number of players out at third base during the spring, including Billy Sample, Rafael Ramírez, outfield prospect Brad Komminsk and even future Hall of Fame catcher Ted Simmons. Oberkfell held onto the job and appeared in 151 total games that year, batting .270 with 83 walks for a .373 on-base percentage.
“He’s been our steadiest player,” Braves general manager Bobby Cox told the Atlanta Journal during the 1986 season. “He doesn’t do anything real spectacular. He’s the kind of guy, at the end of the season, you say: ‘Gawd, he really helped us win.’”
Oberkfell hit .280 with a career-best 29 doubles and 48 RBI (tying the career-high total he had in 1986) in 1987, once again getting the bulk of the team’s playing time at third base. Then in 1988, Oberkfell was hitting .277 over 120 games when the Braves, who platooned him at third base for much of the year with right-handed hitting Jim Morrison, traded him to Pittsburgh on Aug. 28. The Braves received a player to be named later who became outfielder Tommy Gregg.
“I have no hard feelings against the Braves, but I’m happy to be a Pittsburgh Pirate,” Oberkfell told the Atlanta Constitution. “I don’t think Pittsburgh got me for just the last month. I’ve got another year on my contract left.”
Oberkfell hit .222 in 20 games for Pittsburgh as a utility player before opening the 1989 season in the same role. On May 10, the Pirates traded Oberkfell to the Giants for pitcher Roger Samuels.
“The trade was a shock, but I’m happy to be a Giant,” Oberkfell told the AP. “I’ll probably play more there than I was playing here.”
In fact, Oberkfell maintained his utility role status in San Francisco and made 26 of his 29 final appearances that season as a pinch-hitter. But by batting .319 over 83 games, Oberkfell was a key contributor to the Giants’ NL West title that year. He appeared in three games in the NLCS vs. the Cubs as a pinch-hitter, going hitless. But the Giants advanced to the World Series, where Oberkfell played in all four games, starting the final two contests at third base while going 2-for-6 with three walks in Oakland’s sweep of San Francisco.
Following the 1989 season, Oberkfell signed a two-year, $1.5 million contract with Houston that called for an option for a third year. He became a respected bench bat with the Astros, coming to the plate 37 times as a pinch-hitter in 1990 and 38 times in 1991 before Houston released him on July 27.
“When you go up there (as a pinch-hitter),” Oberkfell told the AP, “you can either be Billy the Kid or Billy the Goat.”
Oberkfell did not play again in 1991 after the Astros released him but agreed to a minor league deal with the Angels on Feb. 2, 1992. He began the season with Triple-A Edmonton after battling a shoulder injury in Spring Training and was hitting .282 in 61 games – mostly as a DH – when the Angels brought him back to the big leagues on July 9. He spent much of the rest of the season coming off the bench before playing most of the final two weeks as California’s starting second baseman.
In what would turn out to be his final plate appearance of his MLB career, Oberkfell drew a walk off Texas’ Kevin Brown on Oct. 4, 1992, in the season’s final game. When the Angels declined to offer Oberkfell arbitration following the season, he became a free agent. When he found no suitable offers, Oberkfell retired.
He considered returning to the game during the work stoppage in 1995 as a replacement player with the Phillies but at the last moment decided against it. That same year, he debuted as a manager with Sullivan of the independent Northeast League before skippering Elmira of the same league the next year.
In 1997, Oberkfell became a manager in the Phillies’ organization, leading Piedmont of the Class A South Atlantic League for three seasons before skippering Clearwater of the Florida State League in 2000. Then in 2001, Oberkfell joined the Mets as the manager of Capital City of the South Atlantic League. He would steadily move up the ladder from Capital City to St. Lucie to Binghamton before reaching Triple-A Norfolk in 2005, where he was named Baseball America’s Minor League Manager of the Year after leading the Tides to a 79-65 record and the International League’s South Division title.
He managed the Tides again in 2006 before moving with the team to New Orleans in 2007. Then in 2008, Oberkfell took over as the Mets’ first base coach midway through the season after manager Willie Randolph was dismissed. He returned to Triple-A in 2009 as the Mets’ manager with Buffalo and remained there in 2010.
Following the 2010 season, Oberkfell interviewed for the Mets’ managerial job that eventually went to Terry Collins. He settled for a job as the Mets’ bench coach under Collins in 2011 but was not asked back in 2012.
“At the time, it was like: ‘This is good. I’ve interviewed. Now, next time, if I get an opportunity, I’ll be more prepared with the interview process,’” Oberkfell told the News-Democrat in 2017. “But that time never came, and that’s the way baseball goes.”
Oberkfell managed Newark of the independent Canadian-American Association in 2012 before taking over the Lincoln Saltdogs of the American Association from 2013-15. He later served as the hitting instructor for the Frontier League’s Gateway Grizzlies.
Over 21 seasons as a manager – including four seasons in the Dominican Winter League – Oberkfell managed 2,646 games and posted a record of 1,279-1,376.
But it was as a player, where he had 1,354 hits and 546 walks over 16 seasons, that Oberkfell is best remembered. Especially when Cardinals fans reminisce about their 1982 World Series champions.
“(St. Louis is) a great baseball city,” Oberkfell told the Belleville News-Democrat in 2008. “I was very fortunate to play (there) for seven years. Plus, being in my hometown made it a lot of fun. (St. Louis) fans always treated me with respect and treated me well. Hopefully, I gave them a little bit to cheer about during the years.
“I was a blue-collar player. I busted my tail every day.”
Craig Muder is the director of communications for the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
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CU Buffs NCAA outdoor championship preview – Boulder Daily Camera
NCAA outdoor track and field championships WHEN: Wednesday through Saturday. WHERE: Hayward Field, Eugene, Ore. TV: Wednesday and Thursday — ESPN, 5 p.m. MT; Friday — ESPN2, 6:30 p.m. MT; Saturday — ESPNU, 4 p.m. MT. NOTES: The Buffs have just two athletes in the field, with Kole Mathison competing in the 3,000-meter steeplechase and […]
NCAA outdoor track and field championships
WHEN: Wednesday through Saturday.
WHERE: Hayward Field, Eugene, Ore.
TV: Wednesday and Thursday — ESPN, 5 p.m. MT; Friday — ESPN2, 6:30 p.m. MT; Saturday — ESPNU, 4 p.m. MT.
NOTES: The Buffs have just two athletes in the field, with Kole Mathison competing in the 3,000-meter steeplechase and Nick Bianco competing in the decathlon. … Both athletes are making their first appearance in the championship finals, although Mathison reached the NCAA West Preliminaries last year. … Mathison competes in the steeplechase semifinal at 5:38 p.m. MT on Wednesday. Mathison will be in the second heat. The top five finishers in each of the two heats, plus the athletes with the next two best times, will advance to the championship heat on Friday (6:24 p.m. MT). … Mathison posted a personal-best time of 8 minutes, 32.74 seconds at the NCAA West Preliminaries on May 30. … Bianco earned his championship berth by posting a team-record decathlon mark of 7,655 at the Bryan Clay Invitational in April. He begins his competition with five events on Wednesday, starting with the 100-meter dash at 1 p.m. MT. The men’s decathlon ends with the final five events on Thursday. … The championship meet will be the final appearance for Lindsey Malone, the Buffs’ jumps and combined events coach. Malone and her husband Casey, CU’s throws coach, have had their positions eliminated.
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Volleyball Announces Transfer Additions Of Santiago And Doctor
Story Links JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – North Florida head volleyball coach Kristen Wright announced Tuesday the addition of transfers Julianna Santiago and Kalil Doctor ahead of the 2025 season. “Julianna [Santiago] is a competitor. She is athletic and driven; she is excited to develop and get on the court to help elevate our program […]
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – North Florida head volleyball coach Kristen Wright announced Tuesday the addition of transfers Julianna Santiago and Kalil Doctor ahead of the 2025 season.
“Julianna [Santiago] is a competitor. She is athletic and driven; she is excited to develop and get on the court to help elevate our program to new heights,” Wright said. “Julianna is quick, athletic and comes from an excellent program at Tennessee, where she will bring what she learned there coupled with what we promote here to make memories that last a lifetime. Julianna brings a contagious attitude, competitive fire and we are elated for the community to watch her compete over the next several years.”
Santiago is a libero/defensive specialist that redshirted her freshman season while at Tennessee in 2024. Santiago was a two-time Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association (TSSAA) Division II-A state champion at Battle Ground Academy.
“Kaili [Doctor] has a cannon of an arm with great shot selection. She is a physical blocker and brings an intense drive and competitiveness that we like to play with,” Wright added. “Kaili is used to being the go-to and managing two and three released blockers. She is excited to be around other dominant players with a balanced attack. We are excited to develop Kaili and certainly going to enjoy every moment with her as she is dedicated to the mission and shares the same core values that we do within our program.”
Doctor is an outside hitter who last played at Eastern Michigan in 2024 after she spent her freshman season at North Carolina A&T in 2023. She played in 23 matches with 18 starts last season at Eastern Michigan, where she totaled 90 sets played and led the team with 238 kills.
Doctor was the first volleyball student-athlete in North Carolina A&T program history to earn a major Colonial Athletic Association superlative when she was named 2023 CAA Rookie of the Year and to the All-Rookie team after she appeared in 26 matches with nine starts and 94 sets played in her debut season. She also ranked second on the team with 238 total kills. Doctor was a three-time Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athlete (WPIA) First Team selection at Pine-Richland High School.
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Volleyball Reveals 2025 Regular Season Schedule
Story Links CHATTANOOGA — The Chattanooga indoor volleyball is set to play in a grand total of 28 total matches this fall as the team has officially revealed its 2025 regular season schedule, head coach Julie Torbett Thomas announced on Tuesday. The Mocs have their eyes set on August, with […]
CHATTANOOGA — The Chattanooga indoor volleyball is set to play in a grand total of 28 total matches this fall as the team has officially revealed its 2025 regular season schedule, head coach Julie Torbett Thomas announced on Tuesday.
The Mocs have their eyes set on August, with the team set to open its year on the road in Orlando, Florida, for the first of what will end up being a 12-match non-conference slate for UTC. Chattanooga will then turn its attention to Southern Conference action beginning September 26 at Mercer. In total, the Mocs will be looking at a slate of 11 home matches, 11 road matches and six neutral site contests over the course of 2025.
“I am excited about our overall schedule,” Coach Torbett Thomas said. “We have several big programs that we will face early-on and that will help prepare us for a challenging Southern Conference slate.
“At this time of year, I really wish the players were back in Chattanooga and we could be in the gym getting ready. We have such a short time until that first matchup. We virtually have a new team this year so while I am optimistic about the season and the way the schedule is laid out, I also think it is our most challenging series of matches since I have been leading the program.”
Another notable takeaway from UTC’s 2025 schedule is that the Mocs will be taking on two Power 4 opponents in UCF and Alabama over the course of the team’s non-conference slate. This will mark the first time since 2019 that the Mocs will have taken on multiple Power 4 teams in the same season.
Prior to the team’s 2025 season-opener, fans will have not one, but two opportunities to catch the Mocs in some preseason action at Maclellan Gymnasium starting first on August 19 with the team’s annual Blue-Gold Scrimmage. Later that same week, UTC will welcome Belmont to the Mac for a preseason exhibition match. Both the Blue-Gold Scrimmage and the exhibition match against the Bruins will have 5 p.m. ET start times and will be free for the public to attend.
The Mocs will then travel down to Orlando to take part in the team’s season-opening tournament hosted by Central Florida. Chattanooga’s season-opener is set for 11 a.m. ET on August 29 against Norfolk State. Later that same day, UTC will then face Big 12 foe and tournament host UCF at 7 p.m. ET. The Mocs then wrap up their season-opening weekend on August 30 by taking on UC Riverside at 12 p.m. ET.
UTC then returns home for the 18th annual Chattanooga Classic, which is set to run September 4-6. The Mocs’ home-opener will take place on September 5 at 12 p.m. ET when Chattanooga takes on Ohio University. The Mocs will then have a short break before hosting Alabama at 6 p.m. ET that same day. UTC’s final match of the Chattanooga Classic is set for September 6, with the Mocs welcoming Jacksonville State at 6 p.m. ET that evening.
Chattanooga concludes its non-conference season with two in-state tournaments hosted by Memphis and Tennessee State, respectively. UTC will first travel to Memphis, Tennessee, September 11-12 for a trio of matches against Memphis, Lamar and UT Martin. This will lead right into the Mocs going to Nashville for the team’s final non-con matches of the year September 19-20 with UTC taking on Indiana State, Idaho and Tennessee State.
Then, beginning September 26, the Mocs will kick off the team’s 16-match Southern Conference schedule by heading to Mercer. The first chance fans will have to catch UTC at home in SoCon play will be October 3-4, with UNCG and Wofford making their way to the Scenic City for a pair of 6 p.m. ET matches.
Another date fans can circle is October 23, when in-state rival ETSU will square off with Chattanooga right here at UTC. Later on in the year, the Mocs will cap off the 2025 regular season with a three-match homestand, as Western Carolina (November 8), The Citadel (November 14) and Furman (November 15) will close out UTC’s year prior to postseason play.
The 2025 Southern Conference Tournament is set to run November 18-22 and will be hosted for the first time ever in Asheville, North Carolina, at the Harrah’s Cherokee Center. Last year’s 2024 tournament was supposed to be the conference’s first time hosting its volleyball tournament in Asheville, but the SoCon ended up moving the tournament to Spartanburg, South Carolina, following the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.
All of Chattanooga volleyball’s matches will be free to attend for the general public. Fans not able to make it out in-person will also be able to follow along via ESPN+, so long as the volleyball team does not overlap with any UTC home football games this year.
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Seminole’s Halle Zimlich girls water polo Player of the Year
The FHSAA state championship game illustrated how important Halle Zimlich was to Seminole High School’s girls water polo success. Seminole was up 4-2 early in the third quarter of the state final against Gulliver Prep of Miami when Zimlich earned her third exclusion penalty of the contest. Players are allowed two ejections of 20 seconds each. […]
The FHSAA state championship game illustrated how important Halle Zimlich was to Seminole High School’s girls water polo success.
Seminole was up 4-2 early in the third quarter of the state final against Gulliver Prep of Miami when Zimlich earned her third exclusion penalty of the contest. Players are allowed two ejections of 20 seconds each. A third ejection results in a player fouling out of the game.
She had a goal, assist and three steals at the time. Without Zimlich, the Seminoles ended up losing 8-5.
“It takes a team to do what we’ve done,” Seminole coach Ryan Ackerson said. “If there’s one player we wouldn’t want to lose in a game, it’s Halle.”
Zimlich, a junior, is the Sentinel Varsity Girls Water Polo Player of the Year for the second year in a row. She led the Seminoles to a 31-0 state championship season as a sophomore.
“She does things instinctively that you can’t teach,” Ackerson said.
The numbers speak for themselves. Zimlich was sixth in the state with 136 goals according to MaxPreps. She added 28 assists and 58 steals for a 28-2 team. That third stat is the underrated part of her game with Ackerson calling her “an extraordinary defender.”
Zimlich also stepped up as a leader, though she was still humble about it.
“The seniors had a huge role in our team as captains, but I also did as much as I could to be a leader on our team,” she said.
Sentinel Standouts
Mallory Baker, Lake Mary, Sr.
Buzz: She evolved from a stellar defender into a great all-around player. Scored team-high 97 goals, as well as 32 assists and 83 steals.
Bailey Dunn, West Orange, Sr.
Buzz: Racked up 71 goals, 53 assists, 107 steals and 31 ejections drawn in leading the Warriors to the state semifinals.
Maran Harris, Dr. Phillips, Sr.
Buzz: Goalie set school records with 320 saves and 1,033 for her career. Added 14 goals, 54 assists, 48 steals. One of eight goalkeepers selected for National Junior Training Camp.
Fiona Pando, Seminole, Sr.
Buzz: She was an all-around contributor for the state runners-up with 77 goals, 22 assists, 41 steals and 73 ejections drawn.
Vivian Swain, Seminole, Jr.
Buzz: Was catalyst for many of Zimlich’s goals with a national-high 109 assists. Also scored 79 goals and notched 60 steals.
Players of the year and Sentinel standouts are selected by the Sentinel staff with input from area coaches. Athletes represent schools eligible for the FHSAA state series from Orange, Osceola, Seminole, Lake and southwest Volusia counties.
Seminole’s Adam Walker is Sentinel Varsity boys water polo Player of the Year
Varsity content editor Buddy Collings can be contacted by email at bcollings@orlandosentinel.com.
Originally Published:
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Virginia Commonwealth University Athletics and Learfield Extend Decade-Long Relationship
RICHMOND, Va. – (June 10, 2025) Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Athletics has extended its decade-long partnership with Learfield, the media and technology company powering college athletics. The long-term extension reinforces Learfield’s role as VCU’s exclusive multimedia and sponsorship rights partner through VCU Sports Properties. Together, they will continue to strengthen the university’s athletic programs with […]
RICHMOND, Va. – (June 10, 2025) Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Athletics has extended its decade-long partnership with Learfield, the media and technology company powering college athletics. The long-term extension reinforces Learfield’s role as VCU’s exclusive multimedia and sponsorship rights partner through VCU Sports Properties. Together, they will continue to strengthen the university’s athletic programs with a strategic focus on revenue generation, Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) opportunities, content development, and data-driven initiatives.
“VCU Athletics and Learfield have set the pace for innovation in college athletics the last decade and this contract extension shows the strength of this partnership,” said Ed McLaughlin, Vice President & Director of Athletics at VCU. “VCU Sports Properties has excelled in finding NIL opportunities for our Rams throughout the Richmond community and the entire Central Virginia region. Learfield’s relationship-based approach has helped unlock partnerships that align with our values and grow our revenue, especially during a time when all college athletic departments need it. Our goal of building the most successful basketball-powered property in the country remains in good hands with this historic contract extension.”
Through this enhanced partnership, VCU Sports Properties will bring valuable NIL opportunities, intellectual property usage, branded experiences, and original content to the forefront of its sponsorship efforts. VCU will continue to leverage Learfield’s comprehensive sponsorship solutions and expanded services to drive revenue growth. These data-driven strategies have already delivered strong results, with the average sponsorship deal size more than doubling in recent years and over 20 brand partners integrating NIL into their campaigns. As VCU’s brand value and market appeal continue to grow among local, regional, and national brands, VCU Sports Properties secured a record-breaking partnership with Virginia Credit Union, now recognized as the Official Credit Union of VCU Athletics.
As an enterprise-wide partner, VCU also utilizes Learfield’s licensed merchandise agency CLC, digital sports solutions provider SIDEARM Sports, and Learfield’s ticketing, fundraising, and marketing provider Paciolan. Additionally, the agreement delivers more value by tapping into Learfield’s data and digital expertise, powered by Fanbase, the most comprehensive fan data infrastructure in college athletics. Demographic, geographic, and profile data metrics can be used by the multimedia rights team and the VCU Athletics staff to better target Rams fans and maximize brand partnership opportunities.
“It’s an exciting new chapter in our partnership with Ed and VCU Athletics,” said Meghan Heinchon, Executive Vice President of Sports Properties at Learfield. “VCU is positioning itself as a leader in athletics, and we’re excited to help them experience extraordinary growth, especially in strategic sponsorships, revenue generation and NIL programs for their student-athletes.”
As part of the renewal, the VCU Sports Properties team expanded to include a new, dedicated Content Specialist role that works to produce student-athlete-branded content campaigns. The recent addition will create further opportunities to amplify student-athlete storytelling and social influencer opportunities through content creation.
About Learfield
Learfield is the media and technology company powering college athletics. Through its digital and physical platforms, Learfield owns and leverages a deep data set and relationships in the industry to drive revenue, growth, brand awareness, and fan engagement for brands, sports, and entertainment properties. With ties to over 1,200 collegiate institutions and over 12,000 local and national brand partners, Learfield’s presence in college sports and live events delivers influence and maximizes reach to target audiences. With solutions for a 365-day, 24/7 fan experience, Learfield enables schools and brands to connect with fans through licensed merchandise, game ticketing, donor identification for athletic programs, exclusive custom content, innovative marketing initiatives, NIL solutions, and advanced digital platforms. Since 2008, it has served as title sponsor for the acclaimed Learfield Directors’ Cup, supporting athletic departments across all divisions.
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ACC Qualifies 127 for NCAA Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track & Field Championships
Story Links CHARLOTTE, N.C. (theACC.com) – A total of 127 student-athletes and relay teams from the Atlantic Coast Conference have advanced to the 2025 NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track & Field Championships, which are scheduled for June 11-14 in Eugene, Oregon. Of the 18 ACC Track & Field […]
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (theACC.com) – A total of 127 student-athletes and relay teams from the Atlantic Coast Conference have advanced to the 2025 NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track & Field Championships, which are scheduled for June 11-14 in Eugene, Oregon.
Of the 18 ACC Track & Field programs, 16 schools qualified at least one student-athlete for the national meet. The Florida State and Louisville women led the way with eight qualifiers each, while the FSU men qualified six individuals.
The participants in individual and relay events qualified through competition at first round sites held May 28-31 in Jacksonville, Florida, and College Station, Texas. Heptathlon and decathlon participants will compete for the first time at the finals site.
On the men’s side, Wake Forest qualified three individuals for the 5,000-meter run, marking the most of any ACC program in a single event. Among the women, Virginia Tech qualified three pole vaulters, while California will be represented by three hammer throwers, both marking the most of any ACC program.
In May, the Duke men’s and Virginia’s women’s teams won the 2025 ACC Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The Blue Devils and Cavaliers join the rest of the ACC contingent looking to claim the ACC’s first national championship since 2008.
In 2024, the ACC saw two individual national championships as Virginia’s Shane Cohen won the men’s 800-meter run and North Carolina’s Parker Wolfe won the men’s 5,000-meter run. Powered by Cohen, the Virginia men led ACC schools last year with an eighth-place finish, logging 26 points. Among the current 18 ACC schools, the Stanford women led the way in 2024, finishing in 13th-place and earning 24 points.
Every event throughout the 2025 NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track & Field Championships will be streamed on ESPN+. Additionally, select portions of each day will be televised on ESPN or ESPN2. Televised coverage will air on ESPN, beginning at 7 p.m. ET on both Wednesday, June 11, and Thursday, June 12. On Friday, June 13, coverage will begin at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN2, while the final day of competition on Saturday, June 14, will be televised on ESPN2, beginning at 9 p.m. ET.
For additional information regarding the 2025 NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track & Field Championships, including a schedule of events, start lists and more, click here. Live results throughout the event can also be found on Flash Results by clicking here.
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