Sports

White Sox GM Chris Getz Comments On Tim Elko's Strong Start, Potential MLB Call

CHICAGO – When a minor league prospect is succeeding and the big league player at his position is struggling, it can be easy to jump to conclusions. Swap them out, some may say. But it’s not quite that simple. The White Sox are in that position to a certain degree as Triple-A Charlotte Knights first […]

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2 months ago

April 30, 2025

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White Sox GM Chris Getz Comments On Tim Elko's Strong Start, Potential MLB Call

CHICAGO – When a minor league prospect is succeeding and the big league player at his position is struggling, it can be easy to jump to conclusions.

Swap them out, some may say. But it’s not quite that simple.

The White Sox are in that position to a certain degree as Triple-A Charlotte Knights first baseman leads all minor leaguers with nine home runs. The 26-year-old also leads qualified Triple-A hitters in slugging percentage (.732), OPS (1.163), isolated power (.378) and wRC+ (197) through 95 plate appearances.

“He’s hitting the ball very hard, actually harder than – he’s always hit the ball hard, he’s actually increased how hard he’s hitting it,” White Sox general manager Chris Getz said before Tuesday’s game.

“And most importantly, how often he’s doing it. He’s certainly leading the organization in home runs, and I think he’s at the top in minor league baseball. Tim’s a special guy, has got tremendous leadership qualities. He impacts others beyond just himself. He was a pretty good defender at first base. He’s putting together all-around quality at-bats. So, we’re really happy with the development of Tim, and know at some point he could join us here in Chicago.”

Meanwhile, White Sox first baseman Andrew Vaughn is off to an unproductive start in his fifth MLB season. He’s slashing .157/.202/.275/.476 with three home runs, 11 RBI, six walks and 23 strikeouts in 109 plate appearances.

So, is Elko a threat to take away at-bats from Vaughn, if his struggles continue?

“We’re more focused on supporting Andrew right now,” Getz answered. “He’s been one of the more unlucky hitters in baseball. I know he wants greater results for the White Sox and for himself, and we expect more out of him. I know he’s working very hard. And our job is to get the most out of each player and we know that there’s more on the tank for Andrew. But we also know there are players throughout the organization that at some point could step up and get that opportunity. And you want to make sure that they’re well-positioned to do so.”

By unlucky, Getz is referring to how Vaughn’s expected stats compare to his aforementioned underwhelming numbers. Vaughn ranks between the 75th and 89th percentile among all MLB hitters in expected slugging percentage (.485), average exit velocity (91.6), barrel percentage (16.3), hard-hit percentage (51.2) and squared-up percentage (31.2).

Put simply, he’s hitting the ball hard, but it’s going directly to defenders. Even his expected batting average – .243, good for the 40th percentile – was 86 points higher than his actual batting average entering Tuesday’s game.

Determining whether expected stats will equate to actual results is something every team considers. Sometimes it’s flipped, where a player may have poor expected stats, but they have a knack for finding gaps, get lucky with soft contact falling for hits or receive fortunate ball-or-strike calls. Sometimes it’s a guessing game.

When it comes to Vaughn, Getz views some of it as bad luck, but he’s also noticed things the 27-year-old needs to fix.

“There’s some areas in which mechanically, the adjustments that need to be made. But the results that he’s gotten at the surface level, we know that it’s a little deceptive,” Getz said. “And so we certainly want him to stay the course and stay hungry, which we know that he will. But we also know that there is some work that needs to be done in terms of improvement. Every stat tells a story. There’s context to every single one, but we know that Andrew’s going to fight, and we know that he’s going to be more productive here and hopefully in the near future.”

The White Sox entered the season with the No. 6 farm system, per MLB.com, and there can be a desire from fans to see those emerging players be called up, especially with the big league club isn’t successful.

But it’s a long season, and Getz explained what goes into determining the right time to make those moves.

“Primarily we’re focused on players in our system that we feel like are going to be part of our future and really their development is the priority. If that means we bring them up, then so be it,” Getz said. “Now we do have players that are on our major league team that have been productive at the major league level and help support this team as we navigate this season. Most importantly we want to put players in the best position to come up here and succeed. Obviously there does need to be opportunity and we’ll wait for the right time to do it. There are different variables that go into making that decision but most importantly it’s if they’re developmentally ready to come up here.”

The White Sox entered Tuesday’s game with a 7-21 record, worst in the American League and 29th in MLB ahead of the 4-24 Colorado Rockies. That’s in line with what this team was expected to do going into the year as its win total over/under was set at 54.5, lowest in MLB.

Getz understands the sentiment from fans that comes with losing, but he also knows turning the team around won’t happen immediately.

“We know that they’re frustrated and they’re hungry for us to stack more wins in the win column. But we need to be disciplined in our process,” Getz said. “We need to develop these guys at an appropriate rate. We can’t just put everyone on the major league club and expect us to get the most out of that group. We certainly understand the frustration. We’re working daily on trying to find ways to improve players and improve this team. We wish that it was an overnight project. It’s not. There’s a lot of good things going on in this organization and we have faith that better days are ahead.”

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NCAA track and field: Lexy Halladay-Lowry paces BYU women with steeplechase runner-up

PROVO — Lexy Halladay-Lowry picked a great way to wrap up her collegiate career. The BYU senior set an all-time school record in the 3,000-meter steeplechase Saturday night, claiming national runner-up honors in 9 minutes, 8.68 seconds at Heyward Field in Eugene, Oregon. Halladay-Lowry, who won a pair of team national championships in cross country, […]

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17 minutes ago

June 15, 2025

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PROVO — Lexy Halladay-Lowry picked a great way to wrap up her collegiate career.

The BYU senior set an all-time school record in the 3,000-meter steeplechase Saturday night, claiming national runner-up honors in 9 minutes, 8.68 seconds at Heyward Field in Eugene, Oregon.

Halladay-Lowry, who won a pair of team national championships in cross country, finished behind only Alabama sophomore Doris Lemngole — who set a new collegiate and meet record in 8:58.15.

Fast? Blazing fast. Lemngole’s time is just 12 seconds off the current world record set by Kenya’s Beatrice Chepkoech of 8:44.32 in 2023; and the fastest time in a women’s steeplechase in the world this year now belongs to the NCAA cross country champion.

“She’s an incredible competitor,” Halladay-Lowry said of Lemngole. “She’s one of the best in the world. … It’s been a great experience to get to race her and have the opportunity. I’m super happy that I had the opportunity to race with her.”

But the senior from Meridian, Idaho, who also holds the program’s all-time outdoor 5,000-meter record in 14:52.93, as well as the indoor 3,000 in 8:40.60, tallied her second outdoor All-American honor as the only harrier who could keep up.

NATIONAL RUNNER-UP

LEXY HALLADAY-LOWRY ENDS HER COLLEGIATE CAREER WITH AN INSANE PR OF 9:08.68!!!

ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/3anxci2Isq

— BYU Track & Field/Cross Country (@BYUTFXC) June 15, 2025

“It was a great five years,” said Halladay-Lowry, choking back emotion. “I’m really proud of myself for the people I met, the relationships I made. When I came in as a freshman, my first steeple I think I ran 10:06. To end with a 9:08, I’m proud of myself and I’m super grateful for my teammates and my coaches. It’s bittersweet. I’m really excited for the next thing, but I gave my heart to this.”

Halladay-Lowry’s national runner-up paced the Cougars to 18th place overall with 16 points. Georgia won the women’s title with 73 points, followed by USC, Texas A&M, Washington and Illinois.

Utah State sophomore Shelby Jensen finished seventh in the 3,000-meter steeplechase in 9:36.61, and BYU sophomore Taylor Lovell added a top-10 finish for the Cougars with a ninth-place effort in 9:39.43.

The Cougars weren’t done, either.

Meghan Hunter added a third-place finish in the 800, when the senior from Provo clocked a 1:59.03 — just missing her own all-time school record of 1:58.95 set a few weeks ago at the NCAA West preliminary round.

Stanford’s Roisin Willis set a meet record with a winning time of 1:58.13 in the event.

Sami Oblad also claimed All-American honors, finishing seventh in the 400 in 51.57 seconds — the highest finish in a flat sprint (100, 200 or 400) in BYU women’s track and field history, and just under a second off her school-record time of 50.49 set at the BYU Robison Invitational earlier this year.

Jenna Hutchins added 11th in the 5,000 meters in 15:40.87, and Gretchen Hoekstre took 22nd with a discus throw of 50.46 meters (165 feet, 7 inches) for All-America honorable mention honors for the Cougars.

The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.

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Illinois Women’s Track and Field Places Fifth at NCAA Outdoor Championships, Highest Finish in 29 Years

Story Links Full Results EUGENE, Ore. – The Illinois women’s team placed fifth at the NCAA Outdoor Championships with 29.5 points on Saturday (June 14) from Hayward Field at Oregon. This is the program’s highest finish in 29 years since the 1996 squad placed fourth. It’s only the second […]

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42 minutes ago

June 15, 2025

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Full Results

EUGENE, Ore. – The Illinois women’s team placed fifth at the NCAA Outdoor Championships with 29.5 points on Saturday (June 14) from Hayward Field at Oregon. This is the program’s highest finish in 29 years since the 1996 squad placed fourth.

It’s only the second time this century that the team has finished inside the top-10 joining the 2002 team that took 10th. Fifth is now the program’s third-highest finish as the 1995 and 1996 teams each finished in fourth.

This marks the sixth time the Orange and Blue women have concluded the outdoor season inside the top-10. The six All-American’s are also the most the program has seen since the 1996 team had 10.

“I’m immensely proud of what we’ve done,” said director of track, field and cross country Petros Kyprianou. “We did something that no other Illinois women’s track and field team has done in nearly 30 years and that’s place top-5 in the country. Not to mention, we were one and a half points shy of walking out of here with a trophy.’

‘A huge shout out to every one of our All-American’s: Sophia Beckmon, Tacoria Humphrey, Mia Morello, Abria Smith, Melissa Wullschleger and Rose Yeboah. Every single point that they fought for and earned made this fifth-place finish possible. I want to mention the men’s All-American’s too with Kam Garrett and Cody Johnston. I’m proud of their efforts and can’t wait to see how they improve next season.’

‘We are only going to get better. I’m ecstatic to welcome in all our signees to join this already talented and competitive roster. There’s no place like Illinois and we showed that this weekend; we can compete with the best of the best in the nation. Next year we will be bringing a trophy home with us.”

Rose Yeboah is the national runner-up in the high jump leaping a season-beast 1.93m (6-4). She’s the first Illini high jumper to earn All-America honors in consecutive seasons since Stacy Ann Grant achieved this feat in 1996, 1997 and 1998. This is now the school’s fifth high jump All-America honor.

Yeboah completes her senior season with two All-America honors and a Big Ten Outdoor Championships silver medal. The Kumasi, Ghana native is now a NCAA champion, NCAA runner-up, four-time All-American, a Big Ten champion and four-time Big Ten medalist.

Melissa Wullschleger closes her freshman year as an All-American heptathlete with her program record 5,928 points. She’s the program’s first All-American in the event since Carmel Corbett in 1996 and collects the school’s third heptathlon All-America honor.

Wullschleger also placed fourth a month prior at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships with 5,749 points. Additionally, the Olten, Switzerland native improved her program’s third-best javelin to sling her into All-American contention 44.20m (145-0).

Lucie Kienast did not finish the heptathlon today and completes her freshman campaign as a Big Ten silver medalist. Her then-program record heptathlon of 5,851 points was set at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships to earn her that silver medal. In addition, she owns the program’s seventh-furthest javelin, 38.18m (125-3), and sixth-best indoor shot put at 14.65m (48-0 3/4).

STANDINGS

1. Georgia – 73

2. USC – 47

3. Texas A&M – 43

4. Washington – 31

5. Illinois – 29.5

6. Stanford – 29

7. South Carolina – 38

8. Arkansas – 26

9. New Mexico – 25

10. Oregon, Texas – 23

HEPTATHLON

Melissa Wullschleger – Fourth (5,928 points)

Placed third in the javelin with the program’s third-best throw, 44.20m (145-0).

Placed 10th in the long jump, 5.96m (19-6 3/4).

Placed 14th in the 800m (2:18.82).

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Sports

Moody, 4x100m Relay Win Event Titles And USC Women Place Second At 2025 NCAA T&F …

Samirah Moody won the 100m dash title and the 4x100m relay team took first to lead USC to a second-place finish at the 2025 NCAA Women’s Outdoor Track & Field Championships being held at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore. today (June 14). USC’s women scored 47 points during the two days, 43 coming on the […]

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42 minutes ago

June 15, 2025

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Moody, 4x100m Relay Win Event Titles And USC Women Place Second At 2025 NCAA T&F ...

USC’s women’s team has finished in the top three at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in five of the last eight outdoor seasons, winning the titles in 2018 and 2021.

The women’s team actually scored more points (47) than the men’s team (41) did in earning a share of the team title yesterday, but Georgia ran away with the women’s title, scoring 73 points. USC’s combined 88 points were the most scored by any program at the outdoor championships and the 74 combined points the Trojans scored indoors were also the most of any program in the country. USC is the only program in the country which had the men’s and women’s team finish in the top three both indoors and outdoors (Indoors – Men – 1^st, Women -3^rd; Outdoors – Men – T-1^st, Women – 2^nd).

USC got the day off with a bang as the 4x100m relay team of senior Samirah Moody, junior transfer Dajaz DeFrand, sophomore Madison Whyte and junior Jassani Carter won with a time of 42.22, 0.01 second off the school record. Its time bettered the quartet’s No. 2 standing on USC’s all-time list and moved them to tied for fifth on the 2025 world list in the event. USC’s relay team earned 10 points for winning the event. USC last scored in the event in 2021, when it also won the 4x100m title and has won the event four times. All four runners earned first-team All-America honors.
Moody then won the women’s 100m dash title with a time of 11.14 (-1.4), 0.003 seconds ahead of JaMeesia Ford of South Carolina. DeFrand placed seventh with a time of 11.23 (-1.4) and freshman Brianna Selby placed eighth with a time of 11.25 (-1.4). The trio earned USC 13 points in the team competition. Moody became only the second Trojan woman to win the 100m dash title, joining Angela Williams, who is the only four-time winner, taking the crown from 1999-2002. The Trojans had three athletes score in the women’s 100m final for the first time and all three earned first-team All-America honors. Selby was the only freshman in the field.
Whyte had a time of 22.23 (+1.6) to take second in the women’s 200m final, 0.02 seconds behind the winner Ford of South Carolina. DeFrand finished strong to take third with a time of 22.39 (+1.6) and Moody placed ninth with a time of 22.86 (+1.6). Whyte and DeFrand earned USC 14 team points and gained first-team All-America honors in the event. Moody earned second-team honors in the 200m. Whyte’s second-place finish and DeFrand’s third-place finish were both the highest in the event by a Trojan since Angie Annelus won the title in 2019.
The Trojans closed out the meet and secured second place in the team scoring by taking third in the 4x400m relay with a season-best time of 3:26.01. USC ran a team of junior Yemi John, Carter, junior Takiya Cenci and Whyte and they moved from eighth to third on USC’s all-time 4x400m relay list. The Trojans earned six points in the event and all four athletes earned first-team All-America honors. USC last scored in the event when it took fourth in 2023 and the last time it scored higher in the event was when the Trojans placed second in 2021.

Final Women’ Top 10 Team Scores:

Georgia – 73, 2.) USC – 47, 3.) Texas A&M – 43, 4.) Washington – 31, 5.) Illinois – 29.5, 6.) Stanford – 29, 7.) South Carolina – 28, 8.) Arkansas – 26, 9.) New Mexico – 25, 10.) Oregon and Texas – 23

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Sports

Denny Harper Inducted into USA Water Polo Hall of Fame

Published

58 minutes ago

June 15, 2025

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Denny Harper, the former UC San Diego water polo coach, was inducted into the USA Water Polo Hall of Fame, marking a significant recognition of his 42-year coaching career. During his tenure, Harper led the Tritons to 942 combined wins, overseeing both the men’s (697-496-4 record) and women’s teams, and earning multiple coaching accolades for his excellence. Under his leadership, the Tritons showcased consistent championship performance, including a historic NCAA Final Four appearance as the first Division III team in 1995. The ceremony highlighted Harper among four other distinguished individuals in water polo, celebrating his legacy in the sport.

By the Numbers

42 years coaching UC San Diego water polo
942 total victories (men’s and women’s teams combined)
17-time ACWPC National Coach of the Year
19-time WWPA Coach of the Year
15 NCAA Championship appearances for the Tritons

State of Play

UC San Diego transitioned to NCAA Division I in 2020, enhancing its competitive landscape.
The Tritons have maintained a strong academic record, graduating at an average rate of 91% among scholar-athletes.

What’s Next

As a Hall of Fame inductee, Harper’s influence may continue to inspire current and future coaches and players in water polo, potentially increasing interest and participation in the sport at various levels. His legacy contributes to UC San Diego’s reputation, potentially attracting talent and resources to strengthen the program further.

Bottom Line

Denny Harper’s induction into the USA Water Polo Hall of Fame cements his impact on the sport, representing decades of dedication and achievement that not only shaped his teams but also the broader landscape of water polo. This recognition serves as a powerful reminder of the lasting contributions made by educators and coaches in fostering athletic excellence.

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Morgan Earns Second-Team All-American Accolades

Track & Field | 6/14/2025 11:38:00 PM Story Links EUGENE, Ore. – The 2025 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships at the University of Oregon’s Hayward Field ended on Saturday with junior North Carolina A&T Spirit Morgan proving she is one of the 10 best high jumpers in the nation. […]

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1 hour ago

June 15, 2025

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Track & Field | 6/14/2025 11:38:00 PM

EUGENE, Ore. – The 2025 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships at the University of Oregon’s Hayward Field ended on Saturday with junior North Carolina A&T Spirit Morgan proving she is one of the 10 best high jumpers in the nation.

The second day of competition at the NCAA nationals included the women going after event national championships, which included two Aggies. Morgan competed in the high jump, and junior teammate Olivia Dowd competed in the triple jump.

On Saturday, Morgan finished in a ninth-place tie with Southern Utah’s Aja Hughes at 6 feet, ½ inches. For her efforts, Morgan will earn second-team All-American honors. It tops off a fantastic season for the University of Cincinnati transfer. Before coming to A&T, Morgan qualified for the NCAA Division I East Preliminary Round twice at Cincinnati.

She came to A&T and won the 2025 Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) indoor title in the high jump by jumping 5 feet, 10 inches. She jumped into the top five nationally during the outdoor season when she jumped 6 feet at A&T’s Aggie Invitational at Marcus T. Johnson Track on April 19. A month later, she won the CAA outdoor high jump title with a personal record of 6 feet, ¾ inches.

On Saturday, Georgia’s Elena Kulichenko won the national title in the high jump, clearing the bar at 6 feet, 5 inches. Morgan joins men’s 400-meter hurdler Xzaviah Taylor as the only two Aggies to earn second-team All-American honors after NCAA nationals.

Meanwhile, Dowd, the first A&T women’s track and field athlete to qualify for outdoor nationals in the women’s triple jump, placed 23rd on Saturday with her best leap measured at 40 feet, 10 ½ inches. After a foul on her first jump, Dowd went out to 39 feet, 7 ¾ inches before her final jump.

Two weeks ago, she jumped a personal-record 43 feet, 4 ½ inches at East Prelims to qualify for nationals. Dowd also won the CAA outdoor triple jump title in May at Marcus T. Johnson Track. The Aggies completed a season where the men won the CAA indoor and outdoor track and field championships. The men’s and the women’s programs combined to qualify 24 student-athletes for the East Prelims before qualifying 11 for NCAA nationals.

The women also had some first. They qualified for two student-athletes for throw events at the East Prelims for the first time in program history. They had a thrower – Julieth Nwosu – qualify for two throwing events at regionals for the first time in program history.

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USC women finish second at NCAA track and field championships

EUGENE, Ore. — Buoyed by top performances in the hammer throw, high jump and 400 meters, the Georgia women’s track and field squad distanced itself from the opposition and cruised to its first outdoor national championship in team history. Georgia lapped the field with 73 points ahead of runners-up USC (47) and third place Texas A&M (43). […]

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2 hours ago

June 15, 2025

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Georgia lapped the field with 73 points ahead of runners-up USC (47) and third place Texas A&M (43). Fourth-year Bulldogs coach Caryl Smith Gilbert also won national titles at USC in 2018 and 2021.

Samirah Moody won the 100-meter dash and Madison Whyte and Dajaz DeFrand went 2-3 in the 200 to lead USC.

USC placed first in the 4×100 relay with a time of 42.22 seconds.

In the 100, Moody took first with a time of 11.14 seconds while teammates DeFrand and Brianna Selby finished seventh and eighth, respectively. In the 200, Whyte, a sophomore who also anchored the 4×400 team, clocked in at 22.23 while DeFrand, a junior, finished at 22.39.

Olympic gold medalist Aaliyah Butler and Dejanea Oakley of Georgia took the first two spots in the 400 meters with Butler posting a 49.26 and Oakley a 49.65. Butler’s time was the fifth best all-time for a collegian and Oakley was eighth.

The Bulldogs expanded their lead when Elena Kulichenko won the high jump for the second straight year after tying for the title last year. The Odessa, Russia, native won with a jump of 6 feet, 5 inches.

Michelle Smith, a freshman, finished third in the 400 meter hurdles at 55.20 to clinch the team title. Skylynn Townsend took sixth in the triple jump at 44-4¼.

Georgia ended the night by finishing first in the 4×400-meter relay with Butler taking the lead in the final leg with a winning time of 3:23.62. The Trojans posted a third-place finish in the 4×400 relay with a time of 3:26.01. UCLA’s team finished seventh at 3:31.14.

The Bulldogs entered Saturday competition in the lead with 26 points after Stephanie Ratcliffe won the hammer throw on Thursday with a nation-leading distance of 234 feet, 2 inches.

Washington and USC shared the lead earlier Saturday night after Washington’s Sophie O’Sullivan won the 1,500 meters and Moody took the 100, but Georgia got 18 points from Butler and Oakley and never looked back.

Georgia also got points in the javelin with a second-place finish from freshman Manuela Rotundo and a fourth-place finish from Lianna Davidson. Senior Keslie Murrell-Ross finished sixth in the shot put.

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