NIL

Huskies Fall In Game Two

Story Links Next Game: at Penn State 5/4/2025 | 10:00 AM May. 04 (Sun) / 10:00 AM at Penn State History UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Washington softball dropped game two of the series at Penn State 7-5 on Saturday at Nittany Lion Softball […]

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1 month ago

May 4, 2025

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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Washington softball dropped game two of the series at Penn State 7-5 on Saturday at Nittany Lion Softball Park.

The Huskies move to 33-16, 11-9 Big Ten on the season.

Morgan Reimer got the start in the circle with a strikeout and five runs allowed (four earned). Stevie Hansen came on in relief, going 4.1 innings with seven strikeouts and two runs allowed (one earned). Sophia Ramuno threw the final frames…

Jadyn Glab led off the game with a five-pitch walk and advanced to second on a groundout. Alexis DeBoer drove in Glab with her ninth double of the season and Alycia Flores followed with her team-leading 13th double to extend the lead to two.

Penn State brought across five runs in bottom of the inning on two hits and two Husky errors.

The Huskies answered back with a run in the in the second after an Ava Carroll single to right with two runners on to cut the lead to 5-3.

The Nittany Lions added a run in the third.

In the fifth, Flores reached on an error and advanced to second. Giselle Alvarez followed with a single to right to cut the lead back to two.

PSU responded with a run in the bottom of the inning.

Alvarez hit her eighth home run of the season in the top of the seventh.

The series finale is scheduled for Sunday with a 10 a.m. PT/1 p.m. ET first pitch. The game will be streamed on B1G+.

For more information on the UW softball team, follow @UWSoftball on X and Instagram.

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Dan McDonnell embraces NIL amid resources fight

Prior to 2025, the Cardinals missed three of the last four NCAA Tournaments. Now they’re headed to the 10th super regional of head coach Dan McDonnell’s 19 years at the helm. Dan McDonnell’s voice trembled, and his eyes welled up with tears. “My wife will tell ya, I’m not easy to deal with,” McDonnell said, […]

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21 minutes ago

June 4, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Prior to 2025, the Cardinals missed three of the last four NCAA Tournaments. Now they’re headed to the 10th super regional of head coach Dan McDonnell’s 19 years at the helm.

Dan McDonnell’s voice trembled, and his eyes welled up with tears.

“My wife will tell ya, I’m not easy to deal with,” McDonnell said, scoffing, “when we’re losing.”

He paused in an attempt to regulate his emotions.

“And the last couple years were rough,” McDonnell continued, speaking from the podium during Louisville baseball’s postgame news conference Sunday. “I mean, they were.”

Prior to 2025, the Cardinals missed three of the last four NCAA Tournaments — a low point in McDonnell’s otherwise impressive 19 years as U of L head coach. College baseball, like most other sports in the name, image and likeness era, has become a high-speed arms race for resources and talent. McDonnell has expressed his dissatisfaction with Louisville’s support in that realm over the last few years, which has correlated with a downturn in results.

He described himself Sunday as having been trapped “in the valley.” But thanks to his wife, Julie, their faith in God and “super players,” McDonnell found a way out and into the NCAA super regionals after an impressive 6-0 win over Wright State in Nashville. McDonnell pulled out a pair of Cardinal-red reading glasses and read an excerpt from “The Path to Higher Life” by poet Andrew Murray

“Down, lower down! Just as water always seeks and fills the lowest place, so the moment God finds men abased and empty, His glory and power flow in to exalt and to bless.”

The battle for resources has been a tough one for McDonnell through nearly two decades and three athletics directors. Here’s a look at the current state of spending on Louisville baseball as the Cards prepare for the next phase of the postseason:

Dan Furman, president of the official collective of Louisville Athletics 502Circle, said McDonnell truly bought into NIL for the first time this last offseason after a timid embrace of it the year prior. 502Circle amped up spending for the 2025 roster (though Furman did not want to get into precise dollar amounts) to retain talented players including Zion Rose, Patrick Forbes and Tucker Biven. While the collective isn’t shelling out the same amount of cash as some of baseball’s biggest brands such as Tennessee or Ole Miss — where players could’ve gone and gotten six-figure NIL deals, Furman said — 502Circle’s budget is nothing to sniff at.

“I know he gets in it about resources,” Furman said of McDonnell, “but it’s like, I would be hard-pressed to find seven teams that spent more in the ACC. And the ACC was the most competitive baseball league in the country this year.”

Furman, who played college baseball at Pitt from 2014-17, also touted Louisville’s rich tradition and pro pedigree as a selling point for recruits. McDonnell has led U of L to a whopping 10 NCAA super regionals and five College World Series. Active Cards in MLB include Adam Duvall (Atlanta Braves), Henry Davis (Pittsburgh Pirates), Will Smith and Dalton Rushing (both with the Los Angeles Dodgers).

In Furman’s view, talent acquisition is the key to success. It’s not about the “extravagant facilities” or “flashing lights.” It’s about getting the players who can compete, win championships and develop into successful pros.

In June 2023, Louisville approved a $3 million upgrade to Jim Patterson Stadium. Since then, U of L baseball has renovated its locker room (using a six-figure donation from Davis), stadium entryway, ticket office, weight room/workout area, athletic training room and home and visitor dugouts. Louisville has also expanded the berm seating area and created a new third-base fan area inside the stadium.

These upgrades “accounted for the majority of the money that was approved,” U of L baseball spokesperson Stephen Williams told The Courier Journal.

U of L announced it had secured a $3 million donation from Kroger in April 2021 to build a new indoor practice facility, but that project has yet to break ground.

“Since we announced the indoor facility in the Spring of 2021, the college athletics landscape has changed dramatically,” Williams told The Courier Journal in an email. “With that in mind, we decided to pause on that and other capital projects throughout the department.

“As has been the norm with athletic departments around the country, with the constantly changing landscape around NIL, revenue sharing, etc., the University of Louisville is constantly evaluating how to best utilize the resources provided by our fans, donors, and sponsors so that all of our programs are well positioned to compete at the highest level and win championships.”

Below is a list of Louisville baseball spending based on the athletics department’s annual NCAA financial report.

The 2023-24 fiscal year roughly correlates to the 2023-24 school year, which encompassed the 2024 baseball season. The 2022-23 fiscal year roughly correlates to the 2022-23 school year, which encompassed the 2023 baseball season, and so on.

Of note: 2019 is the final fiscal year not impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2020 baseball season ended in March, months short — meaning fewer games and less spending. Since then, athletics departments across the country have been recovering from the impact canceled and abbreviated seasons had on their annual budgets.

Louisville baseball spending:

FY2019: $4,572,824 (3.02% of total athletics spending)
FY2020: $4,164,385 (3%)
FY2021: $3,593,067 (3.29%)
FY2022: $5,204,574 (3.72%)
FY2023: $4,995,016 (3.56%)
FY2024: $5,591,981 (3.39%)

When comparing McDonnell’s reported compensation with that of coaches in the 2024 College World Series, he’s the second-highest paid by a wide margin. Head coaching compensation listed in NCAA financial reports includes “salaries, benefits and bonuses paid by the university and related entities.”

2024 College World Series schools head coach compensation vs. Louisville:

Dan McDonnell, Louisville: $1,787,567 (31.97% of total baseball spending)
Nick Mingione, Kentucky: $983,315 (20.07%)
Link Jarrett, Florida State: $907,143 (17.15%)
Elliott Avent, N.C. State: $735,838 (15.69%)
Jim Schlossnagle, Texas A&M: $1,373,715 (14.99%)
Tony Vitello, Tennessee: $1,916,592 (14.28%)
Scott Forbes, North Carolina: $688,822 (14.12%)

Reach college sports enterprise reporter Payton Titus at ptitus@gannett.com, and follow her on X @petitus25.

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Wildcats Announce 2025 Fall Schedule

Story Links VILLANOVA, Pa. – Eleven regular season home games at the newly resurfaced Higgins Soccer Complex highlight the 2025 Villanova Men’s Soccer regular season schedule announced today. “We’re excited to release our 2025 schedule, which features a strong slate of home games and a number of high-caliber opponents […]

Published

1 hour ago

June 4, 2025

Your Sports Nation

VILLANOVA, Pa. – Eleven regular season home games at the newly resurfaced Higgins Soccer Complex highlight the 2025 Villanova Men’s Soccer regular season schedule announced today.

“We’re excited to release our 2025 schedule, which features a strong slate of home games and a number of high-caliber opponents that will test us early and help prepare us for the rigors of Big East play,” said head coach Mark Fetrow, who enters his second season at the helm after succeeding longtime head coach Tom Carlin in November 2023.

“This schedule reflects our commitment to growth and excellence, and we’re looking forward to competing in front of our fans and representing Villanova with pride. Go Cats!”

A young Wildcats squad will open the new campaign on Thursday, Aug. 21 when it hosts Rider at 4 p.m. That match is the first of three in a row at Higgins that also includes an Aug. 28 date with Iona (kickoff at noon) and a Philly Soccer Six Labor Day clash with Saint Joseph’s (also with a noon kickoff).

Villanova will celebrate Alumni Day on Saturday, Sept. 13 when it welcomes 2024 NCAA College Cup participant Princeton to the Higgins Soccer Complex at 1 p.m. The Wildcats will face another Ivy League foe that played in the postseason when they visit Penn on Sept. 23.

The BIG EAST slate begins with a clash against DePaul on Friday, Sept. 19 at 4 p.m. Other league foes set to visit Villanova’s West Campus include Seton Hall (Oct. 11); Creighton (Oct. 17); and St. John’s (Nov. 1). The Wildcats will wrap up league play at Marquette on Saturday, Nov. 7.

Other non-league opponents set to travel to Villanova in the second half of the schedule include NJIT (Oct. 7), VMI (Oct. 21) and Holy Family (Nov. 4).

A new artificial turf, replacing the original surface that debuted when the facility was rechristened in 2014, is currently in the installation process at the Higgins Soccer Complex.

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NIL

Topper, Stambaugh working on NIL measure

HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania House Republican Leader Jesse Topper (R-Bedford/Fulton) and Rep. Perry Stambaugh (R-Perry/Juniata) announced they will soon introduce legislation to provide protections for student-athletes receiving compensation for the use their name, image and likeness (NIL). While a case currently wending through federal courts will likely expand the NIL universe, no state legal structure exists. […]

Published

1 hour ago

June 4, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Topper, Stambaugh working on NIL measure

While a case currently wending through federal courts will likely expand the NIL universe, no state legal structure exists. This leaves compensated student-athletes vulnerable to poor financial decisions and without recourse if they should become injured during their career, according to a news release provided by Topper’s office.

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Rodriguez's one transfer portal is a consensus among Big 12 coaches

File photo WVU coach Rich Rodriguez is in favor of there only being one portal period. MORGANTOWN — West Virginia’s Rich Rodriguez was vocal this spring about his problems with the NCAA and the current state of college football. His biggest issue was with the transfer portal, and how there were two openings, with one […]

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3 hours ago

June 4, 2025

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Rodriguez's one transfer portal is a consensus among Big 12 coaches

File photo
WVU coach Rich Rodriguez is in favor of there only being one portal period.

MORGANTOWN — West Virginia’s Rich Rodriguez was vocal this spring about his problems with the NCAA and the current state of college football. His biggest issue was with the transfer portal, and how there were two openings, with one in the winter and the other in the spring.

Rodriguez wants to adopt a professional model, like Bill Belichick’s model, with one portal window being like free agency and recruiting being the draft.

“It kind of sucks that we have to do so much roster movement, management, whatever you want to call it in April,” Rodriguez said early this spring. “I guess I am complaining. It’s kind of a new thing in college football. It’s not smart. It’s not right. It’s not organized correctly.”

Rodriguez wants one portal period. His argument is that he’ll coach a player all spring, and then after he’s spent all his time and effort developing the player, he can just jump in the portal and play against him in the fall.

“I mean, how ridiculous is that?” Rodriguez said in March. “There’s another portal thing coming up in a couple of weeks… I wasted all my time coaching this guy, getting him ready, and then he’s getting a paycheck to go somewhere else.”

Rodriguez isn’t the only coach in college football who sees this as an issue. Last week, the Big 12 coaches, athletic directors, and commissioner Brett Yormark met to talk about the current state of the sport and voiced their complaints.

Thursday, Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham and Kansas coach Lance Leipold took to the podium, answering questions about what they’d like to see for the future of college football, representing the rest of the Big 12 coaches.

The consensus for the portal was that the Big 12 coaches agree with Rodriguez and want one portal period.

“As coaches, we unanimously support one portal window, and that is in January,” Leipold said. “That’s what we’d like.”

Currently, there’s a portal period in December and another in April, so the January window won’t be a plug-and-play option. It won’t just replace one of the current windows while getting rid of the other. But, there’s reasoning behind why the coaches want January to be when the spring portal falls.

“It’s a tough thing with calendars right now and where it goes,” Leipold said ” It’s a chance to get your team settled. You’re signing most of your guys in December. You’re going to know what your roster will be like to start the second semester, and you have the opportunity to work and develop, build those relationships, evaluate your team, and get ready for the next season.”

A January portal gets rid of the awkward conversations a player and coach have in December when he’s on the roster of a College Football Playoff team making a run for the National Championship, and in the middle, the player has to decide to whether to stay for the betterment of the team or leave to better his career.

It also removes a coach coaching a player all spring, just for them to leave at the end.

It’ll be interesting to see how January works, though. The December portal was created because the winter semester ends in early December and starts at the beginning of January. So, players have time to switch schools during the break. The portal in January could get dicey with many schools starting the second semester in early January. The National Championship game for 2026 is scheduled for January 19, which is deep into January, so will it be after? Now, it’s almost February at that point.

There hasn’t been a change, yet, on the portal because of issues like these, but it’s known that the Big 12 coaches want it to change, so a switch could be coming in the future.

“I think the people in charge see that you can’t have this much roster movement and turnover and changing in April and May,” Rodriguez said. “It’s ridiculous.”

NIL

Kaiah Altmeyer becomes the 10th Arizona Wildcat in the transfer portal

Arizona is definitely the “what’s going on there?” team this softball offseason. It was a position Washington was in last year and Alabama was in two years before that. Big programs that have the portal floodgates open and carry away half the team. What was once a team that just needed pitching and a bit […]

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4 hours ago

June 4, 2025

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Kaiah Altmeyer becomes the 10th Arizona Wildcat in the transfer portal

What was once a team that just needed pitching and a bit of depth at key positions now needs almost an entire outfield. Kaiah Altmeyer just became the second starting outfielder and the 10th Arizona softball player to enter the transfer portal this offseason.

Altmeyer didn’t get the national attention of her fellow Arizona outfielders, but she has been a mainstay at the top of the lineup. She led the Wildcats with 19 doubles, almost twice as many as the 10 hit by fellow outfield portal-resident Dakota Kennedy. Her 42 walks were second behind Sydney Stewart (48). She had 66 hits, second behind Regan Shockey (88). Her 50 runs scored were third behind Shockey (57) and Stewart (56). Her five home runs were tied for fifth with Kennedy and yet another portal entry, Emily Schepp.

Over her career, Altmeyer played in 136 games with 112 starts. She made 61 of those starts this season when she started in every one of Arizona’s games, primarily in right field.

She came into the season with 140 at-bats in her career. She added 181 in 2025 for a total of 321 at-bats in three years.

She ends her time at Arizona with a .355 average, a .548 slugging percentage, and a .454 on-base percentage. She had 26 doubles, 3 triples, and 10 home runs over three years. She walked 62 times. Her career fielding percentage is .924. All of her offensive numbers improved dramatically in her final season in Tucson.

With Altmeyer bringing the transfer departures to 10 and four players exhausting their eligibility, 14 of the 22 players on the 2025 roster will not return. The Wildcats have added pitcher Jenae Berry via the portal and have a class of four arriving for the 2026 season, bringing the current expected roster to 13. However, instead of being able to concentrate on desperately needed pitching and a bit of depth, the coaching staff now needs to replace two highly productive starters, as well.

Lead photo by Ryan Kelapire

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What Does an NCAA Championship Mean for the Florida Gators?

Last Updated on June 3, 2025 The Florida Gators men’s basketball team that represents the University of Florida recently won its third NCAA championship title and the first title in 18 years. Let’s dive straight in and take a closer look at how this latest victory may be the start of a new era for […]

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4 hours ago

June 4, 2025

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Last Updated on June 3, 2025

The Florida Gators men’s basketball team that represents the University of Florida recently won its third NCAA championship title and the first title in 18 years. Let’s dive straight in and take a closer look at how this latest victory may be the start of a new era for the Gators.

A look at the Gators’ path to victory

In their final six games of the season, the Florida Gators put on some impressive performances. They beat Norfolk State 95-16 on March 21 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. In the second round, they beat UConn 77-75, and both games were in front of a home crowd.

In the Sweet 16 round, they also played at home, this time beating Maryland 87-71. Their Elite Eight game against Texas Tech was also at home, which they won 84-79, and then they travelled away for their next game.

In the Final Four game against Auburn, they won 79-73, and then in their final game of the season in the NCAA Tournament Championship final on April 8, they just managed to secure a tight-margin victory against Houston, winning 65-63.

What does the latest NCAA championship title mean for the Gators?

Their latest 65-63 win against Houston in the final on Tuesday, April 8, means that the Florida Gators have entered a new era. If they win again next season, they will replicate the success of the team from almost twenty years ago, when they won the NCAA Championship title in 2006 and then again in 2007.

Can they repeat history? Only time will tell. According to the latest theoretical odds, the Gators are already shaping up to be one of the favourites to win again next season.

For example, if you look on trusted iGaming sites such as the official 10bet South Africa sportsbook and games website, you will soon be able to find outright seasonal betting odds for the 2025/26 NCAA season.

You will most likely see that the Florida Gators will be one of the odds-on favourites to win next year’s championship for a second consecutive season running.

However, anything can happen between now and the end of next season, so before placing any wagers on the NCAA, always do your research and pay attention to what the actual odds and implied probability rates are trying to convey.

The Florida Gators will use this time to strengthen their team, bringing in fresh new talent that will hopefully ensure victory next season. Key players this year, in no particular order of importance, were Oliver Rioux (center), Alex Condon (center), Walter Clayton Jr. (guard), Rueben Chinyelu (center), Will Richard (guard), Thomas Haugh (forward), and Denzel Aberdeen (guard).

That’s not forgetting to mention Urban Klavzar (guard), Bennett Andersen (guard), Kajus Kublickas (guard), and Alijah Marton (guard).

The final was played at the Alamodome in front of a capacity crowd of 66,602, and although the Cougars dominated the first half, the Gators quickly took control after mounting an impressive comeback.

Walter Clayton Jr. was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Match, and 39-year-old Gators coach Todd Golden became the NCAA’s youngest-ever coach to win the championship title since 1982, when Jim Valvano of North Carolina State received the same honor.

The Gators will now be looking to next season and retooling to ensure they get off to a flying start in the Southeastern division. However, it’s still too early to say what the team might look like next season.

If the Gators can win again next season, they will equal Kansas with four titles. Kansas last won in 2022, and they also won in 2008, 1988, and 1952. However, the Gators still have a long way to go before they can call themselves true greats like UCLA.

UCLA has won more NCAA Championship titles than any other university. They have lifted the trophy on 11 separate occasions, followed by Kentucky with 8 titles, North Carolina and UConn, both with 6 titles, and Duke and Indiana with 5 titles.

Final thoughts

To find out how the Gators might do next season, the best thing to do is to stay on top of the latest NCAA men’s basketball news from reputable sources. Conducting your own research and keeping well-informed can also help you place far more strategic bets.

For example, gather as much relevant data and statistics as possible. Find out which new players are in and which ones have left. Stay on top of the latest injury news, current table position/league standing, importance of the match, and things like historical results between the two teams when they typically face each other.

Finally, if you decide to bet on college basketball, remember to stick to betting on legally permitted sites like 10Bet, which are well known for having highly competitive NCAA betting odds.

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