KALAMAZOO, Mich. – For the third consecutive year, five members of the Western Michigan baseball team have been named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team®. Redshirt senior outfielder Dylan Nevar earned a selection for the third straight year, grad student left-hander Reese Gaber was a second-time honoree and the trio of sophomore center fielder Tanner Mally, senior infielder Michael Maloney and junior right-hander Ty McKinstry picked up their first selections.  
 
An Academic All-America Second Team selection last year, Nevar had another strong season for the Broncos, batting .301 and leading the team in doubles (13), home runs (9), RBIs (49) and slugging percentage (.539). The Wisconsin Dells, Wis., native graduated this spring with a 3.91 GPA in Electrical Engineering, and wrapped up his Western Michigan career with the program’s all-time records for both RBIs and total bases, and tied for the program’s all-time home run record. He also leaves Kalamazoo ranking inside the top-10 all-time in hits, runs scored and doubles.
 

Selected to the Academic All-District Team® last year at the University of Sioux Falls, Gaber earned the honor again this spring after serving as one of Western Michigan’s weekend starters for much of the season. The lefty made 14 appearances, 11 starts, for the Broncos and tied for the team lead in wins, ranked second in strikeouts and was third in innings pitched. He also worked 6.0 innings of WMU’s combined no-hitter against The Citadel on April 6. Gaber owns a 3.88 GPA in his graduate studies towards a master’s certificate in Organizational Change & Leadership.
 

Mally is coming off of a sophomore campaign which saw his work in the outfield earn him a spot on the All-MAC Defensive Team. An Advertising & Promotion major with a 3.84 GPA, Mally posted a .973 fielding percentage with five outfield assists this spring, and did not make an error in MAC play. The Lisle, Ill., native was terrific at the plate as well, ranking fifth in the league with a .356 batting average and pacing the Brown and Gold in hits, runs scored and on-base percentage.
 
A Sport Management major with a 3.55 GPA, Maloney batted .304 with a .406 on-base percentage and finished second on Western Michigan with 37 RBIs. In the latter stages of the season, the Mokena, Ill., native put together a 16-game hitting streak, the longest streak by a Bronco in 2025. Maloney hit .418 with 20 RBIs over the course of his 16-game run, raising his batting average by more than 80 points.
 
Western Michigan’s Friday starter this spring, McKinstry paced the Brown and Gold’s staff with 71.2 innings pitched and 51 strikeouts while tying for the team lead in wins over his 14 starts. The righty ranked sixth in the conference in both ERA (5.02) and opposing batting average (.245), and improved those numbers to 3.58 and .221, respectively, in conference play. A native of Frankenmuth, Mich., McKinstry is an Exercise Science major with a 3.94 GPA.
 
The 2025 Academic All-District® Baseball teams, selected by College Sports Communicators, recognize the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances on the diamond and in the classroom. The CSC Academic All-America® program separately recognizes baseball honorees in four divisions — NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA.
 
Nevar has been selected as a CSC Academic All-America® finalist and will advance to the national ballot to be voted on by CSC members.

DALLAS – The Southeastern Conference (SEC), ESPN and Learfield announce the extension of the SEC Championship radio broadcast and publications partnership, ensuring continued coverage of premier SEC championship events. This agreement solidifies the commitment to delivering high-quality coverage across multiple platforms, including radio broadcasts and digital publications, for a wide range of SEC sports. Fans can look forward to continued coverage of football, women’s basketball, men’s basketball, baseball, softball and women’s soccer via radio broadcasts, along with programming and digital content.

Key highlights of this extended partnership include:

• Comprehensive Radio Coverage: Live broadcasts of the SEC football championship game, men’s and women’s basketball tournament games, baseball and softball tournament games, and the SEC women’s soccer championship game.
• Reports & Special Programming: Dedicated broadcast reports for football and men’s basketball.
• Digital Distribution: SEC coverage will continue to be streamed on Learfield’s Varsity Network App, on SECsports.com and via satellite radio on SiriusXM
• Learfield will continue to produce and broadcast multiple SEC football preview shows and a series of football, men’s, and women’s basketball broadcasts under the SEC Radio Network brand. These broadcasts capture the excitement and insights of SEC sports throughout the season, including championship games.

Additionally, Learfield will continue to produce the official SEC championship digital programs for various sports, including football, basketball, baseball, soccer, softball, gymnastics, and volleyball. These programs provide enhanced digital content and in-depth coverage of SEC championship events.

Since its inception in 2013, this partnership has yielded an impressive impact on both digital impressions garnered and total listening hours of SEC championship broadcasts. As this partnership progresses, the SEC and Learfield remain committed to providing fans with the most comprehensive, high-quality coverage of SEC championship events.

About Learfield
Learfield is the leading 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.

About the Southeastern Conference
A pioneer in the integration of higher education and athletic competition, the Southeastern Conference is a leader for intercollegiate athletics in the 21st century.  Since its formation in 1933, the SEC has achieved stature and stability by designating governing/voting power to the presidents of the member institutions. These university leaders determine the policies of the conference and through the years this involvement has been the principal source of strength in the evolution of the SEC.  Throughout its history, the SEC has provided leadership on the vital issues facing intercollegiate competition.  Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Mississippi, Mississippi State, Tennessee and Vanderbilt have been in the SEC since its formation in 1933.  The league has expanded three times, adding Arkansas and South Carolina in 1991, Missouri and Texas A&M in 2012, and Oklahoma and Texas 2024.

About SEC Network
The Southeastern Conference and ESPN launched SEC Network on August 14, 2014. The network televises hundreds of games across the SEC’s 21 sports annually. Programming includes in-depth analysis and storytelling in studio shows such as SEC Nation, Marty & McGee, Out Of Pocket, Read & React and Rally Cap, daily news and information with The Paul Finebaum Show and SEC Now, original content such as the Emmy Award-winning TrueSouth, SEC Storied and SEC Inside, and more. Hundreds of additional live events are available for streaming exclusively on SEC Network’s digital companion, SEC Network+, via the ESPN App and SECNetwork.com. Follow SEC Network on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and Twitter/X.

The current era of College Football is becoming known as the NIL and Transfer Portal era. The landscape of the sport has shifted heavily over the past several years as College athletes are now allowed to receive financial compensation while players are able to move from program to program on a yearly basis thanks to the transfer portal.

While nearly every powerhouse in College Football accepted the new rules as they allowed the rich to get richer, one Coach has resisted the changes more than anyone else. Dabo Swinney has fought against the idea of the Transfer Portal since its inception, only adding two transfers before this year in veterans to serve as backup quarterbacks. This year, after sitting by for years watching everyone else load up, Swinney finally showed that he could’ve gone all out in the transfer portal the entire time, showing he wasn’t complaining because he couldn’t add transfers.

Dabo Swinney calls for rules in the Transfer Portal

This week, Dabo Swinney went on the College GameDay podcast calling for a clear set of rules with the transfer portal.

“I think we’re coming out of a period of complete chaos and where there’s no cap, the schools can’t handle things directly, it comes from outside entities. You have the agent process is not regulated. I mean, there’s a lot of challenges, but I do think that we’re about to enter into a much more structured environment that is going to, it might take a year, but I think it’s going to create some markets, you know, to where there’ll be some transparency, there’s an actual cap. I think the best thing about the settlement is it keeps college football scholastic.”

Dabo Swinney

While Dabo Swinney is calling for changes to the rules, he’s certainly calling for the correct changes to the sport. College Football has no regulations as it currently stands as agents are shopping players to schools before they ever enter the transfer portal rather than the player entering for the right reasons.

The NIL side of this equation has played a massive factor in the chaos as well as some of the agents aren’t as qualified as they may need to be while the outside parties promising the money haven’t always been the best groups leading to situations like Matthew Sluka sitting out after starting the year at UNLV or Jaden Rashada suing Florida and Billy Napier.

If the House Settlement is ever finalized it’ll bring regulatory parties on board to ensure the NIL deals that are being reported are truly being made for the right reasons. The House Settlement will also allow schools to pay players money through revenue sharing which is the salary cap that Dabo Swinney refers to.

“So you know, some years you might have that fourth year quarterback that you have a lot of money invested in, or you may have two senior tackles and a great wideout or a great corner, and then the next year, those guys move on. So there’s some money freed up, so it might give you more flexibility within your cap in recruiting, because you do have to, you got to retain talent. You got to acquire talent. But I do think that you figure out, just like the NFL, you play premium players at premium positions, right? And if you pay the wrong guys, you’re in trouble.”

Dabo Swinney

The example Swinney lays out it the exact scenario that College Football fans should look forward to in this current era of College Football. Setting a “Cap” on NIL Deals will allow talent to balance at schools across the Country rather than the same group of schools constantly poaching players simply because they have more money than everyone else.

While Dabo Swinney might just be calling for changes at this point, the changes could soon come making College Football a much better place.

More Clemson News:

On paper, things are looking better for the Virginia Tech men’s basketball team following this portal cycle. Last season, after a stunning portal mass exodus, the Hokies tried filling holes through the portal, but when the dust settled, Mike Young didn’t have as big of an NIL package as other schools, and it led to slim pickings.

Back in March, it was reported that Young had a bigger NIL package to work with this offseason, and while you can’t say that it has played a big role in this portal cycle, Young has landed some promising talent. One college basketball writer thinks one addition is going to make a quick impact in Blacksburg.

Jeff Borzello of ESPN ranks Virginia Tech’s incoming transfer inside the Top 100

Back in March, Izaiah Pasha opened some eyes for Delaware in the CAA Tournament as he helped the Blue Hens almost pull off a miracle conference tournament run to the NCAA Tournament. He has 21 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists in a Championship Game loss to UNC Wilmington. 

He committed to Virginia Tech in the portal, and Borzello ranked him in the Top 100 transfer rankings. Here is what he wrote,

“Mike Young has put a premium on outside shooting during his time as a head coach, so Pasha’s development in that area will be key to his success in Blacksburg. He’ll be given the keys to this offense immediately upon arrival; it’s easy to see him forming an effective ball-screen duo with Amani Hansberry or Tobi Lawal.”

Maybe the biggest news to come out of this offseason for Young and the Hokies was Tobi Lawal officially returning to Blacksburg after withdrawing from the NBA Draft. Along with West Virginia transfer Amani Hansberry, it gives Virginia Tech two players who can execute a pick and roll with the ability to finish big time at the basket.

Rising sophomore Ben Hammond returns and he’ll have a say when all is said and done when it comes to getting the keys to running things, but Pasha can fill a number of needed roles and if he can shoot the ball better, then the Hokies all of sudden have a better backcourt than they had last season.

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Fresh off its second consecutive NCAA Regional title, the West Virginia University baseball team will head to Baton Rouge, Louisiana for the NCAA Super Regionals. The Super Regional round will begin on Saturday, June 7 at 2 p.m. Sunday’s game two will be at 6 p.m. with game three’s if necessary game time on Monday still to be determined.

All 2025 WVU Baseball season ticket holders and current MAC members at the $10,000 membership level and above who are not season ticket holders can now log in to their account at WVUGAME.com to purchase priority postseason tickets. Fans may purchase up to four (4) Super Regional all-session tickets from June 3 through June 4 at 12 pm, with seat locations subject to availability. These purchases can be made by logging into their account at WVUGAME.com, navigating to “Event List” under the “Buy Tickets” tab, then selecting “Baseball” and “Baseball Post-Season Tickets.” Additional non-season ticket purchases are subject to availability and will be evaluated based on MAC annual membership levels and the priority points ranking within each level.

 

These limited tickets will be in reserved seating and will be priced at $45. Exact seat locations will be confirmed when allocated by the Mountaineer Ticket Office.

 

Fans will be notified by end of day on Wednesday, June 4 if their ticket request has been processed. All tickets will be e-mailed to the customer e-mail address provided during the request.

Free parking for fans is available in the Hayfield Lot, Levee Lot, and Old Front Nine Lot.  A shuttle runs to and from the Hayfield Lot and drops off in front of the stadium in front of the ticket office.

A limited number of parking permits will go on sale to the public date and time to be announced.  Permits will be available for purchase online at www.LSUTIX.net

 

A limited number of free ADA parking is available to fans.  Fans can access the Hall of Fame Lot and Bullpen Lot by showing their state issued handicap driver’s license or handicap hangtag.  These spots are first-come, first-serve and limited.

 

For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUBaseball on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

 

With the draft deadline having passed and many portal decisions also having been made, offseason assessments are starting to come out around college basketball. That includes the latest from ‘The Field of 68’ today in naming two winners out of the Southeastern Conference.

Jeff Goodman and Rob Dauster named several winners and losers during their latest episode this morning. Among two early winners, at least based on the news regarding draft withdrawals last week, were Alabama and Kentucky following the respective returns of Labaron Philon and Otega Oweh.

For Philon (10.6 points (45.2% FG, 31.5% 3PT), 3.8 assists, 3.3 rebounds, 1.4 steals), Goodman broke down the draft positioning for him had he remained in as originally planned. He, in returning to Tuscaloosa, could now improve his stock into being a lottery selection rather than just a borderline first-round pick, making all the money that comes with that rise, after another season playing for and earning from the Crimson Tide.

“I mean, huge…Obviously, these guys are realizing, hey, if we’re not lock first-rounders, which Yaxel (Lendeborg at Michigan) wasn’t and Labaron certainly wasn’t, there’s more money on the table to go back. And, for Labaron, I think a big part of it too was not only go back for the money now. Go back for the opportunity to put yourself where you are potentially a lottery pick next year,” said Goodman. “Right now, I think he was outside the first round. I think he was somewhere in that 25 to 45 range from what NBA execs had told me. And, I think he’s the type of guy that could really improve his draft stock enough to be a lock first-rounder, maybe even a late lottery pick.”

As for Dauster, Philon coming back was the biggest outcome of the draft deadline, if for no other than reason than the shock of it. That then leads to the effect it’ll have on Alabama with his return taking the Tide from just a team in the Top-25 or so to one in the Top-10 to Top-15.

“To me, the single biggest piece of news, and probably the biggest surprise of the entire draft cycle to me, was Labaron Philon – out of nowhere, 30 minutes before the deadline passed – having an announcement,” said Dauster. “It’s not just the money situation, right…Labaron Philon is one of these guys where, if it clicks for him, he’s got, like, lottery potential next season if it all goes well, and I do believe it’ll go well for him at Alabama.”

“I think it was a good move for Labaron to come back to school and I think it’s massive for Alabama. Huge. One of the, kind of, underrated storylines was I thought that Alabama had, like, a quietly disappointing offseason, right. You’re losing Mark Sears, you’re losing a couple of veteran pieces and they didn’t exactly kill it in the portal…There wasn’t a lot on this roster that really kind of made you say oh, wow, like, you’ve got to look out for this team. And, that wouldn’t have been a problem but Alabama and Nate Oats have set the expectation that, like, competing for national championships in ‘hoops is what they do now, right. If you’re kind of like a Top-20ish, Top-25ish kind of a team in Alabama? That’s one where it’s like, eh, what’s happening here? Getting Philon back changes some things because I think he is a guy that has, like, legitimate All-SEC potential,” Dauster said. “To me, he really changes things for Alabama in terms of what their ceiling can be if this all clicks and if this all hits.”

A few minutes later, Dauster and Goodman also got to Oweh (16.2 points (49.2% FG, 35.5% 3PT), 4.7 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.6 steals), who also pulled his name out of the draft to come back to Lexington. Neither of them thought his return was necessarily as impactful of that for Philon. That said, with him coming back as a candidate for SEC Player of the Year or as an All-American, it’s one that they thought does take the Wildcats into the debate of if they could be Preseason No. 1 for ’24-’25.

“I will say this about Kentucky, right. Like, I don’t think Oweh coming back has anywhere near the impact on what Kentucky’s season could be as Philon coming back does for Alabama or (Tahaad) Pettiford coming back does for Auburn. I think it takes both of those teams from borderline, Top-25ish, if that, to Top-10 to 15 in the country, right. Whereas, with Kentucky, I think that getting Oweh takes them from being, like, a Top-8 to 10 team in America to, like, we’ve really got to have a conversation about whether or not this team could be the No. 1 team, could be the best team in college basketball,” said Dauster. “I think it’s still probably Purdue, Houston, Florida to me in that order but I don’t think you can have the conversation of who is the best team in college basketball without having Kentucky in that conversation.”

“I’m not ready to say that yet but, maybe. I mean, again, I think they’ve got the depth that those other teams don’t have. But, when you’re talking about the Top-7, I’m not sure,” said Goodman. Like, they’re in the mix, I guess. I don’t think they’re in the mix for the preseason number one, for me, but they’re somewhere from four to eight. And, again, it’s going to be figuring out role allocation for them and, you know, to me, up front, I think it’s going to be huge for them, is how they figure that part out.”

Philon and Oweh give Alabama and Kentucky, two of the best teams in the league and nation last season, a pair of guards who could be all-conference players and among the better ones in the entire sport. That’s more than enough for ‘The Field of 68’ to include both the Crimson Tide and Wildcats as offseason winners going into the summer and ahead of next season.