MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Due to expected inclement weather on Friday evening, Friday’s baseball game between West Virginia and Kansas has been moved up to a 5 p.m. ET first pitch.

Fans with tickets for Friday’s game can use that ticket for the earlier start time or can exchange it for a ticket of equal or lesser value to Saturday’s regular-season finale at the Kendrick Family Ballpark ticket windows, the Mountaineer Ticket Office at the WVU Coliseum or by calling 1-800-WVU-GAME. Exchanged ticket seat location is subject to availability.

 

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

 

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Charlotte Softball infielders Jenna Lord and Teagan Ritchie were named NFCA Mid-Atlantic All-Region after two very strong seasons for the Niners. 

Jenna Lord, who started all 57 games at third base, earned 2nd Team All-Region honors after stringing together one of the greatest single seasons in Charlotte Softball history. Lord batted .410 with 12 doubles, three triples, and 21 homers. Lord ranked in the top 10 in the NCAA in both home runs and total bases, with 154. She also now holds the Charlotte Softball single-season record for RBI with 62 and slugging with a slugging percentage of .865. 

Teagan Ritchie, who started all 57 games at shortstop, earned 3rd Team All-Region honors after a phenomenal season at the plate. Ritchie batted .306 in 173 at-bats and hit 17 homers and 12 doubles. Ritchie had the second-highest slugging percentage on the team at .682 and had an on-base percentage of nearly .400. 

This is the first NFCA All-Region honors for both Lord and Ritchie.  

FOLLOW THE TEAM

Stay up to date with everything Charlotte Softball by following the team on X (Formerly Twitter) @CharlotteSB and Instagram and Facebook @CharlotteSoftball.

After meeting with former University of Alabama football coach and seven-time national champion Nick Saban, President Trump is considering forming a college sports commission and issuing an executive order to establish national standards for name, image, and likeness (NIL)—an umbrella term that includes how college athletes can earn compensation based on their personal brand and public recognition.

Saban expressed concerns about the current NIL landscape creating an uneven playing field among schools due to disparities in financial resources, especially among powerhouse programs, as well as inconsistencies in NIL laws across different states. Trump was receptive to Saban’s concerns. However, an executive order seeking NIL regulations faces challenges.

For example, many states have enacted their own NIL laws, which are rooted in state right-of-publicity laws. So far, state NIL laws have been very generous toward athletes and have generally removed restrictions on the amount an athlete may earn from NIL. There are currently no federal right-of-publicity laws, and there is no sign that Congress will pass legislation that will explicitly preempt state NIL laws. Thus, an executive order from the Trump administration would at most help set national guidelines for NIL—it would not have the power to override state laws that conflict with those guidelines.

Similarly, an executive order limiting NIL might conflict with state labor and employment laws. For example, in the closely watched Johnson v. NCAA case pending in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, athletes are pursuing employee status not only under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), but also under various state wage laws in Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and New York. An executive order limiting NIL compensation would have no authority to preempt or alter these state-specific laws, which are governed by each state’s legal framework.

Additionally, Title IX might be implicated by an executive order regulating NIL. Title IX mandates that male and female athletes at federally funded educational institutions receive equitable treatment in benefits and opportunities. While NIL compensation is typically provided through private deals, this will change under the proposed House v. NCAA settlement if approved, which will allow schools to make payments directly to athletes. If an executive order is perceived to result in any sex-based disparities in school-facilitated NIL or revenue-sharing opportunities, it could trigger legal challenges under Title IX.

A Trump Executive Order Goes Only So Far

NCAA president Charlie Baker has publicly expressed openness to executive action. However, an executive order from the Trump administration will not provide the NCAA with what it truly desires—an antitrust exemption from Congress. The NCAA has long sought an antitrust exemption from Congress that would have the potential to shield it from antitrust litigation, a necessary step to preserve the NCAA’s notion of “amateurism.” Courts have grown increasingly skeptical of the NCAA’s efforts to preserve amateurism, as seen with the outcomes of landmark cases such as O’Bannon v. NCAA and NCAA v. Alston. These cases reflect a broader judicial trend toward scrutinizing NCAA policies under traditional antitrust principles. By obtaining an antitrust exemption, the NCAA could effectively remove these questions from judicial review, placing the authority to define and validate its amateurism framework in the hands of Congress.

An executive order from the Trump administration is better than nothing, but it still leaves the NCAA exposed. An executive order can direct federal agencies, shape enforcement priorities, and clarify regulatory interpretations, but it cannot override existing laws, such as the Sherman Antitrust Act. In other words, even if an executive order expressed support for the NCAA’s amateurism model and restricted NIL compensation, it would have no binding effect on the judiciary. Courts will still be obligated to apply the Sherman Act as written.

In short, while there may be compelling reasons to attempt to bring order to the complex world of college athlete compensation, addressing NIL through an executive order is likely to face significant challenges, particularly if it fails to account for the intricate legal and regulatory issues underlying the current system. And it likely will not bring an end to the NCAA’s legal challenges.

When you get down to it, the decision of JJ Andrews is a Rorschach test.

Except, in this case, there almost certainly will only be two reactions. If the blue-chip talent out of Little Rock Christian dons a cardinal red cap on Thursday at 4 p.m. during his commitment announcement, the Arkansas basketball faithful will see his decision as a vindication for loyalty to one’s native land and further evidence that John Calipari is the greatest recruiter the game has ever seen.

If the junior instead chooses to go with Missouri, then Lord have mercy. It would be like the Malik Monk racket all over again. Instead, this time, the legacy recruit’s Razorback football star relative would be a father and not an older brother.

The amount of angst generated by JJ Andrews going to Mizzou would be like the very bowels of hell opening up across the land, with the Razorback faithful dropping to their knees, hands and eyes heavenward, their lips quivering. “Oh why? How could this happen?”

JJ Andrews and Missouri

The first answer is easy enough: relationships.

Andrews plays for the Bradly Beal Elite AAU program based out of St. Louis. It’s produced both future Razorbacks (Moses Moody, Nick Smith Jr.) and future Tigers (Jeremiah Tilmon) over the years, and naturally Andrews would have made connections in the state of Missouri basketball circles over the last couple years. Plus, he already knows fellow Little Rock native Annor Boateng, the former LR Central star who just finished his first season in Columbia rotting away on the bench.

“He’s really enjoyed the process of them developing his game and learning different ways to just become a better overall person, not only a player,” Andrews told Mizzou Today’s Drew King after his official visit in September. 

On that same trip, he enthused about Mizzou basketball coach Dennis Gates and the staff: “I got the feeling of family there … (Gates is) definitely a person who views family over basketball. From what I’ve heard from the players, he’ll check on you, make sure you’re good.”

Historically, relationships and proximity have probably ranked the top reasons for recruits choosing one specific program over another. While Arkansas basketball fans wouldn’t like it, they could at least swallow such an old-fashioned cause of defeat. It’s understandable enough, especially since Malik Monk already ripped off the bandaid 10 years ago by jilting Arkansas for Kentucky because, in part, he simply wanted to ball out with his buddy De’Aaron Fox.

The second biggest motive for elite recruits is one that didn’t enter the equation with Malik Monk: heaps and heaps of over-the-table money.

In the 2024-25 season, incoming freshmen ranked in the top 30 nationally like Andrews would often command in the upper six digits in NIL compensation, according to various sources.

But going into the 2025-26 season, those amounts have surged upward, fueled by a veritable shopping spree on the part of deep-pocketed donors looking to spend their budgets before the pending revenue sharing likely curtails the degree to which NIL money will factor into future recruits’ decisions.

Even though Andrews still has another year of high school left, state law permits him to enter NIL deals so long as he’s accepted into an Arkansas university or college.

In other words, the 17-year-old Andrews chose the right time to be born. He projects to make much more than On3’s valuation here:

No question, he’s fielded nice NIL offers from Arkansas and Mizzou. Insiders, however, appear torn on which side is likely offering more.

Pig Trail Nation’s Kevin McPherson, for instance, got a tip that indicates Mizzou is the clear leader here.

On his Tuesday HogvilleNET live show, he said somebody with ties to the Bradley Beal Elite program told him that Mizzou had made a recent NIL offer that is the highest Andrews has received. “I wasn’t given specifics other than their lead in that and that the [Mizzou] coaching staff over there feels good that he’s going to be a Missouri tiger,” McPherson added. (247Sports’ Eric Bossi recently also forecasted Andrews to Missouri.)

Arkansas basketball insider Bart Reid, meanwhile, has heard all the trending Andrews-to-Missouri talk, but doesn’t think recent developments are enough to push Arkansas off its perch as the favorite in this recruitment.

His perspective comes from years as a skills development coach in the state, working with the likes of Jaylin Williams, Layden Blocker, Terrion Burgess and Boateng. 

Arkansas Basketball Insider Knows Specific NIL Details

“I know what Annor was being paid and I know what Missouri was paying some of their other recruits coming in. I was a little bit involved in that process,” Reid told “Drivetime Sports” co-host Randy Rainwater on Wednesday.

“I also know what the Razorbacks have paid [recruits],” he added on the Buzz 103.7 FM show. “The disparity between what I think Arkansas would be willing to pay JJ versus what Mizzou is currently paying their top guys coming in, it wouldn’t be on the same threshold. I’m not saying [Mizzou] wouldn’t match that, but I’m saying in dollars and cents, there’s a gap Mizzou would have to make up for.”

This certainly goes against the grain of thinking on Andrews’ situation. “Arkansas has had the inside track on JJ,” Reid continued. “If they did something to lose it, I am not seeing it. I still think it’s Arkansas’s race to lose.”

Don’t relax too much, though, Arkansas fans. Later he added: “But Mizzou could come in tonight and offer a staggering amount of money.”

The Arkansas basketball program, for sure, has a larger warchest than that of Mizzou. In CBS’ reporting last month, Matt Norlander listed Arkansas as one of eight programs with a $10+ million NIL budget and didn’t even bring up Mizzou in the tier below that. 

But in Fayetteville, the pie also gets sliced in a different way. The Hogs bring on board more four- and five-star recruits each year than most other programs, including Mizzou. That may mean it can’t pay one individual four-star who ranks as the program’s third-highest ranked recruit as much as a program where that guy is the top-ranked recruit.

No matter what happens, fair or not, you can be sure JJ Andrews’ college choice will be seen through the lens of loyalty vs lucre.

***

UPDATE:

Elite Basketball Recruits from Arkansas

Here’s a look at where four- and five-star recruits from Arkansas over the past 15 years (2010-25), according to the 247Sports Composite, have ended up signing…

2025

• Isaiah Sealy — Springdale — No. 74 — Arkansas

2024

Already a subscriber? Log in here

Keep reading this article for free.

Sign up for a free account to continue reading and get access to the BoAS’ newsletter.

The free account you create gives access to more of BoAS’ stories delivered to your inbox. Unsubscribe any time.

***

More from McPherson on Missouri offering JJ the biggest bag starting at 14:40 here:

***

Ronnie Brewer discusses how Arkansas basketball handles NIL talks with players at the 2:06:10 mark below:

***

More coverage of Arkansas basketball, Arkansas vs Missouri and JJ Andrews from BoAS…

LUBBOCK, Texas – The National Fastpitch Coaches Association announced its All-Region teams for the 2025 season. The teams are voted on by the coaches in those regions as Texas Tech’s NiJaree Canady, Mihyia Davis and Alexa Langeliers were all named to NFCA All-Central Region teams.
 
Canady and Davis earned first team honors while Langeliers was named to the third team.
 
This is the first time since 2019 that Texas Tech has had two players selected to an NFCA All-Region First Team. Tech’s three total selections is tied for third most in program history.
 
The Red Raiders will host its first ever NCAA Regional Round beginning tomorrow at 4:30 p.m. against Brown.