Sports
Baseball Hall of Fame


Chase Utley had one of the greatest five-year runs in MLB history for a second baseman and put up enough production the rest of his career to justify becoming a Hall of Famer one day. He won’t make it this year, but he has a chance and he’ll be getting my vote every year until it happens. I ended up going with Bobby Abreu, who was long underappreciated and deserves a long look. And I stopped at nine. I just can’t get there with Pedroia, Rollins or Wright and those were the closest ones for me. There’s also been a bit a long-standing tradition among voters when they have open spots to throw votes on personal favorites. As a die-hard, life-long Cubs fan, I’m eternally grateful for Ben Zobrist, notably the monstrously clutch hit and MVP in the 2016 World Series. I just didn’t feel like it was right in my first ballot to go with such a homer move when there were justifications for votes for people like Pedroia, Rollins and Wright, so it’s a no. Basically, I believe it is poor enough sportsmanship to try and skirt the rules agreed upon by the players association for individual benefit — to the point that it was risking hurting the team — that I’m willing to withhold my Hall of Fame for those busted. When there weren’t rules in place, it was the wild west, and I’m not worried about the players who were singled out in reports. Andruw Jones might be the single greatest defensive center fielder ever and he also hit 434 career home runs. There’s a domestic violence incident in his background, but it happened after he was done playing. I don’t like it at all, but I’m trying to establish consistency as best I can and I’m sticking to the on-field product here. That means he’s in.
For the first time, I have an official Hall of Fame ballot in my hands. As I write this, I’m about to mail it. I have done a virtual truckload of homework in anticipation of this and it all started when I was a little kid. For my whole story there, I’ve already laid it out. The obvious start is that little PED thing that continues to linger over the ballot. I’ve been saying for years what my stance will be and I’m a man of my word. If a player was caught by MLB to be violating the Joint Drug Agreement and suspended once the system was put into place, he’s a no for me. If a player was alleged to have used or even admitted use before any system for suspension was put into place, I’m not holding it against him, as it was a league-wide issue and the league itself was benefitting while looking the other way (plus, Bud Selig is in the Hall of Fame). As for anything in the realm of off-field behavior, I’ve chosen to ignore. The voting rules can be interpreted in many ways, but they read to me the voting should be based on the “player’s record” and “contributions” to the team, in that we’re only talking about in the baseball world. I could see how there’s an argument against a player who draws a suspension for domestic violence hurting the team, but no one that I strongly considered fits that criteria.
Billy Wagner is one of the greatest closers in baseball history and I’ve been driving this train for 10 years. I’m very pleased to be part of getting him inducted into the Hall in his final try. First things first, I feel compelled to explain my “Big Hall” voting stance. Remember, I’m but one voter of around 400. Players need to get 75% of the vote to make the Hall of Fame. Given that, essentially, one “no” vote nearly cancels out three “yes” votes, I’m going to be lenient with my votes. This doesn’t necessarily mean that I believe every single player I vote for should definitely be in the Hall of Fame. It means I think they are worthy of my vote and we’ll see how the rest of the voting body feels.Specific to this ballot, I’ve done several months worth of work and I’ll link off to everything pertinent as we walk through my selections and non-selections.
This means that I would have been a yes for the likes of Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire but also a no for Rafael Palmeiro. I will be a no for players like Ryan Braun and Robinson Canó in the future. Feel free to scroll to the bolded names to find who I’m voting for or even just to the end to see my ballot. In the meantime, I’m going to do some explaining, because part of my process is to be such an open book that I’m accountable for my ballots. What a downer to start on the negative, huh? Let’s get to the YES! votes. Right off the top, we can eliminate Alex Rodriguez and Manny Ramirez, thanks to my PED rule. A-Rod was doing nefarious stuff for years to get around the rules and was handed a 211-game suspension. He has a very complicated case, but I’m comfortable leaving him off. Ramirez’s case isn’t quite as complicated. He was busted twice. He’s out.
The official ballot:I have come to very strongly believe we need to loosen the standards a bit — again, only a bit! — for starting pitchers, given the current climate. That means that I am voting for Mark Buehrle and Andy Pettitte. There’s a PED connection on Pettitte, but keep in mind this happened before there was a testing system in place and he played nine seasons with a testing system and was never nailed. I’m comfortable with a vote for him.Ichiro Suzuki and CC Sabathia, come on down. The only question for Ichiro is if he’s unanimous and while I’m pretty sure he will be, I’m not going to stand in the way. CC’s case is very strong and I’m ecstatic to be part of the movement in his favor.
Next up, the rules mailed to us say that “voting shall be based upon the player’s record, playing ability, integrity, sportsmanship, character, and contributions to the team(s) on which the player played.” I have two spots left and some of the players in the group I’ve considered are Félix Hernández, Ian Kinsler, Dustin Pedroia, Jimmy Rollins and David Wright. I can see why there would be questions on Carlos Beltrán due to the 2017 Astros sign-stealing scandal. For me, a team-wide operation with the goal of achieving team success by reading catcher signs is a lot less disqualifying for the Hall of Fame than individually juicing despite the possibility of a 50-game suspension. I can understand why mileage would vary here, but I’m just one voter. We aren’t all going to agree and that’s acceptable. With him clearing the hurdle here for me, he’s an easy yes.
Sports
NCAA volleyball: BYU, Utah fall in 5-set tournament openers
PROVO — The BYU women’s volleyball’s stay in a 14th consecutive NCAA Tournament was cut short for a second straight year Thursday evening.
Kendall Beshear poured in 20 kills, 12 digs, four blocks, two assists and two aces to lift Cal Poly to a 25-19, 17-25, 20-25, 25-20, 15-10 win over fifth-seeded BYU at the Galen Center in Los Angeles.
Recently named Big 12 freshman of the year Suli Davis had 18 kills and 10 digs, Claire Little Chambers added 14 kills and 14 digs, and Brielle Kemavor supplied 15 kills and three blocks for the 22nd-ranked Cougars (22-9), who were fed by 48 assists and 11 digs from Alex Bower.
But for a second straight year, BYU was eliminated early by an upstart mid-major conference champion. A year after the Cougars were swept by A-10 champs Loyola Chicago, Cal Poly out-hit BYU .312 to .256 and served up seven aces with 12 blocks to send the top-25 team from the Big 12 home early.
Emma Fredrick added 15 kills and 10 digs for the Mustangs (26-7), and Emme Bullis dished out 52 assists with eight digs and a pair of aces.
BYU rallied from a 25-19 gut-punch in the opening set, when Bower fed a balanced attack of three double-digit hitters to take the next two sets, 25-17 and 25-20 on Little Chambers’ 12th kill of the match.
How efficient was BYU? In the third set, the Cougars hit .357 with 17 kills and just two errors to out-hit the Mustangs’ .257.
But the Big West champions found momentum in the fourth set, using a pair of aces and several other well-served balls to take a 13-9 lead early after a 4-0 spurt. The Cougars trailed 22-20 when Little Chambers had to be helped off the court with an apparent lower leg injury, and Ella Scott’s ace helped the Mustangs close out a 25-20 victory to force a decisive fifth set.
“Coming out of the third, we looked at each other and knew it was now or nothing,” Beshear told ESPN+ after the match. “We trusted each other, we balled out, and we had relentless defense. I think that’s what changed the game for us.”
Beshear had a service ace during a 4-0 run that gave the Mustangs an 11-6 lead in the finale, and Fredrick finished off the upset with her second ace of the night, 15-10.
Sixth-seeded Northern Iowa rallies to reverse sweep Utes
Lily Dykstra, Cassidy Hartman and Reese Booth each posted a double-double as sixth-seeded Northern Iowa rallied to reverse-sweep Utah 15-25, 21-25, 26-24, 25-20, 15-10 in Omaha, Nebraska.
Kamryn Gibadlo poured in 20 kills with four blocks for the Utes, who ended the season with a 15-15 overall record. Levani Key-Powell added 17 kills, and Emrie Moea’i had a double-double with 10 kills and 10 blocks for Utah.
“We are very proud to have gotten to the tournament,” said Utah coach Beth Launiere, whose team was back in the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season and 20th time in program history. “I think it’s been well-documented that we faced a lot of adversity this year. I couldn’t be more proud of my team for overcoming that, working together, finding a way, and getting us to this point.”
Utah Valley will be the fourth school from Utah to open the NCAA Tournament with first serve Friday at second-seeded Stanford.
Sports
Men’s & Women’s Track & Field set to open indoor season this weekend at Bison Opener
LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – Lock Haven will send 59 student-athletes to Bucknell University on Friday night (Dec. 5) and Saturday morning (Dec. 6) to open the Bald Eagles’ 2025-26 men’s and women’s indoor track and field season.
The Bison Open will take place inside Gerhard Fieldhouse.
BISON OPEN MEET INFO
PSAC/NCAA QUALIFYING STANDARDS
COLLEGE TEAMS COMPETING AT BISON OPEN
- Bloomsburg, Bucknell, Indiana (PA), Lincoln, Lock Haven, Mansfield, Millersville, Mount St. Mary’s, Penn State, Shippensburg, St. Francis
MEN’S NOTES
Lock Haven will send 40 men to compete in 17 total events.
In 2024-25, the Bald Eagles took fifth place at the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Indoor Track & Field Championships.
The Bald Eagles will return six PSAC place winners from last season. Nick Bellomo in the heptathlon, Morgan Gavitt and Anden Atkins in the 800-meter run, Jakob Rager in the 3,000-meter run, Josiah Schans and Cameron Lewis as part of the 400-meter relay team will all return in the 2025-26 season for Lock Haven.
Nine newcomers will make their debut on Saturday for The Haven.
LOCK HAVEN MEN’S ENTRIES
Heptathlon: Nick Bellomo
Long Jump: Isaiah Brinker, Michael Lawrence, Benjamin Warburton, Jaden Wright
Triple Jump: Isaiah Brinker, Michael Lawrence, Tadd Ungard, Bryce Warren
High Jump: Ben Gusciora, Shawn Hertzog, Ben Streator, Bryce Warren
Weight Throw: Peter Bellomo, Ty King, Parker Sandt, Eric Zalar
Shot Put: Peter Bellomo, Patrick Marcinko, Eric Zalar
Pole Vault: Kevin Taylor
60-Meter Hurdles: Rocco Pacifico, Matt Reinard, Jorge Santana, Josiah Schans
60-Meter Dash: Dylan Cassetori, Gage Chipeleski, Lukas Epitropakis, Michael Lawrence, Cameron Lewis, Garrison Lucas, Rocco Pacifico, Dillyn Reibsome, Rocky Romani, Josiah Schans, Kevin Taylor, Tadd Ungard, Benjamin Warburton, Jonah White, Sam Wible, Ryan Williams, Brody Wolfe, Jaden Wright
200-Meter Dash: Isaiah Brinker, Dylan Cassetori, Gage Chipeleski, Lukas Epitropakis, Aden Howell, Cameron Lewis, Adam Linkhorst, Dillyn Reibsome, Jorge Santana, Trey Wagner, Bryce Warren, Benjamin Warburton, Jonah White, Sam Wible, Brody Wolfe
300-Meter Dash: Rocco Pacifico, Matt Reinard, Rocky Romani, Josiah Schans, Ryan Williams, Jaden Wright
400-Meter Dash: Aden Howell, Adam Linkhorst, Trey Wagner
500-Meter Dash: Sage Carr
800-Meter Run: Skylar Small, Lorenzo Thompson
Mile Run: Jarrett Lee, Michael Loffredo
3,000 Meter Run: Jakob Rager, Anthony Solis-Morales
4×400-Meter Relay: A – (Wible, Schans, Reinard, Lewis), B – Carr, Epitropakis, Gusciora, Thompson) C – (Howell, Pacifico, Romani, Chipeleski) D – (Lee, Williams, Small, Loffredo)
WOMEN’S NOTES
On the women’s side, Lock Haven will send 19 athletes to compete in 12 total events.
Much like the men, the women’s team will see a mix of returners and newcomers featured on Friday and Saturday, with the returning PSAC place winners being Reagan Irons (high jump) and Samantha Trench (60-meter hurdles).
Mallory Eck, Alyssa VanGorder, Maria Puglia, Madalyn Smith, Laurie Thompson and Clarissa Davis will all return in the throws.
Bald Eagle sprinters Natalie Gentzel, Alexanne Fite, Kelci Carle, Lillian Bradley and Makayla Grace Weber are set to make their returns.
Elizabeth Shultz will return to compete in the 800-meter run.
Lock Haven will be expecting to see newcomers Ella Ballard, Paige Jodon, Macy Plowman and Deja Roark break onto the scene in the sprints.
Freshman Alannah Irwin will make her debut Friday night in the pentathlon.
LOCK HAVEN WOMEN’S ENTRIES
Pentathlon: Alannah Irwin
Long Jump: Samantha Trench
High Jump: Reagan Irons, Samantha Trench
Weight Throw: Alyssa VanGorder, Maria Puglia, Madalyn Smith, Laurie Thompson
Shot Put: Mallory Eck, Clarissa Davis, Alyssa VanGorder, Madalyn Smith
60-Meter Hurdles: Samantha Trench, Makayla Grace Weber, Kelci Carle
60-Meter Dash: Ella Ballard, Paige Jodon, Lillian Bradley, Macy Plowman, Deja Roark, Alexanne Fite, Natalie Gentzel
200-Meter Dash: Ella Ballard, Paige Jodon, Lillian Bradley, Macy Plowman, Deja Roark, Makayla Grace Weber
300-Meter Dash: Alexanne Fite, Natalie Gentzel
400-Meter Dash: Kelci Carle
800-Meter Run: Elizabeth Shultz
4×400-Meter Relay: A – (Elizabeth Shultz, Alexanne Fite, Lillian Bradley, Natalie Gentzel), B – (Kelci Carle, Macy Plowman, Makayla Grace Weber, Ella Ballard, Samantha Trench)
RECAPS AND FINAL RESULTS
Recaps and final results from the Bison Opener will be posted to www.lockhavenathletics.com late Saturday night (Dec. 5).
UP NEXT
The Lock Haven men’s and women’s indoor track and field teams will compete again on Jan. 17 at the Nittany Lion Open.
Sports
Men’s Lacrosse and Track & Field Add New Staff
ALBION, Mich. — Albion College athletics is proud to announce the addition of two new assistant coaches to round out a pair of coaching staffs.
Henry Wehrly (track and field) and Kyle Borek (men’s lacrosse) join the Britons ahead of the spring semester.
Wehrly jumps back into the swing of things at Albion
Head Coach Lance Coleman announced the addition of Henry Wehrly, who returns to his alma mater after crossing the graduation stage last spring. A four-year member of the track and field team, Wehrly was a standout sprinter and jumper. As a senior, the Manchester, Michigan native, earned a pair of top-four finishes at the MIAA Outdoor Championships in the 100-meter and 200-meter dash.
Wehrly graduated with a degree in Kinesiology and has been working as a personal trainer at Manchester Wellness Center. He has organized operations for the business and worked with individual clients on proper techniques, training, and fitness plans.
Borek joins reigning MIAA Tournament Champions
Fresh off winning the 2025 MIAA Tournament, head coach Jacob DeCola has added Kyle Borek to the coaching staff ahead of the 2026 season. Borek returns to the collegiate ranks after having last served as an assistant coach at Davenport University during the 2017 and 2018 seasons. Borek was responsible for the Panthers’ defensive structure. He focused on game planning, film breakdown, and individual player development. He previously worked as a boys varsity assistant coach at Haslett/Williamston High School for two seasons.
Borek is no stranger to the MIAA, as he was a three-year member of the men’s lacrosse team at the University of Olivet. A long-stick midfielder, Borek was a two-time All-MIAA Second Team honoree as he amassed 138 ground balls and 87 caused turnovers over his collegiate career.
Sports
PBC Indoor Track & Field Season Preview
Reigning PBC Champions Embry Riddle have been tabbed as unanimous favorites to take home both the PBC Men’s & Women’s Indoor Track & Field titles by the league’s coaches. Embry Riddle received five first place votes on both the men’s and women’s side. Flagler received one first place vote in each. Augusta, Clayton State, Lander and USC Beaufort completed the tables in order.
Embry Riddle have been dominant since the inception of the PBC Indoor Track & Field Championship in 2023-24. The Eagles have been crowned men’s and women’s champions in each of the previous two seasons. In 2025, the two Eagles were selected for the NCAA Indoor Track & Field National Championships with both returning as All-Americans, the first in PBC Indoor Track & Field history. Brooklynn Gould finished 7th in the Pentathlon and Mikaela Miles finished 3rd in the Triple Jump. Embry Riddle sees Miles returns for her senior year in 2025-26, as the Eagles look to secure a third consecutive PBC Championship.
Flagler have been tabbed to finish second in both the men’s & women’s championship. On the women’s side, the Saints improved from a third-place finish in 2024 to a second-place finish in 2025 at the PBC Indoor Track & Field Championship. The Saints had five first place finishers at the championship in 2025. Graduate Taylor Stone was also selected for the NCAA Indoor Track & Field National Championship for the second consecutive season. On the men’s side, the Saints have placed second in each of the two previous seasons. Flagler had six first place finishers at the PBC Championship in 2025, and improvement from three in 2024.
Augusta have been tabbed third place finishers for both the men’s and women’s championship. The Jaguars will make their PBC Indoor Track & Field Championship debut this season.
| 2025-26 Women’s Indoor Track & Field Preseason Coaches’ Poll | ||
|---|---|---|
| Rank | Team | Points |
| 1. | Embry Riddle (5) | 25 |
| 2. | Flagler (1) | 20 |
| 3. | Augusta | 16 |
| 4. | Clayton State | 12 |
| 4. | Lander | 12 |
| 6. | USC Beaufort | 5 |
| 2025-26 Men’s Indoor Track & Field Preseason Coaches’ Poll | ||
|---|---|---|
| Rank | Team | Points |
| 1. | Embry Riddle (5) | 25 |
| 2. | Flagler (1) | 20 |
| 3. | Augusta | 17 |
| 4. | Clayton State | 12 |
| 5. | Lander | 11 |
| 6. | USC Beaufort | 5 |
Sports
Track & Field Open Indoor Season At Bison Opener
Women’s Track & Field | 12/5/2025 11:00:00 AM
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
>> Saint Francis Track & Field will once again open the 2025-26 indoor season at the Bison Opener at Bucknell University’s Gerhard Fieldhouse on Saturday.
>> The first track event will be the men’s 60m hurdle trials at 8:30 a.m. and the first field event will be men’s pole vault at 9:10 a.m.
>> Forty-two athletes, 28 men and 14 women, will be competing at the meet for the Red Flash.
2025-26 INDOOR SEASON PREVIEW
Head Coach Douglas Hoover is returning for his 14th season at the helm of the Saint Francis University Track & Field program.
The Red Flash are coming off a 2024-25 indoor season where the women finished third and the men took six at the NEC Indoor Track & Field Championships. The Red Flash had eight podium finishes and one event victories. Clark Gulycz, who is competing this weekend, became the NEC Men’s Indoor Shot Put Champion with a mark of 16.75m.
NEC PRESEASON POLL
Saint Francis women’s track & field was picked fifth in the NEC Preseason Poll. Wagner earned five first-place votes and earned the distinction of being the preseason favorite. Stonehill and CCSU both gained two first-place nods to finish in second and third place. Chicago State gained the last vote for first-place, finishing in fourth. After the Red Flash in fifth place, FDU, LIU, New Haven, Mercyhurst, and Le Moyne round out the ten-team poll.
Saint Francis men’s track & field was picked seventh in the NEC Preseason Poll. CCSU earned eight first-place votes and earned the distinction of being the preseason favorite. Wagner gained one first-place vote to finish in second. Stonehill and Chicago State were picked to finish in third and fourth. FDU and LIU were both tied in fifth place, however, LIU earned the last vote for first-place. After the Red Flash in seventh place, New Haven, Le Moyne, and Mercyhurst round out the ten-team poll.
RED FLASH AT BISON OPENER HISTORY
It will be the 15th time since the 2008-09 season that Saint Francis will be opening the season at the Bison Opener. At last year’s event, there were 14 top-5 finishes, including two first place finishes. Olivia Renk took first in the women’s 200m (25.60) and Julian Saunders took the men’s 200m (22.12).
NEXT UP FOR RED FLASH
The Red Flash will travel to the Ocean Breeze Track & Field Athletic Complex in Staten Island, N.Y. to compete in the Wagner College Seahawk Shootout hosted by Wagner College on Dec. 12.
Sports
Track Season Begins Saturday – Syracuse University Athletics
MEET INFO:
Date: Saturday, Dec. 6
Location: Barton Hall | Ithaca, N.Y.
Live Results: Here
ORANGE ENTRIES:
‘Cuse will start the day in the 60-meter hurdles at 11 a.m. Tawakal Omar and Jamir Brown will make their Orange debuts for the men. Twenty minutes later, Billie Frazier, Emeline Clark, Ivana Richards, Peyton Rollins and Marissa Saunders will race for the women.
The 60-meter dash will kickoff at 11:35 a.m., with Syracuse’s participants coming from a host of Orange men entered. At 11:50 a.m., Bianca Williams, Indie Wallace-Persaud, Jada Williams and Esther Granda will all race in the women’s event.
Samantha Bloch, Kayla Harding, Lizzie Bigelow, Blake Parker and Hailey Schuemann will take on the mile at 12:10 p.m., before the finals of the 60-meter hurdles and 60-meter dash events begin starting at 12:40 p.m.
Grace Finnegan and Luise Hiltzbleck will run in the 3,000-meter run at 1:55 p.m.
Elijah Mallard will represent the men in the 300-meters, followed b Nylah Robinson, Leah Bellow, Mia Hernandez and Andrea Pomales at 3:20 p.m. to close the meet for ‘Cuse.
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