Sports

Fantasy Baseball

Published

4 months ago

July 29, 2025

Surely you’ve heard about the game Nick Kurtz had Friday, a 6 for 6 performance in which he homered four times. Perhaps you haven’t stopped to consider the gravity of it, though.

Some of these numbers may be new to you, others not, but just to put the performance in its proper context, let’s count the ways it was one for the record books.

He became the 18th player since 1900 to hit four home runs in a game.
He came within a foot or so of becoming the first player ever to hit five home runs in a game, his fourth-inning double hitting just below the line demarcating a home run, as you can see here.
That double, in conjunction with a single and the four home runs, gave him 19 total bases, equaling the mark set by Shawn Green in 2002.
He scored six runs in all, which may have been the most impressive feat of all. It made him only the ninth player to do that since 1900.

Like I said, one for the record books.

Much has been written about this performance already, seeing as it happened a few days ago, but I wanted the chance to comment on what it means for Fantasy Baseball, because I think there are three major takeaways. We’ll begin with the most obvious.

The performance confirms that Kurtz is indeed a Fantasy stud.

This was becoming clear even before the four homer game. His OPS was .982, for crying out loud. He had homered seven times in his previous 16 games. The gasps and whispers had already started.

And now? The gasps and whispers have turned into an ear piercing shriek. Factoring in the four homer game, Kurtz is batting .353 (60 for 170) with 22 home runs and a near 1.300 OPS in his past 45 games. That’s right: He’s averaged a home run every other game … for 45 games, more than a quarter of a full length season. It won’t surprise you to learn, then, that he’s the No. 1 player in Rotisserie leagues during that time, and I, for one, am seeing no reason to doubt him.

I suppose the biggest would be his strikeout rate, which is 31.2 percent overall and not much better during the 45 game streak (28.2 percent). Even if we do Kurtz the courtesy of using that second number, it would rank as the fifth highest among qualifiers, behind Riley Greene, Ryan McMahon, Oneil Cruz, and James Wood. Notice what those players have in common, though. Three of the four are regarded as Fantasy studs or something close to it. Such a strikeout rate isn’t a deal breaker.

Of course, it would be fair to say that players with so high of a strikeout rate rarely excel in batting average the way Kurtz seems to be now, but this is where his opposite field tendencies set him apart, making him more difficult to defend. Normally, a low pull rate would be a drawback because it undermines a hitter’s power potential, but for one who hits the ball 94.1 mph on average, it’s hard to see it as anything other than a plus.

And then there’s the pedigree. Kurtz was good enough in college to be drafted fourth overall even as a pure first baseman, and then he slashed .344/.440/.712 over his minor league career. Sure, that minor league career lasted only 33 games, but to put it another way, his minor league career lasted only 33 games. Nothing could slow his momentum. He made a mockery of the whole developmental system and announced himself as a special prospect in doing so. For as much attention as Wyatt Langford’s rapid rise through the minors was, Kurtz beat him by 11 games.

And the rest, it turns out, is history.

The performance serves as a reminder that even the best hitting prospects will probably need an adjustment period.

The reason I’ve reduced Kurtz’s excellence to just his past 45 games is because what came before them was pretty abysmal. It seems impossible to fathom now, but as recently as May 19, nearly a month into his big league career, Kurtz was slashing .208/.259/.299. He had homered just once and was striking out at a 36 percent clip.

And some people gave up on him. Despite all the fanfare of his promotion, despite the whirlwind minor league career, despite the fact that we’ve seen some version of this same scenario play out so many times in recent years, some people decided there was nothing more to see here and cut bait. Kurtz’s roster rate in CBS Sports leagues, which had peaked at 84 percent when he was promoted, tumbled all the way to 68 percent.

I have news for those people: It’s not 2019 anymore. Maybe I can stop saying that six years later, but expectations seem to have gotten stuck in that wonderfully rare period of time when prospect call ups were all little miracles that would instantaneously reverse your team’s fortunes. The difficulty curve is higher now. As has been true for most of major league history, newcomers need time to adjust. Maybe people understand this on an intellectual level, but they seem quick to lose heart when they don’t get that little miracle right away.

The loose timeline I’ve settled on is two months. It’s not foolproof, of course. Some prospect call ups still find instant success, like Corbin Carroll a couple years ago. Kurtz himself needed only one month rather than two. But if you look back at some of the biggest rookie successes in recent years — whether it’s Jackson Chourio, Jackson Merrill, Gunnar Henderson, Bobby Witt or Julio Rodriguez — they pretty much all needed two months to find their footing in the majors.

So, how can you apply this going forward? Well, you can’t get a do over on Kurtz, but you can keep the faith on Roman Anthony. You can also remain open to Jac Caglianone finding success once he returns from a hamstring injury. Both players offer reason for optimism beyond their prospect pedigree, but I’m saying that the pedigree itself is reason enough to hold out hope. Even Coby Mayo, whose two months of major league duty have been spread out because of the Orioles‘ refusal to commit to him fully, is suddenly batting .300 (18 for 60) with three homers and six doubles in his past 22 games after showing us next to nothing in his first 29, his strikeout rate going from 40.5 percent in the 29 to 14.9 percent in the 22. Again, the Orioles’ handling of him made it impossible to hold onto him, but my point is that even in the most extreme case of a disappointing prospect call up, the turnaround could come quickly.

The performance positions Kurtz to be the top first baseman drafted next year.

I haven’t seen this discussed much, but to me it’s increasingly obvious. Every position has its royalty that populates the top of rank lists year after year, but the royalty at first base is looking pretty weathered. Bryce Harper isn’t getting any younger. Freddie Freeman certainly isn’t. Matt Olson is good but flawed, and Vladimir Guerrero is never quite everything we want him to be. The one member of first base royalty who appeared in my first-two-round redraft for the second half was Pete Alonso, who I wouldn’t say is a fixture there and has done his best to eliminate himself in the weeks since.

Kurtz is obviously trending the opposite direction. I’ve mentioned that he’s the top hitter in Rotisserie leagues over his past 45 games, but let’s look at his full season production. And let’s use Head to Head points since that’s his more vulnerable format due to the high strikeout rate. So far this year, only two first basemen are averaging 3.5 points per game or more. Harper is at 3.5 exactly. Kurtz is at 3.9. Only two other first basemen in the past four years have averaged as many as 3.9 points per game: Freeman and Olson in 2023.

So the remaining question is whether Kurtz is legitimate, and I’ve already made the case for that. I’m not prepared to say he’ll sustain a .308 batting average and 1.052 OPS all the way through the end of the season, but the fact he can threaten to as a 22 year old makes him a far more promising investment than players whose best days are clearly behind them or who haven’t hinted of that upside in quite some time.

Kurtz strikes me as the sort of transcendent talent who could pace the position for years to come.

Sports

Season Preview: Men’s Indoor Track and Field Ready to Build off Previous Seasons

Published

5 minutes ago

December 6, 2025

Your Sports Nation

WEST HARTFORD, Conn. The Hartford Men’s Track and Field team is eager to start the upcoming indoor season. The Hawks come off the heels of a Conference Championship a season ago, as well as a 14th place finish in the NCAA Division III New England Championship. The group looks to build on last year’s success to push themselves even further in the 2025-26 season.

Familiar Faces:

Head coach Connor Green comes back for his third year at the helm of both the Men’s and Women’s Track and Field coach. He welcomes back 34 returners who look to make their mark following a successful season last year. Amongst the top returners is sophomore Aidan Lybarger (South Burlington, Vt.) who last year was honored as USTFCCCA Outdoor Track & Field All-Region in Discus, CNE All-Conference First Team (Discus), as well as becoming a school record holder (Outdoor Discus – 52.49 Meters).

“I think we’re going to have a pretty good season overall, especially from the throwers perspective. We all have gotten a lot better from last year which is amazing.” Lybarger said.

Senior Peter Effinger (Washingtonville, N.Y.) is also a key returner for the Hawks, coming off a CNE Academic All-Conference season, a year ago.

“I’d like to go out and have a good season, set some PRs, and hopefully win another championship. Continue with hard training, making good progress in workouts, and trying to get under those milestones.” said Effinger.

Another key returner is junior Thomas Yonkers (Farmington, Conn.), who last season was honored as CNE Academic All-Conference, College Sports Communicators Academic All-District, School Record (Outdoor Pole Vault – 4.25 Meters).

“I think we’re looking to get back to the CNE and win the conference again, and we’re looking like a good team like last year. I’m most excited to see how the freshmen really develop their spots on the team. We’ve got a couple new vaulters, who I’m really excited to see this year in their first college season. ” Yonkers said.

Season Outlook:

The Hawks will begin their season at the Yale invitational on Dec. 6th. Following that event they will take on the Wesleyan University Invitational on Jan. 24th. They will also compete in the John Thomas Terrier Classic at Boston University on Jan. 31st. The Hawks will close out the indoor track and field season at the NCAA Division III New England Championships in Boston at the New England at the Track of New Balance.

For the latest information on Hartford Athletics follow the Hawks on Facebook, Instagram, X, and YouTube.

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Sports

Kentucky Track and Field Opens 2025-26 Indoor Season at Commodore Winter Challenge – UK Athletics

Published

21 minutes ago

December 6, 2025

Your Sports Nation

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Kentucky Wildcats track and field team is set for the start of a new indoor season this Saturday in Nashville, Tenn. at the Commodore Winter Challenge, hosted by Vanderbilt University.

For the first event of the new season, the Wildcats will send 45 total athletes to Nashville, competing across 21 separate events. The travel list for the weekend’s event is highlighted by returners Camden Bentley, Hannah Douglas, Sharmelle Holmes, Stacey Onyepunuka, Kate Powers and Emmi Scales on the women’s side and Grayson Brashear, Patrick Faust, Miles Jones, Devin Sealey and Anthony Waterman on the men’s side.

The Wildcats welcome 40 total newcomers to the 2025-26 roster, including 22 on the men’s side and 18 on the women’s side. Of the 40 new additions, 30 feature as true freshman, looking to make their collegiate debut this weekend for the Wildcats.

During the indoor portion of the 2025-26 schedule, the Wildcats will compete in eight meets, beginning with tomorrow’s event in Nashville. Following the turn of the calendar, Kentucky will host the Rod McCravy Memorial on Jan. 9-10 at the Norton Center in Louisville, Ky.

The final stretch of the regular season for the Cats consists of the Crossroads of America Invitational (Jan. 23-24), Razorback Invitational (Jan. 30-31) and the David Hemery Valentine Invitational and the Tiger Paw Invitational on Feb. 13-14.

For the second consecutive season, the Texas A&M Aggies will play host to the 2026 SEC Indoor Championships at the Fasken Indoor Track & Field Facility in College Station, Texas on Feb. 26-28. The 2025-26 indoor season will conclude on Mar. 13-14 in the Cats’ second trip to Fayetteville, Ark. for the NCAA Championships.

On Saturday in Nashville, Kentucky will compete against fellow SEC programs Tennessee and host Vanderbilt, as well as Arkansas State, Austin Peay, Belmont, Chattanooga, Lipscomb, Middle Tennessee and Western Kentucky.

Competition for the Commodore Winter Challenge in Nashville is scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. ET, starting with Meagan Ewers, Gwyneth Lori, Kate Powers and Addison Stadsholt representing the Wildcats in the women’s weight throw event.

Event Schedule

Commodore Winter Challenge: Saturday, December 6: ALL TIMES IN EASTERN TIME
Women’s Weight Throw	9:30 a.m.	FINAL	Meagan Ewers, Gwyneth Lori, Kate Powers, Addison Stadsholt
Women’s High Jump	9:30 a.m.	FINAL	Kemarah Howard
Men’s High Jump	9:30 a.m.	FINAL	Devin Sealey
Men’s Long Jump	11:00 a.m.	FINAL	Kingi McNair
Men’s Pole Vault	11:00 a.m.	FINAL	Grant Harrison, Jack Marek
Men’s Weight Throw	11:30 a.m.	FINAL	Grayson Brashear, Brock Conrad, Cian Crampton
Women’s Long Jump	12:30 p.m.	FINAL	Dahlia Beasley, Julia Gunnell, Kemarah Howard, Skyler Reynolds
Women’s 60m Hurdles	1:00 p.m.	PRELIMS	Dahlia Beasley, Camden Bentley, Julia Gunnell, Kashia Hoo, Kori Martin, Rukia Nusra Omulisia, Emmi Scales, Alene Washington
Men’s 60m Hurdles	1:25 p.m.	PRELIMS	Anthony Waterman
Women’s Shot Put	1:30 p.m.	FINAL	Dahlia Beasley, Meagan Ewers, Julia Gunnell, Gwyneth Lori, Addison Stadsholt
Women’s 60m	1:45 p.m.	PRELIMS	Briley Cline, Sharmelle Holmes, Naseera Efua Quansah, Briana St. Louis
Women’s Pole Vault	2:00 p.m.	FINAL	Kaylee Daniel, Annie Murphy, Chelsea Wetzel
Men’s 60m	2:00 p.m.	PRELIMS	Coy Hyre, Miles Jones, Jack Marek, Zyrie Stewart-McLaren, Oscar Baltan Vivero
Men’s 60m Hurdles	2:45 p.m.	FINAL	TBD
Women’s 60m Hurdles	2:55 p.m.	FINAL	TBD
Men’s 60m	3:05 p.m.	FINAL	TBD
Women’s 60m	3:15 p.m.	FINAL	TBD
Men’s/Women’s Triple Jump	3:30 p.m.	FINAL	Theo Mudzengerere
Men’s Shot Put	3:30 p.m.	FINAL	Grayson Brashear, Brock Conrad
Women’s 300m	3:35 p.m.	FINAL	Dahlia Beasley, A’Laji Bradley, Briley Cline, Tressia Davis, Hannah Douglas, Julia Gunnell, Kashia Hoo, JahQueen McClellan, Rukia Nusra Omulisia, Emmi Scales, Briana St. Louis, Alene Washington
Men’s 300m	3:55 p.m.	FINAL	Tyrique Johnson, Brandon Nyandoro, TK Pahuwa, Zyrie Stewart-McLaren, Oscar Baltan Vivero
Women’s 600m	4:15 p.m.	FINAL	Vanice Kerubo Nyagisera
Men’s 600m	4:35 p.m.	FINAL	Patrick Faust
Women’s 4x400m	5:05 p.m.	FINAL	Kentucky
Men’s 4x400m	5:20 p.m.	FINAL	Kentucky

Follow Kentucky Track and Field and Cross Country on Facebook, Instagram, X, and UKathletics.com.

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Sports

Cyclones meet St. Thomas for NCAA Volleyball Championship first round – Iowa State Daily

Published

22 minutes ago

December 6, 2025

Your Sports Nation

The Iowa State volleyball team will return to the NCAA Tournament after missing out last season. The No. 23 Cyclones (22-7, 12-6 Big 12) will face the St. Thomas Tommies (21-9, 11-5 Summit League) in the opening round.

“This is the first time I get to experience something like this, and I’m just really happy I get to experience it with this group of girls in this program,” senior middle blocker Tierney Jackson said. “I’m ready to have a long run in Minnesota.”

Iowa State will be participating in its 18th NCAA Tournament, while the Tommies are making their first appearance in program history.

This is the first postseason St. Thomas is eligible to compete in after elevating to the Division I level for the 2021 season. The Tommies won their first Summit League Tournament, making them undefeated in Division I postseason play.

The Tommies secured their NCAA Tournament berth by claiming the Summit League title. St. Thomas defeated No. 1 seed South Dakota State in the Summit League Tournament championship.

The Tommies are the only team to defeat the Jackrabbits over the past two seasons, winning in 2024 and 2025.

The Summit League champion has not won an NCAA Tournament match for 28 seasons. The last tournament victory for the conference came in 1977 — a five-set win for Oral Roberts over Arizona.

The Big 12 does not hold a conference tournament, giving its automatic NCAA bid to the regular-season champion.

No. 8 Arizona State (26-3, 17-1 Big 12) had a near-perfect conference schedule, their one loss coming to the Cyclones on Oct. 31. The Halloween victory was Iowa State’s biggest win of the season.

“I am super excited to make the tournament and continue on our run with my favorite group of girls, and we’re excited to go to Minnesota,” senior setter Morgan Brandt said.

Iowa State team in huddle after loss against Kansas State, Hilton Coliseum, Ames, Iowa, Nov. 29, 2025. (Jaxon Carr)

Brandt was the Big 12 Setter of the Year and leads all active Big 12 players with 3,736 career assists. She also led a Cyclone offense that topped the conference in assists at 13.03 per set.

Iowa State occasionally switched from a 5-1 to give sophomore setter Ava Martin opportunities.

St. Thomas had an impressive nonconference schedule, with its best win coming against Big Ten opponent Northwestern. The Tommies won seven straight matches after defeating Northwestern, a program best since joining Division I.

The match will be played at Minnesota’s Maturi Pavilion, a venue where St. Thomas has already taken a set this season. The Tommies took a set from then-No. 11 Minnesota on Aug. 31, the first set victory against a ranked opponent in program history.

While the Cyclones are favored in this matchup, they have lost their last two matches, while the Tommies have won five straight.

These teams have met once before. In 2021, Iowa State swept St. Thomas in the same building as part of the Diet Coke Classic. The only active player from that match is Iowa State redshirt senior defensive specialist Paula Krzeslak. She has appeared in 94 matches across her Cyclone career.

Both head coaches have led their programs for more than 20 years. Christy Johnson-Lynch is in her 21st season with Iowa State, and Thanh Pham is in his 23rd season at St. Thomas. Pham coached the Tommies to a Division III national championship in 2012, while Johnson-Lynch has guided Iowa State to two Division I regional finals (2008, 2011).

“We never want to take the day for granted,” Johnson-Lynch said. “So we’re excited to get up there and get going.”

St. Thomas will play Iowa State at 4:30 p.m. Friday at Maturi Pavilion and will stream on ESPN+. The winner will advance to face either No. 4 seed Minnesota or Fairfield in the second round Saturday.

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Sports

Pilots Open Indoor Season at BU Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener

Published

37 minutes ago

December 5, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Event: BU Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener
Host: Boston University
Date: Saturday, Dec. 6, 2024
Location: Boston University Track and Tennis Center (Boston, Mass.)
Live Results: PortlandPilots.com
Live Video: PortlandPilots.com

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS & PILOTS’ ENTRIES
• Women’s Mile: 9 a.m (PT) | Rose Perotin
• Men’s 3000m: 11:40 a.m (PT) | Mark Milner
• Men’s 5000m: 4:15 p.m (PT) | Jonas Price

THIS WEEK
• The Pilots are set to compete at the Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener, hosted by Boston University in Boston. They will be represented in three events.
• Live results and video streaming are available on PortlandPilots.com.

Get Your Tickets Now!
Secure your spot now for any upcoming Portland Pilots ticketed home event by visiting PortlandPilots.com/Tickets or by downloading the Portland Pilots App. For group and fan experience package information, email pilotsboxoffice@up.edu.

Donate Today
Fans interested in making a contribution to the Pilot Athletic Fund can do so by clicking here. Your gift directly helps our nearly 300 student-athletes as they strive to make a difference in our community and achieve academic and athletic excellence. Thank you for support of Pilot Athletics!

Follow Along With the Action
Get the latest news and information about your favorite University of Portland athletic programs by visiting PortlandPilots.com. You can also follow along for the most dynamic coverage and team-centric content by following us on Twitter, liking us on Facebook, and following us on Instagram.

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Sports

Craig Announces 2025-26 Track & Field Schedule

Published

53 minutes ago

December 5, 2025

Your Sports Nation

ROCK HILL, S.C. — Winthrop Track & Field Head Coach Raffael Craig has unveiled the Eagles 2025-26 indoor and outdoor schedule on Friday, outlining a slate that begins in early December and runs through the end of May.

“I’m proud of the work they have all put in,” said Craig. “This first meet will be a good opportunity to see where we are at heading into the holiday season.”

The Eagles open the indoor season on Dec. 7 at the Visit Winston-Salem College Kick-Off in Winston-Salem, N.C. Winthrop continues at the Gamecock Opener on Jan. 10 in Columbia, S.C., followed by three meets in Tryon, the Tryon International Classic (Jan. 16-17), the Tryon College Banked Invitational – East Coast Elite (Jan. 30), and the Tryon Mid-Winter Collegiate Invite (Feb. 13-14).

The Big South Conference Indoor Championship is scheduled for Feb. 27-28 in Tryon.

Outdoor competition begins with the Big South vs. Southern Conference Challenge on Mar. 20-21 in Asheville, N.C. Winthrop will also compete at the Raleigh Relays (Mar. 26-27) and the VertKlasse Meeting (Apr. 2-3) in High Point, N.C.

The program will host the annual Winthrop Invitational on Apr. 17-18 at the Irwin Belk Complex. The regular season concludes at the Lenoir-Rhyne Open on Apr. 25 in Hickory, N.C.

The Big South Conference Outdoor Championship is set for May 11-13 in High Point, N.C. Qualifiers will advance to the NCAA Championships East First Round, held on May 27-30 in Lexington, Ky.

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Sports

Broncos Produce Strong Results in Season-Opening Meet

Published

1 hour ago

December 5, 2025

Your Sports Nation

ALLENDALE, Mich. — Despite having just four student-athletes in action, the Western Michigan track and field team was able to post some strong results at the GVSU Holiday Open earlier today.

Laurine Elisa Marimon stole the show, earning the sixth best triple jump mark in program history. She finished the meet with a top leap of 12.07 meters. The meet was her first in the Brown and Gold.

Sierra Sommers also impressed in her college debut, competing in both the shot put and weight throw. She opened the meet with a weight throw mark of 12.87 meters. She followed that up with a throw of 14.14 meters in the shot put. That was good enough to win the event and just missed a top-10 mark in program history.

Mickaliliah Vassell made her WMU debut by racing in both the 60-meter dash and 60-meter hurdles. She crossed the finish line in a time of 7.89 in the 60m and earned a time of 9.19 in the 60m hurdles.

To conclude the meet, Shannon Gillahan was great in her season debut. She was able to produce a time of 11:07.28 in the 3000-meter run.

UP NEXT

The Broncos will be off until the start of the new year. WMU will be back in action at the Wolverine Invite on Jan. 10.

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