College Sports
LSU sweeps Coastal Carolina in CWS finals for 2nd national title in 3 years
OMAHA, Neb. — LSU knocked previously unbeaten Coastal Carolina ace Jacob Morrison out of the game with a four-run fourth inning and the Tigers won their second national championship in three years Sunday with a 5-3 victory in the College World Series finals. The Tigers (53-15) completed a two-game sweep of the Chanticleers (56-13), […]

OMAHA, Neb. — LSU knocked previously unbeaten Coastal Carolina ace Jacob Morrison out of the game with a four-run fourth inning and the Tigers won their second national championship in three years Sunday with a 5-3 victory in the College World Series finals.
The Tigers (53-15) completed a two-game sweep of the Chanticleers (56-13), who entered the finals on a 26-game win streak and on Sunday saw coach Kevin Schnall and first base coach Matt Schilling ejected in the bottom of the first inning.
LSU gave the Southeastern Conference its sixth straight national title in baseball and 11th in 16 years. It was LSU’s eighth, all since 1991 and second most all-time behind USC’s 12.
Tigers coach Jay Johnson became the first Division I coach to win two titles in his first four years at a school. No other coach had accomplished that feat in fewer than eight seasons.
“Our whole motto for the year was ‘Tough And Together,’ and that’s what they did from Aug. 26 until now,” Johnson said in a postgame television interview. “It’s only 12 returning players. That collection of talent became a team and a family.”
Coastal Carolina won the national title in 2016 and was trying to become the first team since 1962 (Michigan) and the fifth all-time to win the championship in its first two CWS appearances.
With five-time champion coach Skip Bertman watching from the stands, LSU tied it at 1 in the third on Ethan Frey’s RBI double and went up 5-1 in the fourth on two-run singles by Chris Stanfield and Derek Curiel.
Coastal Carolina pulled within 5-3 in the seventh against LSU starter Anthony Eyanson when No. 9 batter Wells Sykes hit his fourth homer of the season.
That brought on Chase Shores for his fourth appearance of the CWS. The 6-foot-8 right-hander touched 100 mph with his fastball while retiring the first five batters he faced before Dean Mihos, who homered in the second, singled through the right side leading off the ninth.
With Tigers fans on their feet and chanting “L-S-U, L-S-U,” Shores struck out Ty Dooley and got Sykes to ground into a game-ending double play. The Tigers’ dugout emptied and the celebratory dogpile behind the mound ensued. The 87-year-old Bertman came onto the field in a wheelchair and walked with assistance to have pictures taken with coaches and players.
The Chanticleers had won 15 straight when Morrison (12-1) started. Morrison’s 3 2/3 innings marked his shortest start of the season and the five runs against him were the most he has allowed.
LSU entered having won 13 games in a row in which one of its top two pitchers — Kade Anderson and Eyanson — started.
Anderson was selected the Most Outstanding Player of the CWS after allowing one run and six hits and striking out 17 in 16 innings over two starts in Omaha.
Anderson threw a three-hit shutout in LSU’s 1-0 win in Game 1 of the finals, and Eyanson (12-2) was mostly sharp over his 6 1/3 innings. The three runs against him came on seven hits and a walk. He struck out nine.
Schnall, in his first year as head coach after taking over for the retired Gary Gilmore, had not been ejected this season before Sunday. After the game, he said his ejection wasn’t justified and he was wrongly accused of bumping an umpire.
Walker Mitchell was at bat with two outs and Sebastian Alexander had just stolen second base when Schnall went to the top steps of the dugout, gestured at plate umpire Angel Campos with three fingers and began shouting at him.
The NCAA said Schnall was arguing balls and strikes, was given a warning and thrown out when he did not leave immediately. Instead, Schnall went onto the field to continue arguing.
When Schnall was arguing with Campos, one of the base umpires ran toward the confrontation and fell on his back.
“If you guys watch the video, there was a guy who came in extremely aggressively, tripped over Campos’ foot, embarrassed in front of 25,000, and goes ‘two-game suspension’ and says ‘bumping the umpire,’ Schnall said. ”There was no bump. I shouldn’t be held accountable for a grown man’s athleticism. Now it’s excessive because I was trying to say I didn’t bump him.
“It is what it is. If that warranted an ejection, there would be a lot of ejections. As umpires, it’s your job to manage the game with some poise and calmness and a little bit of tolerance.”
A spokesman said the NCAA stands by its original statement on the incident when asked for comment on Schnall’s remarks about bumping an umpire.
The NCAA in its initial statement on the incident said Schnall and Schilling engaged in “prolonged arguing,” which is to result in a two-game suspension. Schnall would miss the first two games of the 2026 season.
Schilling was thrown out for the comments he made while arguing, the NCAA said. If an assistant is ejected, he automatically also is suspended for one game. Schilling also got an additional two-game suspension under the “prolonged arguing” rule, the NCAA said. That means he will miss the first three games next year.
Associate head coach Chad Oxendine took over Schnall’s duties.
Schnall said he couldn’t hear Campos’ initial warning when he was arguing balls and strikes from the dugout.
“As a head coach, it’s your right to get an explanation for why we got warned,” Schnall said. “I’m 48 years old and I shouldn’t get shooed by another grown man. When I came out, I got told it was a warning issued for arguing balls and strikes, and I said it was because you missed three. At that point, ejected. If that warrants an ejection, I’m the first one to stand here like a man and apologize.”
That wasn’t going to happen.
“I’m not sorry for what happened,” he said. “I’m sorry for this being over. I’m sorry for how it ended.”
College Sports
NHL Draft Analyst Pits 22-Year-Old Panthers Winger’s Salary vs. Gavin McKenna’s NIL Deal With Penn State
The Florida Panthers just won their second straight Stanley Cup, but here’s what nobody saw coming: one of their young players is making barely more than a college kid who hasn’t even been drafted yet. Mackie Samoskevich signed for $775,000 while 17-year-old Gavin McKenna just landed a $700,000 NIL deal at Penn State. That’s a […]

The Florida Panthers just won their second straight Stanley Cup, but here’s what nobody saw coming: one of their young players is making barely more than a college kid who hasn’t even been drafted yet. Mackie Samoskevich signed for $775,000 while 17-year-old Gavin McKenna just landed a $700,000 NIL deal at Penn State. That’s a $75,000 difference between a Stanley Cup champion and a teenager.
Why Is Mackie Samoskevich Making Only $75,000 More Than Gavin McKenna?
The Panthers lifted the Stanley Cup for the second consecutive time in 2024-25, beating the Edmonton Oilers again. The Panthers kept their core together, including the star trio of Sam Bennett, Aaron Ekblad, and Brad Marchand. GM Bill Zito delivered on his promise of retaining all three and pulled off what seemed impossible.
Along with keeping the big names, the team re-signed right-winger Samoskevich to a contract worth $775,000 with a cap hit of the same amount. His deal runs through 2026, after which the 22-year-old will become a restricted free agent.
Meanwhile, college NIL deals keep reaching jaw-dropping numbers. McKenna’s NIL deal with Penn State has left many in the hockey community speechless. The NIL deal is worth $700,000 and played a significant role in McKenna’s decision to choose the school. His commitment to join the Nittany Lions came months after the NCAA lifted its ban on Canadian Hockey League (CHL) players from competing at colleges in the United States in November 2024.
Penn State’s NIL offer doubled Michigan State’s $300,000 proposal. The choice was clear for McKenna. However, the 17-year-old said his decision to commit to Penn State went beyond just the money. He explained that while the Western Hockey League is great, he wanted to be part of a more challenging and competitive environment to become NHL-ready.
“Both options were great, but I just think going to college, being in such a great conference, it’ll really challenge me and prepare me,” said McKenna.
McKenna’s decision ultimately came down to more than just the financial package. But when you look at the numbers side by side, the contract comparison becomes even more eye-opening.
What Makes This Contract Comparison So Striking?
McKenna’s time with the WHL was short but packed with highlights. After his standout performance, in which he recorded 129 points in 56 regular-season games, he was named the CHL Player of the Year for the 2024-25 season. Given his talent level, the Penn State NIL deal makes sense.
But as The Athletic’s Jesse Marshall points out, Samoskevich of the Panthers only earns $75,000 more than McKenna. Given the Panthers’ championship status, you’d expect the 22-year-old to command a much higher salary.
The reality is that Samoskevich isn’t eligible for an offer sheet yet, which significantly hurts his bargaining position. Without enough experience, the Connecticut native can’t benefit from offer sheet leverage. The lack of offer sheet eligibility gave the Panthers complete control over contract negotiations, keeping other teams out of the picture entirely.
The winger, who has 31 points in 72 regular-season games in 2024, was offered the league minimum salary of $775,000. From the Panthers’ perspective, their hands were tied. Zito likely stretched the budget to its limits after working to retain Bennett, Ekblad, and Marchand. Zito’s decision to re-sign Samoskevich shows the team’s confidence in the 22-year-old’s future, even if the contract doesn’t reflect typical market value for a Stanley Cup winner.
College Sports
James Hagens’ underlying numbers show even more potential
Poll anyone in the hockey community and they would say that James Hagens’ freshman season at Boston College was a disappointment. However, it’s safe to say that expectations are rising with some of the freshmen who come into the NCAA now, and Hagens’ season was a massive success by most standards. Imagine starting your NCAA […]

Poll anyone in the hockey community and they would say that James Hagens’ freshman season at Boston College was a disappointment. However, it’s safe to say that expectations are rising with some of the freshmen who come into the NCAA now, and Hagens’ season was a massive success by most standards.
Imagine starting your NCAA career as a 17-year-old, being in contention for the first overall pick in the NHL, recording a point-per-game over the entire season, and then having people say that your year was a disappointment. While some freshmen do enter a situation like Boston College and put up more points, Bruins fans should be dancing in the streets that a player of Hagens’ calibre was available to them at seventh overall.
Suppose the points aren’t enough to keep the experts from calling Hagens a disappointment. In that case, NHLFoley on X has recently released a set of NCAA player cards, which show some of the underlying numbers that you won’t find on an EliteProspects page. If there was anyone in Boston who still wasn’t sold on their newest top prospect, this card should tell the whole story.
I went through the arduous process of adding nearly 6,000 rows of NCAA data to my player cards last night
On the other side? Some of the most vindicating cards Ive seen
My favorite — James Hagens was an absolute star this year. #NHLBruins
What NCAA seasons do you want to see? pic.twitter.com/w1winux9Bj
— Foley (@NHLFoley) July 8, 2025
Hagens had some eye-popping numbers this past season, which includes an 86% generation statistic. It helped that he played with Ryan Leonard and Oliver Moore for most of the season, but the fact that the coaches trusted him to be on the ice with those players for the entire season shows that he was an essential cog in that line. Foley’s card shows that Hagens was the fourth-best forward in Hockey East, which is only reserved for the best of the best as a freshman.
@NHLFoley coming in clutch with this updated player card on James Hagens.
Say what you want about Hagens and why he fell into the lap of the #NHLBruins
Point per game in the Hockey East as 17 year old, I’ll take that all damn day.
Steal. Of. The. Draft. pic.twitter.com/XhvI6qK504
— Drop the Mitts Hockey (@dropmittshockey) July 8, 2025
Drop The Mitts Hockey summed up everyone’s thoughts when looking at this player card. It’s easy to see the areas where Hagens has to improve and possibly why six other teams passed on him, but the good news is that they are things he can fix. Hagens was abysmal in puck battles and turnovers, but that comes from not being the most massive player at 5-foot-11, 176 pounds.
Hagens has a desire to sign with the Bruins this summer, but it’d be in his best interest to return to Boston College and work on getting bigger and stronger in a league that has more time to practice and hit the weight room. If Hagens can make that happen this season, his battle numbers are bound to rise.
If the rest of the numbers stay the same and those rise, we could be looking at the Bruins’ next generational player.
College Sports
Paige Spiranac Grabs Attention On Golf Course Friday In ‘Perfect’ Outfit
Paige Spiranac Grabs Attention On Golf Course Friday In ‘Perfect’ Outfit originally appeared on The Spun. Paige Spiranac continues to prove she’s simply better than most content creators. Prior to becoming a full-time social media influencer, Spiranac played college golf at San Diego State. She earned all-conference honors twice and won a Mountain West title during […]

Paige Spiranac Grabs Attention On Golf Course Friday In ‘Perfect’ Outfit originally appeared on The Spun.
Paige Spiranac continues to prove she’s simply better than most content creators.
Prior to becoming a full-time social media influencer, Spiranac played college golf at San Diego State. She earned all-conference honors twice and won a Mountain West title during her time with the Aztecs. Her success at the collegiate level led to her competing on the developmental Cactus Tour.
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Despite retiring from professional golf at a young age, Spiranac hasn’t abandoned the sport. For starters, most of her social media content revolves around the game she grew up loving. Additionally, she helps out the Grass League, a high stakes Par 3 league that’s currently in its second season.
“I am joining the front office at Grass League, yay!” Spiranac said on her YouTube channel earlier this year. “I will be joining the front office which means that I will be focusing on brand development, fan engagement, marketing, content strategy, seeking out new talent, team owners, and acquiring sponsorships.”
Speaking of her social media content, Spiranac left some of her fans speechless heading into the weekend.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MAY 16: Paige Spiranac attends the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 2024 Issue Release and 60th Anniversary Celebration at Hard Rock Hotel New York on May 16, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images for Sports Illustrated Swimsuit)Mike Coppola/Getty Images
On Friday afternoon, Spiranac went viral for sharing a slow-motion video of her driving the ball in a pink Alo dress,
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Unsurprisingly, the latest video showcasing Spiranac’s attire received plenty of attention from her followers. Most of the complimented her appearance.
“Love that dress,” one fan commented.
“It would be a dream come true to play a round of golf with you,” a second fan wrote.
“If you wear that to the Creator Classic I like your chances,” another fan declared.
Spiranac is getting herself ready for the Internet Invitational. She’ll compete in a field that features former NBA champion J.R. Smith, comedian Andrew Santino, former NHL players Keith Yandle and Ryan Whitney among others.
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There’ll be plenty of eyes on Spiranac when this tournament begins on Aug. 12.
Paige Spiranac Grabs Attention On Golf Course Friday In ‘Perfect’ Outfit first appeared on The Spun on Jul 11, 2025
This story was originally reported by The Spun on Jul 11, 2025, where it first appeared.
College Sports
Livvy Dunne Gets Celebrity Troll Treatment While Attending Twins Game at Target Field
The Minnesota Twins are playing the Pittsburgh Pirates Friday night, in the first of a three-game weekend series at Target Field. On a beautiful summer night in Minneapolis, with Nelly scheduled to perform after, the Twins’ home stadium was at capacity by first pitch. But it wasn’t just the 2000s postgame rap concert that fans […]

The Minnesota Twins are playing the Pittsburgh Pirates Friday night, in the first of a three-game weekend series at Target Field. On a beautiful summer night in Minneapolis, with Nelly scheduled to perform after, the Twins’ home stadium was at capacity by first pitch.
But it wasn’t just the 2000s postgame rap concert that fans flocked to Target Field for this evening. In fact, there may have been just as many people there for tonight’s starting pitcher matchup between two 2025 All-Stars, the Twins’ Joe Ryan and the Pirates’ Paul Skenes.
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It’s one of the better pitching matchups the Twins have hosted in recent memory. Ryan entered the night with a 2.76 ERA and 0.891 WHIP in 104.1 innings. Skenes is one of the only pitchers in baseball who’s looked better than Joe this season, posting a 1.94 ERA and 0.922 WHIP in 116 innings.
Related Headlines
Livvy Dunne in town watching Minnesota Twins vs Pittsburgh Pirates
One of the more notable fans in the house tonight, possibly to watch both Nelly and Skenes, is internet sensation and former LSU gymnast, Livvy Dunne, who started dating the Pirates’ 23-year-old phenom starter when the two were both attending Louisiana State University.
College Sports
3 most interesting non-conference matchups for Gophers hockey in 2025
We’re just over 80 days away from Gophers men’s hockey beginning their 2025 season on Oct. 3 against Michigan Tech. They have a loaded non-conference slate, so let’s break down the top three matchups. The greatest rivalry in college hockey returns after one year off. Minnesota will travel to Grand Forks on Oct. 17 and […]

We’re just over 80 days away from Gophers men’s hockey beginning their 2025 season on Oct. 3 against Michigan Tech. They have a loaded non-conference slate, so let’s break down the top three matchups.
The greatest rivalry in college hockey returns after one year off. Minnesota will travel to Grand Forks on Oct. 17 and 18 to face a much-improved North Dakota squad. The Fighting Hawks are coming off a disappointing 21-15-2 season, but they let go of long-time head coach Brad Berry.
North Dakota promoted within and hired Dane Jackson as a replacement. They completely revamped their roster this offseason, and they look like a serious contender in the NCHC. Minnesota will need to be on its best if it wants to leave Grand Forks with any points to its record.
Before hitting the road to face North Dakota, Minnesota will have a marquee non-conference tilt at 3M Arena at Mariucci when Boston College comes to town. It will be the Eagles’ first trip to Minneapolis since 2013, and the first time the teams have faced since 2016.
Related: Is Gavin McKenna’s commitment a warning sign for the Gophers?
Boston College was the No. 1-ranked team in the country for much of last season, and they finished the year 27-8-2 before losing to Denver in their regional final. The Gophers’ second series of the season will give up an early look at what level of team Bob Motzko has for 2025-26.
Minnesota will travel west to face the Pioneers in Denver on Nov. 28, but the game will be played at Ball Arena, the home of the Colorado Avalanche and Denver Nuggets. It will be the Gophers’ first game against Denver since 2011, which projects as one of the most talented teams in the country again.
The Gophers have five total non-conference games against teams that expect to be in the NCAA Tournament this season. Their record in these five games could set the tone for what we might see in conference play.
College Sports
Big 12 Coach Calls for Major Change When Paying Players
(Nathan Breisinger, Pittsburgh Sports Now) – The landscape of college sports appears to be changing daily and one of the most polarizing head coaches in college football is calling for more changes to help deal with revenue sharing and NIL payments. Colorado head coach Deion Sanders is advocating for a salary cap to provide an […]

(Nathan Breisinger, Pittsburgh Sports Now) – The landscape of college sports appears to be changing daily and one of the most polarizing head coaches in college football is calling for more changes to help deal with revenue sharing and NIL payments.
Colorado head coach Deion Sanders is advocating for a salary cap to provide an even playing field in a sport that is new to paying athletes.
“I wish there was a cap,” Sanders said during the Big 12 Media Days this week. “Like, the top-of-the-line player makes this, and if you’re not that type of guy, you know you’re not going to make that. That’s what the NFL does.
“All you gotta do is look at the [CFP] and see what those teams spent, and you’ll understand darn well why they’re in the playoffs.”
Deion Sanders on NIL and the current state of college football. pic.twitter.com/y6A5C3dWUP
— ESPN (@espn) July 9, 2025
“So the problem is, you got a guy that’s not that darn good, but he could go to another school and they give him a half million dollars. You can’t compete with that. And it don’t make sense.”
Sanders, who is now in his third year with the Buffaloes, is looking for a system that resembles the NFL.
“I wish it was truly equality,” he said. “Now they go back to doing stuff under the table. They go back to the agents. Now you’ve got parents trying to be agents, you’ve got the homeboys trying to be agents, you’ve got the friends trying to be agents. You got a lot of bull junk going on. And quite frankly, we’re sick of it. I’ll say it for everybody: We’re sick of it.”
Starting on July 1, 2025, universities were allowed to start sharing revenue with student-athletes for the 2025-26 school year, per the House Settlement. Schools can share up to $20.5 million with a majority of athletic departments expected to allocate 75 percent of that to the football program.
WVU director of athletics Wren Baker recently detailed how West Virginia will distribute the money.
Wren Baker Details How WVU Will Distribute Money in Revenue Sharing Era
However, programs will still work with third-party NIL collectives to bring in bigger deals for student-athletes that can surpass the revenue-sharing money. ‘NIL Go’ was created by the College Sports Commission and Deloitte to help ensure fair market value for deals.
Most of this story initially appeared on our partner site Pittsburgh Sports Now.
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