In today’s age of college athletics with the transfer portal and NIL, it is becoming increasingly unusual for a college athlete to stay their entire career at one school. Factor in one of the top athletes in the country competing at a non-Power Four program and it is virtually unheard of for them to not flirt with the transfer portal and a potential big pay day. The expectation is for the athlete to chase the money and spotlight playing at a name-brand school brings.

Enter Rachel Roupe. The Liberty outfielder was a top recruit from Sharpsburg, Maryland in high school, ranked as a top 100 national prospect by Extra-Innings Softball. She committed to and signed with Liberty and head coach Dot Richardson out of high school. As her career progressed, it would have been easy, even expected, for the all-star to test the transfer portal waters, but she elected to stay with the Flames and continue to push the program to new heights.

Roupe attended some of Liberty’s camps while she was younger, and the Liberty coaching staff immediately saw the talent she had. She had opportunities to play for other schools throughout the recruiting process in high school, but Roupe was focused on Liberty and wanted to play for the Flames.

“There were other schools pursuing me, but I wasn’t pursuing them that much,” Roupe said of her recruitment. “I really wanted to come here.”

Originally recruited as a pitcher, Roupe switched to an outfielder late in her high school career, a spot that has stuck through her college career. She has been a starter in right field since she arrived on campus as a freshman in 2022. She earned D1Softball.com National Freshman of the Week honors late in her first season. She would be named second-team all-conference and named to the ASUN All-Tournament team while helping the Lady Flames to the ASUN Championship and a win over Georgia in Regional play. It was the first of four Regional appearances for Roupe and Liberty.

As a sophomore, she took another step being named first team all-conference and earning National Player of the Week during the season. She finished the year batting .317 with nine doubles, two triples, 15 home runs, 50 RBI, and 41 runs scored. Roupe and the Lady Flames received an at-large bid into Regional play where Liberty would take down No. 2 national seed UCLA. Roupe scored both Liberty runs in the 2-1 victory, including her iconic slide in the 7th to score the winning run.

Last year, Roupe and the Lady Flames won CUSA in their first year in the new league and came just one out from eliminating Georgia and winning the Athens Regional. She batted .362 with 17 doubles and 17 home runs to go along with 42 RBI and 48 runs. A now four-time all-conference outfielder, including three straight first team selections, and 2025 CUSA Player of the Year, Roupe saved her best season for last. She has set Liberty program single season marks in home runs and RBI this season.

This past weekend in the College Station Regional, Roupe refused to let her team be eliminated. She had multiple highlight reel plays from her position in right field. She also hit three home runs in the two games on Sunday in the Regional Final against No. 1 Texas A&M. Her grand slam in the first game Sunday gave the Flames a 6-0 lead and felt like at the time it was the punctuation mark on the way to making history and reaching the Super Regionals. That was before the Aggies made a comeback and forced a winner-take-all Game 7 Sunday night. Roupe hit two home runs in the Liberty win, including a three-run shot in the sixth inning that proved to be the difference maker.

“The legacy was so evident,” Richardson said of Roupe following her performance in College Station this past weekend. “For her to have the two home runs she did set the tone. When you have a talented athlete like Rachel Roupe who is locked in, it is historic. That’s what happened, history was made because she lifts up other players on the team.”

Roupe ranks first or second on nearly every offensive statistical category in the Liberty career annals including home runs, total bases, extra base hits, walks and RBI. She’s been to four NCAA Regionals and now prepares to compete in Liberty’s first ever Super Regional. Roupe and the Lady Flames will take on No. 16 Oregon in the best of three Super Regional series beginning Friday night at 10 p.m. from Eugene, Oregon. Two more wins and Roupe will be able to finish her storied Liberty career in the Women’s College World Series.

“She is a pathfinder. She is a pioneer,” said Coach Richardson of Roupe. “That’s what puts a program on the map. She could be anywhere, and she is making her statement here. Right away I knew she was a player I wanted to coach. She is a great role model. That is why I’m so excited for her, proud of her, because she is going to shape the lives of so many people. Young girls look up to her. She is deserving of it. It’s not just on the field; it is off it. She is a superstar.”

Earlier this week, Roupe was named to the Softball America All-American Team as a second team selection. Roupe was one of only three players selected to the first or second team from a non-Power Four conference team. Just a few hours later she was drafted by the Florida Vibe, a professional softball team based out of Bradenton, Florida. Current Liberty head coach Dot Richardson will serve as the Vibe’s head coach beginning this year while former Liberty players Emily Kirby and Kara Canetto play for the Vibe.

Roupe did not chase the money. She did not chase the limelight. Instead, she did the opposite. She stayed true to her commitment to Liberty and Dot Richardson. She sought to bring other top talent from around the country to join her and help build the Flames into that household softball name.

“When God gives you something good, you don’t have to go searching for better,” Roupe said. “The grass isn’t always greener. I’ve heard crazy stories from girls that come from those schools that are here now. It’s like why would I leave what I have now? To have the confidence that my coaches have in me as a player, that is a goal that most players want in their life when they get in a program that trusts them and are going to let them work through kinks or things that aren’t working out. I know they have my back. They’re going to keep putting me in the situation until I succeed. They’ve trusted me. They’ve believed in me, that alone was enough for me to stay.”

When she finally hangs the cleats up for the final time during her playing career at Liberty, she will leave a lasting legacy. Roupe will be a no doubt first ballot Hall of Famer for Liberty Athletics. She will forever be known as one of the greatest to ever suit up for Liberty softball. She will always be linked to the first team to ever reach the Super Regionals. Rachel Roupe. An all-time Liberty great.

MORGANTOWN, W.VA. – As the West Virginia University baseball team continues to stay in the hunt for the 16th NCAA Tournament bid in program history, the Mountaineer Ticket Office has made online NCAA postseason tickets requests available, should the Mountaineers be selected to host an NCAA Regional, May 30-June 2 and/or Super Regional, June 6-9 at Kendrick Family Ballpark.

All 2025 WVU Baseball season ticket holders can now log in to their account at WVUGAME.com to request priority postseason tickets. Due to the NCAA required ticket allotments for the participating teams, season ticket holders may request up to six (6) Regional all-session tickets and up to four (4) Super Regional all-session tickets from May 19 through May 21, with seat locations subject to availability. Seat locations are subject to change from the regular season and will be filled with the best available ticket locations (reserved seat or standing room only) based on MAC priority. MAC members who are not season ticket holders may request tickets from May 22 through May 25 at 5:00 p.m., pending available inventory. These requests 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 requests are subject to availability and will be evaluated based on MAC annual membership levels and the priority points ranking within each level.

The priority deadline for season ticket holders to request Regional and Super Regional tickets is Wednesday, May 21 at 5:00 p.m., while the deadline for MAC members to request Regional and Super Regional is Sunday, May 25 at 5:00 p.m.

Ticket options and prices for Regional all-session passes are listed below:

• Reserved All-Session – $90
• Standing Room Only All-Session – $72

Ticket options and prices for Super Regional all-session passes are as follows:

• Reserved All-Session – $60
• Standing Room Only All-Session – $45

All-session packages will include tickets for all games played at the ballpark (including Monday if necessary). All priority ticket requests will be allocated with the best available section based on MAC annual membership level and priority points. If tickets are not available at the price level requested, tickets will be allocated at the next highest price level. Ticket inventory is limited, and requests are not guaranteed.

Parking passes will be available for $20 per day by advance request. All requests are subject to availability and will be evaluated based on MAC annual membership levels and priority point rankings within each level.

Fans will only be charged for their ticket request if WVU is selected to host that round. All tickets will be e-mailed to the customer e-mail address provided during the request.

Information on any available general public ticket sales through the Mountaineer Ticket Office will be released upon the completion of the priority ticketing process. 

  

Tickets for full-time WVU students will be available on game day at the Kendrick Family Ballpark ticket windows. Tickets will be free for WVU students with a valid student ID only to games that WVU plays in. Students from other participating schools presenting a valid student ID from their institution can purchase a $15 general admission/standing room only ticket at the Monongalia County Ballpark ticket windows on game day.

 

 

Georgia Bulldogs defensive line commitment Seven Cloud has been committed to Georgia since Dec. 2024. Cloud is the nation’s top-ranked junior college prospect. The 6-foot-4, 300-pound defensive lineman plays JUCO for Butler Community College in El Dorado, Kansas.

Cloud is from Atlanta, Georgia, and played high school football for McEachern High School. He’s ranked as a three-star recruit, but could provide an immediate impact as a member of the class of 2026. Cloud posted 5.5 sacks and 48 tackles during his first season with Butler in 2024.

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Now, Cloud has signed a name, image and likeness representation deal with Rosenhaus Sports, which could be a sign indicating that his recruitment is changing or that he’s looking to maximize his NIL earnings.

Georgia recently had a major recruiting miss with the No. 1 recruit in the country, Jackson Cantwell, who committed the Miami Hurricanes. Cantwell was also represented by Rosenhaus Sports and sports agent Drew Rosenhaus.

Despite Cloud closing his recruitment in April, it still appears that he’s considering other options. Cloud has upcoming official visits with South Carolina, Florida State, LSU, North Carolina and Georgia, per 247Sports.

This article originally appeared on UGA Wire: Top UGA commit signs NIL representation deal with Rosenhaus Sports

On today’s episode of Longshore and McKnight, John and Barry wade into the looming transformation of college athletics governance, discussing a proposed College Sports Commission drafted by power conference officials to curb state-level NIL law circumvention.

Barry McKnight noted the urgency: “It’s got to happen sooner, much than way later,” as July 1 looms for implementation tied to the House settlement. The proposed commission would require schools to waive legal rights and comply with unified rules or face exclusion from NCAA membership, aiming to restore competitive balance and enforceable standards amid concerns that college sports are becoming unsustainable.

Catch live episodes of Longshore and McKnight daily on YouTube, Spotify, and on Yellowhammer News

The show also tackled skyrocketing college football ticket prices, dwindling fan enthusiasm for recruiting, and the future of Auburn athletics. Brian Matthews of AuburnSports.com joined the show, citing how NIL and the transfer portal have “taken away some of that interest” from traditional recruiting excitement. Matthews praised Auburn’s roster rebuild and forecasted an 8–9 win season is critical for Hugh Freeze to avoid fan unrest. Alabama and Auburn baseball postseason hopes, NFL scheduling quirks for the Jaguars, and even Charles Barkley’s NIL skepticism rounded out the show.

Let me try and understand this, because I’m a little fuzzy after decades of deceit and distrust.  

Zakai Zeigler finished his athletic eligibility at Tennessee with the end of the Volunteers’ 2024-25 men’s basketball season. However, the guard has filed a lawsuit against the NCAA seeking a fifth year of eligibility.

Zeigler has already played four seasons for Tennessee and didn’t begin his college career until 2021, one year after the 2020-21 class that was allowed one more year of eligibility lost during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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In the lawsuit, filed in the Eastern District Court of Tennessee, Zeigler is seeking a preliminary injunction that would allow him to play the 2025-26 season. He is challenging the NCAA rule that an athlete has four years of eligibility within a five-year window.

Zeigler, 22, isn’t allowed an opportunity to earn NIL money for a fifth year because he’s used up all of his eligibility. As the lawsuit argues, that deprives him of a fifth year, “the most lucrative year of the eligibility window for the vast majority of athletes.”

How lucrative? The lawsuit argues that Zeigler could earn between $2 million and $4 million in a fifth year based on his record of success and visibility playing in the SEC. Those figures are projections from the Spyre Sports Group, which facilitates Tennessee’s NIL collective.

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Athletes who receive a redshirt are allowed a fifth year of eligibility, which gives them one more year to earn NIL income. A freshman who was redshirted, for example, would still be able to earn NIL money even if he or she doesn’t play.