ANGOLA, Ind. – The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire softball was back in the NCAA Tournament Regionals for the first time since __ on Saturday. UW-Eau Claire held the tough task of upsetting the regional hosts, No. 4 Trine University, to advance to the NCAA Super Regional round. With windy conditions and one of the best pitchers in the country in the circle for the Thunder, the Blugolds fell 9-1 in five innings as their season came to an end.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The fourth ranked Thunder came out fast with four runs on six and one error in the bottom of the first. With three RBI singles and a bases loaded ground out, the Blugold defense was tested early.
• The Blugolds answered in the top of the second inning as Claire Beck rocketed a home run over the center field wall on the first pitch of the inning to cut the deficit to 4-1. Norah Kutnick followed Beck’s sixth home run of the season with a double over the center fielder’s head but was stranded on third with three consecutive outs to follow.
• After a scoreless second, the momentum and wind shifted in the Thunder’s favor as they tallied five runs on three home runs in the bottom of the third.
• Jacie Schultz (13-6) assessed the loss and recorded the only strikeout of the contest for Eau Claire in her two innings pitched. Lauren Trottier came in for relief in the third and shutout all five batters she faced.

UW-Eau Claire’s Kenna Strunsee, Molly Marquardt, and Brooklyn Swanepoel were named to the regional’s All-Tournament Team.

The Blugolds finish the 2025 season with a 29-16 overall record, a 7-7 conference record, and a 2-3 postseason record. With an appearance in the regional final, UWEC ended their season as one of the last 32 Division III teams in the NCAA Tournament.

 

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In the ever-evolving landscape of college football, a clandestine rendezvous between Nick Saban and a Texas tycoon has sent ripples through the sport, heralding a potential overhaul of its foundational structures. This meeting, shrouded in secrecy, comes at a pivotal moment as the collegiate athletic world braces for the impact of the House vs. NCAA case, a legal battle with the power to redefine the economic and regulatory framework of college sports.

A Strategic Alliance

Nick Saban, a figure synonymous with success in college football, has found himself at the center of a narrative that could dictate the future of the sport. His discreet engagement with a Texas billionaire, known for his substantial investments in Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) ventures, underscores the shifting paradigms within college athletics. This alliance hints at the strategic positioning by influential figures to navigate the impending changes with a foresight that blends financial acumen with athletic excellence.

The NIL Revolution

The concept of NIL has been a game-changer in college sports, allowing athletes to monetize their personal brand for the first time. However, it’s the scale and sophistication of the operations, like the one linked to Saban’s Texas counterpart, that spotlight the seismic shifts in how collegiate programs and their athletes could operate moving forward. This evolution raises questions about the balance of power, the integrity of amateur sports, and the potential for a new era of recruitment and talent development.

Implications for the Future

As the House vs. NCAA case looms large, the implications of Saban’s meeting are far-reaching. It’s not just about the immediate financial opportunities for athletes or the competitive advantages for programs. This moment represents a crossroads for college football, challenging long-held notions about amateurism, equity, and the role of money in shaping the destinies of young athletes.

Reflecting on the Bigger Picture

The convergence of legal, economic, and athletic forces, as exemplified by Saban’s recent maneuverings, invites a broader reflection on what we value in college sports. It’s a reminder that behind the pageantry and passion, the game is underpinned by complex dynamics that require careful navigation. As college football stands on the brink of potentially transformative changes, the actions of figures like Nick Saban and his Texas collaborator will be instrumental in shaping its future.

In the end, this episode is more than just a meeting between a coach and a billionaire; it’s a harbinger of the new realities that college football must confront. As stakeholders at all levels grapple with these changes, the sport as we know it could be on the cusp of a new era, one that demands adaptability, foresight, and an unwavering commitment to the spirit of competition.

Two days after questioning whether President Donald Trump‘s proposed commission on college sports was even necessary, Nick Saban has reportedly met with Texas Tech billionaire donor and fellow co-chair Cody Campbell, according to Yahoo! Sports’ Ross Dellenger.

Saban, the legendary former Alabama head coach and ESPN College GameDay analyst, has been tabbed by Trump to headline his presidential commission that is expected to “deeply examine the unwieldy landscape of college sports, including the frequency of player movement in the transfer portal, the unregulated booster compensation paid to athletes, the debate of college athlete employment, the application of Title IX to school revenue-share payments and, even, conference membership makeup and conference television contracts,” according to Yahoo! Sports.

While the makeup of the commission is still developing, White House leaders have already begun “pooling recommendations” from those within the Power Four conferences, NCAA and athlete-focused groups for potential committee membership, according to Dellenger. The working group is expected to limited to 10 or fewer members, with “a goal of political and cultural diversity,” per Dellenger.

Nick Saban ‘not sure we really need’ President Donald Trump’s commission on college sports

Saban was formally tabbed to be help solve all that’s ailing college athletics in the day and age of NIL and the transfer portal as co-chair of President Trump‘s commission on college sports. But it appears the former Alabama coach isn’t exactly sold on need for the presidentially-mandated working group.

“First of all, I don’t know a lot about the commission. Secondly, I’m not sure we really need a commission,” Saban said Wednesday afternoon on The Paul Finebaum Show on SEC Network. “I think that a lot of people know exactly what  the issues are in college football and exactly what we need to do to fix them. The key to the drill is getting people together so we can move it forward.

“I’m not opposed to players making money, I don’t want anybody to think that. I just think the system that we (are using), the way it’s going right now is not sustainable, and probably not in the best interest of the student-athletes across the board or the game itself,” Saban continued. “I think we need to protect the brand, and the competitive advantages and disadvantages that are being created right now, and I think we can fix all that. But I think we know how to do it, and not just me but a lot of people, we just have to get everybody together to do it.”

Saban then revealed how the idea for a presidential commission even came about, originating during President Trump’s trip to Tuscaloosa for a special commencement ceremony late last month.

“I think first of all, the way all this started when President Trump spoke at the commencement at Alabama, he said: ‘All my friends are saying college football is really messed up. Let’s get together so we can figure out how to fix it.’ So that’s how all this got started,” Saban added. “But I really don’t want to get into the implementation of what I would do. I think the first thing is everybody’s got a different state law, which creates advantages and disadvantages. And everybody is trying to create advantages. So we probably need an interstate commerce type something that gets it all there. I don’t think it’s in the best interest of the players to necessarily be employees. And I think authentic name, image and likeness is good for players, but I don’t think pay-for-play is necessarily what we want.”

As of right now, the Illinois football team is putting together one of the best recruiting classes of my lifetime.

Over the past couple of decades, Illini recruiting hasn’t been great. Ron Zook had a few special hauls, but beyond that, we had just hoped to pull out a few diamonds in the rough. The Bret Bielema era is different, though.

Illinois currently sits with the No. 11 class in the country for 2026. Getting that high is something I never thought would happen this late in the game. The crazy part is, we aren’t done.

On Thursday night, massive Illinois recruiting target Nasir Rankin took to social media to announce that he was down to just five programs. He also noted that a commitment date and time were in play.

Rankin will announce his decision on Wednesday, May 21 at 4:30 p.m. CT/5:30 p.m. ET at his high school, Morgan Park. The decision will come down to just North Carolina, USC, Nebraska, Duke, and Illinois.

Concerns regarding parity within college athletic’s NIL space were raised almost immediately when players began to be compensated for their likeness in July 2021. Many have spoken out on ways to even the playing field between teams and players alike, but no rule or college salary cap has been implemented to aid in their efforts.

Former Alabama head coach Nick Saban has been vocal about his stance on NIL in the past. While he has gone on record stating that players deserve to be paid, he also testified at a Senate hearing in 2024 that the rule wasn’t in the “spirit of college athletics” for “whoever wants to pay the most money, raise the most money, buy the most players is going to have the best opportunity to win.”

In the first few years of the NIL space, Saban’s concerns have truth to them. Some of the most successful programs in college football are the ones with a strong NIL collective backing them. Alabama senator and former SEC football coach recently singled out the Texas Longhorns for being an example of how NIL is tilting the balance of power in their favor.

“You’re going to eliminate 90 percent of schools because they don’t have the money,” Tuberville recently told CBS Sports. “Look at Texas. Nobody’s ever going to beat them again if we allow them to keep going the way they’re going. Again, I’ve got nothing against Texas; they’re going by the rules, but we’ve got to hopefully make it work out.”

Some have argued fact that many of the same schools held a similar hold over college athletics based on their success in the past. These five-star recruits were committing to a school for exposure, reputation and to win games. One could argue these sentiments still ring true, and the difference is that those same blue-chip prospects can now get paid for it.

Now, schools like Texas, Alabama, Georgia, Michigan, Ohio State, etc. all have massive NIL collectives backing their recruiting efforts. Reports that the Buckeyes spent $20 million on their roster alone last offseason saw them take some criticism. However, they won the national championship with this model and it doesn’t seem to be a coincidence.

The best players are playing where they get paid the best. It’s not just Texas, who Tuberville singled out in his response, but many other programs who have the money that these college athletes can’t refuse. At the end of the day, like Tuberville said, you can’t blame the program or the players. They’re going by the book.

Now, Donald Trump is looking to “fix” college athletics and is seeking the help of Saban, and Texas Tech chair Cody Campbell to lead that charge. What that will look like, for now, remains to be seen.