As Softball America grows its coverage at all levels, we continue our recruiting spotlight series with Ava Phillips, a right-handed pitcher from California. With perfect accuracy, Phillips frequently utilizes three different speeds when pitching to keep her opponents off balance. 

Name: Ava Phillips
Primary Position(s): RHP
Class Year: 2027
Hometown: Glendora, California
Travel Ball Organization: Firecrackers Select Rico/Brashear 18U

What is your favorite travel ball memory?

Hands down, my favorite memory was leading my Athletics Mercado Tidd 09 team to a PGF 14U Premier National Championship last summer. I pitched in four of our last six games, including the championship, earning the win in all four games, and the energy and excitement were unforgettable! But honestly, it’s not just the big wins—I love all the friendships I’ve made along the way and being able to give back by mentoring younger players at The Range Pitching Academy. Those connections and memories mean so much to me.

What’s the most important thing you’ve learned from a coach?

I’ve been lucky to learn from some amazing coaches and mentors, but two lessons really stick with me. Coach Tony Rico and Holly Pearce [Firecrackers Organization | The Range Pitching Academy] have taught me to focus on what I can control—my routine, my breathing, and my preparation. They’ve helped me realize that the process matters way more than the outcome, which is often out of my hands anyway. That mindset has made me a stronger player and person.

How did you get interested in softball? 

It’s actually thanks to my little sister! She started playing softball when she was five, and after going to her first few games, I told my parents I wanted to play too. Once I stepped on the field, I was hooked, and I’ve loved it ever since.

What are your strengths as a player? What are you trying to improve on the most? 

For me, it’s all about putting the team first and doing whatever I can to help us win. As a pitcher, my greatest strengths include recognizing hitters’ tendencies and using that to my advantage with pitch sequencing, location, and making pitch-to-pitch adjustments. I also take pride in my accuracy and ability to utilize three different speeds to keep hitters off balance.

Right now, I’m focused on getting stronger in the weight room and generating more power by using ground force and my launch effectively. I want to keep building velocity without losing the movement, accuracy, and control I’ve worked so hard on.

What player(s) do you look up to the most? 

I really look up to Jala Wright, Jordy Bahl, and NiJaree Canady. They all have this fearless mindset and dominate in big moments, inspiring me to push myself daily.

What are your favorite hobbies outside of softball? 

When I’m not on the field, I love going to the beach or relaxing by the pool with my family and friends. Vacations are always a blast, and I love going to church and spending time with people who matter most to me.

What excites you the most about playing college softball?

Honestly, I can’t wait to play at the next level and learn from some of the best coaches in the game. I want to be part of a program that pushes me to grow as a player and a person while competing with teammates who are just as driven as I am. Plus, the chance to positively impact a program’s future fires me up!

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AJ Dybantsa Reveals Three NBA Players Kevin Young Has Him Studying at BYU originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

When AJ Dybantsa signed with BYU, he knew it came with a next-level approach. Cougars coach Kevin Young has a different mindset after being in the NBA for some time. He’s taking those methods and applying them in Provo.

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Dybantsa is currently at the USA Basketball U19 training camp. He’s reportedly looked crisp on both ends in every session, “looking every bit the part of a No. 1 pick,” according to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony.

While he’s projected to be the top overall selection in the 2026 NBA Draft, Dybantsa isn’t there yet mentally. He’s not allowing the noise to dominate and staying in the trenches to show off his work ethic.

Givony caught up with Dybantsa after the practice session and had a few good questions for the BYU signee. He asked about Young’s NBA approach and which player has he been breaking down in film study.

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“Obviously, (Young) coached KD (Kevin Durant)… So, when I’m off the ball, a lot of KD, Dybantsa said. “But there’s a lot of Shai (Gilgeous-Alexander). A lot of Luka (Doncic), guys that play multiple positions.”

With Egor Demin projected as an NBA lottery pick, Dybantsa’s role will likely consist as a hybrid big guard. He explained how he see himself fitting in later this year.

“Egor was a big piece for them. Now, he was the starting point guard. We have Robert Wright, so I would not need to fulfill that starting point guard role,” Dybantsa said. “But the way they use a big guard to handle at 6’8,” I’ll be able to handle some of those.”

Related: BYU’s AJ Dybantsa Becomes College Basketball’s Top NIL Earner

BYU opens the season with a difficult stretch of non-conference games, including UConn in Boston and the multi-team event at Disney World in Orlando. Dybantsa has already announced this will be his one-and-done season for the Cougars. Get ready for an exciting ride in one of the most anticipated seasons to date.

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 16, 2025, where it first appeared.

Louisiana is poised to hike taxes on sports betting to pump more than $24 million into athletic departments at the state’s most prominent public universities.

Legislation pending before Gov. Jeff Landry would make Louisiana the first state to raise taxes to fund college sports since a judge approved a landmark settlement with the NCAA allowing schools to directly pay athletes for use of their name, image and likeness (NIL). Anticipating the court’s approval, Arkansas this year became the first to waive state income taxes on NIL payments made to athletes by higher education institutions.

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More states seem almost certain to adopt their own creative ways to gain an edge — or at least keep pace — in the rapidly evolving and highly competitive field of college sports.

“These bills, and the inevitable ones that will follow, are intended to make states ’college-athlete friendly,’” said David Carter, founder of the Sports Business Group consultancy and an adjunct professor at the University of Southern California. But “they will no doubt continue to stoke the debate about the `perceived’ preferential treatment afforded athletes.”

The new NCCA rules allowing direct payments to college athletes kick in July 1. In the first year, each Division I school can share up to $20.5 million with its athletes — a figure that may be easier to meet for big-time programs than for smaller schools weighing whether to divert money from other purposes. The settlement also continues to allow college athletes to receive NIL money from third parties, such as donor-backed collectives that support specific schools.

Louisiana bill sponsor: `We love football’

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The Louisiana legislation won final approval just two days after a judge approved the antitrust settlement between the NCAA and athletes, but it had been in the works for months. Athletic directors from many of Louisiana’s universities met earlier this year and hashed out a plan with lawmakers to relieve some of their financial pressures by dividing a share of the state’s sports betting tax revenue.

The biggest question for lawmakers was how large of a tax increase to support. The initial proposal sought to double the state’s 15% tax on net proceeds from online sports betting. But lawmakers ultimately agreed on a 21.5% tax rate in a compromise with the industry.

One-quarter of the tax revenue from online sports wagering — an estimated $24.3 million — would be split equally among 11 public universities in conferences with Division I football programs. The money must be used “for the benefit of student athletes,” including scholarships, insurance, medical coverage, facility enhancements and litigation settlement fees.

The state tax money won’t provide direct NIL payments to athletes. But it could facilitate that indirectly by freeing up other university resources.

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The legislation passed overwhelmingly in the final days of Louisiana’s annual session.

“We love football in Louisiana – that’s the easiest way to say it,” said Republican state Rep. Neil Riser, who sponsored the bill.

Smaller universities are feeling the squeeze

Many colleges and universities across the country have been feeling a financial squeeze, but it’s especially affected the athletic departments of smaller schools.

Athletic departments in the top Division I football conferences take in millions of dollars from media rights, donors, corporate sponsors and ticket sales, with a median of just 7% coming from student fees and institutional and government support, according to the Knight-Newhouse College Athletics Database.

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But the remaining schools in Division I football bowl conferences got a median of 63% of the revenue from such sources last year. And schools without football teams got a median of 81% of their athletic department revenues from institutional and governmental support or student fees.

Riser said Louisiana’s smaller universities, in particular, have been struggling financially and have shifted money from their general funds to their sports programs to try to remain competitive. At the same time, the state has taken in millions of dollars of tax revenue from sports bets made at least partly on college athletics.

“Without the athletes, we wouldn’t have the revenue. I just felt like it’s fairness that we do give something back and, at the same time, help the general funds of the universities,” Riser said.

Other states are investing in college sports

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Louisiana would become the second state behind North Carolina to dedicate a portion of its sports wagering revenues to colleges athletics. North Carolina launched online sports wagering last year under a state law earmarking part of an 18% tax on gross gaming revenue to the athletic departments at 13 public universities. The state’s two largest institutions were excluded. But that might be about to change.

Differing budget plans passed by the state House and Senate this year both would start allotting sports betting tax revenue to the athletic programs at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and North Carolina State University. The Senate version also would double the tax rate. The proposals come a year after University of North Carolina trustees approved an audit of the athletics department after a preliminary budget projected about $100 million of debt in the years ahead.

Other schools also are taking actions because of deficits in their athletic departments. Last week, University of Kentucky trustees approved a $31 million operating loan for the athletics department as it begins making direct NIL payments to athletes. That came after trustees in April voted to convert the Kentucky athletics department into a limited-liability holding company — Champions Blue LLC — to more nimbly navigate the emerging financial pressures.

Given the money involved in college athletics, it’s not surprising that states are starting to provide tax money to athletic departments or — as in Arkansas’ case — tax relief to college athletes, said Patrick Rishe, executive director of the sports business program at Washington University in St. Louis.

“If you can attract better athletes to your schools and your states, then this is more visibility to your states, this is more potential out-of-town economic activity for your state,” Rishe said. “I do think you’re going to see many states pursue this, because you don’t want to be the state that’s left exposed or at a disadvantage.”

Louisiana is poised to hike taxes on sports betting to pump more than $24 million into athletic departments at the state’s most prominent public universities.

Legislation pending before Gov. Jeff Landry would make Louisiana the first state to raise taxes to fund college sports since a judge approved a landmark settlement with the NCAA allowing schools to directly pay athletes for use of their name, image and likeness (NIL). Anticipating the court’s approval, Arkansas this year became the first to waive state income taxes on NIL payments made to athletes by higher education institutions.

More states seem almost certain to adopt their own creative ways to gain an edge — or at least keep pace — in the rapidly evolving and highly competitive field of college sports.

“These bills, and the inevitable ones that will follow, are intended to make states ’college-athlete friendly,’” said David Carter, founder of the Sports Business Group consultancy and an adjunct professor at the University of Southern California. But “they will no doubt continue to stoke the debate about the `perceived’ preferential treatment afforded athletes.”

The new NCCA rules allowing direct payments to college athletes kick in July 1. In the first year, each Division I school can share up to $20.5 million with its athletes — a figure that may be easier to meet for big-time programs than for smaller schools weighing whether to divert money from other purposes. The settlement also continues to allow college athletes to receive NIL money from third parties, such as donor-backed collectives that support specific schools.

Louisiana bill sponsor: `We love football’

The Louisiana legislation won final approval just two days after a judge approved the antitrust settlement between the NCAA and athletes, but it had been in the works for months. Athletic directors from many of Louisiana’s universities met earlier this year and hashed out a plan with lawmakers to relieve some of their financial pressures by dividing a share of the state’s sports betting tax revenue.

The biggest question for lawmakers was how large of a tax increase to support. The initial proposal sought to double the state’s 15% tax on net proceeds from online sports betting. But lawmakers ultimately agreed on a 21.5% tax rate in a compromise with the industry.

One-quarter of the tax revenue from online sports wagering — an estimated $24.3 million — would be split equally among 11 public universities in conferences with Division I football programs. The money must be used “for the benefit of student athletes,” including scholarships, insurance, medical coverage, facility enhancements and litigation settlement fees.

The state tax money won’t provide direct NIL payments to athletes. But it could facilitate that indirectly by freeing up other university resources.

The legislation passed overwhelmingly in the final days of Louisiana’s annual session.

“We love football in Louisiana – that’s the easiest way to say it,” said Republican state Rep. Neil Riser, who sponsored the bill.

Smaller universities are feeling the squeeze

Many colleges and universities across the country have been feeling a financial squeeze, but it’s especially affected the athletic departments of smaller schools.

Athletic departments in the top Division I football conferences take in millions of dollars from media rights, donors, corporate sponsors and ticket sales, with a median of just 7% coming from student fees and institutional and government support, according to the Knight-Newhouse College Athletics Database.

But the remaining schools in Division I football bowl conferences got a median of 63% of the revenue from such sources last year. And schools without football teams got a median of 81% of their athletic department revenues from institutional and governmental support or student fees.

Riser said Louisiana’s smaller universities, in particular, have been struggling financially and have shifted money from their general funds to their sports programs to try to remain competitive. At the same time, the state has taken in millions of dollars of tax revenue from sports bets made at least partly on college athletics.

“Without the athletes, we wouldn’t have the revenue. I just felt like it’s fairness that we do give something back and, at the same time, help the general funds of the universities,” Riser said.

Other states are investing in college sports

Louisiana would become the second state behind North Carolina to dedicate a portion of its sports wagering revenues to colleges athletics. North Carolina launched online sports wagering last year under a state law earmarking part of an 18% tax on gross gaming revenue to the athletic departments at 13 public universities. The state’s two largest institutions were excluded. But that might be about to change.

Differing budget plans passed by the state House and Senate this year both would start allotting sports betting tax revenue to the athletic programs at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and North Carolina State University. The Senate version also would double the tax rate. The proposals come a year after University of North Carolina trustees approved an audit of the athletics department after a preliminary budget projected about $100 million of debt in the years ahead.

Other schools also are taking actions because of deficits in their athletic departments. Last week, University of Kentucky trustees approved a $31 million operating loan for the athletics department as it begins making direct NIL payments to athletes. That came after trustees in April voted to convert the Kentucky athletics department into a limited-liability holding company — Champions Blue LLC — to more nimbly navigate the emerging financial pressures.

Given the money involved in college athletics, it’s not surprising that states are starting to provide tax money to athletic departments or — as in Arkansas’ case — tax relief to college athletes, said Patrick Rishe, executive director of the sports business program at Washington University in St. Louis.

“If you can attract better athletes to your schools and your states, then this is more visibility to your states, this is more potential out-of-town economic activity for your state,” Rishe said. “I do think you’re going to see many states pursue this, because you don’t want to be the state that’s left exposed or at a disadvantage.”

Just about anything can be bought with $8 million, but it couldn’t lure quarterback LaNorris Sellers away from South Carolina. 

Sellers’ father, Norris, told The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman that his son was offered a two-year, $8 million NIL offer from another school, which he declined. 

“He was offered all kinds of crazy numbers,” Norris Sellers said. “I told him he could say, I’m gonna stay or I’m gonna go. By my two cents: It was to get into college on a scholarship, play ball, get our degree and go on about our business. This NIL deal came later. We didn’t come here to make money. We came here to get our education, play ball, and with schools calling, we’re not gonna jump ship because they’re offering more than what we’re getting. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

LaNorris echoed the sentiment, saying: “I’ve been playing football all my life for free. I’ve built relationships here, my family’s here, my brother’s here. There’s no reason for me to go someplace else and start over.”

Still, $8 million is an eye-popping figure, even compared with some of the most expensive NIL offers to be publicized recently. 

Texas signal caller Quinn Ewers was rumored to have been offered $6 million by an unnamed school to forego the NFL draft and enter the transfer portal, although Ewers did not pounce and instead opted to go pro. 

Carson Beck reportedly signed a $4 million NIL deal to transfer to Miami after going 24-3 as Georgia’s primary starting quarterback in 2023 and 2024.

Sellers led the Gamecocks to a 9-4 record in 2024, passing for 2,534 yards and 18 touchdowns, and he’ll look to build on those numbers in 2025.

“He’s made of the right stuff,” South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer said. “He’s got a great family around him. He knows what he means to this state. LaNorris has a chance to leave a legacy here.”