Texas beats Texas Tech 10-4 in decisive 3rd game of WCWS to win its 1st national championship

Texas beats Texas Tech 10-4 in decisive 3rd game of WCWS to win its 1st national championship

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Mia Scott hit a grand slam, Teagan Kavan claimed another win and Texas defeated Texas Tech 10-4 in Game 3 of the Women's College World Series championship series on Friday night to win its first national title. Kavan, a sophomore, allowed no earned runs in all 31 2/3 innings she pitched at the World Series. She went 4-0 with a save in the World Series for the Longhorns and was named Most Outstanding Player. Leighann Goode hit a 3-run homer, Kayden Henry had three hits and Scott, Reese Atwood and Katie Stewart each had two hits for Texas (56-12). Texas Tech star pitcher NiJaree Canady, who had thrown every pitch for the Red Raiders through their first five World Series games, was pulled after one inning in Game 3. The two-time National Fastpitch Coaches Association Pitcher of the Year gave up five runs on five hits and only threw 25 pitches. The loss cameafter she signed an NIL deal worth more than $1 millionfor the second straight year. Not even support from former Texas Tech football star Patrick Mahomes and his wife, Brittany, who were in attendance, could put the Red Raiders (54-14) over the top. Texas had lost to Oklahoma in the championship series two of the previous three years. Oklahoma was one of the teams Texas beat on its way to the championship. Canady's night started like many of her others, as she struck out the first batter she faced. After that, she didn't resemble the pitcher entered the game leading the nation in wins and ERA. Goode's homer in the first put the Longhorns up 5-0. Scott's blast came in the fourth inning and gave Texas a 10-0 lead. Hailey Toney was a bright spot for the Red Raiders. She singled to knock in two runs in the fifth, then singled to knock in another run in the seventh. ___ AP sports:https://apnews.com/sports

byMario Satorik

in

June 07, 2025

Texas beats Texas Tech 10-4 in decisive 3rd game of WCWS to win its 1st national championship

Texas beats Texas Tech 10-4 in decisive 3rd game of WCWS to win its 1st national championship OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Mia Scott hit a grand sla...

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College sports enters new era after NCAA settlement, but it won't work if schools cheat

College sports enters new era after NCAA settlement, but it won't work if schools cheat

Don't think about theHouse vs. NCAA settlementas an instant cure for all of the issues disrupting, and in some cases swallowing, schools at the top level of college sports. Instead, it's more like the timeout a basketball coach is forced to take after watching his team give up six consecutive layups so he can draw up a zone defense and try to stop the bleeding. A change of strategy might work, but without a full commitment from the players in the game to execute the plan, it's over before it begins. In theory, the settlement is a big step in the right direction to solving issues. It forces the wealthy, power-conference programs to directly share revenue with the athletes who help create the popularity of college football and basketball primarily, but other sports too, if the school so chooses. It sets a de facto salary cap that forces schools to prioritize not just which sports to invest in, but which athletes. It allows schools to sign enforceable, multi-year contracts that should ease at least some of the transfer madness. And it has an enforcement component that should — if it works the way it's intended — bring name, image and likeness deals back into the realm of Caitlin Clark appearing in State Farm commercials rather than school-affiliated booster groups paying hundreds of thousands of dollars for a couple of meet-and-greets and calling it NIL. But there's no guarantee any of this is going to work. And the main reason is because success will require schools to do something that they've never done in the history of college sports: Acknowledge that the rules are in place for the common good and must be applied to everyone, including themselves. It sounds simple. But the decades-long track record of screaming and threatening whenever the NCAA attempted to enforce penalties on rule-breakers suggests it's going to be one of the biggest challenges in the history of the association. As one prominent athletics director said recently, speaking on the condition of anonymity because the settlement was still pending, all of the stakeholders in this — including state legislatures and booster groups constantly looking for loopholes and gray areas — must agree to be governed, or they simply won't be. In fact, the need for complete buy-in on policing of NIL deals and the revenue-sharing cap is so profound that the new enforcement entity being established by the Power Four conferences spent months drafting a document schools will be required to sign that prevents them from suing if they don't like the result of their internal arbitration process. Having that final authority vested in a third party is considered crucial by the Power Four to any semblance of self-governance, a person with direct knowledge of the process told USA TODAY Sports on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak on behalf of the group. But will it work? I'm skeptical, as everyone should be. The reason is because pulling this off will require a complete mindset change from the way college sports have always operated, and I'm not sure the necessary foundational work has been done to make that transition. In the NFL or NBA, for instance, team owners are highly competitive but fundamentally understand that they are business partners more than competitors, driving long-term decision-making that works to everyone's benefit. College sports has never had that mentality. Schools and conferences attempt to work together when necessary, but they ultimately see each other as adversaries to take advantage of and exert leverage on when it suits their immediate interests. It's a theme we've seen over and over again in everything from conference realignment to how they reacted to COVID in 2020 to thefuture structure of the College Football Playoff. They are forever probing for the smallest competitive advantage, pushing the limits of the rules and crying foul when the NCAA comes in to investigate. That's how athletics administrators and college presidents are conditioned to operate, especially in the social media era where their feedback loop is imbued with tribalism: When your rival gets caught, they should be prosecuted to the fullest extent. When you get caught? Lawyer up, plant stories in the media and do everything possible to discredit the group holding you accountable. Look, we can debate the history and effectiveness of NCAA enforcement – investigative tactics used, places where they've overreached, rulings that seemed inconsistent – but the process was set up and endorsed by the schools themselves because they did not trust each other to color within the lines. And its fundamental underpinning was the willingness of schools to submit to that system and even punish themselves when it was clear they broke rules. What happened over time, though, was an erosion and ultimately outright rejection of that body's authority to enforce its rulebook. Yes, some of that was the NCAA's fault, but let's get real. It happened mostly because coaches and administrators facing penalties too often got better outcomes when they fought, refused to cooperate or found someone to throw under the bus because they knew the weakness of the system: It wasn't a court of law, and its processes wouldn't necessarily stand up to that level of scrutiny. Fair enough. But every time a major school with resources skates on a massive scandal(cough, North Carolina, cough), or when a state-level attorney general does a school's dirty work to make sure NIL rules can't be enforced(cough, Tennessee, cough), or when an unfavorable transfer eligibility ruling ends up in court(cough, West Virginia, cough)because schools believe they're getting a raw deal from the bureaucracy they vested power in, it chips away at the very idea that schools are willing to be governed, until we arrive at a place where there's not much governance remaining. Do school presidents and athletic administrators have the collective will and discipline to suddenly do a 180-degree turn and submit to this new set of rules rather than look for creative ways to avoid them? Will they suddenly put faith into a different kind of bureaucracy that will undoubtedly, at some point, shoot down a key NIL deal or penalize a school for trying to get around the cap? That might be possible if, just as an example, Florida trusted Georgia or Ohio State trusted Michigan to play by the same set of rules, or vice versa. But what almost always happens instead in those kinds of rivalries is that one side believes the other will do something on the edge of the rules to get a player, thus giving themselves permission to go into the gray area as well. And when that happens under this new settlement, every administrator will tell you they want the enforcement arm to strictly apply the rules so that college sports doesn't slide back into the kind of chaos they have experienced the last four years. But will they still feel that way when it's applied to their own program? When it costs them a player? When it costs them wins? When it potentially costs them a job? If not, the House settlement will fall apart quickly – and take the entire structure of college sports down with it. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:NCAA settlement altering college sports needs schools to follow rules

byMario Satorik

in

June 07, 2025

College sports enters new era after NCAA settlement, but it won't work if schools cheat

College sports enters new era after NCAA settlement, but it won't work if schools cheat Don't think about theHouse vs. NCAA settleme...

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US Supreme Court rejects Republican election-rule challenge in Pennsylvania

US Supreme Court rejects Republican election-rule challenge in Pennsylvania

By Andrew Chung (Reuters) -The U.S. Supreme Court passed up a chance to give politicians more power over how federal elections are conducted, declining on Friday to hear a Republican challenge to a Pennsylvania judicial decision requiring the counting of provisional ballots cast by voters who make mistakes on their mail-in ballots. The justices turned away an appeal by the Republican National Committee and Republican Party of Pennsylvania of a decision by Pennsylvania's top court on provisional ballots that the plaintiffs said ran afoul of legislature-crafted voting rules, violating the U.S. Constitution's election-related provisions. The dispute returned to the Supreme Court after the justices, on the eve of the November 2024 presidential election, rejected the emergency bid by the Republicans to block tallying the provisional ballots. The Republicans objected to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court's October ruling in favor of two Butler County voters who sought to have their provisional ballots counted after their mail-in ballots were rejected during that state's 2024 presidential primary election for lacking secrecy envelopes. Election rules in states like Pennsylvania that often play a pivotal role in determining the outcome of U.S. presidential elections are a particularly sensitive issue. Republican President Donald Trump prevailed in Pennsylvania last November, but lost the state in 2020 to his Democratic predecessor Joe Biden, who won the presidency that year. The case follows a major 2023 Supreme Court ruling that allows the justices to second-guess state courts if they undermine the power that the Constitution gives state legislatures to craft election rules. That 6-3 ruling, which upheld a North Carolina state court's decision that invalidated a Republican-drawn congressional map as unlawfully disadvantaging Democrats, also rejected a more extreme theory advanced by many Republicans and conservatives that would have removed any role of state courts and state constitutions in regulating federal elections. The ruling, however, stopped short of announcing a legal test for determining when state courts have ventured too far in "arrogating to themselves" a legislature's power. In the Pennsylvania case, Republicans asked the Supreme Court to answer that question, contending that the state supreme court's ruling violated the Constitution's elections provisions, including that the "times, places and manner" of federal elections "shall be prescribed in each state by the legislature thereof." Provisional ballots generally protect voters from being excluded from the voting process if their eligibility is uncertain on Election Day. The vote is counted once officials confirm eligibility. Republicans intervened to defend Butler County's decision not to count the ballots from these voters, saying Pennsylvania's election law does not allow provisional ballots to be counted if a mail-in ballot was received on time by a county board of elections. Democrats intervened on the side of the voters, contending that if a mail-in ballot is defective and cannot be counted, that person has not yet voted and a provisional ballot must be counted. A divided Pennsylvania Supreme Court last October sided with the voters, saying that provisional ballots prevent double voting while protecting voters' right to have one vote counted. Friday's action by the court was unexpected. The court had planned to release it on Monday along with its other regularly scheduled orders, but a software glitch on Friday prematurely sent email notifications concerning the court's decision in the case. "As a result, the court is issuing that order list now," said court spokesperson Patricia McCabe. It is not the first time the court has inadvertently disclosed action in sensitive cases. Last year, an apparent draft of a ruling in a case involving emergency abortion access in Idaho was briefly uploaded to the court's website before being taken down. That disclosure represented an embarrassment for the top U.S. judicial body, coming two years after the draft of a blockbuster ruling rolling back abortion rights was leaked in advance. (Reporting by Andrew Chung; Editing by Will Dunham and Lisa Shumaker)

byMario Satorik

in

June 07, 2025

US Supreme Court rejects Republican election-rule challenge in Pennsylvania

US Supreme Court rejects Republican election-rule challenge in Pennsylvania By Andrew Chung (Reuters) -The U.S. Supreme Court passed up a ch...

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A Virginia Democrat hunts for votes in rural pockets where MAGA has strengthened its grip

A Virginia Democrat hunts for votes in rural pockets where MAGA has strengthened its grip

CULPEPER, Va. (AP) — Democratic politics in rural Virginia are not of a bygone era, according to Abigail Spanberger. The former congressional representative, now the Democratic nominee in the race to beVirginia's next governor, posts videos online of herself sitting in a car on an interstate highway that goes up and down the Appalachian Mountains. She has toured a small, family-owned oyster shucking and packaging operation along a quiet boat haven on the northern neck of Virginia. And last month, the nominee held a news conference at a small pharmacy in an agrarian hamlet outside of Richmond. In 2020, Spanberger narrowly ran ahead of former President Joe Biden in her congressional district, and she posted her best results by comparison in rural counties that heavily favored PresidentDonald Trump, including Nottoway, Powhatan, Amelia and Louisa, according to an Associated Press analysis. It's a challenge that might be growing more formidable with each passing election cycle. Trump made gains in those counties in 2024, data show, and Republicans think they have solidified a shift in their direction in rural areas. In Virginia, rural residents made up about 2 in 10 voters last November, according to AP VoteCast. About 6 in 10 small-town or rural voters voted for the Republican candidate in the last two presidential elections and the last two midterm congressional elections. Spanberger became the nominee when no other Democrats ran for governor. Her opponent in the general election,Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, was the only Republican who gathered enough signatures to qualify for the top of the GOP ticket, leaving both parties with no contested race at the top of their June 17 primary ballots. A spokesperson for Earle-Sears said in an email that Spanberger's efforts to portray herself as an advocate for small-town Virginians would fall short. "Rural voters see right through the rhetoric," said press secretary Peyton Vogel. "Democrats consistently push policies that hurt energy jobs, raise costs, and grow Washington DC's overreach. That's not a winning message in communities that value freedom, faith, and hard work." Still, Spanberger seems determined to campaign beyond known Democratic strongholds, vying to winnow down conservative votes in ruby-red parts of Virginia. From the rolling hills of the Piedmont, where Trump won last year by some 20 points, to the Roanoke valley out west, Spanberger is seeking voters in the districts where Democrats once were competitive but Republicans now rule. "We have to show how we govern," Spanberger said in explaining her messaging. "And the governing isn't just standing up to Donald Trump. It is clear and consequential, right?" Last month, Spanberger sat in a booth by the window of Frost Cafe in downtown Culpeper, Virginia, in the Piedmont region between Washington and Charlottesville. As she drank her coffee in the small town that was once part of her congressional district, constituents tapped on the window, pressing their noses to the glass and making hearts with their hands. A young boy hid behind a newspaper stand, peeking up at Spanberger as if she were a celebrity. When his family began to walk away, he knocked on the window and waved. Spanberger's presence in Trump territory comes as Democrats have nationally shown renewed interest in small-town America, launchinglistening toursin Kentucky,courting Minnesota farmersand looking for other ways to connect. In some ways, rural Virginia feels like Spanberger's home turf. Once a member of the U.S. House Committee on Agriculture, she has built a legacy tethered to touring farms and strolling through small towns where everybody knows everybody. She focused onlow-profile, bucolic-minded bills such as expandingbroadband, which was incorporated into the bipartisan infrastructure law passed by Congress in 2021. She helped pass another lawmaking it easierfor farmers and forestry professionals to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. Some analysts say Trump's pillaging of federal contracts and volatile tariffs have given Spanberger and the Democrats an opening. "If you look at the trade, if you look at Trump's tariffs, those have a huge impact on the price of agricultural products," said Stephen Farnsworth, a political science professor at the University of Mary Washington. "The potential reduction in Medicaid, that's another area where there's going to be a disproportionate impact on rural areas." Cue Spanberger's eight-point plan to make healthcare coverage more affordable in Southwest Virginia, which was published just as Congress weighs a budget bill that the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates could reduce the number of people with health care by8.6 million over a decade. Neal Osborne, a Bristol councilman representing the nearly 18,000-person city along the border with Tennessee, said Medicaid expansion and healthcare are top of mind for many people there. He pointed out that 150 people showed up when Spanberger visited Bristol back in January. "We are a Republican stronghold," said Osborne, who already has endorsed the Democrat. "But if you do 2% better with southwest Virginia, that could be your margin of victory in a statewide. ... I am willing to go on a limb to say she will be back in southwest between now and before the election." It's a strategy Spanberger has tapped before. After winning a tea party district in 2018, which had been represented by Republicans for decades, the moderate Democrat made a point of working on behalf of conservative strongholds in her district. Her ability to connect with farmers, fishermen and agricultural interests helped her keep her seat for three terms. Michael Carter Jr., of Carter Farms, said he was one of those rural constituents. A Black farmer in Orange County, he said that while Spanberger was in office, there was a continual back-and-forth between her staff and his family, which has owned their farm since 1910. He and his father would see her staff at community events. Spanberger's office asked for his feedback on legislation, he said. It was a meaningful relationship he had with a politician, and that meant something to him. "It's not always the case that small farmers or even African Americans really feel like we get our voices heard," Carter said. ___ Olivia Diaz is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative.Report for Americais a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. ___ The Associated Press' women in the workforce and state government coverage receives financial support from Pivotal Ventures. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP'sstandardsfor working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas atAP.org

byMario Satorik

in

June 07, 2025

A Virginia Democrat hunts for votes in rural pockets where MAGA has strengthened its grip

A Virginia Democrat hunts for votes in rural pockets where MAGA has strengthened its grip CULPEPER, Va. (AP) — Democratic politics in rural ...

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How Pacers coach Rick Carlisle helped Thunder GM Sam Presti break into NBA C-suite

How Pacers coach Rick Carlisle helped Thunder GM Sam Presti break into NBA C-suite

OKLAHOMA CITY — Thunder executive vice president and general manager Sam Presti is a student of the game. Not just of the people who played in theNBA, but the people behind the scenes, the GMs and front-office executives who helped define the position and made it what it is today – an indispensable role necessary to competing for championships. WhenPresti was named NBA Executive of the Yearlast month, he released a statement and within, mentioned several former executives: Wayne Embry, Kevin O'Connor, Jack McCloskey, Rod Thorn, Sam Schuler, Mark Warkentien, John Gabriel, Bob Whitsitt, Carroll Dawson, Scott Layden and Geoff Petrie among others. Some of those names are familiar. Some are forgotten. But not to Presti, who made sure the trailblazers are appreciated. ANALYSIS:A tale of two point guards: Thunder have MVP, Pacers have Mr. Clutch OPINION:Thunder filled with regret after fumbling NBA Finals Game 1 Presti, 47, started in this business when he was 22 – a video intern for theSan Antonio Spursin 2000. Quickly, Presti, who graduated from and played basketball at Emerson College in Boston, moved into the scouting and player personnel department. He began traveling and got to know those executives he named. Sitting with them at airports. Visiting European cities with them in search of a hidden gem. They might arrive at a gym in Ljubljana only to find out the player they wanted to scout was no good. Maybe they traded NBA apparel for a VCR cassette recording of a potential prospect. Or maybe Presti saw something in a young Tony Parker and encouraged the Spurs to draft him. Spending time with Embry, O'Connor, McCloskey, Gabriel, Dawson and others, Presti learned about team building. McCloskey's work with the Detroit Pistons' Bad Boys in the 1980s left an impression. McCloskey shipped fan favorite Adrian Dantley to the Dallas Mavericks for Mark Aguirre. The smaller trades were important, too, and acquiring Rick Mahorn helped shape Detroit's 1989 championship. Consider a couple of Presti's moves: Trading Paul George to the Los Angeles Clippers for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and trading Josh Giddey to Chicago for Alex Caruso. Embry drafted Brad Daugherty, Ron Harper and acquired Mark Price in a draft-day trade, turning the Cleveland Cavaliers into one of the top teams in the East. Think about some other moves Presti has made: drafted Aaron Wiggins No. 55 in 2021; drafted Chet Holmgren No. 2 overall, Jalen Williams No. 12 and Jaylin Williams No. 34 in 2022; selected Cason Wallace No. 10 in 2023; drafted Ajay Mitchell No. 38 in 2024; signed Isaiah Joe and Isaiah Hartenstein in free agency. Presti has found value through the three-pronged approach to team-building: trades, draft picks and free-agent signings. A GM's job is to win nowandplan for the future. It's not easy. Since taking the Thunder job in 2007, Presti has turned the franchise intoone of the best in the NBA. From 2009-10 through 2019-20, the Thunder made the playoffs 10 times in 11 seasons, reaching the NBA Finals in 2012 with Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden and the Western Conference finals in 2011, 2012, 2014 and 2016. They averaged 51 wins in that span. After 2019-20, Presti promoted Mark Daigneault from assistant to head coach and embarked on a rebuild that has led to this Finals appearance. Presti wants another decade of 50-win seasons and championship-caliber teams. The Thunder won 57 games last season, 68 this season and are set up contractually to keep Gilgeous-Alexander, Holmgren and Jalen Williams. MORE:How Shaq 'flipped the script,' expanding fortune after retirement ANALYSIS:Unsung heroes? Underrated players who could make a difference in NBA Finals "I didn't know much about professional basketball before I came here, and so my entire philosophy in professional basketball was underneath the umbrella of the Thunder organization," said Daigneault, who was an assistant for Billy Donovan at Florida before joining the franchise in 2014. "Our philosophical alignment is so tight because of that, because this is the only place I've ever worked and this is the only way I've ever done it, and a lot of it is stuff I've learned from Sam and learned from being in this organization in terms of understanding that these organizations are robust. "It's not just you coaching your team. You're part of a large ecosystem of developing players and developing a team, and you're executing a large strategy for an organization. Those are things that have to exist in order to be a sustainably successful team in the NBA." Pacers coach Rick Carlisle first met Presti 25 years ago, andCarlisle told reportersthat after the Pacers fired him in 2000, he spent time around the Spurs. "He is from the Boston area. So, he had grown up a Celtics fan," Carlisle said. "He actually remembered when I played, which was miraculous to me. Seemed like he was probably way too young for that. We had a couple of dinners together. He asked me, 'What can I do? I got to somehow get a job out of this.' "I said, 'Just become a guy they can't live without.' " Presti has done that – first with the Spurs and now during nearly two decades with the Thunder. He has an expert eye for talent, a special knack for roster construction and a clear understanding of the collective bargaining agreement/salary cap machinations. He has the vision to see where the league is headed. "Sam is a great demonstration of resourcefulness and wherewithal and stuff like that," Carlisle said. "He's forged himself a great career. He and (Indiana's) Kevin Pritchard are two of the best franchise builders around." Presti also has built relationships with players. It's not a one-way transaction. When the Thunder traded for George, Presti ‒ who has forged relationships with city leaders through philanthropy and commitment to Oklahoma City ‒ kept an open dialogue and when the time came, found a deal that worked for both sides. And he may have found an even better one for the Thunder and Gilgeous-Alexander,this season's NBA MVP. "He's honest and upfront with me from day one," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "That helped our relationship right away. You don't get that very often, especially that early. Seemed like a guy I can trust. He's been that. I just try to be the same back to him. Nothing more than just two guys with good character trusting each other and have one common goal in mind." You won't hear much from Presti during the Finals.TV cameras may catch himwatching a home game from a tunnel near the Thunder's bench. He does two interviews a year, at the start of the season and after it's over, preferring the focus go to players and coaches. And other GMs who came before him and did the job with fewer resources financially, technologically and personnel-wise. Presti has learned from the past while creating his vision for what a team that wants to capitalize on its NBA Finals window should look like today - and in the future. Follow NBA columnist Jeff Zillgitt on social media@JeffZillgitt This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:NBA Finals: How Pacers coach pointed Thunder GM to success

byMario Satorik

in

June 07, 2025

How Pacers coach Rick Carlisle helped Thunder GM Sam Presti break into NBA C-suite

How Pacers coach Rick Carlisle helped Thunder GM Sam Presti break into NBA C-suite OKLAHOMA CITY — Thunder executive vice president and gene...

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AUSL debuts: Rosters, stars to watch in Athletes Unlimited Softball League

AUSL debuts: Rosters, stars to watch in Athletes Unlimited Softball League

The2025Women's College World Seriesjust wrapped up and softball fans still riding high from theTexas Longhorns' national championshiprun are in luck. The inauguralAthletes Unlimited Softball League(AUSL) season gets underway on Saturday, meaning you don't have to wait long for fierce competition among world-class athletes. TheAUSL officially kicks off on June 7with an opening day matchup between the Talons and Bandits in Rosemont, Illinois, followed by a game between the Volts and Blaze in Wichita, Kansas. The Volts-Blaze game will be broadcast nationally on the MLB Network, marking the first pro softball game ever featured on the league's network. It was made possible by some heavy hitters backing the league. The MLB announced a wide-ranging partnership with the AUSLlast week, marking Major League Baseball's first investment in a women's professional sports league. MLB will leverage its broadcast partners and platforms to promote the visibility of the AUSL, which is helmed by commissioner Kim Ng, the former Miami Marlins general manager (2021–23). 2025 SCHEDULE:How to watch Athletes Unlimited Softball League AUSL:Partnership with MLB will help 'shine light' on softball's biggest stars Not only does the AUSL have the support of MLB, the women's professional softball league will be shepherded by icons that have helped introduce the world to softball. Seven members of the 2004 gold medal-winning U.S. Olympic softball team are involved with the AUSL as coaches, general managers or advisors: Lisa Fernandez, Stacey Nuveman-Deniz, Cat Osterman, Kelly Kretschman, Jennie Finch, Jessica Mendoza and Natasha Watley. Here's everything you need to know about the AUSL's debut on Saturday, from full team rosters, to players to watch and the opening week schedule: National TV/streaming networks for each game are shown below. Games are also being broadcast in select local markets; check your local listings orclick here. *All times Eastern Saturday, June 7 Talons vs. Bandits, 3 p.m. (Rosemont, Illinois) | MLB.com, MLB.tv Volts vs. Blaze, 7:30 p.m. (Wichita, Kansas) | MLB Network, MLB.tv Sunday, June 8 Talons vs. Bandits, 2 p.m. (Rosemont, Illinois) | MLB.com, MLB.tv Volts vs. Blaze, 5 p.m. (Wichita, Kansas) | MLB.com, MLB.tv Monday, June 9 Volts vs. Blaze, 7 p.m. (Wichita, Kansas) | MLB.com, MLB.tv Tuesday, June 10 Talons vs. Bandits, 8 p.m. (Rosemont, Illinois) | ESPN2 Thursday, June 12 Volts vs. Bandits, 7 p.m. (Sulphur, Louisiana) | ESPN2 Friday,June 13 Talons vs. Blaze, 6:30 p.m. (Chattanooga, Tennessee) | MLB.com, MLB.tv Volts vs. Bandits, 9 p.m. (Sulphur, Louisiana) | MLB.com, MLB.tv View the full season schedule here. The AUSL's inaugural season features four teams—Talons, Bandits, Blaze and Volts—playing a 24-game season across 10 metro areas, including Chicago, Austin and Salt Lake City. Here are the complete rosters: Head coach:Stacey Nuveman Deniz General Manager:Jenny Dalton-Hill CatcherJordan Roberts(Florida) CatcherKelly Torres(Duke) InfielderSydney McKinney(Wichita State) InfielderDelanie Wisz(UCLA) InfielderErin Coffel(Kentucky) InfielderSkylar Wallace(Florida) Utility playerCori McMillan(Virginia Tech) OutfielderMorgan Zerkle(Marshall) OutfielderBubba Nickles-Camarena(UCLA) OutfielderBella Dayton(Texas) PitcherTaylor McQuillin(LHP, Arizona) PitcherEmiley Kennedy(LHP, Texas A&M) PitcherOdicci Alexander(RHP, James Madison) PitcherSarah Willis(RHP, UCF) PitcherLexi Kilfoyl(RHP, Oklahoma State) PitcherDevyn Netz(RHP, Arizona) Player to Watch:The Bandits went for a "franchise pitcher" with the No. 1 overall pick of the 2025 AUSL Draft inLexi Kilfoyl.The Oklahoma State alum was named the Rookie of the Year in the 2024 Championship Season after finishing in second place on the leaderboard behindBubba Nickles-Camarena, who is now her teammate on the Bandits teammate. Kilfoyl recorded a league-high 39 strikeouts and 59.2 innings pitched in 12 appearances. Saddle up, it's game week🤠pic.twitter.com/sXF3YuoASK — Bandits | Athletes Unlimited Softball League (@AUSL_Bandits)June 3, 2025 Head coach:Alisa Goler General Manager:Dana Sorensen CatcherTaylor Edwards(Nebraska) CatcherKayla Kowalik(Kentucky) InfielderDanielle Gibson Whorton(Arkansas) InfielderBaylee Klingler(Washington) InfielderAna Gold(Duke) InfielderAubrey Leach(Tennessee) InfielderAnissa Urtez(Utah) OutfielderAliyah Andrews(LSU) OutfielderCiara Briggs(LSU) OutfielderKalei Harding(Florida State) OutfielderKorbe Otis(Florida) PitcherEmma Lemley(Virginia Tech) PitcherBrooke McCubbin(Clemson) PitcherAleshia Ocasio(Florida) PitcherKeilani Ricketts(Oklahoma) PitcherHope Trautwein-Valdespino(Oklahoma) Player to Watch:Blaze has a veteran leader inAleshia Ocasio, who is entering her eighth season of professional softball. Ocasio has played for Athlete's Unlimited since its inception in 2020, winning the individual championship title in 2021 and finishing third in 2024. Last year, Ocasio recorded 22 strikeouts over 39 innings with a 2.51 earned run average in 11 appearances (six starts). Ocasio is also a two-way star and it remains to be seen if she will pick up the bat this season. our unis are 🔥🔥🔥which is your fav???pic.twitter.com/TaglSgAaJF — blaze | athletes unlimited softball league (@AUSL_Blaze)June 5, 2025 Head coach:Howard Dobson General Manager:Lisa Fernandez CatcherAlly Shipman-Shrout(Alabama) CatcherSharlize Palacios(UCLA) InfielderBri Ellis(Arkansas) InfielderTori Vidales(Texas A&M) InfielderSydney Romero(Oklahoma) InfielderHannah Flippen(Utah) InfielderAli Aguilar(Washington) OutfielderSierra Sacco(Mississippi State) OutfielderCaroline Jacobsen(Clemson) OutfielderJadelyn Allchin(UCLA) OutfielderVictoria Hayward(Washington) PitcherMegan Faraimo(UCLA) PitcherMariah Lopez(Utah) PitcherRaelin Chaffin(Mississippi State) PitcherMontana Fouts(Alabama) PitcherLauren Derkowski(Michigan) Player to Watch: Bri Ellisis carrying a hot bat into the AUSL's inaugural season. Ellis was named the 2025 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year, the most prestigious honor in college softball, after a historic senior season where she set Arkansas' single-season program record for home runs (26) and RBIs (72). Ellis and the Razorbacks fell short of the Women's College World Series, but she was drafted second overall in the 2025 AUSL College Draft. Can't go without mentioningpitcher Montana Fouts,who is reuniting with her collegiate catcher Ally Shipman-Shrout. Our flock is looking fly this summer. 🦅Introducing our 2025 uniforms!pic.twitter.com/NUwrsZgDDh — Talons | AUSL (@AUSL_Talons)June 5, 2025 Head Coach: Kelly Kretschman General Manager:Cat Osterman CatcherMichaela Edenfield(Florida State) Catcher Mary Iakopo (Texas) InfielderSis Bates(Washington) InfielderTiare Jennings(Oklahoma) InfielderSierra Romero(Michigan) InfielderKelsey Stewart-Hunter(Florida) InfielderJessi Warren(Florida State) Utility playerDanieca Coffey(LSU) Utility playerAli Newland(LSU) OutfielderMcKenzie Clark(Clemson) OutfielderAmanda Lorenz(Florida) PitcherRachel Garcia(UCLA) PitcherPayton Gottshall(Tennessee) PitcherSam Landry(Oklahoma) PitcherMariah Mazón(Oregon State) PitcherMiranda Stoddard(Arizona) Player to Watch:Two-way starRachel Garciahas won at every level. She led the UCLA Bruins to a national championship in 2019, picked up a silver medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic with Team USA and was crowned the 2023 AUX Season championship. Is an AUSL championship next? Kretschman said the team was built to "compliment" Garcia, who was drafted No. 4 overall by the Volts in the AUSL Inaugural Draft. CLEAN 🧼Here are our 2025 Volts uniforms ⚡️pic.twitter.com/M1JlPF3gfA — VOLTS | AUSL (@AUSL_Volts)June 5, 2025 The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast.Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:AUSL 2025: Athletes Unlimited Softball League teams, roster, schedule

byMario Satorik

in

June 07, 2025

AUSL debuts: Rosters, stars to watch in Athletes Unlimited Softball League

AUSL debuts: Rosters, stars to watch in Athletes Unlimited Softball League The2025Women's College World Seriesjust wrapped up and softba...

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Trump's winning at the Supreme Court. Justice Jackson warns about `troubling message'

Trump's winning at the Supreme Court. Justice Jackson warns about `troubling message'

WASHINGTON –President Donald Trumpis on a winning streak of getting quick assistance from theSupreme Courtafter lower courts have put the brakes on his policies. That's prompted one of the three liberal justices to write that the court is sending a "troubling message" that it's departing from basic legal standards for the administration. "It is particularly startling to think that grants of relief in these circumstances might be (unintentionally) conveying not only preferential treatment for the Government but also a willingness to undercut both our lower court colleagues' well-reasoned interim judgments and the well-established constraints of law that they are in the process of enforcing,"Justice Ketanji Brown Jacksonwrote. Jackson was dissenting from theconservative majority's decisionto giveElon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency complete access to the data of millions of Americans kept by the U.S. Social Security Administration. Once again, she wrote in a dissent joined by Justice Sonia Sotomayor, "this Court dons its emergency responder gear, rushes to the scene, and uses its equitable power to fan the flames rather than extinguish them." A district judge had blocked DOGE's access to "personally identifiable information" while assessing if that access is legal. Jackson said a majority of the court didn't require the administration to show it would be "irreparably harmed" by not getting immediate access, one of the legal standards for intervention. "It says, in essence, that althoughotherstay applicants must point to more than the annoyance of compliance with lower court orders they don't like," she wrote, "the Government can approach the courtroom bar with nothing more than that and obtain relief from this Court nevertheless." A clock, a mural, a petition:Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson's chambers tell her story In a brief and unsigned decision, the majority said it weighed the "irreparable harm" factor along with the other required considerations of what's in the public interest and whether the courts are likely to ultimately decide that DOGE can get at the data. But the majority did not explain how they did so. Jackson raised a similar complaintwhen the court on May 30 said the administration can revoke the temporary legal status of hundreds of thousands of Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans living in the United States. Jackson wrote that the court "plainly botched" its assessment of whether the government or the approximately 530,000 migrants would suffer the greater harm if their legal status ends while the administration's mass termination of that status is being litigated. Jackson said the majority undervalued "the devastating consequences of allowing the Government to precipitously upend the lives and livelihoods of nearly half a million noncitizens while their legal claims are pending." The majority did not offer an explanation for its decision. In addition to those interventions, the Supreme Courtrecently blockeda judge's order requiring DOGE to disclose information about its operations,declined to reinstateindependent agency board members fired by Trump, allowed Trump tostrip legal protectionsfrom 350,000 Venezuelans and said the presidentcan enforcehis ban on transgender people serving in the military. Jackson disagreed with all of those decisions. The court's two other liberal justices – Sotomayor and Elena Kagan – disagreed with most of them. More:Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson can throw a punch. Literally. The court did hand Trump a setback in May when itbarred the administrationfrom quickly resuming deportations of Venezuelans under a 1798 wartime law. Two of the court's six conservative justices – Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito – dissented. Decisions are expected in the coming weeks on other Trump emergency requests, including whether the president candismantle the Education Departmentand canenforce his changes to birthright citizenship. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Justice Jackson warns Supreme Court is sending a `troubling message'

byMario Satorik

in

June 07, 2025

Trump's winning at the Supreme Court. Justice Jackson warns about `troubling message'

Trump's winning at the Supreme Court. Justice Jackson warns about `troubling message' WASHINGTON –President Donald Trumpis on a winn...

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