Wright State not just happy to be going to Nashville
“We’re going there to win. That’s the goal,” seventh-year Wright State baseball coach Alex Sogard said after his team’s NCAA Tournament assignment was revealed.
“There’s a lot of programs that maybe haven’t had the success we’ve had, and they’re just happy to be there. And obviously, we’re going to enjoy it. … But the expectation is to win.”
The Raiders (38-19) are making their 12th NCAA trip and will play No. 1 overall seed Vanderbilt (42-16) in Nashville at 6 p.m. Friday (SEC Network).
The Commodores have the longest NCAA tourney streak in the country at 19 straight appearances (after missing the event for 22 consecutive seasons), have won three of the last six SEC tourneys and captured national titles in 2019 and ’14.
But the Raiders know what they’re getting into. They historically test themselves in the non-league season with regular trips to SEC country.
READ MORE: Raiders heading to top-seeded Vanderbilt for regionals
The Miami Redhawks are also going to the baseball Big Dance in Tennessee, but they will be in Knoxville along with Tennessee, Wake Forest and Cincinnati.
Miami will face the host Volunteers (43-16) in its opening game at 6 p.m. on Friday.
Softball regional finals fill Friday slate
Credit: Marcus Hartman
Credit: Marcus Hartman
Friday will be full of prep softball as we have five games involving 10 teams playing for a spot in the state semifinals.
In Division I, No. 3 seed Centerville is set to face No. 2 Fairmont at Indian Hill High School in Cincinnati. The Elks upset No. 1 Mason in the semifinals while the Firebirds took out No. 5 Oak Hills.
Also in Division I, Lebanon will take on Grove City in London, so an all-Miami Valley state championship is still a possibility.
In Division III, No. 1 seed Greenville plays Mount Orab Western Brown in Oxford, while No. 1 Kenton Ridge is set to face Newark Licking Valley in Mason in Division IV.
In Division V, No. 1 seed Springfield Shawnee will attempt to take down top-ranked, defending state champion Baltimore Liberty Union at Centerville High School while No. 1 Southeastern and Covington face off in Northmont in a Division VII regional final.
All of those games are at 5 p.m., but there is one more on the docket.
Tri-Village and Minster will play a Division VI regional final at noon Saturday in Bellefontaine.
The state tournament is set to take place over five days in Akron starting next Wednesday.
Rise and shine for the Buckeyes this fall
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
It’s official: Ohio State will begin and end the regular season playing marquee games at noon.
The school announced Thursday that Fox has selected the Buckeyes’ season-opening visit from Texas for its “Big Noon” telecast, dashing hopes of fans who hoped to see the game likely to feature two top five opponents under the lights.
The season-ending clash with Michigan will also be a noon start and also air on Fox, as it has since 2017.
In Week 2, Ohio State will play host to Grambling at 3:30 p.m. in a game to be broadcast on the Big Ten Network, and the Buckeyes’ Week 3 game against Ohio University will kick off at 7 p.m.
Cincinnati Bengals announce 2024 “Ring of Honor” game
It will take place Oct. 26 against the N.Y. Jets, and that means it’s time to narrow down the candidates for this year’s class.
In its fifth year of existence, the Ring of Honor has become a meaningful tradition to celebrate Bengals legends, and two new inductees will join an elite group of individuals who have played a significant role in the franchise’s history.
The nominees for this year’s class include: Kicker Jim Breech (1980-92), running back James Brooks (1984-91), wide receiver Cris Collinsworth (1981-88), safety David Fulcher (1986-92), offensive guards Dave Lapham (1974-83) and Max Montoya (1979-89), cornerback/return specialist Lemar Parrish (1970-77), tight end Bob Trumpy (1968-77) and linebacker Reggie Williams (1976-89).
What’s the future of the First Four?
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
NCAA President Charlie Baker sees value in expanding the NCAA Tournament by a handful of teams and wants to reach a decision on the matter in the next few months.
That could mean adding four or eight teams, but who would be candidates to join the field of 68?
Where would they play, and when?
“If we were to go down this road, you just think about the opening weekends, who has to travel the longest, it gets complicated,” Baker said per the Associated Press.