Photo via MSU Athletics
RACERS VS BELMONT TODAY ON NON-CONFERENCE TILT
Murray State baseball will host Belmont today at 4 pm in a non-conference game. At 22-20 overall and 12-9 in the OVC, the Racers are in third place in the OVC behind Morehead State and Southeast Missouri. Following a five-game winning streak, the Racers have dropped four of their last five. Last weekend at Morehead State, Murray State hit 12 home runs, moving them to 7th in the nation with 62 long balls. Jake Slunder led the team with four against the Eagles including three in one game. Today’s game will stream on ESPN Plus.
CROSSTOWN CLASSIC BASEBALL IS ON FOR TODAY
The Murray High vs Calloway County baseball game was also postponed yesterday and will be played today at 5:30.
WACHENHEIM NAMED FCS COACH OF THE YEAR
VMI’s Scott Wachenheim was a runaway winner of the Stats Perform FCS Eddie Robinson Award, which is in its 34th season and presented to the FCS national coach of the year. VMI captured its first conference championship since 1977 and for the first time earned a national FCS ranking and a bid to the national playoffs. Sam Houston’s K.C. Keeler was the runner-up. Murray State’s Dean Hood tied for 11th in the voting.
BELMONT GETS OLE MISS IN NCAA MEN’S TENNIS TOURNEY
OVC Tournament champion Belmont will face No. 15 seed Ole Miss at 3 pm Saturday in Oxford, Mississippi in the NCAA Men’s Tennis Championship. After claiming the Ohio Valley Conference regular season crown in 2018 and 2019, Belmont earned its first-ever OVC Tournament title with a 4-3 victory over Tennessee Tech on April 25. The Bruins will be making their second NCAA Tournament appearance as a team in program history.
CARDINALS RAINED OUT, WILL PLAY TWO TODAY
The St. Louis Cardinals announced yesterday that they have placed right-handed pitcher Jordan Hicks on the 10-day Injured List with right elbow inflammation, retroactive to May 2, and recalled right-handed pitcher Johan Oviedo from Memphis. Oviedo was scheduled to start last night’s game against the New York Mets before it was postponed. The teams will play two seven-inning games today with airtime for game 1 set for 3:20 pm on WNBS AM and FM.
GRIZZLIES UPDATE
The Memphis Grizzlies are in Minnesota tonight, starting off their three-game road stretch against the Timberwolves. They’ll be without Jaren Jackson, Junior for this one due to injury management. With eight games left in the regular season, Memphis is tied for eighth in the Western Conference and in a tight race for play-in tournament seeding. The Warriors and the Grizzlies lead the 10th-place Spurs by one game, while the Pelicans are still in pursuit.
TITANS INK BROWN
The Tennessee Titans agreed to terms with free agent wide receiver Fred Brown yesterday. Brown played in 14 games over the past two seasons with the Broncos, and spent time with the Colts and Rams organizatons. Brown played his college ball at Mississippi State, but was kicked out of the program ahead of his senior season, eventually going undrafted in 2017.
AREA HOCKEY ROUNDUP
The Nashville Predators play their final road game of the season tonight in Columbus. They defeated the Blue Jackets there in overtime on Monday, giving them a four-point lead over the Stars for the Central Division’s fourth and final playoff spot. The Blues can clinch a playoff spot tonight. St. Louis is closing in on a playoff berth. The Blues are 5-1-and-1 against Anaheim this season.
SMOKIES RETURN TO ACTION
The Tennessee Smokies are expected to play their first game tonight since September of 2019. Last season was wiped out due to the coronavirus outbreak. The Smokies had been expected to play their season opener last night, but the game was postponed due to rain. The team will face Montgomery at Smokies Stadium in Sevierville at 7 o’clock.
DERBY FAVORITE TO SKIP NEXT BIG RACE
Kentucky Derby pre-race favorite Essential Quality will skip the 146th Preakness Stakes. The colt finished fourth at Churchill Downs on Saturday. Trainer Brad Cox tells SiriusXM’s At the Races, the horse will not run in the second jewel of the Triple Crown and instead will point toward the June 5th Belmont Stakes in New York. Derby winner Medina Spirit is expected to be the favorite for the Preakness, set for May 15th at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore.
NATIONAL SPORTS BRIEFS
Pacers head coach Nate Bjorkgren is reportedly on uneven ground in Indiana. According to ESPN, Bjorkgren faces an uncertain future with the Pacers as he wraps up his first season as head coach. Indiana has been underwhelming on the season as it sits at 30-and-34 and ninth in the Eastern Conference. The head coach reportedly has to work on his relationships with players in the locker room and members within the organization. His future is expected to be decided after the season.
The MLB is handing down a steep punishment to Reds reliever Amir Garrett. The reliever has been suspended seven games following a benches clearing incident with the Cubs on Saturday. Garrett is expected to appeal the suspension. Cubs shortstop Javy Baez was fined for his role. The benches cleared in the eighth inning after Garrett was animated following a strikeout of Anthony Rizzo.
The Broncos are reportedly losing offensive tackle Ja’Wuan James for the season well before it even begins. According to multiple reports, James suffered an Achilles tear while working out away from the team facility. James is reportedly in jeopardy of losing his upcoming 10-million dollar salary as he was away from the team facility when he sustained his injuries. Players from around the league have been vocal on social media about James still being able to receive his salary.
This year’s NFL Draft is one of the most watched ever. The league says it came in third, just behind the past two drafts, in terms of the number of average viewers. The NFL is reporting an average of six-point-one million people watched the event across the TV and digital platforms where it aired. Last year’s draft during the pandemic drew more than eight-million watchers.
TUESDAY’S SCOREBOARD
MLB National League
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Chicago Cubs 7, Los Angeles Dodgers 1 (G1)
Chicago Cubs 4, Los Angeles Dodgers 3 (G2)
San Francisco Giants 12, Colorado Rockies 4 (G1)
Colorado Rockies 8, San Francisco Giants 6 (G2)
Miami Marlins 9, Arizona Diamondbacks 3
Atlanta Braves 6, Washington Nationals 1
Philadelphia Phillies 6, Milwaukee Brewers 5
Pittsburgh Pirates 2, San Diego Padres 1
New York Mets at St. Louis Cardinals (PPD)
MLB American League
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New York Yankees 7, Houston Astros 3
Boston Red Sox 11, Detroit Tigers 7
Texas Rangers 6, Minnesota Twins 3 (10)
Cleveland Indians 7, Kansas City Royals 3
Tampa Bay Rays 8, Los Angeles Angels 3
Oakland Athletics 4, Toronto Blue Jays 1
Seattle Mariners 5, Baltimore Orioles 2
MLB Interleague
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Chicago White Sox 9, Cincinnati Reds 0
NBA
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Phoenix Suns 134, Cleveland Cavaliers 118 (OT)
Charlotte Hornets 102, Detroit Pistons 99
Milwaukee Bucks 124, Brooklyn Nets 118
Dallas Mavericks 127, Miami Heat 113
New Orleans Pelicans 108, Golden State Warriors 103
Sacramento Kings 103, Oklahoma City Thunder 99
LA Clippers 105, Toronto Raptors 100
NHL
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Buffalo Sabres 4, New York Islanders 3 (SO)
New Jersey Devils 4, Boston Bruins 3 (OT)
Pittsburgh Penguins 7, Philadelphia Flyers 3
Carolina Hurricanes 6, Chicago Blackhawks 3
Edmonton Oilers 4, Vancouver Canucks 1
WEDNESDAY’S SCHEDULE (All times are Eastern)
MLB National League
——-
3:10 p.m. – San Francisco Giants at Colorado Rockies
5:15 p.m. – New York Mets at St. Louis Cardinals (DH)
6:40 p.m. – Arizona Diamondbacks at Miami Marlins
7:05 p.m. – Atlanta Braves at Washington Nationals
7:05 p.m. – Milwaukee Brewers at Philadelphia Phillies
7:30 p.m. – Los Angeles Dodgers at Chicago Cubs
8:10 p.m. – Pittsburgh Pirates at San Diego Padres
MLB American League
——-
3:40 p.m. – Baltimore Orioles at Seattle Mariners
7:05 p.m. – Houston Astros at New York Yankees
7:10 p.m. – Detroit Tigers at Boston Red Sox
7:40 p.m. – Texas Rangers at Minnesota Twins
8:10 p.m. – Cleveland Indians at Kansas City Royals
9:38 p.m. – Tampa Bay Rays at Los Angeles Angels
9:40 p.m. – Toronto Blue Jays at Oakland Athletics
MLB Interleague
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12:35 p.m. – Chicago White Sox at Cincinnati Reds
NBA
——-
7:00 p.m. – Boston Celtics at Orlando Magic
7:30 p.m. – Portland Trail Blazers at Cleveland Cavaliers
8:00 p.m. – Phoenix Suns at Atlanta Hawks
8:00 p.m. – Sacramento Kings at Indiana Pacers
8:00 p.m. – Philadelphia 76ers at Houston Rockets
8:00 p.m. – Washington Wizards at Milwaukee Bucks
8:00 p.m. – Memphis Grizzlies at Minnesota Timberwolves
9:00 p.m. – New York Knicks at Denver Nuggets
9:00 p.m. – San Antonio Spurs at Utah Jazz
NHL
——-
7:00 p.m. – Montreal Canadiens at Ottawa Senators
7:00 p.m. – Washington Capitals at New York Rangers
7:00 p.m. – Nashville Predators at Columbus Blue Jackets
7:00 p.m. – Dallas Stars at Tampa Bay Lightning
8:00 p.m. – Anaheim Ducks at St. Louis Blues
8:00 p.m. – Vegas Golden Knights at Minnesota Wild
9:30 p.m. – Winnipeg Jets at Calgary Flames
9:30 p.m. – Colorado Avalanche at San Jose Sharks
10:00 p.m. – Los Angeles Kings at Arizona Coyotes
