Thursday 28th March 2024

Friday, July 23, 2021

sportspic-41
sportspic-41

Photo via MSU Athletics

MSU HALL FAME 2021 CLASS MEMBER #2: SHANE ANDRUS
Former football place kicker Shane Andrus was revealed yesterday as the second member of the eight person 2021 Murray State Athletics Hall of Fame class. Andrus competed for the Racers from 2000 through 2002. It was Andrus’ 52-yard field goal on the final play that delivered the Racers its eighth Ohio Valley Conference championship in 2002. Andrus made 12 career field goals and was 68-of-69 point after attempts. In 2001, he was named All-OVC and All-American and All-OVC again in 2002. Andrus also kicked in the NFL from 2006 to 2010 with the Colts, Giants, Buccaneers, and 49ers. Hall of Fame Weekend at Murray State will be November 12-13.

THE OVERLOOKED SET FOR WEEKEND GAMES IN PEORIA
The Murray State alumni entry in The Basketball Tournament wrapped up practice last night with a public scrimmage at The CFSB Center. Known as The Overlooked, the team was forced to make a late roster change when Brandon Garrett withdrew for personal reasons. Antonio Singleton of Angelo State will fill his roster spot. The Overlooked have been placed in the Illinois Regional in Peoria with the opener at 4 pm Saturday against Team Heartfire on ESPN3. A win would put the Overlooked into an 8 pm game on Monday.

REPORT: RACER MBB TO PLAY IN NAPLES MTE
Kevin Sweeney with College Basketball Central reported yesterday that Murray State men’s basketball will play in a Multi Team Event in Naples Florida Thanksgiving week. The Racers will reportedly face East Tennessee in the November 22 opener, and will then battle either Missouri State or Long Beach State in the second game the following day. They will play a third game the day before Thanksgiving against either Kent State, James Madison, Wright State, or George Washington.

CARLSON LEADS CARDINALS PAST CUBS
Dylan Carlson had three extra-base hits, including a home run, in the Cardinals 3-2 win over the Cubs at home. Nolan Arenado also went deep fo St. Louis, which took three of four in the series. Kwang Hyun Kim improved to 6-and-5 after giving up two runs over six innings. St. Louis starts a series with the Reds tonight, with airtime set for 5:15 on WNBS.

AREA MINOR LEAGUE ROUNDUP
In area minor league games, the Bats were limited to four hits as they lost 3-0 to the Memphis Redbirds in Louisville, while the Nashville Sounds game at Jacksonville was rained out.

FORMER UK ATHLETES AT THE OLYMPICS
At least a dozen former or current University of Kentucky athletes will compete in the Tokyo Olympics. Among them are several track and field athletes. UK’s men’s basketball team will also be represented in Tokyo, as well as the school’s softball and rifle teams. The delayed 2020 Games are opening today.

FOUR OVC STUDENT ATHLETES PARTICIPATE IN OLYMPICS
Four former Ohio Valley Conference student-athletes will be participating in the 2020 Olympics which get underway in Tokyo this week. James Hall of Jacksonville State will compete in Air Pistol, Ole Hesselbjerg of Eastern Kentucky will compete in Steeplechase, Thijs Nijhuis or EKU will run the Marathon, and Morgan Rackel of Austin Peay will compete in Softball Additionally, former Eastern Illinois standout Lauren Doyle will participate in rugby, which is not an OVC sponsored sport. The Games were scheduled last summer but delayed to this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

THREE OVC FOOTBALL PLAYERS ARE GOOD WORKS TEAM NOMINEES
Three Ohio Valley Conference football players have been announced as nominees for the 2021 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team. The OVC nominees included Austin Peay linebacker Jack McDonald, Eastern Illinois offensive lineman Ben Soloman and recently graduated Tennessee Tech defensive back Jamaal Thompson. College sports information directors nominated 109 student-athletes with stories of exemplary community service, alongside their academic dedication, and impact on and off the field.

PREDS RELEASE 21-22 SLATE
The Nashville Predators announced their schedule for the 2021-22 NHL season. Nashville opens the season hosting the league’s newest team, the Seattle Kraken on October 14th. That will be the second game Seattle ever plays in as they visit Bridgestone Arena. The Predators will play a regular 82-game season, after this season’s shortened schedule due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The team takes part in the 2022 NHL Stadium Series, playing the Tampa Bay Lightning at Nissan Stadium on February 26th.

NASHVILLE TO HOST CINCINNATI ON SATURDAY
Nashville SC returns home to host FC Cincinnati tomorrow night. The team comes off a scoreless draw against Columbus on Wednesday. Nashville sits fourth in the Eastern Conference with 23 points through 14 matches. Cincinnati ranks in the lower half of the East with 13 points through 13 matches.

NATIONAL SPORTS BRIEFS
The opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympic Games is set for today, in the shadow of the pandemic. COVID is a big part of these Olympics, taking its toll on Team USA. Several Olympic stars, including tennis phenom Coco Gauff and NBA star Bradley Beal tested positive, putting an end to their Olympic hopes. Tight COVID restrictions also include empty seats, as no fans will be allowed inside the venues as the competition begins.

New York Jets assistant coach Greg Knapp is dead following a cycling accident near his home in California. The 58-year-old had been in critical condition since Saturday. He was set to serve as the Jets’ passing coordinator after previously working with Hall of Fame quarterbacks Peyton Manning and Steve Young. Reports indicate Knapp had been preparing to head east for training camp in the days leading up to the accident.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are receiving their jewelry for their Super Bowl 55 win. Tampa Bay held a private ceremony for its players and staff as they received their championship rings after defeating the Kansas City Chiefs 31-9 in Super Bowl 55 in Tampa back in February. It’s the seventh Super Bowl ring ceremony for quarterback Tom Brady, who previously won six with the New England Patriots. The Super Bowl win for the Buccaneers was the second in franchise history.

October 12th will be a banner night for the NHL. The Tampa Bay Lightning will raise their championship banner as they host the Pittsburgh Penguins to kick off the regular season while the expansion Seattle Kraken will visit the Vegas Golden Knights. On New Years Day, the Winter Classic will be hosted at Target Field in Minneapolis as the Minnesota Wild host the St. Louis Blues. The league will pause on February 3rd for All-Star Weekend in Las Vegas and the Olympic break in Beijing and resume on February 22nd.

Chicago Blackhawks general manager and president Stan Bowman says he plans to cooperate with the investigation into a former assistant coach committing sexual assault. The investigation stems from two allegations of sexual assault by Bradley Aldrich during the team’s Stanley Cup run in 2010. The unidentified Blackhawks player says the coach assaulted him and another player, but no actions were taken by the team after the players reported it. Bowman said he and the franchise “take this very seriously” and that the team does not condone sexual assault or harassment.

Rickie Fowler and Jhonattan Vegas shot matching bogey-free, seven-under 64s to jump to the top of the leaderboard at the 3M Open in Blaine, Minnesota. Also tied for the lead is Troy Merritt, who tallied eight birdies, but bogeyed the ninth hole to fall back. Scott Stallings and Adam Schenk are a stroke back at six-under, as is Roger Sloan, but he only finished 16 holes on Thursday. Defending champion Michael Thompson had a rough go of it, shooting a one-over 72 in the first round.

THURSDAY’S SCOREBOARD

MLB National League
——-
Atlanta Braves 7, Philadelphia Phillies 2
San Diego Padres 3, Miami Marlins 2
St. Louis Cardinals 3, Chicago Cubs 2
San Francisco Giants 5, Los Angeles Dodgers 3

MLB American League
——-
Detroit Tigers 7, Texas Rangers 5
Boston Red Sox 5, New York Yankees 4 (10)
Tampa Bay Rays 5, Cleveland Indians 4 (10)
Los Angeles Angels 3, Minnesota Twins 2
Oakland Athletics 4, Seattle Mariners 1

MLB Interleague
——-
No Games Scheduled

WNBA
——-
No Games Scheduled (Olympic Break)

PGA
——-
3M Open (at Blaine, MN)

T1. Rickie Fowler (-7)
T1. Jhonattan Vegas (-7)
T1. Troy Merritt (-7)

FRIDAY’S SCHEDULE (All Times Are Eastern)

MLB National League
——-
2:20 p.m. – Arizona Diamondbacks at Chicago Cubs
7:05 p.m. – Atlanta Braves at Philadelphia Phillies
7:10 p.m. – San Diego Padres at Miami Marlins
7:10 p.m. – St. Louis Cardinals at Cincinnati Reds
9:45 p.m. – Pittsburgh Pirates at San Francisco Giants
10:10 p.m. – Colorado Rockies at Los Angeles Dodgers

MLB American League
——-
7:10 p.m. – New York Yankees at Boston Red Sox
7:10 p.m. – Tampa Bay Rays at Cleveland Indians
8:10 p.m. – Los Angeles Angels at Minnesota Twins
8:10 p.m. – Detroit Tigers at Kansas City Royals
8:10 p.m. – Texas Rangers at Houston Astros
10:10 p.m. – Oakland Athletics at Seattle Mariners

MLB Interleague
——-
7:05 p.m. – Washington Nationals at Baltimore Orioles
7:10 p.m. – Toronto Blue Jays at New York Mets
8:10 p.m. – Chicago White Sox at Milwaukee Brewers

WNBA
——-
No Games Scheduled (Olympic Break)

PGA
——-
3M Open (at Blaine, MN)

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