May 2019 – Page 25

Oklahoma heads into 2019 postseason as unanimous No. 1

May 21, 2019 | News | No Comments

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Riding a NCAA Division I-record 39-game winning streak into the postseason, Oklahoma continued as the unanimous No. 1 program in the final 2019 USA Today / NFCA Top 25 Coaches Poll of the regular season.

The Sooners (49-2), who received all 32 first-place votes and 800 points, were declared the Big 12’s automatic qualifier after the remainder of 2019 tournament was canceled due to rain and unplayable field conditions. OU received the NCAA’s No. 1 overall seed and will host a regional, featuring UMBC, Notre Dame and RV Wisconsin.

The remainder of the top-10 saw minimal movement as No. 4 Florida State and No. 5 Alabama switched spots as did No. 8 Florida and No. 9 Texas.

No. 2 Washington and No. 3 UCLA shared the Pac-12’s regular-season title with the Bruins (46-5) earning the league’s automatic qualifier because of their early-season sweep of the Huskies. Over the weekend, Washington swept RV Stanford, while UCLA dropped two-of-three to No. 6 Arizona. The Bruins and Huskies received the No. 2 and No. 3 overall seeds for the NCAA Championships.

The Seminoles (51-8), also the NCAA’s No. 4 seed, captured their sixth straight ACC Tournament crown, sweeping the field in Tallahassee. The Crimson Tide (52-7) posted a 2-1 mark in the SEC Tournament, falling in the title game to new-No. 8 Florida. Alabama is the NCAA’s No. 8 seed.

The Gators (44-15) won four games against then-No. 20 South Carolina, No. 10 LSU, No. 24 Auburn and Alabama as the No. 6 seed to capture their second straight SEC Tournament title and fifth overall, earning the NCAA’s No. 5 overall seed.

Louisiana rattled off three victories to win its 15thSun Belt Conference Tournament and reach the 50-win plateau for the first time since 2012. The Ragin’ Cajuns will take a 27-game winning streak into the postseason as they will be part of the Oxford, Miss. Regional hosted by No. 17 Ole Miss (11thseed).

No. 9 Texas dropped both of its games during seeding play of the Big 12 Tournament, while No. 9 LSU exited the SEC tournament following its loss to Florida. The Longhorns (41-14) and Tigers (40-16) will also be the NCAA’s No. 9 and 10 seeds, respectively.

Also earning hosting rights in the first round of the NCAA Regionals are No. 11 Tennessee (12), No. 12 Minnesota (7), No. 13 Oklahoma State (13), No. 18 Northwestern (16), No. 19 Michigan (15) and No. 23 Kentucky (14).

The 2019 USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 Poll is voted on by 32 NCAA Division I head coaches, one representing each conference. The records reflect games played through May 12, 2019. The final poll will be released on June 11.

2019 USA Today / NFCA Division I
Top 25 Coaches Poll – May 14 (Week 14)

Rank

School

Totals

2019

Record

Prev. Ranking

1

Oklahoma (32)

800

49-2

1

2

Washington

762

45-7

2

3

UCLA

702

46-5

3

4

Florida State

687

51-8

5

Alabama

686

52-7

4

6

Arizona

652

42-12

6

7

Louisiana

593

50-4

7

8

Florida

553

44-15

9

Texas

515

41-14

8

10

LSU

494

40-16

10

11

Tennessee

472

39-14

11

12

Minnesota

467

41-12

12

13

Oklahoma State

400

39-14

14

Georgia

387

40-17

13

15

Texas Tech

336

39-14

15

16

James Madison

334

47-7

16

17

Ole Miss

285

37-17

17

18

Northwestern

235

43-10

18

19

Michigan

232

43-11

21

20

Arkansas

195

38-18

19

21

South Carolina

188

36-17

20

22

Virginia Tech

147

45-9

22

23

Kentucky

115

33-22

23

24

Auburn

72

37-19

24

25

Drake

57

42-14

25

New to Poll: None.

Dropped Out: None.

Receiving Votes: Wisconsin (9), Ohio State (8), Colorado State (7), Boise State (4), UNLV (3), North Carolina (2), Stanford (1).

The 2019 USA Today / NFCA Division I Top 25 Coaches Poll is voted on by 32 NCAA Division I head coaches with one representing each of the NCAA’s Division I Conferences. Record reflect games played through May 12, 2019.

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Amazon Renews Efforts to Enter Europe’s Food Sector With a Big Stake in U.K. Meal Courier Deliveroo

May 21, 2019 | News | No Comments

Deliveroo announced on Friday that Amazon is the largest investor in the U.K.-based meal delivery company’s latest round of funding.

Although the specific amount was not disclosed, the funding round totaled $575 million, according to a Deliveroo statement. This brings the company’s total fundraising to $1.53 billion.

According to Bloomberg, the move signals Amazon’s intention to redouble efforts to enter the European food and grocery sector.

The announcement comes just a week after Deliveroo rival Uber Eats listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

Amazon started its own delivery service, Amazon Restaurants U.K., in 2016, but closed it down two years later, according to the BBC.

“They [Amazon] weren’t able to compete within the market so they’ve gone for the buying option instead,” Louise Dudley, fund manager at investment firm Hermes, told the BBC’s Today program.

Read More: Amazon Offers to Pay Employees $10,000 to Quit Their Jobs and Deliver Packages Instead

Deliveroo says that the new financing will be used to expand its U.K. tech team and its operations to reach more customers, and to invest into delivery-only kitchens.

It adds it will also use the money to “create more flexible, well-paid work for riders.” Last year, a group of Deliveroo drivers, who are not employees but are paid per delivery, won a settlement claiming that they had been denied holiday and minimum wages, the BBC says.

Responding to Amazon’s stake, Will Shu, founder and CEO of Deliveroo, said in a statement that the company looked forward “to working with such a customer-obsessed organization.”

Deliveroo, which was founded in 2013, is headquartered in London. It operates in 14 countries, including Australia, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Singapore, and the United Kingdom.

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President Trump Has Decided Not to Impose New Tariffs on Cars and Auto Parts – for Now

May 21, 2019 | News | No Comments

(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump is delaying any decision to impose auto tariffs on car and auto part imports, deciding against ratcheting up trade disputes or impacting talks with European nations and Japan.

Trump announced his decision to delay for up to six months in a proclamation issued by the White House on Friday.

He was required to make a decision on Commerce Department recommendations aimed to protect the U.S. auto industry, based on national security concerns.

Trump directed his trade team to pursue negotiations and address the impact that imports are having on the U.S. auto industry and its ability to invest in new research and development that he says is critical to the nation’s security.

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Trump says he’ll decide whether to take further action in 180 days.

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Huawei Phones Will Lose Some Google Services After U.S. Ban

May 21, 2019 | News | No Comments

(BEIJING) — Google said Monday its basic services on Huawei smartphones still will function following U.S. sales curbs, but the Chinese tech giant faces the possible loss of other features and support.

The announcement highlighted the growing damage to Huawei from Washington’s order. The company has said until now U.S. accusations it is a security threat have had little impact on sales outside the United States.

Huawei Technologies Ltd., which uses Google’s Android operating system in its smartphones, said it would continue to provide security updates and service. It gave no indication which map, photo or other services they might lose.

The Trump administration’s order targets China’s first global tech brand and ratchets up disputes with Beijing over technology, trade and cyber-security.

Google, a unit of Alphabet Inc., said it is complying with and “reviewing the implications” of the requirement for export licenses for technology sales to Huawei, which took effect Thursday.

“We assure you while we are complying with all US gov’t requirements, services like Google Play & security from Google Play Protect will keep functioning on your existing Huawei device,” said Google on Twitter.

Google allows smartphone manufacturers to use Android and its basic services for free. But transfer of hardware, software or services to Huawei or technical interaction would be restricted by the U.S. order.

That would strip Huawei phones of Google maps and other services that require direct support. That might hurt Huawei where consumers can pick other brands that carry the full suite of Google features.

Those who follow the industry closely say that it is unclear what damage, if any, will be suffered by Huawei.

Ben Wood, Chief of Research at CCS Insight, said it’s unclear what Google told Huawei, but any disruption in getting updates to software would have “considerable implications” for its consumer device business.

“Google has publicly stated that its App Store, Google Play, and security updates from Google Play Protect will continue working on existing Huawei devices,” Wood said Monday. “However, until we have a clear understanding of what exact measures Google has decided to take it is impossible to second guess the impact on future devices.”

The U.S. government says Chinese suppliers including Huawei and its smaller rival, ZTE Corp., pose an espionage threat because they are beholden to China’s ruling Communist Party. But American officials have presented no evidence of any Huawei equipment serving as intentional conduits for espionage by Beijing.

Huawei, headquartered in the southern city of Shenzhen near Hong Kong, reported earlier its global sales rose 19.5% last year over 2017 to 721.2 billion ($105.2 billion). Profit rose 25.1% to 59.3 billion yuan ($8.6 billion).

Huawei smartphone shipments rose 50 percent over a year earlier in the first three months of 2019 to 59.1 million, while the global industry’s total fell 6.6 percent, according to IDC. Shipments by industry leader Samsung and No. 3 Apple declined.

Huawei defended itself Monday as “one of Android’s key global partners.” The company said it helped to develop a system that “benefited both users and the industry.”

“We will continue to build a safe and sustainable software ecosystem, in order to provide the best experience for all users globally,” said a company statement.

A foreign ministry spokesman said China will “monitor the development of the situation” but gave no indication how Beijing might respond.

The government said it would take steps to protect the rights of Chinese companies abroad following last week’s announcement but has given no indication what it might do.

“China supports Chinese companies to take up legal weapons to defend their legitimate rights,” said the spokesman, Lu Kang.

The U.S. order took effect Thursday and requires government approval for all purchases of American microchips, software and other components globally by Huawei and 68 affiliated businesses. Huawei says that amounted to $11 billion in goods last year.

That could certainly create some collateral damage for U.S. companies.

The California chipmaker Xilinx Inc. tumbled 5 percent before the opening bell Monday.

“We think that the US government action against Huawei creates risk for chip companies that might have high exposure to Huawei,” wrote David Wong, an analyst with Nomura. “To our knowledge, Xilinx has never identified Huawei by name as a major customer that is driving its recent wireless strength. Nevertheless, Xilinx has undoubtedly been benefiting recently from strength in demand for chips used in 5G wireless base stations, and we think that action against a major maker of communications infrastructure equipment like Huawei likely poses risk for Xilinx.”

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Field announced for 2019 NISC

May 18, 2019 | News | No Comments

FORT COLLINS, Colo. – The field has been set for the 2019 National Invitational Softball Championship (NISC) with action starting on Thursday, May 16.

Regionals will be double-elimination, with the four overall winners advancing to the championship round, held May 24-26 at the Triple Crown Sports Complex in Fort Collins.

This is the third year of the tournament, which features 19 teams, including the past two champions Liberty (2017) and Loyola Marymount (2018).

For 11 programs, it is their first time playing in the NISC. It’s the second trip in the brackets for Eastern Kentucky, Liberty, Loyola Marymount, South Dakota State, Stephen F. Austin and UC Riverside. It marks the third time for Nevada and UT Arlington.

Here’s a look at Thursday’s schedule (all times local):

Nevada (Reno, Nev.)
Fresno State vs. UC Riverside, 1 p.m. PT
Nevada vs. Loyola Marymount, 4 p.m. PT

Stephen F. Austin (Nacogdoches, Texas)
Middle Tennessee vs. McNeese State, 3 p.m. CT
Stephen F. Austin vs. UT Arlington, 6 p.m. CT

Iowa State (Ames, Iowa)
South Dakota vs. Purdue, 10 a.m. CT
South Dakota State vs. Eastern Kentucky, 1 p.m. CT
South Dakota/Purdue winner vs. Iowa State, 4 p.m. CT

Liberty (Lynchburg, Va.)
Appalachian State vs. Rutgers, 10 a.m. ET
George Washington vs. Marshall, 1 p.m. ET
Appalachian State/Rutgers winner vs. Liberty, 4 p.m. ET
Marshall/George Washington winner vs. Kent State, 7 p.m. ET

Follow all the action with scores, schedules, livestream details and recaps at www.womensnisc.com

Courtesy of Triple Crown Sports

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Walmart Warns Tariffs on Chinese Goods Will Increase Prices for Customers

May 17, 2019 | News | No Comments

(NEW YORK) — Walmart warned on Thursday that higher tariffs on imports from China will mean higher prices.

The comments came after the nation’s largest retailer reported its best sale performance at its established U.S. namesake stores for the fiscal first quarter in nine years. It marked 19 straight quarters of same-store sales gains.

“We’re monitoring the tariff discussions and are hopeful that an agreement can be reached,” said Chief Financial Officer Brett Biggs. But he told reporters, “Increased tariffs will lead to increased prices for our customers.”

Walmart declined to comment on what type of price hikes shoppers could expect and which products would get the biggest increases. But the specter of higher prices was also echoed by Macy’s CEO Jeff Gennette. He told investors Wednesday that if a fourth round of tariffs takes effect, that could mean higher retail prices for both store label and national brands. Target, J.C. Penney and other major retailers will be reporting results in the next few days and should shed more light on the issue.

Walmart, Macy’s and other major retailers have been left largely unscathed by the first several rounds of tariffs since they focused more on industrial and agricultural products. But that changed last week when the Trump administration slapped 25% tariffs on imports like furniture. The administration wants to extend the 25% tariffs to practically all Chinese imports not already hit with levies including toys, shirts, household goods and sneakers. That’s roughly $300 billion worth of products on top of the $250 billion targeted earlier

Walmart and others have benefited from a continued strong economy and low unemployment, but shoppers continue to look for deals. In particular, Walmart’s core customers who live paycheck to paycheck would be particularly sensitive to any price increases. Walmart said it’s working with its manufacturing partners to mitigate the impact but declined to comment further.

Such looming extra costs come as Walmart is investing more in its business to compete with online leader Amazon in a fight to see who can get packages to customers faster.

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Walmart launched free next-day delivery on its most popular items this week in Phoenix and Las Vegas. It plans to roll out next-day delivery to most of the country by year-end, covering 220,000 popular items from diapers to toys, with a minimum order of $35. Walmart has said the costs for next-day delivery are lower versus two-day service because eligible items will come from a single fulfillment center located closest to the customer. This means orders will ship in one box, or in as few as possible, unlike two-day deliveries that come in multiple boxes from multiple locations.

The announcement was made two weeks after Amazon said would be upgrading its free shipping for members from the standard two-day delivery, to one day.

Walmart, based in Bentonville, Arkansas, said that U.S. sales at stores opened at least a year rose 3.4% during the fiscal first quarter, fueled by its grocery business.

U.S. e-commerce business rose 37%, helped by strong sales in fashion and home goods. Walmart’s online growth was also fueled by its continued expansion of online grocery services, including curbside pickup and home delivery.

Walmart has about 2,450 stores that offer free grocery pickup for customers who shop online. It also has nearly 1,000 stores that offer same-day grocery delivery. The company said it was on track to offer same-day grocery delivery from 1,600 stores, while also offering grocery pickup from 3,100 stores by year-end.

Walmart’s Sam’s Clubs posted a 0.3% increase in same-store sales, excluding fuel.

Walmart is also testing innovative new ways to cut costs and make workers more efficient. It officially opened a lab in a Neighborhood Store, a smaller grocer concept, in Levittown, New York, that has thousands of cameras that mind the store and help keep track of items that need to be replenished. It’s hoping to scale some of the technology to other stores.

The company reported first quarter net income of $3.84 billion, or $1.33. Earnings, adjusted for non-recurring gains, came to $1.13 per share. That beat per-share earnings projections by 11 cents, according to a survey of industry analysts by Zacks Investment Research.

Revenue was $123.93 billion, missing forecasts for $125.33 billion.

Walmart Inc. stuck to its outlook for the year. Shares rose $3.34, or more than 3%, to $103.22 in morning trading.

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All Little League® World Series games broadcast on ESPN Networks and ESPN+

May 17, 2019 | News | No Comments

This summer, history will be made as every game in each of the seven divisions of the Little League®® World Series will be covered live on ESPN networks and streaming services for the first time ever. A total of 343 Little League Baseball and Softball World Series and Regional tournament games will be aired live over the course of the summer (up from 231 games televised in 2018), with 261 airing exclusively on ESPN+, the direct-to-consumer sports streaming service.

“We are once again thrilled to work with the team at ESPN to provide expanded coverage of our World Series and Regional events on both the baseball and softball sides of our program this year and are proud of the historic progress we made this year to broadcast all of our World Series games,” said Stephen D. Keener, Little League President and CEO. “Thanks to the dedicated support from our friends at ESPN, we will be able to continue to provide a first-hand look at the tremendous experience and memorable moments in every division of our International Tournament to the millions of Little League fans all around the world this year.”

For the first time in 2019, all the entirety of the Junior League Baseball World Series, Junior League Softball World Series, Senior League Baseball World Series, Senior League Softball World Series, and the Little League Baseball Intermediate (50/70) Division World Series will be aired live across ESPN, ESPN+, ESPN2, or ABC. In addition, for the second consecutive year, every game of the Little League Baseball® and Little League Softball® United States Regionals will be aired live as well.

Coverage of the 2019 Little League World Series and Regional Tournaments begins on Saturday, July 20 with eight Little League Softball Regional tournaments being covered live throughout the day on ESPN+, starting at 10 a.m. with an Eastern Regional Tournament matchup in Bristol, Conn. Over the course of 37 days, nearly 350 baseball and softball games will be available on the ESPN Family of Networks for Little League fans from all over to enjoy. Of those, there will be a total of 115 baseball and 146 softball games available exclusively on ESPN+. Schedule is subject to change.

The 2019 slate of scheduled coverage includes:

All 77 Little League Softball® United States Regional Games
All 90 Little League Baseball® United States Regional Games
All 32 Little League Baseball World Series Games
All 27 Little League Softball World Series Games
All 21 Little League Baseball Intermediate (50/70) Division World Series Games
All 27 Junior League Softball World Series Games
All 21 Junior League Baseball World Series Games
All 27 Senior League Softball World Series Games
All 21 Senior League Baseball World Series Games

In addition to the growth of coverage on the ESPN Family of Networks, detailed information on all seven Little League World Series tournaments can now be found housed under a single location at LittleLeague.org/WorldSeries for the first time ever. From game schedules and team information to photo galleries and visitor resources, LittleLeague.org/WorldSeries will provide fans all the most up-to-date information for each of the seven Little League World Series tournaments in an easy-to-access location for fans from all over the world.

Courtesy of Little League®

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2019 NCAA DI National Championship field announced

May 17, 2019 | News | No Comments

INDIANAPOLIS — The University of Oklahoma heads the field of 64 as the No. 1 overall seed for the 2019 NCAA Division I National Championships. The Sooners, riding a NCAA Division I-record 39-game winning streak, will host UMBC, an automatic qualifier from the America East Conference.

Thirty-two conferences were awarded an automatic qualification, while the remaining 32 slots were filled with at-large selections to complete the bracket. The top 16 teams were seeded nationally and will play at campus sites beginning this Thursday.

Interactive Bracket

Team pairings were determined by geographic proximity, with the exception that teams from the same conference were not paired during regional competition.

For the third straight year, all 13 programs from the Southeastern Conference will be making a trip to the NCAA Tournament. The Big Ten Conference placed six teams, while two programs are making their first appearance in the tournament: Detroit Mercy University and Seattle University.

Since the tournament began in 1982, only 13 schools have been crowned the NCAA Division I softball champion. Eleven of those 13 teams will compete in this year’s bracket.

Dates/Sites/Pairings:

*Indicates Host Institution

Norman Regional – May 17-19 at Norman, Oklahoma
No. 1 seed Oklahoma* (49-2) vs. UMBC (30-22)
Notre Dame (36-16) vs. Wisconsin (40-12)

Evanston Regional – May 17-19 at Evanston, Illinois
Southern Ill. (33-13) vs. Louisville (33-21)
Detroit Mercy (31-26) vs. No. 16 seed Northwestern* (43-10)

Austin Regional – May 17-19 at Austin, Texas
No. 9 seed Texas* (41-14) vs. Sam Houston St. (34-21
) Texas A&M (28-25) vs. Houston (37-17)

Tuscaloosa Regional – May 17-19 at Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Arizona St. (33-18) vs. Lipscomb (41-13-1)
Alabama St. (24-23) vs. No. 8 seed Alabama* (52-7)

Gainesville Regional – May 17-19 at Gainesville, Florida
No. 5 seed Florida* (44-15) vs. Boston U. (37-18)
Stanford (32-18) vs. Boise St. (34-14)

Knoxville Regional – May 17-19 at Knoxville, Tennessee
North Carolina (35-18) vs. Ohio St. (34-16)
Longwood (37-20) vs. No. 12 seed Tennessee* (39-14)

Stillwater Regional – May 16-18 at Stillwater, Oklahoma
No. 13 seed Oklahoma St.* (39-14) vs. BYU (29-24)
Arkansas (38-18) vs. Tulsa (35-18)

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Tallahassee Regional – May 17-19 at Tallahassee, Florida
South Carolina (36-17) vs. South Fla. (40-17)
Bethune-Cookman (26-29) vs. No. 4 seed Florida St.* (51-8)

Seattle Regional – May 17-19 at Seattle, Washington
No. 3 seed Washington* (45-7) vs. Fordham (29-24)
Mississippi State (33-21) vs. Seattle U. (39-15)

Lexington Regional – May 17-19 at Lexington, Kentucky
Virginia Tech (45-9) vs. Illinois (32-23)
Toledo (29-26) vs. No. 14 seed Kentucky* (33-22)

Oxford Regional – May 17-19 at Oxford, Mississippi
No. 11 seed Ole Miss* (37-17) vs. Chattanooga (37-15)
Louisiana (50-4) vs. Southeast Mo. St. (45-16)

Tucson Regional – May 17-19 at Tucson, Arizona
Auburn (37-19) vs. Colorado St. (38-10)
Harvard (25-17) vs. No. 6 seed Arizona* (42-12)

Minneapolis Regional – May 17-19 at Minneapolis, Minnesota
No. 7 seed Minnesota* (41-12) vs. North Dakota St. (42-14)
Georgia (40-17) vs. Drake (42-14)

Baton Rouge Regional – May 17-19 at Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Texas Tech (39-14) vs. Louisiana Tech (44-14)
Monmouth (36-16) vs. No. 10 seed LSU* (40-16)

Ann Arbor Regional – May 17-19 at Ann Arbor, Michigan
No. 15 seed Michigan* (43-11) vs. Saint Francis (PA) (29-29)
James Madison (47-7) vs. DePaul (34-14)

Los Angeles Regional – May 17-19 at Los Angeles, California
Missouri (32-23) vs. Cal St. Fullerton (38-16)
Weber St. (26-19) vs. No. 2 seed UCLA* (46-5)

— Courtesy of NCAA

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Neshoba Central back at No. 1 in USA TODAY Sports/NFCA High School Super 25

May 17, 2019 | News | No Comments

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — It’s been a good week for Neshoba Central.

On Monday, the (32-1) Rockets soared past Lafayette, 17-0, to advance to another Mississippi Class 5A championship series. Today, they regained the No. 1 spot in the USA TODAY Sports/NFCA High School Super 25 poll.

Neshoba will face Wayne County in the best-of-three finals starting later today. Game two is scheduled for Friday, with a third winner-take-all contest to be played if necessary. The six-time defending state titlist Rockets spent the first six weeks of this season in the top spot in the rankings.

Meanwhile, Cedar Ridge (30-1) wasn’t as fortunate, as the Raiders were shocked by Conroe Oak Ridge, 3-1, in a second-round Texas playoff series that was shortened from a best-of-three to just one game due to poor weather. Oak Ridge scored all the runs it would need in the first inning, and added an insurance run on Kennedy Reynolds’ solo homer in the third. War Eagles pitcher Morgan Brandon took things from there, with six strikeouts in a three-hitter.

That allowed teams below them that kept winning to move up in the rankings. Norco (28-1) took over the No. 2 spot after blanking Vista Murrieta, 5-0, Tuesday in their CIF Southern Section playoff opener, while Louisville Male (22-0) powered into third on the strength of Saturday’s 6-2 ranked win over New Palestine (19-2) and two more victories. The Bulldogs now have 50 homers this season.

Elsewhere, Lakewood Ranch (27-0) won twice to finally pass fellow Florida school Winter Springs (26-0) in the rankings and round out the first five. The Mustangs won two games to claim the district crown, then rolled past Pinellas Park, 11-0, on Wednesday in a regional quarterfinal.

Illinois powerhouse Marist (26-2) added six wins to its resume — including sweeps of Marian Catholic and Carmel — to run its win streak to 25. The 16th-ranked Redhawks haven’t lost since the third game of the season on March 15.

And speaking of teams on a serious roll, Keller (29-3-1) won twice to extend its victory streak to 18 and move into the No. 17 spot.

State rankings submitted by NFCA member coaches are used to compile the USA TODAY Sports/NFCA High School Super 25. Teams are chosen based on performance, roster quality and strength of schedule.

USA TODAY Sports/NFCA High School Super 25 Poll – May 9, 2019

Rank

Team

2019 Record

Previous

1

Neshoba Central (Miss.)

31-2

2

Norco (Calif.)

28-1

3

Louisville Male (Ky.)

22-0

5

4

Foothill (Pleasanton, Calif.)

23-0

6

5

Lakewood Ranch (Fla.)

27-0

10

6

Winter Springs (Fla.)

26-0

7

Cedar Ridge (Texas)

30-1

1

8

Shawnee Heights (Kan.)

16-1

4

9

New Palestine (Ind.)

19-2

8

10

Angleton (Texas)

32-1

9

11

Clarksville (Tenn.)

41-1

11

12

Keystone (Ohio)

23-0

12

13

North Davidson (N.C.)

25-0

13

14

Richland (Wash.)

21-0

NR

15

Barbers Hill (Texas)

38-2

15

16

Marist (Ill.)

26-2

16

17

Keller (Texas)

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29-3-1

18

St. John Vianney (N.J.)

13-0

19

Forney (Texas)

24-3

17

20

Redmond (Wash.)

20-1

14

21

Hanover (Va.)

17-1

20

22

Immaculate Heart Acad. (N.J.)

18-1

21

23

Donovan Catholic (N.J.)

14-1

22

24

Appoquinimink (Del.)

16-1

23

T25

Fairhope (Ala.)

38-4

24

T25

Pinnacle (Ariz.)

24-3

25

Dropped out: none.

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Twenty-five players in mix for 2019 Schutt Sports/NFCA Division III National Pitcher and Player of Year honors

May 17, 2019 | News | No Comments

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Twenty-five outstanding softball players have been chosen as contenders for 2019 Schutt Sports/NFCA Division III National Pitcher and Player of the Year honors, the Association announced today.

Virginia Wesleyan University junior pitcher Hanna Hull, who has won the Schutt Sports/NFCA Division III National Player of the Year award the past two seasons, highlights a star-studded list.

Two schools — Coe College and the University of St. Thomas (Minn.) have two players currently on the list, while 21 institutions have one player apiece. The Great Lakes and West regions have the most players on the list — with five each — while the Atlantic, East and Midwest have four representatives, and the Central, New England and Northeast have one apiece.

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In all, there are 16 seniors, four juniors and four sophomores in the group. East Texas Baptist University pitcher/utility player Beatriz Lara is the lone freshman in the mix.

The list, which started with 50 names, will be cut one more time — to 10 finalists — before just one pitcher and player remain at the conclusion of the season. The two winners will come from the 10 finalists chosen at the next update.

A Pitcher of the Year award was added to the Player of the Year honor prior to this season. The list is compiled annually by the NFCA’s Division III All-America committee.

To view and download the full list, please click HERE.

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Month: May 2019