LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Guiding Mount San Antonio College to a CCCAA State Championship, Rubilena Rojas and her staff have been named the 2018 NFCA Cal JC National Coaching Staff of the Year. Under the guidance of Rojas and assistant coaches- Jim Bollier, Jessica Vogel and Alex Mascarenas- the Mounties (41-7) earned their first state title with Rojas at the helm and fifth overall.

Mt. SAC won the South Coast-North regular season and posted a perfect 8-0 mark during its state playoff run. The Mounties swept Fullerton and Canyons in the Southern Region and Super Regional rounds to earn a spot in the state championship. The hosts and South No. 2 seed edged Ohlone, 2-1, in their opener and cruised past El Camino, 10-3 in their second contest.

A 5-1 triumph over Palomar put the Mt. SAC in the championship game where it would face the Comets again. Vicky Gutierrez’s three-run homer in the bottom of the sixth and two inning of shutout relief by Jessica Olvera lifted the Mounties over the Comets, 5-4, and to the 2018 title. The 41 victories marked the program’s third straight 40-win season and fourth overall under Rojas.

Regional winners this season were:

North – Sierra College

Head Coach: Darcie Brownell
Assistant Coaches: Cortney Magorian, Gabby Gonzalez, Craig Fuentes

Record: 38-9, 21-3 Big 8

Claimed the Big 8 Conference title and was ranked tied for third in the final regular season 3CFCA state rankings and second overall in the NorCal poll… Swept West Valley and College of the Sequoias in the Northern Regional and Super Regional rounds to reach the CCCAA State Championship… Finished 1-2 at the state tournament earning a first-round win over defending champion Cypress… Most wins since 43 in 2014.

South – Bakersfield College

Head Coach: Casey Goodman
Assistant Coach: Megan Rowe

Record: 33-11, 13-1 Western State-North

Ranked tied for third in the final regular season 3CFCA state rankings and second overall in the SoCal poll… Won the Western State-North regular season… Entered the Northern Regionals as the six seed and swept Riverside City to advance to Super Regionals… Fell to 2017 national champions Cypress College in the supers… Head coach Casey Goodman was named Southern California Coach of the Year… Kylee Fahy was the Western State Conference North Pitcher of the Year and was one of eight all-conference selections.

CONCEPTION BAY SOUTH, N.L. — Police say they pulled over a driver in Conception Bay South, N.L., and discovered he had $18,000 in unpaid fines.

The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary says officers made a traffic safety stop at about 10:20 p.m. on Saturday.

They say the man was also driving with a suspended licence and no insurance.

Police say he was ticketed under the Highway Traffic Act and his vehicle was impounded.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Off to a 13-1 start, Angelo State rose to No. 1 in the first regular season rankings of the 2019 NFCA Division II Top 25 Coaches Poll. The Rambelles received half of the 16 first-place votes and 381 points. 

With the regular season underway, there were a few shakeups since the preseason poll was announced on Jan. 30. Six programs entered for the first time, while six others dropped out. The biggest jump was West Florida, which is off to a 13-1 start, and No. 10 this week. Joining the Argos as newcomers are No. 11 Carson Newman (9-0), No. 14 and NFCA DII Leadoff champions Florida Tech (10-2), No. 19 Central Oklahoma (13-1), No. 21 Cal State San Bernardino (7-0) and No. 23 Southern New Hampshire (5-1).

Angelo State has a neutral site win over then-No. 18 Palm Beach Atlantic and two at Florida Tech. The Rambelles have hit 22 home runs and are averaging 10.1 runs over their first 14 games.

Moving into No. 2 is 2018 national runner-up Saint Anselm. The Hawks (5-0), opened with five wins in Myrtle Beach, S.C., garnered four first-place votes and 374 points. North Georgia remained at No. 3 receiving three first-place nods and 356 points. The NightHawks (12-3) put forward a 4-1 showing at the Leadoff Classic with a win over then-No. 19 Lenoir-Rhyne. Southern Arkansas (9-3), which received the final first-place vote, slipped to No. 4 after dropping three contests, two of which did come at the hands of new-No. 7 Valdosta State and Palm Beach Atlantic.

In at No. 5 is another Lone Star Conference member, Texas A&M University-Commerce. The Lions (12-1) have three triumphs over then-No. 20 Arkansas Tech with their lone defeat coming at the hands of No. 25 Augustana.

Chico State is No. 6 after a 6-1 start. Following the Wildcats, is Valdosta State who catapulted from No. 22 to No. 7. The Blazers (10-2) opened the season with eight wins, half of which came against nationally-ranked foes –North Georgia, Palm Beach Atlantic, Lenoir-Rhyne and Southern Arkansas – all courtesy of a shutout.

Rounding out the top 10 is No. 8 Tarleton State, No. 9 Concordia-Irvine and West Florida. The Texans (11-2) sandwiched 11 consecutive wins between a pair of losses. The Eagles (4-1) have won four straight following a season-opening defeat. The Argos were the runners-up at the Leadoff Classic with their only defeat of the season to Florida Tech. UWF has wins over Saint Leo (2), Palm Beach Atlantic and then-No. 8 West Chester. 

Falling out of the poll are No. 1 Southern Indiana (3-5), No. 5 Saint Leo (7-7), No. 8 West Chester (0-5), No. 18 Palm Beach Atlantic (5-6), No. 19 Lenoir-Rhyne (6-5) and No. 20 Arkansas Tech (6-6).

The 2019 NFCA Division II Top 25 Poll is voted on by 16 NCAA Division II head coaches with two representing each of the eight NCAA regions. Records reflect games play through Feb. 17, 2019.

 

2019 USA Today / NFCA Division II
Top 25 Coaches Poll – Feb. 20 (Week 1)

Rank

School

Totals

2019 Record

Previous Week

1

Angelo State (8)

381

13-1

6

2

Saint Anselm (4)

374

5-0

4

3

North Georgia (3)

356

12-3

3

4

Southern Arkansas (1)

348

9-3

2

5

Texas A&M-Commerce

336

12-1

9

6

Chico State

321

6-1

7

7

Valdosta State

303

10-2

22

8

Tarleton State

283

11-2

14

9

Concordia Irvine

279

4-1

10

10

West Florida

244

13-1

NR

11

Carson-Newman

230

9-0

NR

12

Illinois Springfield

222

6-2

12

13

Dixie State

191

6-1

17

14

Florida Tech

183

10-2

NR

15

Winona State

176

0-0

15

16

Grand Valley State

160

0-0

16

17

UC San Diego

147

9-2

23

18

Young Harris

144

7-3

13

19

Central Oklahoma

128

13-1

NR

20

UAH

80

10-5

11

21

Cal State San Bernardino

72

7-0

NR

22

Colorado Mesa

56

7-3

21

23

Southern New Hampshire

50

5-1

RV

24

Gannon

32

0-0

24

25

Augustana

31

5-3

25

 

Receiving Votes: Newberry (27), Saint Leo (17), Arkansas Tech (16), Harding (6), Lenoir-Rhyne (6), Oklahoma Christian (1).

New to Poll: No. 10 West Florida, No. 11 Carson-Newman, No. 14 Florida Tech, No. 19 Central Oklahoma, No. 21 Cal State San Bernardino, No. 23 Southern New Hampshire.

Dropped Out: No. 1 Southern Indiana (3-5), No. 5 Saint Leo (7-7), No. 8 West Chester (0-5), No. 18 Palm Beach Atlantic (5-6), No. 19 Lenoir-Rhyne (6-5), No. 20 Arkansas Tech (6-6).

 

The 2019 NFCA Division II Top 25 Coaches Poll is voted on by 16 NCAA Division II head coaches with two representing each of the NCAA’s eight regions. 

The 2019 NFCA Division II Top 25 Poll is voted on by 16 NCAA Division II head coaches with two representing each of the eight NCAA regions. Records reflect games play through Feb. 17, 2019.

TORONTO — Ontario Premier Doug Ford and his staff are controlling Progressive Conservative MPPs through a “culture of fear and intimidation,” one ousted member told reporters Tuesday.

Randy Hillier, who Ford kicked out of caucus on March 15, said that he thought the PCs’ election would give birth to a “dynamic, honest, resurgent Ontario.”

Instead, the MPP for Lanark-Frontenac-Kingston said, the opposite happened.

“My expectations slowly began to erode. And this erosion increased to become a crisis of confidence,” Hillier, who was a PC MPP for 12 years, said.

He said Ford and his top advisors are violating democracy by muzzling MPPs and interfering with their ability to represent constituents.

“As I stated to Doug Ford on many occasions, you can’t hog-tie me and gag me and then complain that I’m not a team player.”

MPPs aren’t scheduled to speak in debates when they’re “out of favour” with the PC leadership, Hillier said. He also said they can’t read petitions from their constituents in the legislature or even discuss an idea for a private members’ bill without permission from Ford’s office.

“You cannot have a representative democracy under such constrained restrictions.”

Government House leader Todd Smith confirmed that MPPs have to seek permission to read a petition or table a private members’ bill, but he said that is just to keep everybody on the same page.

“Of course that’s true,” Smith said. “There has to be some kind of a coherent plan here.”

Otherwise, Smith dismissed Hillier’s claims as a “bunch of baloney.”

Hillier also raised concerns about the amount of power Ford’s chief of staff, Dean French, has over the government. French plays a greater role in caucus meetings than the premier does, he said.

“He’s the most significant presence.”

PC MPPs have told reporters anonymously that French rules with “an iron fist.”

French was featured prominently in a recent report by Ontario’s integrity commissioner, an independent watchdog who oversees lobbying and investigates allegations of MPPs acting with a conflict of interest.

The commissioner looked into questions about how a close friend of the premier, Ron Taverner, got offered a job heading up the provincial police force.

Ford didn’t break the law, Commissioner J. David Wake found, but French acted in a way that would give anyone “serious doubts as to the fairness of the process to the other candidates.”

Smith said that French participates in caucus meetings and in meetings of the planning and priorities committee, a committee reserved for the most senior cabinet ministers.

“The chief of staff sometimes chimes in with his opinions on things too,” Smith said, “as do bureaucrats that are invited.”

Also On HuffPost:

Rejoice, fellow Canadians, for the day we’ve all been waiting for is finally here.

Tim Hortons has launched a rewards program after a year of testing. Consumers who join the program can have a free coffee, tea or baked good after every seventh visit — in honour of founder and NHL icon Tim Horton’s jersey number.

The coffee and tea rewards can be any size, and all baked goods except Timbits and bagels are included in the program. All visits where customers spend over 50 cents qualify for the program, but more than one visit can’t be logged in the same half hour period.

The company plans on expanding the products that can be redeemed through the Tims Rewards program going forward, according to Bloomberg.

“Tim Hortons has some of the most loyal guests in Canada and Tims Rewards allows us to say thank you,” Alex Macedo, the company’s president, said in a news release. “We heard from our guests that a new rewards program had to be easy to use and redeem, that’s why we offer both a reusable card and a digital friendly app.”

Customers who have accumulated awards can choose to use them later, and bank up to five at a time, with unused rewards expiring 120 days after being obtained, iphoneincanada.ca reported.

The company said it hoped to start a loyalty program last spring, following high-profile disputes with franchisees that shook many people’s trust in the chain.

“Ultimately why we launched this program was a reaction to the voice of our guests,” Mike Hancock, the company’s COO, told Bloomberg. “We listened to our guests and they said this is something that they wanted.”

Many of Tim Hortons’ competitors have had loyalty programs for some time — McDonalds has paper cards that customers can add stickers to that give them a free drink after they’ve accumulated seven stickers and recently expanded their program to include app functionality, while Starbucks has had its own unique card and app rewards program for years, though the company revamped their program this week to provide different reward tiers.

People interested in joining the new program can get a plastic swipe card from a Tim Hortons location, or download the newest version of the franchise’s phone app to use as a card and track how close you are to your next reward. People with iPhones or Android phones can also add a virtual card to their digital wallets to use instead.

The company says the program will also debut mobile offers and discounts going forward.

Who needs Roll-Up-The-Rim’s supposed one in six prize chances when you now have a guaranteed freebie after seven?

Although we’re still holding out for the car….

CHIBA Japan – Softball’s road to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games officially began on Thursday, Aug. 2, as the XVI WBSC Women’s Softball World Championship opened in Chiba, Japan.

The Championship was officially declared open as 16 teams were present at NASPA Stadium for the Opening Ceremony, in front of a huge crowd that fully packed the venue.

WBSC Softball Chairman, Tommy Velazquez, said: “This is the most important softball event in the last ten years. During the coming days the best players in the world will battle not only For the Title of World Champions, but also to fulfill their life-long dreams of becoming an Olympic Athlete. At the end of the World Championship one of these 15 visiting nations will join Japan as the first qualified for the next Summer Olympic Games softball competition. The Road to Tokyo 2020 officially begins today.”

“Millions of little girls around the world will be watching you and dreaming on becoming the softball stars of the future”, added Velazquez. “Show them the passion for the game, inspire them, keep the softball growing and growing around the globe”.

Prior to the opening ceremony, National Team captains and coaches from 16 countries and territories across six continents (Africa, Asia, Europe, North and South America and Oceania) as well as many members of the media gathered at the official pre-event press conference on the eve of the opening ceremony.

(Press Conference Photos for Editorial Use)

WBSC Secretary General Beng Choo Low said: “This is not just any World Championship, it’s the first qualifier to the 2020 Olympic Games.”

The premier global softball tournament in the world — the WBSC women’s softball flagship event — is the first of five qualifiers for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. The top finisher in Chiba, not including already qualified/host Japan, will be part of baseball and softball’s historic Olympic return at Tokyo 2020.

Following the opening ceremony, the National Teams of Japan and Italy will play each other in Game 1 at 8:00 p.m. (1:00 a.m. ET). All nations will be in action on Friday, August 3.

The Women’s Softball World Championship will be played across 73 games in 10 days. The Final will be held on Sunday, August 12 at 7:00 p.m. local time (midnight ET), at ZOZO Marine Stadium. All the games will be available to watch around the world, on TV or via live-stream.

For complete tournament news and updates, the official tournament website at https://wswc.wbsc.org is available in six languages (English, French, Japanese, Korean, Spanish and Traditional Chinese).

— Courtesy of WBSC