Click:LC Adapter

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Los Alamitos tops three California schools in the first four in the USA Today Sports/NFCA High School Super 25 preseason poll.

The Griffins, who were 26-3 last season, return the powerful senior battery of Maryland signee Ryan Denhart in the circle and Oregon signee Mary Iakopo behind the plate, plus junior pitcher Brianna Jewett, the 2016 Sunset League Rookie of the Year as a very capable No. 2. In all, they have seven all-league players back for a school that has gone 181-70 over the past eight seasons.

Fellow Golden State schools Mission Viejo (27-4 last year) and Norco (26-6) are ranked second and fourth, respectively, with just Florida’s West Orange (30-1) at No. 3 breaking up the trio. Mission Viejo lost just three players off its CIF-Southern Section championship team that finished the year ranked ninth, while defending state class 9A titlist West Orange returns Georgia signee Lauren Mathis, who allowed just three earned runs in 142 innings in 2016. Norco, meanwhile, finished last season unranked, but returns two NCAA Division I signees and two others who have committed to prominent Division I institutions.

Reigning Texas state 6A champion Keller (32-7) lost all-state pitcher Kaylee Rogers, but still has enough in place to round out the top five, while another California school, Orange Lutheran (30-4) with Stanford signee Maddy Dwyer, follows at No. 6. Florida’s American Heritage (26-2), which also graduated its top pitcher, Madison Canby, is seventh, and last year’s final No. 2, Grand Terrace (29-1) of California, starts at No. 8 and features slugger Eliyah Flores (eight homers), who plans to attend Oklahoma. Arizona state D1 champ Hamilton (31-7), which returns four key hitters and three pitchers, is No. 9, and yet another California school, Huntington Beach (21-7), ranks 10th, with its roster of nine signed or committed players.

LaGrange, who finished 41-2 and won its second Texas state 4A title in three years to rank No. 1 in last June’s final poll, did not make this season’s first poll.

State rankings submitted by NFCA member coaches are used to compile the USA Today Sports/NFCA High School Super 25.

USA Today Sports/NFCA High School Super 25 Preseason Poll – Feb. 23, 2017

Rank Team 2016 Record 1 Los Alamitos (Calif.) 26-3 2 Mission Viejo (Calif.) 27-4 3 West Orange (Fla.) 30-1 4 Norco (Calif.) 26-6 5 Keller (Texas) 32-7 6 Orange Lutheran (Calif.) 30-4 7 American Heritage (Fla.) 26-2 8 Grand Terrace (Calif.) 29-1 9 Hamilton (Ariz.) 31-7 10 Huntington Beach (Calif.) 21-7 11 Deer Park (Texas) 33-4 12 Oakleaf (Fla.) 27-3 13 Bishop O’Connell (Va.) 23-5 14 Oak Park-River Forest (Ill.) 37-2 15 Keystone (Ohio) 28-5 16 Lakewood (Ohio) 29-0 17 McCracken County (Ky.) 43-4 18 Immaculate Heart Academy (N.J.) 31-1 19 Plano West (Texas) 29-5 20 Alexandra (La.) 30-4 21 Sparkman (Ala.) 50-16 22 Scott County (Ky.) 36-2 23 St. Mary Catholic Central (Mich.) 28-5 24 Mount St. Dominic (N.J.) 26-4 25 Pinnacle (Ariz.) 30-8

PARIS — Politicians working to harness the power of social media to connect with voters need to figure out how to do so positively in the face of leaders using those platforms to undermine democracy, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says.

Without mentioning anyone by name at an event in Paris on Monday morning, Trudeau suggested there are politicians who are trying to use platforms like Twitter to foster polarization and controversy in the electorate.

The medium is not without its benefits, Trudeau said, pointing to the ease of putting out a tweet of condolence or support being easier, more direct and resonating more with citizens than issuing a press statement carried by traditional media.

That same ease and directness that Trudeau said can be used to build confidence in government and democratic institutions can just as easily be used by politicians trying to “make you angry or make you divided or make you hate your neighbour” — pitting one kind of social media politician against the other.

“If it ends up in a screaming match between one side versus the other side, whoever is better at nasty is going to win,” Trudeau said at a Paris conference on the use of technology by governments.

“If we actually think about it, it’s easier to push someone into being angry — it’s harder to pull them into being positive and earnest and involved.”

The discussion was driven by U.S. President Donald Trump, who regularly uses Twitter to fire up his legions of followers and vent at his critics.

Trudeau has been a target of Trump’s irate tweeting, particularly after the G7 meeting in Charlevoix, Que., over the prime minister’s comments on trade negotiations.

When asked directly to comment about Trump’s Twitter usage, Trudeau suggested Trump is just being Trump.

“I think it’s important that people are authentic and he’s certainly authentic,” Trudeau said.

The comments came one day after Trudeau and other world leaders issued dire warnings about leaders calling themselves nationalists and the problems they pose for maintaining peace and the world order built in the aftermath of the world wars.

Again, no names were mentioned, but the warnings seemed clearly aimed at Trump who has repeatedly professed his “American” nationalism.

Trudeau suggested he doesn’t call out Trump by name in any criticism in order to keep the peace with Canada’s neighbour to the south.

“One of the things that Canadians expect of me is to continue to stand up for Canadian values, for Canadian interests as I always do loudly and clearly sharing our perspectives on how to build a better world, while at the same time keeping a constructive relationship with our closest neighbour and largest trading partner — and that’s what I will continue to do,” he said.

Trudeau also took time at the conference to tout his government’s progress on digitizing the way it delivers services.

The prime minister has made the use of technology and data a priority in providing government programs to Canadians through digital channels alongside better, more up to date information to feed federal decisions.

In September, the federal government launched its new “digital standards” to help public servants navigate their way towards what the Liberals call an “effective digital government.”

But there have been hiccups along the way.

A pilot project from Statistics Canada to scoop up anonymized and randomized banking transactions on 500,000 Canadians has faced steep criticism from opposition parties in the House of Commons.

And internal documents obtained by The Canadian Press paint a clearer picture of detailed work underway to overcome the challenges the civil service faces in meeting the Liberals’ digital goals.

PM on 10-day trip across Europe, Asia

Documents obtained under the Access to Information Act suggest challenges in how to handle vast amounts of disparate data, the funding needed to acquire or generate data to fill gaps, and “legal and cultural impediments to sharing and accessing data.”

The prime minister travels later Monday to Singapore for a summit organized by a 10-nation bloc that will put his government’s trade diversification plans on display.

Trudeau is on a 10-day trip across Europe and Asia that began Friday with a gathering of world leaders in France to mark a century since the end of the First World War.

Also On HuffPost:

Respawn Entertainment has addressed some of the issues that are impacting Apex Legends and promises fixes are in the works for most problems, except for a requested reconnect feature.

Respawn took to Reddit to speak to its fans and let them know what was in the works behind-the-scenes for the battle royale title that has already passed 50 million players.

It began by discussing how it is dealing with cheaters and announced that they have banned “over 355K players on PC through Easy-Anti-Cheat.”

Respawn goes into a bit more detail about how they will continue to combat these cheaters, including working with experts inside and outside of EA, scaling up its anti-team, and adding a report feature on PC. However, it won’t be too open about its plans because it doesn’t “want them to see us coming.”

In addition to working on fixing an issue of players spamming during character select and the drop and then disconnecting, it is also working with AMD next week to improve stability and performance on PC. Hopefully, that and more will fix a lot of crashes players are experiencing and Respawn will continue working with other partners to continue to make Apex Legends as smooth as possible.

While Respawn is working on all these issues and more, one issue it isn’t working on at the moment is a reconnect to match feature. It says that it has heard the community but it is not currently pursuing it because it “opens a lot of risk for players to abuse it,” and “[It believes] the resources needed to build, test, and release it are better spent focused on fixing stability issues so that the feature isn’t necessary.”

For more on Apex Legends, be sure to check out the latest updates and fixes, read a feature about whether you are better suited for Fortnite or Apex Legends, and read about how Apex Legends almost was leaked about a year ago.

Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to [email protected].

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer who kept saying “Prepare for Titanfall” while writing this article. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst.

Click:Feather hair extension

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Student-athletes from nine collegiate institutions have been selected 2017 Diamond Sports Catchers of the Year, announced the association on Wednesday afternoon.

The award is presented annually to the player determined to be the most outstanding catcher from an NFCA member institution. This year the collegiate awards honorees were recognized during their respective All-American announcements. The High School winner will be announced in July.

A committee comprised of elected head coaches in each of the nine represented divisions selects the winner of their respective award.  This year’s Diamond Sports Catcher of the Year recipient are as follows: 

NCAA Division I

Kendyl Lindaman – Freshman – Minnesota

Lindaman (pictured), the Big Ten Player and Freshman of the Year, finished off a tremendous rookie campaign with a .426 batting average, 63 hits, 63 walks, 20 home runs, 76 RBI, a .598 on-base percentage and a .899 slugging percentage. A top-3 Schutt Sports/NFCA Freshman of the Year finalist and first team All-American, Lindaman finished third in the NCAA in walks and on-base percentage, tied for third in runs batted in, fifth in slugging, and led all NCAA freshmen ranking seventh in home runs.

 

NCAA Division II

Marisa Monasseri – Junior – Caldwell University

A first-team All-America selection, Monasseri finished 2017 with a .503 average (3rd/NCAA), 11 homers, 11 doubles and a NCAA-best .624 on-base percentage. She posted a .787 slugging percentage and drove in a team-best 67 runs (6th/NCAA). Additionally, Monasseri ranked sixth in the NCAA with 48 walks and was a top-10 finalist for the Schutt Sports/NFCA National Player of the Year.

 

NCAA Division III

Janae Matos – Junior – Moravian College

Matos, who was selected as the 2017 Landmark Conference Player of the Yea paced the Greyhounds at the plate with a .523 average that included 56 hits, a school-record 22 doubles, three home runs, 45 RBI, a .621 on-base percentage and an .813 slugging percentage. Matos had a team-high 203 putouts behind the plate to go with 13 assists and zero errors for a 1.000 fielding percentage.

 

NAIA

Jaci Smith – Sophomore – Oklahoma City University

Smith was third in the NAIA with a team-best .516 batting average and 111 hits, helping the Stars to a second straight NAIA national title. She ended the year on a 14-game hitting streak and recorded at least one hit in 54 of the 68 games she played in this season. The first-team All-American’s 80 RBI and 23 doubles ranked sixth and tied for the seventh in the NAIA.

 

NJCAA Division I

Evelyn Loyola – Freshman – Howard College

Loyola  hit .423 with 11 doubles, 13 homers, 62 RBI and 40 runs scored. The first-team All-American slugged .744 and threw out six of 17 runners attempting to steal for a .353 caught stealing percentage.

 

NJCAA Division II

Maddie Hansen – Sophomore – Kirkwood Community College

Hansen, a two-time first-team All-America selection, finished second in NJCAA II with 92 RBI, fourth with a .534 batting average and tied for fourth with 19 home runs.

 

NJCAA Division III

Hannah Long – Freshman – Rock Valley College

A NFCA All-American, Long batted .430 with 16 doubles, three triples, a homer and 40 RBI. Behind the dish, she recorded 220 putouts, 12 assists and just two errors for a .991 fielding percentage.

 

Cal JC

Taylor Jaurique – Sophomore – Mt. San Antonio College
Jaurique played a key role in the Mounties’ runner-up finish at the California Community College Athletic Association State Championships. She led the Mountie’s with a .477 average, 51 hits, 10 home runs, 44 RBI, 35 runs scored, .907 slugging percentage and .517 on-base percentage. Tabbed a NFCA All-American, Jaurique did not commit an error in 190 chances, while keeping runners at bay. Only 12 opponents attempted to steal on Jaurique, who threw out four of those would be base stealers.

 

NWAC

Amber Writer – Freshman – Wenatchee Valley College
In helping Wenatchee Valley to a NWAC Championship, Writer scored 76 runs, which was the second best total in the NWAC, while her 69 RBI and 565 on-base percentage was third and sixth, respectively. The NFCA All-American hit .467 with 15 doubles and 14 round trippers. She struck out just five times in 165 at bats.

— Image courtesy of Minnesota Athletics

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Kirkwood Community College’s Taylor Nearad repeats as the Schutt Sports/NFCA Junior College National Player of the Year, announced the Association on Tuesday afternoon. Nearad collects her second straight honor after being selected the inaugural winner in 2016. 

The award was voted on by the members of the NFCA’s Junior College All-American and Coaching Staff of the Committees, which are comprised of NJCAA I, II & III, Cal JC and NWAC. 

A two-time NFCA First Team All-American, Nearad led the nation with 112 hits, 35 doubles and 106 runs. Additionally, she was third with a 1.014 slugging percentage, tied for fourth in home runs with 19 and sixth in RBI with 80. Hitting at a .516 clip, the Solon, Iowa native swept the Region XI Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year awards.

In 125 career games with the Eagles, Nearad hit .561 with 257 hits, 66 doubles, 19 triples, 49 home runs, 209 RBI and 220 runs scored. She slugged 1.109 and posted a .592 on-base percentage. She shattered the program’s career batting average and records by .63 points and 92 base knocks, respective, while also breaking the home run mark by four. 

Legal marijuana is about to become a reality in Canada. (Editor’s note: Marijuana was legalized in Canada on October 17th, 2018.)

The move could prove to be a sea change for local economies, policing efforts, governments, schools, workplaces — you name it.

But what about the U.S. border? What should Canadians know if they’re crossing over after marijuana is legalized?

To answer this question, HuffPost Canada reached out to Len Saunders, an attorney based in Blaine, Wash. who regularly works with clients barred or denied from entering the U.S. over marijuana-related issues.

Here are some of his tips for travellers crossing the border after weed becomes legal:

You most definitely cannot bring marijuana with you across the border

The federal government has made it abundantly clear that even though pot will be legal in Canada on Oct. 17, it is absolutely, totally, 100 per cent not allowed to be taken out of the country.

Even if you accidentally forgot some in your car, Saunders says, officers could slap you with a hefty fine and a lifetime ban from the U.S.

You can’t bring pot back from the U.S., either, even if you’re coming back from a state that has legalized it like Washington State or Colorado.

This also applies to medical marijuana.

If for some reason you do have cannabis with you or in your car — please don’t do this — while entering Canada or the U.S., declare it to the Canada Border Services Agency.

U.S. border guards are likely to ask Canadians more about pot once it’s legal

Right now, the only border states with Canada that have legalized pot for recreational use are Washington State, Alaska, Vermont and Maine.

Saunders says it’s likely that border officers at these crossings will be more keen to ask travellers about their pot use or involvement in cannabis. But once pot is legal everywhere in Canada, he noted, guards at every single border crossing could become extra vigilant.

Saunders said he expects a “tidal wave” of cases of Canadians getting barred over marijuana related issues.

Officers could pull you aside for more questions if you make them “suspicious”

The federal government says the U.S. has made it clear that it’s business as usual at the border when it comes to marijuana-related inspections.

Stevie O’Brien, chief of staff to Border Security Minister Bill Blair, told HuffPost Canada that U.S. officers might pull a traveller aside for further questioning if they’re given “reason to be suspicious.”

So, what constitutes a “reason” to be suspicious?

“When you approach that border, don’t give the Americans the reason to believe, either by the aroma or flicking something away as you approach the border, don’t give them a reason to believe there’s an offence,” Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale told CTV in June.

You can still be banned from the U.S. if you admit to pot use or if you say you work in (legal) cannabis

You read that right. Just admitting to having used marijuana in the past could get you a lifetime ban from the U.S., Saunders said.

Even though some states have legalized it for recreational use, cannabis is still illegal in the eyes of the U.S. federal government.

“It won’t be a controlled substance in Canada, and it won’t be a controlled substance in many border states like Vermont and Washington State,” he said, “but it will be a controlled substance at that thin line … called the U.S. border.”

The Canadian government’s messaging on this so far is that travellers going south should always tell the truth if they’re asked about their pot use. But Saunders called that “dangerous” advice, since it can result in a lifetime ban that will require the traveller to use a waiver every time they want to enter the U.S. — and that costs a lot of time and a lot of money.

You can choose to not answer questions about pot

Saunders said he regularly advises people to refrain from answering questions about pot use at the border. Not answering the question might get you turned away, he said, but it at least helps you avoid being barred from the U.S., not to mention the torturously expensive and complicated process required to get a permit waiving the ban.

“In order to avoid a life-time bar … it’s better to just not answer that question. They can’t force you to answer that question,” he said.

“You can say ‘I don’t feel comfortable answering that question’ and withdraw your application [to enter].”

Saunders says officers might reject your entry and turn you back, but you won’t be barred.

“You can go back to the border at any point and try a re-entry. Most officers, once you go back, … are not going to pursue the marijuana thing. It’s not like every officer is zealously trying to get Canadians to admit to marijuana smoking.”

CLARIFICATION: A previous version of this story did not include Alaska in a list of border states with legal marijuana.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Coming off a second straight national title, Oklahoma is the unanimous No. 1 team in the final 2017 USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 Coaches Poll. Collecting all 32 first-place votes the Sooners (61-9) swept Florida in a thrilling WCWS Championship Series to earn their fourth overall title and third in five years.

OU’s run to the championship started off on the wrong foot following a regional-opening defeat to North Dakota State. That would be their last postseason loss. The 10th-seeded Sooners won four elimination games, including pair over Tulsa in the regional final, to start a run of 11 consecutive victories. In the championship series, Oklahoma outlasted Florida, 7-5, in an epic 17-inning affair, the longest WCWS game in finals history, followed by a 5-4 nailbiter in game two. Prior to the series, the Sooners knocked off No. 15 seed Baylor (6-3), No. 6 seed Washington (3-1) and No. 3 seed Oregon (4-2).

National runner-up Florida is No. 2. The Gators (58-10) blanked No. 9 seed Texas A&M (8-0) and No. 13 seed LSU (7-0), before topping Washington (5-2) to reach its third championship series in four years. UF’s run featured two wins over RV Oklahoma State, including a 5-0 triumph in the Gainesville Regional “if necessary” game. The Gators rallied from an opening loss to No. 16 seed Alabama in the Super Regionals with 2-0 and 2-1 wins over the Crimson Tide.

National semifinalists Washington and Oregon finish ranked No. 3 and No. 4. The Huskies (50-14) put together a 7-2 postseason mark, sweeping through the Seattle Regional with victories over Montana (8-0) and Michigan (12-4, 4-2) and knocking off 11th-seeded Utah in a three-game Super Regional (10-4, 8-9, 2-1). At the WCWS, UW defeated Oregon (3-1) and No. 5 seed UCLA (1-0). The Ducks (54-8) won their first five games in route to the WCWS. Oregon trumped UIC (13-0) and Wisconsin (6-5 in 8 inn. / 9-0) in regionals and swept 14th-seed Kentucky in supers. After falling to Washington, the Ducks won two elimination games over Baylor (7-4) ad LSU (4-1) to reach the semifinals.

A pair of 48-win programs, UCLA and LSU, come in at No. 5 and 6. The Bruins (48-15) cruised through regionals with three eight-run victories over Lehigh (8-0), San Jose State (10-2) and Cal State Fullerton (9-1). They were tested in Super Regionals by No. 12 seed Ole Miss, edging the Rebels in a pair of one-run contests (8-7 in 11 inn./1-0). UCLA went 1-2 at the WCWS, picking up a win over Texas A&M. The Tigers (48-22) had to win three straight elimination games, the final to over Louisiana, to get out of the Baton Rouge Regional. Faced with similar odds at No. 4 seed Florida State in the Super Regionals, LSU bounced back from a game one defeat (1-3), to win two close games on the road (1-0, 6-4) against the Seminoles. The Tigers would open the WCWS with a win over UCLA before dropping their next two contest. 

The final two WCWS participants hail from the Lone Star State as Baylor and Texas A&M are ranked No. 7 and No. 8. The Bears (48-15) survived a very tough Waco Regional thanks in large part to Gia Rodoni, who tossed a pair of no-hitters in 1-0 victories over Kent State and then-No. 11 James Madison. Following the regional sweep, Baylor faced off against No. 2 seeded Arizona in Tucson, which featured three tightly contested affairs. After a 3-2 walk-off defeat in game one, the Bears rallied from a deficit in each of the final two contests to shock the Wildcats (6-4, 6-5) and advance to the WCWS. After a three-game regional sweep, the Aggies (47-13) bounced back from a Super Regional-opening loss at No. 8 seed Tennessee with a pair of close wins over the Volunteers (6-5, 5-3). In their first WCWS appearance since 2008, Texas A&M fell to Florida and UCLA. 

Rounding out the top-10 is a pair of Super Regional participants, Arizona and Florida State. The Wildcats (52-9) rolled through regionals before falling to a “never say die” Baylor squad in the supers. The Seminoles (55-8) also swept through regionals and were upended by LSU in the Super Regionals.

Super Regional participants, Tennessee, Alabama, Auburn, Utah and Ole Miss, along with Minnesota make up 11 through 16.

The 2017 USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 Poll is voted on by 32 NCAA Division I head coaches, one representing each conference.  

2017 USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 Coaches Poll
Final – June 12, 2017

 

Rank Team Totals 2017 Record Last Poll     1 Oklahoma 800 61-9 6   2 Florida 768 58-10 2   3 Washington 718 50-14 7   4 Oregon 707 54-8 3   5 UCLA 670 48-15 9   6 LSU 630 48-22 18   7 Baylor 594 48-15 17   8 Texas A&M 572 47-13 12   9 Arizona 528 52-9 5   10 Florida State 513 55-8 4   11 Tennessee 442 48-12 10   12 Alabama 431 46-18 15   13 Auburn 420 49-12 8   14 Utah 379 37-16 16   15 Minnesota 371 56-5 1   16 Ole Miss 362 43-20 13   17 Kentucky 303 39-19 19   18 James Madison 246 52-8 11   19 Louisiana 219 47-8 14   20 Michigan 191 43-13 20   21 BYU 159 46-13 21   22 Tulsa 106 41-17 23   23 Arizona State 80 31-22 22   24 Marshall 45 42-12 RV   25 Georgia 32 35-23 25     South Carolina 32 34-25 24                      

 

Dropped Out: None 

New to Poll: No. 24 Marshall

Receiving Votes: California (24), Oklahoma State (19), Wisconsin (11), North Dakota State (5), Arkansas (4), USC Upstate (4), Illinois (4), Mississippi State (4), Florida International (2), Texas State (2), Cal State Fullerton (2), Oregon State (1).

The USA Today/NFCA Division I Coaches Poll is voted on by 32 NCAA Division I head coaches, one representing each conference.   

— Images courtesy of Ty Russell