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Emch to play at Pitt
COLUMBIANA -- Crestview High School junior volleyball player Abbey Emch verbally committed to continue her academic and athletic careers at the University of Pittsburgh on Sunday.
"I am so excited to announce my verbal commitment to the University of Pittsburgh to continue my academic and athletic careers!!," Emch wrote on her Instagram account. "Thank you God for blessing me with this incredible opportunity. Thank you to all of my family, friends and coaches who have always been so supportive. Thank you to the entire Pitt staff for for giving me this once in a lifetime opportunity. I could not be more excited to start my next adventure."
Emch, a middle blocker and outside hitter, was a second team, Div. III All-Ohioan as a sophomore.
In 2022, her 439 kills (5.2 per set) was a school season record for the Rebels. Her hitting percentage was .408 and her kill rate was 51.5 percent. She had 55 aces, 195 digs, 96 blocks and 95-percent serve receive accuracy.
Versus Kirtland she set a record for kills in a match with 34. Against Lakeview she set the school mark with 16 blocks in a match.
Her Pitt career will begin in fall of 2025.
Guardians turn to top prospect
CLEVELAND (AP) -- Gavin Williams, Cleveland's top pitching prospect, will make his major league debut on Wednesday with a start against the Oakland Athletics.
A first-round draft pick in 2021, the 23-year-old Williams has risen quickly through the Guardians organization, and the club feels it's time to see how his electric fastball plays against the game's best players.
The Guardians, who are two games behind first-place Minnesota in the AL Central, announced Williams' start before opening a three-game series against the A's.
Williams has gone 4-2 with a 2.39 ERA this season at Double-A Akron (three starts) and Triple-A Columbus (nine starts). He has struck out 81 in 60 innings. Last season, Williams struck out 149 in 115 innings.
With starters Triston McKenzie (elbow) and Cal Quantrill (shoulder) on the injured list, the Guardians have an opportunity to get a look at Williams, who pitched in college at East Carolina.
Injuries have forced manager Terry Francona to plug holes in his starting staff and use rookies Tanner Bibee and Logan Allen more than expected.
Lionel Messi debut set for July 21
MIAMI (AP) -- Lionel Messi is expected to make his Major League Soccer debut with Inter Miami at a July 21 home game, the team confirmed Tuesday.
Owner Jorge Mas told selected outlets on Monday that his club and Messi have agreed to terms and are finalizing paperwork and a visa. The team confirmed certain details Tuesday to The Associated Press, including that Messi will be signing a contract through the end of the 2025 season with an option for 2026.
Messi's contract will be worth $50 million to $60 million per year, the team said Tuesday. He cannot sign until sometime in July, after his contract with Paris Saint-Germain expires.
Messi, 35, announced on June 7 that he was joining Miami. The Argentinian great's first game in Fort Lauderdale would be against Cruz Azul in the Leagues Cup.
The team also confirmed Tuesday that it is increasing capacity at DRV PNK Stadium by 3,000 to 3,200 seats in the next four weeks by filling in the corners, raising capacity to about 22,000.
"I think there will always be a before and after Messi when we talk about the sport in the United States," Mas told the Miami Herald. "I have a very, very strong held belief that we can create in North America and the United States if not the greatest league, one of the top two leagues in the world. I cannot over emphasize the magnitude of this announcement."
Miami also is finalizing a contract with midfielder Sergio Busquets, Messi's former Barcelona teammate, the Herald said, citing a league source.
Mas also said he hopes to start construction during the next two weeks on Miami Freedom Park, the team's long-term home near Miami International Airport, and is targeting to have the venue open in the summer or fall of 2025, the Herald reported.
Miami plans to enhance security, bussing players into the stadium for games, Mas said.
Jazz games go over-the-air
The Utah Jazz will begin making their game broadcasts available over-the-air starting this coming season, becoming the latest franchise to pivot to a new option for fans and potentially reaching more viewers than ever before.
The Jazz unveiled their plan Tuesday, with owner Ryan Smith announcing the launch of his new production company called SEG Media. Its platforms will allow Jazz fans with a basic antenna to watch all games that aren't televised nationally, and will also feature a paid subscription-based streaming service that will also feature unique team content.
Smith said only 39% of households in the state had the ability to watch Jazz games when he bought the team.
"Now, if you have a TV with rabbit ears, we're going to be able to hit 100% of our audience," Smith said.
It's similar to deals recently announced by the Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights, along with the NBA's Phoenix Suns and WNBA's Phoenix Mercury. The Los Angeles Clippers also unveiled a direct-to-consumer option last October.
The move is the latest development in a rapidly changing sports-viewership marketplace. Diamond Sports Group, the largest owner of regional sports networks, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in March; that company, under the Bally Sports banner, has shown games from more than 40 MLB, NBA and NHL teams.
"Obviously, the RSN model around the globe is changing and we'd rather lean into it and focus on the experience and providing the best experience for our fans," Smith said.
The Jazz and the new production company received necessary approvals from the NBA on the new venture, which will be ready to go when the season starts in October, Smith said.
"We have an incredible fan base, but we're only showing the games to, at best, 40% of them," Smith said. "And so, we came up with this new philosophy or way to do this where instead of licensing our TV rights to one group and just saying, 'Hey, we'll take whatever you guys do,' we basically said we're going to be in the media business."
MLB to stage Negro Leagues tribute game
NEW YORK (AP) -- Major League Baseball will stage a Negro Leagues tribute game at Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama, on June 20, 2024, between the San Francisco Giants and the St. Louis Cardinals.
The 10,800-seat stadium, opened in 1910, is the oldest professional ballpark in the U.S. and a National Historic Site. The stadium was home to the Birmingham Black Barons from 1924-60.
The game will honor Hall of Famer Willie Mays, a Birmingham native who began his professional career with the team in 1948.
MLB said Tuesday it is staging the game around the Juneteenth holiday, which commemorates the emancipation of enslaved African Americans in Texas in 1865. There also will be a Double-A game at the ballpark between the Birmingham Barons and Montgomery Biscuits of the Southern League on June 18.
St. Louis will be the home team for the June 20 game, scheduled to start shortly after 7 p.m. EDT and to be televised nationally on Fox. Period uniforms will be used relating to the Negro Leagues history of San Francisco and St. Louis.
"The legacy of the Negro Leagues and its greatest living player, Willie Mays, is one of excellence and perseverance," baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. "We look forward to sharing the stories of the Negro Leagues throughout this event next year."
Mays, 92, is generally considered baseball's greatest living player. After playing with Birmingham, he signed with the New York Giants and was voted the 1951 National League Rookie of the Year as the Giants won the NL pennant.
A World Series champion with the Giants in 1954, Mays was a 24-time All-Star, tied with Stan Musial for second-most behind Hank Aaron's 25. Mays won the 1954 major league batting title and was voted NL MVP in 1954 and 1965.
"I can't believe it. I never thought I'd see in my lifetime a Major League Baseball game being played on the very field where I played baseball as a teenager," Mays said in a statement. "It has been 75 years since I played for the Birmingham Black Barons at Rickwood Field, and to learn that my Giants and the Cardinals will play a game there and honor the legacy of the Negro Leagues and all those who came before them is really emotional for me. We can't forget what got us here and that was the Negro Leagues for so many of us."
MLB will work with the City of Birmingham and Friends of Rickwood to renovate the ballpark, the home of the minor league Barons from 1910-1961, 1964-65, 1981-87. The Barons have played since 2013 at Regions Field, about 3 miles away, and shift one game annually to Rickwood in a tribute to the team's history.
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