Category: Baseball

Locked on Longhorns Podcast: NCAA cancellations and spring football

The fun fact Friday edition of the Locked on Longhorns Podcast. Pat and Cami discuss the impact on the cancellations and spring football.

Cami and Patrick bring you another edition of the Locked on Longhorns podcast. What started as just a cancellation of the Texas-Texas Tech game spirals into the Big 12 tournament and more being cancelled. They discussed what impact that could have on the seniors who might have played their final games in burnt orange and white.

Patrick reads a heartbreaking post by one such senior in John Burt from his instagram.

Plus a statement released by Athletic Director Chris Del Conte. What could that mean for football team that was expected to begin spring practice on March 25th. All that and more on the fun fact Friday edition of the podcast.

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Updated NCAA cancellations during pandemic

With the COVID-19 outbreak, there a lot of moving parts in regards to the athletic programs. The updates on how things look for Texas.

The news on NCAA athletics have been released at a fast and furious rate. Following the cancelling of the Texas and Texas Tech Big 12 tournament game on Thursday morning, it was reported following that news that the Big 12 would cancel their tournament much like the rest of the power five conferences.

In wake of the decisions made by the conference commisioners, the news spread about cancellations of spring athletics much like New Mexico University with their upcoming series with the Texas Longhorns baseball team. The opportunity arose for each athletic conference along with the professional sports leagues to try and slow the spread of the COVID-19 (coronavirus).

The Big 12 later released a tweet that they would be suspending all conference championships until at least April 15th.

The NCAA later cancelled the NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments as well as the men’s and women’s College World Series. Essentially all sports through the academic year of 2019-2020 have been cancelled at this point in time.

Athletic Directory Chris Del Conte released the following statement.

With the Big 12’s recent directive suspending athletics activities until Sunday, March 29, all regular-season Longhorn Athletics competitions will be cancelled until that date, beginning with our Baseball series on Friday. In addition to in-season UT sports with current regular-season competition like Baseball, Golf, Rowing, Softball and Tennis, this also will include the Texas Relays and Spring Soccer matches, and postpone a decision on the start of Spring Football Practice until after the March 29 date.

“That was followed by an announcement from the NCAA that all winter and spring sports championships have been cancelled, which includes those upcoming in Track & Field, Basketball and Swimming & Diving. This is a very fluid situation and one that presents great challenges. The health, safety and well-being of everyone involved is the number one priority and we will be having many discussions in the coming hours, days and weeks to determine what the next steps are. We appreciate everyone’s support and patience on this and will continue to provide updates as decisions are made

At this point in time, spring football is at least pushed back into the month of April most likely but we will provide updates as they are passed along.

Irish in MLB: Trey Mancini Undergoes Successful Surgery

A surprise last week in MLB’s spring training came from Baltimore Orioles camp where veteran Trey Mancini left camp, taking an unexpected leave.  Today we found out why exactly the former Notre Dame baseball player had to step away from the game.

A surprise last week in MLB’s spring training came from Baltimore Orioles camp where veteran Trey Mancini left camp, taking an unexpected leave.  Today we found out why exactly the former Notre Dame baseball player had to step away from the game.

After discovering a malignant tumor during a colonoscopy last week, Mancini had successful surgery to remove the tumor today.

In a statement released by the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday, Mancini was thankful for the support from the team, fans, and supporters.

“The outpouring of love and support I have received has made an extremely tough week so much better,” Mancini said. “I have the best family, friends, fans and teammates imaginable. I am also eternally thankful for the Orioles front office, our athletic trainers and the entire medical staff for everything they have done to help me during this time. Finally, I would like to thank everyone for their prayers and kind words, which have furthered my excitement to get back to playing the game I love.”

There is no timetable set for Mancini to return to the club and with MLB suspending spring training operations as of Thursday afternoon, it’s hard to have any idea when play may resume.  The good news is Mancini was aware something was amiss and all was handled well by all parties.

Mancini played at Notre Dame from 2011-2013, hitting .297 and 28 home runs in that time.  The Orioles selected him in the eighth round of the 2013 MLB Draft.  Mancini led the Orioles in doubles, home runs, RBI, OBP, slugging percentage and total bases.

March Madness, other Big Ten events cancelled

With escalating coronavirus concerns, Winter 2020 sports have been cancelled.

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With all of the escalating concerns over the new strain of coronavirus (COVID-19), it was just a matter of time before the big dance became a casualty.

The NBA and NHL postponed the remainder of their seasons, and just minutes before Michigan and Rutgers tipped off, the Big Ten Tournament was also cancelled.

While the NCAA had announced that the tournament would continue, just limited with essential personnel and no spectators only, given the other events, it was due to follow suit  with March Madness. And on Thursday afternoon, that came to pass, with the NCAA Tournament being cancelled in earnest, per a release.

But that’s not all.

The Big Ten, as well as the NCAA, is taking all sports off the hook, canceling games for the non-revenue and revenue athletics alike, with the B1G announcing that it would reassess at the end of the semester.

The Big Ten Conference announced today that in addition to the Men’s Basketball Tournament it will be canceling all conference and non-conference competitions through the end of the academic year, including spring sports that compete beyond the academic year, and participation in all NCAA tournaments and competitions. In addition, the Conference has announced a moratorium on all on- and off-campus recruiting activities for the foreseeable future.

The Big Ten Conference will use this time to work with the appropriate medical experts and institutional leadership to determine next steps for moving forward in regard to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The main priority of the Big Ten Conference continues to be the health, safety and wellness of our student-athletes, coaches, administrators, fans and media as we continue to monitor all developing and relevant information on the COVID-19 virus.

The NCAA is taking all winter and spring championships off the table.

Thus concludes Michigan’s men’s and women’s basketball for the 2019-20 season. While it’s not optimal, the safety of the athletes involved certainly outweighs the risks of catching and potentially spreading a virus that has yet to be contained.

Texas baseball’s weekend series against New Mexico canceled

Texas’ weekend series against New Mexico will be canceled. The Lobos were scheduled to play games in Austin on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

Like many sports across the country, Texas’ weekend series against New Mexico will be canceled. The Lobos were scheduled to come to Austin and play games on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

The news broke when the Mountain West Conference announced they had suspended baseball season until further notice. While the Big 12 has not done the same, an announcement of similar nature is expected soon.

Up until this point of the season, the Longhorns were 14-3 and riding a four-game winning streak. Conference play was slated to begin on March 20 with Texas traveling to Oklahoma.

With many sporting events throughout the country being suspended or canceled, Texas fans can only wait until the Big 12 has made an official announcement on the status of spring sports.

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ACC Suspends All Athletic Competitions

It’s not just spring football or the NCAA Tournament but now the ACC has suspended all athletic-related activities.  The conference released the following statement Thursday afternoon:

It’s not just spring football or the NCAA Tournament but now the ACC has suspended all athletic-related activities.  The conference released the following statement Thursday afternoon:

“The Atlantic Coast Conference has suspended all athletic-related activities including all competition, formal and organized practice, recruiting and participation in NCAA championships until further notice. The decision was made following consultation with the league’s presidents and athletic directors to mitigate the further spread of COVID-19.”

ACC Commissioner John Swofford added the following:

“This is uncharted territory and the health and safety of our student-athletes and institutions remain our top priority. This decision is aimed to protect from the further spread of COVID-19.” 

It’s not surprising but I know I’m not the only one wondering right now, how long?  Will it be a couple weeks, a couple months or will it be something that goes all the way until football season and beyond?

I don’t know.

You don’t know.

The guy yelling on your TV doesn’t know either.

Take care of yourselves and each other in the meantime.  If you haven’t taken Coronavirus seriously yet, I’m not saying go into panic mode but it’s time to give it more thought.  Beyond just washing your hands take the time to learn more about how even if you’ll be fine, how you may put others at risk.

We’ll have plenty of content in the meantime at Fighting Irish Wire and as it appears there will no NCAA Tournament to watch, we’ll have a tournament of our own to track in the coming weeks.

SEC cancels basketball tournament, suspends baseball and softball

SEC cancels basketball tournament, suspends baseball and softball.

NASHVILLE — Southeastern Conference commissioner Greg Sankey was emotional on Thursday afternoon at a press conference after he made the decision to cancel the SEC men’s basketball tournament.

The event was officially canceled before No. 8 seed Tennessee was slated to take on No. 9 Alabama.

“You make the best decisions and the most responsible decisions with the information that you have available,” Sankey said.

The SEC was not the only league to bring a halt to its postseason tournament. All remaining conference tournaments will not be played.

Furthermore, Sankey announced that all on-field completion in baseball and softball will be suspended until at least March 30. He noted that national championships in wrestling, gymnastics and indoor track and field are scheduled to proceed as scheduled and that the SEC teams in those sports will be allowed to participate.

Baseball and softball may be affected beyond the month of March.

“It may not be March 30, it may be beyond,” Sankey said.

The NBA, NHL and MLS have all suspended play and Major League Baseball is also planning to shut down operations in definitely.

Locked on Longhorns Podcast: Previewing Texas Tech matchup

Patrick and Cami discuss the pandemic and how it effects the tournament. A preview of the Texas Tech game and recruiting notes.

Patrick and Cami start off the show by discussing the impact of the pandemic and what it means for the Big 12 tournament and Texas athletics over the course of the next few weeks.

Karson Robinson of 1340AM in Lubbock joins Patrick as they preview the big matchup between Texas and Texas Tech. Who is the player that the Longhorns need to limit in the game to have a shot at winning? Is this a “play in” game for both schools? Plus who is going to win this wild matchup?

Also Cami and Patrick discuss the Longhorns 9-1 victory over Abilene Christian. Could the Texas Longhorns land another five-star running back in back-to-back recruiting cycles?

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Seven-Eleven, Notre Dame Baseball Wins 7th in a Row, 11th Overall

Notre Dame Baseball goes on the road and defeats Radford 9-8 to keep win streak alive.

It didn’t come easy, but the Notre Dame Baseball team showed plenty of resilience on Wednesday night, battling back to get a 9-8 win over Radford in Virginia. The Highlanders jumped out to an early 3-0 lead, something the Irish aren’t accustomed to, making Link Jarrett’s team fight back from multiple deficits.

Starter Dominic Cancellieri gave up those three runs in two innings and the Irish got on the board in the 3rd when Catcher David LaManna drove in DH Carter Putz on a fielder’s choice. The offense got the game back to even at 3 in the top of the 4th after leftfielder Eric Gilgenbach tripled home SS Zach Prajzner and then LaManna singled home Gilgenbach.

Radford took back the lead in the bottom of the 4th off reliever Tommy Vail, but the Irish bat’s woke up and took the lead right back in the top of the 5th. First baseman Niko Kavadas blasted a 2-Run Homer to get the lead back, infielder Jared Miller stole 3rd and scored on an errand throw, 3B Jack Brannigan tripled home Gilgenbach, then CF Spencer Myers finished the scoring with a single bringing home Gilgenbach.

Although the Irish would give up three runs in the bottom of the 9th, they would escape Radford with a 9-8 win, Joe Boyle getting the save, their 7th in a row. The Irish win total now sits at 11, which took them until the end of March to attain last year, a stark contrast with Jarrett now at the helm.

The Irish have one more road series before their home opener, they travel to #2 Louisville this weekend for a 3-game set. It still remains to be seen what the NCAA will rule in regards to athletics with the COVID-19 epidemic.

SEC to play remainder of men’s basketball tournament, all regular season, championship events with attendance restrictions

SEC to play remainder of men’s basketball tournament, all regular season, championship events with attendance restrictions.

BIRMINGHAM – The Southeastern Conference has announced that the league will play the remainder of its men’s basketball tournament, all regular season and championship events with attendance restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic.

SEC press release:

The Southeastern Conference has announced it will conduct the 2020 SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament with only essential staff, limited family and credentialed media in attendance at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville for the remainder of the week beginning on Thursday following the recommendation of the NCAA COVID-19 Advisory Panel related to conducting sporting events closed to the public.

In addition, the SEC announced that all regular season contests in all sports on SEC campuses and SEC Championship events will be conducted with similar attendance restrictions effective Thursday, March 12 through at least March 30 at which time the conference and its member universities will re-evaluate conditions.

The SEC issued a statement from SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey:

“In light of recent developments beyond our control related to the spread of the coronavirus, including a recommendation from the NCAA COVID-19 Advisory Panel, and after consultation with our member universities, we have made the difficult decision to hold the 2020 SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament in Nashville without spectators beginning with games of Thursday, March 12. Effective immediately, the policy will also apply to other SEC Championship events and on-campus regular season games scheduled through at least the end of March.

“After conferring with local and national health authorities, we remain confident in our ability to safeguard the health and well-being of our student-athletes, coaches and other staff who will be participating as well as the limited number of family members and media who will be in attendance at the tournament. 

“We regret the inconvenience and disappointment this decision has caused our fans, especially those who have already travelled to Nashville for the tournament.”

As previously announced, the SEC has implemented the following enhanced health measures for the 2020 SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament:

• Use of hospital grade disinfectant to sanitize locker rooms before teams arrive and immediately upon departure;

• Sanitization of game balls with hospital grade disinfectant after each practice and game;

• Sanitization of team benches plus band and cheerleader seating areas following each game;

• Hand sanitizers, disinfectant wipes and Lysol spray in team locker rooms;

• Hand sanitizers at scorer’s table, in officials’ locker rooms, operations offices and media areas.

For the SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament, automatic refunds of ticket purchases will be made to fans who are the original purchaser of the tickets from SEC Office or an SEC university, or a verified purchaser on the SEC Ticket Exchange powered by Ticketmaster.  For regular season events, each campus will determine refund policies and procedures.

The SEC Network will televise the entire first and second round of the tournament and the quarterfinals evening session.  ESPN will broadcast the afternoon session of the quarterfinals, both semifinal matchups and the championship game.

The SEC remains in continued communication with public health officials and reminds everyone to be attentive to everyday preventive actions identified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (www.cdc.gov).