THURDAY SPORTS, JULY 16, 2026
PALACE CITY LEGION BASEBALL
— Palace City Post 18 Legion baseball split its final regular-season doubleheader Wednesday against Dakota Valley, winning the opener 9-5 before being shut out 3-0. In the game one, Palace City broke a scoreless tie with a six-run fifth inning to secure the victory. Ian Weber, Dawson Adams, Tyler Christensen, Avery Kaus, and Carter McCormick each drove in runs. Post 18 capitalized on eight walks issued by Dakota Valley pitchers, while Jacob Ebert earned the complete-game victory for Palace City. In game two, Dakota Valley pitcher Noah Graham threw a complete-game shutout, limiting Palace City to just two hits, singles by Allen and Jaxson Hartman. The Panthers scored all three of their runs in the fourth inning. Palace City finishes the regular season with a 20-22 record, including an 11-14 mark against Class A opponents. As the No. 11 seed, Post 18 will open postseason play in a best-of-three regional series scheduled for July 22-23. The regional winners will advance to the State Tournament in Rapid City, July 28 through Aug. 1.
— Palace City Post 18 Junior Legion lost to Watertown on Wednesday 6-3 and 6-5 to fall to 24-17 on the season. The Junior Legion team will be at Renner on Thursday for a 5 om doubleheader.
— Palace City 14-and-under lost to Brandon Valley on Wednesday 15-3 and 12-11 to fall to 14-26 on the season.
— Palace City 13-and-under lost at Brandon Valley on Wednesday 14-6 and 10-2 to fall to 6-36 on the season.
SOUTH DAKOTA STATE
— South Dakota State is the preseason favorite to win the Missouri Valley Football Conference. The Jackrabbits received 28 of 36 first-place votes in the league’s preseason poll, finishing ahead of defending FCS runner-up Illinois State. Youngstown State was picked third, followed by North Dakota and South Dakota. SDSU also placed 19 players on the conference’s preseason Players to Watch list. The Jackrabbits open the season Aug. 29 at home against Stetson before beginning conference play Sept. 19 against Youngstown State.
— South Dakota State quarterback Chase Mason has been named to the preseason watch list for the 2026 Walter Payton Award, presented annually to the top offensive player in the FCS. Mason returns for his second season as the Jackrabbits’ starting quarterback after throwing for more than 2,000 yards and accounting for 21 touchdowns in just nine games last season. The Hurley native led SDSU to an 8-1 record in his starts despite missing time with an injury.
— South Dakota State linebacker Cullen McShane has been named to the preseason watch list for the 2026 Buck Buchanan Award, presented annually to the top defensive player in the FCS. The senior from Marquette, Iowa, recorded 88 tackles, 7½ tackles for loss, one sack and a forced fumble last season while earning second-team All-Missouri Valley Football Conference honors.
AMATEUR BASEBALL – WEDNESDAY
Wessington Springs 11, Plankinton 1 – Layne Cotton went 3-for-3 with a double.
Wessington Springs 17, Plankinton 1 – Layne Cotton went 4-for-5 with a double.
Platte vs. Parkston Rays – Thursday at 7:30 pm
Dimock/Emery vs. Mt. Vernon – Thursday at 7:30 pm
Corsica vs. Freeman – Thursday at 7:30 pm
Wessington Springs vs. Burke – Thursday at 8 pm
Winner/Colome vs. Alexandria – Friday at 8 pm
Plankinton vs. Four Corners – Friday at 8 pm
AMATEUR BASEBALL POLL – CLASS B
1. Alexandria Angels
2. Dell Rapids PBR
3. Dell Rapids Mudcats
4. Canova Gang
5. Parkston Mudcats
6. Humboldt-Hartford Wood Ducks
7. Tabor Bluebirds
8. Redfield Dairy Queen
9. Castlewood Ravens
10. Elk Point .Colt 45s
Receiving votes: Volga Cormorants, Kimball-White Lake Nationals, Garretson Blue Jays, Parkston Rays, Humboldt-Hartford Gamecocks, Winner-Colome Pheasants
WORLD CUP
Argentina 2, England 1 – Argentina will face Spain in the World Cup Final on Sunday at 2 pm on FOX.
MLB
— With Major League Baseball’s expanded playoff format keeping more teams in contention, this year’s Aug. 3 trade deadline is shaping up to be one of the toughest to predict. 23 of 30 clubs are within four games of a playoff spot entering the second half, leaving many teams undecided on whether to buy or sell. Detroit ace Tarik Skubal, Boston closer Aroldis Chapman and Red Sox starter Sonny Gray are among the biggest names who could be available if their teams fall out of the race. Meanwhile, the Phillies and Red Sox have surged back into contention under new managers, while first-round playoff byes remain a major goal for division leaders.
— Major League Baseball is proposing changes to amateur draft eligibility that would prevent high school players in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico from signing until they are at least 20 years old and two years removed from their high school graduating class. Commissioner Rob Manfred says the move reflects the growing importance of college baseball, noting that 70 to 75% of major league players now come through college programs. Manfred says MLB also wants to encourage more players to pursue higher education, saying college can be an important part of a player’s overall development. The proposal would represent a major shift from the current system, which allows teams to draft and sign players directly out of high school.
— Philadelphia Phillies star Bryce Harper says he did not know a personalized video he recorded through Cameo would be used by FanDuel as a reward for a high-volume gambler who later sued the sportsbook. A FanDuel customer, Terry Thompson, wagered $18.5 million with the company and received a video message from Harper as a VIP reward. Thompson later filed a lawsuit alleging FanDuel and DraftKings took advantage of his gambling addiction. Harper said he recorded the video through Cameo, an app where fans pay celebrities for personalized messages, and was unaware of any connection between the request and FanDuel’s VIP program. Harper said if he had known FanDuel’s intent or the details of Thompson’s situation, he would not have made the video. He also said FanDuel did not have permission to use the recording.
WNBA
— Kayla McBride scored 24 for her fifth straight 20-point performance as the Minnesota Lynx beat the Los Angeles Sparks 96-87 for their fourth straight victory. Minnesota went on a 19-3 run, scoring on 10 straight possessions in the third quarter. Minnesota went 8 of 14 from 3-point range in the second half after missing 11 straight before halftime. The Lynx host Portland on Saturday.
— Four-time MVP A’ja Wilson was selected first in the WNBA All-Star draft for the exhibition game that will be played on July 25 in Chicago. Acting as honorary general managers, WNBA greats Cynthia Cooper and Teresa Weatherspoon each drafted All-Star teams Wednesday from players that previously were either voted as starters by fans, media and fellow players or chosen as reserves by the league’s coaches. Previously, the top two fan vote-getters would serve as captains and draft their own teams. This year that would have been Dallas’ Paige Bueckers and Indiana’s Caitlin Clark. Instead, they were each assigned to a team. Joining Bueckers in the starting lineup were New York’s Breanna Stewart, Indiana’s Kelsey Mitchell, Minnesota’s Natasha Howard and Golden State’s Gabby Williams. Joining Wilson is Minnesota’s Olivia Miles, Indiana’s Aliyah Boston and Dallas’ Jessica Shepard.
COLLEGE
— The Atlantic Coast Conference is looking for new ways to increase revenue as college athletics enters the era of athlete revenue sharing. ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips says corporate sponsorships are becoming a bigger part of the league’s financial strategy, including event naming rights, advertising deals and partnerships with major companies. The ACC reported more than $826 million in revenue for the 2024-25 season, but still trails the Big Ten and SEC financially. Phillips says the league is focused on finding additional revenue streams, with the ACC announcing a new partnership Wednesday with AI cybersecurity company ReliaQuest. The ACC has increased its corporate sponsorships to nine in the past five years, with partners including Apple, Dr Pepper, Gatorade and Allstate.
— The ACC is changing its football championship game tiebreaker rules after last season’s controversial finish that sent five-loss Duke to the title game over then-No. 10 Miami. Commissioner Jim Phillips says the new system will prioritize head-to-head results, avoid rewarding or penalizing teams based on conference games played, and use an analytics-based measure of overall performance when needed. The changes take effect this season as the ACC begins transitioning to a nine-game conference schedule.
NFL
— Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens will play the 2026 season on his $27.3 million franchise tag after Wednesday’s deadline for long-term contract extensions passed. The Cowboys had already announced they would not negotiate a new deal before the season. Pickens, who was acquired from Pittsburgh last year, is coming off a career-best season with 93 catches, 1,429 receiving yards and nine touchdowns. He’ll become eligible for free agency after the season unless Dallas uses the franchise tag again or reaches a future extension.
— Alvin Kamara is staying with the Saints after agreeing to a reworked contract for the 2026 season. Financial details weren’t immediately released, but the move keeps the veteran running back in New Orleans after offseason trade speculation. Kamara, who turns 31 before training camp, says he wants to finish his career with the Saints. He’ll share the backfield with newcomer Travis Etienne Jr. after the team invested heavily at the running back position this offseason.
TENNIS
— A drama-filled, all-Czech women’s final at Wimbledon secured record-breaking television ratings for ESPN over the weekend, anchoring the network’s second most-watched coverage of the grass-court Grand Slam in its history. Saturday’s championship match, which saw Linda Noskova defeat Karolina Muchova, averaged 1.9 million viewers. The broadcast marked a 48% viewership increase over the 2025 final. On the men’s side, Jannik Sinner’s four-set victory over Alexander Zverev on Sunday averaged 2.4 million viewers.