TUESDAY SPORTS, JULY 16, 2025
AMATEUR BASEBALL
Winner/Colome vs. Mt. Vernon – Tuesday
Alexandria vs. Corsica – Thursday
Mitchell Aces vs. Parkston Rays – Thursday
Garretson vs. Parkston Mudcats – Thursday
MITCHELL KERNELS
— Mitchell Gold 16-and-under (18-9) hosts Rapid City for a doubleheader starting at noon on Wednesday.
— Mitchell Black 14-and-under (17-14) hosts a doubleheader against Brandon Valley on Sunday.
— Mitchell White 13-and-under (8-16) hosts Pierre for a doubleheader at 4 p.m. on Wednesday.
LEGION BASEBALL
Lincoln East (Neb.) 5, Rapid City Post 22 2 – Post 22 is eliminated at a run to the quarterfinals of the Gopher Classic outside of Minneapolis.
Rapid City Post 22 17, Papillion (Neb.) 0 (3 innings) – Round of 16
Volga 7, Scotland/Menno/Freeman/Canistota 2
GOLF
— Jake Olson of Watertown and McKenzie Mages of Sioux Falls won the men’s and women’s titles at the SDGA Match Play Championships, held last week at Prairie Green Golf Course in Sioux Falls. Olson, a sophomore at SDSU, defeated Hayden Scott 3-and-2 in the final, while Mages, an SDSU senior, beat Mitchell’s Allison Meyerink 5-and-4. In the senior men’s bracket, Mitchell’s Brad Buche fell short of a third straight title, losing 2-and-1 to Rob Dewit of Sioux Falls.
MLB
— Seattle’s Cal Raleigh won his first All-Star Home Run Derby after leading the big leagues in HR’s going into the break, defeating Tampa Bay’s Junior Caminero 18-15 in the final round. The Mariners’ catcher advanced out of the first round on a tiebreaker by less than an inch over the Athletics’ Brent Rooker based on HR distance, then won his semifinal 19-13 over Pittsburgh’s Oneil Cruz, whose 513-foot first-round HR was the longest of the night. Byron Buxton of the Twins hit 20 HR’s in the first round before losing to Junior Caminero in the semifinals 8-7.
— Shohei Ohtani will bat leadoff as the designated hitter for the National League in Tuesday’s MLB All-Star Game in Atlanta. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts announced the NL lineup, with Ronald Acuña Jr. batting second and Ketel Marte third. Paul Skenes of the Pirates will start for the NL, while Detroit’s Tarik Skubal will pitch for the AL. Gleyber Torres will lead off for the AL, followed by Riley Greene and Aaron Judge. Skenes and Skubal rank first and second in fastball velocity this season. Skenes has a 2.01 ERA, while Skubal, the reigning AL Cy Young winner, holds a 2.23 ERA.
— Tampa Bay Rays owner Stu Sternberg has agreed in principle to a $1.7 billion deal to sell the franchise to a group led by a Florida-based developer Patrick Zalupski. The deal is reportedly expected to be closed as early as September and will keep the franchise in the area, with Zalupski, a homebuilder in Jacksonville, having a strong preference to land in Tampa rather than St. Petersburg. Sternberg bought the Rays in 2004 for $200 million.
— Curveballs are disappearing from Major League Baseball as pitchers prioritize velocity, emphasizing sliders and sweepers. Curveball usage dropped from 10% in 2019 to 8% this season, with nearly 23,000 fewer thrown in 2024 than five years earlier. Despite the drop, batters are hitting .225 against curveballs this season, lower than fastballs.
YOUTH BASEBALL
— South Dakota held its VFW state youth baseball tournaments, awarding titles in the 8U and 12U divisions.
- 12U Division:
- Bravo Division: Corsica/Stickney won the title with a 12-2 victory over Emery in Groton.
- Charlie Division: Parkston took the championship in Hot Springs, beating Platte-Geddes 13-11.
- Alpha Division: Madison Bulls claimed the title with a 6-3 win over Dell Rapids in Beresford.
- 8U Division (held in Madison):
- Bravo: Platte/Geddes defeated Corsica/Stickney 12-10 for the championship.
In total, 25 teams competed in the 8U divisions, with pool play followed by bracket play on Sunday.MLB
— Seattle catcher Cal Raleigh agreed to play for the U.S. team at next year’s World Baseball Classic, joining captain Aaron Judge, Paul Skenes and Bobby Witt Jr. USA Baseball announced the decision Monday before Raleigh participated in the Home Run Derby. The 20-nation World Baseball Classic will be played from March 5-17. Japan is defending champion.
NBA
— San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama says he expects to play this coming season and has been fully cleared after dealing with deep vein thrombosis in his shoulder for the past few months. There was no immediate word from the Spurs on the report. Wembanyama was the NBA’s rookie of the year two years ago and was the front-runner for defensive player of the year last season when he was diagnosed with the blood clot in his right shoulder in February and was shut down.
The Dallas Mavericks are shutting down Cooper Flagg for the remainder of the NBA summer league, ending the rookie star’s Las Vegas stint after just two games. The Mavs opted to shut down Flagg after the No. 1 draft pick scored 31 points in Saturday’s game against the San Antonio Spurs. Flagg shot 10-for-21 from the floor in a bounce-back performance from his summer league debut against the Lakers on Thursday, when he had just 10 points on 5-of-21 shooting.
— Philadelphia 76ers’ Paul George had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee Monday to treat an injury that occurred during a recent workout. George’s rehab program is set to begin and he will be re-evaluated prior to the start of training camp. State. George, who turned 35 on May 2, signed a $212 million, four-year contract in free agency last summer. But his first year in Philly was marred by knee and adductor injuries that resulted in the forward having one of the worst years of his NBA career. He averaged 16 points in just 41 games, his lowest scoring average in a full season since he averaged 12 points for Indiana in his second NBA season.
WNBA
Minnesota Lynx 91, Chicago Sky 78 – Napheesa Collier finished with 29 points and five assists. Angel Reese had a double-double for Chicago with 22 points and 10 rebounds.
Phoenix Mercury 78, Golden State Valkyries 77
Connecticut Sun vs. Indiana Fever, Tuesday at 7 pm on ESPN
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
— SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey says the SEC and Big Ten have not agreed on a College Football Playoff format beyond this season. Sankey noted frequent discussions with Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti but highlighted differing views on playoff allocations. The current 12-team playoff guarantees spots for the five highest-ranked conference champions. Sankey emphasized collaboration but stated changes could proceed without unanimous agreement. The CFP contract allows the SEC and Big Ten to propose and impose changes if aligned.
— Less than two weeks after terms of a multibillion-dollar college sports settlement went into effect, friction erupted over the definition of a “valid business purpose” that collectives making name, image likeness payments to players are supposed to have. The new College Sports Commission sent a letter to athletic directors last week saying it was rejecting deals in which players were receiving money from collectives that were created solely to pay them and don’t provide goods or services to the general public for profit.
— The Sun Belt Conference has formally approved a proposal to extend a membership invitation to Louisiana Tech, a person familiar with the situation said. It is not clear how soon the Bulldogs will join the Sun Belt, but that it could be as early as the 2026 football season if the university is able to negotiate a departure from Conference USA at the end of the 2025-26 academic year. A person familiar with the situation said Louisiana Tech had notified Conference USA Commissioner Judy MacLeod of its intent to move to the Sun Belt.
NFL
— Former NFL quarterback Teddy Bridgewater said he has been suspended from coaching his former high school team in Miami because he provided players with financial benefits that he says he’d reported to the school. The 32-year-old Bridgewater publicized action taken against him by Miami Northwestern High School in a social media post in which he also reaffirmed his desire to continuing coaching the team for which he once played. Last fall marked Bridgewater’s first season coaching his former school, which he led to a Class 3A state championship before signing with Detroit in late December to serve as a backup for the Lions.
— A Broward County judge has found probable cause after Cleveland Browns rookie running back Quinshon Judkins was arrested Saturday night in Florida on a charge of battery and domestic violence. Judkins was released on Sunday after he posted $2,500 bond. The judge ordered Judkins not to be in contact with the alleged victim and no access to firearms. The charge is a misdemeanor. The alleged incident took place on July 7 in a car after leaving the Fort Lauderdale Airport. The alleged victim stayed with Judkins in Fort Lauderdale for five days and celebrated her birthday before making the report.
— NFL Hall of Famer John Elway won’t be charged after his business partner Jeffrey Sperbeck was fatally injured falling out of his golf cart at a Southern California golf resort community last April. The Riverside County Sheriff’s Office said that investigators found nothing criminal and ruled it a tragic accident. Sperbeck, Elway’s partner and former agent, died after suffering an injury when he tumbled out of the golf cart driven by the former quarterback on April 26 at a golf course east of Los Angeles. Sperbeck’s cause of death was “blunt force trauma” and the manner of death was an accident that occurred when the “passenger fell from the golf cart,” the county coroner’s report said. He was 62.
— San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jauan Jennings, who is scheduled to make $7.5 million in the final year of his deal, wants a new contract or a trade. It marks the second straight summer the 49ers have a receiver who wants to be paid or traded — Brandon Aiyuk. Jennings has approached the 49ers about his request, but little progress has been made. If a new deal is not reached by the time training camp starts next week, Jennings plans to request a trade to a team willing to pay him. Aiyuk, who is recovering from a torn ACL, is scheduled to make close to $25 million this season under the extension he signed in August.
— The New York Jets and wide receiver Garrett Wilson have agreed on a four-year, $130 million contract extension. Wilson, drafted 10th overall in 2022, was the Offensive Rookie of the Year that season and has surpassed 1,000 receiving yards in each of his first three years.