Stanford gets Vanderbilt, but will miss Leiter, Rocker
Vanderbilt coach Tim Corbin wouldn’t divulge his starting pitcher when his team faces Stanford today in a College World Series elimination game, but it won’t be either of his dominant aces, possible Top 5 MLB draft picks Jack Leiter or Kumar Rocker.
Leiter was the hardluck loser Monday when he struck out 15 in a complete-game four-hitter. He took the loss when Terrell Tatum’s solo homer was enough for the Wolf Pack to pull off a 1-0 upset win over Vanderbilt (46-16). Rocker pitched Saturday in a win over Arizona and won’t return on three days rest.
The Cardinal (39-16) is coming off a dominant offensive game during its 14-5 blowout win over Arizona Monday. Stanford could face one of Vanderbilt’s much-less heralded righthanders, freshmen Patrick Reilly or Christian Little. Or, perhaps both.
The winner of today’s Stanford-Vanderbilt game at 4 p.m. will stay alive and take on North Carolina State (37-18) on Friday. Today’s loser will have its season end.
Stanford, though, has already made CWS history with its victory on Monday -- the Cardinal is the only school to make more than five CWS appearances without going 0-2 at least once. TEXAS EXTENDS CWS STAY, KNOCKS OUT VOLUNTEERS >> Freshman Tanner Witt pitched 5 2/3 innings of shutout relief, Silas Ardoin hit a tie-breaking, two-run single, and Texas eliminated Tennessee from the College World Series with an 8-4 victory.
Golf
CAL’S MORIKAWA MAKES U.S. OLYMPIC TEAM >> Former Cal standout Collin Morikawa is among the four American golfers who’ll compete for the U.S. in the upcoming Olympics.
Spain’s Sergio Garcia, South African Louis Oosthuizen and England’s Tyrrell Hatton, though, announced their intentions against representing their respective countries in the Olympic Games.
The men’s field still has four of the top five in the world ranking, and five of the past six major champions. That includes Hideki Matsuyama, the first Japanese player to win the Masters.
The women’s field will be set next week.
Jon Rahm of Spain, who returned to No. 1 in the world with his U.S. Open victory, led the qualifiers. He was followed by four Americans — Justin Thomas, Morikawa, Xander Schauffele and Bryson DeChambeau.
Countries can have up to four players provided they are among the top 15 in the world. Otherwise, the limit is two until the 60-man field is set.
Basketball
MIDDLETON, HOLIDAY, LOVE COMMIT TO OLYMPICS >> Jrue Holiday has committed to USA Basketball for next month’s Tokyo Games, along with his Milwaukee teammate Khris Middleton and Cleveland forward Kevin Love, said to a person with knowledge of the decisions.
Suns guard Chris Paul, though, has declined an invitation to play for Team USA, ESPN reported.
It would be the first Olympics for Holiday and Middleton, and the second for Love — who was on the U.S. team that won gold at the 2012 London Games.
The Americans start training camp in Las Vegas on July 6. WISCONSIN PLAYERS SECRETLY RECORDED COACH >> Wisconsin’s seniors were openly critical of coach Greg Gard during a lateseason team meeting that was secretly recorded and later sent to a newspaper.
The Wisconsin State Journal says it received a 37-minute audio file this week of a Feb. 19 team meeting that included seven senior players, Gard and three assistant coaches. The newspaper said it received the recording from an anonymous email account and that it included only a portion of the actual meeting.
During the meeting, forward Nate Reuvers tells Gard that “we don’t have a relationship” and that “I personally don’t think or feel like you care about our future aspirations.” Guard Walt McGrory tells Gard “I don’t know if I’ll ever talk to you again after this.”
Gard told the State Journal “it’s so disturbing that somebody would take a private family meeting and make it for public consumption.” Wisconsin officials didn’t immediately respond to a message seeking comment Tuesday.
Wisconsin went 18-13 and lost to eventual national champion Baylor in the second round of the NCAA Tournament this past season.
Equestrian
NAPA’S SCHUT-KERY MAKES OLYMPIC TEAM >> Sabine Schut-Kery of Napa has been named to the U.S. Olympic dressage team. The German-born trainer will compete on 15-yearold Sanceo.
“From first laying our eyes on Sanceo as a barely 3-year-old to being named to the U.S. Olympic Dressage Team this beautiful soul has taken us over the years to many unique places and on many, many special rides,” Schut-Kery said in a Facebook post.
Swimming
CHINA’S SUN YANG BANNED AGAIN, TO MISS OLYMPICS >> Chinese swimmer star Sun Yang was banned for more than four years for breaking anti-doping rules after a retrial at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
The court’s verdict ends Sun’s hopes of defending his Olympic title in the 200 meters freestyle in Tokyo next month. The ban is backdated to February 2020, meaning Sun could return for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The judges found Sun “to have acted recklessly” when he refused to let anti-doping officials leave his home with a sample of his blood.
Football
SLOCUM DIAGNOSED WITH HODGKIN’S LYMPHOMA >> Former Texas A&M coach R.C. Slocum has been diagnosed with a form of Hodgkin’s lymphoma, the school announced. Per Texas A&M, the 76-year-old Slocum will undergo chemotherapy in College Station in consultation with MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. The center is considered one of the nation’s best for treating cancer patients.
Slocum was the head coach of the Aggies from 1989-2002 and tallied a record of 123-47-2. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2012.
Tennis
GAUFF, SWIATEK, SABALENKA WIN AT EASTBOURNE >> Fourth-seeded Iga Swiatek battled back to defeat home favorite Heather Watson in three sets and earn her first career main draw win on grass at the Viking International in Eastbourne.
Swiatek won 6-3, 6-7 (4), 7-5 after trailing 4-1 in the deciding set during a packed day of first-round matches at the Wimbledon warmup tournament after a full washout Monday.
While Swiatek avoided an upset, defending champion Karolina Pliskova couldn’t do the same. The former No. 1 player lost to Camila Giorgi 2-6, 6-2, 6-2.
Top-seeded Aryna Sabalenka reached the second round by defeating Bernarda Pera 6-3, 6-4.
CoCo Gauff mounted a comeback to beat seventhseeded Elise Mertens 0-6, 7-6 (4), 7-5.
On the men’s side, British player Liam Broady defeated Frances Tiafoe 6-3, 7-6 (4).
Track and field
SIMPSON OUT, ST. PIERRE IN ON A STUNNING DAY AT TRIALS >> Jenny Simpson, whose third-place finish in Rio five years ago made her the first American woman to win an Olympic medal at 1,500 meters, finished 10th on Monday in the first true stunner of U.S. track trials.
The winner, Elle Purrier St. Pierre, set a new trials record of 3 minutes, 58.03 seconds. The old record was set 33 years ago by Mary Slaney.
Cory McGee was second and Heather MacLean finished third to earn spots to Tokyo.
In another big upset Monday, Clayton Murphy won the 800 meters to lead a field that will not include the reigning world champion Donavan Brazier. Murphy, the bronze medalist at the Rio Games, finished in 1 minute, 43.17 seconds. Isaiah Jewett and Bryce Hoppel grabbed the other two spots.
Meanwhile, other winners included Will Claye (men’s triple jump), Elise Cranny (women’s 5,000 meters), Curtis Thompson (men’s javelin) and Chris Nilsen (men’s pole vault), who edged two-time world champion Sam Kendricks.