AQ's Buttles is Player of the Week
Kendall Buttles of Aquinas tossed two no-hitters and totaled 50 strikeouts through four games last week for the Li'l Irish.
On Wednesday, she struck out 12 on her way to a no-hitter against Livonia. Then on Friday, she picked up 14 strikeouts in a win over Pal-Mac.
In a Saturday double header, the eighth grader had a 12-strikeout game against Hornell in Game 1 to lift Aquinas to the win. In Game 2, she earned her second no-hitter of the week with another 12-strikeout performance against Marion/Gananda.
Buttles has led the Li'l Irish on a four-game winning streak, making her our Player of the Week.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Miami Herald
8 hours ago
- Miami Herald
Florida Atlantic Football Preview 2025: Owls Season Prediction, Win Total Projection, Top Players
Florida Atlantic Owls Key to the Season The offensive line has to give everyone time to going to be hard to do with a totally patchwork front five, but it can't be too much worse. It allowed close to three sacks and seven tackles for loss per game, the running game wasn't good, and the solid skill parts now in place need more time to operate.2025 Florida Atlantic Preview Florida Atlantic Owls Key Player Vincent Forney, OT 6-5, 275-pound sophomore isn't massive, but he moves well. Brought in to take over one of the tackle jobs, the faster he can grow into the gig, the stronger the pieces of the puzzle will be put together in fall camp. Florida Atlantic Owls Top Transfer, Biggest Transfer Loss Top Transfer In: Caden Veltkamp, QB other key players are coming in, but Veltkamp needs to be the star of the show. The Conference USA Player of the Year threw for over 3,100 yards with 25 touchdowns and ten picks at Western Kentucky last Transfer Out: Phillip Dunnam, S Cam Fancher leaving for UCF is actually the biggest transfer loss, but the Owls might have upgraded the position with was one of the team's better defenders, making 109 tackles with six picks and ten broken up passes over the last two years, but he's moving up the road with Fancher to UCF. Florida Atlantic Owls Key Game at Rice, Oct. 4Rice is another AAC program undergoing a coaching overhaul, and it also needs to deal with huge personnel changes. By this point, Florida Atlantic should be 2-2 with losses to Maryland and Memphis, and wins over Florida A&M and FIU. Win this, and with UAB next, a 4-2 start is possible.- 2025 Florida Atlantic Schedule Breakdown Florida Atlantic Owls Top 10 Players 1. Caden Veltkamp, QB Jr.2. Easton Messer, WR Jr.3. Daughtry Richardson, OT Jr.4. Wendol Philord, S Sr.5. Jabari Smith, WR Soph.6. Logan Lupo, P Sr.7. Jayden Williams, S Sr.8. Germari Sands, RB Soph.9. JR Wilson, WR Jr.10. Garrison Smith, PK Sr. Florida Atlantic Owls 2024 Fun Stats - 4th Quarter Scoring: Opponents 104, Florida Atlantic 46- Sacks: Opponents 30 for 196 yards, Florida Atlantic 13 for 66 yards- Passing Touchdowns: Opponents 23, Florida Atlantic 9 Florida Atlantic Owls 2025 Season Prediction, Win Total, What Will Happen The Owls will be the very least, the new coaching staff will get a whole lot more than the 311 points last year's attack came up weren't that many close calls last year - Michigan State was oddly tight late, but North Texas and Temple were gettable losses - but a few more of those could've swung the other time around, Florida A&M should be a win. Tulsa and UAB are winnable home games, FIU and Rice are winnable road dates, and there should be one shocker in a good way, and one in a bad way. After several twists and turns, the Owls will stay in the mix to be bowl eligible through The Florida Atlantic Win Total At … 4.5 Likely Wins: Florida A&M50/50 Games: East Carolina, at FIU, at Navy, at Rice, Tulsa, UAB, UConnLikely Losses: at Maryland, Memphis, at USF, at Tulane2025 Florida Atlantic Preview © 2025 The Arena Group Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Toledo Football Preview 2025: Another Year, Another Great Rocket Team
Toledo Football Preview 2025: Another Year, Another Great Rocket Team originally appeared on College Football News. Toledo and head coach Jason Candle have made success seem so routine. The ball got rolling under Matt Campbell, and that came after the end of the Tim Beckman era. Now, Toledo has gone the last 15 years without a losing season. Georgia can't make that claim. Neither can Notre Dame, Michigan, Penn State, Texas, Oregon, LSU, and just about every other team you can think of. And that's what makes Toledo so maddening at times. It blew out Mississippi State 41-17 in Starkville last season, and lost to Akron. It didn't play for the MAC title, and it beat Pitt in the wackiest bowl game of the postseason. There are losses on both sides of the ball, and the offensive front has to be far better, but the schedule isn't bad, and no Power Four school has snatched up Candle yet, Ho hum, it'll be another great season of Toledo football. Toledo Rockets College Football Preview 2025 Sep 14, 2024; Starkville, Mississippi, USA; Toledo Rockets quarterback Tucker Gleason (4) looks to pass against the Mississippi State Bulldogs during the first quarter at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field.© Matt Bush-Imagn Images Toledo Rockets Preview 2025: Offense X CFN, Fiu | CFN Facebook | Bluesky Fiu, CFN - The offense had its worst full season since 2019, and it showed in the five losses. The Rockets were 8-0 when scoring more than 21 points, and 0-5 when scoring that many or fewer, including in a total clunker against Akron to close the regular season. - The quarterback situation is settled with Tucker Gleason back after throwing for over 4,000 yards with 36 touchdowns in the four years since coming over from Georgia Tech. He can run, too, ripping off 364 yards and seven scores last season. Advertisement - The Rockets hit the jackpot in the transfer portal, getting receiver Trayvon Rudolph (Northern Illinois) to take over as the No. 1 man. Junior Vandeross III is back in the slot after leading the team with 85 grabs, and Eric Holley is a decent outside threat who got his feet wet last year. The Rockets needed a new tight end with Anthony Torres done, and in comes Jacob Petersen (Holy Cross) after a 34-catch, six-touchdown 2024. - It's Toledo. The offensive line is supposed to be a plus. It was good last year in pass protection, but it didn't do much of anything against the run. All-MAC guard Ethan Spoth is back at one spot, veteran Carter Fouty is back at another guard job, along with sophomore tackle Cole Rhett. The O needs transfers Jonathan Harder (Cincinnati) and center Terrence Moore (Pitt) to be great right away and do more for ... - The running game - it wasn't good. It averaged just 3.45 yards per carry, but coming in to change that is former Arizona State-turned-Ohio State-turned-Kentucky back Chip Trayanum to handle the workload. Also coming in is Kenji Christian, a big back who started at Virginia Tech and ripped it up for North Carolina A&T before getting hurt last year. Toledo Rockets Preview 2025: Defense - For the most part, the defense was fine. It allowed fewer than 28 points nine times, had a good pass rush, and forced plenty of takeaways. If the offense can be a little better, and do a stronger job of controlling the clock, the D will be better, but ... Advertisement - The line has to replace Darius Alexander and Cavon Butler, and now the bulk is missing. There are veterans ready to step up, though, with Martez Ponyter and Esean Carter the key backups last season. Malachi Davis did a decent job in a rotation on the end, and Anthony Dunn was second on the team with four sacks. - The transfer portal is helping the linebacking corps. Langston Long (USF) is a quick option who should make plenty of tackles in the middle if he can stay healthy, and Louce Julien (UMass) made five sacks with 43 tackles last year in Amherst. - The secondary is the team's biggest strength. The corner combination of Avery Smith and Nasir Bowers might be the best in the MAC. Smith made 58 tackles, broke up 14 passes, and picked off two passes. Bowers was a dynamic producer on the other side with 44 tackles and two interceptions, including a pick six. Brandon Awls should be an All-MAC safety after making 72 tackles with four picks, Emmanuel McNeil-Warren was all over the place with 61 stops, and the transfer portal is bringing the depth. Toledo Rockets Key to the Season Get running again. In the first eight seasons of the Jason Candle era, the Rockets weren't even close to averaging fewer than four yards per carry for a full season. Last year's offense averaged 3.45 yards per carry. Toledo Rockets Key Player Jonathan Harder, OT Jr. Toledo should always be good for a few All-MAC performers on the line, but last year there was a problem for the ground game. Overall, the front five wasn't strong enough. Enter the 6-4, 330-pound transfer from Cincinnati, who has to lock down and shine on the left side. Toledo Rockets Top Transfer, Biggest Transfer Loss Top Transfer In: Trayvon Rudolph, WR Sr. The fifth-year senior should explode with a little more work his way. An All-MAC performer at times in his four seasons with Northern Illinois, he caught 153 passes for 2,047 yards and ten touchdowns. There's far more explosion than he was able to show over the last two years. Top Transfer Out: Jay'Quan Bostic, S RFr. Toledo miraculously got out of the transfer portal run - for now - without losing any massive parts. Bostic is a good-looking young safety who didn't see any time last season, but will work now in Eddie George's secondary at Bowling Green. Toledo Rockets Key Game at Miami University, Nov. 12 As long as Toledo plays up to its ability, talent level, and potential, this should be it. This should be the most dangerous game in a workable MAC schedule, and it comes on the road. Toledo can win everything else, lose this, and probably be fine, if it can pull this off, be shocked if it's not in the MAC title game. - 2025 Toledo Schedule Breakdown Toledo Rockets Top 10 Players 1. Junior Vandeross III, WR Sr. 2. Brandon Awls, S Jr. 3. Tucker Gleason, QB Sr. 4. Chip Trayanum, RB Sr. 5. Avery Smith, CB Sr. 6. Trayvon Rudolph, WR Sr. 7. Ethan Spoth, OG Jr. 8. Nasir Bowers, CB Sr. 9. Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, S Sr. 10. Jacob Petersen, TE Sr. Toledo Rockets 2024 Fun Stats - Time of Possession: Opponents 33:04, Toledo 26:56 - Two-Point Conversions: Toledo 6-of-7, Opponents. 4-of-8 - 2nd. Quarter Scoring: Toledo 126, Opponents 59 Toledo Rockets 2025 Season Prediction, Win Total, What Will Happen Even when Toledo isn't at its best, it's still good enough to be the best team in the MAC, or close to it. It'll fight the good fight in road games against Kentucky and Washington State, but it'll be the underdog in both games. If the offense is a little sharper, it should have the talent to win everything else. It won't, and it'll slip somewhere along the way - sort of like the Akron game last year - but it misses Buffalo and Ohio. That's huge, but not getting UMass and Eastern Michigan hurts. Advertisement Even so, it'll be another good year, another winning record, and a decent bowl game after playing for the MAC Championship. Set The Toledo Win Total At … 8 Likely Wins: Akron, Kent State, Morgan State 50/50 Games: Ball State, at Bowling Green, at Central Michigan, at Miami University, Northern Illinois, at Western Michigan, WKU Likely Losses: at Kentucky, at Washington State This story was originally reported by College Football News on Jun 21, 2025, where it first appeared.
USA Today
2 days ago
- USA Today
Ernie Els watched the game 'pass him by' in his 40s. The PGA Tour Champions changed that
The ever-present, never-ceasing drive to keep improving is one of the pillars of golf. For anyone who loves the sport, it is perhaps the most relatable, constant aspect of why it's all so alluring. The swing is always evolving, on good days getting better and on frustrating days seemingly worse. Performances from round to round often feel fluid, with that next tier of personal improvement just in front of you but difficult to attain. Golf is the sport in which everyone is running on a similar treadmill, chasing that proverbial carrot. That idea is one of the reasons why Ernie Els has been so successful on the PGA Tour Champions circuit, which included a win at the 2024 Kaulig Companies Championship at Firestone Country Club. Els returned this week as the defending champ, shooting a rain-soaked 2-over 72 during June 19's opening round. Ernie Els finding success with PGA Tour Champions leading into Kaulig Companies Championship Els, now 55 and already a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame, still has the love to keep grinding. It's part of what keeps him and everyone else on the PGA Tour Champions going. "We still work on the game," Els said this week at Firestone Country Club. "You'll see a lot of guys out there on the range really working on their games because you still want to play at some kind of level within yourself. I think that's what drives us, what drives us all. "I still feel like I want to try and improve in a lot of areas in my game, and that's what we're still battling out." More: Making a difference for autism, Ernie Els is Golfweek's 2024 Father of the Year Of course, playing the game competitively as a player begins to hit certain age milestones requires adjustments, and sometimes admissions that don't want to be made. It hit Els in his late 40s as his body would no longer allow him to do some of the things needed to beat the best up-and-coming players on the PGA Tour. Joining the PGA Tour Champions a few years ago served as a vehicle for rejuvenation. And Els has often been the player to beat. "I think it's just a love for the game still," Els said. "I think in my late 40s, I had a bit of a dry run on the regular tour. You just get a little bit — the game kind of passes you by late in your 40s. It happened with me. "Out here on the Champions Tour, you come out as a rookie when you're 50, you look at guys that you played with and they might be 10 years older than you, so they're kind of phasing out a little bit, so you feel you have a chance to do something again." The admission that he was transitioning into a new phase of his career wasn't easy to accept at first. It's something every golfer can relate to eventually, just at different levels. "You know, it's a sudden slowdown," Els said. "All of a sudden, you just wake up and, man, you know, the youngsters are hitting a 3-wood where you're hitting your driver. You're struggling to get to a par 5 with the youngsters hitting a 4-iron. "The game becomes a lot harder. … You start getting left behind a little bit, so it's not a brilliant feeling." In addition to being reenergized by his newer circumstances, Els has also developed a love for the mentorship side of golf. He used to be the one listening, and now he's the one being asked questions. It's not entirely clear when he fell into that role, but he's certainly there now. "I remember Nick Price, he was my mentor, and Price is almost 15 years ahead of me. Your friends start calling you 'Old man,'" Els said with a smile. "[Years ago] I started hitting my 3-wood the way his driver was, he said, 'You're going to get there one day, see what you feel like.' It happens to all of us. "If you can call it mentorship or just plain old talk about golf, you know, I love it when people's eyes [light up]. You can see when people are listening to you." 2025 Kaulig Companies Championship leaderboard: Soren Kjeldsen, Ricardo Gonzalez lead after Round 1 Soren Kjeldsen and Ricardo Gonzalez both carded 3-under-par 67s to tie for the first round lead of the Kaulig Companies Championship. The first round featured some heavy winds, rain and a one-hour delay, offering far-from-perfect circumstances as players dealt with the conditions as much as the course. Steven Alker, Retief Goosen and Stewart Cink are all one shot back of the lead entering June 20's second round. Last year, Alker shot a 65 in the second round en route to a T-7 finish.
