Quote from: Gregory Sager on May 11, 2026, 12:13:26 PMYour postscript about sports and graduation raises an interesting and timely issue, FDF. It's been a tradition at North Park for decades to hold a separate graduation ceremony for senior student-athletes in spring sports whose teams have qualified for postseason tournaments or meets that will take place on Commencement Saturday. It's always held on the Tuesday of Commencement Week in the small and intimate Isaacson Chapel in Nyvall Hall, the seminary building on North Park's campus. It's usually a function that serves North Park baseball teams that have qualified for the CCIW baseball tournament, although sometimes (as happened this year) the softball team also qualifies for their CCIW tourney and thus has its seniors receive their diplomas in the Tuesday graduation ceremony in Isaacson as well. The tradition used to be that the baseball players would wear their North Park baseball caps in lieu of the usual flat-topped and tasseled mortarboard graduation caps, but this year they abandoned that tradition and went with the standard mortarboards...

The first time this happened -- in 2010, I think -- I was the lone faculty member who was able to participate.  I was even pressed into service as marshal for the event. I was happy to do that because I worked closely with the team (as statistician) and knew most of the players very well.  It was a rather short ceremony (which I appreciated!), and each of the players and their families got lots of photo time with the president, provost, teammates, and coaches.  We had a group photo taken in which everyone (including the president) donned a North Park baseball cap.  Then we went outside Nyvall Hall to continue the photo fest, surrounded by all the beautiful flowers and shrubbery.

Subsequent early graduation ceremonies have included graduating softball players when their team qualified for the CCIW tournament.  More faculty members joined in, too, usually invited by the coaches at the request of the players.  It was always a very nice event, and an apt reward for student-athletes who qualified for post-season play.

Bethany Lutheran (2x)

Whew - lots of rockets in the air today...

BU flew 10 times today - 7 certification flights (7 different rockets), and flew the team rocket three times (2 times is the minimum requirement to get full points in the contest). This gave the team a total of 9 L1 Certified fliers this year, and 2 L2 certified fliers this year.

We did ok against the 15 teams that actually flew a team rocket today. My guesstimate is that only half of the teams got the minimum two flights in. All teams have to submit their final report by June 1st. We'll know results 2 weeks after that. I am hopeful we'll be back on the podium in one of the top three spots - we'll just have to wait and see.

Quote from: hsbsballcoach7 on May 15, 2026, 08:14:09 PM

Quote from: D3fanboy on May 14, 2026, 09:50:35 AMMount WR Davion Grant has once again entered the transfer portal.  I highly doubt that he would be accepted back a second time.  Good Lord this kid is getting some pretty bad advice from his "agent"

Very odd indeed. It's not like if he were to "ball out" at UMU, he wouldn't get noticed. I wouldn't consider last year a great year for him. If Mount ends up with a top tier WR1 (speed, hands, routes), they should easily end up over 1200 yards. If they have a bunch of good receivers, I see 3-4 guys at 700 or more yards.

I wonder if he doesn't feel like he fits with the program after spring ball and a possible change with Kappas as OC. If that's the case, best of luck.

Anyone have any names on possible spring standouts? I'm betting on a very balanced offense next year who can churn out 6-8 yards per play by running or throwing.

yep, Kevin Burke and Chris Kappas.

Paul Ippolito transfers from Trinity to Redlands.  He was a steady back-up point guard for the Bantams, who now lose half of their ten-man rotation.  I expect we will see big minutes early from some of the heralded new arrivals next season.

https://youtu.be/pR_lq-8R9iM?si=jRfooDn7UEohflJL

Bit of controversy in Whitewater today during the Regional Championship game...

Baseball is a funny game. 

Unreal finish at national No. 1 Denison OH where host Big Red walks-off Cortland on Saturday. Denison on Sunday for third straight day walks-off another -- this time RDragons conqueror Kalamazoo MI, 13-12 to capture the Denison Regional. Second game between the pair would have been needed had result been reversed.
      Denison scores five runs in the bottom of the ninth. Was actually behind 11-4 in the sixth inning. Kalamazoo on the brink of ending Denison 41 game winning streak this season. Instead, falters to unrelenting Denison attack. Game ends on long blow to center scoring two runs. Walks-off all three regional foes -- Grinnell IA 5-4 Friday, Cortland 4-3 Saturday, Kalamazoo today!!!
    Denison takes 43-1 record into Super-Regional against Piedmont GA.

Remaining two NY tourney entries, Liberty League's Hobart and RIT, met season closures Sunday.
    Hobart reaches concluding day with 2-1 record and bows 4-3 in 12 innings to host Salisbury MD. despite outhitting Sea Gulls 14-10.
    RIT goes out 0-2 when Babson MA survives 9-8 after six-run first lead to 9-3 lead through six innings. Regional at Southern Maine delayed a day by weather and winds up Monday.

Cortland cops major SUNYAC individual laurels ....Jr. Tristan Gatchalian player of the year, soph Warren Miller pitcher of the year, frosh Anthony Carlo rookie of the year, Joe Brown coach of the year. Eleven RDragons all-conference

     

Whitewater gets off the deck and puts up 6 runs in the 8th inning to take a 7-6 lead, however Bethany Lutheran ties it in the bottom half 7-7.

Zero's all the way through to the 11th as BLU gets a SAC FLY to knock out the defending National Champions 8-7.

Whitewater batters went 0x11 witb two walks over the last 3.2 innings and never really put any pressure on BLU.

Whitewater gets off the deck and puts up 6 runs in the 8th inning to take a 7-6 lead, however Bethany Lutheran ties it in the bottom half 7-7.

Zero's all the way through to the 11th as BLU gets a SAC FLY to knock out the defending National Champions 8-7.

Whitewater batters went 0x11 witb two walks over the last 3.2 innings and never really put any pressure on BLU.