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Kim Ng made her mark as a trailblazer in the male-dominated world of Major League Baseball.

In 2020, the Miami Marlins made her the first female general manager in the four major North American professional sports leagues. She kept the position for three seasons and the Marlins reached the playoffs her final year.

Now Ng, who played softball at the University of Chicago, will use her skills to directly uplift women’s sports. She’s been hired as a senior adviser for the Athletes Unlimited Softball League, which will launch in 2025.

With women’s sports riding a wave of momentum, Ng felt this was the right time to jump in.

“We’re in a moment here,” she said. “And maybe it’s not a moment. Maybe it’s more of a movement. I just wanted to be a part of it.”

Ng spent a combined 21 years in the front offices of the Chicago White Sox, New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers, and she has three World Series rings. Before joining the Marlins, she spent nine years as a senior vice president for Major League Baseball.

She’ll work closely with Athletes Unlimited CEO and co-founder Jon Patricof and senior vice president and director of softball Cheri Kempf. They’re launching a league to provide more options for players while creating a strong domestic presence in the sport during the ramp-up for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

“Kim is one of the most accomplished executives in professional sports,” Patricof said. “She brings a long track record, both working at the league level and at the team level. She has a mix of incredibly strong strategic skills as well as understanding the ins and outs of how to run a pro sports operation. So, we’re incredibly excited to have her join.”

Ng, 55, is the oldest of five who played softball. Three of the sisters played in college. That makes this endeavor personal for Ng.

“It’s always been really important that women get this type of stage and are given the opportunities as well,” she said. “For me, in this different point of my career, I think being able to support these women in a different way than I had in my career previously is just such a thrill.”

Ng said she met with Athletes Unlimited co-founders Patricof and Jonathan Soros in 2019, before the company launched the next year. She came away impressed with their creativity and vision for women’s sports.

She watched as the company stabilized over time. The league just finished its shorter AUX schedule for the third time, and Athletes Unlimited softball will start its fifth individual championship season this summer.

Now she’ll lead Athletes Unlimited’s traditional team entity, which will replace AUX. The new league will start with a touring model in 2025 and become city-based in 2026.

Ng wants help build a strong domestic pro softball league ahead of the 2028 Summer Olympics.

“For me, it’s just so incredibly meaningful to have a chance to help shape and mold what the game is going to look like and the ways that we’re going to be able to provide it and present it to future softball fans and the future softball players, to future female athletes young girls,” she said. “That’s all part of this.”

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QB Castellanos exits after losing BC starting job

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QB Castellanos exits after losing BC starting job

Boston College quarterback Thomas Castellanos, who lost his starting job earlier this week, will not be returning to the team, he announced Thursday night.

Castellanos, who started 12 games last season and retained the top job under new coach Bill O’Brien, wrote on X that “unfortunately, all good things come to an end, even though it’s sooner than I would like.” He did not mention the transfer portal in his departing message and has not officially entered it. The junior from Waycross, Georgia, started his career at UCF and appeared in five games in 2022.

O’Brien said Tuesday that Grayson James, who replaced Castellanos in last week’s win against Syracuse, will start Saturday when Boston College visits No. 14 SMU. Castellanos “wasn’t real thrilled” with the decision, O’Brien said, adding that the quarterback decided to step away from the team for several days.

Castellanos had 2,248 passing yards and 1,113 rushing yards last season under coach Jeff Hafley, passing for 15 touchdowns and adding 13 on the ground. He had 18 touchdown passes and only five interceptions this season, but his accuracy dipped in recent weeks, and he completed only 2 of 7 passes against Syracuse before being replaced.

In his statement, Castellanos thanked both coaching staffs he played for at Boston College and wrote that he had “some of the best experiences of my life in the Eagles Nest and I will truly cherish these memories forever.”

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Gators’ Lagway ‘ready to play,’ will start vs. LSU

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Gators' Lagway 'ready to play,' will start vs. LSU

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida quarterback DJ Lagway is “ready to play,” coach Billy Napier said Thursday on his weekly radio show.

Napier removed Lagway from the team’s injury report and penciled him in to start against No. 21 LSU in the Swamp on Saturday.

Lagway practiced every day this week while progressing from a strained left hamstring. The highly touted freshman was carted off the field against Georgia on Nov. 2. Tests revealed a “less significant” injury than initially feared, and now he’s back in time to face the Tigers.

The Gators (4-5, 2-4 Southeastern Conference) need him. They have to win two of their final three regular-season games to become bowl eligible.

LSU (6-3, 3-2) has struggled mightily against dual-threat QBs, including Alabama’s Jalen Milroe, who ran for 185 yards and four touchdowns last week.

Lagway returns after walk-on and Yale transfer Aidan Warner started in his place against Texas. Warner threw two interceptions and was 12-of-25 passing for 132 yards in a 49-17 loss.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Georgia leading rusher Etienne ruled out vs. Vols

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Georgia leading rusher Etienne ruled out vs. Vols

No. 12 Georgia will be without leading rusher Trevor Etienne for Saturday’s showdown against No. 7 Tennessee.

Etienne was downgraded from questionable to out on Thursday night’s SEC availability report.

Etienne left Georgia’s win over Florida with an upper-body injury on Nov. 2 and did not return. He played limited snaps in last week’s 28-10 loss at Ole Miss, carrying the ball six times for 24 yards.

Etienne leads the Bulldogs with 477 rushing yards and seven touchdowns this season.

The loss is another blow to Georgia’s banged-up backfield. Cash Jones is also listed as questionable while Branson Robinson remains out after missing the past three games with a knee injury.

That leaves true freshman Nate Frazier as the only healthy Bulldogs running back who has played meaningful snaps this year. Frazier is second on the team with 333 rushing yards and three touchdowns.

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