Connect with us

Published

on

East Carolina is set to promote interim coach Blake Harrell to be the school’s next coach, sources told ESPN on Monday.

Harrell is 4-0 since taking over on Oct. 20, and East Carolina is 7-4 overall on the season.

ECU’s board still needs to meet to formally approve a contract for Harrell, sources told ESPN. That meeting is expected to be called in the upcoming days and a decision is expected to be formalized this week, sources said.

East Carolina brass have been impressed with the “contagious energy” that Harrell has brought to the job, as there’s a belief at ECU that the job should be one of the best in the AAC in its current iteration. ECU has a 50,000-seat stadium and a passionate fan base, and the coaching search was centered around someone that could maximize the job.

Harrell has rallied the team with a hands-on style, as he’s scaled back practices to keep players fresh and put a focus on maximizing their experience since taking over.

The players have responded with wins over Temple, Florida Atlantic, at Tulsa and at North Texas.

ECU fell behind 21-0 to UNT on Saturday and stormed back for an emphatic 40-28 win. In the aftermath of that emotional victory, the players amplified their rallying cry to keep Harrell as the head coach.

Redshirt sophomore quarterback Katin Houser, who has thrown 13 touchdown passes in Harrell’s four games as interim coach, posted “Wewantharrell” on social media to express his support for Harrell to get the full-time job. Others who went public with their support included veteran tailback Rahjai Harris and senior tackle Parker Moorer.

Harrell, 46, was promoted to interim from his job as East Carolina’s defensive coordinator. He’s got deep rooting in the Carolinas, as he graduated Western Carolina and has an MBA from Lenoir-Rhyne. He coached in high school in North Carolina and began his full-time college coaching career with jobs at Lenoir-Rhyne and The Citadel.

Harrell also had a stint outside the Carolinas at Kennesaw State as the defensive coordinator in 2019, where he had a top-five FCS defense.

Harrell is set to take over for Mike Houston, who was fired in his sixth season after going 27-38. ECU hasn’t won a league title since Skip Holtz led them to a Conference USA crown in 2009,

Harrell’s expected promotion marks the first of the six American Athletic Conference jobs to fill this year. The remaining open jobs are Tulsa, FAU, Rice, Charlotte and Temple.

ECU plays Navy on Saturday to close out the regular season. A win would mark just the second time since 2014 that ECU has won eight games.

Continue Reading

Sports

Hard-throwing rookie Misiorowski going to ASG

Published

on

By

Hard-throwing rookie Misiorowski going to ASG

Hard-throwing rookie Jacob Misiorowski is a National League All-Star replacement, giving the Milwaukee Brewers right-hander a chance to break Paul Skenes‘ record for the fewest big league appearances before playing in the Midsummer Classic.

Misiorowski was named Friday night to replace Chicago Cubs lefty Matthew Boyd, who will be unavailable for the All-Star Game on Tuesday night in Atlanta because he is scheduled to start Saturday at the New York Yankees.

The 23-year-old Misiorowski has made just five starts for the Brewers, going 4-1 with a 2.81 ERA while averaging 99.3 mph on his fastball, with 89 pitches that have reached 100 mph.

If he pitches at Truist Park, Misiorowski will make it consecutive years for a player to set the mark for fewest big league games before an All-Star showing.

Skenes, the Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander getting ready for his second All-Star appearance, had made 11 starts in the majors when he was chosen as the NL starter for last year’s All-Star Game at Texas. He pitched a scoreless inning.

“I’m speechless,” said a teary-eyed Misiorowski, who said he was given the news a few minutes before the Brewers’ 8-3 victory over Washington. “It’s awesome. It’s very unexpected and it’s an honor.”

Misiorowski is the 30th first-time All-Star and 16th replacement this year. There are now 80 total All-Stars.

“He’s impressive. He’s got some of the best stuff in the game right now, even though he’s a young pitcher,” said Yankees slugger Aaron Judge, who is a starting AL outfielder for his seventh All-Star nod. “He’s going to be a special pitcher in this game for a long time so I think he deserved it and it’s going be pretty cool for him and his family.”

Carlos Rodón, Carlos Estévez and Casey Mize were named replacement pitchers on the AL roster.

The New York Yankees‘ Rodón, an All-Star for the third time in five seasons, will replace teammate Max Fried for Tuesday’s game in Atlanta. Fried will be unavailable because he is scheduled to start Saturday against the Chicago Cubs.

In his final start before the All-Star game, Rodón allowed four hits and struck out eight in eight innings in an 11-0 victory over the Cubs.

“This one’s a little special for me,” said Rodón, an All-Star in 2021 and ’22 who was 3-8 in his first season with the Yankees two years ago before rebounding. “I wasn’t good when I first got here, and I just wanted to prove that I wasn’t to going to give up and just put my best foot forward and try to win as many games as I can.”

The Kansas City Royals‘ Estévez replaces Texas’ Jacob deGrom, who is scheduled to start at Houston on Saturday night. Estévez was a 2023 All-Star when he was with the Los Angeles Angels.

Mize takes the spot held by Boston‘s Garrett Crochet, who is scheduled to start Saturday against Tampa Bay. Mize gives the Tigers six All-Stars, most of any team and tied for the franchise record.

Royals third baseman Maikel Garcia will replace Tampa Bay‘s Brandon Lowe, who went on the injured list with left oblique tightness. The additions of Estévez and Garcia give the Royals four All-Stars, matching their 2024 total.

The Seattle Mariners announced center fielder Julio Rodríguez will not participate, and he was replaced by teammate Randy Arozarena. Rodríguez had been voted onto the AL roster via the players’ ballot. The Mariners, who have five All-Stars, said Rodríguez will use the break to “recuperate, rest and prepare for the second half.”

Arozarena is an All-Star for the second time. He started in left field for the AL two years ago, when he was with Tampa Bay. Arozarena was the runner-up to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in the 2023 Home Run Derby.

Rays right-hander Drew Rasmussen, a first-time All-Star, is replacing Angels left-hander Yusei Kikuchi, who is scheduled to start Saturday night at Arizona. Rasmussen is 7-5 with a 2.82 ERA in 18 starts.

San Diego added a third NL All-Star reliever in lefty Adrián Morejón, who replaces Philadelphia starter Zack Wheeler. The Phillies’ right-hander is scheduled to start at San Diego on Saturday night. Morejón entered the weekend with a 1.71 ERA in 45 appearances.

Continue Reading

Sports

Cardinals’ Arenado (sprained finger) exits early

Published

on

By

Cardinals' Arenado (sprained finger) exits early

The St. Louis Cardinals removed star third baseman Nolan Arenado from their 6-5 loss to the visiting Atlanta Braves on Friday night because of a sprained right index finger.

Arenado, who was 1-for-3, was replaced in the seventh inning by Thomas Saggese. While it was unclear how Arenado hurt the finger, it is the same injury that kept him out of two games last week during a series against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Arenado has 10 home runs and 42 RBIs in 84 games this season.

Field Level Media contributed to this report.

Continue Reading

Sports

Twins SS Correa helped off with sprained ankle

Published

on

By

Twins SS Correa helped off with sprained ankle

MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota Twins shortstop Carlos Correa had to be helped off the field after injuring his right ankle when Pittsburgh‘s Tommy Pham slid into him at second base.

Pham was trying to get to second on his liner off the wall in right field in the seventh inning of the Twins’ 2-1 victory Friday night. Right fielder DaShawn Keirsey Jr.’s throw beat Pham, whose batting helmet made contact with Correa’s lower leg.

Correa rolled over and stayed on the ground before leaving the game. Brooks Lee moved from second base to shortstop to replace Correa. The team said Correa had a mild ankle sprain.

Correa said X-rays were negative and that he expects to sit out Saturday’s game, adding that he “hopefully” can play on Sunday, according to MLB.com.

The 30-year-old Correa is already in his 11th big league season and has been a mainstay at shortstop for the Twins since signing as a free agent in 2022. He missed about half of last season with a concussion and a plantar fascia injury, the latter of which kept him from playing in the All-Star Game after he was chosen for the third time.

Continue Reading

Trending