Connect with us

Published

on

The Big 12’s new-look, 16-team schedule was announced Tuesday with the integration of Arizona, Arizona State and Utah into the league as well as the return of Colorado.

The Big 12 said in November that this schedule, featuring nine conference games, prioritizes geography, historical matchups and rivalries. The Big 12 joins the Big Ten in continuing to play nine conference games. The SEC and ACC have adopted an eight-game league schedule for 2024.

BYU will travel to Utah on Nov. 9, the first time since 2010 that a rivalry that has been played 101 times will be a conference game. The two last met in 2021.

Arizona will host Arizona State on Nov. 30 for the Territorial Cup, a rivalry since 1899, and Baylor will play at Houston on Nov. 23 for the first time since 1995, when they were both Southwest Conference members. The Sunflower Showdown between Kansas and Kansas State will be Oct. 26.

The first conference matchup will be in Fort Worth on Sept. 14 when UCF visits TCU, kicking off the 29th season of the league, but the first without Texas or Oklahoma. Although the schedule has been decided for weeks, the exact dates of several games and whether they’ll be played Thursday, Friday or Saturday have yet to be determined. Two games have been confirmed for the Friday after Thanksgiving: Oklahoma State at Colorado and Utah at UCF. Two games featuring new conference opponents — Baylor at Utah on Sept. 7 and Arizona at Kansas State on the weekend of Sept. 14 — are considered nonconference matchups because they were previously scheduled.

Television selections for the first three weeks of the season will be made by ESPN and Fox this summer.

The league’s championship will be Dec. 7 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Kansas will play all six of its home games in the Kansas City area as renovations continue at the team’s on-campus facility, David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium, and the surrounding Gateway District. The Jayhawks will play Lindenwood and UNLV at Children’s Mercy Park, home to Major League Soccer’s Sporting Kansas City franchise. Kansas will host all four of its Big 12 opponents — TCU, Houston, Iowa State and Colorado — at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, home of the Kansas City Chiefs.

The school is providing season-ticket packages for all six games, as well as a four-game package for the games at Arrowhead Stadium. The student-ticket allotment at Children’s Mercy Park will be similar to what Kansas has at Memorial Stadium and could be larger for the games at Arrowhead.

“While we had hoped to play these games in Lawrence, the move to alternate venues is needed to ensure that our fans, student-athletes and all constituents have the best possible gameday experience and that we stay on schedule to complete construction for the 2025 season,” Kansas chancellor Douglas Girod said in a statement. “We recognize this move is not ideal for some members of the Lawrence community, and we hope they will understand this is a necessary one-year move to ensure the Gateway District can begin benefitting Lawrence as soon as possible in 2025.”

ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg contributed to this report.

Continue Reading

Sports

Red Sox 1B Casas out for year after knee surgery

Published

on

By

Red Sox 1B Casas out for year after knee surgery

BOSTON — Boston Red Sox first baseman Triston Casas suffered a ruptured tendon in his left knee and is out for the remainder of the season, the team said.

The 25-year-old Casas ruptured his patellar tendon running to first on a slow roller up the line and fell awkwardly in Boston’s victory over the Minnesota Twins on Friday night. After laying on his back in pain — not moving the knee — he was carted off on a stretcher before being taken to a Boston hospital.

The team announced Sunday that he had surgery for a left patellar tendon repair at Massachusetts General Hospital. The surgery was performed by Dr. Eric Berkson.

“I talked to him last night,” chief baseball officer Craig Breslow said in a news conference on Saturday discussing the injury outside Boston’s clubhouse. “We exchanged text messages [Saturday]. We all care deeply about just his overall wellbeing.”

Manager Alex Cora said Casas worked hard during the offseason to play every day after missing a large amount of last year with torn cartilage in his rib cage.

“He did an outstanding job in the offseason to put himself in that situation. It didn’t start the way he wanted it to,” Cora said of Casas’ struggles. “He was going to play and play a lot. Now we’ve got to focus on the rehab after the surgery and hopefully get him back stronger than ever and ready to go next year.”

Casas batted just .182 with three homers and 11 RBIs, but Breslow said his loss will be felt, especially with the team’s lack of depth at the position.

“He certainly struggled through the first month of the season but that didn’t change what we believe his production was capable of being,” Breslow said. “It’s a big loss. In addition to what we think we were going to get on the offensive side, he was kind of like a stabilizing presence on the defensive side of the field — also a big personality and a big part of the clubhouse.”

During spring training, Casas talked about how his focus at the plate this season was being more relaxed.

“You really want it until you don’t,” he said, explaining his thoughts while standing at his locker. “Then you can’t want it that much.”

Now, he’ll have to focus on his recovery plan for next season.

Casas, a left-handed batter, was placed on the 10-day injured list Saturday with infielder/outfielder Abraham Toro selected from Triple-A Worcester.

Cora said Toro — a switch-hitter — will split time at first along with Romy Gonzalez. who bats right-handed.

Breslow said the team might be exploring a long-term replacement.

“This is unfortunately an opportunity to explore what’s available,” he said. “We’ll look both internally and outside as well.”

Cora said there are no plans to move Rafael Devers, who was replaced at third by offseason free-agent acquisition Alex Bregman and moved to DH.

“We asked him to do something in spring training that in the beginning he didn’t agree with it and now he’s very comfortable doing what he’s doing,” Cora said. “Like I told you guys in spring training, he’s my DH.”

Continue Reading

Sports

3B Ramirez (ankle) returns to Guardians’ lineup

Published

on

By

3B Ramirez (ankle) returns to Guardians' lineup

TORONTO — Cleveland Guardians star Jose Ramirez was back in the lineup for Sunday’s game against the Toronto Blue Jays, two days after the third baseman left in the third inning because of a mild right ankle sprain.

The six-time All-Star was injured when he stumbled and fell while crossing first base on an infield single. Ramirez went down after being struck in the back by a throw from Blue Jays right-hander Chris Bassitt.

Ramirez was batting third Sunday against right-hander Bowden Francis.

Ramírez sat out Saturday when Cleveland beat Toronto 5-3. He went 2 for 2 before departing Friday, boosting his average to .274. He has five home runs and 15 RBIs in 31 games.

In last Thursday’s 4-3 victory over Minnesota, Ramirez became the first primary third baseman to reach 250 homers and 250 stolen bases.

Continue Reading

Sports

Yankees’ Volpe day-to-day after tests on shoulder

Published

on

By

Yankees' Volpe day-to-day after tests on shoulder

NEW YORK — Shortstop Anthony Volpe was not in the New York Yankees‘ starting lineup Sunday against the Tampa Bay Rays, a day after he injured his left shoulder on a dive while trying to get to a grounder.

“X-rays, MRI — good news,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “He’s sore today, but I feel like we’re probably in a good spot. We’ll see. Kind of day to day right now.”

Volpe remained in the game after his unsuccessful attempt for a backhand stab on Christopher Morel‘s eighth-inning single, which sparked a two-run rally in Tampa Bay’s 3-2 win Saturday.

Volpe said after the game he heard a pop in the shoulder.

“It’s a little unclear in there. He’s got some stuff that they feel like is older stuff, so hard to know exactly,” Boone said. “He’s definitely a little cranky in the shoulder today.”

Volpe, 24, is hitting .233 with five homers, 19 RBIs and four stolen bases in his third season with the Yankees.

Oswald Peraza was listed to start at shortstop, batting ninth.

New York already is missing second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. (strained right oblique), third baseman DJ LeMahieu (strained left calf), ace Gerrit Cole (Tommy John surgery) and right-hander Luis Gil (right lat strain), the reigning AL Rookie of the Year.

Continue Reading

Trending