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Judge denies NC State cornerback Corey Coley Jr.’s request for fifth year of eligibility

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A federal judge has ruled against cornerback Corey Coley Jr.’s request that he be granted a fifth year of eligibility to play at N.C. State and earn name, image and likeness money.

Coley is one of several players suing the NCAA over its rule that college athletes may play only four seasons within a five-year period.

He sought an injunction that would allow him to play this fall, but U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III denied the request on Friday, writing that “the balance of hardships does not favor Coley.”

Coley played three seasons at Maryland before transferring to N.C. State, where he played six games in 2024 before suffering a season-ending injury. He filed a hardship waiver with the NCAA, seeking another season of eligibility, and when that was denied, he filed the antitrust lawsuit, arguing he could “earn substantial sums” of NIL money if he played this year.

However, Dever wrote that even if the player got an injunction, “nothing guarantees that Coley will get the additional playing time and NIL money he seeks.”

Oven-Roasted Corn on the Cob

Oven-Roasted Corn on the Cob Recipe from Immaculate Bites

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cooking time: 20 minutes

Serving size: 6 servings

Ingredients

4-6 ears corn, husk and silk removed
2-3 tablespoons garlic butter, or just plain butter
1-2 teaspoons Creole seasoning
Salt and pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425℉/218℃.
In a small bowl, combine garlic butter and Creole seasoning. Set aside.
Place corn individually with foil paper, top with garlic butter, and brush with Creole seasoning. Wrap the corn. Repeat with the remaining corn, then place on a baking sheet.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, turning the tray halfway through roasting.
Remove and serve slightly cool. Brush with more garlic butter mixture if desired.

Tar Heels players embrace new world as part of coach Bill Belichick’s first college team

By AARON BEARD AP Sports Writer

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Jordan Shipp remembers the conversation with his roommates after learning Bill Belichick was North Carolina’s new coach.

“It was just like, ‘That’s the greatest coach of all time,'” the receiver recalled, “’and he’s about to be a coaching us.’”

Belichick’s arrival has triggered plenty of change for the Tar Heels, who are making a big bet on the man who won six Super Bowls as an NFL head coach to spark their football program. No one knows that better than the players — both the holdovers and the transfer-portal arrivals — after months of Belichick overhauling the roster and building the foundation on his first college team.

North Carolina players hadn’t spoken to reporters since last year’s team ended its season with a Fenway Bowl loss to UConn three days after Christmas, all of which came after Belichick had been hired as coach for the 2025 season.

So Tuesday marked the first time UNC had made players available to reporters since then to discuss Belichick’s arrival. That has meant being coached by someone with a long track record of success at the sport’s highest level, along with getting a peek behind the terse and grumpy persona he was known for with the New England Patriots.

Defensive back Will Hardy said the players are used to curiosity that comes with being coached by the NFL lifer now giving college a try.

“There’s a lot of that, you get a lot of ‘How is Coach Belichick? What’s new? What’s different?'” Hardy said. “So I’ve rehearsed these questions a lot with family and friends.”

Formative stages

The school hired Belichick in December to elevate the program at a time when football’s role as the revenue driver in college sports has never been bigger.

He and general manager Michael Lombardi have described their goal as building a pro-style model at the college level. It’s been a key pitch as the 73-year-old Belichick made his first foray onto the recruiting trail, as well as the volume of players transferring in and out of the program.

Belichick’s first on-field work in Chapel Hill came during spring workouts, lodged between portal windows in December and April.

“Look, these are great kids to work with, they really are,” Belichick said Tuesday. “We’ve had great buy-in. There have really been no problems at all. These guys are on time, they’re early, they work hard, they put in the work in the weight room, out on the field. They spend time on their own, whether it’s doing extra training or coming over and watching film and that type of thing.

“They’ve made a ton of improvement and these guys are a lot better than they were when we started in January, on every level. So it’s exciting to see where that’s going to take us.”

Enticing opportunity

For the players, part of the adjustment had been the reality that their coach was winning Super Bowls with quarterback Tom Brady while they were growing up and watching on TV.

Intimidating much?

“I mean, maybe at first when you see him, all you see is the Super Bowls that he’s won,” said offensive lineman Christo Kelly, a Holy Cross transfer and Belichick’s first portal commitment. “But when you get here and you see the way he cares, you see the way that he approaches the game, you see how hard he works, there’s no question why he has the success that he has.

“The attention to detail, the emphasis on fundamentals, and really just kind of creating competition for the guys, that’s what’s getting built here. Guys are embracing it. He treats everybody with tremendous respect and it’s been great.”

Defensive back Thad Dixon had met Belichick before when he was at Washington, playing under Belichick’s son Steve — now the Tar Heels’ defensive coordinator and linebackers coach. The two shared a few conversations then, and he jumped at the chance to head east.

“I really just wanted the opportunity just to learn from somebody like that, that had did it in the league for so long,” Dixon said.

Behind the curtain

Yet not every surprise has been about X’s and O’s. Sometimes it’s simply when Belichick has dropped the all-business facade to expose an unexpectedly humorous side.

“I feel like that’s the biggest curveball, you’re coming to the first meeting and you’re expecting it to be serious, 100% locked in,” said Shipp, who played 12 games for UNC last season. “He comes in and he introduces himself and then he busts a joke. That’s the second thing he said.”

Hardy pointed that vibe, too.

“There are times when he’ll just crack a joke out of nowhere,” he said. “And just him being kind of monotone sometimes will make those jokes so funny.”

Still, Hardy noted it’s mingled amid the work, such as film sessions when “there’s no hiding” when Belichick highlights a mistake.

UNC opens the season on Labor Day against TCU in a college version of Monday Night Football.

“I’ve loved having 1-on-1 conversations with him,” Hardy said. “It’s cool to see and meet him personally, because you grow up and see him on TV and everything. And he’s just a completely different coach and guy when you get to be around him all day. It’s cool.”

Southern Baptist delegates at national meeting overwhelmingly call for banning same-sex marriage

By PETER SMITH Associated Press

DALLAS (AP) — Southern Baptist delegates at their national meeting overwhelmingly endorsed a ban on same-sex marriage — including a call for a reversal of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 10-year-old precedent legalizing it nationwide.

They also called for legislators to curtail sports betting and to support policies that promote childbearing.

The votes Tuesday came at the gathering of more than 10,000 church representatives at the annual meeting of the nation’s largest Protestant denomination.

The wide-ranging resolution doesn’t use the word “ban,” but it left no room for legal same-sex marriage in calling for the “overturning of laws and court rulings, including Obergefell v. Hodges, that defy God’s design for marriage and family.” Further, the resolution affirmatively calls “for laws that affirm marriage between one man and one women.”

A reversal of the Supreme Court’s 2015 Obergefell decision wouldn’t in and of itself amount to a nationwide ban. At the time of that ruling, 36 states had already legalized same-sex marriage, and support remains strong in many areas.

However, if the convention got its wish, not only would Obergefell be overturned, but so would every law and court ruling that affirmed same-sex marriage.

There was no debate on the marriage resolution. That in itself is not surprising in the solidly conservative denomination, which has long defined marriage as between one man and one woman. However, it marks an especially assertive step in its call for the reversal of a decade-old Supreme Court ruling, as well as any other legal pillars to same-sex marriage in law and court precedent.

Gender identity, fertility and other issues

The marriage issue was incorporated into a much larger resolution on marriage and family — one that calls for civil law to be based on what the convention says is the divinely created order as stated in the Bible.

The resolution says legislators have a duty to “pass laws that reflect the truth of creation and natural law — about marriage, sex, human life, and family” and to oppose laws contradicting “what God has made plain through nature and Scripture.”

The same resolution calls for recognizing “the biological reality of male and female” and opposes “any law or policy that compels people to speak falsehoods about sex and gender.”

It urges Christians to “embrace marriage and childbearing” and to see children “as blessings rather than burdens.”

But it also frames that issue as one of public policy. It calls for “for renewed moral clarity in public discourse regarding the crisis of declining fertility and for policies that support the bearing and raising of children within intact, married families.”

It laments that modern culture is “pursuing willful childlessness which contributes to a declining fertility rate,” echoing a growing subject of discourse on the religious and political right.

The pornography resolution, which had no debate, calls such material destructive, addictive and exploitive and says governments have the power to ban it.

The sports betting resolution draws on Southern Baptists’ historic opposition to gambling. It called sports betting “harmful and predatory.” One pastor urged an amendment to distinguish between low-stakes, recreational gambling and predatory, addictive gambling activities. But his proposed amendment failed.

Whistleblower’s death casts pall on Dallas meeting

The two-day annual meeting began Tuesday morning with praise sessions and optimistic reports about growing numbers of baptisms. But casting a pall over the gathering is the recent death of one of the most high-profile whistleblowers in the Southern Baptists’ scandal of sexual abuse.

Jennifer Lyell, a onetime denominational publishing executive who went public in 2019 with allegations that she had been sexually abused by a seminary professor while a student, died Saturday at 47. She “suffered catastrophic strokes,” a friend and fellow advocate, Rachael Denhollander, posted Sunday on X.

Friends reported that the backlash Lyell received after going public with her report took a devastating toll on her.

Several abuse survivors and advocates for reform, who previously had a prominent presence in recent SBC meetings, are skipping this year’s gathering, citing lack of progress by the convention.

Two people sought to fill that void, standing vigil outside of the meeting at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center Dallas as attendees walked by. The pair held up signs with photos of Lyell and of Gareld Duane Rollins, who died earlier this spring and who was among those who accused longtime SBC power broker Paul Pressler of sexual abuse.

“It’s not a healthy thing for them (survivors) to be here,” said Johnna Harris, host of a podcast on abuse in evangelical ministries. “I felt like it was important for someone to show up. I want people to know there are people who care.”

Past attempts at reforms in the SBC

The SBC Executive Committee, in a 2022 apology, acknowledged “its failure to adequately listen, protect, and care for Jennifer Lyell when she came forward to share her story.” It also acknowledged the denomination’s official news agency had not accurately reported the situation as “sexual abuse by a trusted minister in a position of power at a Southern Baptist seminary.”

SBC officials issued statements this week lamenting Lyell’s death, but her fellow advocates have denounced what they say is a failure to implement reforms.

The SBC’s 2022 meeting voted overwhelmingly to create a way to track pastors and other church workers credibly accused of sex abuse. That came shortly after the release of a blockbuster report by an outside consultant, which said Southern Baptist leaders mishandled abuse cases and stonewalled victims for years.

But the denomination’s Executive Committee president, Jeff Iorg, said earlier this year that creating a database is not a focus and that the committee instead plans to refer churches to existing databases of sex offenders and focus on education about abuse prevention. The committee administers the denomination’s day-to-day business.

Advocates for reform don’t see those approaches as adequate.

It is the latest instance of “officials trailing out hollow words, impotent task forces and phony dog-and-pony shows of reform,” abuse survivor and longtime advocate Christa Brown wrote on Baptist News Global, which is not SBC-affiliated.

In a related action, the Executive Committee will also be seeking $3 million in convention funding for ongoing legal expenses related to abuse cases.

What else is on the agenda?

As of late Tuesday afternoon, attendance was at 10,541 church representatives (known as messengers). That is less than a quarter of the total that thronged the SBC’s annual meeting 40 years ago this month in a Dallas showdown that marked the height of battles over control of the convention, ultimately won by the more conservative-fundamentalist side led by Pressler and his allies.

Messengers will also debate whether to institute a constitutional ban on churches with women pastors and to abolish its public-policy arm, the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission — which is staunchly conservative, but according to critics, not enough so.

Brent Leatherwood, president of the ERLC, said Tuesday he would address the “turbulence” during his scheduled remarks Wednesday but was confident in the messengers’ support.

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Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

Bills sign former Panthers linebacker Shaq Thompson, coming off 2 injury-shortened seasons

By JOHN WAWROW AP Sports Writer

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — The Buffalo Bills signed Shaq Thompson to a one-year contract on Tuesday, in providing the veteran linebacker an opportunity to continue his career after two injury-shortened seasons.

The 31-year-old Thompson was not re-signed by Carolina in March after spending his first 10 seasons with the Panthers. He joins the Bills, where he’s reunited with coach Sean McDermott, who was Carolina’s defensive coordinator during Thompson’s first two seasons with the team after being selected in the first round of the 2015 draft.

Thompson is also familiar with Bills linebackers coach Al Holcomb and general manager, Brandon Beane, who have previous ties to the player’s time in Carolina.

“I was a young pup back in the day, now 11 years, seasoned vet, so time is coming around,” Thompson said. “You never thought it would happen to yourself, but everything is a blessing. Everything happens in God’s hands and fortunately I came here and I’m happy here.”

Thompson was a starter in Carolina from his rookie season, and enjoyed a stretch from 2019-2022 in which he topped 100 tackles each year, before being slowed by injuries. He’s appeared in just six games over the past two years after breaking his ankle in 2023 and then tearing his Achilles tendon in Week 4 the following year.

Thompson did not practice Tuesday, and said he expects to be ready to begin for the start of training camp next month.

He then dismissed the notion of his body beginning to wear down.

“Only me and myself know my body and my mindset. And one thing about me I would never end my career on an injury,” said Thompson, who appeared in 123 games Carolina.

Thompson fills a veteran depth role on a Bills defense featuring a two-linebacker system, and behind returning starters Terrel Bernard and Matt Milano.

North Carolina GOP sending immigration crackdown bills to Democratic Gov. Stein

By GARY D. ROBERTSON Associated Press

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Republicans at the North Carolina legislature gave final approval Tuesday two pieces of legislation that would compel state agencies to participate in President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown and would toughen a recent law that required sheriffs to help federal agents seeking criminal defendants.

The series of House and Senate votes on the measures could mean an early showdown between the GOP-controlled General Assembly and new Democratic Gov. Josh Stein, who since taking office in January has tried to build rapport with lawmakers on consensus issues like Hurricane Helene aid.

Stein has yet to a veto a bill, and pressure will build on him to use his stamp on one or both bills given overwhelming Democratic opposition to the measures during floor votes.

The GOP’s legislative maneuvers happened while National Guard troops have been deployed by Trump to Los Angeles to confront protesters angry with federal conducting sweeps that led to immigrant arrests.

Should Stein issue vetoes, Republicans in the ninth-largest state could face challenges in overriding them, since the GOP is currently one seat shy of a veto-proof majority. Republican leaders would need at least one Democrat for their side during an override vote or hope some Democrats are absent.

Dueling immigration philosophies

Republicans say the measures are needed to assist the Trump administration’s efforts to remove immigrants unlawfully in the country who are committing crimes and or accessing limited taxpayer resources that are needed for U.S. citizens or lawful immigrants.

“North Carolina is one step closer to increasing the safety of every citizen in the state,” said Senate Leader Phil Berger, a primary sponsor of one of the bills. “The Republican-led General Assembly made it clear that harboring criminal illegal aliens will not be tolerated in our state.”

But Democrats and social justice advocates of immigrants say the bills vilify immigrants who work and pay taxes, leading residents to feel intimidated and fear law enforcement, which will ultimately make communities less safe. Demonstrators opposed to GOP action filled the Senate gallery during debate.

Republicans are spending their time “trying to sell a lie that immigrants are the source of our problems,” Democratic Sen. Sophia Chitlik of Durham County said, telling colleagues that their constituents “didn’t send us here to round up their neighbors. They sent us here to make their lives better.”

Stein spokesperson Morgan Hopkins said late Tuesday that the governor “will continue to review the bills. He has made clear that if someone commits a crime and they are here illegally; they should be deported.”

Breaking down the bills

One measure receiving final approval in part would direct heads of several state law enforcement agencies, like the State Highway Patrol and State Bureau of Investigation, to cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. That would include having to officially participate in the 287(g) program, which trains officers to interrogate defendants and determine their immigration status. A Trump executive order urged his administration to maximize the use of 287(g) agreements.

The measure also would direct state agencies to ensure noncitizens don’t access state-funded benefits and publicly funded housing benefits to which they are otherwise ineligible. The same applies to unemployment benefits for those aren’t legally authorized to live in the U.S.

And the bill also prohibits University of North Carolina system campus policies that prevent law enforcement agencies from accessing school information about a students’ citizenship or immigration status. Thousands of international students attending college in the U.S. had their study permissions canceled this spring, only for ICE to later reverse decisions and restore their legal status.

The other approved bill Tuesday builds on the 2024 law that lawmakers enacted over then-Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto that directed jails hold temporarily certain defendants whom ICE believe are in the country illegally, allowing time for immigration agents to pick them up. The law was a response by Republicans unhappy with Democratic sheriffs in several counties who declined to help immigration agents with offenders subject to federal immigration detainers and administrative warrants.

The proposed changes expands the list of crimes that a defendant is charged with that would require the jail administrator — expanding in the bill to magistrates — to attempt to determine the defendant’s legal residency or citizenship. A defendant with an apparent detainer or administrative warrant would still have to go before a judicial official before a defendant could be released to agents. A jail also would have to tell ICE promptly that they are holding someone and essentially extends the time agents have to pick up the person.

Trump says he will ‘liberate’ Los Angeles in speech to mark the 250th anniversary of the Army

By CHRIS MEGERIAN and MICHELLE L. PRICE Associated Press

FORT BRAGG, N.C. (AP) — President Donald Trump called protesters in Los Angeles “animals” and “a foreign enemy” in a speech at Fort Bragg on Tuesday as he defended deploying the military on demonstrators opposed to his immigration enforcement raids.

Trump, in his most aggressive language yet regarding the protests in Los Angeles, used a speech ostensibly supposed to be used to recognize the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army to denounce the demonstrators while repeating his false statements about the 2020 election being rigged and attacking the previous commander-in-chief, former President Joe Biden.

The Republican president, who sees the military as a critical tool for domestic goals, has used the recent protests in Los Angeles as an opportunity to deploy the National Guard and U.S. Marines over the objections of California’s Democratic governor to quell disturbances that began as protests over immigration raids. While protesters blocked a major freeway and set cars on fire over the weekend in Los Angeles, the demonstrations in the city of 4 million people have largely been centered in several blocks of downtown.

“We will not allow an American city to be invaded and conquered by a foreign enemy. That’s what they are,” Trump said Tuesday.

Trump’s heated rhetoric came has he’s left open the possibility of invoking the Insurrection Act, one of the most extreme emergency powers available to the president. It authorizes him to deploy military forces inside the U.S. to suppress rebellion or domestic violence or to enforce the law in certain situations.

The president also called Los Angeles “a trash heap” with “entire neighborhoods under control” of criminals and said the federal government would ”use every asset at our disposal to quell the violence and restore law and order.”

“We will liberate Los Angeles and make it free, clean, and safe again,” Trump added.

Trump also announced his administration was restoring the names of seven military bases that were given the monikers of Confederate leaders until being changed by the Biden administration. Fort Pickett, Fort Hood, Fort Gordon, Fort Rucker, Fort Polk, Fort A.P. Hill and Fort Robert E. Lee will have their names changed back, Trump said.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth already brought back the names of Fort Bragg and Fort Benning in Georgia.

“Can you believe they changed that name in the last administration for a little bit?” Trump said. “We’ll forget all about that.”

Before he spoke, Trump watched the U.S. Army demonstrate a missile strike, a helicopter assault and a building raid, a preview of the kind of show of American military might he’s expected to display in the nation’s capital for a massive military parade this weekend.

Fort Bragg, which is located near Fayetteville, North Carolina, serves as headquarters for U.S. Army Special Operations Command. Highly trained units like the Green Berets and the 82nd Airborne are based there.

The atmosphere resembled a state fair with military flair. Inflatable slides and attractions for children were set up in a field, with artillery, trucks and helicopters parked on another section of the lawn. Right outside the security checkpoint — but still on the base — two stands were selling Trump political hats, T-shirts and other paraphernalia.

Hegseth and Army Secretary Dan Driscoll were also at Tuesday’s event, along with service members, veterans and their families.

Hegseth, who has said he’s ridding the military of “woke,” told the crowd at Fort Bragg that the U.S. is “restoring the warrior ethos” to its armed forces.

“We’re not a college or a university. We’re not interested in your woke garbage and political correctness,” Hegseth said, drawing cheers.

Driscoll, who spoke to the crowd earlier in the afternoon, called Trump “the greatest recruiter in our Army’s history.”

Trump has promoted the Army’s anniversary as a reason to hold a military parade in Washington on Saturday, which is also his 79th birthday. Tanks and other vehicles will roll down city streets in a reminder of how the Republican president is reshaping the armed forces after returning to the White House this year.

Trump has authorized the deployment of 4,000 National Guard soldiers to the city over the objections of California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat. About 700 Marines were deployed to the Los Angeles area, but had not yet been sent to respond to the protests.

California sued Trump over the deployment, with the state attorney general arguing that the president had “trampled” the state’s sovereignty. California leaders accused Trump of fanning protesters’ anger, leading crowds to block off a major freeway and set self-driving cars on fire.

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Price reported from Washington. Associated Press writer Lolita Baldor in Washington contributed to this report. Follow the AP’s coverage of President Donald Trump at https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump.

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This story has been corrected to reflect that the 82nd Airborne Division, not the U.S. Army Rangers, is based at Fort Bragg.

Breaking down the teams playing for national championship at the College World Series

By ERIC OLSON AP Sports Writer

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A look at the eight teams competing in the College World Series, which starts Friday at Charles Schwab Field. (Capsules in order of CWS opening games. Coaches’ records through super regionals):

Coastal Carolina (53-11)

Coach: Kevin Schnall (53-11 in 1 year at Coastal Carolina and overall).

Road to Omaha: Won Conway Regional: beat Fairfield 10-2, beat East Carolina 18-7, beat East Carolina 1-0. Won Auburn Super Regional: beat Auburn 7-6 in 10 innings, beat Auburn 4-1.

2025 record vs. CWS teams: 0-0.

Last CWS appearance: 2016.

All-time record in CWS: 6-2 in one appearance (won national title in 2016).

Meet the Chanticleers: C Caden Bodine (.329, 5 HRs, 41 RBIs), 1B Colby Thorndyke (.301, 4, 40), 2B Blake Barthol (.274, 12, 50), SS Ty Dooley (.292, 6, 36), 3B Walker Mitchell (.292, 4, 45), LF Sebastian Alexander (.328, 10, 53), CF Wells Sykes (.293, 3, 36), RF Blagen Pado (.273, 8, 30), DH Ty Barrango (.247, 2, 19). Starting pitchers: RHP Cameron Flukey (7-1, 3.35 ERA), RHP Jacob Morrison (11-0, 2.11), RHP Riley Eikhoff (6-2, 2.90). Relievers: LHP Hayden Johnson (4-0, 3.43), RHP Ryan Lynch (2-1, 0.59, 8 saves), RHP Matthew Potok (4-1, 2.55), LHP Dominick Carbone (6-0, 2.61), RHP Darin Horn (5-1, 2.96), RHP Luke Jones (4-2, 3.51), RHP Scott Doran (1-0, 4.15).

MLB alumni: Mickey Brantley, Tommy La Stella, Kirt Manwaring, Taylor Motter, Dave Sappelt, Zach Remillard, Luis Lopez.

Short hops: Chanticleers have the nation’s longest active winning streak, at 23 games. Since the NCAA Tournament went to its current format in 1999, no team has entered the CWS with so many consecutive wins. … Schnall was an assistant on Gary Gilmore’s national championship-winning team in 2016. He succeeded Gilmore, who retired after last season, and is in his 22nd season on the staff over two stints. … Chants’ 53 wins are most in nation. … Sun Belt Conference regular-season and tournament champion. … Chants batters have been hit by 170 pitches, most in the nation.

Quotable: “This is not a Cinderella story. We’re one of the premier, most successful college baseball programs in the entire country.” — Schnall.

Arizona (44-19)

Coach: Chip Hale (152-93 in 4 years at Arizona and overall).

Road to Omaha: Won Eugene Regional: beat Cal Poly 3-2, beat Utah Valley 14-4, beat Cal Poly 14-0. Won Chapel Hill Super Regional: lost to North Carolina 11-2, beat North Carolina 10-8, beat North Carolina 4-3.

2025 record vs. CWS teams: 0-1.

Last CWS appearance: 2021.

All-time record in CWS: 43-32 in 18 appearances (won national titles in 1976, 1980, 1986, 2012).

Meet the Wildcats: C Adonys Guzman (.318, 8 HRs, 42 RBIs), 1B Tommy Splaine (.290, 5, 25), 2B Garen Caulfield (.262, 8, 43), SS Mason White (.332, 19, 72), 3B Maddox Mihalakis (.278, 5, 35), LF Easton Breyfogle (.248, 5, 31) or TJ Adams (.167, 0, 7), CF Aaron Walton (.320, 14, 49), RF Brendan Summerhill (.358, 4, 34), DH Andrew Cain (.245, 6, 22). RHP Owen Kramkowski (9-6, 5.48 ERA), RHP Raul Garayzar (2-0, 2.81), RHP Smith Bailey (3-3, 4.01). Relievers: RHP Tony Pluta (3-0, 1.26, 14 saves), RHP Garrett Hicks (5-0, 5.61), RHP Julian Tonghini (4-2, 4.26), RHP Casey Hintz (7-4, 5.53), RHP Michael Hilker Jr. (2-1, 6.45), RHP Hunter Alberini (1-0, 3.48), RHP Matthew Martinez (3-0, 4.42), RHP Collin McKinney (0-2, 3.98), LHP Eric Orloff (1-0, 5.14).

MLB alumni: Kenny Lofton, J.T. Snow, Tony Clark, Ron Hassey, Scott Erickson, Dan Meyer, Trevor Hoffman, Nick Hundley, Jack Howell, Casey Candaele, Terry Francona, Gil Heredia, Hank Leiber, Craig Lefferts, Joe Magrane, Mark Melancon.

Short hops: Wildcats are back in Omaha for first time since going 0-2 in the 2021 CWS under current LSU coach Jay Johnson. Dawson Netz, who made relief appearances in both games, is a graduate manager. … Hale played on Arizona’s 1986 championship team. … White’s 48 career homers rank second in program history. The Tucson native has hit 35 of them at road or neutral sites. … Wildcats’ 36 triples lead nation. … Pluta’s 14 saves are a school record.

Quotable: “We’re going to go there, put our best foot forward and try to win our fifth national championship.” — Hale.

Louisville (40-22)

Coach: Dan McDonnell (791-357-1 in 19 years at Louisville and overall).

Road to Omaha: Won Nashville Regional: beat East Tennessee State 8-3, beat Vanderbilt 3-2, beat Wright State 6-0. Won Louisville Super Regional: beat Miami 8-1, lost 9-6 to Miami, beat Miami 3-2.

2025 record vs. CWS teams: 1-0.

Last CWS appearance: 2019.

All-time record in CWS: 4-10 in 5 appearances.

Meet the Cardinals: C Matt Klein (.327, 5 HRs, 30 RBIs), 1B Tague Davis (.286, 18, 50), 2B Kamau Neighbors (.250, 0, 16), SS Alex Alicea (.310, 1, 24), 3B Jake Munroe (.345, 12, 58), LF Zion Rose (.315, 12, 63) or Eddie King Jr. (.362, 17, 60), CF Lucas Moore (.353, 5, 48), RF Garret Pike (.294, 4, 39) or King, DH Rose or Pike. Starting pitchers: RHP Patrick Forbes (4-2, 4.36 ERA), RHP Tucker Biven (3-0, 4.19), LHP Ethan Eberle (6-2, 4.34). Relievers: RHP Brennyn Cutts (3-1, 4.89), LHP Justin West (2-2, 6.12), LHP Wyatt Danilowicz (0-1, 2.25), RHP Jack Brown (5-5, 6.69), LHP Ty Starke (1-0, 8.50), RHP Jake Schweitzer (4-2, 2.15).

MLB alumni: Adam Duvall, Will Smith, Adam Engel, Nick Solak, Chad Green, Sean Green, Reid Detmers, Tyler Fitzgerald, Kyle Funkhouser, Matt Koch.

Short hops: Cardinals are 5-1 in the NCAA Tournament after entering regionals coming off losses in six of seven games. … King is on a tear, having gone 12 for 22 (.545) with two homers, three doubles and eight RBIs in six tournament games. …Moore leads the nation with 51 stolen bases and has been caught stealing just once. … A thumb injury has forced Alicea, a switch hitter, to bat left-handed exclusively since the start of May. … Biven moved from the closer’s role to weekend starter in May. He has received a no-decision in all four starts but allowed just five earned runs over 17 1/3 innings.

Quotable: “We’re going to Omaha to win it all. We’re not just going there just to play.” — King.

Oregon State (47-14-1)

Coach: Mitch Canham (223-101-1 in 6 years at Oregon State and overall).

Road to Omaha: Won Corvallis Regional: lost to Saint Mary’s 6-4, beat TCU 7-2, beat Saint Mary’s 20-3, beat Southern California 14-1, beat Southern California 9-0. Won Corvallis Super Regional: beat Florida State 5-4 in 10 innings, lost to Florida State 3-1, beat Florida State 14-10.

2025 record vs. CWS teams: 1-0.

Last CWS appearance: 2018.

All-time record in CWS: 21-12 in 7 appearances (won national titles in 2006, 2007, 2018).

Meet the Beavers: C Wilson Weber (.333, 12 HRs, 57 RBIs), 1B Jacob Krieg (.251, 13, 35), 2B AJ Singer (.309, 3, 39), SS Aiva Arquette (.354, 18, 65), 3B Trent Caraway (.270, 12, 47), LF Gavin Turley (.346, 19, 66), CF Canon Reeder (.303, 8, 35), RF Easton Talt (.265, 7, 35) or Carson McEntire (.263, 4, 10), DH Tyce Peterson (.282, 5, 19). Starting pitchers: RHP Dax Whitney (6-3, 3.66 ERA), LHP Ethan Kleinschmit (8-4, 3.54), RHP James DeCremer (3-0, 5.34). Relievers: LHP Nelson Keljo (3-2, 3.74), RHP AJ Hutcheson (3-0, 4.00), RHP Kellan Oakes (4-0, 3.60), RHP Laif Palmer (2-0, 2.12), RHP Wyatt Queen (3-1, 3.35), RHP Eric Segura (8-2, 4.76), RHP Zach Kmatz (2-0, 4.21).

MLB alumni: Jacoby Ellsbury, Michael Conforto, Darwin Barney, Bob Forsch, Steven Kwan, Adley Rutschman, Ken Forsch, Trevor Larnach, Matthew Boyd, Drew Rasmussen.

Short hops: The Beavers surpassed 100 home runs for the second consecutive season. The 103 are the second-most in program history, trailing the 2024 club’s 118. … Five home runs in Game 3 of the super regional were a postseason program record. … Beavers are 5-1 in elimination games this postseason. … Talt has walked 62 times, fifth-most in the country.

Quotable: “When we’re all hitting, it’s dangerous. No one can really compete with us.” — Caraway.

Murray State (44-15)

Coach: Dan Skirka (209-150 in 7 seasons at Murray State and overall).

Road to Omaha: Won Oxford Regional: beat Mississippi 9-6, beat Georgia Tech 13-11, lost to Mississippi 19-8, beat Mississippi 12-11. Won Durham Super Regional: lost to Duke 7-4, beat Duke 19-9, beat Duke 5-4.

2025 record against CWS teams: 0-0.

Last CWS appearance: None.

All-time record in CWS: 0-0.

Meet the Racers: C Will Vierling (.316, 10 HRs, 52 RBIs), 1B Luke Mistone (.340, 4, 53), 2B Dom Decker (.361, 0, 48), SS Conner Cunningham (.257, 7, 38), 3B Carson Garner (.281, 17, 59), LF Dan Tauken (.257, 11, 76), CF Jonathan Hogart (.339, 22, 65), RF Dustin Mercer (.356, 0, 39), DH Nico Bermeo (.305, 1, 7). Starting pitchers: RHP Nic Schutte (8-4, 4.85 ERA), RHP Isaac Silva (9-2, 5.09), RHP Kane Elmy (6-2, 4.45). Relievers: RHP Reese Oakley (3-0, 5.64), LHP Dylan Zentko (4-1, 4.38), RHP Graham Kelham (4-1, 4.40, 9 saves), RHP Jacob Hustedde (2-0, 5.09), LHP Ethan Lyke (2-1, 4.64), RHP Jack Wajda (2-3, 5.56).

MLB alumni: Jack Perconte, Kirk Rueter, Pat Jarvis.

Short hops: Only the fourth No. 4 regional seed to reach the CWS, joining Fresno State (2008 national champion), Stony Brook (2012) and Oral Roberts (2023). … This is Racers’ fourth NCAA Tournament appearance and first since 2003. … 44 wins are program record. … 10.8 runs per game in NCAA Tournament ranks second. … Hogart has hit a nation-leading eight of his 22 homers to lead off a game. … Kelham has recorded four saves and one win over his last five appearances, and his nine saves are a program record.

Quotable: “Hopefully, it motivates everybody. This team could do it with 28 newcomers and three new coaches. Came together and hit their stride at the right time.” — Skirka.

UCLA (47-16)

Coach: John Savage (723-479-2 in 21 seasons at UCLA; 811-563-3 in 24 seasons overall).

Road to Omaha: Won Los Angeles Regional: beat Fresno State 19-4, beat Arizona State 11-5, beat UC Irvine 8-5. Won Los Angeles Super Regional: beat UTSA 5-2, beat UTSA 7-0.

2025 record vs. CWS teams: 0-1.

Last CWS appearance: 2013.

All-time record in CWS: 9-9 in 5 appearances (won 2013 national title).

Meet the Bruins: C Cashel Dugger (.276, 3 HRs, 25 RBIs), 1B Mulivai Levu (.319, 12, 85), 2B Phoenix Call (.258, 3, 31), SS Roch Cholowsky (.367, 23, 73), 3B Roman Martin (.320, 9, 58), LF Dean West (.315, 4, 40), CF Payton Brennan (.304, 6, 39), RF AJ Salgado (.313, 12, 52), DH Blake Balsz (.246, 1, 24). Starting pitchers: RHP Michael Barnett (12-1, 4.09), RHP Landon Stump (6-1, 4.54), RHP Wylan Moss (2-1, 2.47). Relievers: RHP Jack O’Connor (3-0, 1.80), RHP August Souza (0-0, 5.40), RHP Easton Hawk (1-1, 4.84), LHP Chris Grothues (4-1, 4.94), RHP Cal Randall (2-1, 3.09), LHP Ian May (7-3, 5.00).

MLB alumni: Chris Chambliss, Todd Zeile, Jeff Conine, Bobby Grich, Chase Utley, Eric Karros, Brandon Crawford, Troy Glaus, Jackie Robinson, Don Slaught, Eric Byrnes, Shane Mack, Mike Magnante, Matt Young, Gerrit Cole, Trevor Bauer.

Short hops: Bruins were Big Ten regular-season co-champions in their first season in the league. … Their .372 batting average in the NCAA Tournament ranks first. … UCLA more than doubled its win total from 2024, when it went 19-33. … Cholowsky is Big Ten player of the year and defensive player of the year. … Cholowsky’s 23 home runs are the most by a Bruins player since Forrest Johnson in 2000. … Bruins lead the nation with 63 double plays.

Quotable: “We’re the only team that has gotten to play there. We have played in front of a big crowd there, too, which is useful. Just using that is going to help us.” — Cholowsky, on playing in the Big Ten Tournament at Charles Schwab Field last month.

LSU

(48-15)

Coach: Jay Johnson (185-77 in 4 seasons at LSU; 502-249 in 13 seasons overall).

Road to Omaha: Won Baton Rouge Regional: beat Little Rock 7-0, beat Dallas Baptist 12-0, lost to Little Rock 10-4, beat Little Rock 10-6. Won Baton Rouge Super Regional: beat West Virginia 16-9, beat West Virginia 12-5.

2025 record vs. CWS teams: 2-1.

Last CWS appearance: 2023.

All-time record in CWS: 46-29 in 19 appearances (won national titles in 1991, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2009, 2023).

Meet the Tigers: C Luis Hernandez (.272, 9 HRs, 30 RBIs), 1B Jared Jones (.328, 20, 70), 2B Daniel Dickinson (.312, 12, 48), SS Steven Milam (.290, 11, 55), 3B Michael Braswell III (.201, 2, 17) or Tanner Reaves (.266, 3, 12), LF Derek Curiel (.347, 7, 52), CF Chris Stanfield (.309, 1, 28), RF Josh Pearson (.297, 7, 32) or Jake Brown (.315, 8, 44), DH Ethan Frey (.340, 13, 49). Starting pitchers: LHP Kade Anderson (10-1, 3.58 ERA), RHP Anthony Eyanson (11-2, 2.74), RHP Jaden Noot (2-1, 4.26). Relievers: LHP DJ Primeaux (0-0, 3.86), RHP William Schmidt (7-0, 4.73), RHP Maverick Ritzy (0-0, 4.74), LHP Cooper Williams (0-1, 1.83), RHP Chase Shores (5-3, 5.24), RHP Casan Evans (4-1, 1.90), RHP Zac Cowan (3-3, 3.09), LHP Conner Ware (4-1, 5.48).

MLB alumni: Joe Adcock, DJ LeMahieu, Aaron Hill, Albert Belle, Todd Walker, Ben McDonald, Alex Bregman, Brad Hawpe, Ryan Theriot, Russ Springer, Kevin Gausman, Jason Vargas, Warren Morris, Austin Nola, Paul Byrd, Aaron Nola, Mark Guthrie.

Short hops: Tigers went 2-1 this season against Arkansas, their opening opponent. … Tigers have second-highest all-time NCAA Tournament winning percentage (.708, 182-75). … Anderson’s 163 strikeouts are most among CWS pitchers and rank second nationally. Eyanson’s 135 Ks rank third. … Pitching staff is in top 10 nationally in ERA (3.80), hits allowed per nine innings (7.34) and strikeouts per nine innings (11.9).

Quotable: “Everyone just plays for each other. We know we’re a team and if we don’t get the job done, the guys behind us or the guy in front of us is going to protect us and get it done for us. Everyone genuinely cares about each other.” — Eyanson.

Arkansas (48-13)

Coach: Dave Van Horn (931-470 in 23 seasons at Arkansas; 1,516-710 in 38 seasons overall).

Road to Omaha: Won Fayetteville Regional: beat North Dakota State 62, beat Creighton 12-1, beat Creighton 8-3. Won Fayetteville Super Regional: beat Tennessee 4-3, beat Tennessee 11-4.

2025 record vs. CWS teams: 1-2.

Last CWS appearance: 2022.

All-time record in CWS: 18-22 in 11 appearances.

Meet the Razorbacks: C Ryder Helfrick (.320, 14 HRs, 36 RBIs), 1B Reese Robinett (.276, 2, 12), 2B Cam Kozeal (.346, 15, 62), SS Wehiwa Aloy (.348, 20, 64), 3B Brent Iredale (.289, 14, 56), LF Charles Davalan (.355, 14, 59), CF Justin Thomas Jr. (.278, 9, 35), RF Logan Maxwell (.360, 13, 35), DH Kuhio Aloy (.330, 13, 70). Starting pitchers: LHP Zach Root (8-5, 3.59 ERA), RHP Aiden Jimenez (4-1, 3.66), RHP Gage Wood (3-1, 5.02). Relievers: RHP Ben Bybee (3-0, 4.38), RHP Steele Eaves (1-0, 1.86), LHP Colin Fisher (3-0, 4.62), RHP Gabe Gaeckle (4-2, 4.76), LHP Parker Coil (3-0, 1.27), LHP Landon Beidelschies (4-0, 4.92), RHP Will McEntire (1-0, 2.59), RHP Dylan Carter (6-0, 2.18).

MLB alumni: Kevin McReynolds, Eric Hinske, Jeff King, Andrew Benintendi, Les Lancaster, Tom Pagnozzi, Ryne Stanek, Blake Parker, Drew Smyly, Cliff Lee, Dallas Keuchel, Colin Poche, Jalen Beeks, Robert Person, Tim Lollar.

Short hops: No. 3 Razorbacks are the highest remaining national seed. … Wehiwa Aloy is the SEC player of the year. His first name means “prized one” in Hawaiian. He leads the team with 20 homers and is among seven Arkansas players with double-digit homers. … Hogs’ 123 homers are program record and fifth in the country. … Arkansas has had at least one player selected in each of the past 50 MLB drafts dating back to 1975.

Quotable: “We want to win a natty bad for him. He deserves it. So yeah, we’ll give it all we got in Omaha for him, for sure,” Davalan, on Van Horn.

Poll shows broad support for vaccines, rising concern over decline in childhood immunizations

RALEIGH, N.C. (WPTF) — A new national poll is revealing a rare point of agreement among American voters across the political spectrum: strong support for keeping FDA-approved vaccines accessible. The survey, conducted by the Partnership to Fight Infectious Disease, also highlights growing alarm over declining childhood vaccination rates in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Candace DeMatteis, Vice President of Policy and Advocacy for the organization, says the findings point to both a shared commitment to public health and a concern that momentum is slipping.

“Sixty-nine percent say they’re very concerned about declining vaccination rates in the U.S.,” said DeMatteis. “But it is important also—as our polls show—a vast majority of people do follow through on the recommendations their healthcare providers give them and they get vaccinated.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), childhood immunizations save around four million lives globally each year. Looking ahead, the agency estimates that the measles vaccine alone could save nearly 19 million lives by 2030, with the hepatitis B vaccine projected to save another 14 million.

Even with an overall high uptake, DeMatteis says the survey confirmed that misinformation and distrust continue to chip away at confidence in vaccines. Still, she says personal relationships with medical professionals make a key difference.

“There is a lot of mistrust, and COVID helped spread that,” said DeMatteis. “But people still do very much trust their personal healthcare provider. It makes sense—the person who knows the medicine, the science, and knows you is the one best equipped to recommend what fits you.”

The Partnership’s data also shows that support for future vaccine development remains high. Respondents overwhelmingly favored continued innovation in medical science, including the creation of new vaccines—something DeMatteis says is especially important for maintaining U.S. leadership in health and technology.

“They see the U.S. as an innovator,” she said. “North Carolina is a great example of that in terms of medical innovation, and they wanted to see that maintained. That ensures us early access and supports the jobs that come with it.”

In North Carolina, the measles vaccination rate for children currently stands at 93.8%—slightly below the CDC-recommended 95% threshold but still ahead of many other states. DeMatteis says maintaining and improving those numbers will require continued focus and public outreach.

Data from the CDC also shows that every dollar spent on immunization in low- and middle-income countries saves $52 in future healthcare costs. The cost to fully immunize a child in those regions has fallen from over $24 in 2013 to just $18 today.

As public health leaders work to counteract vaccine hesitancy and misinformation, advocates say the message is simple: staying protected saves lives—and unity around science may be one of the nation’s strongest tools moving forward.

Invasive Alabama bass threaten native fish and tournaments across North Carolina

RALEIGH, N.C. (WPTF) — A fast-spreading invasive fish is raising alarms across North Carolina—and wildlife officials say it’s already threatening some of the state’s most popular game fish. The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission is warning anglers to be on the lookout for Alabama bass, an aggressive species now turning up in waters far beyond where it was first spotted.

Kin Hodges, Fisheries Biologist with the Commission, says the issue isn’t just about where these fish are—but what they’re doing to native species.

“Alabama bass are a close relative of two of our most popular sport fish in the state: the largemouth bass and the smallmouth bass,” said Hodges. “And they have a unique ability to degrade the populations of both of those species to a tremendous level.”

The largemouth bass can be found statewide, while smallmouth bass are typically concentrated in North Carolina’s foothills and mountain regions. Both have long been staples of the state’s sport fishing culture—but that balance is being disrupted.

Originally detected in a lake along the North Carolina-Georgia border in the 1980s, Alabama bass seemed to remain confined to one area for years. But that changed in the early 2000s, when anglers began illegally moving them to new lakes—most notably, Lake Norman.

“They got put in Lake Norman and they took off,” said Hodges. “That seemed to really set off a chain reaction of people continuing to take them from Lake Norman and moving them to more and more lakes.”

The expansion has been swift and widespread. Alabama bass have now been reported from the mountains to the central Piedmont and even down toward the coast.

“Those are through a combination of intentional introductions where fishermen are continuing to move them and release them on purpose,” said Hodges. “But also just the fact that a lot of our lakes and dams are on river systems—so once you put them into a certain lake, they’re not going to stay there.”

Because the fish can move downstream through dams and into river systems, containing their spread has become increasingly difficult. Wildlife officials say it’s also becoming more challenging to assess just how much harm the Alabama bass are doing.

Adding to the concern is the potential economic impact—especially on North Carolina’s summer bass fishing tournaments. According to Hodges, Alabama bass tend to be smaller, which could alter the competitive landscape.

“A largemouth bass—on a good lake—a tournament fisherman might average catching three-to-four pounders,” he explained. “On your average lake with Alabama bass, that number might be one-to-two pounds.”

That kind of change matters in tournaments, where the biggest catch is everything.

As the Alabama bass continues to push into new waters, state wildlife officials are urging anglers to avoid moving fish between lakes and report any unusual catches. The commission hopes increased awareness will slow the spread of a species that’s quickly shifting the balance in North Carolina’s waterways.