NCAA enters professional ranks

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Landeros Named Top Reliever for NL:

Dave Landeros has won the 2028 National League Reliever of the Year Award, which at age 34 is a "milestone achievement" for the Cincinnati Bearcats reliever.

"I feel accomplished to win this when there are other younger, stronger, harder-throwing guys out there," he said.

The Norman, Oklahoma native's numbers speak for themselves, as he captured the award with 40 saves in 63 relief appearances, compiling 74 innings. He had 123 strikeouts and 20 walks, a record of 5-1 and an ERA of 0.61.

He received 153 first place votes out of a possible 154. Craig Kimbrel of the Louisville Cardinals finished second in voting with 1 first place vote, while Sean Wrisley of the NC State Wolfpack finished third.

Player - Team - First Place - Total Points
Dave Landeros - Cincinnati Bearcats - 153 - 768
Craig Kimbrel - Louisville Cardinals - 1 - 403
Sean Wrisley - NC State Wolfpack - 0 - 89
Bert Dorr - Villanova Wildcats - 0 - 59
Kenley Jansen - Georgia Southern Eagles - 0 - 38
Hong-Chih Kuo - UCF Knights - 0 - 22
Kyle Patton - Oregon State Beavers - 0 - 6
Rick Ankiel - Indiana Hoosiers - 0 - 1

[4maddux_cy's]

Best AL Reliever Named:

Cameron Shook said with his contract set to expire, it was important he put up a big season with the Baylor Bears. He did exactly that and has won the 2028 American League Reliever of the Year Award.

"When your contract is about to expire and you're maybe going to become a free agent, you really want to show the league that you've still got it," the 26-year-old said. "I think I proved myself and should be able to get a pretty good contract now."

His season saw opponents hit only .201 against him, while he fashioned a 1.87 ERA over 91.2 innings of work. He made 74 relief appearances and had 11 saves, with 129 strikeouts, 36 walks and a record of 7-2.

He received 50 first place votes out of a possible 154. Henry Herrera of the North Texas Mean Green finished second in voting with 47 first place votes, while Jordan Hutcheson of the Ole Miss Rebels finished third with 31 first place votes.

Player - Team - First Place - Total Points
Cameron Shook - Baylor Bears - 50 - 428
Henry Herrera - North Texas Mean Green - 47 - 353
Jordan Hutcheson - Ole Miss Rebels - 31 - 288
Greg Holland - Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders - 12 - 128
Bruce Sutter - Fresno State Bulldogs - 9 - 96
Aroldis Chapman - Fresno State Bulldogs - 4 - 71
Ramon Sanchez - Cal State Fullerton Titans - 1 - 15
Jose Leclerc - North Texas Mean Green - 0 - 6
Masanori Murakami - TCU Horned Frogs - 0 - 1

[4maddux_cy's]

Silver Slugger Award Winners Named for the NL:

The National League passed out some hardware today, naming the Silver Slugger Award recipients for 2028.

The hitters who came out on top for their position this year are:

Catcher
Frank Chance (Purdue Boilermakers)
.299/.409/.584, 488 AB, 34 HR, 27 SB, 159 wRC+, 6.8 WAR

First Baseman
Johnny Mize (Illinois Fighting Illini)
.323/.426/.766, 576 AB, 70 HR, 1 SB, 149 R, 150 RBI, 9.7 WAR

Second Baseman
Brian Dozier (Illinois Fighting Illini)
.266/.365/.599, 583 AB, 57 HR, 11 SB, 125 R, 118 RBI, 6.4 WAR

Third Baseman
Al Rosen (Creighton Blue Jays)
.307/.405/.616, 593 AB, 51 HR, 2 SB, 123 R, 136 RBI, 8.2 WAR

Shortstop
Arky Vaughan (Temple Owls)
.330/.433/.650, 566 AB, 52 HR, 7 SB, 113 R, 136 RBI, 9.5 WAR

Left Fielder
Christian Yelich (Pittsburgh Panthers)
.337/.435/.695, 609 AB, 59 HR, 11 SB, 156 R, 114 RBI, 10.3 WAR

Center Fielder
Joe DiMaggio (South Alabama Jaguars)
.306/.366/.681, 634 AB, 68 HR, 1 SB, 142 R, 127 RBI, 9.1 WAR

Right Fielder
Harry Lumley (SMU Mustangs)
.298/.386/.796, 587 AB, 88 HR, 19 SB, 139 R, 164 RBI, 9.4 WAR

Designated Hitter
Stan Musial (Arizona Wildcats)
.377/.444/.783, 628 AB, 61 HR, 1 SB, 146 R, 146 RBI, 10.7 WAR

[4maddux_cy's]

Big Hitters Get Named AL Silver Slugger Award Winners:

Pitchers around the American League had difficulty pitching to this group of hitters all season long, and for their strong seasons, they have been honored with the Silver Slugger Award for 2028.

The winners are:

Catcher
Cal McVey (UC Santa Barbara Gauchos)
.331/.368/.607, 532 AB, 36 HR, 3 SB, 109 RBI, 6.4 WAR

First Baseman
George Sisler (West Virginia Mountaineers)
.399/.433/.684, 639 AB, 40 HR, 41 SB, 111 R, 116 RBI, 10.4 WAR

Second Baseman
Tony Lazzeri (Texas Longhorns)
.293/.377/.669, 598 AB, 61 HR, 12 SB, 125 R, 151 RBI, 7.9 WAR

Third Baseman
Ron Santo (Cal State Fullerton Titans)
.324/.413/.702, 587 AB, 63 HR, 1 SB, 134 R, 160 RBI, 10.5 WAR

Shortstop
Corey Seager (North Texas Mean Green)
.368/.433/.644, 604 AB, 44 HR, 9 SB, 102 R, 106 RBI, 10.2 WAR

Left Fielder
Ty Cobb (Cal Poly Mustangs)
.373/.442/.759, 617 AB, 60 HR, 32 SB, 149 R, 155 RBI, 12.8 WAR

Center Fielder
Fred Lynn (Eastern Washington Eagles)
.355/.435/.811, 578 AB, 71 HR, 4 SB, 134 R, 149 RBI, 11.8 WAR

Right Fielder
Bill Buckner (Florida Gators)
.407/.439/.723, 595 AB, 44 HR, 5 SB, 126 R, 136 RBI, 9.7 WAR

Designated Hitter
Frank Baker (Valparaiso Crusaders)
.323/.374/.686, 647 AB, 60 HR, 9 SB, 113 R, 156 RBI, 7.5 WAR

[4maddux_cy's]

DiMaggio Is NL's #1 Rookie:

This year's outstanding newcomer has been selected and the honor goes to the South Alabama rookie Joe DiMaggio -- the recipient of the 2028 National League Rookie of the Year Award.

The talented Jaguars center fielder took the trophy by hitting .306 in 159 games this season and finished with 194 hits, 68 home runs, 127 RBIs and 142 runs scored.

He received 114 first place votes out of a possible 154. Sean Casey of the Rutgers Scarlet Knights finished second in voting with 27 first place votes, while Albert Pujols of the Minnesota Golden Gophers finished third.

Player - Team - First Place - Total Points
Joe DiMaggio - South Alabama Jaguars - 114 - 679
Sean Casey - Rutgers Scarlet Knights - 27 - 373
Albert Pujols - Minnesota Golden Gophers - 0 - 160
Bobby Mathews - Troy Trojans - 13 - 93
Alex Rodriguez - UConn Huskies - 0 - 80
Dave Orr - Louisiana Monroe Warhawks - 0 - 1

[4maddux_cy's]

American League Names Premier Rookie:

In his apprentice season in the American League, Zack Wheat put up some quality statistics to sew up the prestigious Rookie of the Year Award.

This talented Illinois State left fielder posted a .379 average while accumulating 234 hits, 54 home runs, 131 RBIs and 129 runs scored in 156 games. He drew 64 walks as he fashioned a solid .435 on-base percentage.

He received 138 first place votes out of a possible 154. Bill Buckner of the Florida Gators finished second in voting with 16 first place votes, while Bernie Neis of the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs finished third.

Player - Team - First Place - Total Points
Zack Wheat - Illinois State Redbirds - 138 - 738
Bill Buckner - Florida Gators - 16 - 494
Bernie Neis - Louisiana Tech Bulldogs - 0 - 71
Vic Power - Missouri State Bears - 0 - 59
Herb Score - Drake Bulldogs - 0 - 23
Bake McBride - Florida Atlantic Owls - 0 - 1

[4maddux_cy's]

NL's Best Pitcher is Mathews:

The Troy Trojans have a rising superstar or maybe even a budding Hall-of-Famer in the making.
It's Bobby Mathews, this year's National League Cy Young Award selection. This blossoming hurler wowed fans, peers and sportswriters with a fabulous performance.

Mathews compiled a 15-6 record in 32 starts, tallied 510 strikeouts in 213.1 innings and recorded a 1.60 ERA. Other clubs managed only a .110 batting average against him.

He received 120 first place votes out of a possible 154. Joe Lake of the Tulsa Golden Hurricane finished second in voting with 26 first place votes, while Sam Leever of the Minnesota Golden Gophers finished third with 2 first place votes.

Player - Team - First Place - Total Points
Bobby Mathews - Troy Trojans - 120 - 971
Joe Lake - Tulsa Golden Hurricane - 26 - 580
Sam Leever - Minnesota Golden Gophers - 2 - 485
Jose Rijo - Louisville Cardinals - 6 - 407
Luis Rubalcava - Virginia Tech Hokies - 0 - 61
Gustavo Seja - Notre Dame Fighting Irish - 0 - 57
Jesus Morales - Arizona Wildcats - 0 - 46
Hi Bithorn - Indiana Hoosiers - 0 - 5
Johan Santana - Michigan State Spartans - 0 - 5
Bill McGunnigle - North Carolina Tar Heels - 0 - 1

[4maddux_cy's]

Best Hurler Award Presented by AL:

Poise, confidence, and good stuff -- a great combination that brought Bill Donovan the American League Cy Young Award this year. This Montana State mound star excelled with an impressive 19-4 mark.

In 32 starts, Donovan tossed 247.2 innings, fashioning an impressive 1.82 ERA. He held opposing hitters to a .175 average, struck out 389 and walked 57.

He received 113 first place votes out of a possible 154. Eddie Plank of the Montana State Bobcats finished second in voting with 41 first place votes, while Joe Blong of the Fresno State Bulldogs finished third.

Player - Team - First Place - Total Points
Bill Donovan - Montana State Bobcats - 113 - 955
Eddie Plank - Montana State Bobcats - 41 - 732
Joe Blong - Fresno State Bulldogs - 0 - 287
Jon Matlack - Cal State Fullerton Titans - 0 - 282
Watty Clark - Long Beach State Dirtbags - 0 - 173
Charles Bender - Portland State Vikings - 0 - 156
Alejandro Pena - Fresno State Bulldogs - 0 - 21
Herb Score - Drake Bulldogs - 0 - 8
Joe Gibbon - UTEP Miners - 0 - 4

[4maddux_cy's]

NL's Top Player for 2028 Named:

Stan Musial should get a big payoff next year on the heels of his performance in 2028 -- a season that earned him the National League Most Valuable Player Award.

In what could be his last season in Arizona, the center fielder smacked 237 hits, 56 doubles, 8 triples, 61 home runs and 146 RBIs while hitting .377 with 146 runs scored.

He received 152 first place votes out of a possible 154. Christian Yelich of the Pittsburgh Panthers finished second in voting, while Harry Lumley of the SMU Mustangs finished third with 1 first place vote.

Player - Team - First Place - Total Points
Stan Musial - Arizona Wildcats - 152 - 2145
Christian Yelich - Pittsburgh Panthers - 0 - 1258
Harry Lumley - SMU Mustangs - 1 - 1109
Johnny Mize - Illinois Fighting Illini - 0 - 945
Sam Crawford - Colorado Buffaloes - 0 - 692
Joe DiMaggio - South Alabama Jaguars - 0 - 538
Sean Casey - Rutgers Scarlet Knights - 0 - 487
Manny Ramirez - Louisville Cardinals - 0 - 428
Arky Vaughan - Temple Owls - 0 - 291
Chuck Klein - Colorado Buffaloes - 0 - 261
Vic Saier - Butler Bulldogs - 0 - 208
Bobby Mathews - Troy Trojans - 1 - 192
Mickey Mantle - South Florida Bulls - 0 - 187
Joe Lake - Tulsa Golden Hurricane - 0 - 93
Bobby Murcer - Creighton Blue Jays - 0 - 48
Sam Leever - Minnesota Golden Gophers - 0 - 43
Kiki Cuyler - South Alabama Jaguars - 0 - 42
Mike Tiernan - DePaul Blue Demons - 0 - 42
Hal Trosky Sr - Colorado Buffaloes - 0 - 20
Willie McCovey - Oregon Ducks - 0 - 19
Zeke Bonura - South Florida Bulls - 0 - 12
Albert Pujols - Minnesota Golden Gophers - 0 - 12
Josh Hamilton - Louisville Cardinals - 0 - 9
Bobby Tolan - South Florida Bulls - 0 - 3
Al Rosen - Creighton Blue Jays - 0 - 2

[4maddux_cy's]

Ty Cobb Chosen AL's Top Player:

Cal Poly's Ty Cobb put the wraps on a fine campaign today by winning the 2028 American League Most Valuable Player Award.

The 28-year-old veteran scorched the opposition with a .373 average, picking up 230 hits, 54 doubles, 2 triples, 60 home runs and 155 RBIs, while scoring 149 runs.

He received 88 first place votes out of a possible 154. Fred Lynn of the Eastern Washington Eagles finished second in voting with 41 first place votes, while Ron Santo of the Cal State Fullerton Titans finished third with 13 first place votes.

Player - Team - First Place - Total Points
Ty Cobb - Cal Poly Mustangs - 88 - 1777
Fred Lynn - Eastern Washington Eagles - 41 - 1477
Ron Santo - Cal State Fullerton Titans - 13 - 1087
Zack Wheat - Illinois State Redbirds - 0 - 871
Bill Buckner - Florida Gators - 7 - 772
John J McGraw - Kansas State Wildcats - 3 - 459
Shoeless Joe Jackson - Montana State Bobcats - 0 - 438
Corey Seager - North Texas Mean Green - 0 - 429
Mike Trout - Kentucky Wildcats - 0 - 403
Jack Howell - Florida Gators - 0 - 295
George Sisler - West Virginia Mountaineers - 0 - 198
Frank Baker - Valparaiso Crusaders - 0 - 172
Bill Donovan - Montana State Bobcats - 2 - 131
Bobby Bonilla - Oklahoma State Cowboys - 0 - 126
Eddie Plank - Montana State Bobcats - 0 - 108
Pete Browning - Hawai'i Rainbow Warriors - 0 - 69
John Wilson - Sacramento State Hornets - 0 - 56
Johnny Bates - Missouri State Bears - 0 - 55
Jim Ray Hart - Marshall Thundering Herd - 0 - 45
Cy Williams - TCU Horned Frogs - 0 - 45
Hack Wilson - Cal State Fullerton Titans - 0 - 23
Heinie Manush - Kansas Jayhawks - 0 - 20
Joe Blong - Fresno State Bulldogs - 0 - 11
Jon Matlack - Cal State Fullerton Titans - 0 - 9
Ike B Davis - Illinois State Redbirds - 0 - 7
Charles Bender - Portland State Vikings - 0 - 1
Jack Glasscock - Oklahoma Sooners - 0 - 1
Tony Lazzeri - Texas Longhorns - 0 - 1

[4maddux_cy's]

NCAA BREAKING NEWS: Expansion Teams Announced:


The NCAA has announced the teams that have won the bid for the current expansion process! The new teams will be the Bellarmine Knights, the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles, the Jacksonville Dolphins, the Kennesaw State Owls, the Liberty Flames, the NJIT Highlanders, the Lipscomb Bisons, the North Alabama Lions, the Idaho Vandals, and the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks.

Existing teams have to submit the protection lists for the upcoming expansion draft until November 21st, 2028.The draft itself is held one day later.

League officials are excited to see these new cities compete!

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With the latest expansion, Idaho and Northern Arizona will join the AL's American West. The other 8 teams will form a new NL division, the Atlantic Sun.

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Star SP Plank Settles on Oklahoma State:

There was a buzz in the air today as news broke of Oklahoma State finalizing a deal with star starting pitcher Eddie Plank.

The deal, worth an estimated $228,400,000 over 6 years, is being hailed by media analysts and could be a popular one with the Oklahoma State fans. The consensus is that Plank will contribute a lot to the team.

A check of his career stats reveals Plank has chalked up 102 wins and 52 losses with 1846 strikeouts and a 2.57 ERA. Opposing teams have put up a .201 batting average against him.

[4maddux_cy's]

$297,600,000 Lands SP Donovan for Broncos:

Boise State officials presented their new starting pitcher Bill Donovan today before a packed clubhouse of media representatives, agents and baseball officials.

The deal is worth an estimated $297,600,000, and runs for 7 years.

In his career Donovan has tossed 1026.1 innings, fanned 1661 batters and walked 389. His lifetime won-lost record is 82 wins and 24 losses with a 2.03 ERA.

[4maddux_cy's]

Mike Tiernan Comes Home:

It is many a child's dream to play for their hometown team, and Mike Tiernan has finally achieved that dream after signing a contract with the Villanova.

At his press conference, one reporter asked how he felt about joining the National League Big East team.

"It's a dream come true. I've been cheering this team on since I was a little kid, and I still live about 20 minutes from the ballpark. I remember coming to the stadium with my dad and just enjoying being at the games with him," said Tiernan. "Now I finally have a chance to give back and help bring a championship to the team that I loved so much growing up. I'm really excited for this opportunity. There's no negative I can think of to signing with Trenton, New Jersey. All positives so far, and I hope it stays that way."

Tiernan will earn $40,000,000 a year over 3 years and is expected to play a key role with the club.

His career numbers show Tiernan is currently carrying a .312 lifetime batting average with 280 home runs and 723 RBIs.

[4maddux_cy's]

2B Dunlap to Stanford:

The Cardinal and Fred Dunlap appeared before the Stanford media today as the two sides emerged from marathon contract talks.

Dunlap, a second baseman, is poised to make $357,700,000 over 8 years.

Over his career Dunlap has batted .335 and collected 1353 hits, 255 home runs and 701 RBIs.

[4maddux_cy's]

2B McNeil Signs on with UC Irvine:

Ending months of speculation, the UC Irvine Anteaters finalized a deal with Jeff McNeil earlier today, making the second baseman a very happy man. He'll be making an estimated $36,000,000 a year for 6 years.

His career numbers show McNeil is hitting .307 with a total of 165 home runs.

[4maddux_cy's]

Star CF Blair Settles on Texas A&M:

The Aggies and Paul Blair appeared before the Texas A&M media today as the two sides emerged from marathon contract talks.

Blair, a center fielder, is poised to make $284,400,000 over 8 years.

Over his career Blair is batting .262 with 153 home runs and 449 RBIs. In 842 games he has delivered 810 hits, scored 424 runs, stolen 37 bases and gotten on base at a .316 clip.

[4maddux_cy's]

UTEP Wins 1B Mize Sweepstakes:

Fans were ecstatic as the Miners broke word that they had reached an agreement with Johnny Mize, the phenomenal young first baseman today.

The deal, valued at $42,550,000 per year, will last 8 years and give the team some extra punch.

In his career Mize has played in 948 games, totaling 1196 hits, 191 doubles, 24 triples and 381 homers. He has hit .336 with 872 RBIs and scored 768 times.

[4maddux_cy's]

Star 1B McCovey Settles on Penn State:

Penn State officials presented their new first baseman Willie McCovey today before a packed clubhouse of media representatives, agents and baseball officials.

The deal is worth an estimated $300,000,000, and runs for 8 years.

McCovey has a career .272 batting average and .364 on-base percentage. He has recorded 886 hits with 104 doubles, 12 triples, 306 homers, 676 RBIs and scored 605 runs since coming into the league.