Sports
Augie Lopez powers USC baseball into super regionals for first time in 21 years
COLLEGE STATION, Texas — As Augie Lopez trotted around the bases late Monday night, the small contingent of USC fans could finally be heard at Blue Bell Park.
With one towering blast to right field, the Trojans’ designated hitter silenced Texas A&M’s rowdy 12th Man.
Lopez’s three-run home run helped the Trojans beat Texas A&M 7-1 to reach the NCAA super regionals for the first time in 21 years.
Lopez silenced most of the sellout crowd of 7,042, making it easy to hear USC fans serenading him during the College Station Regional Final.
“Augie! Augie! Augie!” USC fans chanted after Lopez returned to the dugout.
It took a while, but the offense showed up to propel USC to the Chapel Hill Super Regional against North Carolina. The 12-time national champions advanced out of a regional for the first time since they played against Oregon State in the 2005 super regionals.
“I think this year getting to a super is special,” said coach Andy Stankiewicz, who is in his fourth season leading the Trojans. “This is a special place. USC, I’m telling you, it’s different. …
“We want to put a nice name back on USC baseball. That’s been part of the plan since we got here. We knew it was going to take time.”
The Trojans (47-16) placed six players on the all-tournament team. Lopez was joined by catcher Isaac Cadena, second baseman Abbrie Covarrubias, third baseman Kevin Takeuchi, outfielders Andrew Lamb and Walter Urbon and pitcher Andrew Johnson.
“Yeah, I could hear them,” said Lopez, who was named the most outstanding player of the College Station Regional. “I think the rest of the ballpark went pretty silent, but I knew my family was up there. And I could always hear them no matter where we’re playing. So it’s always great to hear the crowd having our back.”
Until Lopez’s blast, Texas A&M right-hander Clayton Freshcorn had slowed down a USC offense that had scored 48 runs combined while winning three consecutive games out of the losers’ bracket, including 14 on Sunday night against Texas A&M (41-16), to force the winner-take-all final.
USC right-hander Grant Govel, who had thrown 89 pitches over 5⅔ innings on Friday, retired the first seven Aggies before Bear Harrison hit a solo home run in the third.
Govel held the Aggies to three hits and one run over four innings with four strikeouts. Chase Herrell followed with 3⅔ scoreless innings while scattering three hits and striking out two. Sax Matson added one-third of an inning.
USC closer Adam Troy, who grew up in the Houston suburbs, pitched a scoreless ninth with his family cheering in the stands three days after he gave up a winning home run.
“We wanted to get on the board early, and we didn’t,” Texas A&M coach Michael Earley said. “They did a good job. I thought we hit some balls hard, but maybe not enough. They pitched really well.”
The Aggies ran out a threat in the fourth. Chris Hacopian drew a leadoff walk. Ben Royo kept the inning alive with a two-out single to left. Jorian Wilson followed with a single to shallow right-center field. Covarrubias was positioned perfectly to field the ball in the outfield, but his throw to first wasn’t in time.
Fortunately for the Trojans, Adrian Lopez alertly threw home to easily nail Hacopian by several feet to end the inning.
Covarrubias tied the score 1-1 with an RBI single to left-center in the fifth. One out later, Covarrubias stole second. Augie Lopez broke the tie with a single to right-center.
Two innings later, Lopez crushed his three-run blast. The Trojans added two more runs in the eighth.
“We had our fans, our parents right here,” Stankiewicz said. “They got that little section in the corner. They were outnumbered. That’s part of it too. We want to make them proud. They came a long way to watch their boys play baseball and support us.
“That’s a rewarding feeling when our fans can come in here and sit in the stands. They’re outnumbered. They try like crazy to cheer. This is a cool moment for them too. We’re happy that they can celebrate this with us.”
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Rick Adelman, who ranks 10th in NBA history with 1,042 wins, died on Monday. He was 79.
The National Basketball Coaches Association announced his passing. A cause of death was not immediately disclosed.
Adelman spent 23 seasons as an NBA head coach, leading the Portland Trail Blazers, Golden State Warriors, Sacramento Kings, Houston Rockets and Minnesota Timberwolves. He compiled a 1,042-749 regular-season record and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2021.
Before coaching, Adelman played seven seasons as an NBA point guard after being drafted by the San Diego Rockets in 1968.
Hall of Fame NBA coach Rick Adelman, who won 1,042 career games over 23 seasons, has died at age 79. (Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images) ((Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images))
After taking over the Trail Blazers during the 1988-89 season, Adelman led a Clyde Drexler-led roster to NBA Finals appearances in 1990 and 1992.
In 1998, Adelman became the head coach of the Sacramento Kings. The Kings reached the playoffs in all eight of his seasons in Sacramento and advanced to the Western Conference Finals in 2002.
Hall of Fame coach Rick Adelman, whose innovative offensive systems transformed the modern NBA, has died at age 79. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) ((Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images))
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver released a statement Monday honoring Adelman’s legacy.
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“Rick Adelman was one of the most respected and accomplished coaches in the history of the NBA,” Silver said.
“Following his NBA playing career, Rick turned to coaching where his leadership, innovation and genuine love for basketball left a lasting impression on generations of players and fellow coaches over his nearly 30-year run. He was a brilliant strategist and teacher of the game, and an even better person. I send my deepest condolences to Rick’s family and many friends throughout the league.”
Revered as a consummate player’s coach, Hall of Fame strategist Rick Adelman has passed away at the age of 79. (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images) ((Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images))
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Adelman is survived by his wife of 56 years, Mary Kay, their six children (including Nuggets coach David Adelman) and 12 grandchildren.
Send us your thoughts: alejandro.avila@outkick.com / Follow along on X: @alejandroaveela
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Rick Treadway, a former IndyCar driver who raced at the 2002 Indianapolis 500, died on Saturday in a motorcycle crash, the company announced. He was 56.
Treadway raced the 2002 Indy 500 under his father Fred Treadway’s race team. He started in 17th and finished in 29th in that race. He got his first start on the IndyCar circuit in 2001 in Kentucky midway through the season. He made eight starts the following season.
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Rick Treadway drives a Chevrolet G Force for Treadway and Associates Racing during the Copper World Indy 200 at Phoenix International Raceway in Phoenix, Ariz., on March 17, 2002. (Robert LaBerge/Getty Images)
“The Indy 500 start was the highlight of Treadway’s INDYCAR SERIES career, which consisted of 11 races in the 2001 and 2002 seasons for his father’s teams, Treadway-Hubbard Racing and Treadway Racing,” Indianapolis Motor Speedway said in a news release.
IndyCar drivers like Conor Daly and Arie Luyendyk paid tribute to Treadway in posts on X.
Arie Luyendyk puts on his fire retardant mask before getting into his Treadway-Hubbard Racing G Force Oldsmobile during practice for the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Ind., on May 10, 2001. (Robert Laberge/Allsport)
“Really sad to see this news today. If you listen to @SpeedStreetPod you know how much this name means to a certain segment of our show. RIP Ricky. We’ll keep doing our #indy500 driver research in your honor!” Daly wrote.
Luyendyk added, “Sad news hearing Rick Treadway passed away last Saturday. Our condolences go out to my former @IndyCar team owner Fred Treadway, Janice and Brian Treadway. Rick was a fun, crazy, humble, wild and brave personality.
“RIP Ricky. We are thinking of you, Treadway family.”
Laurent Redon of France drives the #34 Dallara/Infiniti car next to Rick Treadway in the #55 G Force/Chevrolet during the 20th Anniversary Grand Prix of Miami at Homestead Miami Speedway in Homestead, Fla., on March 2, 2002. (Brian Cleary/Getty Images)
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Treadway previously competed in the Formula 2000 junior formula racing series and competed in the Indy Legends Charity Pro-Am Race from 2014 to 2018.
As if anyone needed a reminder, the Rams know how to go all-in.
Their no-fear approach and penchant for pulling off massive trades resulted in two previous Super Bowl appearances — and one Super Bowl title.
On Monday, with a clear eye toward playing in Super Bowl LXI at SoFi Stadium, they did it again.
Having already built a Super Bowl-ready roster, Rams general manager Les Snead added another gigantic piece, acquiring defensive end Myles Garrett — the league’s defensive player of the year — in a deal with the Cleveland Browns for edge rusher Jared Verse, a 2027 first-round draft pick, a 2028 second-round pick and 2029 third-round pick.
In Garrett, 30, they add star power to a team already bursting with it.
Garrett is a nine-year veteran, five-time All-Pro and two-time defensive player of the year. Last season, he amassed a league-high 23 sacks, increasing his career total to 125½.
Garrett is scheduled to earn $31.5 million this season, according to Overthecap.com.
Verse, 25, was the 19th player chosen in the 2024 draft. He was the NFL defensive rookie of the year and last season and had 7½ sacks for a Rams team that advanced to the NFC championship before losing to the eventual Super Bowl-champion Seattle Seahawks.
Verse is scheduled to carry a salary-cap hit of $2.9 million this season, according to Overthecap, but is presumably in line for a massive contract extension.
“Thank you for everything LA,” Verse posted on Instagram.
“Thank you, Jared! Best of luck in Cleveland,” the Rams posted to X after the trade was announced.
Rams linebacker Jared Verse (8) celebrates after a defensive stand against the Colts in September.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
The trade for Garrett is the second major offseason deal for the Rams. In March, they sent the No. 29 pick in the draft to the Kansas City Chiefs for All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie, and then signed him to an extension that makes him the highest paid player at his position in NFL history.
Even before the trade for Garrett, the Rams were regarded as a favorite to play in the Super Bowl.
But the deal harked to other major moves Snead has engineered since the Rams returned to Southern California from St. Louis in 2016.
Yes, we’ve seen this act before.
In 2018 — two years after Snead traded up 14 spots to draft quarterback Jared Goff No. 1 overall and a year after the Rams hired coach Sean McVay — Snead traded for cornerbacks Marcus Peters and Aqib Talib and signed defensive end Ndamukong Suh before trading for receiver Brandin Cooks. At the trade deadline, the Rams traded for edge rusher Dante Fowler. They advanced to Super Bowl LIII before losing to the New England Patriots.
In 2019, the Rams traded multiple first-round picks for cornerback Jalen Ramsey, giving them a back-end star to pair with Aaron Donald.
Two years later, they traded Goff and multiple first-round picks to the Detroit Lions for quarterback Matthew Stafford, and then bolstered their Super Bowl chances by signing free-agent receiver Odell Beckham Jr. and trading for edge rusher Von Miller.
The result: A Super Bowl LVI title won at SoFi Stadium.
Now, five years later, after an historic Super Bowl hangover and then seasons that ended with losses in the wild-card and NFC divisional rounds and the NFC championship, the Rams are primed for another expected Super Bowl appearance in the stadium owner Stan Kroenke built.
Stafford, at 38, is the reigning NFL most valuable player. The Rams recently signed him to a one-year, $55-million extension that ties him to the Rams through the 2027 season.
The offense also features receivers All-Pro Puka Nacua and future hall of famer Davante Adams, running back Kyren Williams and multiple tight ends that helped make the Rams the top-scoring team in the NFL last season.
The Rams addressed their biggest weakness by trading for McDuffie and signing cornerback Jaylen Watson, his former Chiefs teammate. They join a secondary that includes safeties Quentin Lake and Kamren Curl, both of whom signed extensions.
While Verse is an ascending star, the Rams have added a player in Garrett capable of taking over games in a way not seen by the franchise since Donald retired after the 2023 season.
Garrett joins a front that includes tackles Kobie Turner, Braden Fiske and Poona Ford and edge rusher Byron Young, who was voted to the Pro Bowl last season.
That unit should take pressure off a rebuilt secondary and enable McDuffie and others to make plays that were missing in last season’s losses to the Seahawks.
So the Rams, once again, are clearly built for another Super Bowl run and a boom or bust season.
It begins on Sept. 10 against the San Francisco 49ers in Melbourne, Australia.
The Rams are betting that Garrett is the piece that ensures it ends in the Super Bowl at SoFi Stadium.
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