An interesting film lurking behind an exploitative title, Republic Pictures’ 1953 western “Woman They Almost Lynched” is set in early 1865 in “Border City,” a fictitious Ozarks town bisected by the…
Arkansas’ Gage Wood throws historic no-hitter in College World Series
Arkansas’ Gage Wood tosses the third no-hitter in Men’s College World Series history as Arkansas tops Murray State.
NCAA
OMAHA, NE ― Maybe it was too early to panic about the SEC.
Long the nation’s premier baseball conference, the SEC got a record 13 bids to the NCAA tournament. But just four of those 13 teams advanced to super regionals and two to Omaha, leading to conversations about whether the league was overrated.
But those two teams − Arkansas and LSU − are two of the last four teams remaining in the 2025 Men’s College World Series after the Razorbacks’ win over UCLA to advance to the semifinals. One of the two teams is guaranteed to advance to the national championship series, with Arkansas needing to beat LSU twice to do so.
Whether LSU or Arkansas advances, it will make 16 times in the last 17 seasons that the SEC has had a team in the national championship series, with the 2016 matchup between Coastal Carolina and Arizona being the only season without one. Five of those series have seen two SEC teams facing each other, plus two more that featured now-SEC members Oklahoma and Texas when they were in the Big 12.
This time, the matchup of SEC heavyweights will take place in the semifinals rather than the finals; the winner will take on Louisville or Coastal Carolina.
Each of the last five completed seasons has seen a different national champion from the SEC: Vanderbilt in 2019, Mississippi State in 2021, Ole Miss in 2022, LSU in 2023 and Tennessee in 2024. Arkansas, which is seeking its first national title in baseball, could make it a sixth.
But it’ll have to go through the Tigers to get there. LSU won both the series between the two teams earlier this season and the opening game between the two of them on June 14.
“We played them four times,” Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn said. “We lost in extra innings. They whipped us. We beat them. And then what happened the other night. I remember them all. The first game finished about 1:15 in the morning. And then we got beat later that day. Then we won on a Sunday … They’re really good. They don’t have any weaknesses. They’ve got big-time arms. Their top six, seven arms, all are big time at this level. They’ve got power, got some speed. You just have to pitch well against them and you’ve got to score. If we don’t score, we’ll be in trouble.”
The Razorbacks have their pitching set up relatively well. Top two starters Gage Wood and Zach Root are unlikely to be available, as are top relievers Gabe Gaeckle and Aiden Jimenez. But Arkansas has several other options, including Landon Beidelschies, Cole Gibler, Ben Bybee, Dylan Carter, Tate McGuire, Colin Fisher and Parker Coil. If the Razorbacks can win the first semifinal to advance to Thursday, Gaeckle might be able to return after throwing six innings and 90 pitches in relief in the first game. But LSU would likely counter with ace Kade Anderson, who shut down Arkansas for seven innings of one-run ball the same day.
If one of Arkansas or LSU can clinch the national championship, all the hemming and hawing about the league from earlier in the postseason will prove moot. And even if one of them can’t, the SEC has proven that even in a down season, you can pencil the league into Omaha until the very end.
Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at agerson@gannett.com or on X @aria_gerson.
An interesting film lurking behind an exploitative title, Republic Pictures’ 1953 western “Woman They Almost Lynched” is set in early 1865 in “Border City,” a fictitious Ozarks town bisected by the…
TONTITOWN — Police on Friday arrested the wife of a former reality TV personality who was himself arrested only two days before.
Tontitown police arrested Kendra Duggar, 27, on misdemeanor state charges, including four counts of second-degree endangering the welfare of a minor and four counts of second-degree false imprisonment.
Kendra Duggar is the wife of Joseph Garrett Duggar, 31, who was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of child sexual abuse that authorities say occurred in Florida, according to a Tontitown Police Department news release.
Kendra Duggar, of Silver Birch Street in Tontitown, was booked into the Washington County Detention Center at 4:56 p.m. Friday and released on $1,470 bond at 6:19 p.m.
Joseph Duggar is facing the same state charges in addition to awaiting extradition to Florida related to the sex crimes accusations against him. Joseph Duggar’s booking sheet at the Washington County Detention Center was updated Friday to reflect the Arkansas charges.
Both Kendra and Joseph Duggar were given April 29 court dates in Elm Springs District Court.
Tontitown police are being tight-lipped about the case because minors are involved.
“This remains an active and ongoing investigation. Arkansas law strictly limits the information that may be released in cases involving minors and other sensitive circumstances,” according to the release. “To protect the integrity of the investigation and the privacy of those involved, no further details will be provided at this time.”
Additional information will be released as permitted by law and as the investigation allows, the release states.
INITIAL ARREST
Joseph Duggar was arrested Wednesday by Tontitown police on suspicion of lewd and lascivious behavior – molestation of a victim less than 12 years old and lewd and lascivious behavior conducted by a person 18 years or older, according to a news release posted on Facebook by the Bay County (Fla.) Sheriff’s Office.
Duggar is awaiting extradition to Bay County, where the reported activity occurred, according to the release.
A Tontitown police detective contacted Bay County investigators Wednesday regarding a report of sexual abuse, the release states.
The 14-year-old girl who made the report participated in a forensic interview, where she disclosed several incidents involving Duggar that occurred during a 2020 family vacation in Panama City Beach, Fla., when she was 9 years old, the release states.
The girl reported Duggar repeatedly asked her to sit on his lap. As the vacation continued, he also asked her to sit next to him on a couch and covered them with a blanket, at which time Duggar manipulated the victim’s underwear and grazed her genitals. Duggar also continued to rub his hands on her thighs, according to the release.
“The victim stated Duggar eventually apologized for his actions and the incidents stopped after the apology,” the release states.
The girl’s father confronted Duggar about these incidents Tuesday. Duggar admitted his actions to the girl’s father and Tontitown detectives, according to the release.
The Tontitown Police Department, in a separate news release, stated its officers received a warrant from the Bay County Sheriff’s Office for Duggar about 3 p.m. Wednesday. The department noted the reported criminal activity did not occur in Tontitown.
“The Tontitown Police Department wants the community to know that this matter is being handled with the highest level of professionalism, compassion, and diligence,” the release states.
Duggar is known for being part of his family’s cable television reality show “19 Kids and Counting” on TLC. The show, which chronicled the Duggar family’s home life, was canceled in 2015 after it became public knowledge one of Duggar’s brothers — Josh Duggar — confessed to molesting four of his sisters and another girl while he was a teenager.
JOSH DUGGAR’S CHILD PORN CASE
Josh Duggar was convicted Dec. 9, 2021, of possessing child pornography by a federal court jury in Fayetteville. He was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Timothy Brooks to 12½ years in federal prison on May 25, 2022. Duggar also was ordered to serve 20 years of supervised release after his prison term and to pay a $10,000 fine. Brooks assessed fees totaling $40,100.
Prosecutors accused Duggar in early 2021 of using the internet to download and view child pornography, some of which depicts the sexual abuse of children younger than 12, according to court documents. They told jurors child pornography was repeatedly downloaded on the computer at Duggar’s used car lot May 14-16, 2019.
He was charged in federal court with two counts involving receiving and possessing child pornography. The jury found him guilty on both counts after more than six hours of deliberation over two days. Duggar was sentenced on the single count of receiving child pornography because possession of child pornography is considered a lesser included offense under federal law.
He is currently seeking to appeal his conviction contending he was denied a fair trial and his constitutional rights were violated. He filed the initial motion without the help of a lawyer. Duggar has been denied post-conviction relief by local judges, the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and the U.S. Supreme Court.
Beau B. Brindley, a Chicago lawyer who previously represented singer R. Kelly, recently filed a motion asking to represent Duggar in that appeal.
High Point Panthers (31-4, 18-1 Big South) vs. Arkansas Razorbacks (27-8, 16-5 SEC)
Portland, Oregon; Saturday, 9:45 p.m. EDT
BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Razorbacks -11.5; over/under is 168.5
BOTTOM LINE: No. 14 Arkansas takes on High Point in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
The Razorbacks’ record in SEC play is 16-5, and their record is 11-3 against non-conference opponents. Arkansas has a 25-8 record against teams above .500.
The Panthers are 18-1 in Big South play. High Point ranks fifth in the Big South with 23.0 defensive rebounds per game led by Cam’Ron Fletcher averaging 5.3.
Arkansas’ average of 8.2 made 3-pointers per game this season is only 0.7 more made shots on average than the 7.5 per game High Point gives up. High Point scores 9.8 more points per game (89.8) than Arkansas gives up (80.0).
TOP PERFORMERS: Darius Acuff Jr. is shooting 48.6% and averaging 23.0 points for the Razorbacks. Meleek Thomas is averaging 16.7 points over the last 10 games.
Terry Anderson is averaging 16 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.5 steals for the Panthers. Chase Johnston is averaging 1.8 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Razorbacks: 8-2, averaging 93.6 points, 33.6 rebounds, 17.2 assists, 7.1 steals and 4.7 blocks per game while shooting 49.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 88.9 points per game.
Panthers: 10-0, averaging 86.5 points, 34.3 rebounds, 15.3 assists, 9.2 steals and 4.5 blocks per game while shooting 45.1% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 73.0 points.
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
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