HIGH SCHOOL SOFTBALL

RECENT CHRISTIAN COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATE GRIFFIN JOINER WAS NAMED GATORADE’S KENTUCKY SOFTBALL PLAYER OF THE YEAR THURSDAY.

JOINER HAD AN OUTSTANDING SENIOR YEAR, HITTING .654 WITH 18 DOUBLES, A SCHOOL RECORD 18 HOME RUNS, WITH 66 RBI. SHE ALSO HAD A 20-2 PITCHING RECORD WITH A 1.73 EARNED RUN AVERAGE, WITH 110 STRIKEOUTS IN 105 INNINGS PITCHED.

JOINER ALSO CONCLUDES HER PREP SOFTBALL CAREER WITH 30 HOME RUNS AND 216 RBI, WHICH ARE BOTH SECOND BEST IN STATE HISTORY.  JOINER WILL CONTINUE HER CAREER THIS FALL AS SHE ATTENDS THE UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY.

AT THE KHSAA STATE SOFTBALL TOURNAMENT IN OWENSBORO THURSDAY:

2^ND REGION WINNER HOPKINS CENTRAL DEFEATED WALTON VERONA 5-0, FIRST REGION WINNER CALLOWAY COUNTY OVER ASHLAND BLAZER 3-0, THIRD REGION WINNER OWENSBORO CATHOLIC LOST TO LAFAYETTE 11-8 AND FOURTH REGION WINNER ALLEN COUNTY SCOTTSVILLE DEFEATED EAST JESSAMINE 10-0 IN SIX INNINGS.

GAMES CONTINUE THIS MORNING WITH WINNERS BRACKET PLAY AS HOPKINS CENTRAL GOES AGAINST CENTRAL HARDIN, CALLOWAY COUNTY MEETS LAFAYETTE, ALLEN COUNTY SCOTTSVILLE PLAYS PLEASURE RIDGE PARK. OWENSBORO CATHOLIC TAKES ON ASHLAND BLAZER IN LOSERS BRACKET PLAY.

HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL

THE KENTUCKY/INDIANA ALL STAR SERIES TAKES PLACE THIS WEEKEND. THIS EVENING’S BOYS AND GIRLS GAMES WILL BE PLAYED AT BELLARMINE UNIVERSITY IN LOUISVILLE.

IN THE BOYS GAME, INDIANA IS FAVORED THANKS TO THREE MCDONALD’S ALL AMERICANS. THE HOOSIERS HAVE WON 22 OF THE LAST 25 GAMES IN THE SERIES.

THE KENTUCKY TEAM WILL FEATURE FORMER CHRISTIAN COUNTY STANDOUT ANTHONY HICKEY, JUNIOR—KENTUCKY’S MR. BASKETBALL AND TEAMMATE DONOVAN KATES. TIP OFF AT 6:30 HOPKINSVILLE TIME.

INDIANA LEADS THE GIRLS SERIES 39-31 AFTER SPLITTING THE TWO MEETINGS LAST YEAR. THE GIRLS WILL TIP OFF AT 4:30 HOPKINSVILLE TIME.

THE GAMES WILL MOVE TO CONSECO FIELDHOUSE IN INDIANAPOLIS SATURDAY.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

THE UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY ANNOUNCED THURSDAY RYAN HARROW IS TRANSFERRING FROM NORTH CAROLINA STATE TO PLAY FOR THE WILDCATS.

COACH JOHN CALIPARI TELLS THE COURIER JOURNAL HARROW HAS ENROLLED FOR SUMMER CLASSES. THE SIX-ONE HARROW AVERAGED NINE POINT THREE POINTS AND THREE POINT THREE ASSISTS LAST SEASON FOR THE WOLFPACK. HARROW ANNOUNCED HIS DECISION TO TRANSFER AFTER COACH SIDNEY LOWE RESIGNED.

HARROW WILL SIT OUT THE UPCOMING SEASON AND HAVE THREE YEARS OF ELIGIBILITY REMAINING.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

THE KNOXVILLE NEWS SENTINEL REPORTS MONTORI HUGHES IS NO LONGER A MEMBER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE’S FOOTBALL TEAM.

HUGHES CAME TO KNOXVILLE IN 2009 AND PLAYED DEFENSIVE TACKLE. HE WAS DISMISSED WITHOUT AN OFFICIAL REASON BY COACH DEREK DOOLEY THURSDAY.

HOWEVER, REPORTS INDICATE HUGHES’ DISMISSAL WAS DUE TO ACADEMIC ISSUES AND A VIOLATION OF TEAM RULES WHICH KEPT HIM OUT OF THE FIRST TWO PRACTICES THIS SPRING.

IN OTHER U-T NEWS:  JOAN CRONAN WAS NAMED THURSDAY AS INTERIM ATHLETICS DIRECTOR. CRONAN HAS SERVED AS THE LONGTIME WOMEN’S ATHLETIC DIRECTOR. MIKE HAMILTON ANNOUNCED HIS RESIGNATION EARLIER THIS WEEK, EFFECTIVE JUNE 30^TH.

U-T CHANCELLOR JIMMY CHEEK SAYS THE SCHOOL IS IN A NATIONWIDE SEARCH FOR HAMILTON’S REPLACEMENT, WHICH IS EXPECTED TO LAST SIX TO EIGHT WEEKS ACCORDING TO THE KNOXVILLE NEWS SENTINEL.

NFL

TENNESSEE TITANS WIDE RECEIVER KENNY BRITT HAS BEEN ARRESTED AGAIN.

THE TENNESSEAN REPORTS ONE DAY AFTER PLEADING GUILTY TO CHARGES OF RECKLESS DRIVING IN HIS HOMESTATE OF NEW JERSEY, BRITT WAS ARRESTED AT A HOBOKEN CAR WASH AFTER UNDERCOVER OFFICERS NOTICED A SMELL OF MARIJUANA AND SAW BRITT WITH A CIGAR WHICH CONTAINED SUSPECTED MARIJUANA.

BRITT THEN GOT INTO A SCUFFLE WITH THE OFFICERS. IT’S BRITT’S 6^TH ARREST SINCE BEING DRAFTED BY THE TITANS IN 2009.

NHL

THE NASHVILLE PREDATORS INTRODUCED LANE LAMBERT AS A NEW ASSISTANT COACH THURSDAY. LAMBERT HAD BEEN HEAD COACH OF THE PREDATORS AMERICAN HOCKEY LEAGUE AFFILIATE—THE MILWUAKEE ADMIRALS. LAMBERT REPLACES BRENT PETERSON, WHO WILL GIVE UP HIS COACHING DUTIES BECAUSE OF PARKINSON’S DISEASE.

GOLF

MURRAY STATE’S PATRICK NEWCOMB OF BENTON WON THE 100^TH KENTUCKY STATE AMATEUR GOLF TOURNAMENT IN LEXINGTON THURSDAY.

NEWCOMB FINISHED AT SEVEN UNDER PAR 209 AND WON BY TWO STROKES.

COLLEGE BASEBALL

THE VANDERBILT COMMODORES OPEN SUPER REGIONAL PLAY THIS EVENING HOSTING OREGON STATE IN THE FIRST OF A BEST TWO OUT OF THREE SERIES. GAME TIME AT HAWKINS FIELD IS EIGHT P-M.

MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

THE TRADEWATER PIRATES LOST THEIR SECOND GAME IN A ROW LAST NIGHT, FALLING TO THE OWENSBORO OILERS 5-4. THE TWO TEAMS PLAY AGAIN TONIGHT IN OWENSBORO.

ELSEWHERE IN THE OHIO VALLEY LEAGUE: FULTON DEFEATED MARION 7-3 WITH THE TWO TEAMS TO PLAY AGAIN THIS EVENING IN MARION.

THE BOWLING GREEN HOT RODS WON THEIR SECOND GAME IN A ROW 6-4 OVER KANE COUNTY. THE HOT RODS OPEN A SERIES TONIGHT AGAINST THE CLINTON LUMBERKINGS IN CLINTON, IOWA.

THE NASHVILLE SOUNDS OPENED A SERIES AT ALBUQUERQUE WITH A 14-1 WIN. THE TWO TEAMS PLAY AGAIN THIS EVENING.