MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE THE DAYS OF THE HOPTOWN HOPPERS IN THE KITTY LEAGUE, MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL RETURNS TO HOPKINSVILLE THIS EVENING.

THE TRADEWATER PIRATES AND OWENSBORO OILERS PLAY AN OHIO VALLEY LEAGUE GAME AT SEVEN TONIGHT AT CHRISTIAN COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL’S COLONEL FIELD.

PRE GAME COVERAGE BEGINS AT 6:45 ON NEWSTALK 95.3 FM/1230 AM WHOP AND WHOPAM.COM.

LAST NIGHT, TRADEWATER BROKE A 2-2 TIE IN THE 8^TH INNING WITH TWO RUNS TO DEFEAT FULTON 4-2. OWENSBORO DEFEATED MARION 2-0 IN THE FIRST GAME OF A TWINBILL, WITH THE SECOND GAME RAINED OUT.

THE NASHVILLE SOUNDS SPLIT A DOUBLEHEADER WITH THE OMAHA STORMCHASERS, LOSING GAME ONE 4-1, WINNING GAME TWO 5-4. THE TWO TEAMS PLAY AGAIN TONIGHT AT GREER STADIUM IN NASHVILLE.

COLLEGE BASEBALL

VANDERBILT IS STILL ALIVE AT THE COLLEGE WORLD SERIES IN OMAHA. LAST NIGHT, THE COMMODORES DEFEATED NORTH CAROLINA 5-1 AND WILL GET ANOTHER CHANCE AT FLORIDA FRIDAY NIGHT. THE GATORS BEAT THE COMMODORES EARLIER THIS WEEK.

WESTERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY WILL BEGIN THE SEARCH FOR A NEW BASEBALL COACH. THE BOWLING GREEN DAILY NEWS REPORTED WEDNESDAY CHRIS FINWOOD IS LEAVING AFTER SIX SEASONS TO GO TO OLD DOMINION UNIVERSITY.

FINWOOD’S RECORD AT WKU WAS 190-54. HE LED THE HILLTOPPERS TO TWO NCAA TOURNAMENT APPEARANCES IN 2008 AND 09, ALONG WITH THE 2009 SUN BELT REGULAR SEASON CHAMPIONSHIP. THE MOVE TO O-D-U NOT ONLY RETURNS FINWOOD TO HIS HOME STATE, BUT REUNITES HIM WITH FORMER WKU ATHLETICS DIRECTOR WOOD SELIG.

NBA DRAFT

FORMER UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS AND TENNESSEE VOLS STANDOUT SCOTTY HOPSON WILL LEARN TONIGHT WHERE HE WILL PLAY HIS PROFESSIONAL BASKETBALL.

HOPSON HAS BEEN PROJECTED TO BE PICKED EITHER LATE IN THE FIRST ROUND OR SOMEWHERE IN THE SECOND ROUND. THE KNOXVILLE NEWS SENTINEL REPORTS HOPSON AS SAYING HE HOPES TO REPRESENT TENNESSEE IN THE PROS, BUT KNOWS HE HAS MORE WORK TO DO.

FORMER VOL TEAMMATE TOBIAS HARRIS—WHO JUST PLAYED ONE SEASON AT U-T—IS A PROJECTED LATE FIRST ROUND PICK.

MEANWHILE, ENES KANTER—WHO NEVER PLAYED A GAME AT KENTUCKY—IS NOT WORRIED HE WILL BE A DRAFT BUST. THE TURKISH CENTER COULD BE THE THIRD OR FOURTH PICK IN THE FIRST ROUND.

FORMER KENTUCKY GUARD BRANDON KNIGHT SAID IN A PRESS CONFERENCE WEDNESDAY, HE WAS A POINT GUARD, NOT A COMBO GUARD. KNIGHT IS PROJECTED TO BE ONE OF THE TOP GUARDS TO BE PICKED IN THE DRAFT THIS EVENING.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

KENTUCKY COACH JOHN CALIPARI SAYS HE ENVISIONS FOUR SUPER CONFERENCES IN COLLEGE ATHLETICS.

SPEAKING ON KENTUCKY SPORTS RADIO WEDNESDAY, CALIPARI SAYS HE CAN SEE CONFERENCES BRANCH OFF FROM THE NCAA AND FORM THEIR OWN COALITION.

CALIPARI SAYS EACH CONFERENCE WOULD HAVE 16 TO 18 TEAMS, DEPENDING ON HOW MANY SCHOOLS JOIN THE COALITION. IN FOOTBALL, CALIPARI’S PLAN CALLS FOR THE FOUR CONFERENCE WINNERS TO HAVE A PLAYOFF TO DETERMINE A NATIONAL CHAMPION, WHILE THE OTHER SCHOOLS CAN PLAY IN THE TRADITIONAL BOWL GAMES.

IN BASKETBALL 64 TO 72 TEAMS WOULD MAKE THE NCAA TOURNAMENT FIELD. CALIPARI’S PLAN ALSO CALLS FOR PAYING ATHLETES THREE TO FOUR THOUSAND DOLLARS PER YEAR FOR ROOM AND BOARD.

GOLF

THE GO JUNIOR SERIES HELD AN EVENT WEDNESDAY AT LAKESHORE COUNTRY CLUB IN MADISONVILLE.

HOPKINSVILLE’S TADD SWITZER WON THE BOYS 13-15 DIVISION WITH A 76, TJ JANES HAD AN 89, DYLAN HENDERSON 94, HENDLEY TRAUGHBER 98 AND GRANT STAMPER 115.

HOPKINSVILLE’S SKYLAR JONES HAD A 92 IN THE BOYS 16-18 DIVISION. HUNTER TRAUGHBER WON THE BOYS 9-10 SIX HOLE DIVISION WITH A 31.

HOPKINSVILLE’S JESSICA SHELTON WON THE GIRLS 11-12 DIVISION WITH A NINE HOLE SCORE OF 53.

PRINCETON’S EMMA TALLEY HAS OPENED UP A FOUR SHOT LEAD HEADING INTO TODAY’S FINAL ROUND OF THE AMERICAN JUNIOR GOLF ASSOCIATION’S FRANKLIN JUNIOR IN FRANKLIN, TENNESSEE.

TALLEY HAD HER SECOND STRAIGHT EVEN PAR ROUND OF 72 WEDNESDAY AT WESTHAVEN GOLF CLUB.