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PAGE 7 July 2025 E-edition
COACH OF THE YEAR - Coming off Auburn’s fourth regional championship in the last seven postseasons, Auburn head baseball coach Butch Thompson has been named the Southeast Region Coach of the Year by the American Baseball Coaches Association. Thompson joins former head coach Hal Baird (1994) as the only other in program history to earn ABCA Region Coach of the Year honors. Thompson led the Tigers to their third regional host bid in the last four seasons and fourth super regional appearance in the last seven postseasons. The program is one of seven in the country to host a regional three of the last four years and one of nine to advance to at least four super regionals since 2018. Auburn finished the season ranked in the top 10 for the 10th time in program history, including the fourth time since 2018. Thompson finished his 10th season on the Plains with a 324-233-1 overall record, good for the third most wins and second highest winning percentage (.582) in program history. AUBURN FOOTBALL TICKETS SOLD OUT - For the third consecutive football season, Auburn has sold out of public season tickets, matching last year’s record of 63,500 tickets purchased. The sellout was achieved during the exclusive Tigers Unlimited purchasing window and no inventory remained for a general public on sale. Of the 63,500 tickets purchased, more than 4,000 are from new season ticket holders. Fans can still secure their spot in Jordan-Hare Stadium for select games in the 2025 season through single-game package offerings and four-packs which include four game tickets and a reserved parking pass to select contests, which was slated to go on sale on Thursday, June 26 at 9 a.m. CT. The first four-pack offering is available for only $80 as Auburn takes on Ball State at Jordan-Hare Stadium Sept. 6 at 6:30 p.m. CT for Kickoff on The Plains. That will include four tickets and a parking pass. Similar limited-quantity four-packs are available for home games against Missouri ($200), Kentucky ($200) and Mercer ($60). Two-game mini plans include the choice of Missouri or Kentucky and Ball State or Mercer for $75, with three- game mini plans at $90 for the choice of Missouri or Kentucky and both Ball State and Mercer. Additionally, premium seating and experience options will be available beginning July 1, including single-game field suites and tailgating experiences at Plainsman Park. KYLIE SHAW JOINS AUBURN SOFTBALL TEAM - Auburn softball co- head coaches Chris and Kate Malveaux has signed sophomore outfielder Kylie Shaw for the upcoming 2026 season. Shaw heads to the Plains after spending her freshman season at Florida. She will join Alyssa Hastings (Lipscomb), Ella Harrison (Rutgers) and Abby Herndon (Ole Miss) as Auburn’s transfer portal additions for 2026. A native of Estero, Florida, Shaw graduated from Evangelical Christian High School as a junior and reclassified to be able to join the Gators for the 2025 season. She appeared in 35 games, earning one start as a designated player in early February. She primarily served as Florida’s top pinch runner, scoring 14 runs over the season. She finished 3-for-4 in stolen base attempts. Shaw led Evangelical Christen to the 2024 Class 2A State Championship and earned first team all-state honors. She concluded her prep career with a .556 career batting average behind 185 career hits. She added 87 career RBI, 181 career runs scored, 108 career stolen bases, 10 career home runs and 21 career triples. MEN'S BASKETBALL TO FACE NC STATE - The Auburn men's basketball team will face NC State for the 2025 ACC/SEC Challenge. The Tigers will host the Wolfpack on Wednesday, December 3, at Neville Arena. Game times and television information will be announced at a later date. It will be a coaching reunion between Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl and former LSU head coach Will Wade. The Tigers and Wolfpack last met during the 2019-20 season (W, 79-73) in Auburn. NC State leads the all-time series between the two schools, 6-4. WOMEN'S BASKETBALL TO PLAY SYRACUSE - The Auburn women’s basketball will take on the Syracuse Orange in the 2025 ACC/SEC Challenge. The Tigers will hit the road for the second straight year in the Challenge with the game taking place Wednesday, Dec. 3, at JMA Wireless Dome in Syracuse, New York. Network designations and tip times for the 16 games in the ACC/SEC Challenge will be announced at a later date. All games will air on the ESPN family of networks. Auburn is 2-0 in previous ACC/ SEC Challenge matchups. The Tigers traveled to Charlottesville, Virginia, last year, and came away with a 66-57 win over the Cavaliers. In 2023, the Tigers hosted Clemson in the inaugural edition of the event, winning 83-53 at Neville Arena. This will be the sixth all-time meeting between Auburn and Syracuse in women’s basketball. The Tigers are 5-0 in the series, including a 2-0 mark in Syracuse. The last meeting came in 2004, a 48-35 Auburn win at Manley Field House. The 2025 ACC/SEC Women’s Challenge games from December 3 include: Kentucky at Miami; Tennessee at Stanford; NC State at Oklahoma; Georgia at Florida State; Auburn at Syracuse; Georgia Tech at Texas A&M; Virginia at Vanderbilt The games for Thursday, December 4 include: LSU at Duke; South Carolina at Louisville; Florida at Virginia Tech; Notre Dame at Ole Miss; North Carolina at Texas; Clemson at Alabama; Arkansas at SMU; Pittsburgh at Mississippi State; and California at Missouri. NATIONAL ASSISTANT COACH OF THE YEAR - Auburn track & field assistant head coach Ken Harnden has been named the 2025 NCAA Division I Men’s Outdoor Track & Field National Assistant Coach of the Year. It marks the second consecutive outdoor season that Harnden, who coaches the men’s sprints and hurdles, has received the national award. Auburn Athletics Update
Alabama Athletic News ALABAMA MEN & WOMEN TO PLAY CLEMSON - The Alabama men's basketball team will host the Clemson Tigers in the 2025 ACC/SEC Challenge on Wednesday, December 3 at Coleman Coliseum. It will mark the 14th meeting between the Crimson Tide and Tigers in series history and third time in the last three seasons. The programs last met on March 30, 2024 in the Elite Eight during the NCAA Tournament, as Alabama advanced to its first-ever Final Four, defeating Clemson 89-82. The Crimson Tide suffered a 77-85 loss to the Tigers in the last meeting during the ACC/SEC Challenge on Nov. 28, 2023 at Coleman Coliseum. Clemson holds a 4-0 record when playing Alabama at Coleman Coliseum. The Alabama women’s basketball will host Clemson in the 2025 ACC/SEC Challenge The matchup is set for Thursday, Dec. 4, inside Coleman Coliseum. It will be the eighth meeting between the Crimson Tide and Tigers in series history and first game in Tuscaloosa since the 2018-19 season. Alabama has claimed the last three matchups, including last year’s 73-39 victory over Clemson in the Emerald Coast Classic on Nov. 26, 2024. Television destinations and tipoff times will be announced at a later date. The Tide is 5-2 versus Clemson which includes an undefeated mark under Kristy Curry. BROOKE WELLS JOINS ALABAMA SOFTBALL - Rising sophomore infielder Brooke Wells will join Alabama softball with three years of eligibility remaining following a standout freshman year at Houston. Wells led the Cougars this past season with a .341 batting average, 47 hits, 10 home runs and 47 RBIs. She finished the year ranked in Houston’s single-season top 10 in on-base percentage (7th - .478), RBIs per game (3rd – 1.00), walks per game (4th - 0.74) while also posting the highest slugging percentage (.645) by a freshman in program history. Prior to the start of the season, she was named to the Freshman Watch List by both Softball America and D1 Softball and was the No. 1 ranked freshman in the Big 12 in Softball America’s midseason rankings. In the fall of 2024, she competed with Team USA’s U-18 Junior National Team at the WBSC World Cup where she hit .467 with nine RBIs and 10 runs scored over six games. A native of Round Rock, Texas, Wells played at Vista Ridge High School where she was ranked as the nation’s No. 3 first baseman in the class of 2024. Wells is the Crimson Tide’s second incoming transfer, joining rising junior infielder Jena Young from Iowa. Young started all 99 games across two seasons at Iowa, earning back-to-back All-Big Ten First Team honors. This season, she earned NFCA Second Team All-Region accolades while leading the Hawkeyes with a .359 batting average, 56 hits, 43 runs scored, five triples, 34 walks and seven stolen bases while ranking second on the team with 10 doubles and 27 RBIs. As a freshman in 2024, she boasted a .373 batting average, including a .382 mark in conference play, recording a hit in all but 10 games including 15 multi-hit efforts. Alabama returns 13 players from last season while also adding six freshmen for the 2026 season. FLEMING JOINS TIDE COACHING STAFF – Alabama men's basketball head coach Nate Oats has hired Chris Fleming as assistant coach. Fleming comes to Tuscaloosa with over a decade worth of coaching in the NBA as an assistant coach. Most recently, Fleming served as an assistant coach with the Portland Trail Blazers during the 2024-25 season. Throughout his time in the NBA, Fleming has coached current NBA All-Stars Demar DeRozan, Nikola Jokić, Brooke Lopez, Lauri Markkanen and D’Angelo Russell. The native of Long Beach Island, N.J., has also coached overseas, including serving as the coach of the German national team. DUO EARNS GATORADE PLAYER OF THE YEAR AWARD – A pair of incoming Alabama freshmen pitchers have been selected as the Gatorade Softball Player of the Year for their respective state. Vic Moten earned her second straight honor for the state of Alabama and Kaitlyn Pallozzi earned this year’s honor for the state of Michigan. Moten earned her second straight accolade for the state of Alabama after leading Daphne High School to a 38-8 record and a berth in the 7A state tournament. She recorded a 23-4 record in the circle with a 0.79 ERA and 238 strikeouts across 150.1 innings pitched while also batting .438 with 13 home runs and 36 RBIs. Pallozzi was undefeated in the circle this year with Mercy High School, going 23-0 with a 0.14 ERA across 28 games. She struck out 351 batters over 146 innings while only allowing 26 walks. She helped lead her team to a 26-2 record and the Division I Regional 7 semifinals. 2025 BAHA MAR HOOPS - The Alabama women’s basketball team will compete as one of eight teams in the 2025 Baha Mar Hoops Pink Flamingo Championship. The event will be held on November 24 and 26 in Nassau, Bahamas. Belmont, Harvard, Minnesota, Ohio State, South Florida and West Virginia make up six of the seven other confirmed teams in the tournament. The event will feature two separate, four-team divisions resulting in two champions being crowned. . This will mark the Crimson Tide's second trip the Baha Mar Hoops Pink Flamingo Championship, having previously competed at the event in 2022. Fans can purchase tickets and VIP packets beginning July 15 by visiting the Baha Mar Hoops website Alabama is one of five programs at the event that appeared in the 2025 NCAA Tournament, which included three advancing to the round of 32 (Alabama, Ohio State and West Virginia) The Crimson Tide will enter the 2025–26 season with a mix of veterans and newcomers, welcoming seven new additions to the roster this offseason along with eight returners from last year’s NCAA Tournament team.
THE SPORTS LEDGER HIGHLIGHT PHOTO REEL
REEL 1 - Georgia football head coach Kirby Smart speaks to the media at the 2023 SEC Football Kickoff. (Photo by Jimmie Mitchell, SEC) REEL 2 - Members of the Sardis Cheerleading squad took time to pose for a group photo during the school's Homecoming football game last fall. (Photo by Brandon K. Pierce, The Sports Ledger) REEL 3 - Arab and Albertville battle during last fall's season opening football game. The Aggies and Knights are set for a rematch in this year's season opener on August 21 at Arab. It will be the beginning of Coach Adam Winegarden's Era for Albertville. REEL 4 - Cherokee County's De'zantae Diamond (#21) celebrates after a play in the 2024 AHSAA State Championship game. The Warriors open the 2025 football season on August 22 at Piedmont. Highlight Photo Reel Pictures
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