Red Raiders Land Top Basketball Recruit

After losing several key players off of last season's Elite Eight team, Texas Tech men's head basketball coach Chris Beard is reloading for next season. 

In a video posted to Twitter last night, San Antonio Wagner guard Kevin McCullar pledged to play for the Red Raiders. McCullar, a four-star prospect according to 247Sports and Rivals.com, is one of the highest rated players to commit to Tech.

The 6-foot-6, 180-pounder is expected to play point guard and chose the Red Raiders over three other schools - Louisville, Houston, and Virginia Tech.

- West Texas A&M head baseball coach Matt Vanderburg has made it official with the announcement yesterday that Amarillo High School product and Texas Tech transfer Clay Koezler will join the Buffaloes for the 2019 season.

Koelzer spent two seasons at Texas Tech University in Lubbock as the talented catcher was a part of two Red Raider teams that advanced to the NCAA Postseason including a run to Omaha and the College World Series this spring.

- The D1Baseball Freshman All-America team was announced yesterday by D1Baseball.com.

Former Randall High standout Heston Kjerstad made the first team.  Kjerstad hit .332 on the season with 14 home runs and 58 runs batted in for the Razorbacks. He also had 87 hits and scored 65 runs as Arkansas made it to the championship of the College World Series.

Gabe Holt of Texas Tech also made the first team.

- Yuli Gurriel slapped a bases-loaded, walk-off single to right-center field, and host Houston rallied for a victory over the Chicago White Sox.

With Chicago ahead 3-2 in the bottom of the ninth, George Springer blooped a single to center scoring Tony Kemp and pulling the Astros even.

Following Springer's hit, Alex Bregman walked and then after Jose Altuve struck out, Gurriel plated Gonzalez with the walk-off hit.

- Joey Gallo and Ronald Guzman each hit two-run homers as Texas jumped out to a 7-0 lead and then hung on to beat Detroit 7-5.

After Detroit trimmed the deficit to two runs in the bottom of the ninth, Texas' Keone Kela closed the door and earned his 21st save in as many opportunities.

The win makes manager Jeff Bannister the fastest in club history to win 300 games.

AMERICAN LEAGUE

Mariners 4, Angels 1

Twins 5, Orioles 2

NATIONAL LEAGUE

- Trea Turner hit two homers, including a go-ahead grand slam in the sixth, and drove in a career-high eight runs as the Washington Nationals rebounded from a nine-run, fourth-inning deficit to stun the visiting Miami Marlins 14-12 Thursday.

Brewers 7, Braves 2

Cardinals 11, Giants 2

- The defending champion in women’s singles is out at Wimbledon.  3^rd seed Garbine Muguruza was stunned in her second-round match yesterday by unknown Belgian Alison van Uytvanck in three sets.

It’s the earliest exit of a women’s defending champion since 1994.

That also makes top seed Simona Halep and 7^th seed Karolina Plishkova the only remaining players out of the top eight seeds.

- The quarterfinals of World Cup Soccer begin today.  The first match features Uruguay and France followed by Brazil against Belgium.

The other two matches are set for tomorrow as Sweden takes on England and Russia against Croatia.

- A local high school wrestler is among the top ranked competitors in the nation.

In the final 2017-18 National Girls High School Wrestling Rankings, Lily Mills of Randall High finished as number 15 in the nation at 225.