Sports briefs
Wild Things make roster moves
With spring training less than two weeks away, the Wild Things made several roster moves Thursday by placing outfielders Rashad Brown and Joey Havrilak on the suspended list and signing outfielder Reydel Medina, a native of Cuba who played the past four years in the Cincinnati Reds system.
Brown was the Wild Things’ center fielder last year while Havrilak is a Trinity graduate who spent two seasons in the Detroit Tigers farm system and was acquired this offseason by Washington in a trade with Gary of the American Association.
“Rashad requested that we shift him to the suspended list to start 2018, as he is dealing with family issues,” said Wild Things assistant general manager Tony Buccilli. “We are uncertain if he will join us at some point during the summer or if his playing career is over. We certainly appreciate all he did for us on and off the field, being a great community figure and playing every day with that big smile on his face.
“We acquired Joey with the expectations of him returning home to play in front of his Washington community. Unfortunately, we do not expect him to commit to playing in 2018 because of his career away from baseball.”
Medina was born in Havana, Cuba, and in four seasons in the Reds’ system he hit 36 home runs and drove in 148 runs and has 10 games of experience at the Class AA level.
“Reydel was the Reds’ top international signing in 2014. His journey to the states was not easy but his perseverance and love for the game kept his dream alive,” Buccilli said. “He is a very toolsy kid with noted power and a natural sense to play the game all out. Offensively, he should be one of the biggest X-factors on our team. His extra-base hit potential and run production should give us added depth to our lineup.”
The Wild Things open the season May 11 at Evansville, and will sign at least two players from the Frontier League’s annual open tryout and draft that will be held Monday and Tuesday in Florence, Ky.
College baseball
No. 15-ranked Marietta took advantage of three errors in a four-run second inning and went on to defeat visiting Washington & Jefferson, 9-2, Thursday.
Shortstop Spencer Howell had two of W&J’s three hits.
W&J (19-10-1) used eight different pitchers for one inning each. The Presidents used 26 players in the game, eight pitchers and 18 position players.
Marietta’s record improved to 20-7.
Alabama, ND schedule series
Iconic football programs Alabama and Notre Dame will meet in a pair of season openers, starting in a decade.
The schools announced Thursday that they’ll open the 2028 season in South Bend and 2029 in Tuscaloosa.
The Crimson Tide and Fighting Irish have met seven times, including Alabama’s 42-14 win in the BCS championship game to end the 2012 season.
Notre Dame holds a 5-2 advantage in the head-to-head matchups.
The programs first met in the 1973 Sugar Bowl and faced off again two years later in the Orange Bowl. They had home-and-home series in 1976 and 1980 and again in the mid-1980s.
Giants release Marshall
The New York Giants have terminated the contract of veteran wide receiver Brandon Marshall.
General manager Dave Gettleman confirmed the move Thursday during his pre-draft news conference. He says the 34-year-old Marshall failed his physical.
Marshall was scheduled to make $5 million this season.
After signing a two-year, $12 million contract as a free agent a little more than a year ago, Marshall played in five games last season. He was hurt against the Los Angeles Chargers in early October and had season-ending surgery to stabilize his ankle.