Sports briefs
Steelers sign draft pick
The Pittsburgh Steelers have signed rookie wide receiver Calvin Austin III, the team’s fourth-round draft pick from Memphis, to a four-year contract.
Austin was a first-team All-ACC selection in 2020 and 2021, contributing not just on offense for Memphis but also on special teams. He finished his career ranked second in school history with 22 receiving touchdowns, fourth in receiving yards with 2,541 and fifth in receptions with 156. He also returned punts, including 29 for 323 yards, an 11.1-yard average, and two touchdowns.
Frontier League adds 6 to Hall of Fame
Former Wild Things designated hitter Jacob Dempsey and Waynesburg University baseball coach Perry Cunningham are among six members chosen for the Frontier League’s 2022 Hall of Fame class that was announced Monday.
Dempsey was one of the most feared hitters in the Frontier League during his three seasons in Washington (2008-10). In 257 games, Dempsey had 221 RBI. Almost half of his 264 hits went for extra bases. He was named to the Frontier League postseason all-star team as the in both 2008 and 2009.
Dempsey held the Wild Things’ career home-run record of 57 until it was broken earlier this year by Hector Roa. Dempsey’s 31 home runs in 2009 remain the franchise’s single-season record.
Cunningham was a pitcher for Chillicothe (2004-07) and led the Paints to the 2005 and 2006 finals. He had 37 career wins, made 78 starts and pitched almost 500 innings. He threw seven complete games and had a career ERA of 3.56. Cunningham was selected to the 2006 all-star game.
The other inductees are former Zanesville pitcher Tom Crowley, Normal first baseman Aaron Dudley and Normal shortstop Patrick McKenna, and Steve Ruckman, a third baseman for Newark and Richmond.
The league also will honor the 25th anniversary of its first no-hitter, thrown by Richmond’s Christian Hess, against Kalamazoo on June 8, 1997.
Crowley, Cunningham, Dempsey, Dudley and McKenna each will have their induction ceremony prior to the Frontier League All-Star Game on July 20 at Wild Things Park.
In the NHL
The Boston Bruins have fired coach Bruce Cassidy, who led them to the Stanley Cup Final in 2019, the best record in the league the next year and at least 100 points in each of his four full non-pandemic seasons behind the bench.
Bruins general manager Don Sweeney announced the move Monday night, three weeks after the team’s first-round playoff loss to the Carolina Hurricanes.
The Bruins made the playoffs in each of Cassidy’s six seasons since he took over for Claude Julien in February 2017.
In college softball
Jocelyn Alo wasn’t going to let Oklahoma lose twice in one day.
The record-setting slugger hit two homers, including a grand slam, and the top-seeded Sooners beat UCLA 15-0 in the second game of a doubleheader Monday to advance to the Women’s College World Series finals.
UCLA needed to beat defending national champion Oklahoma twice to advance to the championship series, and the Bruins won the first game 7-3 thanks to two homers from Maya Brady, the niece of seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady.
Alo took command for the powerhouse Sooners in the second game, backing a two-hitter from Hope Trautwein (21-1).
Oklahoma (57-3) will defend its title against either No. 7 seed Oklahoma State or Texas in a best-of-three championship series starting Wednesday.