Sports briefs 2/19
Wild Things sign 3
The Wild Things continue to shape their roster for Frontier League spring training by recently signing two pitchers and an outfielder.
Washington added right-handed pitcher Kelvin Perez, lefty pitcher Tyler Davis and outfielder Alex Ungar.
Perez pitched in both the Toronto Blue Jays and Atlanta Braves farm systems and played last year in the independent Pioneer League.
Davis was a 15th-round draft pick of the Kansas City Royals in 2024. He appeared in 26 games (one start) for Class A Quad Cities last year and had a 4-2 record and 3.98 ERA. Davis played two seasons of college baseball at Virginia Commonwealth and two at Mississippi State.
Ungar finished his collegiate career at Sacred Heart before playing with the West Virginia Black Bears of the MLB Draft League last summer. It’s the first pro deal for Ungar, a Ronkonkoma, N.Y., native.
He batted .359 with 24 doubles, 13 home runs and 17 stolen bases last year for Sacred Heart.
In the NFL
The former girlfriend of Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice alleges in a lawsuit filed this week that he physically assaulted her multiple times over a year-and-a-half, causing injuries that included bleeding and bruising.
The lawsuit filed Monday in Dallas County by Dacoda Jones comes after she made domestic violence allegations in a series of social media posts last month. She is seeking more than $1 million in the lawsuit, which says the assaults happened at their homes in Dallas and suburban Kansas City.
In the lawsuit, Jones accuses Rice of strangling her in December 2023 after an “escalation in violent behavior” and that he continued to assault her over the course of their relationship, through July 2025. Jones’ attorney did not immediately respond to a question from the Associated Press on whether police had ever been called related to these incidents.
Her injuries have included “bleeding, swelling, bruising and other pain and physical injury,” according to the lawsuit.
In the NHL
Paul Coffey is returning to the Edmonton Oilers’ coaching staff after a previous two-year stint leading the club’s defensive unit.
The former Oilers defenseman and Hall of Famer had returned to his role as a special adviser to ownership and hockey operations in July.
In college basketball
Texas Tech standout junior forward JT Toppin will miss the rest of the season because of a torn ACL in his right knee.
The school announced Wednesday that an MRI confirmed the ACL tear after Toppin got hurt late in the 13th-ranked Red Raiders’ 72-67 loss at Arizona State the previous night.
Coach Grant McCasland had said after the game that he wasn’t sure of the severity of the injury.
The 6-9 Toppin, a preseason AP All-America selection, is the Big 12’s leading rebounder with 10.8 a game and ranks third in the league with a 21.8 points scoring average.
In college football
Northern Illinois coach Thomas Hammock has resigned to take a job in the NFL.
Hammock coached the Huskies for seven seasons and led them to the 2021 Mid-American Conference championship and the program’s first win over a top-10 opponent when they beat Notre Dame in 2024.
Defensive coordinator Rob Harley, who has been on staff for one year, was named interim head coach.
Northern Illinois’ announcement did not specify Hammock’s job in the NFL. ESPN reported Hammock would join the Seahawks as running backs coach and senior offensive assistant.