Sports briefs 6/21
Francis re-joins Pens
The Penguins have named Ron Francis as Special Advisor, Hockey Operations, it was announced Friday.
In his new role, Francis will assist the Penguins’ hockey operations leadership group with strategic planning, roster construction and optimization. Francis will provide counsel during key events during the season including training camp, the NHL Draft, trade deadline and free agency, while also supporting the minor league operations and Player Development staff.
“Ron has a deep affinity for the city of Pittsburgh and the Penguins. He cherishes his time spent here as a player where he had tremendous success and is an outstanding ambassador for the Penguins and the city of Pittsburgh,” said general manager Kyle Dubas. “Ron’s playing experience, management experience, and familiarity with the Penguins and Pittsburgh will be a great benefit to our organization.”
Francis, 63, spent the past seven seasons with the Seattle Kraken, joining them in 2019 as the first general manager in franchise history, holding that role until 2025 when he was promoted to President of Hockey Operations.
A Hockey Hall-of-Famer, Francis had a 23-year career in the NHL split between Pittsburgh (1991-98), Carolina (1998-04), Hartford (1982-91) and Toronto (2004). He was inducted into the Penguins’ Hall of Fame in 2025.
W&J hires Buck as softball coach
Washington & Jefferson announced Friday the hiring of Lexi Buck as its head softball coach.
“Coach Buck was extremely impressive during the interview process. She has a vision for W&J softball and we believe she is the right candidate to lead us back to a conference championship level,” said athletic director Scott McGuiness.
Buck comes to W&J following a three-year stint at Bethany. Buck spent this year as head coach of the Bison after working for two seasons as an assistant.
Buck posted a 30-12 record in her first year as head coach at Bethany, finishing with a 15-7 mark in Presidents’ Athletic Conference play. She helped the Bison to their first 30-win season as a program since 2010.
Wild Things add pitcher
The Wild Things signed Brit Kostura, a left-handed pitcher out of Baldwin-Wallace, prior to their series opener Friday night at Lake Erie.
Kostura (5-8, 150) was the winner of the Kent Tekulve Award as the Ohio Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Year this spring. Kostura had a 12-3 record and 2.08 ERA. He struck out 79 and walked only 19 batters in 108.1 innings. Opponents batted .224 against Kostura, a native of Tequesta, Fla.
Soccer
The World Cup has been delivering thrills on the pitch, but fans have flooded social media with complaints about tickets that never arrived, orders canceled at the last minute and hours spent trying to sort out problems between FIFA’s ticketing system and outside resale platforms.
Many complaints seem to be about StubHub, but people have also reported problems when buying through competitors such as SeatGeek and Vivid Seats. Interviews with fans and industry experts show some cases stem from technical glitches, while others could involve sellers who never had tickets in the first place.
College basketball
Green Bay coach Doug Gottlieb has agreed to a contract extension that takes his deal through the 2030-31 season.
Gottlieb’s hire gained national attention because of his radio broadcasting background and his lack of college coaching experience.
Green Bay went 4-28 under Gottlieb in 2024-25, but improved to 18-15 last season. The Phoenix’s season ended with a loss to Northern Kentucky in the second round of the Horizon League Tournament.