BASEBALL

Oliver signs with Phillies

Former University of Arkansas pitcher Chris Oliver signed a contract with the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday after being drafted in the fourth round by the team last week.

Oliver's contract terms weren't announced, but CBS Sports reported he received a $550,000 signing bonus.

A right-hander from Farmington, Oliver went 9-4 as a junior this season, when he moved from the bullpen to the SEC starting rotation. Oliver had a 12-6 record with a 2.64 ERA in 41 career games at Arkansas.

GOLF

ASGA Women's Stroke Play starts today

A field of 42 is entered in the Arkansas State Golf Association's Women's Stroke Play championship, which begins today at the Bear Den course at Chenal Country Club in Little Rock.

The tournament is a 54-hole event with championship and senior divisions.

Grier Bennett of Hot Springs Village, the 2013 champion, will not be back to defend her championship because she is doing a summer internship, but runner-up and 2013 match-play champion Julie Oxendine of Russellville is among the participants.

Bennett defeated Oxendine by five strokes last year. Carrie Hall of Bismarck, who finished runner-up to Oxendine in the 2013 match-play championship, is the only other player returning from among the top five finishers in last year's stroke play event.

Golfers will tee off at 1 p.m. today in a shotgun start, then will be paired for 9 a.m. shotgun starts Thursday and Friday.

-- Frankie Frisco

BASKETBALL

Tolin named UAM men's coach

Kyle Tolin, who played and was an assistant coach for Oklahoma Baptist, was named Tuesday as the new men's coach at Arkansas-Monticello.

Tolin, 33, helped Oklahoma Baptist reach 14 consecutive NAIA national tournaments during his four years as a player and 10 as an assistant coach. During that 14-year span, the team won a national championship in 2010, finished runner-up in 2002 and 2012, and compiled a 30-12 tournament record. The 2010 national championship team finished with a 34-2 record.

As a player at Oklahoma Baptist, Tolin scored more than 1,000 points in his four-year career and was a two-time All-Sooner Athletic Conference honorable mention selection. He graduated in 2004 with a degree in history education and later obtained a master's degree in sports administration from East Central (Okla.) in 2006.

-- Democrat-Gazette Press Services

Sports on 06/11/2014