ATHLETICS
Razorbacks 20th in Directors Cup standings
The University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, finished 20th in the annual Learfield Directors Cup standings released on Thursday.
A 50-point score from the Razorbacks' baseball team put the UA's total at 839 points, the second-highest it has achieved and sixth among SEC teams.
Arkansas finished in the top 25 of the standings, compiled by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), for the eighth time in the past 10 years. College programs can score points in up to 20 sports in the NACDA standings. The Razorbacks got scoring contributions from 16 of its 19 varsity sports.
Stanford won the cup with 1,563 points, followed by Ohio State (1,343.75), Florida (1,252.5), Southern California (1,251.25) and North Carolina (1,154) in the top five. The SEC teams ahead of the Hogs were Florida, which picked up 100 points for winning its first College World Series title this week, No. 10 Kentucky (1,025), No. 12 Texas A&M (986.5), No. 15 Georgia (913.75) and No. 18 LSU (862.5).
-- Tom Murphy
BASEBALL
Former Hog selected for Futures Game
Former Arkansas Razorback Brian Anderson was selected Thursday to play on the U.S. Team at the All-Star Futures Game, which will be played at 3 p.m. Central on July 9 at Marlins Park in Miami.
Anderson, a third baseman for the Marlins' Class AA affiliate in Jacksonville, Fla., is hitting .259 with 11 home runs and 42 RBI in 75 games for the Jumbo Shrimp this season. He is tied for the team lead in home runs, is second in the league with 47 runs scored and fourth in the league in RBI.
Anderson, 24, was named a Southern League All-Star earlier this month. He's been an All-Star for three consecutive seasons after receiving the midseason honor from the High-A Florida State League in 2015 and 2016. He is the No. 3 prospect in the Marlins organization according to MLB.com and is ranked No. 4 by Baseball America. Anderson was the Marlins' minor league Player of the Year last season after hitting .265 with 11 home runs and 65 RBI in 135 combined games for High-A Jupiter and Jacksonville. He went on to be named a rising star and a part of the All-Prospect Team in the Arizona Fall League.
Anderson and teammate Tayron Guerrero, a reliever for the Jumbo Shrimp, are the only two representatives for the Marlins at the game. Guerrero will play for the World Team.
-- Todd J. Pearce
Hogs finish 18th in coaches poll
The University of Arkansas, Fayetteville was ranked No. 18 in the final USA Today Coaches' Poll, released after the completion of the College World Series.
The No. 18 ranking was down six spots from where the Razorbacks were ranked going into the NCAA postseason.
Arkansas was eliminated with a 3-2 loss to Missouri State in the NCAA Fayetteville Regional championship game on June 5. Missouri State, which lost to TCU in the super regional round, finished No. 13.
It is the seventh time in the past nine seasons the Razorbacks have been ranked in the final coaches' poll. Arkansas has 10 top-25 finishes in Dave Van Horn's 15 seasons as the program's head coach.
The Razorbacks (45-19) were the lowest of seven ranked SEC teams in the final poll. National champion Florida received all 27 first-place votes, followed by national runner-up LSU at No. 2.
Texas A&M, which advanced to the College World Series after making the tournament as one of the final at-large teams, was No. 8, followed by Kentucky (10), Mississippi State (12), Vanderbilt (16) and Arkansas.
-- Matt Jones
BASKETBALL
Sun Belt Conference releases schedules
The Sun Belt Conference released Thursday its conference schedules for the 2017-2018 season, which included a return to a Thursday-Saturday format where the women's and men's teams will play doubleheaders during the 18-game conference season. The SBC played its conference games on Mondays and Saturdays last season.
The only exception will be during the opening weekend of conference play, when teams will play on Friday, Dec. 29, and Sunday, Dec. 31, in order to accommodate the holidays.
The 18-game format will allow for less travel time with teams making four road trips throughout the season that will consist of two games each.
For the second consecutive season, Arkansas State University will open conference play at home on Dec. 29 against Louisiana-Monroe. The University of Arkansas at Little Rock will open conference play at home on Dec. 29 against Louisiana-Lafayette. The two Arkansas schools will play each other twice: at UALR on Jan. 20, and at ASU on Feb. 17.
The 2018 SBC men's and women's basketball championships will be played at Lakefront Arena in New Orleans from March 6-11.
-- Brooks Kubena
ATHLETICS
Bullard earns GAC scholastic honor
Junior Kori Bullard, who excels in volleyball and basketball for Ouachita Baptist, has been named the Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year in the Great American Conference on Thursday.
Bullard, who has a 4.00 GPA in biology and pre-med, helped lead the Tigers volleyball team to a share of its first regular-season title in the program's 20-year Division II run. She earned first-team All-GAC honors after she ranked in the top 10 in the league in blocks and points.
She averaged 9.0 points per game in basketball and ranked in top four in the league in three-point field-goal percentage and blocks. She helped the Tigers qualify for the GAC Championships for the first time since 2014.
Bullard has lent her time to various volunteer efforts including Tiger Serve Day, a bi-annual event providing service to families in Arkadelphia and Clark County, the Arkadelphia Elementary Schools Physical Education Mentor Program and Lady Tiger Day at Arkadelphia Senior Center.
SOCCER
John Brown coach resigns
Scott Marksberry resigned as John Brown University's head men's soccer coach to lead the athletics program at Providence Classical Christian Academy in Rogers, athletic director Robyn Daugherty announced on Thursday.
Marksberry started as John Brown's women's soccer coach in 2011, and the team made an appearance in the Sooner Athletic tournament semifinals during his second season. Marksberry then led the men's program to three consecutive winning seasons, with a 35-17-5 record and a NAIA national championship tournament appearance in 2016.
WRESTLING
Williams Baptist names new coach
Ouachita Baptist University wrestling coach Todd Allen has been named wrestling coach at Williams Baptist College in Walnut Ridge.
Allen takes over an Eagles program that has produced 6 All-Americans, 1 national champion and 2 American Midwest Conference team championships in its 3 years of existence. It also finished the year ranked in the NAIA coaches' top 20 poll in two of the three years.
"The commitment to excellence is apparent," Allen said in a news release from the school. "The culture that has been cultivated here from faculty and staff towards the students is remarkable."
Allen has coached one national champion and 11 All-Americans. He led Cumberland (Tenn.) University to a sixth-place finish at the NAIA National Championships in 2014.
Allen replaces Kerry Regner, who founded the Williams Baptist program and recently accepted a college coaching position in his native Pennsylvania.
-- Democrat-Gazette Press Services
Sports on 06/30/2017