State sports briefs

OUTDOORS

Elk festival canceled

The Buffalo River Elk Festival, planned for June 26-27, has been canceled, according to a post on the event's Facebook page.

The festival was established in 1998. According to the post, the committee that organizes and conducts the festival canceled the event to comply with Arkansas Department of Health guidelines to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

The drawing of elk hunting permits on the Jasper city square is one of the event's biggest attractions. It will be conducted this year using the same electronic drawing system used for controlled wildlife management hunts for turkey, deer and alligators.

"Applicants won't have to do anything extra to enter the online drawing," said Wes Wright, elk program coordinator for the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. "Instead of printing out the applications and loading them into a squirrel cage, it will be done by a completely random digital system by a vendor outside of the AGFC, just like the rest of our draws."

Wright said the three elk hunting permits normally reserved for applicants who enter at the festival will be included in the online drawing, bringing the total permit count available for the drawing to 23.

"This is obviously not ideal, and we hope to continue the elk permit drawings at the festival next year, but we also want to give hunters the opportunity to hunt elk this year and to have as much time as possible to prepare for their hunt," Wright said.

Applicants who successfully draw an elk permit will be notified by email and by phone.

The deadline to apply for an elk hunt permit at agfc.com is 11:59 p.m. on Monday.

-- Bryan Hendricks

FOOTBALL

ASU adds 2022 opponent

Arkansas State University has added Grambling State to its 2022 nonconference football schedule, a school spokesman confirmed to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette on Friday.

The game is scheduled for Sept. 3, 2022, which will be the season opener.

The Red Wolves also have road trips to Ohio State (Sept. 10) and Memphis (Sept. 17), and a home game against UMass (Nov. 12) scheduled in the nonconference for 2022.

-- Trenton Daeschner

BASEBALL

Travs, Nats players get promise

Some Major League Baseball teams decided this week they will continue to pay their minor-league players past May. Among those teams are the Seattle Mariners and the Kansas City Royals.

The Mariners will continue to pay their minor-leaguers for the rest of the scheduled 2020 season, although more than 30 minor-leaguers were cut, according to a report in the Seattle Times. The Royals also will pay their minor-leaguers for the rest of the scheduled 2020 season, and they don't plan to cut anyone, according to a report from Jon Heyman of MLB Network.

The weekly minor-league stipend has been $400 since the coronavirus pandemic caused disruption.

It's positive news for players who would have been on the Arkansas Travelers, Seattle's Class AA affiliate, and the Northwest Arkansas Naturals, Kansas City's Class AA affiliate.

Former White Hall and Arkansas State University pitcher Tyler Zuber, a member of the Royals' organization who pitched for the Naturals last season, took to Twitter on Friday to praise the news.

"Speaks highly of the @Royals. Amazing things to come!" Zuber wrote.

The Oakland A's made headlines this week with their decision to stop paying their minor-leaguers past May.

-- Trenton Daeschner

ATHLETICS

Seven join UCA Hall of Fame

The University of Central Arkansas added seven members to its Hall of Fame.

The Class of 2020 will include Larry Crandell, Greg Dunseath, Robyn Smith-Everson, Leslie Clothier-Futrell, Anthony Gardner, Scott Schwartz and Ted Yotter. The induction ceremony will be held Sept. 26 prior to the home football game against Nicholls State.

Crandell was a multisport athlete in the early 1950s, competing in basketball, tennis and baseball.

Dunseath was an All-American golfer in the 1970s.

Smith-Everson played volleyball from 2006-09, and was named Southland Conference Setter of the Year twice.

Clothier-Futrell was a four-time All-Gulf South Conference shortstop in softball from 2002-05.

Gardner was a four-time NAIA All-American in track and field from 1989-92.

Schwartz was an All-AIC receiver on football teams that went 40-5-1 from 1985-89. He also was a two-time NAIA Academic All-American.

Yotter was an All-Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference baseball catcher in the 1950s.

Sports on 05/30/2020

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