Florida Sports Wire

ORLANDO – The Orlando Storm etched their names in the UFL record books, winning the first game in franchise history against another new franchise in the Columbus Aviators, 23-16, to conclude week one of the 2026 UFL season. Passing and rushing hit on all cylinders for the Storm, totaling 356 yards of offense, spotlighted by a league-best 139 rushing yards. Former Carolina Panthers quarterback Jack Plummer threw an efficient 17-22, totaling 240 yards and one passing touchdown. Elijhah Badger led the night in receiving, snagging four catches for 127 yards.  Running back Jashaun Corbin played lights-out, leading the UFL in rushing yards (66) and rushing touchdowns (two) after week one. The Orlando Storm opened the season in electric fashion, as Andrew Parker forced a fumble on the opening kick, recovered by Josh Minkins, setting the Storm offense up in excellent field position to begin the season. The offense responded to the special teams’ powerful start, as Jack Plummer connected w...

JACKSONVILLE – Former Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp infielder Deyvison De Los Santos and right-handed pitcher Matt Pushard made their major league debuts on Sunday, becoming the first Jacksonville alumni to debut in The Show in 2026. De Los Santos went 1-for-2 with a double for Miami in the Marlins’ 4-3 victory over the Colorado Rockies at loanDepot park. Pushard tossed 1.0 inning for St. Louis in the Cardinals’ 11-7 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays at Busch Stadium. A 22-year old from Santo Domingo, De Los Santos was originally signed by the Arizona Diamondbacks on July 2, 2019 as an international free agent. After reaching Double-A Amarillo and Triple-A Reno in 2024, De Los Santos was traded along with outfielder Andrew Pintar to Miami in exchange for left-handed pitcher A.J. Puk.  The 2024 campaign was De Los Santos bat a combined .294/.343/.571/.914 with a Minor League Baseball-leading 40 home runs and 120 RBIs. He also led MiLB in total bases (307) while ranking in the top 20 in the min...

GREENVILLE, S.C. – Josh Zary scored his first professional goal and Keaton Mastrodonato hit pay dirt on the power play, but the Jacksonville Icemen struck twice in the final minute, including Craig Martin’s winner with 22.5 to play, to steal a win from the Greenville Swamp Rabbits 3-2 on Sunday afternoon. The loss drops the Swamp Rabbits elimination number to 14 with 11 games to go. The Swamp Rabbits jumped on the board first, carrying a lead into the intermission on a career milestone. Just 2:28 into the game, Josh Zary notched his first professional goal, tapping a rebound created off a John Parker-Jones redirect past Topias Leinonen to give the Swamp Rabbits a 1-0 lead (Parker-Jones and Cole Fraser assisted). Jacksonville halved the game in the second, but were once again answered heading into the final stanza. With 8:23 to play, Dave Jankowski snuck behind the Swamp Rabbits defense on a breakaway and rifled a shot that bounced off the crossbar, off Swamp Rabbits goaltender Isaiah ...

  FILE PHOTO/Nancy DeLander Beecher JACKSONVILLE – The Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp earned their first win of the 2026 season against the Rochester Red Wings 4-3 Sunday afternoon at VyStar Ballpark in front of 5,635 fans.  Jacksonville (1-2) turned to William Kempner (SV, 1) to close out the ballgame after reliever Patrick Montverde yielded a double to Phillip Glasser and an RBI single to Zack Short to bring the Rochester (2-1) deficit to one run. With the tying run on base, Kempner struck out Christian Franklin and Robert Hassell III looking to lock it down. Jumbo Shrimp starting pitcher Braxton Garrett made his first regular season outing since June 2024 and tossed 4.2 innings of one-run ball while allowing two hits and two walks and striking out three.  Rochester starter Luis Perales (L, 0-1) surrendered his only run in the second inning. Ethan O’Donnell walked and advanced to third after singles from Johnny Olmstead and Jared Serna. Andrew Pintar drew a walk to bring in ...

TAMPA – University of South Florida CEO of Athletics Rob Higgins has named 2016 national coach of the year Chris Mack as the 13th head coach of the Bulls men’s basketball program. Mack, who led Xavier and Louisville to the NCAA Tournament, comes to South Florida after posting a pair of 20-win seasons at the College of Charleston. He brings a 323-153 (.679) career record to Tampa across 15 seasons as a head coach with stops at Xavier (2009-18), Louisville (2018-22), and College of Charleston (2024-26).  Mack has posted 12 20-win seasons and led teams to nine NCAA Tournament appearances (posting an 11-9 record), including four Sweet 16 and one Elite Eight appearance with Xavier. He posted 259 victories in his first 11 seasons as a head coach, marking the 12th most amassed by a coach in that time frame. As a player, assistant coach, and head coach, Mack has been a part of 19 NCAA Tournament appearances. Teams Mack has led have achieved both a No. 1 Associated Press Poll ranking (Loui...

  TAMPA – University of South Florida CEO of Athletics Rob Higgins has named veteran SEC head coach Kristy Curry as the sixth head coach of the Bulls women’s basketball program. Curry, who led Purdue to the 2001 NCAA championship game, takes over a South Florida program that has made eight NCAA Tournament appearances and won four conference titles since 2015. She comes to Tampa after leading the women’s basketball program at Alabama for the last 13 seasons, guiding the Crimson Tide to the NCAA Tournament in five of the last six seasons and posting 20-win seasons in each of the last five years. Her 2025-26 team went 24-11 and, as a No. 6 seed in the NCAA Tournament, fell by a point (69-68) to No. 3 seed Louisville in the second round.  “I’m thrilled to welcome Kristy Curry to our Bulls family as the leader of our outstanding women’s basketball program,” Higgins said. “Kristy is a proven winner at the highest levels, with head coaching success across the Big Ten, Big 12, and SE...

JACKSONVILLE – Sporting Club Jacksonville (Sporting JAX) announced the promotion of Mark Warburton to President of Soccer, reinforcing the club’s commitment to sustained growth, competitive excellence and global connectivity as it builds toward a landmark year for professional soccer on the First Coast. Warburton, who has played a key role in shaping Sporting JAX’s soccer operations, will now lead all sporting initiatives, including player development, recruitment and international partnerships, as the club continues to expand its presence both domestically and abroad. “Mark has been an integral part of building our soccer identity and vision from the ground up,” said Ricky Caplin, Majority Owner and Chairman, Sporting JAX. “His global experience, leadership and relationships across the game will be instrumental as we continue to establish Sporting JAX as a destination club and deepen our connections with international and strategic partners.” Under Warburton’s leadership, Sporting JA...