Florida Sports Wire

Special to Florida SportsTicker LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. (www,jaxsportsday.com) – Jace Beck tossed a no-hitter on Sunday in the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp’s 4-0 rain-shortened, five-inning victory over the Gwinnett Stripers from Gwinnett Field. The only base runner Beck (1-1) yielded came on an error to begin the bottom of the first before he retired the next 15 batters, five via strikeout. The contest was halted with Jacksonville (57-55, 15-23) leading 4-0 following the fifth inning due to inclement weather.  Beck’s no-hitter was the second of the season for Jacksonville, following Braxton Garrett’s 8.0-inning no-hitter in a 2-0 loss on April 21, also at Gwinnett. Beck was one of two players traded by the Chicago Cubs for Garrett on August 3 to the Marlins. The no-hitter is also the 15th in Jacksonville history (1970-present) and the first rain-shortened no-no since Elih Villanueva’s 5.0-inning no-hitter on August 15, 2010 against Carolina. Deyvison De Los Santos got the scoring started ...

By Jeff Moeller, Florida Sports Wire JACKSONVILLE (www.jaxsportsnews.com) - When he took over as offensive coordinator last season, Grant Udinski had plenty of pressure on him. Udinski was part of the new regime under GM James Gladstone and head coach Liam Coen. He had the challenge to take the team to the next level after predecessor Press Taylor failed in his attempt the previous three seasons. But this was a new beginning for Udinski. He previously had served  as assistant offensive coordinator and assistant quarterbacks coach  for Minnesota during the  previous three seasons, and was an assistant coach for four previous seasons.  There were plenty of questions surrounding the 29-year-old on whether he was ready for the job.  He certainly had the deck stacked against him.   Udinski inherited an offense that was derailed due to Trevor Lawrence’s early season-ending injury, and the Jags never got on track with a 4-13 overall slate. Prior to that seaso...

From Florida SportsTicker TAMPA  (www.thefloridasportswire.com) – South Florida junior kicker Nico Gramatica has been named to the preseason watch list for the Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award, the Palm Beach County Sports Commission announced Friday. Gramatica is one of three American Conference players named to the 35-player watch list. The 35th Annual Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award, presented by the Orange Bowl, recognizes three finalists during a celebration in Palm Beach County, culminating with a banquet gala on December 7th in West Palm Beach, Florida.   The Award is named for National Football League Hall of Fame kicker Lou “The Toe” Groza, who played 21 seasons with the Cleveland Browns. Groza won four NFL championships with Cleveland and was named NFL Player of the Year in 1954.  Gramatica earned Second Team American All-Conference honors last season, his first as the Bulls’ starting kicker. He went 18-of-24 (75%) on field goal attempts, ty...

From Florida SportsTicker ORLANDO (www.thefloridasportswire.com) – Orlando Storm running back Jashaun Corbin has signed a contract with the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League. Corbin becomes the fourth Orlando player and 39th player from the 2026 UFL season to sign an NFL contract since the conclusion of the season. He joins defensive end Keshawn Banks (Atlanta Falcons), wide receiver Cam Camper (New York Jets), and cornerback D.J. James (New York Giants) as Orlando players to earn NFL contracts. Corbin played in all 10 games for the Storm in 2026, rushing for 438 yards on 131 carries with three touchdowns. He added 118 receiving yards and 322 kick return yards to finish with 878 total yards, ranking third in the UFL. His 438 rushing yards also ranked third in the league. An All-UFL selection in 2025, Corbin led the league with 514 rushing yards while playing for the San Antonio Brahmas. He averaged 5.3 yards per carry and scored four rushing touchdowns. Corbin originally s...

From Florida SportsTicker BOCA RATON (www.thefloridasportswire.com) – An accomplished and respected college athletics administrator with proven fundraising and revenue generation success, Josh McCowan was announced Friday as vice president and director of athletics at Florida Atlantic University. McCowan, who will be officially introduced next Friday during a press conference at the Schmidt Family Athletics Complex for Academic and Athletic Excellence, brings more than 15 years of high-level collegiate athletics experience to Boca Raton that has included stints at Mississippi State University, Kansas State University and University of Colorado. "I'm thrilled to name Josh McCowan as our next vice president and director of athletics. Florida Atlantic has a proven track record of attracting young, rising leaders, and Josh's experience, energy, and commitment to excellence make him a perfect fit for our dynamic university," said FAU President Adam Hasner. "I want to...

Special to Jax Sports News LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. (www.jaxsportsnews.com) – The Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp split their doubleheader against the Gwinnett Stripers Saturday by winning the opening game 8-4 and dropping the finale 4-1 in a five-inning rain-shortened contest. In game one, Jumbo Shrimp (56-55) starter Bradley Blalock (W, 2-8) allowed three unearned runs and one walk over five innings while striking out eight Stripers (58-54) to earn his first winning decision since May 2.  Jacksonville opened the scoring in the top of the first after Cam Cannarella singled, stole second and scored on a Graham Pauley double.  The Jumbo Shrimp expanded their lead to 5-0 thanks to a four-run top half of the third. Garret Forrester walked and Cannarella doubled to open the frame. Jonathon Long’s single one batter later plated Forrester. A throwing error on a pickoff attempt by Gwinnett starter Drue Hackenberg (L, 1-1) brought in Cannarella. Kemp Alderman (15) capped off the rally with a two-...

By Jeff Moeller, Florida Sports Wire JACKSONVILLE - When you think about the Jaguars’ offense for 2026, a few things could easily come to mind. Trevor Lawrence is likely the first player to come to mind, and he will  be expected to lead the Jags to take the next step and get beyond their first round of the playoffs after a 13-win season last year. There’s also wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr., who will look to return to his rookie form in his third season after struggling to stay in the limelight last season with only two touchdown receptions.  But Thomas Jr. 's production drop was overshadowed by the emergence of Parker Washington and the early season acquisition of Jakobi Meyers that both elevated the position.  Then there’s the Jags’ revamped running game without Travis Etienne and young backs Bhayshul Tuten and LeQuint Allen team with veteran Chris Rodriguez that will provide a new look. But what makes it all work? It’s the Jaguars’ offensive line. The Jags brought bac...