Florida Sports Wire

Photos by Nancy DeLander Beecher/Sportsday By Mike Bonts JACKSONVILLE  (SportsTicker) – The Jacksonville Jaguars were back in training camp Sunday morning. The first practice with full pads. Head coach Doug Pederson met with the media before the session began. “Yesterday, I went with the shoulder pads. And full pads today. For the first time in pads, the number one thing is player safety and protecting each other, practicing hard, practicing fast, being smart about it,” Pederson said. “Nobody's going to the ground. We try to stay off the ground, no live tackling, things like that. But you’re kind of getting used to wearing the extra gear now. We're kind of getting into that part of training camp where things get ramped up.” The Jaguars made seven selections in the NFL draft, starting with Travon Walker and Devin Lloyd in Round 1. Camp began last Monday with 21 rookies on the roster. Pederson is looing forward to seeing the entire team perform in full pads, not just the crop of

Jason Duff fired a final-round 64 at Deerwood Country Club to totally distance himself from the rest of the field and win the 61st playing of the Jacksonville Amateur Championship conducted by the Jacksonville Area Golf Association. Duff, who is about to enter his sophomore year at the University of North Florida, carded 66-71-64—201 for his three trips around the 7,093-yard, par-72 layout, and in so doing, set and then reset his previous competitive low round of 67. “It was as close to a flawless round of golf as I’ve ever seen,” said co-runner-up Johnny Watts of Jacksonville. Watts, who recently regained his amateur status after a stint on PGA TOUR Latinoamerica, and Luke Cusick of St. Augustine shared second with 4-under-par 212 totals. Another shot back at 213 were UNF assistant men’s golf coach Jeff Dennis and Uruguay’s top amateur Agustin Tarigo, who is on his way to Chicago to compete in this coming week’s 120th Western Amateur. Defending champion Smith finished at even-par 216,

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. (Florida Sports Wire) – Jerar Encarnacion homered but the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp fell to the Gwinnett Stripers 6-3 Saturday night at Coolray Field. File Photo by Jim Brady/SportsDay Gwinnett (47-51) took the early lead in the bottom of the first. With one out, Preston Tucker singled and Taylor Motter (9) clubbed a two-run home run against Jacksonville (54-44) starter Cody Mincey (L, 0-1) putting the Stripers in front 2-0. Chadwick Tromp (11) followed with another home run to give Gwinnett a 3-0 lead. Jacksonville got on the board in the top of the third against Gwinnett starter Bryce Elder (W, 6-4). With one out, Erik González singled and Bubba Hollins walked. Two batters later, Brian Miller smacked a single, scoring González to cut the deficit 3-1. The Jumbo Shrimp plated another run in the top of the fourth. Encarnacion (11) led off the inning with a solo home run, making the score 3-2. Gwinnett stayed hot taking a four-run lead in the bottom of the sixth. With

Tampa Bay Buccaneers tackle Robert Hainsey spoke to the media following the third day of training camp.

For the second consecutive season, the NASCAR Cup Series will return to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course for the Verizon 200 at the Brickyard on Sunday, July 31 at 2:30 p.m. ET (NBC, IMS Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) as part of an action-packed tripleheader weekend with the NTT IndyCar Series and the NASCAR Xfinity Series (on Saturday, July 30). Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) has existed since 1909, and is considered the original "Speedway", the first racing facility to incorporate the word into its name.  With a permanent seating capacity for more than 250,000-plus people and infield seating that raises capacity to an approximate 400,000, it is the largest and highest-capacity sporting facility in history. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course was completed in 2000 and it incorporates part of the famous four-turn oval.  The original length upon completion of the road course measured 2.605-miles. In 2008, and again in 2014, the road course layout was mo

JACKSONVILLE   -  The Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp 2022 season presented by FIS continues Tuesday, August 2 with a six-game series against the Memphis Redbirds, Triple-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals, that runs through Sunday, August 7 at 121 Financial Ballpark. The homestand features a promotional lineup that includes the following highlights:   Tuesday, August 2, 2022, 7:05 p.m. (Gates open at 6 p.m.)     Community First Credit Union Two for Tuesday presented by Community First Credit Union:  Community First Credit Union members using their CFCU credit or debit card can receive two-for-one tickets at the box office, and non-CFCU members can learn more about memberships on the concourse.     Shrimps on a Plane:  Every fan who enters 121 Financial Ballpark before third inning will receive a piece of paper. Fans will write their name, phone  number and email address on that piece of paper, then turn the paper into a paper airplane and whoever flies it the farthest from the bleachers

By Mike Bonts JACKSONVILLE (Florida Sports Wire) – Day four of Jaguars training camp was Thursday. The team is expected to begin working in pads Sunday. Head coach Doug Pederson continues to be cautious as more physical drills appear on the horizon. “In this acclimation phase, we must limit the amount of contact we’re doing. Once the pads come on, it’s game on at that point,” he added. Pederson said to look for more of the one-on-one pass rush games when the pads come on and more of the offensive and defensive lines working together. “We put the pads on for the first time on Sunday and player safety, again, we don’t tackle. We don’t go to the ground. We stay up. We don’t cut guys. We practice fast. It’ll be the first time in pads for these guys since really in several months since the end of the regular season,” Pederson said. Pederson sees the addition of pads an extension of what they have been doing. Practice may be a little bit longer. “It’s much easier for an offens

JACKSONVILLE – The Jacksonville Icemen, ECHL affiliate of the NHL’s New York Rangers and the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack announced today that the team has agreed to terms with forward Sam Sternschein for the 2022-2023 season.    Sternschein, 24, joined the Icemen this past March and posted eight points (4g, 4a) in 11 games.  In addition, he also made three postseason appearances with the Icemen.   Prior to Jacksonville, Sternschein (pronounced Stern-Shine) concluded his senior season at Boston College where he posted three assists in 24 games.  The 6-2, 205-pound rookie forward also played four seasons at Penn State University from 2017-2021, totaling 42 points (28g, 14a) and winning a Big-10 Regular Season Championship in 2020.   From 2015-2017 Sternschein played for the USHL’s Tri-City Storm, Cedar Rapids RoughRiders and Lincoln Stars totaling 47 points (27g, 20a).    Sternschein joins fellow forwards Jake Hamacher, Luke Keenan, Mike Szmatula, Matt Salhany, and Brendan Harris, defenseme

(Florida Sports Wire) Miami Running Back Chase Edmonds meets with the media following the second day of Dolphins Training Camp at Baptist Health South Florida Training Complex.

 By Mike Bonts JACKSONVILLE (SportsTicker) - Quarterback Kyle Sloter is in the Jaguars training camp after being added to the roster on July 24. He played in nine games with the New Orleans Breakers in the USFL in 2022 and completed 168 of 291 passes for 1,798 yards and nine TDs. The Jaguars released QB EJ Perry with a non-football injury designation. “I had watched him a little bit in the USFL this year in some of the spots he’s been in. He’s a young guy that, with EJ, again with an injury this summer, we had to decide because he needed another arm in here to keep throwing and all of that,” said head coach Doug Pederson on Monday. “This is a great opportunity for him to really embrace this chance, embrace this opportunity, get some time in maybe these first couple of games, and get some meaningful reps and tape out there not only for us but also for other teams.” Sloter, 6-5, 218, most recently spent time in the NFL with the Vikings during the 2021 season. A Johns Creek, Ga

File Photo by Tim Davis/Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. – Jerar Encarnacion homered while Matthew Kent tied a season-high with six strikeouts as the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp took the first game against the Gwinnett Stripers 4-3 Tuesday night from Coolray Field. The Jumbo Shrimp (51-43) got on the board first in the top of the first against Gwinnett starter Tucker Davidson (L, 3-7). With two outs, Charles Leblanc doubled and scored on a two-run home run from Encarnacion (10). Jacksonville didn’t wait long to add to their lead, plating a run in the top of the third. Peyton Burdick led off with a triple and two batters later Encarnacion continued to provide the offense as he doubled, scoring Burdick to increase the Jumbo Shrimp lead to 3-0. Gwinnett (46-48) plated their first run in the bottom of the fourth inning against Jacksonville starter Matthew Kent (W, 5-7) With one out, Braden Shewmake tripled and scored on a single from Chadwick Tromp to cut the deficit to 4-1. Bot

By Mike Bonts JACKSONVILLE (SportsTicker) - It was a hot and muggy beginning to the Jacksonville Jaguars 2022 training camp Monday morning at Episcopal High School.  But nobody seemed to mind. Especially new head coach Doug Pederson. “It’s exciting. Emotions are high. We’re looking forward to having a really good camp, a good, competitive, physical camp. But for me, personally, it’s exciting to be back out on the grass with these guys for another training camp and seeing where we go,” Pederson said following the first day. Not to dwell on the recent past. But the Jaguars are coming off a miserable season. The Jaguars finished 3–14, improving slightly upon their 1–15 record from 2020. They failed to make the playoffs for the fourth straight year. Fast forward to 2022. The mood in the camp on Monday was lively and positive. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence is enthusiastic about Pederson's reputation for working with QBs. "It’s cool seeing the way he approaches things. He’s definitel

Photo by Nancy Beecher/SportDay By Mike Bonts JACKSONVILLE - The Jumbo Shrimp and Charlotte Knights wrapped up their three game weekend series Sunday with a 8-3 Jacksonville win. Lorenzo Quintana's two-run homer in the seventh made it 8-2. Earlir in the fifth, his triple drove in Charles Leblanc and Jerer Encarnacion to make it 6-0. Jacksonville starter Nick Neidert pitched seven innings, gave up five hits, two runs and struck out eight in picking up his third win of the season. Jake Fishman came on in the eighth and struck out the side. He gave up a solo home run to Adam Hasely in the ninth. The visitors got in the board when Yolbert Sanchez smashed a two-run homer to left off of Neidert. With Erik Gonzalez on base, Peyton Burdick's two-run homer off starter Mike Wright gave Jacksonville a 2-0 lead in the third. Declan Cronin came on in relief of Wright. The Jumbo Shrimp added to their lead with two out. Leblanc scored on Luis Aviles, Jr.  infield single.  Wright ran into some

Photo by Nancy Beecher/SportsDay By Jeff Moeller It was my first Jumbo Shrimp game , and I was already impressed. Roughly an hour before the scheduled Sunday night game, an array of Star Wars characters strolled in front of the Jumbo Shrimp dugout and made their way to the outfield. R2D2 kept his slow pace and made his way to the outfield and back, as he captivated the assembling crowdin the process. What really stirred me was a large contingent of children who entered the field from an outfield gate and began a pitch and catch with their friends or their fathers. In covering minor league baseball for the better part of 25 years, this was a first for me. And it was refreshing to step back and see “Sunday Family Fun Day.”  Appreciate the moments. We often forget it is a game, and it also has bonded families together  with the town or city. Step back from the wins and losses and take a different look.  I’ve seen running the bases for children after both minor and major league games. Over

Photo by Tim Davis/Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp JACKSONVILLE – Jerar Encarnacion launched a home run and Daniel Castano delivered six solid innings on Saturday, but the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp coughed up a ninth-inning lead in an 8-6 loss to the Charlotte Knights in front of a crowd of 6,876 fans at 121 Financial Ballpark. The Knights (34-58) saved themselves by the skin on their teeth in the top of the ninth inning. Down 6-5 and with two outs on the board, Laz Rivera singled against Jumbo Shrimp reliever George Soriano (1-2), then advanced to third off another single by Zach Remillard. A third single by Mark Payton plated Rivera to tie the game at six. Consecutive base hits by Lenyn Sosa and Adam Haseley brought in two more runs to finalize the score at 8-6. Charlotte wasted no time in getting on the board in the top of the first inning. The first pitch of the game was blasted by Payton (13) to the right field stands to give the Knights an initial 1-0 advantage. The Jumbo Shrimp (49-4

SUNRISE – Florida Panthers General Manager Bill Zito announced that the club has acquired forward Matthew Tkachuk and a conditional fourth-round draft selection from the Calgary Flames in exchange for forward Jonathan Huberdeau, defenseman MacKenzie Weegar, Panthers prospect Cole Schwindt and Florida’s lottery-protected first-round selection in the 2025 NHL Draft.  Additionally, Tkachuk agreed to terms on an eight-year contract through the 2029-30 season. “Matthew is a tenacious, physical competitor who possesses a tremendously unique skillset,” said Zito. “He is a consistent elite offensive contributor and has emerged as one of the most complete and dynamic young players in the National Hockey League. We are thrilled to be able to add a generational talent to our lineup.” “On behalf of the entire Florida Panthers organization, we would like to thank Jonathan and MacKenzie for their immense contributions to the Florida Panthers, both on and off the ice, during their tenures in South F

JACKSONVILLE - Peyton Burdick lashed three hits, Lorenzo Quintana drove in four and four Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp pitchers combined to shut out the Charlotte Knights 9-0 in Friday’s series opener in front of 6,960 fans from 121 Financial Ballpark.  The Jumbo Shrimp (49-42) jumped on Knights (33-58) starter John Parke (2-10) from the very beginning of the game. Erik González and Peyton Burdick began the bottom of the first with singles. Two batters later Jerar Encarnacion drew the first of his career-high four walks to load the bases. After a foul out, Quintana cleared the bases with a double for the game’s first runs.  With the same score in the third, Encarnacion drew another walk with one out. After a double by JJ Bleday, Quintana lashed an RBI single to make it 4-0. Charles Leblanc followed with an RBI ground out to widen the gap to 5-0.  In the fifth, González singled and Burdick doubled with one out. Two batters after that, Encarnacion drew another free pass to load the bases. Bl

  ORLANDO (SportsTicker) - Orlando City SC dropped a 3-1 decision to English Premier League side Arsenal FC on Wednesday night at Exploria Stadium. The friendly was part of Arsenal’s US Tour in conjunction with Florida Cup’s FC Series.  Following a brief rain delay, the two sides finally met for the first time on the pitch. The Gunners struck early when Gabriel Martinelli found the back of the net in the fifth minute, but the Lions answered later in the first half with a sensational goal from Facundo Torres.  Torres brought down a gorgeous pass from Antonio Carlos and kept his composure by finding his footing, cutting on his left foot and firing the ball past a diving Aaron Ramsdale.  The Arsenal was backed by two goals in the second half coming from Eddie Nketiah and Reiss Nelson to seal the victory for the London-based side.  The match saw a plethora of players enter the match with each side allowed 10 substitutions each, including OCB product Moises Tablante earning his first minute

 By Jeff Moeller It was the anticipated match the Jaguars believed would solidify their backfield.Two 2021 first-round draft picks making a difference in the starting lineup.   Clemson teammates Trevor Lawrence and running back Travis Etienne were drafted and slated to make each other’s transition to the NFL easier.  However, it never came to fruition for both of them. Lawrence worked his way through the season, but Etienne could only watch from the sidelines. Etienne was shelved early for the year due to a Lisfranc injury. He was supposed to be part of the tandem with James Robinson, one that presumably would solve the Jags’ running problem. Etienne also could prove to be valuable, swinging out of the backfield to catch passes, while Robinson would run north and south. Robinson, whose capability was muzzled by former head coach Irwin Meyer, began to show his worth after Meyer was fired. But Robinson’s good fortune ended when he went down with a torn achilles. The second-year back stil

JACKSONVILLE  – The Jacksonville Icemen, ECHL affiliate of the NHL’s New York Rangers and the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack announced that the team has acquired defenseman Tim Theocharidis from the Adirondack Thunder in exchange for forward Vladislav Mikhalchuk.    Theocharidis, 24, concluded his collegiate career last season posting 15 points (4g, 11a) In 35 games played at Arizona State University (NCAA).  This past spring, Theocharidis (pronounced Theo-chair-dis) logged an assist in ten outings with Adirondack, while also making nine appearances with the Utica Comets of the American Hockey League.     From 2018-2021, the 6-1, 183-pound blueliner recorded 39 points (12g, 27a) in three seasons at Bowling Green State University (ECAC).  Prior to college, the Scarborough, Ontario resident played three seasons with the Carleton Place Canadians where he posted 103 points, was named CCHL Defenseman of the Year and won two league championships in 2016 and 2017.    Mikhalchuk now joins the Thunde

TAMPA – At a press conference this morning held at Yuengling Center, the National Indoor Soccer League (NISL) officially announced an expansion team coming to Tampa. The new team, Tampa Bay Strikers, will play at Tampa’s Yuengling Center starting December 2022, operating both a men’s and women’s team. Andrew Haines, Executive Board of Directors, as well as Managing Partner for the Tampa Bay Strikers said, “The National Indoor Soccer League is coming to Tampa, and we couldn’t be more excited! It’s an incredible opportunity to bring the Tampa Bay Strikers to the Tampa Bay Area this December. We look forward to announcing more details about the team as soon as possible, especially the Men's & Women's 20-game regular season playing at Yuengling Center. You won’t want to miss this past-paced, high-scoring, family-friendly entertainment.” More details about the Tampa Bay Strikers will be released in the upcoming months including head coach, assistant coach, home season schedule,

  JACKSONVILLE (SportTicker) – Lewin Díaz homered and drove in three to lead the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp to a 3-1 triumph over the Norfolk Tides at 121 Financial Ballpark.  Bryson Brigman led off the top of the first with a single and two batters later, Díaz went yard off Norfolk (41-43) starter Kirk McCarty (2-2) to give Jacksonville (45-39) a 2-0 lead.  Erik González led off the third with a base hit before moving to third base on a Brigman single. After a ground out, Díaz lifted a sacrifice fly to increase the advantage to 3-0.  The lone Tides run came in the seventh. Kelvin Gutierrez singled to begin the frame. Two batters after that, he advanced to third on a Gunnar Henderson base hit. Jordan Westburg’s ground out brought in Gutierrez to put the margin at 3-1.  Parker Bugg pitched 2.0 scoreless innings in a spot start before ceding to Will Stewart (2-3), who fanned six in 3.2 shutout frames. Stewart combined with Tommy Eveld, Robert Garcia, George Soriano and Andrew Nardi for J

ESTERO — Hertz Arena President and Florida Everblades General Manager Craig Brush announced today that the ECHL Kelly Cup Champions have entered into a multi-year affiliation agreement with the NHL’s Florida Panthers, recipients of the 2021-22 Presidents’ Trophy, awarded to the team with the NHL’s top regular-season record.  The Everblades will serve as a developmental affiliate for the Panthers and their primary developmental affiliate, the American Hockey League’s Charlotte Checkers, starting with the 2022-23 season. “We are thrilled to have the Florida Panthers as our new NHL affiliate,” Brush said. “Florida’s General Manager Bill Zito and Assistant General Manager Brett Peterson have done an outstanding job and we are looking forward to becoming an integral part of the development of players for the Panthers and Charlotte Checkers.” "We are pleased to announce a new affiliation with the Florida Everblades," said Brett Peterson, Assistant General Manager of the Florida Pan

JACKSONVILLE - The Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp fell to the Norfolk Tides 5-1 on Saturday in front of 5,984 fans at 121 Financial Ballpark. Norfolk (41-42) drew first blood in the top of the fifth inning. With two outs on the board, Brett Cumberland, Cadyn Grenier, and Terrin Vavra drew three consecutive walks against Jacksonville starter Max Meyer (3-4), loading the bases. A line drive to left field by Jordan Westburg off reliever Jordan Holloway plated Cumberland and Grenier to make it 2-0.  The Jumbo Shrimp (44-39) responded in the bottom of the fifth inning. Ryan Lavarnway was hit by a pitch by Norfolk starter Cody Sedlock (4-1) and then advanced to second on a fielder’s choice. A single by Bryson Brigman moved Lavarnway to third and a walk by Brian Miller loaded the bases. Peyton Burdick notched a fielder’s choice to bring in Lavarnway, setting the score 2-1.  The Tides increased their deficit in the top of the sixth inning. After two consecutive walks of Kyle Stowers and Yusniel Di

ORLANDO - Orlando City SC (8-7-4, 28 points) earned a 1-0 victory over intrastate rival Inter Miami CF (6-8-4, 22 points) on Saturday night at Exploria Stadium. With the victory, the Lions are now unbeaten in five-straight matches against their neighbors to the south across all competitions. The two sides had to wait quite some time to take part in their first regular season matchup of 2022, with a near three-hour rain delay pushing the match to a 10:25 p.m. kickoff. Following 90 minutes of play, the sides remained scoreless, until a cross from Jake Mulraney whipped in from the left side deflected off Inter Miami’s Damion Lowe for an own goal to decide the match in stoppage time.  With the clean sheet, goalkeeper Pedro Gallese matched his single-season high with his seventh shutout of the campaign. In addition, defender Robin Jansson set a new Club-record with his 92nd start for the Lions in league play, surpassing former City goalkeeper Joe Bendik, while teammate Benji Michel became t