Weissert Joins Yanks

Greg Weissert joined the New York Yankees on the current road trip to California and has pitched four scoreless innings after a shaky start.

Weissert, who pitched at Fordham University, allowed no hits and struck out two over two innings to earn his first major league win during New York’s 7-4 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday night.

Two days earlier in Oakland, Weissert struck out three and surrendered no hits over two innings. In his major league debut in Oakland on Aug. 25, he gave up three runs in 1/3 of an inning.

The 27 year old is 1-0 with a 6.23 earned run average since joining the Yankees.

Weissert earned the opportunity with the Yankees after going 2-1 with 18 saves and a 1.76 ERA in 40 games at Scranton, the Class AAA affiliate of the Yankees. In 46 innings, he struck out 67 opponents.

Weissert, who grew up on Long Island, was an 18^th round pick of the Yankees in the 2016 Major League Baseball Draft.

Iona Adding 2 Sports in 2024-25

Men’s lacrosse and women’s acrobatics and tumbling will be added as the 22^nd and 23^rd intercollegiate athletic programs offered by Iona University in the 2024-2025 academic year, the university announced.

“As Iona University continues to grow, we are very proud to offer these expanded opportunities for varsity intercollegiate competition to our students,” said Iona Director of Athletics Matthew Glovaski. “With the Northeast and in particular Westchester County and the New York Metropolitan Area being a historical hotbed for scholastic men’s lacrosse and the rise of acrobatics & tumbling as an emerging sport for women in the NCAA, these programs will integrate themselves seamlessly into the goals and aspirations of the University.”

Iona, which had a first-year club men’s lacrosse program in 2022, will compete in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference during the spring of 2025. The Gaels will become the 11^th men’s lacrosse program in the conference featuring Manhattan College, Marist College and Wagner College.
“With our 10 current teams, Iona will strengthen the league and make our already competitive league even better,” said MAAC Commissioner Rich Ensor.

Women’s acrobatics and tumbling, which combines different disciplines of gymnastics and competitive cheerleading, will be overseen by the National Collegiate Acrobatics & Tumbling Association (NCATA), which had 32 programs competing in 2021-2022.

The NCAA adopted women’s acrobatics & tumbling as an emerging sport for women after reaching 30 members in 2020.

“Iona’s announcement continues expansion momentum in the Northeast, through which we’ve been fortunate to grow in all three NCAA divisions,” said NCATA Executive Director Janell Cook. “Our NCATA member administrators continue to be our best advocates. We are thankful for those in the region who provided support to Iona through this process as we collectively move forward towards our goal of reaching NCAA championship sport status.”

Siegrist, Villanova Playing at Marist

Maddy Siegrist is returning to Poughkeepsie to compete on a court her father once called home.

The Our Lady of Lourdes High School graduate will lead the Villanova University women’s basketball team into action against Marist College at the McCann Arena in Poughkeepsie on Monday, Nov. 7.

This will be Villanova’s first trip to Poughkeepsie since participating in the first game played in the renovated McCann Arena in 2011. Formerly called the McCann Center, Siegrist’s father George played four seasons at Marist and later served as an assistant coach with the men’s basketball program.

Siegrist, a senior, is coming off her best season at Villanova that ended with her being named the Big East and Big 5 player of the year, and All-American by The Associated Press and U.S. Basketball Writers Association.

Siegrist was second in the nation with her 25.3 points per game and grabbed 9.2 rebounds per game. The forward, who finished with 12 double-doubles, shot 50 percent from the floor and 36 percent from beyond the three-point arc. She scored 20 or more points in 20 games and 30 or more points in nine games.

In August, Siegrist was one of six college players chosen to compete for the 2022 USA Basketball Women’s 3×3 U23 Nations League team at the FIBA 3×3 Nations League tournament in the Dominican Republic.

PHOTO COURTESY OF VILLANOVA UNIVERSITY

Young Staying with PGA Tour

Cameron Young announced Sunday he will remain with the PGA Tour.

The Fordham Prep graduate, the leading candidate for the PGA Tour’s Rookie of the Year, shared his decision after considering a switch to LIV Golf, a golf tour funded by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund and led by CEO Greg Norman.

Young’s announcement came on the same day Cameron Smith announced he would compete in LIV Golf. Smith, the world’s No. 2 player, defeated Young by a stroke to capture The Open Championship in July.

“Frankly, I have decided to stay,” he said to a group of reporters at the TOUR Championship where he placed 19th at 10-under par over four days. “It’s a really difficult situation because it’s not anything that anyone really wanted to happen. I think it wasn’t meant to be this hostile between the two.”

Young placed second in five tournaments in his rookie season and third in two more, including the PGA Championship. He earned over $6.5 million in his rookie season.

PGA Tour golfers will begin their 2022-2023 FedExCup Season with the Fortinet Championship in Napa, Calif., Sept. 15-18.

Astros Place Santos on Development List

Mount St. Michael Academy graduate Alex Santos was placed on the development list by the Fayetteville Woodpeckers.

The Woodpeckers are the High-A affiliate of the Houston Astros.

Catholic Sports Scene has been unable to learn why Santos was placed on the development list or how long he may be on the list. Pitchers are placed on the development list to work on their mechanics, rest their arm or they may be nearing their innings limit for the season.

Santos is 0-11 with a save and a 5.99 earned run average in 2022. The right-handed pitcher has appeared in 23 games, 14 being starts, and has 104 strikeouts in 82 ⅔ innings.

Santos, 20, was the 72nd overall pick of the 2020 Major League Baseball Draft by the Astros, who received the compensation pick for the New York Yankees signing Gerrit Cole.

PHOTO COURTESY OF FAYETTEVILLE WOODPECKERS

Velazquez, Angels Set for Yankees

Fordham Prep graduate Andrew Velazquez and the Los Angeles Angels begin a three-game series with the New York Yankees tonight in Anaheim.

Velaquez, who played for the Yankees in 2021, is swinging a hot bat and the Angels are coming off a three-game sweep of the Toronto Blue Jays. Velaquez had a hit in seven of his last eight games before going hitless Sunday and is 10 for 29 in his last nine games, which includes home runs in back-to-back games against the Blue Jays.

The 28-year-old shortstop is 14 for 43 in his last 15 games.

For the season, Velazquez is hitting .198 with eight home runs, 26 RBIs and 13 stolen bases.

The Angels claimed Velazquez off waivers from the Yankees following the 2021 season and started the 2022 season with the Salt Lake Bees, the Class AAA affiliate of the Angels. Velazquez was originally drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the seventh round of the 2012 Major League Baseball Draft.

PHOTO COURTESY OF LOS ANGELES ANGELS

HS Football Starts Next Week

The Catholic High School Football League will begin its season in eight days with a full weekend of the best Catholic high school football action in New York City, Westchester County and Long Island.

Two Bronx rivals – Mount St. Michael Academy and Fordham Prep – will get things going with a 4 p.m. game on Friday, Sept. 2.

The next day, defending state champion Iona Prep plays Ohio State finalist Archbishop Hoban in Akron, Ohio, at noon, and Msgr. Farrell welcomes Bishop Hendrickson of Rhode Island to Staten Island for a 4 p.m. game.

Here is the first weekend’s complete schedule:

Friday, Sept. 2

Fordham Prep at Mount St. Michael Academy, 4 p.m.

St. John the Baptist at Avon, 7 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 3

Moore Catholic at St. Peter’s, 10 a.m.

Iona Prep at Archbishop Hoban, noon

Holy Trinity at Kennedy Catholic, noon

St. Dominic’s at Yonkers Force, 1 p.m.

Xaverian at Long Island Lutheran, 1 p.m.

Arlington at Kellenberg, 1:30 p.m.

Christ the King at Archbishop Stepinac, 1:30 p.m.

Albertus Magnus at St. Joseph by-the-Sea, 2 p.m.

Bishop Hendrickson at Msgr. Farrell, 4 p.m.

Spellman Grad Padilla Joins Cubs

Cardinal Spellman High School graduate Nick Padilla made his major league debut with the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday night.

The 25-year-old pitcher, who was called up from the Iowa Cubs on Tuesday, allowed an earned run on two hits and two walks, and struck out one in 1 2/3 innings during a 13-3 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals at Wrigley Field.

The Cubs are the fourth team for Padilla in 2022. He started the season in Class A with the South Bend Cubs, going 1-0 with a 1.80 earned run average and 18 strikeouts in 10 innings. He was assigned to the Class AA Tennessee Smokies on May 10 and finished 1-1 with a 2.82 ERA and 25 strikeouts in 22 1/3 innings. Padilla joined the Iowa Cubs on July 22 and was 1-0 with a 1.69 ERA and 14 strikeouts in 10 2/3 innings.

Padilla was selected by the Tampa Bay Rays in the 13^th round of the 2015 Major League Baseball Draft. The 1994 graduate of Cardinal Spellman played one season at Grayson Community College in Denison, Texas, before being drafted.

In 2017, he was 3-2 with a 2.38 ERA for the Hudson Valley Renegades, which at the time was the Class A short-season affiliate of the Rays the New York-Penn League.

Velazquez Swings Hot Bat

Fordham Prep graduate Andrew Velazquez is on a four-game hitting streak and is 8 for 14 over his last six games with the Los Angeles Angels.

The Angels begin a three-game series with the New York Yankees on Monday in Anaheim. Before playing the Yankees, the Angels play the Tampa Bay Rays tonight and Thursday before starting a three-game series at home against the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday.

Velazquez, known for speed and defense at shortstop, will bring a .197 batting average with six home runs, 23 RBI and 13 stolen bases into tonight’s game.

The Angels claimed Velazquez off waivers from the Yankees following the 2021 season and started the 2022 season with the Salt Lake Bees, the Class AAA affiliate of the Angels. The 28-year-old shortstop was originally drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the seventh round of the 2012 Major League Baseball Draft.

PHOTO COURTESY OF LOS ANGELES ANGELS

Case Off to Strong August

Iona Prep graduate Brad Case has pitched well thus far in August for the Altoona Curve.

In 5 ⅔ innings over three relief appearances, he’s given up only an earned run on a solo home run for the Curve, the Class AA affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. He’s surrendered two hits, four walks and struck out seven, pitching to an earned run average of 1.59 over the three appearances.

Case was a 17th-round pick of the Pirates in the 2018 Major League Baseball Draft.

Case and the Curve begin a six-game series against Bowie Baysox, the Class AA affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles, on Tuesday.

PHOTO COURTESY OF ALTOONA CURVE