Prep Sports News
One of Whatcom County’s premier athletes is taking his talents to Seattle. Lynden senior Brant Heppner announced last night that he’s committed to Seattle Pacific University to play basketball.
Heppner has helped lead the Lions to five state championships – three in basketball and two in football. The 6-foot-6 senior was named the 2A State Player of the Year and took home Northwest Conference MVP for the basketball season.
He’ll make his return to Whatcom County when SPU takes on their conference rivals at Western Washington University.
Mariners News
The Mariners lost to the Athletics in walk-off fashion last night. Jacob Wilson drove home the winning run in the 11th inning to give the A’s a 7-6 win in the series opener.
JP Crawford picked up a pair of hits to extend his hitting streak to 13 straight games. Rowdy Tellez and Ben Williamson each had multi-hit games as well in the losing effort. Bryce Miller gave up four runs in four innings in the start.
The top two teams in the AL West will go at it again tonight, when the A’s will have a chance to snap the Mariners’ streak of eight straight series wins. Coverage begins at 6:00 and first pitch is at 7:05 on KPUG with Emerson Hancock taking the mound.
The Mariners are bringing in a rival bat to shore up their short-handed outfield. The team claimed switch-hitter Leody Taveras off waivers from the Texas Rangers earlier today.
The 26-year-old started all five games of the Rangers’ 2023 World Series win in the outfield. Taveras brings speed to a Seattle outfield that is missing Victor Robles and Luke Raley to injuries. But his struggles at the plate this season led to the Rangers letting him go to their division rivals. The Mariners are on the hook for just over $3 million remaining on his one-year deal.
As part of today’s roster moves, the M’s also reinstated utility player Dylan Moore from the 10-day injured list while sending Samad Taylor back down to Triple-A Tacoma. They also designated spot starter Luis F. Castillo for assignment, not to be confused with veteran starter Luis “The Rock” Castillo.
Kraken News
The Kraken took a bit of a slide during the NHL Draft Lottery last night. Seattle had the sixth-best odds of landing the No. 1 overall pick, but dropped two spots to the eighth overall selection.
It’s the second straight year the Kraken will pick at No. 8. They’ll also have two second-round picks during the draft, which begins on June 27.
The team is still searching for its third head coach in as many seasons after parting ways with Dan Byslma.
