SPORTS SECTION E
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s one of their top minor league prospects, Bahamian shortstop Sebastian Walcott said he was thrilled to go to the Texas Rangers’ Major League spring training camp at the Surprise Stadium in Surprise, Arizona. While he fell short of making their final roster for the start of the MLB 2025 season, Walcott said he will be sure to take advantage of his return to the AA affiliate Frisco RoughRigers in Frisco, Texas. It was the same team that Walcott, who celebrated his 19th birthday on March 4, ended playing with at the end of his rookie season last year.
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“I’m pretty excited to head back there and get the season started,” said Walcott, who reports for duty on April 4. “My body is feeling good, so hopefully I can have a great season and make an impact.” In January 2023, Walcott signed a $3.2 million contract with the Rangers. He is now the No.17 overall prospect in baseball, per Pipeline and is projected to be a top-five prospect in baseball this time next year. In spring training this year, the six-foot, four-inch Walcott went 4-for-8 with three doubles and a home run. He would have liked to be the next Bahamian to crack the Major League, or move up to AAA, but he admitted that he’s quite comfortable at AA. “No matter where I start out, I will be excited because I still have a chance to play,” he said. “I’m ready to play with my team-mates, especially coming off spring training. “I had a good camp. I made some improvements, which was my goal. This year, I wanted to improve defensively to get ready for the season and offensively I wanted to make some things to get ready for opening day and so I think I accomplished both goals, so I’m ready for the season.” At Frisco, Texas, Walcott said he couldn’t ask for a better environment to go to and develop his game during the season. “It’s an awesome place to play baseball, good crowd to get you into the game and so the goal is for me to put on a show every night I go there to play,” Walcott stated.
JASRADO “Jazz” Chisholm Jr and the New York Yankees opened the 2025 Major League Baseball season by doubling up the Milwaukee Brewers 4-2 last night at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees, who improved to 7-1 in their last eight opening days of MLB, rode the home runs from Austin Wells and
Anthony Volpe, while their bullpen held off a late rally from the Brewers in the top of the ninth inning. Devin Williams, the Yankees’ new closer, got some revenge as he held off the team that traded him to New York during the offseason as he was able to secure their 4-1 lead. Working out of a bases loaded jam by the Brewers with no outs on a single, a double, and a walk, Williams gave up a run on a sacrifice fly by Brice Turang
BYFIELD MISSES CUT, HUMBLESTONE DISQUALIFIED AT WORLD INDOORS MASTERS By BRENT STUBBS Chief Sports Editor bstubbs@tribunemedia.net
a lot to help this team and hopefully to help the team in the big league in the future.” His father, Jeff Walcott Jr, a former men’s national basketball team player, said the spring training went very well for his son and could only propel him to the majors. “I think everyone at the top level had
IT wasn’t the type of fortune the Bahamas’ fivemember team expected to achieve on day five of the 2025 World Masters Associations’ World Indoor Championships at the Alachua County Sports Center in Alachua, Florida. Grand Bahamian Miriam Byfield just missed making the cut for the women’s 35-39 metres 200m preliminaries and, for the second day in a row, a Bahamian got disqualified as Dr Brian Humblestone stepped on the line in his heat of the men’s 85-89 200m final. Speaking on behalf of Team Bahamas, team leader Michael Armbrister said considering this is an indoor meet and not often they get to run at this level of competition, the team so far did an excellent job. “When you come to a meet at this magnitude and make finals in both events at age 88 and rank 4th and 5th in the world, just outstanding,” he said. While Byfield, Humblestone and fitness guru “Downtown” Natasha Brown are all done, Armbrister said there’s great expectations for world outdoor 55-59 400m record holder Timothy Munnings and himself. “The first round is over with and we had a chance to discuss the track situation, high turns and short straight away,” Armbrister said. “So looking forward to making the adjustments and better outcome on Saturday
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LOOKING TO MAKE AN IMPACT: Sebastian Walcott on the defensive end. As long as he remains consistent, Walcott said he should be able to impress the Rangers’ scouts. Last year, in 456 at-bats, Walcott turned in a .265 batting average with 11 homers, 56 runs batted in (RBI) and stole 27 bases. “I just want to play my game. If I do that, I know I can have a pretty good season like last year,” he said. “Late last year, my
game improved so if I can play my game and remain consistent, everything else should fall into place.” As he looks forward to this season, Walcott said the Rangers have put him in a good spot to excel. “I think I’ve put myself in a good position as well, forcing their hands in training,” he said. “They’ve seen the results in spring training and they trust me
COLLINIQUE NAMED ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
Chisholm Jr and Yankees win season opener By BRENT STUBBS Chief Sports Editor bstubbs@tribunemedia.net
ATHLETES
FRIDAY, MARCH 28, 2025
Shortstop Sebastian Walcott heads to AA By BRENT STUBBS Chief Sports Editor bstubbs@tribunemedia.net
3 DAYS TO GO
By BRENT STUBBS Chief Sports Editor bstubbs@tribunemedia.net
NEW York Yankees second baseman Jasrado “Jazz” Chisholm Jr., left, tries to turn a double play around Milwaukee Brewers’ Christian Yelich during the sixth inning yesterday at the Yankee Stadium in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig) and then struck out Jackson Chourio and Christian Yelich on changeup and fastball respectively. Although he didn’t contribute offensively to their attack, Chisholm Jr had a solid defensive opener in his return to the Yankees’ line-up. He was acquired during mid-season last year from the Miami Marlins and is now playing his first full season in New York. Batting fifth in the lineup, Chisholm Jr went 0-for-3 with a walk. He struck out in his first at-bat to lead off the bottom of the second, popped out to shortstop Joey Ortiz for the second out in the fourth, walked with one out in the sixth, but was left stranded on base and struck out again for the first out in the eighth. The Yankees, however, got an historic feat as Wells became the first catcher
ever in major league and also the first Yankee player with a leadoff home run on opening day. Carlos Rodon, in his starting role on the mound, pitched 5.1 innings, holding off the Brewers to just a home run from Vinny Capra for the MVP performance of the game. Then in the bottom of the 2nd, Volpe connected on a shot to right centre field for New York’s second homer to push their lead to 2-0. And in the 7th, Aaron Judge got a RBI double to plate Ben Rice and send Oswaldo Cabrera to third. A sacrifice fly by Cody Bellinger drove home Cabrera. The Yankees and Brewers meet again for the 2nd of their 3-game series in The Bronx Saturday with the first pitch set for 1:35pm. They will complete the series 1:30pm Sunday..
GRAND Bahamian quarter-miler Collinique Farrington couldn’t ask for a better way to close out her senior indoor track and field campaign for the Southwest Baptist University Bearcats women’s track and field team. The Tabernacle Baptist Academy graduate was named the U.S. Track & Field and Cross-Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Midwest Female
Indoor Track Regional Athlete of the Year. Farrington becomes the second Bearcat ever to win a Regional Athlete of the Year award and the first ever to win the track regional award. This award is coming off a dominant performance not only at the conference level but at the national level as well. She finished runner-up in the 200-metres at the 2025 NCAA DII Indoor Championships. In the 400 metres, she finished
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THE SPORTS March CALENDAR BAHAMAS BAPTIST SPORTS FEDERATION SOFTBALL THE Bahamas Baptist Sports Federation is slated to conclude its 2025 softball season on Saturday at the Charles W Saunders playing field, Jean Street. The federation will stage its sudden death semifinal playoffs, starting at 11am and will
conclude at 2:30pm with the championship game. The semifinals will begin with defending champions Jubilee Ministries taking on former champions Golden Gates in the co-ed slowpitch opener. The other half of the bracket will be played between last year’s runners-up Macedonia and New Bethlehem. The winners
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