SPORTS SECTION E
NFL MONDAY
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2016
Bears win, Page 13
Champ Stuart 3rd in AFL with .375 batting average By RENALDO DORSETT Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net CHAMP Stuart continues to deliver impressive performances for the New York Mets organisation in the Offseason Arizona Fall League. Competing for the Scottsdale Scorpions, Stuart currently leads the team and is third in the AFL with a .375 batting average. He is also tied for second in the league in stolen bases with five. In 32 at-bats in nine games, Stuart also has an on-base percentage of .412 and a slugging percentage of .531 with two doubles and one home run.
Heading into last roots news outlet, night’s matchup risingapple,com. “If against the Peoria Stuart can right the Javelinas, Stuart ship in Binghamwas also in the midst ton next season, he of a six-game hitting could find himself in streak. Triple-A Las Vegas “Although it’s a by the middle of the small sample size, season and could Stuart is facing some potentially be an of the best pitching option for the Mets prospects in baseshould they need a ball. So these results fill-in outfielder at are encouraging. So some point.” he’d immediately Stuart continued CHAMP STUART be the fastest runhis rise in the New ner on the Mets and York Mets organisaone of the fastest in baseball if tion as a centre fielder, when he he winds up in the big club,” said was named to the Scorpions rosDanny Abriano of Mets grass- ter for the AFL.
The Scorpions have MLB affiliations with the Mets, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Angels. “Obviously it’s a privilege and honour to be here with the Mets. I’m just happy to be here, to put on a uniform again and be playing ball again. To play among the best in the minor leagues, it’s really fun right now,” Stuart told Adam Rubin of ESPN. The Arizona Fall League attracts many of the top prospects in the minor leagues. In 2016 he had a season of several milestones, including an appearance as a pinch runner in the final Grapefruit League game for
the Mets in spring training and a stellar season with the Port St Lucie Mets in Single-A Advanced which led to a Double A call up with the Binghamton Mets. Through 114 games in both leagues, Stuart hit .240 with 34 RBI and eight home runs. He has also totalled an on-base percentage of .319, slugging percentage of .349 an OPS of .663 and 40 stolen bases. This summer, Stuart was one of 10 Bahamian players to compete for Team Great Britain at the World Baseball Classic Qualifier in Brooklyn, New York. During the tournament, he hit .467 with an PS of 1.233, OBP of .500, with three RBI and 11 total bases.
Winning start for ‘Tum Tum’ and Spartans By RENALDO DORSETT Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net
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he Michigan State Spartans got an early start on the exhibition season and Spartans fans had an opportunity to get a first look at the 2016-17 version of the programme. Lourawls “Tum Tum” Nairn Jr finished with eight points and two assists in the No.9 Spartans’ 93-69 win over the Northwood Timberwolves at the Breslin Center in East Lansing, Michigan. Nairn, the junior point guard, played 23 minutes, shot 3-9 from the field, including an encouraging 1-2 from beyond the arch. “We just got to get in, watch a lot of film and see what we can do a better job at. The coaches will break the film down, we’re gonna break the film down and just try to get better as much as we can,” Nairn said. Freshman forward Miles Bridges led the Spartans with 33 points and eight rebounds on 12 of 14 shooting from the field, while Nick Ward added 19 points off the bench. The Spartans shot 32-57 (56.1 per cent) from the floor for the game, including 9-of-18 from beyond the arc. Bridges knocked down the first nine shots he took, including 17 first-half points on a perfect 7-for-7 from the floor. Northwood cut the lead to 10 with just under eight minutes remaining, but MSU closed the game on a 23-9 run to pull away and secure the victory. Michigan State tallied 22 assists on 32 made field goals, led by freshman Cassius Winston, who provided nine helpers. Winston also added nine points. MSU forced 14 turnovers, leading to a 19-3 edge in fast break points and dominated the paint with a 47-24 advantage down low. In his assessment of his team’s first exhibition performance, Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo highlighted Nairn’s improvement and his role among the Spartans’ guards. “This team was a little smaller than the ones we’ll be playing in a week and-a-half. I didn’t think it was bad. I don’t think Tum (Nairn) can take nine shots. He was three-for-nine, and has been shooting it a lot better. But (Matt) McQuaid has to get some of those, (Eron) Harris has to get some of those, and even Cassius (Winston) has to get some of those. We have to define the roles a little bit better here. It was just one of those things where I think Tum feels like they’re going to sag off of him. We didn’t run a lot of things today. We have some packages that will exploit people that do that to Tum,” Izzo said. “Does it help us quite as much? I don’t
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WOMEN’S NATIONAL VOLLEYBALL TEAM IN FIVA WORLD QUALIFIER By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net
MICHIGAN State’s Tum Tum Nairn (11) puts up a layup against Northwood’s Jarel Woolridge during the first half of an NCAA college basketball exhibition game on Thursday in East Lansing, Michigan. (AP)
FOLLOWING the success of the men’s national team in Martinique, the Bahamas Volleyball Federation is hoping that the women’s national team will duplicate the feat when they travel to the Cayman Islands. The team, coached by Jason Saunders, will compete in the FIVA World Qualifying Round November 1114 as they compete against teams from Guadeloupe, Bonaire and the Cayman Islands. Last month, the men’s team, coached by Convance Mortimer, returned from their version of the tournament with the top spot after beating Martinique and Aruba. Prince Wilson carted off the most valuable player award and was named the best receiver and best scorer, while Byron Ferguson was the best blocker, Jamaal Ferguson was the best spiker and Renaldo Knowles was the best digger. The women’s team, consisting of a mixture of young and experienced players, is made up of the following: Laval Sands, Kelsie Johnson, Davia Moss, Melinda Bastian, Shantia Simon, JeNae Saunders, Eugunie Adderley, Britney Bonamy, Avoni Seymour and new team members Courtney Stevens, Latavia Braynen and Sari Albury. Braynen, 16, and Albury, 15, are both high school sensations and even though they are not expected to be among the team leaders, coach Saunders said he ex-
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NPSA boss Henry Dean: ‘Truckers were no match for Hitmen’ By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net WITH the crowning of its men’s champions on Saturday, the New Providence Softball Association brought down the curtain on the first-year presidency of Henry Dean. Immediately after the C&S Hitmen completed a three-game sweep over the defending champions Commando Security Truckers in the Banker’s Field at the Baillou Hills Sporting Complex, Dean called for a “fan appreciation give-away” for the spectators present. Dean, who had replaced out-going president Godfrey Burnside at the beginning of the season, said it was the best way for his executive team to show their gratitude
for what has been an “unbelievable” year. “We recognise that the Hitmen are a team with a bunch of young guys,” Dean said. “Their youth proved superior, but we thought that the experience would have been able to wear them down a little, but that didn’t happen. The Truckers were no match for the Hitmen.” From the manner in which they executed their pre-game routine, arriving to the park at least two hours ahead of their scheduled game, Dean said he knew that they were the more prepared team for the post-season. “They deserve this win,” he said. “They proved to be the superior team in the league this year and we congratulate them. I believe that they will carry this momentum straight through the
DARREN STEVENS (right), manager of the C&S Hitmen, receives the 2016 NPSA championship trophy. round robin and national championship.” The Hitmen, by virtue of being crowned the new NPSA champions, will get the opportunity to join the Johnson’s Lady Truckers in competing in the Bahamas Softball Federation’s National
Round Robin Tournament this weekend at the Baillou Hills Sporting Complex. The federation is anticipating that the championship teams from Grand Bahama, Eleuthera and Abaco will be in town to compete against the Hitmen for the men’s
national title, while the Lady Truckers will get to face Grand Bahama and Andros on the ladies’ side. In the meantime, Dean also congratulated the Truckers for another stellar job in getting to the final. The Truckers and the Hitmen battled right to the end of the regular season before the Hitmen emerged as the pennant winners. Now they’ve added the NPSA title, their second since winning it for the first time two years ago. The Hitmen, however, have never hoisted the BSF championship trophy. But Dean said if they can bring that same level of enthusiasm that they brought to the park for the NPSA postseason, they could finally win it this year. If they do, they would become the triple crown champions.