Portage Northern’s Tommy Henry throws during the Michigan High School Baseball Coaches Association All-Star game July 6, 2016 at Comerica Park.
Preps: The Michigan High School Athletic Association changed the rule that covers the use of pitchers in baseball games. Beginning with next season, pitchers will be allowed to throw no more than 105 pitches in one day and will be required to rest three days if they throw more than 75. Pitchers must rest two days after throwing 51-75 pitches and one day after throwing 26-50. No rest will be required if pitchers throw 25 or fewer pitchers. The rule change was adopted at the urging of the National Federation of State High School Associations and is designed to reduce arm injuries. MHSAA representatives, meeting in East Lansing earlier this month, also began discussing the possible future of eight-player football and its potential impact on the traditional 11-player format.
Men’s soccer: Michigan State’s Giuseppe Barone was named to the Top Drawer Soccer all-freshman second team. Barone, the Big Ten freshman of the year, is a midfielder from Grandville. Michigan State was 13-5-2 this season and earned an appearance in the NCAA tournament.
Women’s hockey: Samantha Fallon was named the head coach of Adrian’s American Collegiate Hockey Association Division II team that will debut next year. Fallon played forward for four seasons at Massachusetts-Boston, earning All-Eastern College Athletic Conference East honors in 2013-14. She graduated this year. Adrian has teams in NCAA Division III and ACHA Division I. Its ACHA DII team will have its inaugural season in 2017-18. Fallon will also serve as an assistant coach for Adrian’s ACHA DI team.
College football: Three Ferris State players were named to the Division II Conference Commissioner’s Association All-America team. Defenseive end Zach Sieler and cornerback Tavierre Thomas earned first-team honors, and center Jake Daugherty made the second team. The Bulldogs were 12-3 this season and won three postseason games. The team advanced to the DII semifinal before losing to Northwest Missouri State, 35-20. …
Wayne State left tackle Nate Theaker was named to the D2CCA All-America first team. Theaker, also the GLIAC offensive lineman of the year, played in 42 career games with 33 starts (14 at right guard, 11 at left tackle and eight at right tackle).
Softball: Wayne State signed the following players to letters of intent: Amy Claydon, a pitcher at Hespeler Secondary School in Cambridge, Ontario; Emily Dodge, an infielder/outfielder at Hayden Secondary School in Burlington, Ontario; and Bryanna Kressler, a pitcher and shortstop at St. Mary’s in Kitchener, Ontario. The athletes will join the school in the fall of 2017.