Feb 1, 2018 3 min read

Cal picked 4th in PSAC West softball

California University was picked to finish fourth in the preseason PSAC West Division poll released by the league office Thursday afternoon.

The Vulcans were one of four teams in the West to receive at least one first-place vote. The Vulcans finished last year with a 22-17 record and qualified for the PSAC Tournament as the third seed from the division.

Seton Hill was named the preseason favorite in the West with one first-place vote, while Slippery Rock was tabbed second with one first-place vote despite finishing seven games below .500 last year. Gannon, which posted the top mark in the divisional standings in 2017, received two first-place votes and was slotted third in the poll. Cal, Edinboro and Mercyhurst rounded out the poll.

Defending PSAC champion West Chester is the preseason favorite in the East.

Appel quits baseball

The No. 1 overall pick of the 2013 draft has walked away from baseball without every throwing a pitch in the major leagues.

Mark Appel, a hard-throwing pitcher from Stanford taken by the Houston Astros with the No. 1 pick in the 2013 Major League Baseball draft, has announced his intention to leave the game. He was released by Philadelphia in November ahead of the winter meeting draft.

Appel told Bleacher Report he was at peace with his decision.

“If you want to call me the biggest draft bust, you can call it that,” Appel told Bleacher Report. “If I never get to the big leagues, will it be a disappointment? Yes and no. That was a goal and a dream I had at one point, but that’s with stipulations that I’m healthy, I’m happy and doing something I love. If I get to the big leagues, what’s so great about the big leagues if you’re in an isolated place, you’re hurt and you’re emotionally unhappy? How much is that worth to you?”

Appel was drafted in the first round (8th overall) in 2012 by the Pittsburgh Pirates but did not sign and returned to Stanford for his senior season. He received a $6.35 million signing bonus from Houston.

The 26-year-old Appel would become the third No. 1 overall pick to not make the major leagues after right-hander Steve Chilcott, chosen by the New York Mets in 1966, and left-hander Brien Taylor, selected by the New York Yankees in 1991.

Former TCU player sues school, coach

Former TCU wide receiver Kolby Listenbee is suing the university and football coach Gary Patterson, alleging Horned Frogs coaches harassed him into playing with an injured groin, compromising his future in football.

In a statement issued Thursday, Listenbee’s attorneys said TCU coaches pressured him to return prematurely in his senior year of 2015 from an injury to his pelvic cartilage.

The lawsuit says the injury should have been rested and rehabilitated for at least six months.

The lawsuit alleges trainers routinely gave him injections to make his pain tolerable. He blames that for damage to his pelvic cartilage that compromised his NFL prospects.

He has since signed with three teams but hasn’t played a down.

In a statement, TCU declined comment on the specifics of the lawsuit but added it is proud of “excellence in providing a positive experience for its student-athletes, especially in the areas of care, prevention and rehabilitation of athletic injuries.”

Correction

J.J. Green of Beth-Center scored 24 points in a 66-58 loss to Brownsville Wednesday night.