The Indiana Pacers pre-draft workouts continue Wednesday when a number of potential first round picks come to Indianapolis. Gonzaga sharpshooter Corey Kispert has been linked to the Blue and Gold in multiple mock drafts at pick number 13, and is among six prospects that will work out for the team. The 6-foot-7 Kispert was a consensus First Team All-American, and he’ll be joined at Wednesday’s workout by projected first round picks such as Stanford’s Ziaire Williams, Oregon’s Chris Duarte and Cam Thomas of LSU. The Pacers have the 13th overall pick in next Thursday’s NBA Draft to go with two selections late in the second round.
The NTT IndyCar Series and NBC Sports announced a multi-year contract extension to keep the network as the exclusive television broadcast partner of the series. A record 13 races will be shown on network TV next year. Two races will air exclusively on Peacock, NBC’s streaming platform, and every race will be simulcast on Peacock. Two more races will air on the cable channel USA Network, as the sports channel NBCSN is shutting down later this year. NBC took over as the sole broadcast partner in 2019 and the contract was set to expire at the end of this season.
The Chicago Cubs scored six runs in the top of the ninth to come back and beat the St. Louis Cardinals 7-6. The Cubs scored twice on bases loaded walks, followed by a two-run single from Javier Baez. Ian Happ then connected on a go-ahead, two-run double to give Chicago the lead for good. In Cincinnati, Amir Garrett worked around a leadoff walk in the ninth and closed the door to save a 4-3 Reds victory over the New York Mets. The Reds broke a 1-1 tie in the third with back-to-back homers from Joey Votto and Aristides Aquino on consecutive pitches.
The Chicago White Sox signed first round draft pick Colson Montgomery Tuesday. The Jasper, Indiana native was drafted earlier this month with the 22nd overall pick. The 6-foot-4 shortstop was committed to play for IU, but signed with the Sox for a bonus of just over three million dollars. On the field, Chicago scored five runs in the bottom of the eighth to come back and beat the Minnesota Twins 9-5. Chicago’s lead in the AL Central grew to nine and a half games after the Astros dominated Cleveland 9-3. Elsewhere in the division, the Tigers defeated the Rangers 4-1.
Ball State was picked as the preseason favorite to win the Mid-American Conference football title at the conference’s media days in Detroit. The Cardinals went 7-1 last season and won the MAC championship over Buffalo en route to the school’s first ever bowl victory. Ball State defeated San Jose State in the Arizona Bowl and finished the season ranked 23rd nationally. The Cardinals return 10 starters on each side of the ball in coach Mike Neu’s sixth season.
