Wisconsin Sports Headlines – 6/12/2020

The Latest Sports Headlines: 

>>Brewers Complete 2020 FA Draft By Picking 2 INF, OF, C

(Milwaukee, WI)  —  After coming up with what some scouts are calling a steal by taking Garrett Mitchell in the first round, the Milwaukee Brewers chose two infielders, a catcher and an outfielder Thursday night in rounds two-through-five of the 2020 Major League Baseball Free Agent Draft.  Second-round pick Freddy Zamora of the University of Miami is called a strong fielder at shortstop with a solid bat.  Switch-hitting catcher Zavier Warren of Central Michigan was taken in the third round.  He played shortstop before switching back behind the plate this spring.  The fourth-round pick is outfielder Joe Wiemer of Cincinnati – a prospect with solid tools who had a mediocre career in college.  And, Louisville second baseman Hayden Cantrelle was Milwaukee’s fifth-round pick.  The left-handed hitter had 25 extra-base hits and more than 25 stolen bases in the 2019 spring season.

 

>>DNR:  Wisconsin Turkey Hunters Have Solid Spring Season

(Madison, WI)  —  The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources reports the state’s turkey hunters took six thousand more birds during the spring season than they did in 2019.  Seventeen percent more kills put the total take just below 45 thousand bird, up from 38-thousand-500 the year before.  The D-N-R says it issued more than 224 thousand permits.  Wardens say a warmer spring and favorable brooding conditions help increase the 2020 harvest.

 

>>NFL Extends Virtual Offseason Programs Through June 26th

(New York, NY)  —  The NFL says it will allow virtual offseason program workouts for the next 15 days, but that will be it.  Team facilities have been opened for key personnel, coaches and players rehabilitating injuries.  Meanwhile, the coronavirus pandemic has kept healthy players away.  A league spokesperson says it will keep working with the players’ association to finalize arrangements for the safe opening of training camps next month.  Most are scheduled to open late in July with the first preseason game on the calendar for August 6th at the Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.

 

>>14 UW Coaches Receive Routine 1-Year Contract Extensions

(Madison, WI)  —  Basketball head coach Greg Gard heads the list of 14 University of Wisconsin coaches who have received routine one-year contract extensions.  The decision was announced Thursday.  Gard, women’s basketball coach Jonathan Tsipis, men’s hockey coach Tony Granato, women’s hockey coach Mark Johnson and softball coach Yvette Healy all have five-year contracts that now run through the 2024-2025 season.  Nine other coaches have three-year deals which were extended through 2022-2023.  Men’s soccer coach John Trask was the last returning coach for U-W who didn’t receive an extension.  That was four years ago after the Badgers had lost 29-of-37 games in a two-year span.

 

>>Wisconsin Volleyball’s Rettke Named Big Ten Female Athlete of Year

(Rosemont, IL)  — Wisconsin volleyball player Dana Rettke is being honored as the Big Ten Female Athlete of the Year.  The six-foot-eight junior middle blocker is a three time All-American and led the Badgers to this year’s N-C-A-A championship game.  Rettke was named the University of Wisconsin’s female athlete of the year this week.  She is the first U-W student to win the Big Ten P-O-Y award since 1997.  Ohio State defensive end Chase Young was named the Big Ten Jesse Owens Male Athlete of the Year.

 

>>Northwoods League Schedules Regional Wisconsin-Illinois Pod Games

(Rochester, MN)  — There will be Northwoods League baseball this summer for at least six teams.  The Fond du Lac Dock Spiders, the Green Bay Booyah, the La Crosse Loggers, the Rockford Rivets, the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters, and the Wisconsin Woodchucks will begin play July 1st in a “Wisconsin-Illinois” pod.  The season for the regional pod will run through August 20th and finish with a two-day pod playoff series.  All six teams have developed a plan for safe operation in consultation with state and local health officials.  The pod could expand with additional teams working through the possibility of opening in July.  There is also a North Dakota pod of Northwoods League games in Bismarck.

>>NFL Considers Shorter Preseason

(New York, NY)  — The N-F-L is apparently considering a shorter preseason schedule.  N-F-L-dot-com is reporting the league and the players’ union are discussing a reduction in the number of preseason games from four to two.  A change like that would allow the Packers and other teams to delay the start of training camp by a week.  The league’s new collective bargaining agreement will feature a three-game preseason schedule beginning next year.