YSU’s Jarrett to speak at Curbstone

Riley Jarrett, the Youngstown State women’s volleyball head coach, will be the guest speaker at Monday’s luncheon meeting of The Curbstone Coaches at the Avion Banquet Center on Western Reserve Road in Beaver Township.

The event begins at noon, and the public is welcome to attend.

For those arriving early, the buffet lines will open at 11:45 a.m.

Kernan named Thiel softball coach

GREENVILLE, Pa. — A local softball coach is going back to college.

Thiel College Director of Athletics Isaac Collins announced the hiring of Michael Kernan as the college’s next softball coach Thursday morning.

Kernan most recently was the head coach at Canfield, a program that has made the state championship twice under his watch.

Kernan joins Thiel with more than two decades of coaching experience at both the high school and collegiate levels. During his tenure, Canfield compiled a 72-11-3 record, produced multiple All-State selections and earned consecutive conference titles.

Before his success at Canfield, Kernan served as an assistant coach at fellow Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) school Hiram College. During the 2022 season, he helped guide Hiram to the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) Tournament Championship and a runner-up finish at the NCAA DePauw Regional, marking one of the most successful campaigns in program history.

Kernan started his coaching journey at Ursuline. He compiled 373 wins in his nearly 20 years with the program. Under his leadership, Ursuline won eight district championships, was a state championship finalist and claimed 17 sectional championships.

“We’re thrilled to welcome Michael to the Thiel College family as our next Head Softball Coach,” Collins said in a press release. “Coach Kernan brings an exceptional blend of competitive drive, regional recruiting connections and leadership experience that aligns perfectly with our vision for Tomcat Softball. His track record of success and reputation for developing players both on and off the field make him the right person to elevate our program to championship standards. We’re confident that under his guidance, Thiel Softball will continue to grow in competitiveness, culture and pride.”

His career accolades include inductions into four different hall of fame’s, including the Hiram Athletic Hall of Fame in 2005 and Ohio High School Fastpitch Coaches Association Hall of Fame.

“I would like to thank Michael McKinney, Isaac Collins and the Thiel administration for this excellent leadership opportunity at such a superior college,” Kernan said in the press release. “I look forward to enhancing the Tomcat educational and athletic experience by guiding these maturing student athletes to excel on and off the field.”

Japanese slugger Murakami posted

NEW YORK — Power-hitting Japanese corner infielder Munetaka Murakami is entering Major League Baseball’s posting system and will be available to teams to sign as a free agent from Saturday through Dec. 22.

Murakami, who turns 26 on Feb. 2, was the Central League’s MVP in 2021 and ’22 with the Yakult Swallows and is a four-time All-Star.

He batted .273 with 22 homers and 47 RBIs this season, limited to 56 games by an oblique injury. He struck out 64 times.

Murakami hit 56 homers in 2022 to break Sadaharu Oh’s record for a Japanese-born player in Nippon Professional Baseball while becoming the youngest player to earn Japan’s Triple Crown. He topped 30 homers in four straight years before an injury-interrupted season in 2023.

He has a .270 career average with 246 homers, 647 RBIs and 977 strikeouts in 892 games over eight Central League seasons, all with the Swallows.

At the 2023 World Baseball Classic, Murakami hit a ninth-inning walk-off double off Giovanny Gallegos that scored Shohei Ohtani and Masataka Yoshida to give Japan a 6-5 semifinal win over Mexico. The following day in the championship game, Murakami hit a tying home run off Merrill Kelly in the second inning and Japan went on to beat the United States 3-2.

Under the agreement between MLB and NPB, the posting fee will be 20% of the first $25 million of a major league contract, including earned bonuses and options. The percentage drops to 17.5% of the next $25 million and 15% of any amount over $50 million. There would be a supplemental fee of 15% of any earned bonuses, salary escalators and exercised options.

Ohio State downs Fort Wayne

COLUMBUS — Bruce Thornton scored a career-high 38 points to lead Ohio State to a 94-68 victory over Purdue Fort Wayne on Friday night.

Thornton made 14 of 17 shots from the floor, including 5 of 8 from 3-point range, for the Buckeyes (2-0). The senior guard added five rebounds and five assists.

John Mobley Jr. hit 5 of 9 from beyond the arc and scored 19 for Ohio State. Christoph Tilly pitched in with 15 points, six rebounds and four assists.

Mikale Stevenson led the Mastodons (0-2) with 21 points. DeAndre Craig Jr. added 18 points and Darius Duffy scored 10.

Mobley, Thornton and Tilly did all the scoring as Ohio State jumped out to a 24-7 lead in the first 7:40. Stevenson hit a 3-pointer with 2 seconds left to get Purdue Fort Wayne within 45-30 at halftime.

Deandre Craig cut the Mastodons’ deficit to 57-50 on a layup with 12:36 left to play, but Devin Royal and Thornton answered with back-to-back 3-pointers and the Buckeyes cruised from there.

Ohio State sank 34 of 51 shots overall (66.7%), including 16 of 28 from distance (57.1%). The Mastodons shot 44.1% overall and 22.7% from 3-point range (5 of 22).