ZippyRulz

I thought Aaron was good(?)

And they will be playing on a beautiful grass pitch. And some of them in decent weather 😄

Were there 8 omitted teams ranked higher than us? Even if not, I would expect additional P5's to be given preferential seeding in the future.

Although we joke, I think this is great and fully support Canada but I wonder how many U.S. arena crowds outside of Buffalo would know the words to O Canada (or maybe they display it on the scoreboard)

per Gemini.. The official nickname for the University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass) women’s sports teams is the Minutewomen. While the men's teams are known as the Minutemen, the university uses the gender-specific version for its women's programs. Both share Sam the Minuteman as the official mascot and wear the school colors of maroon and white. A Brief History The transition to these names didn't happen until the early 1970s. Here is a quick look at the evolution of the UMass identity: Aggies & Statesmen: In the early 20th century, the school (then Massachusetts Agricultural College) was often referred to by these names. Redmen: From 1948 until 1972, the teams were known as the Redmen. Minutemen/Minutewomen: In 1972, following concerns regarding the previous name's impact on Native American communities, the student body voted to change the nickname. The "Minutemen" was chosen for its deep historical ties to the American Revolution and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. As women's sports programs grew on campus during that same decade, they naturally adopted the title "Minutewomen."

I believe some of those cuts were 'strategic' and not strictly due to less than 5 degrees awarded per year. And some may simply be a consolidation of BA/BS options. It has the feel of creepage toward some eventual mergers of some type, Ramaswamy or not.

One could say JoeMo makes a fiscal contribution by taking less pay to be here than what his true market value is.

Bring on the Minutewomen. Zips don't back down!

I guess DF can be credited for some fundraising indirectly..

Hopefully serviceable with more developmentability. Ford wanting to add some size.

The 2026 Mid-American Conference (MAC) Softball Championship will be held at Firestone Stadium in Akron, Ohio. [1, 2] The tournament is scheduled to take place from May 6 to May 9, 2026. The top six teams from the conference regular season will qualify for the championship. [1, 2] Firestone Stadium Akron, OH Event Details Location: Firestone Stadium, Akron, OH. Dates: Wednesday, May 6 – Saturday, May 9, 2026. Format: Double-elimination tournament featuring the top six conference teams. Tickets: Championship passes and daily tickets are typically available through HomeTown Ticketing. [1, 2, 3, 4] Firestone Stadium has been a long-term partner for the event, having hosted the championship from 2002–2005, 2008–2019, and consistently since 2024 following significant facility renovations. [1, 2]

Remember the old radio jingle.. Wherever you're go-ing 🎵 You can get there 🎶 From the U-niver-sity of Ak-ron 🎵 (maybe they should bring it back)

Triple header today: 2 more softball games at Can't today at 1 and 3 followed by baseball at 6.

Everyone's in the portal.. has anyone signed elsewhere yet or confirmed not returning (other than Groce Jr. I'm assuming..) What are the portal deadlines for this fall? Do we have an updated chart?

Sameness, hopefully.

I'm just kinda glad he didn't go back to the billionaire MAC school with the big arena and big attendance. I don't know how it is they don't have big NIL money..

Enough to win the MAC a few times 👍 Any coach will go as the money goes nowadays.

Nothing wrong with status quo if your status quo is good. Elevating would be a pleasant surprise if it happens.

What are Dustin's fundraising credentials?

AFAIC, make Bud the HC and GM. He can hire assistants to do the actual coaching.

FWIW it's rumored there's a good chance LBJ will be living and playing full time in NEO again this fall.

I think you may be on to something there. Short of finding an additional Bud Wentz or two he's done all he can do at Akron. If only we could establish some kind of connection to some kind of uber-wealthy oligarch/billionaire/private equity type with some kind of connection to Akron and an interest in basketball... Fundraising ability (along with culture) will be a bigger consideration than X's & O's ability, pedigree, coaching tree etc. in finding the next coach whenever JG moves on.

The university itself doesn't have any extra funding to put into sports and can't be 'leveraged' in that way by coaches.

Maybe, but Duquesne has already done their arena upgrades and I think DJ3 back in Akron would just hit a bit different for his friend. Not that I think that will happen.

If it would open the door to big LBJ money for the program then 💯