7-21-26 roundup: Pro football, basketball, baseball, auto racing, soccer and rodeo, Legion baseball, College baseball
By Richard Walker
Former Gaston College baseball standouts Trevor Lucas and Brandon Crabtree were selected during the July 11-12 Major League Baseball Draft.
And Lucas became the highest-drafted player in school history.
A standout on Gaston College’s 2024 team, Lucas was a fourth round selection (129th overall) of the Seattle Mariners in the 2026 Major League Draft.
A standout on Gaston College’s 2024 and 2025 teams, Crabtree was a 16th round selection (477th overall) of the Texas Rangers.
A 6-foot, 195-pound infielder, Lucas left Gaston College for UNC-Wilmington. In the last two seasons, Lucas has started all 116 games in his Seahawks’ career while hitting .288 with 21 home runs and 105 RBIs highlighted by a earning All-CAA honors in 2026.
For Gaston College, he batted .344 with seven home runs and 49 RBIs in 51 games as the Rhinos went 51-8 and drew the first No. 1 national ranking in school history.
A 6-foot-1, 215-pound first baseman, Crabtree left Gaston College for Catawba. This past spring, Crabtree hit .413 with 18 home runs and 73 RBIs to earn NCAA Division II first team All-America honors and South Atlantic Conference player of the year honors for the Indians, who finished their season as a national semifinalist in the NCAA Division II World Series in Cary.
For Gaston College College, he is third in career hits (108), seventh in RBIs (92) and 11th in home runs (13) and earned All-Region 10 honors in 2025.
Lucas and Crabtree join Alan Lindsay (1970-71 at Gaston College) and Gus Hughes (2022) as school draft picks; Lindsay was a ninth round selection in 1970 by the Pittsburgh Pirates and Hughes was an 18th round selection out of High Point University in 2024.
Gaston College pros have been Lindsay, Hughes, Derek Vartanian (2023), Konni Durschlag (2022-23) and Wade Kelly (2022-23).
Legion baseball
N.C. American Legion state rankings by longtime observer Don Hines following the area championship games:
1. Garner Nationals 24-2
2. Rowan County 31-4
3. Cherryville 24-5
4. Beulaville 13-7
5. Wilmington 22-5
6. Union County 21-8
7. Wilson 19-8
8. Shelby 20-10
9. Randolph County 19-6
10. High Point 18-7
Honorable mention
Pitt County 14-9
Wake Forest 11-7
N.C. state tournament pairings (at Gastonia Sims Legion Park):
(Friday, July 24)
Game 1- Host/Gaston Braves 12-13 vs. Area 4 No. 2/Shelby 20-10, 1 p.m.
(Saturday, July 25)
Game 2- Area 3 No. 1/Rowan County 31-4 vs. Area 2 No. 2/Wilmington Red 22-5, 10 a.m.
Game 3- Area 4 No. 1/Cherryville 24-5 vs. Area 1 No. 2/Wilson 16-9, 1 p.m.
Game 4- Area 2 No. 1/Beulaville 13-7 vs. Area 3 No. 2/Union County 21-8, 4 p.m.
Game 5- Game 1 winner vs. Area 1 No. 1/Garner 24-2, 7 p.m.
(Sunday, July 26)
Game 6- Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser, 9 a.m.
Game 7- Game 4 loser vs. Game 5 loser, 11:30 a.m.
Game 8- Game 6 winner vs. Game 3 loser, 2 p.m.
Game 9- Game 2 winner vs. Game 3 winner, 4:30 p.m.
Game 10- Game 4 winner vs. Game 5 winner, 7 p.m.
(Monday, July 27)
Game 11- Game 7 winner vs. Game 9 loser, 1 p.m.
Game 12- Game 8 winner vs. Game 10 loser, 4 p.m.
Game 13- Game 9 winner vs. Game 10 winner, 7 p.m.
(Tuesday, July 28)
Game 14- Game 11 winner vs. Game 12 winner, 4 p.m.
Game 15- Game 13 loser vs. Game 14 winner, 7 p.m.
(Wednesday, July 29)
Game 16- Game 13 winner vs. Game 15 winner, 4 p.m.
Game 17 (if necessary)- If Game 13 winner loses Game 16, 7 p.m.
Junior Legion
The 2026 Junior Legion state tournament pairings at Cherryville’s Fraley Field:
(Saturday, July 18)
Game 1- Area 4 No. 2 Shelby 16-6 vs. Area 1 No. 1 Wilson 15-0-1 – Wilson 6-2
Game 2- Area 1 No. 2 Washington 15-4 vs. Area 2 No. 1 Castle Hayne 11-8 – Castle Hayne 13-2 in 5
Game 3- Area 2 No. 2 Beaufort 11-4 vs. Host/Area 4 No. 1 Cherryville 15-5 – Cherryville 16-4 in 5
(Sunday, July 19)
Game 4- Shelby vs. Beaufort – Shelby 15-6 (Beaufort eliminated)
Game 5- Cherryville vs. Washington – Cherryville 9-6 (Washington eliminated)
Game 6- Wilson vs. Castle Hayne – Castle Hayne 8-2
(Monday, July 20)
Game 7- Shelby vs. Wilson – Shelby 12-3 (Wilson eliminated)
Game 8- Cherryville vs. Castle Hayne – Castle Hayne 11-5
Game 9- Cherryville vs. Shelby – Cherryville 21-10 in 10 (Shelby eliminated)
(Tuesday, July 21)
Game 10- Castle Hayne vs. Cherryville – Castle Hayne 9-2 (Cherryville eliminated, Castle Hayne state champion)
Pro basketball
The NBA announced Tuesday that Charlotte Hornets forward Liam McNeeley was named Second-Team All-Summer League.
A 2025 first round draft pick, McNeeley averaged 21.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.0 blocks and 26.7 minutes per game at the Las Vegas Summer League.
Pro football
The Carolina Panthers July 31 Fan Fest schedule:
5:00 pm: Gates open and Team Store
5:30 pm: Pre-practice entertainment begins
6:30 pm: Players begin on-field warmups
7:30 pm: Practice begins
Approx. 8:45 pm: Practice ends and autograph session begins
Post practice: Fireworks and laser show begins
PSL Owners will have access to pre-sale tickets on Thursday, July 9 at 10 a.m., while tickets will go on sale to the general public at 10 a.m. on Friday, July 10. Tickets are $5 each, with proceeds benefitting Carolina Panthers Charities.
Here is the Panthers’ full 2026 schedule:
(preseason)
Aug. 6 – Arizona (at Canton, Ohio), 8 p.m.
Aug. 15 – at Buffalo, 1 p.m.
Aug. 21 – at Jacksonville, 7:30 p.m.
Aug. 28 – Houston, 7 p.m.
(regular season)
Sept. 13 – Chicago, 1 p.m.
Sept. 20 – at Atlanta, 1 p.m.
Sept. 27 – at Cleveland, 1 p.m.
Oct. 4 – Detroit, 8:20 p.m.
Oct. 8-12 – BYE week
Oct. 18 – at Philadelphia, 1 p.m.
Oct. 25 – Tampa Bay, 1 p.m.
Oct. 29 – at Green Bay, 8:15 p.m.
Nov. 8 – Denver, 1 p.m.
Nov. 15 – at New Orleans, 1 p.m.
Nov. 22 – Baltimore, 1 p.m.
Nov. 30 – at Tampa Bay, 8:15 p.m.
Dec. 6 – at Minnesota, 4:25 p.m.
Dec. 13 – New Orleans, 1 p.m.
Dec. 20 – Cincinnati, 1 p.m.
Dec. 24-28 TBA – at Pittsburgh, TBA
Jan. 3 – Seattle, 1 p.m.
Jan. 9-10 TBA – Atlanta, TBA
Pro soccer
The 2026 Charlotte FC schedule:
(6-6-3 record)
Saturday, Feb. 21 at St. Louis (T 1-1)
Saturday, Feb. 28 at L.A. Galaxy (L 0-3)
Saturday, March 7 Austin (W 3-1)
Saturday, March 14 Miami (T 0-0)
Saturday, March 21 New York Red Bulls (W 6-1)
Saturday, Apr. 4 Philadelphia (W 2-1)
Saturday, Apr. 11 Nashville (L 1-2)
Saturday, Apr. 18 at New York (W 2-1)
Wednesday, Apr. 22 at Orlando (L 1-4)
Saturday, Apr. 25 at Nashville (L 2-4)
Saturday, May 2 at New England (L 0-1)
Saturday, May 9 Cincinnati (T 2-2)
Wednesday, May 13 New York (L 0-1)
Saturday, May 16 Toronto (W 3-1)
Saturday, May 23 New England (W 1-0)
Wednesday, July 22 Atlanta, 8:00 PM
Saturday, July 25 at New York Red Bulls, 7:30 PM
Saturday, Aug. 1 at Chicago, 8:30 PM
Saturday, Aug. 15 Columbus, 7:30 PM
Wednesday, Aug. 19 at Toronto, 7:30 PM
Saturday, Aug. 22 DC, 7:30 PM
Saturday, Aug. 29 at Atlanta, 7:30 PM
Saturday, Sept. 5 Houston, 7:30 PM
Wednesday, Sept. 9 at Montreal, 7:30 PM
Saturday, Sept. 12 at Cincinnati, 7:30 PM
Saturday, Sept. 19 at DC, 7:30 PM
Saturday, Sept. 26 Chicago, 7:30 PM
Saturday, Oct. 10 Dallas, 7:30 PM
Wednesday, Oct. 14 at Columbus, 7:30 PM
Saturday, Oct. 17 at Philadelphia, 2:30 PM
Saturday, Oct. 24 at Portland, 10:30 PM
Wednesday, Oct. 28 Montreal, 7:30 PM
Saturday, Oct. 31 Orlando, 1:00 PM
Saturday, Nov. 7 at Miami, 4:00 PM
(U.S. Open Cup)
Wednesday, Apr. 15 Charlotte Independence (W 6-0)
…at Mecklenburg County Sportsplex
Tuesday, Apr. 28 Atlanta United FC (L 0-2)
…at Mecklenburg County Sportsplex
Pro baseball
Charlotte 7, Norfolk 6: The Knights built an early 7-3 lead before holding off a late Norfolk rally in the opener of a six-game home series on Tuesday night. The second game is Wednesday night at 7:04 p.m.
Here is the full Charlotte Knights’ 2026 schedule:
(51-45 record, 42-33 1st half, 9-12 2nd half)
-1st half
March 27-29 Durham 3-0 (W 19-2, W 2-1 in 11, W 4-3)
March 31-April 5 at Nashville 1-4 (L 3-7, W 9-3, L 0-4, L 6-7, ppd, L 5-7)
April 7-12 Memphis 3-3 (L 4-9, W 7-3, L 1-4, W 9-8 in 10, L 4-6, W 13-4)
April 14-19 at Jacksonville 2-4 (L 0-3, L 2-3, L 3-5, L 1-4, W 2-0, W 9-4)
April 21-26 Nashville 4-3 (L 1-5, W 9-4, W 3-2 in 10, W 11-9, L 5-12, W 16-6, L 1-5)
April 28-May 3 Gwinnett 3-3 (L 7-10, W 10-9, L 5-9, L 3-4, W 21-1, W 10-9)
May 5-10 at Jacksonville 3-3 (W 5-3, L 6-8, W 16-1, W 8-5, L 5-6, L 1-6)
May 12-17 Norfolk 3-3 (L 6-9, L 8-9, W 4-1, W 4-1, L 10-11, W 15-3)
May 19-24 at Gwinnett 4-2 (W 5-4, W 4-3, L 3-7, W 4-3 in 10, L 1-5, W 3-2)
May 26-31 Jacksonville 3-3 (W 4-0, susp, L 3-6, W 12-5, W 12-4, L 6-15, L 5-6)
June 2-7 at Durham 6-0 (W 6-1, W 18-7, W 11-6, W 4-3, W 7-5, W 12-5)
June 9-14 Oklahoma City 3-3 (L 3-6, L 1-10, W 9-8, W 12-7, L 7-11, W 4-3)
June 16-21 at Buffalo 4-2 (L 5-9, W 5-1, W 4-0, W 10-5, L 2-4, W 5-0)
-2nd half
June 23-28 Rochester 2-4 (L 9-10, W 10-2, W 7-6 in 11, L 2-6, L 1-3, L 4-9)
June 30-July 5 at Memphis 2-4 (L 5-10, W 2-0 in 8, L 6-8, L 3-4 in 11, W 8-6, L 1-2 in 11)
July 7-12 Nashville 3-3 (W 8-2, L 3-6, W 9-2, L 9-11, L 2-4, W 12-4)
July 17-19 at Durham 1-2 (L 2-8, W 7-5, L 2-3)
July 21-26 Norfolk 1-0 (W 7-6)
July 28-August 2 at Nashville
August 4-9 Durham
August 11-16 at Rochester
August 18-23 at Scranton-WB
August 25-30 Memphis
September 1-6 at Gwinnett
September 8-13 Buffalo
September 15-20 at Norfolk
Here is the full Gastonia Ghost Peppers’ 2026 schedule:
(45-33 record, 40-23 1st half, 5-10 2nd half)
-1st half
April 21-23 at High Point 1-2 (W 3-1, L 5-6, L 0-5)
April 24-26 High Point 3-0 (W 4-3, W 18-8, W 9-2)
April 28-May 3 at York 4-2 (W 14-2, ppd, W 2-1, W 5-4, L 4-5, W 10-2, L 3-9)
May 5-10 Southern Maryland 1-5 (L 2-3, L 11-18, L 2-12, L 4-5, W 7-3, L 1-14)
May 12-17 at Long Island 3-3 (L 3-6, L 3-11, W 10-0, L 4-6, W 8-6, W 6-5)
May 19-20 Charleston, W.Va. 3-0 (W 9-4, W 6-2, W 9-6)
May 22-24 at Charleston, W.Va. 3-0 (W 17-4, W 8-4, W 12-4)
May 26-28 at Lexington 3-0 (W 10-6, W 3-2, W 3-1)
May 29-31 Charleston, W.Va. 3-0 (W 6-3, W 10-7, W 9-2)
June 2-7 Lancaster 2-4 (W 11-2, L 1-3, W 14-3, L 3-4, L 8-9, L 5-17)
June 9-14 at Lexington 3-3 (L 13-15, L 6-8, W 7-5, L 9-10, W 7-1, W 12-8)
June 16-21 Staten Island 6-0 (W 10-4, W 9-6, W 26-3, W 11-4, W 12-3, W 13-8)
June 23-28 at Lexington 4-2 (W 4-3, W 6-3, W 7-4, W 8-6, L 5-12, L 4-9)
June 30-July 2 Lexington 1-2 (L 7-9, L 1-11, W 14-6)
-2nd half
July 3-5 Charleston, W.Va. 2-1 (L 13-16, W 10-3, W 13-9)
July 7-12 at Hagerstown 1-5 (L 4-13, L 4-14, L 5-6, L 3-10, W 7-3, L 6-13)
July 14-19 Lexington 2-4 (L 2-9, W 16-5, W 12-11, L 0-9, L 5-7, L 2-6)
July 21-26 at Charleston, W.Va. 0-0 (ppd)
July 28, 30-31-Aug. 2 Hagerstown
Aug. 4-6 Southern Maryland
Aug. 7-9 at Lexington
Aug. 11-16 at High Point
Aug. 18-23 Charleston, W.Va.
Aug. 25-30 at Southern Maryland
Sept. 1-6 High Point
Sept. 8-10 Lexington
Sept. 11-13 at High Point
Auto racing
Here is the full 2026 NASCAR Cup Series schedule with race winners in parentheses:
Feb. 4 — Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium (Ryan Preece)
Feb. 15 — Daytona 500 (Tyler Reddick)
Feb. 22 — Atlanta (Reddick-2)
March 1 — Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas (Reddick-3)
March 8 — Phoenix (Ryan Blaney)
March 15 — Las Vegas (Denny Hamlin)
March 22 — Darlington, South Carolina (Reddick-4)
March 29 — Martinsville, Virginia (Chase Elliott)
April 5 — off weekend
April 12 — Bristol, Tennessee (Ty Gibbs)
April 19 — Kansas (Reddick-5)
April 26 — Talladega, Alabama (Carson Hocevar)
May 3 — Texas (Elliott-2)
May 10 — Watkins Glen, New York (Shane van Gisbergen)
May 17 — All-Star Race (Dover) (Hamlin-2)
May 24 — Coca-Cola 600 (Charlotte) (Daniel Suarez)
May 31 — Nashville, Tennessee (Hamlin-3)
June 7 — Michigan (Hamlin-4)
June 14 — Pocono in Long Pond, Pennsylvania (Hamlin-5)
June 21 — San Diego (Corey Heim)
June 28 — Sonoma, California (Shane van Gisbergen)
July 5 — Chicagoland (Chase Briscoe)
July 12 — Atlanta (Blaney-2)
July 19 — North Wilkesboro (Joey Logano)
July 26 — Brickyard 400 (Indianapolis)
Aug. 2 — off weekend
Aug. 9 — Iowa
Aug. 15 — Richmond, Virginia
Aug. 23 — New Hampshire
Aug. 29 — Daytona, Florida
Sept. 6 — Darlington
Sept. 13 — Gateway in Madison, Illinois
Sept. 19 — Bristol
Sept. 27 — Kansas
Oct. 4 — Las Vegas
Oct. 11 — Charlotte Roval
Oct. 18 — Phoenix
Oct. 25 — Talladega
Nov. 1 — Martinsville
Nov. 8 — Homestead, Florida
Rodeo
Professional Bull Riding Unleash the Beast tour schedule for Greensboro-based Carolina Cowboys:
Feb. 1 – Golden 1 Center Sacramento- Austin Gamblers (L 173.90-256.90)
Feb. 21 – Progressive PBR Jacksonville- Florida Freedom (L 158.70-169.25)
March 22 – Ram Trucks PBR Indianapolis- Nashville Stampede (W 88.70- 0.00)
(DNQ for playoffs)
Team Challenge playoff results
March 29 at Albuquerque: Semifinal- (No. 1 Missouri Thunder def. No. 4 Florida Freedom 83.65-0.00)
April 17 at Billings: Semifinal- (No. 2 Austin Gamblers def. No. 3 Kansas City Outlaws 87.10-84.50)
April 26 at Tacoma: Championship- (No. 1 Missouri Thunder def. No. 2 Austin Gamblers 254.75-171.35)
Upcoming events:
Sept. 18-20 – Greensboro First Horizon Coliseum Complex
Golf
The Rutherford County Sports Hall Of Fame (RCSHOF), presented by Hardin’s Drug, in conjunction with Golf Sponsors Forest City Honda and Chick-fil-A of Forest City, is pleased to announce that registration is now open for the 2026 T. Max Champion Memorial Golf Tournament.
The tournament will be held on Friday, July 31 at the Apple Vally Golf Course in Lake Luke, with a shotgun start at 9 a.m. Registration fee is $100.00 per player or $400.00 for a team of four and covers the green fee, cart usage and lunch.
First prize for Gross and Net Winners is $600.00 per team. Other prizes will be awarded based on the number of entries. Proceeds from the event go to support the RCSHOF Scholarship Fund and registration deadline is July 21.
For information or to register, please visit the RCSHOF website: https://www.rcshof.org/ or call Randy Page at 828-429-7773.