9-17-25 roundup: Pro baseball, football, soccer and basketball, College football and basketball, High school football, basketball and baseball, boys soccer, volleyball, tennis and basketball, Middle school football, softball and golf, Auto racing
By Richard Walker
Entering the season with 3 straight playoff berths, it was unusual to see the Gastonia Ghost Peppers get off to such a slow start to the 2025 Atlantic League of Professional Baseball.
Gastonia started 0-5, 9-21 and 17-30 before finishing 28-35 in the 1st half of the season for a last place finish in the South Division.
The Ghost Peppers clearly found their footing in the 2nd half of the season as they starting pitcher improving and their power hitting continued; The only franchise in ALPB history with multiple 200-plus season, Gastonia hit 200 or more 4-baggers the last 3 seasons.
On Saturday, the Ghost Peppers open the best-of-5 Southern Division championship series with High Point at Gastonia’s CaroMont Health Park after winning the 2nd half title to keep their postseason streak alive.
The Ghost Peppers won 12 of 13 from July 27 to Aug. 10 and had on a 9-game winning streak that ended on Wednesday.
High Point won 17 of their 27 regular season matchups and the Rockers and Gastonia have recent playoff history as High Point; The Rockers won the 2022 Southern Division title series 3 games to 2 with Gastonia returning the favor in 2023 with a 3-2 series win.
With 67 wins, Gastonia manager Mauro “Goose” Gozzo has a 371 victories in 5 seasons as the team manager. It makes him the winningest pro manager in Gastonia’s professional baseball history that dates to 1915.
The Ghost Peppers are still seeking the city’s 7th professional baseball title – and 9th overall.
Gastonia’s previous titles came in 1915 (Western Carolina League), 1939 (Tar Heel League), 1959 and 1983 (South Atlantic League), 1974 and 1977 (Western Carolinas League) and 2 college wood bat Coastal Plain summer league championships in 2011 and 2017.
In the ALPB, Gastonia lost in the 2022 and 2024 Southern Division finals, then lost in the 2023 league championship series 3-2 to Lancaster.
(Wednesday’s game)
Hagerstown 14, Gastonia 13: The Ghost Peppers’ 9-game winning streak came to an end in the high-scoring 2nd game of a 3-game series at CaroMont Health Park. The regular season finale is 6:30 p.m. Thursday.
Here is the full Gastonia Ghost Peppers’ 2025 schedule:
(67-58 record, 28-35 1st half, 39-23 2nd half)
-1st half
April 25-27 York 0-3 (L 4-5, L 9-10 in 11, L 3-11)
April 28 DH-29 High Point 1-2 (L 0-3, L 4-7, W 11-3)
May 2-4 at Lancaster 2-1 (L 5-6, W 6-3, W 9-8)
May 6-8 at High Point 1-2 (W 14-8, L 3-4 in 10, L 3-6)
May 9-11 High Point 1-2 (W 10-9, L 2-4, L 4-5)
May 13-15 at Long Island 1-2 (L 3-7, L 2-4, W 5-2)
May 16-18 at Staten Island 1-2 (W 9-2, L 3-4, L 7-8 in 10)
May 20-21 Lexington 2-1 (W 6-4, L 6-7, W 8-7)
May 23-25 High Point 0-3 (L 3-9, L 2-6, L 12-13)
May 27-29 Southern Maryland 1-2 (L 6-8, L 8-12, W 8-3)
May 30-June 1 at So. Maryland 2-1 (ppd, L 3-4, W 7-4, W 12-5)
June 3-5 Lexington 1-2 (W 2-1, L 2-11, L 5-6)
June 6-8 Charleston, W.Va. 2-1 (W 15-4, W 7-6, L 8-11)
June 10-12 at So. Maryland 1-2 (L 8-10, W 10-3, L 8-9 in 10)
June 13-15 at York 1-2 (L 2-3, L 5-13, W 14-7)
June 17-19 Lexington 1-2 (L 3-8, L 3-17, W 7-3)
June 20-22 So. Maryland 2-1 (W 5-2, L 3-8, W 10-9 in 11)
June 24-26 High Point 2-1 (W 4-0, W 8-2, L 6-12)
June 27-29 at Charleston, W.Va. 3-0 (W 8-5, W 9-4, W 14-3)
July 1-3 at High Point 2-1 (W 2-0, L 5-12, W 7-4)
July 4-6 High Point 1-2 (L 3-4 in 10, W 3-2, L 6-7)
-2nd half
July 8-10 Charleston, W.Va. 1-2 (W 8-1, L 2-6, L 5-7)
July 11-13 at High Point 1-2 (W 13-7, L 5-6 in 10, L 2-3)
July 15-17 at Lexington 0-3 (L 8-11, L 11-12, L 3-8)
July 18-20 Staten Island 3-0 (W 16-4, W 16-4, W 7-6)
July 22-24 Lexington 2-1 (W 7-6, L 7-15, W 9-5)
July 25-27 at High Point 1-2 (L 3-9, L 4-6, W 6-2)
July 29-31 at Hagerstown 3-0 (W 8-5 in 11, W 9-2, W 5-3)
Aug. 1-3 at Southern Maryland 2-1 (L 6-7, W 10-6, W 6-1)
Aug. 5-10 Charleston, W.Va. 6-0 (W 6-3, W 6-2, W 11-8, W 6-4, W 4-1, W 7-6)
Aug. 12-17 at Lexington 3-3 (L 6-7, W 10-7, L 2-6, W 5-0, L 5-12, W 10-5)
Aug. 19-21 at Southern Maryland 1-2 (W 8-4 in 11, L 7-8, L 2-3 in 10)
Aug. 22-24 Lancaster 1-1 (L 4-7, W 9-2, L 5-8 in 10)
Aug. 26-28 at Lexington 2-1 (L 8-9, W 11-5, W 10-5)
Aug. 29-31 at Charleston, W.Va. 2-1 (W 4-1, W 9-4, L 13-15 in 10)
Sept. 2-4 Long Island 2-1 (W 5-2, L 8-12, W 5-2)
Sept. 5-7 Southern Maryland 2-1 (L 6-7, W 7-5, W 8-5)
Sept. 9-14 at Charleston, W.Va. 6-0 (W 13-3, W 6-3, W 13-4, W 7-1, W 10-4, W 14-12)
Sept. 16-18 Hagerstown 1-1 (W 8-2, L 13-14)
-Playoffs
SOUTH DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIP (Best-of-5)
Sept. 20 at Gastonia, 7 p.m.
Sept. 21 at Gastonia, 4 p.m.
Sept. 23 at High Point, 7 p.m.
Sept. 24 (if necessary) at High Point, 7 p.m.
Sept. 25 (if necessary) at High Point, 7 p.m.
NORTH DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIP (Best-of-5): Lancaster vs. York
Sept. 20 at York, 6:30 p.m.
Sept. 21 at York, 4 p.m.
Sept. 23 at Lancaster, 6:45 p.m.
Sept. 24 (if necessary) at Lancaster, 6:45 p.m.
Sept. 25 (if necessary) at Lancaster, 6:45 p.m.
Durham 7, Charlotte 3: Back-to-back 3-run innings in the 4th and 5th innings powered visiting Durham to a win in the 2nd game of a season-ending 6-game series at Charlotte’s Truist Field. The remaining games are at 7:04 p.m. on Thursday and Friday and a doubleheader Saturday with games at 12:35 p.m. and 5:35 p.m.
Here is the full Charlotte Knights’ 2025 schedule:
(63-83 record, 36-39 1st half, 27-44 2nd half)
-1st half
March 28-30 Gwinnett 3-0 (W 9-1, W 12-4, W 9-6)
April 1-6 Norfolk 3-3 (W 4-3, L 1-3, L 3-6, W 7-6, L 2-3, W 9-8)
April 8-13 at Jacksonville 0-6 (L 0-3, L 1-2, L 5-8, ppd, L 3-4, L 1-3, L 3-4)
April 15-20 Nashville 1-5 (L 3-6, L 7-11 in 8, L 4-5, W 2-1, L 4-10, L 11-14)
April 22-27 at Scranton-Wilkes Barre 5-1 (W 5-4 in 11, L 0-5, W 10-3, W 4-1, W 8-7, W 13-12 in 12)
April 29-May 4 Norfolk 3-3 (W 6-1, W 9-8, W 7-4, L 3-11, L 1-11, L 3-9)
May 6-11 Memphis 4-2 (W 5-3 in 11, W 12-11 in 10, ppd., L 10-13, L 4-8, W 3-2, W 6-5)
May 13-18 at Gwinnett 3-3 (W 8-5, L 4-7, W 7-1, L 6-7, W 5-3, L 0-6)
May 20-25 Round Rock 3-3 (L 1-5, W 7-3, W 8-0, L 13-22, L 6-8, W 7-4)
May 27-June 1 at Buffalo 2-4 (L 9-10, ppd, L 2-3, L 2-5, W 5-3, L 4-5, W 8-4)
June 3-8 Lehigh Valley 4-2 (L 6-10, W 8-3, L 4-11, W 14-2, W 7-4, W 10-9)
June 10-15 at Durham 2-4 (W 7-6, L 1-5, L 1-2, L 5-6, L 1-3, W 6-3)
June 17-22 Gwinnett 3-3 (W 6-3, W 9-3, L 1-8, L 3-7, W 4-1, L 4-5)
-2nd half
June 24-29 at Toledo 4-2 (L 3-4, W 4-3 in 10, W 12-9, W 7-5, W 9-0, L 3-5)
July 3-5 Jacksonville 2-1 (L 0-5, W 4-3, W 10-5)
July 4-6 at Jacksonville 1-1 (L 0-4, W 7-2, ppd)
July 8-13 at Memphis 4-2 (ppd, W 10-4, W 9-2, L 1-8, L 1-4, W 10-9, W 4-2)
July 18-20 Durham 0-3 (L 5-7, L 4-7, L 7-10 in 10)
July 22-27 at Nashville 2-4 (L 7-10, L 13-14 in 11, W 2-0, W 3-0, L 4-5, L 2-3 in 10)
July 29-Aug. 3 Rochester 2-4 (L 1-16, L 8-13, W 7-5, W 4-3, L 8-9, L 7-12)
Aug. 5-10 at Syracuse 3-3 (L 0-11, W 6-0 in 5/rain, L 3-10, L 5-9, W 12-6, W 5-1)
Aug. 12-17 Memphis 1-5 (W 13-6, L 5-14, L 4-5, L 5-7 in 10, L 6-9, L 3-6)
Aug. 19-24 at Norfolk 2-4 (W 6-1, L 3-4, W 3-2, L 1-4, L 2-4, L 4-6)
Aug. 26-31 at Nashville 2-4 (W 7-3, W 11-10 in 10, L 2-5, L 4-5, L 0-10, L 0-7)
Sept. 2-7 Jacksonville 3-4 (L 1-6, L 1-3, W 3-2, L 0-2, W 12-5, L 3-11, W 9-7)
Sept. 9-14 at Omaha 1-5 (L 1-7, L 2-3, L 3-11, L 1-10, L 3-8, W 8-0)
Sept. 16-20 Durham 0-2 (L 6-8, L 3-7)
High school basketball
3rd-year Cherryville High boys basketball head coach Antonio Griggs announced another coaching change to his staff.
Yung Sherrill has been named the new junior varsity head coach and varsity assistant coach. Sherrill is a former Cherryville 2-sport standout who also played at Lincolnton High School. He is currently serving as the wide receiver assistant coach for the Lincolnton varsity and JV football programs. He will finish out his football season there before joining the Cherryville staff.
Sherrill will join newcomers Landon Hahn and John Roghelia and veteran assistants Bud Black and Dennis Tate on Griggs’ staff.
High school football
Here are the results/upcoming schedule for Cleveland, Gaston and Lincoln counties:
(Friday, Sept. 12)
Cramer 51, Bessemer City 6
Cherryville 35, Highland Tech 0
Lincolnton 49, Burns 35
Shelby 49, West Lincoln 14
East Lincoln 56, Bandys 14
West Iredell 19, North Lincoln 0
Huss 28, Anson County 12
Forestview 42, Lake Norman Charter 28
Charlotte Catholic 28, Kings Mountain 21
Lincoln Charter 28, SouthLake Christian 27
Ashbrook 36, Marvin Ridge 29 (2 OT)
South Caldwell 16, North Gaston 12
South Point 32, Mount Pleasant 7
Christ the King 28, Mountain Island Charter 27
Weddington 31, Crest 10
Idle – East Gaston
(Friday, Sept. 19)
Huss at North Gaston
Kings Mountain at Forestview
South Point at Ashbrook
Burns at Bessemer City
Cherryville at Shelby
East Gaston at Lincolnton
Highland Tech at Cramer
East Lincoln at North Lincoln
Christ the King at Lincoln Charter
Mountain Island Charter at North Stanly
Idle – Crest, North Gaston, West Lincoln
(Friday, Sept. 26)
Ashbrook at North Gaston
Forestview at Crest
Huss at South Point
Bessemer City at East Gaston
Cramer at Shelby
Highland Tech at Lincolnton
West Lincoln at Burns
East Lincoln at Bunker Hill
Hickory at North Lincoln
Corvian Community at Lincoln Charter
Albemarle at Mountain Island Charter
Idle – Cherryville, Kings Mountain
(Friday, Oct. 3)
Forestview at Huss
North Gaston at Kings Mountain
South Point at Crest
Bessemer City at Lincolnton
Burns at Cramer
East Gaston at Highland Tech
West Lincoln at Cherryville
East Lincoln at West Iredell
North Lincoln at Newton-Conover
Lincoln Charter at Langtree Charter
Mountain Island Charter at Thomas Jefferson
Idle – Ashbrook, Shelby
High school volleyball
(Wednesday, Sept. 17)
Cherryville d. Shelby 3-0 (25-10, 25-14, 25-14): Kennedy Weathers (7 kills), Kate Mulvey (7 kills), Emily Allen (10 aces and 19 assists) led Cherryville.
Pro football
The Carolina Panthers’ 2025 schedule:
-Preseason
Friday, Aug. 8 Cleveland Browns (L 10-30)
Saturday, Aug. 16 at Houston Texans (L 3-20)
Thursday, Aug. 21 Pittsburgh Steelers (L 10-19)
-Regular season
Sunday, Sept. 7 at Jacksonville Jaguars (L 10-26)
Sunday, Sept. 14 at Arizona Cardinals (L 22-27)
Sunday, Sept. 21 Atlanta Falcons, 1 p.m.
Sunday, Sept. 28 at New England Patriots, 1 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 5 Miami Dolphins, 1 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 12 Dallas Cowboys, 1 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 19 at New York Jets, 1 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 26 Buffalo Bills, 1 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 2 at Green Bay Packers, 1 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 9 New Orleans Saints, 1 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 16 at Atlanta Falcons, 1 p.m.
Monday, Nov. 24 at San Francisco 49ers, 8:15 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 30 Los Angeles Rams, 1 p.m.
Sunday, Dec. 7 BYE WEEK
Sunday, Dec. 14 at New Orleans Saints, 4:25 p.m.
Sunday, Dec. 21 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 1 p.m.
Week 17 TBA, Dec. 25-29 Seattle Seahawks, TBA
Week 18 TBA, Jan. 3-4 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, TBA
Middle school football
Gaston County Conference standings thru Sept. 17:
-Division I Div. All PF-PA
Belmont 3-0 5-0 175-32
Holbrook 2-1 4-1 126-61
Southwest 1-1 2-2 64-28
Grier 0-2 2-2 100-58
Cramerton 0-2 0-4 30-104
-Division II Div. All PF-PA
Stanley 3-0 5-0 128-28
Mount Holly 3-0 3-1 107-63
York Chester 2-1 3-2 158-60
Chavis 1-2 1-4 30-182
Bessemer City 0-3 0-4 6-152
W.C. Friday 0-3 0-5 30-186
(Wednesday, September 17)
Belmont 20, Grier 14: Brandon Jackson (110 yards rushing with 1 TD), Connor Ensley (60 yard TD reception), Brody Isenhour (rushing TD) and 2 interceptions led Belmont.
Holbrook 12, Southwest 6
Mount Holly 46, Chavis 6
Stanley 38, Bessemer City 0: Kai Gaut (3 rushing touchdowns), Chance Barron (1 rushing touchdown), Cash Anderson (1 rushing touchdown), Jace Johnson (2 interceptions) and defenders Jermias Duncan, LaChay Duncan, Jakob Devine, Marquez Halloway and Bruton Beatty lead Stanley.
York Chester 50, W.C. Friday 0
BYE – Cramerton
(Wednesday, September 24)
York Chester at Mount Holly, Southwest at Grier, Cramerton at Holbrook, Chavis at Stanley, W.C. Friday at Bessemer City,
BYE – Belmont
(Wednesday, October 1)
Stanley at Mount Holly, Belmont at Southwest, Grier at Cramerton, York Chester at Bessemer City, W.C. Friday at Chavis,
BYE – Holbrook
(Wednesday, October 8)
County Championship at TBD (Division I is host team)
Tri-County Conference standings thru Sept. 17:
-East Div. All PF-PA
Burns 3-0 4-0 126-44
Kings Mountain 3-0 4-0 100-0
Lincolnton 2-1 2-1 70-67
West Lincoln 1-2 2-2 62-70
East Lincoln 0-3 1-3 52-86
North Lincoln 0-3 1-3 41-78
-West Div. All PF-PA
Crest 3-0 4-1 131-74
Shelby 2-0 3-1 105-32
East Rutherford 1-2 1-3 74-99
Chase 0-2 1-2 36-100
R-S Central 0-2 0-3 6-102
(Wednesday, September 17)
Kings Mountain 20, East Lincoln 0
Burns 38, Lincolnton 22
West Lincoln 20, North Lincoln 8
Crest 32, Chase 12
Shelby 35, East Rutherford 6
BYE – R-S Central
(Wednesday, September 24)
Kings Mountain at Lincolnton, North Lincoln at Burns, West Lincoln at East Lincoln, R-S Central at East Rutherford, Shelby at Chase, BYE – Crest
(Tuesday, September 30)
Chase at R-S Central
(Wednesday, October 1)
Burns at Kings Mountain, North Lincoln at East Lincoln, West Lincoln at Lincolnton, Shelby at Crest, BYE – East Rutherford
(Wednesday, October 8)
Semifinals- West-2 at East-1, East-2 at West-1
(Wednesday, October 15)
Championship game at West
Middle school softball
Gaston County Conference standings thru Sept. 15:
Chavis 6-0
Belmont 5-1
Stanley 4-1
W.C. Friday 3-2
Bessemer City 3-4
Mount Holly 2-3
Cramerton 2-4
Holbrook 1-5
Southwest 0-6
(Thursday, September 18)
Cramerton at Bessemer City, W.C. Friday at Belmont, Holbrook at Stanley, Mount Holly at Southwest, BYE – Chavis
(Monday, September 22)
Belmont at Chavis, Stanley at W.C. Friday, Southwest at Grier, Mount Holly at Holbrook, BYE – Bessemer City, Cramerton
(Thursday, September 25)
Chavis at Stanley, Cramerton at Southwest, W.C. Friday at Mount Holly, Grier at Holbrook, BYE – Belmont, Bessemer City
(Monday, September 29)
Semifinals: No. 4 at No. 1, No. 3 at No. 2
(Thursday, October 2)
Finals: Semifinals winner at highest remaining seed
Middle school golf
Gaston County Conference schedule:
(Tuesday, September 16)
At Cherryville CC- Chavis 215, W.C. Friday 221, Bessemer City (host) 291, Grier no score: Chavis’ Jessup Freeman was the individual medalist with a 49.
At Cherryville CC- Belmont 211, Mount Holly 230, Holbrook (host) 241, York Chester no score: Mount Holly’s Alex Summey was the individual medalist with a 46.
At Pine Island- Cramerton (host) 179, Stanley 216, Southwest no score: Cramerton’s Karl Schultz was the individual medalist with a 39.
(Tuesday, September 22)
At Cherryville CC- Chavis (host), W.C. Friday, Southwest, York Chester and Cramerton (host), Holbrook, Stanley
At Pine Island- Belmont (host), Bessemer City, Mount Holly, Grier
(Thursday, September 25)
At Pine Island- W.C. Friday (host), Bessemer City, Holbrook, York Chester (ppd., Sept. 25)
(Tuesday, September 30)
County championship at Cherryville CC
Pro basketball
The Charlotte Hornets full regular season schedule:
OCTOBER
Wednesday 22 BROOKLYN, 7 p.m.
Saturday 25 at Philadelphia, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday 26 at Washington 6 p.m.
Tuesday 28 at Miami 7:30 p.m.
Thursday 30 ORLANDO 7 p.m.
NOVEMBER
Saturday 1 MINNESOTA 6:00 p.m.
Sunday 2 UTAH 6:00 p.m.
Tuesday 4 at New Orleans 8:00 p.m.
Friday 7 at Miami* 8:00 p.m.
Monday 10 L.A. LAKERS 7:00 p.m.
Wed. 12 MILWAUKEE 7:00 p.m.
Friday 14 at Milwaukee* 8:00 p.m.
Saturday 15 OKLAHOMA CITY 7:00 p.m.
Monday 17 at Toronto 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday 19 at Indiana 7:00 p.m.
Saturday 22 LA CLIPPERS 1:00 p.m.
Sunday 23 at Atlanta 6:00 p.m.
Wednesday 26 NEW YORK* 7:00 p.m.
Friday 28 CHICAGO* 7:30 p.m.
Saturday 29 TORONTO 6:00 p.m.
DECEMBER
Monday 1 at Brooklyn 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday 3 at New York 7:30 p.m.
Friday 5 at Toronto 7:30 p.m.
Sunday 7 DENVER 6:00 p.m.
9-16 Two games TBD**
Thursday 18 ATLANTA 7:00 p.m.
Saturday 20 at Detroit 7:30 p.m.
Monday 22 at Cleveland 7:00 p.m.
Tuesday 23 WASHINGTON 7:00 p.m.
Friday 26 at Orlando 7:00 p.m.
Monday 29 MILWAUKEE 7:00 p.m.
Wednesday 31 GOLDEN STATE 1:00 p.m.
JANUARY
Friday 2 at Milwaukee 8:00 p.m.
Saturday 3 at Chicago 8:00 p.m.
Monday 5 at Oklahoma City 8:00 p.m.
Wednesday 7 TORONTO 7:00 p.m.
Thursday 8 INDIANA 7:00 p.m.
Saturday 10 at Utah 9:30 p.m.
Monday 12 at LA Clippers 10:30 p.m.
Thursday 15 at L.A. Lakers 10:30 p.m.
Saturday 17 at Golden State 8:30 p.m.
Sunday 18 at Denver 8:00 p.m.
Wednesday 21 CLEVELAND 7:00 p.m.
Thursday 22 at Orlando 7:00 p.m.
Saturday 24 WASHINGTON 6:00 p.m.
Monday 26 PHILADELPHIA 7:00 p.m.
Wednesday 28 at Memphis 8:00 p.m.
Thursday 29 at Dallas 8:30 p.m.
Saturday 31 SAN ANTONIO 3:00 p.m.
FEBRUARY
Monday 2 NEW ORLEANS 7:00 p.m.
Thursday 5 at Houston 8:00 p.m.
Saturday 7 at Atlanta 7:30 p.m.
Monday 9 DETROIT 7:00 p.m.
Wednesday 11 ATLANTA 7:00 p.m.
Thursday 19 HOUSTON 7:00 p.m.
Friday 20 CLEVELAND 7:00 p.m.
Sunday 22 at Washington 6:00 p.m.
Tuesday 24 at Chicago 8:00 p.m.
Thursday 26 at Indiana 7:00 p.m.
Saturday 28 PORTLAND 1:00 p.m.
MARCH
Tuesday 3 DALLAS 7:00 p.m.
Wednesday 4 at Boston 7:30 p.m.
Friday 6 MIAMI 7:00 p.m.
Sunday 8 at Phoenix 9:00 p.m.
Tuesday 10 at Portland 10:00 p.m.
Wednesday 11 at Sacramento 10:00 p.m.
Saturday 14 at San Antonio 8:00 p.m.
Tuesday 17 MIAMI 7:00 p.m.
Thursday 19 ORLANDO 7:00 p.m.
Saturday 21 MEMPHIS 6:00 p.m.
Tuesday 24 SACRAMENTO 7:00 p.m.
Thursday 26 NEW YORK 7:00 p.m.
Saturday 28 PHILADELPHIA 6:00 p.m.
Sunday 30 BOSTON 6:00 p.m.
Tuesday 31 at Brooklyn 7:30 p.m.
APRIL
Thursday 2 PHOENIX 7:00 p.m.
Friday 3 INDIANA 7:00 p.m.
Sunday 5 at Minnesota 7:00 p.m.
Tuesday 7 at Boston 7:30 p.m.
Friday 10 DETROIT 7:00 p.m.
Sunday 12 at New York 6:00 p.m.
Home games in CAPS
All times listed are Eastern
* Denotes Emirates NBA Cup Group Play game
Schedule to be announced following Emirates NBA Cup Group Play: Dec. 9, 10, 13, 16- Emirates NBA Cup Knockout Rounds, Dec. 11, 12, 14, 15- Additional regular-season games for eliminated teams
(The Charlotte Hornets 2025 preseason schedule:)
Sunday, Oct. 5 Oklahoma City (at North Charleston Coliseum), 5:00 p.m.
Thursday, Oct. 9 at Oklahoma City, TBD
Saturday, Oct. 11 at Dallas, 8:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Oct. 15 Memphis (at First Horizon Coliseum, Greensboro), 7:00 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 17 at New York, 7:30 p.m.
Pro soccer
The Charlotte FC MLS team’s 2025 schedule:
(17-11-2 record)
Saturday, Feb. 22 at Seattle (T 2-2)
Saturday, March 1 Atlanta (W 2-0)
Sunday, March 9 at Miami (L 0-1)
Saturday, March 15 Cincinnati (W 2-0)
Saturday, March 22 San Jose (W 4-1)
Saturday, March 29 at Colorado (L 0-2)
Saturday, April 5 Nashville (W 2-1)
Saturday, April 12 at Montreal (W 1-0)
Saturday, April 19 San Diego (W 3-0)
Saturday, April 26 New England (L 0-1)
Saturday, May 3 at Columbus (L 2-4)
Saturday, May 10 at Nashville (L 1-2)
Wednesday, May 14 at Orlando (L 1-3)
Saturday, May 17 Chicago (L 1-4)
Saturday, May 24 Columbus (W 3-2)
Wednesday, May 28 at NY Red Bulls (L 2-4)
Saturday, May 31 at Toronto (W 2-0)
Saturday, June 14 at Philadelphia (L 1-2)
Wednesday, June 25 at Kansas City (L 1-2)
Saturday, June 28 at Chicago (L 2-3)
Saturday, July 5 Orlando (T 2-2)
Saturday, July 12 New York (W 2-0)
Wednesday, July 16 DC (W 2-1)
Saturday, July 19 at Atlanta (W 3-2)
Saturday, July 26 Toronto (W 2-0)
Sunday, Aug. 10 at Cincinnati (W 1-0)
Saturday, Aug. 16 Real Salt Lake (W 1-0)
Sunday, Aug. 24 NY Red Bulls (W 1-0)
Saturday, Aug. 30 at New England (W 2-1)
Saturday, Sept. 13 Miami (W 3-0)
Saturday, Sept. 20 at New York 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 27 Montreal 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, October 4 at DC 2:30 p.m.
Saturday, October 18 Philadelphia 6 p.m.
(U.S. Open Cup 2025)
Tuesday, May 6 North Carolina FC (W 4-1)
Wednesday, May 21 at D.C. United (L 3-3, 1-2 penalty kicks)
(Leagues Cup 2025)
Thursday, July 31 FC Juárez (L 1-4)
Sunday, Aug. 3 C.D. Guadalajara (L 2-2, 2-4 penalty kicks)
Thursday, Aug. 7 C.F. Monterrey (W 2-0)
College football
The Charlotte Sports Foundation (CSF) announced Wednesday that the University of Wisconsin will take on Virginia Tech in the 2031 Duke’s Mayo Classic at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.
“Kicking off the 2031 season with Wisconsin and Virginia Tech will be huge for the Queen City and for college football,” CSF CEO Will Pitts said in a news release. “Both programs bring devoted fanbases and strong football legacies, ensuring the 2031 Duke’s Mayo Classic will deliver a memorable start to the season for college football fans both locally and across the country.”
Future Duke’s Mayo Classic games include:
Sept. 19, 2026: West Virginia vs. Virginia
Aug. 28, 2027: North Carolina A&T vs. North Carolina Central
TBA, 2027: Wake Forest vs. Notre Dame
TBA, 2028: Tennessee vs. West Virginia
TBA, 2031: Wisconsin vs. Virginia Tech
Sept. 4, 2032: Virginia vs. West Virginia
Here are the Carolinas’ NCAA Division I football results/schedule:
(Thursday, Sept. 11)
N.C. State 34, Wake Forest 24
(Saturday, Sept. 13)
Georgia Tech 24, Clemson 21
Tennessee Tech 72, Davidson 14
Elon 37, Western Carolina 31
Furman 28, Campbell 24
North Carolina 41, Richmond 6
Lindenwood 35, Charleston Southern 28
S.C. State 55, Bethune-Cookman 41
N.C. Central 49, Fayetteville State 19
Charlotte 42, Monmouth 35
Mercer 22, Wofford 21
Southern Mississippi 38, Appalachian State 22
Gardner-Webb 23, The Citadel 13
Presbyterian 42, Erskine 14
North Carolina A&T 33, Hampton 30
East Carolina 38, Coastal Carolina 0
Vanderbilt 31, South Carolina 7
Tulane 34, Duke 27
(Thursday, Sept. 18)
Rice at Charlotte, 7:30 p.m.
(Saturday, Sept. 20)
S.C. State at South Florida, noon
Syracuse at Clemson, noon
Wofford at Virginia Tech, noon
Bluefield at Presbyterian, 1 p.m.
Mercer at The Citadel, 2 p.m.
Samford at Western Carolina, 2:30 p.m.
Gardner-Webb at Ohio U., 3:30 p.m.
North Carolina at Central Florida, 3:30 p.m.
Charleston Southern at William & Mary, 4 p.m.
N.C. Central at North Carolina A&T, 4 p.m.
N.C. State at Duke, 4 p.m.
Elon at East Tennessee State, 5:30 p.m.
Bryant at Campbell, 6 p.m.
Coastal Carolina at South Alabama, 7 p.m.
Greensboro College at Davidson, 7 p.m.
South Carolina at Missouri, 7 p.m.
BYU at East Carolina, 7:30 p.m.
(Thursday, Sept. 25)
Army at East Carolina, 7:30 p.m.
(Saturday, Sept. 27)
Duke at Syracuse, noon
Georgia Tech at Wake Forest, noon
Morehead State at Presbyterian, 1 p.m.
Hampton at Elon, 2 p.m.
Furman at Samford, 3:30 p.m.
North Carolina A&T at Maine, 3:30 p.m.
Western Carolina at Campbell, 3:30 p.m.
The Citadel at Chattanooga, 6 p.m.
S.C. State at Charleston Southern, 6 p.m.
N.C. Central at East Texas A&M, 7 p.m.
Virginia Tech at N.C. State, 7 p.m.
Appalachian State at Boise State, 7:30 p.m.
Kentucky at South Carolina, 7:45 p.m.
(Friday, Oct. 3)
Charlotte at South Florida, 7 p.m.
(Saturday, Oct. 4)
Davidson at Stetson, 1 p.m.
Charleston Southern at Gardner-Webb, 1:30 p.m.
Savannah State at S.C. State, 1:30 p.m.
Western Carolina at Wofford, 1:30 p.m.
North Carolina A&T at William & Mary, 3:30 p.m.
Elon at Towson, 4 p.m.
Campbell at N.C. State, TBD
Clemson at North Carolina, TBD
Duke at California, TBD
Wake Forest at Virginia Tech, TBD
Coastal Carolina at Old Dominion, TBD
Auto racing
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Playoff Field was set on Aug. 23 and is comprised of the following: Denny Hamlin (4 wins)
Shane van Gisbergen (4 wins), Kyle Larson (3 wins), Christopher Bell (3 wins), William Byron (2 wins), Ryan Blaney (2 wins),
Chase Elliott (2 wins), Chase Briscoe (1 win), Bubba Wallace (1 win), Joey Logano (1 win), Ross Chastain (1 win), Austin Cindric (1 win), Josh Berry (1 win), Austin Dillon (1 win), Tyler Reddick and Alex Bowman.
The 2025 NASCAR Cup Series schedule with * indicating the in-season tournament and # including the playoffs:
Date Race / Track Broadcast partner Winner
Feb. 2 Clash at Bowman Gray FOX Sports (Chase Elliott)
Feb. 16 Daytona 500 FOX Sports (William Byron)
Feb. 23 Atlanta FOX Sports (Christopher Bell)
March 2 Circuit of The Americas FOX Sports (Bell-2)
March 9 Phoenix FOX Sports (Bell-3)
March 16 Las Vegas FOX Sports (Josh Berry)
March 23 Homestead-Miami FOX Sports (Kyle Larson)
March 30 Martinsville FOX Sports (Denny Hamlin)
April 6 Darlington FOX Sports (Hamlin-2)
April 13 Bristol FOX Sports (Larson-2)
April 20 Off
April 27 Talladega FOX Sports (Austin Cindric)
May 4 Texas FOX Sports (Joey Logano)
May 11 Kansas FOX Sports (Larson-3)
May 18 North Wilkesboro (ASR) FOX Sports (Bell-4)
May 25 Charlotte Prime Video (Ross Chastain)
June 1 Nashville Prime Video (Ryan Blaney)
June 8 Michigan Prime Video (Hamlin-2)
June 15 Mexico City Prime Video (Shane van Gisbergen)
June 22 Pocono Prime Video (Chase Briscoe)
June 28 (Sat.) Atlanta * TNT Sports (Elliott-2)
July 6 Chicago * TNT Sports (van Gisbergen-2)
July 13 Sonoma * TNT Sports (van Gisbergen-3)
July 20 Dover * TNT Sports (Hamlin-3)
July 27 Indianapolis * TNT Sports (Bubba Wallace)
Aug. 3 Iowa NBC Sports (Byron-2)
Aug. 10 Watkins Glen NBC Sports (van Gisbergen-4)
Aug. 16 (Sat.) Richmond NBC Sports (Austin Dillon)
Aug. 23 (Sat.) Daytona NBC Sports (Blaney-2)
Aug. 31 Darlington # NBC Sports (Briscoe-2)
Sept. 7 World Wide Tech Raceway # NBC Sports (Hamlin-4)
Sept. 13 (Sat.) Bristol # NBC Sports (Bell-5)
Sept. 21 New Hampshire # NBC Sports
Sept. 28 Kansas # NBC Sports
Oct. 5 Charlotte Roval # NBC Sports
Oct. 12 Las Vegas # NBC Sports
Oct. 19 Talladega # NBC Sports
Oct. 26 Martinsville # NBC Sports
Nov. 2 Phoenix Championship # NBC Sports