4-2-26 roundup: Pro basketball, baseball, auto racing, soccer and rodeo, College basketball, High school baseball, soccer and softball, Middle school baseball, girls soccer and track
By Richard Walker
It’s probably safe to say the ACC has been quite spoiled when it comes to NCAA tournament basketball.
After all, this weekend marks only the 29th time in 73 NCAA tournaments since the league was formed in the 1953-54 season – and first since the COVID-altered 2021 season – that the ACC hasn’t had a Final Four participant.
After missing the Final Four five times in the league’s first 7 seasons, the league started becoming a Final Four regular in the 1960s.
But after missing six of 10 Final Fours in the 1970s, the league truly began dominating in the 1980s.
Since 1981, the ACC had been represented in 31 of 44 Final Fours entering this season – highlighted by North Carolina championship-winners in 1982, 1993, 2005, 2009 and 2017, Duke title teams in 1991, 1992, 2001, 2010 and 2015 and three other champions (N.C. State in 1983, Maryland 2002 and Virginia 2019).
Clearly, the narrative in the Big Ten these days is that times are changing especially since longtime league members Illinois and Michigan comprise half of this year’s Final Four field.
Complicating matters for the ACC is that major coaching changes are more common than ever before.
North Carolina fired former player and longtime assistant Hubert Davis after five years – and following a season in which he was a perfect 18-0 record at the Smith Center.
Three other ACC schools – Boston College, N.C. State and Syracuse – also will have new head coaches next season.
North Carolina appears poised to make its first hire “outside the family” since 1952 when it hired the ACC’s first NCAA championship-winning Frank McGuire. Top candidates include Chicago Bulls head coach Billy Donovan (a two-time NCAA champion at Florida) and two Final Four coaches who meet each other this weekend in Arizona’s Tommy Lloyd and Michigan’s Dusty May.
Boston College has already hired Connecticut assistant Luke Murray, N.C. State has hired Tennessee assistant (and former Wolfpack four-year starting point guard) Justin Gainey while Syracuse hired Siena head coach (and former Orange standout guard) Gerry McNamara.
Certainly the ACC seems fairly certain to remain a top conference in college basketball but 2026-27 will include some transition.
First Four and opening round 2026 NCAA men’s basketball tournament pairings:
FIRST FOUR
(Tuesday, March 17)
-UD Arena, Dayton OH
16 UMBC vs. 16 Howard – Howard 86-83
11 Texas vs. 11 N.C. State – Texas 68-66
(Wednesday, March 18)
16 Prairie View A&M vs. 16 Lehigh – Prairie View A&M 67-55
11 Miami OH vs. 11 SMU – Miami OH 89-79
FIRST ROUND
(Thursday, March 19)
-Bon Secours Wellness Arena, Greenville SC
9 TCU vs. 8 Ohio State – TCU 66-64
16 Siena vs. 1 Duke – Duke 71-65
11 VCU vs. 6 North Carolina – VCU 82-78 (OT)
14 Pennsylvania vs. 3 Illinois – Illinois 105-70
-Paycom Center, Oklahoma City OK
13 Troy vs. 4 Nebraska – Nebraska 76-47
12 McNeese vs. 5 Vanderbilt – Vanderbilt 78-68
10 Texas A&M vs. 7 Saint Mary’s – Texas A&M 73-60
15 Idaho vs. 2 Houston – Houston 78-47
-KeyBank Center, Buffalo, NY
11 South Florida vs. 6 Louisville – Louisville 83-79
14 North Dakota State vs. 3 Michigan State – Michigan State 92-67
16 Howard vs. 1 Michigan – Michigan 101-80
9 Saint Louis vs. 8 Georgia – Saint Louis 102-77
-Moda Center, Portland, OR
12 High Point vs. 5 Wisconsin – High Point 83-82
13 Hawai’i vs. 4 Arkansas, 4:25 PM TBS
11 Texas vs. 6 BYU – Texas 79-71
14 Kennesaw State vs. 3 Gonzaga – Gonzaga 73-64
(Friday, March 20)
-Enterprise Center, St. Louis, MO
10 Santa Clara vs. 7 Kentucky – Kentucky 89-84 OT
15 Tennessee State vs. 2 Iowa State – Iowa State 108-74
15 Queens University vs. 2 Purdue – Purdue 104-71
10 Missouri vs. 7 Miami FL – Miami FL 80-66
-Benchmark International Arena, Tampa, FL
12 Akron vs. 5 Texas Tech – Texas Tech 91-71
13 Hofstra vs. 4 Alabama – Alabama 90-70
9 Iowa vs. 8 Clemson – Iowa 67-61
16 Prairie View A&M vs. 1 Florida – Florida 114-55
-Viejas Arena, San Diego, CA
16 Long Island University vs. 1 Arizona – Arizona 92-58
9 Utah State vs. 8 Villanova – Utah State 86-76
12 Northern Iowa vs. 5 St. John’s – St. John’s 79-53
13 California Baptist vs. 4 Kansas – Kansas 68-60
-Xfinity Mobile Arena, Philadelphia, PA
14 Wright State vs. 3 Virginia – Virginia 82-73
11 Miami OH vs. 6 Tennessee – Tennessee 78-56
10 UCF vs. 7 UCLA – UCLA 75-71
15 Furman vs. 2 UConn – UConn 82-71
SECOND ROUND
(Saturday, March 21)
-Bon Secours Wellness Arena, Greenville SC
EAST: 9 TCU vs. 1 Duke – Duke 81-58
SOUTH: 11 VCU vs. 3 Illinois – Illinois 76-55
-Paycom Center, Oklahoma City OK
SOUTH: 10 Texas A&M vs. 2 Houston – Houston 88-57
SOUTH: 4 Nebraska vs. 5 Vanderbilt – Nebraska 74-72
-KeyBank Center, Buffalo, NY
MIDWEST: 1 Michigan vs. 9 Saint Louis – Michigan 95-72
EAST: 6 Louisville vs. 3 Michigan State – Michigan State 77-69
-Moda Center, Portland, OR
WEST: 11 Texas vs. 3 Gonzaga – Texas 74-68
WEST: 12 High Point vs. 4 Arkansas – Arkansas 94-88
(Sunday, March 22)
-Enterprise Center, St. Louis, MO
WEST: 2 Purdue vs. 7 Miami FL – Purdue 79-69
MIDWEST: 7 Kentucky vs. 2 Iowa State – Iowa State 82-63
-Benchmark International Arena, Tampa, FL
SOUTH: 9 Iowa vs. 1 Florida – Iowa 73-72
MIDWEST: 5 Texas Tech vs. 4 Alabama – Alabama 90-65
-Viejas Arena, San Diego, CA
EAST: 5 St. John’s vs. 4 Kansas – St. John’s 67-65
WEST: 1 Arizona vs. 9 Utah State – Arizona 78-66
-Xfinity Mobile Arena, Philadelphia, PA
MIDWEST: 3 Virginia vs. 6 Tennessee – Tennessee 79-72
EAST: 7 UCLA vs. 2 UConn – UConn 73-57
SWEET 16
(Thursday, March 26)
-South at Toyota Center, Houston TX
9 Iowa vs. 4 Nebraska – Iowa 77-71
2 Houston vs. 3 Illinois – Illinois 65-55
-West at SAP Center, San Jose CA
11 Texas vs. 2 Purdue – Purdue 79-77
1 Arizona vs. 4 Arkansas – Arizona 109-88
(Friday, March 27)
-East at Capital One Arena, Washington DC
1 Duke vs. 5 St. John’s – Duke 80-75
2 UConn vs. 3 Michigan State – UConn 67-63
-Midwest at United Center, Chicago IL
1 Michigan vs. 4 Alabama – Michigan 90-77
2 Iowa State vs. 6 Tennessee – Tennessee 76-62
ELITE EIGHT
(Saturday, March 28)
-South at Toyota Center, Houston TX
9 Iowa vs. 3 Illinois – Illinois 71-59
-West at SAP Center, San Jose CA
2 Purdue vs. 1 Arizona – Arizona 79-64
(Sunday, March 29)
-East at Capital One Arena, Washington DC
1 Duke vs. 2 UConn – UConn 73-72
-Midwest at United Center, Chicago IL
1 Michigan vs. 6 Tennessee – Michigan 95-62
FINAL FOUR
(Saturday, April 4)
-Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis IN
East (2 UConn) vs. South (3 Illinois), 6:09 PM TBS
West (1 Arizona) vs. Midwest (1 Michigan), 8:49 PM TBS
CHAMPIONSHIP
(Monday, April 6)
-Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis IN
8:50 PM TBS
Pro basketball
Charlotte 127, Phoenix 107: The Hornets moved into sole possession of 8th place in the Eastern Conference by blitzing the visiting Suns after Phoenix had built 10-point leads in each of the first 2 quarters.
Miles Bridges had 25 points, Kon Knueppel 20 and Coby White 19 for Charlotte.
The Charlotte Hornets full 2025-26 regular season schedule:
OCTOBER
Wednesday 22 BROOKLYN (W 136-117)
Saturday 25 at Philadelphia (L 121-125)
Sunday 26 at Washington (W 139-113)
Tuesday 28 at Miami (L 117-144)
Thursday 30 ORLANDO (L 107-123)
NOVEMBER
Saturday 1 MINNESOTA (L 105-122)
Sunday 2 UTAH (W 126-103)
Tuesday 4 at New Orleans (L 112-116)
Friday 7 at Miami* (L 108-126)
Monday 10 L.A. LAKERS (L 111-121)
Wed. 12 MILWAUKEE (W 111-100)
Friday 14 at Milwaukee* (L 134-147, OT)
Saturday 15 OKLAHOMA CITY (L 96-109)
Monday 17 at Toronto (L 108-110)
Wednesday 19 at Indiana (L 118-127)
Saturday 22 LA CLIPPERS (L 116-131)
Sunday 23 at Atlanta (L 110-113)
Wednesday 26 NEW YORK* (L 101-129)
Friday 28 CHICAGO* (W 123-116)
Saturday 29 TORONTO (W 118-111, OT)
DECEMBER
Monday 1 at Brooklyn (L 103-116)
Wednesday 3 at New York (L 104-119)
Friday 5 at Toronto (W 111-86 )
Sunday 7 DENVER (L 106-115)
Friday 12 CHICAGO (L 126-129)
Sunday 14 at Cleveland (W 119-111)
Thursday 18 ATLANTA (W 133-126)
Saturday 20 at Detroit (L 86-112)
Monday 22 at Cleveland (L 132-139)
Tuesday 23 WASHINGTON (W 126-109)
Friday 26 at Orlando (W 120-105)
Monday 29 MILWAUKEE (L 113-123)
Wednesday 31 GOLDEN STATE (L 125-132)
JANUARY
Friday 2 at Milwaukee (L 121-122)
Saturday 3 at Chicago (W 112-99 )
Monday 5 at Oklahoma City (W 124-97 )
Wednesday 7 TORONTO (L 96-97 )
Thursday 8 INDIANA (L 109-112)
Saturday 10 at Utah (W 150-95 )
Monday 12 at LA Clippers (L 109-117)
Thursday 15 at L.A. Lakers (W 135-117)
Saturday 17 at Golden State (L 116-136)
Sunday 18 at Denver (W 110-87 )
Wednesday 21 CLEVELAND (L 87-94 )
Thursday 22 at Orlando (W 124-97 )
Saturday 24 WASHINGTON (W 119-115)
Monday 26 PHILADELPHIA (W 130-93 )
Wednesday 28 at Memphis (W 112-97 )
Thursday 29 at Dallas (W 123-121)
Saturday 31 SAN ANTONIO (W 111-106)
FEBRUARY
Monday 2 NEW ORLEANS (W 102-95 )
Thursday 5 at Houston (W 109-99 )
Saturday 7 at Atlanta (W 126-119)
Monday 9 DETROIT (W 110-104)
Wednesday 11 ATLANTA (W 110-107)
Thursday 19 HOUSTON (L 101-105)
Friday 20 CLEVELAND (L 113-118)
Sunday 22 at Washington (W 129-112)
Tuesday 24 at Chicago (W 131-99 )
Thursday 26 at Indiana (W 133-109)
Saturday 28 PORTLAND (W 109-93 )
MARCH
Tuesday 3 DALLAS (W 117-90 )
Wednesday 4 at Boston (W 116-89 )
Friday 6 MIAMI (L 120-128)
Sunday 8 at Phoenix (L 99-111)
Tuesday 10 at Portland (W 103-101)
Wednesday 11 at Sacramento (W 117-109)
Saturday 14 at San Antonio (L 102-115)
Tuesday 17 MIAMI (W 136-106)
Thursday 19 ORLANDO (W 130-111)
Saturday 21 MEMPHIS (W 124-101)
Tuesday 24 SACRAMENTO (W 134-90 )
Thursday 26 NEW YORK (W 114-103)
Saturday 28 PHILADELPHIA (L 114-118)
Sunday 29 BOSTON (L 99-114)
Tuesday 31 at Brooklyn (W 117-86 )
APRIL
Thursday 2 PHOENIX (W 127-107)
Friday 3 INDIANA 7:00 p.m.
Sunday 5 at Minnesota 7:00 p.m.
Tuesday 7 at Boston 8:00 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 N. Charleston Col.) L 114-135
Thursday, Oct. 9 at Oklahoma City L 116-122
Saturday, Oct. 11 at Dallas W 120-116
Wednesday, Oct. 15 Memphis (at First Horizon Col., Gboro) W 145-116
Friday, Oct. 17 at New York L 108-113
Pro soccer
The 2026 Charlotte FC schedule:
(2-1-2 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, 7:30 PM
Saturday, Apr. 11 Nashville, 7:30 PM
Saturday, Apr. 18 at New York, 7:30 PM
Wednesday, Apr. 22 at Orlando, 7:30 PM
Saturday, Apr. 25 at Nashville, 8:30 PM
Saturday, May 2 at New England, 7:30 PM
Saturday, May 9 Cincinnati, 7:30 PM
Wednesday, May 13 New York, 7:00 PM
Saturday, May 16 Toronto, 7:30 PM
Saturday, May 23 New England, 7:30 PM
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
High school baseball
The area’s results/schedule:
(Monday, March 23)
East Gaston 7, Highland Tech 2
West Mecklenburg 18, Ashbrook 1 (4 innings)
East Rutherford 3, East Lincoln 1
Shelby 12, Thomas Jefferson 2 (5 innings)
Gaston Christian 19, Waxhaw North Point Christian 2 (3 innings)
(Tuesday, March 24)
Forestview 17, Huss 2 (5 innings)
Kings Mountain 2, North Gaston 0
Crest 10, South Point 1
Cherryville 13, West Lincoln 1 (5 innings)
Burns 7, Cramer 6
Lincolnton 10, Bessemer City 0 (5 innings)
East Lincoln 8, Maiden 7 (8 innings)
North Lincoln 15, Bunker Hill 0 (5 innings)
Pine Lake Prep 6, Lincoln Charter 4
Mountain Island Charter 9, Piedmont Community Charter 3
(Wednesday, March 25)
Ashbrook 16, Garinger 5 (5 innings)
Community School of Davidson 10, Mountain Island Charter 0 (6 innings)
East Gaston 10, Forestview 2
Saergertown PA 12, Lincoln Charter 4
(Thursday, March 26)
Cramer 7, Burns 6 (8 innings)
Highland Tech at East Gaston, ppd., April 29
Lincolnton 8, Bessemer City 3
Metrolina Christian 18, Gaston Day 0 (3 innings)
Shelby 4, Freedom 3
East Lincoln 5 Kings Mountain 0
(Friday, March 27)
Crest 19, Huss 1 (5 innings)
Kings Mountain 15, Ashbrook 3 (6 innings)
South Point 8, North Gaston 4
Cherryville 9, West Lincoln 4
North Lincoln 12, Foard 0 (5 innings)
Pine Lake Prep 12, Lincoln Charter 1 (5 innings)
Piedmont Community Charter 16, Queen’s Grant 3 (5 innings)
Mountain Island Charter 16, Sugar Creek Charter 0 (3 innings)
Gaston Christian 7, Providence Day 5
Forestview 11, Shelby 1 (5 innings)
(Monday, March 30)
Gaston Christian 18, Gaston Day 0 (4 innings)
Jackson Day 7, Piedmont Community Charter 6
Cramer 14, Forestview 4 (5 innings)
(Tuesday, March 31)
Forestview 11, Ashbrook 1 (6 innings)
Crest 10, North Gaston 0 (5 innings)
South Point 11, Kings Mountain 1 (5 innings)
Bessemer City 3, Highland Tech 2
Cherryville at East Gaston, ppd., April 20
Shelby 1, Lincolnton 0
East Lincoln 8, Newton-Conover 2
North Lincoln 3, Maiden 0
Lincoln Charter 13, Bradford Prep 0 (5 innings)
Gaston Day 5, Westminster Catawba 1
Gaston Christian 12, Asheville Christian 2 (5 innings)
North Mecklenburg 8, Mountain Island Charter 7
West Charlotte 15, Huss 6
Cramer 7, West Lincoln 1
(Wednesday, April 1)
Cramer 4, West Lincoln 1: Starter and winner Dylan Rodkin (5 2/3 innings, 7 strikeouts), relievers Luke Brown (1/3 inning), Jack Scholz (1 inning, 2 strikeouts, save) and Chris Wurster (2 hits, 3 Runs, 1 SB) led Cramer.
Piedmont CC 6, Bandys 5
North Gaston 13, Bessemer City 3 (5 innings)
Crest 9, Burns 1
South Caldwell 2, Lincoln Charter 1
Ashbrook 23, North Mecklenburg 22
South Point 6, South Mecklenburg 5
(Thursday, April 2)
Crest 17, Ashbrook 0 (4 innings): Starter and winner J.M. Knapp and Eli Black combined on no-hitter and Black, Luke Rayfield and Jackson Swenson hit home runs for Crest.
Kings Mountain 18, Huss 0 (5 innings)
South Point at Forestview
Cherryville 11, East Gaston 3: Brock Bumgardner (3 hits, 2 doubles, home run, 4 RBIs) and Parker Anderson (3-4, 2 RBIs) led Cherryville, which tied a school-best start of 13-0.
Highland Tech 12, Bessemer City 4
Shelby 11, Lincolnton 4
Bandys at East Lincoln
North Lincoln 6, West Iredell 2
Lincoln Charter 12, Bradford Prep 2 (6 innings)
Bessemer City Community Christian at Piedmont Community Charter
High school softball
West Lincoln 15, Cramer 0 (3 innings): Gabrielle Wright threw a perfect game with 7 strikeouts and Melony Hoffman had three hits and 1 RBI.
Middle school baseball
Gaston County Conference standings through April 2:
Stanley 5-0
Mount Holly 4-1
Belmont 4-2
Chavis 4-2
W.C. Friday 4-2
Bessemer City 3-3
Cramerton 3-3
Holbrook 2-3
York Chester 1-4
Southwest 0-5
Grier 0-5
The Gaston County Conference schedule:
(Thursday, April 2)
W.C. Friday 10, Holbrook 0
Mount Holly 12, Cramerton 2 (5 innings)
Chavis 15, Southwest 0 (3 innings)
Stanley 10, Bessemer City 0: Pitchers Gabe Caldwell (5 strikeouts) and Brayden Silvers (3 strikeouts) combined for the win for Stanley, whose offense was led by Caldwell, Colton Broome, Jeffrey Jones, Kane Navey, Bruton Beatty, Landon Martin and Aiden Whisnant.
Belmont 19, York Chester 0 (3 innings)
BYE – Grier
(Monday, April 13)
Grier at Cramerton
Holbrook at Chavis
Mount Holly at Bessemer City
Southwest at Belmont
Stanley at York Chester
BYE – W.C. Friday
Middle school girls soccer
Gaston County Conference standings through April 2:
Belmont 6-0
Cramerton 5-1
W.C. Friday 5-1
Holbrook 3-2
Mount Holly 3-2
Chavis 3-3
Stanley 2-3
York Chester 2-3
Bessemer City 1-5
Southwest 0-5
Grier 0-5
The Gaston County Conference schedule:
(Thursday, April 2)
W.C. Friday 3, Holbrook 0: Kenslee Taylor scored 2 goals and Hazel Harris 1 for Friday.
Cramerton 2, Mount Holly 0: Haleigh Vance and Sage Williams scored goals, Morgan Barnhill and Brynn Dubios had assists and defenders Sophia Sale and Eason Hobbs and goal keeper Charlotte Brooks got the shutout for Cramerton.
Chavis 3, Southwest 1
Stanley 5, Bessemer City 0: Currie McElwaine had 2 goals and Kate Queen and Jarreh Kijara 1 each for Stanley.
Belmont 7, York Chester 0
BYE – Grier
(Monday, April 13)
Grier at Cramerton
Holbrook at Chavis
Mount Holly at Bessemer City
Southwest at Belmont
Stanley at York Chester
BYE – W.C. Friday
Middle school track
The Gaston County schedule
(Wednesday, March 18)
Bessemer City, Chavis, York Chester, Stanley at Stanley, ppd., no date
Grier, Belmont, Holbrook, Cramerton at Belmont
(Monday, March 23)
Cramerton, Grier, Chavis at Stuart Cramer
(Wednesday, March 25)
Stanley, Bessemer City, Holbrook, Southwest at Stanley: Stanley won both meets as the boys had 75 points and the girls 70. The boys finished ahead of Holbrook (58 1/2), Southwest (43 1/2) and Bessemer City (7) with the girls finishing ahead of Holbrook (69), Southwest (40) and Bessemer City (5).
Belmont, Mount Holly, W.C. Friday, York Chester at Belmont: Belmont won both meets as the boys had 111 points and the girls 76.7. The boys finished ahead of Mount Holly (40), W.C. Friday (22) and York Chester (11) with the girls finishing ahead of Mount Holly (73.8), W.C. Friday (31 1/2) and York Chester (2).
(Tuesday, March 31)
W.C. Friday, Mount Holly, Southwest at North Gaston
(Wednesday, April 1)
Holbrook, Stanley, Chavis, W.C. Friday at Bessemer City HS: Holbrook won both meets as the boys had 88 points and girls 72. The boys finished ahead of Stanley (72), W.C. Friday (15) and Chavis (9) with the girls finishing ahead of Stanley (62), W.C. Friday (31) and Chavis (16).
Mount Holly, York Chester, Southwest, Cramerton at Stanley
Belmont, Bessemer City, Grier at Belmont: Belmont won both meets as the boys had 98 points and the girls 77. The boys finished ahead of Grier (20) and Bessemer City (8) with the girls finishing ahead of Grier (40) and Bessemer City (9).
(Tuesday, April 14)
York Chester, Holbrook, Cramerton at Bessemer City HS
(Wednesday, April 15)
Southwest, Belmont, Grier, W.C. Friday at Belmont
Chavis, Mount Holly, Stanley, Bessemer City at Stanley
(Wednesday, April 22)
Division 1 Meet – Host: Southwest at Bessemer City HS
Division 2 Meet – Host: Stanley at Bessemer City HS
(Wednesday, April 29)
County Championship – Host: Cramerton at Stuart Cramer
Pro baseball
Nashville 4, Charlotte 0: Five Sounds pitchers combined to shutout the visiting Knights in the 3rd game of their 6-game series. The 4th game continues at 7:35 p.m. on Friday.
Here is the full Charlotte Knights’ 2026 schedule:
(4-2 record 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 1-2 (L 3-7, W 9-3, L 0-4)
April 7-12 Memphis
April 14-19 at Jacksonville
April 21-26 Nashville
April 28-May 3 Gwinnett
May 5-10 at Jacksonville
May 12-17 Norfolk
May 19-24 at Gwinnett
May 26-31 Jacksonville
June 2-7 at Durham
June 9-14 Oklahoma City
June 16-21 at Buffalo
June 23-28 Rochester
June 30-July 5 at Memphis
July 7-12 Nashville
July 17-19 at Durham
July 21-26 Norfolk
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
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
April 19 — Kansas
April 26 — Talladega, Alabama
May 3 — Texas
May 10 — Watkins Glen, New York
May 17 — All-Star Race (Dover)
May 24 — Coca-Cola 600 (Charlotte)
May 31 — Nashville, Tennessee
June 7 — Michigan
June 14 — Pocono in Long Pond, Pennsylvania
June 21 — San Diego
June 28 — Sonoma, California
July 5 — Chicagoland
July 12 — Atlanta
July 19 — North Wilkesboro
July 26 — Brickyard 400 (Indianapolis)
A-ug. 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 12 at Sioux Falls: Semifinal- (No. 2 Austin Gamblers vs. No. 3 Kansas City Outlaws)
April 26 at Tacoma: Championship- (No. Missouri Thunder vs. April 12 winner)
Upcoming events:
April 12 – First Premier Bank PBR Sioux Falls
April 18 – PBR Billings
April 26 – Cooper Tires PBR Tacoma
May 10 – PBR World Finals at Cowtown Coliseum
Sept. 18-20 – Greensboro First Horizon Coliseum Complex