Seth Hernandez has not yet thrown a professional pitch. Yet he’s already getting pretty good at slowing the game down.

Hernandez will hear that phrase a lot over the next, say, decade or two, as he progresses from prep baseball phenomenon to first-round draft pick and, in just a few weeks, the projected future ace of a major league franchise.

But things are already coming quickly.

Thursday, Hernandez fulfilled a longtime goal when he was named the Gatorade National Player of the Year, joining a group that in the four decades of the honor has gone on to combine for four MVPs, 42 All-Star appearances and 27 first-round draft selections.

Come July 13, Hernandez will join that group.

With a 100-mph fastball and a mature three-pitch mix, Hernandez is by far the best prep pitcher in this draft and remains on the periphery of consideration for the No. 1 overall pick. With significant volatility among the projected top 10 – thanks to prep stars like Hernandez, his Corona High School teammate Billy Carlson and Oklahoma prep shortstops Ethan Holliday and Eli Willits along with a bevy of elite college arms – Hernandez could go anywhere in the first dozen names called.

He’s already going through the ringer of interviews and visits with clubs, as they probe his hobbies (golfing, though not particularly well) and off-field demeanor (chill, it seems). All while his decorated high school career came to a dramatic end and graduation looms.

“It’s a game,” Hernandez told USA TODAY Sports after All-Star and World Series champion Dexter Fowler surprised him with the Gatorade honor, “and you just got to be able to take in the special moments because not everybody’s privileged to do this stuff.

“And really just taking it day by day. The draft is something super special and it’s going be a surreal moment, but I know that it’s just going to be the starting point and something new and a new chapter in my life. “So it’s going to be exciting.”

It’s already been an exciting couple years for Hernandez.

His Corona Panthers put together an epic two-year run, beginning in 2024 when they won the National High School Invitational in Cary, North Carolina and capped a 30-3 season with a CIF-Southern Section Division I championship. Their 5-0 victory over Harvard-Westlake – the powerhouse that’s produced Lucas Giolito, Max Fried, Jack Flaherty and Pete Crow-Armstrong – made them the first team in history to claim bot the NHSI and the crown at the highest level of California baseball.

How does one top that?

Well, Hernandez could be the first of three Panthers to come off the board in round one. Shortstop Carlson is also pegged to go in the first dozen or so picks, while infielder Brady Ebel should land in the first two rounds.

The trio did all right this year, too, going 28-3 before falling in the Division I semifinals to St. John Bosco. And Hernandez certainly did his part.

He gave up just one earned run all season before Bosco’s 3-0 semifinal victory. Hernandez finished with a 105-7 strikeout-walk ratio.

“It was awesome. They’re going to be my brothers for life,” Hernandez said of his teammates. “Obviously, we didn’t take it home this year, but we did take it home last year. And the group that we had this year was super special. Once in a generation type of team. And it was great just because we gelled so well together and really just brothers – not only on the field, but off the field as well.

“With the team we had this year, it’s kind of hard to look back and say it was a failure just because our team was so special. 
And like I said, it was once in a generation type of thing. No hard feelings.”

Oh, and Hernandez slammed seven home runs and drove in 30, leaving a strong impression on Fowler, the 2016 Chicago Cubs World Series champ.

“I’ve watched his videos and he’s got a nice swing on him. I didn’t know!” says Fowler. “Is this the next Shohei? What are we doing?”

Quipped Hernandez: “I’m not stealing 50 bags.”

Nope, not when he’s expected to receive a bonus in the high seven figures. Hernandez, who committed to Vanderbilt, first drew the strong attention of scouts as a high school sophomore, when he hit 96 mph on the radar gun at an Area Code Games event at Dodger Stadium.

He has improved his pitchability as his frame filled out, and pushed his fastball to triple digits.

Come mid-July, that progress will pay off, and soon after, Hernandez will be a professional. Things will change, as a game becomes a business. With that, Fowler had some words of advice to keep Hernandez grounded.

“My parents always asked me, ‘When do you think you’ll be done playing?’” says Fowler, who played his last game in 2021 and retired with 1,306 hits and a .358 on-base percentage over 14 seasons. “I said, ‘When I stop having fun.’ When it becomes a job, I’m going to be done.

“So keep this same attitude, keep this same energy. It’ll take take you where you need to go.”

We’re just one step away from college baseball’s elite determining this season’s national champion. Well, OK, technically we’re two steps away, but you get the idea.

This weekend, the remaining 16 teams will square off in best-of-three super regionals, with the eight winners headed to Nebraska and the sport’s ultimate destination, the College World Series.

Here’s a breakdown of all eight pairings with game times and TV channels to help you plan your weekend viewing. Keep in mind, of course, that weather might cause delays at some locales, and the schedules later in the weekend will hinge on which and how many series require third and deciding contests.

Miami (Fla.) (34-25) at Louisville (38-21)

Game 1: Friday, 3 p.m. ET, ESPN2

Game 2: Saturday, 11 a.m. ET, ESPN

This is an all-ACC series, though the Cardinals and Hurricanes happened to be among the teams that missed each other in the regular season thanks to league expansion. The offensive sparks for Louisville are often provided by the outfield duo of Lucas Moore, who is hitting .366 with 48 stolen bases, and Zion Rose, who has 12 homers and a team-high 61 RBI. Miami was not the most consistent squad during the season and was somewhat fortunate to land on the right side of the bubble, but 3B Daniel Cuvet had an all-conference campaign and there are good options out of the bullpen.

No. 9 Florida State (41-14) at No. 8 Oregon State (45-13-1)

Game 1: Friday, 6 p.m. ET, ESPN2

Game 2: Saturday, 9 p.m. ET, ESPN2

These regular postseason participants from opposite coasts provide one of the more intriguing matchups of the super regional lineup. The Beavers’ potent batting order, led by Aiva Arquette and Gavin Turley with 18 homers each, must try to solve Jamie Arnold and the Seminoles’ accomplished pitching staff. The series might come down to how well Oregon State’s arms can stop the Seminoles.

Arizona (42-18) at No. 5 North Carolina (45-13)

Game 1: Friday, noon ET, ESPN2

Game 2: Saturday, noon ET, ESPN2

Like most ACC schools, UNC is still seeking its first baseball title. But these Tar Heels might be the ones to deliver, thanks to a deep pitching staff anchored by Jake Knapp and sizzling-hot Gavin Gallaher pacing a high-octane lineup at the plate. The Wildcats’ primary catalyst is Mason White, the team’s best hitter who is also among the nation’s leaders in triples with eight.

No. 13 Coastal Carolina (51-11) at No. 4 Auburn (41-18)

Game 1: Friday, 9 p.m. ET, ESPN2

Game 2: Saturday, 3 p.m. ET, ESPN2

The Coastal Carolina program would seem to be in good hands under first-year coach Kevin Schnall, who had big shoes to fill succeeding retired legend Gary Gilmore. The Chanticleers’ biggest strength is their pitching depth, sporting the best team ERA (3.22) of all the super regional participants. Auburn leads the SEC in doubles with 129, a good way to keep pressure on opposing pitchers with a steady stream of runners in scoring position.

Texas-San Antonio (47-13) at No. 15 UCLA (45-16)

Game 1: Saturday, 7 p.m. ET, ESPNU

Game 2: Sunday, 3 p.m. ET, TBD

It seems fitting that the Roadrunners have scored more total runs, 528, than any other squad still alive in the field. Heading the UTSA hit parade is Drew Detlefsen with a team-high 70 RBI. The first challenge for the road team figures to be Bruins righty Michael Barnett, who sports an 11-1 record with 70 strikeouts to just 18 walks.

Murray State (42-14) at Duke (40-19)

Game 1: Saturday, 1 p.m. ET, ESPNU

Game 2: Sunday, noon ET, TBD

It’s no big secret how the Racers got here as a No. 4 seed in its regional. Murray State pounds out 8.8 runs a game, and even managed to surpass that lofty average against the likes of Ole Miss and Georgia Tech in the postseason. It’s fair to wonder if the Racers have enough arms to keep Duke’s lineup that also puts up over eight runs per contest at bay. The long list of dangerous hitters in this series includes Murray State outfielder Dan Tauken and Blue Devils third baseman Ben Miller.

West Virginia (44-14) at No. 6 LSU (46-15)

Game 1: Saturday, 2 p.m. ET, ESPN

Game 2: Sunday, 6 p.m. ET, ESPN2

LSU had to work a little harder than expected to prevent Little Rock from becoming the second No. 4 seed to win a regional this year. The Tigers will likely have an equally hard time dispatching the Mountaineers, the comeback kids of the tournament after late rallies to beat Clemson and Kentucky. Jared Jones (20 HR, 69 RBI) is the latest in the long line of LSU sluggers to emerge. At some point he’ll likely encounter Reese Bassinger, the workhorse of the WVU bullpen.

No. 14 Tennessee (46-17) at No. 3 Arkansas (46-13)

Game 1: Saturday, 5 p.m. ET, ESPN

Game 2: Sunday, 3 p.m. ET, ESPN

One could certainly make the case that this is the marquee matchup of the round of 16, pitting the defending national champion against the highest remaining seed in this year’s field. It’s also a rematch of the final regular-season series of the SEC campaign, which also took place in Fayetteville just a few weeks ago. The Razorbacks took the latter two contests of that set, including a game two win in which they slapped around Volunteers lefty ace Liam Doyle. Tennessee also has plenty of offensive pop, of course, but Arkansas ranks in the top 15 nationally in both scoring and team ERA thanks to guys like Wehiwa Aloy and Zach Root.

OKLAHOMA CITY – Discouraged and encouraged.

Angry and optimistic.

Those were the emotions the Indiana Pacers felt throughout Game 1 of the NBA Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Discouraged and angry about their inability to protect the basketball, which led to 20 first-half turnovers.

“They are a menace defensively,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said.

Discouraged and angry that sloppy play allowed the Thunder to take a 15-point lead early in the fourth quarter.

But encouraged and optimistic that they were really never out of the game and encouraged and optimistic that they were within a possession of tying or taking the lead late in the fourth quarter.

The Pacers led once in Game 1. When it mattered most.

Tyrese Haliburton’s 21-foot jump shot with 0.3 seconds left in the fourth quarter gave the Pacers a 111-110 victory Thursday, June 5, and a 1-0 series lead.

It left the Thunder and their fans stunned.

“The common denominator is them,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “That’s a really good team. Credit them for not only tonight but their run. They’ve had so many games like that that have seemed improbable. They just play with a great spirit, they keep coming, they made plays, made shots. They deserved to win by a point.’

It left Carlisle once again marveling at his team’s ability to just keep playing and see what the score is when the final horn sounds and marveling at Haliburton’s ability to make gigantic plays with the game on the line.

Game 1 was the Pacers’ fifth comeback victory from a deficit of 15 or more points in the 2025 NBA playoffs, the most by a team in a single postseason since 1998.

“We just said, ‘Hey, let’s just keep chipping away at the rock. Got to keep pounding the rock and just chip away and hang in,’ ” Carlisle said. “We had a lot of experience in these kinds of games, and our guys have a real good feel for what it’s all about, giving ourselves a chance, and we got fortunate but made plays.”

Teams and players make their own fortune, and the Pacers did that.

The Thunder led 108-99 with 2:52 remaining the fourth quarter. They made just one basket the rest of the game as the Pacers made play after play.

Andrew Nembhard made a 3-pointer that cut Oklahoma City’s lead to 108-105 at the 1:59 mark and his two free throws with 1:22 to go kept it a three-point game at 110-107. Pascal Siakam made it 110-109, and the Pacers forced NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander into a miss with 11.1 seconds remaining.

Aaron Nesmith collected the rebound and gave the ball to Haliburton, setting up the winning shot.

‘I’m obviously confident in my ability and feel like if I can get to that spot, I feel very comfortable in there,’ Haliburton said. ‘Just it’s a shot I’ve worked on a million times and I’ll work on it a million times more. Just have confidence in that shot.’

It was the fourth time in the playoffs that Haliburton made a shot that won a game or sent a game to overtime.

“We never think the game is over,” Haliburton said. “Never.”

(This story was updated with additional information.)

Follow NBA columnist Jeff Zillgitt on social media @JeffZillgitt

The Indiana Pacers are starting to make this a habit.

The team, once again, pulled off an improbable fourth quarter comeback in the postseason to steal a game from its opponent. This time it came on the road against the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1 of the 2025 NBA Finals on Thursday, June 5.

Indiana is on a remarkable run, proving that it is never fully out of games. But games like these are sometimes best quantified in numbers, and this was no exception.

Here are 17 crazy stats from Indiana’s wild Game 1 comeback over the Oklahoma City Thunder:

For the first time in almost 15 months — Tuesday, March 12, 2024 — the Thunder lost at home to an Eastern Conference team. Their opponent that night? The Indiana Pacers.
The Pacers committed 25 turnovers and still won. Their turnover differential of -19 is the worst for a team in an NBA Finals victory, and it clears the second-worst team — the 1974 Bucks — by seven.
The Pacers also set the record for worst turnover differential in a playoff victory, surpassing the -15 set by the Grizzlies in 2012 in a first-round game against the Clippers.
The 15-point, fourth quarter comeback tied for the fourth-largest in an NBA Finals since 1971.
The last two fourth quarter comebacks of at least 15 points in NBA Finals games have been by teams coached by Rick Carlisle: Thursday night’s Pacers victory and Thursday, June 2, 2011, when Carlisle’s Mavericks toppled the Heat.
This postseason, when the Pacers have faced deficits of at least 15 points, their record is 5-3 (.625).
Indiana’s record this postseason in clutch games is 8-1 (.889).
The Pacers took their first lead — on Tyrese Haliburton’s 21-foot jumper — with 0.3 seconds left. It marks the latest into any Finals game since 1971 that a team had taken its first lead of the game.
The comeback marked Indiana’s fifth comeback from a deficit of at least 15 points in the 2025 playoffs, most by a team in a single postseason since 1998.
Since 1971, teams that had trailed by at least nine points inside the final 3 minutes of NBA Finals games had been 0-182. After Game 1, that mark is now 1-182 (.005).
Thunder guard and NBA Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s 38 points are third-most for a player making his NBA Finals debut behind Allen Iverson’s 48 (2001) and George Mikan’s 42 (1949).
During the regular season and playoffs, Tyrese Haliburton is 13-of-15 on shots inside the final two minutes (including overtime) to tie or take a lead. That gives him a shooting percentage of 86.7% on such tries.
Because six of those 13 made field goals were 3-pointers, he has scored 32 points across those 15 shot tries to give him a ridiculous 2.13 points per attempt.
He has been on such a tear that his points per shot attempt on such tries actually went down from what it was entering Game 1 (2.14) because his Game 1 winners wasn’t a 3-pointer.
When breaking those numbers down to account for the added value of 3-pointers, Haliburton is shooting a preposterous 106.7% effective field goal percentage. That figure also went down from what it was (107.1%) entering the night.
Haliburton is now tied for second with former Pacers legend Reggie Miller with five field goals to tie or take a lead inside the final 5.0 seconds in an NBA playoff game since 1997. Haliburton has hit four of those this postseason, alone. LeBron James leads all players with eight.
Haliburton now has hit a game-winning or game-tying shot in the final seconds of each of Indiana’s four postseason series this year.

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Kierston Russell, the twin sister of University of Alabama football quarterback Keelon Russell, has died, the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff’s Office confirmed June 5. She was 18 years old.

‘There has been considerable media attention concerning a death investigation that occurred (in Tuscaloosa) on June 4, 2025,’ Capt. Jack Kennedy of the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff’s Office Violent Crimes Unit wrote in a statement. 

‘After speaking with the family, and in an attempt to quell media inquiries, they have given permission to confirm the death of Kierston Russell… The investigation is ongoing pursuant to the procedures mentioned above, and at this time appears to be non-criminal in nature.  Therefore, at this time no other information will be released.’

Keelon Russell has posted a string of social media messages on his Instagram account, including photos of him and Kierston while responding to messages, such as ‘stay strong for mom my thoughts and prayers are with y’all” with emojis of hands into heart shapes.

Kierston Russell played basketball at Texas’ Duncanville High School, which finished its season in the regional finals. 

Keelon Russell, who enrolled at Alabama in January, was a five-star quarterback at Duncanville High School.