PARAGOULD — Pioneer baseball has been hitting the recruiting trail hard over the past few weeks, paying off with the addition of two utility players who can also spend time as pitchers.

BALTIMORE — Outfielder Heston Kjerstad agreed to a minor league contract with the Baltimore Orioles that includes a $5.2 million signing bonus, well below the slot value of $7,789,900 assigned to the No. 2 overall pick.

PARAGOULD — Crowley’s Ridge College head golf coach Adam Meeker has added the first golfer to his 2020 signing class with Ector (Texas) High School’s Austin Earl.

PARAGOULD — Crowley’s Ridge College announced Thursday Kayla Smart will suit up for Crowley Ridge College’s 2020 volleyball squad.

JONESBORO — Palm Beach State College forward Tim Holland Jr. has signed a grant-in-aid to join the 2020-21 roster, Arkansas State men’s basketball head coach Mike Balado announced Wednesday.

PARAGOULD — Head hoops coach Chris Perkins announced Tuesday the addition of three Arkansas athletes to the Crowley’s Ridge College program.

BROKEN ARROW, Okla. — Jonesboro brothers Tom and Eddie Morgan competed in a World Association of Bench Press and Dead Lift powerlifting contest in Broken Arrow on May 23.

NEW YORK (AP) — So, where were we?

NASCAR went to Talladega Superspeedway on heightened alert after Bubba Wallace, its only Black driver, took on an active role in a push for racial equality.

JONESBORO — Jonesboro High School graduates Madison Shelton and Clara Parker are the recipients of the 2020 Christy Rankin Memorial Tennis Scholarship.

WALNUT RIDGE — The Williams Baptist University wrestling team was named the 2019-20 American Midwest Conference Champions of Character Team Award winner on Wednesday.

CONWAY — The University of Central Bears had their 11th Major League Baseball draft pick in the past eight years on Thursday night when junior pitcher Gavin Stone got the call from the Los Angeles Dodgers.

PARAGOULD — Lady Pioneer head coach Jordan Malone announced Thursday the addition of two more local players to her 2021 roster at Crowley’s Ridge College.

BATESVILLE — With the resignation of Milton Williams, who served as the head men’s and women’s track & field coach, Lyon College Director of Athletics Kevin Jenkins has named Adam Trausch as the new head coach of both programs.

JONESBORO — Thea Rice, a Hot Springs native who played two seasons at Arkansas, will transfer to Arkansas State and join the team this fall, women’s tennis head coach Kel Lange announced Monday.

FAYETTEVILLE — The University of Arkansas announced Friday it will expand its policy of playing in-state universities in sports to include Arkansas State University and the University of Central Arkansas.

THE COLONY, Texas — In her first competition since the COVID-19 pandemic ended the collegiate season, sophomore Olivia Schmidt of the Arkansas State women’s golf team finished tied for 10th among amateurs at the Texas Women’s Open, held Tuesday through Thursday this week.

FAYETTEVILLE — The University of Arkansas announced Friday it will expand its policy of playing in-state universities in sports to include Arkansas State University and the University of Central Arkansas.

Clemson, S.C. — Matt Walters, a Jonesboro native and 2008 graduate of Valley View High School, has been promoted to men’s tennis associate head coach at Clemson University.

PARAGOULD — K.J. Corder signed with Chris Parker’s Pioneers Friday, opting to continue his collegiate career at Crowley’s Ridge College after finishing his time at National Park (Mo.) College.

JONESBORO — Officials from the Disc Golf Pro Tour and the Professional Disc Golf Association have announced the plan to restart the 2020 DGPT Season, and it includes a new date for the Play It Again Sports Jonesboro Open.

JONESBORO — While the season ended just prior to the start of the 2020 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships, the USTFCCCA announced on Tuesday that Arkansas State’s Camryn Newton-Smith is among those earning Indoor All-American honors for the 2020 season.

JONESBORO — Arkansas State head football coach Blake Anderson has received a restructured contract extension that runs through 2023, according to a news release issued Friday.

HOXIE — Hoxie High School graduate Cassidy Clayton signed to play basketball with the Williams Baptist University Lady Eagles on Friday afternoon.

JONESBORO — Hunter Roper, a Jonesboro native and Valley View graduate who played her freshman season at Xavier, will transfer to Arkansas State and join the team this fall, women’s tennis head coach Kel Lange announced today.

PARAGOULD — Head Coach Brad Phillips and Assistant Coach Jessica Segraves have signed three student-athletes as the newest members of the 2020-21 Lady Pioneer Women’s Basketball team – Travia Woodruff, Mickayla Smith, and Kiyuana Foster.