Gophers Kendyl Lindaman and MaKenna Partain were named two of the 25 finalists for National Fastpitch Coaches Association's Division I national freshman of the year award.
Lindaman, a catcher from Ankeny, Iowa, leads the nation's No. 5-ranked team in batting average (.407) and homers (14, one shy of the school record) and is second in RBI (52). Partain, a second baseman from Banks, Ore., is third in batting average (.400) and has 10 doubles and 28 RBI.
• The Gophers (40-3, 13-1 Big Ten) take an 11-game winning streak into a conference series with Iowa starting at 6 p.m. Friday at Sage Cowles Stadium. Their home park has been expanded for the rest of the season with left-field bleachers that can seat more than 200. Even so, Sunday's game is a sellout and only standing-room tickets remain for Saturday.
Lynx sign top pick
The Lynx have signed Alexis Jones, their first-round draft pick, to a contract.
Jones, a 5-9 guard for Baylor, was picked with the 12th overall pick in last week's WNBA draft by the Lynx, who will open training camp Sunday.
Jones averaged 13.2 points 4.7 rebounds and 4.8 assists as a senior for Baylor, where she finished her college career second in three-point shooting (41.1 percent) and fourth in assists (4.6 per game).
Kent Youngblood
Etc.
• Kiley Sabin of the Gophers women's track and field team won the shot put (52-9¼) and Temi Ogunrinde the hammer throw (200-5) at the Kansas Relays in Lawrence.
• The Gophers will be one of 14 teams competing in the Big Ten women's golf championships starting Friday at TPC River's Bend in Cincinnati. Among the individual favorites is Michigan State's Sarah Burnham, a junior from Maple Grove. She was seventh last year.
• Macalester will officially name the press box at its baseball/softball complex the Andy Johnson Memorial Press Box on Sunday. He was the Scots' longtime sports information director; he died Oct. 27, 2015.
