FOOTBALL
ASU’s season-opener to be nationally televised
Arkansas State’s season-opener at Southern California on Sept. 5 will be televised on the Pac-12 Network and will kick off at 10 p.m. Central, the school announced Monday.
ASU now has four games scheduled for national television during the 2015 season. ASU’s game at South Alabama (Oct. 13) and the home game against Louisiana-Lafayette (Oct. 20) will each be on ESPN2, while the Nov. 5 game at Appalachian State will be on ESPNU.
ASU’s Sept. 12 home-opener against Missouri will likely be televised, but the time and network have not yet been announced.
BASEBALL
ASU signs two transfers
Catcher Francisco Alvarez and infielder Jeff Bakamus have each signed national letters of intent to play at Arkansas State, the school announced Monday.
Alvarez, from Garden City (Kan.) Community College, hit .371 to lead his team this season, with 11 home runs, a .472 on-base percentage and a .660 slugging percentage.
Bakamus, from Lower Columbia College in Longview, Wash., hit .375 with 5 home runs, 33 RBI and 16 extra-base hits.
Hope promoted to coach OBU
Ouachita Baptist promoted Kyle Hope, assistant baseball coach at OBU since 2012, to head coach Monday.
Hope replaced Jeremy Haworth, who resigned to become the new coach at Mississippi College, which announced the hiring Saturday
“We appreciate Coach Haworth’s time as head coach of the Tigers,” OBU Athletic Director David Sharp said. “We wish him nothing but the best as he makes this change. Coach Hope has a wealth of experience on different levels and brings a competent approach in all areas of the game.”
Hope has served as the Tigers’ pitching coach, recruiting coordinator and camp director. He has 34 years of experience on the high school and collegiate levels and holds degrees from North Texas State and Henderson State. He led Highland Park to a high school state championship in Texas and McKinney to a title in the Texas Collegiate League.
VOLLEYBALL
UALR’s Begic earns Sun Belt honor
UALR outside hitter Edina Begic was named Sun Belt Conference’s Female Student Athlete of the Year, the league office announced Monday.
Begic, from Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina, was named Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year three times and was twice named honorable mention all-American by the American Volleyball Coaches Association.
Begic, who led UALR to a victory over Kansas in the first-round of the NCAA Tournament last year, had 2,189 career kills, a UALR record and fourth-most ever in the Sun Belt. She’s the second UALR athlete to earn the award, joining basketball player Chastity Reed, who won it in 2011.