FOOTBALL RECRUITING
Maury LB chooses to play for Pitt
Three-time Maury all-state linebacker Isaiah “Ike” Simmons revealed via social media that he has committed to play football for Pittsburgh. The 6-foot, 210-pounder has one more year with the Commodores first.
LOCAL BASEBALL
Pilots pound Chili Peppers, go to 8-0
Make that 8-0 for the Coastal Plain League’s only unbeaten team, the Peninsula Pilots.
They scored seven runs in the fourth inning Sunday night at War Memorial Stadium in Hampton and went on to beat the Tri-City Chili Peppers 10-4 before 1,163.
Carlos Pena, an early contender for league MVP, was 4 for 4 with four RBIs. The Indiana State senior from Queens, New York, scored twice and clubbed his eighth home run of the year to go along with 16 RBIs, meaning he is averaging a homer and two RBIs per game.
Connor Dietsch scored three runs, Scotty Young drove in two runs, and Haiden Walters, Grayson Fitzwater and Jaxson Wall each had two of the Pilots’ 13 hits.
The Pilots used nine pitchers. Cole Koonce struck out five in two no-hit innings, and the other eight pitchers worked an inning or less. Marcus Dux got the victory with a scoreless fourth.
Jackson Woolwine was 2 for 4 with a run for Tri-City (4-6).
COLLEGE MEN’S LACROSSE
Culpepper named Hampton head coach
Hampton University promoted Vincent Culpepper, who has been the Pirates’ offensive coordinator since 2023, to head coach. He will try to rebuild a program that is seeking its first victories of the decade.
Culpepper was a second-team All-Big Ten midfielder for Indiana, from where he graduated in 2015, a head coach for Cairn University’s fledgling program from 2019-22 and the director of operations for North Carolina’s lacrosse program in 2023.
HU athletic director Anthony Henderson said, “His dedication to the sport and commitment to our student-athletes align perfectly with our vision for the future of Hampton lacrosse.”
The Pirates went 6-5 in 2019 but are 0-56 since, including 0-15 in 2025.
