Seahawks Bolster Gunner Competition, Acquire Irv Charles From Jets
Orchestrating a rare late May trade, the Seattle Seahawks have added another viable contender to the mix to help replace departed receiver Dareke Young as one of the team’s primary gunners covering punts on special teams.
According to Zach Blatt of the Athletic, Seattle has agreed to send a conditional 2028 seventh round pick to the New York Jets for veteran receiver Irvin Charles. The team officially announced the trade on their official website with undrafted rookie Trayvon Rudolph waived to create a roster spot in a corresponding move.
Highly recruited out of high school, Charles began his collegiate career at Penn State, playing two seasons for the Nittany Lions before transferring to Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 2018. He didn’t play football for the next three seasons, returning to the gridiron as a graduate student in 2021 and catching 39 passes for 792 yards and 12 touchdowns, using that successful comeback audition at the Division II level to climb back onto the NFL radar.
Gonzaga WBB Adds Rider Transfer Emmy Roach as Taller Option in Backcourt
Wanting to add size to its backcourt, Gonzaga women’s basketball announced the addition of Emmy Roach, the team’s first landed transfer ahead of the 2026-27 season.
A priority on head coach Lisa Fortier’s offseason checklist, the 6-0 Roach brings a unique skillset from her years in New Jersey and overseas. She spent the last two seasons at Rider University, appearing in 28 games each year for the Broncs. But the Australian also has semi-professional experience, playing in the NBL1 before her collegiate career began, which will now continue in Spokane. Roach will likely fill a desired role in replacing senior Inês Bettencourt, as a guard with two-way abilities who can take pressure off of Allie Turner as a ball-handling option.
In a statement released by the team, Fortier said, “We are excited for Emmy to join our team! She brings versatility, a solid basketball IQ, and shoots the ball in a way that fits great for how we want to play.”
Sunblock Required: Huskies Non-conference September Slate Scheduled for Daytime
Get your sunblock ready.
There will be no Dawgs after dark for the Washington Huskies football team during the first three home games.
The Big Ten announced TV times for the first three weeks of the season, and it includes a few anomalies for UW. First, there are no true night games for the Huskies during the first three weeks, which are all home non-conference games. And with college football starting the regular season a week before the NFL, the season-opening Apple Cup will be played on a Sunday, making it three games in 14 days at Husky Stadium.
M’s Move Within Striking Distance of Division Lead with Win over A’s
Tuesday night was the first time the 2026 Mariners followed up a win of six or more run differential with a win of three or more run differential. Those benchmarks are largely meaningless in and of themselves, but they showed that the team finally managed to string together two largely complete victories, Tuesday’s a solid 4-1 win.
With a lead in hand for nearly the whole contest, the M’s did well to keep the powerful Athletics lineup off the board and away from any sort of comeback; not once after the first did the hosts have the tying run at the plate. But most of all, the team finally showed life against a side of the mound they have been vexed by for a grueling stretch of time.
The Mariners Jump-started their offense against a debutant Sacramento southpaw.
It’s no secret that the Mariners have been horrendous batsmen against left-handers, coming into the game with a .190/.277/.315 slash line against southpaws going into Tuesday’s game. The A’s sought to exploit this fact with quite the bold move: calling up lefty pitching prospect Gage Jump from Triple-A in order to be able to face the M’s on their weaker side.
He's In: Cristian Roldan Makes USMNT Cut Ahead of World Cup
The saga is over.
Cristian Roldan was one of 26 players named to the United States Men's National Team for the June FIFA World Cup after months of speculation on whether the 30-year-old would make the cut. Roldan, who has notched 45 caps with the USMNT, enters the largest sporting event in the world alongside stars like Christian Pulisic and Weston McKennie. He's the only Sounder projected to play in this year's World Cup.
Roldan made the cut in Qatar in 2022 as the U.S. finished in the Round of 16, but never got on the pitch. If his form is good enough to get minutes this time around, local fans will get a chance to see him when the U.S. takes on Australia in the group stage on June 19 at Lumen Field (AKA Seattle Stadium for the next month and a half).
The USMNT will take on Senegal on May 31 and Germany on June 6 in friendlies as it ramps up.
With the eye of former skipper Gregg Berhalter in the past, Roldan's versatile skillset in the defending midfield captured the attention of new USMNT coach Mauricio Pochettino in recent months as he made practically every camp the team has put on.
Washington State Draws Oregon State on Friday to Start NCAA Tournament Play
The NCAA Tournament returns to Eugene this weekend with a regional field that features familiar ex-Pac 12 rivals, a future conference matchup, and two of the Washington State Cougars biggest games in years.
Washington State will open regional play on Friday against Oregon State at PK Park, home of top-seeded Oregon. The Cougars will then continue in the double-elimination regional format against either the Ducks or Yale Bulldogs, depending on the outcome of Friday’s opening games.
The Eugene Regional carries an unusual amount of Pac-12 history. Three schools with previous conference ties are grouped together as college athletics continues to shift through conference realignment. Oregon now competes in the Big Ten after the collapse of the Pac-12, while Oregon State spent the past two baseball seasons competing as an independent before agreeing to officially rejoin the rebuilt Pac-12 next year alongside Washington State. The regional gives the weekend a familiar West Coast feel despite the changing conference landscape.
Hounds Domesticate Seawolves in Chicago with 57-17 Beatdown
With the Seawolves taking on the undefeated Chicago Hounds on Sunday, there were only two ways the game was going to go. Either the Seawolves would hand the best team in the MLR a complete stunner on their own turf, or the Hounds would take care of business in front of their own fans and go to 8-0 on the 10-game season.
The clearly more likely outcome was the one that wound up happening. Although the Seawolves put in admirable effort and relatively limited their mistakes (especially in the first half), the same energy deficit that sunk them quickly at home against the Hounds sunk them on the road against that same team, only a little slower, steadier, and without a red card on Seattle.
When Seattle had the ball, things looked a little bit more even. Progress was slow but clear, but they pushed forward slowly and grinded out the occasional holes. The backfield especially had moments of electricity, while Ezekiel Lindenmuth’s return from red card suspension went well in the front row.
Sounders Hopes Dashed by Late LAFC Winner Before World Cup Break
It was all going to plan for the Seattle Sounders through eight games.
Sitting at 6-1-1 with the best defense in the league, head coach Brian Schmetzer’s squad looked to insert itself into the top of the Supporters Shield Race with a road game against flailing Sporting Kansas City and a three-match homestand coming.
Instead of thriving on the schedule, Seattle went 1-1-2 heading into a key road date with a struggling LAFC squad (7-5-3), fresh off three losses, on the final Sunday before the June World Cup Break.
Seattle managed to play a scoreless game through 85 minutes, bringing on offensive subs late to try and steal three points. But it was the home team that notched the win, as midfielder Timothy Tillman came out of nowhere late to slam a cross-goal service past Andrew Thomas for the win.
Seattle dropped to 7-3-3 and into sixth place out west with nearly two months to go before its return to play against Portland on July 16.
Washington State Baseball Wins Mountain West, Earns NCAA Tournament Bid
The Washington State Cougars baseball team is officially headed back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2010 after defeating San Diego State 14-4 Sunday afternoon to win the Mountain West Championship. The Cougars earned the conference’s automatic bid and completed one of the program’s biggest turnarounds in recent history.
The Cougars entered their winner take all game with a 29-26 overall record and finished second in the Mountain West standings with a 15-9 conference record, trailing only San Diego State in the standings. After finishing 18-36 a season ago, Washington State returned much of the same roster and turned that experience into a postseason run that few expected.
Washington State opened the conference tournament Friday night with a 5-1 win over Air Force to advance to the semifinals. On Saturday, the Cougars faced top-seeded San Diego State and pulled off a 14-9 upset to move into the championship game undefeated.
San Diego State stayed alive later that day by defeating Air Force 11-8 in an elimination game, setting up a rematch with Washington State on Sunday. Because the Cougars had not yet lost in the double-elimination tournament, the Aztecs needed to beat Washington State twice to claim the championship and NCAA Tournament berth.
WATCH: Reign Break Scoreless Streak, Beat Expansion Boston 2-1
Emerald City Spectrum reporter Qasim Ali breaks down a 2-1 win for the Seattle Reign over the Boston Legacy (2-6-3) on Friday night. Seattle improved to 4-4-2 and broke a five-game scoreless streak thanks to goals from Sofia Huerta and Maddie Dahlien, conceding a late stoppage-time goal to spoil a clean-sheet performance.
M’s Take Close, Stable Pitcher’s Duel to Begin Road Trip in Kansas City
The Mariners have seen games take wild courses in Kauffman Stadium over the past few years, but on Friday night, it was remarkably stable. Both teams struggled quite a bit at the plate, leading to a low-scoring pitcher’s duel, but one home run for the visitors led to Seattle taking a 2-0 lead and the M’s bullpen went all according to plan.
Logan Gilbert threw nearly six shutout innings, recovering from his seven-run disaster against the Padres.
The last time Logan Gilbert had gone out to the mound, he had thrown 21 of his 27 first pitches for strikes, yet the San Diego Padres jumped on them for seven runs in total. Gilbert threw 15 of 21 first pitches for strikes on Friday, yet he kept the opposing Royals scoreless.
Talking with the media before the game, manager Dan Wilson downplayed concerns that the Mariners’ strike-throwing had allowed hitters to sit on and ambush early strikes.
“We do attack the zone, we do want to get ahead, and I think it’s a different at-bat when you do,” Wilson said before Friday’s game. “I think the good always outweighs the bad when it comes to that.”
Of course, the devil is in the details. Looking at a map of these first pitches, with those against San Diego on the left and those against Kansas City on the right, there are a couple things that are clear.
Storm Activate Awa Fam, Sign Joyner Holmes to Hardship Contract
The Seattle Storm made two moves ahead of their second straight bout with the Connecticut Sun on Friday, May 22, at Climate Pledge Arena.
Seattle activated rookie No. 3 overall pick Awa Fam now that she has joined the team and also signed forward Joyner Holmes to a hardship contract on Friday.
The Storm have been without Ezi Magbegor since the season began, and Dominique Malonga has now missed two games due to a concussion. Her status for Friday’s game against the Sun is uncertain, but the signing of Holmes suggests she will still be on the sidelines.
Arozarena, Mariners Gut Out Series Win vs. White Sox
It would be quite an understatement to say a Wednesday win was badly needed after the gut-punch the Mariners had suffered on Tuesday.
Luckily for Seattle (with luck indeed on the team’s side more often than not), the M’s gutted out the afternoon rubber match, defying even a no-outs, bases loaded miss to put up five runs and win the game 5-4. It was their first one-run win since May 4 and 24th win on the whole year, though they still sit three games under despite heroics from Randy Arozarena and Jhonny Pereda.
Emerson Hancock pitched an uneasy five innings but avoided extra damage.
Wednesday’s game gave Mariners starter Emerson Hancock the chance for revenge on the only team to yet put up a crooked number on him in 2026. Results were mixed innings-wise, but the hurler kept the White Sox to far less runs than the five he had given up in Chicago.
The strangeness of the sport was on display in the second and third innings for the Mariners starter. Despite a whistle-clean first inning, Hancock lost his control in the second, unable to figure out the release point on his fastball. One heater after another flew high and away to the lefty Colson Montgomery for a leadoff five-pitch walk, followed by four straight up and in to Chase Meidroth. He tried to get his feel back with a sweeper to Jarred Kelenic, only for it to bounce out of Jhonny Pereda’s reach and advance the runners - but the wild pitch scarcely mattered since Kelenic walked anyway.
O’Dea’s Tevita Nonu Latest Win as Huskies Look to Load Up on the Defensive Line
After three years of playing catch-up to build a defensive front capable of holding up in the Big Ten, the Washington Huskies appear to be loading up for the long term.
While head coach Jedd Fisch and defensive line coach Jason Kaufusi look far and wide for tall and wide bodies, the latest recruiting win is just a few miles from Huskies Stadium. Tevita Nonu, a 6-4, 270-pound Class of 2027 defensive lineman from O’Dea High School, committed to Washington on Tuesday.
Nonu chose Washington over Michigan, Notre Dame, Oregon and Arizona. This was a crucial win for UW.
How Do Sounders Stack Up in MLS All-Star Voting?
The MLS All-Star Game may not be the most popular among fans for its unusual place in international football culture, but it's an easy way for teams to get publicity for their highest-performing players.
Last season, now Atletico Madrid midfielder Obed Vargas was the only Seattle Sounder to make the squad. With the Sounders off to a much better start at 7-2-3 (4th in Western Conference) this time around, Seattle is generating buzz with one day of fan voting left before the July 29 All-Star Game in Charlotte.
This season, the Sounders are tied for the fewest goals allowed in league play (10), but are tied for the fifth-fewest scored (17). As such, solid offensive seasons for Paul Rothrock (5 G+A), Albert Rusnak (6 G+A) and Jesus Ferreira (5 G+A) simply don't stack up with the rest of a league that is oversaturated with ridiculous scoring lines this season. Instead, look for the pieces that are powering the elite defense performance to get some love in Charlotte.
Keeper Andrew Thomas, USMNT midfield prospect Cristian Roldan, center back Jackson Ragen, right back Alex Roldan and left back Nouhou were all top-five in fan voting at their respective positions as of May 18, according to MLS. The voting process will take fan, media and player votes into account for 11 of the players, while Charlotte coach Dean Smith will select 13 and MLS Commissioner Don Garber will pick the remaining two All-Stars.
Gonzaga Baseball Cleans Up at WCC Awards as Mark Machtolf, Nine Players Garner Accolades
When a team wins a conference by more than seven games, it figures that they’ll be notably represented when postseason awards roll around.
Of the 59 names listed across the various West Coast award categories, 14 of them are members of Gonzaga baseball, as nine different Bulldogs were honored at least once for their individual performance this season. That means nearly a quarter of the honorees were Zags.
GU nearly swept the five major awards, only missing out on Defensive Player of the Year. Mark Machtolf won his sixth WCC Coach of the Year honor, Mikey Bell went back-to-back in Player of the Year Voting, Karsten Sweum took home Pitcher of the Year, and Landon Hood won the Freshman of the Year award. Bell leads the slew of right-handed Bulldog sluggers recognition, while a senior pitcher got some shine as well in his final year in Spokane.
What was special about each of their seasons, and who else brought home the hardware?
Welcome to the Show: Colt Emerson Whacks Big Jack for First Career Hit, M’s Top White Sox 6-1
On Sunday morning, the Mariners brass was faced with a decision. Brendan Donovan had re-injured his groin during a game against the Astros, and with Leo Rivas’ struggles continuing unabated and an unclear timeline for Patrick Wisdom (though he was evidently taken off the IL the following day), the time was arriving for 20-year-old top prospect Colt Emerson. At least, that’s the decision that the front office made.
“We think he’s the best option,” Hollander said about Emerson on Sunday. “This period will give him some runway; this is not a 15 at-bat or a 20 at-bat tryout to see if he’s capable of taking the job and running with it for the rest of the year.”
One key homer does not a good player make, but when Emerson sent a low liner a hair’s breadth above the yellow crown of T-Mobile park’s right field wall in the bottom of the eighth - a shot that put the M’s up by the 6-1 score that would prove final - Seattle got a glimpse of things that may be.
Colt Emerson’s first major league hit was a three-run homer to turn a close lead into a comfortable one.
When Emerson went up to the dish, the momentum of the game had left a growing pit in many stomachs across the Northwest. Seattle had scored one run on a Julio Rodríguez bomb in the first, another on a third inning Randy Arozarena RBI double that was more memorable for what happened between second and third, and a run-scoring Josh Naylor single in the sixth.
But despite an electric double steal growing the inning into a second-and-third, one out opportunity, neither Cole Young nor Emerson had cashed in, and a homer followed by a bunch of stranded traffic had put the wind at the White Sox’ back.
Storm Waive Third-Round Pick Grace VanSlooten
The Seattle Storm are preparing for the arrival of No. 3 overall pick Awa Fam following her championship win with Valencia in Spain, and they waived third-round pick Grace VanSlooten on Monday to make space on the roster.
VanSlooten, who has played in all four regular-season games, was the 39th overall pick in this year’s draft out of Michigan State. She likely would have landed in a developmental roster spot initially if Fam was with the Storm to begin the campaign, but the second spot is now filled by Taylor Thierry. Of course, if she clears waivers, the Storm could always let go of Thierry and re-sign VanSlooten to a developmental contract.
Coetzer Shines as Seawolves Wallop Anthem 57-21, Move into Second Place
TUKWILA, Wash. - Despite all the injuries and the early season losses, the Seawolves currently sit in a home playoff spot with three games remaining in the 2026 MLR season. Perhaps it goes to show that, even in a 10-match season, an early slump isn’t the be-all, end-all; perhaps it also shows that the five teams not named the Chicago Hounds have quite the dogfight to see who gets the second place home playoff game, who gets the other two playoff spots, and which two teams are left out in the cold.
Seattle’s 57-21 victory against Anthem Rugby Carolina was their most emphatic yet, building on a season-saving win against the Free Jacks and a second half comeback against Old Glory, both badly needed road wins before their triumphant (yet incomplete) homecoming.
Sunday afternoon marked the return of Davy Coetzer and Marno Redelinghuys to the starting XV, with André Warner playing at scrumhalf and JP Smith originally slated to play on the wing before being scratched late. Dorian Jones also returned from injury, ending up coming off the bench in the final quarter of the game.
Sounders’ Home Unbeaten Streak Ends at 22, Pec Runs Riot for Galaxy
The Seattle Sounders had been through the wringer in a three-game week, but were facing an LA Galaxy team coming off a tough loss to Kansas City to close the stretch Saturday. Seattle, on the other hand, was riding high with a win over the top-ranked San Jose Earthquakes on Wednesday, and set their lineup to rotate against the 11th-place Galaxy.
Unfortunately for Seattle, LA found its footing in this one, as star winger Gabriel Pec had a goal and an assist in transition late to bury the Sounders in a 2-0 shocker. The loss meant the end of a 22-game home unbeaten run dating back to last summer against European champion Paris Saint-Germain in the Club World Cup.
Seattle, as it has for the past few matches, spent plenty of time in LA's box with 30 touches in the 18, but couldn't cash in on 1.4 expected goals on mostly half-chances. The Sounders also took 15 shots and got five on frame with 58% possession, but the Galaxy's counterattacks late buried Seattle as LA generated 1.7 xG on nine shots.
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