BASEBALL

Baltimore Orioles pitcher Chris Bassitt and first baseman Ryan Mountcastle are scheduled to join the Norfolk Tides on a rehab assignment beginning today at Harbor Park.

Bassitt is slated to pitch tonight’s 6:35 series opener against the Worcester Red Sox. The 37-year-old, who is recovering from lower back surgery, hasn’t pitched for the Orioles since June 3. In 12 games (10 starts) this season, he’s 4-4 with a 5.27 ERA and 37 strikeouts in 56 1/3 innings.

Mountcastle, 29, hasn’t played in a game since April 11 after fracturing his left foot. He’s been on the 60-day injured list. He’s played in only eight games this season for the Orioles and is hitting .286 with one RBI.

This will be the fifth different season Mountcastle has played for the Tides. He also played in 2019, 2023, 2024 and 2025. He was the International League MVP in 2019, when he hit .312 with 25 home runs and 83 RBIs.

In other region/state news:

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

NSU to play game at Lincoln Financial Field again

Norfolk State announced today that its football matchup against Delaware State on Oct. 31 will be once again played at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, where head coach Michael Vick called home for five seasons with the Eagles.

It will be the second straight season that the teams have played at “The Linc.”

Delaware State’s head coach is DeSean Jackson, a former teammate of Vick with the Eagles.

The kickoff time will be announced at a later date.

Delaware State won last season’s meeting, 27-20.

HU to start practice at a backup site

Hampton University will begin its preseason football drills Aug. 5 at Gosnold’s Hope Park in Hampton while new football turf and a new track are being installed at Armstrong Stadium.

COLLEGE CROSS COUNTRY

NSU’s Giles named HBCU Cross Country Coach of Year

Norfolk State Director of Track and Field programs Kenneth Giles has earned Cross Country Coach of the Year honors at the third annual HBCU Sports Awards Show.

Giles was the MEAC cross country Most Outstanding Coach for the 17th time after guiding the Spartans to their fifth consecutive MEAC men’s cross country championship in 2025. Also, NSU’s Lewis Too won the individual conference title. The Spartans’ women’s squad finished as runner-up.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

UVA’s Odom announces 8 newcomers

University of Virginia men’s basketball coach Ryan Odom announced the addition of eight newcomers to the program for the 2026-27 season.

The group includes an international player, four transfers and three high school/prep players.

The international player is 6-7 forward Nolan Adekunle, who averaged 8.4 points and 3.5 rebounds for VET-CONCEPT Gladiators Trier of the German Basketball Bundesliga league.

The transfers include 6-4 guard Jurian Dixon (UC Irvine), 6-6 guards Christian Harmon (Arkansas State) and Jan Vide (Loyola Marymount) and 6-8 forward Kalu Anya (Saint Louis).

Dixon had the most impressive statistics of the transfers, averaging a team-high 15.9 points a game and earning All-Big West first-team honors. Harmon averaged 12.8 points last season, while Vide averaged 12.1 and Anya 6.5 along with a team-best 7.5 rebounds.

The Cavaliers picked up size in 7-1 center Favour Ibe from Mt. Zion Prep. The four-star prospect averaged 16 points and 7.5 rebounds last season.

The two high school players will be walk-ons: 6-2 guard Nick Rotter and 5-11 guard Quincy Watson. Both scored more than 1,000 points in their high school careers.