Katie McInerney

3 weeks ago | bostonglobe.com | Katie McInerney

It’s a special day for Sean Newcomb. The 31-year-old from Middleborough, Mass., will get the ball as the Red Sox’ starter when they open their three-game series vs. the Orioles in Baltimore on Monday. “Spring training was fun. But to wear this uniform in a game is going to be special,” Newcomb said Sunday. Boston may hope the moment takes some of the heat off the offense. After showing up for the season opener, the Red Sox dropped their next three games to the Rangers to begin 1-3.

4 weeks ago | bostonglobe.com | Katie McInerney

Perhaps this season, Red Sox fans won’t look at a team’s opposing lineup and quote Bob Lobel: “How come we can’t get guys like that?”Yes, former Red Sox pitcher Nathan Eovaldi is on the mound for the Texas Rangers as they open the 2025 campaign against Boston. But this year, the Red Sox have an ace up their own sleeve: Garrett Crochet. The new addition will get the ball as Boston’s Opening Day starter as the season begins in Arlington, Texas, with a 4:05 p.m. EDT first pitch.

1 month ago | bostonglobe.com | Katie McInerney |Andrew Mahoney

The men’s NCAA hockey bracket for the 2025 tournament will be released at 3 p.m. Sunday. You can watch the reveal on ESPNU. Of the 16 teams to earn bids to the NCAA tournament — six automatic qualifiers for each of the six conferences, plus 10 at-large bids — six will be Hockey East teams. Hockey East is earned three of the four No. 1 seeds based on Pairwise rankings: Maine, the Hockey East tournament champ; Boston College; and Boston University.

1 month ago | ourcommunitynow.com | Katie McInerney

And Providence is where Calipari finds himself in 2025 in his first season at Arkansas. Call it the “coach’s bracket” — Calipari will face the iconic Bill Self and Kansas on Thursday. Matt Painter, who has 20 years under his belt, leads No. 4 Purdue against High Point in a push to return to the title game. And of course there’s Rick Pitino — UMass alum, former BU coach, and the man who led Providence to the 1987 Final Four.

1 month ago | bostonglobe.com | Katie McInerney

The NCAA Tournament is returning to Providence for the first time since 2016. Arkansas coach John Calipari is excited. “I love Providence,” he said Wednesday. “I do. It’s been one of those places.”Why Providence? It’s where Calipari’s UMass team entered the 1996 NCAA Tournament as a No. 1 seed with a 31-1 record. The Minutemen cruised to their first Final Four in program history, cementing Calipari’s status as a coach-in-demand.