Here are the top sports stories for the week ending July 19
◘With high school and college sports enjoying their summer breaks, baseball dominates the sports pages. One of the top stories of the summer is the annual Major League Baseball Draft. Two players with Rhode Island connections heard their names called last week and Bill Koch shared their stories. Middletown native Caleb Leys and University of Rhode Island senior Anthony DePino were selected in the fourth and seventh rounds, respectively. Leys went to the Detroit Tigers at No. 129 overall while DePino went to the Chicago White Sox at No. 196 overall.
Leys was the America East Pitcher of the Year while starring at Maine as a redshirt junior in 2025. The left-hander made a triumphant return after Tommy John surgery in February 2024 cost him what was expected to be his third year with the Black Bears. That came after a combined 34 appearances in 2022 and 2023.
Leys started in each of his 14 games last season, posting a 2.69 earned-run average over 67 innings. He allowed just nine extra-base hits — eight doubles and a lone triple — while collecting 74 strikeouts. Opposing batters hit just .230 against him.
Leys was a Division II champion with the Islanders in 2021 before committing to Maine, following multiple fellow state natives like Jeremy Peña to Orono. Leys' suggested signing bonus from Detroit is $577,400, a total that could persuade him to pass up a possible fifth college season in 2026.
DePino cemented his place as one of the premier sluggers to ever take the field in Kingston, named to multiple All-American teams while helping the Rams back to the NCAA Tournament. His slash line of .354/.505/.730 included 80 hits, 85 runs scored and 57 walks in 58 games played. DePino cracked 20 home runs and stole 21 bases, making him the only 20-20 player in Division I this season.
DePino helped URI to 38 wins and an Atlantic 10 Tournament title, which gave the program an automatic postseason berth. He exits as the all-time Rams leader in home runs, runs scored, runs batted in, total bases, extra-base hits and walks. The Connecticut native played third base and was also listed there on his MLB.com scouting report.
DePino is out of eligibility, which makes him likely to sign with Chicago in the coming days and report to its minor-league system. He’s the first URI player to be selected since outfielder Mark Coley went to the Miami Marlins in the 17th round in 2023. DePino’s suggested signing bonus as the top pick in the seventh round is $314,500.
Although he wasn't drafted, URI's Eric Genther signed a free-agent contract with the New York Yankees on Wednesday, the Rams announced on their website. The outfielder started in all 60 appearances with URI in 2025, slashing .361/.478/.584 with 17 doubles and 10 home runs. Genther is a Pennsylvania native who played four seasons with the Rams, starting with 55 games in 2022.
◘Also making news this week was the announcement of major renovations for URI's Meade Stadium. Last fall, URI announced a $65.8-million plan to upgrade Meade Stadium along with other projects for its athletic facilities. Meade Stadium, which houses both Rams football and women’s lacrosse, is set to receive around $42 million of the budget. After working with the architectural firm, Populous, the designs are now complete. Athletic director Thorr Bjorn detailed the renovations while providing updates to The Providence Journal. After the 2025 football season, renovations are set to begin in the 18-month project.
◘ The Providence Journal continued its feature of selecting the top All-State teams from the last quarter century. Bill Koch named his top baseball team, Eric Rueb picked his softball team, and Jacob Rousseau announced his boys volleyball team.
◘Be sure to keep up with all the local sports news daily on providencejournal.com, and sign up for our Sports Newsletters and alerts here.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Here are the top sports stories for the week ending July 19
Category: General Sports
