Hancock Stuns in First 2026 Outing, Mariners Thump Guardians 8-0
It all seemed to come together on Sunday afternoon. Unlike the first or third game of the series, where the Mariners kept it close but fell in the end thanks to some bullpen mismanagement, defensive miscues, and lethargic hitting - and unlike the second game, where two timely homers brought them to victory - there wasn’t a single moment of the fourth game between Seattle and the Cleveland Guardians where it seemed the pressure was on for the home crew.
Hitters up and down the lineup did their duty, the defense looked good, and that whole tone was set when a once-touted prospect whose bad luck had eaten his star finally seemed to turn a corner.
Hancock impresses in first 2026 start, tossing six no-hit innings and setting a career high in strikeouts.
Mariners starter Emerson Hancock came into 2026 with one more chance to become a major league starter. The former first-round draft pick has pitched to a 4.81 ERA, 5.23 fielding independent pitching (FIP), 1.359 walks and hits per innings pitched (WHIP), and a 2.06 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He had particularly struggled with control even more than walks as such, with errant pitches forcing him to groove a strike or two and get punished in bad situations.
Local Talent on Montlake Could Fit Multiple Needs for Seahawks in 2026 NFL Draft
When it comes to finding young talent to help bolster his football team, Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider will look just about anywhere and location and/or level of competition aren’t deal breakers in the least bit, evidenced most recently by investing a first round pick in North Dakota State guard Grey Zabel in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Dating back to 2017, Schneider has drafted Zabel as well as three players from the Division II ranks, including receivers David Moore and Dareke Young and tackle Michael Jerrell. Though none of those players remain with the Seahawks after Young signed with the Raiders earlier this month in free agency, all three of them remain on rosters in the league and two of them contributed for playoff teams in Seattle, indicating that those selections panned out quite nicely for the organization.
With that said, Schneider has wisely always kept strong tabs on local standouts, attending pro days at Washington and Washington State annually along with not-so-distant road trips to Oregon and Oregon State. In 16 years at the helm, he has drafted two former Huskies (Will Dissly in 2018, Ben Burr-Kirven in 2020) and a former Cougar (current starting right tackle Abraham Lucas in 2022) while also bringing plenty of undrafted talent into the mix from both programs, including Super Bowl champion Jermaine Kearse.
Now less than a month away from the 2026 NFL Draft, even with Seattle only holding four picks at the moment, the stars look to be aligning for Schneider to potentially add to that Evergreen State pipeline, specifically in regard to the Huskies on Montlake.
Tomas Thrastarson, Parker Gerrits Enter Portal as Cougars’ Roster Shakeup Continues
The Washington State Cougars men's basketball lost two more names to the transfer portal, as Tomas Thrastarson and Parker Gerrits have announced their decision to enter and pursue a new school for 2026-27.
Thrastarson, a Thorlákshöfn, Iceland native, appeared in 19 games this past season after missing roughly a month and a half due to an ankle injury. He averaged 8.8 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game while shooting 43.9% from the field, 28.8% from three-point range, and 73.8% from the free-throw line.
Gerrits originally joined Washington State as a walk-on before eventually earning a scholarship. Known as a strong defender on a team that struggled at times on that end of the floor, he played a limited role during his time in Pullman.
Season In Review: Analyzing Gonzaga WBB's 2025-26 Campaign
A clear signal of the youth infusion Gonzaga women’s basketball had this season is the fact that there was only one senior in its rotation.
Still, the Zags were victorious in 24 games, won the WCC tournament, and got back to the NCAA tournament after missing out on it the year prior. After Allie Turner broke out in her freshman season, Lauren Whittaker topped her with an unbelievable freshman campaign. And with so much of the team’s core expected to return, the Bulldogs are in great shape moving forward with several players who have already produced beyond their years.
Each time head coach Lisa Fortier was asked about her squad’s turnover issue throughout the year (Gonzaga had the third-most turnovers in the conference and the second-worst turnover margin), she shrugged it off. Fortier simply attributed the lack of ball security to the youth of the team, despite it costing them in most of their 10 losses. But if you were to look at the other areas of the game, it would show why she didn’t visibly obsess over the nagging issue.
So how did GU have such a successful season despite its lack of experience?
Seawolves Break Century Mark Hosting Hartford Harpooners in Preseason
TUKWILA, Wash. - Before Major League Rugby, post-collegiate American rugby was a patchwork game. It still is, at least beyond the six teams that now make up the top echelon of the sport.
The Seattle Seawolves played host to a part of that patchwork on Saturday afternoon. The Hartford Harpooners, an amateur team from the other side of the country, flew over to Seattle for a preseason match as the Seawolves gear up for the 10-game regular season. This wasn't the Seawolves' first rodeo either of the preseason - they played the Stormers' second team in Cape Town on Sunday - or with the Harpooners, who they previously hosted in 2022.
Back then, with a more diffuse talent pool in the MLR, the Seawolves came out ahead 50-0 over their amateur opponents. Perhaps in a display of MLR’s talent jump since, Seattle won 111-3. Or maybe, as I’ll explain, it might have been 113-3.
Analysis: Identifying Best Cornerback Fits for Seahawks’ 2026 Draft Picks
Undergoing significant changes in the secondary in the aftermath of a Super Bowl LX victory, the Seattle Seahawks lost two key members from their starting defensive backfield in free agency, including the departure of cornerback Riq Woolen for Philadelphia.
While Seattle didn’t exit free agency empty handed by re-signing fellow starter Josh Jobe on a three-year, $24 million deal and adding former Dolphins first-round pick Noah Igbinoghene as an intriguing reclamation project, Woolen’s exit still leaves the team with limited depth at the position. With the exception of Devon Witherspoon, Jobe, and Igbinoghene, the Seahawks don’t have another cornerback on the roster with previous starting experience, including third-year defender Nehemiah Pritchett, who has only seen action sparingly as an injury replacement to this point.
Fortunately for general manager John Schneider, even with only four draft picks scheduled for next month’s 2026 NFL Draft, the Seahawks should have ample options to restock the cupboard thanks to a deep, talented cornerback group in this year’s class. There could be as many as five corners selected in the first round, while the position features starter-caliber players who will be available on Day 2 and potentially even well into the final four rounds on Day 3.
Looking at this year’s latest crop of cornerbacks, which players stand out as the best potential fits to succeed Woolen and help reinforce the Seahawks’ secondary for 2026 and beyond with each of their four selections?
Woo Strong Early, Mariners Falter Late in Extra-Innings Heartbreaker to Guardians
The Seattle Mariners entered Saturday night’s contest like one of your old roommates - still searching for singles. They checked that box, but it still wasn’t enough.
After a strong five-plus from Bryan Woo, Cleveland’s lineup scratched across three runs late at T-Mobile Park. Despite a late comeback in the ninth, the Mariners folded in extra innings as the Guardians won 6-5.
Woo strong but two-out rally in sixth spoils stellar start
Mariners starter Bryan Woo allowed just one baserunner through his first four innings of work, pumping his elite fastball time and time again: 59 of his 83 pitches on Saturday were the four-seamer, which stayed in the top half of the zone for five frames.
Reign Continue Spokane Success with 2-1 Win Over Louisville
The Seattle Reign have found themselves quite a home east of the Cascades.
The team, set for three straight games in Spokane while Lumen Field finishes World Cup renovations, finished the second fixture of that stand with a 2-1 win over Racing Louisville on Saturday afternoon. Maddie Mercado struck first on a keeper error in the 10th minute before Nerilia "Coco" Mondesir turned a smooth team play into the team's second goal right before the half.
Although a late stoppage-time Louisville goal spoiled a would-be clean sheet, Claudia Dickey and the Seattle defense were superb in shutting down a Racing side missing one of the league's brightest stars in Emma Sears. With the result, the Reign improved to 3-1-0, with all their contests coming away from the Emerald City as the team is just under a month away from returning to its home pitch in SoDo.
By the end of Saturday’s match, however, those two first-half chances for Seattle outweighed anything Louisville could produce despite 19 shots by the final whistle.
"I think it might be a conversation about moving (to Spokane)," Reign head coach Laura Harvey joked postgame.
Mariners Turn Three Hits into Five Runs, Tie Opening Guardians Series
The Seattle Mariners still haven’t hit a single through the first two games of the season. That didn’t matter on Friday night.
Cleveland Guardians starter Gavin Williams may have spun good enough stuff to punch out seven Mariners, but he also walked six, and timely round-trippers from Cole Young and Luke Raley put the M’s far ahead of the visitors and brought the team to its first win of the year.
“Furious George” deals with early homer and puts together a quality start to begin his 2026.
Chase DeLauter’s prospect stock is about as high as can be right now. After mashing two home runs in his regular season debut on Opening Day, day two hurler George Kirby became the third Mariner to foolishly leave a pitch on the lower inside part of the plate, exactly where the 24-year-old rookie likes it.
Season in Review: Analyzing Gonzaga’s 2025-26 Campaign, Future of the Program
A lot of the country will remember the end of the Gonzaga Bulldogs’ season as somewhat expected, not being particularly impressed with their season resume, and not necessarily floored when the 3-seed Zags were upset in the Round of 32 to 11-seed Texas.
But despite a disappointing conclusion, GU accomplished a lot this season. Finishing 31-4, the Bulldogs notched their ninth season of 30+ wins in program history, and their first since 2022-23. Forward Graham Ike received honors as a Third-Team All-American, with Drew Timme’s First-Team selection back in 2023 being the last Bulldog to accomplish the feat.
And they did it in such a different fashion than previous GU squads, with a stalwart defense that consistently stifled opponents. Combined with new heights of adversity for the program, Gonzaga still found a way to earn a share of the WCC regular-season title, win the conference tournament, and grab a victory in the NCAA tournament for the 27th consecutive year.
What was the path to another noble year for the Zags?
Redhawks Begin Offseason by Retaining Will Heimbrodt
Less than a week after the Seattle U Redhawks season ended at the hands of the Auburn Tigers in the NIT, the most important domino already fell in the right direction to kick off the program’s offseason.
Announced via social media, the Redhawks have resigned standout forward Will Heimbrodt, who won’t enter the transfer portal. Heimbrodt has two more years of eligibility and will stay in the Emerald City for his redshirt junior season as the team’s top returning scorer.
Heimbrodt became a full-time starter for the Redhawks this season and made the most of it. He finished averaging 12 points, five rebounds, and two assists per game on 42% shooting from the field. While there were notably moments where he struggled to juggle an increased shot creating responsibility as a key part of coach Chris Victor’s offense, he played his best basketball late in the year as the team advanced to the second round of the NIT.
Analysis: What Does Cal Raleigh Non-Challenge Mean for Mariners ABS Strategy?
Use it or lose it. That’s a phrase that applies to many things in life: youth, a second language, differential calculus, Mark Knopfler’s finger-picking technique, and as of the beginning of the 2026 Major League Baseball season, your team’s two Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) system challenges.
Here are the rules: each team gets two ABS challenges for balls and strikes that must be used immediately after any pitch is thrown. If a challenge is unsuccessful, one challenge is taken away from that team. If a team is out of challenges by the beginning of any extra inning, they get one more.
On Thursday night in Seattle, the Cleveland Guardians offered two challenges: one by catcher Bo Naylor to overturn a 2-2 ball call and strike out Cole Young in the bottom of the fifth inning, and the other a failed challenge by left fielder Steven Kwan after a 1-2 Logan Gilbert slider veered back onto the strike zone at the last gasp.
The Mariners didn’t use any.
Kraken Maintaining a Pulse With Three Points in Florida
The Stanley Cup playoffs begin in three weeks. There’s an argument to be made that it’s the most exciting postseason in professional sports.
The Stanley Cup Playoffs aren’t just hockey, it’s a controlled detonation of chaos, pain tolerance, and pure will. Every shift feels like it weighs a pound more, every hit echoes through the arena a little more, and every goal is either ecstasy or heartbreak. The margins shrink until the game becomes survival. Legends are carved out in April through June. It’s hockey at its rawest, loudest, most unforgiving, and most beautiful state.
The big question is, will the Seattle Kraken get into that dance?
WATCH: Recapping a Strong Sounders Start to 2026 Season
Emerald City Spectrum beat writer Qasim Ali recaps a 3-1-1 start to the 2026 season for the Seattle Sounders, who have already advanced to the Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinal through late March.
Old Mariners Bugbears Continue Biting in Opening Day Loss to Guardians
The more things change, the more they stay the same. It’s hard to say there wasn’t an air of that feeling in T-Mobile Park after the Mariners dropped their Opening Day contest 6-4 thanks to some shoddy relief work, unimpressive defense, and one-trick offense.
Four solo home runs were all the production the M’s could muster, and in a lot of games against the Cleveland Guardians, that might be enough (they scored slightly less than four runs per game last year). But Logan Gilbert once again struggled to go deep, outfielders lacked urgency on fly balls with men on base, and Gabe Speier caught the bad end of some J-Ram magic with men on base.
But for all the lingering of long-lamented woes, the newest guy on the roster burst his way onto the scene in a big way.
Brendan Donovan made the best first impression possible as the M’s new leadoff man.
The Mariners franchise is entering its 50th season this year, having notched its first game in the books all the way back on April 6, 1977. In all that time, no leadoff Mariner had hit a home run in his first at-bat of Opening Day. Not Dave Collins all the way back in that first season nor Harold Reynolds in the late ‘80s nor Ichiro in his Hall-of-Fame Mariners career. Of the 49 season-inaugural batters, not one had left the yard in that first at-bat.
Huskies Receive Commitment from 4-Star Defensive Tackle Jon Ioane
Washington Huskies coach Jedd Fisch speaks often about getting bigger to compete in the Big Ten, and the Huskies tipped the scales toward that end with a commitment from Class of 2027 defensive lineman Jon Ioane on Thursday.
Iona, listed at 6-3, 295 pounds, plays on both sides at the line at Tustin (Calif.) High School. He chose UW over Penn State, UCLA, Stanford and Cal. Rated a 4-star “Athlete” recruit in 247Sports composite rankings because of his two-way abilities, Ioane is the 267th-ranked overall national recruit and No. 24 in California.
Sounders Trade Georgi Minoungou to Colorado for $2 million
The Seattle Sounders continue to stockpile money and assets, trading Burkina Faso national winger Georgi Minoungou to the Colorado Rapids for $2 million in general allocation money (GAM) on Thursday, per Niko Moreno of Sounder at Heart and confirmed by Tom Bogert of The Athletic.
Georgi, 23, is one of the most dynamic dribblers in the MLS. He came into the league by way of the team's MLS Next Pro side, Tacoma Defiance, before earning a contract through 2029 with the first team. In 34 MLS matches with the team, Georgi scored two goals and picked up 11 starts, usually manning a "super sub" role to add a punch to head coach Brian Schmetzer's offense.
Georgi has been dealing with a lingering foot injury, missing a few games for Seattle before returning to start in the team's 0-0 draw with Minnesota this past Sunday.
Three Questions About Future of the Seahawks After Jaxon Smith-Njigba Megadeal
Earlier this week, the Seahawks made NFL history. They made Jaxon Smith-Njigba the highest paid receiver in history, inking him to a four-year, $168.6 million extension (averaging $42.15 million per year with $120 million guaranteed).
While fans are excited to see the reigning Offensive Player of the Year staying in Seattle for the next half-decade at least, this megadeal raises some questions. Let’s dive into three.
Najee Harris Presents Intriguing Buy-Low Candidate for Seahawks’ Rebuilt Backfield
In the wake of Ken Walker III’s departure to join the Kansas City Chiefs in free agency and Zach Charbonnet’s recent surgery to repair a torn ACL, the Seattle Seahawks continue to take a look at veteran options to reinforce their backfield depth, and the latest visitor to the VMAC may be the most interesting one yet.
According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the Seahawks brought former Pro Bowl running back Najee Harris to town on Wednesday, providing an opportunity to assess his recovery six months after suffering a torn Achilles tendon and undergoing surgery in an injury-marred lone season with the Chargers. Per the report, the ex-Alabama star also has a visit scheduled with the Raiders as he seeks a new home.
Prior to the significant injury, the 6-1, 245-pound Harris enjoyed a stellar four year run with the Steelers after coming on board as a decorated first round pick, eclipsing the 1,000-yard mark in each of those seasons and scoring 26 touchdowns on the ground. He also caught 180 passes out of the backfield during that span, adding north of 1,000 yards and six touchdowns as a receiver, showcasing a well-rounded game for a bigger back.
Reign Bounce Back in Spokane, Revive Offense Against Current
The rearview mirror.
That's where the Seattle Reign put last Friday’s 2-0 loss to the nine-player their rival Portland Thorns with a 3-0 win over the defending NWSL Shield champion Kansas City Current on Wednesday night at ONE Spokane Stadium.
Angrahad James-Turner opened the scoring in the 18th minute with her first goal since 2024, while Brittany Ratcliffe found her second goal with the team, and Maddie Mercado netted her first goal of 2026. Sofia Huerta, the NWSL's all-time assist leader, had a hand in the last two goals to push her career assist tally to 33 as the Reign improved to 2-1-0.
Keeper Claudia Dickey also picked up the clean sheet, as her 14th career zero-spot moved her into first place in club history.
With Lumen Field nearing the end of its World Cup renovations, the team is spending its next two games east of the Cascades. It's safe to say this midweek shellacking of a rotating Current side (1-2-0) was a good way to get things rolling.
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