It’s been a whirlwind for Alek Thomas.
The former Mount Carmel baseball star was designated for assignment by the Arizona Diamondbacks on May 8 and traded to the two-time defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers four days later.
The 26-year-old outfielder hit .181 with two home runs and 10 RBIs this season before the Diamondbacks traded him for 17-year-old Dodgers outfield prospect Jose Requena.
“Really good defender, really good kid, like the way he plays,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters when talking about Thomas. “We’ve seen him a lot, obviously from the other side.”
Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman told the Los Angeles Times that the organization can help Thomas with his swing. Thomas will likely start his Dodgers career with Triple-A Oklahoma City.
SXU softball eliminated
St. Xavier’s softball team went 2-2 in the NAIA Opening Round in Williamsburg, Kentucky, and finished the season with a 43-14 record.
Mother McAuley grad Fiona Crane finished with an NAIA-record 95 stolen bases this season.
Jafilan leads track stars
Richards’ Nicholas Jafilan won three individual events — the 110-meter hurdles (15.41 seconds), 300 hurdles (:41.73) and triple jump (43 feet, 10.75 inches) in the South Suburban Red boys track meet on May 14 at Eisenhower.
Argo’s Verdell Wells in the 200 (:25.53) and 400 (:51.73) and Reavis’s Santiago Chavez in the 1,600 (4:24.04) and 3,200 (9:26.87) were individual double winners.
At the SouthWest Suburban meet at Lockport, Jack Krusinski of Stagg won the 1,600 (4:24.11) and 3,200 (9:26.40).
At the Catholic League meet at Loyola, Matt Williams of St. Laurence won the 100 (:10.72) and 200 (:21.94).
Postseason movers and shakers
Andrew’s Emma Staniszewski was the lone area player to win two matches in the state badminton tournament as she went 2-2 on May 15 in DeKalb.
Lyons’ girls water polo team beat Mother McAuley 14-8 on May 16 to win the Lyons Sectional while the Lions boys beat St. Rita 10-4 to win their own sectional. Brother Rice beat Andrew 20-7 to win the Lincoln-Way Central Sectional.
Stagg’s No. 1 boat won the Cal Sag Regional in bass fishing May 16 with 14.9 pounds.
Fire coming back to Bridgeview
The Chicago Fire will play its Nov. 7 MLS match against Columbus at 3 p.m. at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview because of a schedule conflict with the Bears at Soldier Field.
Red-hot Hugo Cuypers scored in his ninth and 10th straight MLS games to give the Fire a 3-1 road win over D.C. United on May 13 and a 2-0 road win against Montreal on May 16.
The Fire (7-4-2) hosts Toronto at 7:30 p.m. on May 23 at Soldier Field.
The Fire II lost 2-1 to Carolina Core in an MLS NEXT Pro game May 16 in North Carolina.
The Fire II (1-4-5) hosts Huntsville City at 3 p.m. May 24 at SeatGeek Stadium.
Hounds clinch
The Chicago Hounds trailed 19-12 at halftime, but raised their Major League Rugby record to 7-0 and clinched a playoff spot with a 36-26 road win against the California Legion.
The Hounds play their final regular-season home game against Seattle at 3 p.m. May 24 at SeatGeek Stadium.