Here is the latest Mid-America sports news from The Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — Yoenis Cespedes drove in three runs and newcomer Adrian Gonzalez hit a go-ahead double to lead Noah Syndergaard and the New York Mets past the St. Louis Cardinals 9-4 in their opener. Syndergaard struck out 10 and walked none in six innings after missing most of last season with a torn lat muscle.

NEW YORK (AP) — A person familiar with the deal says All-Star closer Greg Holland and the St. Louis Cardinals have agreed to a $14 million, one-year contract. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the agreement was pending a physical and had not been announced.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Matt Davidson hit three homers and drove in five runs, Tim Anderson went deep twice and the Chicago White Sox routed the Kansas City Royals 14-7 on opening day. Jose Abreu also homered for the White Sox, who picked up right-hander James Shields after a shaky first inning. Danny Duffy took the loss for Kansas City, getting bounced after four innings.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Royals have placed All-Star catcher Salvador Perez, right-hander Nate Karns and two others on the disabled list as part of a series of roster moves ahead of their opener against the White Sox. Infielder Adalberto Mondesi and outfielder Bubba Starling also went on the DL while veteran pitcher Wily Peralta and top prospect Ryan Zimmer were designated for assignment.

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Virginia’s Tony Bennett isn’t wavering from his foundation in the aftermath of the Cavaliers’ historic NCAA Tournament loss to UMBC. In an interview with The Associated Press, Bennett says his team’s body of work should be celebrated even as the players work to move past the sting of the season-ending loss. Bennett was named the AP men’s college basketball coach of the year Thursday after a 31-win season that included a dominating run through the Atlantic Coast Conference.

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — NCAA leaders expect to receive recommendations for reforming college basketball in late April and have pledged to quickly implement changes while preserving amateurism as currently defined. NCAA President Mark Emmert said during his state of the association news conference ahead of the Final Four that the commission on college basketball, led by former Sec. of State Condoleezza Rice, will present its report to the Division I Board of Directors and Board of Governors on April 25.

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Loyola-Chicago is determined to keep alive its unlikely NCAA Tournament run when the Ramblers play in the Final Four this weekend. The underdogs went through their first workout at the Alamodome in San Antonio on the same day as traditional powers Kansas, Villanova and Michigan. The teams and their legions of fans arrived in a city decked out in vibrant colors heading into the first two games this weekend.

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Active big men give Final Four teams an advantage in era of positionless basketball. All four remaining teams rely on their big men to help space the floor for the variety of shooters on their rosters. They keep defenses honest, grab rebounds and protect the rim with all those smaller guys out there.

NEW YORK (AP) — Yoenis Cespedes drove in three runs and newcomer Adrian Gonzalez hit a go-ahead double to lead Noah Syndergaard and the New York Mets past the St. Louis Cardinals 9-4 in their opener Thursday.Syndergaard (1-0) struck out 10 and walked none in six innings after missing most of last season with a torn lat muscle. Leadoff man Brandon Nimmo, subbing for injured All-Star Michael Conforto, reached safely four times and scored twice as the Mets chased a furious Carlos Martinez in the fifth inning to make Mickey Callaway a winner in his first game as a manager.

The 35-year-old Gonzalez also was on base four times with two hits and two walks in his New York debut. The five-time All-Star first baseman was signed for the major league minimum during the offseason after struggling with a bad back last year with the Dodgers.

Yadier Molina hit an early two-run homer for St. Louis that clanged off the left-field foul pole. Jose Martinez also went deep against Syndergaard and knocked in two but committed a run-scoring throwing error at first base.

New York got hitless relief from Robert Gsellman, newcomer Anthony Swarzak and closer Jeurys Familia to win an opener played only hours after the death of former Mets star Rusty Staub.

Todd Frazier, also making his Mets debut, drew a one-out walk from Martinez (0-1) in the fifth and scored from first on Gonzalez’s double into the right-field corner for a 4-3 lead.

Syndergaard, who threw his first three pitches 99 mph, helped himself with a sacrifice bunt, and young shortstop Amed Rosario — batting ninth behind the pitcher — delivered a two-run single.

Cespedes, who had a two-run single in the second, chased Martinez with an RBI single, and the two-time All-Star pitcher went wild once he got to the bench, knocking over a bucket of bubble gum.

Jay Bruce, back after the Mets traded him to Cleveland last August, added an RBI single off Matt Bowman to cap a five-run outburst.

New York catcher Kevin Plawecki also had two walks and two hits, including a late RBI single.

HELP ON THE WAY

Less than two hours before the first pitch, the Cardinals landed a closer. Greg Holland agreed to a $14 million, one-year contract with the team, according to a person familiar with the deal. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the agreement was pending a physical and had not been announced. A three-time All-Star, Holland was a free agent after leading the National League with 41 saves last year for Colorado. His addition would be a major boost to an unsettled Cardinals bullpen lacking a proven closer in the wake of several injuries.

UP NEXT

Cardinals RHP Michael Wacha (12-9, 4.13 ERA) starts the second game of the season Saturday afternoon against RHP Jacob deGrom (15-10, 3.53 ERA), the Mets’ initial choice for opening day before his schedule was slowed at the outset of spring training by a stiff back and the birth of his child.

NEW YORK (AP) — Less than two hours before the start of their season, the St. Louis Cardinals found a closer.

Greg Holland and the Cardinals agreed to a $14 million, one-year contract Thursday, according to a person familiar with the deal. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the agreement was pending a physical and had not been announced.

A three-time All-Star, Holland was a free agent after leading the National League with 41 saves last year for Colorado. His addition would be a major boost to an unsettled Cardinals bullpen lacking a proven closer in the wake of several injuries.

Holland turned down a $17.4 million, one-year qualifying offer from the Rockies last fall. If the Cardinals complete the deal, they will forfeit their second-highest draft pick in June, currently No. 43, and $500,000 of international signing bonus allocation for the 2018-19 signing period.

St. Louis had planned to use newcomer Luke Gregerson in the ninth inning, but he strained his left hamstring late in spring training and began the season on the 10-day disabled list with no timetable for his return.

It also was thought that young fireballer Alex Reyes might ease his way into the closer role when he comes back from Tommy John surgery, perhaps in early May.

But in the meantime, manager Mike Matheny plans to mix and match with a closer-by-committee. Right-hander Dominic Leone, lefty Tyler Lyons and righty Bud Norris, who earned the first 19 saves of his career with the Angels last season, could be candidates for late work, along with flame-throwing rookie Jordan Hicks.

Gregerson, signed in the offseason to an $11 million, two-year contract, saved 31 games for Houston in 2015 and 15 more the next season.

Holland is in a different class when healthy.

The right-hander has 186 saves in 370 relief appearances over seven major league seasons and was a key part of a stingy Kansas City bullpen that helped the Royals win consecutive AL pennants in 2014 and 2015. He was diagnosed with a torn elbow ligament late in 2015 and missed the postseason as his teammates went on to win the World Series.

Holland sat out the 2016 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery. He was 3-6 with a 3.61 ERA in 61 games for the Rockies last year, striking out 70 and walking 26 in 57 1/3 innings. He had four blown saves.

Holland’s deal was first reported by The Athletic less than two hours before the first pitch of St. Louis’ opener against the New York Mets.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Drake has hired longtime Creighton assistant Darian DeVries as its basketball coach. The Bulldogs announced Thursday that DeVries will replace Niko Medved, who last week left after one season at Drake to take over at Colorado State. DeVries, a native of Aplington, Iowa, and the brother of former Detroit Lions star Jared DeVries, spent the past 17 years as an assistant with the Bluejays under coaches Dana Altman and Greg McDermott. Creighton made 12 NCAA Tournament appearances and went 460-211 with DeVries on its staff.

DeVries will be Drake’s fourth coach in the last 16 months. Ray Giacoletti left early in the 2016-17 season and was followed by interim coach Jeff Rutter and Medved. The 42-year-old DeVries played at Northern Iowa, where he scored 1,084 points. DeVries will be introduced Friday at a news conference. “The city of Des Moines is an awesome place to be and we can’t wait to show it off to future recruits,” he said in statement. “When you have a great academic institution combined with a vibrant city and people that go out of their way to help one another, it’s a recipe for sustained success.”

Drake, which has made just one NCAA Tournament appearance since 1972, went 17-17 last season under Medved. But most of the Bulldogs’ starters graduated, and a long rebuild will likely be required for them to compete with the rest of the Missouri Valley Conference. DeVries is the first major hire for athletic director Brian Hardin, who took over for Sandy Hatfield-Clubb in 2017. “Darian has had a significant role in creating a tremendous level of sustained success at Creighton over the past 20 years,” Hardin said.

The 7:20-a.m. Sportscast w/Jim Field.

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Residents of Omaha and Council Bluffs who rented out all or part of their homes during last weekend’s N-C-double-A men’s basketball tournament made a nice chunk of change. Ben Breit, spokesman for Midwest Airbnb, says it was a very successful weekend for the region’s hosts.

“They welcomed about 650 guests during the NCAA tournament while earning about $50,000 combined in supplemental incomes,” Breit says. Statewide, Breit says Iowa Airbnb hosts welcomed a record 60-thousand guests in 2017, earning a combined five-point-eight million dollars. Both figures more than doubled the results from 2016.

The homesharing platform says Des Moines is Iowa’s top Airbnb city, followed by Iowa City, Decorah, Dubuque and Ames. Using the service is an excellent way to make extra money, he says, and you don’t need a ton of space. “About half are just sharing an extra room,” Breit says. “Maybe you’re an empty nester or a senior and the kids have grown up and left the home. Now that extra room is an economic opportunity. Another half are renting a full home, a proper vacation rental or just sharing your primary residence during big events.”

While the weekend was profitable for hosts, he says it was also profitable for that region of western Iowa and eastern Nebraska. “It’s just going to cause more conferences, more and more sporting events to want to go to Omaha because they know they can handle all of the demand,” Breit says. Des Moines will host the opening rounds of the N-C-double-A men’s basketball tournament again next year. Iowa’s largest city first hosted the event in 2016.

(Radio Iowa)

Here is the latest Mid-America sports news from The Associated Press

ALAMEDA, Calif. (AP) — Former Raiders quarterback David Humm has died at age 65. Humm was a star quarterback at Nebraska who went on to have a long career as a backup in the NFL, where he was part of two Super Bowl winning teams with the Raiders. Humm had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1988 and was confined to a wheelchair for more than 20 years.

NEW YORK (AP) — No more practice runs for Mickey Callaway. Opening day has arrived for the rookie manager of the New York Mets, and his heart probably will be pounding at a mile a minute by the time Noah Syndergaard fires his first 100 mph fastball Thursday afternoon against the St. Louis Cardinals.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Royals and White Sox are both out to prove prognosticators wrong as they meet for a three-game series beginning Thursday at Kauffman Stadium. Kansas City has some fresh faces after several core pieces hit free agency, while Chicago is trying to push ahead with a rebuilding job several years in the making.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Royals catcher Salvador Perez will miss up to six weeks after spraining the medial collateral ligament in his left knee when he missed a step while carrying a suitcase up stairs in his home. No surgery is required but Perez will begin the season on the disabled list. Drew Butera and Cam Gallagher will share catching duties in his place.

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Bill Self spent the past few months getting on Malik Newman for failing to take the pressure off Devonte Graham. Now, the transfer from Mississippi State is the Batman to Graham’s Robin, giving the Jayhawks a potent one-two punch heading into their Final Four matchup against Villanova on Saturday night.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Jalen Brunson of Villanova and Devonte Graham of Kansas are among five players vying for the John R. Wooden Award as college basketball’s player of the year. Brunson and Graham will square off at the Final Four when their teams meet in the national semifinals.

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The question of who is the best NBA prospect differs from who is considered college basketball’s best player. Freshmen like Duke’s Marvin Bagley III and Arizona’s Deandre Ayton are considered candidates to be the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft with their size and athleticism. Villanova’s Jalen Brunson is in the Final Four and a leading candidate to be named the national college player of the year. For years, those two things seemed intertwined, but recently that has not been the case.

2018 MEN’S AP ALL-AMERICA TEAM LIST

Statistics through March 11

First Team

Jalen Brunson, Villanova, 6-3, 190, junior, Lincolnshire, Ill., 19.4 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 4.7 apg, 53.1 fg pct, 41.3 3pt fg pct (63 first-place votes, 321 points)

Deandre Ayton, Arizona, 7-1, 250, freshman, Nassau, Bahamas, 20.3 ppg, 11.5 rpg, 61.6 fg pct, 2.0 blocks (61, 317)

Trae Young, Oklahoma, 6-2, 180, freshman, Norman, Okla., 27.4 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 8.8 apg, 1.7 steals, 35.3 minutes (61, 315)

Marvin Bagley III, Duke, 6-11, 234, freshman, Phoenix, 21.1 ppg, 11.5 rpg, 60.5 fg pct, 2.0 blocks (59, 313)

Devonte’ Graham, Kansas, 6-2, 185, senior, Raleigh, N.C., 17.3 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 7.5 apg, 1.6 steals, 41.2 3pt fg pct, 83.4 ft pct, 37.6 minutes (54, 303)

Second Team

Keita Bates-Diop, Ohio State, 6-7, 235, junior, Normal, Ill., 19.4 ppg, 8.8 rpg, 1.7 blocks (10, 186)

Trevon Bluiett, Xavier, 6-6, 198, senior, Indianapolis, 19.5 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 2.5 apg, 42.3 3pt fg pct, 86.1 ft pct (5, 183)

Jock Landale, Saint Mary’s, 6-11, 255, senior, East Malvern, Australia, 21.4 ppg, 10.3 rpg, 2.1 apg, 64.0 fg pct, 1.1 blocks (3, 153)

Miles Bridges, Michigan State, 6-7, 225, sophomore, Flint, Mich., 16.9 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 2.8 apg, 88.3 ft pct (3, 145)

Jevon Carter, West Virginia, 6-2, 205, senior, Maywood, Ill., 17.0 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 6.6 apg, 86.3 ft pct, 2.9 steals (1, 109)

Third Team

Keenan Evans, Texas Tech, 6-3, 190, senior, Richardson, Texas, 17.5 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 3.2 apg, 1.2 steals (2, 102)

Carsen Edwards, Purdue, 6-1, 200, sophomore, Atascocita, Texas, 18.5 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 3.0 apg, 41.2 3pt fg pct, 1.2 steals (0, 99)

Mikal Bridges, Villanova, 6-7, 210, junior, Malvern, Pa., 18.0 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 2.1 apg, 52.1 fg pct, 43.3 3pt fg pct, 85.1 ft pct, 1.6 steals (2, 64)

Luke Maye, North Carolina, 6-8, 240, junior, Huntersville, N.C., 17.2 ppg, 10.1 rpg, 2.4 apg, 44.0 3pt fg pct, 1.0 steals, 1.1 blocks (0, 64)

Kyle Guy, Virginia, 6-2, 175, sophomore, Indianapolis, 14.1 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 39.5 3pt fg pct, 1.0 steals (0, 40)

Honorable Mention (alphabetical order)

Jaylen Adams, St. Bonaventure; Peyton Aldridge, Davidson; Grayson Allen, Duke; Mo Bamba, Texas; Trae Bell-Haynes, Vermont; Joel Berry II, North Carolina; Bogdan Bliznyuk, Eastern Washington; Desonta Bradford, ETSU; Tony Carr, Penn State; Gary Clark, Cincinnati; Xavier Cooks, Winthrop; Jermaine Crumpton, Canisius; Clayton Custer, Loyola of Chicago; Mike Daum, South Dakota State; Angel Delgado, Seton Hall; Kahlil Dukes, Niagara; Tre’Shaun Fletcher, Toledo; Marcus Foster, Creighton; Brandon Goodwin, Florida Gulf Coast; Isaac Haas, Purdue; Aaron Holiday, UCLA; Jordan Howard, Central Arkansas; Jemerrio Jones, New Mexico State; Nick King, Middle Tennessee; Kevin Knox, Kentucky; Fletcher Magee, Wofford; Caleb Martin, Nevada; Kelan Martin, Butler; Yante Maten, Georgia; Martaveous McKnight, Arkansas-Pine Bluff; Kendrick Nunn, Oakland; Shamorie Ponds, St. John’s; Jerome Robinson, Boston College; Junior Robinson, Mount St. Mary’s; Collin Sexton, Alabama; Landry Shamet, Wichita State; T.J. Shorts II, UC Davis; D’Marcus Simonds, Georgia State; Jonathan Stark, Murray State; Brandon Tabb, Bethune-Cookman; Zach Thomas, Bucknell; Seth Towns, Harvard; Allonzo Trier, Arizona; Grant Williams, Tennessee; Johnathan Williams, Gonzaga; Justin Wright-Foreman, Hofstra.

Graceland University Men’s Basketball just won their first ever national title last week and now their Head Coach Craig Doty has picked up a national honor. Doty was named on Tuesday as the NAIA National Coach of the Year. Doty’s Yellowjackets went 29-10 this season and capped of the NAIA DII Championship with a win over LSU-Alexandria 83-80 in Overtime in Kansas City. Justin Harley hit a three at the buzzer to give Graceland the win and the title.

Doty was previously the coach for Rock Valley College in Illinois. He was named the 2014 and 2016 NJCAA National Coach of the Year in championsihp season for Rock Valley.

BOYS TENNIS

Lewis Central 7 Thomas Jefferson 2

Harlan 5 Abraham Lincoln 4