Just Now: Hurricanes coach Reject On Agreement For Free Ag….

Andrew Walters has been the best closer n the country for the last few years and now the Miami Hurricanes’ star pitcher is headed to MLB.

The Cleveland Guardians took the right-handed pitcher with the top pick in Competitive Balance Round B — No. 62 overall — of the 2023 MLB draft Sunday at Lumen Field in Seattle, giving Miami a pair of first-day MLB draft picks.

Star third baseman Yohandy Morales went 22 spots earlier to the Nationals at No. 40 after surprisingly falling out of the first round.

Walters was an 18th-round pick last year by the Orioles, but turned down an offer to return to Coral Gables and try to boost his draft stock. Now, the 22-year-old will almost certainly sign with the Guardians to begin his professional career after jumping all the way into the top 75.

The 6-foot-4, 222-pound righty was virtually unhittable throughout his three seasons as a Hurricane, especially when coming out of the bullpen. In 102 innings, Walters gave up just 61 hits and 14 earned runs for a 1.25 ERA.

Last year, he logged 44 2/3 innings, allowed only 29 hits, struck out 72 and walked just seven, and put up a 1.21 ERA.

Walters, who played in high school at Palm Bay Bayside, is one of the most unlikely draft prospects on Miami’s roster. He was unrecruited out of high school and started out at junior college at Eastern Florida State College in Melbourne. He got a scholarship offer from the Hurricanes after just one season and immediately became one of the best relievers in the Atlantic Coast Conference once he got down to South Florida.

Miami briefly toyed with the idea of using Walters as a starting pitcher he made one start in his career — before ultimately sticking with him as a relief pitcher throughout his entire career.

The divisional round of the playoffs has lived up to the billing. The Houston Texans held in there through the third quarter before the Baltimore Ravens took over for a 34-10 win and the San Francisco 49ers survived a resilient Green Bay Packers team for a 24-21 win.

Sunday afternoon was more of the same, as the Detroit Lions played a tough Tampa Bay Buccaneers team and advanced to their first NFC Championship Game since 1991 with a 31-23 victory.

During the game, the league’s official Twitter/X account shared a picture of a sign from a Lions fan in the crowd as it was meant to resemble the opening press conference when head coach Dan Campbell took the job.

The original press conference was about biting a kneecap off but both of those were ACL injuries caused by safety Kerby Joseph on low open-field hits to the knees of T.J. Hockenson and Tyler Higbee.

The picture set off a lot of Vikings fans and even elicited a response from Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson.