Starting 5: Ex-Louisville baseball star Will Smith inks 10-year Dodgers extension, more

Louisville Courier Journal

Former Louisville forward Emily Engstler capped her rookie season in the Athletes Unlimited Pro Basketball league with the Defensive Player of the Year award.

The Los Angeles Dodgers expect to have Kentucky Country Day alum Will Smith behind the plate for most — if not all — of his MLB career.

The Dodgers and the catcher agreed to a 10-year, $140 million extension that includes some deferred money.

Smith, 29, also starred at Louisville for three years before he was selected in the first round of the 2016 MLB Draft.

At KCD, Smith hit .528 with 11 home runs, 36 RBIs, 18 doubles, six triples and 24 stolen bases as a senior. He also went 7-1 with a 0.87 ERA and 100 strikeouts on the mound.

Around the city: Former Louisville basketball star Emily Engstler earns Athletes Unlimited league Defensive Player of Year award

Former Louisville women's basketball star Emily Engstler capped her rookie season in the Athletes Unlimited Pro Basketball league with the Defensive Player of the Year award.

Engstler blocked a record 28 shots, and her 25 steals were second best in the league. She also grabbed an AU-record 19 rebounds against Team (Natasha) Cloud.

Engstler started her collegiate career at Syracuse before joining Louisville, where she became a first-team All-ACC and ACC All-Defensive selection in 2022. She also won co-Sixth Player of the Year honors in 2021.

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Around the state: Former KHSAA star running back Damien Harris retires from NFL

Running back Damien Harris, who played at Madison Southern and at Alabama, recently retired from the NFL.

Madison Southern star running back Damien Harris is retiring after playing five seasons in the NFL, mostly for the New England Patriots.

As a Southern Eagle, Harris ran for 6,748 yards and 122 touchdowns, becoming a five-star prospect as the best running back and eighth-best overall player in 2015. He played college football at Alabama, where he won two national championships and ran for 3,070 yards and 23 touchdowns in four seasons. Harris' best season with the Patriots was in 2021, when he ran for 929 yards and scored 15 touchdowns.

More:Louisville football digs deeper into Jeff Brohm's playbook. 3 observations from practice

High school recruiting: Male girls basketball player Kalani Brock announces offer from Gavilan

Male senior basketball guard Kalani Brock received an offer to play basketball from Gavilan, a junior college in California. Brock led the Bulldogs in scoring (12.8 points per game) and was third in rebounding (6.3 rebounds per game).

Mark your calendars

Bellarmine baseball will host Ball State at 3 p.m. Tuesday. The Knights are scheduled to visit Austin Peay for a three-game ASUN series beginning at 7 p.m. Friday.
Louisville softball is set to visit Northern Kentucky at 5 p.m. Tuesday. The Cardinals are scheduled to host Florida State in an ACC series beginning at 6 p.m. Friday.
Bellarmine softball will host Tennessee Tech at 4 p.m. Wednesday. The Knights are set to host Lipscomb for an ASUN series beginning with a doubleheader at noon Saturday.
Louisville men’s tennis will host Georgia Tech at 3 p.m. Friday and Clemson at noon April 7.
Louisville women’s tennis is scheduled to visit Boston College at 3 p.m. Friday and Syracuse at 11 a.m. April 7.
Bellarmine men’s tennis will host North Florida at 2:30 p.m. Friday and Kennesaw State at 2:30 p.m. April 7.
Bellarmine women’s tennis will host North Florida at 10 a.m. Friday and Kennesaw State at 10 a.m. April 7.
Louisville track & field is set to compete at the Jim Vargo Invitational on Friday in Louisville.
Bellarmine men’s and women’s track and field is hosting the Jim Vargo Invitational on Friday.
Louisville volleyball will visit Kentucky on Friday.
Louisville women’s lacrosse will host Virginia at 11:30 a.m. Saturday.
Bellarmine men's lacrosse is scheduled to visit Air Force at 1 p.m. Saturday.
Louisville men’s golf will play at The Aggie, hosted by Texas A&M, beginning Saturday.
Bellarmine men’s golf will play at the NKU Jewell Invitational beginning Saturday in Batavia, Ohio.
Bellarmine women’s golf will play at the Colonel Classic beginning Monday in Richmond.
Louisville women’s soccer is set to host Xavier at 2 p.m. April 7.

Reach sports reporter Brooks Warren at bwarren@gannett.com and follow him on X at @Broookksss.