Overtime

College Baseball

Thomas signs nine to play for Pacers

USC Aiken head coach Kenny Thomas has signed nine players to national letters of intent, including three former local standouts.

Among the signees are pitchers Patrick McGowan , an Evans native who played at Gordon Community College last season; Derek Beasley , a Harlem native and graduate; and pitcher/outfielder Sam Daniel , an Evans native and Greenbrier graduate.

Other signees are pitcher/infielder Travis Clark , of Columbia, Md.; pitcher Daniel Wissmann , of Columbia, Md.; catcher Jeffrey Campbell , of Chesnee, S.C.; infielder Chris Gaines , of Huntingtown, Md.; pitcher/catcher Spencer Wolfe , of Huntingtown, Md.; and pitcher Taylor Peed , of Frederick, Md.

- Georgia second baseman Chance Veazey is paralyzed from the waist down and undergoing rehabilitation in Atlanta.

The freshman was injured Oct. 28 when his scooter collided with a car on campus. He broke the 10th vertebrae in his back and sustained spinal cord damage that cost him use of his legs.

Veazey was transferred to the Shepherd Center in Atlanta early this month and is expected to undergo rehabilitation through mid-December. It's not known if he'll ever regain full use of his legs, and his athletic career appears over before he ever got a chance to play a game for the Bulldogs.

College Golf

USC Aiken head coach Michael Carlisle has signed Brian Amick to a national letter of intent.

The Sumter (S.C.) High standout won the South Carolina Junior Golf Association Tommy Cuthbert South All-Star Championship in 2008 and this year. Amick finished fifth at the Carolinas Junior PGA Championship and The Blade tournament this year and is 13th in the SCJGA rankings.

High Schools

Thomson shortstop Hannah Wilson was named the Region 3-AAA softball player of the year for the second year in a row.

Pitcher Maegan Bentley , catcher Hannah Pereda , second baseman Brooke Herkel , third baseman Jadah Lawson , center fielder Heather Shivers and right fielder Natasha Seals were first-team all-region selections.

First baseman Chelsea Reeves was a second-team choice.

Auto Racing

Wallace, Toyota set to team up for 2010

Rusty Wallace Racing is moving its Nationwide team from Chevrolet to Toyota next season.

His team will field cars for Steve Wallace and Brendan Gaughan . RWR had used Chevrolets the past two seasons.

- Penske Racing has hired Will Power to drive full time next year in the Indy Racing League after a part-time gig last season.

- Former world champion Kimi Raikkonen confirms he will take a one-year sabbatical from Formula One next season.

Boxing

Top Rank promoter Bob Arum is ready to begin negotiations for a megafight between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr . The only problem is that Arum isn't sure whom to negotiate with.

Mayweather has been represented lately by Golden Boy Promotions. Arum said Golden Boy boss Richard Schaefer told him Mayweather is a free agent. Top Rank represents Pacquiao.

Pacquiao-Mayweather looms as the one of the most anticipated fights in decades.

Track and Field

South African gets to keep gold medal

South African runner Caster Semenya will keep her 800-meter gold medal from the world championships, and the results of her gender tests will be kept confidential, the South African sports ministry said Thursday.

The question of whether she remains eligible to compete as a woman remained uncertain.