Fastball

College Basketball Star and Minnesota Native Throws Out First Pitch at Twins Game

When the Minnesota Twins took on the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday night, there was a distinctly local flavor with the ceremonial first pitch.

Brady Farkas

Connecticut Huskies guard Paige Bueckers (5) dribbles the ball against the Iowa Hawkeyes in the semifinals of the Final Four of the womens 2024 NCAA Tournament at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on April 5, 2024.
Connecticut Huskies guard Paige Bueckers (5) dribbles the ball against the Iowa Hawkeyes in the semifinals of the Final Four of the womens 2024 NCAA Tournament at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on April 5, 2024. / Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
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University of Connecticut women's basketball star Paige Bueckers threw out the first pitch on Tuesday night when the Minnesota Twins played the Kansas City Royals.

Bueckers is a Minnesota native, having starred at Hopkins High School. With the departure of Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese to the WNBA, she is likely the most recognizable player currently in the women's college game.

She's also likely the best player in the women's game. Despite multiple serious injuries in her career, she's put together an incredible resume and is one of the reasons why UConn still a very real threat to win a National Championship in 2024-2025.

Per her UConn player bio:

Started all 39 games ... led UConn with 21.9 points per game and 53 blocks ... second on team with 5.2 rebounds per game, 150 assists and 86 steals ... recorded four double-doubles, all in the postseason ... scored in double digits in 38 games, including 27 games with 20+ points ... scored 17 points in NCAA Final Four vs. Iowa (4/5) ... tallied 28 points, 10 rebounds, six assists, two blocks and three steals in Elite Eight vs. USC (4/1

That was all just this past season as UConn got to the Final Four, falling against Clark and Iowa. She was also a first-team All-American and the Big East Player of the Year.

The Twins won that game, and were back in action on Wednesday afternoon against the division-rival Kansas City Royals.

The Twins are currently in possession of the second wild card spot in the American League.

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Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady. 

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