Former Gems outfielder to officiate in NFL this fall

A former Quincy Gems outfielder will be joining the National Football League as an official this fall.

Chad Hill, who played for the Gems in 1998, learned earlier this summer that he would be hired by the NFL to replace line judge Ron Marinucci, who retired after a 21-year career.

Hill, 41, attended the University of Mississippi and lives and works in Oxford, Miss. He has been a side judge in the Southeastern Conference for seven years and previously worked for two years in the Ohio Valley Conference. He also spent last year as one of 30 officials from across the country who were a part of the NFL’s Officiating Development Program, which looks to find officials to replace those who are retiring.

“Becoming an NFL official is a long, demanding process, and we welcome Chad to the union,” NFL Referees Association President Tony Steratore said.

Hill was the field judge for the 2017 Senior Bowl. He also was part of crews that worked in the Orange Bowl, the Quick Lane Bowl, the Peach Bowl and the SEC Championship game.

Hill is one of seven new officials for the 2018 NFL season. Four referees — Jeff Triplett, Ed Hochuli, Terry McAulay and Gene Steratore — retired after last season.

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Francesc Iturria, who played guard for parts of four seasons at Culver-Stockton College, recently signed a professional contract to play for VfL Stade in Stade, Germany.

Iturria, 22, played in just eight games for the Wildcats in 2017-18, averaging 4.9 points in an average of 21 minutes per game. He averaged 16.7 points per game in 30 games in 2016-17 for C-SC, which lost 29 of 30 games that season.

Iturria came to Canton, Mo., from Mataro, Spain, as a freshman in 2014. A press release from the team noted that Iturria has a one-year contract and will be in Germany on Aug. 3.

“Itu has a high basketball IQ and is a sure three-way shooter,” Stade coach Joan Rallo Fernandez said in the release.

Before playing at Culver-Stockton, Iturria played in the prestigious Euroleague Next Generation tournament in Milan, where he was voted best point guard and won the 3-point competition.

VfL Stade plays in the Regionalliga North. It had a 15-9 record and placed fifth. It was bumped up for one year to Germany’s ProB league in 2014 and finished 11th and was dropped back to the Regionalliga North.

Quincy University graduate Evan McGaughey played last year in Germany’s ProA League with Heidelberg.

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Kyle Mack of Hannibal, Mo., will get to throw out the first pitch at Saturday night’s baseball game at Busch Stadium between the Chicago Cubs and the St. Louis Cardinals. Mack is a Shelter Insurance agent in Palmyra, Mo., and was named Shelter’s agent of the year in eastern Missouri in 2017.

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Ok, Cardinals fans.

Mike Matheny: Fired.

Greg Holland: Designated for assignment.

Tyler Lyons: Designated for assignment.

Sam Tuivailala: Traded.

Brett Cecil: Placed on DL only because he has a no-trade clause.

Matt Bowman: In the minors.

Daniel Poncedeleon, Austin Gomber, Dakota Hudson: All called up to the majors.

You now have everything you asked for (except for releasing Dexter Fowler).

Is there anything else you need?

Be prepared for a rebuild. They take time and patience, and Cardinals fans are not known for their patience.