Dialed In: Your Lacrosse Fix for Wednesday, Sept. 13

Good morning. Here’s the latest from around the lacrosse world:

1. A pair of top-20 recruits in the class of 2025 announced their commitments Tuesday.

St. Xavier (Ohio)/Resolute attackman Khalif Hocker committed to Ohio State. Ranked No. 18 by Inside Lacrosse and No. 20 by the National Lacrosse Federation, Hocker had 82 goals, 40 assists and 63 ground balls as a sophomore for St. Xavier and was named to the USA Select U16 team last month.

Ohio State coach Nick Myers can’t comment publicly on prospects — homegrown or otherwise — until they’ve signed as seniors. But he sure seemed excited about something Tuesday.

pic.twitter.com/ubpiQ1GNCW

— Nick Myers (@MyersJMZ) September 12, 2023

Delbarton (N.J.)/Leading Edge long-stick midfielder Will Pedicano committed to Virginia. He’s ranked No. 13 by Inside Lacrosse and No. 15 by the National Lacrosse Federation.

College coaches started recruiting the class of 2025 (current high school juniors) on Sept. 1. In addition to Hocker and Pedicano, other five-star prospects who have made commitments are McDonogh (Md.)/Team 91 goalie Aidan Seibel (Maryland) and Brunswick (Conn.)/Prime Time faceoff specialist Aidan Diaz-Matos (Notre Dame).

2. The forerunner of lacrosse-only stadiums is getting a facelift.

University of Denver vice chancellor of athletics Josh Berlo posted a sneak peek earlier this week at the redesigned turf at Peter Barton Lacrosse Stadium, with renderings of the Rocky Mountains and Denver skyline superimposed on the playing surface.

The Lacrosse Network picked up on it Tuesday.

Denver lacrosse games are going to look MUCH different in 2024...

The photo on the left is from August, when @PremierLacrosse held Throwback Weekend at Peter Barton Stadium at the University of Denver.

The photo on the right was posted by Josh Berlo (@DU_AthDir) one month… pic.twitter.com/r3phbcuxkx

— TLN (@LacrosseNetwork) September 12, 2023

3. Sixes is coming to youth lacrosse.

With support from USA Lacrosse, Madlax Events will host a Super Sixes event Oct. 15 for boys’ and girls’ players of all levels from fifth through 12th grade at Good Counsel High School in Olney, Md.

4. Emma LoPinto and Rachel Clark have arrived in Chestnut Hill.

The prizes of the transfer portal, LoPinto and Clark transferred to Boston College from Florida and Virginia, respectively. Both All-Americans are rising juniors. Beth Ann Mayer caught up with the duo for a story in the latest edition of USA Lacrosse Magazine.

WHAT WE’RE READING

• The draft order, a preview and the top prospects of the 2023 NLL Entry Draft, which is this Saturday in Ontario.

• UVA’s Jeff White on Atlanta native Mitchell Whalen’s unlikely journey from walk-on to fifth-year senior captain.

• Ever wonder who creates those Instagram-ready commitment graphics for recruits? Inside Lacrosse’s Kevin Brown lifts the veil on Hale Brown of Five Star Graphics fame.

WHAT WE’RE WATCHING

Hofstra head coach and U.S. National Team assistant Seth Tierney mic’d up during the Pride’s first practice of the fall. Pure gold.

' @TierneySeth #PrideOfLI pic.twitter.com/DZXW85VTlQ

— Hofstra Men's Lacrosse (@HofstraMLAX) September 12, 2023