Wednesday academy roundup: Army-Navy time set, NCAA '13 Navy extras, MLB draft update, honor for longtime Army coach

Army-Navy. Philadelphia. Dec. 8. 3 p.m. (US Presswire photo by Barbara Johnston)

A few academy-sports quick hits for a Wednesday afternoon:

Army-Navy kickoff set. The Black Knights and Midshipmen will kick off at 3 p.m. Eastern on Dec. 8 at Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field, according to a CBS news release. Times for the other Navy games on that release aren’t typos — the Mids will play Notre Dame at 9 a.m. Eastern on Sept. 1 in Dublin, and they will face the Air Force Falcons at 11:30 a.m. Eastern on Oct. 6 in Colorado Springs, Colo. — that’s a 9:30 a.m. local start. Hat tip on the Army-Navy news to the Times Herald-Record’s Sal Interdonato, who notes “#weirdtime.”

Gamers, get ready. “NCAA Football 13” will hit store shelves (and other places) July 10, but demo versions are available for download now. Aside from a head start on the feel of the new release, Navy fans can get a special treat, according to reports: Share the demo with a friend and unlock Nike Pro Combat uniforms for the Mids and four other teams when you buy the full version. No word on whether Army’s camo gear will be available.

Mids, Black Knight chosen. The Boston Red Sox selected four-year starting Army catcher J.T. Watkins in the 10th round of the MLB entry draft, marking the third year in a row an Army player has been selected, according to an academy report. Navy senior outfielder Alex Azor also went in the 10th round, chosen by the Toronto Blue Jays, and sophomore pitcher Preston Gainey went in the 11th round to the Milwaukee Brewers, according to the Naval Academy sports website. It’s the first time two Mids have been drafted in the same year since 2008, according to the academy report, when Mitch Harris (After Action has touched on his career path before) and Oliver Drake were selected.

Soccer honor. Gene Ventriglia, who coached the Army girls soccer team for more than two decades and was a fixture in New York soccer for 40 years, will be inducted into the state’s soccer hall of fame at a Nov. 17 banquet. Read more about his career, which spans the sport’s explosive growth throughout New York and the nation, in this Times Herald-Record piece by Justin Rodriguez.