News Briefs: December 24, 2025
Dodgers World Series Exhibit Opens
COOPERSTOWN—The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum will celebrate the Los Angeles Dodgers’ second consecutive World Series championship with the annual “Autumn Glory” exhibit, now on display on the third floor. It features a collection of memorabilia from the Fall Classic, including a Shohei Ohtani jersey, Mookie Betts glove and Freddie Freeman bat, and is included with museum admission.
Coop Basketball Keeps Rolling
COOPERSTOWN—Cooperstown girls basketball lost its home opener to Hamilton 63-36 on Tuesday, December 16. Lanie Nelen led with 17 points, followed by Sophia Johnson and Emma Johnson with nine each. Emma, an eighth-grader who led the Hawkeyes in points last year, played her first few minutes of the season after an injury.
The Hawkeyes secured their first win of the season with a 45-37 victory over Morrisville-Eaton on Friday, December 19. Lanie Nelen scored 20 points, followed by Emma Johnson’s 18 in her first full game back. The Hawkeyes rose to 1-5 for the season and 1-1 in their division. They will host the Dick White Holiday Basketball Tournament on Monday, December 29.
The boys team rolled to a 71-43 victory over Waterville in a division game at home on Monday, December 15. Miles Nelen scored 28 points and Jackson Crisman recorded a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Brody Murdock scored 10 points.
Crisman had another double-double in Cooperstown’s 80-37 win against Sherburne-Earlville on Thursday, December 18, putting away a personal record of 26 points in addition to 13 rebounds. Nelen added 18 points, and Christian Lawson had 14 points, seven steals and four assists.
Nelen set a new personal record of 41 points in an 88-62 romp against Faith Heritage on Saturday, December 20. Murdock added 17 points and eight rebounds. Crisman recorded 12 points, 16 rebounds and three blocks.
Cooperstown rolled to an 82-58 non-league win over Saratoga Catholic, another top-ranked Class C team, at home on Monday, December 22. Nelen once again led with 38 points, followed by Crisman with 13 and Lawson with seven. The New York State Sportswriters Association ranked Cooperstown second in the state in Class C and a 6-0, 2-0 record. They will face Thomas Proctor at Utica’s Nexus Center on Friday, December 26.
Bowling Still Undefeated
COOPERSTOWN—Wyatt Butts bowled a 696 series to lead Cooperstown bowling to a 4-1 division match against Sherburne-Earlville on Tuesday, December 16. Kaden Card rolled a 562. The Hawkeyes stand at 4-0 for the season and 3-0 in their division. They will face Adirondack in Boonville on Monday, January 5.
Volleyball Dethrones Sauquoit
COOPERSTOWN—Cooperstown volleyball handed Sauquoit Valley its first loss of the season with a 3-1 (14-25, 25-11, 26-24, 25-23) win at home on Tuesday, December 16. Mia Pelcer had 14 kills, Jensen Merwin had 15 digs and Chloe Jubar made 11 kills. Hayden Merwin had 10 digs, four aces and 23 assists.
Gas Prices Keep Sliding
UTICA—The average price of gas in New York State dropped three cents to $3.06 per gallon over the week ending Monday, December 22, AAA Northeast reported. Domestic inventories have grown for five straight weeks by a total of more than 20 million barrels, and world crude oil prices hit a five-year low on Tuesday, December 16. The current price is nine cents lower than a month ago and 7 cents lower than this time last year. To view the full report, visit gasprices.aaa.com.
Hall Opens Guest Exhibit in Kentucky
MAYSVILLE, KY—The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum will open “Picturing America’s Pastime,” a traveling photography exhibit, at the Kentucky Gateway Museum Center on January 14. Tracing the co-evolution of baseball and photography from the mid-19th century to the present, the exhibition will be open through March 15. It will be displayed at the Haggin Museum in Stockton, California from April 6 to May 31 and at Greenville, South Carolina’s Upcountry History Museum from June 20 to October 25.
