In a thrilling display of athleticism seen in the Double-A Southern League, one of the most stunning catches of the year in professional baseball unfolded on Friday night.

Mark Coley II, a promising talent in the Brewers’ lineup, dazzled fans by robbing a home run with remarkable flair, thwarting a homer by one of baseball’s top-100 prospects, in what may be one of the most outstanding plays of the 2026 season.

In his fourth Double-A appearance, Eric Hartman—a celebrated Braves outfielder ranked 73rd overall and the second-highest prospect on MLB Pipeline—brought his impressive record from High-A, where he belted 24 homers, and launched a powerful drive deep into right-center field at Synovus Park in Columbus, Georgia.

Stationed at center field, Coley pursued the soaring ball until it neared the wall. Timing his leap perfectly, he reached for the descending shot, making contact with his glove at the critical moment.

However, Coley’s initial attempt wasn’t enough to secure the catch, as he inadvertently knocked the ball onto the warning track in a heart-stopping moment.

As he fell to the dirt, though, Coley caught the ball with his glove while on his backside for what was an incredible F8 putout in the scorebook.

Coley helped save his starter, Manuel Rodriguez, who would have served up back-to-back-to-back home runs had the catch not been made.

It harkened back to Nationals center fielder Jacob Young, who made a circus catch at the wall — using his foot to catch a rebound — last September against the Mets’ Brett Baty.

Dewayne Wise, notably in 2009, saved White Sox hurler Mark Buehrle’s perfect game with a near-identical catch as Coley, though Wise caught his second effort with the bare hand.

Hartman later did get a measure of revenge, doubling to center on a play Coley was unable to catch.

Coley didn’t factor in at the plate for Double-A Biloxi in an 0-for-3 night during a 4-2 loss, but his defense turned plenty of heads.

Royce White has announced his intent to enter next year’s WNBA Draft, marking him as the second former NBA player to make such a declaration amidst the ongoing debate around transgender athletes in sports.

This development follows Enes Kanter Freedom’s similar announcement. Standing at 6ft 10in, Freedom played in the NBA for 11 seasons and revealed his plans to join the WNBA just last Friday.

White, currently pursuing the Republican Senate nomination in Minnesota, shared with Fox News Digital his new transgender identity and expressed his eagerness to compete alongside talents such as Caitlin Clark and Sophie Cunningham in the upcoming season.

He declared, “I’m transgender. I’m a woman. I identify as sometimes identifying as a woman for the purpose of basketball, professional basketball, so I’ll be declaring for the WNBA draft in 2027 as well.”

Expressing confidence in his abilities, White said, “I think I’d be unstoppable. But I’m a team-first guy. I’m a pass-first kind of player. I do the little things. I led my team in all five major stat categories at Iowa State University, so I do a little bit of everything.”

‘I’ll do whatever the coach needs me to do. I’ll do whatever the girls need me to do.’

White, a former first-round draft pick who only played three games in the NBA for the Sacramento Kings, insisted that only the WNBA releasing ‘a definitive statement about guys with a pair of b**** playing in the Women’s Association’ could stop him.

‘I don’t want to be discriminated against,’ he continued. ‘I want fair treatment. I’m a young black, hopefully United States Senator, that would like a fair chance to participate as a sometimes-identifying-as-a-transgender-woman athlete.’

He also vowed to wear a wig while he’s playing and said WNBA players will have ‘nightmares… and they should’ about him potentially competing against them.

‘I am 260 pounds, 6ft 8, can palm a men’s basketball probably as easily as any player in history,’ White, 35, continued. ‘I think I had the third biggest hands in the history of the modern NBA Draft combine. I really feel like I’m going to be dominant.’

When asked if he would use the women’s locker room in the WNBA, he replied: ‘Of course. I don’t want to be discriminated against. Why wouldn’t I use the women’s locker room?

‘I have great respect for the skill of women’s basketball. They have to play a much more skilled game because they don’t have some of the physical God-given abilities as the men.

‘So I have great respect for the women’s game but there is a significant difference between biological men and women and we’ve blurred that line, like we’ve blurred many other lines unnecessarily, and I plan to exploit that for my economic and athletic benefit.’ 

White’s declaration comes amid an ongoing culture war within the WNBA, sparked by Indiana Fever star Sophie Cunningham after she said in an interview with ESPN that she wants to ‘protect young girls’ from ‘biological men’ in sports.

Since making the comments, the sports world has been left divided. 

While some, such as Riley Gaines and Stephen A. Smith, have seemingly sided with the Fever star, others have openly criticized her and booed her on the court. 

Recently, the bitter culture war deepened after Golden State Valkyries star Gabby Williams claimed she would happily welcome a trans player to her team.

‘I think trans rights, right now, is our new battle,’ Williams said in a recent interview, adding: ‘We see people’s trans rights being stripped away from them; there’s a lot of discourse around trans athletes and what they can compete in.

‘I would welcome a trans athlete on my team or against my team, anytime,’ Williams added. ‘I don’t think it’s a problem in the world.’ 

In the wake of Cunningham’s comments, Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve made her feelings on the topic extremely clear on Sunday – after opting to wear a ‘Trans Kids Belong’ t-shirt on the sidelines of their game against the Fever. 

Freedom shared his own declaration for the WNBA Draft with his fans through a post on social media on Friday afternoon.

In a video, the former New York Knicks and Boston Celtics star said: ‘After careful consideration and reviewing the current eligibility guidelines, I’m officially declaring myself a @WNBA prospect.

‘If simply declaring who you are is all that’s required, then I meet every single requirement necessary to compete in the WNBA.

‘My team and I have carefully examined the WNBA’s eligibility criteria and governing framework surrounding self-identification and inclusion. Based on the current guidelines, I can and am officially declaring my eligibility for the upcoming WNBA draft in April 2027.

‘I know my presence on the court will stir up strong opinions. I am definitely not here to mock, make fun of, or disrespect any community or personal choices.

‘I’m simply asking that the current rules be applied equally to everyone – the rules that represent the very values many WNBA players and coaches have publicly advocated for.

‘My team and I are prepared to ensure these guidelines are applied equally, consistently, and without exception, and I look forward to the #WNBA honoring its stated principles. See you at training camp.’

The 34-year-old was previously picked third overall at the 2011 NBA Draft, before enjoying a career that took him to the Jazz, Thunder, Knicks, Trail Blazers and Celtics. He has not played a professional game since 2022.

Freedom’s post quickly went viral on social media as a number of political commentators threw their support behind the NBA veteran and his decision.

Riley Gaines was among those to respond to the post, writing: ‘Genius. Perfect. Waiting to see which WNBA team recruits’.

Similarly, Piers Morgan wrote on X: ‘Brilliant… now let’s see how keen the @WNBA stars are for men to play in their League.’

Clay Travis, meanwhile, who recently offered to pay $10 million to WNBA champions the Las Vegas Aces if they can beat a high school boys basketball team of his choosing, wrote: ‘Amazing. Well done.’

CHICAGO (WLS) — On a disturbing Friday morning, authorities removed a significant number of decomposing bodies from a funeral home on Chicago’s Southeast Side. The grim discovery had been made the evening before, shocking the community and authorities alike.

Efforts are underway by the Cook County Medical Examiner to identify the remains discovered at the South Chicago Chapel, located on 95th Street. The scene has sparked outrage and disbelief among local residents and families involved.

Throughout the night and into the early hours of Friday morning, a procession of vans transported the bodies away from the South Chicago Chapel. Officials reported nearly 60 bodies were left to decompose, improperly stored at temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Alarmingly, local residents had been complaining about a persistent foul odor in the vicinity for several months.

The revelation that 56 bodies had been stored in such a deplorable state has left families using the South Chicago Chapel in shock and demand for explanations is mounting. Many are grappling with the distressing news and seeking clarification on how such neglect could have occurred.

On Friday, families arrived at the funeral home, desperate for answers. ABC7 has captured heart-wrenching accounts of their frustration and sorrow. Several families report experiencing long waits for their loved one’s remains, only to now face uncertainty over whether the remains they received are indeed those of their loved ones.

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Several bodies were removed from the home Friday and driven away in vans to be identified. It could take days to identify all of the remains, which officials say were improperly stored.

“It’s crazy,” Valkiery Velez, who lives next door to the funeral home, said. “I have a kid too. And to have him smell that, it’s insane.”

Neighbors said they’ve smelled a foul odor around South Chicago Chapel for weeks, if not months.

“Oh man, it’s awful,” Velez said. “I’ve lived here for about a year and I could smell it this entire year. It’s like dead rodents, dead animals, you can smell it yeah.”

The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office said investigators found more than 50 bodies in various states of decomposition Thursday in the South Deering funeral home. Teams are now working to identify the deceased and review records, including death certificates to notify families as quickly as possible.

“We don’t know if Melody is in there or not,” Patrice Halliburton, whose sister was cremated at the home, said. “So right now, we’re more fearful that she is than we are angry.”

Halliburton’s sister Melody Johnson passed away May 23. They held her funeral services on June 13 and had her cremated at South Chicago Chapel. She said they picked up what they believed were her ashes a week later, but now are questioning if in fact the ashes of those of their loved.

“I have no idea how something like this could happen,” Haliburton said. “I have no idea how someone’s conscience could allow something like this to happen. There are no words and I’m really concerned about my niece and my nephews because this is their mom. And they don’t know, and for them to have an urn and they don’t know who is there, if that is really their mom, this is a really difficult time for them.”

Families in South Deering are now left with more questions than answers.

“We don’t know if we have her remains,” Haliburton said. “We don’t know if she’s still there. We have no idea and they won’t answer any of our phone calls.”

Latasha Johnson said she became concerned shortly before her mother’s funeral Thursday. Johnson recalled pulling back a curtain inside the funeral home and seeing a body.

“I pulled a curtain back. There’s a body laying there. I’m thinking this must be what they do in the funeral home,” Johnson said.

Police arrived at the funeral home as Johnson’s mother’s funeral was taking place Thursday and awaited a warrant to search the property. Hours later, the medical examiner reported the discovery of 56 bodies stored improperly.

Johnson said she also noticed what she described as a strong odor inside the funeral home. She said the funeral director’s husband attributed the smell to mildew.

“He got Lysol. You spraying Lysol over death,” Johnson said.

The discovery has left other families seeking information about their loved ones.

“I just want my mama body back. Y’all can do whatever else you want to do just please give me my mama back,” said Franquella Campbell, whose family also used South Chicago Chapel.

Charlene Bays said it took the funeral home nearly three months last year to provide her brother’s ashes.

“I’m not even sure who they gave us. I don’t even know if it’s him or not because they made us wait so long, gave us the runaround,” Bays said.

The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, which licenses funeral directors, said it has suspended the license of funeral director Johanna Morgan. The agency also revoked the license of her husband, Clark Morgan, in 2024.

Last year, the state comptroller shut down a Chicago Heights crematory owned by Clark Morgan after more than 100 bodies were improperly stored there.

The state said Johanna Morgan’s license was just suspended on Wednesday, and that’s not the first time. Records show she has faced a history of disciplinary action.

The latest came over conditions inside South Chicago Chapel. Records said Johanna allowed, “multiple decedents to be kept in an unrefrigerated area with deplorable conditions including rodent infestation, causing decomposition and maggot infestation of the bodies.”

After learning about all this, the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation said it’s working with investigators to ensure all appropriate regulatory and public safety steps are taken.

“They should have criminal charges pressed against them for how they mishandle these bodies,” Illinois State Comptroller Susana Mendoza said. “These people should be in jail. That’s where they should be.”

The developments have prompted questions from affected families.

“Why, if they closed down one facility, why did they, why didn’t they close this one down?” Angela Young asked.

Johnson said she encountered additional problems before her mother’s funeral. She said her mother’s body had not been dressed properly, forcing family members to prepare her themselves.

“Basically I set my mom up, and I asked family to help, to assist me. They really didn’t want to touch my momma. I didn’t want to touch her. I wanted to remember my mom warm,” Johnson said.

Johnson also said the funeral home’s memorial program included AI-generated images of her mother.

“These are fake people. Artificial intelligence inside an obituary,” Johnson said.

Asked what should happen to those responsible, Johnson responded: “Jail.”

Illinois State Police say their crime scene services investigators are helping the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office identify the 56 bodies found in this building, but for people like Charlene Bays, it’s unclear what they can do to identify those cremated remains.

Alderman Peter Chico said in a statement, “I was horrified when I found out about the bodies at the South Chicago Chapel Funeral Home. My thoughts and prayers go out to the families who may have had loved ones there.”

ABC7 reached out to the funeral home and is still waiting for a response.