Latest news with #Strader
USA Today
16 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Raion Strader's 2025 Auburn football player profile
Strader joins Auburn's roster after spending two seasons at Miami (Ohio), where he logged over 100 tackles and 30 pass breakups. Auburn football's secondary will provide challenges to opposing offenses this season thanks to a mix of young players who gained early experience early in their careers. In an effort to assist those young players and to provide depth, Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze added a talented cornerback through the transfer portal, Raion Strader. Strader started 24 games in two seasons at Miami (Ohio), where he was active in the Redhawks' pass defense by deflecting over 30 passes and making over 100 tackles during his time at Miami. His numbers led him to earn several postseason honors including first team All-MAC in 2024, and Freshman All-American by College Football News in 2023. Strader will be in a rotation with Kayin Lee, Jay Crawford, and Kensley Louidor-Faustin this season at the cornerback position. Crawford was the highest-graded cornerback in coverage last season according to Pro Football Focus with a 77.5 grade, while Lee had the fourth-highest pass rush grade on the Tiger defense at 71.8. Mixing Strader in with Lee and Crawford will keep the Tigers' defensive backfield playing at a high level, not matter who is on the field. Here is a look at Raion Strader's player profile ahead of the 2025 season. Raion Strader's personal profile Raion Strader as a recruit Raion Strader as a transfer Raion Strader's career numbers Raion Strader's PFF report card The best photos of Raion Strader's career Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Taylor on Twitter @TaylorJones__
Miami Herald
28-06-2025
- Science
- Miami Herald
With more intense hurricanes, do we also have to prepare for more tornadoes in Florida?
We know that the warming climate, driven largely by fossil fuel emissions, are intensifying hurricanes. But what about tornadoes? To answer our readers' questions on the links between climate change and tornadoes and how we can improve safety, the Herald spoke spoke to hazards geographer Stephen Strader, who studied meteorology and geography at Northern Illinois University, and holds degrees in both. He also researches tornadoes at Villanova University in Pennsylvania., where he's an associate professor of geography and the environment and geography program director. How is climate change affecting the risk of tornadoes? Stephen Strader: We actually know a lot more about climate change and hurricanes than we do tornadoes, because tornadoes tend to be very small – the widest tornado ever recorded is two and a half miles wide, and most are only a few 100 yards wide. Our models are not at that resolution. What is concerning, though, is that it's not uncommon to have tornadoes associated with hurricanes because you have a very violent environment, and you have a lot of moisture. These ingredients tend to produce tornadoes. Now that the rapid intensification of these hurricanes is becoming more frequent, where I'm going to bed and the hurricane is at Category 1, and I wake up and it's a Category 4, the question becomes: how are hurricanes changing and will that produce more tornadoes? If we end up with stronger and slower moving hurricanes producing more precipitation, the guess would be that tornadoes would also increase when they're associated with hurricanes. The scary thing is: We really don't know yet. How far away from a hurricane can tornadoes spawn? Hurricane Milton made landfall on the Gulf Coast, but on the Atlantic Coast, we saw a local record of 46 in a day, with five deaths in St. Lucie County alone. Strader: They can occur 50 to 100 miles away from the center of the hurricane. When we think about a hurricane's impact, it's not just the eye wall. The tornadoes typically are further away from the eye wall. They have to be, because they need a lot of different ingredients than the hurricane. What's scary about that to me is that the hurricane made landfall on the west coast of Florida, so on the east coast, people let their guard down. 'Oh, we're on the safe side of Florida'. But then here come the tornadoes. I think that contributed to a lot of the deaths and damages that we saw. What can we do to better protect our communities from tornadoes – can we zone for them? Strader: We can build stronger structures, enforce codes, retrofit structures – and we do that, but we need to do more of that. You can bring a manufactured home up to really strong codes, above and beyond what is required. It's just expensive. So the question now is, who pays for it, and how do we do that? Zoning is difficult, and frankly, tourism reigns king. No one's going to not build in an area that's going to make them money every day. No developer, no business is going to do that. Tornadoes are rare, hurricanes are fairly rare. So you're asking people to stop doing something that's going to make them money day to day, in favor of being worried about a low probability event. That's tricky. People tend to gamble. But Florida is going to have to start asking the question: Do we zone? And really, it's because of sea level rise and flooding. The insurance companies have pulled out in a lot of states, and that's because it's just too risky. So, are people going to move away, or are they gonna be forced to move away? This Q&A has been edited for brevity and clarity. This story is part of a periodic Miami Herald series where we answer reader questions about climate change. Send us yours at climate@ This climate report is funded by Florida International University, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the David and Christina Martin Family Foundation in partnership with Journalism Funding Partners. The Miami Herald retains editorial control of all content.
Chicago Tribune
12-06-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Butler football recruit Mason Strader commits to Libertyville baseball. ‘I totally bought in,' and he scores big.
Libertyville senior Mason Strader approached this baseball season like an athlete with something to prove. Although Strader had already committed to play football at Butler, he didn't rest on his laurels. 'I've totally bought in to what the coaches have been telling me,' he said. 'I didn't come into the season knowing I had a definite position, so I made a goal for myself to become a contributing member of the team with a defined role. 'Once I earned it, I pledged to hold on to it.' Strader has fulfilled that pledge. He is the starting center fielder for the Wildcats (34-4), who will play Normal (36-4) in the Class 4A state semifinals at the Joliet Slammers' Duly Health and Care Field at 4 p.m. Friday. Strader managed to prepare for this opportunity while training for two sports. 'I think I did a good job this offseason of keeping both sports separate but at the same time benefiting both,' he said. 'I knew I had to dial it up baseball-wise and tighten up some of my skills, but I was making sure I was addressing football too.' Libertyville baseball coach Matt Thompson thinks Strader, who plays safety in football, is better for it. 'He was more of a pull hitter in 2024, but he's hitting to all fields now, and doing all of his strength work for football has given his bat a little more juice,' Thompson said. Batting ninth, Strader has been productive as a second leadoff hitter for the Wildcats. He's batting .284 with 16 RBIs and 25 runs scored in a lineup where the first five hitters' averages range from .359 to .459. Senior catcher Quinn Schambow and senior pitcher/first baseman Joshua Holst have combined for 45 extra-base hits and 86 RBIs. 'I know if I get on base, I'm no doubt going to score with those guys coming up behind me,' Strader said. 'I try to have a good two-strike approach and get on any way I can – hit, walk, hit-by-pitch, error.' Strader took two of those avenues during Libertyville's 5-4 win over Lake Zurich in the Stevenson Sectional championship game on Saturday. He went 2-for-3 with two singles and reached on a hard-hit ball to shortstop in his other at-bat. Leading off the third and fifth innings, Strader got on base ahead of senior shortstop Cole Lockwood and scored, first on a double by Schambow and then on a home run by Holst. 'That was a game where it showed how important that spot in the order can be,' Strader said. 'I'm fortunate to have great people around me and to be surrounded by a bunch of extraordinary athletes.' Strader also excels in center field, helping make Libertyville's defense up the middle — which includes Schambow, Lockwood and junior second baseman Trevor Wallace — a strength. Strader manned the corner outfield spots almost exclusively in the previous two seasons. But he has thrived in center with his speed and has become the leader of a tight-knit group that includes sophomore Ryan Wilberding in left and juniors Carson Holmes and Jack Cenar in right. 'I love the pressure when the ball is hit to me,' Strader said. 'That's my favorite part of playing baseball. Those guys are my brothers. They help me read balls, and I'm so appreciative of them. We do a lot of the same communicating as in football.' Wilberding is a catcher by trade, but his offensive skills forced the coaching staff to get him in the lineup. His transition to the outfield has been made easier by Strader. They're throwing partners and have extended their connection to off-field activities, including fishing trips with Holmes. 'Mason has taken me under his wing a little bit and has been a good mentor,' Wilberding said. 'Our bond as an outfield has grown super strong as the season has gone on. I'll have to be more of a leader next year, and his leadership has helped me realize the kinds of things I'll want to do.' In the meantime, the Wildcats want to win the first state title in program history. 'I was a believer in this team from day one,' Strader said. 'Team-wise, we have such great chemistry, and I knew we had a team that could win it all. Now it's time to go prove it.' Like Strader has already done.
