Starting 5: NWSL honors Racing Louisville FC star; watch Elly De La Cruz's 1st MLB homer

Racing Louisville FC midfielder Savannah DeMelo had a May to remember, putting the National Women's Soccer League on notice.

On Tuesday, DeMelo was named the NWSL's Player of the Month for the first time in her young career by a collection of media members who cover the league. The 25-year-old California native played a part in six of Racing's 11 goals in May, helping the club snap a six-match winless streak to start the season and go 4-2 during the month.

Coach Kim Björkegren called the recognition "well-deserved."

"Savannah’s development has been amazing since she came to the club a year and a half ago," Björkegren said. "She has the ability to create chances from almost nothing, and she has generated goals and assists in almost every game."

Seeing the field in five of Racing's six matches in May, DeMelo scored three goals, assisted on two and converted a penalty kick that was officially scored as an own-goal against the Chicago Red Stars. The No. 4 overall pick in the 2022 NWSL Draft has already tied her goal total from her rookie season — and is in a four-way tie for second in the league — with four across 11 games. For the year, she's had a hand in nine of the club's 13 goals.

"I’m so grateful to have received this award," DeMelo said. "All the thanks go to my team. We are such a special group, and I’m excited to see what the future holds for us."

Racing on Friday night played the second-place San Diego Wave to a 0-0 draw at Lynn Family Stadium. The club is 2-3-6 (12 points) on the season and sits in eighth place on the NWSL table as of Friday night, three points back of a playoff spot.

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Around the city: Ex-Alabama swimmer Mateo Miceli announces transfer to Louisville

The Louisville men's swimming team on Tuesday scored a commitment via the NCAA transfer portal from Mateo Miceli, who plans to join the Cardinals after two years at Alabama. Miceli hails from Omaha, Nebraska, and specializes in the backstroke and the butterfly.

Representing the Crimson Tide at the NCAA championships, Miceli earned a spot on the All-America second team for his 11th-place performance in the 200 medley relay while finishing among the top 40 swimmers in the 100 and 200 butterfly. He placed fifth in the latter event at the SEC championships, setting a new Alabama record with a time of 1:42.02.

Miceli's transfer to U of L, whose men's team placed third in this year's ACC championships and 13th in the NCAA championships, comes after 18-time ACC medalist Abdelrahman El-Araby announced in April he will be using his final year of college eligibility to pursue a Master's degree at Notre Dame and will be joining the Fighting Irish's swim team. In 2021, El-Araby anchored a group of Cardinals that won a national title in the 200 medley relay.

Following up: Former Louisville softball star Taylor Roby is going pro

Last week, Louisville softball's Taylor Roby earned spots on two All-America teams to cap off her storied five-year career at her hometown school. But the Bullitt East High School grad doesn't plan on walking away from the diamond anytime soon.

Roby, a pitcher who during the 2023 season broke U of L's single-season and career home-run records, has signed on to play for the USSSA Pride, a team based out of Viera, Florida, that competes in the Women's Professional Fastpitch league. The Pride's season begins Thursday and runs through Aug. 7.

Taylor Roby: How former Bullitt East standout pitcher became Louisville softball's 'anchor'

High school recruiting: Trinity guard Jayden Johnson adds Xavier basketball offer and more

• Hamilton Atkins, a Class of 2024 tight/end offensive lineman at St. Xavier, received his first Division I scholarship offer Wednesday from Western Illinois.

• One of Atkins' teammates, quarterback Trevor Havill, picked up his second D-I offer on June 4 from Cornell. Bucknell has also offered the 2024 signal-caller.

• Fresh off an appearance in last weekend's Kentucky-Indiana Junior All-Star game, Christian Academy forward Mariah Knight received an offer from Purdue Fort Wayne, her seventh at the D-I level, on Tuesday. Arkansas State, Coppin State, Marshall, Murray State, Northern Kentucky and Wright State are also in the mix for her pledge.

• Trinity's Jayden Johnson, a 6-foot-5 guard who recently participated in a USA Basketball camp but did not secure a spot on the U16 team's final roster, was offered a scholarship to play at Xavier on June 3. Cincinnati, Missouri, Texas A&M and West Virginia have also extended offers to the Class of 2026 prospect.

• Jasper Johnson is now a former Woodford County star. The 6-5 guard, who ranks among ESPN's top 20 prospects in the Class of 2025, announced Monday he'll be transferring to Link Academy, a prep school in Branson, Missouri, that won the 2023 GEICO Nationals championship in April. The son of former Kentucky football standout Dennis Johnson added Florida State to his laundry list of suitors, which also includes U of L, UK and Indiana, after the Seminoles offered him a scholarship Tuesday.

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Mark your calendars

• Racing Louisville FC takes the field at Lynn Family Stadium twice this week — at 8 p.m. Wednesday for a Challenge Cup match (and Pups at the Pitch!) against the Houston Dash and at 4 p.m. Sunday against NJ/NY Gotham FC for Nickelodeon SpongeBob SquarePants Day. The first 200 people to enter the Fan Zone, which opens at 2:30 p.m., will receive a free Racing scarf inspired by the popular TV show. You can also vote for one of four players to get slimed on the video board: Savannah DeMelo, Emina Ekic, Olivia Sekany and Zaneta Wyne.

• Louisville City FC heads to the Valley of the Sun for a 9:30 p.m. kickoff Saturday against Phoenix Rising FC.

• The Louisville Bats return from a weeklong road trip to Columbus, Ohio, to host the St. Paul Saints for a six-game homestand. Saturday is Star Wars Night at Slugger Field, with first pitch scheduled for 7:15 p.m.

Play of the week: Elly De La Cruz nearly clubs first MLB home run out of Great American Ballpark in second game with Cincinnati Reds

Elly De La Cruz stood among his Bats teammates in a Columbus hotel Tuesday when he was told he needed to collect his belongings and head south for Cincinnati to make his MLB debut for the Reds later that evening. The crowd at Great American Ballpark was buzzing after the marquee Dominican prospect scorched a ball to the wall in right-center field at 112 miles per hour off the bat for his first big-league hit, and the Reds erased an 8-3 deficit to beat the Los Angeles Dodgers in walk-off fashion, 9-8.

That was just the appetizer. With the Reds trailing the Dodgers 2-0, De La Cruz stepped to the plate in the bottom of the first inning Wednesday with a runner on second and obliterated the second pitch he saw from right-hander Noah Syndergaard for a game-tying home run, which traveled 458 feet and landed in the top row of the right-field bleachers. At 114.8 mph off the bat, De La Cruz's first big-league homer was the the hardest-hit ball by a Reds player this year, per the Ball Sports broadcast. Play-by-play announcer John Sadak delivered a call worthy of the moment, shouting, "Oh, goodness! That ball had a family!"

Elly De La Cruz: Reds top prospect follows line of great Louisville Bats players

Each week we'll highlight what's going on in and around Louisville, from high school to pro sports, in our "Starting 5." Got a story to tell or a play of the week? Tweet at us @CJ_Sports. You can follow Louisville men's basketball reporter Brooks Holton at bholton@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter at @brooksHolton.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Starting 5: Cincinnati Reds top prospect, Racing Louisville FC, NWSL