AUBURN, Calif. — Former MLB pitcher Daniel Serafini was sentenced Friday to life in prison without the possibility of parole in the 2021 shooting of his wife’s parents during a burglary at their home by Lake Tahoe, authorities said.

Serafini, 51, was convicted in July 2025 of first-degree murder of his father-in-law, Gary Spohr; attempted murder of his mother-in-law, Wendy Wood; and first-degree burglary. Spohr was killed, and Wood survived, though she died a year after the shooting.

Placer County District Attorney Morgan Gire said in a statement Friday that Spohr and Wood were loving grandparents and that Serafini’s crimes greatly impacted family members and friends.

“The impact of this attack has extended far beyond the immediate victims, deeply affecting family members and the broader community, and highlighting the lasting harm caused by deliberate violence,” Gire said.

Serafini’s attorney did not return requests for comment.

During his sentencing hearing, Serafini addressed the court and maintained his innocence, according to MyNews4. He said he was out partying with his wife the night of the shooting and described himself as a “broken, imperfect man that makes mistakes.”

Serafini was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in 1992. In a career spanning 11 years, the left-hander played for the Chicago Cubs, San Diego Padres, Pittsburgh Pirates, Cincinnati Reds and Colorado Rockies.

Prosecutors said Serafini hated his wife’s wealthy parents and was heard saying he was willing to pay $20,000 to have them killed, according to the Sacramento Bee. Prosecutors showed jurors transcripts of angry emails and text messages between Serafini and his in-laws.

During the six-week trial, Serafini’s attorney, David Dratman, argued that there was no physical evidence linking his client to the crime scene. Dratman told the jury that although Serafini had a rocky relationship with his in-laws, he did not have a motive to kill them.

After his conviction, Serafini filed multiple motions for a new trial, but those were denied.

Serafini will serve his sentence at the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, according to the Placer County District Attorney’s Office.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Morez Johnson Jr. had 19 points and 11 rebounds against his former team as No. 3 Michigan defeated No. 10 Illinois 84-70 on Friday night and clinched the Big Ten regular-season title.

Johnson, who played for the Illini last season after verbally committing three years earlier, was booed throughout the game by Illinois fans.

Aday Mara had 19 points on 8-for-9 shooting, and Yaxel Lendeborg finished with 16 points and seven rebounds for the Wolverines (27-2, 17-1), who are 10-0 on the road and have won 23 games by 10 or more points.

The Wolverines won their first outright conference regular-season title since 2014, when they also clinched with a win at Illinois.

Michigan’s 17 conference victories are the most in school history.

Keaton Wagler scored 23 points for the Fighting Illini (22-7, 13-5), who have lost four of six, including three in overtime. Wagler scored in double figures for the 21st straight game.

Kylan Boswell scored 15 points, and David Mirkovic had 12 points and 10 rebounds for the Illini, who entered the game as the Big Ten’s top 3-point shooting team. Illinois was just 9-of-29 from distance against Michigan.

Michigan led 38-31 at halftime behind Johnson’s 13 points.

Down 16-11 after a four-point play by Wagler, the Wolverines responded with an 11-point run capped by a 3 by Johnson and never trailed again. They led by as many as 21 points in the second half.

Michigan’s win snapped a nine-game losing streak against Illinois that began in 2019. The Wolverines had dropped four in a row to the Illini at the State Farm Center.

The Power 4 conference commissioners are expected to join dozens of sports celebrities and dignitaries on March 6 at the White House in a roundtable discussion with President Donald Trump about the future of college athletics, multiple sources confirmed to ESPN on Thursday.

President Trump will chair the group, and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and New York Yankees president Randy Levine are listed as vice chairs, according to a source who provided a list of 35 people who received invitations. The list also includes:

• Golfer Tiger Woods

• Former college football coaches Nick Saban, Mack Brown and Urban Meyer

• Former secretary of state and College Football Playoff selection committee member Condoleezza Rice

• New England Patriots president Jonathan Kraft

• NBA commissioner Adam Silver

• Fox Sports president Eric Shanks

• ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro

• Several athletic directors, including Notre Dame’s Pete Bevacqua

• Former college athletes, including Florida quarterback Tim Tebow and Florida State basketball and football player Charlie Ward

The list also includes current university presidents and chancellors.

It’s unknown whether everyone invited will attend the event, which is called the “College Sports Roundtable.” Multiple sources planning to attend expressed skepticism about how much could be done on a Friday afternoon with so many people from different backgrounds involved.

“It’s people who could be involved in helping shape the future of college athletics and some of the solutions and strategies to structuring the athletic world going forward,” said one source who plans to attend. “It’s so preliminary, it’s hard to say anything with any sort of specificity because there hasn’t been anything provided to us in writing of that sort yet.”

Also expected to attend is billionaire businessman Cody Campbell, chairman of Texas Tech’s board of regents and a former college football player, who has been working on a “Saving College Sports” campaign and involved in discussions about a possible roundtable for more than a year.

Leaders throughout college athletics have also been meeting with lawmakers on Capitol Hill for years to rally support for legislation to help regulate NIL. Despite Trump’s outspoken support and multiple politicians taking stances on issues such as athlete employment, the NCAA has been unable to get a bill to the floor for a vote.

Yahoo Sports was first to report the meeting.