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Matt Wallner Homers. David Festa Dominates in Saints Win. Cole Peschl Quality Start …

Twins Video The Twins and all four of their affiliates played on Saturday Lots of good content for you below.  CURRENT W-L RecordsMinnesota Twins: 30-25 (Tied for 2nd in AL Central with Cleveland, six games behind Detroit.)St. Paul Saints: 27-24  (Tied for 5th place in the International League West Division, 4.0 games behind Nashville.)Wichita Wind […]

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Matt Wallner Homers. David Festa Dominates in Saints Win. Cole Peschl Quality Start ...

Twins Video

The Twins and all four of their affiliates played on Saturday Lots of good content for you below. 

CURRENT W-L Records
Minnesota Twins: 30-25 (Tied for 2nd in AL Central with Cleveland, six games behind Detroit.)
St. Paul Saints: 27-24  (Tied for 5th place in the International League West Division, 4.0 games behind Nashville.)
Wichita Wind Surge: 24-24 (4th in Texas League North with Arkansas, 1.5 games behind Springfield.)
Cedar Rapids Kernels: 27-20 (2nd place in the Midwest League’s West Division, 2.5 games behind Quad Cities.)
Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 21-27 (6th place in the Florida State League’s West Division, 7.0 games behind Lakeland.)
FCL Twins: 11-8 (2nd in FCL South, 2.0 games back of the FCL Rays. 

TRANSACTIONS
ICYMI: Carson McCusker was optioned to St. Paul following the Twins loss in Tampa on Wednesday. The Twins will make a corresponding move on Friday.  

RHP Jacob Bosiokovic is on the temporarily inactive list with the Saints. 

Khadim Diaw has been placed on the 7-Day Injured List, but he could be out for a while with a fracture of his right thumb. Poncho Ruiz has been promoted from Fort Myers to Cedar Rapids. 

Catcher Ricardo Pena has been promoted from the FCL to Fort Myers. Of his 81 games started since signing his first games in the DSL in 2022, he has started behind the plate 65 times with a dozen starts at first base. 

Jay Thomason was activated from the 7-Day IL for Fort Myers.     

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A day after we learned that the Twins had signed outfielder Blaze O’ Saben and infielder Caleb McNeely from independent leagues, it appears that the Twins have signed a pitcher from the New Jersey Jackals of the Frontier League. The Twins have signed RHP Nick Trabacchi. The 26-year-old started his college career at Maryland-Baltimore County in 2018. After two years, he transferred to Division II Shepherd University. Yes, the same school that Bears backup QB Tyson Bagent went to. He spent three seasons there. Since then (2022), he’s played in the Pecos League, the Atlantic League and the Frontier Leagues. This will be his first time playing in affiliated baseball. Where did we hear about this signing? Twitter/X, of course. 

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For those of you who have been following the Twins minor leagues as long as I have. The pitching coach for the New Jersey Jackals is former Twins left-handed pitching prospect Joe Testa. He signed with the Twins as an undrafted free agent in 2008. He pitched well in the organization until the July 2010 trade deadline in a trade that I wonder if any Twins fans remember. The Twins traded Testa, and a catcher with very little MLB experience at that time named Wilson Ramos, to the Washington Nationals for Matt Capps. (Oh, you do remember? Sorry!) Testa peaked in Double-A, and the Nationals let him go after the 2012 season. Since then, he has pitched in the Canadian-American Association, the American Association, the Atlantic League, and he’s played in Venezuela, Puerto Rico and even in Italy. He apparently didn’t pitch between 2018 and 2019, but returned to the mound in the All-American Baseball Challenge in 2020. He then spent three seasons in the Atlantic League again. In 2024, he joined the Jackals in his home state of New Jersey. He pitched in seven games for them last year, and this season, he has pitched once, a perfect inning to earn a save in a 1-0 game. The 39-year-old lefty might be the story of them all.  

And RHP Liam Rocha has been released by the Twins organization. He signed with the Twins as an undrafted free agent in 2023 after four years at California Baptist. This comes a day after the Twins released knuckleballer Devin Kirby from the Mussels roster. He was pitching in Fort Myers. They both represented the Twins in the Arizona Fall League after the 2024 season. 

Then later in the day, the Gateway Grizzlies of the Frontier League announced that two of their players have signed with the Twins.     

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Teague Conrad is 23. He stands 6-4 and a little over 200 pounds. He pitched at the University of Illinois-Chicago for two years, then spent the 2022 season at Heartland Community College. In 2023, he pitched at Southern Illinois-Edwards. He has spent the past two seasons with Gateway. He went 7-4 with a 3.29 ERA over 18 starts and 101 1/3 innings in 2024. He had 90 strikeouts and 49 walks. This season, he has made four starts and is 1-1 with a 5.40 ERA. In 21 2/3 innings, he had 24 strikeouts to go with just three walks.  The increased K-rate with the huge improvement in command might explain the Twins interest. He is likely to start out with the Mighty Mussels. 

Sam Coonrod may be a familiar name. The 32-year-old spent time in the big leagues with the Giants, Phillies and Mets between 2019 and 2023. He’s pitched in 115 MLB games and is 7-5 with a 5.54 ERA over 104 innings.  He also has five big-league saves. At his best, Coonrad was consistently hitting 98, 99 mph. He is reportedly hitting 97 this year after not pitching in 2024. He is likely best known for making a stand by refusing to kneel in 2020, “I can’t kneel before anything besides God” was his quote. The plan is for him to report to the Saints. 

SAINTS SENTINEL
St. Paul 3, Omaha 1
Box Score

Maybe I should have put Matt Wallner 3, Omaha 1. 

This game was quite the pitchers duel. When the Saints came to the plate in the top of the eighth, they were behind 1-0. They had just two hits and a walk. 

Anthony Prato led off with a walk and moved to second on a wild pitch. Diego Cartaya followed with a walk. Long-time veteran Sam Long, a southpaw, may wish he would have walked the next guy too. Long started Wallner with a 96 mph slider just below the zone that Wallner swung at, and missed. Long tried to throw the same pitch. Unfortunately, for the pitcher, this second pitch was nearly down the middle of the plate, and, as he seems to enjoy doing, Wallner hit that ball over the fence for a three-run homer.     

 

It was the third straight game Wallner homered, and he has five homers in the seven games he’s spent rehabbing with the Saints. Could he be bound for Seattle?

The other big story from this game was the start by David Festa. He tossed five shutout innings and gave up just three hits and a walk. He had five strikeouts. He was also efficient, needing just 66 pitches to get through his outing. He used all four of his pitches. His fastball topped out at 96.3 mph and averaged 94.9 mph.

Richard Lovelady, Brady Feigl, and Anthony Misiewicz – who earned his sixth save – each tossed a scoreless inning. The lone run came on and unearned run against Ryan Jensen in the seventh inning.

The Saints had just four hits, and three of them went for extra bases. Wallner homered, and Mickey Gasper and Anthony Prato each hit a double.    

WIND SURGE WISDOM
Wichita 3, Tulsa 4
Box Score

Tulsa jumped ahead to an early lead. The Wind Surge mounded a mid-inning comeback, but fell just short. 

Darren Bowen made his first start since tossing five no-hit innings last week. He gave up three runs in the first inning and another in the second inning. He worked three innings and gave up four runs on five hits. He had one strikeout and no walks. 

Minnesotan John Klein was very impressive on Thursday. He had eight strikeouts over 3 1/3 scoreless innings. He gave up two hits and one walk. Michael Martinez walked two and struck out three batters over 1 2/3 scoreless, hitless innings. Jaylen Nowlin gave up a hit and a walk in a scoreless ninth inning.   

 

The Surge tried to come back in the fifth inning. With one out, Andrew Cossetti walked. He scored on a triple off the bat of Ben Ross. Tanner Schobel followed with his sixth home run. It cut the team’s deficit to 4-3. 

Unfortunately, that was about it for the Wind Surge offense in this game. They had just five hits, but they also had five walks and two hit batters. Gabriel Gonzalez hit his first triple since joining Wichita. The team was 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position and left seven on base. Schobel and Ricardo Olivar were the two Wind Surge hitters with a hit and a walk. The homer extended Schobel’s hitting streak to 16 games. 

Wichita faced one of the Dodgers top prospects, lefty Jackson Ferris. He worked the first six innings for the Drillers. #OldFriend Noah Miller’s season started late due to meniscus surgery. He played eight rehab games for Great Lakes and rejoined the Drillers on Sunday. With a 2-for-4 game on Thursday, he has two hits in all three games since coming back. 

 

KERNELS NUGGETS
Cedar Rapids 6, Lake County 2
Box Score

It was another well-played game for the Kernels, both on offense and defense. 

Cole Peschl made his second start for the Kernels and put together a Quality Start. He gave up two runs on three hits. He had seven strikeouts without issuing a walk. 

Gabriel Yanez worked two scoreless innings, and Cole Percival pitched a perfect ninth frame to close it out.  

Peschl gave up single runs in the second and fifth innings. The Kernels got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the fifth. With two outs, Poncho Ruiz recorded his first Kernels hit of 2025, a double. Jose Salas followed with a towering blast that landed well beyond the right-field wall. It marked his third homer of the season. 

 

With the game now tied at 2-2, Peschl finished his outing with a scoreless sixth inning. In the bottom of the inning, with one out, Nate Baez turned on a fastball and lined it over the wall in left field for his third homer of the season.   

 

Brandon Winokur followed by hitting his fourth homer. It landed outside the ballpark.   

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But they didn’t stop there. Danny De Andrade walked. He stole second and when the pitch went past the catcher, he raced all the way to third base. Caden Kendle walked and stole second base. Jaime Ferrer hit a fly ball to center, deep enough to score De Andrade with the fifth run. 

The bottom of the seventh gave the Kernels another run, but we also saw something we had not seen all season. With one out, Kaelen Culpepper struck out but reached first base on a wild pitch. Kyle DeBarge followed by lining a double over the center fielder’s head that drove in Culpepper from first. 

And then it happened. DeBarge took off for third base. He dove toward the base as the catcher threw toward the third baseman who caught the ball, and tagged DeBarge. He showed the ball to the umpire who made the call of “Out!” DeBarge looked up at the umpire and looked as if he was thinking, “Out? What do you mean? I haven’t heard that in a long time.” But, there is no replay in the Midwest League, so the call stands. After starting the season with 27 consecutive stolen bases, the streak comes to an end. Now he should start a new streak. 

The Kernels had eight hits, and five of them went for extra bases. Salas went 2-for-3, and Winokur went 2-for-4.                                                                                                                                                                     

MUSSEL MATTERS
Fort Myers 4, Bradenton 6
Box Score

It may not look it from the box score, but Eli Jones put together a really strong start on Thursday night at Hammond Stadium. He started the game with five scoreless innings. 

 

However, in the sixth inning, nothing really went right for Jones and the Mussels. The inning started with a walk, but a ground out gave the team one out. The next batter blooped a ball into shallow center field to drive in a run. The next batter hit a well-placed bunt single. Next was a seeing-eye single to right field to score a second run. A sacrifice bunt moved runners to second and third with two outs. Then a well-placed swinging bunt down the third base line drove in another run. Another slow grounder toward third base was perfect for another infield single and a fourth run.

Jones threw 82 pitches. His fastballs topped out at 95.6 mph and averaged about 93 mph. He mixed in his six pitches. He got just six swings-and-misses in the game. When that’s the case, you’re going to have an inning like Jones’s sixth inning from time to time. 

The Mussels got on the scoreboard first in the second inning. Maddux Houghton hit an inside-the-park home run that hit high off of the center field wall. It was his fourth home run of the season.   

 

Fort Myers responded to the Marauders’ four-run sixth with two runs of their own to cut the deficit to 4-3. Ricardo Pena and Yohander Martinez started the inning with singles. After a pitching change, Dameury Pena walked to load the bases. Miguel Briceno kept it going with a single to left to drive in a run. After a fly out, Luke Napleton hit a single down the third base line (the third baseman dove and knocked it down but didn’t have a play) to drive in the second run.  

 

 

Lefty Zander Sechrist came on and gave up two runs on three hits over two innings. He struck out four batters. Ivran Romero struck out two batters in a scoreless ninth frame. 

Napleton singled to start the bottom of the ninth inning. With one out, Caleb McNeely singled Napleton to second. The runners moved up on a wild pitch. When Blaze O’Saben grounded out to shortstop, Napleton scored. But that was as close as the Mussels got.

The Mussels had 10 hits in the game. Miguel Briceno, Luke Napleton, Maddux Houghton, and Ricardo Pena each had two hits. Newcomers Caleb McNeely played shortstop and batted sixth while Blaze O’Saben played center field and batted seventh. He made a terrific catch in the right centerfield gap that saved runs. 

COMPLEX CHRONICLES
FCL Twins 3, FCL Orioles 2
Box Score

Matt Gabbert continues to work back from injury. On Thursday morning, he made his fourth appearance of the season and worked up to four innings. He gave up two runs on three hits and a walk. He also struck out two batters.

Melvin Rodriguez came on and, despite three walks, gave up no runs, and no hits, to drop his season ERA to 1.93. 

The Orioles scored both of their runs in the bottom of the first inning. The Twins had a great opportunity to put several runs on the board in the top of the first  inning. Bryan Acuna led off with a double. Ramiro Domingue and Eduardo Beltre followed with walks to load the bases. However, Daiber De Los Santos popped up to the catcher. Maybe thinking the catcher was too far from home plate or that he could surprise him, Acuna took off from third and was thrown out at home for the second out. 

Probably painful, but this is how the Twins got on the board in the second inning. Ariel Castro was hit by a pitch. He was moved up a base on a wild pitch and went to third on a ground out. Next, Yandro Hernandez and Carlos Silva were hit by pitches to lead the bases again. After a strikeout, Castro scored on a balk. 

The fourth inning began with a walk by VIctor Leal. With one out, Carlos Silva hit an infield single. A force-out left runners on first and third. After a pitching change, Ramiro Dominguez hit his fifth double and drove in two runs to give the Twins the lead that Rodriguez was able to hold onto for the Win. 

Luis Fragoza was 2-for-3. The Twins had just five hits in the game. 

PLAYERS OF THE DAY
Hitter of the Day  
Maddux Houghton (Fort Myers):
2-for-4, HR(4), R, RBI, K

Pitcher of the Day 
David Festa (St. Paul): 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, BB, 5 K, 66 pitches, 40 strikes (60.6%)
John Klein (Wichita): 3 1/3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, BB, 8 K, 60 pitches, 43 strikes (71.7%)
Cole Peschl (Cedar Rapids): 6 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 7 K, 71 pitches, 47 strikes (66.2%)

 

PROSPECT SUMMARY
Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on our updated Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they did on Thursday.

#6 – Kaelen Culpepper (Cedar Rapids) – 0-for-4, R, K (played SS)
#9 – Brandon Winokur (Cedar Rapids) – 2-for-4, HR(4), R, RBI, K (DHd)
#11 – Kyle DeBarge (Cedar Rapids) – 1-for-4, RBI, CS(1) (played 2B)
#14 – Gabriel Gonzalez (Wichita) – 1-for-3, 3B, HBP. (DHd)
#16 – Eduardo Beltre (FCL Twins) – 0-for-3, BB (played CF)
#17 – Tanner Schobel (Wichita) – 1-for-4, HR(6), R, 2 RBI, BB, K. (played 2B)
#19 – Carson McCusker (St. Paul) – 0-for-4, K (played LF)
#20 – Ricardo Olivar (Wichita) – 1-for-3, BB (played LF)

FRIDAY PITCHING PROBABLES
Minnesota @ Seattle (9:10 PM CT) – RHP Zebby Matthews (0-1, 7.71 ERA)
St. Paul @ Omaha (6:35 PM CT) – RHP Andrew Morris (2-1, 3.80 ERA)
Tulsa @ Wichita (7:05 PM CT) – LHP Christian MacLeod (0-1, 1.06 ERA)
Lake County @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 PM CT) – RHP Ty Langenberg (0-3, 8.28 ERA)
Bradenton @ Fort Myers (6:05 PM CT) – RHP Jason Doktorczyk (2-1, 4.55 ERA)
FCL Red Sox @ FCL Twins (11:00 AM CT) – TBD  

Please feel free to ask questions about the teams, the rosters, and discuss Thursday’s games, or anything else Twins minor-league related!


Interested in learning more about the Minnesota Twins’ top prospects? Check out our comprehensive top prospects list that includes up-to-date stats, articles and videos about every prospect, scouting reports, and more!

View Twins Top Prospects

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Crimson Hawk Student Athletes Recognized by DII Athletics Directors Association

Story Links CLEVELAND, Ohio – As announced by the Division II Athletic Directors Association on Thursday, the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference earned the most student athletes recognized with the 2024-24 Academic Achievement Awards.  Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) had 130 of the 2051 PSAC Student Athletes Recognized.   To be recognized, the […]

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CLEVELAND, Ohio – As announced by the Division II Athletic Directors Association on Thursday, the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference earned the most student athletes recognized with the 2024-24 Academic Achievement Awards.  Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) had 130 of the 2051 PSAC Student Athletes Recognized.
 
To be recognized, the student athlete must have a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 or higher, attend a minimum of four semesters of college, and be an active member of their team.
 
According to the release sent out by the PSAC, this is the sixth time in seven years that the PSAC has led the nation in the number of student-athletes recognized. 2,051 is nearly 300 more than the next conference, and the conference saw a 6.88 % increase in student-athletes nominated. IUP is one of 11 PSAC institutions with at least 100 student-athletes nominated.
 
Follow the link to read the complete release by the PSAC.
 



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Women's Soccer Falls to UCF 2

BIRMINGHAM – UAB women’s soccer (0-1) fell in its home opener 2-1 against UCF (1-0) at PNC Field.    The Knights were the first to score on Thursday night when Liz Worden found the back of the net off a corner kick in the 22nd minute. At the 35th minute UCF’s Rajanah Reed recorded the Knights second goal with […]

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Women's Soccer Falls to UCF 2

BIRMINGHAM – UAB women’s soccer (0-1) fell in its home opener 2-1 against UCF (1-0) at PNC Field.   

The Knights were the first to score on Thursday night when Liz Worden found the back of the net off a corner kick in the 22nd minute. At the 35th minute UCF’s Rajanah Reed recorded the Knights second goal with an assist from Gabi Berchon. 

UAB got on the board late in the first half with a goal in the 41st minute. Freshman Rebecca Sierra scored her first collegiate goal with an assist from Lauren Lucero to make the score 2-1 heading into halftime. 

The second half went scoreless with both teams playing stout defense. UCF was able to get off five shot in the second while the Blazers had two shots. UAB’s junior Leah Parsons saw her first collegiate start in goal with the Green and Gold and had five saves on the night. 

Up next, the Blazers face their first road test as they travel to Johnson City, Tennessee to take on ETSU. Kickoff is set for noon CT. 

2025-26 GOLD CARD
The 2025-26 Gold Card is on sale. The 2025-26 Gold Card will get you access to all home events for Women’s Soccer, Men’s Soccer, Volleyball, Women’s Basketball, Softball, and Baseball (Regions Field & Young Memorial). This card is not valid for American Conference or NCAA Championship events.

YOUR SUPPORT FUELS SUCCESS!
With your help, Blazer Student-Athletes are given the resources, tools, and opportunities they need to achieve greatness. Every contribution you make directly supports our teams, ensuring they excel not only on the field but in the classroom as well. We invite you to renew your support to UAB Athletics today and for more information on ways to show your generosity through the Blazer Scholarship Fund, capital initiatives, and sport specific giving go to blazerboosters.com or call us at (205) 996-9969.

FOLLOW THE BLAZERS 
For more information on the UAB women’s soccer team, follow @UAB_WSOC on X and Instagram.
 

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Michaela Kaliniak – Track & Field Coach

Michael Kaliniak was named Assistant Coach for the Oakland men’s and women’s track and field team in the fall of 2020. She is responsible for working with pole vaulters, jumpers, multis, and recruiting operations.    Kaliniak is USTFCCA Strength and Conditioning certified and is recognized as […]

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Michael Kaliniak was named Assistant Coach for the Oakland men’s and women’s track and field team in the fall of 2020. She is responsible for working with pole vaulters, jumpers, multis, and recruiting operations. 

 

Kaliniak is USTFCCA Strength and Conditioning certified and is recognized as a jumps specialist. 

 

Before being named Assistant Coach, she spent two years as a Volunteer Assistant Coach for the teams. 

 

Kaliniak graduated from Olivet College in 2019, where she spent three years as one of the track and field captains. At Olivet College, she primarily competed in the pole vault and still holds the indoor, outdoor, and conference record. 

 

The Sparta, Mich. native also graduated from OU in 2021 with a master’s in exercise science. 











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San Giljan win BOV Water Polo Premier Division Knockout Competition for 16th time

San Giljan 16 Neptunes 10 (7-1, 2-2, 5-4, 2-3) San Giljan clinched their fifth BOV Water Polo Knockout title in the past six years – the 16th time in the club’s history –  after overcoming arch-rivals Neptunes 16-10 in the final. The Saints, in front of an enthusiastic crowd of jubilant supporters, […]

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San Giljan 16

Neptunes 10

(7-1, 2-2, 5-4, 2-3)

San Giljan clinched their fifth BOV Water Polo Knockout title in the past six years – the 16th time in the club’s history –  after overcoming arch-rivals Neptunes 16-10 in the final. The Saints, in front of an enthusiastic crowd of jubilant supporters, were superior from the start and delivered a commanding performance, showcasing their attacking firepower and defensive resilience, while Neptunes could not find a solution to break San Giljan’s strength, sealing yet another chapter of dominance in the competition.

They opened a 7-1 lead in the first session, an advantage that they held on to for the rest of the game, with Neptunes unable to bridge the gap.

The Saints pushed harder to establish a 9-1 gap at the start of the second session, and it was clear there and then that Neptunes had already thrown in the towel.

San Giljan continued to respond to Neptunes’ goals to retain the healthy advantage they had, and, in spite of missing two penalties, their victory was never in doubt.

Younger was instrumental in the saints victory, scoring three goals and setting up others. Matthew Zammit, Daniel Tully, Jake Bonavia, Nikolai Zammit and Darren Zammit also scored two goals each, with Russell Caruana, Ben Plumpton and Jeremy Abela netting the others.

Neptunes goals were scored by Jordan Camilleri (3), Stevie Camilleri and Gergo Zalanki and Sam Gialanze (two each) and Alec Fenech.

The two sides will meet again for the league final, with the team winning two of three games scheduled later this month to be crowned champions.

The BOV Water Polo Premier Division Knockout Trophy was presented in a celebratory ceremony held poolside at the National Pool in Tal-Qroqq. Bank of Valletta’s Chief Operations Officer, Ernest Agius, together with ASA President Karl Izzo, handed over the prestigious silverware to the San Giljan’s Captain Matthew Zammit. The moment was met with jubilant cheers from fans as the team lifted the trophy high, marking yet another milestone in their storied legacy.

This year’s knockout competition holds special significance as the Aquatic Sports Association of Malta celebrates its 100th anniversary. Bank of Valletta is proud to stand alongside the ASA in marking this historic milestone, reaffirming its long-standing commitment to the development of aquatic sports in Malta. Through continued sponsorship and collaboration, BOV remains dedicated to nurturing local talent and promoting excellence in water polo and swimming across generations.

 





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2025 AVCA First Serve: Schedule, teams, how to watch the college volleyball event

The 2025 college volleyball season opens at the AVCA First Serve from Aug. 22-24 in Lincoln, Neb., and Aug. 25 in Sioux Falls, S.D. Some of the nation’s premier programs are slated for competition in the first few days of the season. The matches are set to broadcast across FOX, FS1, ESPN and Big Ten […]

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The 2025 college volleyball season opens at the AVCA First Serve from Aug. 22-24 in Lincoln, Neb., and Aug. 25 in Sioux Falls, S.D. Some of the nation’s premier programs are slated for competition in the first few days of the season.

The matches are set to broadcast across FOX, FS1, ESPN and Big Ten Network throughout the weekend. 

Check out the storylines, schedule and teams below. 

2025 AVCA First Serve Schedule

All times ET

  • Friday, Aug. 22 at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Neb.:
    • No. 1 Nebraska vs. No. 3 Pittsburgh | 7 p.m. | FOX | Live Stats
    • No. 6 Stanford vs. No. 16 Florida | 9 p.m. | FOX | Live Stats
  • Saturday, Aug. 23 at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Neb.:
    • No. 15 Kansas vs. Vanderbilt | 3 p.m. | FS1 | Live Stats
    • No. 2 Penn State vs. No. 12 Creighton | 5 p.m. | FS1 | Live Stats
  • Sunday, Aug. 24 at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Neb.:
    • No. 3 Pittsburgh vs. No. 16 Florida| 1 p.m. | ESPN | Live Stats
    • No. 1 Nebraska vs. No. 6 Stanford | 3:30 p.m. | ESPN | Live Stats
  • August 25, 2025 at Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D.:
    • No. 2 Penn State vs. No. 15 Kansas | 6:30 p.m. | Big Ten Network | Live Stats
    • No. 9 Texas A&M vs. No. 11 Minnesota | 8:30 p.m. | Big Ten Network | Live Stats

History of AVCA First Serve

The 2024 AVCA First Serve in Louisville marked the revival a similar preseason event that the association sponsored from 1995-2011 and 2014. Due to new NCAA exemptions prior to the 2024 season, the AVCA was once again able to host four of the nation’s top teams.

In 2024, the then one-night, two-match event featured Nebraska, Kentucky, Louisville and Wisconsin at the KFC Yum! Center. The Huskers defeated the Wildcats 3-1, while the Cardinals rallied for a 3-1 comeback win over the Badgers. 

REMEMBER: Nebraska and Louisville post wins in 2024 AVCA First Serve Showcase

All four teams concluded the 2024 season by at least reaching a NCAA regional finals, with the KFC Yum! Center welcoming back Nebraska for the Final Four and Louisville in the National Championship match.

RELIVE: Penn State wins the 2024 National Championship

Storylines to watch this year

The start of the 2025 season kicks off with a wave of new names, faces and stories to watch unfold. 

First of all, the AVCA First Serve Showcase is shifting from four to 10 teams and is set to take place over two locations: Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Neb., and the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D.

The first six matches over the first three days are in Lincoln, with the fourth and final day of competition taking place at the Sanford Pentagon in South Dakota with No. 14 Kansas vs. No. 2 Penn State and No. 9 Texas A&M vs. No. 11 Minnesota. The Sanford Pentagon venue holds 3,250 fans and is home to the NBA G League team, the Sioux Falls Skyforce. 

The high-profile nonconference matchups between volleyball’s top programs make this event just a taste of the regular and postseason ahead.  

No. 1 Nebraska team brings high expectations and a stacked lineup to the field at the helm of a new head coach in Dani Busboom Kelly. Veterans like Harper Murray and Rebekah Allick plus a highly touted freshmen round out their roster. They are set to face No. 3 Pittsburgh. No. 6 Stanford, equipped with experience in Elia Rubin and Lizzy Andrew, will challenge the Huskers to round out their showcase. 

Rebekah Allick, Nebraska

Coming in at No. 2 in the preseason rankings, defending national champion Penn State looks to make a statement. Though the Nittany Lions lost some veteran players in the offseason, they bring back plenty of experience and some big-name newcomers. Penn State opens up against No. 12 Creighton in a rematch of the 2024 regional finals, where the Nittany Lions knocked off the Bluejays in a five-set thriller. They finish with a matchup against No. 14 Kansas. 

2024 NCAA tournament top overall seed No. 3 Pitt comes to Lincoln, bringing back National Player of the Year Olivia Babcock. With some big moves in the portal and veteran leadership under coach Dan Fisher, the Panthers should make some waves against No. 1 Nebraska and No. 16 Florida. 

LEARN ABOUT THE AVCA Player of the Year Award

After an impressive run to the regional semifinals, No. 9 Texas A&M looks to continue its momentum in 2025. The Aggies bring back star talent in Logan Lednicky as they face No. 11 Minnesota. 

Texas A&M Volleyball

The AVCA First Serve marks not just a new season but the beginning of several new tenures in college volleyball.

Besides Nebraska having a new coach No. 12 Creighton arrives with a new leader in Brian Rosen. No. 14 Kansas will additionally kick off the season under fresh leadership in Matt Ulmer, and the No. 16 Florida Gators begin a new era as Ryan Theis steps into his first year following the retirement of legendary coach Mary Wise. 

Vanderbilt joins the field for one match against No. 14 Kansas, as the newly instated Commodores compete for the first time since 1980. The Commodores brought in talent from Ivy League Player of the Year Kamryn Chaney.

Vanderbilt Volleyball

READ MORE: Storylines to know before the 2025 season





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New RBVL Champions Crowned, on a Heartbreaking Day – THE ROCKAWAY TIMES

By Sean Shevlin The 2025 Rockaway Beach Volleyball League (RBVL) playoffs kicked-off on Saturday, August 9, under beautiful, sun-splashed skies and temperatures in the 70s at Riis. Perfect weather for the league to conclude its 36th season. Sixty-six teams across 10 divisions gathered to compete for a championship and, the ultimate prize, the vaunted sweatshirt. […]

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By Sean Shevlin

The 2025 Rockaway Beach Volleyball League (RBVL) playoffs kicked-off on Saturday, August 9, under beautiful, sun-splashed skies and temperatures in the 70s at Riis. Perfect weather for the league to conclude its 36th season. Sixty-six teams across 10 divisions gathered to compete for a championship and, the ultimate prize, the vaunted sweatshirt.

Spirits were high as players, friends and family packed the beach for the commencement of the first round, at 10:30 a.m. However, during the early afternoon ambulances could be seen by the flagpole, at the top of the beach, and all play soon stopped as word filtered down that a player had suffered a heart attack and was being treated in one of those ambulances. That player was Rockaway resident Charles Nopper, who later died. He was 43. Nopper, beloved by many, was a former DSNY worker, who spent time behind the bar at Jamesons and as manager at Bishops Barn. The RBVL committee extends its heartfelt condolences to the Nopper family, on this devastating loss. A funeral Mass will be held on Thursday, August 14 at 11 a.m. at St. Francis de Sales Church.

Meanwhile, all but the Sun division, Charles’ division, elected to continue play, and nine champions were crowned. Congratulations to all!!

The winners include Storage Place of the Ocean Division, Rockaway Soda of Ocean Breeze, BHYC Snotty Yachties of the Wave Division, the 123 Bangouts of Beach, Leo’s Tavern of Beach Breeze, Danger Zone of Boardwalk, Boarder’s Surf Shop on Sun Ray, DysFUNctional of Moon and the BHYC Social Yachties of the Star Division.



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