Sports
Athletics’ Luis Severino returns for start against Cardinals – Field Level Media – Professional sports content solutions
The Athletics pitching staff will get a bit healthier for the stretch run with the return of Luis Severino to the starting rotation.
Severino (6-11, 4.82 ERA) came off the 15-day injured list Monday after recovering from a left oblique strain. The right-hander will start Tuesday against the St. Louis Cardinals (68-71) in the middle game of a three-game road series.
The Athletics (64-75) routed the Cardinals 11-3 on Monday night in the series opener to snap their losing streak at three games.
Severino will be making his first appearance since a 16-7 victory over the host Washington Nationals on Aug. 5. He met the quality start metric while allowing three runs on five hits and two walks with five strikeouts in six innings.
He is returning from his injury without making a minor league rehab start.
“He had a three-up live BP with up to 50 pitches, so I’m assuming we can take him, you know, in the 75 range and see how he feels,” A’s manager Mark Kotsay said. “But it’s good to have him back. He’s obviously a big part of this and a big part of our future here, and you know, to see him be able to finish this season is a big plus.”
Severino has just one career start against the Cardinals and it went badly: nine runs (seven earned) allowed on nine hits and three walks in four innings in July 2023 while with the New York Yankees in an 11-4 loss.
Athletics slugger Nick Kurtz remained sidelined Monday with an oblique strain. Catcher Shea Langeliers also sat out, but he could return Tuesday.
The Athletics expanded their roster by promoting utility player Max Schuemann and right-hander Scott McGough from Triple-A Las Vegas. Pitcher Eduarniel Nunez has optioned to Las Vegas to make room for Severino.
McGough pitched two innings Monday, allowing one run on two hits while fanning three batters.
After allowing 15 hits by the Athletics on Monday, the Cardinals will seek better pitching Tuesday.
“Our staff in general, we don’t have a ton of swing-and-miss in (the strike) zone,” Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said. “You’re facing a team that is probably — not probably, they are — the most aggressive team as far as swing rate 0-0. And they’ve got guys with some pretty good power.”
They will start Miles Mikolas (6-10, 5.04), who held the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates to one run on four hits with one walk and five strikeouts in five innings in his last start on Thursday.
“If I can mix in the curveball, my slowest pitch, and that four-seam fastball … those two pitches play pretty good, as a far as either starting top of the zone and staying there or starting at the top and cutting under the zone,” Mikolas said. “If I can be effective mixing those two pitches effectively, that helps me a lot.”
Mikolas is 0-1 with a 9.00 ERA in 11 innings over two career starts against the Athletics.
Outfielder Victor Scott II has returned from the 10-day injured list after recovering from an ankle injury. Willson Contreras remained in the lineup Monday while awaiting his appeal of a six-game suspension and went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts.
Key reliever Riley O’Brien has been sidelined by right shoulder fatigue.
–Field Level Media
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Philippine Star – WELCOME TO UBE NATION! 💜 Professional…
Professional Volleyball League team Choco Mucho Flying Titans announced four addition to their team, Eya Laure, Jaila Atienza, Alina Bicar, and Caitlin Viray, for 2026 on Wednesday.
“The Choco Mucho Flying Titans welcome 4 new players to the team! They bring the grit, speed, and fire that will make every match unforgettable,” they wrote in their post.
This came after Royse Tubino, Bia General, Cherry Nunag, and Aduke Agunsanya ended their stint with the team. (Instagram/Choco Mucho Flying Titans)
Sports
Blum outside hitter takes top honor on Texas 1A all-state volleyball team | Sports
Sports
Belmont Student-Athletes Have Another Impressive Semester in the Classroom
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – – Belmont University student-athletes recorded another remarkable semester in the classroom as 2025 fall semester grades were finalized last week.
For the 2025 fall semester, the departmental grade-point average (GPA) was 3.530, which marked the 56th consecutive semester that Belmont student-athletes have earned a GPA of 3.0 or higher. In addition, it was the 12th straight semester that the department GPA was over a 3.5.
“Our student-athletes continue to do an amazing job in the classroom,” said Scott Corley, Belmont’s Vice President/Director of Athletics. “That success is a credit to our student-athletes, coaches, and academic support staff who continue to maintain our department’s commitment to academic excellence.”
Highlights from the fall semester included:
- 64 percent of student-athletes achieved a semester GPA of 3.5 or higher
- 85 percent of student-athletes achieved a semester GPA of 3.0 of higher
- 15 percent of student-athletes earned a perfect 4.00 GPA
- 9 Bruin teams posted a team GPA of 3.5 or higher for the semester.
About Belmont University
Located two miles from downtown Nashville, Tennessee, Belmont University comprises nearly 9,000 students from every state and 33 countries. Nationally ranked and consistently recognized by U.S. News & World Report for innovation in higher education, the University offers more than 115 areas of undergraduate study, 41 master’s programs and eight doctoral degrees. With a focus on whole-person formation and data-informed social innovation, Belmont is committed to forming diverse leaders of character equipped to solve the world’s complex problems. For more information, visit www.belmont.edu.
Sports
Great season for Italian women’s volleyball crowned with the world title – FIVB
After winning the women’s Volleyball Nations League and the FIVB Volleyball Women’s U21 World Championship earlier in the year, Italy crowned a great season with the 2025 FIVB Volleyball Women’s World Championship title. Turkiye reached a World Championship final for the first time in history and settled for silver, while Brazil completed the podium with bronze. The year’s top event was held in Thailand from August 22 to September 7.
The first World Championship under the new biennial cycle and with an expanded 32-team format marked a breakthrough moment for the sport, with unprecedented audiences across volleyball’s major markets. Volleyball World’s OTT platform, VBTV, added further momentum with more than 7 million views across the championship. The Italy v Brazil semifinal attracted 350 thousand viewers, while the final drew 250 thousand, underscoring the global appetite for premium volleyball coverage beyond traditional broadcast. Social media popularity of the competition was expressed in 7.8 thousand posts and 145 million impressions, as well as 48 million YouTube views.
The 32 participating teams were drawn into eight round-robin pools of four for the first phase of the competition. Reigning Paris 2024 Olympic champions Italy cruised through Pool B undefeated, dropping a set only in their match against Belgium. They went on to sweep their eighthfinal against Germany and their quarterfinal against Poland in straight sets. In a hard-fought semifinal against Brazil, the Italians came back from a set down twice before emerging with a 3-2 (22-25, 25-22, 28-30, 25-22, 15-13) victory. The gold medal showdown in Bangkok was also pushed to five sets. This time Turkiye came back from a set down twice to get closer than ever to the world title, but the trophy went to Italy after they prevailed in the tie-breaker, 3-2 (25-23, 13-25, 26-24, 19-25, 15-8). It was the second world crown for Italy, after their 2002 triumph. They also won silver in 2018 and bronze in 2022.
“I still can’t believe it,” Italian super-star opposite Paola Egonu said after the gold medal match. “I’m really proud of the team and incredibly happy. This is a moment I’ll never forget. It’s probably the last time for some of our players, too, and my heart is full now.”
Turkiye also reached the final undefeated. They did not lose a single set in Pool E, shut out Slovenia in the eighthfinals and beat USA in four sets in the quarterfinals. Another four-set victory, a 3-1 (16-25, 25-17, 25-18, 27-25) comeback in the semifinal against Japan, propelled Turkiye to their first ever World Championship final and secured them their first ever World Championship medal.
Brazil also won Pool C unbeaten, but only after coming back from two sets down to reverse-sweep their match against France. After a four-set eighthfinal victory over the Dominican Republic and a tight straight-set quarterfinal against France, they lost narrowly to Italy in the semis, but bounced back in the third-place playoff against Japan. A nail-biting 3-2 (25-12, 25-17, 19-25, 27-29, 18-16) win added the sixth medal to their World Championship collection. Brazil now have four silvers and two bronzes.
Japan, USA, the Netherlands, Poland, France, China, Serbia, Belgium, Germany, Thailand, the Dominican Republic, Canada, Slovenia, Ukraine, Spain, Sweden, Kenya, Greece, Argentina, Cuba, Mexico, Czechia, Colombia, Bulgaria, Puerto Rico, Egypt, Slovakia, Vietnam and Cameroon, in that order, took the places from fourth to 32nd in the final standings.
Italy’s 27-year-old setter Alessia Orro was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the World Championship. She also headlined the Dream Team, which featured opposite Melissa Vargas (Turkiye), outside hitters Mayu Ishikawa (Japan) and Gabriela Guimaraes (Brazil), middle blockers Anna Danesi (Italy) and Eda Erdem (Turkiye), and libero Monica De Gennaro (Italy).
Click here for the official FIVB Volleyball Women’s World Championship website.
Sports
Boys Track Small but Mighty at Recent Meet
Jasper Samuelson and Emmett Schumann on their way to first and third-place finishes in the freshman-sophomore 600-meter run.
A small crew represented Bonac boys indoor track at a crossover meet at Suffolk Community College in Brentwood on Dec. 21, but the track and field athletes who did compete turned in impressive performances.
Coach Kevin Barry said only half of the team was able to participate because of winter recess and illnesses. At least seven runners were out with the flu.
The highlight came from Eduardo Calle, who became the first Bonac long jumper to break 20 feet in 15 years, with a leap of 20 feet 1 inch — good for third place.
“This is his second winter track season,” Barry said. “He jumped 19 feet 1 inch last year and has been improving every meet so far. Twenty feet was the goal for him going into the season. Now he has new goals to set.”
Jasper Samuelson and Emmett Schumann finished first and third over all in the freshman-sophomore 600-meter run, with times of 1:31.89 and 1:36.41. Samuelson also won the 300-meter dash immediately afterward in 40.38 seconds. Samuelson is now the fastest sophomore in Suffolk County, while Schumann is the second fastest freshman, both in the 600-meter distance.
Sean Perez, a senior, finished the 1,000-meter run in 2:50 — good for fifth place.
Coach Barry called his athletes “very dedicated and hard-working,” and said they’ll keep at it over winter recess. “As a team, we are hoping to get some good work done during the holiday break and survive the flu that is going around to set us up for the big meets coming in January.”
Sports
Blue Bell/TSWA Class 2A All-State Volleyball Team
Blue Bell/TSWA Class 2A All-State Volleyball Team
Published 8:44 am Thursday, January 1, 2026
LONGVIEW – Division II state champion Iola earned the top two honors in voting for the Blue Bell/Texas Sports Writers Association Class 2A All-State Volleyball Team for the 2025 season.
Player of the Year honors went to Iola outside hitter Shaylee McKown, and Iola’s Jamie McDougald earned Coach of the Year honors.
Voting was conducted by TSWA members based on nominations from coaches and media members from around the state.
COACH OF THE YEAR: Jamie McDougald, Iola
PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Shaylee McKown, Iola
FIRST TEAM
Middle Blockers: Kellen Weaver, Beckville; Camryn Powers, Crawford; Kennedy Slay, Tioga
Outside Hitters: Shaylee McKown, Iola; Keegan Kleiber, Mumford; Rayna Sadler, Leon
Setter: Riley Goodney, Iola
Libero/Defensive Specialist: Averi Bolgiano, Crawford
SECOND TEAM
Middle Blockers: Jacie Boles, North Hopkins; Sy Parker, Nocona; Channing Horne, Leon
Outside Hitters: Macey Hoelscher, North Hopkins; Cami Hoyle, Iola; Ava Johnson, Nocona
Setter: Landry Zapalac, Schulenburg
Libero/Defensive Specialist: Jenna Guentert, Schulanburg
THIRD TEAM
Middle Blockers: Katherine Lindemann, Garrison; Tatum Miller, Crawford; Camdyn Owen, Italy
Outside Hitters: Aubrie Kabisch, Nocona; Katelin Sullivan, Flatonia; Haylee Vacek, Schulenburg
Setter: Ainsley Anderson, Crawford
Libero/Defensive Specialist: Ava Bessette, Iola
HONORABLE MENTION
Middle Blockers: Darriyah Thomas, Omaha Pewitt; Ary’anna Mealing, Forsan; Reagan Dusek, Schulenburg; Christian Geary, Sterling City; Cadence Money, North Hopkins; Saylor Smith, Como-Pickton; Maud Poortvliet, Como-Pickton; Harlee Sevcik, Shiner; Kamiah Birmingham, Linden-Kildare; Whitney Arledge, Hamilton
Outside Hitters: Preslee Kittrell, Midred; Ella Connell, Crawford; Lily Bailey, Hawley; Kati Calvillo, Como-Pickton; Kaitlyn Jenkins, Rosebud-Lott; Camdyn Benton, Riesel; Greenli VanZandt, Schulanburg; Charlee Wolf, Windthorst; Anna Claire Cooper, Hamilton
Setters: Claytie Free, Leon; Eden Lewis, North Hopkins; Vada Kendall, North Hopkins; Mhia Garcia, Como-Pickton; Carli Tuttle, Beckville
Libero/Defensive Specialist: Kylynn Ramirez, Shiner; Karissa Fillingim, Windthorst; Avery Futrell, Leon; Tatum Thompson, North Hopkins; Journey Brumley, Como-Pickton; Kaidance Goldbolt, North Hopkins; Aubree Kleinhans, Nocona; Emery Parrott, Hamilton
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