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Sports News “Man, is anybody going to sign me?” Jhostynxon Garcia’s unique nickname made him a clue on “Jeopardy!”. Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images Red Sox prospect Franklin Arias makes massive jump into top 10 of Keith Law’s latest rankings Struggling Red Sox suffer another walk-off loss to Brewers 6-5 Sixteen-year-old Jhostynxon Garcia just wanted anyone […]

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“Man, is anybody going to sign me?”

FORT MYERS, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 18: Jhostynxon Garcia #91 of the Boston Red Sox poses for a portrait during photo day at JetBlue Park at Fenway South on February 18, 2025 in Fort Myers, Florida.
Jhostynxon Garcia’s unique nickname made him a clue on “Jeopardy!”. Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

Sixteen-year-old Jhostynxon Garcia just wanted anyone to say “yes.”

That’s all he wanted for more than a year. He spent too many difficult months running, sweating, and pouring his soul into his tryouts. Those months would pass without an answer to Garcia’s plea. There wasn’t much time left for MLB organizations to give him one. The 2019 International Free Agency (IFA) Period was approaching, and it looked as though teams would be spending their limited international pool money elsewhere. 

Maybe his effort just wasn’t enough. Heck, maybe no amount of effort would have been enough. The stress of hoping for an answer — any answer — put thoughts similar to those into Garcia’s mind. What if he just wasn’t good enough? Were his professional baseball dreams too far-fetched? He considered quitting at certain points. Maybe no one wanted him for a reason.

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“You start questioning yourself around that time, leading up to the deadline,” Garcia told Boston.com through translator Juan Rivera, the pitching coach for the Portland Sea Dogs. “Then you start thinking, ‘Man, I guess I’m not cut out for this.’”

If he quit, he would be walking away from the sport that brought his family together. He’d be leaving the sport his father, a softball player and trainer in Venezuela, pushed him to try as a kid. He’d be leaving the sport his parents spent many hours helping him and his brother master. All of that time he spent training and playing baseball with his family would have amounted to nothing.

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But right before the start of the IFA period, those thoughts of quitting vanished. Garcia heard a “yes” from the Boston Red Sox, who would sign him to his first professional contract on July 2, 2019. The grind, pain, and stress had been worth it. He finally received his answer.

Two years later, Garcia made his minor league debut as a member of the Red Sox’ Dominican Summer League (DSL) Blue Team. The outfielder hit .281/.424/.481 with four home runs and 27 RBI in his 45 games with the DSL. Those stats earned him a spot on the Red Sox’ Florida Complex League (FCL) roster almost a year later, marking Garcia’s first-ever promotion.

This promotion preceded the first struggle of Garcia’s professional baseball career. He had trouble connecting with the ball while in the FCL, batting just .188/.328/.366 with three home runs and 17 RBI. He had 19 hits, which was only half the amount of hits he had with the DSL the prior season (38).

Garcia wasn’t living up to his standards. No one knew that more than Garcia. Another mental battle waged inside his head that year.

“The first time having a lot of failure really hits you hard,” Garcia said. “Things weren’t going the way I wanted, and there were moments that were really difficult mentally.” 

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Those stats weren’t enough to hold Garcia back. The Red Sox promoted him to Single-A Salem in June 2023, and he spent about a year there before moving up to High-A Greenville. No matter where he went, or how well he played, Garcia always had a strong support system to lean on. The outfielder could rely on his parents, who encouraged him from miles away. He had his brother, who had been signed by the Red Sox organization a few years after Garcia was. 

Outside of his family, Garcia had a group of fans on social media. That group likely included X user @InsideFastball, who took notice of Garcia’s unorthodox first name during the outfielder’s time with the DSL. In October 2021, the user made a post calling Garcia “The Password” and encouraged fans to use the moniker. 

Garcia admitted that when he first saw his nickname on social media, he had no idea what it meant. He fell in love with it as soon as people started explaining it to him. The nickname spread across the Red Sox fandom over the next three years, and it exploded in popularity during Garcia’s stint in Greenville.

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That was when The Password’s game unlocked.

In just over two months with Greenville, Garcia batted .311/.371/.627 with 16 home runs and 37 RBI. Many baseball fans were starting to access The Password, as well as his various highlights that seemed to go viral every other game. Those stats and highlights didn’t need much analysis: High-A was too easy for Garcia. He earned a quick promotion to Double-A Portland, where he finished his 2024 season as a member of that year’s All-MiLB Prospect First Team. 

Those two months filled Garcia’s head with yet another series of powerful thoughts. These thoughts were far more hopeful.

“I had that six-week stretch in Greenville last year, where I started thinking, ‘Man, I think I do have a shot to actually make it,’” Garcia said.

Garcia spent his 2025 season with the Sea Dogs until hitting coach Chris Hess and defensive coach Kyle Sasala pulled him aside for a conversation. It had been a slow week for the outfielder — not a week you’d want to hear about from your coaches. But Garcia has had similar chats during similar slumps throughout his minor league career, all of which ended with good news. This time would be no different. Hess and Sasala gave their outfielder the best news of his professional career up to that point.

Garcia called his sleeping mother, who did not answer. He then called his father and implored him to wake her up. Once his mother awoke, Garcia told his parents that he had been promoted to Triple-A Worcester — just one stop away from the big leagues. 

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“[She] started crying, happy for me,” Garcia said through translator Iggy Suarez, a defensive coach for the Worcester Red Sox. “It was a good moment for us.”

These phone calls with his parents are a frequent part of Garcia’s life. Not all of those calls come with big news. Most of them are ordinary conversations with his father, who used to sacrifice so much time to help Garcia grow as a baseball player. As Garcia continues this growth thousands of miles away from his hometown, his father still takes time nearly every day to talk with him.

“Him just being there … and having conversations with me after every game or in the mornings, that has meant a lot,” Garcia said through Rivera.

It didn’t take long for Garcia’s bat to crack in Worcester. His first Triple-A hit was a three-run home run during his debut game. That was one of the two home runs and 10 hits he notched in his first homestand with the WooSox, which he ended with a 1.148 OPS. Not many pitchers could decipher The Password during that first week. His team is optimistic that they’ll be guessing for a while.

“He’s a very good outfielder [and] deserves a chance to be here,” WooSox manager Chad Tracy said.

Garcia was a fan favorite and a Top 10 Red Sox prospect even before his impressive debut with the WooSox. He said in early May that he appreciates the attention, but it doesn’t fluster him. It’s just a bonus that comes with the success he could have only hoped for as a sixteen-year-old kid in Venezuela, who just wanted a team to start a professional career with.

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Now, the idea of a potential major league appearance one day starts to feel more secure with each stellar performance. This potential reality took time, strenuous effort, and emotional stress before Garcia could believe it, but he’s earned that belief. Maybe he will soon reach the end of his journey through the minor leagues, one that started six long years ago, when the Red Sox accepted The Password.

“Every once in a while, you do definitely reflect and say, ‘Man, I’ve sweat a lot to get to where I am,’”  Garcia said through Rivera. “But it’s not done.”

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Lodge Named CSC Women’s Track & Field/Cross Country Academic All-American

Story Links GLASSBORO, NJ — College Sports Communicators has honored Molly Lodge with a selection to the CSC Women’s Track & Field/Cross Country Academic All-American Team. 2025 CSC ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICAN LIST | ROWAN’S ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICANS Lodge, who was named to the third team, is the fourth student-athlete in program history and […]

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GLASSBORO, NJ — College Sports Communicators has honored Molly Lodge with a selection to the CSC Women’s Track & Field/Cross Country Academic All-American Team.

2025 CSC ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICAN LIST | ROWAN’S ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICANS

Lodge, who was named to the third team, is the fourth student-athlete in program history and second in as many years to earn the distinction. Last year, Izzy Deal (2024) joined Sharon Crow (2003) and Johanna Kline (2003) to represent the Profs.

A Computer Science major, Lodge has amassed a bevy of academic and athletic honors this past season. She was also voted a CSC Academic All-District selection, named a USTFCCCA Division III All-Academic Athlete, was a member of the NJAC All-Academic Honorable Mention list and was chosen the Philly-SIDA All-Area Women’s Track & Field Performer of the Year.

On the track, the recent graduate scored an All-American accolade at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Championships in the 400-meter hurdles. She was named a USTFCCCA Outdoor All-Region honoree in four events (200 meters, 400 meter hurdles, 4×100 relay, 4×400 relay) and earned Indoor All-Region honors in the 4×400 relay as well.

Additionally, Lodge was named the Outstanding Track Athlete at the 2025 NJAC Indoor Championships and captured the 2025 NJAC Outdoor title in the 200 meters. She also set school records in the 100 and 400 hurdles this season.

 



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Behnke earns Academic All-America first team honors

Story Links EAU CLAIRE, Wis. — The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire women’s track and field team’s Kayla Behkne (Sr. – Appleton, Wis./Kimberly) earned first team Academic All-America honors from College Sports Communicators for the 2025 season. CSC announced the women’s track and field Academic All-America Teams Tuesday. Behnke is the […]

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EAU CLAIRE, Wis. — The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire women’s track and field team’s Kayla Behkne (Sr. – Appleton, Wis./Kimberly) earned first team Academic All-America honors from College Sports Communicators for the 2025 season. CSC announced the women’s track and field Academic All-America Teams Tuesday.

Behnke is the first member of the Blugolds’ women’s track and field team to earn first team Academic All-America honors since 2013. A standout in throwing events, Behnke sports a 4.0 grade-point average. Athletically, she earned three first team All-America honors this season with top-eight finishes in discus, weight throw and hammer throw at indoor or outdoor nationals.

Behnke was also the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference champion in weight throw this indoor season, an event she holds the UWEC school record in. She helped the Blugolds finish fourth as a team at the NCAA Outdoor Championships this spring.

In the classroom, Behnke maintains a perfect GPA despite double majoring in computer science and mathematics and statistics and applied math.

 



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Pilot Alums Shine at FIBA Women’s Asia Cup

Story Links SHENZEN, China – Portland Pilots Women’s Basketball continues to shine internationally, with two Pilot alums – New Zealand’s Emme Shearer and Australia’s Alex Fowler – excelling at the 2025 FIBA Women’s Asia Cup with their respective national teams. The FIBA Women’s Asia Cup is an international basketball tournament where […]

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SHENZEN, China – Portland Pilots Women’s Basketball continues to shine internationally, with two Pilot alums – New Zealand’s Emme Shearer and Australia’s Alex Fowler – excelling at the 2025 FIBA Women’s Asia Cup with their respective national teams.

The FIBA Women’s Asia Cup is an international basketball tournament where every two years national teams from both FIBA Asia and FIBA Oceania compete for a chance to qualify for the FIBA World Cup. The winner earns an automatic qualification for the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup while the next five finishers (2nd-6th) advance to the global qualifying tournaments. New Zealand and Australia are two of eight teams in the Asia Cup, with New Zealand competing in Group A and Australia in Group B.

Shearer is the leading scoring through two games for New Zealand, averaging 15 points a game along with 5.5 rebounds and three assists. She scored a team-high 22 points in the opening game against Korea, adding four rebounds and three assists as well. New Zealand is currently 1-1 in Group A, sitting in third by tiebreaker.

Fowler, meanwhile, is third in scoring for Australia at 11 points a game while adding six rebounds and 4.3 assists per contest in just 21.7 minutes per game. Australia finished first in their group, with Fowler shining in each contest. She posted 11 points, five rebounds and five assists against the Philippines and tallied 11 points, eight rebounds and six assists against Lebanon for stellar all-around performances.

Shearer and Fowler are two of the most accomplished players in Pilots history, having played crucial roles in Portland’s recent success. Shearer was with the Pilots this past season, helping lead Portland to a 31-5 record, a program-best for wins. She averaged a team-high 16.7 points per game along 4.2 rebounds and just under two steals. Shearer – who twice earned All-WCC First Team honors as well as honorable mention in the 2022-23 season – finished her Pilot career as the all-time leader in both games played (158) and games started (135), fourth all-time in steals (289) and fifth all-time in points (1,688) and field goals made (615). She was a part of two WCC Tournament Championship-winning teams in 2023 and 2024.

Fowler goes down as not just one of the best players in Pilot history, but among WCC players as well. A four-time All-WCC First Team selection, a two-time WCC Tournament champion (2020, 2023) and a two-time WCC Tournament MVP, Fowler is Portland’s all-time leader at the Division I level in points (2,132), field goals (832), field goal percentage (.550) and rebounds (882). She is second all-time among all Pilot players in all those categories. Fowler ranks third all-time in scoring average (17.5), fourth in free throws made (415), sixth in rebounding average (7.2) and 10th in blocks (89). She is the only Pilot ever to make four All-WCC First Teams.

The Pilots put together an incredible season, finishing 31-5 overall and 17-3 in WCC play. They earned a share of the WCC regular season title and also broke a program record for wins in a season. They earned their first ever two playoff wins on the road after qualifying for the WBIT, making the quarterfinals. They also advanced to their third straight WCC Tournament championship and their fourth in six years.

Group play is finished for Australia, who advance to the semifinals with six points total in Group A. New Zealand has a chance to make the semifinals of the tournament, facing off against the Chinese national team tomorrow at 4:30 a.m. PST.


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U.S. Routs Argentina for Worlds Women’s Water Polo Group Title

World Championships: U.S. Routs Argentina for Women’s Water Polo Group Title The U.S. routed Argentina, 26-3, on the third day of women’s water polo play at the 2025 World Championships to earn the Group A title on Tuesday. That allows the U.S. to skip the crossover round and head straight to the quarterfinals on Saturday. […]

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World Championships: U.S. Routs Argentina for Women’s Water Polo Group Title

The U.S. routed Argentina, 26-3, on the third day of women’s water polo play at the 2025 World Championships to earn the Group A title on Tuesday. That allows the U.S. to skip the crossover round and head straight to the quarterfinals on Saturday.

Australia romped past Oceania rival New Zealand, 15-6, to win Group A. Spain polished off the Group D title with a 16-7 win over Great Britain, while Hungary’s 22-6 victory over Croatia earns it the Group C title.

Ava Stryker led the U.S. with six goals. Jovana Sekulic scored four times. Emma Lineback supplied two goals and three assists. Isabel Williams made seven saves in her first game of the tournament.

It was the first in a day of blowouts, the closest game a six-goal affair between Netherlands and China. The Chinese fought valiantly, falling 13-7 despite nine saves from Yineng Shen and three goals from Siya Yan. Sabrina van der Sloot led the Netherlands with four goals. Simone van de Kraats contributed a goal and four assists. Lieke Rogge (goal, three assists) and Kitty-Lynn Joustra (two goals, two assists) were also central for the Dutch.

Spain built a six-goal halftime lead to top Great Britain, 16-7. Bea Ortiz led the way with two goals and four assists. Elena Ruiz tallied a hat trick.

Alice Williams continued a stellar tournament with three goals and three assists to fuel Australia’s 15-6 win over New Zealand. Danijela Jackovich and Sienna Hearn each tossed home hat tricks. Bronte Halligan paired two goals with four assists, and Charlize Andrews notched two and three.

Hungary rendered Croatia winless in the group stage with a 22-6 decision powered by nine first-quarter goals. Krisztina Garda was 4-for-4 shooting. Rita Keszthelyi tallied four goals and four assists. Luca Torma was unbeatable in goal with 17 saves.

Greece overpowered Japan, 25-15, thanks to seven goals from Maria Myriokefalitaki. Stefania Santa had three goals and four assists, Vasiliki Plevritou three and three. Foteini Tricha scored four goals, and Ioanna Stamatopoulou stopped 13 shots.

All 12 Italians in the lineup scored in a 32-5 win over Singapore. Agnes Cocchiere led the way with six markers. Chiara Ranalli tossed in five goals and four assists. Sofia Giustini paired three goals with five assists, and Dafne Bettini dished five assists.

France needed three goals and two assists from Ema Vernoux to outlast a game South Africa side, 13-6. Erica Hardy and Valentine Heurtaux also scored hat trick.

The second- and third-placed teams in each group will play in Thursday’s crossover round. Italy takes on China. The Netherlands will play New Zealand. France and Greece square off, as do Japan and Great Britain. Winners reach the quarterfinals. Losers head to the 9-12 placement bracket.



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Group led by Mario Lemieux ‘very interested’ in ownership of Penguins – Field Level Media – Professional sports content solutions

An ownership group led by Hall of Famer Mario Lemieux has expressed that it is “very interested” in buying his former team, the Pittsburgh Penguins, as reported by The Athletic on Monday. Lemieux and his ownership group, comprised of former co-owner Ron Burkle and former executive David Morehouse, have reportedly informed NHL commissioner Gary Bettman […]

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An ownership group led by Hall of Famer Mario Lemieux has expressed that it is “very interested” in buying his former team, the Pittsburgh Penguins, as reported by The Athletic on Monday.

Lemieux and his ownership group, comprised of former co-owner Ron Burkle and former executive David Morehouse, have reportedly informed NHL commissioner Gary Bettman of their intention to pursue a purchase of the team from Fenway Sports Group (FSG), the organization that acquired the team from their group in 2021.

FSG has announced the pursuit of additional minority investors in the wake of selling just 91.4 percent of available tickets in 2024-25, the lowest amount in two decades, but hasn’t expressed publicly a desire to sell the club.

The Penguins were valued at $1.47 billion in 2024, per Sportico.

Lemieux, 59, was a two-time Stanley Cup winner with the Penguins, earning three Hart Trophies among nine All-Star appearances.

His 1,723 career points and 690 career goals remain the most in franchise history, with current Penguins star Sidney Crosby second in both categories.

Since acquiring the team, FSG has presided over just one playoff appearance, including straight postseason misses. The Penguins’ recent record is in stark contrast to the team winning three league championships from 2009-17.

–Field Level Media



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Four-Time All-American Rogers Named Academic All-American

MUNCIE, Ind. — Four-time track and field All-American Jenelle Rogers has added another accolade to her overflowing resume — Academic All-American. Rogers, who boasted a 3.93 grade-point average in interior design prior to graduation last spring, was named among 45 top college student-athletes on the 2024-25 Academic All-America Team for women’s track & field and […]

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MUNCIE, Ind. — Four-time track and field All-American Jenelle Rogers has added another accolade to her overflowing resume — Academic All-American.

Rogers, who boasted a 3.93 grade-point average in interior design prior to graduation last spring, was named among 45 top college student-athletes on the 2024-25 Academic All-America Team for women’s track & field and cross country, as presented by College Sports Communicators. While competing only during the indoor season last year, Rogers was named among 15 stars on the third team.

Rogers and Emily Paupore of Central Michigan were the only members of the Mid-American Conference to be voted among the cast of Academic All-Americans.

Rogers’ legacy at Ball State was highlighted by four different All-America honors as a pentathlete and heptathlete for the Cardinals. She owns MAC and Ball State records for both the pentathlon (indoors) and heptathlon (outdoors). She earned two All-America honors at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships, and two at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships.

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