Sports

Baseball pulled Nic Enright out of the darkness. Now, finally, he's a big

Published

7 months ago

May 26, 2025

Baseball pulled Nic Enright out of the darkness. Now, finally, he's a big

DETROIT — The day Nic Enright underwent a biopsy to officially confirm his diagnosis of Hodgkin’s lymphoma in December 2022, his wife, Erin, raced home from her job as a physical education teacher.

Erin approached the train tracks that sit five minutes from their home in Rocky Mount, Va. Ninety-nine percent of the time, the tracks present nothing more than a stomach-jolting speed bump. Of course, on that wretched day, she had to wait. As Erin sat and watched the train cars chug along, she bawled.

Twenty-nine months ago, a weekend like this seemed impossible.

On Friday night in Columbus, Enright told Erin and his parents to meet him at an atypical ballpark rendezvous point after the game. He emerged with an unmistakable grin and asked his family if they wanted to take a trip to Detroit, where the Cleveland Guardians were playing a four-game series.

Finally, some happy tears. Finally, those haunting memories could fade into the past.

“That feeling right there,” Enright said, “the look on their faces and just to see the emotion wash over and the realization of what is happening was special for me.”

There were sleep-filled afternoons, when cancer treatments sapped him of his energy and rendered him too weak to play catch. There were sleepless nights when a body pumped full of steroids and chemicals kept churning long after he desired. There were tank-emptying workouts and bullpen sessions when he was desperate to leave an impression that might aid his bid for a big-league roster spot. Instead, he wound up soaked with sweat, spent and perplexed about the loss of zip on his fastball.

There were near-silent drives to the hospital for another treatment or another nerve-wracking checkup, with his dad, Doug, trying to break the tension with conversation about who their beloved Green Bay Packers should target in the NFL Draft. Enright would stare out the passenger window of the black Ford Expedition, a prisoner to his worried thoughts.

There was pain and anguish and misery. There was the torment of being so close to the big leagues he could taste the postgame spread.

Baseball and family pushed him through all of it. That moment Friday night is what he worked toward for more than two years, when any reasonable person would have understood if he opted to step away from pitching to focus solely on his health. He banked on the game that he’s loved since he was a kindergartner in suburban Virginia, eventually paying him back.

Did it ever.

Enright debuted Sunday afternoon, as the Tigers hosted “Strike Out Cancer Weekend,” no less, and tossed a pair of scoreless innings in the Guardians’ 5-0 loss to the Detroit Tigers. He trotted in from the bullpen, and before he reached the infield dirt, he turned around and stared at the scoreboard during a performance of “God Bless America.” That pause afforded him a minute to reflect on his journey and remind himself that his objective was the same as it’s been since he threw off the mulch mound in the family backyard 20-some years ago.

Enright’s big-league career began, appropriately, with a strikeout of Tigers slugger Riley Greene on a chest-high 95-mph fastball. Catcher Austin Hedges tossed the baseball to the dugout so Enright would have a keepsake.

Nic Enright struck out Riley Greene on four pitches to begin his big league career. pic.twitter.com/h9szdpoaix

— Tim Stebbins (@tim_stebbins) May 25, 2025

“I’ve always felt like I’m good enough,” Enright said, “but it seems like the opportunity has eluded (me) for the last handful of years. So to be here, to be on that field and feel like I belong was a really good feeling.”

Owen Dew, an Arizona Diamondbacks assistant pitching coach, tuned in to the Guardians game on Saturday night once his team wrapped up its afternoon tilt. Dew was Enright’s minor-league pitching coach, and the two developed a close bond. Dew vowed to find a way to watch Enright’s debut, no matter his responsibilities.

One day in December 2022, Dew was shopping for dress shoes to wear to a wedding when Enright texted him asking if he had a minute to chat. The Miami Marlins had snagged Enright in the Rule 5 Draft, and Dew wondered if he had a question about his velocity training as he moved to the brink of the big leagues. Instead, Enright was relaying the news of his diagnosis.

“I just stopped,” Dew recalled. “I couldn’t believe it. It caught me off guard. I was devastated for him and terrified for him and everybody that knows him.

“My mind went to the worst-case scenario. His did not.”

No, but Enright did initially have doubts about his baseball future. He remembers one day at the hospital in December 2022, when he peeled back a bandage on his right arm to reveal what looked like half of a Titleist shoved under his skin with a plastic tube connecting that port to a vein in his neck.

“Is my baseball career done?” he thought. “Is this it?”

Doug remembers leaving his masonry job when he learned the news, hustling home to change and then speeding to the hospital. For Doug, it was “the quietest three-hour drive.”

“He and Erin looked up at us, and the look on their faces, my stomach dropped,” said Enright’s mom, Betty. “And that’s when he said, ‘They’re saying I have cancer.’ And we’re like, ‘That’s wrong.’ ”

Added Erin: “Our life turned upside down. I couldn’t accept it.”

They made another three-hour trip on Saturday morning. This time, with Nic and Erin driving about 15 minutes ahead of Nic’s parents, there was plenty of conversation and no hint of tension.

“This was the easiest three-hour drive we’ve done in a long time,” Enright said Saturday afternoon with his gray No. 59 jersey hanging in a locker behind him.

Nic told Erin to text him where they wound up sitting, but he insisted he wouldn’t scan the crowd to find them until after he pitched, while retreating to the dugout. His path to the majors has provided him with plenty of perspective. Pitching in a major-league stadium is no easy task, but it’s not a cancer battle. But he feared that if he met the gaze of his wife and parents as he prepared to fire a fastball toward another big leaguer, he might not be able to harness his emotions.

They understood. Two years ago, when Enright started a rehab assignment with the Triple-A Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, with pitching assignments slotted around his treatment schedule, he struck out Elly De La Cruz on a fastball at the shoulders.

“We’re there hugging each other …” Doug said.

“… like he’s never done it before,” Betty finished.

On Sunday, they hugged again, this time from Section 123, Row 30 at Comerica Park. Betty documented the seventh inning on her phone. Doug fidgeted in his forest-green seat. When Lane Thomas hauled in the third out of the seventh, they stood up, cheered and embraced.

After a scoreless eighth that included two more strikeouts, Enright located his family in the stands on his way to the dugout. He twice pounded his fist in his glove to acknowledge them. When he reached the bench, he took a second to collect himself.

This, Enright stressed, was their moment as much as it was his.

His mom handled all the paperwork so he could focus on baseball. His parents drove him to doctor visits and treatment sessions. Erin provided tireless support at home.

Shortly after Enright was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma, he received a message to pick up the engagement ring he had purchased. He and Erin had dated for nine years.

“He was like, ‘Gosh, is she going to want to go through all of this?’ ” Betty said. “We looked at him like he was nuts. ‘Of course she is.’ ”

They were married in December 2023. They enjoyed a honeymoon in Grenada in November 2024. Enright underwent treatment before and after those milestones. In November, he slept off his sluggishness on the sandy beach instead of on the couch while cuddling his cat, Patches.

He’ll return to Virginia at the All-Star break for a checkup. He’ll go through one more round of treatments after the season. And then, he hopes, this will all be behind him. That’ll be a day he’s dreamed about for a long time.

So was this one.

“That,” Enright said, “was everything I wanted it to be.”

(Photo: Duane Burleson / Getty Images)

Sports

UTA Volleyball Adds Two Transfers to 2026 Roster

Published

8 minutes ago

December 17, 2025

Your Sports Nation

ARLINGTON, TEXAS – The UT Arlington volleyball program welcomed two transfers, Erica Dellesky and Karisa Martin, to its 2026 signing class, Tania Schatow announced on Wednesday.

ABOUT THE RECRUITS

ERICA DELLESKY
S, 5-10, Junior
Katy, Texas/Obra D. Tompkins HS—Virginia Tech

Erica Dellesky, a 5’10 setter from Katy, Texas, joins UTA after an impressive start to her collegiate career at Virginia Tech. In 52 matches and 167 sets played, Dellesky has totaled 629 assists and 214 digs.

In high school, Dellesky was a four-year letterwinner at Obra D. Tompkins High Schol and the program’s all-time career assists leader. She totaled more than 2,000 career assists, along with 911 digs and 132 service aces. Dellesky was a two-time undefeated District 6A champion and a three-time Academic All-District selection. As a senior, she earned a spot on the 2022-23 AVCA Phenom Watch List, was named team captain and MVP and received Preseason Second Team All-America honors.

“We are so excited to have Erica join the team. From the first phone call we had, I had a feeling she would be a great fit with this group. She is a setter that has great location on her sets, while showing the ability to keep the tempo,” Schatow stated. “Her experience in the ACC will be great to have in our gym, while building connections with our hitters this Spring. I am looking forward to working with her as we grow and advance our offense.”

KARISA MARTIN
RS, 6-1, Junior
Monroe, Washington/Monroe HS—Bellevue College

Karisa Martin, a 6’1 rightside hitter from Monroe, Wash., comes to UTA after spending two seasons at Bellevue College. In her collegiate career, Martin is a four-time NWAC Region Offensive Player of the Week, a two-time NWAC First Team selection and a 2025 NWAC All-Tournament Second Team honoree.

Before college, Martin competed at Monroe High School and played club volleyball for Seattle Juniors and Sudden Impact Volleyball Club.

“I had a very similar feeling while taking to her on the phone that she would fit in perfectly with the team we are building. She is a physical lefty, that has proven her ability to terminate at a high level,” Schatow said. “She finished her career at Bellevue College with a hitting percentage over 0.300 and over 2 kills per set. I am looking forward to integrating her into our offense this Spring.”

#BuckEm

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For the latest news on UTA Volleyball, log on to UTAMavs.com or stay connected to the Mavs on social media. Follow the Mavericks on Twitter @UTAMavsVB, on Instagram @UTAMavsVB and on Facebook at Facebook.com/UTAMavsVB.

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County Partners with Santa Barbara Volleyball Club on Indoor Facility | Local News

Published

23 minutes ago

December 17, 2025

Your Sports Nation

A new four-court indoor volleyball facility is moving into the Goleta Valley.

The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved a 15-year lease for the facility with youth sports nonprofit Santa Barbara Volleyball Club.

The agreement allows the club to demolish the current duplexes and storage sheds at 4550 Hollister Ave., adjacent to the Page Youth Center and Fire Station 13, to build the 18,400-square-foot steel facility.

Alongside the courts, there will be restrooms, reception, storage and 18 parking spots, one of which will be an ADA-compliant space, all funded through donations and community fundraising.

SBVC’s lead on the demolition will save costs for the county, as it will not have to pay anything for this project. Additionally, the club will not pay rent during the lease in exchange for the facility’s construction.

Construction is expected to start in 2026 and will not be completed until 2027, according to Matt Riley, SBVC executive director.

“The new gym will address a long-standing shortage of indoor court space in the region and will allow SBVC to expand programming, reduce reliance on shared school facilities, and increase access for local families,” he said in a statement.

The site has been formerly used to house county departments that were in the process of relocating.

However, the buildings are not suitable for county use, Kirk Lagerquist, general services director, wrote in a letter to the board. If SBVC did not propose to take over the space, the county would be responsible for abatement and demolition.

Instead, it will be transformed into a modern space for the community and local youths to promote health and wellness while reducing county liability with the unsafe structures, Lagerquist added in the letter.

The project still needs to acquire a conditional-use permit from the county Planning & Development Department.

“This project represents a major investment in the future of youth sports in Santa Barbara,” Riley said.

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Three Wildcat Volleyball Standouts Name CSC Academic All-District

Published

39 minutes ago

December 17, 2025

Your Sports Nation

ELLENSBURG, Wash. – Three Central Washington University volleyball student-athletes were named to the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Division II Academic All-District Women’s Volleyball Team. This will be Scottie Ellsworth’s second time earning Academic All-District while Ellie Marble and Kayleigh-Shay Chang both will earn the honor for the first time.

The 2025-26 Academic All-District Women’s Volleyball teams, selected by College Sports Communicators, recognize the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances on the court and in the classroom. The CSC Academic All-America program separately recognizes women’s volleyball honorees in four divisions — NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA.

Student-athletes selected as CSC Academic All-America finalists will advance to the national ballot to be voted on by CSC members. First-, second- and third-team Academic All-America honorees will be announced January 13, 2026.

The Division II and III CSC Academic All-America programs are partially financially supported by the NCAA Division II and III national governance structures to assist CSC with handling the awards fulfillment aspects for the 2025-26 Divisions II and III Academic All-America programs. The NAIA CSC Academic All-America program is partially financially supported through the NAIA governance structure.

Ellsworth, an AVCA Honorable Mention All-American and a three-time Academic All-GNAC honoree, owns a 3.99 GPA in Elementary Education. Marble, a First Team All-GNAC and two-time Academic All-GNAC honoree, has a perfect 4.0 GPA in Physical Education & School Health. Chang, an Honorable Mention All-GNAC and Academic All-GNAC honoree this season, has a 3.75 GPA and is undeclared on a major.

The entire CSC Academic All-District list can be found HERE

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CSC Announces 2025 Women’s Volleyball Academic All-District

Published

55 minutes ago

December 17, 2025

Your Sports Nation

NEW YORK – A total of seven CUNY Athletic Conference women’s volleyball student-athletes were named to the 2025-26 College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District Team for NCAA Division III announced Tuesday afternoon.

The 2025-26 Academic All-District® Women’s Volleyball Team, selected by College Sports Communicators, recognizes the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances on the field and in the classroom.

To be eligible for CSC Academic All-America® honors, a student-athlete must maintain at least a 3.50 grade-point average, be a sophomore, junior, or senior, and be a starter or significant reserve.

Academic All-District® honorees advance to the CSC Academic All-America® ballot. First-, second, and third-team Academic All-America® honorees will be announced on January 13, 2026.

CUNY Athletic Conference

2025-26 CSC Women’s Volleyball Academic All-District

Karolina Lundqvist, Baruch

Ruti Joshi, Brooklyn

Malia Reyes, Brooklyn

Ivanna Zamora Sanchez, CCNY

Alex Overcamp, John Jay

Hailey Waugaman, John Jay

Maritza Argueta, Medgar Evers

For the latest news on the CUNY Athletic Conference, log on to cunyathletics.com – the official site of the CUNY Athletic Conference. Also, become a follower of the CUNYAC on Instagram (@CUNYAC), Twitter (@CUNYAC) and YouTube (@CUNY Athletic Conference), and “LIKE” Us on Facebook (CUNY Athletic Conference).

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Volleyball Places Four on CSC Academic All-District Team

Published

1 hour ago

December 17, 2025

Your Sports Nation

RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The College Sports Communicators (CSC) announced the 2025 CSC Academic All-District Team Tuesday and The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros volleyball team had four earn the recognition in junior setter Isabella Costantini, junior libero Celianiz Cabranes, junior outside hitter Nadine Zech and sophomore outside hitter Martina Franco.

Academic All-District selections are part of the Academic All-America program, which is the longest running and premier award for athletic and academic success across many levels of college sports. To be eligible, student-athletes must be at least a sophomore athletically and academically with a 3.50 cumulative GPA or better. Requirements to earn Academic All-District for volleyball student-athletes also include competing in 90% of matches or starting in at least 66% of matches. Select student-athletes will advance to the national ballot for consideration for the Academic All-America teams, selected by CSC.

Costantini is a multidisciplinary studies major earning her second CSC Academic All-District honor. The two-time Southland Conference (SLC) Setter of the Year and All-Conference First Team member was named to the SLC All-Tournament Team after helping the Vaqueros reach the championship match. Costantini led the SLC averaging 10.62 assists/set and with 57 service aces. She facilitated the conference’s best offense to a program-record .275 hitting percentage which aided a program-best 16-match winning streak.

Cabranes is a kinesiology major who earned All-SLC Second Team honors this season for her defensive excellence. She totaled 503 digs for an average of 4.79 digs/set, both top 10 marks in program history. Cabranes also totaled 88 assists and 21 aces in 2025.

Zech was named to the All-SLC Second Team for the second consecutive year, earning her third conference honors in a row. The exercise science major averaged 2.68 kills/set and 1.82 digs/set in 2025 while totaling 30 blocks and 10 aces. She scored 3.10 points/set as a key contributor on the most efficient and diverse offense in the conference.

Franco, a transfer studying kinesiology, was named the SLC Newcomer of the Year and to the All-SLC First Team after a stellar debut season at UTRGV. She led the team averaging 3.44 kills/set and hit .258 while scoring 4.04 points/set. Along with totaling 248 booming kills from the outside and back row, Franco served 16 aces and averaged 2.43 digs/set with 44 total blocks.

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Four Nebraska volleyball players named AVCA All-Americans

Published

1 hour ago

December 17, 2025

Your Sports Nation

LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) – Four Nebraska volleyball players were named to the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-America Teams, Nebraska Athletics said Wednesday.

Andi Jackson, Harper Murray and Bergen Reilly were selected to the AVCA All-America First Team. Rebekah Allick was chosen to the AVCA All-America Second Team.

Huskers.com said the Huskers’ four All-America selections bring their nation-leading total to 111 all-time.

Murray and Reilly are now three-time AVCA All-Americans, but both earned first-team honors for the first time in their careers.

Jackson earned a second straight nod on the First Team, while Allick was named an All-American for the first time.

AVCA All-America First Team

Andi Jackson, Jr., MB, Brighton, Colo.

Jackson was chosen to the AVCA All-America First Team for the second straight year, as well as the All-Big Ten First Team. She was also an AVCA Player of the Year Semifinalist.
Jackson averaged 2.74 kills per set on .467 hitting with 1.12 blocks per set, and she served 16 aces.
Jackson’s .467 hitting percentage leads the nation and was the No. 3 hitting percentage in school history for a single season.
In conference-only matches, Jackson hit .559 to break the Big Ten record for hitting percentage in conference-only matches in a season, which was .541 by Arielle Wilson from Penn State in 2008.
Jackson has a career hitting percentage of .437, which is the No. 1 mark in school history and the No. 1 mark among active Division I players.
Jackson earned Big Ten Player of the Week, Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week and AVCA First Serve Match MVP honors this season.

Harper Murray, Jr., OH, Ann Arbor, Mich.

Murray earned AVCA All-America and All-Big Ten First Team honors for the third straight year.
Murray led the Huskers with a career-best 3.54 kills per set on a career-high .295 hitting percentage.
A standout six-rotation player, Murray also contributed 2.16 digs per set and 0.60 blocks per set along with a team-high 34 aces. She totaled a career-high 4.21 points per set for the season.
One of the best passers in the nation at her position, Murray passed a 2.52 throughout the season.
Murray finished the season at 1,181 career kills, which ranks 19th all-time in school history and 10th in the rally-scoring era.
Murray’s career kills per set average of 3.38 ranks third at NU in the rally-scoring era behind only Sarah Pavan and Jordan Larson.
Murray’s 109 career aces are the sixth-most at NU in the rally-scoring era.

Bergen Reilly, Jr., S, Sioux Falls, S.D.

Reilly has been an AVCA All-American each year of her Husker career but earned a first-team accolade for the first time after a record-breaking season.
Reilly set the Huskers to a school-record .351 hitting percentage, shattering the previous record of .331 in 1986. NU’s .351 hitting percentage ranks first nationally and is the best hitting percentage by a Big Ten team since 2009 Penn State.
Reilly averaged 10.47 assists per set and 2.70 digs per set. She also totaled 73 kills, 67 blocks and 19 aces.
Reilly was named Big Ten Player of the Year and AVCA Region Player of the Year, as well as Big Ten Setter of the Year and All-Big Ten First Team for the third time.
Reilly set Nebraska to a .400 or better hitting percentage nine times on the season, a school record in the rally-scoring era. She had double-doubles in all six of the Husker matches that went longer than three sets, and she had four double-doubles in sweeps.
Reilly ranks No. 3 in school history in career assists in the rally-scoring era with 3,723. Her career assists per set average of 10.70 ranks No. 4 among active Division I players and No. 2 in school history in the rally-scoring era.
Reilly was named Big Ten Setter of the Week four times this season, giving her 13 for her career.

AVCA All-America Second Team

Rebekah Allick, Sr., MB, Lincoln, Neb.

Allick earned the first AVCA All-America honor of her career after being named All-Region three times. She also earned All-Big Ten First Team accolades for the first time.
Allick had the best season of her standout career with 2.56 kills per set on .450 hitting with a team-high 1.27 blocks per set.
Allick’s .450 hitting percentage ranks as the No. 4 single-season mark in school history, as well as the No. 4 mark in the country this season.
Allick finished her Husker career at No. 5 in career blocks in the rally-scoring era with 543. Her career blocks per set average of 1.31 ranks fourth.
Allick was named AVCA National Player of the Week, a two-time Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week, and to the AVCA All-First Serve Team.
Allick was on the AVCA Player of the Year Watch List at the midway point of the season.

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