Sports

Blum

Published

6 months ago

July 9, 2025

ANAHEIM, Calif. — The first time that Sam Aldegheri was called up to the big leagues this season on June 2, then-manager Ron Washington was asked if there was concern a spot-relief promotion could affect his long-term development as a starter.

“We never thought that far ahead,” Washington told reporters. “Right now, we need length here.”

The Angels have made it abundantly clear this season that much-needed minor league pitching development is secondary to survival in individual big league games. In a season where the Angels have a 3.7 percent chance of making the playoffs, per FanGraphs, they are focusing on the present and not their future.

The most egregious example of this shortsightedness came on Tuesday night, as Aldegheri was forced to wear it. It took three walks and two hits before anyone started warming. In the end, he threw 42 pitches in the fifth inning, giving up four runs. Then, he was asked to pitch a second inning, where he gave up another run.

“Listen, it’s a tough spot, when you’re in that position and you’re here to give us length, and then it kind of gets off the rails a little bit — we have to protect him too,” said interim manager Ray Montgomery.

But the Angels didn’t protect him.

Protecting him would have been keeping him in Double A, starting games every five days, and waiting until he was ready to stand on that big league mound as a starter. Protecting him, at the very least, would have been pulling him when it was clear he didn’t have it that night.

What the Angels did on Tuesday was force Aldegheri into a bad position — one that could stall or harm his growth.

Angels GM Perry Minasian has talked a lot in the last two years about development and growth. Yet so many of his decisions seem rooted in the team’s present-day needs at any given moment and not development at the affiliates. His is a front office that has yet to develop a good starting pitcher in the five years it’s been at the helm, with many failures occurring along the way.

Perhaps that will change someday, but decisions like this make it less likely.

“Of course,” Montgomery said when asked if he was concerned Aldegheri’s outing would impact his development and confidence. “Anytime you don’t have success at the major-league level, regardless of your status, it affects your psyche.”

Minasian did not immediately respond to a text message after the 13-1 loss.

Aldegheri is not the only pitching prospect who’s been put in this position. Caden Dana and Victor Mederos have also been called up twice as spot long relievers. Mederos filled that role on Monday night, walking two batters in an inning before being optioned to Triple A in favor of Aldegheri.

Dana’s last appearance for the Angels came on May 24. In his first inning of work that night, he threw 41 pitches and gave up three runs. He was optioned after the game, pitched three more games in Triple A — all very poor — and has been out with what the team says is fatigue.

That’s to say nothing of Ryan Johnson — a pitching prospect who made his professional debut in the majors on Opening Day this season, only to be optioned to High A after it became evident he wasn’t ready.

It’s because the Angels have rushed so many pitchers to the big leagues that they have compromised their roster flexibility. There are almost no other options on the 40-man roster, other than prospects who were called up before they were ready to stay up.

Jake Eder is the only non-prospect in the minor leagues on the 40-man, but he was unavailable for a call-up after pitching the night prior. Bringing up anyone else would require someone being designated for assignment or placed on the 60-day injured list.

While the big league team has performed better this season, on the backs of improved play by their one-time first-round picks, the minor league system appears to be in a shambles.

The Angels’ Triple-A, Double-A and Low-A affiliates are all below .500 in last place — with Double-A Rocket City recently snapping a 16-game losing streak. Calling up prospects before they’re ready risks further detriment in an already ugly situation.

What happened on Tuesday night wasn’t anomalous.

There’s no doubt that owner Arte Moreno — who has always had a hand in baseball operations — has been singularly obsessed with the big league product. There’s a reason you’ll never hear any of his hired executives use the word “rebuild.” There’s a reason there are no aggressive trade deadline sell-offs, regardless of the team’s playoff positioning.

That, however, shouldn’t lead to this. The front office needs to make better decisions. Embarrassing a pitcher you’ve invested in, just for the sake of eating a couple innings, should not be an option.

Decisions about young pitchers should solely be about what’s in their best interest. Because what’s in the player’s best interest is what will benefit the organization long-term. The people in charge just haven’t realized that yet.

(Photo of Victor Mederos pitching: Ronald Martinez / Getty Images)

Sports

Gipple Named Acting Head Coach; Richards Set to Lead Adrian Track and Field After 2026 Season

Published

2 minutes ago

December 22, 2025

Your Sports Nation

ADRIAN, Mich. – Adrian College Athletic Director Craig Rainey ’89 announced a leadership change for the track and field program following the resignation of head coach Kaylie Laskody due to personal reasons. Beginning in the new year, Matthew Gipple will serve as Acting Head Coach for the spring 2026 season. Following the conclusion of the academic year, Kirk Richards will assume the role of head coach for the Adrian College track and field teams.

“We are excited to welcome Coach Gipple and Coach Richards to Adrian College,” said Rainey. “Coach Gipple has demonstrated success as an assistant coach at Siena Heights, and we are confident in his ability to lead the program as Acting Head Coach. We look forward to welcoming Coach Richards to Adrian College at the conclusion of the 2026 season and wish him the best of luck in his final season at Siena Heights.”

Gipple has served as an assistant coach for the Siena Heights University cross country and track and field programs since 2024. During his time with the Saints, he has coached two conference champions, five national qualifiers, and one All-American. His athletes also include five All-Conference selections and one program record holder.

As a student-athlete at Siena Heights, Gipple competed in track and field and compiled an accomplished career. He earned four All-American honors, captured two conference championships, received 12 All-Conference selections, and qualified for seven national championships.

Richards brings extensive coaching experience to Adrian College, having spent 15 seasons at Siena Heights University coaching cross country and track and field. During his tenure, Richards coached 129 All-Americans, 94 individual conference champions, and 16 national champions. At the team level, he led the Saints to WHAC Outdoor Track and Field Women’s Championships in both 2016 and 2017.

Prior to his collegiate coaching career, Richards spent 18 years coaching at the high school level. He guided his teams to 14 regional championships and 42 conference titles while mentoring multiple state champions in events including pole vault, hurdles, distance, long jump, and sprint relays. Richards has also demonstrated strong local recruiting success at Siena Heights, with 25 of the program’s 28 athletes hailing from Michigan and two from northwest Ohio.

Gipple will begin his coaching duties at Adrian College immediately, while Richards will transition to Adrian College following the 2026 season.

Link

Sports

Twenty-Five Secure CSC Academic All-District® Women’s Volleyball Honors

Published

4 minutes ago

December 22, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Official CSC Release

MADISON, Wis.

–Twenty-five Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) individuals have been named to the 2025 NCAA Division III Academic All-District® Women’s Volleyball Team, selected by the College Sports Communicators.

Individuals from the WIAC receiving the honor included: University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire’s Mya Cinnamo, Kaitlyn Erickson, Bailey Leeke and Abby Stanwood; UW-La Crosse’s Taylor Larson, Grace Nommensen and Kayla Sexton; UW-Oshkosh’s Izzy Coon, Jaclyn Dutkiewicz, Grace Juergens and Samantha Perlberg; UW-Platteville’s Kierney McDonald; UW-River Falls’ Lauren Noth and Audrey Petersen; UW-Stevens Point’s Tessa Erlandson, Olivia Paukner, Lauren Shaw and Carly Thomka; UW-Stout’s Maja Anderson, Emma Barton, Brynn Hessel and Brooke McCune; and UW-Whitewater’s Emma Bludgen, Abbie Dix and Amanda Hillmann.

To be eligible for the Academic All-District® and Academic All-America® award, a student-athlete must carry a minimum 3.50 cumulative GPA on a 4.0 scale, must compete in 90 percent of the institution’s sets OR must start in at least 66 percent of the institution’s total matches, and must be at least a sophomore academically and athletically.

# # # # #

Link

Sports

FSC Athletics Update – December 22

Published

18 minutes ago

December 22, 2025

Your Sports Nation

FARMINGDALE, N.Y. | The Skyline Conference released its winter weekly reports on Monday and two women’s basketball players from Farmingdale State College claimed Player and Rookie of the Week honors.

Women’s Basketball (6-4, 4-3 Skyline) | Skyline Report

Farmingdale State increased their winning streak to four consecutive games with a convincing 90-56 victory over non-conference opponent John Jay last week.

Senior guard Shyann Parker (Floral Park, N.Y.) was named the Skyline Conference Player of the Week after finishing just two assists shy of a triple-double at John Jay. She compiled 13 points, a career-high 16 rebounds, eight assists and two steals in the win.

Freshman forward Alana Henry (Amityville, N.Y.) picked up Rookie of the Week honors as she scored 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting to go along with five rebounds, two steals, and a blocked shot.

The women’s basketball team returns in the new year for a noontime start on January 3 (Sat.) at Hunter College.

Men’s Basketball (8-2, 1-0 Skyline) | Skyline Report

The Rams had the week off and are back in action January 3 (Sat.), when they play host to St. Joseph’s-Brooklyn in a 2 p.m. tip-off. Prior to the contest, the team will welcome youth basketball players as part of its annual CYO Day.

Indoor Track and Field

Farmingdale State returns to action on January 9, when it travels to the Ocean Breeze complex in Staten Island, N.Y., for the St. Thomas Aquinas Spartan Invitational at noon.

Link

Sports

Wisconsin volleyball’s Una Vajagic enters transfer portal

Published

20 minutes ago

December 22, 2025

Your Sports Nation

The University of Wisconsin volleyball team received another blow to its roster in the transfer portal cycle Monday, just mere hours after picking up a transfer addition from UC Santa Barbara.

kAmq2586CD C65D9:CE D@A9@>@C6 @FED:56 9:EE6C &?2 ‘2;28:4 6?E6C65 E96 EC2?D76C A@CE2=[ 2 D@FC46 E@=5 q2586CtIEC2] $96 😀 E96 D:IE9 (:D4@?D:? A=2J6C E@ 2??@F?46 96C 56A2CEFC6 7C@> E96 AC@8C2> D:?46 E96 AC@8C2> DF776C65 k2 9C67lQ9EEADi^^32586C6IEC2]4@>^DA@CED^G@==6J32==^H:D4@?D:?\G@==6J32==\72=E6CD\=2E6\DF776CD\7:G6\D6E\=@DD\E@\<6?EF4:7:?2=D^2CE:4=6034`bf657\hc4b\caae\3773\66_c4e44536e]9E>=Q E2C86ElQ03=2?6?E =2DE %9FCD52J]k^Am

Wisconsin volleyball lands California outside hitter from transfer portal

kAm’2;28:4[ 2 $6C3:2 ?2E:G6[ k2 9C67lQ9EEADi^^32586C6IEC2]4@>^DA@CED^G@==6J32==^A=2J:?8\96C\36DE\G@==6J32==\G2;28:4\6>6C86D\2D\<6J\7@C\H:D4@?D:?\CF?\E@\7:?2=\7@FC^2CE:4=604caa24__\4`4e\c4_5\3gcb\6d44533a3h7d]9E>=Q E2C86ElQ03=2?6C865 2D 2 <6J 4@?EC:3FE@C 7@C E96 q2586CD 5FC:?8 E96:C 566A A@DED62D@? CF?k^2m[ A=2J:?8 😕 6G6CJ D6E @7 E96 E@FC?2>6?E] $96 2G6C2865 a]fh <:==D 2?5 a]d_ 5:8D A6C D6E E9:D D62D@?[ AFEE:?8 96C 2E b_f <:==D 2?5 afd 5:8D 7@C E96 42>A2:8?]k^Am

kAm%96 e\7@@E ‘2;28:4 D9:?65 5@H? E96 DEC6E49[ E@E2=:?8 5@F3=6\5:8:E <:==D 😕 `_ @7 E96 7:?2= “ >2E496D @7 E96 D62D@?] %92E :?4=F565 2 `d\<:== A6C7@C>2?46 😕 2 k2 9C67lQ9EEADi^^32586C6IEC2]4@>^DA@CED^G@==6J32==^H:D4@?D:?\G@==6J32==\5@>:?2E6D\E6I2D\E@\C6249\7:?2=\7@FC^2CE:4=60ggbc3f5c\abab\cg`6\2f3`\_`337h334472]9E>=Q E2C86ElQ03=2?2E4965 96C 42C66C 9:89 7@C <:==D] k^Am

kAm’2;28:4 >:DD65 2== @7 E96 a_ac D62D@? H9:=6 C64@G6C:?8 7C@> 2 E@C? pr{[ k2 E:E=6lQ9EEADi^^32586C6IEC2]4@>^DA@CED^G@==6J32==^9@H\2?\:?;FCJ\96=A65\=625\@FED:56\9:EE6C\E@\H:D4@?D:?\G@==6J32==^2CE:4=60bgbehahe\7d56\ccf4\2gde\`f77dded444a]9E>=Q 9C67lQ9EEADi^^32586C6IEC2]4@>^DA@CED^G@==6J32==^9@H\2?\:?;FCJ\96=A65\=625\@FED:56\9:EE6C\E@\H:D4@?D:?\G@==6J32==^2CE:4=60bgbehahe\7d56\ccf4\2gde\`f77dded444a]9E>=Q C6=lQ?@C676CC6C ?@@A6?6CQ E2C86ElQ03=2?

kAm$96 H2D 2 DE2C 😕 $6C3:2 367@C6 96C E:>6 H:E9 E96 q2586CD[ 62C?:?8 |’! 😕 3@E9 E96 $6C3:2? rFA 2?5 $6C3:2? $FA6CrFA 5FC:?8 E96 a_ab\ac D62D@?] $96 D92C6D 2? 286?E H:E9 EH@ @E96C q2586CD H9@ 6?E6C65 E96 EC2?D76C A@CE2= 😕 E96 =2DE 76H 52JD kDA2? :5lQ5@4D\:?E6C?2=\8F:5\72ba5cb6\f777\4e4a\`chg\`ede3g66h626QmkDA2?m— k2 9C67lQ9EEADi^^32586C6IEC2]4@>^DA@CED^G@==6J32==^H:D4@?D:?\G@==6J32==\=@D6D\EH@\56AE9\A=2J6CD\E@\EC2?D76C\A@CE2=^2CE:4=60_6`3665h\3743\ca`2\26c4\fb5fac_3eh7c]9E>=Q E2C86ElQ03=2?:55=6 3=@4<6C %@D:2 $6C27:?@HD<2k^2m 2?5 @FED:56 9:EE6C k2 9C67lQ9EEADi^^32586C6IEC2]4@>^DA@CED^G@==6J32==^H:D4@?D:?\G@==6J32==\=@D6D\<6J\A=2J@77\4@?EC:3FE@C\E@\EC2?D76C\A@CE2=^2CE:4=60hh4d7f3a\_h5c\cee4\g2d_\g4d74bd7af5b]9E>=Q E2C86ElQ03=2?

kAm%96 q2586CD 92G6 366? 3FDJ H:E9 E96 EC2?D76C A@CE2=] k2 9C67lQ9EEADi^^32586C6IEC2]4@>^DA@CED^G@==6J32==^7@C>6C\9:89=J\C2?<65\H:D4@?D:?\G@==6J32==\C64CF:E\E@\6?E6C\EC2?D76C\A@CE2=^2CE:4=60_4c54234\fdac\cg__\hhcc\2bbgf7gc2457]9E>=Q E2C86ElQ03=2?2? =:36C@ p?:J2 (2CC6?k^2m[ D6EE6C k2 9C67lQ9EEADi^^32586C6IEC2]4@>^DA@CED^G@==6J32==^H:D4@?D:?\G@==6J32==\=@D6D\A2CE\E:>6\DE2CE6C\E@\EC2?D76C\A@CE2=^2CE:4=60ca7cfgea\abhh\c2d`\hfag\gh434dhfcbh3]9E>=Q E2C86ElQ03=2?^DA@CED^G@==6J32==^H:D4@?D:?\G@==6J32==\=@D6D\EH@\56AE9\A=2J6CD\E@\EC2?D76C\A@CE2=^2CE:4=60_6`3665h\3743\ca`2\26c4\fb5fac_3eh7c]9E>=Q E2C86ElQ03=2? @E96C AC@8C2>D] k2 9C67lQ9EEADi^^32586C6IEC2]4@>^DA@CED^G@==6J32==^H:D4@?D:?\G@==6J32==\=2?5D\2==\2>6C:42?\7C@>\EC2?D76C\A@CE2=\E@\C6A=246\56A2CE:?8\DE2C^2CE:4=60a5d6cccg\_bbe\ce2c\2c53\d625db4`a`hd]9E>=Q E2C86ElQ03=2?^DA@CED^G@==6J32==^H:D4@?D:?\G@==6J32==\=2?5D\2==\2>6C:42?\7C@>\EC2?D76C\A@CE2=\E@\C6A=246\56A2CE:?8\DE2C^2CE:4=60a5d6cccg\_bbe\ce2c\2c53\d625db4`a`hd]9E>=Q E2C86ElQ03=2? p==\p>6C:42? 2E u=@C:52k^2m[ 2??@F?465 $2EFC52J E92E D96 H:== ;@:? E96 q2586CD[ 2?5 k2 9C67lQ9EEADi^^32586C6IEC2]4@>^DA@CED^G@==6J32==^H:D4@?D:?\G@==6J32==\=2?5D\42=:7@C?:2\@FED:56\9:EE6C\7C@>\EC2?D76C\A@CE2=^2CE:4=60h22e_a_a\7`cc\c5bg\2cga\`ba7bd4e2h3e]9E>=Q E2C86ElQ03=2?@C6 7C@> &r $2?E2 q2C32C2k^2m[ D2:5 |@?52J E92E D96 😀 D:8?:?8 H:E9 E96 q2586CD]k^DA2?mk^DA2?mk^Am

Photos: Wisconsin volleyball’s Una Vajagic in action during 2025 season

Link

Sports

No. 1 seed Kentucky volleyball swept by No. 3 seed Texas A&M in national championship – Kentucky Kernel

Published

38 minutes ago

December 22, 2025

Your Sports Nation

No. 1 seed Kentucky volleyball (30-3, 15-0 SEC) was swept by No. 3 seed Texas A&M (29-4, 14-1 SEC) in the 2025 D-1 NCAA Women’s Volleyball National Championship.

This is the first national title for Texas A&M, joining Kentucky as the second team to win the national championship as a member of the SEC.

The Wildcats pulled out to an early lead in set one, but Texas A&M chipped away at it before forcing set point with its first lead before winning the set 26-24. Texas A&M took an early lead in set two and continued to grow it, winning set two 25-15. The Aggies gained a large lead early in set three and Kentucky was unable to come back, Texas A&M won the set 25-20 to complete the sweep.

The Wildcats kept themselves out of the match with tons of errors throughout. The Wildcats recorded 40 kills with a .148% hitting percentage, its lowest hitting percentage all season. Kentucky had 23 attack errors, nine service errors and two block errors.

Texas A&M wasn’t flawless but played much cleaner than Kentucky. The Aggies recorded 39 kills with a .257% hitting percentage.

Set One

Kentucky began the match with a 3-0 run on the back of two kills from Eva Hudson, another 3-0 run gave the Cats a 6-1 lead and forced an early timeout from Texas A&M.

The Cats continued to grow this early lead following the timeout, pulling ahead 9-3 with a solo block from Asia Thigpen.

The Aggies started to chip away at the Wildcats lead with a 4-2 run that cut Kentucky’s advantage to 15-11.

Kentucky responded with a 3-1 run to extend its lead back to six points.

Texas A&M then rattled off a 4-0 run, on four consecutive kills, that cut UK’s lead to 18-16. This forced Kentucky to call its first timeout of the set.

Hudson got a kill on the first rally after the timeout, but it didn’t end the Aggies run. Texas A&M mounted a 2-0 run to pull within one point.

Texas A&M tied the set at 20-20 with another 2-0 run.

A service ace by Molly Tuozzo gave Kentucky a 23-21 lead, forcing Texas A&M to call its second timeout of the set.

Texas A&M mounted a 2-0 run after the timeout to even the set at 23-23.

Kentucky forced set point with a kill from Thigpen, but the Aggies tied the set again at 24-24.

Texas A&M took its first lead of the set with a block from Ifenna Cos-Okpalla, forcing set point at 25-24. This led to Kentucky calling its second timeout of the set.

Texas A&M won the set 26-24 on the next rally, taking a 1-0 match lead.

The Wildcats hit .195% with 16 kills in the set, Texas A&M had 13 kills with a hitting percentage of .205%.

The Wildcats errors allowed Texas A&M to salt away at an early lead to steal the first set. Kentucky had nine attack errors, four service errors and two block errors.

Hudson, Lizzie Carr and Brooklyn DeLeye each had four kills for the Wildcats in set one.

Kyndal Stowers led the Aggies with five kills, Cos-Okpalla and Logan Lednicky had three each.

Set Two

Texas A&M got out to a 5-2 lead in set two after a service ace from Cos-Okpalla.

This lead grew to 8-4 after Kentucky recorded an error on back-to-back rallies.

Kentucky called its first timeout of the set after Texas A&M grew its lead to 10-5 with back-to-back Wildcat errors, once again.

A 4-0 run by the Aggies gave them a 15-7 lead and forced Kentucky to call another timeout.

Kentucky is digging itself a hole with errors on seemingly every rally, the Cats will need to clean it up quick.

Stowers recorded back-to-back kills to start a 4-0 run which gave the Aggies a 19-8 lead.

The Wildcats responded with 3-0 run to pull within eight.

Texas A&M put together a 4-1 run to win the second set 25-15, taking a 2-0 match lead.

Kentucky suffered from its own errors once again in set two. The Cats had 11 attack errors and just 10 kills for a -.021% hitting percentage.

Texas A&M had 12 kills with just three errors, resulting in a hitting percentage of .273% in the set.

Hudson led Kentucky with five kills in the second set. DeLeye had three kills with six digs and a block.

Lednicky led Texas A&M with five kills.

Set Three

Cos-Okpalla recorded two consecutive kills on overpasses to give A&M a 3-0 lead in set three.

A service ace from Stowers capped off a 3-0 run that grew the Aggies lead to 6-1.

The Wildcats battled back with a 4-2 run that pulled them within three points.

Texas A&M used a 3-1 run to head into the media timeout with a 15-10 lead.

The Aggies put together a 2-1 run out of the media timeout, forcing Kentucky to call its first timeout of the set.

Texas A&M grew its lead to 19-11 after the timeout. This forced Kentucky to call its second timeout of the set, looking to avoid the sweep.

Kentucky mounted a 3-1 run out of its second timeout, pulling within six points.

Texas A&M forced match point at 24-18, Kentucky pulled within four after a 2-0 run, Texas A&M eventually won the match with a 25-20 set three win.

The Wildcats hit .423% with 14 kills in set three with only three attack errors, but five service errors made the difference in the set.

The Aggies hit .310% with 14 kills and five errors.

The Wildcats will now head into the offseason, beginning preparation for next season. In 2026, the Wildcats will chase a 10th consecutive SEC regular season title, back-to-back SEC Tournament titles and another NCAA Tournament run.

Link

Sports

North Schuylkill’s Luke Miller signs to St. Joseph’s for track – Pottsville Republican Herald

Published

42 minutes ago

December 22, 2025

Your Sports Nation

North Schuylkill senior track and field standout Luke Miller signed to St. Joseph’s University to compete in track and field collegiately Monday afternoon.

Miller also held college track offers from Shippensburg, West Chester, East Stroudsburg and Monmouth University before officially deciding on St. Joseph’s University.

“For me St. Joseph’s felt like home and it was the last school I visited so I’m super excited to get there,” said Miller. “I’m super grateful and excited to get to work with them.”

1 of 2

North Schuylkill’s Luke Miller signed his national letter of intent to compete in track collegiately at St. Joseph’s University on Monday, December 22. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Expand

Miller finished this past fall leading the football team with 31 touchdowns and 2,563 rushing yards. He won gold in the 200-meter dash at the Schuylkill League meet.

“For me I enjoy the competitiveness of track and the work that goes into it,” said Miller. “I always went back and forth between football and track and track is more of a hobby for me.”

Miller also earned the Republican Herald ‘Athlete of the Week’ award after winning both the 100- and 200-meter dashes and anchoring the Spartans runner-up 400-meter relay at the Jim Thorpe Olympian Invitational last year.

“I’m going to miss the people and everyone is super kind and treats me like family here,” said Miller. “I really will miss everyone here.”

Miller joins a St. Joseph’s track program led by David Reick who knows longtime North Schuylkill coach Jack Flynn. He recently became the head coach in November of 2024.

“I’m super excited to get to work with coach (David) Reick and Jack Flynn (former North Schuylkill coach) knows him too,” said Miller. “It feels like home for me and I’m so excited.”

Miller will be majoring in physical therapy and is most looking forward to the food and living in Philadelphia.

Link