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Catholic baseball player now in the big leagues says faith, family still rank No. 1 for him

Published

5 months ago

July 11, 2025

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Catholic baseball player now in the big leagues says faith, family still rank No. 1 for him

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (OSV News) — Left fielder Will Robertson takes home field advantage wherever he goes.

The Loose Creek native’s wife, Morgan, and their baby daughter, Jonnie, travel with him from city to city to see him play. “We’re living the dream with him,” she said.

On June 11, after playing minor league baseball, Will was called up to the Toronto Blue Jays, but almost a month later Toronto traded him to the Chicago White Sox, according to a July 10 story by Sportsnet, a Canadian news outlet.

Will is a graduate of Immaculate Conception School in Loose Creek, Fatima High School in Westphalia and Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska.

He was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the fourth round of the 2019 MLB draft. For the past two seasons, he played for the Buffalo Bisons, Toronto’s Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. He got the call “to the bigs” while the Blue Jays were in St. Louis playing the Cardinals.

“I wasn’t in the game, but I was on the active roster,” he said in a late June interview with The Catholic Missourian, Jefferson City’s diocesan news outlet. “It was a very special moment to be at Busch Stadium.

“I’ve been to my share of games in Busch,” he noted. “But, experiencing that from the opposing dugout is quite a different feeling.”

He made his big league debut two days later against the Philadelphia Phillies, garnering his first hit in the majors in the less-than-friendly confines of Citizens Bank Park.

Will’s wife and daughter were in the stands in Philly when he took to the field.

“When we started doing long-distance, we said, ‘No matter where, we’re bringing our family with us to these wonderful places we’d never get to go to without baseball,'” said Morgan.

“We choose to make it all about family,” she said. “So, home isn’t just a place for us. It’s wherever we are when we’re together.”

“We’re very proud to be Catholics from mid-Missouri,” added Will.

Will said his faith is paramount: “I wouldn’t be here without it.”

The couple both grew up in large Catholic families.

“Morgan and I, our parents brought us up very traditionally,” said Will. “The small German towns in mid-Missouri. Very traditional.

“And with us both belonging to very large extended families — grandparents, aunts and uncles that have grown up in the church — they’ve all played a part in our upbringing throughout the years,” he said.

The two first met while they were in kindergarten.

The lesson: “Teach your children to be nice to other children,” he said. “Sometimes, your kindergarten crush might turn out to be your wife!”

Will has “something like 18 cousins on my dad’s side and like 12 on mom’s.”

“We all played sports,” he said. “Baseball and sports in general definitely run deep in our families.”

He believes his very first homerun came during a family wiffleball game in his grandparents’ backyard.

“Growing up with bunch of cousins, we played a lot of wiffleball,” he recalled. “Even on the field behind church in Loose Creek. It was definitely a family affair. That’s where it all started.”

They all played for the fun of it.

Only while playing varsity baseball in high school did he start thinking that it could help him advance his education and maybe become a career. His mom and dad were nearby to encourage him.

“Growing up, your parents are always in your ear,” he said. “They’re the ones helping you to achieve your goals.”

He’s convinced that children learn invaluable lessons and forge lifelong friendships while participating in sports together. “I still have long connections with guys I played ball with since I was 10 years old.”

Will went to Creighton on a baseball scholarship, learning to navigate the challenges of balancing school, faith and America’s pastime.

“You have the whole thing of being on your own for the first time,” he said. “A big part of your maturing comes with going out on your own and figuring things out for yourself.”

Later on, he faced serious injuries after embarking on his professional baseball career.

“That was certainly a setback, and I wasn’t sure what the future was going to hold,” he recalled.

He chose to trust God and keep working at it.

Morgan said her husband’s mental and emotional strength are among the things that attracted her to him.

“Baseball is not for the weak,” she noted, herself having played softball and basketball. “Until I started traveling with Will, I didn’t really understand the magnitude of what he does every day.

“Baseball is such a game of failure and a mental game,” she continued. “More times than not, you strike out. And you have to go out there and deal with it. It’s hard for me just to watch, let alone be the one to have to go through it. But Will always leaves the field with his head held high.”

She called to mind something Will’s dad often says to him: “God has a plan.”

“I think Will takes that to heart,” she said. “It’s made him the guy he is. How mentally strong he is. That’s why I’m with him.”

Having a daughter has helped reinforce for Will that God does have a plan, and it’s much bigger than the present moment.

“Some days, you can go 5-for-5 or go 0-for-5,” he stated. “You just have to keep doing your best while staying focused on the things that matter.”

“Whatever baseball brings, I still have my family, I still have my faith,” he said.

Will noted that participating in the sacramental life of the church can be challenging with all the traveling and a 162-game season.

“Sometimes, you have a Saturday night game at 6:30 followed by a day game at noon, and you have to be at the ballpark at 9,” he said.

Technology helps the couple find the closest weekend Masses they can attend. When it absolutely doesn’t work, the couple finds a Mass to livestream and they make a point of getting to Mass the next day. Being in the car gives them time to pray their daily rosary together.

Morgan said they don’t want people, especially the friends they grew up with, to treat them differently.

At the same time, Will does believe strongly that people in the public eye need to set a good example.

“I think you have a definite responsibility to the next generation,” he stated. “You have a responsibility as an athlete to project yourself in a positive light.”

He said baseball has given him so much — “a chance to meet so many incredible people and experience stuff I wouldn’t ever get to experience. So, you have to give back.”

Morgan said her proudest moment so far in her husband’s career was an award that fellow ballplayers on the Blue Jays’ minor league teams voted to bestow on him: for being a good all-around teammate.

“That says a lot to me about him,” she stated. “And at the end of the day, what people are going to remember is your character and how you treat others and how you hold yourself on the field.”

Will wears his gratitude on his sleeve.

“I wouldn’t be here without my parents, without Morgan, without my grandpa — certainly not without God,” he said.

From all people of faith, he asks for prayers for health and safety on the road, and also for people back in central Missouri who are “fighting some tough battles” with hardships and illness.

One thing the couple loves about home is that the big league ballplayer is just Will to everybody who knows him.

“We’re regular people and that’s what we love the most — coming home and having time with family and friends, and having stability with our parishes, going to Mass in our church on Sundays,” said Will.

Morgan said it’s nice to know that whenever her husband’s career winds down, they have so much waiting for them back home.

Her husband agrees.

“We have a family who loves us, a great community, a great parish,” he stated. “So, if the worst-case scenario means the end of my baseball career, our worst day could actually be our best day.”

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Cal Poly indoor track and field sets school records in Reno – Times-Standard

Published

35 minutes ago

December 10, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Cal Poly Humboldt women’s and men’s indoor track and field squads opened the 2025 season with a meet at the Silver State Invitational and Multis, hosted by the University of Nevada, Reno, this past weekend. The Jacks saw three NCAA provisional marks set, one by pole vaulter Michael Payan (16-8.75) and two on the women’s side, Cocome McKamey in the pentathlon (8th out of 22) and Isabel Perez-Zoghbi (2:10.70 seconds in the 800 meters). Two of those marks are likely enough to earn an invite to the national championships in March, according to Lumberjacks head coach Sarah Ingram.

The marks are set as an indication that the individual is in range to go to nationals, not a “golden ticket,” Ingram said. When the time comes for the university to declare athletes it wants to enter for the national championship, they are allowed with a provisional mark. However, there will still only be roughly the top 18 that qualify for the national meet out of those declared, which comes down to a ranked order list of each event. Payan’s mark, Ingram is reasonably confident, will be included, and comes after Payan took fifth place last year at nationals as a freshman, setting a new school record as “we’re expecting big things out of him this year,” said Ingram.

On the women’s side, Perez-Zoghbi has gone previously to nationals indoor in the 800m and outdoors twice for the 400m hurdles, the 800 currently being her focus. Ingram said her mark is probably strong enough to get her in, which Ingram said “is pretty exciting, and obviously both of these athletes are going to continue competing; we have a couple more weekends of indoor in February where they’ll be able to try to better those marks and get them as high as possible on that rankings. Our third athlete, Cocome McKamey, is one of our multi-event athletes indoors with the pentathlon. Her mark met the qualifying threshold, but based on previous years, we don’t expect that mark to be good enough to get in, but based on what we saw at her meet, she’ll be able to hit the marks needed at our next multi opportunity up in Spokane, Washington in February.”

Humboldt is going on its third season in indoor track and field, and “building out some depth in our record book,” according to Ingram. Eight new school records were set in Reno across the women’s and men’s events. Of the women, two freshman had an “outstanding” meet, said Ingram, with “really big personal bests in all their events.” Kelsi Lytle set a new school record in the 60m with a 7.85 seconds and also had p.r.’s in the 200m and 400m, while Caitlyn Dougherty established a school-best mark in the 200m and had personal records in the 200m, 400m (winning her heat at 58.32 secs), and 60m hurdles. She was also on the 4×400 team that set a new school record with Brielle Jimerson, McKamey, and Perez-Zoghbi.

“We’re really expecting a strong 4x400m relay in our next meet as well, and hoping we’ll be able to get a provisional qualifying mark in that event as well,” said Ingram.

Of the men, in addition to Payan’s new school mark, Dylan Ochoa also set a new mark in the 400m, running 49.12 seconds. Collin Friedman had a new long jump record and high jump as well to tie Gabe Bondurant and Alex Dillon in the latter at 1.90m. Joseph Gonzalez not only set a new school record in the shot put, he won the meet outright with a 15.89m, and Isaak Kasso won the 60m hurdles with a mark of 8.50 secs.

“We’ve got a big stretch here where we’re taking a break and not allowed to have official practices during winter break,” said Ingram. “We’re trying to make sure everybody passes their classes, does their finals and enjoys the holidays. And then we come back and start practicing again Jan. 12. Our first meet (of the new year) will be February 5th through 7th in Spokane. We’ll be bringing all event groups and that meet will also have a multi offered as well.”

Finally, she continued, “We had lots of really good stuff this weekend, we’re just really excited to be putting up such strong marks this early in the year, it helps the athletes stay motivated going into that long stretch of winter break with their goal-setting, their training, when they’re kind of on their own time. We’re excited for what this will mean not only for the finish of our indoor season come February and March, but springboarding us into that outdoor season for the whole rest of the spring semester.”

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NMU track & field wins pair of events at Early Bird | News, Sports, Jobs

Published

52 minutes ago

December 10, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Northern Michigan University’s Baux Truckey, center, gets out of the starting blocks during a track event at a college indoor track and field meet held at Minnesota State-Mankato on Feb. 15. (Photo courtesy of NMU)

OSHKOSH, Wis. — The women’s track and field team at Northern Michigan University opened their season with more than a dozen top-five finishes, including two event victories, at the Early Bird Invitational hosted by Wisconsin-Oshkosh on Friday and Saturday.

With no team scores kept, the Wildcats tasted the most success with Kaitlin Smith winning the pole vault and Teiolla Harvey capturing first place in the weight throw. Teammates also added four runner-up finishes, six in third place, two more in fourth place and another three in fifth.

In the field, Smith cleared 3.36 meters (11 feet, 1/4 inch) to win the pole vault, while teammate Alyssa Tumminaro got over at 3.06 meters (10-feet-1/2) for third.

Harvey’s winning weight throw distance was 15.81 meters (51-10 1/2), which she achieved on her fourth throw. The Wildcats’ Danielle Lund, a Manistique High School graduate, was fourth with 15.18 meters (49-9 5/8).

Harvey was also runner-up in the shot put with a heave of 12.29 meters (40-3 7/8), while teammate Alizabeth Little was third with 12.20 meters (40-feet-3/8) and Lund fifth with 11.56 meters (37-11 1/8).

And Northern’s Crystal Walker was third in the long jump with a leap of 5.31 meters (17-5), while Alayna Vandegriff was third in the triple jump with 11.07 meters (36-3 7/8).

On the track, the Wildcats’ Anya VanSweden was runner-up in the first race on Saturday, the 3,000-meter run, in 10 minutes, 58.38 seconds.

In the 60 hurdles, freshman teammate Lily Phillips was second in 8.95 seconds, while Walker was fourth in 9.19.

Marquette Senior High School product Baux Truckey was third in the 60 dash in 7.87.

In the 4-by-400 relay, Truckey, Lily Phillips, Taylor Rogers and Beverly Harper were runners-up in 4:06.32, while Brooke Lemos, Paige Anderson, Ella DeBruyn and Ishpeming grad Lola Korpi were fifth in 4:31.32.

In the five-event pentathlon, NMU’s Natasha Nowakowski finished third in a field of 11 competitors after compiling 3,076 points. He top finishers were third in both the high jump after clearing 1.54 meters (5-feet-5/8) and shot put with a heave of 9.86 meters (32-4 1/4).

Teammate Eva Zonca was fifth with 2,942 points as she was fourth in the 60 hurdles in 9.51 seconds, while Northern’s Elizabeth Simpson was sixth with 2,875 points. Simpson’s top finish was fourth in the 800 in 2:34.80.

With this warm-up meet finished, the Wildcats won’t be in action again until Jan. 24 when they travel to Whitewater, Wisconsin, for the Karl Schlender Invitational.

They also have one home meet on Saturday, Feb. 7, the WCW Tri-Meet, an annual event that also includes Wayne State and Saginaw Valley State.

Story contents based on Northern Michigan University Sports Information press release reviewing the meet. Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee’s email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.

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This Week in Dartmouth Sports: 12.9 – 12.15

Published

1 hour ago

December 10, 2025

Your Sports Nation

HANOVER, N.H. – Check out all the Big Green teams in action this week!

Men’s Basketball – Tuesday, December 9 and Saturday, December 13
The Dartmouth men’s basketball team will wrap its trip to the Rocky Mountains by playing Colorado State at 9:00 p.m. ET (7:00 p.m. MST).The Big Green will then host Boston University at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday at Leede Arena. Follow live stats at DartmouthSports.com and click here to purchase tickets for Saturday’s game.

Women’s Basketball – Thursday, December 11 + Saturday, December 13
The Big Green hit the road this week for games at NJIT (Thursday) and Iona (Saturday). Dartmouth is coming off two wins last weekend, beating Central Connecticut State (53-44) and Bucknell (53-45). The Big Green are 5-2 after seven games, marking their best record after seven games since the 2017-18 season. Nina Miniccozi has impressed, posting double-figure points for three straight games, the longest streak of her career.

Men’s and Women’s Track and Field – Friday, December 12 and Saturday, December 13
After opening the indoor schedule in Boston, Mass., the Dartmouth track and field teams will host the Dartmouth December Invitational on Friday and Saturday, marking the first home meet of the indoor season. You can follow live results here.

Women’s Hockey – Friday, December 12 and Saturday, December 13
Dartmouth women’s hockey will close the first half of the season this weekend, welcoming Saint Michael’s and Saint Anselm to Thompson Arena for its final games of 2025. The Big Green are coming off a 3-1 loss to RPI and a scoreless tie with Union last weekend and will look to get back in the win column before the holiday break.
The matchup with the Purple Knights on Friday, December 12 is the first in program history. Friday’s game will also be Dartmouth’s annual Teddy Bear Toss presented by Townline Equipment. Bring a new unwrapped teddy bear and toss it onto the ice after the Big Green’s first goal. On Saturday, Dartmouth will host Saint Anselm, having a 3-2 record against the Hawks. The Big Green won the teams’ last matchup 9-1 in Manchester last season. Puck drop on Friday is set for 3 p.m. while Saturday’s game will get underway at 2 p.m. You can purchase tickets here or watch either game on ESPN+ or follow the live stats on DartmouthSports.com.

Men’s Hockey – Friday, December 12 and Sunday, December 14
No. 8/7 Dartmouth men’s hockey hits the ice for two games ahead of the holiday break. The Big Green take on Army on Friday night before traveling to in-state rival UNH. Dartmouth is coming off its fifth straight weekend sweep after defeating ECAC Hockey and Ivy foes Brown and Yale this past weekend. Hayden Stavroff had six goals and three assists in the two games as he was named ECAC Hockey Forward of the Week. On Monday, the Big Green were ranked eighth in the USCHO.com poll and seventh in the USA Hockey poll, the highest ranking the Big Green have received under the current polling system. Fans are encouraged to bring new teddy bears to Friday’s game against Army for Dartmouth’s annual teddy bear toss; faceoff is at 7 p.m.

Men’s and Women’s Swimming and Diving – Saturday, December, 13
The Big Green return to action on Saturday at the CSCAA Open Water Nationals following a stellar performance at the Golden Grizzly Classic, which saw the women finish first and men second.

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Beach and Munday Earn 2025 AVCA All-Pacific Region Recognition

Published

2 hours ago

December 10, 2025

Your Sports Nation

LEXINGTON, Ky. — San Diego volleyball’s Nemo Beach and Kylie Munday earned 2025 AVCA All-Pacific Region recognition, the American Volleyball Coaches Association announced on Tuesday.

Beach, a junior outside hitter from Chandler, Arizona, was named to the 2025 AVCA All-Pacific Region Team, while Munday, a sophomore setter from Post Falls, Idaho, picked up a 2025 AVCA All-Pacific Region Honorable Mention.

It’s the first career AVCA accolade for both Beach and Munday, who were named the 2025 WCC Player and Setter of the Year, respectively, last month.

Beach hit .261 and led the WCC with 467 kills and 527 points this season, marks that ranked 25th and 26th nationally. She also recorded 208 digs, 41 blocks, and 36 service aces, and achieved eight double-doubles this season. She received three WCC Offensive Player of the Week honors in 2025 and was also named to the 2025 All-WCC First Team.

Munday totaled 1,108 assists, 273 digs, 65 blocks (seven solo), 65 kills, and a team-high 47 service aces in 2025 as she became the first player in program history to be named the WCC Setter of the Year in back-to-back seasons. Munday achieved 13 double-doubles in 2025 and had 50 or more assists in six different matches. She was named the WCC Setter of the Week four times this season.

Beach and Munday are the Toreros’ first AVCA All-Region players since 2022, when Gabby Blossom, Grace Frohling, Katie Lukes, and Leyla Blackwell were recognized.

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UTRGV Athletics Welcomes Dan Keefe as Assistant Director of Ticket Sales and Operations

Published

2 hours ago

December 10, 2025

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RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Department of Intercollegiate Athletics announced on Monday the hiring of Dan Keefe as assistant director of ticket sales and operations.

Keefe will oversee group ticket sales and experiences while also assisting with ticket sales and operations for all UTRGV-ticketed athletic events. In addition, Keefe will assist the team in season ticket sales.

“We’re very excited for Dan to be the newest member of our team,” Assistant Athletic Director of Ticket Sales and Operations Nicholas Swanson said. “He brings a great understanding of what it takes to succeed at the FCS level from his time at Montana State. I’m confident Dan will make a positive impact on not only UTRGV Athletics, but the community here in the Rio Grande Valley, and I believe our fans and season ticket holders will enjoy the quality of customer service and professionalism they will experience when working with him.”

Keefe brings experience working for one of the premier FCS athletic departments in the country after spending over a year at Montana State. Working as a marketing and game operations graduate assistant with the Bobcats, Keefe primarily oversaw women’s basketball, volleyball, and tennis marketing initiatives, managed department social media pages, oversaw eight interns for game day and day-to-day marketing strategies and operations, and was the on-field director for Montana State football.

“I am excited to accept this position with the Vaqueros,” Keefe said. “Joining the family here brings a great opportunity to grow in my experiences and knowledge of collegiate athletics. I want to thank [Senior Vice President and Director of Athletics] Chasse Conque, [Senior Associate Athletic Director/Chief Revenue Officer] Derek Schramm, and Nick for this opportunity to join the UTRGV family. When I first got to the Valley, I knew this is home, the community has embraced me, and I am looking forward to meeting Vaquero nation! V’s Up!”

Prior to his time with Montana State, Keefe was the director of football operations for Minnesota State University Moorhead (MSU Moorhead) for five years. Keefe would work in a variety of recruiting tasks, maintained team travel and meal budget, managed a team of up to eight students for game day and equipment operations, and helped with multiple recruiting tasks.

Keefe is currently pursuing his Master of Science in sport and coaching science at Montana State and previously earned his Bachelor of Science in exercise science from MSU Moorhead in 2024.

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Three Owls Kick Off Indoor Track Season with LEC Awards

Published

6 hours ago

December 10, 2025

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PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Three Keene State College student-athletes honored by the Little East Conference for their achievements accomplished for the week of 12/1-12/7 after the Owls’ first day of competition for the indoor 2025-2026 season.

Men’s Indoor Track and Field

Junior Tyler Bolaske (Palmer, Mass.) was named the LEC Track Athlete of the Week from his performance at the New Balance Early Bird Invitational at the TRACK on Saturday. Bolaske picked up where he left off from the cross country season with his performance on Saturday as he ran the 5,000 meters in 14:56.89 to finish in ninth in a tough field. Bolaske’s time is currently a top-25 time in Division III as he sits in 22nd after the opening weekend of action to kick off the indoor season.

The Owls’ distance medley relay team also took home an LEC recognition as they were named the LEC Relay Team of the Week. The relay team composed of Sean Von Ranson, Aidan Law, Keith O’Donnell, and Nick Terranova won first at the Suffolk Relays on Saturday with a time of 3:37.57, beating the other 13 teams in the event.

Bolaske, the Sprint Medley Relay team, and the Owls’ return to action over break at the Middlebury Snowflake Invitational at Middlebury College on Saturday, January 10, at 11:00 AM.

Women’s Indoor Track and Field

Freshman Ballay Conteh (Concord, N.H.) was named the Rookie Field Athlete of the Week from her first performance of her first indoor track and field season for the Owls at the Suffolk Relays. Conteh recorded a New England Division III qualifying mark in the long jump with her first jump of 3.59 setting the winning mark at the meet.

Conteh and the Owls’ return to action over break at the Middlebury Snowflake Invitational at Middlebury College on Saturday, January 10, at 11:00 AM.