Chicago White Sox first baseman Tim Elko batted with a runner on second, two outs and the score tied in the seventh inning Saturday at Rate Field.
It’s the type of big spot a player dreams of in their major-league debut.
He hit a grounder up the middle that appeared to be headed to center field for a go-ahead single.
But Miami Marlins second baseman Javier Sanoja made a sliding backhanded stop, got up and fired to first to retire Elko to end the inning.
“I was hoping that would get through and we could get a run on the board there,” Elko said. “Guy made a nice play.”
The Sox were denied the run. And the Marlins carried over the momentum to the eighth when Eric Wagaman drove in two with a two-out triple against reliever Brandon Eisert.
The Marlins held on to defeat the Sox 3-1 in front of 24,364.
The Sox were limited to four hits, including a first-inning home run by designated hitter Andrew Vaughn, while losing for the fifth time in six games.
They wasted a strong outing from starter Shane Smith, who allowed four hits and struck out seven in six scoreless innings. At 11-29, the Sox matched the worst 40-game start in franchise history — sharing the mark with the 2018 club. Last year’s team, which went on to lose a modern-day MLB record 121 games, began 12-28.
The Sox are hopeful Elko can add some sorely needed pop to the offense.
Officially called up before the game, Elko went 0-for-3 in his debut — flying out to center in the third inning, grounding out to third in the fifth and grounding out on the spectacular play by Sanoja in the seventh.
“Felt pretty good about (the at-bats),” Elko said. “I didn’t get a whole lot of great pitches to hit. They were making some good pitches. I feel like I took some balls and swung at some pitches there on the borderline. That’s baseball sometimes.”
As a whole, Elko described the day as “a lot of fun.”
“Getting to the ballpark and playing ball, just seeing all my teammates, meeting some of the new guys I haven’t played with that much yet and seeing guys I have played with,” he said. “Just being able to get out on the field with them and get my first game in was a lot of fun.”
The Sox promoted Elko to the big leagues from Triple-A Charlotte, where he was on a tear at the plate.
White Sox first baseman Tim Elko writes something in the dirt before the start of a game against the Marlins on May 10, 2025, at Rate Field. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)
“I feel like a lot of hard work came to fruition,” Elko said before the game. “Just excited to get here and start my journey.”
Reports first surfaced of the move on Friday. In Saturday’s corresponding move, the Sox designated infielder Nick Maton for assignment.
Elko is slashing .348/.431/.670 with six doubles, 10 home runs, 23 RBIs and 20 runs in 31 games with the Knights. He leads all of minor-league baseball in OPS (1.101), is tied for the lead in home runs, ranks second in slugging percentage and third in total bases (75).
“Obviously excited about the potential offensively and defensively,” Sox manager Will Venable said before the game. “And he also makes a huge impact in the clubhouse.
“He just is always positive. And works extremely hard. So, absolutely a credit to him for continuing to put in the work and it has paid off.”
The Sox selected Elko in the 10th round of the 2022 draft out of Mississippi. He has a career .293/.348/.495 slash line with 58 doubles, 61 home runs, 218 RBIs and 179 runs in 325 games during four minor-league seasons (2022-25) in the Sox organization.
“The goal was always to become a professional baseball player and play in the MLB,” Elko said. “It was always in the back of my head. But always just try to be where my feet are. I always enjoyed my time at Ole Miss and winning a national championship down there and now it’s time to help the White Sox win some games here.”
White Sox first baseman Tim Elko, walks back to first after grounding out to end the seventh inning against the Marlins on May 10, 2025, at Rate Field. Elko went 0-for-3 in his major-league debut. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)
Since 2023, Elko ranks first among minor-league leaders in hits (344) and games (301), is second in total bases (578), fourth in RBIs (202) and batting average (.297) and tied for eighth in home runs (56).
“He’s a competitor, he’s played well throughout the minor leagues,” Sox director of player development Paul Janish said during a videoconference call last week. “We talked about earning promotions, and that’s what he’s done throughout the minor leagues.
“Just can’t say enough about the kid, the makeup of the player. And the numbers on the field speak for themselves.”
Elko, 26, spread the credit around.
“Just a lot of help from people around me,” Elko said. “Got (Charlotte hitting coach) Jim (Rickon) and (Knights bench coach Angel Rosario) and (Sox director of hitting Ryan) Fuller and so many people to thank that have helped me along this journey and this year and just kind of getting me locked in on pitch decisions and what sort of pitches to do damage to.”
Elko earned White Sox Minor League Player of the Month honors for March/April after slashing .367/.448/.711 with nine home runs, 20 RBIs and a 1.159 OPS in 25 games. He reached base safely in 23 of those contests, hitting safely in 21.
White Sox first baseman Tim Elko, center, prepares to take the field before making his major-league debut against the Marlins on May 10, 2025, at Rate Field. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)
That success drummed up strong support online.
“I try to stay off social media as much as I can, but I saw some of the stuff on Twitter — it’s pretty cool, to have support like that’s a pretty cool feeling,” Elko said.
“It’s been pretty fun, just getting texts from friends and family,” Elko said. “Sorry if I haven’t responded to some people. But it’s been awesome. Just thankful for everybody and great opportunity and ready to go.”
The Sox had Elko at first base and in the No. 8 slot of the lineup Saturday.
“Really doesn’t matter to me where I hit,” he said after the game. “I just want to get out there and be productive and do whatever I can to help us win.”
White Sox designated hitter Andrew Vaughn hits a solo home run in the first inning against the Marlins on May 10, 2025, at Rate Field. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)White Sox designated hitter Andrew Vaughn slaps hands with teammates in the dugout after hitting a solo home run in the first inning against the Marlins on May 10, 2025at Rate Field. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)
Vaughn was the designated hitter. His home run in the first inning was his second in as many games. Venable said the plan for the two will involve “mixing and matching” between first base and DH.
“There (are also) going to be times where (Miguel) Vargas might be at first base,” Venable said. “So, I think we are going to take this day by day. But you (can) expect to see both Tim and (Vaughn) at first base.”
Venable described Elko’s at-bats Saturday as “solid.”
“He looked comfortable, took some tough pitches,” Venable said. “I thought he constructed good at-bats. Nice play on him up the middle there (in the seventh).
“So a good day for him to get his feet wet and we’ll see what it looks like tomorrow.”
Elko was happy to share the experience with family and friends in attendance.
“To be able to see them and some of my friends who came too, it’s just a surreal moment,” Elko said. “To have them there with me is great.”
Right knee soreness hampers Luis Robert Jr.
Sox center fielder Luis Robert Jr. did not play Saturday as he deals with “some soreness in his right knee,” according to Venable.
“With all these guys, we have a couple of guys banged up,” Venable said. “Kind of what you would expect being at the end of a stretch where it’s been 26 (games) out of 27 (days). Really dense part of the schedule here where these nicks and bruises are part of it. It’s more one of those than anything we are really concerned about.”
Venable said Robert’s situation is a “day-to-day thing. We expect him to be available though.”
Gray’s Creek’s Taylor Baggett’s senior season was one for the record books.
The Bears’ outside hitter and defensive specialist capped her high school career with a dominant final season that helped Gray’s Creek get to put together a ground-breaking year as the first high school volleyball team in school and county history to make it to an NCHSAA Final Four.
CLEVELAND, Ohio – St. Olaf College recorded its second-highest-ever finish in the fall standings of the Learfield Directors’ Cup by placing 15th out of 429 NCAA Division III institutions, as the standings were announced on Tuesday by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA).
St. Olaf accumulated 241.0 points – its second-highest total ever in the fall – to rank 15th out of the 178 NCAA Division III institutions who earned points this fall. The initial release of the standings included all of the fall results except for the championship game of the NCAA Division III Football Championship. Neither of the institutions competing in the football title game can surpass St. Olaf regardless of the outcome of that game.
The Learfield Directors’ Cup is a program that honors institutions maintaining a broad-based athletics program, awarding points based on each institution’s national finishes in the NCAA Championships. This fall, St. Olaf’s men’s cross country, women’s cross country, men’s soccer, and women’s volleyball teams contributed to St. Olaf’s point total.
Men’s soccer earned 83 points by advancing to the national semifinals for the second time in program history. Men’s cross country collected 63 points thanks to its 13th-place finish at the NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships. Volleyball added 50 points with its second-round appearance in the NCAA Division III Women’s Volleyball Championship, while women’s cross country picked up 45 points after placing 29th nationally.
This year marked the sixth consecutive fall that St. Olaf has finished among the top 30 institutions in NCAA Division III, with the 15th-place finish being one spot shy of the t-14th finish in 1996-97 for the highest in school history. It was also St. Olaf’s sixth top-20 and eighth top-25 fall finish in the history of the Learfield Directors’ Cup, which first included NCAA Division III in 1995-96.
LA JOLLA, Calif. – UC San Diego Director of Athletics Andy Fee has announced the hiring of Spencer McLachlin as the Tritons’ new women’s volleyball head coach. McLachlin becomes the eighth head coach in program history. The 2026 season will mark UC San Diego’s final in The Big West before the program transitions to the West Coast Conference prior to the 2027 campaign.
“Spencer brings exactly what we need at this moment. He’s helped build winning programs, developed All-Americans, and knows how to compete at the highest level,” Fee said. “His playing career at Stanford and coaching experience at Hawaii, Cal, UCLA, Indiana, and USC give him a deep understanding of what championship volleyball looks like in major conferences. But what really stood out was his approach to the whole scholar-athlete experience. He gets what we’re building here at UC San Diego as we establish ourselves in Division I and look ahead to the West Coast Conference. Our scholar-athletes are going to love playing for him, and I’m confident he’ll have this program competing for championships.”
McLachlin recently completed his third season as an associate head coach for the USC women’s volleyball program. He helped lead the Women of Troy to 25 wins, a fourth-place finish in the ultra-competitive Big Ten, and an NCAA second round appearance. The 2025 team placed six on all-conference teams. In 2024, the Trojans advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament for the third straight year and finished 22-10 overall with a 13-7 mark in the Big Ten (tied for sixth). Setter Mia Tuaniga was named to the AVCA All-America third team. In his first season with the Women of Troy, McLachlin helped USC go 19-13 with a 12-8 mark in Pac-12 matches for a fifth-place finish. Outside hitter Skylar Fields was honored with AVCA All-America first-team recognition.
“I am thrilled to join UC San Diego as the Head Coach of the women’s volleyball program,” McLachlin said. “This is an incredible opportunity for my family and me to be part of an historic and beautiful university and build a program with great potential. I want to thank Andy Fee for trusting my family and me with this role, for his commitment to supporting the future of Triton athletics, and for his vision of the volleyball program specifically. His leadership and commitment to excellence make this an exciting time to be part of the UC San Diego athletic department. Go Tritons!”
Previously, McLachlin served as the associate head coach at Indiana in 2022 where he was responsible for coordinating the defense and blocking. The Hoosiers were 16-16 and went 9-11 in the Big Ten to finish eighth in the conference standings. IU’s nine conference victories were its most since 2010 and the team had its highest finish since the Big Ten expanded to 14 teams (2014).
Prior to Indiana, McLachlin was an assistant coach for the UCLA men’s volleyball program for four years, from 2018-2021. He has also had experience coaching at the international level with the U.S. men’s national team where he was on staffs for squads which competed in the Pan American Cup and NORCECA Champions cup.
Before he joined the UCLA men’s program, McLachlin spent two seasons (2016-17) as an assistant coach at California for the Golden Bears’ women’s team. In 2017, he was named to the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Thirty Under 30 list, an honor presented to up-and-coming coaching talents across all levels of volleyball. McLachlin got his start in coaching as an assistant for the men’s volleyball program at Hawai’i. During his time with the Warriors, the team earned a bid to the NCAA tournament for the first time in 13 seasons.
As a student-athlete, McLachlin competed at Stanford from 2008-11 as an outside hitter. He won a national championship with the Cardinal in 2010 and finished his career among the program’s all-time leaders in kills with 1,288. McLachlin was a senior captain, an All-MPSF second team selection, and received MPSF all-academic team recognition three times.
McLachlin graduated from Stanford with a degree in political science in 2011 and completed a Master of Education in 2012 while serving as a club coach for the Bay-to-Bay Volleyball Club.
As a professional athlete, McLachlin was an outside hitter for Mas NIKI Aiginio in Greece for three years from 2012 to 2014.
McLachlin and his wife Diane have three children: daughters Leila and Malia, and a son, Koa.
About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program has begun a new era as a member of The Big West inNCAA Division I. The 24-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions II and III and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 83 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 38 have garnered prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world’s preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 90 percent, the highest rate among public institutions in NCAA Division I or II. For more information on the Tritons, visit UCSDtritons.comor follow UC San Diego Athletics on social media @UCSDtritons.
Hawaii men’s volleyball coach Charlie Wade guided the Rainbow Warriors to 27 wins and a Big West Conference championship last season.
The Hawaii men’s volleyball team will open its 2026 season in 10 days ranked No. 2 in the country according to the AVCA National Collegiate Men’s Volleyball Preseason Poll released today.
The Rainbow Warriors, who finished 27-6 last season and won a Big West championship before losing in the semifinals of the NCAA Championship, received seven of 25 first-place votes and was eight points behind No. 1 UCLA, which ended Hawaii’s season in a three-set sweep in Columbus, Ohio in May.
Defending national champion Long Beach State received five first-place votes and is ranked No. 3 going into the season, ahead of Pepperdine and No. 5 Southern California, which earned the final first-place vote.
The other Big West teams in the top 20 include No. 6 UC Irvine, No. 10 UC San Diego, No. 11 Cal State Northridge and No. 17 UC Santa Barbara.
UH’s nonconferene schedule includes home matches on Jan. 6 and 8 against No. 7 Loyola Chicago and road trips at No. 9 Stanford and No. 13 Penn State.
Hawaii also hosts the fourth-ranked Waves and will play No. 12 Lewis and the top-ranked Bruins in the Outrigger Invitational.
Don’t miss out on what’s happening!
Stay in touch with breaking news, as it happens, conveniently in your email inbox. It’s FREE!
A four-team NIL Tournament in currently scheduled for Feb. 19 and 20 in the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., and will feature four of the top five teams in the poll.
Hawaii lost starters Kurt Nusterer and ‘Eleu Choy to graduation last season but return its top four leaders in kills as well as junior setter Tread Rosenthal.
Rosenthal was named to the All-Big West first team along with returning sophomores Adrien Roure and Kristian Titriyski.
UH opens the season against NJIT on Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, at 7 p.m. at Bankoh Arena at Stan Sheriff Center.
MADISON, Wis. – The National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics and LEARFIELD released its Fall Division I Learfield Directors’ Cup standings this Tuesday, with Wisconsin placing eighth after a another successful fall season.
The Badgers finished the season with 236.00 points, within 10 points of Georgetown, Colorado and BYU who finished in seventh, sixth and fifth, respectively. North Carolina finished as the top program with 359.00 points.
This is the third straight fall season where the Badgers have finished within the top-ten schools. UW also was the Big Ten’s top finisher, edging out Washington at No. 10 overall with 228.00 points
Wisconsin’s point total was bolstered this fall by a final four appearance from the volleyball team, led by AVCA All-American Mimi Colyer. The team made its third final-four appearance in the past five seasons, compiling a 28-5 overall record, including a 13-1 stretch in its last 14 matches. Wisconsin finished as the third-ranked volleyball team in Learfield standings, coming up with 83 points.
The men’s cross country team contributed the second most points with 55, after a third place NCAA regional placement led to a 19th place finish at the NCAA Championships in Columbia, Missouri. Liam Newhart led the team with 29:28.5 time at the 10K Gans Creek Cross Country Course.
The Badgers were rewarded 50 points from their women’s soccer team after clincing their third straight NCAA Tournament appearance. Wisconsin took down three top-10 ranked teams on its way to a 14-6-2 record, peaking with a 3-2 overtime victory over Western Michigan in NCAAs. The Badgers finished the season as the 17th ranked women’s soccer program in the standings.
Additionally, the women’s cross country competed at the NCAA Championships in their fifth consecutive appearance in the final meet of the season. The unit finished in 26th place, providing 48 points to round out the scoring for the Badgers.
The Learfield Directors’ Cup was developed as a joint effort between the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and USA Today. Points are awarded based on each institution’s finish in NCAA Championships.
Wisconsin’s history in the LEARFIELD Directors’ Cup can be viewed here.
Lauren Lee’s journey to an unprecedented 5,000 career assists for the Hope College volleyball team began on the beach.
The standout Hope setter often traveled to sandy courts with her family as a child. Lee did not need to look far for inspiration to pick up the sport — or to decide where she wanted to play.
“I started playing volleyball because my dad played at the University of Michigan. He was a setter on their men’s team,” Lee said of her father, Dr. Stan Lee, an orthopaedic spine surgeon at Lucent Spine, PLLC, Specialists in Spine Surgery, in the Detroit area. “I grew up watching him play beach volleyball with his friends. I became a setter because of my dad’s passion for the position and the game. He showed me all the tricky things you can do as a setter and how impactful the position can be.”
Lee, a biology major, closed an outstanding four-year career for the Flying Dutch that included numerous individual achievements:
5,001 career assists over 129 matches, a school record;
four All-America selections from the American Volleyball Coaches Association;
four All-MIAA First Team honors, including Most Valuable Player as a senior and Freshman of the Year in 2022;
one AVCA Freshman of the Year award.
Lee played a central role in an exceptional four-year stretch for Hope volleyball.
The Flying Dutch finished as national runner-up in 2023, reached the national semifinals in 2024 and advanced to the national quarterfinals in 2022. Hope earned three consecutive MIAA regular-season championships for the second time in program history and captured back-to-back MIAA Tournament titles for the first time.
Setting the Table
In all, Lee set the table for the Flying Dutch’s success, head coach Becky Schmidt said.
“I’m super proud of Lauren — 5,000 assists is absolutely huge,” Schmidt said. “She’s an incredible setter and just does so much for us. It’s been so much fun to watch.”
Schmidt believes Hope benefited greatly from Lee playing for the Flying Dutch.
“If she were four or five inches taller, she’d be playing in the Big Ten and doing really great things,” Schmidt said. “I am so thankful for her contributions over her four years. She has done really great things.”
Lee is grateful she chose Hope four years ago as well. While the team’s accomplishments have been rewarding and the individual accolades and milestones bring pride, she said they happened because of the people she played with.
“I am super proud of myself, but more importantly, I am thankful for the help of my team for the past four years,” Lee said. “The primary reason I have been able to reach 5,000 assists is because of the amazing hitters who have put the ball away, the passers who have handled serves and swings so that I can have full offensive autonomy, and the coaching staff who has helped us extend our season as long as possible every year.
“I am humbled and grateful to receive the credit and praise, but this milestone is truly a product of a team effort.”
The journey to 5,000 collegiate assists — and so much more — started with logging countless hours on the beach as a young fan.
Like her father, Lee has shown others how to set and assist teammates on the court. It’s a shared family passion.
“I just love the feeling of chasing down the ball and fixing plays,” Lee said. “When it’s perfect, I love setting others up for success because I know I can’t hit the ball as hard as Kamryn Burbridge or Ella Contant. It’s so awesome to see someone hit the ball as hard as possible.”
