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Hawaii men’s volleyball returns from NCAA semifinal loss

The diehards, though fewer in number and dampened in fervor from the same spot one week prior, were waiting, nonetheless. Rainbow Warrior players and coaches, still dazed from the abrupt ending to their season — a sweep loss to UCLA in the NCAA Tournament semifinals in Columbus, Ohio — were welcomed back with open arms […]

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The diehards, though fewer in number and dampened in fervor from the same spot one week prior, were waiting, nonetheless.

Rainbow Warrior players and coaches, still dazed from the abrupt ending to their season — a sweep loss to UCLA in the NCAA Tournament semifinals in Columbus, Ohio — were welcomed back with open arms and unconditional love by about a dozen UH men’s volleyball fans at the Stan Sheriff Center loading dock on Sunday afternoon.

They cheered and applauded once the team bus rolled into sight directly behind that of the UH women’s water polo team, which also saw its season come to an end in its sport’s national semifinal Saturday.

“It’s wonderful to play in Hawaii for having the best fans in the world,” said libero ‘Eleu Choy, who had five digs in the final match of his six-year UH career. “They’re always supportive whether we win or lose.”


The attendance of the UH-UCLA match at Ohio State’s Covelli Center was announced at 3,342.

Middle Kurt Nusterer, another ‘Bow who saw his career come to an end in disappointing fashion, estimated the crowd split as 70/30 in UH’s favor.

“That was remarkable,” Nusterer said. “I mean, it’s incredible. I still will never be able to wrap my head around the fact that people love us that much, to make sacrifices like that, to support us. It’s the reason this program is successful, and it’s the reason we’re going to continue to be successful.”

UH coach Charlie Wade took a separate travel route home from the rest of the team, but coaches Milan Zarkovic, Kupono Fey and Chad Giesseman were with the players.

The lopsided loss and early flight out from Columbus for Houston made for a sleepless night for many of the ‘Bows.

Wade tried several lineup combinations in the three sets against the Bruins, but UCLA seemed to have an answer for each and UH’s season ended at 27-6. UH hit a season-worst .188 and was outplayed in all facets.

Nusterer, who was pulled in favor of freshman Ofeck Hazan in Set 3, said that he thought the bright lights of the tournament setting and UH’s injuries (All-Big West opposite Kristian Titriyski did not play down the stretch of the season, and hitter Clay Wieter was limited) might’ve had something to do with the group’s poor showing.

“It was incredibly frustrating. I think all of us wanted more out of the week,” Nusterer said. “Every single one of us didn’t play up to our potential; we all had a pretty bad game. Yeah, there is something to say for what we’ve accomplished this year … but it definitely wasn’t the way we wanted to lose. There’s still a lot of things to be really proud of. … But I definitely think some of us wish we could play at least one more game.”

Choy and Nusterer, two of the team’s most experienced players, both said the future is bright for a UH program that introduced several young stars over the last two years.

If UH is able to retain them as expected, setter Tread Rosenthal and hitter Louis Sakanoko will be juniors. Opposites Finn Kearney, Titriyski and Kainoa Wade will be sophomores. Hitter Adrien Roure will be a sophomore. And middles Justin Todd and Hazan will be sophomores.

Rosenthal and Roure were first-team AVCA All-Americans this season while Titriyski made the second team.

“We’ve shown that we can play at a high level, and yet it’s not our best,” Choy said. “So, yeah, I’m very excited to what this team can do. And I have a feeling they’re going to be back in the NCAAs and maybe even win it next year.”

Choy, a Farrington graduate who could’ve embarked on a career in engineering after he got his undergraduate degree two years ago, is set to make use of his new master’s degree. He said he was glad he decided to stick out his volleyball career; he got the chance to be a regular starter the last two years, and was just named an All-America honorable mention.

Nusterer, another former walk-on, leaves UH with the same national distinction as Choy.

The native of Indianapolis, Ind., said he feels he leaves the program a better person than when he arrived from having experienced the embrace of the local community. He is forsaking the last year of his eligibility for a job in the financial sector in Los Angeles.

He plans to attend UH’s games in Southern California as often as he is able.

UCLA and Long Beach State meet for the national title at 1 p.m. Hawaii time Monday on ESPN2/ESPN+.

Brian McInnis covers the state’s sports scene for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at brian.mcinnis@charter.com.





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Volleyball Rounds Out 2025 Schedule With Non-Conference Slate

Story Links GREENVILLE, N.C. – The East Carolina volleyball team will play 11 non-conference matches in the fall in addition to its previously announced 16-match American Athletic Conference schedule.   The Pirates begin the campaign with an exhibition match at Old Dominion Aug. 20th before opening the regular season in Virginia with […]

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GREENVILLE, N.C. – The East Carolina volleyball team will play 11 non-conference matches in the fall in addition to its previously announced 16-match American Athletic Conference schedule.
 

The Pirates begin the campaign with an exhibition match at Old Dominion Aug. 20th before opening the regular season in Virginia with three contests against Florida A&M (Aug. 29), Maryland Eastern Shore (Aug. 29) and host Hampton (Aug. 30). ECU then heads west to the mountains Sept. 4-5 for a trio of games versus Furman, UNC Asheville and West Georgia.
 

Non-league action continues Sept. 12-13 when the Pirates travel to Williamsburg to face off with William & Mary and Liberty. A midweek affair with Wake Forest Sept. 16 marks the squad’s 2025 home opener while two subsequent matchups with Kansas State (Sept. 20) and North Carolina (Sept. 21) in Chapel Hill provide two final tests before East Carolina heads to the Sunshine State for its first two conference matches at South Florida (Sept. 26) and Florida Atlantic (Sept. 28).
 
The Pirates return eight players from a 2024 team that produced a 19-10 overall record and 11-5 AAC mark before serving as a National Invitational Volleyball Championship First Round and Super 16 host for the second consecutive season. ECU finished third in the league standings – its best placement since joining the conference in 2014.
 
Full 2025 Non-Conference Schedule
Aug. 20 – at Old Dominion (Exhibition)

Aug. 29 – vs. Florida A&M (Hampton, Va.)
Aug. 29 – vs. Maryland Eastern Shore (Hampton, Va.)
Aug. 30 – at Hampton
Sept. 4 – vs. Furman (Asheville, N.C.)
Sept. 4 – at UNC Asheville
Sept. 5 – vs. West Georgia (Asheville, N.C.)

Sept. 12 – at William & Mary
Sept. 13 – vs. Liberty (Williamsburg, Va.)
Sept. 16 – Wake Forest (Greenville, N.C.)
Sept. 20 – vs. Kansas State (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
Sept. 21 – at North Carolina
 



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University Northern Iowa

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa — The UNI volleyball team on Friday announced its 28-match schedule for the upcoming 2025 season, with non-conference tournament trips to Dallas, Omaha and Green Bay on tap. Coming off their third consecutive Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) regular season and tournament championships, plus the program’s 26th NCAA Tournament berth, the Panthers will […]

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CEDAR FALLS, Iowa — The UNI volleyball team on Friday announced its 28-match schedule for the upcoming 2025 season, with non-conference tournament trips to Dallas, Omaha and Green Bay on tap.

Coming off their third consecutive Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) regular season and tournament championships, plus the program’s 26th NCAA Tournament berth, the Panthers will seek their fourth straight titles for both conference crowns for the first time since 1998-2002

Season ticket renewals for the 2025 season are now on-going through June 30, while new season tickets will launch on July 1 with $75 tickets available arena wide. Single-match tickets will go on sale at a later date.

Young alumni season tickets can now be purchased for any UNI graduate within the past five years for $100. Additional young alumni ticket information can be found HERE.

Tickets can be renewed online at unipanthers.com/tickets, or by calling the UNI Ticket Office at 319-273-4849. Click HERE for a McLeod Center seating chart for volleyball.

To learn more about the Panther Scholarship Club (PSC) or to make a donation, visit supportthepanthers.com/psc or contact the PSC office by phone at (319) 273-2471 or by email at PSC@uni.edu.

Northern Iowa’s 2025 schedule features six NCAA Tournament teams from a year ago (SMU, Creighton, Washington, Louisville, South Dakota State, Arizona State), including two reigning conference regular season champions.

UNI will hold its annual Purple and Gold intrasquad scrimmage inside the McLeod Center on a date still to be determined, and play a preseason exhibition at South Dakota on Aug. 23. The 2025 regular season will begin a week later as the Panthers host the reigning Big 12 champion Arizona State Sun Devils on Aug. 29 at 6 p.m. CT before taking on the defending Summit League regular season champion South Dakota State Jackrabbits the following day. As part of the short two-day tournament, Illinois will also attend for a neutral site match with ASU. 

Northern Iowa hits the road following the Labor Day holiday in Texas for the SMU Tournament, which will begin with a Sept. 4 matchup against Stony Brook, coached by former Panther setter Kristin Belzung. The Panthers will also face SMU on Sept. 5 and Washington on Sept. 6 in Dallas.

For the first time since 2021, UNI will face off at home against in-state rival Iowa State on Sept. 9 in the first matchup between the programs since 2022. The Panthers will return to the road for the second year of its current rotating tournament, taking on Creighton, Louisville and Rice during the weekend of Sept. 12-14. In addition to a battle among former MVC rivals with Creighton, the Saturday, Sept. 13 match against Louisville will be a highly anticipated rematch of last year’s NCAA Tournament second round, where the Panthers took the Cardinals to the brink in a five-set battle against the eventual NCAA runners-up.

The Panthers will close out non-conference action Sept. 18-20 in Wisconsin as they take on Tennessee Tech, Western Michigan and Green Bay at the Green Bay Tournament.

MVC play will commence on Sept. 26 as Northern Iowa opens league action with a road rematch of the 2024 MVC Tournament championship at UIC, paired with a match at Valparaiso (Sept. 27). Following a midweek contest at Drake on Sept. 30, UNI returns home for three straight conference battles with Murray State for homecoming (Oct. 4), Evansville (Oct. 10) and Bradley (Oct. 11).

The Panthers make the first of two southern swings through the MVC at Indiana State (Oct. 17) and Evansville (Oct. 18) before another three-match homestand with Illinois State (Oct. 24), Indiana State (Oct. 25) and Belmont (Oct. 30) coming to town ahead of a Nov. 1 contest at Southern Illinois. UNI will close out the regular season with its final two home matches against Drake (Nov. 4) and UIC (Nov. 7) and return south to take on Murray State (Nov. 15) and Belmont (Nov. 16) on the road.

This year’s MVC Tournament will feature a new format with the league’s top-six teams qualifying for postseason play. Dates and locations, which will all be held at on-campus sites and hosted by higher seeds, will be announced at a later date.

Additional match times will be announced as they are set.

UNI, which begins its 52nd season of play and 26th year under the leadership of nine-time MVC Coach of the Year Bobbi Petersen, returns 11 athletes from the 2024 roster, including Second Team All-MVC performers Lily Dykstra and Cassidy Hartman, along with senior setter Sydney Golden and senior opposite Calia Clubb. The Panthers added six new freshmen in the offseason, as well as one transfer in senior middle blocker Lindsay Oldendorf from San Francisco.

 

2025 UNI VOLLEYBALL SCHEDULE

  • TBD – Purple & Gold Scrimmage – TBA
  • Aug. 23 at South Dakota (Exhibition) – TBA
  • Aug. 29 vs. Arizona State – 6 p.m. CT (UNI Tournament)
  • Aug. 30 vs. South Dakota State – 5 p.m. CT (UNI Tournament)
  • Sept. 4 vs. Stony Brook – 4 p.m. CT (SMU Tournament)
  • Sept. 5 at SMU – 7 p.m. CT (SMU Tournament)
  • Sept. 6 vs. Washington – 11 a.m. CT (SMU Tournament)
  • Sept. 9 vs. Iowa State – 6:30 p.m. CT
  • Sept. 12 vs. Rice – 4:30 p.m. CT (Creighton Tournament)
  • Sept. 13 vs. Louisville – 6:30 p.m. CT (Creighton Tournament)
  • Sept. 14 at Creighton – 3 p.m. CT (Creighton Tournament)
  • Sept. 18 vs. Tennessee Tech – 3 p.m. CT (Green Bay Tournament)
  • Sept. 19 vs. Western Michigan – 3 p.m. CT (Green Bay Tournament)
  • Sept. 20 at Green Bay – 2 p.m. CT (Green Bay Tournament)
  • Sept. 26 at UIC * – 6 p.m. CT
  • Sept. 27 at Valparaiso * – 5 p.m. CT
  • Sept. 30 at Drake * – 6 p.m. CT
  • Oct. 4 vs. Murray State * – TBA
  • Oct. 10 vs. Evansville * – 6 p.m. CT
  • Oct. 11 vs. Bradley * – 5 p.m. CT
  • Oct. 17 at Indiana State * – 5 p.m. CT
  • Oct. 18 at Evansville * – 5 p.m. CT
  • Oct. 24 vs. Illinois State * – 6 p.m. CT
  • Oct. 25 vs. Indiana State * – 5 p.m. CT
  • Oct. 30 vs. Belmont – 6 p.m. CT
  • Nov. 1 at Southern Illinois * – 5 p.m. CT
  • Nov. 4 vs. Drake * – 6 p.m. CT
  • Nov. 7 vs. UIC * – 6 p.m. CT
  • Nov. 14 at Murray State * – 6 p.m. CT
  • Nov. 15 at Belmont * – 5 p.m. CT
  • TBD – MVC Tournament – TBA

                * MVC match | Home matches in BOLD

UNI volleyball action can be followed all season long on social media on Facebook (UNI Volleyball), X (@UNIVolleyball) and on Instagram (@univolleyball). The full 2025 schedule and roster, along with the latest Panther news and information can be found online at UNIpanthers.com.





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Men’s Water Polo Announces 2025 Schedule

Story Links CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Coming off its 10th consecutive season with 20+ wins, Harvard men’s water polo is set to begin the 2025 campaign at Blodgett Pool on Aug. 30 with the Bruno Classic as part of its 30-game schedule this upcoming fall. Ted Minnis sits just six wins away from his […]

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CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Coming off its 10th consecutive season with 20+ wins, Harvard men’s water polo is set to begin the 2025 campaign at Blodgett Pool on Aug. 30 with the Bruno Classic as part of its 30-game schedule this upcoming fall.

Ted Minnis sits just six wins away from his 300th career victory as head coach of the men’s program as the Crimson enter the 2025 season. 

Highlights this year include hosting the Bruno Classic and Harvard Invitational, and two trips to California to compete against the reigning national champion UCLA Bruins, Long Beach State, before returning later in the season for the Julian Fraser Memorial Tournament.

Offensive threats Dean Strauser and Jack Burgardt are set to return this season, with the goalkeeping duo of Tanner Furtak and Oliver Price also back between the pipes, while Mason Hunt and Jake Tsotadze will lead the Crimson in 2025. 

Harvard opens the year with a four-game weekend at home, facing Bucknell and Fordham on Saturday, Aug. 30, before returning Sunday to meet Gannon and Wagner. The Crimson are 8-3 at the Bruno Classic over the last three seasons. Harvard played Wagner in the season opener last season and cruised to a 17-8 win after Dean Strauser, Jack Burghardt, and Mason Hunt led the offense.

The following weekend, Harvard heads south to Princeton, N.J., for the Princeton Invitational from Sept. 6–7, with opponents and game times yet to be announced.

The Crimson then embarks on its first California road trip of the season from Friday, Sept. 12, through Sunday, Sept. 14, visiting national powers UCLA and Long Beach State, before finishing the weekend with Cal State Fullerton and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps across three days in Southern California.

Harvard is set to play the reigning national champions for just the fourth time in program history and the first time since 2022. Harvard is also set to face Long Beach for the first time since the Bruno Classic in 2022, where it fell in a heavily competitive battle to open the season.

After a brief break, Harvard returns to the East Coast for conference play, traveling to New York and New Jersey for a trio of games on Oct. 4–5, taking on LIU, Iona, and reigning NWPC champions, the Princeton Tigers.

Since 2021, Harvard has only lost one regular-season game against a conference opponent who was not the Princeton Tigers. Boasting a 35–6 conference record over the last four seasons, Harvard has not lost to Iona or LIU in that span.

A marquee matchup with rival Brown awaits on Saturday, Oct. 11, in Providence before the Crimson return to Blodgett on Sunday, Oct. 12, to host MIT in their conference home opener. A much-anticipated rematch from the NWPC semifinals will see Harvard look to avenge a hard-fought loss to Brown in its last meeting against its Ivy rival.

Harvard will then host the annual Harvard Invitational from Saturday, Oct. 18, to Sunday, Oct. 19, welcoming Wagner, Salem, and George Washington to Cambridge for a three-game weekend.

The Crimson will make their second trip west from Friday, Oct. 24, through Sunday, Oct. 26, for the Julian Fraser Memorial Tournament in Santa Clara, Calif., squaring off with Pacific, Pepperdine, Air Force, and host Santa Clara over three days before returning home to finish out the conference slate.

Back on the East Coast, Harvard closes out the regular season with six games in November. The team travels to MIT on Saturday, Nov. 1, before returning to Blodgett that evening to close out the season series with Brown at 7:00 p.m.

The final homestand of the year includes back-to-back matchups with LIU and Iona on Saturday, Nov. 8, followed by a final showdown against Princeton on Sunday, Nov. 9, before the playoffs begin.

The 2025 NWPC Championships are set for Friday, Nov. 21, through Sunday, Nov. 23, at Brown University’s Katherine Moran Coleman Aquatics Center in Providence, R.I., where the Crimson will look to claim their first conference crown since 2019.

 

 



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Longest running sports-radio show in Syracuse to leave airwaves for digital

Paul Esden (left) and Jim Lerch (right) will take their program “The Manchild Show with Boy Green” off local radio on The Score 1260 and go exclusively digital at the end of June. The show, previously known as “Bud and the Manchild,” is the longest-running sports-radio program in Syracuse.Courtesy of Paul Esden Syracuse, N.Y. —The […]

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Manchild Show with Boy Green goes digital

Paul Esden (left) and Jim Lerch (right) will take their program “The Manchild Show with Boy Green” off local radio on The Score 1260 and go exclusively digital at the end of June. The show, previously known as “Bud and the Manchild,” is the longest-running sports-radio program in Syracuse.Courtesy of Paul Esden

Syracuse, N.Y. —The longest-running sports-talk radio program in Syracuse is signing off.

The Manchild Show with Boy Green will leave The Score 1260 (WSKO) at the end of June to focus on being a digital product.

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Troy University

TROY, Ala. – Troy Volleyball unveiled its 2025 schedule on Thursday, as announced by head coach Josh Lauer.  “We have another challenging schedule ahead of us this fall,” Lauer said. “The Sun Belt was the sixth best volleyball conference in the country the last two years, and 2025 looks to be another competitive year for […]

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TROY, Ala. Troy Volleyball unveiled its 2025 schedule on Thursday, as announced by head coach Josh Lauer

“We have another challenging schedule ahead of us this fall,” Lauer said. “The Sun Belt was the sixth best volleyball conference in the country the last two years, and 2025 looks to be another competitive year for the conference nationally as well. Our non-conference schedule will really test and prepare us for conference play and give our student-athletes one of the best competitive experiences possible. 

“I’m excited for in-state matchups this fall with Samford, Auburn, and our exhibition with Jacksonville State, as well as the opportunity to play some really big matches against other SEC, Big 10, and ACC opponents in Georgia, Ohio State, and Virginia. 

“We will need all our fans ready to pack Trojan Arena this fall, as our home conference slate includes the top 3 RPI teams in the conference from a year ago. It is going to be an exciting fall, and we can’t wait to be back on the court in Trojan Arena.” 

Troy is coming off a season that featured an 8-3 record inside Trojan Arena, including six conference wins. 

The Trojans will kick off this year’s home schedule with an exhibition against Jacksonville State on Aug. 23. The regular season begins with a weekend in Birmingham, featuring matches against Georgia (Aug. 30) and Samford (Aug. 31). 

Following a road test at Auburn on Sept. 3, Troy will face Jackson State in the regular season home opener on Sept. 6, followed by another home match against Mercer on Sept. 10. 

Troy will wrap up non-conference play in Columbus, Ohio, with matches against Virginia (Sept. 20) and Ohio State (Sept. 21). 

The Trojans open Sun Belt play in Mobile, taking on South Alabama (Sept. 26-27), before returning home to face defending conference champion Texas State (Oct. 2-3). 

The remainder of the home slate includes matches against Georgia Southern (Oct. 10-11), Arkansas State (Oct. 23-24), and Southern Miss (Nov. 7-8). 

The annual Letterwinner’s Day match will take place on Oct. 24 against Arkansas State, while Senior Day is set for Nov. 8 against Southern Miss. 

In addition to South Alabama, the road conference schedule includes matchups against Louisiana (Oct. 16-17), ULM (Oct. 30-31), and App State (Nov. 14-15). 

The 2025 Sun Belt Tournament will be held in Foley, Ala., from Nov. 20-23. 



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Los Angeles Angels to Promote 2B Christian Moore

The Los Angeles Angels are calling up top prospect Christian Moore, hoping he can solve the problem at second base that has plagued the team all season. The call-up was reported by a number of outlets, including MLB.com, which said Moore will be in Baltimore Friday night as the Angels and Orioles began a three-game […]

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Los Angeles Angels to Promote 2B Christian Moore

The Los Angeles Angels are calling up top prospect Christian Moore, hoping he can solve the problem at second base that has plagued the team all season.

The call-up was reported by a number of outlets, including MLB.com, which said Moore will be in Baltimore Friday night as the Angels and Orioles began a three-game series.

The Angels are 7-3 in their past 10 games and have climbed into a tie with the Seattle Mariners for second place in the American League West, 4.5 games back of the Houston Astros entering the weekend.

Their rise coincides with the return of star Mike Trout, who returned May 30 from a month-long stay on the injured list with a knee injury. In 10 games this month, he’s hitting .303 with a homer and six RBIs.

Now, the Angels need to get some production at second base to help improve the team .227 batting average – third worst in the majors. Their second basemen this season have contributed to the dearth of offense, batting .195 with just two homers and 10 RBIs in 67 games.

The Angels selected Moore, now 22, with the No. 8 overall pick of the 2024 draft out of Tennessee, where he showed his power. In 72 games last season as a junior, he hit 34 homers with 74 RBIs.

He has played just 79 games in the minor leagues, but it has become the Angels’ way to promote their most promising players with little service time in the minors. In 2023, they brought up shortstop Zach Neto after just 61 games. That same season, they picked Nolan Schanuel No. 11 overall in the draft and after 22 games in the minors, he was a major leaguer.

Moore is ranked by MLB Pipeline as the No. 56 overall prospect. He has appeared in 54 games this season, with the first 34 at Double-A Rocket City and the past 20 at Triple-A Salt Lake.

He has ripped through Triple-A pitching, posting a 350/.424/.575/.999 slash line at Salt Lake, contributing four homers and 18 RBIs.

As the Angels look to continue to stay relevant in the American League as the season wears on, big production from Moore could go a long way.

‘THAT IS INSANE!’: Marcelo Mayer really, really liked his bobblehead. CLICK HERE

FUTURES GAME: An Atlanta Braves icon will manage the National League minor leaguers in the Futures Game in July. CLICK HERE

MOTOR CITY SADNESS: A shoulder injury, and subsequent surgery, ended the season of Single-A Lakeland’s Bryce Rainer, a Detroit Tigers prospect. CLICK HERE  

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