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How Jonah Tong is helping the Mets develop a new pitching standard

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How Jonah Tong is helping the Mets develop a new pitching standard

At the end of a promising but trying 2023 season, Eric Jagers, the Mets’ vice president of pitching, sat down with Jonah Tong in St. Lucie. In his first professional season, Tong had made 10 appearances across the Complex League and A-ball, and he’d flashed, in extremes, the potential and the rawness of an intriguing pitching prospect.

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At 20, Tong had pitched to a 6.00 ERA. He’d faced 100 batters and walked 22 of them. But he’d also struck out 38 and allowed just a .218 batting average.

“I just remember telling him how proud I was of him,” Jagers remembered by phone this week, “that he carried himself well beyond his age, that he was helping us create the standard of Mets pitching and author that story.”
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“The standard of Mets pitching” meant something very different in 2023 than it does in this moment in late 2025. Heck, it meant something pretty different three weeks ago.

When Jagers spoke with Tong in St. Lucie, the Mets were barely a month removed from trading Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander. Denyi Reyes had just started a game for the big-league club, and it wasn’t until the following spring that Steve Cohen would express any optimism about the quality of pitching in New York’s farm system.

On Friday, Tong will join Nolan McLean in the Mets’ big-league rotation, making his major-league debut as a 22-year-old against the Miami Marlins. McLean has dazzled since his arrival earlier this month. Tong enters with just as much hype as, by most accounts, the best pitcher in the minor leagues this season.

The night the Mets drafted Jonah Tong, Marc Tramuta restrained himself — barely. In the Zoom call that night with reporters, Tramuta was asked about any of the Mets’ picks that especially intrigued him, and he mentioned the high school pitcher they took in the seventh round.

“There’s some comps to the delivery and arm action, but I’ll let people that look at it on Twitter try to figure out what I mean by that,” said Tramuta, then the Mets’ director of amateur scouting and now working with the Blue Jays.

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Tramuta didn’t divulge the comp, but anyone who has set eyes on Tong since has known immediately who he meant: Tim Lincecum.

Now Lincecum, for our younger crowd, was not quite the hidden gem Tong is. In 2007, he was taken 10th overall, 199 spots ahead of Tong’s draft position, and by the time he was 25, he’d won two Cy Youngs.

“I don’t do a lot of comps because you don’t want everybody saying we got Tim Lincecum in the seventh round,” Tramuta said over the phone this week. “But that’s who it reminded me of.”

Any breakdown of Tong as a pitcher — of the fastball that generates swing and miss at a crazy rate, the changeup he developed and mastered within this season — has to start with the delivery.

“What’s really special, is how he delivers the baseball,” Jagers said. “That leads to some unique qualities to the fastball and the changeup. It’s a combination of how he gets there and how it comes out of his hand.”

When Tong leans on his back right leg to generate power toward home, his other three limbs go straight — the left arm pointing up, the right arm cocked back, the left leg moving in a circle toward home. Stop the frame at the right moment on video, and his body almost looks like a K. Fitting.

As he moved through the delivery, his head clears through the space aggressively toward first base; that’s the move that will immediately conjure images of Lincecum in a Giants uniform.

“Any hitter that you might talk to would tell you there’s some funkiness and deception,” Jagers continued.

Tong said Thursday he’s pitched with that delivery since he was about 10 years old, emboldened to stick with it because of the success Lincecum had with something similar.

That delivery gives Tong’s fastball — which thanks in part to the 25 pounds he’s added since he was drafted has crept into the mid-90s on average and the high-90s on occasion — an extraordinary amount of induced vertical break. That means it appears to rise to the hitter’s eye, creating a bunch of swinging strikes at and above the strike zone. This year, the changeup has emerged as his best secondary pitch, the result of constant dialogue with the Mets’ development staff on how best to complement his arsenal.

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“He ended up landing on something that’s really worked for him,” Jagers said, “and it’s due to the curiosity, openness and dedication to work on it and see if it could become a thing.”

That is how most everyone describes Tong — as a pitcher of uncommon curiosity and thoughtfulness, someone willing to try (and fail) in an effort to ultimately improve.

That the Mets were on Tong was impressive in the first place. Committed to North Dakota State, Tong had moved from the Toronto area to Georgia for his senior season at Georgia Premier Academy — a baseball training school — hoping to get in front of more scouts than he would have north of the border.

“I wouldn’t say we came into the year with him on our radar,” Tramuta said. “It wasn’t like we scouted him or had him as a legit name coming into the year.”

But area scout Marlin McPhail was intrigued early, and national crosschecker Doug Thurman “wouldn’t shut up” about Tong in the weeks leading up to the draft, Tramuta said. In the days before the draft, Tramuta and Tommy Tanous, who ran the draft for New York at the time, kept gawking at the reports on Tong.

“These are the ones I love because everybody — scouting, development, the kid — has played a part in where he’s gotten at this point,” said Tramuta. “For him to come on that fast is a credit to him.”

Indeed, two years after he was hitting backstops and walking every fifth batter, Tong has led the minor leagues in ERA (1.43) and strikeouts (179 in 113 2/3 innings). He’ll debut at 22, a few months younger than Lincecum was when he reached the majors. Tong said Thursday, as he does in most every interview, that he’s just going to stay where his feet are.

Jagers could take a broader view. Even after Tong’s breakout 2024 season, he wasn’t invited to big-league camp this past spring. Instead, his lone interaction with Carlos Mendoza came while serving as the ball boy in a back-fields minor-league game.

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Could the Mets’ VP of pitching have imagined that ball boy taking the hill at Citi Field in 2025?

“No,” he said quickly. “We feel like as an organization, that we’re open to those things happening — those miracles, if you will. We’re going to continue to work and invite these opportunities by hammering down on our process and trying to get a little bit better each day.”

As Tong has, as the Mets have. That’s how you create a new standard.

(Photo: Brett Davis / Imagn Images)

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Texas A&M tops Kentucky for first NCAA volleyball championship: ‘We sent a warning shot out to the world’

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December 22, 2025

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With Texas A&M up 24-20 in the third set of the NCAA women’s volleyball title match, Maddie Waak set the ball for Ifenna Cos-Okpalla. Though Logan Lednicky and Kyndal Stowers had played bigger games for the Aggies, it was Cos-Okpalla who got the call for the championship point.

She elevated and slammed the ball in between Kentucky’s defenders at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City. With that kill, Texas A&M won an improbable national title, 3-0 (26-24, 25-15, 25-20).

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“They’re putting on t-shirts behind me. I can’t believe it. I’m still a little bit in disbelief,” Aggies coach Jamie Morrison said to ABC after the game. “We sent a warning shot out to the world about what we’re about.”

Kentucky, the No. 1 seed, started out strong in the first set. They built a lead as big as six points before Texas A&M started chipping away, eventually winning the set, 26-24. With that momentum, the Aggies owned the next two sets. Lednicky was the star of the match with 7 kills, 11 digs and 2 blocks. With every point won, Texas A&M’s confidence grew.

Kentucky was the third No. 1 seed that Texas A&M — a third seed — beat on the way to the national title, and every win from the Sweet 16 on was shocking. First, the Aggies came back from 2-0 to pull the reverse sweep against Louisville. Next, Texas A&M had to face undefeated, No. 1 overall seed Nebraska in Lincoln. In what was the best game of the tournament, the Aggies beat Nebraska in five sets.

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But their magic didn’t stop once the Aggies got to Kansas City. In the national semifinal, they swept No. 1 seed Pittsburgh, the first time the Panthers had been swept all season. And then in the first-ever All-SEC final, the Aggies came out victorious.

Unlike Kentucky, which won the national title in 2020 and has been one of the top teams in women’s volleyball for years, Texas A&M is a newcomer to volleyball’s elite. Though it had some good teams over the years that made it to the Elite Eight, this was the program’s first Final Four and their first national title.

Morrison took over the program in 2023, and held onto Lednicky and Cos-Okpalla. The Aggies turned the program around quickly, earning a bid to the tournament in 2023 and then making it to the Sweet 16 in 2024. This year, the Aggies went 29-4 and looked like a team on the brink. But with so many seniors, they had no time to waste and adopted the mentality of “Why not us?”

Lednicky, who played with the U.S. national team over the summer, was the heart of this team’s championship run, and the player who kept asking “Why not us?” Stowers’ comeback might be one of the best sports stories of the year. While playing for Baylor, she suffered concussions and medically retired from the sport. But after being medically cleared and deciding she had more to give to the sport, Stowers signed with Texas A&M and is now a national champion.

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Morrison has built a program that is not only a national champion, but is in a great position to continue to grow volleyball in Texas. While he will lose seniors like Lednicky and Waak, he can now show off a championship ring while on the recruiting trail.

But figuring out who will play for the Aggies next season is tomorrow’s problem. Today, Texas A&M gets to celebrate how it defied the odds to win the school’s first-ever national title in women’s volleyball.



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Kentucky vs. Texas A&M NCAA Volleyball Championship: How to watch, preview

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December 22, 2025

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Kentucky volleyball will look to win its second national title in five years on Sunday when it takes on Texas A&M in Kansas City.How to watchSunday’s game tips off at 3:30 p.m. at the T-Mobile Center. It will air on ABC.PreviewKentucky comes to the game on Sunday with the edge. The Cats are No. 2 overall in the NCAA ranking, and they have previously beaten the No. 6 Aggies 3-1 in October. That game, an A&M home game, saw then No. 3 Kentucky face off against No. 9 Texas A&M, but since that meet-up, the Cats have not lost a single game, and the Aggies are right behind them with a single loss to home state rival Texas. The Wildcats have won 27 straight games, 30-2 overall, with their last loss in September to Pittsburgh. Texas A&M comes in 28-4 overall, with a five-game win streak, after their loss to Texas destroyed their 11-game win streak.Kentucky is no stranger to the NCAA championship. The Cats snagged their first title in 2020 after they beat Texas 3-1 in Omaha. Texas A&M has not made an appearance at the NCAA championship but has finished in the top ten four times in the last five years, finishing in fifth place in 2024.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. —

Kentucky volleyball will look to win its second national title in five years on Sunday when it takes on Texas A&M in Kansas City.

How to watch

Sunday’s game tips off at 3:30 p.m. at the T-Mobile Center. It will air on ABC.

Preview

Kentucky comes to the game on Sunday with the edge. The Cats are No. 2 overall in the NCAA ranking, and they have previously beaten the No. 6 Aggies 3-1 in October. That game, an A&M home game, saw then No. 3 Kentucky face off against No. 9 Texas A&M, but since that meet-up, the Cats have not lost a single game, and the Aggies are right behind them with a single loss to home state rival Texas.

The Wildcats have won 27 straight games, 30-2 overall, with their last loss in September to Pittsburgh. Texas A&M comes in 28-4 overall, with a five-game win streak, after their loss to Texas destroyed their 11-game win streak.

Kentucky is no stranger to the NCAA championship. The Cats snagged their first title in 2020 after they beat Texas 3-1 in Omaha.

Texas A&M has not made an appearance at the NCAA championship but has finished in the top ten four times in the last five years, finishing in fifth place in 2024.



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Texas A&M volleyball beats Kentucky to win national title

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December 22, 2025

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NATIONAL CHAMPIONS! – Texas A&M Athletics

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December 22, 2025

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Texas A&M Aggies overwhelmed the Kentucky Wildcats in the final two sets of a 3-0 (26-24, 25-15, 25-18) victory to claim the school’s first-ever NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship Sunday evening inside the T-Mobile Center.

 

Entering the tournament as the No. 3 seed in the Lincoln Regional, Texas A&M (29-4) completed a postseason sweep of three of the tournament’s No. 1 seeds, beating Nebraska (3-2) and Pitt (3-0) before dispatching of Kentucky (30-3). The last three teams the Maroon & White beat were a combined 93-6 before their respective seasons were ended.

 

The Aggies became the ninth team in the 45-year history of the NCAA Championship to sweep both of their Final Four matches.

 

The Maroon & White never trailed in the last two sets. The opportunistic Aggies took advantage of the Wildcats’ nine service errors and 16 attack errors.

 

Kyndal Stowers was named the NCAA Championship Most Outstanding Player. She capped off the tournament with a .304 attack percentage, 10 kills, six digs, two service aces and one block in the triumph over Kentucky. Ifenna Cos-Okpalla, Logan Lednicky and Ava Underwood joined Stowers on the All-Tournament Team.

 

Texas A&M claimed the first set despite not leading until 25-24. The Wildcats pounced on the Aggies in the first set for a 9-3 advantage. Kentucky led by six on eight more occasions, before the Maroon & White clawed back into the contest. An 8-2 run, featuring two kills each by Cos-Okpalla and Lednicky, tied the contest at 20-20. With the set seesawing, the Wildcats had its first set point at 24-23, but Stowers sandwiched two kills around a block assist by Cos-Okpalla and Maddie Waak for the smash and grab.

 

The second set was tied twice early before the Aggies broke away. Back-to-back kills by Lednicky and a service ace by Cos-Okpalla allowed Texas A&M to open a 5-2 lead. The Maroon & White suffocated the Wildcats with a 13-3 run to open its biggest lead of the set at 19-8. Kentucky would draw no closer than seven the remainder of the set.

 

After Kentucky opened the third set with a service error, Cos-Okpalla put aways two kills to start a 6-1 surge out of the gate. The Wildcats cut the deficit to 10-8, but 9-3 charge by Texas A&M widened the lead to 19-11. Big Blue was closed the gap to four at 24-20, but it was too little, too late as Cos-Okpalla uncorked a booming kill for the final point.

 

STAT LEADERS

Kills – Logan Lednicky – 11

Hitting Percentage (Min. 10 kills) – Kyndal Stowers – .304

Assists – Maddie Waak – 29

Aces – Ifenna Cos-Okpalla; Maddie Waak – 2 

Digs – Ava Underwood – 10

Blocks – Ifenna Cos-Okpalla – 4

 

GAME NOTES

  • Logan Lednicky recorded her 23nd-consecutive game with 10 or more kills.
  • Ifenna Cos-Okpalla set the Texas A&M career record for blocks, wrapping up with 566. She also inflated her single-season school record to 199.
  • Jamie Morrison joined John Dunning (first year) and Michael Sealy (second year) as one of three coaches two win an NCAA Division I Volleyball tournament in their first three years as a head coach.
  • The Aggies beat all four of the No. 1 seeds of the NCAA Championship, beating Texas (3-2) in the regular season and Nebraska (3-2), Pitt (3-0) and Kentucky (3-0).

 

FOLLOW THE AGGIES

Visit 12thMan.com for more information on Texas A&M volleyball. Fans can keep up to date with the A&M volleyball team on Facebook, Instagram and on Twitter by following @AggieVolleyball.





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Alumni Spotlight: Aviana “Avi” Goode ’20

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December 22, 2025

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Aviana K. Goode ’20
Track and Field

Aviana, also known as Avi, is no stranger to success on the track. Before turning 18, Avi had already won three state championships and earned multiple bronze medals, along with a silver, while competing for her high school track team — and even added a school record in the process. Her winning nature carried over to Syracuse where she balanced being a student and an athlete, studying Communication and Rhetorical Studies at VPA and Sports Revenue Management & Operations at Falk College. This balance paid off as she earned top-six finishes at the 2019 ACC Indoor and Outdoor Championships in the high jump. She continued to add to her long list of track achievements during her graduate transfer year when she competed for The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) where she previously held the indoor program record for 60m hurdles and the outdoor record for the 100m hurdles and heptathlon. Although she no longer competes on the track, she has found a new way to stay involved with the sport she loves.

It was always Aviana’s dream to earn a trip to TrackTown USA in Eugene, Oregon. For those who may not know, TrackTown is a world-class track and field facility organizing events such as the 2015, 2022, 2023 USATF Outdoor Championships and the 2016, 2020, and 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials. Aviana’s dream to make it to TrackTown USA, also known as Hayward Field, came true when she was selected as one of four photographers to cover the 2024 U.S. Olympic Track and Field Team Trials as park of the Black Women Photographers and TrackTown USA creative team.

Noah Lyles coming out of the blocks at U.S. Olympic Team Trials. Credit: Aviana Goode/@goode.flicks
Noah Lyles coming out of the blocks at U.S. Olympic Team Trials. Credit: Aviana Goode/@goode.flicks

“It was surreal,” Aviana said. “My goal in life, in track and field specifically, was always to make it to Hayward Field. It was supposed to be as an athlete, but I guess God had different plans for me. I ended up there with a whole new lens, literally and figuratively.”

Aviana spent over a week at TrackTown shooting world-class athletes like Olympic champion and eight-time World Champion, Noah Lyles, Olympic long jump champion, Tara Davis-Woodhall, and even Olympian and World Record breaker, Sydney McLaughlin.


 

Tara Davis-Woodhall competing in long jump at U.S. Olympic Team Trials. Credit: Aviana Goode/@goode.flicks
Tara Davis-Woodhall competing in long jump at U.S. Olympic Team Trials. Credit: Aviana Goode/@goode.flicks

The unique part about the entire situation is that Aviana was just a newbie in the sports photography world at this point. She had started sports photography just two years prior to shooting on this world-class stage and had only shot one outdoor track meet before. Despite the lack of experience, Polly Irungu, founder of Black Women Photographers, loved her photos and style.

The opportunity to shoot the Olympic Trials allowed Aviana to grow tremendously as a person but also as a photographer. While covering the Olympic Trials, she noticed that not many women of color were working as creatives although the sport is predominately black. There were only five other creatives that were black women that she saw capturing the events at TrackTown. This realization inspired Avi to be a role model and a representation for young black women and women of color who want to step into the creative world. As a freelance photographer based in NYC, she continues to refine her craft, working with athletes, brands, and events to create high-impact imagery that resonates.

“Being a photographer allows me to go out there and still feel like an athlete. I can feel the emotion. I’m capturing everything to remember the moment and to show the love and passion for the sport that I think is the hardest sport in the world, Aviana said.

 

Stay connected with Aviana on Linkedin: Aviana Goode | LinkedIn & Instagram: @goode.flicks

Raven Saunders with her medal at U.S. Olympic Team Trials. Credit: Aviana Goode/@goode.flicks
Raven Saunders with her medal at U.S. Olympic Team Trials. Credit: Aviana Goode/@goode.flicks



 
 



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Kentucky volleyball results, recap vs Texas A&M in championship match

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December 22, 2025

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Updated Dec. 21, 2025, 5:16 p.m. ET

The Kentucky Wildcats volleyball team needed one more win to bring home a national championship, but the Texas A&M Aggies were the better team on Sunday afternoon, and it’s they who took home the trophy after winning the match 3-0 (26-24, 25-15, 25-20).

It looked like the Wildcats were going to take control early. They jumped out to a 6-1 lead in the first set, and led big as play progressed. However, some good Texas A&M serves, and some bad Kentucky passing led to an Aggies comeback.

After that first set, it seemed as if the life drained out of the Wildcats. The Aggies dominated the second set. They blocked nearly every Kentucky kill attempt, and dug out the rest. The Cats had no answers, and they fell behind 2-0.



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