Marlins Video Fish On First is publishing weekly Miami Marlins minor league summaries throughout the 2025 season, covering the progress of FOF Top 30 prospects and lesser-known players in the organization who are worth monitoring. Each full-season MiLB affiliate has its own section below. Player stats are up to date entering May 13. Triple-A Jacksonville The Jumbo […]
Fish On First is publishing weekly Miami Marlins minor league summaries throughout the 2025 season, covering the progress of FOF Top 30 prospects and lesser-known players in the organization who are worth monitoring. Each full-season MiLB affiliate has its own section below.
Player stats are up to date entering May 13.
Triple-A Jacksonville
The Jumbo Shrimp offense has slumped as of late, but there was a nice highlight on Sunday, as
Deyvison De Los Santos (FOF’s #9 prospect) hit his fourth home run of the season to left-center. The ball left the bat at 110.4 mph and went 431 feet.
With the struggles of first baseman Matt Mervis at the major league level, there may be an opportunity for De Los Santos to debut this season. His production will need to improve first—he is now slashing .250/.309/.382/.691, a very big drop-off from 2024.
Andrew Pintar (FOF #25) was acquired along with De Los Santos in the trade that sent A.J. Puk to the Arizona Diamondbacks. He’s slashing .306/.348/.361/.709 with one home run and nine RBI. Pintar has been moved up near the top of Jacksonville’s batting order.
Seth Martinez continues to show that he should be with the Marlins whenever another fresh bullpen arm is needed. He has not allowed a run in 11 ⅓ innings pitched (11 appearances).
It was a rainy, winless week for the Pensacola Blue Wahoos in Biloxi.
Most of the starting pitchers struggled, including Dax Fulton. Making his fifth start of the season, Fulton went four innings, allowing three runs on four hits and four walks. He struck out six. It’s been a weird season thus far for the 23-year-old in his return from his second Tommy John surgery. He has a 4.50 ERA, 5.39 FIP, 9.90 K/9 and 6.75 BB/9 (career-high).
Even star reliever Josh Ekness had some trouble, allowing his first earned runs of 2025. He’s still been very successful overall with a 1.69 ERA, 1.74 FIP, 14.34 K/9 and 3.38 BB/9 in 10 ⅔ innings pitched (eight appearances).
Offensively, Jake Thompson is the only name worth mentioning. He’s now slashing .266/.388/.415/.803 with one home run, nine RBI and a 137 wRC+. The former undrafted free agent is the oldest hitter in Pensacola (turned 27 in March).
Fortunately, reinforcements are on the way. Outfielder Fenwick Trimble (FOF #30) was added to the Blue Wahoos roster on Tuesday. He figures to get regular reps in left field and center field. Always a solid on-base threat as a collegiate prospect at James Madison, Trimble is an under-the-radar contact bat with solid speed and fourth outfielder makeup, with potential for a bit more if everything works out.
High-A Beloit
Coming off of a disappointing outing against Peoria, Thomas White was back home at ABC Supply Stadium and feeling good. Going 5 IP and allowing just two hits and two walks while striking out eight, White had his best outing of the season. It was the second time in his career he’s gone five shutout frames. The biggest difference in this outing was his ability to avoid deep counts and come further into the zone.
Thomas is still on a trajectory to be a bonafide ace once he’s allowed to throw a full slate of innings and pitches. So far this season, Miami is still limiting him to about 75 pitches per start. While there is all the reason in the world to protect your future star, there’s also much to gain from putting him in situations where he can continue to build confidence. As the season wears on, we expect those reins to be loosened.
Limited size be damned! The stout Ryan Ignoffo continues to reach new heights. While spending his second full season at the catcher position, Ignoffo continues to build strength and hit. In this series, working as both backstop and DH, Ignoffo went 6-for-21. His star performance occurred in the third game of the series where he hit two home runs, both with the bases loaded. Not only was it Ignoffo’s first career multi-home run game, he made some recent MiLB history in the process.
Through 27 games of the 2025 season, Ignoffo has already matched his 2024 home run total with six. He’s up to 33 RBI on the season—no other Marlins minor leaguer has more than 19.
As he did in college as a two-way player, Ignoffo continues to show up in whatever capacity he is asked to. He is the epitome of a team player and grinder. With continued success, he will make it to the upper minors this season, and his potential to eventually crack the MLB ranks is starting to become very real.
Karson Milbrandt (FOF #21) stretched out to a season-high 57 pitches while tossing three hitless innings. There is still room to improve his control before a promotion to Double-A is considered.
Seventh-round pick Nick Brink became the first pitcher from Miami’s 2024 draft class to join the Sky Carp. Brink posted a 3.28 ERA, 3.52 FIP and .235 BAA in 24 ⅔ innings with Jupiter.
Low-A Jupiter
The Hammerheads transferred Starlyn Caba (FOF #5) to the 60-day IL. That rules out the talented shortstop until at least late June.
Caba’s absence has created room for Andrew Salas (FOF #4) to play more regularly. He has been incredibly consistent at the plate, reaching base safely in each of his first 24 career games. Salas’ .463 OBP paces the Florida State League. On top of that, he has 11 stolen bases and he’s walked more than he’s struck out (24/22 K/BB).
The only thing that hasn’t shown up yet for Salas is power, but there is plenty of room for him to grow into what is a still wiry frame. Salas is undoubtedly one of the furthest-advanced signings the Marlins have ever seen particularly in the areas of plate discipline and bat control.
Salas’ partner on the infield, Jesús Hernández had a solid series. A 2021 signing out of Venezuela, the 5’9”, 150-pounder went 6-for-15 with three doubles and a walk.
Surprisingly for his size, Hernández has tapped into a bit of pop. At his core, he is a bat-to-ball type offensive threat who limits strikeouts and works his way on base. However, the boost in power in a pitcher-friendly park sure doesn’t hurt. With the ability to play multiple positions, this Javier Sanoja-esque righty is worth keeping an eye on.
Right-hander Luke Lashutka is often the first guy out of the bullpen for Jupiter and he stays in for multiple innings. As a result, he is Minor League Baseball’s unlikely leader with six wins this season. Lashutka has allowed only one earned run over his last 15 ⅓ innings pitched.
Eury Pérez‘s fourth rehab start was his most impressive one yet, using all of his pitches and placing 73.8% of them for strikes. He is expected to make one more appearance with Jupiter before shifting his rehab assignment to Jacksonville.
Rookie Ball
The FCL Marlins kicked off their season this past week. With a roster featuring a pretty even mix of stateside draftees and international signings, the team has a 4-2 record through six games.
Left-hander Nate Payne is the first pitcher on the team to make multiple starts so far. He has 11 strikeouts in 6 ⅔ innings, but with a 5.40 ERA.
Former Dominican Summer League All-Stars infielder Joseph Tailor and outfielder Jancory De La Cruz made their FCL debuts over the weekend.
Encarnación brings more than just velo, according to Adrian Lorenzo, the former Marlins director of international operations who oversaw his signing.
“It’s not just the 101. That’s great, don’t get me wrong. It’s also big physical projection with very good data characteristics on both the fastball (as a sinker) and the slider from the left side,” Lorenzo said. “If he throws strikes, which he flashed some ability to do last year, there’s not a whole lot that doesn’t work.
“Love Kifraidy. He works his ass off. Not surprised he comes back from injury even stronger.”
Gaining full feel of all three of his pitches will be the work in progress for Encarnación, but with a solid blueprint on all three, good velo separation, good size and present strength at 19, he is the personification of the word “projectable.” A late-season stateside debut isn’t out of the question.
The Marlins’ highest-priced international signing from 2022, Yoffry Solano got off to a fairly slow start to his pro career before turning it on late last FCL season. He has gotten off to an extremely hot start here in 2025. In his first 20 ABs, Solano is hitting a scorching .450. He’s doubled once and has shown off his speed with two triples.
At the time of his signing, Solano boasted 50-grade tools across the board with a slight increase in the speed department at 55. He’s now applying those tools in game, particularly with swing decisions and on the basepaths. We will need to see how this matriculates for Solano as he faces better pitching, but so far this season he has received a nice confidence boost. Solano will be a candidate to be called up to Low-A in short order. He’s 20.
After showing really solid pop and exit velos in spring training, Cody Schrier has hit the ground running in his first pro season. Though he is old for the FCL level, the Marlins’ 2024 13th-rounder has shown solid bat-to-ball skills and even more solid speed early this season. Schrier is slashing a ridiculous .389/.560/.500 through 18 ABs with seven walks and four Ks. He’s mostly played first base, but has also gotten into two games at shortstop (where he primarily played as an amateur).
The numbers are great, especially to start a career, but the 22-year-old is clearly under-matched. Schrier’s bat and defensive versatility should have him poised for a promotion in short order.
Dance group starts summer with a drive-thru barbecue fundraiser
Initiative marks the beginning of fundraising efforts for the studio’s 2027 performance group YORKTON — The Extravadance Performance Group kicked off their first day of summer holidays June 27 with a barbecue fundraiser. “We’re doing it drive-thru style to keep it convenient,” said Kristin Weber Karcha, owner and operator of Extravadance. The initiative marks the […]
Initiative marks the beginning of fundraising efforts for the studio’s 2027 performance group
YORKTON — The Extravadance Performance Group kicked off their first day of summer holidays June 27 with a barbecue fundraiser.
“We’re doing it drive-thru style to keep it convenient,” said Kristin Weber Karcha, owner and operator of Extravadance.
The initiative marks the beginning of fundraising efforts for the studio’s 2027 performance group — a cohort of young dancers preparing for a trip packed with workshops and performances in Los Angeles and Disneyland.
“This is our 2027 performance group. They are fundraising. These kids are going to go dance in Los Angeles and do some workshops. They’re going to do a parade at Disneyland. They’re going to do workshops at Disneyland,” said Weber Karcha, adding, “they are probably going to have the best trip of their lives.”
Weber Karcha said that the group comprises 26 young dancers, with an average age of eight or nine. Organizing such a trip is no small feat, especially with the current exchange rate.
“We usually do trips every few years. We pushed it a third year because the dollar in the States isn’t ideal right now. It also gives us a bit more time to make sure things are good to go with travel down there,” said Weber Karcha.
Fundraising will continue in the coming weeks with the group operating canteens at several community events. Their next appearance is at the Saltcoats Canada Day celebrations, followed by running a canteen at the Yorkton Exhibition running from July 2-5, and another three days in Saltcoats — July 18, 19 and 20 — for an event featuring live music.
“A lot of cooking coming up in the next bit,” said Weber Karcha said with a laugh.
In addition to flipping burgers, the group is also offering volunteer services for local events.
“If people are looking for designated driver services or someone to run a bar at a wedding they can reach out to us because we also provide services like that,” said Weber Karcha.
For those interested in supporting the group or booking services, Weber Karcha encourages people to contact the studio at (306) 621-2818.
Syracuse sports talk host Jim Lerch is exiting Cumulus Media sports talk outlet WSKO-AM, Syracuse after 23 years. CNYCentral reports that Lerch, host of “The Manchild Show with Boy Green,” is exiting after today’s program as he transitions to a digital platform. Lerch is quoted saying, “When I started this back in 2002, I never […]
Syracuse sports talk host Jim Lerch is exiting Cumulus Media sports talk outlet WSKO-AM, Syracuse after 23 years. CNYCentral reports that Lerch, host of “The Manchild Show with Boy Green,” is exiting after today’s program as he transitions to a digital platform. Lerch is quoted saying, “When I started this back in 2002, I never thought I’d last nearly a quarter of a century on the radio. It’s been my life’s pleasure entertaining and interacting with our incredible listeners over two decades of Syracuse sports history and I look forward to my new journey as a digital sports content host.” See the CNYCentral story here.
Story Links NORTHRIDGE, Calif.—CSUN Women’s Soccer head coach Gina Brewer as announced the 2025 schedule featuring nine home matches at Matador Soccer Field and three NCAA Tournament teams on the docket. “We are excited for the 2025 season,” said Brewer. “We’ve scheduled some opponents who we know will be challenging and prepare us for the Big […]
NORTHRIDGE, Calif.—CSUN Women’s Soccer head coach Gina Brewer as announced the 2025 schedule featuring nine home matches at Matador Soccer Field and three NCAA Tournament teams on the docket.
“We are excited for the 2025 season,” said Brewer. “We’ve scheduled some opponents who we know will be challenging and prepare us for the Big West. Saint Mary’s, Grand Canyon, California Baptist and Portland will all be extremely competitive games and we look forward to being tested, so we are ready to go when conference games start.”
Prior to the start of the regular season. The Matadors will host an exhibition match with Trinity Western University on Thursday, Aug. 7.
The 2025 season officially opens on Thursday, Aug. 14 with a road match at Saint Mary’s before CSUN heads to San Jose State on Aug. 17.
CSUN opens a three-match homestand beginning Thursday, Aug. 21 against Grand Canyon in the 2025 home opener. Three days later, the Matadors continue their homestand with a matchup with a California Baptist team that won the WAC championship and advanced to the NCAA Tournament in 2024. CSUN then wraps up the home stretch with Utah Tech on Aug. 28.
The Matadors make the trip to the San Diego on Aug. 31 to take on the Toreros before traveling up north the following week for road tilts at Portland State (Sept. 4) and Portland (Sept. 7). CSUN’s last non-conference matchup is set with future Big West team Sacramento State on Thursday, Sept. 11. The Hornets also played in the NCAA Tournament a season ago after winning the Big Sky Tournament.
Big West play kicks off on Sunday, Sept. 21 when the Matadors visit Cal State Fullerton. A week later, CSUN hosts its first two conference matches against UC Irvine (Sept. 25) and UC Riverside (Sept. 28).
The month of October kicks off with a road contest at UC San Diego (Oct. 5) while CSUN returns home for meeting with Cal State Bakersfield on Oct. 12. From there, the Matadors make the trek to Hawai’i on Oct. 16.
The second half of the Big West season includes a home meeting with UC Davis (Oct. 19) as well as a matchup with defending Big West champion UC Santa Barbara (Oct. 23. After a final road match at Cal Poly on Oct. 26, CSUN hosts Senior Night on Thursday, Oct. 30 against Long Beach State.
The 2025 Big West Women’s Soccer Championship kicks off on Sunday, Nov. 2 while semifinal matches will be held on Nov. 6 and the championship match is scheduled for Nov. 9.
Drake Athletics Prepared to Evolve with Changing Landscape of College Athletics
Story Links
Bulldog Nation, Thank you for your continued support of Drake Athletics and our more than 370 student-athletes. Your generosity plays a vital role in our ability to provide a championship-level athletic experience and an elite education—hallmarks of the Drake University student-athlete journey. Over the past few years, the […]
Thank you for your continued support of Drake Athletics and our more than 370 student-athletes. Your generosity plays a vital role in our ability to provide a championship-level athletic experience and an elite education—hallmarks of the Drake University student-athlete journey.
Over the past few years, the landscape of collegiate athletics has changed dramatically. The introduction of Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL), expanded transfer rules, and several landmark legal cases have fundamentally reshaped the NCAA model.
Now, with the approval of the House v. NCAA settlement, a new chapter begins—and Drake University is prepared to meet it with clarity, purpose, and an unwavering commitment to student-athlete success. We do so in a manner consistent with the values of our institution and department so that we may provide opportunities and experiences relative to our present and aspirant peer groups.
What This Means
Beginning July 1, NCAA institutions who are members of conferences outside of the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, and SEC, will be permitted to opt into the terms delineated in the House v. NCAA settlement. The most publicized aspect of the settlement is that NCAA Division I athletics departments that “opt in” will have the ability to directly share revenue with student-athletes and manage NIL agreements at the institutional level. These shifts represent a significant transformation in how college athletics operates—but they also offer tremendous opportunity.
After much deliberation and evaluation, Drake University has opted in to the settlement and is ready to embrace this new era. At our core, our pursuit of sustained excellence in the classroom, competition, and community remains the same. For us to remain competitive and relevant, we must be willing to adjust with the changing times, especially in the sport of basketball. The pride and enjoyment our men’s and women’s basketball teams have provided us in recent years has also served as a reminder to the significance their success has on the rest of the department. In short, our basketball programs and the Drake Relays are the rising tide that lifts all other boats in our department. In order for all of our student-athletes and sport programs to grow, we must position our basketball programs and Drake Relays to flourish.
Supporting Bulldogs Through Revenue Sharing
One of the most important elements of this transition is the ability to directly support student-athletes through revenue sharing. For Drake, that means the generous contributions you make—especially tax-deductible gifts to Drake Athletics—are now eligible to be part of this shared revenue model.
To support this shift, we’ve established two dedicated funds:
Drake Men’s Basketball Excellence Fund
Drake Women’s Basketball Excellence Fund
These funds are managed by Drake Athletics and directly benefit the greatest needs of our basketball programs. They have a direct impact on the operating budget of these programs as well as the student-athletes, coaches, and support staff of these teams. This will also be your way to provide financial resources for our student-athletes.
While Men’s and Women’s Basketball are the initial programs we have established Excellence Funds for, if supporters of other Drake programs are interested in providing financial support to create revenue sharing opportunities for other Drake student-athletes, that ability is also available and can be discussed with myself or Tim Tesar, Sr. Associate Athletics Director, (tim.tesar@drake.edu or 515-271-2132).
The Excellence Funds can be supported via one-time or recurring online gifts, donor-advised funds, stock donations, IRA distributions, or check. All contributions are a gift to Drake, and qualify for Bulldog Club benefits and DAPPS points.
These new funds are institutionally managed, tax-exempt, and focused on both recruitment and retention. They offer a clear, impactful, and compliant way to help Drake stay competitive while directly enhancing the student-athlete experience. Creation of an Excellence Fund budget and agreement on disbursement of Excellence Funds will be a collaborative effort between a head coach and sport administrator. In the sport of men’s and women’s basketball, I serve as the sport administrator and will work closely with Coach Henderson and Coach Pohlman on identification of their program’s greatest needs. As we move forward, Excellence Funds will be the preferred funds for supporting our athletes in this new era.
A New Model for NIL
As part of this realignment, we’re also evolving our relationship with DU Great Collective, our official NIL collective supporting Drake Men’s and Women’s Basketball. We’re deeply grateful for the role DU Great played during the early NIL era and for the leadership of many including, but not limited to, Kyle Mertz, Ryan Boatman, Mike Nixon, Kurt Brewer, Pat Schneider, Becca Mataloni, Spencer Harsch, Ted Brewer, Doug Shull, Louie Laurent, and Brook Rosenberg. Together, we’ve determined that Drake Athletics will primarily lead efforts to manage NIL opportunities for basketball student-athletes. The services provided to our student-athletes who benefited from a relationship with DU Great (interactions with local charities and community groups, compensation through NIL activities, taxation forms, etc.) will now be performed by Drake Athletics. DU Great will not dissolve for a myriad of reasons but individuals who financially supported DU Great, whether on a one-time, occasional, annual, or monthly basis, will be asked to continue their support through the aforementioned Excellence Funds of a specific sport at Drake.
Looking Ahead
We know you’ll have questions—and we’re committed to communicating clearly as these changes take hold. I recently sat down with Michael Admire for a podcast to discuss these shifts in greater detail. I invite you to watch or listen to our conversation [link to podcast below].
Drake Athletics continues to thrive because of the culture built by our coaches, staff, and student-athletes—and the loyalty of our fans and donors. To sustain this momentum and reach even greater heights, we must continue investing in our programs in new and meaningful ways.
Thank you for standing with us—and for helping lead the Bulldogs into this next era of excellence.
Editor’s Note: The Courier-Tribune is recognizing athletes from Smithville High School who are already currently playing in college or recently finished up their collegiate careers.… Login to continue reading
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Editor’s Note: The Courier-Tribune is recognizing athletes from Smithville High School who are already currently playing in college or recently finished up their collegiate careers.…
He’s one of the best volleyball players in Pennsylvania. He’s put up eye-popping numbers, some of those digits reminiscent of video-game numbers. He averaged 10 kills a set. Not a match. Just one set. Yet, spend a few minutes with Holy Redeemer’s Josh Rocha, and it’s never about him. Sure, the senior hitter had goals. But […]
He’s one of the best volleyball players in Pennsylvania.
He’s put up eye-popping numbers, some of those digits reminiscent of video-game numbers. He averaged 10 kills a set. Not a match. Just one set.
Yet, spend a few minutes with Holy Redeemer’s Josh Rocha, and it’s never about him.
Sure, the senior hitter had goals. But it wasn’t any kind of individual accolades. Instead, everything was team focused. Especially winning a district title.
“For me, it was about learning to be the best teammate that I could be, and also, just having fun because it was my senior year,” he said.
Rocha accomplished both.
He made memories on the court with his friends, and was able to drape a gold medal around his neck. For his efforts, Rocha is the Citizens’ Voice Boys’ Volleyball Performer of the Year. It’s the second consecutive year he’s been named as the Voice’s top player.
There isn’t much missing from his resume.
He’s the program’s all-time leader in kills.
He helped Holy Redeemer back to the top perch in the District 2 Class 2A volleyball world.
He also guided the Royals into the state quarterfinals.
Rocha’s numbers are unbelievable. He finished with 956 kills, which ranked No. 1 in the country, according to MaxPreps. He added 91 service points, 31 aces, 75 blocks and 125 digs.
The senior sat down with The Voice to talk about his senior year, what it meant to win a district gold medal in his final season, and about his future at Penn State.
Q: You entered this season as the featured hitter at Holy Redeemer, which brings a lot of pressure and attention. Talk about the expectations and the pressure of that spot.
A: For me, the expectations didn’t come with any pressure because I’ve been in this situation before. The past four years, I’ve always been a varsity starter, so I really didn’t feel any type of additional pressure. My coaches, teammates and family, they have always kind of alleviated that pressure. We came into the season expecting more than last year. Although we did lose a lot of players, we really wanted to get that district title, especially myself, because I didn’t get a district title in my first three years. We were really hungry to win, and we came in every day and put the work in.
Q: You did lose a lot of talented players from last year’s team. What was it like at the first practice with a group of newer athletes in the lineup?
A: It was overwhelming at times, but also, every day, I was really hopeful. Each day, we would look better than the day before. It was a constant growth from every single one of those players. I was so just proud of every one of them because they put in the time to get better.
Q: What was the bond like between you and your setter, Jack Wasiakowski?
A: I would say, this year, we were a lot closer. Our connection was great. His location was so good this year, and I am so proud of him. He’s going to do a lot of big things next year. That connection, it’s so important. He would always say that he would just put the ball up there for me to slam it because he trusted me. I think it’s so important to have that level of trust.
Q: You put up some really big numbers this year. One match, you had over 50 kills. Do you ever look back at the stat sheet the next day, and just say to yourself, “Whoa, I just did something pretty special?”
A: Honestly, I would always say to myself that I could do better. I always push for that next level.
Q: What was the feeling like when you finally got that district championship that you were striving for?
A: It was awesome because I was finally holding that gold medal after all these years. I’m just glad that I did it with this team because I wouldn’t want to do it with anyone else. I didn’t know what to do. I just took a few deep breaths and said to myself that this was really it, and I accomplished a major goal.
Q: How have you grown over the last four years?
A: I learned a lot about myself, actually. It is time-consuming to be a student-athlete, but I wouldn’t trade my experiences for anything. It’s something I love doing, and I am glad that the freshman me decided to play volleyball.
Q: Talk about your future. What does the next few months look like?A: I am taking some time. Right now, I am playing volleyball for Prevail and I am going to nationals in Florida. After that, I am going to attend Penn State where I am going to study pre-med and play volleyball.
Q: What was the decision like to attend Penn State to study pre-med?
A: It was a tough decision, but I kind of felt like I always wanted to go to Penn State. I’ve talked with all of my friends that are on that pre-med track and they all love it. Their experiences have also pushed me to go there.
Q: If you would, pass along some words of advice to the underclassmen or someone thinking about playing volleyball at Holy Redeemer.
A: Growth doesn’t happen right away. It’s a long process, especially for myself. These past two years, people have started to see me shine. My freshman and sophomore years, I didn’t get all that glory. It’s about that hard work. If you keep working hard, you are going to get there in no time.
today’s program as he transitions to a digital platform. Lerch is quoted saying, “When I started this back in 2002, I never thought I’d last nearly a quarter of a century on the radio. It’s been my life’s pleasure entertaining and interacting with our incredible listeners over two decades of Syracuse sports history and I look forward to my new journey as a digital sports content host.” See the CNYCentral story here. 
