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Matt Wallner Homers. David Festa Dominates in Saints Win. Cole Peschl Quality Start …

Twins Video The Twins and all four of their affiliates played on Saturday Lots of good content for you below.  CURRENT W-L RecordsMinnesota Twins: 30-25 (Tied for 2nd in AL Central with Cleveland, six games behind Detroit.)St. Paul Saints: 27-24  (Tied for 5th place in the International League West Division, 4.0 games behind Nashville.)Wichita Wind […]

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Matt Wallner Homers. David Festa Dominates in Saints Win. Cole Peschl Quality Start ...

Twins Video

The Twins and all four of their affiliates played on Saturday Lots of good content for you below. 

CURRENT W-L Records
Minnesota Twins: 30-25 (Tied for 2nd in AL Central with Cleveland, six games behind Detroit.)
St. Paul Saints: 27-24  (Tied for 5th place in the International League West Division, 4.0 games behind Nashville.)
Wichita Wind Surge: 24-24 (4th in Texas League North with Arkansas, 1.5 games behind Springfield.)
Cedar Rapids Kernels: 27-20 (2nd place in the Midwest League’s West Division, 2.5 games behind Quad Cities.)
Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 21-27 (6th place in the Florida State League’s West Division, 7.0 games behind Lakeland.)
FCL Twins: 11-8 (2nd in FCL South, 2.0 games back of the FCL Rays. 

TRANSACTIONS
ICYMI: Carson McCusker was optioned to St. Paul following the Twins loss in Tampa on Wednesday. The Twins will make a corresponding move on Friday.  

RHP Jacob Bosiokovic is on the temporarily inactive list with the Saints. 

Khadim Diaw has been placed on the 7-Day Injured List, but he could be out for a while with a fracture of his right thumb. Poncho Ruiz has been promoted from Fort Myers to Cedar Rapids. 

Catcher Ricardo Pena has been promoted from the FCL to Fort Myers. Of his 81 games started since signing his first games in the DSL in 2022, he has started behind the plate 65 times with a dozen starts at first base. 

Jay Thomason was activated from the 7-Day IL for Fort Myers.     

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A day after we learned that the Twins had signed outfielder Blaze O’ Saben and infielder Caleb McNeely from independent leagues, it appears that the Twins have signed a pitcher from the New Jersey Jackals of the Frontier League. The Twins have signed RHP Nick Trabacchi. The 26-year-old started his college career at Maryland-Baltimore County in 2018. After two years, he transferred to Division II Shepherd University. Yes, the same school that Bears backup QB Tyson Bagent went to. He spent three seasons there. Since then (2022), he’s played in the Pecos League, the Atlantic League and the Frontier Leagues. This will be his first time playing in affiliated baseball. Where did we hear about this signing? Twitter/X, of course. 

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For those of you who have been following the Twins minor leagues as long as I have. The pitching coach for the New Jersey Jackals is former Twins left-handed pitching prospect Joe Testa. He signed with the Twins as an undrafted free agent in 2008. He pitched well in the organization until the July 2010 trade deadline in a trade that I wonder if any Twins fans remember. The Twins traded Testa, and a catcher with very little MLB experience at that time named Wilson Ramos, to the Washington Nationals for Matt Capps. (Oh, you do remember? Sorry!) Testa peaked in Double-A, and the Nationals let him go after the 2012 season. Since then, he has pitched in the Canadian-American Association, the American Association, the Atlantic League, and he’s played in Venezuela, Puerto Rico and even in Italy. He apparently didn’t pitch between 2018 and 2019, but returned to the mound in the All-American Baseball Challenge in 2020. He then spent three seasons in the Atlantic League again. In 2024, he joined the Jackals in his home state of New Jersey. He pitched in seven games for them last year, and this season, he has pitched once, a perfect inning to earn a save in a 1-0 game. The 39-year-old lefty might be the story of them all.  

And RHP Liam Rocha has been released by the Twins organization. He signed with the Twins as an undrafted free agent in 2023 after four years at California Baptist. This comes a day after the Twins released knuckleballer Devin Kirby from the Mussels roster. He was pitching in Fort Myers. They both represented the Twins in the Arizona Fall League after the 2024 season. 

Then later in the day, the Gateway Grizzlies of the Frontier League announced that two of their players have signed with the Twins.     

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Teague Conrad is 23. He stands 6-4 and a little over 200 pounds. He pitched at the University of Illinois-Chicago for two years, then spent the 2022 season at Heartland Community College. In 2023, he pitched at Southern Illinois-Edwards. He has spent the past two seasons with Gateway. He went 7-4 with a 3.29 ERA over 18 starts and 101 1/3 innings in 2024. He had 90 strikeouts and 49 walks. This season, he has made four starts and is 1-1 with a 5.40 ERA. In 21 2/3 innings, he had 24 strikeouts to go with just three walks.  The increased K-rate with the huge improvement in command might explain the Twins interest. He is likely to start out with the Mighty Mussels. 

Sam Coonrod may be a familiar name. The 32-year-old spent time in the big leagues with the Giants, Phillies and Mets between 2019 and 2023. He’s pitched in 115 MLB games and is 7-5 with a 5.54 ERA over 104 innings.  He also has five big-league saves. At his best, Coonrad was consistently hitting 98, 99 mph. He is reportedly hitting 97 this year after not pitching in 2024. He is likely best known for making a stand by refusing to kneel in 2020, “I can’t kneel before anything besides God” was his quote. The plan is for him to report to the Saints. 

SAINTS SENTINEL
St. Paul 3, Omaha 1
Box Score

Maybe I should have put Matt Wallner 3, Omaha 1. 

This game was quite the pitchers duel. When the Saints came to the plate in the top of the eighth, they were behind 1-0. They had just two hits and a walk. 

Anthony Prato led off with a walk and moved to second on a wild pitch. Diego Cartaya followed with a walk. Long-time veteran Sam Long, a southpaw, may wish he would have walked the next guy too. Long started Wallner with a 96 mph slider just below the zone that Wallner swung at, and missed. Long tried to throw the same pitch. Unfortunately, for the pitcher, this second pitch was nearly down the middle of the plate, and, as he seems to enjoy doing, Wallner hit that ball over the fence for a three-run homer.     

 

It was the third straight game Wallner homered, and he has five homers in the seven games he’s spent rehabbing with the Saints. Could he be bound for Seattle?

The other big story from this game was the start by David Festa. He tossed five shutout innings and gave up just three hits and a walk. He had five strikeouts. He was also efficient, needing just 66 pitches to get through his outing. He used all four of his pitches. His fastball topped out at 96.3 mph and averaged 94.9 mph.

Richard Lovelady, Brady Feigl, and Anthony Misiewicz – who earned his sixth save – each tossed a scoreless inning. The lone run came on and unearned run against Ryan Jensen in the seventh inning.

The Saints had just four hits, and three of them went for extra bases. Wallner homered, and Mickey Gasper and Anthony Prato each hit a double.    

WIND SURGE WISDOM
Wichita 3, Tulsa 4
Box Score

Tulsa jumped ahead to an early lead. The Wind Surge mounded a mid-inning comeback, but fell just short. 

Darren Bowen made his first start since tossing five no-hit innings last week. He gave up three runs in the first inning and another in the second inning. He worked three innings and gave up four runs on five hits. He had one strikeout and no walks. 

Minnesotan John Klein was very impressive on Thursday. He had eight strikeouts over 3 1/3 scoreless innings. He gave up two hits and one walk. Michael Martinez walked two and struck out three batters over 1 2/3 scoreless, hitless innings. Jaylen Nowlin gave up a hit and a walk in a scoreless ninth inning.   

 

The Surge tried to come back in the fifth inning. With one out, Andrew Cossetti walked. He scored on a triple off the bat of Ben Ross. Tanner Schobel followed with his sixth home run. It cut the team’s deficit to 4-3. 

Unfortunately, that was about it for the Wind Surge offense in this game. They had just five hits, but they also had five walks and two hit batters. Gabriel Gonzalez hit his first triple since joining Wichita. The team was 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position and left seven on base. Schobel and Ricardo Olivar were the two Wind Surge hitters with a hit and a walk. The homer extended Schobel’s hitting streak to 16 games. 

Wichita faced one of the Dodgers top prospects, lefty Jackson Ferris. He worked the first six innings for the Drillers. #OldFriend Noah Miller’s season started late due to meniscus surgery. He played eight rehab games for Great Lakes and rejoined the Drillers on Sunday. With a 2-for-4 game on Thursday, he has two hits in all three games since coming back. 

 

KERNELS NUGGETS
Cedar Rapids 6, Lake County 2
Box Score

It was another well-played game for the Kernels, both on offense and defense. 

Cole Peschl made his second start for the Kernels and put together a Quality Start. He gave up two runs on three hits. He had seven strikeouts without issuing a walk. 

Gabriel Yanez worked two scoreless innings, and Cole Percival pitched a perfect ninth frame to close it out.  

Peschl gave up single runs in the second and fifth innings. The Kernels got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the fifth. With two outs, Poncho Ruiz recorded his first Kernels hit of 2025, a double. Jose Salas followed with a towering blast that landed well beyond the right-field wall. It marked his third homer of the season. 

 

With the game now tied at 2-2, Peschl finished his outing with a scoreless sixth inning. In the bottom of the inning, with one out, Nate Baez turned on a fastball and lined it over the wall in left field for his third homer of the season.   

 

Brandon Winokur followed by hitting his fourth homer. It landed outside the ballpark.   

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But they didn’t stop there. Danny De Andrade walked. He stole second and when the pitch went past the catcher, he raced all the way to third base. Caden Kendle walked and stole second base. Jaime Ferrer hit a fly ball to center, deep enough to score De Andrade with the fifth run. 

The bottom of the seventh gave the Kernels another run, but we also saw something we had not seen all season. With one out, Kaelen Culpepper struck out but reached first base on a wild pitch. Kyle DeBarge followed by lining a double over the center fielder’s head that drove in Culpepper from first. 

And then it happened. DeBarge took off for third base. He dove toward the base as the catcher threw toward the third baseman who caught the ball, and tagged DeBarge. He showed the ball to the umpire who made the call of “Out!” DeBarge looked up at the umpire and looked as if he was thinking, “Out? What do you mean? I haven’t heard that in a long time.” But, there is no replay in the Midwest League, so the call stands. After starting the season with 27 consecutive stolen bases, the streak comes to an end. Now he should start a new streak. 

The Kernels had eight hits, and five of them went for extra bases. Salas went 2-for-3, and Winokur went 2-for-4.                                                                                                                                                                     

MUSSEL MATTERS
Fort Myers 4, Bradenton 6
Box Score

It may not look it from the box score, but Eli Jones put together a really strong start on Thursday night at Hammond Stadium. He started the game with five scoreless innings. 

 

However, in the sixth inning, nothing really went right for Jones and the Mussels. The inning started with a walk, but a ground out gave the team one out. The next batter blooped a ball into shallow center field to drive in a run. The next batter hit a well-placed bunt single. Next was a seeing-eye single to right field to score a second run. A sacrifice bunt moved runners to second and third with two outs. Then a well-placed swinging bunt down the third base line drove in another run. Another slow grounder toward third base was perfect for another infield single and a fourth run.

Jones threw 82 pitches. His fastballs topped out at 95.6 mph and averaged about 93 mph. He mixed in his six pitches. He got just six swings-and-misses in the game. When that’s the case, you’re going to have an inning like Jones’s sixth inning from time to time. 

The Mussels got on the scoreboard first in the second inning. Maddux Houghton hit an inside-the-park home run that hit high off of the center field wall. It was his fourth home run of the season.   

 

Fort Myers responded to the Marauders’ four-run sixth with two runs of their own to cut the deficit to 4-3. Ricardo Pena and Yohander Martinez started the inning with singles. After a pitching change, Dameury Pena walked to load the bases. Miguel Briceno kept it going with a single to left to drive in a run. After a fly out, Luke Napleton hit a single down the third base line (the third baseman dove and knocked it down but didn’t have a play) to drive in the second run.  

 

 

Lefty Zander Sechrist came on and gave up two runs on three hits over two innings. He struck out four batters. Ivran Romero struck out two batters in a scoreless ninth frame. 

Napleton singled to start the bottom of the ninth inning. With one out, Caleb McNeely singled Napleton to second. The runners moved up on a wild pitch. When Blaze O’Saben grounded out to shortstop, Napleton scored. But that was as close as the Mussels got.

The Mussels had 10 hits in the game. Miguel Briceno, Luke Napleton, Maddux Houghton, and Ricardo Pena each had two hits. Newcomers Caleb McNeely played shortstop and batted sixth while Blaze O’Saben played center field and batted seventh. He made a terrific catch in the right centerfield gap that saved runs. 

COMPLEX CHRONICLES
FCL Twins 3, FCL Orioles 2
Box Score

Matt Gabbert continues to work back from injury. On Thursday morning, he made his fourth appearance of the season and worked up to four innings. He gave up two runs on three hits and a walk. He also struck out two batters.

Melvin Rodriguez came on and, despite three walks, gave up no runs, and no hits, to drop his season ERA to 1.93. 

The Orioles scored both of their runs in the bottom of the first inning. The Twins had a great opportunity to put several runs on the board in the top of the first  inning. Bryan Acuna led off with a double. Ramiro Domingue and Eduardo Beltre followed with walks to load the bases. However, Daiber De Los Santos popped up to the catcher. Maybe thinking the catcher was too far from home plate or that he could surprise him, Acuna took off from third and was thrown out at home for the second out. 

Probably painful, but this is how the Twins got on the board in the second inning. Ariel Castro was hit by a pitch. He was moved up a base on a wild pitch and went to third on a ground out. Next, Yandro Hernandez and Carlos Silva were hit by pitches to lead the bases again. After a strikeout, Castro scored on a balk. 

The fourth inning began with a walk by VIctor Leal. With one out, Carlos Silva hit an infield single. A force-out left runners on first and third. After a pitching change, Ramiro Dominguez hit his fifth double and drove in two runs to give the Twins the lead that Rodriguez was able to hold onto for the Win. 

Luis Fragoza was 2-for-3. The Twins had just five hits in the game. 

PLAYERS OF THE DAY
Hitter of the Day  
Maddux Houghton (Fort Myers):
2-for-4, HR(4), R, RBI, K

Pitcher of the Day 
David Festa (St. Paul): 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, BB, 5 K, 66 pitches, 40 strikes (60.6%)
John Klein (Wichita): 3 1/3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, BB, 8 K, 60 pitches, 43 strikes (71.7%)
Cole Peschl (Cedar Rapids): 6 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 7 K, 71 pitches, 47 strikes (66.2%)

 

PROSPECT SUMMARY
Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on our updated Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they did on Thursday.

#6 – Kaelen Culpepper (Cedar Rapids) – 0-for-4, R, K (played SS)
#9 – Brandon Winokur (Cedar Rapids) – 2-for-4, HR(4), R, RBI, K (DHd)
#11 – Kyle DeBarge (Cedar Rapids) – 1-for-4, RBI, CS(1) (played 2B)
#14 – Gabriel Gonzalez (Wichita) – 1-for-3, 3B, HBP. (DHd)
#16 – Eduardo Beltre (FCL Twins) – 0-for-3, BB (played CF)
#17 – Tanner Schobel (Wichita) – 1-for-4, HR(6), R, 2 RBI, BB, K. (played 2B)
#19 – Carson McCusker (St. Paul) – 0-for-4, K (played LF)
#20 – Ricardo Olivar (Wichita) – 1-for-3, BB (played LF)

FRIDAY PITCHING PROBABLES
Minnesota @ Seattle (9:10 PM CT) – RHP Zebby Matthews (0-1, 7.71 ERA)
St. Paul @ Omaha (6:35 PM CT) – RHP Andrew Morris (2-1, 3.80 ERA)
Tulsa @ Wichita (7:05 PM CT) – LHP Christian MacLeod (0-1, 1.06 ERA)
Lake County @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 PM CT) – RHP Ty Langenberg (0-3, 8.28 ERA)
Bradenton @ Fort Myers (6:05 PM CT) – RHP Jason Doktorczyk (2-1, 4.55 ERA)
FCL Red Sox @ FCL Twins (11:00 AM CT) – TBD  

Please feel free to ask questions about the teams, the rosters, and discuss Thursday’s games, or anything else Twins minor-league related!


Interested in learning more about the Minnesota Twins’ top prospects? Check out our comprehensive top prospects list that includes up-to-date stats, articles and videos about every prospect, scouting reports, and more!

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HBCU Olympic Gold Medalist Returns After Three-Year Ban

After three years away from competition, Randolph Ross is set to return to the track. The former HBCU standout and Olympic Gold Medalist from North Carolina A&T will compete in the men’s 400 meters on Sunday at the Meeting International de Marseille in France. The event is part of the World Athletics Continental Tour (bronze […]

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After three years away from competition, Randolph Ross is set to return to the track. The former HBCU standout and Olympic Gold Medalist from North Carolina A&T will compete in the men’s 400 meters on Sunday at the Meeting International de Marseille in France. The event is part of the World Athletics Continental Tour (bronze level) and marks his first race since receiving a suspension in 2022.

A Star Born at an HBCU

Ross, now 24, was once one of the brightest young talents in American track. While competing for North Carolina A&T, he became a two-time NCAA champion and helped the United States win gold in the 4×400-meter relay at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. He trained under his father, former Olympian Duane Ross, and together they turned A&T into one of the most dominant HBCU track programs in history.

The Suspension That Changed Everything

That success came to an abrupt stop in July 2022. The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) suspended Ross just before the World Championships in Oregon. The reason: three “whereabouts failures” within a 12-month span. These failures meant that officials were unable to locate him for required drug testing.

Later that year, the AIU made the suspension official. Randolph Ross was banned for three years, and the penalty included an added charge of “tampering.” During the investigation, he admitted to altering the date on a confirmation email related to his testing location. This misstep, while not a failed drug test, was treated as a serious violation.

A Complicated Timeline

In an interview with Track & Field News, Ross accepted full responsibility. “The whole thing came down to being my fault,” he said. However, he also expressed concern about how heavily administrative errors were punished. Ross explained that the missed tests occurred during a hectic period of his life. He competed at nationals, moved from North Carolina to Tennessee, and was preparing to transfer schools.

The first missed test happened in April 2022, when Ross forgot to update his location ahead of a meet in Gainesville, Florida. The second came during the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Oregon, where he defended his 400m title. Ross argued that anti-doping officials could have located him at the meet, but noted that the rules still required formal updates through an app.

The third failure was more complex. Randolph Ross had moved to Knoxville, Tennessee, but the AIU still visited his old address in Greensboro. While USADA had updated information, the AIU did not. In an attempt to explain the mix-up, Ross submitted a screenshot of an automatically generated email, but changed the date on it. That change triggered the tampering charge.

HBCU Randolph Ross North Carolina A&T track
The Impact of the Ban

The AIU treated the missed tests and altered email as a single violation. Because Ross admitted fault and cooperated fully, the original four-year penalty was reduced to three. Still, the ban had significant consequences. Ross lost his spot on the U.S. team, his college eligibility, and a likely professional contract. He also missed the chance to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

During his suspension, Ross completed his finance degree at North Carolina A&T and began studying for a real estate license. He continued to train, though restrictions prevented him from working with USATF-affiliated coaches or athletes. One exception allowed him to continue training with his father due to their family connection.

A Measured Return

Now, as of July 1, Ross is eligible to compete again. Sunday’s race in Marseille will be his first test back. The result will be closely watched—not just because of the controversy that preceded it, but because of what it represents: the return of an HBCU athlete who once ran one of the fastest 400m times in history, and appeared poised for global stardom.





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Blue Mountain grad Myah Conway to play professional volleyball – Pottsville Republican Herald

Myah Conway, a 2021 Blue Mountain grad recently signed to play professional Volleyball in Sweden. The Right Side hitter had a strong four years at Old Dominion University, an tallied 369 kills in her senior year, which ranked second in the Sun Belt conference. Conway also was named All-Second Team Sun Belt. Myah Conway (SUBMITTED) […]

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Myah Conway, a 2021 Blue Mountain grad recently signed to play professional Volleyball in Sweden.

The Right Side hitter had a strong four years at Old Dominion University, an tallied 369 kills in her senior year, which ranked second in the Sun Belt conference. Conway also was named All-Second Team Sun Belt.

Myah Conway (SUBMITTED)
Myah Conway (SUBMITTED)

“I feel very proud in high school and college, I didn’t think playing professional volleyball would be an option for me,” said Conway.

“I am very lucky and grateful that I am able to continue playing the sport that I love. I can’t imagine stopping playing right now. I hope to play as long as I can.”

The former Lady Eagle signed to join Linkopings Volleyboll Club, who is a part of the Elitserien Volleyboll league in Sweden. Conway is represented by Athletes Abroad Management.

“After talking to the coaches, I thought it was the perfect place to start my professional career and just to develop more as a player,” Conway said.

Conway has never been to Sweden, but has done a lot of research on the country prior to her arrival.

To get the contract, Conway worked a lot with her coaches at Old Dominion who had connections at the professional level. Conway also did a lot of research herself before finding an agency.

Conway said she is always thankful for her time at Blue Mountain and will never forget it.

Conway shined for the Lady Eagles. She was a three-time All-State honoree, and finished her career with 850 kills, 570 digs and 220 assists. She was also named to the Under Armour All-America watch list as a junior and a senior.

“I loved Blue Mountain, especially after not having Volleyball in middle school,” Conway said.  “That was the first place where I saw myself grow. I made so many friends that I still cherish. The coaches there I really love helped me become the player I am getting into the college level.”

Conway wants to be the person the young players in Schuylkill County can look up to and offered some words of advice.

“Reach out, don’t be shy, talk to as many coaches as you can,” she said. “You have to put your name out there. It’s your job to do your work and get that exposure.”

Conway will leave for Sweden at the end of August. She said she is excited to meet new people and see the culture and the country.

When she arrives in Sweden, she has some goals for herself as a player.

“I want to grow as a player, “ she said. “I feel like I haven’t reached my peak yet. I want to see how far I can really go with this sport.”



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Young water polo players reach the semifinals of the European Championship

The U16 water polo team of Montenegro missed a great chance to qualify for the finals of the European Championship. Đorđe Radošević’s team lost to Italy 13:12 in the semifinals – it could have been different, because our team missed many opportunities. The winning goal for the “azurine” was scored by Antonio Chianeze with two […]

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The U16 water polo team of Montenegro missed a great chance to qualify for the finals of the European Championship.

Đorđe Radošević’s team lost to Italy 13:12 in the semifinals – it could have been different, because our team missed many opportunities.

The winning goal for the “azurine” was scored by Antonio Chianeze with two minutes and 40 seconds left, and Montenegro then wasted two attacks with a player more…

Italy had a plus two on several occasions, our team did not give up and managed to equalize through Danilo Roganović halfway through the last quarter.

Later, great excitement was seen, the Italians were happier and more skillful.

Roganović led the Montenegrin team with five goals, Andrej Durutović scored two, and Luka Cerović, Luka Popović, Luka Dragović, Danilo Savović and Dimitrije Milić each scored one.

Montenegro will fight for bronze in Istanbul with the loser from tonight’s duel between Hungary and Croatia.


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Charges upgraded against former Crystal Lake South HS dean, Prairie Ridge volleyball coach in DUI crash involving children

Hilary Agnello, 43, of Crystal Lake, who was employed by School District 155 as a dean at Crystal Lake South High School and as the girls head volleyball coach at Prairie Ridge High School, was arrested on May 9 for allegedly driving under the influence and causing a crash with injuries in Crystal Lake. | […]

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Hilary Agnello, 43, of Crystal Lake, who was employed by School District 155 as a dean at Crystal Lake South High School and as the girls head volleyball coach at Prairie Ridge High School, was arrested on May 9 for allegedly driving under the influence and causing a crash with injuries in Crystal Lake. | Provided Photos

Felony charges have now been filed against a former Crystal Lake South High School dean and Prairie Ridge High School coach who was arrested for driving under the influence and causing an injury crash with children in the car.

The Crystal Lake Police Department and Crystal Lake Fire Rescue Department responded around 9:15 p.m. on May 9 to the intersection of Route 31 and Three Oaks Road for a vehicle crash with injuries.

Crystal Lake Deputy Police Chief Thomas Kotlowski said at the time that the investigation showed the at-fault driver in the crash was Hilary Agnello, 43, of Crystal Lake.

Agnello was suspected to be under the influence of alcohol at the time and arrested by officers, Kotlowski said.

Kotlowski said at least two people were transported by ambulance from the crash with minor injuries.

Agnello had two juveniles in the vehicle with her, Kotlowski added.

Agnello was initially charged with driving under the influence, two counts of child endangerment, operating an uninsured motor vehicle and failure to reduce speed to avoid a crash.

On Thursday, the McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office upgraded the charges against her when a grand jury returned an indictment charging her with four counts of aggravated driving under the influence with a passenger under 16, two counts of aggravated driving under the influence with a passenger under 16 resulting in a crash, two counts of aggravated driving under the influence causing a crash with bodily harm, two counts of child endangerment, failure to reduce speed to avoid a crash and illegal transportation of alcohol by a driver.

The most serious charges against her are Class 2 felonies.

A criminal complaint filed in McHenry County Circuit Court said the two children in Agnello’s car were ages 12 and 14.

An officer noted in a report that Agnello’s speech was thick-tongued and she had an odor of alcoholic beverage emitting from her breathing and field sobriety testing showed further signs of impairment.

The report said Agnello refused to submit to or failed to complete testing, resulting in a minimum 12-month suspension of her driving privileges.

Kotlowski said Agnello refused to submit to blood alcohol testing and a search warrant was obtained for blood samples, which were sent to the lab for analysis.

Agnell was one of the deans at Crystal Lake South High School in District 155. She was also the girls volleyball head coach at Prairie Ridge High School in Prairie Grove, which is also in District 155.

She has since been removed from the district’s website as being one of the deans. It is unclear if she remains active as the girls volleyball head coach.

Agnello was released from custody following her arrest in May and is scheduled to appear in court again on July 22 to be arraigned on the new charges.

Court records show Agnell has a prior driving under the influence violation from 2017 and also has numerous traffic violations in McHenry County, including one where she fled the scene of a crash involving a parked vehicle last year.



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More Hawai‘i history set to be made in 2025 MLB Draft

In 1985, University of Hawai‘i pitcher Mike Campbell was selected with the seventh overall pick of the MLB Draft by the Seattle Mariners. Later in that same draft, ‘Iolani alumnus and 6-foot-9 University of California righty Dave Masters was taken 24th overall by the Chicago Cubs. It was the first and only time two players […]

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In 1985, University of Hawai‘i pitcher Mike Campbell was selected with the seventh overall pick of the MLB Draft by the Seattle Mariners. Later in that same draft, ‘Iolani alumnus and 6-foot-9 University of California righty Dave Masters was taken 24th overall by the Chicago Cubs. It was the first and only time two players with Hawai‘i ties were selected in the first round in the same MLB Draft.

Forty years later, a new type of history is set to be made regarding players from the Islands in the MLB Draft.

Saint Louis alumnus Aiva Arquette and Baldwin alum Wehiwa Aloy are both poised to become first round selections when the 2025 MLB Draft gets underway on Sunday at noon HST. The duo would become the first from Hawai‘i high schools to do so.

Arquette and Aloy both had stellar seasons in the spring, leading their respective college teams to the College World Series in June.

Following his senior season at Saint Louis, Arquette was taken in the 18th round of the 2022 MLB Draft but instead chose to play collegiately at the University of Washington. After two years with the Huskies, Arquette entered the NCAA transfer portal and transferred to Oregon State, where he slugged 19 home runs while committing just six errors as the team’s starting shortstop. All the while, his .354 batting average led the Beavers.

Aloy began his collegiate career at Sacramento State. After earning Freshman All-American honors, he entered the transfer portal and played the final two seasons of his collegiate baseball career at the University of Arkansas.

In 2025, Aloy took home the Golden Spikes Award, given annually to the country’s top amateur baseball player. He started all 65 games for the Razorbacks in 2025, hitting 21 home runs with a .350 batting average.

Although Aloy was awarded college baseball’s top individual honor, the 6-foot-5 Arquette is viewed as the slightly better pro prospect. Arquette is viewed as a Top 10 pick, while Aloy is also expected to be off the board by the time the first round ends.

The 2025 MLB Draft begins on Sunday with rounds 1-3 and wraps up on Monday with rounds 4-20 beginning at 5:30 a.m. HST. Although Arquette and Aloy are viewed as Hawai‘i’s headliners in the draft, a handful of other names remain on the radar for teams making selections.

Not far behind Arquette and Aloy as a prospect is Saint Louis shortstop and 2025 Hawai‘i Gatorade Player of the Year Bruin Agbayani. Although he signed a scholarship agreement with the University of Michigan, he is likely to get selected within the first five rounds.

Throughout various showcases and tournaments, Agbayani’s bat has proven to travel well. He turned heads in June’s MLB Combine in Arizona, stacking up hits against some of the top arms in the country.

‘Iolani senior Mana Lau Kong signed with the University of Hawai‘i, but there’s also a chance he doesn’t make it campus after being monitored by various MLB organizations.

With the increasing amount of pro scouts taking in regular season high school baseball games in Hawai‘i, the two that appeared to receive the most interest from pro scouts in 2025 were Kamehameha’s Elai Iwanaga and Kaiser’s Bryson Toner. Iwanaga is set to play collegiately at UCLA, while Toner will play at Loyola Marymount if he does not go pro this summer.

Mililani senior shortstop Malosi Mata’afa-Alferos also received pro looks over the course of his high school career, though he is considered more likely to move on to the University of Oregon in the fall rather than turn professional.

In the local collegiate baseball scene, Hawai‘i Pacific University’s Bronson Rivera caught the attention of scouts with his 2025 season in which he hit a program record 19 home runs while maintaining a .377 batting average.

As for the University of Hawai‘i, sophomore Itsuki Takemoto is viewed as the program’s top draft-eligible prospect. Utility player Ben Zeigler-Namoa has received pro interest dating back to his days as a junior college player at Yavapai College in Arizona, and his passion for the game has been lauded by scouts.

Matthew Miura, Jordan Donahue, Jared Quandt and Kamana Nahaku are other draft-eligible names for UH that have previously received pro interest.

For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up here for our free Daily Edition newsletter.

Christian Shimabuku can be reached at christian@alohastatedaily.com.



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Club interested in Alachua County sports center after operator removed

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (WCJB) – Owners of the Gainesville Juniors Volleyball Club are hoping now is their chance to become a tenant at the Alachua County Sports and Events Center as the county looks for a new operator. Club directors Stephanie Wyatt and Joe Deluca say this move would not only help the center with revenue, […]

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GAINESVILLE, Fla. (WCJB) – Owners of the Gainesville Juniors Volleyball Club are hoping now is their chance to become a tenant at the Alachua County Sports and Events Center as the county looks for a new operator.

Club directors Stephanie Wyatt and Joe Deluca say this move would not only help the center with revenue, but also help them serve more families in a bigger building.

They say they currently serve around 350 to 400 families, and want to be a positive, stabilizing force at the sports center during the transition to a new operator.

They are willing to pour in more than $275,000 of direct revenue in one year.

County commissioners voted unanimously to find CP Event Center Operations, L.L.C., a subsidiary of Viking Companies, in default of more than $500,000 in unpaid special assessments.

RELATED: Alachua County Commission boots Celebration Pointe sports center operator over contract issues

Now, county leaders are developing a plan to run it themselves or find a new long-term operator.

“Gives us the opportunity to bring in regional events, volleyball events, that will meet the needs of our community and all of our athletes,“ shared Club Director Stephanie Wyatt. ”But more than that, if we have more space, we can meet the needs of underserved communities or athletes and families in the community.”

Subcontractor RADD Sports sent a letter to the county defending its role, stating it had consistently performed in good faith and covered unpaid management fees to keep the facility running.

RELATED: RADD Sports defends role in letter amid Alachua County Sports and Event Center shakeup

The current operators are only allowed to run the center through the end of September.

“They were not willing to consider us to be part of the facility,” said Club Director Joe DeLuca. “It’s crucial for a variety of reasons: financially, the location of the facility, and as Stephanie has pointed out, the present structure we are in, our lease agreement expires in 9 months.”

Deluca hopes this time they won’t be turned down like they have been in recent years.

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