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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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3 months ago

May 30, 2025

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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!

View Twins Top Prospects

Sports

2025 Harvard vs Claremont M-S – Men’s – Water Polo – News

Event Info Here’s how to watch the 2025 Harvard vs Claremont M-S – Men’s – Water Polo broadcast on FloSwimming. The 2025 Harvard vs Claremont M-S – Men’s – Water Polo broadcast starts on Sep 14, 2025. Stream or cast from your desktop, mobile or TV. Now available on Roku, Fire TV, Chromecast and Apple […]

Published

56 minutes ago

August 14, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Event Info

Here’s how to watch the 2025 Harvard vs Claremont M-S – Men’s – Water Polo broadcast on FloSwimming. The 2025 Harvard vs Claremont M-S – Men’s – Water Polo broadcast starts on Sep 14, 2025. Stream or cast from your desktop, mobile or TV. Now available on Roku, Fire TV, Chromecast and Apple TV. Don’t forget to download the FloSports app on iOS or Android! If you can’t watch live, catch up with the replays! Video footage from the event will be archived and stored in a video library for FloSwimming subscribers to watch for the duration of their subscription.

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The Big West Women’s Soccer Notebook: Opening Whistle Awaits Teams This Week

What 2 Watch 4 – The wait is over…our 2025 Big West women’s soccer season is here! All 11 squads are ready to take the pitch during an action-packed opening week. 2024 regular-season champion and preseason favorite Hawai’i wastes no time diving into a marquee matchup, heading to Southern California to battle rival Long […]

Published

2 hours ago

August 14, 2025

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What 2 Watch 4

– The wait is over…our 2025 Big West women’s soccer season is here! All 11 squads are ready to take the pitch during an action-packed opening week.

2024 regular-season champion and preseason favorite Hawai’i wastes no time diving into a marquee matchup, heading to Southern California to battle rival Long Beach State in a non-conference contest on opening day. The Rainbow Wahine took the last meeting 1-0, with Tatum Porter’s late strike sealing the win in last year’s regular-season finale. From there, UH heads to face (RV) Pepperdine, while the Beach will test themselves against No. 19 Texas at George Allen Field.

The ranked showdowns continue when UC San Diego and Cal State Fullerton will each welcome (RV) California on Aug. 14 and Aug. 17, setting the stage for early-season statements. A new-look Cal Poly program takes on (RV) BYU on Monday, Aug. 18, for a primetime home opener at Mustang Memorial Field.

Defending conference champion UC Santa Barbara kicks off its season at Harder Stadium against LMU.

– A total of 15 matches are set to air live on ESPN+ this week. Please check the listings online below watch your favorite Big West squad in action!

2025 Big West Women’s Soccer Schedule

New Faces of The Big West

– The Big West welcomes a new crop of leaders around the conference during the 2025-26 season. A trio of programs has welcomed new head coaches with Cal State Bakersfield, UC Davis, and UC Riverside, while Cal Poly kept its hire within the league.

The Roadrunners welcome Whitney Pitalo, who most recently served as the First Assistant Coach at Boston College, aiding the Eagles to a 12-5-2 overall record and the team’s best finish in the American Coastal Conference (ACC) since 2018. CSUB earned its first pair of victories in the Big West Championship last season, before being narrowly edged in the Final in penalty kicks.

Kat Mertz joins the Aggies after orchestrating a program-changing run as head coach at NCAA Division II MSU Denver, posting a 39-20-19 overall record and a 28-12-8 mark in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) action over four seasons. UCD capped off 2024 with the best regular season record in the league at 13-5-2 and earned the No. 2 seed in the Championship behind a 6-2-2 performance in conference play.

Mike Dibbini will now be the new manager of the Highlander. Dibbini brings nearly two decades of collegiate head coaching experience to UC Riverside, boasting a career record of 303-176-52 (.619). Most recently, he built Kansas State University’s women’s soccer program from the ground up, leading the Wildcats since their 2016 debut and steering them to multiple milestones, including a Big 12 Championship appearance in 2022.

Bernardo Silva will now take the reins at Cal Poly, succeeding Alex Crozier, who led the Mustangs since the program’s inception in 1991. After leading CSUB for two seasons, he set multiple Big West program records and guided the Roadrunners to their best conference finish in history. A former Mustang assistant (2013-16), Silva compiled an 11-20-9 overall record and 6-8-6 Big West mark while coaching the ‘Runners.

2025 USCA Division I Players to Watch

– A total of four standout Big West student athletes have been chosen to the United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division I Women’s Players to Watch list.

The listings are compiled and released by the Division I All-America Committees to promote college soccer leading up to the official start date for the regular season later this month. Honorees include United Soccer Coaches All-Americans and All-Region players from 2024 who are scheduled to return for the 2025 season.

Isabella Cruz	Senior	Midfielder	Cal State Fullerton
Nalani Damacion	Sophomore	Midfielder	Hawai’i
Genavieve Fontes	R-Senior	Midfielder	UC Davis
Kennedy Justin	Sophomore	Goalkeeper	Hawai’i

Superwoman

– Isabella Cruz of Cal State Fullerton has been selected as one of The Big West’s pair of 2025 NCAA Woman of the Year conference nominees.

Each year, NCAA member schools nominate graduating female student-athletes who have distinguished themselves on and off the field of play. From there, the NCAA Woman of the Year selection process narrows the pool to the Top 30 honorees—10 from each division—before selecting three finalists from each division. The award recipient is chosen by the NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics and honored at the NCAA Convention.

A second-generation Latina and standout student-athlete, Cruz has exemplified excellence both on and off the field. She completed her bachelor’s degree in communications in just 2.5 years, graduating summa cum laude with a 3.9 GPA, and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in professional communications while competing in her final season of NCAA eligibility. As a team captain for the CSUF women’s soccer program, she has led with integrity, building a team culture centered on inclusivity, support, and growth.

Beyond athletics, she serves as her team’s representative on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), advocating for the student-athlete experience across campus. Her commitment to service is evident through her volunteer work with Football for Her, campus engagement efforts like promoting voter participation, and community-driven initiatives such as food drives and holiday gift collections.

In addition to her academic and service contributions, Cruz has gained hands-on experience in sports marketing as an intern with Orange County Soccer Club, and currently serves as the social media manager for Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA), using digital storytelling to foster connection and purpose.

International Action

– Cal State Bakersfield senior Catalina Roggerone has once again been called up to the Argentina Women’s National Team, making the midfielder’s second appearance in 2025. The Mendoza, Argentina native helped the squad reach the semifinals and secure a podium finish, placing third overall in a major international tournament.

Preseason Prognostics

-Hawai’i has been selected as the preseason favorite to capture the 2025 Big West women’s soccer title, as voted on by the league’s 11 head coaches. Four teams received at least one first-place vote on the preseason poll.

The Rainbow Wahine, who finished 12-8-1 overall with an 8-1-1 record in conference play last season, earned 88 points and six first-place votes to claim the top spot after earning their first-ever Big West regular-season championship.

Defending tournament champion UC Santa Barbara (8-6-9, 4-2-4 BW) ranks second with 84 points and three first-place selections, followed closely by UC Irvine (6-7-6, 4-2-4 BW) with 81 points and one first-place nod. Long Beach State (6-9-3, 3-5-2 BW) collected 74 points and a first-place vote to land in fourth, while Cal State Fullerton sits just behind in fifth at 73 points.

Cal Poly (5-11-3, 3-6-1) finished sixth in the voting at 53 points, followed by UC San Diego (3-12-4, 1-6-3 BQ) in seventh with 42 points, and UC Davis’s (13-5-2, 6-2-2 BW) 37 points placed the Aggies in eighth. Cal State Bakersfield (8-10-5, 4-3-3 BW) and CSUN (5-11-3, 3-4-3 BW) are knotted at No. 9 with 27 points as UC Riverside (2-13-4, 0-6-4 BW) rounds out the 2025 preseason coaches’ poll.

Coaches also voted on an 11-member Preseason All-Big West Team featuring standout student-athletes from across the conference. Cal State Fullerton and Hawai’i led the way with both squads having a pair of representatives on the team.

The Big West unveiled its 11-member Preseason All-Conference Team, as voted on by league head coaches. The list features top returning talent from across the conference, with Cal State Fullerton and Hawai’i leading all programs with two selections each.

Representing the Titans are forward Isabella Cruz and defender Kaylin Raibon, who finished second and third in team scoring last season.

Preseason favorite Hawai’i places midfielder Nalani Damacion, the 2024 Big West Freshman of the Year, and forward Amber Gilbert on the squad. Last season, Damacion notched seven goals, including five game-winners, while Gilbert was a consistent threat up top in 17 starts.

The preseason list also includes Cal State Bakersfield’s standout goalkeeper Kamy Anaya, who helped lead the Roadrunners to their first Big West Final in program history with a .770 save percentage. Long Beach State forward Cherrie Cox returns to the pitch after claiming the 2023 Big West Offensive Player of the Year accolade behind a 13-goal campaign.

UC Davis forward Genavieve Fontes, the league’s top scorer last season with 11 goals, earns a spot alongside UC Santa Barbara’s forward Devin Greer, who tallied 10 goals en route to 2024 Freshman of the Year honors.

Jessie Halladay led the Mustangs as a forward with 11 points in 2024, while Mihaela Perez of UC Irvine helped anchor a defense that recorded five clean sheets in 19 starts. Midfielder Yoshi Rubalcava rounds out the 2025 preseason team as CSUN’s representative after posting career-highs in both goals (5) and points (12) a year ago.

The 2025 Big West Women’s Soccer Championship is set to begin on Sunday, Nov. 2, with first-round matches hosted by the No. 3 and No. 4 seeds, who will face the No. 6 and No. 5 seeds, respectively. From there, our semifinals and the title match will take place at the home venue of the 2025 regular-season champion and No. 1 seed. Semifinal action is slated for Thursday, Nov. 6, with the Championship Final set for Sunday, Nov. 9. The winner will earn the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Women’s Soccer Championship.

Action across The Big West kicks off this Thursday, Aug. 14, while league play commences Thursday, Sept. 18, with four matches on the docket, kicking off a seven-week slate. Each side will play five home matches and have three bye dates throughout the Thursday-Sunday rotation, which concludes on Oct. 30.

2024 Postseason Rewind

– No. 3 seed UC Santa Barbara opened its postseason run with a 2-1 win over No. 6 seed Cal State Fullerton. Freshman standout Devin Greer led the way with a goal and an assist, including the game-winner in the 73rd minute.

In the later first-round match, No. 5 seed Cal State Bakersfield made history in their Big West Championship debut, upsetting three-time defending champion and No. 4 seed UC Irvine 1-0 behind Kamy Anaya’s eight-save shutout and Isis Salazar-Ortega’s 44th-minute strike.

The semifinals at Waipi’o Peninsula Soccer Stadium in O’ahu, brought more drama. UCSB edged No. 2 seed UC Davis 3-2 in double overtime thanks to Greer’s penalty kick to reach the title match for the first time since 2018, while CSUB stunned top-seeded and regular-season champion Hawai’i, 3-0, to reach their first-ever Big West Championship final in any sport, still without allowing a postseason goal.

In the Championship final, UCSB and CSUB battled to a stalemate before the Gauchos prevailed 8-7 in a penalty shootout to claim their third Big West title, all won via PKs. The victory sent UCSB to its 10th NCAA Division I Women’s Soccer Championship appearance.

From The Big West to the Big Leagues

– In January 2022, Long Beach State forward Lena Silano was selected 34th overall by the Washington Spirit in the third round of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) Draft.

Silano was the second straight player from the Beach to be drafted and is the fourth overall Big West student-athlete to hear their name called in the NWSL Draft. Former teammate, Kaitlin Fregulia, and 2x Big West Defensive Player of the Year (2017, 2021) was selected 12th overall to the North Carolina Courage as the highest draft pick in Big West Women’s Soccer history.

Silano won the 2022 Big West Offensive Player of the Year Award and has been an All-Big West selection twice (2021, 2022). The forward was also a member of the 2022 United Soccer Coaches All-West Region First Team.

Two months later, another alum of the Big West would have an opportunity to play in the NWSL as UC Irvine alum Scarlett Camberos was signed by Angel City FC (LA), marking her return to Southern California after spending time at Club América Femenil. The former Anteater scored 13 goals and notched seven assists during her senior season.

Another monumental moment for the conference occurred during the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, while Quinley Quezada represented UC Riverside and the Big West on the biggest stage while playing for the Philippines. The squad suffered a 2-0 defeat versus Switzerland in the first group stage before winning its first-ever World Cup match against New Zealand, 1-0 on July 25, 2023. However, the Philippines fell in its final group match to Norway, 6-0.

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The UNLV Rebels have Hired Brooke Koblitz as an Assistant Coach.

The UNLV Rebels Track and Field program has hired Brooke Koblitz as an assistant coach. She specializes more specifically in long-distance and cross-country. The team announced that she’d be joining the staff on Wednesday. Head coach Carmelita Jeter said she’s excited to have Koblitz on board in Las Vegas. “I’m very excited to add Brooke […]

Published

2 hours ago

August 14, 2025

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“I’m very excited to add Brooke to our Rebel family,” said Carmelita. “Brooke has the knowledge, grit and grind from competing in the SEC as a collegiate student-athlete and understands what it takes to be the best. At her prior institution, she helped the program achieve goals with the same mindset we have here, Brick by Brick, along with building the ladies’ confidence not only for the sport, but for life. I’m very excited to see how her energy, passion, and competitiveness will inspire these ladies to reach their personal best and maintain a positive mindset.”

Welcome to the 702! Assistant Coach Brooke Koblitz officially joins the staff 🎰

🗞️ https://t.co/fTSpJwT1Qy#BrickBy🧱 #BEaREBEL pic.twitter.com/la7OQwH3wL

— UNLV Track & Field/Cross Country (@unlvtfxc) August 13, 2025

Prior to joining the Rebels, Koblitz had spent the past three years as an assistant track and field cross country coach at Trevecca Nazarene in Nashville, Tennessee. Before coaching at Trevecca Nazarene in 2022, she started up the program and coached at Nolensville High School in Georgia in 2016. She is a Georgia native from Alpharetta and also ran track herself for the Georgia Bulldogs. While with the Bulldogs, she ran in the 800m, 1500m, and mile while also competing in cross country. That includes competing in an SEC Championship as a senior.

At Centennial High School, she was a three-sport athlete and lettered in all three. The sports were track and field, cross country, and basketball. She was a state champion in the 1600m.

In addition to coaching, she has also worked as a track and field official through Vanderbilt University. She has been doing that since 2017. During her time as an official, she has officiated indoor events, including various Vanderbilt Indoor Invitationals, the SEC Indoor Championships, and the TSSAA State Indoor Championships.

The addition of Koblitz should bring experience to the program that she can share with the current Rebels cross country runners. This should be an exciting season for UNLV, who hope to compete at the highest level in 2025 – 2026 and win the Mountain West Conference. This team has shown potential and promise and hope to take that to the next level with the help of an impressive coaching staff and talented young athletes.

More UNLV Rebels On SI News

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8 storylines to follow in the 2025 college volleyball season

The 2025 college volleyball season is right around the corner. Here are my top storylines for this season. 1. Can Penn State go back-to-back in its new era? Penn State ended last season back on top of college volleyball in a new era under Katie Schumacher-Cawley. We know the Nittany Lions had the biggest volleyball […]

Published

3 hours ago

August 14, 2025

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The 2025 college volleyball season is right around the corner. Here are my top storylines for this season.

1. Can Penn State go back-to-back in its new era?

Penn State ended last season back on top of college volleyball in a new era under Katie Schumacher-Cawley. We know the Nittany Lions had the biggest volleyball dynasty with four national titles in a row from 2007 to 2010. Now they bring in one of the best players in the country and look to rebuild while staying on top.

Penn State Volleyball, 2024 National Champions

2. Big expectations for Big Red

Nebraska heads into the season at the No. 1 spot, looking like the most dangerous lineup in the country. With a new head coach in Dani Busboom Kelly, can they live up to the hype? There are a lot of high hopes and expectations with one of the most talented lineups.

alllll the angles from our fav red-white rally 🎥 #GBR pic.twitter.com/TM7vE8o8Gn

— Nebraska Volleyball (@HuskerVB) August 12, 2025

3. New season, new rosters

Multiple teams got an entirely new look in the transfer portal — the season is going to start fast and strong. It will be interesting to see how the rosters with players from all over the country gel with one another.

SEE MORE OFF-SEASON CHANGES: Transfer portal recap

4. Marquee matchups in the first few weeks

We have incredible nonconference tournaments this year for the first time. So many top-10 matchups, top-25 matchups right out of the gates. Many of the top-10 teams. Many of the top-10 teams will probably have early records that will look a lot different than years past.

OPEN SEASON: Check out the who, when and where kicking off the 2025 season

5. Restored and revamped rivalries

It feels like we have some new fun matchups to keep an eye on, or old rivalries that have an added flair. With the rise of Texas A&M after last year’s run, that Texas vs. Texas A&M rivalry seems even more fun this year. How about Louisville vs. Kentucky — new stars on both teams. Then there’s Kentucky and Texas fighting for the top of the SEC. Or how about Penn State and Nebraska after the reverse sweep in the semifinals and as the preseason No. 1 and No. 2 teams. That one feels like it has some added value this season as well.

6. New portal additions projected to push UCLA toward the top

There is a lot of preseason talk about UCLA rebuilding from the portal. The Bruins have four national championships, but three were in the ’90s. This rebuild could be a push to bring UCLA back to the forefront of college volleyball.

𝐖𝐞𝐥𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐖𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐰𝐨𝐨𝐝, 𝐏𝐊! ✍️

The talented middle blocker with National Championship experience is officially in the Blue and Gold!#GoBruins pic.twitter.com/IbYjtlZes8

— UCLA Women’s Volleyball (@UCLAWomensVB) January 15, 2025

7. Fresh faces at the helm of college volleyball

We have some new coaching eras beginning in 2025. Multiple legendary head coaches stepped down after 2024: John Cook, Ray Bechard, Mary Wise and more. We will embark on the new eras of Dani Busboom Kelly at Nebraska, Matt Ulmer at Kansas and Dan Meske at Louisville to name a few. 2025 feels like the start of a new era.

8. Who’s the next big name?

And finally: Who will emerge as superstars this season? Last year graduated a lot of very big shoes to fill, and we have high profile youngsters and freshmen to look forward to seeing on the court this season. Last year we saw names like Izzy Starck, a freshman, go on to win the national title. Who will be big-time this year? We have highly touted recruits like Abby Vander Wal at Texas or players like Stella Swenson at Minnesota who didn’t play last year.

So many question marks for this season — and what I feel like is the one of the most highly anticipated college volleyball seasons yet. .

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Olympian Alex Obert Becomes First Men’s Water Polo GM at Pacific

Published

3 hours ago

August 14, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Alex Obert has been appointed as the first-ever General Manager for men’s water polo at the University of the Pacific, marking a significant milestone in collegiate water polo. Obert is a three-time Olympian who graduated in 2016 with an engineering degree and brings a wealth of experience, including a bronze medal from the 2024 Olympics and multiple championships in international competition. His return to Pacific, under head coach James Graham’s leadership, is aimed at enhancing the program’s performance through a data-driven approach.

By the Numbers

2024 Olympic Games (Paris) – Bronze Medalist
2015 and 2019 Pan American Games – Gold Medalist

State of Play

This role is the first of its kind in U.S. collegiate men’s water polo.
Pacific’s 2025 season opens on August 30 in Providence, Rhode Island.

What’s Next

With Obert’s appointment, anticipate new strategies focusing on data analysis and athlete development as the men’s water polo team aims for greater success in upcoming competitions.

Bottom Line

Obert’s combination of athletic excellence and professional insight is poised to elevate Pacific’s water polo program, potentially changing the landscape of collegiate sports management.

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Army West Point volleyball trains at Fort Indiantown Gap

Army West Point’s women’s volleyball team prepared for its season at Fort Indiantown Gap, blending volleyball and Army culture. LEBANON COUNTY, Pa. — Army West Point’s women’s volleyball team found a new home in Pennsylvania this preseason. The Black Knights hit the road, spending the weeks leading up to their first match at Fort Indiantown […]

Published

4 hours ago

August 14, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Army West Point’s women’s volleyball team prepared for its season at Fort Indiantown Gap, blending volleyball and Army culture.

LEBANON COUNTY, Pa. — Army West Point’s women’s volleyball team found a new home in Pennsylvania this preseason.

The Black Knights hit the road, spending the weeks leading up to their first match at Fort Indiantown Gap.

“It’s a great honor to host them,” said Fort Indiantown Gap garrison commander Col. Kevin Potts. “We’re a premier asset here for Pennsylvania and the National Guard itself, so having people come and utilize that [is] just a big boon for us.”

The goal for the Black Knights was to get away from the chaos of the Academy while still surrounding themselves with the culture of the Army.

“The people make this place incredible,” Army West Point’s head volleyball coach, Alma Kovaci Lee, said. “We have everything we need to have a great preseason, and I think it’s really important that we conduct our training in places where it matters. Being in Fort Indiantown Gap, we not only get volleyball, but [we get] the Army side as well.”

The team even found time for some cool experiences to help break up the hours of training each day.

“We got to go up in Blackhawks the other day with our team, which was incredible,” said senior outside hitter Norah Shattan.

Kovaci Lee added that the team has “been able to hangout together, have a campfire [and] enjoy getting to know each other — something that we can’t get in an Academy.”

When it was time to practice, however, it was the team’s serving as an escape for the service members at Fort Indiantown Gap.

“It’s something different. They can come in and catch an hour or two of them doing practice here in the morning and afternoon,” said Potts. “People could come in and hang out, watch and see what they do and how hard they train.”

The team is representing a different side of the Army.

Shattan said the athletes “have this connection at a broader level than just as a cadet that we normally see. It’s cool that we can represent the Army playing our sport that we love.”

Potts added that the girls help provide the recognition that “the Army is not just being in the field with a weapon, fighting the fight. It’s also all the things that go around that. It’s all the sporting events that go on, all the esprit de corps that goes on [and] all the camaraderie.”

As the team wraps up its preseason at Fort Indiantown Gap, its preparing to open its season on the road at NC State on Aug. 29.

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