Sports

Obituary

Published

4 months ago

August 16, 2025

RIP to Félix Torres, a Puerto Rico native who spent three seasons as a third baseman for the Los Angeles Angels in the 1960s. He died at the age of 93 on August 8. Torres played for the Angels from 1962-1964.

Félix Torres was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico, on May 1, 1932. He made his U.S. debut in professional baseball in 1955 at the age of 23, but he had made a name for himself in his home country before then. An article at Beisbol 101 by radio broadcaster Angel Juarbe de Jesus gives some of Torres’ early history. He played for the minor-league champion Juana Diaz Poets in 1953 and was the hitting star of the Puerto Rican team that played in the Amateur Baseball World Series in Venezuela later that year. He batted .371 with a home run and 13 RBIs. Torres also reached the top ranks of the Puerto Rican winter league in 1953, appearing briefly with Ponce. He was named Rookie of the Year in 1954-55, batting .241 with 3 homers. In the summer of 1955, he played for the Douglas Trojans of the Class-D Georgia State League, which was part of the Cincinnati Reds organization. Torres was a little older than most of the other players in the league and a little more experienced, and he slashed .285/.360/.498. He hit 36 doubles and 17 home runs, drove in 88 runs and scored 101 times. It seemed like the ideal start to a career in the United States, but Torres played just 6 games for the Savannah Redlegs in 1956. A report on a July 6 game against Macon stated that Torres, playing shortstop, made 3 errors that accounted for all of Macon’s runs in a 3-2 win over Savannah. He had 2 hits in 18 at-bats, including a triple, and then he vanished from the box scores.

Source: *The Bayonne Times*, July 27, 1960.

What happened to Torres? Baseball Reference’s Bullpen page cites a 1963 Baseball Digest article about Torres. The ballplayer spoke no English and was subjected to racism while playing in the South, so he went home. A 1962 column by Mitch Chortkoff of The Daily Breeze (Torrance, CA) alleges that Torres’ dark skin was a problem for Savannah’s manager, former Cardinals infielder Jimmy Brown. It seems plausible that he left a bad situation quickly and went back to Puerto Rico, where his playing career in the Winter League was starting to take off. He didn’t return to the minors in the U.S. until 1960, but Beisbol 101 fills in some of the statistical gaps of Torres’ career. He was traded to Mayaguez in 1955-56, and while he sometimes struggled to hit for average, he had some good power. He hit .234 for Mayaguez in 1957-58 but homered 4 times and drove in 20 runs. He raised his batting average to .277 in 1958-59, with 5 home runs, and then he moved to Caguas in 1959-60 and batted .289 with 9 homers and 31 RBIs.

Torres returned to the Reds organization in 1960 and joined their International League affiliate, which happened to be the Havana Sugar Kings. Given the geographic makeup of the International League, it seems likely that Torres had an easier time than he did in Georgia. The IL’s teams were located along the East Coast, and the one team in the Deep South was in Miami, which barely counts as a Southern city. By early July, he had 14 home runs. The Sugar Kings were forced to leave Havana in July and relocate to Jersey City, as relations between the U.S. and the Castro regime in Cuba deteriorated. In spite of the turmoil, Torres hit .262 on the season with 18 homers, and then he followed that up with 13 home runs for Caguas in the Puerto Rican Winter League. He played for the Buffalo Bisons in 1961, which was the Phillies’ affiliate in the IL. I could not find the transaction that moved him from the Reds organization to the Phillies. He slammed 24 homers and finished second in the league with 97 RBIs. Buffalo moved into War Memorial Stadium in May, and the park had a 30-foot-tall screen in right field to make up for the short dimensions. Torres banged 3 hits off that steel screen in the first game at the stadium, ending the day with 3 doubles and a single. The Bisons had some bilingual players to help Torres communicate with the team, and he and his manager, Tennessee native Kerby Farrell, got on well. “He caught onto our signs pretty easily, but I’ll tell you one he doesn’t see much, and that’s the ‘take’ sign,” Farrell said. “I like to see him swish that bat. I knew from his play with Jersey City last year that he had a lot of power, but what has surprised me was how well he can field. He’s got a real good arm.”

Source: *Buffalo Courier Express*, May 15, 1961.

The Los Angeles Angels drafted Torres in the Rule 5 draft in November 1961. Torres was about 20 days shy of his 30th birthday when he made his major-league debut on Opening Day, April 10, 1962, against the White Sox. He went 0-for-4 and then sat on the bench for most of the next two weeks while the Angels tried veteran Eddie Yost and rookie Marlan Coughtry at third base. Torres didn’t start again until April 22, when he doubled off Jim Kaat for his first major-league hit. He became the everyday third baseman in May and hit well over .300 for a time. He slumped for a bit, but then he set an Angels team record with a 15-game hitting streak in June and July. Torres batted .429 during the streak and hit his first 3 major-league home runs. That performance seemed to solidify his spot in the lineup. “It took him a little time to settle down, but he looks like a player now,” said Angels manager Bill Rigney. “He’s developed confidence.” Days after his hitting streak was halted, Torres ended a 14-inning marathon between the Angels and the Baltimore Orioles with a bases-loaded walkoff single off reliever Dick Hall. It was his second RBI single of the game. Torres finished his rookie season with a .259/.306/.392 slash line in 127 games. He hit 11 homers and drove in 74 runs.

Torres’ successful first season came in spite of the fact that the Angels did nothing to help him acclimate to the team. There were no other native Spanish speakers on the team, so Torres couldn’t communicate with anyone, from his teammates to his coaches. The one saving grace was that roommate Leon Wagner had picked up a little Spanish from his time playing winter ball, so he was able to help Torres with a few phrases. “Felix’s situation is not new to me, and I appreciate his problem,” Wagner said. But he couldn’t watch Torres all the time. On one occasion, Torres slept through a wake-up call and showed up at Yankee Stadium 10 minutes before the start of the game. “It doesn’t do any good to leave a wake-up call for him,” Wagner said. “He doesn’t know what the operator is talking about.” Late in the season, the Angels promoted pitcher Julio Navarro to the majors. Navarro, like Torres, was Puerto Rican, though he was bilingual. “Maybe they brought me up as an interpreter,” he joked.

Since he came to the majors so late in his career, Torres’ legs were already bothering him in his sophomore season of 1963. It probably didn’t help that he has essentially been playing baseball year-round for most of his career, with his summers in the U.S. and his winters in Puerto Rico. He had been running quite a bit in the 1962-63 offseason, as he batted an even .300 with Caguas. On November 16, 1962, he had 8 RBIs against the Lobos de Arecibo, tying a league record. Torres hit .261 for the Angels in 1963 with a career-high 121 hits in 138 games. His home run total dropped to just 4, but his 32 doubles were good enough for 3rd in the AL. Torres might have had a 5th home run, but a long fly ball on June 16 in Minnesota was ruled a ground rule double by umpire Joe Paparella. “That’s a lot of mush,” said Twins reliever Don Lee, who was in the Angels bullpen at the time. “That ball cleared the fence by 15 feet, and Paparella knows it.” Torres began 1964 without a spot in the starting lineup. Second baseman Billy Moran moved to third base to make way for rookie Bobby Knoop. Moran was traded to Cleveland on June 11, with the Twins getting Vic Power as part of the deal. Torres and Power split time at third base, and Torres’ hitting slipped noticeably. He hit .231 on the year, but his power stroke returned. He equaled his 1963 total with his 4th home run on July 12. Then he hit 5 more over the rest of the month. He finished the year with 12 home runs but just 28 RBIs. The first 11 home runs that Torres hit in 1964 all came with the bases empty. He didn’t go deep with runners on base until he hit a 3-run shot off Baltimore’s Ken Rowe on September 18. As it turned out, it was his final home run in the majors.

Third baseman Torres gets the ball too late to force Dodgers baserunner **Maury Wills** during a spring training game. Dodgers coach Leo Durocher watches the play. If you look closely, Torres is wearing a batting helmet while playing third base. Source: *Press Telegram*, April 7, 1963.

The Angels’ 1965 spring training camp opened with Torres still at home in Ponce. He wanted to return to his role as a regular third baseman, but he wanted a raise. “I have been playing for the Angels for three years at the same salary — $12,500 a year. This year I want $15,000,” he said. The Angels previously had sold Torres’ contract to its minor-league affiliate in Seattle after hearing reports that the ballplayer was considering retirement to tend bar at a tavern he had acquired. Torres never reported to the Angels that year, and the team ended up using the light-hitting Paul Schaal at third base for several seasons. Torres ended his holdout and played for the Seattle Angels of the Pacific Coast League in 1966 and ’67, but he was in his mid-30s and no longer a candidate to be called up to the majors. He hit well in Seattle, with a .275 batting average, 20 home runs and 90 RBIs in 1966. He finished his career in the United States with a .263 average as a part-time player in 1967. Torres continued to play in Puerto Rico, though his playing time decreased. He rejoined Ponce and hit well for a few more seasons, including a .294 average with 7 homers in 1965-66. He retired after the 1969-70 season, which was his 17th season in the Puerto Rican Winter League.

Torres played 3 seasons with the Angels and had a career slash line of .254/.297/.381. He had 61 doubles, 5 triples and 27 home runs among his 302 career hits. He drove in 153 runs and scored 109 times. He also had 589 hits and a .273 batting average in 6 minor-league seasons, with 82 homers. In Puerto Rico, Torres hit .259 with 798 hits, which included 79 home runs.

Not much information about Torres’ post-baseball life is readily available online, but he was not forgotten in Puerto Rico. He won the Francisco “Pancho” Coimbre Award in 2012 and was inducted into the Cagueno Sports Hall of Fame in 2024.

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Sports

Jane Hedengren Obliterates the NCAA 5K Record in Boston

Published

13 minutes ago

December 7, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Two weeks after finishing second at the NCAA Cross-Country Championships, freshman Jane Hedengren shattered the collegiate record in the 5,000 meters.

On Saturday, December 6, the Brigham Young University standout won the women’s elite race in 14:44.79 at the BU Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener. With a huge surge in the second half of the race, Hedengren improved on the previous indoor collegiate record (14:52.57) set by Doris Lemngole of Alabama at the same meet in Boston last year.

Hedengren also broke the combined collegiate record (indoor and outdoor track), 14:52.18, set by Parker Valby at the 2024 NCAA Outdoor Championships. Hedengren is now No. 2 on the U.S. all-time list and No. 11 on the world all-time list in the event, indoors.

“This season, there’s been a lot of growth, and I think there’s still so much to build on, lots of gratitude approaching this race and this season, and I’m excited to keep working,” Hedengren told Nia Gibson on the FloTrack broadcast after the race.

Hedengren showed her dominance early at Boston University’s indoor facility. From the gun, Hedengren and Pamela Kosgei of New Mexico both positioned themselves behind pacesetter Ellie Leather through the first mile in 4:48, on pace for a 14:55 finish. By the 2K split, both athletes had pulled ahead of the chase pack by 50 meters.

That gap continued to grow heading into the halfway mark as the cross-country rivals dueled for the lead. Just after the 3,000-meter split, which the pair covered in 8:59, Hedengren surged ahead of Kosgei and never looked back.

For the last 2,000 meters, Hedengren knocked off blazing 34 to 35-second splits for each lap until throwing down an impressive 66-second close for the final 400 meters. Her teammate, Riley Chamberlain, battled for second-place in 14:58.97, a 25-second personal best. Kosgei finished third in 15:05:41.

Before she graduated from Timpview High School in Provo, Utah, last spring, Hedengren broke nine national records on the track—including the 5,000 meters in April when she became the first high school girl to go sub-15 for the distance.

At 19 years old, Hedengren has already emerged as an NCAA leader in her first season running for the Cougars. In October, she dominated the Pre-National Invitational and shattered the course record in her collegiate cross-country debut. She went on to win the Big 12 Championships and NCAA Mountain Region Championships by huge margins.

In late November, Hedengren was competing for the win at the NCAA Cross-Country Championships but couldn’t match the closing speed of Lemngole, the defending champion. With a surge in the last kilometer of the race in Columbia, Missouri, the junior from Kenya claimed the 6K title in 18:25, about 13 seconds ahead of Hedengren.

In a quick turnaround to the track season, Hedengren earned a form of redemption in Boston. She is the most recent athlete in the last several years to break the collegiate record at the indoor season opener, which many elite athletes utilize as a final push of fitness before the holidays. Lemngole—and Valby prior to her—set the indoor record at the same meet.

Taylor Dutch is a writer and editor living in Austin, Texas, and a former NCAA track athlete who specializes in fitness, wellness, and endurance sports coverage. Her work has appeared in Runner’s World, SELF, Bicycling, Outside, and Podium Runner.

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Sports

Gophers volleyball wins NCAA Tournament opener, avoids St. Thomas matchup

Published

15 minutes ago

December 7, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Minnesota volleyball opened NCAA Tournament play on Friday at Maturi Pavilion with a dominant sweep over Fairfield University. It marks the 11th straight year that the Gophers have won a first-round game.

And we dance on 💃 pic.twitter.com/k5zoEO1vPU

— Minnesota Volleyball (@GopherVBall) December 6, 2025

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The Gophers were seeded fourth in their region after a 22-9 regular-season campaign. The other game in their Minneapolis pod was five-seed Iowa State against in-state foe St. Thomas, which played its first-ever game in the NCAA Tournament on Friday. The Cyclones won a five-set battle before Minnesota’s game.

“I’m proud of our team for playing our brand of volleyball. Serving, blocking and playing really clean. Tomorrow will be a big challenge. Iowa State is a great team in a lot of facets, especially defensively,” Minnesota head coach Keegan Cook said after the game.

Minnesota already beat St. Thomas three sets to one in a nonconference game in August, but an NCAA Tournament clash in the Tommies’ first season eligible would’ve felt like a huge contest. Ultimately, Iowa State will face the Gophers on Saturday night at 7 p.m. CT at Maturi Pavilion with a trip to the Sweet 16 on the line.

The Cyclones had an impressive 22-7 regular-season campaign, and a 12-6 mark in the Big 12. Saturday’s showdown should be a great contest between two of the better college volleyball programs in the Midwest.

Elliot and Thuotte Highlight Men’s Indoor Track and Field Season Opener

Published

30 minutes ago

December 7, 2025

Your Sports Nation

BOSTON, Mass. — Regis College men’s track and field kicked off their indoor season today at the Reggie Lewis Center, competing in the Suffolk Relays and setting two new program records.

Senior Brady Elliot (Charlestown, N.H.) made an impressive debut for the Pride, placing second in the men’s high jump with a leap of 1.85 meters, establishing a new indoor program record. Elliot also competed in the long jump, finishing 12th with a distance of 6.06 meters. Joseph Doughty (Woburn, Mass.) added a seventh-place finish in the high jump, clearing 1.70 meters.

Justin Thuotte (Lebanon, Conn.) earned three top-ten finishes. His best came in the shot put, where he took third with throw of 12.82 meters to set a new personal best. Thuotte also placed fifth in the long jump, setting a new indoor program record with a leap of 6.65 meters, and finished seventh in the weight throw with a mark of 13.28 meters. Ryan Sweeney (Lynn, Mass.) joined Thuotte on the shot put leaderboard, finishing fourth with a toss of 12.65 meters. Sweeney also set a personal best in the weight throw with an 11.28 meter toss.

Jalen Jones (Everett, Mass.) claimed fifth place in the triple jump with a mark of 11.94 meters. Meanwhile, DJ Marks (Medford, Mass.) and Luc Willems (Belchertown, Mass.) rounded out the top ten finishers in the high jump and men’s 1000m, respectively. Marks cleared 1.60 meters in the high jump, and Willems crossed the line in 3:18.18 in the 1000-meter run.

In the men’s 1600 sprint medley relay, the team of Zach Olaywole (Marlborough, Mass.), Jones, Elliot, and Nathan Thomas (Medford, Mass.) finished 13th overall with a time of 4:13.28.

The Pride will quickly turn around as they head to UMass Boston tomorrow for the Beacon Season Opener.

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Sports

No. 25 Women’s Volleyball Falls to No. 3 Texas in NCAA Second Round – Penn State

Published

31 minutes ago

December 7, 2025

Your Sports Nation

AUSTIN, Texas – No. 25 Penn State’s 45^th-straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament came to an end in the second round Saturday with a 3-0 (25-16, 25-9, 25-19) loss to No. 3 Texas at Gregory Gymnasium. The Nittany Lions close the season at 19-13 overall, while the Longhorns move on with a record of 25-3.

The loss snapped Penn State’s seven-match NCAA Tournament winning streak, which included six victories on the way to last year’s national title. The Nittany Lions remain second in the nation with eight national titles, trailing only Stanford’s nine.

Kennedy Martin tallied 16 kills for Penn State and has now recorded double-digit kills for the 83^rd-consecutive match when she plays at least three sets. Caroline Jurevicius finished with seven kills, while Emmi Sellman chipped in with five.

Gillian Grimes wrapped up an outstanding collegiate career with a team-high 11 digs. She leaves Penn State as a two-time All-Big Ten honoree, making the first team this season and the second team as a junior last season. She now turns her attention to the pro ranks, where she will play for the San Diego Mojo of Major League Volleyball. Grimes was recently picked by the Mojo in the third round of the MLV Draft.

Torrey Stafford led Texas to the win, hitting .556 with 21 kills. Abby Vander Wal joined her in double-digits with 10 kills, while Cari Spears was next with nine.

Penn State now holds an 11-10 lead in the all-time series with Texas. The teams are knotted at 2-2 in NCAA Tournament matchups against each other.

Saturday’s matchup featured the past three national champions as Texas won back-to-back titles in 2022 and 2023 and Penn State took home the trophy last season.

The 2025 Penn State women’s volleyball season is presented by Musselman’s.

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Sports

Men’s Track and Field Starts 2026 Campaign With Strong Showing at Springfield College Season Opener

Published

46 minutes ago

December 7, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Springfield, Mass. – December 6, 2025 – The Springfield College men’s track and field team had a strong showing as it hosted the Springfield College Season Opener for the first meet of the season.

Shane Erb (Marion, Iowa) took first place in the mile after finishing with a time of 4:23.30 and was the second place finisher in the 3000-meter run after crossing the finish line at 9:02.42. Erb’s mile time ranks sixth in Division III to start the campaign, while his 3,000-meter time ranks 14th.

Mike Anderson (Cromwell, Conn.) and Isaiah Hannah (Ballston Spa, N.Y.) finished first and second, respectively, in the 60-meter hurdles. Anderson finished with a time of 8.16 to tie his school record he broke just a season ago, while Hannah finished at 8.59. Anderson’s time currently ranks second in Division III this season.

In his debut, Luca Kabel (Merrimack, N.H.) won the 60-meter dash crossing the finish line at 7.04. He also competed in the 200-meter dash where he finished second at 22.58.

Colin Hansen (Ipswich, Mass.) won the 400-meter dash at 50.54 and Seth Twarog (Hubbardston, Mass.) was close behind at 50.70 which was good for a second place finish with both now ranking inside the top-20 nationally to kick off the seaosn. Parker Ruger (Rhinebeck, N.Y.) won the 600-meter run finishing in 1:26.74 while Eli Burt (Topsham, Maine) came in third at 1:29.34 in their first meets for the Pride.

The 4×400-meter relay team of Twarog, Ruger, Hansen, and first-year Caleb March (Hampden, Maine) took the win after crossing the finish line at 3:37.78.

In the field events, Alex McKenney (Ossining, N.Y.) won the pole vault after clearing 4.45-meters (14 feet, 7.25 inches), which currently stands eighth in the country, while Jamil Manu (Manchester, Conn.) claimed second in the high jump after jumping 1.92-meters (6 feet, 3.50 inches).

Martin Nyagilo (Randolph, Mass.) won the shot put with a throw of 15.21-meters (49 feet, 10.75 inches), a mark that ranks sixth in the country early in the season and Peyton Blanchard (Kennebunk, Maine) came in third with a mark of 14.28-meters (47 feet, 2.25 inches). Charles Botelho (Middleboro, Mass.) finished third in the weight throw with mark of 15.01-meters (49.3 feet).

Springfield will await the new year and travel to Tufts on Saturday, January 17 for the Branwen Smith-King Invitational.

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For the latest on Springfield College Athletics, follow the Pride on social media on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Be sure to tune into all Springfield College Athletic events by subscribing to FloSports.

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West Fargo volleyball coach Kelsey Titus resigns after four seasons – InForum

Published

47 minutes ago

December 7, 2025

Your Sports Nation

WEST FARGO — West Fargo High School volleyball coach Kelsey Titus has resigned after four seasons guiding the Packers.

West Fargo activities director Justin Behm confirmed the resignation to The Forum late Friday.

In an email to The Forum Saturday, Titus cited family as the primary reason in her decision to step down.

“The main reason is to be more present with my family,” Titus said. “The decision was extremely difficult as I have absolutely loved my time coaching at West Fargo. (Behm) has been an incredible person to work for and with. I am extremely grateful for his support and guidance.

“The decision came after a lot of prayer. My husband is also a (football) coach, and having both of us coaching in the fall — with a very active 7-year-old — has become challenging. As hard as it is to be done, I know that being more involved and present in our son’s activities is where I am supposed to be. I have peace knowing it’s where the Lord wants me to be.”

10xx22.S.FF.Chwialkowski — West Fargo’s Raina Chwialkowski is recognized by coach Kelsey Titus for her 1,000th dig before play against Valley City at the Packers gym on Thursday, Oct. 13, 2022.

Titus took the reins of the West Fargo program ahead of the 2022 season. Over four seasons, she led the Packers to a 96-48 record that included two state tournament appearances and an East Region tournament championship.

The Packers first advanced to state under Titus during her first season in 2022 where the team placed fifth that season. The 2025 campaign was West Fargo’s strongest with Titus at the helm, finishing 28-8 overall to go with a third-place finish at the state tournament and the East Region tournament title — which ended in

a five-set thriller

over crosstown rival West Fargo Sheyenne.

Titus coached three all-conference and all-state players throughout her tenure. Raina Chwialkowski was a four-time all-conference selection under Titus while Ellee McIntosh was named to the all-conference team three times. Olivia Soine was an all-conference player for Titus in 2022.

Chwialkowski was also an all-state selection four times, McIntosh three times and Soine one time. Chwialkowski was named both East Region and Division AA Senior Athlete of the Year in the sport of volleyball this season. She’ll head to NCAA Division I Maryland next season to continue her career while McIntosh will play for North Dakota.

Titus received Division AA Coach of the Year honors this season upon conclusion of the state tournament. West Fargo

defeated Bismarck in five sets

during this year’s Division AA quarterfinals before

falling to Fargo Davies

in the semis. The Packers proceeded to defeat Bismarck Century in five sets in the third-place match.

“The girls have truly bought in to our culture and have been so much fun to work with,” Titus said. “I truly feel blessed to have gotten the chance to coach such wonderful young women. They mean so much to me and my family. This past season was an incredible one for me to witness on and off the court. I am so thankful for the girls and their trust in me and our coaching staff. These girls are truly special and have brought so much joy into the game of volleyball, to each other and to us coaches.”

Titus previously served as an assistant volleyball coach at the University of Jamestown for seven seasons prior to coming to West Fargo. There, she also served as associate athletic director for three years.

A search for Titus’ successor will begin immediately.

“Again, I can’t thank West Fargo High School and Justin Behm enough for the opportunity and the trust they put in me to run the volleyball program the last four years,” Titus said. “I also want to thank my coaching staff — they have become such a huge part of my life and I’m so thankful they chose to do this with me. I will forever be grateful for my time at West Fargo High School. Go Packers.”

Ryan Spitza joined The Forum in December 2021 as a sports reporter. He grew up in Marquette, Mich., a city of 20,000 on the southern shore of Lake Superior. He majored in multimedia journalism and minored in public relations at Northern Michigan University, graduating with a Bachelor of Science in May 2019. While attending college, Spitza gained real-world experience covering high school and college athletics for both The Mining Journal and The North Wind.

Spitza can be reached at 701-451-5613 or rspitza@forumcomm.com. Follow him on Twitter @ryspitza.

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