Sports

San Francisco Giants Minor League Baseball Roundup, 9/3/25

Published

4 months ago

September 4, 2025

San Francisco Giants Minor League Baseball Roundup, 9/3/25

All four of the San Francisco Giants Minor League Baseball affiliates were in action on Wednesday, and the four teams combined to play five games! Let’s dive into the action.

Link to the 2025 McCovey Chronicles Community Prospect List (CPL)

All listed positions in the roundup are the positions played in that particular game.

The only news is that second baseman/outfielder Ryan Reckley (No. 35 CPL) has been moved up from the ACL to High-A Eugene. Reckley had recently been dropped from Low-A San Jose to the ACL, so you have to assume this is about logistics following Nate Furman’s departure rather than a promotion.

AAA Sacramento (70-64)

Sacramento River Cats lost to the Las Vegas Aviators (A’s) 3-2
Box score

For the 2nd day in a row, Sacramento lost to Vegas by a score of 3-2. And this time, there’s not a whole lot to highlight. But one trend continued: Jesús Rodríguez just keeps piling up the hits.

Rodríguez was the designated hitter on Wednesday, and hit a perfect 3-3 with both a double and a walk. And with that, he registered a third of the team’s walks, half of the team’s hits, and all of the team’s extra-base hits. Most remarkably, though, was that it was the 4th consecutive game in which Rodríguez has had 3 hits. He’s gone 12-17 during that span, and struck out just once, and it’s raised his batting average to .353 since coming over in the Camilo Doval trade, while boosting his OPS to .872 and his wRC+ to 136.

It’s not all roses and cold beers for Rodríguez, who has a borderline Mecklerian lack of power. He has just an .088 isolated slugging percentage as a River Cat, which ranks 159th out of 177 Pacific Coast League hitters with at least 100 plate appearances (and even that mark is propped up in part by the fact that half of his home runs have come against position players), and his average exit velocity is just 45th percentile.

But the good far outweighs the bad, and the good in this case is not just that he is a certified hit machine, but that he’s also a catcher. We’re not talking about a corner outfielder here who needs to put up a gaudy stat line. If he can be a high-average hitter while playing behind the dish, he’ll be an awesome and extremely valuable player, even if all the hits are singles. And given that he only turned 23 during the season, there’s reason to expect some growth moving forward.

The other notable offensive day belonged to second baseman Dayson Croes. The lefty didn’t hit well, as he went 0-4, but it was a notable day nonetheless, as it was his AAA debut. What a story Croes, a 25-year old from Aruba, has become: he was playing Indy League ball earlier this year, with no history of affiliated baseball, when the Giants signed him to a Minor League contract. A few months later, and he’s already in AAA!

And here’s the update on the 40-man and other notable names in the lineup: right fielder Wade Meckler (No. 13 CPL) hit 1-4 with 2 strikeouts and a caught stealing, moving his OPS to .732 and his wRC+ to 103; center fielder Tyler Fitzgerald hit 1-4 with 2 strikeouts and now has a .692 OPS and an 83 wRC+; first baseman Bryce Eldridge (No. 1 CPL) went 1-4, moving his OPS to .824 and his wRC+ to 103; left fielder Marco Luciano went 0-1 with a strikeout, but drew 2 walks, hit a near-dinger sacrifice fly, and had an outfield assist, and now has an .812 OPS and a 111 wRC+; and pinch-hitter Brett Wisely went 0-1, putting his OPS at .715 and his wRC+ at 87.

It was an exciting day on the mound, as LHP Nick Zwack made his AAA debut. Zwack, a 17th-round pick by the Mets in 2021 who came over in the J.D. Davis/Darin Ruf trade, was in AA in 2023 when he underwent Tommy John surgery. He missed 2024, and started rehab games this May. He pitched fantastically in his return to AA, sporting a 2.53 ERA and a 2.93 FIP in 7 appearances, which earned him a promotion to Sacramento.

As most pitchers do upon reaching the PCL, Zwack had a fair amount of struggles. He couldn’t find the zone, throwing just 40 of 75 pitches for strikes, and walking 5 batters in 3.1 innings, while also hitting a batter. But he only gave up 2 hits, both singles, and all those free passes resulted in just 2 runs against him, while he struck out 2 as well. Not a dynamic performance, but a game he certainly won’t ever forget. It will be fun to see him get a few more starts before the season ends — there’s a lot of life in that arm.

RHP Trent Harris (No. 20 CPL) had a stellar game, pitching 2 perfect innings, striking out 2 batters, and requiring just 22 pitches (15 of which were strikes). Harris’ numbers since a midseason promotion are fairly poor: he has a 5.25 ERA and a 4.85 FIP, and his spectacular 14.1 strikeouts per 9 innings in AA has dropped to just 9.0 in AAA. But adjustments take time, especially for pitchers moving to the PCL, and Harris is certainly having plenty of outings where he shows how talented he is. I strongly suspect the 2023 undrafted free agent will make his MLB debut in 2026.

AA Richmond (51-74)

Richmond Flying Squirrels lost to the Altoona Curve (Pirates) 8-7
Box score

Not a good pitching performance, but there were a lot of nice games in the batter’s box to highlight for Richmond.

Most notable was that designated hitter Nate Furman made his Richmond debut. It’s been almost exactly a year since the Giants acquired Furman (he was technically traded about a month past the deadline, since he was the Player To Be Named Later in the Alex Cobb deal), who had reached AA in the Guardians system at the time of the deal. But an injury kept him from making his organizational debut until this season, and when he did debut, it was in rehab games. He worked his way up to High-A Eugene, where the just-turned 24-year old lefty was thoroughly dominant, sporting a 1.139 OPS and a 209 wRC+ in 21 games with the Emeralds.

Now the 2022 4th-round pick is back to his rightful level where, admittedly, he’s still fairly green — he played just 13 games in AA last year. But he brought his offense with him on the cross-country flight, as he was right at home in his Squirrels debut, hitting 2-3 with a walk, a sacrifice bunt, and 2 runs batted in. What an introduction!

Furman is a sneaky exciting prospect with a whole bunch of bat-to-ball skills. He doesn’t have a lot of power, but he’s a career .289 hitter in the Minors and plays a strong second base. One thing that will be interesting to watch as he feels more comfortable post-injury: can he become a stolen base artist again? He has quite good speed, and in his debut season in 2023 stole 37 bases in 108 games. Since then, he’s nabbed just 13 bases in 78 games.

Third baseman Sabin Ceballos (No. 18 CPL), back in his rightful defensive spot after a few days at first, had another strong game, hitting 2-3 with a double, a walk, and a hit by pitch. After a very tough and disappointing start to the season, the righty is really ending the year on a strong note. The 23-year old, who was taken in the 3rd round of the 2023 draft by the Braves, has hit 43-137 with 5 home runs, 11 doubles, 19 walks, and just 24 strikeouts over the last 2 months, which has brought his OPS up to .670 and his wRC+ to 102. Those numbers are pretty remarkable given how poor his opening months of the season were — add in his delightful hot corner defense, and there’s certainly no questioning his prospect status.

Second baseman Diego Velasquez (No. 16 CPL) has done something of the opposite, as he had a hot start to the year but has been cooling down since. But he hit the pause button on that cooling down on Wednesday, hitting 3-5 with a double and a walk. That’s a nice game for someone who had a very tough summer, in which he sported a .600 OPS in July and a .579 mark in August. For the year, the switch-hitter has a .665 OPS and a 103 wRC+, and while those numbers are more fine than good, it’s worth contextualizing that he’s a 21-year old middle infielder in AA, where he’s 2.5 years younger than league average.

First baseman Victor Bericoto (No. 24 CPL) hit 2-5 with a strikeout, which marked his 6th multi-hit game in his last 9 outings. During that time, the 23-year old righty has gone 14-37 with a home run, a double, and 4 walks, boosting his OPS to .756 and his wRC+ to 123. Those are delightful numbers, but given that during that streak Bericoto surpassed the 1,000 plate appearance mark in AA, it’s probably hard for him to view his season as a success. Hopefully next year he’ll get an extended run in AAA.

The pitching was bad. RHP Ryan Murphy made his 2nd appearance for the Squirrels after more than a year on the sidelines, and a quartet of rehab appearances with Low-A San Jose. He looked like someone who still has rust to shake off, which he certainly is: in 3 innings, the 2020 5th-rounder allowed 4 hits, a hit batter, and 3 runs, with just 1 strikeout, though he didn’t walk anyone.

A very tough outing for RHP Shane Rademacher, who gave up 6 baserunners and 4 runs in 3 innings without a strikeout. Rademacher has really been having a hard time in AA, after dominating High-A Eugene earlier in the year. RHP Marques Johnson also wasn’t at his sharpest, allowing 1 hit, 2 walks, and 1 run in 2 innings, but he struck out 4 batters. Johnson, who came over in the Mauricio Llovera trade, has been lights out since a midseason promotion, with a 3.33 ERA, a 2.08 FIP, and a stunning 42 strikeouts in just 27 innings.

High-A Eugene (78-51)

Eugene Emeralds swept a 7-inning doubleheader against Spokane (Rockies) 4-1 and 4-0
Game 1 box score
Game 2 box score

A dominant doubleheader on the mound for the Emeralds, who allowed just 6 hits — 5 of which were singles — in 14 innings of action. And the players behind that dominance were a pair of pitchers who normally piggy-back in 9-inning games, but instead each got the start in the 7-inning affairs: LHP Tyler Switalski and RHP Darien Smith

Switalski, a 16th-rounder in 2024, and Smith, an undrafted free agent, are both in their debut seasons. And they’re both shining brightly. It was the southpaw Switalski who took down Game 1, pitching 6.1 innings and allowing just 1 hit, 2 walks, and 1 run, while striking out 5 batters. He only needed 81 pitches to retire 19 batters, and threw 57 of those 81 pitches for strikes. He didn’t put up particularly strong numbers to start the year with Low-A San Jose, but has been dynamic through 6 games with Eugene, sporting just a 1.17 ERA and a 2.91 FIP. That said, it may not be the most sustainable success: he’s currently riding just a .150 BABIP, and is only striking out 6.7 batters per 9 innings.

Smith took the mound for Game 2 and was utterly sensational, throwing 5 shutout innings while allowing just 2 singles and 0 walks, with 6 strikeouts. He was a strike-throwing machine, tossing 41 of 57 pitches for strikes, and it marked his 2nd consecutive outing with just 2 baserunners and 0 runs (though the other outing was just 3 innings). Smith’s numbers should be taken with a grain of salt, as he’ll turn 26 before the calendar year ends, but still: he has a 2.59 ERA and a 3.14 FIP in the Northwest League, with a brilliant 26 strikeouts to 5 walks in 24.1 innings.

Also pitching on Sunday was RHP Ubert Mejias, who made his High-A debut. And despite not pitching particularly well in Low-A this year, he looked just fine in Eugene, allowing a hit but throwing a scoreless inning.

Plenty of nice days on offense. Second baseman Jean Carlos Sio continued to find his groove at the level, as he hit 3-4 with a double in Game 1, though he was caught stealing and didn’t play in Game 2. Sio, who was promoted in early August, now has 5 multi-hit games in his last 7 contests, during which time he’s gone 11-30 with 3 home runs, 2 doubles, and 2 walks, which has brought his OPS all the way up to .794, and his wRC+ to 121. Figuring out where to rank the 21-year old middle infielder when the CPL rolls around is something I’m very intrigued by.

A strong doubleheader for center fielder Jonah Cox (No. 26 CPL), who hit 4-8 with a double, though he also had a strikeout and was caught stealing. Cox, the heist from the Ross Stripling trade, has hung right around league-average offense all year, with the just-turned 24-year old currently sporting a .731 OPS and a 101 wRC+. But average offense is pretty cool when you play excellent defense in center field and have an organization-leading 56 stolen bases.

And an awesome doubleheader for shortstop Zane Zielinski, who has had a hot few days. Last year’s 9th-round pick, who has been debuting at High-A this year, went 3-4 with a double, a stolen base, a sacrifice fly, and a sacrifice bunt. In his last 5 games, Zielinski has hit 10-17 with a home run, a double, a walk, and just 2 strikeouts. The overall numbers — .647 OPS, 86 wRC+ — still aren’t eye-popping, but he plays strong defense across the infield, has 32 stolen bases, and skipped Rookie Ball and Low-A.

Low-A San Jose (79-49)

San Jose Giants lost to the Modesto Nuts (Mariners) 12-4
Box score

Well, not the best game for a team that is still limping to the finish line, with so many of their top prospects injured and numerous fill-ins occurring every game.

There were a pair of strong hitting performances, with both coming from recently drafted players: shortstop Lorenzo Meola and right fielder Cameron Maldonado. Meola, the team’s 4th-round pick, hit 3-5 with a double, which boosted his OPS to .795 and his wRC+ to 111 through 13 games. He’s fitting in quite nicely, though he does have a 25.0% strikeout rate.

Maldonado, the team’s 7th-round pick, hit 2-4 with a double and a stolen base, though he also struck out twice. He’s still finding his footing as a pro, as he has just a .647 OPS and an 87 wRC+ through 13 games, with a 29.6% strikeout rate, though he’s already stolen 5 bases without yet getting caught.

On the mound, the starter was LHP Luis De La Torre, who made his 8th appearance with San Jose. De La Torre is part of a trio of arms who dramatically raised their prospect status with brilliant ACL seasons, joining RHPs Keyner Martinez and Argenis Cayama (No. 28 CPL). And so far that success has translated to Cal League, as evidenced by Wednesday’s performance: 4 innings, 2 hits, 2 walks, 1 unearned run, and 3 strikeouts, which lowered his ERA to 1.77 and his FIP to 2.44.

It shows you how good he’s been this year that it was a notably bad game from a K/BB perspective: between the 2 levels, he has 109 strikeouts against just 27 walks in a mere 74.1 innings. What a prospect he has become!

Later in the game we were treated to a debut, as 24-year old RHP Dylan Carter, an undrafted free agent out of Arkansas, pitched in a professional game for the 1st time in his career. Carter allowed 2 hits, 1 walk, and 1 run in just 1.2 innings of work, with a strikeout, but it’s a game he won’t soon (or ever) forget. Welcome to the pros, Dylan!

And then it was another debut, albeit not a professional one: RHP Jose T. Perez, who began the year in the DSL before getting a quick promotion to the ACL, made his A-Ball debut. Unfortunately, he got knocked around, allowing 6 baserunners and 4 runs in just 1 inning, though he struck out the side!

Home run tracker

There were no home runs on Wednesday! Sad!

Thursday schedule

Sacramento: 6:45 p.m. PT vs. Las Vegas (SP: Mason Black)
Richmond: 3:00 p.m. PT at Altoona (SP: Trystan Vrieling)
Eugene: 6:35 p.m. PT vs. Spokane (SP: Josh Bostick)
San Jose: 6:30 p.m. PT vs. Modesto (SP: Niko Mazza)

Reminder that (almost) all MiLB games can be watched on MLB TV

0 Comments

Sports

Former BYU standout returns to Provo to finish what he started – Deseret News

Published

2 hours ago

January 8, 2026

Your Sports Nation

Trent Moser walked off the court at Global Credit Union Arena in Phoenix on March 22 feeling pretty good. With help from his seven kills, the 6-foot-8 BYU transfer and his new team at Grand Canyon had just blanked the No. 6 Cougars, 3-0.

One month later, Moser and the Lopes were left with nothing but a blank stare after GCU abruptly cut its men’s volleyball program. Despite reaching the Final Four the previous season, everybody was out.

As a result, Moser is back at BYU and he brought three of his GCU teammates with him.

“Credit to him and his family,” BYU men’s volleyball coach Shawn Olmstead told the “Y’s Guys” livestream show this week. “It will be fun for him to finish this out and that’s a cool part to his story that I think the fans are excited about too.”

Moser, a 2023 member of the MPSF’s All-Freshman Team at BYU and a 2025 honorable mention All-American at GCU, will introduce his three colleagues to Smith Fieldhouse volleyball on Friday when the Cougars open the season against Saint Francis (7 p.m., BYUtv app).

“They have no idea what’s coming,” Olmstead said of the raucous environment that awaits 6-6 Kyle Zediker, 6-5 Connor Oldani and 6-6 Max Phillipe. “Trent tells them and it’s fun to see that interaction, but it will be a first.”

Another AJ?

AJ Cottle, left, will make his freshman debut Friday at Smith Fieldhouse. | Rebeca Fuentes/BYU

The Marriott Center is home to freshman sensation AJ Dybantsa. At 6-8 with a 7-foot wingspan, the projected top pick in June’s NBA draft has men’s basketball flying high. Down the road at the Smith Fieldhouse, AJ Cottle, also 6-8 with a wide reach, is ready to make his freshman debut.

“We joke every day, he’s the ‘real AJ,” laughed Olmstead. “That’s our joke — with our humor.”

Just as Dybantsa plays above the rim, Cottle can occupy the air space up to 12 feet, which is 4 feet above the net.

“Mark my words, he’s going to be a standout,” Olmstead said. “He’s going to be one of the guys people are going to pay to come watch play in our gym.”

Olmstead first spotted Cottle after his Timpview graduation. Needing time to mature and grow into his body, and with some prodding by Olmstead, Cottle attended Utah Valley University before serving a two-year church mission to Rosario, Argentina.

“Mark my words, he’s going to be a standout. He’s going to be one of the guys people are going to pay to come watch play in our gym.”

— BYU coach Shawn Olmstead of Cougar freshman AJ Cottle

In a head-to-head dunk contest between both AJ’s, Olmstead believes his guy would make it interesting.

“Our AJ is probably a little raw. Nothing against AJ (Dybantsa), I’m not questioning his personality, but this kid (our AJ) is unbelievable,” Olmstead said. “This kid would take it on and say, ‘Heck yeah! Let’s go!’ He’d try something dumb probably, but he’s so long and athletic he’d probably make it. It would be fun.”

Opening night

As a player, Olmstead won a pair of national championships at BYU in 2001 and 2004. His coaching run on campus started in 2008 with the women’s program. He moved over to coach the men in 2016. All those seasons have seasoned Olmstead with a grateful heart for the fans that will pack the fieldhouse again on Friday.

“I leave those games or I’m sitting there before they start, and I’m seeing people I’ve seen for the last 20 years, back to when I was a player — the same husband and wife and maybe their kids are now a little older and they are bringing their kids. That means so much to me, more than people know,” he said. “I walk in there and there is a sense of gratitude that people on a Friday and Saturday night will put everything aside to come support and watch and partake and be around our team.”

BYU men's volleyball fans pack in the Smith Fieldhouse to watch the Cougars play Grand Canyon University on Feb. 17, 2024, in Provo. — BYU men’s volleyball fans pack in the Smith Fieldhouse to watch the Cougars play Grand Canyon on Feb. 17, 2024, in Provo. | Abby Shelton/BYU

Olmstead’s Cougars are ranked No. 8 in the preseason coaches poll and projected to finish fifth in the highly competitive Mountain Pacific States Federation. BYU will host the MPSF Tournament at the end of the regular season.

“What a time to be at BYU. It’s wild. It’s a crazy, exciting time to be part of BYU with what’s going on in every sport,” Olmstead said. “The movement, the excitement, the wins. It’s just crazy.”

Heather Olmstead

When Olmstead shifted to men’s volleyball after the 2015 season, it opened the door for his assistant coach and sister, Heather, to lead the women’s program for the next 11 years. After 279 victories and a trip to the Final Four, Heather Olmstead and BYU agreed to part ways on Dec. 11.

“I love her. She has done a phenomenal job. It was an unbelievable opportunity for us to be together and be around each other,” he said. “Heather is unbelievably driven, unbelievably successful. She is going to go do whatever she wants right now and I’m excited for her. I’ll be her biggest fan forever.”

BYU hired Rob Neilson on Dec. 23 to succeed Olmstead as women’s head coach. Neilson is a former assistant for the Cougars and was one of Shawn Olmstead’s teammates on the 2004 national title squad.

Dave McCann is a sportswriter and columnist for the Deseret News and is a play-by-play announcer and show host for BYUtv/ESPN+. He co-hosts “Y’s Guys” at ysguys.com and is the author of the children’s book “C is for Cougar,” available at deseretbook.com

Link

Sports

Lexi Shondell wins J&C Big Schools Volleyball Player of the Year

Published

2 hours ago

January 8, 2026

Your Sports Nation

Jan. 8, 2026, 4:00 a.m. ET

LAFAYETTE ― McCutcheon volleyball senior setter Lexi Shondell embraced the challenge of expanding her role in 2025.

More kills, more blocks and greater ways of impacting the game. While the bid to win the IHSAA sectional title fell short, Shondell succeeded in each of these roles.

For her efforts, Shondell has been named the Journal & Courier Big Schools Player of the Year for the second consecutive season.

Link

Sports

SEM Senior Taryn Arbuthnot commits to UNK for Volleyball

Published

2 hours ago

January 8, 2026

Your Sports Nation

SUMNER, Neb — SEM Senior Taryn Arbuthnot committed to UNK for Volleyball on Wednesday at Sumner High School.

Arbuthnot who returned from tearing an ACL injury during her junior season to lead the Mustangs to a third place finish at the NSAA state volleyball tournament this past season.

She led the Mustangs with over 560 kills and 120 blocks.

The senior who shines on the hardwood and the track is averaging 24 points per game this season.

Link

Sports

Capital University to upgrade its fieldhouse for fall

Published

6 hours ago

January 8, 2026

Your Sports Nation

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Capital athletes and students can expect a revamped track and field facility just in time for the fall semester.

The track will be resurfaced with state-of-the-art materials, BSS 2000 RE surface, which are used at The Ohio State University and the University of Oregon’s tracks.

What You Need To Know

The project could result in championship events being hosted at the university

The resurfaced track will all for better safety and performance

Construction should be completed before the 2026-2027 athletic season

“This project extends beyond indoor track — sports like tennis, pickleball, basketball and volleyball will benefit from this state-of-the-art training surface,” said Darrell Bailey, director of Athletics. “In addition to supporting our student-athletes year-round, the facility will serve as a versatile venue for major campus-wide events, including commencement, the Undergraduate Research Symposium, and other programs that bring our entire community together.”

Besides aesthetic benefits, the resurfaced track will allow for better safety, performance and competitive opportunity. Shock absorbtion and greater durability would be just some of the most important upgrades.

“This new surface elevates the standard of our training environment and enhances our capacity to compete and train at a high level. It’s a significant step forward for our program, and it reflects the commitment our institution and alumni have made to supporting Capital track and field,” said Ian Kellogg, director of Cross Country/Track and Field.

The upgrades will also position the university to host championship events in the future, which would not have been a possibility before.

“From updated courts and a better practice facility for all sports that utilize it, to a significant facelift for the Cap Center overall, this investment positions Capital to provide one of the finest training environments in Division III,” said April Novotny, vice president for Advancement and chief development officer. “[Donors] support not only strengthens the student-athlete experience but also ensures our athletes train on an elite surface and positions Capital to welcome more competitive opportunities in the years ahead.”

Construction should be completed before the 2026-2027 athletic season.

Link

Sports

Calallen’s Aubrey Navarro signs to run D1 track at SFA

Published

6 hours ago

January 8, 2026

Your Sports Nation

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — It was college signing day for one Calallen senior. Aubrey Navarro inked her commitment to run sprints for Stephen F. Austin University track and field.

She holds Calallen high school records in the 100, 200 and long jump according to MaxPreps. Navarro made it to Regionals her freshman season. Her journey was not easy, battling injuries the last two seasons. So to make it this far is a huge accomplishment.

“It means a lot because it’s just like so many things have happened lately, and to making it to go D1 and competing at a collegiate level is just a dream that I’ve always wanted since I was little,” Navarro.

Her 100 meter dash personal best time is 11.72 seconds, which she ran at the 97th Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays on March 26, 2025.

Calallen's Aubrey Navarro signs with SFA

Navarro began running track when she was 5-years-old at Pure Speed Performance with Coach Rueben Flowers. She’s excited to represent Corpus Christi at the Division 1 level.

“It means a lot because not a lot of people in the Coastal Bend go for track, or do track or really are into track like I am,” Navarro. “It just means a lot to know that I can be a role model for others that really want to do it.”

Link

Sports

No. 11 CSUN Opens 2026 Season With Three Matches at UCSB Asics Invitational

Published

9 hours ago

January 8, 2026

Your Sports Nation

CSUN THIS WEEK:

UCSB ASICS INVITATIONAL

MATCH #1

CSUN Matadors (0-0) vs. Maryville Saints (0-0)

Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026 – 7:00 p.m. PT

Rob Gym – Santa Barbara, Calif.

ESPN+

Live Stats

MATCH #2

CSUN Matadors vs. Harvard Crimson

Friday, Jan. 9, 2026 – 2:00 p.m. PT

Rob Gym – Santa Barbara, Calif

ESPN+

Live Stats

MATCH #3

CSUN Matadors vs. Kentucky State Thorobreds

Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026 – 4:30 p.m. PT

Rob Gym – Santa Barbara, Calif

ESPN+

Live Stats

In-game X updates: @CSUNMensVB

CSUN Men’s Volleyball Media Notes

FOR STARTERS

The preseason 11th-ranked CSUN Men’s Volleyball team (0-0, 0-0 Big West) opens the 2026 season, its 50th season of men’s volleyball, against Maryville on Thursday at the UCSB Asics Invitational in Santa Barbara. The match is the first of three for the Matadors at the annual tournament held at Rob Gym on the UCSB campus. CSUN opens the tournament Thursday against Maryville at 7 p.m., before taking on Harvard on Friday at 2 p.m. The Matadors conclude the three-day event on Saturday, taking on Kentucky State at 4:30 p.m. Fellow Big West teams UC Irvine and host UC Santa Barbara round out the six-team field this weekend.

FOLLOW YOUR MATADORS ONLINE

All nine matches of UCSB’s Asics Invitational will stream live on ESPN+ and will have live stats available (links at GoMatadors.com). CSUN home matches this season will also stream live on the ESPN+ platform, with Darren Preston handling a majority of the play-by-play this season.

Fans can also follow CSUN Matador men’s volleyball online at the official home of CSUN athletics, www. GoMatadors.com for related links to the match, including any live stats, audio, and video. Fans are also encouraged to check the CSUN Athletics Department’s official X feed (@ GoMatadors) and the volleyball-specific feed (@CSUNMensVB) for news and notes throughout the week, as well as updates of matches in progress.

CSUN RANKED 11TH IN 2026 AVCA PRESEASON MEN’S VOLLEYBALL POLL

After finishing the 2025 season ranked ninth in the final AVCA National Collegiate Poll, CSUN opens the 2026 season ranked 11th in the national preseason poll (Dec. 23). The Matadors, who finished 18-11 in 2025, finished in the top 10 in the final poll for the first time since 2018 and the second time in the last seven seasons. After being ranked in all 18 polls last season, CSUN received 238 points in the preseason poll to rank ninth.

Since reclaiming a spot in the AVCA national poll in 2023, the Matadors have been ranked in the top 20 in 36 consecutive polls and 46 of the last 49 AVCA national polls since the 2023 season. CSUN has been a fixture in the national polls historically, having previously been ranked in the AVCA Top-15 for 62 consecutive weeks and 262 of the last 289 weekly polls dating back to the 2002 season.

UCLA opens the 2026 season ranked first in the preseason poll, collecting 12 of 24 first-place votes and 481 total points. Hawai’i is second after receiving seven first-place votes and 473 points, followed by defending national champions Long Beach State, which received five first-place votes and 460 points. The remainder of the preseason top five includes Pepperdine and USC with UC Irvine, Loyola Chicago, BYU, Stanford, and UC San Diego rounding out the preseason top 10. The second half of the preseason top-20 poll includes the Matadors, Lewis, Penn State, Ohio State, McKendree, Ball State, UC Santa Barbara, Princeton, George Mason, and Lincoln Memorial.

SCOUTING THE ASICS INVITATIONAL FIELD

Maryville (0-0) opens its fifth season of men’s volleyball on Thursday in Santa Barbara. The Saints were picked to finish second in their inaugural season as members of the Great Lakes Valley Conference. Maryville earned four first-place votes and 43 total points to finish second to Rockhurst in the polling. Junior OH Makai Scott returns after leading the Saints with 307 kills (3.37 kps) and 211 digs last season. After finishing 19-9 in 2025, the Saints return 13 players while adding six newcomers in 2026. All-time series: Thursday’s match marks the first-ever meeting between the Matadors and Saints in men’s volleyball.

Harvard (0-0) opens the 2026 season on Thursday against UC Irvine. The Crimson, who finished 9-15 in 2025, were picked to tie for fifth in the EIVA Coaches’ Preseason Poll. Seniors Zach Berty and Brian Thomas were named as Players to Watch by the conference’s seven head coaches. Berty averaged 2.22 kills per set in 2025, while Thomas averaged 0.94 blocks per set to lead the team. All-time series: Friday’s match is the seventh meeting all-time between CSUN and Harvard, with the Matadors holding a 5-1 edge in the series. The two teams also met at the UCSB Invitational in 2019, with CSUN pulling out a five-set win.

Kentucky State (0-0) also opens its 2026 season in Santa Barbara. The Thorobreds, who were picked to finish sixth in the SIAC (Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) Preseason Poll, will open against UC Santa Barbara on Thursday, before taking on UC Irvine and the Matadors to conclude the weekend. All-time series: Saturday’s match marks the first-ever meeting between the Matadors and Thorobreds in men’s volleyball.

CSUN AT THE UCSB ASICS INVITATIONAL

Thursday’s match against Maryville marks CSUN’s 25th appearance in UC Santa Barbara’s annual tournament in the last 29 years. The Matadors are 56-37 (.602) all-time in the tournament dating back to 2001. Last season, the Matadors finished 3-0 in the tournament with wins over Tusculum (3-0), Missouri S&T (3-0), and Menlo (3-1).

Since 2019, the Matadors are 8-7 in UCSB’s annual event, finishing 1-2 three times (2019, 2023, 2024) and 2-1 in 2019. After the 2021 tournament was canceled due to the COVID pandemic, CSUN was scheduled to open the 2022 season in Santa Barbara but due to COVID protocols within the program, the Matadors were forced to withdraw, snapping a streak of 16 consecutive appearances. In 2019, CSUN dropped a five-set decision to Grand Canyon, which snapped a streak of 11 straight Matador wins in the tournament dating back to a loss to Princeton in 2015. CSUN won its first-ever UCSB Invitational championship in 2009 after upsetting No. 2 UCLA (3-1) and defeating No. 14 UCSB (3-1) and No. 8 Stanford (3-1). The Matadors then won their second straight crown in 2010, topping UCSB (3-1), California Baptist (3-1), and BYU (3-1).

THREE MATADORS NAMED AVCA ALL-AMERICAN, ALL-BIG WEST IN 2025

For the first time since 2018, CSUN had three student-athletes named to the All-Big West First Team in 2025. The Matadors had three first-team selections as senior Donovan Constable, redshirt sophomore Jalen Phillips, and freshman Stilian Delibosov were all named to the top team. The last time CSUN had three players named first team was 2018, when Eric Chance, Arvis Greene, Jr., and Dimitar Kalchev earned top honors. All three players went on to earn AVCA All-America honors as Phillips was named to the First Team and Constable and Delibosov earned honorable mention accolades.

NEW FACES IN 2026

In addition to returning 10 letterwinners and five starters from the 2025 season, CSUN welcomes an impressive list of newcomers in 2026. The group includes a trio of 2025 redshirts, including sophomore Owen Douphner, who steps in for departed All-American Donovan Constable at setter. Transfer Jordan Lucas (Grand Canyon) and redshirt freshman Grayson Albers (Sacramento) each open their first season on the active roster in 2026. CSUN also welcomes a trio of true freshmen in 2026 that includes Kingston Jerome, Joel Eanes, and Noah Douphner. Jerome comes to CSUN from Shadow Ridge High School in Las Vegas, Nev., while Eanes is a 6-9 opposite from Kellam High School in Virginia Beach, Va. Douphner is a local product from nearby Stevenson Ranch and the younger brother of the CSUN setter.

MATADORS IN THE BIG WEST

The 2026 season marks CSUN’s ninth as a member of the Big West in men’s volleyball. With a 3-7 regular season record in 2025, the Matadors are 18-52 (.257) in 70 Big West matches over eight seasons since the conference’s inaugural campaign in 2018. CSUN finished 5-5 in the first Big West season in 2018 before finishing 3-7 in 2019, 2024, and 2025, 2-8 in 2021 and 1-9 in both 2022 and 2023. Prior to 2018, the Matadors played 25 seasons as a member of the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) from 1993-2017 and 16 seasons in the Western Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (WIVA) from 1977-92.

EDWARDS IN FOURTH SEASON AS CSUN HEAD COACH

Theo Edwards is in his fourth season as CSUN’s head coach in 2026 after leading the Matadors back into the AVCA national rankings in his first three seasons. Now in his 16th season at CSUN, Edwards was named the successor to Jeff Campbell on Dec. 9, 2022. CSUN finished 12-16 in Edwards’ first season (1-9 in the Big West) in 2023 and the Matadors have steadily improved in each of Edwards’ three seasons. CSUN finished 13-16 in 2024 and 18-11 in 2025. Under Edwards’ leadership, CSUN earned a No. 7 national ranking on Mar. 10 of the 2025 season, its highest national ranking in seven seasons. The Matadors finished the 2025 season with a No. 9 national ranking, also its best since 2018.

LOOKING AHEAD

Following three matches at the UCSB Asics Invitational, the Matadors will remain on the road for two more matches next week. CSUN will travel to the Midwest for the 2026 Under Armour Invitational at Lindenwood in St. Charles, Mo. The Matadors will take on the host Lions on Jan. 16 before meeting Purdue Fort Wayne on Jan. 17 at 2:00 p.m. PT.

#GoMatadors

Link