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These top MLB Draft picks could soon play for (or against) the Smokies in Knoxville

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These top MLB Draft picks could soon play for (or against) the Smokies in Knoxville


Day 1 of the 2025 MLB Draft saw several teams with Southern League Double-A affiliates make potentially franchise-altering selections, including the Chicago Cubs, setting the stage for the Smokies to have a competitive future at Covenant Health Park in Knoxville.

The Southern League is often a crucial proving ground for prospects before they reach Triple-A, the last stop before the major leagues. For the Cubs, the trajectory is: Myrtle Beach Pelicans (Single-A affiliate in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina), South Bend Cubs (High-A affiliate in South Bend, Indiana), Knoxville Smokies (Double-A affiliate in Knoxville, Tennessee), Iowa Cubs (Triple-A affiliate in Des Moines).

While all players selected by Southern League-affiliated teams in the MLB Draft July 13-14 could one day play in Knoxville, Day 1 picks represent a new generation of top MLB prospects.

Here’s a closer look at all the Day 1 picks for MLB teams with Southern League ties.

Basic infielder Tate Southisene (8) tags second base then leaps over Reno runner Jackson Berg (1) as Basic infielder Lyndon Lee (15) looks on during day one of the 5A baseball state tournament from Peccole Park at UNR on Thursday, May 15, 2025, in Reno.

The Atlanta Braves, whose Double-A affiliate is the Mississippi Braves, selected Tate Southisene, a shortstop from Basic High School in Nevada, with the 22nd pick. Southisene had a standout senior season, batting .495 with nine home runs and 16 stolen bases, earning him Nevada Gatorade Player of the Year honors. His older brother, Ty Southisene, was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in 2024, creating an intriguing brotherly connection across two Southern League organizations.

Chicago Cubs

Ethan Conrad. Wake Forest baseball practices at Lindsey Nelson Stadium on May 29, 2025 ahead of the 2025 NCAA Tournament Knoxville Regional.

The Chicago Cubs drafted Ethan Conrad, an outfielder from Wake Forest, with the 17th pick in the first round. While a shoulder injury limited his 2025 season to 21 games, Conrad displayed impressive power and plate discipline, slashing .372/.495/.744 with seven home runs and 27 RBIs. Knoxville fans will be eager to see this powerful outfielder don a Smokies uniform.

ATLANTA, GEORGIA - JULY 13: Major League Baseball commissioner Robert D. Manfred Jr. announces Billy Carlson as the tenth overall pick, by the Chicago White Sox, in the first round of the 2025 MLB Draft at Coca-Cola Roxy on July 13, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

The Chicago White Sox, affiliated with the Birmingham Barons, chose 2025 Tennessee commit Billy Carlson, a shortstop from Corona High School in California, with the 10th selection. Carlson demonstrated his two-way talent in high school, hitting .367 with four home runs as a junior while also posting a 0.60 ERA with five saves as a closer. His versatility could make him an interesting prospect to follow as he develops in the White Sox system.

ATLANTA, GEORGIA - JULY 13: Major League Baseball commissioner Robert D. Manfred Jr. announces Steele Hall as the ninth overall pick, by the Cincinnati Reds in the first round of the 2025 MLB Draft at Coca-Cola Roxy on July 13, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

The Cincinnati Reds, who feed prospects to the Chattanooga Lookouts, drafted Steele Hall, a shortstop from Hewitt-Trussville High School in Alabama, as their first-round pick at No. 9 overall. Another Tennessee commit, known for his athleticism and speed, significantly boosted his draft stock in 2025 by hitting .484 with eight home runs. He models his game after elite shortstops like Bo Bichette and Francisco Lindor, aiming for a similar blend of speed, power and defensive prowess.

ATLANTA, GEORGIA - JULY 13: Major League Baseball commissioner Robert D. Manfred Jr. announces Tyler Bremner as the second overall pick, by the Los Angeles Angels, in the first round of the 2025 MLB Draft at Coca-Cola Roxy on July 13, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) ORG XMIT: 776347387 ORIG FILE ID: 2224957271

The Los Angeles Angels, whose Double-A team is the Rocket City Trash Pandas, made two significant pitching selections. They began by picking right-handed pitcher Tyler Bremner from UC Santa Barbara with the second pick. Bremner recorded 111 strikeouts in 77.1 innings with a 3.49 ERA in his 2025 season. The Angels followed by picking up University of Tennessee right-handed pitcher Nate Snead with the No. 105 selection in the compensation round. Snead was a critical piece in the Volunteers’ bullpen during their historic 2024 College World Series championship run.

Oregon State infielder Aiva Arquette throws the ball toward first base during the game against Saint Mary’s in the NCAA Corvallis Regional on Friday, May 30, 2025 at Goss Stadium at Coleman Field in Corvallis, Ore.

The Miami Marlins, affiliated with the Pensacola Blue Wahoos, used their seventh overall pick to select Aiva Arquette, a shortstop from Oregon State. In his 2025 season, Arquette hit .354 with 12 home runs and 36 RBIs. They later selected outfielder Brandon Compton from Arizona State in the second round. Compton finished his 2025 season with a .271 batting average, nine home runs and 54 RBIs.

Tennessee infielder Andrew Fischer (11) yells in celebration after hitting his second home run of the night during a NCAA baseball game between Tennessee and Texas A&M at Lindsey Nelson Stadium on Friday, April 4, 2025.

The Milwaukee Brewers, the parent organization of the Biloxi Shuckers, drafted Andrew Fischer, a third baseman from the University of Tennessee, with the 20th pick. Fischer was a standout for the Volunteers in his lone season in Knoxville, hitting .341 with 25 home runs, 65 RBIs, and an impressive .497 on-base percentage, earning him First Team All-SEC and Consensus First Team All-American honors. East Tennessee baseball fans may have seen Fischer showcase his power at Lindsey Nelson Stadium, and they may get to watch him again in a Shuckers uniform at Covenant Health Park.

Tampa Bay Rays

Jul 1, 2024; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Mill Creek High School infielder Daniel Pierce during the Perfect Game National Showcase high school baseball game at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

The Tampa Bay Rays, whose Double-A team is the Montgomery Biscuits, selected Daniel Pierce, a shortstop from Mill Creek High School in Georgia, with the 14th pick. Pierce, an 18-year-old Georgia commit, is lauded for his above-average fielding and throwing tools. He models his game after Kansas City Royals star Bobby Witt Jr., emphasizing speed and hustle, a trait that could make him a dynamic presence on the base paths.

Knox News reporter Gabriel Jackson covers the Knoxville Smokies and One Knox SC. Email: gabriel.jackson@knoxnews.com.

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Kansas City Yields Positive Results at Nebraska, Iowa State

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LINCOLN, Neb. — Kansas City completed their final meets of 2025, showcasing positive signs for the indoor season moving forward at the Husker Holiday Open and ISU Holiday Invitational on Friday afternoon. Last weekend, Kansas City broke school records in the men’s 60 and 300-meter dashes, the men’s 600-yard dash and the women’s shot put at the Crimson and Gold Invitational. This weekend didn’t go by without a record being broken as KC’s All-American Tory Lanham delivered his third indoor school record, darting a 47.62 second time in the 400-meter dash to take first in the race and break fellow sprinter Jayden Henry’s 47.71 time set in last year’s holiday meet. Lanham continues to cement a historic legacy at Kansas City as the junior sprinter is KC’s school record holder in the indoor 200, 300 and 400-meter dashes, breaking each previous record in the calendar year of 2025.

Elsewhere in Lincoln, several other Roos put forth a great effort on the track, ending 2025 of a positive note heading into the New Year. Notably, distance runner Dalton Heller set a career-best in the mile, running a 4:18.52 and finishing third in the event. Right behind Heller was Luke Swarts, running a 4:20.68 to give the sophomore a new career-best time in the mile. Connor Jacober finished first in the 800-meter dash among several competitors, finishing with a 1:59.45 time. In the field, Hunter Roos earned himself a first place finish, cracking a triple jump mark of 14.32 meters. Brant Wilson finished as Kansas City’s best long jumper, leaping a mark of 6.84 meters which was good for third in the event. 

On the women’s side, Jacky-Perez Vela nearly notched a program record in the 300-meter dash, recording a time of 39.86 seconds, finishing under a tenth of a second shy of the Roos all-time record at 39.79 set back in 2024. Naomi Eyanagho clocked a 60-meter hurdles time of 9.21 seconds, finishing fourth in the race and coming close to her career-best. In the women’s 60-meter dash, Tonique Fleming sprinted a third place time of 7.87 seconds while Sarah Wulfert came in sixth with a time of 7.92 seconds. Additionally, Wulfert and Fleming came in the top five finishers in the 200-meter dash, leaving the meet with times of 25.21 and 25.55 respectively.  

In Ames, Kansas City put together a nice performance with Stephen Clunis getting a time of 6.68 in the 60-meter dash and Junior Powell notching a time of 6.91 in the same event. Kai White and M.J. Foster got times of 2:28.84 and 2:29.60 in the 1000-meter dash to close out Kansas City’s day at Iowa State. Kansas City takes a break for the holidays before hitting the ground running on January 10 for the Alexis Jarrett Invitational at Missouri. 



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Wisconsin defeats Stanford in NCAA regional semifinals: Updates, recap

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6:20 pm CT December 12, 2025

Who does Wisconsin volleyball play next in NCAA tournament?

John Steppe

Third-seeded Wisconsin will face top-seeded Texas in the NCAA regional finals on Dec. 14 at a to-be-announced time. The Longhorns are coming off a sweep in the regional semifinals against fourth-seeded Indiana.

Here are some highlights from the Texas-Indiana match:

6:02 pm CT December 12, 2025

More to read from Wisconsin’s four-set win over Stanford

John Steppe

5:32 pm CT December 12, 2025

Wisconsin’s Charlie Fuerbringer goes out of her way to praise teammate Una Vajagic

John Steppe

3:20 pm CT December 12, 2025

Wisconsin volleyball advances to the regional finals, will face Texas

John Steppe

Wisconsin is headed to the NCAA regional finals following a four-set win over Stanford. The Badgers won the fourth set, 25-22. Check back for more postmatch updates.



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#11 Volleyball Practices, Then Meets Media Prior to #2 Kentucky Match

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LEXINGTON, Ky. — The Creighton Volleyball team practiced for just more than an hour before meeting the media in Lexington, Ky., on Friday afternoon as it completed preparations for Saturday’s Elite Eight match at No. 2 Kentucky.

After practice, Creighton head coach Brian Rosen, along with Eloise Brandewie, Jaya Johnson and Abbey Hayes met the media.

First serve between Creighton and Kentucky is set for 4 p.m. Central. The contest will be nationally-televised on ESPN2.

 



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What channel is Kansas women’s volleyball vs Nebraska? Time, schedule

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Dec. 12, 2025, 3:04 a.m. CT



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‘U’ Falls in Sweet 16 to No. 4 Pittsburgh

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PITTSBURGH, Pa. — The No. 4 seeded Minnesota volleyball team fell to the No. 1 seeded Pittsburgh Panthers on Thursday night at the Petersen Events Center in three sets. The set scores of the match were 25-16, 25-23, 25-22.

The Gophers season ended in the Sweet 16 for the 21st time in program history with a 24-10 (12-8 B1G) record.

“Congrats to Pittsburgh on the win and for the university and city for being such great hosts,” said head coach Keegan Cook. “I’m proud of the way our team battled tonight and throughout the season. We just fell a little bit short tonight. I told the team I have loved coaching them all year and appreciate their willingness to learn and grow. We’re going to miss these seniors next year, but we’re glad to get back to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament and continue to push the program forward.”

Kelly Kinney and Carly Gilk led Minnesota with nine kills while Stella Swenson had 28 assists, three blocks and three aces. Julia Hanson was held to eight kills in her final collegiate match.

The Gophers (24-10, 12-8 Big Ten) were outhit the Panthers (29-4, 18-2 ACC) .271 to .178, leading in kills (47 to 33) and digs (48 to 34). Minnesota had more aces (4 to 3) and blocks (10 to 5).

Julia Hanson commented on her time at Minnesota and what it meant for her to end her career as a Golden Gopher.

“There were times that I questioned myself and how things were going after my sophomore year,” Hansen said. “But I’m so glad to be a part of this program and so proud to have that ‘M’ on my chest. It means everything to me. I’m so thankful for my time at Minnesota.”

For Pittsburgh, Olivia Babcock had 19 kills while Brooke Mosher went for 35 assists. Bre Kelly and Blaire Bayless also had eight kills for the Panthers.

How It Happened

SET 1 | Pittsburgh started out hot, scoring six of the first seven points before Minnesota called a timeout. The Gophers tallied a pair of kills to get it to four at 7-3 before the Panthers scored three straight on two kills and a block to go up 10-3. An attacking error followed by a kill from Kinney and a block from Myers cut it to four again at 11-7. Following a service error from Minnesota, the Gophers scored four of the next five to force a Pitt timeout, trailing 13-11. Swenson tallied an ace, Gilk had a kill and Taylor combined with Gilk on a block. After the timeout, the Panthers bounced back by scoring four of five, taking a 17-12 lead and forcing coach Cook’s final timeout of the frame. The Gophers would get no closer than five the rest of the way as the Panthers closed out the first frame, 25-16. Pitt hit .267 for the set while Minnesota hit just .026.

SET 2 | Minnesota came out strong, scoring seven of the first 12. Swenson had two aces while Kinney tallied a pair of kills. A kill from Myers and a block from Kinney and Myers put the Gophers up 10-9 before three straight from Pitt forced a Minnesota timeout, trailing 12-10. Kills from Swenson and Gilk combined with a Panthers attacking error helped give Minnesota back the lead at 14-13. The Panthers scored three of the next four to tie it up at 16-16. Two more kills put them up 18-16, forcing Minnesota’s final timeout of the set. Pitt would go up by as many as three at 22-19 before two errors cut the lead to just one at 22-21, leading to a Pitt timeout. A Panthers hitting error and kill from Hanson tied it up at 23-23, forcing one more Pitt timeout. A kill and a block won the set for Pitt, 25-23.

SET 3 | Pitt scored seven of the first 11 points before kills from Taylor and Gilk combined with a block from Hanson and Taylor tied it up at 7-7. The Panthers went on a 5-2 spurt after that, getting four kills and an ace to go up 12-9, forcing a Minnesota timeout. The Gophers would battle back, scoring five of the next seven to cut it to 15-14. Kills from Gilk and Myers combined with an ace from Garr tied it up at 17 apiece. A pair of kills from Myers put Minnesota up 19-18, leading to a Panthers timeout. After the break, Minnesota got a block and a Pitt error to go up 21-19 before the Panthers answered back with two more to tie it at 21. The two teams exchanged the next pair of points before the Panthers closed out the match on a 3-0 run to win, 25-22.

Game Notes

» Minnesota is now 1-3 all-time against Pitt, including 0-2 in the NCAA Tournament.

» The Gophers are now 10-11 in the NCAA Regional Semifinals.

» Minnesota posted 10+ blocks for the 15th time this season.

» Minnesota is now 4-7 against ranked opponents this season.

» McKenna Garr (10) posted 10+ digs for the 24th time in 2025.

» Lourdes Myers went for six blocks to lead Minnesota.

» Stella Swenson went for 28 assists and a team-best three aces.

Up Next

Minnesota’s spring season begins in January.



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Nebraska Volleyball keeping practices light-hearted as they prep for NCAA Regional

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LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) – Nebraska volleyball is keeping the practices light-hearted as they prep to play Kansas in the NCAA Regional.

The Huskers come into the Round of 16 with a 32-0 record and a lot of pressure to make the Final Four. With the mountain of expectations, the players and coaching staff are keeping the training fun and focused on each round rather than the latter goals.

“We still have a lot of fun in our practice, so even though the level is so high, we’re still managing to find ways to have fun,” junior middle blocker Andi Jackson said.

The light-hearted practices and emphasis on playing freely, has really proven to help Jackson’s game. This season she is hitting a nation-best .483 and is averaging 1.14 blocks per set.

“If you look too far into the future, you’re probably going to get a little nervous and get a little stressed out. So just really focusing on what we’re doing in the moment and focusing on where our feet are,” junior outside hitter Harper Murray said.

Nebraska VB’s HC Dani Busboom Kelly, MB Andi Jackson, and OH Harper Murray Pre-Sweet 16 Press Conference | Dec. 11, 2025

No. 1 ranked Nebraska will face off against 16th ranked Kansas on Friday, Dec. 12. The match starts 30 minutes after the conclusion of the two-seed Louisville versus three-seed Texas A&M match, which begins at 6 p.m. CT.

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