Browsing: National

October 23, 2025 | Paul Stimpson

Isaac Kingham (pictured above) was undefeatable as he justified top seeding by heading the top division after the first weekend of the National Series.

He was extended to four games but never to five as he finished the weekend clear of Leo Nguyen, who won four and lost two, with Francesco Bonato (3-3) in third.

In Division 2, William Hopkins won five of his six matches to finish just ahead of Prayrit Ahluwalia and Angad Saggu, who both won four.

Saggu was the player who beat Hopkins, by a 3-2 (12-10, 1-11, 4-11, 11-9, 11-3) scoreline, while Hopkins came from 3-0 down to defeat Hassan Damji 11-9 in the fifth.

In the corresponding girls†category, the top seed on paper, Rachael Iles, pulled out and it was Eva Eccles who topped the standings having won five out of six.

She lost out to Anjali Singh, 11-6 in the fifth, though Singh could only end the day in fourth spot with a 3-3 record, behind Catherine Lv and Brooke Morris, who both won four.

Eccles and Lv went to five, Eccles coming from 2-1 down to win, while Lv beat Singh 3-2 (11-7, 10-12, 4-11, 15-13, 11-6) and Morris also got the better of Singh in a decider, coming from 2-1 down.

The second division saw Maja Wojcicka win all five to finish clear of Daisy Watson in second.

In the top division of the Under-15 Boys, Oscar Nikolli won six out of seven to finish a point clear of two Ryans, Goodier and Holland, who won five. Noah Byrne-Smith won four and will feel frustrated to have lost out to both Holland and Goodier in the fifth.

Rishaan Sawant won all seven matches and only dropped three games to head Division Two from Harrison Hill and Finley Aitken.

Connor Godley topped Division Three on countback ahead of Teagan Khazal and Charlton Ngitngit after all three won four and lost two, while Aarav Pahwa edged out Louis Green at the top of Division Four.

There was a three-way tie at the top of the top division in the Under-15 Girls†event, with Alyssa Nguyen on top ahead of Hannah Saunders and Kiishi Adekola.

All three won five and lost one – and Nguyen only dropped three games, all when she was defeated 3-2 (6-11, 7-11, 11-6, 11-9, 11-4) thanks to Adekolaâ€s fine comeback.

Saunders beat Adekola 3-0 (8, 2, 3), while Nguyen beat Saunders 3-0 (8, 6, 8).

Division Two is headed by Sienna Svoboda, who won five out of six matches to stand two points clear of a clutch of four players who won three and lost three. Svobodaâ€s defeat was to Chloe Kniep in four.

In Division Three, Isabelly Lorrana is at the top, with four wins from five, just ahead of three players with 3-2 records, among them Jessie Daniel, who beat Lorrana.

Sai Prasanna Kumar is top of the Under-13 Boys†top division, with six wins from seven putting him ahead of Malek Shamakh.

It was Zacharia Sarri, who finished in seventh spot, who beat Kumar, by a 3-0 (11-7, 11-6, 12-10) scoreline. Kumar edged out Shamakh 13-11 in the fifth when the top two met.

Oliver Glowacki and Tyler Shalson both won six and drew one in Division Two, with Glowacki on top of the countback. It was Glowacki who beat Shalson, but he lost out to Christopher Darby.

The girls†top division is headed by Isabella Xiao Xu, who won six and drew one, the same record as Phoebe Oâ€Brien. It was Oâ€Brien who inflicted the defeat on Xu, by a 3-2 (7-11, 11-9, 5-11, 13-11, 12-10) scoreline. Oâ€Brienâ€s defeat was to Bethany Yang.

Nyasha Roberts is top of Division Two ahead of both Evie Turner-Samuels and Saskia Svoboda on countback, all three having a 5-1 record.

Roberts beat Svoboda, who in turn beat Turner-Samuels, who herself defeated Roberts.

Results and tables

Under-19 Boys | Under-19 Girls
Under-15 Boys | Under-15 Girls
Under-13 Boys | Under-13 Girls

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The 2025-26 campaign will be Jaxson Hayes’ first full season playing alongside Luka DonÄić, but the Los Angeles Lakers big man is hoping to take that on-court relationship to international basketball in the near future.

Hayes told reporters Wednesday he is attempting to obtain a Slovenian passport to join the star guard on Slovenia’s national team.Â

NBA insider Marc Stein noted he would become the team’s naturalized player if he is successful.

According to Eurohoops, the Slovenian Basketball Federation released the following statement:Â

“As previously mentioned, we are exploring the possibility of a new naturalized player in the center position. We are aiming to secure this player for a longer period to ensure the team’s stability in the coming years. At this stage, we cannot disclose names or details. Once all matters are finalized and the procedures successfully completed, we will inform the public.”

Hayes is just 25 years old, so he is someone who could play “for a longer period to ensure the team’s stability in the coming years.”

The Texas product got his first experience teaming up with DonÄić toward the end of last season after the Los Angeles Lakers acquired the five-time All-Star via trade from the Dallas Mavericks.

There wasn’t much time to adjust, but they now have some experience and will be starting a new season on the same team. That should lead to notable on-court chemistry, especially since DonÄić is someone who is so reliant on the ability to get into the lane and then throw lob passes to bigs when opposing defenders collapse on his penetration.

He was dominant in Dallas doing that with Dereck Lively II and will surely look to consistently do the same with Hayes.

DonÄić led Slovenia to the quarterfinals of EuroBasket 2025 before losing to a German team that featured multiple NBA players despite scoring 39 points. Adding another NBA player such as Hayes to the roster will help the Slovenian National Team compete in those high-profile tournaments and not be quite so reliant on DonÄić to carry as much responsibility. Â

That player having NBA experience as teammates with DonÄić would only be an additional boost.

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Brandon Holtz played his first-ever USGA championship at the Mid-Am in September, but it won’t be his last. The 38-year-old from Indiana won the tournament at Scottsdale’s Troon Country Club with a 3-and-2 victory over his final-match opponent, 28-year-old Jeg Coughlin III. With the win, Holtz will get an exemption into next year’s U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills and (likely) an envy-inducing invitation to the Masters in April. The Masters has traditionally extended an invitation to every U.S. Mid-Amateur champion since 1989.

For Holtz, a 38-year-old realtor and former college basketball player at Illinois State, the opportunity to compete on Augusta National’s hallowed grounds is a dream come true. Holtz played pro golf on the mini tour circuit for six years before being reinstated as an amateur in 2024.

“I kept my pro card for a while just because I liked to play for cash, and it got to the point where I just wasn’t playing any events anymore, so decided to get my amateur status back last year,” Holtz told the USGA.

On this week’s episode of Subpar, Holtz expressed his excitement about having the chance to tee it up at Augusta with his father on the bag after the two have spent the last two decades attending the Masters as patrons.

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“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, right?” Holtz told Subpar hosts Colt Knost and Drew Stoltz. “Hopefully not, but, you know, let’s be a little bit more realistic. Yeah, he’s on the bag. I think the plan is, my brother might be on the bag for the U.S. Open and then hopefully get that invite to the Masters and my dad is definitely on the bag.

“My dad won two [Masters] tournament badges for life in 2004,” Holtz continued. “He won the lottery back when they opened it up to everything, so we’ve been going down there for 20 years. It makes it a little more special just because we understand how special it is. So just, you know, walking the grounds and say, oh, what’s behind that rope, what’s in that building? We’re gonna find out this year.”

Which hole is Holtz most looking forward to playing? A hint — it’s not the ones you’d expect.

“The ones I like to watch are No. 2 and No. 6,” he said. “No. 2, for the bigger hitters having that opportunity to hit it on No. 2 green and just because the green’s crazy, but you can also kind of see how downhill that actual hole is. A lot of people don’t realize how undulated and how hilly that place actually is. But I really wanna, [on] No. 14, [see] how crazy that green is. I just wanna go take a bucket of balls and hit chips as many times as I can around that thing because it’s, I’ll tell you what, from the bottom to the top, I think it’s about eight feet.

October 10, 2025 | Paul Stimpson

Isaac Kingham and Rachael Iles are the top seeds trying to stay ahead of the chasing pack when the inaugural National Series gets under way next weekend.

The competition provides a regular high-quality competitive opportunity for the top cohort in each youth age-group – Under-13, Cadet (U15) and Junior (U19).

There are multiple divisions of eight players in each age/gender category, played in a round-robin format, with two promotion and two relegation places in each division after each round, and the winner of the final round being crowned National Series champion.

Iles (pictured above) and Kingham will head the respective girls†and boys’ divisions in the Under-19 age group.

The top seeds in the Under-15 age group are Theo Kniep and Amber Lemmon, while the Under-13s are headed by Lusio Wen and Phoebe Oâ€Brien.

The Under-13s and Under-19 competitions will take place at Grantham College and all rounds of the Under-15s will be at Nottingham TTC. These venues were selected following an open tender earlier this year.

The series will be played over three rounds:

• 18 & 19 October
• 15 & 16 November
• 24 & 25 January, 2026

The girls†divisions will take place on the Saturday, with the boys playing on the Sunday.

Keep an eye on our social media channels next week for details of how to watch selected highlights from the competition – and the results and league standings will appear on our website next week.

Click below to see the starting divisions in each category.

Under-19 Girls | Under-19 Boys
Under-15 Girls | Under-15 Boys
Under-13 Girls | Under-13 Boys

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AVCA National Player Of The Week Release

LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY — Cal State LA’s Samarah DaCoud has earned an amazing accomplishment early in her Golden Eagle career.

DaCoud was named the American Volleyball Coaches Association Division II Women’s Player of the Week, the organization announced on Tuesday. She became only the seventh player in program history and just the second since 2016 to earn national Player of the Week recognition. She is just the fourth to win the award since 2003.

“Im very proud of Samarah and the player she is becoming,” Cal State LA head coach Juan Figueroa said. “I think she’s already one of the best players in the conference. I love how she’s developing and getting better and becoming an impact player. Last year, she was good for a freshman and now she is even better. She’s great for our team on the court with her leadership and also off the court. I’m very happy and looking forward to a very bright future for her.”

Emily Elliott won the weekly award on Oct. 22, 2024 to become the first player since Alma Serna in 2016 to earn national honors for Cal State LA and DaCoud now gives the Golden Eagles winners in back-to-back years. Iona Lofrano won the award on Sept. 24, 2015, Te’Ara Epps won it on Oct. 20, 2003, Kristy Sain won it on Oct. 14, 2002 and Kasey Jungwirth was the first to win it on Sept. 11, 2000.

DaCoud led the way to another 2-0 week in California Collegiate Athletic Association play for the Golden Eagles, who improved to 6-0 in conference play and 10-3 overall. DaCoud led the conference on the weekend with two double-doubles and averages of 5.75 kills and 6.19 points per set. She added 3.25 digs per set, three assists, and two aces, while registering a .406 hitting percentage.Â

DaCoud put up back-to-back 23-kill performances, starting in a win at Cal State San Marcos on Thursday. She posted 23 kills and 14 digs in four sets to lead the Golden Eagles past the Cougars. She added 23 kills and 12 digs in another double-double performance in a four-set home win over Chico State on Saturday.Â

DaCoud ranks second in the CCAA and 18th in NCAA Division II with 4.14 kills per set. She is also 18th with 4.72 points per set.

Cal State LA will return to action with a pair of road matches this weekend at UC Merced on Friday at 5 p.m. and Stanislaus State on Sunday at 2 p.m.

Â

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I feel a bit sorry for Americans. They don’t go through enough national sporting despair. OK, they had an invigorating shot of misery last Sunday night losing the Ryder Cup, but that was a rare thing for them. It’s rare because they’re so dominant in all the team sports they really care about, not least because their biggest team sports – certainly NFL and baseball – aren’t played by anyone else. Or at least not to the extent that another nation is ever going to come close to beating them in any meaningful “world cup†competition. Basketball, to be fair, is widely played around the world but essentially the same applies – the US men have been Olympic champions 17 times out of 20; for the women it’s nine out of 12. Ice hockey is slightly different. Here, Americans haven’t had it all their own way, and in Canada have a genuine local rival. This may be one reason Trump makes noises about taking them over.

So, why feel sorry for them? For a start, how diminished must be the joy of winning if you’re winning all the time? As a bloke with whom I go to the football always says after a miserable defeat: without despair there is no joy.

Losing takes practice, which is why I can almost forgive the pretty despicable behaviour of some of the Americans over the weekend

Losing takes practice, which is why I can almost forgive the pretty despicable behaviour of some of those Americans on the course over the weekend. They don’t know how to do it. So they just resort to nastiness. And worse, even after their team had performed brilliantly and nearly pulled off an incredible comeback, they were leaving in droves, storming out in a massive collective sulk. There didn’t seem to be any sticking around to applaud the worthy winners and, more importantly, salute their countrymen who, in the end, did themselves great credit in running Europe so close. Marching off towards the Long Island Railroad, it was like they were all channelling Vince Lombardi: “Show me a good loser,†the NFL coach famously said, “and I’ll show you a loser.†OK, point taken. But he was talking about the athletes rather than their fans.

Americans don’t get the chance to come together in support of their national team in the way the rest of us do. It’s such a valuable thing for the people of a nation to go through together, opportunities to feel such unity and belonging being rather rare. And in the really big moments losing is just as valuable as winning, in the sense of all being in it together. The morning after one England final defeat I passed a mother and her young boy on their way to school. They happened to be of Indian heritage. The lad was wearing an England shirt. I made a sad face at the kid, and his mother’s look told me it had been a very difficult evening for the whole family. Me too. We’d all been through it together. The three of us and millions of others. OK, it wouldn’t have been the be-all and end-all for all 60-odd million of us, but it wasn’t nothing either. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have all had their moments too, when everyone’s been pulling in the same direction and sharing the same feelings. In Croatia – the other country I care about – it’s been said to me that everyone disagrees with everyone else all the time about everything, until such time as the national football team walks on to the pitch for a big match.

I’ve now watched England lose two European Championship finals, and Croatia lose in a World Cup final. On all three occasions I went home bloody miserable, but I’ve never felt more at one with my fellow country folk. Honestly, the Americans don’t know what they’re missing.

Adrian Chiles is a Guardian columnist

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LAS VEGAS — There have been a lot of ups and downs for Jacob Berry since the Marlins selected him with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2022 Draft.

And so on Saturday in the ninth inning, after the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp had lost the Triple-A National Championship lead they had for six frames and were attempting a comeback, Berry knew how to ride the wave.

“I mean, it can go really good and really bad,†he said. “I’ve had both ends of it this year, but I just kept grinding.â€

COMPLETE MARLINS PROSPECT COVERAGE

“To watch the struggles he went through early in his career, to step up to that first-round [expectation], he met it tonight,†Jumbo Shrimp manager David Carpenter said. “And I hope people take notice.â€

Jacksonville jumped out to an early lead in the third on two-run homers by Jack Winkler and MLB’s No. 71 overall prospect Joe Mack (MIA No. 3). The Jumbo Shrimp remained in the driverâ€s seat until the Aviators more than turned up the heat in the ninth.

After three straight Las Vegas batters reached — including rehabbing Aâ€s outfielder Denzel Clarke — Jacksonville brought in Robby Snelling (MIA No. 4/MLB No. 75) out of the bullpen. Four days after pitching in Game 1 of the International League Finals, the No. 8 LHP prospect was making his first career relief appearance.

Snelling allowed a walk, then forced a groundout, putting the Jumbo Shrimp two outs from the championship. Then Bryan Lavastida stepped up and completely flipped the script.

The 26-year-old first baseman crushed a three-run homer to right-center field to give the Aviators the lead. Lavastida — who had his own roller-coaster season after the Astros released him in August and the Aâ€s picked him up — made the Las Vegas crowd go crazy for the “visiting team.â€

“You always look up at the scoreboard in these type of games,†Berry said. “And you’re worried about what’s on the board at the end of the game.â€

But the LSU product also had some first-pitch magic up his sleeve. After Winkler singled and Victor Mesa Jr. struck out, Berry drilled a 97.9 mph offering 429 feet over the bullpen in right-center. He had eight homers in 123 games during the regular season.

The Jacksonville dugout flooded onto the field as Berry circled the bases. The team’s relief pitchers were pouring out of the bullpen before the homer even touched the ground. The game — and the season — ended with euphoria and relief, as well as the Jumbo Shrimp’s second championship of the week.

“I don’t know if you can really put into words how much all of these guys mean, and the work that they put in from day one,†Carpenter said. “But to watch guys that have been with us the entire time — the Jacob Berrys, the Jack Winklers, those types of guys — to be able to step up in a big game like this, was incredible.â€

Berry started off slow this season, slashing .195/.302/.326 in the first half. But he kept grinding and soon he realized, “You’re only as good as your next day.†With that in mind, the 24-year-old improved just about every aspect of his game in the second half, posting a .319/.390/.454 slash line to close out the regular season.

“It felt like it just kind of got better as the year went along,†Berry said. “And hopefully I can take that into next year.â€

Morgan McSweeney got the start for the Jumbo Shrimp, just three months after the Marlins signed him out of indy ball. The 28-year-old right-hander worked around two hits with a strikeout over two scoreless frames. McSweeney was at the 2023 Triple-A National Championship here in Las Vegas as part of the Orioles’ Norfolk roster, though he did not enter the game.

Carpenter led Jacksonville to its first Triple-A crown in his first season of affiliated baseball after managing in the MLB Draft League the past two years. The 40-year-old was a Triple-A reliever only six years ago.

The club previously won an International League title in 1968 when there was no Triple-A title game. The Jumbo Shrimp then won six Double-A Southern League titles (as the Suns) before returning to the Minors†highest level in 2021. This was the first time a Marlins affiliate competed for the Triple-A crown.

“The Marlins are doing a great job of getting the right people in, and I think you can see that now, obviously, with our big league team,†Berry said. “And I just think we’ve done a really good job this year, in the last few years, of just building up the program again, and hopefully take this to the next level at some point as well.â€

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Jumbo Shrimp in Vegas might typically mean the buffet.

But this weekend, it centers around a different kind of dish.

The Las Vegas Aviators (Athletics) and Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (Marlins) will meet in the single-game Triple-A National Championship at 10:05 p.m. ET on Saturday at Las Vegas Ballpark, airing on MLB Network.

Here’s everything to know for the last Minor League game of 2025.

The Triple-A National Championship Game is set for 10:05 p.m. ET on Saturday at Las Vegas Ballpark. The game will air on MLB Network and can be streamed on the MiLB and MLB Pipeline homepages, MLB.TV and the MiLB app. Tyler Maun, the co-host of MiLBâ€s The Show Before The Show podcast, will handle play-by-play alongside MLB Pipelineâ€s Jim Callis.

Las Vegas Aviators:
1. Denzel Clarke — CF
2. Alejo Lopez — 3B
3. Nick Martini — DH
4. Bryan Lavastida — 1B
5. Junior Perez — RF
6. Cooper Bowman — 2B
7. Drew Swift — SS
8. Daniel Susac — C
9. Ryan Lasko — LF
SP – Ken Waldichuk — LHP

Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp:
1. Victor Mesa Jr. — CF
2. Jacob Berry — RF
3. Joe Mack — C
4. Kemp Alderman — LF
5. Matthew Etzel — DH
6. Maximo Acosta — SS
7. Jared Serna — 2B
8. Nathan Martorella — 1B
9. Jack Winkler — 3B
SP – Morgan McSweeney — RHP

Las Vegas will hand the ball to left-hander Ken Waldichuk. The 2019 fifth-round pick is coming back from Tommy John surgery, which sidelined him for the entire 2024 season. The A’s acquired Waldichuk from the Yankees at the 2022 Trade Deadline, then called him up for his big league debut exactly a month later. He was named an MLB Pipeline Top 100 prospect in 2023 and he went on to spend the entire season in the American League before experiencing elbow discomfort in a September start. Since joining Las Vegas in June, Waldichuk has an 8.65 ERA with 64 strikeouts in 51 innings. While his fastball velocity is still down a couple ticks as he works his way back, the 27-year-old is finding success with his sweeper, which has a 37.9 percent whiff rate this season.

Morgan McSweeney gets the start for Jacksonville, just over three months after the Marlins signed him to a Minor League deal. The 2019 Draft pick out of Wake Forest had been in the Orioles system until he was released July 2024. McSweeney then made a couple stops in the independent Atlantic League before joining the Jumbo Shrimp in June. The 6-foot-4 right-hander has enjoyed newfound success in pro ball since, posting a 2.21 ERA in 61 innings across 13 games (12 starts). McSweeney isn’t a big-time strikeout pitcher, but he uses his curveball to induce weak contact.

5. Henry Bolte, OF*
11. Daniel Susac, C
15. Kade Morris, RHP
16. Eduarniel Núñez, RHP
17. Ryan Lasko, OF
27. Zane Taylor, RHP

1. Thomas White, LHP (MLB No. 21)
3. Joe Mack, C (MLB No. 71)
4. Robby Snelling, LHP (MLB No. 75)
10. Kemp Alderman, OF
13. Dax Fulton, LHP
19. Josh Ekness, RHP*
21. Victor Mesa Jr., OF
22. Deyvison De Los Santos, 1B/3B
23. Maximo Acosta, SS
29. Matthew Etzel, OF

Las Vegas got off to a strong start, with help from AL Rookie of the Year favorite Nick Kurtz, who posted a 1.040 OPS in 20 games before getting called up. The Aviators took the PCL first-half lead on May 4 and never looked back, going on to clinch a playoff spot with a 49-26 (.653) record. Overall, the club led Triple-A in hits (1,519), runs (978), average (.288), on-base percentage (.378) and sac flies (60). After a shaky final stretch of the regular season, Las Vegas got back to winning when it counted. The A’s affiliate swept Tacoma in the PCL Championship Series, outscoring the Mariners club, 14-4, in two games to win its first title since 1988.

The chase for the International League first-half title was a closer battle with Jacksonville seven games back from first place with 14 to go. The Jumbo Shrimp then went on an 11-3 run to capture their spot in the IL Finals. Flash forward three months, and Jacksonville was back on the comeback trail. After losing Game 1 of the Championship Series to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, the Marlins affiliate took an early lead in Game 2 and never trailed again, forcing and winning the decisive Game 3. A big reason for the success was a dominant pitching staff that led Triple-A in ERA (3.73) and opponent batting average (.228), while ranking second in WHIP (1.24).

Three things to know about the Aviators

While many teams will try to claim it, Las Vegas can truly say its offensive dominance this year was a team effort. Aside from Darell Hernaiz’s .305 average ranking eighth, no Las Vegas player cracked the top 10 of any major batting category in the PCL. Daniel Susac (ATH No. 11 prospect) and Colby Thomas led the squad with 18 homers apiece, while the former also topped the team with an .832 OPS.

Before the season started, Las Vegas was named the host city for the Triple-A National Championship for the fourth straight year, and the International League was set as the home team, which means the Aviators will be the away team in their home ballpark on Saturday. The club had a .633 winning percentage at Las Vegas Ballpark compared to a .493 mark on the road in 2025, so this game will be an interesting test case of if a friendly crowd outweighs batting in the home-halves of the innings.

Ryan Lasko was on another level in the PCL Finals. The A’s No. 17 prospect went 4-for-7 from the ninth spot in the order with two homers, a triple and five RBIs. This comes less than a month after the A’s promoted the 23-year-old from High-A straight to Triple-A. Lasko, a 2023 second-rounder out of Rutgers, isn’t known for his power — the tool grades out at 45 (on the 20-80 scale) — but he seems to have unlocked something at Las Vegas Ballpark this week.

Three things to know about the Jumbo Shrimp

The next great battery for Marlins fans to be excited about closed out the season at Triple-A, with MLB’s No. 71 overall prospect Joe Mack catching top hurlers Thomas White (MLB No. 21) and Robby Snelling (MLB No. 75). White fanned 17 in 9 1/3 innings, while Snelling posted a stingy 1.27 ERA in 63 2/3 frames during their Triple-A tenures. While it’s unlikely to see the hurlers on Saturday since they pitched in the IL Finals, Mack is in position to make his battery mates proud. The catcher drilled a team-leading 18 homers, despite playing in just 99 Triple-A contests.

After being limited to 77 games in 2024 due to a broken hamate, Kemp Alderman found his power stroke once again in the Arizona Fall League, then he left early to get married. Since then, Alderman’s been arguably Miami’s best hitter down on the farm. The 2023 second-round pick led full-season Marlins Minor Leaguers in average (.285), homers (22), RBIs (70), slugging (.482), OPS (.820), hits (139), extra-base hits (47) and total bases (235). Alderman has seven dingers in September, including one in the IL Finals, so look for him to try to get a hold of one and let it fly in the desert air.

The city of Jacksonville’s baseball roots can be traced back to the late 1800s, seeing greats like Satchel Paige and Babe Ruth come through. Hank Aaron won the 1953 South Atlantic League MVP while with the Jacksonville Braves. In 1962, the Jacksonville franchise we know today began as a Triple-A affiliate of Cleveland. The club changed parent clubs 11 times since then, moving to Double-A in 1970, then back to Triple-A in 2021. So while Jacksonville has won eight total league titles, this year’s was the first at Triple-A since 1968.

Las Vegas is led by Fran Riordan in his eighth season as the Aviators’ skipper. The Virginia native began playing in indy ball in 1997, then transitioned to a player/manager in 2000. He would remain a skipper in the independent Frontier League for 15 years. In 2015, Riordan joined the A’s organization, making stops with then-Single-A Beloit, Double-A Midland and Triple-A Nashville before the affiliation moved to Las Vegas in 2019. A multi-time PCL Manager of the Year, Riordan is the winningest skipper in franchise history, going 451-413 (.522).

The MLB Draft League doesn’t just develop players — David Carpenter spent two seasons managing his hometown West Virginia Black Bears at his college ballpark before taking over for Jacksonville in 2025. A 2006 12th-round pick out of West Virginia University, Carpenter played in the Cardinals, Astros, Blue Jays, Braves, Nationals, Yankees, Angels, D-backs and Rangers organizations from 2008-2019, pitching 214 2/3 innings in The Show.

Triple-A National Championship history

In 1904, the International League’s Buffalo Bisons squared off against the American Association’s St. Paul Saints in the Little World Series. Since then, there has been nine formats and 76 iterations of an interleague championship at the Minors’ highest level. The format moved to a single-game showdown between the International and Pacific Coast League champions in 2006, and has remained that way ever since. The PCL has a 10-7 lead over the IL in that time. The 2020 season was canceled due to the pandemic, and there were no Triple-A playoffs in 2021.

Last year, Astros prospect Shay Whitcomb celebrated his 26th birthday by leading Sugar Land to its first Triple-A National Championship with a 13-6 win over Omaha, the Royals’ affiliate.

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CINCINNATI — A team trying to control its own destiny during a playoff push in the final week of the regular season can be akin to herding cats if it doesn’t win. Winning simplifies. Winning provides assurance. Losing makes things more complicated.

Despite a big night for Elly De La Cruz and a festive crowd itching for October baseball, the Reds’ time with command of the final National League Wild Card spot was short-lived as they were handed a 4-2 loss by the last-place Pirates on Tuesday before 29,847 fans at Great American Ball Park.

That loss ended Cincinnati’s five-game winning streak and with it, control of the race.

“We lost today. Tomorrow, we clean it up and we just come back with the same mentality,” said De La Cruz, who reached safely four times, while going 3-for-3 with a two-run home run and a walk.

The Reds (80-77) had moved into a tie with the Mets on Sunday and had the tiebreaker advantage in the NL Wild Card standings. But the Mets (81-76) defeated the Cubs at Wrigley Field on Tuesday to move ahead by one game again. Cincinnati also has the tiebreaker advantage over the Diamondbacks (79-77), who are 1 1/2 games back pending their Tuesday evening result against the Dodgers.

Five games remain in the regular season.

Brady Singer, who has been Cincinnati’s hottest starting pitcher down the stretch, ran into trouble with Pittsburghâ€s decisive four-run second inning. Three straight one-out hits provided the first two runs before a two-out opposite-field homer to left field by Oneil Cruz gave the Pirates a 4-0 lead.

“A lot of bad pitches, a lot of pitches in the middle of the plate, and they put good swings on them,” said Singer, who is 5-2 with a 2.49 ERA over his last eight starts.

The Reds responded to the outburst in the bottom of the second against Pirates starter Johan Oviedo. Spencer Steer led off with a four-pitch walk before the next batter, De La Cruz, clobbered a 1-2 Oviedo pitch for a two-run homer to right field that cut the deficit in half.

It gave De La Cruz a team-high-tying 21 homers. After hitting 18 homers in his first 79 games, he has only three long balls over his last 78 games. The good news? Two have come in the last four games.

De La Cruz entered the series opener batting .191 over his previous 19 games.

“If he wants to get hot, that would be really welcomed,” manager Terry Francona said.

De La Cruz also hit a single to center field in the fourth inning and lined a hard two-out single in the sixth inning. He also drew a four-pitch walk in the ninth.

“Iâ€ve been feeling good lately,” De La Cruz said.

The Reds were unable to capitalize offensively. After De La Cruz’s fourth-inning hit following another walk by Steer, Oviedo struck out Matt McLain and Will Benson to escape. Cincinnati also grounded into three double plays — one in each of the final three innings.

After Cruzâ€s homer, Singer gave up only a bloop single near the right-field foul line by Rafael Flores in the fifth inning and an infield single in the sixth inning by Spencer Horwitz. A 13-pitch duel with Nick Gonzales ended with a line out to third base, but finished Singer’s night after 5 1/3 innings. He allowed four runs on seven hits with no walks and three strikeouts.

“I just tried to get as deep in the game as I can, trying to make some quick pitches and limit the damage,” Singer said. “I obviously gave up four and didnâ€t want to give up any more.â€

Of course, the Pirates had no interest in helping the Reds get into the postseason.

“When you’re playing against a division opponent, you always want to win, especially [considering] they’ve got a chance to make the playoffs and would love to play spoiler. Guys are ready to roll,” Pirates manager Don Kelly said.

It doesn’t get easier for the Reds on Wednesday. Although they are sending ace Hunter Greene to the mound against Pittsburgh, he will be opposed by leading NL Cy Young contender Paul Skenes and his Major League-best 2.03 ERA.

In a 7-0 win over the Reds on Aug. 7, Skenes worked six innings with seven hits and eight strikeouts. Greene has a 2.74 ERA in 18 starts, and on April 13 vs. the Pirates, he pitched seven scoreless innings of two-hit ball with one walk and eight strikeouts for a 4-0 win.

“I wish our guy was going and then maybe this guyâ€s brother,” Francona said of Skenes.

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